Phelps is the best?

Is Michael Phelps the greatest Olympian ever? Child please. I love how the American media annoints an American athlete as the top dog of them all when he breaks a record no one knew or cared about previously. I don't remember anyone hailing Larisa Latynina as the greatest Olympian of all the times. Latynina, a Soviet gymnast, won 18 medals from 1956-1960-1964. Who knew that? Better question, who cared? But, as soon as Phelps wins one more medal, all of a sudden, a record no one gave two shucks about is now the most important, most fabulous, most awesome feat ever accomplished. You gotta love ESPN and all the rest of the U.S. media hype machine. Their philosophy is simple. A record is only important if an American has it. Give me a break.

Olympic break

Trying to get into the Olympics. It's not easy because I don't have the primary NBC station on my satellite. I've missed all of glamour events, swimming and gymnastics, but I'm getting a lot of the soccer, equestrian and tennis. Honestly, I don't really care about the tennis. I want to discover new athletes. So far, other than the American judo lady who won bronze, it's been disappointing. Where's Mariel Zagunis? How am I missing the women's indoor volleyball? I'd like to see the hot shot table tennis player. Oh well, there's always next year for the Olympics. Oh, wait. Anyway, I finally sold an ebook. Thanks to whoever bought them. Even if you don't read them, I appreciate the support. To be honest, I'm surprised it took this long to get anyone to fork out $2.99. Quite the eye-opener, I must admit. Football practice began so I guess that officially means my summer slow season is over. It's hot as hell out there, by the way. Thanks to everyone for their birthday thoughts on Facebook. I tried to hit the "like" button to all of them but, for some reason, I think I messed it up. So, if you said something nice and didn't get a "like" hit on it, I meant to. What else? Oh, I'm not going to waste a lot of time talking about Penn State. I just thought it was eerie how fans were actually worshipping the Joe Paterno statue. It looked like a scene from the Bible. Glad that thing was taken down. Penn State is lucky the NCAA handed out its punishment and not me. Talked to former El Dorado quarterback Taylor Reed at practice yesterday. He said a couple Arkansas freshman receivers might have to play right away since the suspensions and/or dismissals. He also told me Byran Jones is looking studly on the defensive line. Working on a new book, as if anyone actually cared. I'm liking it so far, although I'm currently at a hard spot I'm trying to work through. Look for it on Smashwords or Barnes & Noble in the not-too-distant future. No title, yet.

Best female athlete ever?

