Leading off today: This relates to more than just high school sports, but I wanted to give it a mention because it's an oddity when Tommy John's name starts turning up in the news almost as much as Lindsay Lohan.

   Following up on a report I also mentioned last month, Dr. Josh Dines and Dr. Rock Positano of Manhattan's Joe DiMaggio Sports Medicine Center are asking whether there is too much "Tommy John Surgery" being done on athletes.

   Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) reconstruction has helped many professional baseball players, but the doctors say it is becoming a much more common procedure in high school athletes. According to a recent study, about one in nine players in Major League Baseball had undergone the procedure as of 2006. Without citing specific evidence, the doctors suggest that while improvements in medical technique make the procedure more readily available across the board, kids are throwing too much and getting hurt too often.

   But here's what caught my eye, because it's entirely logical but something I'd never really considered. Though many leagues now have mandatory pitch counts and minimum rest periods between game appearances, there's usually nothing stopping a player from being on multiple teams at the same time over the summer.

   "That being said," the doctors wrote, "parents and coaches have to take an active role in keeping track of pitches thrown; many of these kids play on several teams and one coach doesn't know what the other is doing."

   Mount Vernon update: According to The Journal News earlier this week, the first 40 days of crisis-mode fundrasing in the Mount Vernon school district netted about $100,000, only one-third the amount needed by the end of this week to guarantee that there will be a fall sports season.

   Football coach Ric Wright told the paper donations to the "Save Our Sports" campaign have steadily grown recently, but so has the workload for boosters and supporters.

   "I'm split-brain right now," he told the paper. "I missed a workout the other day because I had to be at a big fundraising event. Right now, I'm trying to balance the two and really concentrate on these kids."

   Donations can made by sending a check to "The Mount Vernon Educational Foundation Inc.," P.O. Box 476 Fleetwood Station, Mt. Vernon, N.Y. 10552. Write "sports" in memo section of the check.

   Football scrimmages update: I normally go to football scrimmages more to socialize than to actually watch too much of what takes place on the field, but I'd happily

make an exception if I happened to be on Long Island on Aug. 30. On that day, William Floyd (riding a 33-game winning streak) will be scrimmaging with CHSFL powerhouse St. Anthony's and Bellport.

   I've dropped that session plus info on a few other get-togethers onto the scrimmages page that we'll continue to update throughout the month.

   By the way, St. A's is in an awkward scheduling situation this fall because it opens against an out-of-state opponent. Philadelphia St. Joe's will have two scrimmages and a game under its belt already before playing St. Anthony's on Sept. 6. The Friars' second game is against Delbarton, N.J., before diving into its CHSFL schedule.

   Dues are due: Year 42 of the New York State Sportswriters Association weekly newsletter has begun, which means annual dues are due for members.

   Send your check for $40 (payable to NYSSWA) to editor/publisher Neil Kerr, c/o Post-Standard Sports, Syracuse, NY, 13221. Those who don't pay up will be dropped from the mailing list before the first set of football rankings next month.

   Riek update: Sudanese big man John Riek has committed to play basketball at Cincinnati this season, though he has several obstacles to overcome before putting on a Bearcats uniform.

   Riek, you may recall, played for Our Saviour New American two seasons ago and was steered by "advisers" last summer to attend prep school in anticipation of declaring for the NBA Draft. Riek submitted his name for the draft and then withdrew when it became apparent he wasn't healthy enough to withstand pro workouts.

   FOXSports.com reports that the 7-foot-2 prospect has been playing with partially torn ACL in his right knee for perhaps six months and will need to overcome that injury before suiting up. As well, he has yet to post a qualifying SAT score.

   The best-case scenario has him retuning to the court either for Cincinnati or as a second-year prep school player some time in January.

   Extra points: An ESPN camera crew and producer returned to Wilson last week to do additional reporting on the alleged sexual-abuse incident on the baseball team's bus in April. The segment is likely to show up on "Outside The Lines" in the next few weeks, and early word is that it probably will not be flattering to the folks in Wilson, many of whom took sides against the accusers almost from the start. . . . Pete Tobey at The Post-Star reports that the FieldTurf project at Glens Falls is shaping up. Though the field is the traditional green, he reports that the end zones are painted red.

HOME | BLOG | RANKINGS | BRACKETS | REFERENCE | KERR CUP | ABOUT US

©2007-19 Abbott Trento Online Media. All rights reserved. Contact us via e-mail.