By Chris Price
University of Houston freshmen swimmers Kristine Kelly and Linda Fox were recently named to the USA Swimming Scholastic All American Team by USA Swimming.
Kelly and Fox were honored for their scholastic and academic achievements, and were named to the elite squad for the third year in a row.
USA Swimming honors swimmers who maintain a 3.75 
grade point average and compete at the national level swimming competition during their high school years.
Kelly competed for the Houston Cougar Aquatic Sports while Fox competed for the Houston Swim Club.
Both swimmers maintained their high GPAs and competed in both the SPEEDO Champions Series Short Course and Long Course Championships to qualify to receive the honors.
The 2006 edition of the Wings Over Houston Airshow is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, October 21-22 at Houston’s Ellington Field.
This year’s show will include the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, performing their close flying formations, tight turns and solo head-on flying.
Gates will open from 8 am to 6pm on Saturday and from 8 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Aerial performances will begin daily at 10 am.
Check back with TexSport Publications for updates and more information on this premier event.
By Chris Price
University of Texas head football coach Mack Brown may need to add a position to his staff; Legal Defense Coordinator
For the second time in four months, Longhorn football players have been arrested and jailed for actions off the football field.
Early Monday, cornerback Tarell Brown and defensive back Tyrell Gatewood, along with former player Aaron Harris were stopped while driving on Interstate 35 about 2:50am.
A deputy pulled the group over after watching the car weaving erratically and coming close to hitting another car.
Brown was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon, a loaded 9 mm handgun, and with possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana. Gatewood and Harris were charged with the same drug misdemeanor.The weapons charge is a Class A misdemeanor with maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. The marijuana charge, which was for less than two ounces, is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. Coach Mack Brown said he met with both players and was "holding them out of all team functions as we gather as much information as possible before making a team decision." This past May, former running back Ramonce Taylor was arrested in Bell County on the charge of possession of marijuana. He had already been dropped from the team for “academic reasons” at the time of arrest and is currently awaiting trial.
TexSport Publications will post our weekly Top 10 poll of 5A high school football.
Our rankings are based on the reseach and opinions of our writers, photographer, along with various reporters and bloggers in Texas.
TexSport Publications
2006 Texas 5-A Football
Top 10 Rankings (Week 0)
(Current rank-school-record-last week's rank)
1. Lufkin (1-0) (1)
2. Southlake Carroll (0-0) (2)
3. Garland (1-0) (3)
4. A&M Consolidated (1-0) (4)
5. Austin Westlake (1-0) (5)
6. Smithson Valley (1-0) (8)
7. GP North Shore (1-0) (9)
8. Euless Trinity (0-0) (11)
9. Katy (1-0) (12)
10. SA O’Connor (1-0) (17)
By Robert H. Kelly
La Marque High School came to Reliant Stadium to show their fans that they were deserving of a number 10 ranking in a Texas Football Magazine poll.
It took them a while to get started, but showed they were deserving of the ranking and perhaps much more.
The Cougars came back hard and heavy in the second half to kicked off the 2006 football season with a 28-20 win over Nederland.
Nederland senior running back Micah Mosley, on the second play from scrimmage, took the ball up the middle for a 68-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead just 64 seconds into the game.
La Marque came back quickly on their first offensive possession, effect ively driving downfield to cut the lead to 7-6. The Cougars drive lasted 4:29 for 60 yards in 12 plays.
Mosley took off on another big run for the Bulldogs, streaking down the right sideline for a 57-yard touchdown, taking the score to 14-6 with 3:23 to go in the quarter.
The second quarter saw La Marque quarterback Durklyn Haynes find receiver Joseph Florence with a 12-yard touchdown pass. Haynes then followed up with a two-point conversion to Shane Cams even the score at 14-14 at the half.
La Marque continued its offensive assault in the second half with a 54-yard touchdown by Marcus Frank on the second play.
The Bulldogs then drove 57 yards downfield in five plays, scoring on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Alex Moshier to Josh Cabra. The extra point attempt failed, leaving La Marque with a 21-20 lead.
