February 2009

SI SPORTS CONNECTION •FEBRUARY 2009




Publisher/Editor Jim MuirGraphic Design/Layout Michael ThomasConsultant Cheryl Shafer CollinsPhotographers Christopher Kays Ceasar MaragniContributing Writers Teri Campbell Danny Czerwinski Chris Denault Bob Kelly Roger Lipe Ceasar Maragni Jim Muir Mike Murphy Mario Moccia Les O’Dell Sean Patrick Tom Wheeler

Southern Illinois Sports Connection available at the following businesses:

Hucks stores throughout Southern Illinois Subway Sandwich in: Mt.Vernon (three locations), Rend Lake College, Sesser, Christopher, Benton, Pinckneyville, Du Quoin, Carbondale (four locations), Herrin, West Frankfort, Johnston City, Carterville, Vienna, Metropolis, Harrisburg, Anna, Marion (three locations), McLeansboroCircle K Convenience locations in: Car-bondale, Murphysboro, Benton, Mt. Vernon (three locations) Farm Fresh locations in: Benton, Harrisburg, West Frankfort ROC One Stop locations in: Eldorado (Rt.45), Mc LeansboroAll Stars & Stitches in BentonBeav’z Sporting Goods in ChristopherBoccie Ball Club in BentonBP One Stop in NashvilleBP Convenience Rt. 148 in EnergyEldorado Discount LiquorsFielder’s Choice in West FrankfortFood Park in McLeansboroHunt’s Hardware & Groceries in DaleJD Street BP in Johnston CityJumping Jimmy’s Convenience in SesserLake Zone Convenience in WhittingtonLee’s Sports in NashvilleMikey B’s Bleacher Bum Cards in CartervilleMoto Mart in Du Quoin Moto Mart in PinckneyvillePhillips 66 Gas Mart in NashvillePhillips 66 Gas Mart in ChristopherShell Convenience Rt. 154 east of PinckneyvilleSun Mart in SesserWilli Shell Rt. 51 South in Du Quoin

4

The Lineup

COVER STORY 12: 'Good Evening from …’ Three longtime Southern Illinois PA announcers talk about life behind the mike

FeaturesFebruary 2009

Ask the Coach 8: This month: What are the good and bad points of three-man officiating crews? Basketball – with a Christian Twist 10: Teams from Heart-land Christian Conference play a tough, competitive brand of basketball.

SISC Goes One-on-One with Kai Nuernberger 20: With a 14-year professional basketball career behind him Kai Nuern-berger has traded the spotlight for a routine family life in Marion.

It’s That Time Again … Let the Madness Begin 24: Post season play is set to begin in Southern Illinois.

No Brag ... Just the Facts 36: It’s a fair statement to say that the road to the state tournament, whether it be Champaign or Peoria, runs through the Benton Invitational Tournament.

40: Murf’s Turf Mike Murphy

41: Ask the McDocs Dr. Dennis McGuire Dr. John McConnaughy

42: FCA - Transforming Lives Roger Lipe44: Around The Horn Sean Patrick

46: SISC Viewpoint Danny Czerwinski

6: Publisher’s Greeting Jim Muir

19: In Focus Ceasar Maragni

28: Ask the AD SIU Athletic Director Mario Moccia

30: Goro’s Rant Chris Denault

32: From Where I Sit Tom Wheeler

34: RLC Report Bob Kelly

38: JALC Journal Teri Campbell

Cover: Long-time PA announcers Mark Miller, John D. Aiken and Jim Johnson (Photos by Chris Kays)

SI SPORTS CONNECTION •FEBRUARY 2009 5

!

easar Maragni


Letter from the PublisherS O U T H E R N I L L I N O I S

SPORTS CONNECTION

Greetings and welcome to the February issue of Southern Illinois Sports Connection and as always let me say that we’re happy to have you along for the ride this month. I always find it interesting each month to see what stories draw the biggest response from readers and certainly I use those comments as a measuring stick when considering future features for SISC. Well, based on the comments from scores of SISC readers, along with a bevy of email mes-sages, our January cover story that took readers on a tour of some of the most recognizable Southern Illinois gymnasiums was an overwhelming success. Perhaps the part I liked the most is that everybody who commented also had a story to tell, a favorite memory about those won-derful and venerable old gymnasiums where so many exciting games and moments have taken place in past decades. While it’s all right to glance back for just a moment at January, here at SISC we keep our eyes firmly on the future so let’s take a quick look at what we have lined up for you in February. Certainly February is the month that brings us the ‘fever’ that leads to March Madness and the greatest time of the year for high school basketball fans. This month we look at some of the teams that could make a deep post-season run and also at the impact that the four-class system that was implemented last year by the IHSA has had on area basketball.

However, there are 50-plus teams in Southern Illinois – teams from Harrisburg, Murphysboro, Du Quoin, Pinckneyville and a dozen other places – that would like to see that from happening. And of course, that’s exactly why it’s called March Madness. Another feature I think you’ll find interesting this month centers on public address announcers at three different schools – Mark Miller at Sesser-Valier, John D. Aiken at Benton and Jim Johnson at West Frankfort. There’s a two-fold reason how this story came to fruition. First, I was made aware that there are several PA announcers in Southern Illinois that have dedicated their time for decades, a fact in itself that deserves acknowledgment. But, the main reason is that I was recently asked to fill in as a PA an-nouncer and quickly learned that the job is not nearly as easy as it might look. I’ve worked radio for 15 years and never even have a slight case of nerves when I prepare to take the air. But, sit me at a scorer’s table and stick a live mike in my hand and I was a nervous wreck. I think you’ll enjoy the story and, like me, perhaps you’ll dis-cover a new appreciation for the job that PA announcers do. The next month is one of the most exciting times during the high school sports season so let me be one of the first to loudly pro-claim …‘let the madness begin.’ I hope you enjoy the February issue of SISC.

All the best,

Jim Muir, Publisher



Andy Palmer, Carlyle basketball

coach for the past five years, who led the Indians to the Elite Eight in 2006. During his 15 years as a varsity basketball coach he also took Pope County High School to the Sweet Sixteen in1996. “The thing I hear the most with a three-man crew is an official say “that’s not my call.” That is the most frustrating thing about a three man crew. I think they sometimes wait for the other of-ficial to make the call and what happens is that no one makes the call. In my opinion, if you see a foul or violation, then make the call. It doesn’t matter if it is in your area or not.”

Steve Morris, veteran official

and coach, who is now the as-sistant systems director for the Hamilton – Jefferson County’s Regional Education Office. Steve started officiating at a young age and worked at the college level (including the NCAA tournament) for his last 16 years in a three-man crew. The last two-man crew Steve worked was in the IHSA state championship game in 1992. “There is absolutely NO disad-vantage to a three man crew if of-ficials study and learn their prima-ry and secondary coverage areas and STAY in those areas! From personal experience the three-man crew allows you to NOT guess

because if you work on your angles and positioning and you TRUST your partners there will be no guessing or what at the col-lege level are called phantoms! I can remember many times working a two-person crew and knowing afterwards that because of the speed of the game there were plays I missed, because even though I would not guess, I know I missed some things because if I didn’t see it happen I wasn’t going to call it bases on guesswork! I have watched more high school games this year than in the past and the effort of some of these guys is appalling and an embar-rassment to themselves and to the striped shirts they wear. They are not working three-man crews, they are coasting. This is a true story, at the Sesser-Valier tourna-ment I saw an overweight official not break into even a jog let alone a sprint or running. He walked the entire game!! Sorry, so harsh but it is the truth. There obviously has been some concern or this would NOT even be a topic.”

Matt Hampleman, West Frank-

fort’s Lady Redbirds coach in his 18 year of coaching and teaching in the special education depart-


ment. Matt also coaches the boys and girls cross country team (11th year) and as an assistant with the boys track team as well (4th year). “On the good side I think the three-person crew has been a big plus. First, officials that work together on a regular basis seem to watch their areas very well. Second, the speed of the game has improved greatly over the last ten years requiring the old two person crew to run the floor on a continued basis. This would include girl’s basketball. Third, with a three person crew, in tight game situations, there seems to be an official close to the bench to get a quick time out. Fourth, with the addition of the three-point line it is very difficult to cover all angles of the floor with a two man crew. When experienced officials

work games the flow of the games seems to be more natural. On the bad side, first I think an experienced three-person crew worries about getting the game right. Sometimes making calls in other official’s areas is required. Second, officials sometimes don’t switch when they are suppose to. It’s too easy to run the floor in the same position all night long. Mitch Haskins is administrative

assistant, athletic director and transportation director at Mounds Meridian High School (16th year). Haskins won more than 500 basketball games as a high school coach in Indiana and at Rend Lake College. “We prefer the three-man crew because it eliminates some of the blind spots on the floor and does not make the crew have to work quite so hard to give better floor coverage. Officiating crews that work together frequently always seem to do a better job of handling the tough games. It is also an excellent way to develop younger officials just getting started calling varsity games.”


By Les O’Dell

It’s a Friday evening, and like in many gymnasiums in Southern Illinois, there’s a high school boys’ basketball game tak-ing place. Coaches have completed their pre-game motivation, players have been introduced over the public address sys-tem, and cheerleaders begin to chant while parents and boosters take their seats, being careful not to spill their sodas. The competition on the court is frenzied and often the rivalries are in-tense. But this game, and a number of others like it across the region, is also a little bit different.

Some of the players may be seen car-rying Bibles into the locker room along with their uniforms. Coaches may use a passage of scripture or an Old Testament

story in their half-time talks. You might even find players gathering at center court to pray together after the final horn blows. This is a game in Heartland Christian Conference, a collection of private high schools in Southern Illinois that approach education and athletics from a Christian perspective. While the enrollments (and often the players themselves) are smaller than their public school counterparts, the competition is just as big.

“We certainly have some rivalries, just not blood-thirsty ones,” Ron Myatt, ath-letic director of Agape Christian High School in Energy said. “We are, after all, Christian schools so we try to act like it.”

Agape’s main rival of recent years has been the Falcons of Carbondale’s Trinity High School, coached by Nathan Cherry.

“Right now, Agape is enjoying sort of a dynasty,” Cherry points out. “But often our competition with them is pretty good, pretty even.”

Cherry said that on any given night, any one of the schools in the conference can win. The conference also includes Chris-tian Fellowship School in DuQuoin and a team made up of students from Ezra Christian School in West Frankfort and the Liberation Home School Cooperative. Other Christian schools in the area like Equality Christian School aren’t fielding basketball teams this year, while schools including Mt. Vernon Christian School approach basketball with a non-confer-ence schedule.

