A most common battle

A reprint of my SlapShots column from the July 23 Sun.

“It would have been a hell of a story.”

I turned the TV on just in time to watch the plot unravel.

Tom Watson missed an 8-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have clinched the British Open championship. Had that putt found the cup, the 59-year-old would have become the oldest player to ever win a major championship. But the ball stopped short and the dream evaporated moments before the happy ending.

“It was almost – the dream almost came true,” he said.

Watson’s age seem to catch up with him on that last hole and through the playoff.

“Those last 30 minutes, he aged about 30 years,” ESPN analyst Rick Reilly said.

After missing the putt that would have won him the championship, Watson fell apart in the playoff. He looked old and tired as his drive failed him, leaving him in the rough on the second playoff hole. He worked out of it to save par, but he found the rough again on 17 (the third playoff hole) and couldn’t recover. Stewart Cink played a mistake free playoff and walked away with the Claret Jug for his first major win.

But the spotlight eluded the winner.

I have to admit, I felt sorry for Cink. After sinking a 12-foot birdie on 18 to put him in position for the tie, Cink played superbly through the four playoff holes, but nobody really cared. All eyes focused on Watson. The disappointment in the gallery seemed like a physically tangible entitiy on the final hole, as if the fans could actually reach out and touch it.

But nobody left Turnberry more disappointed than Watson.

He wasn’t just there to be there – he was playing to win.

“It tears at your gut, just like it’s always torn at my gut,” he said.

While his strength and stamina may have diminished over the years, Watson’s desire to compete and win remains strong.

When Watson won the last of his eight major championships, I was a junior in high school. In the 1983 British Open, Watson nailed his drive, putting the ball 15 feet from the hole on the 18th to set up an easy two putt to take home the Jug. To nearly replicate that feat 26 years later amazes.

What really impressed me about Watson’s 2009 Open run was that he wasn’t willing to settle for a moral victory. He was competing to win. That is after all why we compete. Watson could easily use his age as an excuse. But he didn’t. He thought he could win. He expected to win. And his disappointment testifies to that competitive fire that made him so great in his heyday.

But as with all of us, no matter how hard we battle, age eventually works us over. A reporter asked Watson if fatigue factored in his poor playoff performance. Did he run out of gas?

“It looked like it, didn’t it?” he said. “It didn’t feel like it, but it looked like it.”

Boy, can I relate.

I think that’s what captivated me about Watson’s Open performance. I saw in Watson my own battle against the ever-encroaching menace of age. I know how it feels when the mind wills a performances the body can’t quite deliver. I’ve momentarily overcome my own aging physique, playing as well as I did in my 20s - only to fall just short. And I’ve felt the sting of disappointment. That’s one thing that age doesn’t diminish.

As time passes, Watson will look back on the 2009 British Open with pride. He’ll recognize his amazing achievement and he’ll bask in the pride of knowing he competed at the highest level while approaching senior status.

But today, there’s just disappointment – and probably some pretty sore muscles.

I understand Tom. I understand.

Quick Shots

Some commentators complained that Tom Watson’s British Open run somehow diminished the game of golf. They said that if a 59-year-old could play with the best in the world – even for a week, it doesn’t say much about the sport. They worried that Watson’s performance would hurt the game. I disagree. Until Sunday, I had never watched more than five minutes of any golf match. Yet I remained glued to the TV for two hours as the drama of the final day at the Open unfolded. Good stories create new fans. Who could write a better storyline for the 2009 Open?

Age may well finally overtake another old-timer. Lance Armstrong faded in the first Tour de France leg in the Alps, as teammate Alberto Contador took the yellow jersey. It’s becoming clear that Armstrong will not win his eighth Tour championship. He’s accepting the role as “support rider” for Contador. But even in defeat, Armstrong continues to show the class that makes him a true champion. “A day like this really shows who’s the best, and I wasn’t on par with what is required to win the Tour. That’s the reality; that’s not devastating news or anything,” he said. “I gave it everything that I had, and I wasn’t the best.”

Jody Meeks made a quite an impression during NBA Summer League games for the Milwaukee Bucks. The former Wildcat averaged a team-high 19 points through five games. In averaging 32 minutes per game, Meeks shot 56 percent from the field, 53 percent from three-point range and 82 percent from the free-throw line. He was playing against other rookies, but his performance may indicate Meeks made the right decision in moving on to the NBA.

