Local
SBCSC Teachers Ratify Contract: The South Bend Community School Corporation teachers have ratified a new contract. They had been working on an expired contract since last August.
Uncle Ron’s Ramblings
Democratic Convention Begins: The first day of the Democratic National Convention in
Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Obama paid tribute to their husband and father Barack, the presumptive presidential nominee.
Caroline Kennedy was scheduled to introduce an eight-minute video tribute to her Uncle Ted, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, but the senator from Massachusetts showed up in person to deliver his usual rousing speech. Caroline did deliver her tribute to Uncle Ted, the second-longest serving
Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and eldest niece of Ted, urged former Hillary Clinton backers to support Obama. Townsend said she is fully behind the presumptive nominee. Townsend had broken ranks with her uncle, aunts, cousins, mother, and siblings to support
Clinton herself also urged her followers to support Obama. Their will be a roll call vote with the disenfranchised states of
Michelle Obama affirmed that she does love this country in her speech, that she and her husband share classic American values.
She didn’t say whether she would still love it if her husband lost the nomination or whether she will still love it if he loses to John McCain in the general election; there was no one there impertinent enough to ask that question.
Speakers for the rest of the convention include former presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson, former vice presidential candidate Chet Edwards, former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, former vice president and 2000 presidential nominee Al Gore.
The delegates will also debate whether to retain Howard Dean as national chairman.
Vice presidential nominee Joe Biden will address the delegates Wednesday and Obama will make his acceptance speech Thursday.
Announcements
Pow Wow: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is holding its 23d annual Kee-Boon-Meen-Kaa Pow Wow this Saturday and Sunday at tribal headquarters southwest of Dowagiac. Gates open at 10 a.m. each day.
Free Press Sports
Silver Hawks 2, Wizards 0 (11): Newcomer Ryne White singled in what proved to be the winning run in the 11th inning as the Hawks clinched a playoff spot for the sixth straight season.
White’s hit scored Matt Oxendine, who had led off the inning with a single. Collin Cowgill scored an insurance run on a throwing error.
Clay Zavada (S 8) lowered his ERA to 0.58 by retiring the side in order in the bottom of the 11th with two strikeouts and a ground-out. Bill Spottiswood (5-5) got the win with two innings of relief.
The Hawks’ (40-23) magic number to clinch the second half Eastern Division title is two. They Lansing and
The two teams meet again tonight at
MLB NL: Cubs 12, Pirates 3; Brewers and Cardinals idle; Phillies 5, Dodgers 0; Mets 9, Astros 1; Padres 4, Diamondbacks 2; Rockies 4, Giants 2.
MLB AL: Orioles 4, White Sox (14, completion of suspended game); White Sox 4, Orioles 3; Mariners 4, Twins 2; Indians 4, Tigers 3 (10); Rangers 9, Royals 4; Athletics 2, Angels 1.
MLS Scores: No games scheduled.
WNBA Scores: No games scheduled during Olympics; season resumes Thursday.
NFL Preseason Scores: Chargers 18, Seahawks 17.
Pennington Lands On Feet: Former New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, who was released when the team obtained Brett Favre, has won the starting job with the Miami Dolphins.
Pennington becomes the 13th Dolphin starter since Dan Marino retired.
Uncle Ron’s Sports Ramblings
Firing Coach Overrated Strategy: I suppose sometimes firing a coach is necessary, but often its an overrated strategy.
Consider three basketball teams. The Lakers and Celtics were underachievers last season under coaches
The Bulls, under Scott Skiles, made the playoffs again.
Things were so bad in LA that Kobe Bryant was demanding a trade which never came about. The Celtics did make a big trade, getting forward Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves. They also got Ray Allen from the Bucks.
The Bulls added two big men—Joaquim Noah of two-time defending NCAA champion Florida and Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh—but didn’t do much in the free agent market even though they were one of the teams Kobe wanted to go to. They were also Garnett’s home town team.
The Bulls got off to a slow start and Skiles was fired. They finally made a trade after the firing but there were no impact players involved, unless you count underachieving center Ben Wallace. Later in the season there were complaints that they were not playing with the same defensive intensity that they were under Skiles. Well, duh, Scottie wasn’t there any more; he was fired, remember.
The Lakers lost starting center Andrew Bynum who was just starting to come in to his own, but made a mid-season deal for Pau Gasol.
The big Spaniard gave them an inside threat to go with Kobe’s inside-outside threat and the rest of the team came together.
The Lakers and Celtics wound up in the finals with the Celts prevailing in six games. Scottie wound up in
The Bulls did get the top draft choice out of the deal.
What if the South Bend Silver Hawks had fired their manager Mark Hadley after their slow start.
They were starting to turn things around at the end of the first half-season but had dug themselves too deep a hole. They went from the worst record in the league to the middle of the pack.
In the Midwest League the teams start with a clean slate in the second half-season. The Hawks started out hot with two all-stars promoted and an infusion of recent draft choices.
They’ve kept up that pace, building the best record in the league for the second half-season. They’re two wins (or Dayton/Lansing losses) away from capturing the second half Eastern Division title. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot for the sixth season in a row.
Weather
Today High 79 Low 56 Clear
Wed High 83 Low 61 Partly Cloudy
Thu High 85 Low 63 Partly Cloudy
Fri High 81 Low 56 Chance Storms
Sat High 79 Low 56 Partly Cloudy
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