Is Serena Williams the greatest female athlete of all the times? It's a question that's being asked these days as she goes for, yet another, Wimbledon singles championship. Serena is most certainly in the discussion. She's as dominant in her sport as anyone else is in their's, including Tiger Woods and Federer, Michael Jordan, etc. But, the greatest of all the times? It's amazing what short memories we have these days. There have been some incredible women athletes over the years. And, no, I won't insult women by including a freaking horse like ESPN did several years ago. I still can't believe women didn't boycott ESPN or burn down Bristol for that crap. But, let me present 12 women athletes who changed the game and are also in the discussion for top female competitors and athletes ever. Since none of the people reading this consider anyone born outside the United States relevent, I'll keep my list to American-born female athletes. Okay, Rick? My list includes: Mickey Wright, the greatest female golfer of all the times. Wright won 82 LPGA titles and 13 grand slams. She helped put women's golf on the map. Have you heard of Mary T. Meagher? The original Madam Butterfly won gold in the 100 and 200 butterfly in the 1984 Olympics and would've won in 1980 if not for the boycott. Meagher's world records in the two events are considered two of the most astonishing records ever in any sport. Both records stood for nearly two decades. Joan Benoit won the first-ever Olympic women's marathon in 1984. She still holds the record for fastest times in the Olympics and Chicago Marathons. Her record in the Boston Marathon lasted for 28 years. Figure skating is a sport and Dorothy Hamill introduced it to a lot of Americans in 1976, when she won Olympic Gold. Hamill is still one of the most popular female athletes ever. She has a move named for her (Hamill camel), has a haircut named for her and had her own doll. She also was a reason a lot of young girls put on ice skates for the first time. In the same category is Mia Hamm, who did for soccer what Hamill did for figure skating in this country. Hamm has scored more goals in international competition than any other male or female soccer player. She has two Olympic gold medals and won two World Cups. Mary Lou Retton was the first female born outside of Eastern Europe to win All-Around in the Olympics. In 1984, she won individual gold, team gold and individual silver and bronze medals. Nearly 30 years later, Mary Lou Retton is still the first name is women's gymnastics in this country. Wilma Rudolph was the fastest woman on earth in 1960, winning gold in the 100 and 200 at the Olympics. Her story of overcoming polio is the stuff movies have been made about. She's also considered a pioneer for both civil rights and women's rights. If you've never heard of Althea Gibson, all she did was win five tennis grand slam championships and also compete on the LPGA. Now, it's starting to get tricky as the cream is about to rise. Female athletes are still benefitting from the efforts of Billie Jean King. She's famous for beating Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes in 1973. But, she's one of the top female tennis players ever, winning 12 grand slam championships. But, yeah, her biggest contribution is in the advancement of sexual equality in sports. Perhaps my favorite was Florence Griffith-Joyner. She's still the fastest woman of all the times. She broke the world record in both the 100 and 200 in 1984. No one has come close to equaling those performances since. I discovered her when she was just Florence Griffith. I noticed her because of her looks. A stunning woman, she was finishing third and fourth in most of the races. I was stunned when she suddenly looked muscular and, almost manly. She went from third place to world champion in a span of a few months. I must admit, I don't know what to think about it. A lot of people consider Jackie Joyner-Kersee the top female athlete. It's hard to argue. She was Olympic and world champion in the heptathlon in 1988 and 1992. She won silver in 1984. She also won gold in the long jump in 1988 and bronze in the long jump in 1992 and 1996. Doing the math, that's more than a decade as a world class athlete. Don't forget, she was also one of the top 15 best basketball players ever at UCLA. And, finally, Babe Zaharias. I understand 1932 was a long time ago but this woman was ahead of her time. In her own way, she paved the way for female athletes by taking a lot of heat from men who suggested she was too manly and should pretty herself up and wait for a man to ask her out. Instead, she won Olympic gold in the 80-meter hurdles and javenlin in 1932 and silver in the high jump. She also won 41 titles on the LPGA tour. She was also an All-American in basketball and played organized baseball and softball. Reportedly, she was also an expert diver, roller skater and bowler. I'll just throw these names out there for your consideration when discussing top female athletes ever. I know Serena is a really good tennis player. I'm just saying. By the way, next time I do this list, Brittney Griner's name might be on it.

No love for C-Lowe

I gave the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette a quick glance Sunday just to make sure Junction City's Courtney Lowe was not named the paper's Softball Player of the Year. Oh, she's good enough to be considered. She led the Lady Dragons to three state championship games and was MVP of the 2A State Tournament this year after winning it all. But, I didn't think she'd get it just because of where she plays. I'll just leave it at that. Well, my quick glance turned into a 15-minute study period. The Democrat-Gazette named 25 players from around the state, plus a Player of the Year. I swear, I went over the list four times and never did Courtney Lowe's name cross my eyes. What the ...? It's baffling to me how this continues to happen over and over and over and ... If you don't give enough of a damn to do something right, stop doing it. They didn't offer statistics for the 25 members of the All-Arkansas Team. The paper's Miss Softball, a young lady from Bryant named Peyton Jenkins, had an impressive 32-0 pitching record with 260 strikeouts. She batted .477 with six home runs. She signed to play at Central Baptist College in Conway. I can't argue with her selection. I wouldn't say negative things about any of the athletes chosen. That ain't my style. I will only note Courtney Lowe's numbers: an 18-3 pitching record with 246 strikeouts. She batted .532 with six homers, led her team to a state championship and signed to play Division I softball at Louisiana Tech. You can argue about her winning Miss Softball. You can't argue about her being one of the 25 best players. I watched the 2A State Tournament. She was by far the best player there. I told someone, it was like watching James Anderson in basketball several years ago in Danville. James was clearly the best in the tournament. Courtney was just as dominant. Yet, two other girls from Class 2A were named ahead of her? Come on, now. Be serious. I know C-Lowe probably could give two rips about this. She's busy getting ready for her college career. And, it doesn't matter what I say. Kids from this part of the state will ALWAYS be overlooked for this kind of recognition. It, literally, happens every single year. It shouldn't. The News-Times sports staff is a phone call away. If you care at all, you'll make a call and ask if there are any local athletes to be considered. We have stats and everything and would be more than happy to share them with anyone who has an interest in Union County student-athletes. It's just a shame kids down here will NEVER be recognized. I'm assuming it's because of their location. Maybe I'm wrong. It just bothers me the heck out of me.