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Quote of the Week

“Thank you for a one week break from the Tiger Woods era”
-From an ABC thank you segment on Tom Watson after the British Open

Puck to the head

This week’s puck flies at the head of Antoine Walker. The former University of Kentucky and current NBA basketball player was arrested July 15, a day after a warrant was issued for three felony counts of writing bad checks. Walker allegedly amassed $822,500 in gambling debts. Police arrested the forward at Harrah’s Casino in South Lake Tahoe. Are you kidding me? They arrested a man with over $822,000 in gambling debts in a casino? No – he doesn’t have a problem.

Who's your hero?

A reprint of my July 9 SlapShots column published in the Woodford Sun

Have you heard?

Michael Jackson died!

Of course you’ve heard. How could you not? The story dominated news coverage. You couldn’t turn on a television, listen to a radio show or even log onto the Web without finding yourself inundated by Jackson. Amazingly, coverage of the pop star’s death rivaled that of the protests in Iran and completely overshadowed debate in the U.S. House on cap and trade legislation – potentially one of the most far reaching laws ever passed.

Over two-thirds of Americans say there was too much media coverage, according to a Pew Research poll. Yet while we complained about the excessive coverage, we tuned in in droves. A CBS News special on Jackson boasted 7.5 million viewers and an ABC Jackson recap pulled in 5.7 million viewers on the same night. The three biggest cable news networks averaged 8.2 million viewers in prime-time the day of Jackson’s death. That compares with almost 4.7 million on a typical weeknight, according to Neilson.

It seems something in our nature drives us to elevate celebrities to hero status. Maybe it has to do with what we perceive as the mundane nature of our own lives. Perhaps people find excitement living vicariously through their heroes.

The phenomenon runs rampant in sports as well.

I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with hero worship. I do have my favorite sports figures and entertainers, but I try to keep things in perspective, recognizing that their talent does not make them better human beings than the average Joe.

But I do understand the thrill of meeting a favorite player. I can relate to the sense of awe that comes when watching an athlete perform at the top of his or her sport. I can even shrug off the over-the-top nature some fans display toward their favs.

But I can’t wrap my mind around why fans elevate nasty human beings to hero status – simply based on their ability to hit a ball, make a basket or sing a song.

I lost what little respect I had left for Jackson years ago when he hung his kid over a motel balcony. The man could write a song and cut some dance moves, but as far as I’m concerned the fact that he was a freak and a pervert overshadowed his artistic talent.

Yet society lifts him up and spends weeks obsessing over his passing. The entire world mourns for a man it never really knew. I just don’t get it.

But maybe it’s just me. I don’t get a lot of things.

I don’t get why people insist Pete Rose should enter the Baseball Hall of Fame despite betting on his own sport. I don’t get why thousands flocked to see baseball cheater Manny Ramirez play minor league games while he was serving a Major League Baseball suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. I don’t get why any fan would buy a Terrell Owens jersey after all of his shenanigans.

These folks and others like them have amazing talents. I can appreciate and admire their on the field abilities. I can watch in awe as they blast a homerun or make a gravity defying a touchdown grab, but I just can’t get that excited about people who can’t seem live life as decent human beings.

NBA superstar Charles Barkley once stated, “I don't believe professional athletes should be role models.” He makes a good point. "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?"

Perhaps that’s my problem. Maybe I expect too much. Maybe I should just learn to separate the athletic prowess from the personal life. Perhaps I should be able to cheer the player and ignore the off-court persona. Perhaps I make too much of the athletes life outside of sport.

But really – am I asking too much? Is it too much to expect that our heroes not cheat? That they not beat up their wives or drive drunk? Is it too much that I ask that they not take drugs or roll recklessly through life splattering bystanders with their overblown sense of entitlement?

I think the real problem is that we’ve forgotten what a real hero looks like.

I was at my grandfather’s house not long ago. A frame hangs on the wall in an out of the way spot. Inside that frame rests a purple heart, a bronze star and numerous combat ribbons. My grandfather served in the U.S. Army through World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He’s led a quiet life. Raised a family. Took care of my grandmother as her health failed. I never saw him hit a baseball. He can’t dunk a basketball. He doesn’t have much of a singing voice. But he wove his quiet strength through my life and taught me a lot about manhood.

I’ll always love sports. I will continue to admire certain players and athletes for their performance in the arena of competition. Some I will laud because of what they do off the field. I don’t agree with Barkley; athletes can serve as role models.

But my grandfather will always remain my hero.

Quick Shots

If nothing else, restrictor plate racing in NASCAR makes for some crazy finishes. My wife and I were screaming wildly as our favorite, Kyle Busch, passed Tony Stewart on the final lap of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. But moments later, Busch tried to block Stewart’s attempt to retake the lead and careened into the wall. Kasey Kahne plowed into the back of Busch’s car, lifting the rear of the number 18 Toyota off the track. Busch’s car slammed down onto the hood of Kahne’s as Stewart steered clear to cross the finish line for the win. Busch’s destroyed Toyota slid across for a 14th place finish and then got plowed by Joey Logano. Busch was clearly miffed after the accident and struggled against NASCAR officials as they steered him toward a car to take him to the medical center. Busch wisely refused to comment after the race.

