Leading off today: Call me cynical, but I believe you can count the number of elected officials with altruistic values on the one hand of a crappy wood shop teacher.
With that as the context, I cannot emphasize strongly enough what a terrible idea that politicians in Tennessee are floating. Upset that the latest discussions about the transfer rule are not going their way, two legislators in Tennessee are threatening to dissolve the state's governing body for scholastic sports and put the responsibility under the direct control of the state government.
State Representative Scott Cepicky and state Senator Adam Lowe say they're just seeking to hold the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association responsible, but it's apparent that debate that began in 2023 over the transfer rule is the issue. They held a news conference on Monday and insinuated that the TSSAA is not trustworthy, The Tennesseean reported.
The TSSAA, which has overseen high school sports since 1925, is structured as a 501(c)3 non-profit, and any intrusion by state government, namely bills Cepicky and Lowe co-sponsored to force the organization to allow student-athletes one free transfer without eligibility restrictions, signal the beginning of the proverbial slippery slope.
The TSSAA already amended its rule to allow one free transfer under certain conditions but drew the line at requests motivated by athletic considerations. Cepicky and Lowe say the TSSAA acted only in response to their pressure and seem to be suggesting the organization needs a foot on its throat to keep it in line.
Their assertion that athletic directors and school administrators have too much power at the expense of athletes and parents might have a kernel of truth to it. But the remedy to that is school boards that can orchestrate a local regime change with as few as three to five votes.
On the other hand, have you ever tried riding yourself of the state government -- or even a single state legislator -- once they take control of anything? Maybe I'm unreasonably influenced by living in New York for my entire life, but good luck with that.
One for the books
I'm guessing there are large gaps in the record-keeping, but don't let that diminish from the fact that Geneva junior
Maddie Askin had an epic game in goal during a 14-10 girl lacrosse victory over Eastridge/Bishop Kearney on Tuesday.
Askin was credited with 30 saves, which would easily eclipse the mark of 21 that the New York State Public High School Athletic Association recognizes as its single-game record.
That recognized record was established by Hannah Lustyik of Sleepy Hollow in 2019 and then matched by Maya Soskin of Cold Spring Harbor in the 2022 state tournament. However, Geneva's own records credit Askin with 22 stops in a game last spring, and a random check of stats reported to MaxPreps show Olivia Field of LaSalle Institute credit with 24 saves last spring vs. Hoosick Falls/Tamarac two weeks after a 21-save performance vs. Academy of the Holy Names.
There's lots of room between 24 and 30, so we're not sure whose record Askin really broke ... if, in fact, 30 is the record.
Milestones
• Dunkirk baseball coach Frank Jagoda notched his 400th career victory on Tuesday with a 5-1 win over Fredonia on Tuesday.
"I've been involved in a lot of these games. I've won a lot of them, and I've lost a lot of them. Yeah, I've got 400 wins, but I also have quite a few losses," Jagoda told The Observer. "You remember the losses more than you remember the wins, but I certainly will remember today."
• Bloomfield senior softball ace Ashlyn Wright recorded her 1,000th career strikeout in Tuesday's 11-0 victory over Wayne. She finished with 16 strikeouts while spinning a one-hitter as the Bombers improved to 4-0.
Speaking of softball ...
Former Ballston Spa great
Ana Gold, who is wrapping up her career at Duke, has been invited to the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft as a likely high selection.
The four franchises will draft a total of 12 players to start filling out 15-player rosters.
Gold, a 5-foot-7 infielder, is batting .351 with a team-leading 12 home runs and 51 runs batted in for the Blue Devils.
The AUSL will debut as a touring league in 2025 before giving the franchises home bases next season. The league has already landed a contract with ESPN.
Ex-Stepinac star Trill Williams joins the WWE
We knew him in high school football as Trill Williams, a two-way starter at Archbishop Stepinac and one of the most dynamic playmakers in the state. Now, he's Trill London, a new recruit in the WWE.
After graduation, Williams played for Syracuse University from 2018-20 before turning pro and signing with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. The Miami Dolphins picked him up before the 2021 season, he missed all of 2022 with a torn ACL and was released in August 2023.
Williams caught on with the WWE last November and was assigned to the NXT circuit. Wrestling under the name Trill London, he lost his debut on WWE Evolve on Tubi.
Ohio coaches voice their displeasure
Fed up by what they see as a money grab, a solid core -- albeit still a minority -- of Ohio football coaches surveyed last month want the Ohio High School Athletic Association to
dial back its playoffs.
The OHSAA doubled the size of its playoff field to 16 teams per region in 2021, which brought a slew of 3-7, 2-8, and 1-9 teams into the postseason, typically to be buried by No. 1 and 2 seeds. The state organization keeps all of the playoff ticket money.
The recent survey of the state's head coaches showed 43% of the 263 respondents want to cut back to 12 teams and another 19% prefer rolling back to eight teams per region.
Ohio's season can extend to 16 games (after two preseason scrimmages) for teams making the state final. Awarding byes to the top four teams per region would virtually assure finalists a week off before the final five-game stretch.
