rjs4470

Many Cubans found in the Caribbean shops are fakes. Buying from any store that isn't a La Casa del Habanos is taking a risk. You need to have a little knowledge to make sure you aren't getting ripped off at a local shop, and don't even think of buying from a guy on the street. Anything that's missing the Cuban stamp, wrapped in cellophane, or is being sold out of a box not entirely made out of wood is likely a fake. And I disagree that most Cuban cigars are cheap. Real authentic Cubans are NOT cheap. You might be able to get smaller gauage sticks for around $10, but even the mid range smokes are going to be $20 or more per stick, with the higher end brands going for as much as $100 (or more) each. And while real Cubans are good cigars, there are much better values from the DR, Honduras, etc that are as good as or even better than real Cubans. Coupled with the fact that you can't bring them into the US anymore, it's probably not worth the effort, cost or risk of trying to buy them. Unless you are absolutely sure about what you're buying, and understand that the price likely won't align with the value, you're probably better off steering clear, or at least understand you might get disappointed.

I still see no reason to rearrange, re-order or worry about how eggs are sitting in the carton. The need for absolute order in everything must be paralyzing.

Except it didn’t for Scott. They had a few really good years including one where they were one play away from beating Johnson Central and going to a state semi final. And the middle school won a handful of championships during the same time period. And they still lost kids, and couldn’t shake the reputation of being a bad football school. They had a little success right after Covid, but that was as much a function of playing in a really weak district. And the last few years with the coaching carousel have been really tough. It’s hard to figure out. Facilities are great, the school is solid academically, and there is community support. But there have been so many top flight players that have chosen to play elsewhere. When they’ve stayed they’ve done well, but it’s been awhile since any have stayed.

I've been in just about every major city in the country, and Louisville is not even close to being bad. Like others have said, yes there are some rough sections. People like to knock on big cities, but even the biggest and worst of the bunch have more nice, safe areas than dangerous ones.

Old news. This has been in place since the end of the last school year.

Couldn't agree more. And that's just the sports side of the equation. Academically it's a different world as well. Back in the day, there were a few kids who did AP classes. But now you've got kids taking multiple college courses, and just like private sports lessons, there are private tutors, ACT/SAT prep work etc. And many have to have jobs to contribute to the household income because everything is so expensive. Kids today are getting pressure to excel from so many different places all in the interest of getting a little more college money or that elusive full athletic ride, which for most, never comes. It drives me crazy to hear people label today's kids as soft. Despite the fact that the older generation had to share shoes with holes in them and walk uphill both ways into school in 6 feet of snow, kids nowadays do have it pretty tough too.

The problem is getting that first scholarship. The transfer portal has made it harder for incoming freshmen and effectively reduced the number of scholarships available for high school players. Schools are filling needs and giving money to more established current college players who are older, more physically mature, and already have somewhat of a track record of being able to play at the college level....guys that can help coaches win now, not a year or two down the road. These prep schools allow high school kids to prove themselves against better competition, and if they can do well, they have a better chance to secure a better spot at the college level at one of the better schools. It's certainly a risk, because if you don't do well, your road will get much tougher.

Agreed. Parents (or whoever is the primary caregiver) are the number 1 influence. And even then, good parents can end up having bad kids. But every adult who has interactions with that child, plays a role and should model and reinforce those appropriate behaviors and help develp those "soft skills" mentioned in the post I quoted . And I did specifcally mentioned parents in my list, and it's why I said it takes a village. My post was in response to one that singled out coaches as being the primary influencers, and that sports teach all the skills that children need in life. While I agree that sports can be a big influence (and they absolutely were for me personally), I believe there are other, bigger influences (ie parents, family, teachers etc) than a coach (or coaches) who only get a couple hours a day, a few months out of the year with kids. I think too often we place sports on a much higher pedastel than they really are. There are many, many more kids out there who aren't athletic and never pick up a ball, make a tackle, a sink a shot that still turn out just fine. If sports were the main indicator for future success, then there are a ton of kids who aren't athletic or aren't interested enough in sports who would never have a chance in life because they choose not to play.

While I agree coaches bear responsibility for this, remember that it takes a village. This is also a failure on teachers, administrators, parents and any other adult involved in educating and raising children. It’s NOT just up to a coach who has a kid under his watch for two hours a day from mid July for 4 months out of the year. If it were just football coaches (or the coach of any sports) responsible for teaching those “soft skills” to make kids employable, there would be millions of kids (the ones who never set foot on a field) who wouldn’t have a chance in life.

I remember one a little later than that, around 2012 or 2013. I was working in downtown Cincinnati on the 17th floor of the Enquirer building, and we suddenly felt the building moving. It was subtle, but very noticeable. We all looked at each other like "did that just happen or am I imagining something happened". We then started hearing the reports of an earthquake. It was pretty widespread, as I had friends on the east coast that felt it too.

