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He drives pretty well for kid who can’t drive yet

The first hole-in-one was pretty cool for 15-year-old Bradley Farmer. Now, he maybe cracks a smile when he makes one.

After all, why get really excited about doing it six times in a span of 41 days?

“It’s been pretty incredible,” said Farmer, a sophomore at Goodpasture Christian School in Madison, Tenn. “Most people play their entire life without making one.”

Farmer, who has eight holes in one, made his first one when he was 12 and second a year later. This was before the recent rush.

“It’s not like I was trying to make them, but the hole started looking bigger,” he said.

According to hole-in-one records kept by Golf Digest, the record for most aces in one year is 11, last done by Dr. Joseph Boydstone in 1962.

Lockout’s silver lining

TCU basketball coach Billy Tubbs reasons that the NBA lockout will help college basketball get more exposure in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“People here have the opportunity to see one of the best college players night after night,” said Tubbs, referring to TCU’s big man, Lee Nailon, a top pro prospect.

“They certainly can’t see one of the best NBA players night after night - especially when the (Dallas) Mavericks are active.”

Did they really print this?

From a New York Times article on tips for Little League managers: “Kids don’t get hurt. They’re kids. They only twist their ankle when they get picked off base. … They only have stomachaches when they are in the on-deck circle in the last inning with the bases loaded.

“Don’t panic. Walk over to the stricken kid, carrying the water jug subtly under your arm. Tell him to get up, get on with the game, or you’ll pour water on him and announce that he wet his pants.”

Civil unrest on the playfield

You have to be ready for all sorts of emergencies when you sign up with the National Guard.

Civil unrest. Natural disasters.

And pee-wee football.

That’s right. Members of the National Guard, who were in southwestern Alabama preparing for Hurricane Georges in late September, tried to stop a fight involving half dozen adults during a youth football game at Repton.

The game, with the score tied 6-6 in the first quarter, was canceled. No one was seriously injured and one person was charged by authorities.

Apparently, the dispute began when an older child started “picking on” a younger child and adults intervened.

“It sure makes us look bad,” said Marcus Taylor, who coached the 7- to 10-year-olds.

Folks in Repton are feeling a bit sensitive after the recent widespread attention.

“We’re just a small, poor town trying to make a living,” Mayor Scott Dees said.

Huh?

The last word …

“People think NBA players are greedy for turning down a lockout settlement that would pay them an average of $3.1 million per year. Hey, fighting those paternity suits costs money, baby.”

- Greg Cote in the Miami Herald