On Monday, 17 people from the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues were chosen for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including the first woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is an important recognition of the Negro Leagues’ contribution to Major League Baseball. Among those inducted were Ray Brown, Willard Brown, Andy Cooper, Cristobal Torriente and Jud Wilson.

Bruce Sutter, major league reliever, will also be inducted.

This year’s 18 inductees constitute the largest class in hall history. (The previous record was 11 in 1946.) The induction ceremony will take place July 30 in Cooperstown.

Effa Manley (a former Newark Eagles executive) became the first woman elected into the baseball hall of fame. You can read the full story here.

Congratulations to Effa.

Inspired by Joey Cheek’s donations, Chinese short track Olympic medalist Yang Yang said Sunday she’ll donate her $10,000 bronze-medal bonus to Right to Play. She was joined by Clara Hughes, of Canada, who said she plans to donate 10,000 Canadian dollars. She didn’t receive an Olympic bonus, but she decided to give the money in her bank account. The U.S. Olympic Committee has also donated $40,000. In all, almost $500,000 have been raised during this Olympics. I think this really shows how one person’s generosity can spread to others.

Of course, a great deal of credit goes to another skater, Norwegian Johann Olav Koss, who started Right to Play six years ago. Right To Play is an athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Their mission is to improve the lives of children in these areas of the world by using the power of sport and play for development, health and peace. To donate to Right to Play, visit their website. You can also visit ebay auctions of items donated by athletes to benefit Right to Play. The link is available on their site, as well.

My wife just mentioned this on our winter olympics blog. Entenmann’s has a very cool contest going on.

Adults can nominate any “mini hero” between the ages of six and seventeen doing charity work in their communities with a short essay. Celebrety judges that include Olympic sisters Emily and Sarah Hughes, Chicago Cubs Kerry Wood, along with others, will judge the essays.

Prizes include $2500 for the winner and $2500 for their favorite charity. For more information check out:
www.entenmannsminiheroes.com

This is a very nice way to give back to kids doing positive work in our communities!

With a Super Bowl win in hand Jerome Bettis announced to the world that he was retiring. Jerome Bettis is considered by most who have met him to be a class act.

He was raised in Detroit, Michigan. You might think his favorite sport growing up would have been football, but when he was child his favorite sport was bowling.

It wasn’t until high school that he got involved in football. He started playing footbal in high school so that he could get a scholarship and go to college. And that he did, with the University of Notre Dame fighting Irish.

I admit that I was not a big fan of Jerome Bettis when he was in college, but man was he good. Bettis got his nickname “The Bus”, because he ran over people as if they had been hit by a bus. He certainly did that in college and then in the pros as well.

Like many players do these days, he did an admirable thing and bought his parents a house after signing with the Rams, who drafted Bettis in 1993. The Rams then traded him to Pittsburgh in 1996, where he went on to become one of the best loved athletes in Pittsburgh’s history.

Bettis likes to help others and he has created a charitable foundation named “The Bus Stops Here Foundation.” The foundation was founded in 1996 to help underprivileged children in America’s inner cities. You can visit “The Bus Stops Here” foundation by clicking here.

Jerome Bettis is a good role model for all of us.

In our first poll, it appears that most people either didn’t care who won the Super Bowl or wanted Pittsburgh to win. Now you have your chance to voice your opinion about the Olympics. First, here are the results of our first poll:

Who did you want to win the Super Bowl?
Seattle: 13%
Pittsburgh: 43%
Didn’t care: 43%

In our latest poll, we would like you to asnwer the question:

“Is the Olympics about team achievement, individual achievement, or both?”

Happy voting!

In an interview ealier this week, Tanith Belbin said the best thank you she could give to the country that provided her the opportunity to compete in the Olympics was to stand on the podium and sing “The Star Spangled Banner.” Well, Tanith won’t be singing, but she will be standing on the podium with partner Ben Agosto after the two won the silver medal in ice dancing last night. Not only is it America’s first ice dancing medal in 30 years, it is only their second ice dancing medal ever. The only other medal the U.S. has ever earned in ice dancing was a bronze in 1976. So, congratulations Tanith and Ben! And, Tanith, on behalf of the U.S.— you’re welcome.

