Lotzkar's debut is a losing one for Dayton - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Konrad Schmidt doubled, singled and drove ina run as the South Bend Silver Hawks defeated the Dayton Dragons 6-3 Friday, June 13, in the first of a three-game series.

The game featured the debut of Dayton (27-39) starting pitcherKyle Lotzkar, a first-round draft pick by the Reds in 2007.

The 18-year-old worked the first four innings and allowed fourhits and three runs with three walks and five strikeouts. He wascharged with the loss.

South Bend scored single runs in each of the first three inningsagainst Lotzkar to take a 3-0 lead. They added two more runs againstDragons reliever Joseph Krebs in the fifth to build their lead to 5-0.

Dayton's Zack Cozart drilled a solo home run leading off thesixth to get the Dragons on the board. It was Cozart's sixth homerof the season.

DDN on the Web

What's cookin' on the Dayton Daily News sports blogs:

Through the Arch: Beavercreek High School graduate and Red Soxpitcher Justin Masterson is making his own way in majors.

DaytonDailyNews.com/arch

The Real McCoy: The Mayor, Sean Casey, is in town and enjoyingevery second in the Queen City.

DaytonDailyNews.com/mccoy

Ludwig At Large: Keep up with the latest in the soap opera thatis Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson.

DaytonDailyNews.com/ludwig

'Boro's fantastic freshmen ; Girls ninth-grade basketball team finishes season with 19-1 record. - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

SPRINGBORO -- Must be the Year of the Freshman in Springborogirls basketball.

Not just Olivia Schretzman. The fearless freshman was a quickstudy on the varsity team and helped it to the Division I regionalsemifinals.

There's more promising talent coming up in that class. Thefreshman team won 19 straight before losing a heartbreaker, 32-31,to Centerville in the finals of the Greater Western Ohio Conferencetournament in a game decided by a halfcourt heave.

The young Panthers owned a 32-28 win over Centerville in anearlier meeting and produced a 15-0 record against GWOC regular-season competition.

'We just had a well-balanced team and athletic,' said coach LeonLacy. 'I played eight or nine girls in a rotation and the team nevermissed a beat.'

Wins are important at this level, but the main priority is playerdevelopment, Lacy said.

'When I was interviewed by varsity coach Tom Benjamin last yearfor the coaching opening, he emphasized that freshman basketballwill be a priority,' Lacy said. 'He wanted it to be an integral partof the program. I try to put these girls in a position where theycan (meet) expectations to step into a high school program once theyleave here.'

The successful varsity team (GWOC South and Sweet 16 qualifier)will graduate seven seniors, so there will be an opportunities forthese girls at the varsity level.

The team's signature game came in the semifinals of the GWOCtournament when it ousted Trotwood at Ed Zink Arena in Beavercreek.

The Rams brought down varsity player Amber McCann for thefreshmen tournament. McCann was featured, along with 'Boro'sSchretzman, in the Dayton Daily News sports story titled 'A Breathof Frosh Air' on impact freshman at the varsity level. 'Boroeliminated the McCann-led Rams, 53-47.

The list of team standouts stretches long: Taylor Hurley, who ledthe team in scoring with 13 points, point guard Kelli Johnson, guardSarah Rhule, and interior threats Emily Dippold, 5-10 Sara Van Wertand high-leaping Alyssa Mitterholzer.

Dippold epitomizes the team's progress as she improved in leapsand rebounds. She became a double-double machine after starting outslowly.

'Emily was timid early on and would average one or two points,but then she came on scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds in our finalstretch of games,' Lacy said. 'She made dramatic improvement.'

Other key players were Ryan Ford, Loran Ramsey, Chasity Kirkland,Anita Sharkey, Brittany Baker and Alyssa Greco.

Defense was the Panthers calling card, limiting opponents to 26points a game while scoring 48.

'We played our tough games early and that set the tone, beatingAlter, Centerville, Western Brown and Butler -- all establishedprograms,' Lacy said.

Rules changed, Kelly's Flyers thrived ; Dayton kept winning even after team was barred from playing for D- III championship - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

In January 1991, NCAA delegates met in Nashville, Tenn., for theassociation's annual convention with a major issue on the docket'sfinal day. Upset for some time that Division I athletic programswere playing football in Division III, including the successfulUniversity of Dayton, D-III presidents wanted those teams out.

The vote for Proposition 53 was conclusive at 569-157 and createda major change for the Flyers and coach Mike Kelly.

'How did Mike handle it? Like a pro,' said Larry Kehres, theMount Union College coach who has a 260-21-3 record and nineDivision III national championships in 22 seasons. 'He stayed withhis school, stayed loyal and gave Dayton a solid days' work everyday.'

It wasn't the only challenge Kelly faced at UD, but it wasperhaps the most significant. In 1993, when the new rule tookeffect, the Flyers went from perennial Division III power andchampionship contender to the six-team Pioneer Football League,playing as one of a handful of Division I programs withoutscholarships. Without a playoff, only a league championship waspossible.

To some, it was a downward move. But, more than his 246-54-1record, Kelly's brilliance in 27 seasons as Dayton's football coachwas guiding the program through such a change and continuing itsmassive on-field success. Without a playoff at season's end, Kellyrecruited players and fans with solid blocking and tackling as wellas his focused view of winning the game in front of them.

Some programs faltered, but UD remained a winner with a WestMilton-raised coach who became a Dayton institution along the way.

'Once you're dealt a hand, you can moan and gripe or you canbuckle it up and say we're going to figure out the best way to run aprogram,' said Walt Hameline, the 27th - year coach at Wagner, whichalso moved from D-III to I-AA in 1993. 'That's what Mike did.'

Assistant first

After graduating from Manchester College in 1970, Kelly took highschool coaching jobs in Union City, Ind., and Logansport, Ind. Inhis spare time, he scouted upcoming opponents for Earlham Collegeand later Hanover College when both were coached by Rick Carter.

Kelly and Carter had a relationship since childhood, when theirfathers worked side-by-side at NCR. Carter invited Kelly to join hisHanover staff in 1975 as defensive coordinator, and Kelly signed on -- with a $4,000 pay cut and duties including wrestling coach,baseball coach, intramural director and teaching 12 hours ofclasses.

Meanwhile, Dayton football was near a major change. Afterstarting football in 1905, UD entered its modern era in 1923, thefirst of 24 seasons for legendary coach Harry Baujan. By the 1970s,though, the program was struggling to keep up with other Division Ischools and chose to eliminate scholarships and join D-III forfootball.

To former players and many fans, it was a lesser brand offootball. That's the Dayton world Kelly entered when Carter washired in 1977, the first season in D-III.

'They approached it by saying, 'This is good football, just watchus,' ' said Rick Chamberlin, who was then a UD All-Americanlinebacker and became a 28-year Dayton assistant before taking thehead coaching job Tuesday. 'We were winning, and people love awinner.'

In 1980, UD punctuated that success by winning its first D-IIInational championship. Soon after, Carter left for Holy Cross andDayton promoted the 32-year-old Kelly.

'I felt like if I was ever going to become a head coach,' Kellysaid at the time, 'this was the time, the time to cut the cord.'

In Kelly's first season, Dayton again played in the nationalchampionship game. In his first 12 seasons, his teams won 10 or moregames eight times, with another D-III national championship in 1989and four title game appearances overall.

Dayton's success was widely known, enough that New York Yankeesowner George Steinbrenner once cut through a gathering of reportersto point to Dayton Daily News sports editor Si Burick.

'How,' barked the Ohio native, 'does the University of Daytonproduce all those winning football teams?'

Changing football

Division III administrators grew more frustrated with higher-division schools playing for their championship in 1987, when Daytonlost to Wagner in the title game.

'Two Division I schools,' one D-III president said, 'playing forour championship.'

Although not drastically smaller in enrollment, the D-III schoolswere uncomfortable about Dayton's facilities and its ability to takerecruits to UD basketball games. Schools such as Wittenberg andWilmington couldn't compete with such amenities.

'For instance, we had a 200-piece marching band,' Kelly said.'There were some who thought that wasn't what Division III was meantto be. My answer was I don't remember any of our band membersrunning for a touchdown.'

Still, the NCAA voted in 1991 to restrict Division I schools.Beginning in 1993, they could no longer play Division III infootball. Some called it the Dayton Rule, as the Flyers had a 158-29-3 record since eliminating scholarships in 1977.

'I was relieved,' Kelly said. 'We were tired of trying to defendwhat we were doing even though we were doing exactly what everyoneelse was doing. Could we take a recruit to see Dayton-Notre Dame inbasketball? Sure we could. But now we didn't have to face thecriticism and we could focus on football.'

Facing challenges

The D-III football refugees included Dayton, Butler, Drake,Evansville, San Diego and Valparaiso, so the six schools joined toform the Pioneer Football League. If nothing else, the leagueprovided a chance for a championship, as the teams were now barredfrom the Division III playoffs.

'The league was created by necessity,' said Ted Kissell, the UDathletic director. 'It was without historical rivals, withouttradition, but with essentially a common problem, as we wanted tocontinue to play this brand of football. The rug had been pulled outfrom under us, all of us. The challenge there is keeping the fansinvolved as much as recruiting players.'

Dayton didn't stop winning. From 1993-96, its first six seasonsplaying I-AA nonscholarship football, the Flyers went 37-5 beforeclaiming I-AA Mid-Major national titles in 2002 and '07.

But many consider Kelly's greatest achievement his ability, as anassistant and head coach, to guide the program through two majorchanges and preserve its place as one of the winningest programs inall of college football.

'One of the best things Coach Kelly did was keep his playersfocused at all times,' said former quarterback Brian Kadel, who wasa sophomore when the Flyers moved into I-AA and was the team MVP in1995.

'We didn't even think two weeks out. We focused on the calls,blocking and tackling; that was it. That's why he was alwayssuccessful.'

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 orknagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

The modern era of UD football

Although the University of Dayton fielded its first football teamin 1905, the 'modern era' began when Harry Baujan coached the firstof his 24 seasons in 1923. From there, UD went through threeseparate incarnations of football: major college and Division I,Division III and nonscholarship Division I-AA.

Mike Kelly, who retired this week after 27 seasons, arrived at UDas an assistant during its first season in D-III, and he guided theFlyers through some significant changes.

Division I (or major college): 1923-1976 Record: 249-231-20

Coaches: Harry Baujan (1923-46), Joe Gavin (1947-53), Hugh Devore(1954), Bud Kerr (1956-59), Stan Zajdel (1960-62), Pete Ankney (1963-64), John McVay (1965-72), Ron Marciniak (1973-76)

Significant season: In 1951, Dayton went 7-2 and played in theSalad Bowl, where it lost to Houston 26-21.

