UPDATE NOVEMBER 28

The 2004 USA Olympic Softball Team. Winners of the Gold medal at the Athens Olympiad, were among the contenders for this years award, given Sunday night to the world champion Boston Red Sox.

NEW YORK (Nov. 28) -- A month after winning their first World Series title since 1918, the Boston Red Sox were honored as Sports Illustrated's Sportsmen of the Year -- the first major pro sports team to receive the award.

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Boston's four-game sweep of St. Louis was its first World Series win since 1918.

"Every Sox fan everywhere shares in this with the team," SI managing editor Terry McDonell said.

The Red Sox made an unprecedented rally from a 3-0 deficit to beat the New York Yankees in the AL Championship Series. They then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series to put an end to the supposed "Curse of the Bambino."

Boston pitcher Curt Schilling is part of the SI honor for the second time. He and Randy Johnson shared the honor after helping the Arizona Diamondbacks win the 2001 World Series. The only two-time individual winner is Tiger Woods (1996, 2000). Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski is the only individual Red Sox player honored as SI Sportsman (1967).

Sarah Padove, IL Southern Force - University of Indiana
Katie Schmidt, IL Southern Force - Southern Illinois University

Amidst all the stories about anger management, the problems NBA acquired with the rap culture, etc, the Washington Post published an article which has to make one wonder what teams can do to identify potential problems before they occur – and makes one realize that anger is but one dimension of Ron Artest. He was supporting his family (his father now has to go back to his truck); he was committed to funding college educations for 13 nieces and nephews; he was highly regarded in the community because he would work with aspiring young players and paid their way to the better basketball camps.

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.

"I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued,

I don’t recall ever being in Cotonou, the capital of Benin, but I did meet with various bank officials in Africa as chief of financial intelligence. However, this banker/lawyer may simply have picked my email address at random. Because I don’t believe in coincidence, I have forwarded the following scam to the Justice Department. (Besides, I don’t think I could pass for the kin of anyone in sub-Saharan Africa.)

“Before his death on the 25th December 2003, Mr.Ghadar has a fixed deposit account with the bank and no other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me that his supposed next of kin died along with him in the crash. Since then I have made several enquiries to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to contact you. I contacted you to assist in repatriating the money left behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank.

Consequently, Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 5 Months s now. I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased so that the proceeds of this account valued at US$15.5 million can be paid to you and then you and me can share the money. 70% to me and 30% to you.I have all necessary logistics that can be used to back up any claim we may make.All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. All documents of transaction will be destroyed immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place.” Sender name withheld.

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Soldier saluted it,
And then he stood at ease..

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin.
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.