For your reading pleasure, here are some additional classic Artificial Turf sports essays orignially broadcast on the radio. 

AMEND TITLE IX.......By Bill Rogan (4-25-05)
I am a firm believer in sports opportunities for everyone. Be it the 85-year old geezer playing bocci ball or the 4-year old tot putting an undersized ball through a lowered hoop. That includes women participating in collegiate athletics. If a woman wants to run track, play basketball, softball or field hockey, whatever, they deserve the chance to do so. That is what Title IX should be all about.
Eliminating men's sports should not be part of the equation, but it is. More than 400-mens wrestling, tennis, baseball, track, swimming and gymnastics teams have been eliminated because of Title IX since its implementation in 1972. Don't men deserve to participate in these sports? Cutting mens sports to balance numbers of participants is not only wrong, its stupid and unfair.
Obviously football creates an unequal balance of male versus female participants at a school because of the sheer volume of players needed to field a team. Eliminating so-called "non-revenue" mens sports is tragic. And, there is no such thing as a non-revenue sport. If a high school athlete goes to college and participates in a sport, his or her tuition brings revenue to the school. By claiming a sport is "non-revenue" it makes it easier for school presidents to kill off a male sport. Title IX should be about providing women with opportunities to play but not at the expense of men's programs.
Here is the best example I can think of why Title IX should be amended. Providence College had a very successful baseball program which was in existance for close to a century. However, because Providence College had 11-percent more male athletes than female athletes, and to avoid any "gender equity" lawsuits, the program was abolished. Meanwhile, there were never any complaints about opportunities or discrimination by female athletes at Providence College. The baseball team was simply done in by statistics from Title IX.
The 1999 Providence Friars baseball team won a school record 43 games, won the Big East Conference and went to the NCAA tournament. Then they were cast aside like a pair of dirty sweat socks....thanks to Title IX.

LET THE KIDS PLAY.....By Bill Rogan (3-17-05)
NBA Commissioner David Stern wants to put in a rule that makes players under 20-years of age ineligible for his league. Is this right? Is it fair? Is it legal?
In a perfect world, kids would enter the NBA after graduating from a four year college.
However, this is far from a perfect world. Not every kid is college material. Have you seen the dismal graduation rates for basketball players at the Division I level?
Those athletes shouldn't be in college. Why deny a kid a chance to make a living playing hoops just because he doesn't want to or is incapable of going to college? It would be nice if kids went to college to get an education instead of just playing basketball but that's not the case.
If basketball is his future, then he should have the right to go to the NBA right after high school. Baseball drafts and signs high school kids all the time. I don't hear people complain about that.
To me, preventing an 18 or 19-year old kid from playing in the NBA is age discrimination.
Many NBA players come from poor backgrounds. Why should their families live in poverty for another year or two when Johnny Jumpshot or Demetrius Dunker can sign an NBA deal worth millions?
Lebron James, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant and others have shown that teenagers can make it in the NBA. As for the ones who don't make it, there are developmental leagues to play in to hone their craft. And yes, they can even go to college to pursue a degree if they can't cut it in the NBA. If a teenager doesn't make it in the NBA, that doesn't mean his future is over.
Bottom line, if a kid is old enough to join the military and fight for this country, if he is old enough to vote, then he is old enough to play in the NBA. As for the maturity factor Stern talks about, there are plenty of NBA veterans who are knuckleheads. Age isn't a factor for them. And it shouldn't be a factor for the under 20 crowd.