Division III: 1977-1992 Record: 158-29-3

Change: The program dropped its 40 scholarships to participate inthe nonscholarship D-III without a winning season in Division I in10 years and a 39-54-3 record in that time.

Coaches: Rick Carter (1977-80), Mike Kelly (1981-92)

Significant season: In 1980, Dayton went 14-0 and won the D-IIInational championship. Carter left for Holy Cross the next season,and Kelly was promoted to head coach.

Division I-AA nonscholarship: 1993-present Record: 127-32

Change: The NCAA disallowed schools from upper divisionscompeting in D-III for football, which made UD one of a handful ofschools to play Division I football without scholarships. And, therewas no longer a playoff.

Coach: Mike Kelly (1993-2007)

ESPN program to examine sellout streak ; 'Outside the Lines' sees 'unique sports story' in the Dragons' success. - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

DAYTON -- Their record sellout streak has brought nationalattention to the Dayton Dragons. It continues today with ESPNjumping back into the mix.

Team president Bob Murphy and part owner Earvin 'Magic' Johnsonwill be interviewed at 3 p.m. on 'Outside the Lines' by Steve Bunin,who is filling in for vacationing host Bob Ley.

'It's a unique sports story that we thought was worth discussingwith a national audience,' said Dwayne Bray, the show's seniorcoordinating producer.

On July 9, during a game against the Peoria Chiefs, the Dragonsattracted the 815th consecutive sellout to Fifth Third Field,surpassing the professional sports record established by the NBA'sPortland Trail Blazers. The streak grew to 827 on Tuesday as theDragons opened a series with the West Michigan Whitecaps.

'This is just another opportunity to shine a positive light onthe community and talk about the great fans of Dayton,' Murphy said.

Bray, a former Kettering resident and Dayton Daily News sportseditor, attended the Dragons' first game -- their first sellout --on April 27, 2000, and has marveled at the streak's progress sinceleaving Dayton in August of that year. That it's lasted this long is'further proof that some of the country's best baseball fans live inthe Miami Valley,' he said.

For the Dragons, national exposure is becoming old hat. In recentweeks, their streak has been the subject of stories in The New YorkTimes, Sports Illustrated, Street & Smith's Sports-Business Journal,The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Baseball America. CNN washere when the record fell, and ESPN showed a clip on SportsCenter ofthe July 23 celebration when Johnson appeared.

The Dragons, who hired a public relations firm to get the wordout, say the streak has garnered more than 235 million worldwide'media impressions,' which refers to circulation of all outlets thatpicked up the story (web hits, newspaper subscribers, radiolisteners, TV viewers).

'We've been able to track it,' said Tom Nichols, director ofmedia relations and broadcasting. 'We have a list of everynewspaper, TV station and web site that picked it up. It's prettyimpressive when you consider there were a number of Canadian outletsthat picked it up, and all over the U.S., from Seattle to Kissimmee(Fla.).'

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com

Burick scholarship deadline is March 31 - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Applications are being accepted for the annual Si BurickJournalism Scholarship.

The scholarship, now in its 20th year, is named for Si Burick,legendary Dayton Daily News sports writer and editor for 58 years whoalso was a WHIO radio and TV personality.

Burick wrote his first sports story for the Daily News when he was16, and became sports editor when he was 19. He remained with thenewspaper until his death in 1986. He wrote four to seven columns andstories a week, and his ability to attract local and national readersled to his being elected by his peers in 1982 and inducted to thewriters' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

The scholarship, aimed at helping students who are interested injournalism, is awarded by the Dayton Foundation from an endowmentcontributed to by individuals and corporations in Burick's memory.

Si Burick scholars can also participate in the Mickey Davis SummerInternship program, which is available to recipients during theirfour years in college.

Davis, a reporter, editor and columnist for the Journal Herald andDaily News, died in 1997. He was one of the first Burick scholarshipjudges.

Students in Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Butler, Shelby, Darke,Preble and Warren counties are eligible. The scholarship goes towardfirst-year college tuition.

Burick scholarship deadline set - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Applications are being accepted for the annual Si BurickJournalism Scholarship.

The scholarship, now in its 20th year, is named for Si Burick,legendary Dayton Daily News sports writer and editor for 58 years whoalso was a WHIO radio and TV personality.

Burick wrote his first sports story for the Daily News when he was16, and became sports editor when he was 19. He remained with thenewspaper until his death in 1986.

He wrote four to seven columns and stories a week, and his abilityto attract local and national readers led to his being elected by hispeers to the writers' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.

The scholarship, aimed at helping students interested injournalism, is awarded by the Dayton Foundation from an endowmentcontributed to by individuals and corporations in Burick's memory.

Si Burick scholars can also participate in the Mickey Davis SummerInternship program, available to recipients during college.

Davis, a reporter, editor and columnist for the Journal Herald andDaily News, died in 1997 and was one of the first Burick scholarshipjudges.

Students in Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Butler, Shelby, Darke,Preble and Warren counties are eligible. The scholarship goes towardfirst-year college tuition.

'Brownie' lives on in hearts of baseball buffs The Ray Brown Memorial Fund honors the Negro League pitcher and Hall of Fame inductee. - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

He remembers the first black man -- the only black man -- he metwhile growing up in his all-white Miamisburg surroundings in the1950s and early '60s.

'His name was Brownie. He and my grandfather were friends andthey'd come to my great aunt and uncle's farm in Jefferson Township,'said Farmersville realtor and auctioneer Doug Sorrell. 'Mygrandfather ran the carton division at Sunshine Biscuits and Brownieworked there.

'As I think back to those times and what a unique friendship thatwas, I believe part of their bond was built on baseball.'

Doug said his grandfather -- Art Sorrell -- had been a catcherwith the Dayton Ducks, and his dad, Billy, was drafted by the NewYork Giants before World War II and Philadelphia after it.

Following spring training with the Phillies, Billy was offered aminor league contract by the club and a big ultimatum by hisgirlfriend, Dorla Yoder.

'Mom told him it was either baseball or her,' Doug laughed. 'Theywere married 56 years when he died a couple years ago. He used toalways tease, 'If I'd stuck (with baseball), I might be managing theReds today.'

It was against that baseball background that Doug met Brownie, andthe two often played pitch at the farm.

'He was a pleasant man, but I never knew his full name or anythingabout his past,' Doug said. 'Then I read the story last week aboutRay Brown, the Negro League pitcher going into the Hall of Fame andbeing buried in that unmarked grave (at Green Castle Cemetery) herein Dayton.

'When I saw he worked at Sunshine Biscuits, a light went on.Brownie? Ray Brown? It had to be the same guy. Right then I knew Ihad to do something so he wouldn't be forgotten.'

Many people -- people who care about their fellow man, people wholove baseball, people who have had good things happen to them -- feelthe same way, so Fifth Third Bank has agreed to help. StartingWednesday, each of the bank's 62 branches will begin acceptingdonations to the Ray Brown Memorial Fund.

Back in May, before the groundswell began, Nita Jennings readanother column on Brown and sent money directly to the cemetery whereit's being held.

'I'm just an old lady -- I'm almost 80 -- but I wanted to dosomething because I fell in love with the game when I was a littlegirl.

'My daddy took me to everything. We were very poor, we didn't havea car, but we rode the street car to Ducks Park and other places intown. I remember seeing Satchel Paige, Johnny Vander Meer, FrankMcCormick, a lot of ballplayers here.

'When I was 11, I won a radio contest (Dayton Daily News sportseditor) Si Burick had. It was done like a spelling bee. They'd askthings like what's so-and-so's batting average and I had a lot offacts and figures in my head. For winning I got two ($1.75) ticketsto the All-Star game in Cincinnati and $5. We took the Greyhoundthere, bought a program for 25 cents, ate hot dogs and came home withchange.'

She studied her young-girl penmanship from her line-up card thatday and read off the names of some of the greats she saw: JoeDiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Leo Durocher, Charlie Gehringer, Jimmy Foxx,Joe Cronin, Hack Wilson, Mel Ott, Ernie Lombardi...

'You always remember the great ball players,' she said. 'Ray Brownshould be remembered, too.'

As for Dayton attorney Steve Dankof, his interest in the NegroLeagues was spurred by his son, Steve Jr., who played on the OakwoodHigh School team that won state in 1997.

'His baseball got him to Yale and that got him to law school atOhio State,' said Dankof, whose son just passed the bar and willbegin work with top Dayton attorney Dave Greer.

'A lot of people took an interest in my son along the way, so youdo the same,' Dankof said. 'And for his senior thesis, Steve wroteabout the Negro Leagues. He educated me on the guys left on thefringes, guys like Ray Brown.'

Born in the small Hardin County town of Alger, Brown attendedWilberforce University and played his entire Negro League career withthe Pittsburgh-based Homestead Grays.

A right-hander with a vicious curve, he threw a perfect gameagainst the Chicago American Giants, one-hit Birmingham in the NegroLeague World Series and no-hit the New York Yankees in Puerto Rico.

He led the Grays to eight pennants in nine years, ended up secondin the Negro Leagues' lifetime winning percentage, fifth in victoriesand was just as big a star in Cuba and is in its Hall of Fame.

On July 4, 1935, he married Ethel Posey -- daughter of Grays'owner Cum Posey -- in a ceremony at home plate. Although that unionwould eventually end in divorce -- Brown would go on to Canada andeventually settle in Dayton from the mid-1950s until his death in1965 -- it did produce one child, Truman Posey Brown, who is now 64,mentally handicapped and lives near Pittsburgh. Ethel died severalyears ago.

At last Sunday's Hall of Fame ceremonies in Cooperstown, where CumPosey also was enshrined, Truman was escorted onto the stage bycousin Michael Flagg and accepted his dad's award.

Another cousin in attendance, Nancy Boxill, a Fulton County (Ga.)commissioner, said she'd heard family stories of Ray Brown, but hadnever known him and had no idea he was buried in Dayton in anunmarked grave. Once she heard how the community is responding, shesaid she hopes the family can join the effort:

'It sounds like people there really want to do something special.'

She's right and Dankof, like many of us, thinks this effort couldbe something people in the community could be proud of.

From the people who already have asked to take part -- thosemaking financial pledges to a guy who'd like to help the cashstrappedcemetery keep the grass mowed around Brown's grave -- I've heardplenty of stories of neighborly embrace and love of baseball.