The Tour de France kicked off on July 4. Lance Armstrong amazes me. Can he pull off an eighth win? I’m not sure, but the fact that he’s even competing at that level astonishes me.

Quote of the Week

"I don't want any part of winning a race because the guy who was leading the race got wrecked. I don't know that we did anything wrong. I've seen replays of it, and he's protecting his position, which is what he's got to do. I mean that's what he has to do as a driver. He can't just sit there and let us make a move like that and not try to defend it.”

-Tony Stewart after winning the Coke Zero 400

Puck to the head

This week’s puck to the head flies at TNT for its “Wide Open Coverage” of NASCAR. Wide Open Coverage means that they play the commercials down in the lower right hand corner of the screen while continuing silent coverage of the race on the rest of the screen. I guess I’m supposed to feel like there aren’t any commercials. But I can’t multitask like that. I just end up getting annoyed that my eyes keep gravitating toward the ads. Just cut to the commercials and get it over with. I also have to shoot another puck at former University of Kentucky baseball player Jim Leyritz. You may remember me shooting a puck at his head a few weeks back. He will face trial in a couple of months for DUI manslaughter. He said that the death of the woman he killed driving drunk was “the accident’s fault.” Well, he’s in jail again. This time for allegedly beating up his ex-wife. I wonder whose fault that was?

WCHS athletic trainer gets the axe

Reprint of article in July 9 Sun

-By Mike Maharrey

The Bluegrass Community Hospital announced last week that it has eliminated the athletic training position at Woodford County High School, leaving the future of Walker Terhune’s job unclear. The announcement left school officials scrambling to find alternative funding with the start of football, soccer, cross country and volleyball practices only weeks away.

Terhune served as the Yellow Jacket athletic trainer for three years, providing on the field medical care and rehabilitation services to athletes in every sports program at the school. Bluegrass Community Hospital employed Terhune and contracted his services to the WCHS.

Bluegrass Community CEO Kathy Love said eliminating the position, along with the athletic trainer at Midway College, will save the hospital about $100,000 per year.

“We always have to preserve our core hospital services,” she said. “It was a painful decision.”

The hospital did not eliminate any other positions, and Love emphasized that the organization remains financially sound.

“We’re not in any sort of crisis,” she said. “We are tightening our belts.”

Love cited a drop in donations, as well as cost pressures with driving the decision to eliminate the athletic trainer positions. A rise in uncompensated care has strained the hospital’s budget, and uncertainties in the health care industry regarding the possibility of healthcare reform have administrators taking proactive measures. Love said that regardless of what form healthcare reform takes, she expects future cuts in provider reimbursements.

Woodford County High School assistant principal and athletic director Bob Gibson said that the school has already started looking for other healthcare organizations to partner with in order to keep an athletic trainer at WCHS – preferably Terhune. He said that school officials have meetings scheduled for later in the week.

“We may be able to get everything back on board,” he said. “Obviously, we would want to maintain not only the position, but the individual.”

Neither state law or the Kentucky High School Athletics Association require Kentucky schools to have a trainer on staff, but Gibson said that he recognizes the importance of the athletic trainer for health and safety of Jacket athletes.

“It’s of vital importance to our program.”

Gibson said that he understands the hospitals decision and that he doesn’t want people to perceive Bluegrass Community as the bad guy.

“They’ve been a big sponsor of our programs,” he said.

It remains unclear whether the Woodford County School Board will provide any funding for an athletic trainer if the school cannot find another healthcare organization to foot the bill.

“Obviously, we just found out last week,” Superintendent Scott Hawkins said. “We’re trying to explore all of our options. If we can keep an athletic trainer, we certainly want to do that.”

But dollars will factor into the decision.

“We don’t know what costs we’re looking at. We’ll see what kind of expenses we might be looking at. We want to provide quality service at a price that we can afford,” Hawkins said. “We’ll have a much clearer picture once we have some of these meetings and see what our options are.”

Yellow Jacket football coach Chris Tracy expressed concern about the possibility of going into late summer practices without an athletic trainer on the sideline. Last summer, Pleasure Ridge Park football player Max Gilpin died after collapsing during practice on a hot August evening. Prosecutors charged PRP coach Jason Stinson with negligent homicide. There was no athletic trainer at the practice when Gilpin succumbed to the heat.