With student numbers measured in the dozens rather than in the hundreds, some-

Sophomore Jordan Stanton connects on a bucket for the Agape Knights.(photo provided)


times coaches and athletic directors have to be a little more creative in scheduling games.

“We sometimes have to travel a fair dis-tance for games in order to keep from playing the same teams over and over,” Liberation/Ezra athletic director Charlie Meadows said.

Meadows’ team, the Lights, will often make trips into neighboring states for games. “We’re doing a lot more travel than even some of the public schools,” he explained.

Cherry said that Trinity has scheduled games with Brehm (a private, prepa-tory boarding school in Carbondale) and many of the Christian schools will often play local public high schools including Cobden and Elverado. In fact, the Agape Knights defeated Dongola in a matchup last month.

Myatt said that the Christian schools of-ten compete with IHSA Class AA schools despite some disadvantages.

“We sometimes struggle to get quality players just because we don’t have the numbers. Some schools even have trouble

fielding a team,” he said. “In this area, we can’t compete with some of the big pub-lic schools, but we can with some of the smaller ones. They do practice more than we do, have bigger budgets, nicer gyms and better uniforms. We just can’t put on the show that they do.”

Many Christian school basketball players also have starting roles on their school’s other athletic teams. In fact, five-sport athletes aren’t uncommon in the Heart-land conference.

DuQuoin Christian Fellowship School coach Greg Pavloff said that Christian schools provide playing opportunity for students that might not otherwise get the chance to take the court.

“For most of the players in our league, they might be able to make their local public school team, but I doubt a lot of them probably wouldn’t see any playing time,” he said. “This gives them an op-portunity to play on a competitive level.”Cherry, who played for Trinity in his high school days, agrees. “Christian school basketball was an outlet for me to play basketball and to fulfill a dream, because I wasn’t good enough to play at Carbon-dale Community High School.”

“However,” he points out, “we still have the same level of competition that you see elsewhere. This provides the Christian school population an opportunity to play big time basketball, and if you are going to play, you want that level of competi-tion. We have the same desire to win.”He should know. Cherry’s father, Doug, played basketball for Carbondale in the 1970s, and his grandfather, John, coached CCHS to a state tournament second-place finish in 1967.

He says that while the goal is the same as “the big schools”, the atmosphere when two Christian schools meet is not aggres-sive.

“It’s not quite as stressful of an atmo-sphere. Our kids are able to play in an arena that’s not as intense as you might see in a public school conference match-up.”

Pavloff said that the level of competition shouldn’t be discounted just because there are Christian schools playing.

“We’re going to play as hard as we can, and the other team is, too,” he said. “But it is kind of different, there’s good cama-raderie and respect on and off the floor.”

“The attitudes in the stands and on the courts are great,” said Meadows. “We see good sportsmanship not only from the players, but also from the fans. There’s even courtesy of quiet when players are trying to shoot free throws.”

“All of the schools, the players, the fans—we get along well and try to be competi-tive at the same time,” Myatt added.Nate Blair (21), a junior at Agape Christian High School, shoots a fall-away baseline jumper in recent

action at Rend Lake College. (photo provided)

Josh Tebbens, a junior, scores on a nifty drive to the basket. (photo provided)



By Jim Muir

There are many voices in sports but none are more recognizable than those of public address announcers. From pre-game greetings, public service announce-ments, starting line-ups, game details and of course notifying the person that is illegally parked (and soon to be towed) the job of a PA announcer is as much about having the ability to think on your feet while multi-tasking as it is keeping fans from both teams enter-tained and aware of what is happening at every moment in the game. While some observers might think that grabbing a mike is an easy job, the reality is that in the fast-paced world of high school and college sports the job of PA an-nouncer is not for the faint-of-heart and certainly not the environment for the per-son that has trouble staying focused. In a never-ending quest to bring readers all aspects of sports SISC sought out three longtime PA announc-ers – more than 100 years of experience combined – to talk about life behind the mike.

“It’s All About The Kids For Me”

A temporary assignment turned into a 33-year career behind the mike for longtime Benton public ad-

dress announcer John D. Aiken. Fresh out of the University of Illinois in 1973 Aiken took a job as a teller at Benton Community Bank, a position he held for a few years before becoming co-owner of SCD Rea & Sons Insurance, located in Benton. A 1969 graduate of Benton High School, Aiken recalled that a frequent visitor to the bank during those days was well-known Benton attorney Elmer Jenkins, who also handled PA duties for Benton Rangers football. “In 1975 Elmer Jenkins, who was a friend to everybody, happened to be in the bank and he told me he had to take a trip that weekend and he asked me to fill in for him,” Aiken said. “I told him I would love to and I did … and he never came back. Ever since then I’ve been doing it.” Aiken was asked in 1985 by then-Benton Coach Ron Herrin to assume the full time duty of handling PA responsibili-ties for basketball also. In all, Aiken just completed his 33rd year doing football and is involved in his 23rd season doing basketball.

Aiken answered quickly when asked why he has continued to volunteer year-after-year. “It’s all about the kids for me, it always was and always will be,” he said. “It’s also fun to help out and help produce the show, and it is a show. We’re all a part of it, the public address announcer, the radio broadcast, the cheerleaders and Rangler Girls, we all play a supporting role trying to make the show the best it can be. But, the main focus for me is to do the best I can for the athletes who are participating.” When asked about any major gaffes he experienced during his long career he laughed as he told an amusing story that is now etched in Benton football lore. “Anybody that has handled PA respon-sibilities has had their moments, I’m certain of that,” Aiken said. “The worst thing that ever happened to me, and I didn’t think anything about it at the time, happened during a playoff football game against Freeburg, whose nickname is the Midgets. At one point in the game a Freeburg player was hurt and as I always do, I announced that ‘the injured Midget is …’ well, everybody was on me about that and I still get reminded of it occa-sionally.” Aiken said that getting last names cor-rect, particularly during the Benton Invi-tational Tournament where six teams are involved is one of the toughest aspects of handling PA chores. Citing his long ten-

John D. Aiken has been the public address announcer for theBenton Rangers for 33 years.


ure behind the mike Aiken said keeping the first names straight of Benton athletes sometimes is a problem. “There have been instances where we’ve had running backs and their older broth-ers were also running backs and I’ve given the carry and the yardage to the older brother who was not even play-ing,” said Aiken. “I had a kid come to me after a game and thank me for giving him credit for the run his brother made. I’ve been at it long enough now, especially in football, that I’m announcing games in-volving kids that their dads played when I first started.” Ironically, Aiken said the most important game he announced did not involve a Benton team. “I think it was in 1993 during the BIT and at that time the Class A number one rated team in the state was Pinckneyville and the Class A number two rated team was McLeansboro and they played dur-ing the tournament,” said Aiken. “The place was packed, there must have been 4,000 people there, and it was just a great atmosphere.” Aiken said a triple overtime game be-tween Benton and McLeansboro ranks as the most exciting game in his long career.

“I had never been involved in a triple overtime before that and haven’t since,” said Aiken. “It just wore you out; it was a game that just wouldn’t end.” Aiken also noted a Benton playoff vic-tory over Addison Driscoll, one of only two losses by the Catholic school from Chicago during a seven year span and a playoff win over Herrin when the Rang-ers trailed by two touchdowns with only three minutes left in the game as a pair of games at the top of his ‘best-ever’ list. After years of mediocre football Aiken pointed to the Jeff Roper era at Benton as another highlight. “It was just a magical time,” Aiken said. “I remember that first playoff win and that first home playoff game. After being down for so many years it was a very exciting time when Jeff Roper took over

the program and turned it around. There were a lot of great players and a lot of great games during that time.” Aiken said he has seen many great players from his vantage point at mid-court but said one stands out as the best overall. “Hands down, JoJo Johnson is the great-est high school basketball player I’ve ever seen. Shane Hawkins was also a great player but I didn’t get to see his entire career like I did JoJo, I only saw Hawkins during the BIT,” said Aiken. “JoJo is the only player at the high school level that I’ve seen who had the ability to literally put a team on his shoulders and carry it by himself. JoJo was something special and I count it as a privilege that I got to be a part of the games when he played.” Aiken also mentioned Ryan Luechtefeld, of Okawville, the Welch brothers (Devan and Keith) from McLeansboro, Kyle Cassity and Brett Thompson as other players that he has enjoyed announcing during his career. He also mentioned cur-rent Okawville coach Jon Kraus as one of his favorite all-time players. “Kraus was a floor general, sort of a coach on the floor for Coach Dave Luechtefeld and now he’s the Okawville coach,” said Aiken. “How poignant is that?” Aiken said year-around conditioning, the more physical nature of sports and the three-point shot in basketball are the greatest changes he has witnessed during the past three decades. At age 57 Aiken said he has no plans cur-rently to pass the microphone on. “I’ve enjoyed doing it throughout the years and I still enjoy doing it,” said Aiken. “I have no plans to retire at this point. If I can continue to keep the qual-ity up and make this top quality for the kids and be a bit player and a member of the supporting cast I’d like to continue to do it. I’d like to thank all the athletic directors, the coaches and especially all the athletes. It’s been great fun.”

‘You almost feel like you’re a part of the game’ In the fall of 1969 then-Sesser-Valier High School Principal Arnold Wingo asked sophomore student Mark Miller to handle public address duties during Red Devils’ football games. Blessed with a strong and quality voice, a love for sports and maybe even a little fate on his side Miller jumped at the chance and became the first public ad-dress announcer at the school at the ripe old age of 15. Fast forward the calendar 40 years and Miller, still with the strong and quality voice and a love for sports, is still behind the microphone at all S-V home games. “I can remember Mr. Wingo asking me to give the starting lineups for football games,” recalled Miller. “The football field then was located on the east side of town and I can remember taking an old maintenance truck the school had out to the football field to get the equipment set up on Friday afternoons. So, I actually started my career when I was still in high school and when I started doing it, it had never been done before.” Immediately following his graduation from high school in 1972 Miller relin-quished his role as PA announcer for a few years but picked up the mike again a few years later. Miller’s latest run as pub-lic address announcer has run more than 30 years in both football and basketball. Miller said from the outset of his career nobody ever told him what he should or shouldn’t say. “It was a new thing so whatever I did was all me,” said Miller. “But, I honestly think I’ve pretty much done it the same way from day one. It has become a little more high-tech because the kids want music involved in it for lineups, but over-all it’s pretty much the same as it was when I started.” While his format has remained basically unchanged Miller said he has paid close attention to other PA announcers look-ing for tips that might hone his particular style.



