My morsels for today:
MEDIA: Sports Illustrated columnist Selena Roberts is in the crosshairs of a collegiate controversy once again. After crucifying the Duke University lacrosse players before they were acquitted of sexual assault charges and never backing off from her accusations, she now has taken aim at Indiana State University. In a column last week, Roberts ripped the school for cutting its successful men’s and women’s tennis programs (five conference championships between them since 1999) while sparing its crappy football program (1-44 record since 2005). Problem is, Roberts never spoke with Indiana State Athletic Director Ron Pettyman to get his side of the story! In a story written by Terre Haute Tribune-Star reporter Mark Bennett, Pettyman said cutting tennis saves the university $350,000 per year, not an average of $15,000 per year as Roberts reported. Pettyman also said cutting football would have decimated the school’s marching band and athletic training programs, and been a much larger cut than his department was requested to make. All Indiana State departments were required to cut their budget by the same percentage for 2009-11. I can understand Roberts’ indignation about Indiana State’s decision and her premise that many universities take aim only at non-revenue producing sports when cuts have to be made. But her column on Indiana State would have had much more credibility had she -- or anyone from Sports Illustrated for that matter -- talked to the guy who made the decision.
NHL: I’m asked the question just about every time it happens. Why do Detroit Red Wings fans throw octopi on the ice during the Stanley Cup playoffs? The answer is simple. It’s a tradition that dates to the 1950’s, when it took eight victories to win the Stanley Cup. An octopus has eight tentacles. What’s difficult to explain to a non-Detroiter is the octopus-mania that descends on Superior Fish Co. of Royal Oak, Mich., each time the Red Wings make the Stanley Cup finals. Superior Fish hosts an octopus tasting party with samples of octopus chili, salad and spread and barbecue octopus, and it sells an “octopus throwing kit” that fans can take with them to games. It also offers shipping of octopus to anywhere in the country. That’s no fish story.
That’s all for now. See you later.
Please send comments to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
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