“After what happened in Louisville, I don’t know that I want to be out there doing what we do without a trainer,” Tracy said.

Several WCHS athletes reacted to the news of the possible elimination of the athletic training position with dismay.

“I don’t really know what to say right now. I’m kind of in shock,” Yellow Jacket soccer player Katrina Ott said.

Terhune helped Ott rehab several injuries and she credits daily sessions with him for getting herself healed and back on the field faster. She said that she probably took his presence on the sidelines for granted.

“It’s really important to have a trainer at your convenience,” she said. “Sometimes when you’re hurt, coaches are not as qualified and don’t know.”

Terhune not only heals the body, he serves as a mentor and trusted adult figure in the lives of many Woodford County athletes.

Senior Jay Tackett, a soccer and football player, posted his feelings on the Woodford Sun Sports Facebook page.

“This is terrible. Woodford’s losing an awesome sports trainer. Walker’s been a great friend of mine through all my years of high school and he would be greatly missed.”

Meeks to the NBA

A reprint of my July 2 SlapShots column in the Woodford Sun

Jodie Meeks will head to the land of bratwursts and beer.

The Milwaukee Bucks drafted the former University of Kentucky guard with the 41st pick. He was the 11th pick in the second round.

Last season, Meeks led the SEC with 24.2 points per game. He was fifth in the nation in scoring and earned second-team All American honors. After his breakout junior season, Meeks decided to forgo his senior year at UK and enter the NBA draft.

Was it the right decision?

Only time will tell. We have no way of looking into the future. No way to know if Meeks will develop into an NBA level player. The Bucks think highly of him and believe his scoring ability will translate to the NBA game.

“He was a guy we had on our board for the last few days, and up until (Wednesday) night, and we said, ‘No way this kid makes it to the second round,’” Bucks GM John Hammond said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We just felt he’s one of the top-notch shooters in this draft.”

Of course Hammond was already proved wrong on one theory. Meeks did last into the second round.

I tend to think Meeks isn’t quite ready for the NBA. I think he needs some more time to develop his obvious talent. He made huge strides last season. I think one more season would have probably made him a first round pick – especially under the tutelage of John Calipari.

Several readers agree.

“Meeks will have a lot of learning left to do, which he could have done under Calipari,” Versailles resident Paul Krueger said. “I guess he'll be paid for learning now – is that all that different from the SEC, though?”

Woodford County High School senior Carson Reynolds said that he thinks Meeks has a future in the NBA, but that it may take a couple of developmental years before he makes it to the big dance.

“As far as Meeks being successful I’m sorry to say but it won't be for a couple of years. He is either going overseas or to the D- league, he said. “But hey, look at the bright side, at least he got drafted because many thought he was stupid for leaving because he wouldn't get drafted.”

Nate Cowan, a sports writer in St. Petersburg, Fla., counters.

“As far as being happy to just be drafted, that's not a victory for him at all. Only first rounders get guaranteed contracts so he should have stayed in school.”

But this is really all speculation. We won’t know what Meeks will gain by entering the NBA early until next fall. We do know this – as a second round pick, Meeks has no guarantees. As Cowan pointed out, first round picks get guaranteed money. Second round picks get nothing but an opportunity.

And we do know what Meeks gave up. A senior season playing under a coach known for developing NBA players. A legitimate shot at an NCAA national championship. Another year to develop his game. Continuing his education.

Yes, I’m one of those old fashioned folks who actually believe that even talented athletes should take advantage of the opportunity to get a college education.

But Meeks made his decision and now it’s up to him to make the most of his opportunity. Fortunately for him, Milwaukee will likely provide a good fit. The team boasts a long line of successful second round picks. Last year the Bucks took Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from UCLA with the 37th pick. He played all 82 games as a rookie.

I wonder how Meeks will do facing NBA caliber players on defense night after night. Ball handling and driving the net isn’t Meeks’ forte. But he can shoot the lights out – provided he can get open – and sometimes when he’s not.

In that sense, Cowan thinks Meeks landed on the right team.

“The Bucks aren't a great team and Meeks has trouble creating his own shot. Picking up a pass first point guard like Brandon Jennings helps him in that department and he gets to play behind Michael Redd so he won't be facing the other teams' top perimeter defender,” he said. “The NBA isn't the SEC. The guys guarding him will be bigger and better than that game. He's a catch and shoot guy right now but really athletic. D. Jones and Jennings don't even play the same position as Meeks so they aren't in his way. Redd is coming back from ACL surgery so Meeks can make the squad.”

Cowan also thinks playing on a small market team will benefit the former Cat.