“I probably pay more attention to them (other PA announcers) than anybody else does,” said Miller. “I’ve never tried to imitate other announcers but the thing I’ve always tried to focus on is to not be overbearing. I try to compliment the game and I don’t want to be a distrac-tion. People are not there to listen to me. I think there are times when announcers say too much. I don’t want to be one of those that give too much information, after all people are sitting there watching the game and they know what’s going on. I try to add to the game and make it a little more exciting for the fans.”

An avid sports fan Miller talked about the most enjoyable aspect of his three decades behind the mike. “You almost feel like you’re a part of the game,” said Miller. “Most every school has a PA announcer these days but if you go somewhere where they don’t have one it’s seems dull or dead like some-thing is missing. I just try to make it as good of an experience as I can.” Miller said a live microphone and more than 30 years can combine for a few glitches along the way. “There have been a couple of times when I forgot to shut the mike off and then starting critiquing an official,” Miller said. “And that’s not good with an open mike.”

Miller said S-V has been fortunate to have great success in both football and basketball during his time as a public ad-dress announcer and has also seen some outstanding individual talent. Miller said the one player that stands out to him is a former athlete that did not receive some of the media exposure that other players did. “Folks will remember the players we’ve had, just loads of talent through the years, but the one player that stands out in my mind is Brice Gunter,” said Miller. “That’s not a name that is going to come

to mind but Brice Gunter, to me, was the hardest worker I’ve seen at the high school level in both football and basket-ball. He was just a worker, a blue-collar player. People might say, ‘huh’ but he was one of my all-time favorites.” While Miller wears the hat of a public address announcer he readily admits that he is also a fan. “Absolutely, I’m a fan,” said Miller. “I get excited just like everybody else while I’m doing the game but I really try to keep things on an even keel. I try not to antagonize the opposing team. I want them to feel like it’s a friendly place, too. I wouldn’t want to do anything to offend the opposition. I enjoy every minute of it.”

Miller said he was paid a compliment a few years ago when he was asked to handle public address duties by Goreville Coach Todd Tripp during the South Egyptian Conference. “I’ve known Coach Tripp through our holiday tournament,” said Miller. “I counted it as a compliment that he asked me to work his tournament.” Miller said he has had great support from his family, wife Dawn and children Danny and Dana. He noted that his wife has acted as another set of eyes to help him during both football and basketball. “My wife has been at my side for every single game,” Miller said. “She has been my spotter in football and basketball and I just say whatever she tells me to say … come to think of it … it’s just like being at home. Every year she’s been right there so she has just as many years in as I do.” When asked how much longer he planned to stay behind the microphone Miller used a recent conversation with a retiring basketball official to illustrate his answer. “I spoke with an official recently who told me he was quitting this year,” said Miller. “He told me that he thinks he’s done a good job through the years and he wants to get out while he’s still near the top of his game. I want to be the same way. I think right now that everybody enjoys and appreciates what I do and I don’t want to get to the point where people are saying, ‘you know that guy should have given it up years ago.’” Still, that has not kept Miller from pon-dering the end of his career. “Certainly I would like to give some-body else an opportunity some day,” said Miller. “I know that there are some younger guys coming up that are capable of doing this and I want them to have the chance. I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I’ve really enjoyed doing it and I hope the fans have enjoyed it as much. I’ve tried to compliment the game and make it fun.”

Mark Miller began his career as PA announcer for Sesser-Valier H.S. at the age of 15.


‘The best seat in the house’ During the past two decades West Frank-fort’s Jim Johnson has had the unique experience to watch young athletes grow up – literally. Johnson has coached Central Junior High’s 8th grade basketball team for 17 years and also has handled public ad-dress duties at the high school. He counts that experience as one of the highlights of his 30 years behind the microphone for Redbirds’ football and basketball. “Since I’ve been coaching at the junior high my relationship with these kids has gone on for six years,” said Johnson. “It starts out as a coach/player relationship and then it ends up with me calling the games when they get to high school. It’s just been fun to watch these kids grow up. I mean I have a six-year relationship with these players and it has just been neat to watch them grow up from junior high boys to young men.” A native of Norris City, Johnson coached for six years at the junior high level at Eldorado before taking a job as a sales manager with Mark Twain Boat Com-

pany and making the move to West Frankfort. During his time as a coach at Eldorado Johnson also handled PA responsibilities at the Saline County school. At the time that Johnson was at Eldorado former West Frankfort standout Bob Brown was coach-ing the Eagles. “Because I had the experience from Eldorado and Bob-by (Brown) knew that, I sort of got drafted,” Johnson laughed. “But, they didn’t have to twist my arm because it’s something I really enjoy.” Johnson said he has also made a few comments when he thought the mike was off but

said pronunciation of names of opposing players has also provided more than a few glitches along the way. “Yeah, I’ve made a few comments thinking the microphone was off, but mispronunciation of names is the biggest problem I’ve faced,” said Johnson. “But that normally gets corrected very quickly if that players’ grandma happens to be in attendance – you hear about it real quick.” Johnson said getting an up-close look at the great athletes that West Frankfort has turned out during the past 30 years has also provided him with “wonderful memories.” “There have been just some absolutely terrific athletes that have come through here in both football and basketball, too many to start trying to name them,” said Johnson. “And to watch the switch over from the South Seven Conference to the Southern Illinois River-to-River, we’ve just been very fortunate to see some great athletes. I count it as a privilege to be a part of those games.”


Johnson also had the unique experience of handling PA duties while his son Mike was a player. “That was really a great thrill to be able to introduce my son,” said Johnson. “I mean how many people get to do that?” Johnson said the greatest change he’s witnessed in basketball is the physical nature of the game. “The game is just so much more physical now than it was even a few years ago,” said Johnson. “You have to play your way through a lot of contact now. Some of that is incidental because of how hard they play defense and I also think teams use more players now than they did in the past. I think the reason for that is because of how much they extend the defense and also because of how much they expect out of kids.” Johnson said the years that Brown (Bob) coached basketball and also the more recent success of current coach Kevin Toney as some of the memorable teams during his long association with Redbird

sports. “The teams that Bob (Brown) had were just salty,” said Johnson. “And Kevin (Toney) has had a great run; we went five or six years in a row where we won 20 or more games. It’s sure fun to come to the gym when you’re having success like that. And once again, when you’ve had those kids at the seventh and eighth grade level and then you watch them continue to progress and get better in high school it’s just been really enjoy-able.” Johnson said he developed his own format as a public address announcer but admits that he has also paid close atten-tion to the way others handle the job. “I’ve paid close attention to others that I think do a good job, the little things that they sometimes add,” said Johnson. “When the Bulls were on a roll, their introduction of the team was an example of how to get excitement rolling before the game ever started. And listening to the public address announcer at SIU, I’ve tried to pick up a little here and a

little there and then adapt that to my own style.” Johnson said the single most memorable moment during his long career doesn’t involve athletes or an outstanding game. “I remember the football game on the Friday night after 9-11,” said Johnson. “We were playing Massac County and the fans circled the field with candles and sang “God Bless America. That was truly memorable and the most touching thing I’ve ever witnessed at a sporting event.” Johnson said he currently has no plans to retire, saying that the job as PA announce is still highly rewarding. “I tell everybody I don’t want to quit be-cause I’ve got the best seat in the house and I don’t want anybody sitting in front of me,” Johnson laughed. “I just enjoy the atmosphere, the coaches and the kids and in our situation we are right down on the floor. I’m right there where the action is and I’d like to stay there for awhile.”


In FocusBy Ceasar Maragni

Jim Rice was recently voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. When I took this photo of the Boston Red Sox leftfielder in 1979 at Detroit's Tiger Stadium, he was per-haps the most feared hitter in the American League. Not

surprising really when you consider that the year before he was the league's MVP after batting .315 with 46 home runs and 139 RBI's. And in ‘79 he followed up with another great season, batting .325 with 39 home runs and 130 RBI's. His lifetime numbers are equally impressive as he finished his big league career with a .298 batting average, 382 home runs and 1,451 RBI’s. One must wonder why then it took Baseball Hall of Fame voters well over a decade to finally include Rice among those in that hallowed Cooperstown sports shrine. His inclusion came on January 12th on what was his fifteenth and final chance to be enshrined. A player needs to receive 75 per-cent of the votes cast to be inducted. Rice received 76.4 percent of the 536 votes cast. The only other player to be inducted this

round was another left fielder, Ricky Henderson, arguably the greatest lead-off hitter of all time. This was Hender-son's first year of eligibility. He received 94.8 percent of the votes. Rice, who is now 55 years old, was also an All-Star eight times, but despite those lofty numbers and honors, for some rea-son his popularity with baseball writers was lackluster, and for the first fourteen years of his eligibility he always came up short. Some baseball pundits think that in this era of steroid hysteria that Rice's impressive numbers take on new significance and stature. As you can see

in my 30-year-old photograph, Rice was built for the game. With his quick wrists and upper body strength, he was able to generate bat speed that was both quick and powerful. For fourteen years I've wondered why Jim Rice was not voted into Baseball's Hall of Fame. After all the only retired players with career average and home run totals as high as Rice were Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. I don't have to wonder any more. Congratulations Mr. Rice, you deserve the honor.

Jim Rice Deserving of Hall of Fame Honor


(Photo Provided)


By Jim Muir Strolling the sideline, pointing out fundamentals and playing the occasional role of cheerleader to his fourth grade girl’s team Kai Nuernberger looks like a typical coach in the Marion Recreational League. While he may look like your average coach Nuernberger’s basketball resume is thick and includes helping lead Benton to an Elite Eight appearance in 1984, playing a key role at SIU in the mid-1980s when then-Coach Rich Herrin was given the doting task of rebuilding the rock-bottom basketball program and a 14-year professional career in Germany. And if that’s not enough Nuernberger also competed for his native Germany in the 1992 Summer Olympics, held in Bar-celona, Spain where he played against the likes of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Always one throughout his career to deflect praise, Nuernberger noted the impact basketball has played in his life while at the same time downplaying his

role of coach for his 10-year-old daugh-ter Kylee’s team. “Basketball has been a huge part of my life and provided me with some great opportunities,” said Nuernberger. “But right now I’m just having a good time and having fun coaching my daughter’s

fourth grade team.” Nuernberger made his first trip to the United States in 1983 as a foreign ex-change student and used his basketball skills to help Benton advance to the Elite Eight in Champaign. During his one year of high school basketball he also met and played for then-Benton Coach Rich Her-rin – a meeting that had a direct impact on his life. “Coach Herrin cared about his players,” said Nuernberger. “And he let his players play; he didn’t put them in a situation where they couldn’t succeed. He was offensive-minded and that fit perfectly with my style of basketball. I red-shirted one year at SIU so in all I was with him for six years. He’s been a positive influ-ence on my life.” “My senior year we were 20-14 and went to the NIT,” said Nuernberger. “I think we helped get the program at SIU back on the right track.” The one year in Benton also resulted in Nuernberger meeting Michelle Pioveson. The couple was married in 1989. After graduating from SIU in 1989, Nu-ernberger went back to Germany where he began a professional basketball career that lasted for 14 years. In all he played

As a German foreign exchange student, Nuernberger excelled in basketball, helping lead the Rangers to the IHSA State Tournament in Champaign where they lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Evanston. Here he was protecting the basketball from Glenn Martin, a Carbondale Terrier All-Stater at Rich Herrin Gym during a South Seven Conference game in the mid 1980’s.