A sad day in the sports world yesterday. Curt Gowdy passed away. Before yesterday, I was not familiar with Curt Gowdy or the games he had broadcast. As I read about him I think “WOW! If it was a major sporting event in the 60s or 70s this guy was on the microphone.” If you are watching a highlight show with games from that era, chances are he is making the call. The broadcasting ranks have lost one of their finest.

ESPN.com – MLB - Broadcaster Gowdy dies

Congratulations to all of the Basketball Hall of Fame finalists for the class of 2006.

ESPN.com – GEN - Hall of Fame finalists include Barkley, Wilkins, Dickie V.

I must admit, I was one who thought of Koren Robinson as nothing more than spoiled NFL brat. After this story, I hope he can stay sober and I will be rooting for Koren next year, both on and off the field. I hope he has a bright future.

ESPN.com – NFL - Once troubled WR feels in heaven at Pro Bowl

Last night, Lebron James scored 29 points in his second NBA All-Star game appearance. The game was played in Houston just a few miles from where I am writing this post. At the age of 21 years old, Lebron became the youngest player to win the NBA’s All-Star MVP award.

While the East won the game, our hometown favorite Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets lead all players with 36 points.

You can read more about the game here.

Every year about this time players start reporting for the next year of Major League Baseball. There will be suprises and disappointments (and some disappointments that turn into surprises, Thank you Houston Astros ‘05.) This is the season for hope to spring eternal and all teams are undefeated. (Even the Cubs have a chance in March.) Baseball America has listed their top prospects for the new year below. Let me know what you think of the list.

Top 10 Prospects: Complete Index

I always enjoy watching the slam dunk contest, but in some ways it is even that much more inspiring when some under 6 feet wins it. Last night, rookie Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks won the slam dunk contest.

Nate stands 5 foot 9 inches tall. Pretty impressive. He even scored a perfect 50 when Spud Webb bounced the ball to Robinson, who jumped over Spud to dunk the ball with one hand.

You can read more and see the winning dunk here.

During the Pro Bowl the NFL announces its decision to donate $1 million to help build a “Youth Education Town” (YET) in Honolulu to be run by the Boys and Girls Club. This is an ongoing initiative for the NFL since 1993. During that time they have donated $14 million for the construction of YET, normally in the Super Bowl city.

See more about the YET program and this donation here.

This was not a story that made big headlines— at least not in the United States. But Canada is singing the praises of Norwegian coach Bjornar Haakensmoen.

Canadian Sara Renner broke a pole on the second lap of the women’s cross country team pursuit and fell from the lead to fourth place, 2.4 seconds behind the leader. But Norwegian coach Haakensmoen ran onto the course and gave Renner a new pole. Beckie Scott put Canada back in the lead on the ensuing lap and the duo raced with the leaders the rest of the way, finishing second, earning them the silver.

Norway, by the way, finished fourth. Haakensmoen was extremely humble about what he did, but we think this should be headline news.

We salute coach Haakensmoen for portraying true Olympic spirit.

Rachael Scdoris is a musher. She has been racing sled dogs since she was 12 years old. This March she plans to complete the 34th Annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1,112-mile race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, enuring freezing temperatures, high speed winds, and many other dangers.

Oh, and did we forget to mention that Rachael is blind?

She is. Not only is she planning to race, but she’s hoping to use her experience to raise money for other blind and visually impaired athletes. Her corporate sponsor, Standard Insurance Company, has agreed to match the first $50,000 in donations and pledges dollar for dollar. All money raised will go to the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA).

If you’re interested in learning more about Rachael and her mission, visit her website.

Duke senior J.J. Redick broke the NCAA mark for carreer three pointers in Dukes win over Wake Forest. Redick broke the previous record held by Curtis Staples, who had 413 three pointers while at Virginia from 1994-1998.

J.J. Redick made four three pointes in the game against Wake Forest giving him a total of 416 carreer three pointers.

You can read more about it here.