And that reminded me of something Nita Jennings said as shegleefully recounted that contest she won so many years ago,

'Just a little girl beating all those folks,' she laughed, 'I wasquite the talk of the town back then.... That's probably my bestbaseball moment.'

Waynesville's Ritchie wins Rae Burick Award - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

KETTERING -- Winning consecutive state tennis titles was toughenough. Being student council and class president was over the top.

'Both are so tough,' said Waynesville High School senior AlyssaRitchie.

'There's a little more pressure in tennis, maybe. But trying todo a lot of activities and please everyone is difficult, too.'

It wasn't difficult in choosing Ritchie the 2011 Rae Burick Womenin Sports Award winner Wednesday evening at a packed Trent Arena.The 24th annual event honored more than 330 senior girls from 48area high schools.

Ritchie succeeds 2010 winner Lisa Nouanesengsy of Wayne as the$1,000 college scholarship winner. Four other runners-up received$500 scholarships.

The event is a community service project of the Kiwanis Club ofDayton and The Children's Medical Center. Rae Burick was the wife oflongtime former Dayton Daily News sports editor Si Burick.

Athletics, academics, community service and a personal essay wereevaluated. Richie shined in all areas: Two-time unbeaten (66-0)Division II state singles champion, class valedictorian (4.7 GPA),president of two major school groups and a volunteer for physicallyand mentally challenged adults.

She also hopes to be a surgeon.

'You can't help but go away from this event feeling better aboutthe future of our own community and the generation that's comingalong behind us,' said selection committee chairman Stephen Brown.

Ritchie will pursue her tennis career at either Cornell or NorthCarolina-Wilmington. She's nationally ranked for girls ages 18 andunder.

'Being recognized with all of these athletes -- from all thesports and not just tennis -- is really great,' Ritchie said.

'This means a lot. It shows that hard work pays off.'

The four runners-up were Marianne Bonanno (Northmont), RebeccaEsselstein (Alter), Kelsey Schlater (Versailles) and Erin Yenney(Troy).

They too were No. 1 or near the top of their classes, excelled inmultiple sports and were involved in numerous activities.

'You're humbled every year when you hear everything that theydo,' said Alter athletic director and committee member Chris Hart.

PAXSON'S WORK ETHIC MADE HIM A WINNER - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Cavaliers GM is a student of the game

DAYTON - Jim Paxson Jr. approached academics the same way heapproached basketball. The legendary Dayton Flyer was studious,organized and always trying to get better.

'I would say Jim was always a very serious person, highlymotivated,' said Paxson's godfather, Don Donoher, who coached UD from1964-89. 'He was well trained at home. I can give you an example:When we had our first academic advisor, we brought in a professorthat first year. The first time he sat down with Jim, the professorthought it'd be a big-time blowoff because Jim was a star athlete.

'Well Jim showed up with a notebook and a pen and was as attentiveas could be. That defines him.'

Paxson would earn academic all-American honors his senior year andwould graduate with a degree in business marketing. The 6-foot-5Kettering native would go on to have a stellar, 11-year NBA career.He was a two-time All-Star with Portland and was named second-teamall-league in 1984. He now is the Cleveland Cavaliers' generalmanager. Still, his college days remain close to the hearts of theFlyer Faithful.

From 1975-79, Paxson scored 1,945 points at UD, fourth all-time atthe school. Donoher called him the most fundamentally sound player heever coached (as proof, Donoher would use a film of Paxson as ateaching aide to his players after Paxson graduated). But Paxson hadno excuse for not knowing the basics. He was taught by the best atevery level.

His high school coach at Alter was Joe Petrocelli, winner of threestate titles. His college coach was Donoher, who has the most wins inUD history. His pro coach was Dr. Jack Ramsey, who won an NBA titlein 1977.

'I think I was very fortunate at every level to play for thesecoaches and have players around me, even in high school,' Paxsonsaid. 'We had four players go Division I out of my senior class.There was always the right form of discipline within the structure ofhow you play as a team from these coaches, but there was freedom togrow and express yourself and become the player you could become.

'I had that from Petrocelli, Donoher and Jack Ramsey.'

Paxson's greatness also was a product of his desire and the thingshe did in the off-season.

'In that era, weight-lifting wasn't that great a deal forbasketball players,' said Dayton Daily News sports reporter DougHarris, a teammate of Paxson at UD and Alter. 'It could mess up yourshot, we thought. Nautilus was getting big then, but I tried to avoidit. I hid when it was time to lift. Jim didn't.

'In between his sophomore and junior year, he put on 15 pounds oflean muscle and his game went to another level. I was thinking, `Man,I wish I had lifted those weights.' '

Paxson did other things to improve his game. He attendedbasketball camps religiously, before camp-hopping became a big thing.Donoher took him to the NCAA Final Four in 1970, and the coachremembers his future star being mesmerized by the action, not sayinga word, taking it all in.

'He's the same way now,' Donoher said. 'He has a very keen eye.'

'He was a student of the game,' said Jack Zimmerman, a teammate ofPaxson at UD and Alter. 'He worked extremely hard at all aspects ofthe game. He was always putting in the extra effort other guysdidn't. He set a high standard for himself. Jim was workmanlike,fluid in the way he moved.'

So much so that his closest friends called him the Gazelle.

'He wasn't fast, but he was deceptively quick,' Zimmerman said.'He didn't jump high, but he wasted no motion. Every action he tookhad a purpose. He was a perfectionist, efficient.'

And he was tough to keep up with. Paxson was a master at runningdefenders into picks.

'But you can make all the cuts you want . . . if you don't finish,you're not a player,' Donoher said. 'He finished. Through theinfluence of his father (former UD player Jim Paxson Sr.), Jim becamea real student of the game. He was a triple threat. He could shootit, put it on the floor and pass.'

He didn't defend nearly as well, but unlike many scorers, heworked at it.

'I was never accused of being the stopper, but I was never accusedof being a poor defender,' Paxson said. 'It's something where you'realways trying to get better at what you're doing. You have to finddifferent ways to motivate yourself or you get stale.

'I think I was always looking for an edge, even in the pros. Itwas something I always felt I needed: to be in great condition to getan edge.'

EIGHT INDUCTED INTO CITY'S WALK OF FAME - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Among inductees: Ritter Collett, Roz Young

DAYTON - Eight notable Dayton area figures, two of them stillliving, were inducted Wednesday to the city's Walk of Fame.

The induction ceremony took place in a tent on South WilliamsStreet, behind the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and not far fromthe West Third Street sidewalk where commemorative stone slabs willbe installed for those honored. Eighty had been named earlier to the'Walk,' which began with the Wright brothers in 1995. Educator,author and journalist Roz Young, 91, and community leader John E.Moore Sr. both brought smiles as they thanked the nominatingcommittee and the audience of about 200 people.

'You have honored me more than you know and I hope you will walksoftly on me,' said Moore, 80, who retired in 1979 as a civilianpersonnel director at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and startedseveral new careers in community volunteer work.

Young told the audience that well-meaning friends had relieved herof her coat and pocketbook and her eyeglasses were in the latter. 'Ican't see a thing without them,' she exclaimed.

Saying she was grateful and 'highly pleased,' Young thankedeveryone with a special appreciation of her late cat, Edith, aboutwhom she wrote prize-winning stories.

'I think that I have said enough. Thank you very much,' Young thenadded. Her trim acceptance was worthy of another great non-talker andone of her many biographical subjects, Orville Wright.

Dayton Daily News sports editor and Baseball Hall of Fame memberRitter Collett, who died Sept. 25, 2001, was represented by hiswidow, Jean, and their daughter, Rhea. The daughter, who is blind,gave a moving tribute that she'd delivered at Collett's memorialservice: 'Thank you for being a hall-of-fame dad.'

Family and friends of several other inductees were present, withthe exception of attorney and Congressman John A. McMahon (1833-1923), who was represented by heirs of his law firm, now calledBieser, Greer & Landis.

The other inductees are federal Judge Lester L. Cecil (1893-1983); military aviator Major Dominic S. Gentile (1920-51); inventorJacob O. Joyce (1823-1905) and aviator Neil V. Loving (1916-98).

REGIONAL HEADLINES - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

TEEN BOYS DIES AFTER WRESTLING

BELLEFONTAINE - A 14-year-old boy died as he and other teenswere wrestling at a campground, authorities said Monday.

Shortly before Nicholas Crosby of Bellefontaine died Saturdaynight at the Eagles Campground, several boys between ages 14 and 16had been placing each other in choke holds, Logan County sheriff'sDetective Jeff Cooper said.

Rescue workers were called to the campground, which is about threemiles north of Bellefontaine and approximately 62 miles northeast ofDayton, to try to revive the boy.

No charges had been filed Monday, said Sheriff Michael Henry, whonoted that he was awaiting county Coroner Dr. Michael Failor's rulingon how the boy died. The body was taken to the Montgomery Countycoroner for an autopsy.

EX-SPORTS WRITER

GUILTY OF INDECENCY

KETTERING

- A former Dayton Daily News sports writer faces as many as 30days in jail and a $250 fine for his plea of no contest to a chargeof misdemeanor public indecency.

Municipal Judge Thomas M. Hanna accepted the plea from ScottHalasz on Aug. 12, found him guilty and set sentencing for Sept. 9.The charge, which requires evidence of reckless exposure undercircumstances `likely to be viewed by and affront others,' stems froma complaint made April 12 during the Centerville Elks Relays.

Halasz, 32, was working for the newspaper and had been assigned tocover the relays when police contacted him about a complaint, saidEmily Chambers, vice president/human resources of Cox Ohio, whichpublishes the newspaper. Halasz was suspended after the newspaperlearned of the complaint, she said, and later was fired.

Kettering city Prosecutor Jay Newberry said prosecutors would makeno recommendation on sentencing.

ONE QUESTIONED IN MAN'S SLAYING

DAYTON

- Police were questioning one man and searching for another Mondayin Saturday's fatal shooting of a Cornell Woods resident, Daytonpolice said Monday.

Gary L. Jones, 27, of 3807 Cornell Woods Drive died at 12:50 a.m.Sunday at Good Samaritan Hospital after he was shot in his apartment,the Montgomery County Coroner's Office said.

Jones died from a shotgun wound to the chest, Lt. John Huber said.Witnesses saw two men, one holding a handgun and the other holding ashotgun, flee from the residence and leave in a purple Dodge Neon,Huber said.

Tips led police to a Trotwood apartment off Westbrook Road, wherethey found one possible suspect and the Neon. They also found ahandgun there, Huber said. Anyone with information about the homicideis asked to call Sgt. Jimmy Rohrer at 333-1240.