“Milwaukee is a good place for Meeks to land. He played under more scrutiny at UK then he'll see at a place like Milwaukee so the lights of the show won't get to him.”

The verdict remains out in my mind. I’m not sure how Meeks will fare at the next level. But if nothing else, he’s earned an opportunity. I hope he makes the most of it.

Quick Shots

How about the U.S. beating Spain in the FIFA Confederations Cup? After a lackluster start to the tournament, the American’s finally found some passion and shocked the Spaniards with a 2-0 win. Spain was ranked first in the world.

For the first time in three weeks, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch didn’t whine about coming in second in the Nationwide race. That’s because he finally won one. Busch turned the tables on Joey Logano, who led 108 of the 200 laps, passing the youngster with 36 laps remaining.

But Logano’s week got a lot better on Sunday. The rookie won his first Sprint Cup race, taking the checkered flag in a rain shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in New Hampshire.

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Quote of the Week

“The 48 did the same thing. I think they had a pit-road penalty or got caught on pit road or something like that, and drove right up through the field. It looked like the rest of us were racing mini-stocks and he was in a super late model. It looked stupid. We need to make our cars like that where we make everybody look stupid instead of us being the ones that look stupid.” –Kyle Busch talking his recent struggles and the race at Pocono.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head Manny Ramirez – again. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger is serving a 50 game suspension from Major League Baseball after testing positive for a banned substance. Except he’s not really serving the suspension. Ramirez has spent the last several weeks touring around the west playing in minor league games. What kind of punishment is that? The guy cheats, yet gets to keep playing baseball. And to make matters worse, fans have crammed the ballparks to watch the cheater. They all get pucks to the head too! That’s part of what’s wrong with this society – no real consequences for actions.

A need for speed

Originally printed in the Woodford Sun June 18

Ford or Chevy? Kyle Busch or Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Short track or super speedway?

NASCAR fans find plenty to debate, but on one subject Kentucky race fans can agree. Virtually all of the nearly 70,000 spectators who poured into the Kentucky Speedway for the Meijer 300 Nationwide Series race on Saturday, June 13, would like to see a Sprint Cup race in the Bluegrass State.

But for Kentucky Speedway owners, luring the big boys of NASCAR remains elusive and the prospects for a 2010 date look bleak.

“I think there may be a slim chance – and slim probably left town,” Kentucky Speedway owner Bruton Smith said at a press conference before Saturday’s race. “The schedule is not completed, but I believe it will be completed and we’ll probably not be able to get on the schedule or change the schedule for next year.”

Smith’s Speedway Motor Sports Inc. purchased Kentucky Speedway from International Speedway Corp. in May 2008. SMI owns seven other racetracks that host Sprint Cup races, and Smith made it clear when he purchased the 1.5-mile oval near Sparta that he intends to bring a top-tier race to Kentucky.

But legal wrangling between NASCAR and the previous ownership remains the biggest hurdle.

Northern Kentucky businessman Jerry Carroll, along with four other investors, built the $162 million track on 816 acres of farmland in Gallatin County. Kentucky Speedway opened in 2000.

Carroll’s company, International Speedway Corp., filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in 2005, saying the governing body conspired to keep Kentucky Speedway from getting a Cup race. Federal Judge William Bertlesman dismissed the suit in January 2008, saying that ISC failed to make its case.

“A producer of a product is free under current antitrust laws to select its distributors and to refuse to deal with would-be distributors, no matter how worthy or deserving they may be.”

Carroll appealed the ruling and the case remains pending. NASCAR has made it clear that no Sprint Cup race will come to Kentucky until the legal matters are resolved.

Many racing experts also believe the track will need to expand seating and make other improvements in order to host a Cup race.

SMI has already made $13.5 million in improvements at Kentucky Speedway since purchasing the track last year, including the addition of infield camping sites and new access roads to improve traffic flow.

But the speedway would likely need to add upwards of 50,000 seats to its 68,000 seat capacity.

The Kentucky House passed a bill on March 5 that would have allowed SMI to recoup 25 percent of its expansion costs through sales tax revenue over 20 years. The House passed HB521 98-0.

The bill died in a Senate committee, but the issue remains alive. Gov. Steve Beshear has expressed support for state aid in luring a Sprint Cup race to Kentucky.

“The impact of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for Kentucky is undeniable. NASCAR is the number one spectator sport in the United States and is broadcast in more than 150 countries and 30 languages. I’m excited about the potential of Kentucky joining these ranks,” the governor said in a news conference last February.

Beshear announced on June 5 that he would add an economic development bill to the agenda for the special legislative session that began June 15, and that bill will include incentives for the Kentucky Speedway to lure a Cup race.