Nuernberger still has the basketball that he was presented after scoring his 1,000th point as a Saluki while playing at SIU Carbondale. Nuernberger has since changed the spelling of his name.

(Photo Provided)

(Photo by Ceasar Maragni)


for four different professional teams and is still considered one of the great-est point guards in German basketball history.

The 1992 Summer Olympics was unique because for the first time, all basketball professionals were declared eligible to compete including members of the NBA. The USA team gained incredible attention from media and fans worldwide and easily won the gold medal. The team members were Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Michael Jordan,

Christian Laettner, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton.

Nuernberger said playing against one of,

if not the greatest basketball team every assembled proved to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “It was a great thrill,” said Nuernberger.

“The competition was outstanding and it was just a lot of fun. I got to enjoy a lot of different things during my professional career and the Barcelona Olympics was a tremen-dous experience.” After his basketball career ended in 2003 Kai and Michelle bought a home in Marion and he

(Photo Provided)

Prior to the 1992 Olympics Nuernbergerr played against Magic Johnson and other members of the “Dream Team” during a game in Europe.


currently works at Aisin Manufacturing. Michelle works for Private Label Mar-

keting, a company that represents Kroger products. “Playing professional basketball in Germany you don’t make the same kind of money you do in the NBA,” said Nu-ernberger. “You earn a good living and you can save up some good money but not enough to last you the rest of your life. It’s different now as the league has developed and grown but when I started that wasn’t the case. The last couple of years I played were pretty good money-wise but the first years were just like a regular-paying job.” Nuernberger said his list of goals with his fourth grade team is simple. “The fact that I played professionally really doesn’t have anything to do with what I’m doing now and I’m not sure how many people even know that. I just want to help teach my players the fundamentals of the game and just guide them a little and give them some point-ers,” said Nuernberger. “And I hope they learn to love the game of basketball the way I do.” Along with daughter Kylee, Nuernberg-er’s son Sean is a starter on the Marion Junior High seventh grade team and at

5-feet-11 stands only one inch shorter than his dad. Nuernberger answered quickly when asked if it was easier playing or watch-ing his children play. “Oh, it’s a lot easier playing,” he laughed. “I played basketball so long that I see things that they’re not even aware of yet. But, they’re having fun with it and that’s what really matters most to me right now. They like all kinds of different sports, they’re too young to just concentrate on one sport.” Along with both children being involved in basketball Kylee also plays softball and soccer and along with basketball Sean also is very involved in soccer and Kai is also heavily involved in a soccer club in Marion that has eight teams and more than 100 kids. “We spend a lot of time driving back and forth to practices,” Nuernberger said. “We stay very busy.” Nuernberger said the foreign exchange experience in Benton more than 25 years ago was a life-changing experience. “It definitely changed the course of my life,” said Nuernberger. “I would have never met my wife and I’m glad I made the move and glad my parents allowed me to make that move at the age of 17.”After going through the rigors of college basketball and then a long professional career where play began in August and ended in May and included lots of air-ports and hotels Nuernberger said he has adapted quite nicely to what he calls “a very normal life.”

“While I was playing basketball in Germany the games were always on the weekends and I really couldn’t do anything and when I wasn’t playing my friends were working, and now on week-end I can be with people I enjoy being with,” said Nuernberger. “For me now, it’s just a normal life, we’re active with our kids, we both have jobs and we’re thankful we have jobs because times are tough everywhere. The kids are healthy and Michelle and I are very busy and very happy.”

(Above)Nuernberger knows well the value of teamwork on the basketball floor and emphasizes that in his coaching style in Marion’s Recreation League.(Left) Nuernberger encourages players on the Marion Recre-ation League girl’s team that he coaches.

(Photos by Ceasar Maragni)

After spending 14 years playing professional basketball in Germany and after graduating from SIU, Nuernberger is happy to be back in the United States where he and his wife Michelle (Pioveson), a Benton native, and their two children call Marion home. The dogs are part of the family too.

(Photos by Ceasar Maragni)



By Jim MuirPhotos by Chris Kays

In the coming days here in Southern Il-linois grown men will cry unashamedly, women will shriek, school colors will be the favorite mode of dress and a select group of high school boys and girls will etch their name in the record books and establish themselves in local sports lore.Yeah, the Madness is right around the corner.

As February Fever gives way to March Madness throngs of basketball fans will be hoping against hope that their team can put a magical run together and be the team cutting down the nets at Carver Arena on March 14.

But, where will the Fever and the Madness strike this year? That just depends on where you happen to be at the moment. In Class 1A maybe it will be Meridian or Carrier Mills or perhaps Woodlawn and Waltonville? In Class 2A can Massac County or Nashville turn their stellar regular season into a deep post season run? And don’t count out Pinckneyville, Du Quoin, Harrisburg and Murphsyboro in 2A or Sesser-Valier, Cairo, Trico and Carrier Mills in 1A.Keep in mind, that’s just the boy’s side.On the girl’s side it could be Herrin, Massac County, Nashville or West Frankfort in 2A and Goreville, Pope County, Cobden or Okawville in 1A making reservations in Bloomington.And with the advent of the four-class system in boy’s and girl’s basketball last year the actual number of teams to catch the Fever of February and the Madness of March has expanded greatly.When the IHSA implemented the new system suddenly small schools (Class 1A) with enrollments of 250 and less were on a level playing field.

Mike Denault’s Waltonville Spartans are one of several teams in Class 1A that are mentioned by most basketball purists as a team that could emerge from Southern Illinois. According to Denault Waltonville has 100 students total.

“The four-class system has provided us with a more even-playing field, there’s no question,” said Denault. “Now we

have an opportunity to win a regional or go even farther. I would say that the team we had last year (first year of the four-class system) was probably the least likely of the teams that I’ve had during the last three years to win a regional and

we did. And the reason is that we didn’t have to play a team like Nashville or Pinckneyville in the regional.”The Carrier Mills Wildcats have com-piled a 19-3 record and could be a sleeper in Class 1A this year. Coach Mark Motsinger said the four-class sys-tem has created a buzz at smaller schools that wasn’t present before.

“You feel like you have a chance every year now,” said Motsinger. “In the past we felt like even if we had a good team that we were going to bump heads with one of the larger schools but now there’s a feeling that there could be something else beyond the conference. Before we set a goal to win the conference and that was about it but now you feel like there is something beyond that maybe.”

Nashville Coach Darin Lee has expe-rienced the thrill a long post-season run as both a player and a coach. Lee was a starting point guard on the 1983 McLeansboro Foxes team that finished third in the state tournament, held then in Champaign. During his long tenure at Nashville Lee has taken five Hornets’ teams to Peoria (1997, 1998, 2000, 2005 and 2007). And with a 20-1 record Nash-ville could make another trip to Carver

Darin Lee played on a McLeansboro Foxes team that won third in state in 1983 and has taken five Nashville teams to the Elite Eight.

Joe Hosman’s Massac County Patriots have compiled a 19-1 mark and are currently ranked 5th in the latest Class 2A AP poll.

Phot

o Co

urte

sy o

f Wils

on S

port

s Im

ages


The Origin of the Term "March Madness"

"March Madness," the term used to describe the excitement surrounding the Illinois state high school basketball tournaments, first appeared in print almost sixty years ago. It was coined by Henry V. Porter, who started his career as a teacher and coach at Athens High School in central Illinois. In 1924, Porter led the Athens boy’s basketball team to a second-place finish in the state tourna-ment. He later served as assistant execu-tive secretary of the Illinois High School Athletic Association (from 1929 to 1940) and executive secretary of the National Federation of State High School Associa-tions (from 1940 to 1958).

Porter, who edited the IHSA's journal, coined "March Madness" in an essay that appeared in the Illinois High School Athlete in March of 1939. Soon there-after the nation was plunged into World War II. The drama of March Madness provided a unifying force that brought the entire state together, and Porter again commemorated the event, this time with a poem, "Basketball Ides of March," which appeared in the Illinois Interscho-lastic in March of 1942.

March MadnessBy Henry V. Porter

Homo of the Hardwood Court is a hardy specie. There are millions of him. He exists through summer and fall, shows signs of animation through the winter and lives to the utmost during March when a hundred thousand pairs of rubber soled shoes slap the hardwood in a whirlwind of stops and pivots and dashes on the trail to the state basket-ball championships. He is a glutton for punishment. When the March madness is on him, midnight jaunts of a hun-dred miles on successive nights make him even more alert the next day. He will polish his pants on sixteen inches of bleacher seat through two games or three and take offense if asked to leave during the intermission between ses-sions. He is happy only when the floor shimmers with reflections of fast mov-ing streaks of color, when the players

swarm at each end and the air is full of leather. For the duration of the endemic he is a statistical expert who knows the record of each contender, a game strategist who spots the weak points in a given system of offense or defense, a rules technician who instructs the officials without cost or request. Every canine has his day and this is Homo's month.

In everyday life he is a sane and serious individual trying to earn enough to pay his taxes. But he does a Jekyll-Hyde act when the spell is on him. He likes his coffee black and his basketball highly spiced. He despises the stall — unless his team is ahead. It is a major crime for the official to call a foul on the dribbler — unless the opponent was dribbling. His moods are as change-able as the March wind. He flies into a frenzy at some trivial happening on the court and before his vocal expres-sion of disapproval is half completed he howls in delight at the humorous twist of a comment from a bleacher wit. He is part of the mass mind and is subject to its whims. He berates the center for attempting a long shot and lauds him when it goes in the basket. He is consis-tent only in his inconsistencies.

The thud of the ball on the floor, the slap of hands on leather, the swish of the net are music in his ears. He is a connoisseur in matters pertaining to team coordination and artistry in ac-tion. The shifting zone, the screen and the spot pass are an open book to him. He speaks the language.

He is biased, noisy, fidgety, boastful and unreasonable — but we love him for his imperfections. His lack of inhibitions adds a spontaneity that colors the tour-naments. Without darkness there would be no light. A little March madness may complement and contribute to sanity and help keep society on an even keel.