MAN ENTERS PLEA

IN TRAFFIC FATALITY

TROY

- A Huber Heights man pleaded no contest Monday to misdemeanorvehicular manslaughter in a March 4 crash in Bethel Twp. that killeda Tipp City woman.

Victor Cobb, 42, was found guilty in Miami County Municipal Court.A sentencing date was not set.

Mildred Wortman, 68, was killed when a car Cobb was driving wentleft of center on Ohio 202 and hit a car driven by her husband,Thomas Wortman, 69, head-on, sheriff's deputies said. He was injuredseriously.

Charges of driving left of center and vehicular homicide weredismissed as part of a plea deal outlined for Judge ElizabethGutmann. Municipal Court Prosecutor David Caldwell said that officewas recommending probation and a three-month operator's licensesuspension.

Cobb could receive up to 90 days in jail. Andrew Stewart, a lawyerrepresenting the Wortman family, asked Gutmann to consider some jailtime. Cobb's lawyer, Dana Stamps, said he had a driving record`without blemish' before the crash.

BUTLER SHERIFF

PLANS TO RETIRE

HAMILTON

- Butler County Sheriff Harold Gabbard announced Monday that hewill not seek re-election to the office he has held 11 years and willretire when his term expires in December 2004.

Chief Deputy Richard K. Jones became the first to vie for the jobwhen he submitted a letter of intent to the county Republican Partyand announced his plans to seek the office in November 2004. Jones,49, was brought in by Gabbard when Gabbard became sheriff in 1993.

Gabbard, 71, said he never intended to run for a fourth term. Theonly question was whether he would finish his third term or retireearly, he said, noting that commitments such as the new county jailkept him from leaving early. The father of six said he hopes to spendhis retirement `holding hands and tiptoeing through the tulips' withhis wife, Phyllis, 68.

Jones worked for Lebanon Correctional Institution from 1976 until1993, when Gabbard hired him. The Hamilton High School graduate holdsa master's degree from Xavier University and has taught as an adjunctprofessor in criminal justice.

Jones said he already has the support of county Prosecutor RobinPiper and hopes to earn the party's endorsement. Party spokesman JoeStatzer called Jones a strong candidate with `big shoes to fill.'

CANOEIST PULLED FROM MAD RIVER

SPRINGFIELD

- Springfield Twp. Station 3 rescued a 23-year-old man Sunday whoflipped a canoe in the Mad River.

The man hit a rock when he fell in and was lying on his stomachwhen the fire and EMS department arrived just after 2:30 p.m.,assistant chief Mike Sanders said.

The man, whose name was not released, was taken to Miami ValleyHospital with a fractured back and ankle, Sanders said.

MAN INVADES HOME, TAKES ATM CASH

FAIRBORN

- A man forced his way into a Fairborn home Sunday and demandedmoney from the occupant, police said Monday.

The man knocked at the door of 32 W. Thunderbird Road about 11:21p.m. and told the female resident who answered that he had a pistoland walked in, police said. The woman told police she never saw aweapon.

She told the intruder she had no money in the house, and the manforced her to drive to an ATM where he ordered her to withdraw anundisclosed amount of cash, Capt. Ron Van Nuys said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Fairbornpolice at 754-3068.

LEBANON SCHOOLS TO SEEK RENEWAL

LEBANON

- The Lebanon Board of Education on Monday night approved ballotlanguage for the district's permanent improvement levy that voterswill decide on in November.

The legislation was the final piece needed from the board tocertify the renewal levy request and send it to the Warren CountyBoard of Elections. By definition, the five-year, 2-mill levy must bespent on permanent expenditures - those that have a shelf life ofmore than five years - such as roofs, parking lots and classrooms.

The levy, if passed, will have an effective rate of 1.646 mills onresidential and agricultural properties and will cost the owner of a$100,000 home approximately $50 per year. It will generate just over$1 million annually.

Superintendent Bill Sears reiterated that the levy is a renewaland there will be no additional taxes if it passes. The renewal couldhelp to ensure the district's eligibility for as much as $33 millionfrom the state, district Treasurer Mary Beth Kemmer said.

By law, there must be at least a 0.5-mill permanent improvementlevy passed by voters for districts to be eligible for funding fromthe Ohio Schools Facility Commission. Predictions indicate thatLebanon could receive between $32 million and $33 million in 2008.

NO CHARGES DUE ON EX-WORKERS

HAMILTON

- Criminal charges will not be filed against five former ButlerCounty Adult Probation Department employees, one of whom wasMiddletown Mayor David Schiavone, accused of falsifying time sheets,officials said Monday.

Chief Probation Officer Gary Yates said he has decided not topursue charges because the case was handled administratively. Allfive have resigned during the investigation that spanned nearly eightmonths and forced an audit of approximately 600 cases.

Yates forwarded the investigative file to the sheriff's office inJuly. That office reviewed it, but took no action and said criminalcharges could be difficult to prove, according to a correspondencesent to Yates on Monday.

The investigation stemmed from a complaint that the workers hadbeen gathering at the house of probation officer William Gray inHamilton for several hours in the afternoons. According toinvestigative files obtained by the JournalNews, on Feb. 3 Yatesordered video surveillance on the house.

The men were observed on tape on numerous occasions in Februaryand March arriving at the home about lunch time and staying sometimestwo to three hours. Time records confirm the men claimed they hadworked full days on several occasions when they were videotaped atthe house. One probation officer said he and the others had playedcards and smoked marijuana during those visits. The others deniedusing drugs during the gatherings.

Schiavone, a supervisor, entered into a settlement agreement andresigned. Probation officer James Armbruster II of Monroe, a formerMiddletown city commissioner and two-time city commission chairman,also entered a settlement agreement. Gray and probation officers RickBaker of Fairfield and Ron Wells of Middletown also resigned.

SPORTS WRITER CHARGED WITH PUBLIC INDECENCY - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

`Daily News' suspends man pending outcome of case

CENTERVILLE - Centerville police charged Dayton Daily News sportswriter Scott Halasz with misdemeanor public indecency Friday stemmingfrom a complaint made April 12 during the Centerville Elks Relays.Police were dispatched at 3:39 p.m. to investigate a report of publicindecency that happened about 12:30 p.m. at Centerville High School,records show. Police gave no other details.

The charge requires evidence of reckless exposure of private partsunder circumstances `likely to be viewed by and affront others.'Conviction carries as much as 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.

Centerville police notified Halasz, 32, of 912 Revere VillageDrive on Wednesday that Centerville schools had made a no-trespassing request barring him from school property, a policespokesman said.

Michael Sheets, Halasz's attorney, could not be reached Monday forcomment.

Emily Chambers, vice-president/human resources of Cox Ohio, saidHalasz was working for the newspaper and assigned to cover the relayswhen police contacted him about a complaint.

Until the complaint is resolved, Halasz will not be givenreporting assignments, Chambers said.

SCHOOL BOARD DROPS COACH, 23 OTHERS - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

New Lebanon parents, students want to know why Jewett's contractnot renewed

NEW LEBANON - School was closed for snow and cold, but last week'smeeting of the New Lebanon school board was decidedly hot.

About 50 parents, students and residents packed the small meetingroom Feb. 24 to voice their complaints about the school boardreplacing Dixie High School football coach Jim Jewett.

The board did not renew the one-year contracts of Jewett and 23other coaches and advisers at its Dec. 23 meeting.

Superintendent Timothy Barrett said that was standard procedurefor nonteaching contracts.

Local teachers are given first chance at the openings, Barrettsaid. Teachers from outside the district are then given theopportunity to apply for remaining openings and finally, anyone canapply for any positions still available.

The openings for coaches and advisers were properly posted,Barrett said.

But those in the audience questioned why only Jewett's jobresulted in a classified ad in the Dayton Daily News when otheropenings were not equally recruited.

Barrett said he wasn't aware of an ad other than a noticepublished in the Dayton Daily News sports section.

Barrett also told those in attendance that Jewett was evaluated byAthletics Director John Stekli and not himself. He said he wouldn'tdiscuss personnel matters.

Members of the football team and their parents had numerouscomments and questions for the school board.

'I think this is a manhunt,' one said.

Jewett spoke, too, asking for clear-cut reasons why he wasn'tbeing rehired.

In the end, the school board voted 5-0 to hire Mike Bullock ashead football coach.

Bullock is a teacher in Beavercreek and worked previously atBellbrook, Preble-Shawnee and the University of Dayton.

Twenty-one others were hired to various coaching positions. All ofthe supplemental contracts run one year.

In other matters:

* At two special meetings the previous week, the school boardfinalized plans for a 2.8-mill permanent improvement levy to beplaced on the May ballot. It would replace a 2.0-mill levy, which isending.

Two levies were defeated in November. The current 2-mill levycosts the owners of a $100,000 home about $50 a year; the new 2.8-mill levy would cost the same homeowner $98 a year.

BUCKEYES EARN SHOT AT TITLE; C-J WINS ONE - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

DAYTON - National pundits still can't believe it.

On a radio show, columnist Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Timeswent so far as to suggest Ohio State turn down its bid to the FiestaBowl on the grounds that the football team isn't as good as its 13-0record would imply.

How's that for respect?

Then again, it's been about respect all season for the Buckeyes -finding it, keeping it, then solidifying it through narrow, heart-stopping victories over such Big Ten rivals as Purdue, Penn State,Michigan and anyone else that tried to spoil (or devalue) theirunblemished record going into Friday's national championship gameagainst the University of Miami.

If some remain unconvinced - hey, what can you do?

Beat Miami, you say? A win over the Hurricanes - oddsmakers makeOSU a two-touchdown longshot - would give the Buckeyes their firstnational title since 1968, back when Woody Hayes prowled thesidelines and terrorized yard markers, referees and whatever elsewandered into his path.

Lose and they still might get a parade down High Street, such isthe nature of the love affair between this surprising team and itsadoring fans.

Ohio State's return to prominence is the biggest story of theyear, as determined by an esteemed panel of writers and editors inthe Dayton Daily News sports department. It emerged from a passelof other noteworthy events including Pete Rose's pursuit ofreinstatement, Chaminade-Julienne's thrilling drive to a state highschool football championship, Cinergy Field's gates closing for goodand longtime DDN baseball writer Hal McCoy being voted into theHall of Fame by his peers.

Of the many individual stories arising from OSU's triumphantseason, perhaps none warms the heart more than that of placekickerMike Nugent, who in the span of one year went from shaky freshman toAll-American, joining teammates Matt Wilhelm and Michael Doss on thatprestigious squad.