While race fans long for a Sprint Cup date at Kentucky Speedway, not all of them think it should come at taxpayer expense.

Don Tankersley made the 45-minute trip from Versailles, Ind. to take in the Meijer 300, and he said that he would love to see a Cup race at the speedway.

“I think it would be a good thing if they would get them in here. But I think we all know that they’ll need more seating.”

And while the issue wouldn’t directly affect him as an Indiana resident, Tankersley said that he doesn’t think Kentucky taxpayers should foot the bill.

“I don’t like taxpayer dollars going into any sporting event. I don’t think the state should pay for it.”

But he added a caveat.

“I don’t have a problem with a little tax exemption to get them in here.”

Tankersley said that he thinks the statewide economic benefits of NASCAR are overblown, especially in an area such as Sparta that boasts very little development to begin with.

“The only benefit here is here,” he said, sweeping his hand around the track. “It helps a few gas stations, but that’s about it.”

Racing flows through Mark Ballard’s blood. The Owensboro resident raced late model stock cars in Nashville and he brought his son, who races go-carts, to the Kentucky Speedway for his first NASCAR experience. Ballard disagrees with the notion that a Cup race wouldn’t benefit the state at large, and he said that he wouldn’t mind the state spending tax dollars if it meant bringing a Sprint Cup race home.

“I’ve seen the state waste a lot of money on a lot of other things,” he said. “I think the taxpayer dollar would be minimal compared to the return it would get.”

Ballard pointed out the large crowed present for the Nationwide race and said that he thought a Sprint Cup date would mean even more to the state, especially in national exposure and publicity.

“Nothing against Nationwide, but the Cup side is so much bigger.”

In addition to the Nationwide Series race, Kentucky Speedway also hosts a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event in July and an IndyCar race in August, along with other smaller racing events.

Are you a mucker and grinder?

A reprint of my June 11 column published in the Woodford Sun.

We call them muckers and grinders.

They play on the third and fourth lines. They can step up when a star player goes down. They have specific assignments: make a big hit, kill a penalty, or play a puck possession game while the top lines rest up.

They don’t attract the attention or have the name recognition of the superstars, but they play no less an important role on their teams. Nobody expects them to put up big numbers, but they can change the tone of a game with a physical shift, or a timely goal.

The coach just needs them to step up when they’re needed.

The muckers and grinders may not grab the headlines week after week, but without them, no team will succeed. They often play the role of difference maker, but the casual fan might not even notice.

In other sports, we call them role players – the backup linebacker that plays special teams, the defensive forward coming off the bench on the basketball team, the pinch hitter on the baseball squad.

Sometimes these athletes step up when a star goes down and become superstars themselves. The name Tom Brady comes to mind. But more often they labor in relative obscurity their entire careers.

You probably wouldn’t recognize most of their names.

Thanks in part to the muckers and grinders, the Detroit Red Wings have a shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup. They just need to win one of the next two games.

Of course, every time that storied trophy passes from hand to hand in celebration, more than a few of those raised arms belong to the role players.

Wings’ stars like Kris Draper, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom have all missed games in the playoffs due to injury, but in their absence, players like 22-year-old Darren Helm slid in and made their presence known. Helm leads the playoffs with 110 hits. Valtteri Filppula stepped up when Detroit’s leading scorer Datsyuk went down, scoring three goals and notching 13 assists. Justin Abdelkader scored two playoff goals. The first was his first NHL goal – ever.

"It's not about the number of minutes anyone plays. It's not about who gets the goals or assists. It's all about winning,” Helm said.

These guys may not ever reach superstar status. But they play an integral role on their team.

And they will reap the same reward as their headline grabbing teammates if they win the championship - their names will also be forever etched in the Stanley Cup.

I’m proud to say that I’m a mucker and a grinder. I was never higher than number three on the goalie depth chart at the University of South Florida, but I was there. I played my role and I played it to the best of my ability. I’m not writing for the New York Times, but I write to the best of my ability, filling my role here at The Sun and seeking excellence in all I do.

The truth is, most of us fall into the mucker and grinder category. We do our jobs and live our lives in relative obscurity. But the Detroit Red Wings – the team – should remind us that obscurity does not mean that we lack importance. It does not diminish our value. And it certainly doesn’t mean the world doesn’t need us.

We have a role and ladies and gentlemen, that role is important. What you do matters. You have significance. So do what you do the best that you can. Do it will passion and seek excellence.

Be who you were created to be.

