Stuck on Plane While the Bison Go Dancing

When it comes to booking travel, I'm a fire and forget kind of guy. I put in the time to find the cheapest fare, best flight times, etc. but once it's booked, I rarely look at my itinerary until a few days before I depart. So it was an unpleasant surprise to find out that Bucknell's Patriot League championship game would tip off at the SAME TIME my flight from Chicago to Austin departed today. The game was broadcast on ESPN2, so up until I confirmed my itinerary on Wednesday, i was pretty sure I would catch SOME of the game at an airport bar, or at the hotel in Austin. No such luck.

It's a strange feeling in this era of constant connectivity to be invested in the outcome of an event, and not have any way of following it. I'm so used to following scores on my ESPN Sportscenter, or watching the gamecast even if a game isn't televised. It's just genuinely odd to be in a place where I'm just totally cut off.

The good news is that the flight to Austin was smooth and upon landing, I had an email from BU President John Bravman informing me that Bucknell was going dancing. I'll be watching the selection show Sunday to make sure I'm not off the grid for Bucknell's first round matchup.

100-0 Blame Game

On January 13th, the girls varsity basketball team at the Covenant School of Dallas put a 100-0 beat down on the ladies of the Dallas Academy.  The story has received national attention since then, and things got heated again over the weekend when Covenant fired coach Micah Grimes.  Sports personalities across the country have taken the path of least resistance and blasted Grimes for the spectacle (check out the Mike & Mike video accompanying the ESPN story for some truly self-righteous indignation), but several other parties have apparently been given a pass:

• The Covenant players.  I just checked the roster on the Covenant School website and it includes 1 senior and 3 juniors out of eight players.  I'm guessing at least one of those four girls has been playing ball long enough to know what good sportsmanship means.  I'm guessing any one of those four girls could have stopped this at any time by running out the shot clock, not going for an easy steal, and not attempting to drain 3's for the entire game.  I'm guessing that one of those four girls wishes she had the chance to be the voice of reason given the chance again.  Some of the most stunning displays of sportsmanship in athletics come from leaders on the field.  Often without the prompting - or even in defiance - of a coach.  The Covenant players can let the coach take the fall, but mercy is all the more meaningful when it is granted by a peer.
• The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS).  Check out the quote from Edd Burleson, director of TAPPS in the ESPN article.  Is anyone surprised Edd is advocating the golden rule, given that his organization didn't have the foresight to enact any other rule that could have prevented this?  The Dallas Academy team has been winless their past four seasons.  As an athletic governing body, how did Edd and company not see this coming?  I hate the idea of excluding anyone from high school athletics.  So barring the Dallas Academy from TAPPS play on the basis of their enrollment or roster size is unacceptable.  But somebody had to imagine team with a creep of a coach and some callous players making this possible.  Where was the mercy rule?

Don't get me wrong.  I agree that coach Grimes was largely responsible for committing an egregious violation of the concept of fair play.  But it bothers me that personalities like Mike & Mike let the buck stop there.  Clearly there are other parties who could have prevented or put a stop to this shameful display.  If this really is a "teachable moment," then let's make sure the right people are learning.