PASS THE ICE BAG AND ASPIRIN.....By Bill Rogan (2-8-05)
Super Bowl 39 is over and so is, almost, my splitting headache. Thanks to Fox Sports for ruining my enjoyment of the game with their loud, irritating and over-the-top coverage. I don't care which network broadcasts the Super Bowl in the future...ABC, NBC, The Food Channel, The Cartoon Network or some local access cable outfit, ANY network would be better than Fox.
The broadcasting crew, of Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth and Troy Aikman was stellar, as expected. No complaints there.
However, the rest of the telecast drove me crazy. Where do I begin?
How about the graphics? They were too big, too numerous, most were unnecessary and accompanied by stupid sound effects. I felt as if I was in a video arcade.
The camera angles were terrible throughout. During one play, a high sideline shot was switched to a behind the play field cam, forcing viewers to lose sight of where the ball was. There were too many cameras and unique angles and the director felt compelled to use each and every one of them. Also, is there a law at Fox that says you can't stay with a camera shot for more than 15-seconds? All that switching from camera to camera made it feel like I was in a clothes dryer. And why must we be subjected to a million crowd shots? I would prefer watching what the crowd is watching....the action on the field! Instead of experimenting with new cameras angles during the Super Bowl, shouldn't these experiments take place during the exhibition season? Why assault us with this nonsense during the biggest game of the year?
Next target, sideline reporters. When was the last time a sideline lackey told you something pertinent? Did we need Chris Meyers to tell us that Tom Brady's grandmother passed away a few days earlier? Couldn't Buck, Collinsworth or Aikman have told us that? Shouldn't that have been covered during the 43-hour borefest of a pre-game show?
Pam Oliver told me nothing. She had a chance to make an impact during the post-game interview with Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid. However, instead of asking something relevant like, "Coach, why weren't you in a hurry up offense with 5-minutes left down by 10-points?", she went with a lame question about Terrell Owens that produced the typical dull answer.
Can someone please tell me why announcers who interview the losing coach have to sound as if a family member died? I expect the coach to sound forlorn, he lost! What did the announcer lose? The coin flip to determine who gets to lob softball questions to the losing coach?
The NFL has made the Super Bowl into a weeklong extravaganza of excess. It has become more entertainment than football. Unfortunately Fox felt the need to do the same. Networks broadcasting future Super Bowls would serve the viewer better if they would tone things down. Afterall, it is still a football game. Let us watch it.

BUT HE'S A GREAT KID!............By Bill Rogan (1-18-05)
I was watching last week's Oklahoma State-Texas hoop game. Good game between two talented teams. One of the players on the Cowboys was Freshman JamesOn Curry, the leading scorer in North Carolina high school history. Originally, Curry intended to play for the home state Tar Heels, until he ran into a slight problem. A major problem for non-basketball stars, but apparently a minor one for a big-time recruit like Curry.
Last February, Curry was arrested on 6-felony related drug charges. He was dealing drugs and pleaded guilty in April. He was sentenced to 3-years probation, community service (*read the 12-22-04 essay) and had to pay some fines.
To the credit of North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams, he withdrew his offer of a scholarship to Curry, saying he didn't want that type of person on his team.
However, it wasn't long before the vultures sought out Curry's basketball services. Memphis and Cincinnati, two programs with little or no integrity came calling. But it was Oklahoma State that won out. Oke State Head Coach Eddie Sutton, who ran a dirty program at Kentucky, offered the convicted drug dealer a scholarship which Curry accepted.
Most schools, I hope most schools, would not be proud or willing to have a drug dealing point guard on their team. But Sutton is a win at all costs guy. Do people deserve a second chance. Yes, in many cases. In this case, I'm not so sure.
However, what really annoyed me during the broadcast of the game was listening to announcers Dick Vitale, normally one of my favorites, and Dan Schulman, talk about how wonderful Eddie Sutton was for giving a kid a second chance. If Curry wasn't so gifted a player, would Sutton have played Father Flanigan? I don't think so. Also, Dickie V and Schulman said Sutton did his homework and found out that Curry was a "great kid" who made a mistake. I'm sorry, "great kids" don't deal drugs. Period.
I love college basktball. I love when my teams win. However, I would rather lose than win with a miscreant like JamesOn Curry.
By the way, Texas 75 Oklahoma State 61. Thank you.

