Sportsmanship

In an ideal world, sportsmanship would be expected just as much of the fans as it is of the players ("Terps' Vasquez answers insults," Feb. 13). And in an institute of higher learning, one would expect even a little more from the fans. Unfortunately, University of Maryland's star guard Greivis Vasquez continues to endure racially-tinged taunts and jibes. If, indeed, many a truth is said in jest, then the implications of these jeers may reflect a xenophobic undercurrent that seems to be plaguing society, especially in the aftermath of 9/11.

Maryland student leaders and administrators have joined in the most serious effort in years to try to change the fan culture surrounding the Duke basketball game. The goal is to limit profanity inside Comcast Center and end postgame scuffles with police along Route 1. With the No. 5 Blue Devils in town Wednesday night, proponents of the change have organized a pep rally and other activities, created new cheers, and plan to distribute free apparel they hope will replace T-shirts that feature lewd slogans.

The Anne Arundel County Board of Officials for girls lacrosse have selected Annapolis High School as recipient of the group's first sportsmanship plaque.The voting, done by the 14 officials who worked county games this spring, was based on a system where points were given for the local varsity and junior varsity teams, coaches and fans who best exhibited sportsmanship."It seems in the papers this year, besides the highlights, we've read of a lot of problems with sportsmanship in girls lacrosse," saidBonnye Lang, the commissioner of the board of officials.

Let me be clear that I love soccer, and have for a long time. It was the 1966 World Cup final, England's overtime victory over Germany, that turned a serious flirtation into a committed relationship. I didn't miss World Cup finals after that, even when it meant buying a ticket to a smoky auditorium for a blurry closed-circuit broadcast. With the World Cup final approaching this weekend, I should be at the heights of ecstasy. But right now I'm feeling a bit broken-hearted. Instead of succumbing to the allure of David Villa and Wesley Sneijder as I watch this year's tournament, I find myself thinking more and more about J. P. Hayes.

At the annual meeting of the U.S. Yacht Racing Union in Newport, R.I., on Sunday, Annapolitan Scott Steele received the W. Van Alan ClarkJr. Trophy, USYRU's national sportsmanship award, one of its most prestigious distinctions.The trophy is presented annually to the American sailor who best exemplifies the ideals and traditions of good sportsmanship. It was inaugurated in 1986 to encourage sportsmanship at every level of the sport.Steele, a well-known champion boardsailor who won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in boardsailing's first year as an Olympic event, is a native Annapolitan.

Howard High School has won the county's Sportsmanship Cup award in recognition of the sportsmanship displayed by its players, coaches, parents and spectators during the school's athletic events this year.The cup will be presented to Howard by Don Disney, county athletics coordinator, at 4 p.m. tomorrow at the county school board meeting."We're extremely proud to receive this prestigious award, and it's a credit to the Howard High School community, especially the fans, athletes and coaches," said Howard principal Mary Day.Atholton earned the Sportsmanship Cup award the last three years.

Atholton High School won Howard County's second annual Sportsmanship Cup last week in recognition of the sportsmanship displayed by players, coaches, parents and spectators during the school's athletic events this year.The cup was presented to the school during Thursday's meeting of the Howard County school board. While the board does not recognize state athletic championships, "We feel this is the one honor we want to present in front of the Board of Education," said Donald Disney, the county's coordinator of athletics.

While we all closely watch the war in the Persian Gulf, let's take alook at the state of high school sports in the county with Coordinator of Physical Education Paul Rusko.First of all, this sportsmanship priority started by the county this year in conjunction with the National Federation of High Schools sounds nice and looks good in print, whether it be on posters or pamphlets.Certainly the intent is honorable, but does it get results? I don't think so, and I don't understand why we need to bring attention toa problem that isn't there.

To many fans and players, sportsmanship is like the National Anthem.They can recite the Seattle Mariners lineup, but don't know all the words to the Star Spangled Banner.They know the word "sportsmanship," but don't ask them what it means.Talk to student/athletes and ask them about sportsmanship and youmight get the answer, "There doesn't seem to be any. If you are better, the other team and their fans hate you."My opinion is that the kids of the 1990s look at sportsmanship as shaking hands after verbally and physically trying to the hurt the other guy. Because they shake hands, they think it makes all the underhanded shenanigans right.

