>Would you Like Fries with that?

Last week, Jeremy Tyler, a 17-year old high school junior in San Diego decided that he was just going to go ahead and drop out of high school. Not for any reason that a person with moderate intelligence would find reasonable, but rather to go and play professional basketball overseas.

This is far from a reasonable decision for many reasons, both on and off a basketball court.

The fact is that these days, players who enter the NBA Draft after foreign careers (though usually foreign in birth) are considered project players (one who will take a lot of work) even when a NBA team does take a risk on them. Meaning that come 2011, chances are that not only will Tyler be expected to adjust to the American professional game from the finesse he will then be accustomed to from Europe, but he will also have to do so without the basic fundamentals that basketball players learn on a college level. And that’s a big factor, even as the only one on the court.

Here is an important thought that Tyler, his apparently crackpot father and “strategic advisor” should take into consideration: what is the answer going to be from a future potential employer if Tyler blows out his knee next season in Europe? If all Tyler can boast credential wise is that “I dropped out of high school, thought it would be a good idea to go play professional sports overseas, blew out me knee, came back and got my GED.” Oh, I know the answer– ‘would you like fries with that?’

In years previous to the implementation of the NBA’s age limit, players were taking a calculated gamble on passing on a college education that they could fall back on if the NBA did not work for any multitude of reasons. But the fact remained that at the very least; they would have a high school diploma in hand and the ability to attend a university even if they could no longer participate in athletics on that level. Tyler won’t even have that,.He won’t have anything.

All of these things considered, this does not seem like a very well calculated gamble to me.

But the Tylers didn’t take time to calculate here because it is all about the money and you can’t convince me otherwise. I thought this long before I even heard about Sonny Vaccaro, that aforementioned strategic advisor. What in the world is that all about? Tyler’s family is not well off, but really at this point, who is? This is about the all mighty dollar and the fact that more and more human beings are getting into the sports business, which itself is all about money. Where do we as a society or even those parents draw the line?

Kids are getting recruited to college and professional sports younger and younger. College coaches are in middle school gyms, pro coaches are at summertime AAU functions for kids age 14 and up. It is ridiculous and it needs to stop. The problem is that it won’t stop with Jeremy Tyler. All he is doing is fanning the fire and making society and sport that much worse off.

> Paulus? Again? Damnit.

After a 60-hour post NCAA title game sports strike (to avoid seeing Tyler Hansbrough's crubby hands on the sacred trophy), I am now officially disgusted again.

That is because Greg Paulus won't go the hell away. Duke's ex-point guard is now serious about pursuing football. While I'm not sure how I feel about a 4-year basketball player getting a fifth school year of eligibility for a different sport, I'm shocked that there is even any interest in him.

And of all things, he may end up at Michigan?! Rich Rodriguez is stretching here, isn't he?

Even moreso, there are apparently up to six NFL teams interested in Paulus, including the Packers, who worked him out last week. I realise that Paulus was the Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school quarterback in 2004, but he must have been God-like to have that as the only thing on his resume and potentially turning pro...or even quarterbacking a Big Ten team.

Today os ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, Tony Kornheiser and Bob Ryan questioned why, if he is so good, that Duke wouldn't want him as anything other than a potential wide receiver with no guarantees. Why would Duke football want him? One, they should already be sick of losers with that program. And two, the Duke basketball team didn't even want him. He went from potential savior to flop to bench boy.

The only reason I was happy to see Duke's basketball season end was because I didn't think I'd ever have to look at him again

I have been sick of Greg Paulus for years and that will never change. I only want to see him at Michigan or in the NFL for one reason: so I can see him get hit.

Other than that, go away Greg Paulus...I'm done with you.

> Book on Lloy Ball gives unrivaled insight

Sports biographies are not a rare thing these days, but to find one of relevance on a local level is.

Published in late November by AuthorHouse, “The Biggest Mistake I Never Made” tells a unique and interesting tale of former IPFW volleyball sensation Lloy Ball, in his own words, as told to News Sentinel sports writer Blake Sebring.

The tagline on the front cover of the book really does no justice in summing up this tale: “How an Indiana boy gave up basketball to become a world-class volleyball player.”

I really enjoy that Ball and Sebring did not rush along the story, taking plenty of time throughout the 188 pages to transition from event to event. Even the tale of Lloy choosing between playing Division I basketball at Indiana University and coming here to IPFW to play volleyball for his father is not rushed and starts mainly in chapter six.

Chapter one discusses the Ball family and then the tale goes forward into some Team USA stories before delving back into Lloy’s life and moving forward chronologically.

One of my favorite parts of the entire book however comes in that afformentioned chapter six where Ball talks about the first time he told his father, legendary IPFW coach Arnie, that he was coming to IPFW.

In Lloy’s words, after he told his father he was going to play at IPFW, just before the press conference where he would announce the same to the rest of his community, Ball says this of his father’s reaction:

“It was awkward but he didn’t say anything. He just nodded his head.”

This is one of my favorite lines, in part from knowing Arnie and that general Arnie Ball reaction.

Reading Lloy’s insights on his entire storied volleyball career is great. From the first practice of his IPFW career to the gold medal ceremony of the 2008Olympic Games, the whole story is beautifully illustrated by a guy who has been through so much.

The book is available in local bookstores for $17.50 and also online. If you are a fan of local sports, Lloy or Arnie Ball, it is a must have for your collection.