Top female hoopters in Union County

I just want everyone to know, I put some thought into my list of the top female basketball players in Union County over the past 20 years. I’m hesitant to publish this only because there were so many outstanding girls, I know I’ll leave someone out. I tried my best, though. First, my criteria for consideration is the player had to graduate from Union County. The senior year is too important not to be included in my examination. So, I have to exclude players like Destinee Rogers, Desiree Rogers, Brittany Johnson and Jasmine Canser from Strong, Julie Smith from Union, Kristian Tester from El Dorado and Chasity Henry from El Dorado. For the rest of my criteria, see my previous blog post. Without further adieu, counting backwards, here are the best dozen girls basketball players in Union County over the past two decades. 12. Kendra Marsh - Smackover: Kendra had a solid career at UAPB after leading the Lady Bucks’ program from the cellar to the penthouse. The 5-3 point guard joined a Smackover team in the midst of a three-year losing streak. As soon as she arrived at the end of her freshman season, she led the team to its first win and into the regional tournament. Her 82.8 free throw percentage is still the best in the county. I’ve never seen anyone in any sport turn an entire program around so quickly. Kendra was a two-time News-Times Player of the Year because of her leadership in addition to her stellar guard skills. It helped she was part of an outstanding group of athletes, but she was the unquestioned leader. 11. O’Sheta Terry - Junction City: O’Sheta is a bit of an enigma for me. She never won Player of the Year and was underwhelming at times, especially in big games. At about 5-10, she was an incredible athlete and a robotic, pogo rebounding machine. In 1994, O’Sheta averaged 26.1 points and 13.5 rebounds. Incredible numbers but the Lady Dragons were just an average team. I, personally, questioned the validity of her rebounding statistics but, even if they were inflated, she was still one of the best offensive glass cleaners I’ve ever seen. She signed with Henderson State but never played for the Lady Reddies. 10. Maranda Parker - Strong: If I could build the perfect female player, she’d be about 5-foot-10 with guard skills, 3-point range, strong enough to play in the post and an unselfish attitude. Throw in some blonde hair and you have Marandalynn Parker. I’m partial to versatility and she epitomized that. She was a role player on Strong’s back-to-back state championship squads. As the lone returning starter, she led the Lady Bulldogs to the state quarterfinals in her final season. It was her senior year that she showcased her overall skills, both on the court and as a leader. Maranda went on to enjoy a solid career at OBU. 9. Mary Beth Gilmore - Union: What can I say? I have a soft-spot for self-made players. No one, except maybe Dana Hodges, got more out of her ability than Mary Beth Gilmore. At about 5-8, she was a dominant post player who re-tooled her own game to become a dynamic 3-point shooter. It’s not her skills and certainly not her athletic ability that puts Gilmore on this list. She’s simply the most hard-nosed player I’ve covered. Relentless, opposing coaches told me off-the-record their players, literally, feared her. Strong as a bull and about as a nice, no one enjoyed physical contact on the court as much as Mary Beth, who owned the state record for free throws made in a game (28-of-31 vs. Stephens) and in a season (271-344, 78.7 percent) in 2003. After leading Union to the state finals, she signed with SAU but never played after ankle surgery. 8. Jamie Floyd - Smackover: Another 5-foot-10 athlete, Jamie had the luxury of playing beside Kendra Clark for her first two years. The two of them formed an incredible, athletic post duo for the Lady Bucks. Jamie made a living with her athletic ability, chewing up rebounds like Skittles, but she was also money from about 12 feet and in. Jamie went the JUCO route out of high school but finished her career at the Division I level at Southeastern Louisiana. 