Author Archives

sgtwolvehttp://blog.burrillstrong.com/

I’m gently tagging you in my mind

In another move to eliminate all potential sources of perceived harm to children, U.S. schools are beginning to ban tag. The game. The one that, apparently, has damaged millions of children in previous generations. But now, thankfully, we know better: physical activity that involves actual minor physical contact is deeply harmful to children.

Wait, no, strike that. Actually, schools are banning tag not out of fear of injuries, but out of fear of lawsuits spawned by injuries. It seems bumps and bruises scare school adminstrators largely because they may be accompanied by an angry parent’s lawyer.

To alleviate this fear of parents, administrators are requiring kids to develop a non-contact version of game. That’s right: non-contact tag. “What we require is that children do not touch each other,” said one principal.

In the wake of non-contact tag, other games are being altered for safety:

  • Baseball will no longer include bats or baserunners
  • Four-square players must first obtain permission from the other players before releasing the ball
  • Hide-and-seek will require hiding players to remain in plain sight
  • Basketball will feature baskets no more than 2.5 feet above the floor, and players’ movement and shooting may in no way be impeded by other players (per NBA rules)
  • Flag football will be replaced by Madden 2007

The Beta system may have been better on paper, too

In reference to five-game series in the first round of the MLB playoffs, pitcher Tom Glavine had an odd comment:

“A seven-game series creates an atmosphere where, most of the time, the better team is going to win,” Glavine says.

“In the best-of-five, there is way too much of a chance the better team will not win.”

Isn’t the purpose of the series to determine the better team?  The team that wins the required number of games is the better team.

The problem is that Glavine’s definition of “better” is not readily apparent in his comment.  Perhaps Glavine has formulated a superior method of choosing the better team, thus rendering playoff games antiquated.  If so, it shouldn’t be too long before Bud Selig changes the playoffs to the Glavine System.

In the meantime, despite Glavine’s mindset, let’s continue to enjoy the wonderful uncertainty of the playoffs.  After all, Glavine should know as well as anyone that apparent superiority on paper doesn’t actually prove the better team; in the playoffs, only wins prove the better team.  Anything else is simply an opinion.

Just ask the Yankees and the Mets.

My contribution to our decline is not my fault

Due to an accelerated decline in enrollment, Detroit has sent layoff notices to 430 teachers; those who received the notices will work until 18 December.

While this should be no surprise to anyone who observed the strike at the beginning of ths school year, union president Janna Garrison seems oddly indignant.

“It’s shortsighted and cruel for the district to play these kinds of games.  We’re going to lay the responsibility on (the district’s) shoulders,” she said.

She went on to criticize the district for its treatment of the teachers, saying, “The district doesn’t seem to be concerned what impact this has on its employees.”

It is curious that Garrison would accuse the district of being unconcerned about the impact of its actions.  When they forced the cancellation of school, the striking teachers did not seem to be concerned with the impact of their actions on the district or the students. 

The district was never blameless in the contract dispute, but the teachers made the decision to strike; without a doubt, the strike hurt a district already in decline.  In this situation, layoffs are not an ignoble retaliatory response.  In fact, considering its shrinking funding, it would be irresponsible for the district not to reduce its payroll.

If anything was “shortsighted and cruel,” it was the strike.  If the teachers believed layoffs would not occur in the wake of the strike’s effects on enrollment, then it was not the district that was shortsighted; it was the teachers who, it seems, could not see past their outstretched hands.

In every game, be this our aim, V-I-C-T-O-R-Y: week 9 vs. Milan

Chelsea High School Football record through week 9: 20-7 (3-0 week 9; 15-6 SEC).

Chelsea’s 2006 quarterback saga took a different turn this week; Adams was able to come back from his injury to start week 9.  So now the second center is snapping to the second quarterback, and the receiver-turned-third-quarterback (receiverback?) is back where he started.

The games:
Both the freshmen and the JV ended their seasons with wins.  The JV got a boost from the return of their quarterback, Cox; Adams’ return for varsity meant Cox was no longer needed as a backup at that level.

Among the notable aspects of the JV game was Milan’s lack of discipline.  With about five minutes left in the fourth quarter and Chelsea leading by six, Milan faced a fourth and goal inside the one yard line; they failed to score.  That turned the ball over to Chelsea, but it left the Bulldogs in an unenviable first down from the half yard line.

That would have been very dangerous for the Chelsea offense, but Milan squandered that field position: well after the failed fourth down play, the side judge threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct on Milan.  So, instead of first down from the half yard line, it was first down from the fifteen.

It didn’t stop there.  Just a couple plays later, Milan was flagged for roughing the passer — another free fifteen yards.  And a couple plays after that penalty, Milan was again flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, adding yet another fifteen free yards to Chelsea’s drive.  Shortly after the third major penalty, Chelsea capped the 99-yard drive with a game-sealing touchdown.