Nugent, the former Centerville High standout, kicked up a stormand helped the Buckeyes ascend to unimagined heights in just thesecond year of coach Jim Tressel's tenure.

He made 23 field goals in a row to obliterate the school record of15 and come within two of the NCAA mark for one season. He's madegood on all but two of 26 attempts.

'I never saw this coming,' said Nugent, who made 7 of 14 fieldgoals and heard boos as a freshman.

Sure, running back Maurice Clarett and the defense receive most ofthe accolades, but without a steady kicker, where might the Buckeyesbe? Probably not in Tempe, Ariz., preparing for the game of theirlives.

That prickly Rose

If OSU represented the good in area sports this year, the Rosesoap opera was both the bad and the ugly as baseball's all-time hitsleader continued his campaign for reinstatement into baseball and, asmany think, his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, forever seeking ways to restorethe sport's popularity, appears anxious to run interference for Rose,the disgraced former Reds player and manager who 13 years ago signeda lifetime ban after being found to have bet on baseball games.

Did Rose bet on Reds games while managing the team? The evidenceis being dredged up again and at least one audiotape has surfaced inwhich Rose chats with a notorious underworld figure.

Will Rose be forced to admit betting on baseball and apologizebefore being reinstated? Selig plans to discuss this and other issuesnext month with a group of Hall of Famers, many of whom (Bob Fellerfor one) are so fed up with Rose that they have trouble even talkingabout him in civil tones.

But Rose remains popular where it counts. Fans blindly cheer hisevery move, which ultimately could tip the scales in his favor.

C-J had a Ringer

The beauty of sports can be found in the absence of script. Youwould know this if you followed C-J, which beat Macedonia Nordonia,41-26, for the Division II state football title before 8,851 fans atPaul Brown Stadium in Massillon.

Despite losing players to injury, suspension and academicineligibility, C-J would not be diverted. Nordonia was the finalobstacle, and with sophomore sensation Javon Ringer racking up a D-II championship game record 251 yards rushing and four touchdowns,hope became reality.

'All year long we talked to our kids about the magic, about theEagle magic,' C-J coach Jim Place told the DDN afterward. 'And thiswas the year of Eagle magic. Man, that magic was flowing tonight.'

C-J finished 14-1 and bagged its first state championship, but itwasn't easy. Punter Isaac Hull severely sprained his ankle on hisleft (punting) foot before the title game even started. QuarterbackAnthony Turner's passing hand swelled up due to a hematoma and helost four fumbles.

It was Ringer to the rescue as the All-Ohio back scored on runs of12, 70, 60 and 37 yards. 'I don't want to take all the credit,' helater said, graciously. 'I wouldn't have been able to make all thoselong runs if not for my line.'

Place had taken nothing for granted at the start of the season,even wondering if his team could contend for a title. He challengedhis players to take control of their season and discover theintangibles that would reveal their character.

In the end, that's what happened.

So long, Cinergy

Midway through the baseball season, tributes to Cinergy Fieldbegan flowing as if a dam had burst. The Reds were going nowhere, sowhy not reminisce about better times and better players?

And look who came back for one last stand on this lot. Youcouldn't turn your head without spotting a Hall of Famer. A JohnnyBench. A Tony Perez. A Sparky Anderson. A Joe Morgan.

They talked about the Big Red Machine, about championships won andfriendships cherished. It was baseball when the grass was real, evenif theirs was fake up until a couple of years ago.

The final Cinergy event was a softball game involving Rose andmany other legends of the game, including Dayton's own Hall of Famer,Mike Schmidt. Some 40,000 paid between $20-34, with proceeds going tocharity. Cheers for Rose nearly brought down the house a few monthsearly, especially when he favored the fans - at age 61 - with one ofhis trademark head-first dives into third base.

Peering through the tears and magical moments, discerning fansrealized Cinergy was nothing more than an outmoded facility whosetime had come. This morning, it becomes rubble, making way for thecompletion of Great American Ball Park.

HOF summons McCoy

Hal McCoy has spent three decades in Riverfront Stadium/CinergyField chronicling the exploits of the Reds. The power of endurance,coupled with an unrivaled ability to entertain and inform, earnedMcCoy the prestigious J.G. Taylor Spink Award 'for meritoriouscontributions to baseball writing' in a vote of the Baseball WritersAssociation of America.

It means he's going to Cooperstown next summer to enter thewriters' wing of the Hall of Fame.

'Probably the highlight of my career,' McCoy said. 'I will beawestruck to stand on the stage with all of those baseball greats,many of whom I covered.'

McCoy's impeccable credentials include the fact that he's coveredsomewhere in the neighborhood of 5,760 games (including 161 WorldSeries games) and written about 25,000 baseball stories.

Columnist Terry Pluto of the Akron Beacon-Journal had the best andmost succinct reaction to McCoy's honor when he wondered, 'Why did ittake so long?'

SPEAK UP: BRIEF COMMENTS - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

* Re Martin Gottlieb's June 21 column, Columbus pulling people toright: Gottlieb is projecting. The purpose of the Dayton Daily Newsis to pull people to the left, after all.

* Dayton Daily News Sports Editor Frank Corsoe had a beautifulJune 16 column (`Time to remember this day') about his father andFather's Day. It was absolutely an excellent column about his dad andfathers in general.

* Re the June 14 article 'Williamson bashes foe Husted': Ourstate representative has a worthy opponent. Jon Husted replaced DonMottley, a vigorous spokesman for our community. The area aroundWoody's closed supermarket reflects a shoddy Republican leadership.

* Wow, what a busy Tuesday! A bomb scare at the Federal Reserveand an air-raid alert at the White House. It's almost as if somebodywanted to divert attention away from the massive GOP corporate fundraiser that happened the same day.

* It appears to me that the debate about 'Intelligent Design' isjust another attempt by the religious right to impose its beliefs onthe community at large.

* Re the June 17 editorial 'School board must side with realscience': I'm a scientist and academic, but please do not lump me inwith those who chose to support the DDN's opinions. There are holesin many theories. Let's not proclaim evolution the law of nature morequickly than presenting intelligent design as a theory.

* Scientists who believe in evolution admit that their theorycannot explain everything in the fossil record or the origin of life.Creationism and `Intelligent Design' theory can provide a reason foreverything. That is proof to me that evolutionists should not beallowed to have an educational monopoly.

* The next big scandal: the health-insurance industry and its big-business enablers, often with the passive permission of unions.Health-insurance rates are becoming excessive. What good is insuranceif no one can afford it? You go broke with it or without it.

* If Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and John Edwards, D-N.C., are theonly presidential candidates the Democrats can put up againstPresident George W. Bush, they are in real trouble.

* Grocery scam No. 1: Something costs 89 cents. The store wantsto raise the price but wants to hide the fact. So the item goes onsale for 79 cents, with the tag, 'Save 20 cents.' Sure enough, afterthe sale the price is raised 20 cents, to 99 cents.

* Since the legislature wants to mandate the Pledge of Allegiancein our schools, the DDN should get a copy of Red Skelton'sexplanation of the pledge and publish it.

BUTLER TWP. POOL LOOKING FOR WAYS TO BOOST MEMBERSHIP - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Club offering discounts to police, firefighters, teachers

BUTLER TWP., Montgomery County - As a child growing up in the1960s, Peter Zelnick loved the lazy summer days he spent at FairValley Country Club Pool at 5975 Brantford Road in Butler Twp.

Today, he serves on the board of directors for the privately ownedorganization and is determined to see the club thrive in the face ofchanging demographics and lifestyles.

'Four or five local pools have recently failed,' he said. 'And Idon't want to see that happen to Fair Valley.'

The current board of directors is up to the challenge and hasrecruited several local business professionals to help in theireffort to increase membership and revitalize the club.

Zelnick attributes declining club membership to changes such astechnology.

'People are less active and spending more time in front oftelevisions and computers,' he said. 'Another issue is that morehomes have two working parents. There may be no one at home to bringkids to the pool in the summer.'

Still, he points out that membership in the club can be enjoyed inthe evenings and on the weekends.

'I have a very stressful job and I'm busy all day. But when I meetmy family at the pool in the evening, by the time I get down thepath, just looking up at all those trees, I'm relaxed,' Zelnick said.

He said the wooded 10-acre grounds has always been a uniquefeature of the property.

'Even on a crowded day, families can find someplace quiet andprivate,' Zelnick said.

He and the other board members aren't waiting for the pool andgrounds to sell itself. They are addressing the issues of membershipand coming up with some innovative ideas to recruit new members.Motivated by the response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, theboard decided to reward police officers and firefighters by offeringdiscounted memberships to the club. Teachers, who are 'also on thefront lines every day,' Zelnick said, may also receive this discount.

The board is sending out a message of health and wellness withhopes that today's families will respond.

'We're all working at higher rates these days. The idea is tospend more family time and get some exercise,' Zelnick said.

The club also boasts a swim team of 40 to 50 members that is partof the Greater Dayton Swim Association.

But if swimming isn't your cup of tea, there are basketball andtennis courts, a playground, shuffleboard courts, horseshoes andminiature golf.

The tennis courts (with lights for night games) are open year-round and the club recently formed a reciprocal relationship withDayton Center Courts.

Adult and family social events are also offered throughout thesummer season.

And this summer, for the first time, the club will sponsor a bike-a-thon in memory of Ritter Collett, a board director and DaytonDaily News sports editor emeritus who passed away in September.

The board is also recruiting local businesses to promote healthand wellness to its employees through the club.

Employees of participating businesses will receive a discountedmembership. Zelnick said the board has addressed the needs of its 200member families by recently updating the pool-house and concessionarea. More facility improvements are planned when the club reachesits goal of 300 member families.

In addition to membership fees, the club generates revenue byselling stock. Zelnick said there are about 200 stock optionsavailable.

'This capital will enable us to make improvements that people wantand those who buy stock will receive 25 percent off theirmembership,' he said. `The beauty of our pool is we offer a flat ratefor families, regardless of size. It's truly a pool for today'sfamilies.'

There are also separate membership rates for swim team members,couples and singles.

Burick scholarship applications online - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

DAYTON -- Students interested in journalism can apply for theannual Si Burick Journalism Scholarship.

The scholarship, now in its 23rd year, is awarded by the DaytonFoundation from an endowment created in memory of the Dayton DailyNews sports writer and editor who worked at the newspaper for 58years.