7. Latasha Smith - Strong: I like versatile players but Tasha Smith was too good in the post to leave out of the conversation. She was only about 5-foot-10 but her strength under the basket made her a feared foe during her four-year career. But, I think Smith’s athletic ability is over-looked. She wasn’t much of a leaper but her footwork and stick ‘em hands made her tough to deal with. Tasha was plagued by knee troubles throughout her career but still led the Lady Bulldogs to four state tournaments. She signed and played at SAU. 6. Sharonda Davis - Union: Give Tootie credit for both her success and the success of Mary Beth Gilmore, who had to revamp her game and change positions or sit on the bench behind Davis. Tootie, a 5-10 athletic forward, was blessed with off-the-charts leaping ability. But, she was also skilled with a turnaround jump shot as good as anybody’s I’ve covered. She always turned to her right, over her left shoulder. Everybody knew which way she was going to turn but her shot was impossible to block once she rose into the air. And, it was cash money from about 15 feet. As a senior, she showed the clutch gene, hitting incredible game-winning or game-tying shots. She went on to have an outstanding career at SAU. 5. K.J. Smith - Strong: Oh, what could have been. I say this but K.J. never did. She tore her ACL in the first game of her freshman year. She tore the other ACL in the last game of her senior year. In between, she won a couple Player of the Year awards. The 5-8 point guard was the ultimate winner. K.J. could score. She scored over 50 points in the final Union County Tournament game in 1998 and averaged 19.5 points. She could pass, defend, rebound and, most importantly, she could lead her team. It didn’t hurt her career that she played for legendary coaches Ron Triplett and Betty Burge. She went on to play at SAU. 4. Savanna Langston - Parkers Chapel: Simply, the best, most skilled post player I’ve had the pleasure to cover on a daily basis. Savanna could’ve relied on the fact that she was 6-foot-2 and the tallest player on the court. But, she didn’t. She became a deadly 3-point shooter, better than average ball handler and passer and developed a myriad of go-to moves in the post. Savanna’s personality was also a strong suit. Unassuming, she treated accolades the same way she did triple-teams - with a shrug of her shoulders. She led the Lady Trojans to their first-ever state finals appearance before signing with Louisiana Tech. 3. Creshuana Tate - Norphlet: Creshuana was sort of the LeBron James of her time. A lot of folks liked to nit-pick at some of the things she didn’t do well. She didn’t go to her left a lot and, at 5-5, was very thin and could be bumped off balance. I’ll tell you something she did better than anybody I’ve covered - the girl could put the ball in the hole. She could put the biscuit in the basket. She could flat-out score. Creshuana averaged 34.5 points per game in 1992. She’s the only player to score a thousand points, finishing with 1002 in 29 games. Gilmore is next with 756 points in 39 games. Those numbers don’t lie. As for her ability to go left, if nobody’s quick enough to force you left, I guess it doesn’t really matter, does it? Her jump shot was about as pretty as they came, too. Creshuana signed with Arkansas State before finishing her career at SAU. 2. Ashley Harrell - El Dorado: People who only saw Ashley at El Dorado might question this choice. Even she’d probably admit, the Lady Wildcats’ system wasn’t conducive to her overall skills. But, at 5-11, Ashley was one of those rare five-position players I like so much. I saw her at Harmony Grove use all of her skills - scoring, passing, ball handling, defense and just running the team. That was probably the skill she didn’t get to show at El Dorado. Ashley could set teammates up as well as anyone. Her creativity didn’t flourish in the Lady Wildcats’ system, which was too bad. But, she was still a bad girl. She signed with Southern Mississippi and made the all-freshman team before finishing her career at Oklahoma Baptist. 1. Whitney Frazier - El Dorado: Prisoner of the moment, you say? Nope. Whitney graduated high school as the most ready-made college player I’ve covered. At about 5-10, okay, I’ll give her 5-11, she was always the most athletic girl on the court. But, she worked her butt off and sharpened her skills, developing as a ball handler, stretching out her perimeter shot and adding to her low-post move-set. But, Whitney’s leadership vaults her to the top spot. The Lady Wildcats won a state championship for several reasons. But, the main reason was because Whitney wasn’t going to let them lose. I love a leader, especially one who is willing to spit out an expletive to a teammate and demand they give her the ball at that crucial moment. Whitney went on to earn the WAC All-Freshman Team last year at Louisiana Tech. Tech fans believe she might be an all-conference, perhaps even conference player of the year candidate before she leaves Ruston. We’ll see about that. For now, I hope she’s content with topping my list of best players I’ve covered in Union County.

