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Parent's guide to summer sports camps

Between the glossy brochures and fancy websites, choosing a summer sports camp for your kid has never been more complicated.

Summer sports camps are sophisticated enterprises designed to instruct campers in sport-specific techniques and, in some cases, possibly catch the eye of a university recruiter.

Here are three tips to help parents find the best camp for the young athlete in their family.

Despite popular debate, BCS unchanged

Bowl Championship Series officials concluded three days of meetings last week with no major changes being made to the system used to crown a college football champion.

Among the wide range of BCS issues that were discussed included the standings and automatic qualification standards. The commissioners from the 11 major conferences and Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White decided to continue with the current system as-is.

There has been a cry to only make conference champs eligible to play for the national championship as well as to change the rule allowing a maximum of two teams per conference in the five big-money bowl games. There was reportedly no support to revise the current BCS system.

Last season, the BCS produced another controversial championship game. When the final BCS standings were released, Florida jumped over Michigan and into the title game against Ohio State and an undefeated Boise State was left behind with no chance to have a crack at the title. The debate over whether the Gators or Wolverines should've played the Buckeyes raged for weeks and stirred up much discussion on improving the BCS system.

I would love to see some type of college football playoff system worked out. To reference a blog I wrote after Boise State came through with that thrilling victory:

Historically, sports have shown us that the best team the entire season through doesn’t always have what it takes to win when it counts. It just doesn’t seem to be a fair assessment, especially when people use the argument that a playoff system will never be implemented because of all the revenue that would be lost on bowl games. The thought of compromising crowning an NCAA football champion that is truly the best because of money--that shifting the game around for the sake of entertainment instead of in an effort to uphold the integrity of the game and collegiate sports is even an option--makes me sick.

(Photo provided by Getty Images/Stephen Dunn)

Q & A with new Kansas City tight end Michael Allan

After a tremendous showing at the NFL combine, Whitworth College tight end Michael Allan has transformed himself from little-known Division III athlete into a viable NFL prospect. Active.com spoke with him to get his thoughts on life at a small college and what it's like to read your own player profile on ESPN.

Mel Kiper gave you some love last night on SportsCenter as a high-value pick in the draft. That must have been pretty cool.

Yeah I saw that. My buddy called me from Spokane and told me to turn it on. Not often you hear your name on SportsCenter.

How does a kid who didn't make his high school all-star team turn into a possible first- day NFL draft pick?

(Laughs) I don't know. A lot of it is physical maturation. I was kind of an awkward athlete coming out of high school. Six-four, 190 and running a five-flat (40-yard dash). I grew into my body halfway through college. I always knew how to play the game. Once my body matured I was able to do it cleanly.

Read the rest of the Q & A.

The Greatest Sports Nicknames

Last month I posted an entry that covered a few of the most unique mascots that I could dig up. When I posted the topic to our message boards, there was some very interesting feedback on mascots from all over.

Today I decided to sift through some of the great sports nicknames and post up a list of my favorites. Many people say the creation of sports nicknames is a lost art and that athletes just don’t have nicknames like they used to. To an extent, they have a point; modern nicknames are, for the most part, boring and unimaginative (T-Mac, A-Rod, etc.) I'd like to salute a few of the great ones from the past in a brief list of my favorites (in no particular order):

The Iron Horse (Lou Gehrig) – There are few nicknames that are more apt in their description of a player than “The Iron Horse”, earned by Gehrig during his long-standing record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

Shoeless Joe (Joe Jackson) – This is one of my favorite nicknames of all time. Joe Jackson earned the name “Shoeless” when, as a young player, he took off a pair of spikes that hurt his feet and played the outfield wearing only socks.

Ultimate Teammates

The softball season is starting up and it's strange not to be out there with my old teammates this year (Good luck Ramblers!).  When I begin to think of how much I miss playing, I turn my focus to how fortunate I've been to have had the opportunity to play with amazing teammates over the years.

One of my favorite quotes is by Jesse Owens, "Friendships are born on the field of athletic strife and the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust."

