Who's tough? Who's not?

A reprint of my Aug 27 SlapShots column from the Woodford Sun.

Watching the Woodford County High School girls’ soccer team battle Assumption last week, one thing really stood out to me. These Jacket girls will not back down from a physical challenge.

Amy Morford was particularly aggressive, banging Rocket players and obviously getting under their skin. Teammate Taylor Kelly called Morford, “a beast.” But Kelly did some bumping and banging of her own, and Hannah Greenwell also played a physical brand of soccer.

Then there’s Katrina Ott. I’ve seen her play hurt more often than not. Several times during the game against Assumption, Ott went down hard, throwing her body around with abandon. Coach McIver has commented on more than one occasion that Ott plays like a boy. He means it as a compliment.

I’m not going to lie. I liked the physicality and toughness the Jackets brought to the field. I hope they continue to play with that kind of intensity. I think it will intimidate other teams and pay dividends in tight games, as long as they can keep that aggressiveness under control.

Yeah, keep up the physical play, girls. I like it – a lot.

I can’t help it; it’s the hockey player in me.

Every sport develops its own culture and ethos. Expectations evolve, and players reinforce and pass along those unspoken standards in the locker room.

And in hockey, toughness is king. I mean, have you ever heard of a wimpy hockey player?

I’ve spent many years playing hockey, and I’ve certainly adopted toughness as a virtue. Hockey players don’t back down. Hockey players play hurt. And hockey players certainly don’t whine and complain.

So when I see any team play with grit, determination and toughness, it immediately gains my respect.

Yes, Yellow Jacket girls – you’ve got my respect.

While we’re on the subject of toughness, what’s wrong with baseball players?

An article in the Herald-Leader caught my eye the other day. Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher Aaron Harang is out for the season after undergoing an appendectomy.

Out for the season? Seriously?

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericcson had his appendix surgically removed during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He played – FOUR DAYS LATER. By the way, he scored a goal in his first game back too.

Maybe I’m missing something.

Perhaps pitching a baseball is more physically demanding than swinging a hockey stick and getting banged into the boards. Maybe something in the throwing motion makes it impossible to pitch after appendix removal. (Any readers in the medical field feel free to help me out here.) Perhaps standing in the dugout gnawing sunflower seeds is more difficult than hurtling up the ice at 30 miles-per-hour.

Or maybe Harang is just a sissy.

Quick Shots

The Yellow Jacket football team looked pretty good in its season opener against South Oldham. The defense seemed much improved over last year. The Dragons really only managed one sustained drive. Woodford also looked more physical than last year. I really liked the way the defensive backs finished their tackles. Junior Wayne White in particular laid some nice hits. Quarterback Ryan Garrahan looked shaky in the first half, but settled down and made some nice throws in the second. It seemed like the game was faster in Garrahan’s mind than it was in reality in the early going. He often rushed throws when he had plenty of time. But he seemed to gain confidence in his line as the game wore on, and did a much better job of standing in the pocket and stepping into his throws. It will be interesting watching this team evolve as the season goes on. They definitely have a strong foundation to build on.

Former Yellow Jacket soccer player Stephanie Patterson earned a starting forward spot at the Air Force Academy.

Kyle Busch got a much needed win at Bristol, edging out Mark Martin in the Sharpie 500. For his effort, the driver of the number 18 got showered with boos. Busch gets a lot of grief from NASCAR fans and I can understand it to some degree. But he’s my favorite driver for two reasons. Number one, he’s one heck of a race car driver and number two, it gets under other NASCAR fans skin when I talk up Busch. Yes, he can come across as miserable and whiney. Yes, his aggressive racing sometimes gets him into trouble on the track. But it’s only because he hates to lose, and that I can respect. Martin summed up the fan hatred for Busch pretty well. “He has won a lot of races. I'll tell you, anybody that wins a whole lot gets booed. Jeff Gordon never did anything, in my opinion, to get booed. And he got booed because he won a lot. That's part of the sport.”

Quote of the Week

“Donte Stallworth kills somebody – 30 days in jail. Michael Vick kills dogs – 17 months in jail. Plaxico Burress shoots himself – two years in jail…our legal system seems to be working normally.” –Tyler Crane

Puck to the head

This week I’m shooting a whole slew of pucks at all of the University of Louisville fans throwing rocks at University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari after the NCAA forced Memphis to vacate its 2007-2008 season. The punishment stems from allegations that Calipari’s former team’s freshman phenom, Derrick Rose, had a stand-in take his SAT the second time around. Cardinal fans should probably focus on the goings-on in their own house. I’m just sayin’.