Ranking the top players

I challenged myself to rank the top female basketball players I’ve covered since I began working at the El Dorado News-Times in 1991. I’ve had the privilege of watching some incredible talent, including Cheryl Ford (LA Tech), Sytia Messer (Arkansas) and Kimberly Wilson (Arkansas), from Summerfield, Waldo and Hampton, respectively. I’ve seen (LA Tech) Brooke Lassiter from Hamburg and (LA Tech) Jamie Scheppman from Van Cove. I covered (LA Tech) Erica Smith from Palestine-Wheatley, (Arkansas State) Caroline Starr from Benton and (Oklahoma) Krista Sanchez from Springdale. When it comes to high school girls basketball in Arkansas over the past 20 years, I’ve seen most of the best players, if not in high school then definitely at the collegiate level. I’d like to think I have a fairly good sense of what an outstanding player looks like. I know the attributes I value most - competitiveness, skills, attitude and athletic ability - in THAT particular order. Let’s break those categories down. Competitiveness, to me means simply, a burning desire to win. That’s the most important thing for any athlete. The game is about winning and losing, after all. The name of the game is to win. I love watching players who will do anything to win a game. Without this trait, I have a hard time respecting an athlete. Skills: Basketball, especially, is a game of skills. I’m not just talking about dribbling the ball behind your back or shooting 3-pointers from 30 feet out. Catching the ball is a skill. Passing the ball is a skill. The ability to use both hands is an advanced skill, unfortunately. The best player is usually the one who has developed the most skills. Skills can make up for a lack of athletic ability, which is why it ranks higher on my list of priorities. Attitude, to me kind of goes with competitiveness. A winning attitude is a competitive attitude. But, attitude also includes getting along with teammates. Basketball is a team game, after all. No one player can do it all by herself. Everyone needs teammates. A positive attitude is essential to being a team leader. No one wants to follow someone who has a crappy, selfish attitude. You aren’t a leader if no one is following you. What’s that saying? A leader without any followers is just walking alone. Finally, athletic ability is a necessity to winning at basketball. Being the quickest person on the court is a valuable tool. Being the tallest person or the person who can jump the highest can erase a lot of mistakes. I believe skills are more important than raw athletic ability. But, in a matchup of equally skilled, highly motivated players the better athlete has the advantage. Sadly, during my tenure in Union County, referees often rewarded athletic ability over skills. Basketball games sometimes came down to a pushing and shoving contest. It doesn’t matter how crafty a ball handler you are, when a bigger, stronger defender hip checks you out of bounds, even John Wooden can’t give you any advice to overcome it. As I consider all of the athletes I’ve covered, I will use the categories in MY order. Feel free to come up with your own factors and share your list with me. I hope you look forward to seeing what I’ve come up with in the next couple of days.

Football is rough?

Did anyone else realize that football is a violent sport prone to injuries? I knew this but apparently the folks at ESPN showed up late to the dance. All the talk lately, especially since the Saints' Bounty-crap, has been about the violence in the NFL. Junior Seau's recent suicide has folks speculating that it could be attributed to the hits he took on the football field. I ain't no doctor so I'll stay away from the Seau stuff. I will say, however, that I find it hard to believe athletes in the NFL don't know the risks they are taking. I realized during third grade recess that football (and tackle-tag) was one of the roughest sports a human being could ever play. It didn't take long to figure it out, either. Gilbert Burch slung me to the ground and I hit my head so hard I saw stars. They were white, by the way. I tried to tackle Johnny Belin and the sucker stiff-armed me in the face. He had about two fingers in my mouth and another five or six were jammed up my nostrils. I know that's a lot of fingers from one stiff-arm but, hey, I was a kid and that's what it seemed like at the time. Anyway, it didn't take long to separate the kids at Hermitage Elementary into two groups - boys that played football at recess and the boys who didn't. I played football because I liked it. Others didn't play because they didn't enjoy the pain that came with the sport. That is the point. Football is a sport that centers around pain and punishment. Who can dish it out and who can take it? For these athletes to try to sue the NFL for injuries occured during the course of a football career, I have to ask - how did you not know what you were getting yourself in? These guys knew the risks they were taking. But, at the time, the size of those paychecks outweighed any possible future damage to the bodies or brain cells. Now that the body is broken and the checks have stopped, they want to file a lawsuit and pretend they didn't know the sport was so dangerous. Well, boo-freaking-hoo. Unless these guys skipped the third grade and went straight to the NFL, I ain't buying it.