NEWS
October 14, 2009
The Baltimore Sun takes Athletes of the Week nominations from Friday night until Sunday at 6 p.m. Coaches may call 410-332-6801 to nominate athletes. Please provide name, school, class, sport, position, team results and the athlete's accomplishments for the week, with statistics by game, and other supporting information. Coaches also should provide a number where they can be reached Sunday night.
NEWS
September 11, 2009
The Baltimore Sun takes Athletes of the Week nominations from Friday night until Sunday at 6 p.m. Coaches may call 410-332-6801 to nominate athletes. Please provide name, school, class, sport, position, team results and the athlete's accomplishments for the week, with statistics by game, and other supporting information. Coaches also should provide a number where they can be reached Sunday night.
NEWS
By Andrea K. Walker | August 14, 2009
The Baltimore sports apparel company Under Armour is introducing a line of mouth gear that it says will not only protect the jaw from hits but will reduce stress to improve athletic performance. UA Performance Mouthwear was developed by Bite Tech Inc., a Minneapolis company that has researched mouth products for athletes. The mouthpiece is for noncontact sports such as baseball, running, golf and tennis, and costs $495. The mouthguard for football, hockey, lacrosse and other contact sports costs $450.
NEWS
By Liz Bowie | June 7, 2009
Joseph Bobinski Jr. started competing in the Special Olympics when he was just 10 years old. He was a mildly autistic child whose parents hoped he would benefit from interaction with teammates. Six years later, the student at Reservoir High School in Howard County is a stronger, more confident athlete. The sport has helped him open up and communicate more, said his father, Joseph Bobinski Sr. "He looks forward to it and feels rewarded. He just enjoys running." On Saturday, he competed in the 200- and 400-meter runs, and his dad, who coaches and coordinates the track-and-field athletes for Howard County, hopes Joey can move on to the 800-meter race.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton | May 24, 2009
Tim Myers, an 18-year-old discus thrower participating in the state track meet at Morgan State University on Saturday, took a break from the heat and dashed into the university student center, where a team of doctors from Johns Hopkins Hospital had set up a makeshift heart checkup program. The Elkton teen slipped off his red mesh jersey and lay down on his side as Ken Cresswell, a cardiac stenographer, placed electrodes on his chest. A mix of blues, greens, oranges and yellows pulsated as an ultrasound showed blood pumping through the aortic valve of his heart.
NEWS
By Jeff Seidel | December 28, 2008
Harford County athletes must now take one more step before playing in any games. A new policy will require athletes to provide the school with a recent utility bill to help show proof of residence. "We've had residency issues in the past, and we just want to make sure that we don't put a school in a situation that compromises everything they've worked towards in sports," said Ken Zorbach, the county's supervisor of athletics. The policy was put into place about a week before the winter season began.
NEWS
By BILL ORDINE | December 4, 2008
It's easy to get caught up in a knee-jerk reaction to the most recent example of a professional athlete winning the modern MVP Award - Most Visible Pea-brain. But Plaxico Burress' obvious stupidity doesn't justify eliminating a whole class of citizens from rights afforded under the Second Amendment any more than rogue reporter Jayson Blair's transgressions should be the rationale for curtailing protections under the First. The absolutely appropriate fallout includes Burress being suspended by the New York Giants and the charges he faces for illegal gun possession, which could mean serious prison time.
NEWS
By Kevin Van Valkenburg | December 2, 2008
Over the years, Michael Phelps has mastered the art of playing coy. He has been answering reporters' questions since he was 15, and he knows exactly how much information his answers should reveal. When asked recently whether he thinks he'll be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, an honor that is expected to be announced today, Phelps offered a half-smirk and a roll of his shoulders. In truth, Phelps knows precisely whether he's the magazine's pick this year. The interview and photo shoot are done well in advance, and all indications are that Phelps, who won eight gold medals this year in Beijing, is a virtual lock.
NEWS
By BILL ORDINE | September 12, 2008
Like many sportswriters, I've covered the range of organized athletics, from high school through college and now, usually, the pros. And when covering student-athletes, a different sort of accountability is at work. A 16-year-old kid might wind up reading about his disappointing moment on the field in a news account, but it would be a hard-hearted sports journalist indeed who would judgmentally harp on such miscues. In contrast, the NFL or major league player who commits those same sins can expect the sting of criticism for the obvious reason: That player is getting paid to perform.
NEWS
By PETER SCHMUCK | September 12, 2008
Let's start this off with the premise that you have the constitutional right to boo the 11-year-olds at a Little League game if you - like me - are that unstable, but I don't think there's any real gray area on this particular subject until you get up to the college level. Then there are all sorts of factors that might affect whether it's proper to vent your disapproval on scholastic athletes. For example, when a big-time college program pressures fans to donate big dollars in exchange for the right to buy tickets, then I believe that program has crossed over the line where the fans are required to view the athletes as wide-eyed innocents who should never be criticized for their performance on the field or the court.