myerstownherald.com

By ERIC FISHER
An old adage in sports is that you build through the draft. That is what NFL teams were doing last weekend and that is what hockey, basketball and baseball teams will do in June.
But what if we could draft our own sports world? What if we could select where we watched games, who announced them and who played them? In other words, what if we could shape our own sports world through the draft?
My hunch is that our sports worlds would look very similar to how they were when we were growing up. Then again, some of you may prefer progress to nostalgia.
Below is my Philly-centric list. Feel free to use these categories to draft your own customized sports world.
The first thing we need is a place to play.
Stadium (baseball): My baseball team would play in PNC Park. The views of downtown, the bridges, etc. are simply perfect. The only problem with baseball in Pittsburgh is the Pirates, but we can fix that in our fantasy draft.
Stadium (NFL): I admit I’ve never been there, but Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium looks like a cool place to watch a game.
Stadium (college): Beaver Stadium. A huge stadium with a great atmosphere. If you sit up high – and it’s really high – the views across Happy Valley are spectacular.
Arena (NHL and NBA): The Spectrum. We’ll have to replace the scoreboard and widen the concourse, but there’s no better place to watch a game than the soon-to-be departed Spectrum. Despite holding more than 17,000 people, the Spectrum is a much more intimate setting than any of the newer arenas.
Arena (college): The Palestra. This brokedown palace on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania is the cathedral of Philadelphia basketball.
Now that I’ve got a place to play, I’m going to have to assemble a successful organization.
Owner: Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports is a well-oiled machine. Hendrick hires good people, then allows them to do their jobs. Hendrick Motorsports wins championships, and it wins with class.
Promotions: Vince McMahon. If he can turn a professional wrestling company into an international business and pay-per-view powerhouse, imagine what he could do with a team with a fiercely loyal fan base. McMahon, however, won’t be in charge of the cheerleaders’ uniforms. We want to keep this a family-friendly sports enterprise.
Mascot: The Phillie Phanatic remains the best in the business. He’s entertaining without being foolish or mean. The kids love him – and many adults do, too.
Now that we have our organization in place, we’ve got to set up our television and radio package.
TV contract: We’ll take the NFL’s TV contract. That money will guarantee a sizeable profit, which we can reinvest in the team.
Production: FOX’s NASCAR broadcast. They take you inside the car, on the track and inside the race. Fantastic production with excellent information and analysis.
Broadcasters: I’ll bring back the late, great Harry Kalas. For baseball, I’ll reunite Kalas with his good buddy Richie Ashburn. And Kalas can also do football. For hockey I’ll draft legendary Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart, whose passion for hockey poured through his microphone and created hundreds of thousands of hockey fans.
Public address announcer: Dave Zinkoff. There are many announcers with distinctive calls, but the Sixers’ Zinkoff was the originator.
Statistician: The Sixers’ Harvey Pollack. Pollack invented the triple-double and hundreds of other statistical categories.
What would a team be without players? Here are some of my favorites.
Players: Sixers point guard Maurice Cheeks; Flyers center (and current Carolina center) Rod Brind’Amour; Phillies left fielder Greg “The Bull” Luzinski; Eagles safety (and, sadly, current Broncos safety) Brian Dawkins; Phillies shortstop Larry Bowa; Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher; Flyers right wing (and current general manager) Paul Holmgren. Nationally, I’ll take Colts quarterback Peyton Manning; Royals third baseman George Brett; Braves center fielder Dale Murphy; Packers (not Jets) quarterback Brett Favre; Bears running back Walter Payton; Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin; and Dallas Mavericks backup guard Matt Carroll (a player I’ve known since he was in ninth grade).
Uniforms: Call me crazy, but I like the green and gold of the Oakland A’s. I’ll also take the old kelly green Eagles uniforms, especially if we include the white helmets with the green wings.
Now we need a few more things for game day and we’ll be ready to roll.
Referees/umpires: My crew includes NHL veteran Kerry Fraser, outstanding baseball umpire Doug Harvey, and my good friend Eric Gregg, who left this earth too early.
Music: We’ll need to draft a terrific organist. There won’t be any blaring, canned music in my arenas.
National Anthem: Lauren Hart, daughter of former Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart, will perform “God Bless America” with (via videotape) the late Kate Smith. On special occasions, I’ll bring in Ray Charles to sing “America the Beautiful.”
Parking: Free. And our arenas and stadiums will be easily accessible via public transportation.
Now all we need is someone to write about the games.
Sports writer/columnist: Me. You were expecting Stephen A. Smith?