After the game, the Milan parents were audibly displeased, feeling the officials handed the game to Chelsea, but Milan handed that final touchdown to Chelsea with three unnecessary penalties.  Nearly half that drive — 45 out of 99 yards — consisted of those three major Milan penalties.  Victory demands discipline, and Milan did not demonstrate discpline on that drive.

Also notable in the JV game were Milan’s fourth-down attempts.  Four times on fourth and two or shorter, Chelsea stopped Milan, including that crucial fourth and goal late in the game.  Oddly enough, Milan did manage to convert a fourth and nine, but on fourth and short, the Chelsea defense was remarkably stout.

As previously noted, the varsity entered the Milan game with Adams back under center, and Milan entered the game with a 4-4 record, perhaps giving the Bulldog faithful high expectations.  Those expectations were shaken early: well into the fourth quarter, neither team controlled the game.  The lead changed hands several times, and the Milan offense seemed to have little trouble moving the ball.

In the fourth quarter, Chelsea seemed to stop the back and forth scoring, finally gaining a two-score lead.  But the game was meant to be stressful to the end; Milan quickly marched down the field to narrow the gap to four points.  Poor field position after the kickoff left Chelsea fans nervous, but Chelsea’s offense, keyed by an Adams pass, a Hill run and an Adams run, gained first downs and ran the clock to zero, giving the Bulldogs a hard-fought 33-29 victory.

On Sunday, the playoff pairings were announced; players and their families gathered to learn that they would be hosting Carleton Airport (7-2) in the first round.

After the playoff announcement, both coach Brad Bush and athletic director Wayne Welton had the same message: enjoy the ride.  We here in Chelsea have become accustomed to winning; the program has an outstanding streak of playoff appearances.  But Bush and Welton cautioned the players and parents not to take it for granted: wins and playoff appearances aren’t guaranteed.  Enjoy the wins when you get them.

Happy Winter Festive Occasion For All People!

Windmill Point Elementary School in Port St. Lucie, Florida, canceled its Christmas pageant.  Why?  Because it could be associated with Christmas.

The pageant itself, A Penguin Christmas, had no religious themes, overt or subtle; its subject matter featured characters such as Santa Claus, Rudolph, elves and, obviously, penguins.  However, a district spokeswoman said many people associate those symbols with Christmas.

That, along with the pageant’s use of the word, was enough for the school to cancel the play on the grounds that its mention of the holiday may be offensive.

But take comfort: though both Halloween and Thanksgiving could be offensive, they are still safe to mention in school.

—

Highlights from the Palm Beach Post’s article:
“‘Any reference to a religious holiday has the potential to offend anyone who is not part of that particular persuasion.'”

“‘I feel like I have the principal that canceled Christmas.'”

“Windmill Point parent Heather Cowart, mom to third-grader Logan, said she was upset last year when Logan’s teacher demanded he not bring Santa cupcakes, candy canes or other Christmas-themed treats to a ‘holiday party.’ Even donations of canned goods to the needy had to be wrapped in newspaper, not traditional wrapping paper, Cowart said.”

“Last year Logan got in trouble for saying “Christmas” in class. Is that a bad word now?'”

“‘Everywhere in Florida, and probably the whole country, there is a heightened awareness to not be offensive to anyone,’ Karst said.”

The Tall House

The University of Michigan has released drawings of the proposed renovations to Michigan Stadium. Take a look before you continue reading.

My first reaction was one of surprise. The proposed structures are huge. I did not expect small additions, but the drawings are larger than I had imagined.

As structures, they are attractive. They are modeled after other classic structures on campus, like Yost Ice Arena, and as such they are good-looking.

But if I may be repetitive for a moment, they’re big. They’re extraordinarily prominent. In a relative sense, they are nearly as subtle as Oregon’s highlighter-yellow uniforms.

One of the great charms of Michigan Stadium is its simple understated design. From the street, the stadium is actually underwhelming; from the inside, the stadium is just a mass of humanity and the sky. The addition of those two major structures to the east and west sides would be not just an evolutionary renovation, but a major shift in the stadium’s character.

I am not opposed to any addition of structures, but this proposed addition would essentially introduce a new stadium. That sort of change should not be taken lightly, and it should not occur without thorough input from those who fill the seats on a regular basis. If the general fan base accepts this sort of proposal, then I will not quarrel with it; I would be wasting my breath. But if the regents forge ahead with their plan despite substantial opposition, then I will have a quarrel with the regents.  This renovation should be approved by the fans who want to fill benches, not by the few who could afford the proposed suites.
—

The university says:
“In fact, since its construction by Fielding Yost in 1927, the Stadium has undergone many major changes and renovations. In 1949 it was expanded from 85,000 to 95,000 seats, and in 1956 it was renovated again to a capacity of more than 100,000. In 1957 the current press box was added. Each of these projects meant major changes to the appearance of the Stadium.”

Comparing simple capacity expansions to this renovation doesn’t work. The expansions changed the stadium by making it larger; from the inside, it was still a big bowl.