The writer's temperature is rising. The thing is catching. It's got me! Gimme that playing schedule!

Source: “America’s Original March Madness” a registered trademark of the Illinois High School Association.

Massac County’s Dustin Korte launches a three for the Patriots in recent action. Korte plays the role of super 6th man giving the Patriots depth -- something that is crucial on the grueling tournament trail.

Arena in 2009.

“When a team makes a run into post-season it just unites the town,” said Lee. “It’s always exciting having the parades and it’s just a feeling you can’t get any-where else.”

Lee recalled that the 1983 McLeansboro team was the first to make a tournament run in two decades.

“I hadn’t seen anything like that before, the kind of excitement and enthusiasm that is generated and just takes over a town,” said Lee. “You can sit back and watch other towns but until you’re in the middle of it you don’t realize just how exciting it really is.”

As many rabid basketball fans have learned through the years it might not be the favorite at all. Perhaps the best way to pick the boy’s and girl’s teams that will feel the February Fever and March Madness this year is to hang a map of Southern Illinois on the wall, take a dart, close your eyes and throw.

That’s the pure beauty of February Fever and March Madness … nobody knows for sure. The only certainty is that some town, some coach, some team, some players and some fans are in for the ride of their lives.

Let’s all say it together … ‘Let the Fever and the Madness begin!’



Ask The ADBy Mario Moccia, SIU Athletic Director

• With construction of the new foot-ball stadium and renovations to the arena, is consideration being taken to improve traffic flow, improve the layout of the tailgating area and install outdoor lighting to easily see your way to and from parking areas?

• Todd Sigler from the Department of Public Safety, Jason King the Associate AD for Game Operations and Facilities, and Phil Gatton who heads up the Physi-cal Plant, have had many discussions on this topic. There have been discussions on where some ad-ditional parking might be added (potentially where the current Saluki Row is), a possible addi-tional artery to U.S. 51 just north of the tennis courts, and several other possibilities. This isn’t a main focus now, but will be once construction gets going in a few weeks. We are always looking to improve our ingress and egress to the stadiums and arena, as well as identi-fying the most vibrant place to have our tailgate area in 2010.

• What is the rationale for schedul-ing a game on New Year’s Eve in the evening? There were MVC games this year in the early afternoon on New Year’s Eve, but Southern played at 7 p.m.

• This was the first time we have played a New Year’s Eve game in quite some time, and I am aware that out of 50-plus games on that day, we were one of the latest (Wichita State played a home game at 7 p.m. as well). First off, I always consult with Chris Lowery on our game times to see what would be the best for our kids. For consistency sake, on a weeknight game, he likes the 7 p.m. start. With regards to our 5,000 sea-son ticket holders, I assumed that even though it was New Year’s Eve, some of them, if not many, would have to work a

normal day from 8-5. I would have felt bad if we scheduled a game where some-one who purchased a season ticket either couldn’t go or would have to leave work early to get to the game. These were the main reasons we selected the traditional weeknight start time.

• Players’ names have been printed on the men’s basketball uniforms for many years now. Is it possible the foot-ball team will add them?

• It is possible, but that is up to our head coach, Dale Lennon. I know Coach came in with the “All In” concept and wanted to make sure that we were focusing on team versus individuals. We certainly have the ability to add this, but it is the head coaches call.

• Why is it that the basketball coaches don’t ever wear school colors? Even Bruce Weber will wear an orange jacket to show support for the school.

• I’ve attend virtually all games -- home and away -- and I am pretty confident I have seen Chris Lowery in both ma-roon shirts as well as ties. Also, with he and Brad Korn being alums and former student-athletes, I know they have a great respect for the institution. In ad-dition, with Rodney Watson and his 20-plus years of service, I am sure he has a healthy amount of maroon ties. I know the coaches are focused on recruiting

and coaching, and I am sure would like to receive any gifts of maroon ties from fans. I purchased a maroon jacket at the same store (Delbert’s in Arthur, IL) where Bruce got his jacket, and I am try-ing to talk Chris into getting one as well. Perhaps this question will be the tipping point.

• As I was driving past the Arena the other day, it occurred to me how cool and festive it would look if the domed

roof was painted to resemble a bas-ketball. What do you think?

• It certainly would be unique. With our budget of $83 million and the three projects that need to be complet-ed with this money, we need to focus on the necessities before we look at doing things that are secondary in nature. I am confident that we will have included in the design some very unique Saluki items that will bring attention to the arena. I believe, from

what I have seen in the bids so far, that a roof paint job of that magnitude, plus the maintenance that it would require, would be cost prohibitive. I appreciate the sug-gestion and keep them coming.

• Saluki games televised on MVC-TV are found on Fox Sportsnet Midwest. No one outside that viewing area can watch live, so most of us are out of luck. Can anything be done to broaden the MVC-TV coverage?

• I don’t think this is possible from a coverage standpoint due to the way television distribution is set up. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU just seem to have more distribution. I know it is an added cost, but I believe by purchasing the sports package on Dish Network or DirecTV would allow individuals outside the viewing area to receive more games.


3


By Chris “Goroshnik” DenaultGoro’s Rant

Stat Geeks Unite!Now that college basketball's knee-deep in conference games from coast to coast, prognosticators and pundits are beginning to pore over numbers, stats, shot charts, streaks, schedules and re-cords as they begin to try and determine who belongs in the NCAA at-large discussion.

I've been doing my own prognosticat-ing for years, as it's something I enjoy doing, and I know that many of you in Saluki Nation are also stat geeks like I am. We scan through the SOS and RPI numbers, check on which teams look good against the top 50, and scrutinize the weekly polls.

And even if this year won't have our Dawgs in the at-large discussions, that still doesn't stop my inquisitiveness and yearning for stats, whenever and wher-ever I can find them. This week, I'm going to give you some of my favorite places to check out on the internet, as well as some others that have gone the pay route and have turned my previous joy into disgust.

STATSHEET.COM - IF YOU WANT STATS, PREPARE TO ENTER STATS NIRVANA

I don't know if you'll find another free site out there that has as much to offer as this one. StatSheet claims to be the most comprehensive website for col-lege basketball stats and analysis, and we're talking box scores and historical data to interactive charts that you create using whatever data you'd like to com-pare. Just recently I was able to quickly com! pare Kevin Dillard's assist-to-turnover ratio to Jamaal Tatum's freshm

an year, and that included KD's stats from a conference game that finished just an hour earlier.I spent a good three hours poking around StatSheet.com the first time I visited the site. It's quickly becoming my favorite interactive stat site, just for the sheer amount of stuff you can find on there.

REALTIMERPI.COM - RPI IN REAL TIME... FOR A PRICE

A few years ago, when realtimerpi.com debuted, the updates nearly every five minutes of the current RPI were very eye-catching for the stat geeks. The numbers weren't quite right in its first incarnation, but the site's RPI data was quickly corrected the following year, and watching the numbers rise and fall during a busy slate of games on a Sat-urday afternoon was fun to notice.

But something happened in mid-January that is unfortunately becoming more of a trend than an aberration. As of today, if I want to continue to see the minute-by-minute adjustments to the RPI, I’ll need to pony up 20 bucks to become a VIP level member. Umm ... I don't think so.

Realtimerpi.com is still a good RPI site for those who only check out the stats once per day, but don't bother with the VIP deal. Another site that I used to frequent was Jerry Palm's col-legerpi.com, until he went the pay route a few years ago. I don't need to fork over any of my money for stats that should

be free access for all, so I'm glad that at least one site out there still gives daily RPI updates free of charge ...

WARRENNOLAN.COM - FREE AT LAST ... OR THE LAST TO BE FREE

I hope I don't jinx this site, as it’s pos-sibly the only one in cyberspace that gives out RPI updates a few times a day. It’s not nearly as frequent with the updating as realtimerpi.com was, but more often than not, if you check in with this site a few hours after a par-ticular game is over, you should be able to see your team's new record and RPI numbers in there.

Warrenolan’s also got other nice fea-tures, such as an archive of the year’s AP and Coaches polls, a page on vari-ous team streaks and stats, and you'll find an excellent ‘nitty-gritty’ section, which is a top-notch listing of all the possible at-large teams and their re-cords against the RPI Top 50, home and away records, current win-loss streaks, and so on. Put this site down as a must in your hoops bookmark section.

RPIFORECAST.COM - SO THAT'S WHY SIU'S AT-LARGE CHANCES ARE SHOT


This site uses win-loss probabilities to run through 10,000 simulated seasons each and every day, so you can see what your team's general ballpark RPI numbers are going to be at season's end. For example, rpiforecast has figured out that should SIU go on a nice run and finish the regular season at 15-13 (the opponent for the BracketBuster game wasn't known yet as of this column), SIU would have an RPI in the low 90s.

That's not the kind of news that'll get you into any at-large discussions, but at least we can assume that if SIU can get to 15 or 16 wins, the RPI numbers look somewhat decent for an NIT or CBI berth.

Here's hoping that next month's rant will focus on post season aspirations, now that there are no less than FOUR different tournaments this year. Yes, in addition to the NCAA, the NIT, and the newer CBI tournament, we'll also see a 16-team Col-legeinsider.com tourney. I personally think that we're looking at two tournaments too many, but I can see the benefits of a young team like SIU getting some postseason experience wherever they could find it. The only thing stopping them now from gaining a berth somewhere is their overall record. Getting to .500 overall now is a must, and should SIU reach or go over that, I think the Dawgs should find themselves with a little bonus time this year, and that's definitely a plus.


YOUTH IS SERVEDFrom Where I SitBy Tom Wheeler

Saluki Standout Chris Carr Got His NBA Chance and Then Some

A t a recent SIU basketball game I overheard a couple of guys behind me talk-ing about former Salukis

standout Chris Carr, with one guy say-ing “that Carr was an exciting player, I wonder what he’s doing now?” That started me to thinking! How does one go from Pilot Knob, Missouri, population 703, to the runner-up in the Nestle’s Crunch Slam Dunk contest during the 1997 NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland? The answer is simple. You play bas-ketball at Southern Illinois University, play with good players, and it helps if you have one of the greatest smiles that God has ever put on one young man. That was the combination for success for Carr. Chris came to SIU as a first team All-State member where he averaged 20 points a game for a team that finished 26-2. Playing for Coach Rich Herrin he led the Salukis to three consecu-tive NCAA tournament appearances. Following his junior season he was the Valley’s MVP, an honor he duplicated in the Valley tournament. In a recent conversation Chris talked about his three-year college career. “Coach Herrin gave me the opportunity to show case my talents. Coming from a large family I loved Coach’s family style environment,” Carr said. “Simply put, Coach Herrin gave me the keys to drive the car, he turned me loose”

In Carr’s junior year he became one of only three Salukis to score over 700 points. Against Syracuse in the NCAA tournament, he showed that he could play “with the big boys” when he scored 26 points including 22 in the second half as the Salukis lost 96-92.

