Past, present and future

So we're going to hit a few topics briefly in this blog as I've got some real work to do.

First,

Past

As many of you know prior to taking my current position at IMG, I was a sports reporter/editor.

In that job I dealt a lot with high school sports. Recently the Ohio High School Athletic Association has put forward a proposal to help "level the playing field" between private and public schools and, of course, I've got an opinion on it.

The general thought is that this needs to be done because between 1999 and 2010, 43 percent (146 of 340) of the state championships in selected team sports were won by non-public schools, even though non-public schools make up only 17 percent of the total membership of the OHSAA.

I wish I had the time and energy to see what percent of schools from north of Columbus win state title compared to what percent the represent. Or what percent of schools that wear orange win compared to their total percentage.

Admittedly, being a private school has it's advantages. The kids at privates schools are often but not always better disciplined, better educated and come from better socioeconomic backgrounds.

What anti-private school fans say is that the real advantage lies in being able to draw kids from all over a region instead of a small area as many public schools do. This was once true.

Now, a school can have open enrollment and to use Scioto County as an example, you can just about go anywhere. In the last three years one kid went from Portsmouth, to Wheelersburg and back. Another kid went from Portsmouth to somewhere in Columbus and back. Yes private school Notre Dame picked up an athlete from public East High School but on the other hand a pretty stellar football star who lives (or at least grew up) in the Northwest school district played his four years at West.

Yes the private schools can draw from all over but don't be so jaded as to think that an idiot with no money can attend a private school just because he can dunk. If the kid has the grades, there is academic scholarships and if his parents are rich there's no problem. The financial and academic restraints however at least partially cancel out the lack of having a district to draw from.

The real issue though is this. While I am all in favor of fair play, making it harder on private schools as the OHSAA proposal (viewable here http://tinyurl.com/OHSAAPDT ) will do simply cheapens any state title won by a public school.

Once these rules are adopted and a title is won by a public school, the kids will still enjoy and a community will still be happy but it will be a little less special. In sports kids learn that to be the best, you have to beat the best.

I guess in the OHSAA world to be the best you only have to beat the best you're required to face after implementing rules to reduce your competition....doesn't have the same ring.

Present

I am settling into the hours of my new job a little better. I was a little late today because of an alarm clock mixup but it's all good. I used to get up around 11 or noon each day and now it's 6:15 sharp every morning. Not easy.

I am building the America East Conference basketball tournament championship program as my first project and it's going along.

Last Kelli had a job interview today and if that works out, I might be able to pay back all you people I owe money.

Future

You guys remember the movie Jurassic Park? Cloning dinosaurs and what not.

Check this out

"A group of international scientists believe they are about six years away from being able to resurrect the mammoth.

Scientists from Japan, Russia and the United States have extracted a tissue sample from a mammoth carcass that has been preserved in a Russian laboratory. They hope to take DNA from the sample and insert it into the eggs of an African elephant in the hopes of producing a mammoth embryo.

The mammoth last lived on Earth about 10,000 years ago and roamed in parts of modern-day North America and Eurasia."

That's right we're bringing back the mammoth. While these herbivores aren't likely to go all angry velociraptor on our butts, maybe it's time we as a society sit down and talk this over. How far are we willing to go? We clone mice and sheep and other things so I guess a mammoth isn't that big of a deal as long as we just make the one.

But it's not a far cry to get from making one to trying to repopulate a species. When animals die off, it's for a reason. I'm not sure we should be messing with that.

Also in the future

We better get flying cars. Just saying. It's a long overdue promise.