SPEND YANKS...AND SPEND SOME MORE!..... By Bill Rogan (1-9-05)
The Yankees payroll will be in excess of 200-million dollars this upcoming season, more than 4-times the payroll of teams like the Rockies, Royals and Devil Rays. Combined with luxury taxes, in other words, payments to subsidize other teams, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner will shell out about 300-million dollars this season.
The Yanks just traded for Randy Johnson and gave him a 2-year, 32-million dollar contract extension. They have 9-players on the roster making more than 10-million dollars per season, topped by the 22-million dollar a year contract of Alex Rodriguez.
People continually scream bloody murder when slamming the Yankees spending habits. They should stop and realize the Yankees are good for baseball and here's why.
With their own TV network, the highest radio rights fees in the game and with more than 3.7 million patrons passing through the Yankee Stadium turnstiles, the Yanks HAVE the most money. When you HAVE the most money you SHOULD spend the most money. People would squawk if Steinbrenner DIDN'T spend his cash and instead pocketed it.
The Yankees fill road ballparks because people want to see star players. I don't hear owners complain when the Yankees come to town and do something they can't do.....draw fans. When the luxury check from George clears, I don't hear other owners gripe about receiving it. Some of these owners who complain about poverty every two seconds are secretly hoping the Yankees keep spending and spending so they can get their cut of the luxury pie.
Not all teams want to win because winning teams cost money. The teams that do try to compete and win utilize their assets. Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels are in big markets, have money to spend and they do so. Some teams, like the Athletics, Twins and Braves put their money into scouting and player development. And some franchises choose to do nothing....except pocket the luxury cash and complain about the Yankees while doing so. Isn't that right Milwaukee?
Plus, spending money doesn't always mean a World Series Championship. The Yankees haven't won a title in 4 seasons. But they TRY to win and that is good for baseball. Or, do you think the way the Rockies do business is better for baseball?
So people, stop whining about the Yankees and instead, go after the other teams that don't do anything to improve their teams and  take the easy way out.....by screaming  poverty and crying about other teams....like the Yankees.

HIDE THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN.....By Bill Rogan (12-22-04)
Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks finally received his punishment in British Columbia Provincial Court for his savage attack on Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche duing a game last season. If you recollect, Bertuzzi skated behind Moore and sucker-punched him in the face. For good measure, the 6-3, 235-pound Bertuzzi landed on Moore and drove his face into the ice. Moore suffered a broken neck in the attack, disgraceful by even NHL standards.
Bertuzzi entered a guilty plea in court, will get probation and won't have a criminal record. Oh yeah, he will get the standard deal of doing community service.
I don't know about you, but I think miscreant athletes doing community service is great....so long it isn't in my community.
I'm tired of these thugs, drug addicts, sexual deviants, social misfits and hoodlums who happen to also be talented athletes, getting community service every time they get in hot water. I don't want these guys doing community service. They should be doing time!
Do you know who should be doing community service? The good guys.
I want to see judges round up the good guys and sentence them to community service. Todd Helton, you are hereby sentenced to community service. Derek Jeter, its community service for you pal. Peyton Manning, we now sentence you to community service. OK Tim Duncan, lets go buddy, its community service for you.
These guys wouldn't mind. Most of them are already serving the community. Not because they have to, but because they want to.
Judges, keep the bums out of MY community. Let them serve their sentences in YOUR community.

"OUCH.....I THINK I SNAPPED MY NECK!"....By Bill Rogan (12-12-04)
I received my Sports Illustrated in the mail on Thursday and the cover featured Reggie Bush of Southern Cal doing a somersault into the end zone.
My question is, when will college football and the NFL place a ban on such maneuvers?
It is only a matter of time until one of these showboating athletes lands on his head wrong and breaks his neck. Any athlete flipping into the end zone is risking serious injury and this practice needs to be stopped.
If a runner is in the clear, there is no reason whatsoever for somersaulting into the end zone. None. Sometimes a player has to do what he has to do to score, and that's fine. If the only way he can get across the goal line is to dive over a defender, then so be it. But when a runner is all alone and chooses to dive or flip himself into the end zone, that is stupid, dangerous and should result in a severe penalty, not just a 15-yarder.
Back to Sports Illustrated. Why are they glorifying this ridiculous move by Reggie Bush? Pretty soon everybody will be diving and flipping into the end zone. Don't coaches realize the risk of injury? Worse, the high school athletes, who may not have the coordination of a Reggie Bush, may start emulating this move.
Football players are that, football players. They are not gymnasts. Leave the flipping and acrobatics to those trained to do it.
And Sports Illustrated should stop glamorizing hotdogging showoffs.