At Southern he credits Ashraf Amaya for helping him to play at the division one level and was always in admira-tion of the work habits of point guard Chris Lowery who started 93 straight games for the Salukis. Carr was asked if Lowery’s success as the Saluki coach has been a surprise. “I didn’t know a person who worked as hard as Chris (Lowery), look at his 5-feet-9-inch size, that shows how hard he had to work to start every game his last three years,” Carr said. “As a coach he knows how to take care of his family at home and his family on the court”

Carr’s success at SIU may have been a surprise to some; he entered as a fresh-man with three local products Paul Lusk, JoJo Johnson and Scott Burzynski who had scored a combined 8,080 points in their high school careers. By the end of his junior year it was Carr who led the Salukis in scoring and entered the NBA draft. Chris had just lost his father and he felt it was time to move on. The Phoenix Suns selected the shooting guard in the second round (56th pick overall). In 1995-96 Chris played in 60 games for the Suns, becoming teammates with Charles Barkley. The next year he went to the Minnesota Timberwolves play-ing three years, averaging 22 minutes in 97-98 when he was in the starting line-up for 40 games while averaging 23 minutes a game and 10 points. He also played 107 games for the Bulls in Chicago and finished his career with the Boston Celt-ics in 2000-01. Basketball is still a major part of Chris Carr’s life. He is the founder of 43 Hoops, Inc. (www.43hoops.com.) in Hopkins, Minnesota where he has a 26,000 square-feet basketball arena, the only one of its type in the state. “This gives me the opportunity to stay involved with the game, to give back to kids what basketball gave to me,” said Carr. “I want to enhance the life of as many kids as I can. It also gives me the chance to coach during summer at AAU tournaments thru out the states.” Chris had a chance to play in Europe, he was healthy but he didn’t want his fam-ily to have to leave the area. His lovely wife Tanya and children Tayler, Tamika, Christianna and Cameron all had a hor-rifying spring in 2007 when Chris and Tanya’s four year old daughter Nadja passed away.

Basketball is still a major part of Chris Carr’s life. He is the founder of 43 Hoops, Inc. (www.43hoops.com.) in Hopkins, Minne-sota where he has a 26,000 square-feet basketball arena, the only one of its type in the state.


“We thought Nadja had the stomach flu, as kids her age has, but then 36 hours later she died. A virus attacked her heart which proved to be fatal, “Chris explained, “It sure taught us just how precious life can be.” Veteran SIU assistant Rodney Watson attended Nadja’s fu-neral, a heartwarming gesture that Chris says he would never forget. When Rodney was asked about Chris he simply said “ After Chris made it to the NBA I had to admit to him that I was wrong about him leaving school early and he was right, because he proved he could play in the NBA”. This ole Coach remembers the first time I met Chris Carr. I was working basketball camp in the SIU Arena, when CC walked up and asked “are you TJ’s dad?” When I answered “Yes” he came back with “Is he really with the Chicago Bulls rookie/free agent team in Salt Lake City” I again answered “yes”. I’ll never forget his next statement, it wasn’t really to me, or to anyone when he said “that’s all I want is a chance to prove I can play in the NBA, all I want is a chance.” I’m proud to say Chris Carr got that chance and more impor-tant proved he could indeed play in the NBA. His journey took him from Pilot Knob, Missouri to SIU to the NBA. He showed us that you should shoot for the stars; Chris Carr did and became a Star. That’s the way it looks From Where I Sit this month.


By Bob Kelly, retired Sports Information Director

Rend Lake College Report

Dan DeMent and Angela Robinson set to be inducted into RLC Sports Hall of Fame

I f there was ever any believability in Hollywood twins Danny De-Vito and Arnold Schwarzenegger, then we would like to present for

consideration the Rend Lake College Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2009 – our own version of “twins” – Dan DeMent and Angela Robinson. They could not have been any dif-ferent . . . Robinson, from the nearby Southern Illinois burg of Johnston City, specialized in throwing underhanded for the Lady Warrior softball team. DeMent, convinced to head downstate from the Chicago suburbs of Frankfort and Providence Catholic High School, found success grabbing a bat and pounding a baseball for the Warriors. Tickets are available for the 5:30 p.m. RLC Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 21. The honorees will join a select group of 19 other individuals and three teams to have been recognized since 2000. DeMent, a 5-foot-9 second baseman whose size belied the power he packed, wrestled two seasons but otherwise concentrated on baseball as a prep star. The gal they called “Blondi” was All-Black Diamond Conference in softball (“Most Valuable Player” all four years as a 68-18 hurler), basketball (3x) and volleyball (2x). But the two standouts to be inducted Feb. 21 in the 10th annual ceremonies were not without their similarities . . .

• Careers of the “twins” overlapped on the Ina campus, with sophomore Robinson capping her brilliant two-year Juco career the same year – 1996-97 – freshman DeMent was beginning his. • They may not be identical, but both honorees played major roles as their teams claimed Region XXIV Champi-onships in their first collegiate seasons.

The 1996 crown was the first for a Lady Warrior team that finished with an all-time best 31-13 Spring

record in its 19th season. They have not made it back to the big dance since. De-Ment & Co. had gone 39-19 in Spring 1997, snapping an 11-year regional drought and claiming the team’s second of four Region XXIV titles to date that ended as the others both before and since at the district level, just shy of the National Junior College Athletic As-sociation (NJCAA) World Series. • Both were destined to be remembered, even before their election to the Hall of Fame. DeMent just missed the Warrior single-season batting mark of .430 with his .422 sophomore composite, but in combination with a .408 freshman mark checked out with the highest career batting average in 41 years of Warrior baseball – .415 (194 hits in 468 at-bats) – plus the most triples (29). Robinson etched her name into four of seven single-season pitching records, five career marks and finished second in

each of the others. A dozen years later, she still owns the standards for career wins (55) and shut-outs (16) and ranks second in six other categories. Another feat no one can ever take away: she boasts the distinc-tion of being the first (and to date, only) RLC pitcher to win a game in the NJ-CAA Championship finals. That came May 16, 1996, when the right-handed fastball/riseball specialist allowed one earned run, struck out five and walked no one in a seven-inning, 3-2 complete-game triumph over South Suburban (IL) in the Lady Warrior finals debut in Hutchinson, KS.

• Both earned All-Great Rivers Athletic Confer-ence and All-Region XXIV twice and

were All-Region XXIV Tournament picks as well. DeMent concluded his Juco career as a First-Team NJCAA All-American. Robinson capped her playing career at Central Missouri State University where she was named All-Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association as a junior. She suffered a career-ending shoulder injury prior to the start of her senior season. She earned her Bache-lor’s Degree in Psychology and Sociol-ogy and a Master’s Degree in Industrial Management, in addition to Financial Planning Certification. Today, Robinson is a District Manager and Financial Ad-visor for Waddell and Reed, a Kansas City-based investment company.

Dan DeMent

Angela Robinson


Coach Rich Campbell described DeMent as “the guy who makes us go.” Consider these amazing facts: For teams which produced eight NCAA DI signees and eight other four-year college re-cruits, the go-to guy led RLC all four distinct seasons in runs scored (137 total) and triples; and three of the four seasons in hits, runs batted in (125), average, games played (140) and at-bats. DeMent signed early during his sophomore year with Univer-sity of Alabama-Birmingham, where he set a school record for home runs by a second baseman with 16 and was Second Team All-Conference USA. He signed as a non-drafted free agent and played professionally five seasons in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization and three in the Washington Na-tionals minor league system. He is a member of the Rookie League All-Star Team of 2000, Northwoods League Hall of Fame and its All-Decade Team. On March 3, DeMent begins a new career as the Hitting Coach for the Princeton Rays, the same Rookie League team for developing players which he played for his first profes-sional season in 2000. He met his wife of seven years, Krista, at UAB. They still live in Birmingham, where the former Golden Girls Dance Team member is a teacher-counselor, with daughters Nally, 4, and Fallon, 18 months.


By Jim Muir It’s a fair statement to say that the road to the state tournament, whether it be Champaign or Peoria, runs through the Benton Invitational Tournament. The post-season accomplishments of teams from the BIT can only be de-scribed as gaudy. Consider that 23 years during the 35-year history of the BIT, a team that has participated in the tourna-ment has used the grueling five-game

stretch to propel itself to the Sweet 16. And from those 23 super-sectional appearances, BIT teams have gone on to claim four state championships, two second place finishes, three third place finishes and five fourth place finishes. Even more impressive are stats that show that 10 different years (1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1993, 2003, 2006 and again last year in 2008) two teams from the BIT advanced to the Carbondale Class A Super Sectional. On

top of that on two different occasions three teams from the BIT (McLeansboro and Okawville in Class A and Benton in Class AA in 1983 and Pinckneyville, Hamilton County and Carlyle in 2006) advanced to the Sweet 16. The success of the teams that have par-ticipated in the BIT – which could also stand for ‘Best Illinois Tournament’ – during the past three decades boils down to this: ‘No Brag … Just Fact.’


(Clockwise from left):Cairo guard William Thomas (10) flies past Benton center Zach LaBuwi (45) for a basket during the Benton/Cairo game in session one of the 2009 BIT. • Benton center Ryan Stevens (45) pulls down a

rebound during the Benton/Cairo. • Hamilton County’s Seth Thomas goes to the basket during session four of the 2009 BIT.• Panther guard Drew Dudek (10) drives to the hoop during the Saturday matinee game between Pinckneyville/Cairo. • Okawville head coach Jon Kraus, a 1992 BIT all-tournament selection as a player at Okawville, watches on during the Rockets third game of the 2009 BIT. (All Photos by Chris Kays)


The JALC JournalBy Teri Campbell

T he John A. Logan College men’s and women’s basket-ball teams are in the heart of Great Rivers Athletic Conference play. Averaging

75 points per game in league action, the Volunteers have shown improvement throughout the season and are battling for the conference title.

“We’re making progress,” said Mark Imhoff, Logan’s head men’s basketball coach. “We’ve won some games we should have and lost some games we shouldn’t have. The league is always very competitive, and we still have a

whole lot of basketball in front of us that will determine the outcome of the conference race.”

