Obama's Gutter Ball And Other Weekend Musings

While attending a friend's birthday party Saturday night at a bowling alley, I was reminded of President Obama's ill-advised attempt at humor when describing his shaky bowling skills. We've all either seen or heard President Obama's remark about the Special Olympics by now.

While I will be the first to say that the reaction has been over-the-top and that it, unfortunately, overshadowed so many other more important remarks he made during his appearance on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , President Obama has to remember that he is no longer "just one of the guys."

You and I could make that joke and not be criticized, but not the President.

I frankly love the fact that we have a president who's down, but that doesn't mean we still shouldn't hold him to a higher standard.

Here are some other random musings from over the weekend:

*My recent posts about the UK Basketball coaching situation have reminded me of one of life's little facts: people believe what they want to believe.

If you want something to be true, you will accept anyone's thoughts pointing towards that hopeful truth. On the contrary, if you don't want something to be true, you will discount anything anyone says towards that fearful truth, regardless of how much credible information that person may have.

*Speaking of the drama swirling around Kentucky's basketball program, the Lexington Herald-Leaders's Jerry Tipton presented some great counter-points to the shallow arguments some fans have presented in favor of keeping Billy Gillispie on the job for another year.

Here's my favorite excerpt: Those who support him could say two years is too soon to judge a coach. UK would look panicky and overly obsessive about basketball. These are the seeds of a public-relations problem. Plus, to fire Gillispie now would mean admitting the mistake of hiring Gillispie two years ago.

As a counterpoint, the decision is not based on victories or defeats. A single coach whose lifestyle can be grist for the rumor mill is the wrong fit for a button-down program such as Kentucky. Like it or not, the coach represents not only UK but the entire state. Gillispie wants only to recruit and coach. There are plenty of jobs where that's sufficient. Kentucky isn't one of them.

Amen, Jerry. Amen!

*Last week, I wrote about the SEC's decline in quality basketball teams, and less than a week later, all three of the conference's NCAA Tournament representatives have been eliminated. Not one team from the country's most athletically-skilled conference could make it to the Sweet 16. So maybe this year's poor result speaks more to the SEC's decline in quality coaching.

But at least three SEC reps made it to the NIT Sweet 16, right?

*I received an e-mail earlier this week with information regarding picking up my credential for the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic. The Final Four of Major League Baseball's version of the World Cup is being held at Dodger Stadium.

The e-mail got be to thinking about MLB's plan to grow baseball internationally, "Does anyone really care?"

You tell me.

*Imagine being 36 years old in great physical shape, but yet needing open heart surgery. That's exactly what 11-year MLB veteran Aaron Boone is facing. Thursday, Boone will undergo a procedure to repair a problem with his aorta and aortic valve.

Just another reminder that life is fragile. We all should live our lives seeking to enjoy our limited time here on Earth. Life is way too short to be bogged down with petty arguments and meaningless gossip. Get out and enjoy life for what it truly is: Beautiful.

Good luck, Aaron.

World Baseball Classic Tickets For Dodger Stadium Set To Go On Sale

Tickets to the second round through the final of the World Baseball Classic will go on sale Monday.

The tournament's second round is set for March 14-19 and will feature the top two teams from each pool of the first round in a double-elimination format.

Ticket strips for the second round, the semifinals and the final of the 2009 Classic will be made available to the public online at worldbaseballclassic.com, powered by MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball, as well as online and by phone in the local markets. Tickets for each venue will go on sale at 10 a.m. local time, meaning Miami tickets will go on sale at 10 ET, and Los Angeles and San Diego tickets at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

The strips for the individual pools of the second round will consist of six tickets, one to each of the six games played in one of the two second-round venues. Ticket strips for the semifinals and final games will consist of three tickets, one to each of the games played in Dodger Stadium.

Single-game ticket sales for the entire tournament will be announced at a later date.

The 16-team international field in the World Baseball Classic is the same as 2006. An expansion to 24 teams is under consideration for 2013.

First-round play, contested entirely outside the U.S., will be broken into four pools of four teams each. The double-elimination format is a departure from round robin, which was in play in the 2006 Classic.

China, Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea -- Pool A -- begin play March 5 in the Tokyo Dome. In Pool B, it will be Australia, Cuba, Mexico and South Africa, playing from March 8-12 in Mexico City at Foro Sol Stadium.

Canada, Italy, the U. S. and Venezuela will play March 8-12 at Rogers Centre in Toronto in Pool C. Pool D will feature the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Panama and Puerto Rico from March 7-11 in Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The top two finishers from Pool A and Pool B will play at PETCO Park in San Diego, and the teams advancing out of Pool C and Pool D will compete at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

PETCO Park was the site of the 2006 Classic final, when Japan edged Cuba, 10-6, to capture the inaugural title as Daisuke Matsuzaka was named the tournament's most valuable player. Dolphin Stadium will be hosting World Baseball Classic games for the first time.

The semifinals and final will be played from March 21-23 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Competition will shift to single elimination for both the semifinals and final with teams from the two second-round pools crossing over. The winner of each pool will play the runner-up in the opposite pool in the semifinal.

Tickets to the first round went on sale Nov. 17. Those strips for the individual pools consist of six tickets, one to each of the six games played in one of the four international first-round venues.
First-round ticket strips are available for purchase online at worldbaseballclassic.com, as well as online and by phone in three of the four local markets.

More than 740,000 fans from 48 of the 50 states and 15 countries attended the first Classic.

There were also 486 players that participated, with 235 of those from Major League organizations.

Mike Scarr is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.