Now that those conscientious folks in Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission have all but straightened out those alleged problems we had with too much violence on TV, not to mention the fact we no longer have R-rated movies on cable in prime time and Howard Stern has taken to cooing like Liberace, let's give them a real tough assignment: reconstructing sportsmanship.It's a task that should have been undertaken, what, a couple of decades ago when pro sports became so popular, all inclusive, intrusive and scandalously influential as a result of rampant exposure on television.

Serena Williams threatening to injure a line ref over a call she didn't like. Pitcher Dallas Braden mixing it up with Alex Rodriguez because the slugger "disrespected" him by crossing the pitcher's mound. Gilbert Arenas bringing guns into a basketball locker room. The American sports scene in recent years offers no shortage of players behaving stupidly, immaturely, gracelessly. We wring our hands, but we should not be surprised. Take young men and women — often barely out of school — shower them with millions of dollars and endless adulation, and what do you expect?

Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Lang, a retired Howard County high school coach whose winning teams earned her a place in the Howard High School Athletic Hall of Fame, died of pneumonia Monday at Seasons Hospice at Northwest Hospital Center. The Ellicott City resident was 90. She was the first full-time female physical-education teacher to be employed by Howard County. Born in Morgantown, W.Va., she earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from West Virginia University, where she also earned a master's degree.

For a few hours, Michael Vick left his controversial past behind. On Monday, at the Chick Webb Recreation Center, youngsters surrounded the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback, begging for an autograph, a photo or some welcome tips about football. Put aside, for the moment, was Vick's 2007 conviction for running a dogfighting ring in which pit bulls were killed. Monday, he was one of 28 NFL players in town for an Ed Block Courage Awards reception at the East Baltimore rec center. It wasn't just kids who were drawn to Vick.

In an ideal world, sportsmanship would be expected just as much of the fans as it is of the players ("Terps' Vasquez answers insults," Feb. 13). And in an institute of higher learning, one would expect even a little more from the fans. Unfortunately, University of Maryland's star guard Greivis Vasquez continues to endure racially-tinged taunts and jibes. If, indeed, many a truth is said in jest, then the implications of these jeers may reflect a xenophobic undercurrent that seems to be plaguing society, especially in the aftermath of 9/11.

Michael Vick 's peers appreciate his tough journey back to the NFL. Vick won the Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates on the Philadelphia Eagles. The once-disgraced star quarterback returned to the league after spending 18 months in a federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring. "It means a great deal to me," Vick said Wednesday. "I was voted unanimously by my teammates. They know what I've been through. I've been through a lot. It's been great to come back and have an opportunity to play and be with a great group of guys.

N ews item: The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has ranked Oriole Park ninth on its top-10 list of vegetarian-friendly major league ballparks and the Frederick Keys' Harry Grove Stadium fourth on its corresponding list of minor league parks that cater to vegetarian fans. My take: That's nice, but I still subscribe to the simple philosophy that if God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat. News item: Mine That Bird, who went off at 50-1 odds in the Kentucky Derby, was posted as the early favorite for Saturday's 141st running of the Belmont Stakes.

Glenelg High School measures its success one student at a time. Monday night at the County Council meeting, however, Principal Jim McGregor was measuring the success of the whole student body.He accepted a plaque from Council President Charles Feaga to honor the school for receiving the first Sportsmanship Cup awarded by the Howard County Board of Education.The cup is given in recognition of the school whose teams have shown high-quality sportsmanship on and off the field. In this first year the cup has been presented, athletic directors and principals at all Howard County high schools voted to give the first Sportsmanship Cup to Glenelg High.

Facial puffiness. Higher blood pressure and heart rate. Drastic personality changes. Those are some of the signs Maryland physicians are being encouraged to look for as they treat young athletes - signs that could be red flags for steroid use, according to a campaign launched yesterday. "The message about anabolic steroids, about energy drinks, supplements, is something that people want to know about," said Michael Gimbel, director of Powered by Me!, a St. Joseph Medical Center program for training and educating people on steroids and other performance enhancers.

First, a confession: There was a time when I thought the All-Star Home Run Derby was a great idea. The thought of bringing the best power hitters together for a batting practice slugfest summoned memories of the old black-and-white Home Run Derby television show (even though I'm really not old enough to remember 1959) and unquestionably captured the imagination of baseball fans when the All-Star version debuted in 1985 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. It made perfect sense. Fans - and not just the chicks - loved the long ball, and home runs still were coming in reasonable numbers in the mid-1980s.