By MOLLY DAVIS
Taylor Swift is still single and ready to mingle.
Maybe not by choice, but that’s neither her nor there.
Since being dumped in a 27-second phone call by Joe Jonas last year, she has been off the social radar.
And because her taste in men seems to be lacking a bit, maybe someone else she pick who she dates next.
It should be a boy who is very different than the bushy-eye browed, pink-shirt sporting, pretty, purity-obsessed King Jonas.
There is no accounting for taste.
My comments will no doubt incur the wrath of the insanely loyal tween set.
Sure, I loved Duran Duran when I was that age, but I didn’t turn into a hysterical, sobbing mess whenever their name was mentioned.
For some reason they are the “it” boys of the moment.
As for the purity rings…
Really?
I’m sorry, but I tend to think that teen boys would not turn down sex when faced with the option, no matter how strong their convictions may be.
But maybe that’s just me.
Enough about her ex and his brothers.
The first prerequisite for Taylor’s new beau is easy — no Disney stars (past or present) need apply.
Except maybe Justin Timberlake, who is an exception to the rule.
This means no Zac Efrons, David Henries, Jason Dolleys or Cody Linleys.
I have no idea who the latter four boys are — thanks “google.”
She needs a bad boy.
Not Colin Farrell naughty.
Or Shia LaBeouf.
Bad doesn’t have to equal trouble.
He doesn’t have to be famous just for misbehaving — although one or two brushes with the law won’t be held against him, necessarily.
As long as we’re talking misdemeanors and not felonies.
Michael Phelps could apply, but not Steve O.
It’s all about moderation.
She should steer clear of self-proclaimed saints.
No fun.
After narrowing down the teen heartthrob’s, I think I’ve found one that fits the bill.
“Twilight” cutie Taylor Lautner.
He’s not a bonafide baddie, but he has that twinkle in his eye that looks a little mischievous.
And they would never forget one another’s names, which can be a plus in their hectic lives.
After picking Taylor L., I was dismayed to watch an entertainment show on Monday and discovered that he is dating Disney darling Selena Gomez, of “Wizards of Waverly Place” fame.
She also dated a Jonas.
Nick.
Supposed, once upon a time, Selena stole the afro-sporting-Jonas from Miley.
The other Disney diva.
Ah, young love.
I guess it’s back to the drawing board for Swift’s new stud.
I’ll be accepting apps all week.
You’re welcome, Taylor.