Burick wrote his first sports story for the Daily News when hewas 16, and became sports editor when he was 19. He remained withthe newspaper until his death in 1986. His ability to attract localand national readers led to him being inducted to the writers' wingof the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

Burick scholars also can participate in the Mickey Davis SummerInternship program available to recipients during their four yearsin college. Davis, a reporter, editor and columnist for the JournalHerald and Daily News, died in 1997 and was one of the first Burickscholarship judges.

Students in Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Butler, Shelby, Darke,Preble and Warren counties are eligible.

Si Burick scholarship applications now online - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

DAYTON -- Students interested in journalism can apply for theannual Si Burick Journalism Scholarship.

The scholarship, now in its 23rd year, is awarded by the DaytonFoundation from an endowment created in memory of the legendaryDayton Daily News sports writer and editor who worked at thenewspaper for 58 years.

Burick wrote his first sports story for the Daily News when hewas 16, and became sports editor when he was 19. He remained withthe newspaper until his death in 1986. He wrote four to sevencolumns and stories a week, and his ability to attract local andnational readers led to him being inducted to the writers' wing ofthe Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

Si Burick scholars also can participate in the Mickey DavisSummer Internship program available to recipients during their fouryears in college. Davis, a reporter, editor and columnist for theJournal Herald and Daily News, died in 1997 and was one of the firstBurick scholarship judges.

Students in Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Butler, Shelby, Darke,Preble and Warren counties are eligible. The scholarship goes towardfirst-year college tuition.

Still swinging after eight spine surgeries - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Football and basketball had been his passions at Alter HighSchool, but that was 30 years and eight spine surgeries ago.

So when Oakwood resident Tim Sullivan decided to test himselfphysically again, the Miami Valley Adult Baseball League -- which heonce dominated -- became his chosen outlet.

So far, so good. He's the designated hitter for the defendingchampion Dayton Rangers, and doubtless the only player in leaguehistory to sport a spinal cord stem implant.

Sullivan, 47, suffers from bilateral stenosis, a condition thatcompresses nerves, weakens discs, compromises ligaments and causesdebilitating pain. He's also been hospitalized with heart problems,but now his health issues seem to have plateaued (his word) to thepoint where he thinks he can perform baseball tasks.

'One thing I can still do is swing,' he said. 'Other stuff isvery questionable.'

Semi-retired after a career in marketing, Sullivan has only beenwalking on his own again for about six months, but in a scrimmage,facing live pitching for the first time since giving up baseball in2002, he drove in a run with a double and later scored with a head-first slide.

'He didn't tell me his situation until after the scrimmage,' saidJonmarc Lippincott, who manages the Rangers and works in the DaytonDaily News sports department. 'He just wanted to prove it tohimself. He got up and things were OK.'

Sullivan credits the support of his children -- Kenny, 29, Robby,25, Suzy, 21 and Alissa, 8 -- for inspiring his recovery.

In his words

'It's kind of a knock-on-wood type of thing, but I'm gettingbetter. I firmly believe that pushing myself is what's helping me.I've developed my own weight-training program, and I think it'shelped. The nerve damage in my left leg and arm is doing better.

'It's been rough the last eight years, that's for sure. It's beena long road. I've gone through paralysis, lost bodily functions. Istill have struggles daily, but it's just gotten to the point wherethe nerves have regenerated enough to enable me to start walkingagain.

'The wires (from the stem implant) run up my spine. I control itwith a keyboard. It almost looks like a beeper. If anyone sees it inmy bag in the dugout, that's what they'd think. There's an antennayou put up against your side. It sends electrical shocks to thespine, which relieves pain.

'During a game, it's always on. It's just a matter to whatdegree. At night, I can turn it up high enough that I can't feelanything from my breastbone down.

'I think the other guys think I'm just an old guy who doesn't runvery well. I haven't said anything to anybody.

SPEAK UP - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Re 'Metro library will ask voters for more money,' July 23:Libraries are becoming obsolete, just like the post offices are. Weneed to deal with the facts and stop reminiscing about the good olddays.

Why even broach the subject of increasing the sales tax tobalance the Ohio budget? The most novel idea is to have the statebegin collecting all the past due taxes. Why should deadbeatbusinesses and individuals keep getting off without paying?

Does anyone complaining about Gov. Ted Strickland's budgetremember Gov. Bob Taft's state tax cuts? Well, Strickland has tobalance Ohio's budget, and less money in means less money out. Evenif it is for a project you like. What does the Dayton Daily Newssports section do without LeBron James during the offseason? I gotit; print another story on the Springboro football stadium('Springboro has it all under one roof,' July 23).

Perhaps some of these younger, so-called news journalists need tofirst ask themselves, 'What would Walter Cronkite do?' Then, andonly then, would we get first-class, high-quality news reportingback.

I'm wondering why Routsong Funeral Home didn't have a guest bookand memorial service for Walter Cronkite, who did more for Americaand the world than Michael Jackson.

Improved Web site offers more options - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

DaytonDailyNews.com is going 'live' for high school football onFriday nights this fall.

With just a click of your mouse, you can get live scores atDaytonDailyNews.com/scores as we bring you quarter-by-quarterupdates while the games are being played. We'll provide updates fromkickoff to the final play and then wrap it all up with box scoresand game stats.

Visit the site for features like:

Game of the Week: Vote for the matchup you think should be theGame of the Week and visit the site for in-depth analysis, photosand video.

Photo galleries from games all over the area, including Game ofthe Week, other featured matchups and 'You've Been Spotted' fanphotos.

Videos presented: New, userfriendly video player with highlightsfrom games and other sports features.

Team pages: Your high school has a home on our site. Just chooseyour school, and you'll be instantly transported to team page thatincludes photos, articles, game-day info and more.

Stats & schedules: You'll find the schedule for every area team,as well as individual and team statistics, conference standings andindividual and team leaders.

Interactive games: Take the 'Pick 'Em Challenge' to see if youcan select more winners each week than your fellow fans or dive into'Rank 'Em' to help decide what the order of finish will be in eachlocal conference.

Polls: Who has the best quarterback? Which team will goundefeated? You tell us by voting in our weekly poll.

Best matchup up to you each week - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Game of the Week, couldn't be better. If you can't beat it, votemore often.

That's the message for all fans of the weekly contest thisseason: Every vote counts, and there's no limit. First up for Week 1is Alter at Fairmont on Friday, Aug. 22. How to vote: Choose one ofthree weekly games at DaytonDailyNews.com or WHIOTV.com. Who wins:The game with the most combined votes from both Web sites. Votingbegins: 12:01 a.m. on Sundays. Voting ends: 12:01 a.m. on Saturdays.Voting frequency: Unlimited. The payoff: The winning game will befeatured in Saturday's Dayton Daily News sports section. Also, WHIO-TV sports director Mike Hartsock will deliver the Tuffy Brooks gameball prior to kickoff. Now read this: Each Game of the Week winnerwill be revealed in the sports pages of Sunday's Dayton Daily Newsand during selected WHIO-TV newscasts. Head to head: Dayton DailyNews assistant sports editor Marc Pendleton and Hartsock will picktheir favorites to win each week. Hear what they have to say on the6 p.m. Thursday WHIO-TV Channel 7 newscast. More WHIO-TV: SeeHartsock, Margaret Brosko and Don Brown every Friday night forTouchdown 7 coverage of area high school football.

Lucrative sport - Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The IRE Journal

International agents make money placing foreign athletes at U.S. schools

The project would eventually take two years and involve more than 750 interviews in 11 countries and 13 states and U.S. territories.

But it started as local sports coverage about a group of African teenagers enrolling at a small Christian high school in Dayton, Ohio. The fact that they were very tall and played basketball seemed a little suspicious to us.

Then we noticed more foreign players scattered across Ohio and other states, many of them linked through a small group of shadowy people working to bring foreign athletes to the United States - individuals portrayed as good Samaritans whose only interest was in helping kids from poor countries.

The athletes first got the attention of Dayton Daily News sports reporter Doug Harris, who began asking more questions. Soon, editors at the paper were getting suspicious, too.

As we learned of more and more players, stories told by school officials and coaches about how the young foreign athletes got to this country seemed to grow more and more unbelievable. Some called players war refugees, narrowly escaping their native countries with their lives. One player's official records claimed he escaped a 'civil war,' a conflict nowhere to be found in State Department records or in the memories of the citizens of that country.

This was an almost impossible story to document. The truth was thousands of miles away, in countries some Americans had never heard of. And there were few records challenging anything anybody was saying.

But we had to try. Lying to get around American amateur sports rules or to get a visa, we soon learned, was considered part of the game, no more of a sin than fudging on income taxes.

The system policing all this, we learned, was never geared to root out deception or conduct investigations overseas. School officials and coaches in most cases were trusted to report violations.

We started our reporting by making simple lists of athletes, grouping them by the person who helped them come to the United States - people we called middlemen. Middlemen usually were Americans or foreign nationals living in the United States, former and current coaches, former amateur and professional players; at least one was running what was identified as a foreign student exchange program.

Just by gathering all the background we could on these middlemen through hundreds of interviews and searches of property records, criminal records, civil lawsuits, bankruptcy records, corporation records and other public records, the official stories began to unravel.

Mounting lies

Searching newspaper clippings, we found that several Serbian and Bosnian players all claimed an 'uncle' helped them come to the United States. We found that the players weren't related, but they all had the same uncle, a former professional player from Bosnia. Property records showed he owned a large house in an upscale area of Long Island, even though the last full-time job we could link him to was waiting tables at a New York restaurant. A trip to his house was followed by a call to the reporter from a New York sports agent asking us what we wanted.

We linked several other players from all over the world to a former teacher in Minnesota, a wife and mother of two who claimed she was running a foreign exchange program. We used public records searches to identify players who actually used her address, but some of them denied even knowing her. A woman in Texas didn't know why her name was linked to the Minnesota address either. That woman turned out to be her sister.

Since a number of people seemed to be lying and since records were scarce, we decided early on to tape all of our interviews.

After months of work and hundreds of interviews, the lies began to mount. But we were still spinning our wheels. We had no motive, no money trail and nothing to explain why so many people told so many lies.

This was a very different and difficult type of investigative project for the newspaper, one with no clear paper trails, no databases and no whistleblowers pointing the way to the truth.

We needed more information and several of the players we needed to interview had gone back to their home countries for the summer, so we decided to go overseas, thinking some would be more willing to talk in their homes.

Our first stop was Estonia. We looked for a man named Maarten van Gent, identified by high school officials as a coach who had helped several of his players come to the United States through a middleman in Virginia. Host families said van Gent, who had players at high schools in West Virginia and Ohio, would make mysterious calls to their homes at night asking to speak to the players.