Initially when the field was first assembled it wasn't a problem. Then the following year, or the year after, bleachers became available. With the steep fall off and woods to the left, and a retaining pond to the right, the bleachers kind of had to be placed where they are. When everyone realized the bleachers and fencing were only a few feet from the playing field, the decision was made to shift the field away from the bleachers. I would think the goalposts could be moved, but the field is kind of an afterthough, and the only real upgrade that's been added is the equipment shed, which the team fundraised for and had built (Former Scott and current St. Henry assistant coach was the head coach at that time). Again, the off set field is not really a big problem as field goals are so rarely attempted. Typically over the years the only actual games that get played there are makeup games or middle school JV games. Usually about 1 per year. The Taylor Mill Eagles hosted many of their games there when they first re-formed. Scott occasionally practiced there when Woolley was the head coach and they had away games coming up on grass fields. When the leaves start to turn colors in the fall, it is a really nice looking place, and could be a very nice field with a few minor enhancements.

Youth plays their games on Saturdays/Sundays. Most middle school games are played on Thursday or Wednesday nights. Dixie's programs get first dibs on the field, which unfortunately leaves TF with not much availability to play at Dixie. I don't think it's intentional, it's just a product of not having enough space. The other Kenton County schools are in situations where it's not as much of an issue. Twenhofel and SVA have their own field, and Scott has a grass Soccer only field on which their soccer teams play a good chunk of their games, which opens the Football stadium up for Woodland, who also has a serviceable field if needed in a pinch.

Yep. And the bluegrass patches came over from Scott's field as well. The dirt removed when Scott installed their turf field was used to fill in what used to be a very uneven, sloped field. The bleachers came from SK when their field was updated. Basically a bunch of repurposed, re-used parts were used to create a usable field.

Woodland in Taylor Mill, has a field, and does play games there in a pinch, but plays most of their home games at Scott. There are a lot of issues with the field, most notably, is that the goal posts are off center. Centering the goal posts would put the sideline only a few yards from the bleachers creating a big safety risk.

I suppose it could prevent bone bruises too (which I've never seen in a knee). But you are right in saying it really doesn't protect much.

No. I always enforced my players being properly equipped. I would never knowingly allow players to break a rules. My point again, is I don't believe kids breaking a simple rule like not wearing knee pads will lead to a lifetime of lawlessness or the decline of society.

I don't think any coach is encouraging rule-breaking. My only point was that I don't think a kid not wearing knee pads in a high school football game correlates to future issues of not following rules. Also, there are many instances of adults not following rules that can be seen every day (speeding). I think ultimately it comes down to risk vs reward/ lack of consequences. You're right in saying that if coaches/officials start not allowing a kid without knee pads to play, you'd certainly get much better compliance. Same with speeding. If speeding laws were enforced more regularly or the fines/consequences were much harsher, you'd likely get better compliance. The issue is where do you draw the line to get better compliance, vs creating a harsh police like state where every single violation is enforced strictly, thus taxing time and resources.

I would agree that teenagers tend to overestimate their driving ability. But there are more than a few adults who do as well, especially in less-than-ideal conditions, such as rain and snow.

I don't think not wearing knee pads is going to lead a kid down a lifelong path of crime. I look back at my playing days in the 80's and we used to take the butt pad out of our girdle...I'm not sure why, but just about every skill player on our offense, and anybody whose hand wasn't on the ground at the start of a play on defense never wore a butt pad. And we never turned into a bunch of outlaws as adults. This type of thing has been going on for years and not just in sports. There are many situations in life where people knowingly break the rules without it leading to utter chaos. All it takes is 10 minutes on the interstate and you'll see a lot of people knowingly not following the speed limit. I'm not saying rules and laws aren't important. They absolutely are. But whether a football player wears knee pads or not, isn't a hill I'm going to die on.

That's the story I always heard. He had become pretty unreliable and hard to work with and had gotten fired briefly before their final album (before Dio came aboard), Never Say Die. That's why Bill Ward sang a song on Never Say Die (It's Alright), because Ozzy hated it and refused to sing it. It's been said the last straw was Ozzy getting loaded, and sleeping through a scheduled show. From what I've also heard, Tony Iommi didn't really want Ozzy in the band originally because he knew him and hated him in school. He only got the gig because he had PA system.

I literally listen to something from Ozzy or Black Sabbath everyday, and have since I was about 13 years old and got Diary of a Madman. It was the second album I ever owned (Back in Black was the first). I've seen him in concert 5 times, and all were memorable experiences. Everything he's done I've loved, including the two recent albums from a couple years ago. I don't suffer from celebrity worship all that much, but Ozzy was one celebrity I did worship.

Actually, probably less than zero.

Must have been a different kind of mesh. The heavy mesh jerseys we had could survive a nuclear bombing.

I'm not a teacher (but I have two kids that are), but I can't imagine asking a student of mine to babysit or do any job/work for me. Too many potential issues if something were to go wrong. And other professions do have the same sort of issues. I've managed people for many years, and have had to maintain boundaries with those I supervise. I could never ask someone from a team that I manage to babsysit, or do work for me. Communication wise it's the same thing...all communication has to go through approved channels, ie email, slack/company instant messaging etc. It's just not a good idea to entangle your personal life with anyone you manage, teach or otherwise have some position of power over.

It's true that people with bad intentions might break laws — but laws aren't just about stopping every bad person. They're about creating a structure that discourages harmful behavior, sets consequences, and protects the rest of us. Most importantly, rules and laws also give society a way to hold people accountable after the fact. Without rules and laws, we wouldn’t just have bad people doing bad things — we’d have no way to stop or punish them. And as society evolves, rules and laws must evolve with it. Without laws, we'd have a lot less structure and order, and no way to hold people who do harm accountable.