by: Don Groth

Hi everyone. It's an honor to be asked to write for Boomer Journals. I guess I'm from the old school. It bothers me greatly to watch professional sports and see some of the antics that go on quite frequently.

For example; how many times do we have to watch a NFL football player make a play and then celebrate and dance around like he just made the greatest play ever? It's like saying, look at me! It gets old. I played High School and College football and our coaches had a rule that we couldn’t spike the ball or hotdog out there. No one player is bigger than the team.

We also had a saying; if you score a touchdown, act like you've been there before! That's the same statement running back Robert Smith of the Minnesota Vikings said when asked by a reporter why he just flips the ball to the referee after he scores a touchdown and doesn't spike the ball or dance in the end zone like so many others.

Can you imagine Viking WR Randy Moss playing for old Viking head coach Bud Grant? Moss wouldn't last long if Grant was his coach. Bud also had a rule of no spiking the ball or hot-dogging. Personally, I believe the taunting rule in the NFL needs to be enforced stricter. I'm a firm believer in "You win with class and you lose with class!"

Speaking of class; St. Louis Ram QB Kurt Warner was the only Ram player that had any class after losing the Super Bowl to the overachieving, underdog New England Patriots. He congratulated them on a well played game and gave them credit. Unlike no class Marshal Faulk who said; "It wasn't anything the Patriots did. It was our fault for all the mistakes we made!" Come on Marshal, grow up and have some class! Be a man! Your team was bragging all week before the Super Bowl about how they were going to destroy the Patriots!

The Rams got their butts whipped and I'm glad they did. They needed to be taken down a peg. The Rams were getting too cocky! ... Food for thought: "It isn't the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog!" Until next time...

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Don Groth is a 45 yrs. old, x-minor league baseball player, Yankee A farm club, Ft Lauderdale, Fl. Still very active in playing baseball, softball and volleyball and coaching. Husband, father of 3, 2 girls(23 & 22) 1 boy, 18. He and Betty are loving life in too cold Minnesota.