Odds and Sods

The Michigan High School Athletics Association will pay $7.4 million in fines and legal fees, after being rejected once again in a Federal Court ruling over a Title IX violation.

A group of Grand Rapids women filed the original lawsuit in 1998, claiming, rightly, that the MHSAA unfairly discriminated against girls basketball and volleyball players, by forcing them to play in a different season than in every other state to facilitate scheduling.

Title IX, passed in 1972, prohibits discrimination based on sex in any educational related activity.

“We are not going to offer any comment for at least the next week to 10 days,” the unfortunately named MHSAA spokesman John Johnson told AP.

The bulk of the assessed amount stems from legal fees and numerous appeals.

This is now $15.8 million in needless legal fees to protect idiocy, which could have gone to the children of the economically depressed state.

Top-rated High School quarterback Terrell Pryor has finally made his decision, choosing to attend “The University of Ohio St” over rival suitor Michigan University.

One would suspect, since he spent so long deciding between the two, that he would know the name of the school, or that he would at least have read the t-shirt he donned prior to the press conference.

However, there are no worries, as he and “Coach Tress” are cool.

With Senior QB Todd Boeckman returning for the Buckeyes, Pryor will likely sit his first season or be used on specific plays – similar to the Tebow shuffle that Florida employed in 2006.

His choice will likely hurt Michigan more than it helps Ohio St. Freshman Ryan Mallet transfered to save himself from the Spread Offense. Michigan is now stuck with neither experience nor talent at the position and the smooth transition has now become rather rough.

One of the biggest cliches in sports journalism is to take one event and employ it to illustrate a greater point about society.  But, in this case it is probably valid.

Kevin Hart, a 6′5″ 290lb offensive lineman from Fernley High School in Nevada, held a press conference and a school assembly to announce his intention to play for the University of California.  There was only one problem, California had never offered him a scholarship.

In fact, Cal had never recruited him, neither had the University of Oregon, the school he chose to reject.  Neither had any of the other schools  who were thought to have recruited Kevin, Nevada, Washington and Oklahoma St.

Hart originally claimed that he had been duped by a dubious figure claiming to be a recruiter.  However, he proved unable to provide any contact information for the alleged person.

Eventually, Kevin admitted that he had made up the story.

“When I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I made up what I wanted to be reality. I am sorry for disappointing and embarrassing my family, coaches, Fernley High School, the involved universities and reporters covering the story,” Hart told the Associated Press.

Lyon County sheriff’s detectives are still investigating the case to determine if Hart had violated any laws, such as filing a false police report.

There has been a revolution in high school football culture over the past few years.

Many high-school programs are now nationally known, traveling around the country to play.  Like college teams, they have jersey sponsors, state of the art facilities, and advertising at stadiums.

It has been glorified in television programs such as “Two-A-Days” and “Friday Night Lights.”  ESPN carried 7 hours of continuous live coverage of Signing Day on ESPN2 and ESPNU, with experts analyzing players’ physical attributes and technique.  Website information on sites such as rivals.com carry instantaneous updates about every aspect of recruits lives, from physical attributes to performances in their high-school games.  Their ratings on these websites have become more important than their SATs.

If the same amount of in-depth analysis was applied to a players’ girlfriend, it would probably land a few people in prison.

The most prominent specimen is super-recruit Terrelle Pryor of Jeanette, Pa.  He is 6′6″ 235 lbs and the number one rated high-school quarterback prospect in America.  Anyone with a computer can easily access his high-school performances in both football and basketball, as well as up to the minute updates on his decision-making process.

Pryor is currently holding four prominent football programs (as well as multi-million dollar industries), Michigan, Ohio St., Penn St. and Oregon, hostage as they await his final commitment.  Every appearance in an Ohio St. sweatshirt or a Michigan hat sparks a Media storm.

ESPN reporters openly speculate on air about who has the most influence among his friends and family and what implications that may have on his decision making.

Pryor is a national celebrity before he has even attended his senior prom.

For Pryor, the celebrity factor probably won’t be an issue.  If he can handle the pressure of being a savior at whatever university he attends, a lucrative professional career in either the NFL or NBA most likely awaits.

For Kevin Hart, however, his national celebrity status will cripple any chance of a normal life.  If he enrolls at a college, it will be news.  If he so much as walks near or tries out for a football team, reporters will be there.

With the ubiquitousness of the Internet,  it is a bit late to turn back the tumultuous tide of celebrity for high-school players.  Even if the NCAA were to refocus its efforts from sending Mr. Magoo to investigate big-time college football programs and sanctioning players for attending Lakers’ games, they still lack jurisdiction over the large corporations who will benefit financially from the exploitation of these kids.

The tragedy of Kevin Hart may be an isolated incident, but the message for the parents, coaches,  and family friends should be poignant.  If they do not take steps to protect these players, no one will.

Tim Tebow may have counted to infinity twice, but he proved no match for the much maligned Michigan defense, as the #12 Florida Gators were upset by Michigan in the Capital One Bowl 41-35.

The victory itself was impressive for the Wolverines, though, in truth, the scoreline does little to tell the story.  Michigan dominated the game on both sides of the ball, edging Florida in total yards (524-399), third down conversions (10/15 - 2/11), and first downs (28-18).  The equalizer was Michigan’s four turnovers, including two fumbles from the normally infallibe Mike Hart near the goal line.

It was an emotional day for Michigan.

Lloyd Carr capped off his Michigan career with a victory.  He ended it on his own terms and with the sweet sticky stench of success (and Gatorade), as his devoted players carried him from the field.  Though many have called for his head in recent seasons, none of the Wolverine faithful begrudged him his final, fitting triumph.

It was a successful swan-song for Michigan’s seniors.  Henne, Hart, and Long finally brought an elusive bowl victory to the Maize and Blue, ending a drought that had stemmed from the 2003 Outback Bowl.

It was also a joyful day for the fans as well.  The season that began with disaster, ended with this highly touted team finally preforming to their awesome potential.

The Wolverines embark upon a new era tomorrow, but it was a great day for the entire Michigan family to collectively celebrate the end to a glorious era.

Though it ended with neither trophies nor roses on New Years Day, it was truly “great to be a Michigan Wolverine.”

Terrelle Pryor, the nation’s #1 football recruit, has re-added Michigan to his shortlist of potential schools, after they hired coach Rich Rodriguez.

Pryor is a 6′6″ versatile quarterback who runs a 4.4 sec 40-yard dash out of Jeannette, Pa.  His shortlist as of Sunday included Florida, Ohio State, West Virginia, Penn State, and Oregon.  He told a website to “add Michigan to (his) list” after the hiring of Rodriguez.

“Michigan was on my early list and now they’re right up there again.  He’s a great coach and I like his offense,” Pryor told rivals.com.

With his size and speed, Pryor could potentially be the ideal leader of Rodriguez’ spread-option offense.

Should Pryor join the Wolverines, the new era in Ann Arbor could begin immediately, and potentially at the expense of highly touted sophomore quarterback Ryan Mallett.