Quick Shots

As I’ve watched the Stanley Cup playoffs, I’ve found myself wondering who will fill the mucker and grinder roles for the University of Kentucky basketball team this fall. John Calipari’s recruiting class is amazing. Lots of superstar talent. Lost of big names. But can they all play together and fill all of the roles that a team must fill in order to win? Or will they slide into the chaos of clashing egos? That remains to be seen.

Franklin County won the 11th Region Softball Championship and marched to the quarterfinals of the KHSAA State Softball Tournament before falling to Allen County-Scottsville. I couldn’t help but think, “what if?” as I followed the Yellow Jackets’ rivals’ progress through the tourney. Woodford County beat the Flyers three times this season. Franklin County’s success says a lot for the strength of the 41st District where most pundits considered Western Hills the top-dog.

The wrong bird won the Belmont and I think there was a lesson there for jockey Calvin Borel. Probably better to save the running of the mouth for after the race.

Quote of the Week

“I just wish you all would just quit ticking him off…so he has to come back and keep proving stuff. I think he answered a lot of questions today.”
– Jim Furyk after Tiger Woods came back to win the Memorial on June 7. Skeptics have questioned whether Woods was ready to defend his U.S. Open Championship in a couple of weeks.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of Joe Bologna for comping UK basketball player meals. I just don’t think we should be increasing these kids’ sense of entitlement.

Ride Baby Ride

By Mike Maharrey
Woodford Sun sports editor
Published 6-3-2009

Cowgirls don’t cry
Ride baby ride
Lessons in life are gonna show you in time
Soon enough you’re gonna know why
It’s gonna hurt every now and then
If you fall get back on again>
Cowgirls don’t cry

Then again, sometimes they do.

As the Brooks and Dunn song played through the car stereo speakers, Grace Stone sat in the backseat of her mother’s car and bawled.

Just two months ago, the 10-year-old girl buried her “best friend,” a red chestnut Saddlebred horse with a perfect diamond on his nose.

His name was Sunny.

It was a bright cool spring morning, and Stone was on her way to ride in a show for the first time since Sunny’s burial when Cowboys Don’t Cry came on the radio.

“She would not let me change it,” her mother Jackie Stone said. “She said she believed Sunny played that song so she would stand up, get on that horse and go.”

The horse Grace would ride in that first competition that day was ironically named Lazarus – after a man who got a second chance at life.

She won a blue ribbon.

Heartbreak and tragedy eventually touch every life. At some point, people of every nation, race and creed must learn to cope with loss, get up and move on.

The fifth grader at Northside Elementary in Versailles learned that lesson younger than most.

***
Grace Stone loves horses. As far back as she can remember she’s wanted to ride. Horse posters adorn her room’s walls. The entrance to her bedroom mimics a barn door.

But Grace’s family never imagined they could buy her a horse.

“Who could ever afford it?” Jackie asked.

That is until Jackie found out through a friend that Brett Day of Grey Ridge Farm in Versailles was willing to give two pure blood Saddlebreds to a good home. So Sunny and his half brother, Dixieland Jazz, became part of the Stone family.

Both horses were named after Fleetwood Mac songs. Sunny’s given name was Over My Head. Their sire was Mac Attack.

For the first three or four weeks, the horses stayed at Grey Ridge. Grace and her mother visited every day and fed them apples. Eventually they found a farm to stable the animals. With little experience in handling horses, the family didn’t even attempt to ride for the first year.

“They were young horses and we really couldn’t do a lot with them,” Jackie said. “We just babied them and spoiled them. Grace just built a bond with Sunny.”

Grace and Sunny quickly developed a special relationship. She fed him, groomed him and loved on him. The horse responded to her like nobody else.

“I’d say, ‘Give me a kiss,’ and he’d stick his nose out for me,” Grace said.

When the family would pull up in their car, both Dixie and Sunny stuck their heads through the car windows in greeting.

Last October, the Stones moved the two horses to Reed Stables in Woodford County. Grace started taking riding lessons from Doris Reed, and Reed’s daughter, Holly, began training Sunny.

“He needed to be finished,” Doris said of the six-year-old Saddlebred. “Holly finished him out so Grace could show him.”

But Sunny was ready to show before Grace was prepared for competition, and Doris’s granddaughter, Kelsey Reed, showed Sunny for the first time.

They won.

Grace struggled watching another girl show her horse. Apparently Sunny wasn’t thrilled about it either.

“He would see her and holler every time he went by,” Jackie said, remembering Sunny’s first experience in the show ring.

“I finally had to hide,” Grace added with a smile.

Jackie said that Grace was determined that the next time Sunny showed, she would be the one on his back.

“And I was.”

Sunny and Grace won a first and second place ribbon in their first show. Grace showed Sunny two more times, racking up first place prizes.