The Cougars took scored a final time in the fourth quarter on a six-play, 76-yard drive that saw Haynes complete a 32-yard touchdown pass from Durklyn to Cams, giving La Marque a 28-20 victory.
By Robert H. Kelly
Before a record crowd of 70, 550 soccer crazed fans in Houston’s Reliant stadium, FC Barcelona and Club America of Mexico battled to a 4-4 tie.
The international friendly match saw forward Nelson Cuevas score three first half goals to give Club America a 4-1 lead at the half.
The match was dominated by Club America in the first half, with Barcelona managing to find the net only once on a kick by Rafa Marquez in the fifth minute. However the second half was all Barcelona
Club America took the lead early in the third minute as Cuevas found the goal from twelve yards out off an assist from Claudio Lopez.
Cuevas scored his second goal in the 30th minute and his third in the 44th minute.
Barcelona's Oleguer scored an own goal in the 65th minute to give Club America its 4-1 lead.
Forward Javier Saviola stared Barcelona’ comeback in the second half when he took a pass from forward Samuel Eto in the 85th minute to score from 15 yards to take the score to 4-2.
FIFA’s World Player of the Year Ronaldinho sat out the half due to fatigue from the heavy tour schedule. He was the World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.
He entered the game in the second half and cut Club America’s lead to 4-3 on a penalty kick in the 89th minute after being knocked down by Jose Antonio Castro.
Eto scored the goal for the tie in the 90th minute to end the game.
The match was preceded by the Los Angeles galaxy beating the Houston Dynamo 1-0 in an MLS match.
By Robert H. Kelly
94 years ago today, Jim Thorpe won the Olympic decathlon. With 8,412 points, he breaks the world record by an incredible 998 points. This came eight days after winning the pentathlon.
His closes competition was Hugo Wieslander of Sweden, who scored 7724 points.
When Thorpe is introduced at the awards ceremony there is a great burst of cheers, led by King Gustav V. Besides the gold medals, Thorpe receives a jewel-encrusted chalice in the form of a Viking ship (a gift from Czar Nicholas of Russia) for winning the decathlon and a life-size bronze bust of the Swedish king for capturing the pentathlon. In congratulating Thorpe, Gustav tells him, "Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world."
Thorpe reputedly replies, "Thanks, king."
He was later stripped by the International Olympic Committee of his gold medals for professionalism. They were eventually restored to his family in 1983, thirty years after his death.
In this writerÂ’s humble opinion, Jim Thorpe was the greatest athlete of all time.
Below is a partial list of his achievements
* College Football Hall of Fame - 1951
* Charter Enshrinee in the Pro Football Hall of Fame - 1963
* All-America - 1911, 1912
* Olympic Decathlon and Pentathlon Champion - 1912
* AP Most Outstanding Athlete of the First Half of the 20th Century - 1950
* "America's Greatest Football Player of the half-century" - 1950
* ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Century - 2001
* Track and Field Hall of Fame
* In 1950, the nation's press selected Jim Thorpe as the most outstanding athlete of
the first half of the 20th Century
* From 1996-2001, he was continuously awarded ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of
the Century award
No other athlete in history can come close to these and his other achievements.
On one my numerous trips around the county to various sporting events, I had the opportunity many years ago to see his gold medals in the state capital in Oklahoma City. They were displayed in a case in the capital rotunda along with the classic painting of Thorpe in this 1912 Olympic uniform.
This was a major event in my life, as I grew up hearing about Thorpe from my father. I was fortunate to have my wife and young daughter with me.
The man is still inspiring athletes son many years after his great accomplishments and eventual death.
Say what you want about Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Carl Lewis and all the rest. Yes, they are indeed great athletes, but none of them compare to Jim Thorpe.
He is indeed the GREATEST ATHLETE OF ALL TIME.
We should all take the time to think about this great athlete on the anniversary of his greatest Olympic achievement.
