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Commentary: Franklin is 'Flyin’  with the big guys

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By Brian Kollars, Sports editor 10:48 PM Saturday, January 14, 2012

The end of college football season is a sad time. I’ll miss the intense rivalries, coaches scowling at sideline reporters and daily updates on the Honey Badger. But our sports loss is tempered by this: Girl Scout cookie sales began last Friday. Bring on those tasty Tagalongs and Samoas!

Flyin’ to the Hoop is one of my favorite events on the Dayton sports calendar. It’s fun to watch the local kids match up with national powerhouse “high schools” (wink, wink).

The team I really want to see is Franklin, which plays Monday. It’s not often that a Southwestern Buckeye League school is showcased in a national event, but the Wildcats look like the real deal. I’m guessing there will be plenty of red sweatshirts at Trent Arena.

Speaking of prep hoops, kudos to Xenia. I’m not a fan of basketball games that feature as many points as an Alabama-LSU football matchup. That’s not an issue with Xenia, which averages more than 80 points per game. Keep in mind that high schools play 32-minute games.

Congrats to Barry Larkin on his election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Larkin proves that you don’t have to be a self-promoter who plays on one of the coasts to be recognized as one of the all-time best.

The Reds selected Larkin with the No. 4 pick in the 1985 draft.

UD basketball fans are taking up a collection to get St. Bonaventure star Andrew Nicholson a graduation present. Unless the Flyers run into the Bonnies in the Atlantic 10 tourney, The Faithful doesn’t have to worry about any more Nicholson nightmares. He hung 30 on UD last week.

Don’t count out the Packers. It seems like Green Bay went from invincible to a Super Bowl long shot with one loss. Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in football, which still means something.

Winter finally has arrived, but here’s something that might warm you up: Reds pitchers and catchers report to spring training in 35 days.

The best catchphrase of 2012: “Don’t end up in a road-side ditch.” I still have cable, but kudos to DirecTV’s advertising agency.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2163 or bkollars@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Knucklehead  of the week:

Greedy agent Scott Boras overplayed his hand when negotiating on behalf of Ryan Madson. The former Phillies closer had a great 2011 and no doubt expected to cash in with one of the big-market baseball clubs that print money in their clubhouse. Well, Boras struck out and Madson had to settle for a one-year deal with the Reds worth a reported $8.5 million. The Reds should get a motivated Madson, who will try to cash in again next year.

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