“He was a blue ribbon horse,” Jackie said.

***

The family sits on the couch. The tears flow freely and it is clear that the wounds have yet to completely heal. Jackie said that she hopes sitting down and talking about the ordeal will help Grace’s grieving process. Grace has to leave the room before her mom finishes the story.

“She told me she lost her best friend.”

It was just a week after Sunny’s last show. Jackie went to the stable to feed him and noticed he hadn’t eaten and that he was acting funny. The vet said it was probably colic. The doctor gave him a shot and said that Sunny would likely recuperate by morning.

He didn’t.

“He was pawing and digging as hard as he could dig,” Jackie said.

She called the vet back, and while the doctor was examining Sunny, the horse collapsed in his stall. The vet seemed flummoxed and called his partner. They speculated that it could be some kind of reaction to the medications. They were able to get the horse up momentarily, but Sunny crumpled to the dirt again.

“He laid there for two hours on the hard ground. They didn’t even give him any fluids,” Jackie said. “The vet said he was trying to save us money – but I would have spent my life fortune for that horse.”

They finally made the decision to take Sunny to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington for exploratory surgery. It took six people to get Sunny up. They were struggling to keep the horse upright when Grace walked into the stall.

She insisted on seeing Sunny before he made the trip to Lexington.

“He just dropped his head and sticks his head on Grace’s stomach,” Jackie said. “Then that horse walked out of that barn like he was going to a show – head held high.”

Sunny stood tall and proud in the trailer the entire trip to Lexington.

The hospital required $1,000 up front before they would do the surgery, funds the Stones didn’t have. Dr. Steven Shedlofsky and his wife gave them the money.

“They’d never met us. They just had a horse in that barn and they gave us $1,000. We didn’t even know what kind of chance he (Sunny) had,” Jackie said, clearly overwhelmed with gratitude.

Sunny came through the surgery, but parts of his intestines were dying. The doctors weren’t sure what was causing the condition.

The next morning was inauguration day. But the Stones didn’t join the rest of the nation in welcoming a new president – they were grieving the loss of a friend.

As the family was getting ready to go to the hospital, the phone rang.

“That was a terrible phone call.”

Sunny’s vital signs were dropping. He wasn’t getting oxygen. The vet said that they might have to put him down.

“Just hold on to him. We’re coming,” Jackie pleaded.

But 10 minutes later, the hospital called back. They said Sunny was thrashing around. He was in danger of harming himself or somebody else.

The end had come. Grace new it.

“She said, ‘Mom, please put that horse down. I can’t stand to see that horse suffer any more.’”

Jackie asked the hospital staff to leave Sunny where he lay and the family made the long drive to the hospital.

“She just lays on him forever, bawling her eyes out,” Jackie says, her own eyes brimming with tears.

They laid Sunny to rest on the Reed farm. They wrapped him in Grace’s sleeping bag and his horse blanket. Holly Reed found a pink and blue ribbon and Grace climbed into the grave and placed it on Sunny’s head. It had one word on it.

Champion.

***
For several weeks after Sunny’s death, Grace wouldn’t go back to the stable. She wanted to quit riding. Doris Reeves wasn’t sure she’d ever ride again.

“No, she didn’t even come to the barn for a while.”

When she finally found the courage to go back, she wouldn’t look toward the place were Sunny was buried.

But by March, Grace was ready to get back in the saddle and compete.

Brooks and Dunn gave her that final push.

Cowgirls don’t cry
Ride baby ride

Not only did her courage and determination earn her a blue ribbon on Lazarus, Grace won the high point championship in the beginning 9-10 equitation division for 2008-2009 winter season.

“She did really well on Lazarus. Sunny was right there making sure nothing would happen,” Jackie said. “She finished it out for him. She started on him and she did it.”

***

The summer sun beats down on the Stone household. Nearly six months have passed since that dreadful winter day, and Grace still grieves for Sunny. When she talks about her horse, the tears quickly well up in her eyes.

“I love him.”

But Grace remains determined to move on. She looks forward to competing in the bigger shows in Louisville.

Her instructor thinks she’ll go a long way.

“She’s going to rise to the top because she is a very good rider,” Reed said. “Not a lot of riders come along as fast as Grace. She is determined to do it correctly. She corrects every mistake that you point out.”

Grace continues to ride twice a week. Reed said that she can see her bonding with Lazarus. And Grace has developed a toughness that belies her young age.

“You have to be tough when you ride these horses,” Reed said. “You can’t be a baby up there. She’s getting there right now.”

If you fall get back on again
Cowgirls don’t cry

But then again, sometimes they do.