Ron Springs and Everson Walls are such a great example of that sentiment. They share a special bond forged over their years as teammates on the Dallas Cowboys. That’s nothing compared to their newest bond — the kidney Walls donated to Springs in perhaps the ultimate teammate gesture.

Springs and Walls, 47, recovered at Medical City Hospital on Thursday, a day after the transplant operation — the first between two former American professional athletes. The 50-year-old Springs has had diabetes for 16 years and has been on the national transplant waiting list since 2004. Providing his body accepts Walls’s kidney, Springs will no longer need dialysis. He also should again be able to walk on his own.

"That's brotherly love," Springs told The Associated Press. "It's something you can't explain, but something that I will always think about every day for the rest of my life."

Do you have any inspirational teammate stories to share?

Athletes received steroids in online ring

Athletes were involved as customers in an illicit steroid distribution network that led authorities to raid two Orlando pharmacies and arrest four company officials, a New York prosecutor said.

Customers include Los Angeles Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr., according to the Times Union of Albany, which first disclosed the investigation, citing unidentified sources. Matthews would not answer specific questions about the story Wednesday. Matthews said he didn't know why is name was reportedly on the client list, adding, "That's what we're working on, trying to find out. I will address it at appropriate time."

The Times Union said investigators found evidence that testosterone and other performance-enhancing drugs may have been fraudulently prescribed over the Internet to current and former Major League Baseball and NFL players, college athletes, high school coaches, a former Mr. Olympia champion and another top contender in the bodybuilding competition.

Give the ref a break

A Corpus Christi Pee-Wee football coach who charged and knocked down a game referee is blaming the 18-year-old ref for the attack.

Witnesses said the coach, Robert Watson was angry at the ref for ordering him off the field for cursing -- as well as at his 5- and 6-year-old players for not blocking. Watson's team, the Titans, was trailing the 49ers 12-6 with 10 seconds left in the Pee-Wee league's championship game when the incident happened.

Police Captain John Houston said the coach had been warned several times about cursing on the sidelines before his ejection. Houston said the referee was left briefly unconscious by the attack but is otherwise alright.

In the face of increasing amounts of abuse such as this from players, coaches and fans, many officials are leaving the profession. But there are steps you can take to help keep them around.

Special Super Bowl

Two good friends who happen to be NFL coaches are already front-and-center in this Super Bowl, and kickoff hasn’t even taken place yet.

Lovie Smith became the first black head coach to make it all the way to the NFL's marquee game when his Chicago Bears won the NFC championship on Sunday. About four hours later, his pal and mentor, Tony Dungy, joined him there when his Indianapolis Colts took the AFC title. For the first time in the big game's 41-year history, not one but two black head coaches will be on the sidelines.

"It means a lot," Dungy said after a 38-34 victory over the New England Patriots. "I'm very proud to represent African-American coaches."

Smith was one of Dungy's assistants when the two were with Tampa Bay from 1996-2000, and they established a friendship that has grown in the years since. Now, the two buddies will go to the Super Bowl -- with the chance to win a championship.

Smith and Dungy already have sealed a huge victory for minority coaches, regardless of who brings home a championship.

Perhaps Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said it best, "I'm happy for both coaches. I hope we get to the point we don't have to hear about it."

(Photo provided by Getty Images, taken by Scott Halleran)

College football sell-out

Watching the BCS championship game between Florida and Ohio State on January 8th, it became difficult to avoid the conclusion that the NCAA has abandoned its commitment to its student-athletes in favor of commercial payouts.

How can the NCAA possibly claim that it is in the best interest of its student-athletes, or even college football, to make the best teams sit out four to seven weeks before an important bowl game? Loss of conditioning alone is a danger to the players. Every few years, the wait becomes longer and the final game later.

In the NCAA, where these student-athletes are completely at the mercy of this organization, these young adults seem to have been sacrificed to the dollar. I would like to hear a rational, ethical explanation as to why Division I-A student-athletes are subjected to the present conditions. The obvious answer involves 12-digit dollar figures, and cities and corporations that fear any change will reduce their financial gains.

(Photo provided by Getty Images, taken by Andy Lyons)