Talk of the Town - talkofthetown's Blog - Bakersfield.com http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown en-us LPGA demands its players speak English http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553 <p>The LPGA will <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/lpga/2008-08-26-language-policy_N.htm">require players to speak English</a> starting in 2009.</p> <p>A few years ago, the LPGA came up with a plan to increase the marketability of its players.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=10391&amp;mid=4">This is what the tour came up with</a>:</p> <p><span id="Label3">LPGA's Five Points of Celebrity &ndash; Appearance, Relevance, Approachability, Joy/Passion, and Performance.</span></p> <p><span>Performance is at the end; appearance is at the beginning. This tells you something about the LPGA's priorities.</span></p> <p><span>The main reason the LPGA wants its players to speak English is so sponsors can ham it up with the players during Pro-Ams and corporate events.</span></p> <p><span>Is the new policy <a href="http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1836266,00.html">unsportsmanlike and un-American</a>?</span></p>


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 FPI510150353V2_b.jpg talkofthetown Should a 9-year-old with a fast fastball be banned from pitching? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32496 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32496 <p>In Connecticut, a nine-year-old baseball player pitches so fast he's been banned from taking the mound.</p> <p>He's never hit anyone with a pitch, but opposing batters (8-10 year-olds) are scared to face him.</p> <p>So league officials&nbsp; said they will disband the boy's team and redistribute the players among other teams.</p> <p>But the team has refused to disband.</p> <p>At first glance it doesn't seem fair that the boy is being punished for being too good, but there are other options available, like pitching to older players in a different league.</p> <p>The whole story is <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3553475">here</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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 espn_a_jericho_200.jpg talkofthetown Way too much beach volleyball http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32272 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32272 <p>I thought it was just me who was absolutely sick and tired of beach volleyball, then I came across <a href="http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/08/nbcs-proud-comm.html">this blog</a>.</p> <p>Seriously, I've watched NBC's prime time coverage almost every night and I haven't seen one table tennis match or one pursuit bike zooming around the velodrome. I've seen that boring wombat Mary Carillo blathering on about ancient temples and stuff and I've seen Chris Collinsworth making out with Michael Phelps' mom.&nbsp;Why, just last night prime time included the gymnastics gala. GALA I tell you! No medals, no competition, just another chance to see Shawn Johnson and that other chick who says she's Russian but she's on our team. Lukin or something.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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 Beijing Olympics Beach Voll.jpg talkofthetown Who is Michael Phelps dating? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32132 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32132 <p>Pretty much anyone he wants to is the answer to that one.</p> <p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2574349/Michael-Phelps-girlfriend-Amanda-Beard-or-Lily-Donaldson---Olympics.html">But there are a couple of medal contenders</a>:</p> <p>U.S. swimmer Amanda Beard and British model Lily Donaldson.</p> <p>Beard has appeared in Playboy, but didn't reach the finals of Beijing's 200m breaststroke after winning gold in Athens.</p> <p>Donaldson replaced Kate Moss as one of the faces of Burberry.</p> <p>Either way, Phelps is going for gold.</p>


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 50_lily_donaldson.jpg Lily Donaldson talkofthetown p1_beard.jpg Amanda Beard talkofthetown Whites no longer U.S. majority in 2042 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31872 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31872 <p>Where's whitey?</p> <p>In 36 years white people will no longer make up the majority of Americans.</p> <p>New government estimates have moved the date up 8 years from their projections made in 2004.</p> <p>The main contributing factor is the high birth rates among minority residents, especially Hispanics.</p> <p><a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080814/D92HVBHO1.html">Story here</a>.</p> Are the Chinese cheating? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31871 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31871 <p>From The Associated Press:</p> <p>Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the <span id="lw_1218718461_1" class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Chinese government</span>'s news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week.</p> <p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080814/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_gym_underage_chinese">Story here</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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 Beijing Olympics Gymnastics.jpg 16? talkofthetown Olympic thoughts: The lip-synching ain't the half of it http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31783 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31783 <p>It was bad enough when I found out the 9-year-old was <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2545387/Beijing-Olympics-Faking-scandal-over-girl-who-sang-in-opening-ceremony.html">lip-synching during the national anthem</a> because the real 7-year-old singer wasn't pretty enough to appear on TV.</p> <p>Then it was revealed <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2534499/Beijing-Olympic-2008-opening-ceremony-giant-firework-footprints-faked.html">the fireworks were fake too</a>.</p> <p>But I shrugged it off like a positive doping test, and settled down for 16 or so days of watching the world's finest athletes compete against each other.</p> <p>(Now I should mention at this point that I don't have cable and do have a job, so I'm only able to watch NBC's prime time show every night)</p> <p>What I didn't realize about the Olympics is that other nations are only in the Games to compete against the Americans. If there's no American with a medal chance, NBC calls the IOC and has them cancel the event. How else to explain that nothing is shown during prime time except the U.S. winning swimming events, or medaling in gymnastics, or having an outside chance at synchronized diving.</p> <p>The most asinine waste of prime time was the women's beach volleyball featuring an&nbsp;<a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jPNudo8g8d4cwsL5ygtfk8-3uX8wD92GFI980">American team who had won 101 (or something) straight matches</a> against a pair of Cubans who happened to be on the beach on holiday and were looking for something to do before lunch.</p> <p>The good news is that when May-Treanor and Walsh win the gold, there will be a secret vote to banish beach volleyball for a while until everyone else catches up. I<a href="http://www.kansascity.com/862/story/742910.html">t's happening in softball and not a moment too soon</a>.</p> <p>If this post sounds bitter, let me add that I'll be back in front of the TV tonight enjoying every splash, vault, and sandy bikini bottom there is to see.</p> <p>But I'm still waiting on those Germany-Iceland handball highlights!</p> <p style="text-align: right;">&mdash; Andrew Mockett</p>


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Caption: Little fish: You won't see this sport in prime time.
Credit: talkofthetown


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Caption: Little fish: You won't see this sport in prime time.
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 Beijing Olympics Handball M.jpg Little fish: You won't see this sport in prime time. talkofthetown Paper: The great oil bubble has burst http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31571 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31571 <p>A recent explosion on a key oil pipeline had no effect on the price of a barrel.</p> <p>Proof positive, says <i>The Telegraph</i>, that the oil bubble has burst.</p> <p>Read the story <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/08/08/do0801.xml">here</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Report: New team ready to take Blaze's spot http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31500 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31500 <p>According to local TV station KERO 23, if the Bakersfield Blaze leaves town, the independent Golden Baseball League would be interested in occupying crumbling, er, historic Sam Lynn Ball Park.</p> <p>Seeing as the average attendance to watch the Blaze was about, say, 15, does anyone care whether another outfit picks up where they left off?</p> <p><a href="http://www.turnto23.com/news/17106694/detail.html">TV's story here.</a></p> Miss the Blaze? Maybe a little http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31262 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/31262 <p>So the Blaze may <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/136/story/513497.html">high tail it out of Bakersfield</a>. Too blazing hot for them? Nah. But attendance is poor and Sam Lynn Ball Park has seen better days.</p> <p>Can you blame the team for wanting to move? Maybe for <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2008/266614.html">wanting to move to Virginia</a>.</p> <p>Wouldn't it be great to turn Sam Lynn into something the whole community can enjoy, semi-pros, clubs and recreational teams alike? Perhaps <a href="http://www.bigleaguedreams.com">something like this</a>?</p> <p>So, will you miss the Blaze? The cheap dogs? The occassional fireworks? The all-American sport? What should be done with Sam Lynn Ball Park?</p>


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 samlynn.JPG John Harte / The Californian