Leading off today: Major-college football and basketball coaches are quite familiar with the warning that there's a fine line between a booster club and a terrorist organization.
It's been apparent for a long time that moms and dads should acquaint themselves with its scholastic corollary:
"There is a fine line between being a supportive parent and being an overbearing one," Dr. Leah Lagos, a clinical sports psychologist, told The Journal News.
Lagos was chiming in on the issue of adults increasingly looking for ways to involve themselves in the sports their kids are playing by means of acting out on the sidelines, harranging coaches and just generally being boorish. The paper rolled out a package exploring the issue on Wednesday, noting that physical altercations are rare but emotional behavior is not.
A panel of athletic directors brought together by the paper cited the multi-million dollar travel teams industry and the cost of private lessons as factors contributing to parents unreasonable expectations.
"I think it's because of the investment that parents are making," North Salem AD and boys basketball coach Henry Sassone said. "In today's world of travel programs, parents could be spending 10, 12, 15 thousand dollars a year in speed workouts, private trainers, skill coaches, (Amateur Athletic Union) -- so, the investment financially is a great one, therefore the expectation is when they come back to the high school program, they're going to have immediate success."
Said Nick Daniello, who runs travel teams, camps and clinics: "I tell parents, 'The amount of money you spend will not make your kid a better athlete. The amount of money you spend will not make your kid go put in the extra work that's required to be great.'"
The main story in the package is an exhaustive, informative look at multiple issues related to the topic. Set aside a solid 20 minutes to get through it, but it's worth your time.
Softball decision: The NYSPHSAA staff and the organization's softball committee met Wednesday and both recommended a Suffolk County venue to host the state final fours from 2020-2022.
The Moriches Athletic Complex won out over Moreau Park in Section 2, the longtime host located about an hour north of Albany.
The final say on the matter belongs to the NYSPHSAA Executive Committee, which next meets Feb. 1.
An observation: The drive from Western New York's far reaches to the middle of Section XI easily exceeds seven hours, a fact certain to be noted by numerous people as word spreads about the softball committee's decision.
Let me just say that if you weren't previously raising an eyebrow about hockey teams traveling from the far reaches of Sections 7 and 10 to Buffalo or boys lacrosse teams trekking from Long Island to Rochester then you're not likely to garner a lot of sympathy over the softball decision.
Girard on a terror, again: Joe Girard III made 10 3-pointers on his way to 57 points Tuesday as Glens Falls defeated Johnstown 96-65 in boys basketball.
The state's all-time leading scorer also had seven rebounds and six assists as he continued the upward trajectory in scoring after the conclusion of a state-championship football season. Girard, who averaged 50 points a game as a junior, has put up 34, 41, 53 and 57 points in the current campaign for an average of 46.3 a contest.
Fourth-quarter rallies: Trailing by double digits entering the fourth quarter, host Rochester Monroe rallied past Leadership Academy 86-77 in overtime.