SIX MEASLY INCHES..............By Bill Rogan (12-5-04)
Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship series was a classic, won by the Yankees over the Red Sox on a dramatic 11th inning home run by Aaron Boone. While Boone's pennant winning shot will be remembered vividly by those who saw it, I find myself thinking back to a home run earlier in that game.
Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi admitted to a federal grand jury that he used illegal performance enhancing drugs....steroids and human growth hormones, which he injected into his body. He admitted using the drugs for three seasons, including 2003.
On that chilly October night at Yankee Stadium, Giambi belted a pair of home runs off Pedro Martinez. The first homer Giambi hit was a no doubter into the right-centerfield bleachers. The home run he hit in the 7th inning, well, thats the one I keep thinking about.
Giambi drilled one over the centerfield wall, barely. Red Sox centerfielder Johnny Damon made a desperate effort to catch the ball, which eluded his outstretched glove by no more than 6-inches.
Had Giambi not gained strength through illicit methods, perhaps that ball only makes it to the warning track. Maybe it travels 6-inches less and Damon makes the catch. IF Damon makes the catch, maybe there are no extra-inning heroics by Boone. Maybe Grady Little doesn't get fired for keeping Pedro in the game too long. Maybe, just maybe the Red Sox curse would have ended in 2003 instead of 2004. Maybe. You never know. But I can't help but think that the Yankees thrilling Game 7 win is tainted by two home runs by a steroid cheat, including one home run that went 6-inches further than it probably should have.

FREE RON ARTEST! ......By Bill Rogan (11-28-04)
Pacers forward Ron Artest's banishment for the remainder of the NBA season for jumping into the crowd at Detroit serves two purposes. One, it will likely prevent any other player, in every sport, from doing the same. Players now, in all likelihood will show restraint, knowing they could get a long suspension without pay.
Two, fans now know that the chances of a player jumping into the crowd to beat down a miscreant have diminished. In other words, there is no longer a fear that by nailing a player in the head with a bottle or spewing verbal venom at an athlete that player will jump into the seats and begin swinging.
Its now open season on players. Fans will become more brazen in their efforts to abuse athletes.
And, don't expect security to do anything about it. Most security guards at these events are old guys who get 40-bucks a game. Why should they confront some liquored up jackass and get hurt. They'll just try to stay out of trouble and perhaps summon a police officer, if one can be found.
If teams want to hire real security, then the price of tickets will go up to cover the cost.
Now Ron Artest has been far from an angel in his NBA career. He's got a temper hotter than Carmen Electra. However, I would venture to say most people would respond in a fashion similar to Artest if they got popped in the head with a beer thrown from some imbecile in the crowd.
Until these dangerous and anti-social fans are tossed in jail for a long period of time and banished from attending sporting events, then we will continue to see fans acting like Philistines. If security won't stop the problem I can understand when an athlete takes the law into his own hands.