By Robert H. Kelly
In a copywrited article from the Houston Chronicle, USA Soccer men’s head coach Bruce Arena’s contact will not be renewed by the U.S. Soccer Federation at the end of the year.
Arena, who has been the most successful coach in USA Soccer history, began the job in 1998, coached the men’s team to 71 victories and a quarterfinal appearance at the 2002 World Cup.
Now, three weeks after the Americans' disappointing first-round exit from the World Cup in Germany, Arena is out despite an apparent wish to return to the team.
Everyone knows the drill. If the team wins, it is the players. If the team loses, it is the coach.
I watched all the USA games in this year’s World Cup and it was obvious to me it wasn’t Arena’s fault they lost.
These guys played like they were out there for themselves and couldn’t have cared less about team goals.
I am sure they wanted to win, but they didn’t have the fire and enthusiasm of past teams. It was eleven guys playing as eleven, instead of eleven guys playing as one.
So USA Soccer personnel will find some big name coach from Europe, give him the reins of the program and say “Gitty-Up.”
Don’t be surprised if we don’t see Team USA any better in four years.
In fact, we could possibly be worse off.
I say “Good Bye to Bruce Arena. You did a GREAT JOB with what you had to work with. You will be sorely missed.”
From USA Softball Press Release
July 14, 2006
(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK) USA Softball sent a message in its opener at the World Cup of Softball presented by Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes with an impressive 14-0 shutout victory over Great Britain. After suffering a 2-1 loss to Canada in its opener at the 2005 World Cup, the U.S. was determined to not have it happen again. The team totaled16 hits in just five innings as the game was shortened to five innings due to the international run rule.
Team USA put up two runs in the first inning off a two-run homerun by Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) that scored Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.). The Great Britain defense kept the United States off the board in the second, allowing three hits but stranding three on base.
Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.) started in the circle going three innings, allowing no hits and striking out six batters. The bats of the red, white and blue came out strong in the third inning with the US posting five hits for six runs, hitting through the entire lineup. Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) hit her first triple of the year scoring Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) who singled to right field. With two outs, Mendoza again launched a ball over the fence, her third of the season, for two RBI. This is the first time in her career with the National team that she hit two homeruns in a game.
Alicia Hollowell (Suisun, Calif.) came in to pitch the fourth inning, striking out one batter. The team again scored six runs in the fourth off five hits. With two runners on Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.), in her first International appearance with Team USA, soared a homerun ball over left field for a three-run homerun. Mendoza singled again for an RBI, finishing the game 3-4 with five RBI and two runs.
Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) wrapped up the game for the U.S. throwing the fifth inning with three strikeouts to close out the game in five due to the run rule ahead.
Team USA will take on Canada tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. (CT) to open up session II.
By Chris Price
The Houston Astros fired hitting coach Gary Gaetti on Wednesday and named Sean Berry interim hitting coach.
The Astros entered this season with three regulars, Brad Ausmus, Adam Everett and Willy Taveras, among the bottom of hitters in Major League Baseball at their positions.
In addition, veterans Craig Biggio and Preston Wilson were sure to produce below their career norms
It's hard to see what Gaetti could have done these cases. Maybe he deserves some blame for Jason Lane's decline, but if that's the case, he definitely deserves credit for how Chris Burke and Mike Lamb have progressed this season.
More than anything else, it might have been Morgan Ensberg's injury problems that cost him his job.
Berry had his one big year in the majors as an Astro in 1996. The 40-year-old was in his second year in the role of minor league hitting coordinator for the club.
By Robert H. Kelly
The Astros, in an attempt to boost their record for the second half of the season, acquired outfielder Aubrey Huff from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Huff, who played his high school ball at Vernon (Ft. Worth) High School and college ball at Vernon College in north Texas and the University of Miami is excited about coming home to play in Texas.
"I'll tell you," Huff said, "I'm very, very excited about Houston. There was a rumor last year about Houston, and I was excited to hear the rumor about it."
Trade rumors had been swirling around Huff for the past couple of seasons. Several clubs reportedly showed interest in him over the last few weeks as well, including the Tigers.