Sen. Arlen Specter has left the Republican Party. Specter has said the reason he left is that the party is too conservative.
However, his explanation is unconvincing. A recent poll showed Specter far behind in the Republican primary poll to former Congressman Pat Toomey. This poll is the reason Specter left the Republican Party. After he voted for President Obama’s stimulus plan, Republicans were infuriated, and the poll likely showed Specter that he would not win the Republican primary. Specter became a Democrat to try to hold onto power.
The Republican Party in some ways benefits by Specter’s departure. He is not conservative at all, and he only was nominally a Republican.
Occasionally, he takes a high profile stand on conservative issues, such as his recent opposition to a measure that would end the secret ballot for union voting. But aside from these issues, Specter is neither fiscally nor socially conservative.
At first glance, Specter’s explanation about the Republican Party becoming too conservative might seem plausible. Specter is one of only a few liberal Republicans left in the Northeast. When people try to portray the Republican Party as being too conservative, this complaint usually means that the party is too far to the right on social issues.
Specter likely is trying to say his liberal stands on social issues are the reason that he had to become a Democrat.
But liberal Republicans do not fail to win seats in the Northeast simply because the party’s base is socially conservative.
These liberal Republicans are not fiscally conservative either. In effect, they do not seem to stand for anything. Specter relied on the fact that people do not often pay close attention to the spending policies of senators. However, his vote on Obama’s stimulus bill was so obvious, especially because he was one of only three Republicans to support the measure.
Specter no longer could pretend to be conservative in any way. Republicans had enough.
With Specter’s departure, however, the Republican Party likely will lose its ability to filibuster the Democratic majority in the Senate to stop legislation. Specter did provide a vote for organization purposes when Republicans had the majority. His occasional conservative stances, such as on the union voting measure, did help the party.
Whatever the positives or negatives of Specter’s departure, however, his move to the Democrats is personally disloyal to all of the voters who voted him into office.
Parties in the United States do not always completely adhere to their stated viewpoint, but they do provide a basic outline and philosophy that candidates need to share.
For instance, if Specter wants to win the Democratic primary, he probably will have to abandon his stance on union voting. Voters thought they were voting for a Republican, but now they discover that they have elected a Democrat. Of course, the Herald would not blast a Democrat who joined the Republican Party, but the principle is still the same. If someone is elected by a party, they should stay with that party.
If Specter believed that the Republican Party was too conservative, he should have fought within the Republican Party for his beliefs. Instead, Specter put his own interests first.

Creepy burglars stole two forklifts from the Keystone Potato Products building in Frailey Township between April 24 and 27, state police at Schuylkill Haven said.
The two forklifts — a 2008 Toyota Battery and a 2002 Nissan propane operated lift — are worth a combined $46,000, state police said.

Punks used spray paint to damage a large metal curve ahead sign along Schubert Road in Bethel Township, Berks County, between March 16 and 17, township police said.
Damage was about $125, police said.
Anybody with information is asked to contact the Berks Communications Center at (800) 372-9111.

A man allegedly kissed and licked the left arm of a waitress after approaching and speaking to her at Hollywood Casino at Penn National on Hollywood Boulevard in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County, on April 22, state police Gaming Enforcement Office said.
The waitress immediately reported the incident to state police, but the suspect has left the area, state police said.
The suspect is described as a white man, with short brown hair, a mustache and glasses, state police said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Barbour at 717-469-1791.

President Obama’s first 100 days in office have been a big disappointment. The general misdirection of his administration was heightened when Obama sank to a new low by releasing classified memos this past week that detail CIA interrogations of terrorists. This move has aligned Obama forever with the far, far left of the country. His conduct is shameful and hurts those who are trying to protect the country.
So far, much of what has been wrong with Obama’s administration focuses on fiscal policy. He has plans in place to spend trillions of dollars that the United States simply does not have, placing the country in a precarious financial position where we would be completely at the mercy of any creditor who accepts our debts.
This past week, however, Obama’s foreign policy has nosedived from being weak and conciliatory to being downright dangerous.
Releasing memos of how the CIA interrogated terrorists will help those people who are trying to harm the United States. Our enemies will know what we will do to obtain information, and they can plan on how to avoid giving information that could help keep Americans safe. Additionally, by releasing the memos, Obama is casting aspersions on those who tried to prevent future attacks on the United States.
Even worse than the release of the classified memos, however, is Obama’s refusal to rule out prosecuting members of President Bush’s Administration for ordering enhanced interrogations. The objective of the Bush Administration was to keep American safe, and the interrogations led to information that accomplished this objective. Any prosecution would be a partisan disgrace.
At same time, Obama is trying to talk to and befriend enemies of the United States, such as Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. Obama seems to believe that making friends with enemies of the United States is a good policy and will make the United States safer. But he apparently is forgetting that there is a reason why these people are enemies of the United States. They run repressive regimes that are unsuccessful economically. They do not have redeeming qualities.
In analyzing Obama’s policies from a historical viewpoint, several presidents near the bottom of the presidential rankings polls have treated controversial predecessors with far more humility and grace than Obama has shown.
Warren Harding offers one instructive example. Harding was more of an isolationist than his predecessor, Woodrow Wilson. Wilson got the United States involved in World War I. Although Harding disagreed with Wilson politically, he did not seek to prosecute members of Wilson’s Administration for going into World War I because Wilson was not seeking to harm the country. In domestic policy, Harding was faced with an economic downturn, but he did not seek to create a panic to promote his own agenda. Instead, he held back government intervention and the economy improved.
If Harding is ranked near the bottom of presidential polls, what does that say about Obama? Harding showed grace, civility and class toward Woodrow Wilson, whom he just as easily could have vilified for his own cheap, petty political gain.
Obama’s first 100 days in office are a disaster. He is even more partisan than anyone could have guessed. Instead of trying to show up President Bush, Obama should figure out a way to help the economy without putting the country in massive debt and figure out a way to conduct foreign policy that does not reward enemies and punish friends of the United States, including our own CIA. This conduct must stop.

