Governor David Patterson probably won't get invited to any Kennedy family get-togethers after his snub of Caroline Kennedy for the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. The governor is also not winning any friends in public education with his proposed cuts which will undoubtedly be felt by state high school athletic departments from the Hamptons to Buffalo. Currently there are many proposals on the table that would cut costs with several dealing with reducing the number of athletic contests and eliminating some size classifications of schools. Things could turn ugly in the debate as section versus section, big schools versus small schools, and even the "haves" versus the "have-nots" could be pitted against each other in an effort to get as much of the pie as possible. The state doesn't have to throw the baby out with the bath water because there are several steps that can be taken to help eliminate costs. For starters, the state can reverse the politically correct move they made several years ago when they divided the state wrestling championships into big (Division I) and small (Division II) schools. The move was made to allow those athletes who attended smaller schools to have an even playing field and not have to compete against those from bigger schools. The intention was sound in theory but lousy in practice. A wrestler who weighs 135 pounds is on the same playing field as any other 135 pound wrestler, regardless of what size school he attends. In fact, wrestling is the one sport that provides an equal opportunity for every athlete. In addition to competing in specific weight classes against other wrestlers of similar weight, wrestlers have the ability to attend summer wrestling camps and clinics, lift weights, work in the off-season, and seek out tournaments with better competition. In short, wrestlers, much like bowlers, cross-country runners, tennis players, swimmers, and track athletes really compete against themselves; a competition that challenges them to see how good they can become before they compete against other athletes on a level playing field. There is no advantage to an athlete from a larger school when he or she is competing in an individual sport. The powers at the state athletic association didn't consider this fact when making the decision about wrestling. So the state endorses an additional wrestling championship, which costs tens of thousands of dollars to conduct. Did the powers that be get it right? Consider this — the Division II state championships often have wrestlers with records such as 4-15 competing in them because the individual section that wrestler won only had a few competitors at the weight class. A sectional wrestling chairperson also told me that the wrestlers from the Division I championships often laugh at the Division II competitors. I hope that wasn't a consideration when voting in the two tier format. Well, with Governor Patterson threatening to financially cripple much of New York high school athletics by pulling the rug out from under the schools, now would be a good time for the folks that run New York State high school wrestling to admit their mistake, fix the problem, and save some money………The Ellenville girls' varsity basketball team completed a rare feat last week in winning two of three games against Class A schools. After dropping a game against Wallkill, the Lady Devils defeated F.D.R. and Rondout Valley in convincing fashion. Since basketball is a sport where larger schools do have a distinct advantage, the two wins are a great accomplishment for Coach Tom Nolan and the ladies……….Most so-called experts are picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Super Bowl this Sunday but I get the feeling the Arizona Cardinals are the team of destiny. Of course, I have only picked one or two of the previous 42 Super Bowl winners so I'm not advocating that you should wage this month's mortgage payment on my pick……….Super Bowl week usually provides us with many interesting rumors and some not so interesting rumors but if I'm a New York Giants fan I'm very excited about the rumor that the Giants are interested in acquiring the services of Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Boldin is the type of receiver who could make Giants fans ask, "Plaxico who?"………..Heard another rumor that the N.B.A. is conducting its regular season and nobody cares……….March Madness is just around the corner. Once the colleges and universities get their regular season and conferences tournaments out of the way it will be time for the N.C.A.A. Tournament. Who doesn't love a tournament that includes thrilling, last-second, game-winning shots, major upsets, and millions of American workers using any excuse to leave their work desks and sneak a few minutes in front of the television as CBS magically switches from region to region and game to game?..........Former Yankee manager Joe Torre always maintained a sense of dignity while deftly leading the Yankees to four World Championships. It's not easy to manage the "Bronx Zoo" and Torre pulled it off. That makes it harder to understand exactly why Torre penned his new book, "The Yankee Years" in which Torre reportedly exposes many of the behind the scenes Yankee secrets and dishes dirt on the Steinbrenner family and Yankee GM Brian Cashman. Torre can't possibly need the money. And since Torre always resisted sensationalism in his role as Yankee manager, it is hard to understand why the book……….If you ever thought you would love to coach high school sports, consider the case of David Stinson. Stinson was the first year football coach at Kentucky's Pleasure Ridge High School when offensive lineman Max Gilpin collapsed last August during sprints. Gilpin died three days later of heat-related problems. Stinson has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in the case and faces 5 years in prison if convicted. The coach has been placed on non-teaching and non-coaching duties by the district. In 2008, six high school and college athletes died as a result of heat-related problems. Stinson is believed to be the first coach criminally charged in such a case. This case will have no winners……….The Kentucky case comes to the headlines close on the heels of the N.F.L settlement with the widow of former Minnesota Viking Korey Stringer, who died of heat-related problems in 2001. The 335 pound Stringer died when his body temperature reached 108.8 degrees during practice……….Then there's Texas high school coach Micah Grimes who coached his Covenant School girls basketball team to a 100-0 victory over Dallas Academy. Dallas Academy, by the way, is a school that caters to students with learning disabilities. Grimes led 59-0 at halftime and continued to press throughout the second half. Grimes was fired from his coaching position after saying, "The score just happened." Grimes also described the game as, "a learning experience" and said that his team, "played with honor and integrity." After beating a team by a 100-0 score and then weakly apologizing for it, you have to think that Coach Grimes got exactly what he deserved. Fortunately, most high school coaches have the right outlook on competition……….until next time!

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