“It's like I've been dangling in front of teams the last three years," he said.
The question is where manager Phil Garner will decide to play him.
"I don't really know what the situation is with who they've got playing well and what have you," said Huff. "I've been playing third base here in Tampa, and this is the first year I've felt really comfortable playing third. I played right field, too, and I really enjoyed playing there."
First base is also an option.
"Whatever it takes to get the best possible lineup on the field is what I'll do," Huff said.
With the Astros clearing looking for anything that will raise them to the level that carried them to the World Series last season, Huff’s addition may be the added punch they need.
By Chris Price
In a copyrighted article from the New York Daily News, Major League Baseball has indicated that San Francisco Giants baseball player Barry Bonds will face indictment for perjury and tax evasion.
As I have stated in earlier posts, Bonds indeed will called to task for his actions (or lack of action).
Keep alert for further news on this story. TexSport Publications will be here to update the facts and give our own unique perspective on the issue.
By Robert H. Kelly
Philadelphia Philles’ Ryan Howard wins the Century 21 Home Run Derby at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. He hit 23 home runs, defeating David Wright of the New York Mets by one run.
The Houston Astros’ Lane Berkman hit three home runs in the first round, but was eliminated.
At least it was good to see an Astro in the Derby.
On a personal note: Being born in Pittsburgh and growing up a diehard Pirate fan, it is good to see the All Star Game in Pittsburgh. I remember going to Three Rivers Stadium and seeing the Pirates play. I never got to go to Forbes Field, but I do remember seeing it on TV. In fact, my grandmother lived about three blocks from Three Rivers Stadium, in the same block as the Rooney family (of Steelers’ fame).
PNC Park looks great for the All Star Game, but I cannot be sad thinking about the parks of old. Oh well, progress marches on.
The final results of the Home Run Derby are listed below.
Click here for the final results.
By Robert H. Kelly
Feeling the possibly of an early exit and an end to their World Cup 2006 experience, the United States needed to step and play the type of soccer that would show the world they deserved to be here.
Facing an Italian that had far more tradition in the World Cup, the Americans stepped up to the plate, put the ball in the goal, and showed what good old American determination can do.
The Americans put themselves into a possible advancement to the next round with a 1-1 draw with Italy on Saturday. However, nothing has been determined, as all four teams in Group E still have a chance to advance to the second round.
The Italians head the way with four points (1-0-1), followed by the Czechs (1-1-0) and Ghana (1-1-0) with three points each and the United States ((0-1-1) with one point.
After Monday’s debacle, this writer felt the USA had already punched its ticket for an early return home. The one thing I had forgotten was that athletes rarely listen to sports writers and sports writers don’t determine the outcome of games, no matter how much we think we know.
Italy’s Alberto Gilardino, who scored in the 20th minute, voiced praise for the Americans after the match. “We came up against a strong and determined team,” he was quoted in saying.
The United States ties the match with a Cristian Zaccardo own-goal in the 27th minute.
The match was plagued by three red cards, with two of those coming in a span for five minutes."Two red cards in a span of five minutes is pretty hard. There's no way you prepare a team to play 10-on-9 for 45 minutes in a World Cup against a team like the Italians," said USA Head Coach Bruce Arena.
The Americans next take the field on Thursday against Ghana in their final match of the first round of World Cup 2006. They can still advance to the second round with a defeat of Ghana and with a Czech Republic victory over Italy.
By Chris Price
New Jersey becomes the first state in the country to begin statewide testing high school athletes for performance enhancing drugs.
On the National School Boards Association website, the specifics of the programs were detailed. They are listed below.
Sluggers on steriods? Joggers on juice? Placekickers on performance enhancers? While this might sound like a likely roster of Congressional testifiers on the topic of steroids, it's actually the latest group to come under scrutiny in high schools. On Wednesday, New Jersey became the first state to introduce a statewide steroid-testing policy for high school athletes.
An article in USA Today reports that according to the "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 6% of U.S. high school students, or about 300,000, took steroids in 2003 without a doctor's prescription." In accordance with New Jersey's plan, student athletes testing positive for steroids will be punished with a one-year loss of eligibility.