By KARA CONNERS
The Hair Doc
What is your favorite style of sandals?
HAIR DOC: I really like a wedge. Now, let me elaborate. A wedge sandal elongates a shorter leg. Since I am a whopping 5-foot-3, I like to look taller than I really am so a platform or wedge always makes legs look slimmer, and of course, make you taller.
Now for everyday comfort a great flip-flop is always key. They are so inexpensive and can be thrown away if they get yucky.
The gladiator sandal is still in style this year. You should always invest in a good pair that goes with anything.

I want to change the color of my hair, but I don’t know which color. How do you determine what is the right hair color to use?
HAIR DOC: A good colorist can look at a person’s face and color and tone of their skin and determine what color or highlights would look great.
Girls with green or blue can look great in basically anything especially a great red or beautiful blonde.
The darker deep brown eyes always look good in a chestnut or darker auburn color with a few subtle highlights in a lighter shade of brown.
Hair color is a great way to cover up those “natural highlights” aka gray…and also it’s a fun way to change your appearance.

Taylor Swift appears in the Herald every week. Do you like her style and hair?
HAIR DOC: I love Taylor’s hair. It is actually the most requested updo style. The messy sexy romantic is always a fun and gorgeous for any event.
—
Kara Conners, the Hair Doc, is the owner of Hey Gorgeous Hair Studio, located on 39 West Main Avenue in Myerstown.

By MOLLY DAVIS
Whoever said “there is no such thing as bad publicity” never met LiLo.
Lindsay Lohan.
She needs a vacation.
Not from work, or even from the drama surrounding she and ex-gal pal Sam Ronson.
From the constant scrutiny.
Seriously?
The rehab grad cannot get a break.
And she desperately deserves one.
Every time she makes one decent decision, someone brings to light the five “bad” ones made in conjunction.
She made a great fake eharmony video last week with the help of funnyordie.com, where she pokes fun at her behavior and all of the various rumors surrounding her at any given moment.
But right on the video’s heels, TMZ.com reported that a press release was fired off by Prive nightclub at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Vegas.
The club claims that LiLo relapsed, ordering “a vodka mixed with soda water and a splash of cranberry.”
So what.
Is this anyone’s business?
Nope.
I don’t understand why everyone seems to enjoy her downs more than her ups.
Yes, she has alcohol issues.
So do a lot of people.
They’re just not followed around by the paparazzi 24/7.
If they were, I’m pretty sure some less-than-flattering moments would be preserved for posterity. Especially when on vacation in Nevada.
So much for what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…
–
Molly Davis is a columnist for the Myerstown Herald Daily Briefing.

