A Touch of Class

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published this inspiring story from a recent high school basketball game. At a time when all we read about are stories on steroids, contract disputes and players gone bad, it's nice to read a piece like this.

It's a great story about sportsmanship and class. And it's another example of how sports can frame life in a way that everyone can relate to.

Look for these kinds of stories when you're reporting and covering your beats. Too often, they're missed.

Preps Gone Wild

Steve Tucker of the Chicago Sun-Times had a great column about how unsubstantiated rumors on the Web, scouting services such as Rivals.com impact college recruiting.

The column outlines how rumors start about a prep player's "skills" (or who is recruiting them) can be quickly accepted as "fact." It's a great warning for young journalists: Don't accept a rumor generated online as fact. Like the saying goes: If your mother says she loves you, check it out.

And apparently you can't check with dad. One of Tucker's examples was about a family member who generated press releases and e-mails with untrue information about a potential football recruit. The scouting services said the kid had scholarship offers from schools such as Louisville and Boise State.

None of it was true.