Put On Your Dancing Shoes

The nation’s attention turns to the college hoops scene for the next few weeks as the NCAA tournament kicks off later today.  I’m not in any pools this year, so most of these selections have no ultimate bearing on my life, aside from personal pride.  With the Final Four and the Championship taking place just down the road in Indianapolis, I may have to expend a not-insignificant amount of money should a certain school from West Lafayette manage to make it that far.  So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s selections.

Maybe it is personal bias, but I am expecting big things from the two Big Ten teams in this bracket, including one making their way to the Final Four.

Purdue followed up a disappointing end to the regular season with a spirited run through the Big Ten Tournament to capture the championship.  Are they fixed?  Well, I hope so since I have them coming out of this region and heading to Indy. Continue reading →

Breaking Barriers

Later today, a woman is scheduled to umpire a regular season major league game for the first time.  Jen Pawol, who has been a minor-league umpire since 2016, is being called up for a doubleheader between the Marlins and the Braves, working the bases in place of the home plate umpires, who only work the one game.  She is then slated to work behind the plate for Sunday’s series finale.

Pawol, a 48-year-old graduate of Hofstra University, worked spring training games in 2024, becoming the first woman to do so since 2007. She is only the third woman to ever umpire a major-league spring training game.  She also became a crew chief in the International League last season.

MLB is behind the times in this area.  The NBA had its first female referee debut 28 years ago, while the NFL has had female officials for the past ten years.  Hopefully this leads to more opportunities for interested women to find a career in baseball.