The state expects to test about 500 athletes, with the state and New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association putting $50,000 toward the cost of the tests. Sixty percent of the tests will be performed on those participating in football, wrestling, track and field, swimming, lacrosse, and baseball, because NCAA data indicates that athletes in those sports are the most susceptible to steroid abuse.
California is also considering testing for athletes, but cites funding as an obstacle. Hawaii cites cost as a "red flag" in addition to the "legal ramifications" of testing.
How widespread steroid usage is in New Jersey is unknown. Obviously it must be a problem, so they won’t take this action.
Be ready to see a frequent lawsuits if tests start coming back positive. After all, Barry Bonds lawyered up when his problems started, so while shouldn’t future little Barrys.
I would love to see that happen her in Texas, but the cost would be so prohibitive that iy would be like stopping steroid use in Major League Baseball.
By Robert H. Kelly
If the USA is going to have any chance against three time world champions Italy and eventually advance to the second round of the FIFA World Cup, they are going to have to execute their game plan better than they did in their 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic on June 12.
The USA looked unorganized and as if they lacked confidence, which combined with the uninspired play of much of their talent, allowed the three Czech goals to go unanswered.
USA head coach Bruce Arena was critical of some of his stars, and stated "If we come out and play as bad against Italy as we did against the Czechs, we're going to lose. It's just that simple."
The USA managed only six shots on goal as opposed to ten by the Check Republic. No matter how well you think you played, a team cannot win a game with a shooting percentage of .000.
Indeed the Americans need to get their minds in the game and play the way they did so many years ago, when they advanced to the quarterfinals and played Germany to a 1-0 loss in 2002
I do not know if they USA can recover from the uninspired play earlier in the week. If I had to bet the rent money, I would put it on Italy, with a 3-0 win.
That decision is being made with my head. If I decided with my heart, I cannot say I wouldn’t still pick Italy. I think the Italians are simply a much better team.
By Robert H. Kelly
I knew he was despicable. I knew he couldn't be trusted. He cheated on his wife and lied about it. If he couldn't keep the most sacred vow that he ever took, how can he be expected to honor any other promises he made.
There are many things that bother me about Clinton, but to cheat when playing with Tiger Woods.
WOW!!! What a loser!!!
I don't know if the story is true or just a story told to a group of people to get a laugh.
But it doesn't matter. I believe it.
This guy has NO MORALS and NO CONSCIOUS!
Just something to think about.
This is a very nice article about a former teammate of Babe Ruth, and his views on Bonds passing "The Bambino" on the home run list.
It brings some very interesting points to the forefront of the story.
It is GOOD READING! Check it out!
By Robert H. Kelly
FOXSports.com writer Ken Rosenthal states in a copywrited article that
It's finally over — Barry Bonds has passed Babe Ruth. Now comes the big question, the better question, the question that gives commissioner Bud Selig insomnia.
I make a prediction here:
Bonds will not play next season. He will hang it up sometime after the World Series.
After all, he will have nobody to blame his problems on. If he tried to break Hank Aaron's record, then he can't play the race card.
I say, "Goodbye to bad trash!"
But I know the IRS and the Feds will still be looking into him, and if justice is indeed poetic, they WILL eventually get him.
Just some food for thought!
By Chris Price
University of Texas running back Ramonce Taylor was arrested early Sunday after Bell County sheriff's deputies found marijuana in a backpack in the rear of his vehicle.
Is this another case of a star athlete gone bad?
Is this another case of a school turning a blind eye to a problem?
Is this another case of an athlete perhaps getting special privileges because he is an athlete?
I sure hope not, but only time will tell where this story goes.
Does anyone want to make a bet of what the coaching staff in Austin will say about this young man?
Remember how they came to defense of Vince Young when it was reported he made a low score on his Wonderlik test?
Only time will tell? Let's wait and see what happens.
By Chris Price
grade point average and compete at the national level swimming competition during their high school years.