EARTH TO LATRELL.......COME BACK TO US!.......By Bill Rogan (11-7-04)
I will try to get through this essay without sobbing. It has come to my attention that Minnesota Timberwolves guard Latrell Sprewell wants a new contract and he is not happy with the way things are going.
He will make a mere 14.6 million dollars this year (I would love to just make the .6 part) and this week had the audacity to say the Wolves aren't doing anything for him. Spree also questioned why he should bother helping them win a title.
The 34-year old Sprewell doesn't want to take a pay cut and that the T-Wolves latest offer of 27 to 30 million dollars over three years was "insulting."
He also added, "I got my family to feed." What in the world is he feeding his family that is stretching the budget?
For all the good guys in sports, who wake up every day and thank their lucky stars for the gift of being able to play professional sports, there are a few knuckleheads like Sprewell who just don't get it.
Do you think the guy working the jackhammer trying to earn a living cares that Sprewell is insulted at the prospect of going from 14-mil a year to 10-million? How about the sap flipping burgers or anybody else who makes an honest living? Sprewell insulted each and every one of those people.
If I was another player, I would take him aside and slap him silly. He is giving every pro athlete a bad name for his selfish, egotistical, entitlist and out of touch attitude.
He's fortunate to even be in the NBA and not prison after choking his coach PJ Carlisimo back in his Warriors days. He should be thankful any team would have him.
Latrell Sprewell is a disgrace and an embarrassment, not only to the game but to hardworking people everywhere. I have two words for Sprewell. Unfortunately I can't say the first word. The second word is YOU!

SAD ENDING FOR CAMMY.........By Bill Rogan  (10-24-04)
Ken Caminiti died last Sunday, the end of a very sad saga for a former National League MVP.
Caminiti, a 3-time all-star, was known for a powerful arm and bat. He put up numbers, including more than 37-million dollars in earnings during his 15-year career, mostly with the Astros and Padres.
I've heard and read from his former teammates what a great player he was, a great teammate and a great guy and how sad it was he died of a heart attack at the age of 41.
Well, it is not nice I suppose to speak ill of the dead. However, on the outside looking in, I wouldn't say Caminiti was a great guy. On the contrary, he seems like a bum to me.
First of all, he was a cheater. He admitted he used steroids during his career, especially in his MVP season of 96. His career is tainted. He used and abused cocaine and was arrested several times for that. Earlier this month he tested positive for cocaine, breaking probation for a drug arrest three years ago.
With that track record it is not a surprise to me that he died of a heart attack at such a young age. The saddest part of it all is that he leaves behind three daughters.
Ken Caminiti, steroid user and cocaine addict dead at 41. I don't think he was such a great guy. However, if people learn from his death maybe it won't be in vein.
We know many players have used steroids. Jose Canseco has admitted he used the juice. How do you think those guys feel now after the demise of a fellow roid user?

MINDBOGGLING.........By Bill Rogan (10-22-04)
Upsets happen in sports. Things that shouldn't happen, happen.
It makes sports great. However, what happened this week I never thought I would see happen. But it happened.
Yes, the Yankees lost to the Red Sox in the American League Championship series. They didn't just lose, they lost dramatically...like the Red Sox usually do. The Yankees blew a 3-zip series lead...and got blown out in Game 7....in the Bronx no less. How did that happen? Did the curse of the Bambino happen to take the week off?
I could see a high school football team beating the Broncos before I could fathom the Red Sox doing what they did. I had to ask myself, several times, is it really happening? Did it happen? And please, don't let it happen again.
After the most humiliating and embarrassing episode in Yankees history, what have we learned? How about this....Kevin Brown made 15-million dollars this year. Javier Vasquez pocketed 10-million. Tom "Gascan" Gordon added several million beans to his bank account. Another goat and stat-collector A-Rod made 43 billion dollars...whatever. It proves you can't buy a World Series title.
So, what are the Yankees to do now? I'll tell you what. Back up the truck. Brown OUT! Vasquez OUT! Gordon OUT! Tony Clark, Tanyan Sturtze, Esteban Loaiza OUT! OUT! OUT!
And George, get over that sprained wrist and break out the checkbook. Get me Carlos Beltran. Get me somebody who can throw strikes. Get me free agent to be Pedro Martinez. Wait, scratch that.
As a long suffering Yankee fan, I can't take losing much longer. Especially to the Red Sox. It better not happen again.