By ERIC FISHER
We have lost our voice.
That is the poignant way Phillies president David Montgomery described the impact of Harry Kalas’ death.
But Kalas was so much more than a voice. Yes, his rich baritone virtually assured Kalas of a lifetime job in broadcasting. But his voice alone would not have turned this long-time Phillies broadcaster into a beloved figure.
Kalas was more than a voice. He was a friend. Even though most of his listeners never met him, they felt as if they knew him. Kalas was an old friend who showed up each spring and visited through the fall.
Sometimes Kalas visited us in our living rooms. Other times he accompanied us in our cars. When the Phillies were on the West Coast, sometimes he even joined us in our bedrooms, easing us to sleep with his soothing voice or jolting us awake with the excitement of his signature home run call.
Broadcasters have a vastly underrated role in connecting fans to their teams. Players come and go, but broadcasters can remain in place for years. In some instances, they become the face, and voice, of the franchise. That is why Montgomery also described Kalas as the heart and soul of the Phillies.
Kalas died during his 39th season broadcasting Phillies games. But longevity is not what made this Hall of Famer so memorable.
There are many broadcasters who can accurately describe the action. Kalas could do that.
There are many broadcasters with a love for the game. Kalas certainly possessed that as well.
But there are few broadcasters who can accurately describe the action, convey a love for the game, and connect with fans on a personal level. Kalas could do it all. Nobody I’ve heard ever did it better.
Kalas connected with fans because he was so genuine. The voice was genuine. In the hours after Kalas’ death, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins remarked that some people thought Kalas only used that voice on television and radio – until you met him and heard him speak exactly the same way.
That was one of the keys to Kalas’ popularity: he was the same away from the broadcast booth as he was inside it.
Fans are pretty good at spotting a phony. But they’re also good at sensing genuineness and honesty.
Kalas was genuine. Not only was his voice the same, but he was the same person. I never heard a story about Kalas “big-timing” someone because he was Harry Kalas. He had time for everyone, from the star player to the common fan.
Kalas genuinely loved Phillies fans. He told them so on many occasions, including at the end of his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. He meant every word of it. And the fans knew it. That’s why a large crowd is expected for Kalas’ public memorial service Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
Another aspect of Kalas that fans could sense was genuine was his love for baseball. That wasn’t an act. Kalas loved the game. Even when the Phillies weren’t playing well – and there were plenty of barren years during Kalas’ 38-year tenure – he always sounded enthusiastic. You never got the sense that he was going through the motions.
For 38 years, Kalas’ mellifluous tones provided the soundtrack of our summers.
Home run, Michael Jack Schmidt!
Struck him out!
Juan Samuel races into third with a stand-up triple!
And, of course, “Outta here! Home run … (fill in your favorite Phillie).”
Even as I write these signature calls, I can hear Kalas’ distinctive way of saying “Juan Samuel” or “Mickey Morandini.” His pronunciation – and enunciation – was simply perfect.
Another aspect of Kalas’ style that I admired was his ability to convey emotion without screaming. Too many hometown broadcasters rely on screaming to convey excitement and emotion. By contrast, Kalas conveyed excitement and emotion by changing his pitch. Rarely, if ever (although I’m certain someone has an example), did Kalas scream, yet nobody could accuse Kalas of failing to rise to the occasion.
One of Kalas’ distinctive talents was being able to rise to the occasion. When a big play occurred, Kalas was at the top of his game.
One instance when Kalas didn’t rise to the occasion, however, was the 1980 World Series. He didn’t rise to the occasion because he wasn’t allowed. Major League Baseball sold exclusive rights to national broadcasts, so the local announcers weren’t allowed to broadcast World Series games.
Phillies fans protested so vociferously that Major League Baseball changed that policy shortly thereafter. During a one-on-one interview with Kalas in July of 2002, the week before his Baseball Hall of Fame induction, tears filled his eyes and his magnificent voice appeared ready to crack as he told me how much he loved Phillies fans for lobbying for him and his broadcast partner and close friend, Richie “Whitey” Ashburn, to broadcast World Series games.
Thanks to Phillies fans, Kalas was able to broadcast the 1983 World Series. Unfortunately, the Phillies lost. A great moment was missed.
Twenty-five years later, however, the Phillies won their second World Series. Kalas finally had his big moment.
Kalas had another big moment last week when he threw out the first pitch on the day when the Phillies received their World Series rings. Then, Monday, he was gone.
Harry Kalas was pronounced dead at George Washington Hospital, but, fittingly, his final waking moments were spent in a broadcast booth.
He spent his life doing exactly what he wanted to do. Exactly what he was put on this earth to do.
In my experience, nobody has ever done it better.
Thank you, Harry. And say hello to Whitey for us.