The Vols’ success has been a team effort. Russell Moore, Jr., a freshman shooting guard from New Orleans leads Logan in scoring with 11.7 points per game. Shooting guard Kenneth Harris, Jr., a freshman from St. Louis, is the Vols’ second-leading scorer at 11.6 points per contest while averaging team highs in rebounds (6.8), assists (2.6), and steals (2.1). Matt Lander, a sophomore point guard from Evansville, Indiana, con-tributes 10 points and 2.2 assists per game. Sophomore forward Chris Parks from Jonesboro, Arkansas, and freshmen Lazeric Jones of Chicago and Jesse Perry from St. Louis all provide double-figure scoring, averaging 10 points per tilt. As the Vols move into the second half of their conference slate, Imhoff says there’s still plenty of work to do.

“We’ve got to become more consistent,” Imhoff said. “And we’ve got to get better at closing games out when we have op-portunities.”

On the women’s side, the Lady Vols have struggled in GRAC play as injuries have plagued the team all season. Leading scorer Devin London, from Park Forest, Illinois and top rebounder Sherita Stan-ley of Minden, Louisiana, both suffered season-ending ACL injuries early in the campaign. Reserve center Allison Powell from Metropolis broke her foot in Janu-ary and is sidelined the rest of the year. Shelice Crater and Shenay Crater from Chicago have also grappled with injuries.“It’s been an uphill climb all season,” said Marty Hawkins, head coach of the Lady Vols.

“We’ve never really been at full strength. It’s been disappointing but we have to

learn how to deal with adversity. We can’t look back and dwell on what’s happened because we can’t change it. Those of us who are left are going to have to make the best of it and try to get some wins. There are still a lot of games ahead of us. I keep telling the players that we’ve got to stay positive, work harder, and try to salvage the rest of the season.”

For more information or to participate in the Bowling Classic, please contact Logan’s Athletic Department at 618-985-2828 or 618-457-7676, Ext. 8439 or 8369, TTY 618-985-2752.For more details and further information, please contact Logan’s Athletic Department at 618-985-2828 or 618-457-7676, Ext. 8369 or TTY 618-985-

“We’ve won some games we should have and lost some games we shouldn’t have. The league is always very competi-tive, and we still have a whole lot of basket-ball in front of us that will determine the outcome of the con-ference race.” – JAL Men’s Coach Mark Imhoff –

“It’s been an uphill climb all season. We’ve never really been at full strength. It’s been disappoint-ing but we have to learn how to deal with adversity. We can’t look back and dwell on what’s hap-pened because we can’t change it.

– JAL Women’s Coach Marty

Hawkins –



Murf’s TurfBy Mike Murphy

Cardinals Answer: Trade Pujols There it is plain and simple. I’ll pause now and wait a few seconds while many of the Cardinal fans read-ing this scream and shout and call me various names.

Here is something to think about. If, and that’s a big if, the Cardinals could get two, maybe three quality play-ers for El Hombre and they would compete, I mean legitimately compete for a World Championship for the next few years, would you pull the trigger?

I know, and agree, that Pujols is the best baseball player in the National League and maybe in all of baseball. However, he plays for a fourth place team. FOURTH PLACE!

A year ago Pujols stated that the Phil-lies Ryan Howard should not be seri-ously considered for the Most Valu-able Player because his team wasn’t in post season competition. Pujols, to his credit, later said his comments were taken out of context. I sure hope so because if not Pujols should give back the MVP he just received.

There are several reasons I make this grand proclamation about Pujols. In a couple of years he will be angling for a new contract. Some say he is already dodging questions about sign-ing an extension even now. Some fans claim the reason the Cardinals Front Office is not going out and throwing money at free agents is that they want to have enough to lavish on Pujols when the time comes.

Would Pujols take the Cardinals’ offer, even if it was below offers from say, the Yankees or Dodgers? Maybe, but in this day and age, many play-

ers don’t spend their entire career in one uniform. I’m thinking Pujols might be an exception, especially after recent remarks he made suggesting the Cards go after free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez. Pujols said Manny might take a lower of-fer to play for the fans in St. Louis, fans that really understand baseball. Pardon me if I don’t hold my breath for the Car-dinal General Manager to ring Man-Ram and offer him the keys to the Arch.

However, baseball is a business and Pujols could get the Cardinals what they need: a quality starter, a star closer, a solid second baseman, maybe all three.

I won’t stomp and shout if the Cards keep Pujols, after all he does represent what old time baseball players once brought to the game. He plays hard and plays hurt and always displays class. He’s the type of player you plunk out money to see, even at today’s prices.

However, if the Cards sense that Pujols’ days in a Red Bird uniform may be numbered, they better look long and hard at all the possibilities. It’s a similar situa-tion the Cards find themselves in now with outfielder Rick Ankiel. Many fans claim Ankiel should stay with the Cardi-nals even if it’s not the highest paying deal as a thank you for sticking with him through all the inju-ries and rehab.

Hmmm, OK, and everybody that would turn down a hefty pay hike by moving to another company that covets you please line up on the right.

It’s not like the Cardinals haven’t traded big names before: MVP Orlando Cepeda for Joe Torre who then won the MVP and was later traded to the Mets. Other no-table trades were MVP Keith Hernandez to the Mets, Steve Carlton to the Phil-lies, and there are others. Did the Cards always profit, not always.

Do I expect the trade to take place? No, but if you want to get a baseball discus-sion going with your Cardinal buddies, just tell ‘em you’ve got the answer for all the Cardinal problems.


By Dr. John McConnaughy and Dr. Dennis McGuire

Ask The McDocs

Bowling Injuries

Are you a casual bowler, or a league member? Almost all of us have been bowling at some point in our life. It’s a fun sport that can cause both acute and chronic injuries to develop. With the rapid growth of high schools fielding teams, it’s important to help these teens develop healthy techniques.

Bowling is one of the few physical sports that people think they can start without preparing their body. How many times have you seen someone pick up a ball and start bowling without stretch-ing? The initial focus of the preparation should be on the fingers, wrist, forearm, elbow, shoulder, neck, low back, hips, hamstrings, and knees. It sounds like a lot of things to think about, but it doesn’t have to be. Start by locking the fingers of the left hand around the fingers of the right hand. Push away with the left hand as the right arm pulls back and rotates the wrist in a circular manner. Next, flex and extend the elbow, then rotate the shoulders five times in a forward circle and then reverse for five. Let the chin bend forward as if it were touching your chest, and keeping the chin centered, let the head rock from side to side. For the low back and hamstrings, cross one foot over the other and bend over for 30 seconds, then switch feet. If you follow these directions it should take no more than 1-1/2 to 2 minutes to help save your body and improve your score. Studies show that those who do not stretch prior to bowling have twice to three times the risk of incurring a back injury.

Bowler’s tendonitis (similar to tennis elbow), is also called medial epicon-dylitis. This is a swelling and irritation of the tendons and ligaments located on the inside of the elbow and forearm. It occurs as a result of repetitive motion or

inability to handle physical stress. It can range from a dull ache to a sharp stab-bing pain, and generally requires proper care for healing. Applying ice to the area as soon as possible after the injury is noted is a priority. This should be done for 20-30 minutes at a time, and repeated as often as possible for the first 3-4 days. There are four factors that influence the development of bowler’s tendonitis. 1) Poor biomechanics – an unnatural delivery or forced release strains the body and increases risk. A young bowler may try to generate more ball motion by twisting, flipping, and rotating their fingers, wrist, elbow, and shoulder. Eventually the body will pay you back for the strain you place on it. Poor physi-cal fitness has been shown to be a direct indicator for developing tendonitis. 2) High repetition – practicing frequently (1/2 hour 3 times per week) is better than three hours on Sunday. 3) Poor physical condition – weak or stiff muscles and joints increase your risk. 4) Poor ball fit - an improper fit will strain the hand and wrist.

The following are tips from 15-time PWBA Kim Adler, and Susie Minshaw:1) Shoes are an overlooked concern – test them in the lane before you start to make sure they don’t stick or slide too much, causing a jerking delivery or fall.2) Hold the ball in your hand, all the way through your swing, like you were holding a baby bird.3) Remember that the ball is supposed to swing your arm, don’t try to muscle it.4) Put your fingers in the ball first, and then your thumb.5) If your fingers are cold they will shrink in diameter and the holes will be too large. Stick tape inside the holes for a better fit until the fingers start to swell, and then take the tape out.6) The ball should contact the lane like

an airplane landing. Lay the ball onto the lane; don’t cram it into the lane.7) Be sure to bend your knee properly when you release the ball.8) Bring the ball straight back and then down in a pendulum motion. Do not allow the ball to swing around your back. Treatment for medical epicondylitis varies between specialties. The focus of treatment is to reduce the inflammation and to correct the improper mechanics that leads to the repetitive trauma of the ligaments and tendons of the elbow.As a chiropractor, several approaches are considered in restoring proper mechan-ics of the injured elbow and reducing the inflammation of the soft tissue.1) Application of ice.2) Use of ultrasound.3) Use of cold laser treatment.4) Placed on a stretching and strength-ening exercise program that is performed three times a week for 4-6 weeks.5) Evaluate improper form and make suggestions on how to correct the bowler’s stance, approach and release.6) If the above does not help, acupunc-ture may be implemented into the treat-ment plan to aid in the healing process.7) In chronic and advanced cases, after six weeks of conservative care with no response, a referral to an orthopedic surgeon is made. This visit may result in a prescription of an anti-inflammatory or in a steroid injection given to the injured elbow. If this treatment fails, surgery is considered.

If you have any questions concerning this topic, you can contact either Dr. Dennis McGuire, D.C. at 805 North Main St, Benton, IL or at 250 Small St., Harrisburg IL. or Dr. John McConnaughy at McConnaughy Chiropractic Clinic, P.C., located at 1311 South Division Street in Carterville. For more information contact “Dr. John” at 618-985-4344 or on-line at www.drjohndc.com)


By Roger Lipe - Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Faith on the Field

Sport As Worship

Am I the only person who gets more spiritually enthused by pre-game warm up exercises at a college football game than by any overly dramatic worship service at church on Sunday morning?

Am I the only one who gets a little bored at church because things are moving a little too slowly? I keep waiting for someone to get sweaty or bloody or for someone to get knocked down.

Am I a complete reprobate because I feel God’s presence more profoundly on the field of competition with sweat dripping from my forehead than I do in the air-conditioned comfort of my home church’s beautiful sanctuary?

Why am I this way? Am I totally out of touch with God’s idea of worship? Or is it possible that the real meaning of worship is broader than the cloistered connotation most of us encounter on Sunday mornings? Let’s consider a powerful and liberating scripture as we seek the Lord’s heart for worship.