Our translator found van Gent's apartment by contacting the Estonian basketball federation. The apartment was on one of two floors he had purchased atop a high-rise overlooking the capital city, Tallinn. The apartment had a private gym, tanning booth, gambling machines, windows specially shipped from Belgium, wall-sized oil paintings and a spiral staircase leading to a private rooftop patio.

Immediately we knew this man was no coach; he was a sports agent.

Soon the story became clear to us: Sports agents were behind all of it, using middlemen to get their athletes into American high schools and colleges, where the players could hone their skills and come back and make even more money for the agents.

The middlemen had several motives. Some stood to get a percentage of a player's salary later on. Others charged families overseas to place their children in American high schools or to get athletic scholarships in American colleges and universities.

But there was still the wall of lies. Van Gent, while admitting he was a sports agent and that he helped players go to America, denied having any contracts or other financial interest in players. He was just lending a helping hand.

We interviewed athletes and others in the United States, Estonia, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Slovenia, Central African Republic, The Netherlands, Spain, France and Serbia.

We benefited greatly by hiring translators to help us locate many of the athletes well in advance of our trips. Taib Bajramovic, a Bosnian journalist whose association with the Dayton Daily News began with the U.S. troop deployment in 1996, helped us arrange several interviews in Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro and even conducted an interview for us in Slovenia. Cesar Jimenez, of Madrid, a senior journalist with a company that keeps statistics for the Spanish Football League, arranged a number of interviews and located athletes and coaches for us in several cities across Spain.

Bajramovic, who covered the war in Bosnia, also helped us tear apart the stories of a number of Bosnian basketball players, all claiming they came to American high schools to escape war. Their stories were told numerous times in American newspapers and on television, and those stories prompted athletic officials to bend the rules and allow them to play high school basketball. But their stories turned out to be less than the whole truth.

Hard evidence

In every country, the stories told by the athletes seemed identical: They were never paid to play sports. They were not represented by an agent. They never signed a contract. Everyone who helped them find a school was just a nice person who wanted to help kids.

What made us suspicious was that many of them would volunteer all this information without ever being asked a question, as if they were coached on what to say. So we tried a different approach: Rather than asking them if they ever had a contract or an agent, we just asked them when they signed their contracts.

It worked. The very first player in Estonia brought out his contract with van Gent and so did the next. After months of reporting, this was the first hard evidence we had. After hundreds of interviews, we linked several of the middlemen and dozens of players to sports agents.

The key, we found, was in first understanding how the system worked and approaching it from that standpoint, not expecting someone else to volunteer anything. The people we interviewed, we found, were only going to talk about concepts we already understood. If we knew nothing, they would talk about the game. If we knew a foreign sports agent brought them to the United States, some still denied it, but some offered explanations.

Though we knew coaches, middlemen and even players all stood to gain from all this, we believed there must be victims, too.

The American system of amateur athletics, which was being used as little more than a training ground for foreign athletes and their agents, was the first victim we found. Hometown players whose families had invested years in the school were suddenly cut from teams when more talented foreign players arrived.

The foreign athletes also displaced legitimate foreign exchange students.

The real victims, however, were overseas.

In countries where $200 a month is considered a good salary, families sold their apartments, their cars or took out loans to pay hundreds or even thousands to middlemen to get athletic scholarships at American schools for their children. One agency charged 10 percent of the scholarship value.

Though selling scholarships is one of the most flagrant violations of American athletic rules, the business was practically public in some countries, with one Belgrade newspaper advertising a company offering athletic scholarships in America.

In Serbia, we interviewed a family that paid a middleman $3,500 to find the son a college basketball scholarship. After staying with the college coach for several days, the boy was stranded at a Delaware motel and never played college sports.

One Yugoslavian family paid $17,600 to an agency for athletic scholarships for their twins. The same agency placed nearly 30 athletes at colleges to play basketball, volleyball, soccer or to swim.

Amateur athletics at every level - high schools, small private colleges and big Division I NCAA universities - were affected.

Our examination of foreign athletes in American sports opened the eyes of coaches, administrators and college and high school regulators. Five state athletic associations conducted investigations after the series. The Ohio High School Athletic Association handed down the most severe penalties in its history to Dayton Christian High School for numerous violations involving international athletes. The National Federation of High School Associations is pushing for new regulations limiting the number of foreign athletes on teams nationwide and has printed brochures informing students and coaches about the rules governing eligibility. The NCAA investigated several of the players highlighted in the series and ruled them ineligible, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics reported it would revamp some of its eligibility rules in direct response to the series.

[Author Affiliation]

Finally, a fitting tribute for Hall of Famer - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Every starting pitcher -- even the great ones like Hall of FamerRay Brown -- needs a reliever he can count on to come in andpreserve his efforts.

While Brown -- the devastating curveballer who threw a perfectgame against the Chicago American Giants, one-hit Birmingham in theNegro League World Series and nohit the New York Yankees in PuertoRico -- quietly has waited 43 years for a little relief, that's allset to change this Saturday, July 5, with a gala celebration in WestDayton.

Until then, the former Wilberforce University athlete and record-setting Negro Leagues pitcher still lies in a mostly forgotten graveat Green Castle Cemetery on Nicholas Road.

Now there's just a small, flimsy wooden cross -- decorated with afaded blue bow likely pulled from an old bouquet off another grave -- signifying the plot where Brown's been buried since 1965.

That temporary cross just surfaced in the past year or so. Beforethat there was no marker of any kind that acknowledged anyone wasburied in the five-foot wide patch of grass and weeds between thetombstones of Walter Richardson and Minnie L. Cook in Section H.

Then on July 30, 2006, Brown -- who played one season for theDayton Marcos, but made his name as the right-handed ace of thegreat Homestead Grays teams of the late 1930s and 1940s -- wasinducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Suddenly peoplewanted to know more about him.

While born in the small Hardin County town of Alger, once hisbaseball career and marriage faded, Brown ended up in Dayton andworked in obscurity as a janitor at the Sunshine Biscuit company.

When he died, there was no mention of him on the Dayton DailyNews sports page.

Two years ago I wrote a few stories on his plight and they strucka chord with some folks in the Miami Valley.

A couple of them, like octogenarian Nita Jennings, sent donationsto Darren Boykin, the guy who runs the cemetery. Others, people likeFather Rick Friebel, the pastor of Holly Trinity Catholic Church,local attorney Steve Dankof and Farmersville realtor and auctioneerDoug Sorrell -- who, as a kid, knew 'Brownie' because his granddadworked at Sunshine Biscuits, too -- donated money into the Ray BrownMemorial Fund that was set up and is still open at Fifth Third Bank.

Boykin -- who also runs Stone Plans, a new monument company at2331 Gettysburg Ave. -- has now donated a tombstone for Brown'sgrave. It has two pictures of the pitcher on the front and a bit ofhis baseball saga on the back.

In a celebration meant to signify the best efforts of ourcommunity coming together -- and also hoping to keep Brown's namealive among West Dayton youth baseball players -- the monument willbe unveiled at 1 p.m. Saturday at Stone Plans.

On hand will be Curtis 'Bingo' Lloyd, the 99-year-old NegroLeagues-era ballplayer and charming raconteur, two First DaytonLittle league teams and a peewee team from Princeton Park.

Thanks to the Ray Brown Memorial Fund -- run with no pay, but alot of heart by Dankof -- the three youth teams will get Ray BrownAll Stars shirts and equipment provided to the charitable group atcost by Jerry Salyers, the longtime youth coach who runs Custom BatWorks in Springboro and Larry Shade of Shelton Sports in WestCarrollton

Saturday's celebration is open to the public. The monument willbe placed on the Green Castle grave later this month.

For Ray Brown, relief is finally on the way.

How to go

What: Celebration of Hall of Famer and former Negro Leaguespitcher Ray Brown

When: 1 p.m. Saturday, July 5. (free and open to the public)

Where: Stone Plans monument company, 2331 Gettysburg Ave. atWaymire (across from Hooks Bar B Que).

Dayton sees three ejections in loss - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The Fort Wayne Wizards overcame a 5-0 deficitto defeat the Dayton Dragons 12-8 on Thursday night, June 12, in agame that featured three separate Dayton ejections. The loss droppedthe Dragons to 27-38 with three games to play in the first half ofthe Midwest League's split-season format.

Dragons manager Donnie Scott was ejected after Fort Wayne pickedup the lead in the third inning and a couple of pitches later,Dragons catcher Devin Mesoraco was also ejected.

Logan Parker, was ruled out on a check-swing call and thenejected by home plate umpire Joe Hannigan, the third ejection of aDragon.

The Dragons move west to take on the South Bend Silver Hawks inthe start to a three-game series at 7:30 p.m. today.

DDN on the Web

What's cookin' on the Dayton Daily News sports blogs:

Through the Arch: Former Miami RedHawk and current Los AngelesLaker Ira Newble isn't sitting still on L.A.'s bench.

DaytonDailyNews.com/arch

The Real McCoy: What's wrong with Homer Bailey and other Redsnuggets.

DaytonDailyNews.com/mccoy

Ludwig At Large: The Bengals haven't had a tight end catch 30 ormore passes since 1997. Is this the year of (Ben) Utecht?

DaytonDailyNews.com/ludwig

It's up to you: Help your team be in Game of the Week - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Now is the time for all Game of the Week fans to step forward andput their mouse clicks where their loyalties are. Week 1 is history,or it will be Friday night when Beavercreek travels to Carroll forthe 2007 Game of the Week opener.

How to vote: Choose one of three weekly games atDaytonDailyNews.com or WHIOTV.com.

Who wins: The game with the most combined votes from both Websites.

Voting begins: 12:01 a.m. on Sundays.

Voting ends: 12:01 a.m. on Saturdays.

Voting frequency: Unlimited.

The payoff: The winning game will be featured in Saturday's DaytonDaily News sports section.

Also, WHIO-TV sports director Mike Hartsock will deliver the TuffyBrooks game ball prior to kickoff by Chopper 7.

Now read this: Each Game of the Week winner will be revealed inthe sports pages of Sunday's Dayton Daily News.

Head to Head: Dayton Daily News assistant sports editor MarcPendleton and Hartsock will pick their favorites to win each week.See what they have to say on the 6 p.m. Thursday WHIO-TV Channel 7newscast.

More WHIO-TV: See Hartsock, Margaret Brosko and Don Brown everyFriday night for Touchdown 7 coverage of area high school football.

Week 2 candidates:

Tough times inspire scholarship winner - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

LIBERTY TWP., Butler County -- Fighting her way back from sevenyears of disabling spinal trouble and corrective surgery, EliseBascom discovered that being a writer 'was a way for me to connect,emotionally, with something going on in my life. I began to look forstories that will make a difference, have an impact.'

