How many will Die?

Chinese officials have for the first time indicated that several workers (six) have died in the consturction process of Olympic venues. This contrasts with a recent report in London that over 10 people have died just in building the "Bird's Nest" where the openning and closing ceremonies will be held. No matter what the number, building large facilities can be hazardous as seen by the at least 13 workers who died building facilities for the Athens Olympic Games. With the strong OHSA laws in the US deaths in large construction projects are significantly reduced. Other countries should adopt similar laws, but the tight time table for Olympic construction projects often requires government officials to look the other way so the buildings can be completed.
Gil-

Richest Contract in the NHL Still not Enough

One of the biggest sport contracts of all time was signed last week

when the Washington Capitals signed Alexander Ovechkin to a 13- year extension

worth $124 million. He is a playmaker like

Sidney Crosby; however the Capitals need a core of players that fans are

interested in seeing. Some players like Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Smyth, Chris

Osgood, Brad Richards, Chris Pronger, Marty Turco, Ryan Miller would make the

team a stronger draw. I think this is too much money for one player to earn for a

team that doesn't have a fan base. The only way such an investment will pay off at

the turnstiles is if the team invests in other stars as well so that the Capitals have a

strong team rather than just a star. This same situation arose in the mid 1990s with

the Houston Rockets. They won the NBA title with Akeem Olajuwon, but they still

were not drawing enough fans. The owner went out and brought in Clyde Drexler

and with two star players the team was able to draw more fans and won it second

NBA title.

by Thomas Chieppo

Marion Jones

Is six months too little? That should be the question when you look at the sentencing of Marion Jones. While that is what the prosecutors suggested, the judge, Kenneth Karas, was thinking that more time would have sent a better message to other potential cheaters. Marion cheated more than just herself. She cheated fans and teammates. The judge felt that even after admitting to cheating and returning her Olympic medals, Jones was still not being truthful. Once someone cheats, they can make a thousand excuses or additional lies to make themselves believe that they did not do anything wrong. Here she did something wrong and the punishment still does not fit the crime.
Gil-

Vans/Buses deadly for sport participants

As you can tell from the story below, buses and vans carrying kids to/from games/events are very dangerous. I think professional transportation companies should always be used rather than parents or coaches. They are not professional drivers and no one should entrust their kids to such a transportation method.
Gil-

Seven HS basketball players killed in crash
Associated Press
Updated: January 12, 2008, 8:17 PM EST
A van carrying a Canadian high school boys' basketball team collided with a truck Saturday, killing seven students and the coach's wife on their way home from a game.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Derek Strong said the seven players - between the ages of 15 and 18 - were pronounced dead at the crash site after their van crossed the center line and hit the tractor-trailer shortly after midnight.
"The sudden loss of eight people in this unthinkable accident shocked the nation and all Canadians join you in mourning their passing," Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a letter of condolence sent to the school's principal.
The accident occurred on Highway 11 as the team was making a three-hour return trip from Moncton in Canada's far eastern New Brunswick province after a storm dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain on much of the province.
The nine senior varsity players - accompanied by their coach, his wife and their daughter - were minutes from reuniting with their families when the team's coach lost control of the van.
Emily Cleland, whose brother Nathan Cleland was killed in the accident, said parents were waiting at a fast food restaurant to pick up their children when they got a call to go to the hospital.
"He was my best friend, my whole life," Cleland said of her brother. "He was always so protective of me."
Strong said most of the victims were ejected from the vehicle. The van was equipped with seat belts but investigators didn't know if they were used.
Lydia Dupere, a spokeswoman for the Acadie-Bathurst Health Authority, said three people were still in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A fourth person had been treated for injuries and released. The truck driver was not hurt.
"This is a whole community in mourning," Bathurst High School superintendent John McLaughlin said. "It's unthinkable what happened and everyone's trying to make some sense of it."

Security???

Major League Baseball (MLB) has instituted new rules to "prevent" drug issues such as not announcing in advance when testers are coming and logging in packages received by the club house. While this is well and good, does it go to the root of the problem? People want to cheat and they will cheat if they can get away from it.

If they were serious, they should have penalties built into the collective bargaining agreement that players have to repay their salaries (this will never happen since the union is too strong). Or we could have an honor system similar that I had in law school. If there was a disincentive to cheat it would be that others would be harmed. Players would turn in cheats if there would be a penalty for others. Thus, a system could be established where a percentage of team salaries are put into an escrow account. If someone cheats and the others do not turn them in, then the money is forfeited. However, if others turn in a colleague then their salary is safe. This works well with grades (i.e. if someone cheats you are motivated to turn them in since if they do well that means based on a strict grading curve that your grade decreases). Maybe it could work in sports?

What do you think?
Gil-

What were they thinking again

How could people say such stupid things?????


Golf Channel anchor says young golfers should 'lynch Tiger Woods'
By Roy S. Johnson
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2008 4:38 pm EST

What is it about Duke? Okay, maybe that's not fair. But it did make me scratch my head and wonder when I read what Kelly Tilghman, a former Blue Devil golfer, said on the Golf Channel last Friday during her gig as co-lead announcer for the network's telecast of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, the PGA Tour's inaugural event of the season.

I have not seen the clip, nor do I know the context of the remarks. This is what I know -- that Tilghman, who never played on the LPGA Tour, said golf's young players should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley."

Had Woods been white, to use the most heinous crime committed in this nation to illustrate God-knows-what point would have been egregious. But that he's not makes the remark unconscionable. And punishable.

It would be a travesty if Tilghman is allowed to broadcast the next event for the Golf Channel. (It speaks volumes already that she was allowed to sit on the air all day Saturday, as if nothing happened. She then offered an on-air apology on Sunday but still did the entire telecast.)
At minimum, a suspension is in order. Some will surely call for a firing. If the network does nothing -- just months after the Jena Six dominated the nation's airwaves -- it would make a significant statement about the network's tolerance of such actions. A statement that would hurt the sport of golf and rekindle memories of a racist history that Woods' success has helped it begin to move past.
Doing nothing would remind us of Fuzzy Zoeller
Doing nothing would remind us of Shoal Creek.
Doing nothing would not be smart.