Romans 12:1

“Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.” (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Throughout the Old Testament, a sacrifice was made by a person in worship of the Living God. The sacrifice may have been grain, liquid or an animal which would be ritually killed and burned. The sacrifice was given for God’s pleasure. The sacrifice was killed and burned to atone for sin, to restore fellowship or to express thanksgiving.

Upon Christ Jesus’ complete fulfillment of the need for burnt offerings, we find the Church and the Apostles speaking of a new kind of sacrifice, one that is living and vi-

brant. Men like the Apostle Paul lived each day as a living sacrifice and their scars bore witness to their commitment to please their Heavenly Father. Such men and women took incredible risks to honor the Lord Jesus and lived each day sacrificially. Many sacrificed their fortunes, their social stand-ing, and their very lives as they declared the worth of their Lord to a hostile world.

On this side of Christ’s resurrection, holy, pleasing and spiritual worship is not a matter of killing and burning a sacrifice, rather it is the daily offering of our bodies as a living sacrifice. A living sacrifice is a person given totally (body, mind and spirit) to pleasing God, his or her whole person selflessly dedicated to honoring the Father.

The 17th Century Carmelite monk, Brother Lawrence, has challenged centuries of Christians through his book, “The Practice of the Presence of God.” His descriptions of transformational worship while per-forming such tasks as doing the dishes cut deeply into our hearts and cause us to ques-tion our narrow notions of what is pleasing to God as worship. “It is a great delusion to think our times of prayer ought to differ from other times. We are as strictly obliged to cleave to God by action in the time of action as by prayer in the season of prayer.” Washing the dishes does not seem terribly “spiritual” to our dualistic, compartmental-ized minds. Brother Lawrence shares a unique and powerful insight for us through the simple words of this book.

Twenty-first century Christians have a well defined list of ways to offer our bodies as living sacrifices which are readily accepted by the Church. Most of them happen within the confines of church services.

• Playing a guitar, a piano, organ or other musical instrument.• Providing a service as an usher, a minis-ter, lighting candles, serving communion, or even collecting the offering.• In some churches this even means dance, drama and other media.

Some of us have already joined Brother Lawrence in his view of seeing daily life as a spiritual act of worship and every activity as service to Christ.

• Walking to class, sensing Jesus’ pres-ence along the way. • Making dinner for my family is Christ-honoring service. • Reading a book can be God-pleasing sacrifice. • Driving to my job is a holy activity as I fellowship with my Lord.

We, who identify ourselves as coaches and athletes, have rich opportunities for holy, pleasing and spiritual worship as we train and compete. Our daily activities in sport are perfectly pleasing to our Lord as we dedicate ourselves to Him in loving ser-vice. Consider a brief list of ways to offer your body as a living sacrifice:

• Kicking a soccer ball • Throwing a baseball • Conducting a practice • Hitting a volleyball • Vaulting over a pommel horse • Rehabbing an injury • Catching a football • Training with a team • Shooting a basketball • Swimming in a pool • Lifting weights • Running a race • Coaching competitors

To be sure, God is properly worshiped through music, preaching and ritual. I be-lieve He is equally honored by the people of sport as we compete, train and love our teammates. All of life is our spiritual act of worship, holy and acceptable to God as we offer our bodies as living sacrifices thereby practicing the presence of our Living Lord through our lives in sport.

Roger Lipe has served with Southern Illinois FCA since 1994 when he became the region’s first director. Roger operates out of the Carbondale FCA Office.

You can reach him at: [email protected]



Around the HornBy Sean Patrick

W inter storm number one has come and gone and only four days of school were missed

by most students here in Southern Illinois. I know as a kid, I prayed for snow days. I thought then it was free time during the week to be lazy and forget about all those classes. No teachers, no homework, no tests. Oh, how times change. Now as a teacher, a little older and lit-tle wiser, I understand that snow days just delay the inevitable. I suppose I'd rather get it over with now that I'm in the swing of things, rather than sweat-ing it out in June. It's funny, when I look at the schedule to see how many days back school is going to go, I can't help but cross-check the Cardinals schedule to see how many day games I will miss watching on TV while we make up all for all those ‘free days.’ I guess I'd rather watch a baseball game in June than an NBA game in January. Only a few weeks left until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Train-ing. Only a few more weeks more before the high school baseball season cranks up with official workouts. I guess I never really thought about it as a player, but now as a coach, it is really incredible that we can't start ‘official’ practices until the beginning of March. That leaves us at Carbon-dale High School only about 23 days until we play our first game. Hopefully some of those days will actually be spent outside on the field, and not in the gym. Looking at the schedule, I also notice

that Spring break is right smack in the middle of that three week practice period before our version of ‘opening day.’ One rumor I've heard about kids today is that some are more interested in taking trips to Florida than working out with their team preparing for the season. If you’re one of those look-ing to skip out on practice to go get a tan, don't be surprised if the bench is a little cold in late March when you get back. I for one looked at Spring break as a time to play MORE base-ball, rather than less. Remember, game number one is just as important as game number 35. Don't let your team down – BE READY! But before the crack (or rather ping) of the bats heats up on the diamond, the hardwood season is heading into the home stretch. I remember as a kid traveling to Champaign with my dad and our best friends (who also hap-pened to be a father and his son) to watch the state basketball tournament. Every generation of basketball fan out there has a story just like mine. My dad's was traveling up Highway 1 from Carmi first to Huff Gymna-sium, then to Assembly Hall. My first impressions of Assembly Hall were no less impressive as a kid in junior high than they were as an Illini athlete some seven or eight years later. The only college venue I'd ever been in was the SIU Arena. As big as the Arena seemed to me, Assembly Hall seemed twice as big! The basketball

Terriers claimed a tournament cham-pionship last week. After a 2nd place finish at the Alton Tip-Off Classic and a 3rd place finish at the Carbon-dale Holiday Tournament, it was only in the cards for the black and white to take home a gold. And take one they did, knocking off their archri-val Murphysboro Red Devils for the championship. Along the way, they knocked off the previously undefeated Massac County Patriots in the semi-final game. After going through what the team went through last year, and losing one starter to graduation and one starter to defection, this season has been such a pleasure to watch from the friendly confines of the broadcast booth. The wait is almost over for sacrifice flies, hit-and-runs and sounds of ‘let’s play two.’ Thank goodness for the all-new MLB network to get me my round-the-clock baseball-fix. I’m really looking forward to the World Baseball Classic to get things started for 2009. Everyone cheer for the red, white and blue. GO USA! Thanks again for your time, this time, until next time… when we go ‘Around the Horn.’



By Danny CzerwinskiSISC Viewpoint

(Danny Czerwinski does color commenatary for Benton Rangers athletics on WQRL (106.3 FM) in Benton and is co-host of “Saturday Morning Talking Sports” also on WQRL.

NFL Thoughts

As we sojourn through the days of Janu-ary and February, winter can be long and cold. The calendar has advanced into the heart of February meaning that the NFL football season is officially over. Gone are the playoffs and the Super Bowl and the over-hyped Pro Bowl exhibition game to leave us with thoughts of the 2009 season that begins later this year. But before we close out the season, let’s look back at 2008 and then look forward to 2009. We start in the AFC East. The surprise story of the year was the Miami Dol-phins. Can you believe they went from a 1-15 record and came within a game of making the playoffs? This was an amazing job done by Bill Parcells and everyone in that organization. New Eng-land overcame the injury to Tom Brady to go 11-5 and not make the playoffs. It is hard to believe that they didn’t make the playoffs. The Jets failed to make the playoffs even with Brett Favre at the helm and then fired Eric Mangini. To the AFC Central and South, the Steel-ers and Ravens put together a couple of classic hard hitting games and both teams with two great coaches look like they will be successful for many years to come. Tennessee jumped out on that long undefeated streak to begin the season and ran away with the AFC South. They stumbled in the playoffs at home once again. The hard charging Indianapolis Colts made the playoffs but lost early and then Tony Dungy retired. He is one of the classiest men on the planet. The weakest division was the AFC West. This was the division that no one liter-ally wanted to win. The Raiders were in disarray on the field, and the Chiefs were a major disappointment costing a good head coach, Herman Edwards, his job.

Even with all the ugliness, the Chargers eventually won the division from the Broncos basically by default on the last day of the season as Denver flat let one get away and then let Mike Shanahan go as well. The NFC also had a surprise of the year and with that we begin in the toughest division – the NFC South. The Falcons were a mess with a head coach quitting before last season ended and then their franchise QB Michael Vick going to jail. With some redoing, this team had double digit wins and made their way into the playoffs. The Panthers were good again as were the Bucs. New Orleans was an offensive juggernaut but got noth-ing done on the defensive side of the ball which meant more time on the golf course in January. The NFC West mirrored the AFC West for bad football. The Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks were awaiting their draft status early in the season. The Cardinals won a division for the first time since 1975, and then advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time. Turning to the NFC Central, it mirrored the AFC West in that no one wanted to seemingly win the division. Minnesota and Chicago battled to the bit-ter end with both doing their best to give it away. The Packers were the biggest disappointment while the Lions were well…the Lions … setting a new mark for futility by becoming the first team in NFL history to go winless. The final stop in the NFC ends in the East where after about one-half of the season it was the best division in foot-ball. Injuries started to eat away at all four teams but the Giants won the divi-sion while the Cowboys faded like the sunset in the last few weeks. The Eagles found late season momentum and made a playoff run much to the credit of Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb.

The playoffs came and nothing was pre-dictable. Road teams won, rookie quar-terback Joe Flacco lead the Ravens to the AFC title game, and then the Cardinals made their first Super Bowl appearance with Kurt Warner at the QB spot. Now that the season is over, we are left with thoughts to ponder for 2009. 1. Can the Rams get back to their win-ning ways?2. Will we have to put up with another “Will Brett Favre play again?” this offseason?3. Being ahead of schedule, can the Falcons and Dolphins keep on track to growing as winning teams once again?4. Will we ever see the Lions win again?5. Are the Packers going to regret giv-ing that huge amount of money to Aaron Rodgers to be their QB?6. Will a new stadium with a retract-able roof mean the hole will be filled with another Super Bowl title banner for the Dallas Cowboys?7. Which NFL player(s) will be in trouble off the field during the offseason?8. What can Ed Hocculi do to look bigger and fit in official’s clothing?9. Does anyone want to be the head coach of the Oakland Raiders?10. Who will be that surprise team in 2009? With the season over and thoughts in our mind of 2009, we have the NFL Draft, mini-camps, offseason deals, and all of those items that will cross the newswires to make the NFL what it is today. It’s a long wait but the NFL Network will have to do in order for us to pass the time after another wonderful and unpredictable NFL season.



Date post:	23-Mar-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	si-sports-connection
View:	215 times
Download:	1 times

February 2009

Documents