Bascom, 18, the daughter of Kim and Charlie Bascom of LibertyTwp., has turned her writing interest into a career plan. She wasaccepted by the University of Missouri journalism program and hasbeen named winner of the 2006 Burick Scholarship.

The scholarship, named for famed Dayton Daily News sports editorSi Burick, who died in 1986, provides a $2,000 grant for therecipient's first year of college. It also promises the winner up tofour summer internships with the Daily News, where Burick was sportseditor for 58 years.

Bascom, a senior at Lakota East High School, said she will spendthis summer with the nearby Pulse-Journal -- a community newspaperowned by the same company as the Dayton Daily News -- where she'salready doing part-time work. Then she will join the Daily News stafffor

the summer of 2007.

'I was absolutely thrilled,' Bascom said. 'Just to get to be at afinalist level, I was competing against some talented people. To be awinner, I was so very excited, happy and thankful they chose me.'

Bascom's father is a biologist with Procter & Gamble inCincinnati. Her mother is a hospice nurse. She has a brother,Nicholas, a premed senior at Clemson University in South Carolina.

Her activities include National Honor Society, Hawk Ambassadors,the Hugh O'Brien Leadership Program and Cincinnati's Tri-StateJournalism Association. She has registered more than 2,000 hours ofcommunity volunteer service.

The leadership activity concealed some painful times as Bascomendured a deteriorating spinal condition accompanied by arthritissince she was 10 years old. Two herniated disks were repaired insurgery in December, and she says 'things are much better now.'

She calls the surgery 'a miracle, giving me my life back,' butsays there was much pain and might still be a need for moreoperations. Writing was a solace during times of pain and isolation,she said.

Your Letters - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

Archdiocese trying to protect children

The Dayton Daily News editorial, 'Catholic Church invited victims'anger, outrage,' April 5, refers to the sense of anger and betrayalfelt by those who were abused as children by Catholic priests. TheArchdiocese of Cincinnati is acutely aware of those feelings.

Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk has apologized for the abuse ofchildren by priests and other archdiocesan representatives, and formistakes made in handling the abuse. We cannot change the past,however much we wish we could. But we are trying to change the futureby the way we protect children and deal with abusers.

Among other moves:

- Every priest in the archdiocese who has been the subject of asubstantiated allegation of child abuse has been removed fromministry.

- Since 2003, more than 45,000 clergy, employees and volunteerswho work with children have undergone criminal background checks.

- The archdiocese reaches out to survivors of abuse by paying forcounseling, no matter how long ago the abuse took place, and in somecases by making additional financial settlements.

- We urge anyone who was abused by a priest or otherrepresentative of the archdiocese to report the abuse to secularlegal authorities, as well as to the archdiocese's victim assistancecoordinator, Sister Mary Garke, at (513) 421-3131 or (800) 686-2724.

Dan Andriacco

Cincinnati

Mr. Andriacco is communications director of the Archdiocese ofCincinnati.

Hinduism recognizes 5 major evil forces

I would like to clarify an important point in Pamela Miller'sarticle, 'Satan means different things to different faiths,' March25. In my Hindu upbringing, I was never taught the concept of a Satanwhom some other religious philosophies consider as the antagonist toGod. My Hindu belief has always held that God is supreme and, if Godis the Supreme Being, then there cannot be any other entity that caneven come close to God in its powers, let alone be a competitor.

The very concept of supremacy implies one and only one entity thatoccupies that position. A supreme entity does not have to strugglefor supremacy against any other entity (like Satan) that isconstantly posing a challenge to its supremacy.

Hinduism does recognize greed as one of the evil forces, but it isonly one of five major forces that lead humans astray. These five areKam (lust), Krodh (anger), Lobh (greed), Moh (attachment, i.e. blindattachment to worldly things) and Abhiman (vanity). These are theevils (as I was taught by my parents and religious scholars) that we,as humans, must control. Their control of us turns us into evilbeings.

There are other negative forces that Hinduism recognizes ascorrupting influences, but the concept of a powerful Satan as achallenger to God simply does not exist.

Inder Khera

Piqua

And it's Hal's fault the Reds were losers

The people who complain that American news coverage of the war inIraq is anti-American, and thus demoralizes our troops and encouragesthe insurgents in their dirty work, are correct: The media are atreasonous lot.

At a local level, we saw the same sort of problem in the way inwhich Dayton Daily News sports writer Hal McCoy covered the Reds lastyear.

He persisted in reporting the fact that the Reds were losing moreoften than they were winning. He insisted on writing unpleasantstories: a Reds' pitcher who gave up an inordinate number of homeruns, the Reds' batters striking out at a record pace, the defenseoften failing.

Such treasonous stories demoralized the Reds.

McCoy should have only reported the happy news: Ken Griffeyresurgent at the bat; Adam Dunn and Wily Mo Pena hitting mammoth homeruns, Sean Casey batting over .300. But, alas, instead, he referredreaders to the facts of the standings.

Carl M. Becker

Miamisburg

Web site explains school funds

I just became aware of a very interesting Web site(www.msbgwatch.com) that explains how the Miamisburg school districtreceives and spends our tax dollars.

This information was compiled by taxpayers and was gleaned fromdocuments requested of school officials using Ohio's open-recordslaw.

This Web site is full of valuable information, some of whichschool officials and the school board never talk about or might notwant you to know.

I encourage other citizens in other school districts to researchand post information like this, so that the ordinary taxpayer canunderstand school finances.

Schools are getting so expensive that it is important tounderstand where the money comes from and how it is spent.

Sue Walton

Miamisburg

'Hurricane Miller' actions affect all of us

Re 'Delphi wants to close four local plants,' April 1: Are thecommunities of the Miami Valley ready for the disaster that willsurely come? Are local, state and federal governments prepared toassist the jobless, homeless and families with sick children? Can ourgovernments afford not to be prepared for the dark days ahead?Hurricane Miller (Delphi CEO Steve Miller) will not just affect afew, but all the communities of the Miami Valley. After HurricaneMiller, will the community still be standing or will the footsteps ofKettering, Patterson and Deeds disappear forever?

Dwight Laycox

Spring Valley

GOP leaders aren't helping workers

After 31 years as a Dayton resident, the April 1 headlines ofDelphi possibly closing four plants, including two factories inDayton, terrified me. I am tired of editorial writers and politicianswho care only for the big corporations. Who wants illegal immigrants?Big corporations. Who wanted NAFTA? Who wants to beat up the Delphiworker? GM? So, what are the Republican leaders in our statehouse andCongress going to do? Are we just disposable people because cheaplabor exists in China and India? The first thought in my mind is freeuniversity education for everyone. Americans are creative people, butwe all need to tell our Republican legislators that they are failingus and America and our children. Somehow America has lost its vision.

John D. Poley

Marable part of Dayton's literary legacy ; Late author's work on Malcom X utilizes records not available to writer Alex Haley. - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

William Manning Marable II might not have enjoyed as celebrated acareer as other notable writers from Dayton and the Miami Valley.

But his legacy will be tied to his roots as a native son who rosein the ranks in the world of academia, became an accomplished authorand researcher on African-American history and culture and asyndicated columnist who appeared in more than 100 newspapers.

Marable died April 1, on the eve of his most comprehensive andanticipated work on the life of Malcolm X. He was 60.

Manning suffered for an illness that caused him to have a doublelung transplant last year, leading to complications resulting in hisdeath.

He left behind a heralded trail of writing not unlike some of hisDayton predecessors, such as renowned poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar;Milton Caniff, a Stivers High School graduate who drew and wrotenationally-syndicated comic strips; humor columnist and author ErmaBombeck; and Baseball Hall of Fame sportswriter and Dayton DailyNews sports editor Si Burick. The late Pulitzer Prize-winning NewYork Times columnist James Reston was born in Scotland, but he spenthis teenage years in Dayton and Oakwood.

His last work

Marable was viewed as such a literary luminary and socialcommentator that his obituary appeared on the front page of The NewYork Times.

Marable's last book, 'Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention,' waspublished just three days after his death and has already invokedmuch commentary, both positive and negative. Marable was able togain access to government records and information that was notavailable when Alex Haley worked with Malcolm X on his bestsellingautobiography.

Marable's book offers a contrast to Haley's account.

In the New Yorker magazine, writer David Rem-nick wrote that'although Manning Marable may not have succeeded in writing adefinitive work, his considerable scholarship does remind us howmuch is elided by any tale of a pilgrim's progress.'

His Dayton roots

Marable's family said they hope his career will not be defined byhis last massive work, but by the life he lived and work he did inthe years reaching that pinnacle. He is survived by his wife, LeithMullings, an anthropology professor; three children, twostepchildren and three grandchildren.

He graduated from Jefferson Twp. High School in 1968 and thenEarlham College in Richmond, Ind. He received his master's degreefrom the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate from the Universityof Maryland.

He wrote a syndicated column, Along the Color Line, and taught atseveral universities. He served as chairman of the black studiesdepartment at the Ohio State University. At the time of his death,Marable had been at Columbia University since 1993, where he hadbeen a professor of public affairs, political science, history andAfrican-American studies.

That Marable would be inclined to pursue education was a resultof their parents, said his sister, Madonna Marable.

Their parents, James and June Marable, both graduated fromCentral State University. His mother is an ordained minister, has aPh.D. and still lives in Jefferson Twp. Her health prevented herfrom commenting for this story.

Always a writer

Manning Marable's name came from his grandfather, who had 13children. While not all of them went to college, his sister saideducation was a priority.

'Both (my parents) were descendents of slaves, and very proud,'said Madonna Marable. 'My parents had a great deal to do withManning developing an interest in history. It was pretty much anexpectation in our family to get a college education.'

Madonna Marable said her brother was a writer from early on inhis life.

'He was just a prolific writer,' Madonna Marable said. 'It was agift, but it was nurtured by my parents. They permitted him to havedifferent kinds of experiences.'

The crucible, of course, was Dayton, which his sister remembershad 'a lot of racial tension.'

'My father experienced Jim Crow and civil rights. He was anentrepreneur here for 40 years, and my mother was a perfectionist.

'My mother helped Manning a lot with his doctorate. I rememberher critiquing it and it being all over the living room floor.'

Marable's funeral and cremation was private in New York. A publicservice is being planned at Columbia on May 26. Madonna said hopesto have some kind of tribute at Central State, where she hopes toestablish some kind of scholarship in her parents' name.