Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
August 10, 2007, Washington Post

No Vacation From Thinking About Sports

Vacation time is here. Time to go back to New England, visit my brothers and sisters, lie on the beach, catch up on my reading and . . . think about sports.

Thinking about sports is always fun, so I never take a vacation from that. Here are some random thoughts about sports that crossed my mind this week as I was walking on Preston Beach in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

· Everyone knows that Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. set the record for most consecutive major league baseball games played -- an amazing 2,632 straight. But did you know that he also holds the record for grounding into the most double plays, with 350? Home-run legend Henry Aaron is second. He hit into 328 double plays. See, even the greatest players mess up sometimes.

· After having a record of five wins and 11 losses last year, the Redskins aren't talking about getting to the Super Bowl this season. That's good. Maybe the team will concentrate on just getting better.

· I've said this before but it bears repeating: Owner Dan Snyder should change the name of the Redskins. The name is insulting to Native Americans, even if it's unintentional.

· While we're on that topic, the Cleveland Indians should get rid of Chief Wahoo. The big-toothed cartoon emblem is ridiculous.

· The World Cup of women's soccer will be played in China next month. It's a terrific tournament, with 16 teams competing. Maybe it will get U.S. fans excited about professional women's soccer.

· My daughter has graduated from high school, so she won't be playing field hockey for the Einstein Titans anymore. But I'm still going to attend some games. Field hockey is a cool sport. If you have never seen the University of Maryland field hockey team, the two-time defending NCAA champion, try to get to a game. Coach Missy Meharg should have another strong team this fall, and the games on artificial turf are fast and super exciting.

· Every time I watch extreme sports with people doing crazy stunts -- holding on to a flying motorcycle with one hand, for example, or doing flips on skateboards -- I wonder How do they practice stuff like that?

· I think dogfighting is cruel. If Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and his friends are found guilty of running illegal dogfights, I think they should go to jail. But if dogfighting is illegal, why aren't boxing and ultimate fighting (where people kick and punch one another) illegal as well?

· One last sports thought that almost everyone in Massachusetts shares: Are the Red Sox good enough to hold off the Yankees this year?

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's sports opinion column and is an author of sports novels for kids.

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