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It's FREE! Really, mom. Washtenaw County's Summer Camp for Kids has camps in Football, Track, Golf, Wrestling, Basketball, Cheerleading and Tennis for kids ages 8 to 15. The camps are offered this summer from June 16 through July 31. Just print off the Registration Flyer and send it back to Washtenaw County Trial Court - Juvenile Division 2270 Platt Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Need more info? Call (734) 222-6900.

For those not aware, the Detroit Tigers have been the center of attention in the baseball world since last December when a series of huge trades left the Tigers stacked in offence. Of course, that focus shifted recently to the fact that they became the team that couldn’t (literally) buy a win, having gone 0-7. But yesterday they won! And decisively, too. Tonight, as we all prepare for Detroit’s Nate Robertson vs. Boston’s Tim “Knuckles” Wakefield, curl up with your favorite baseball book, whether it be about the game’s history, a work of fiction, satire, or hardcore analysis of the game.

I’m looking forward to reading the greatest poem ever written, the 1888 classic “Casey At The Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung In The Year 1888,” if for no other reason because it shows how one hundred and twenty years later, the game remains remarkably unchanged. I also think I’ll reread my favourite chapters of Baseball Between The Numbers: Why Everything You Know About The Game Is Wrong by the stat geeks at Baseball Prospectus. It has a wonderful chapter which actually uses Nate Robertson (and Jeremy Bonderman) as an example why a pitcher’s Win-Loss record largely has no bearing on his pitching ability (I seem to remember last year, Nate Robertson left a game winning against D-Rays 4-0 after 6 2/3, only to have Jason Grilli surrender a grand slam in relief. That’s called Nate’s entire career.)

golf

Weather's going to be great all week so be the first one on your block to get back in the swing at Huron Hills Golf Course. Walk-ons are welcomed at the Home to Affordable Golf In Ann Arbor. There are all kinds of special events coming up at Huron Hills and Leslie Park including plenty of golf instruction courses.

Today, kids and adults across the country are calling into work or school sick, conveniently allowing them all to watch Opening Day of baseball. I myself spent many an April 1st (or March 31st,) my favourite national holiday, home “sick” watching the Tigers. Of course, in those days, the Tigers played at The Corner and hadn’t entered their winning drought. But today has special significance beyond Opening Day, and not just because the Tigers enter as heavy October contenders, despite bullpen issues. Today is also the eve of José Canseco’s new book, Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball, a book no one should read.

Vindicated follows 2005’s Juiced, José Canseco’s exposé on many high-profile steroid users in baseball, himself including. He accused players he directly injected/supplied, suspected due to enlarged physiques, and those he suspected due to “c’mon, they’re probably doing steroids.” The gossip novel, full of innuendo, pointed fingers, and flimsy hearsay was meant not shine a light on the steroid problem in baseball (like Game of Shadows slightly dubiously did in 2006,) but to put the former All-Star—who couldn’t buy a spring training invitation in 2005—back into the spotlight.

...a bunch of great baseball movies: Major League is #10 on Baseball Almanac's Top Ten List. Other favorites are Bang the Drum Slowly, Eight Men Out, Field of Dreams, and The Natural. Bull Durham tops this and many other lists. ESPN.com's "Page 2" Readers wax nostalgic as they recall their top 10 best moments in baseball movies. For a wider selection, try the top 100 baseball movies according to the Boston Men's Baseball League.

Whirly Ball

Ann Arbor has its very own Whirly Ball center! This game looks like a blast. It's basketball, but played while riding around in a bumper car. This sport is proof in action that exercise doesn't have to be boring, it can be a ton of fun. The library has all sorts of books on funky sports, including Jump Rope!, The Complete Idiots Guide to Pro Wrestling, and Boomerangs; How to Make and Throw Them.

These words have their own meaning in the world of lacrosse and if you would like to learn more about a sport where players don helmets, pads, gloves, wield a stick and use a rubber ball that feels like a hockey puck, pick up a copy of Inside Lacrosse at the Downtown library.

If you're already a big fan, but unfamiliar with this title, it's oversize format is loaded with news about pro, college and high-school teams, player profiles, interviews, fitness instruction, strategy, technique instruction, "stringing and dyeing" your stick, and fantastic photos and illustrations.

Oh yeah, you can also check out their website.

Cradling, Clamping and Scooping

basketballhoopp

Congratulations to many local basketball teams, Pioneer, Huron, and Gabriel Richard boy's teams who have lead in their b-ball conferences, and for Gabriel Richard who is still in the game and will be heading to the Breslin Center on March 13!
On the heels of the high school season is the post-season play of colleges across the country.
While you're filling out your brackets and waiting for the next game, you may want to try Can I Keep My Jersey?, or Game of My Life remember J-Mac who rained down 3's; it's his story. Also, brand new Basketball Skills & Drills can give you a start for your next season.

knight

Bobby Knight announced his retirement last night after winning more games than any men's coach in major college basketball history and collecting three NCAA titles. Arguably the best hoop strategist ever, Knight was the subject of the best basketball book written, A Season On the Brink. Sadly, his temper on and off the court caused him to leave his beloved Hoosiers behind for Texas Tech but his legacy of graduating players and playing by the book earned him his rightful place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

ernie

It's not spring until you hear Ernie Harwell open the baseball season with ...

For the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the song of the birds has come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Ernie turns 90 on Friday, Jan. 25th. Both the News and Free Press have done nice articles on Ernie. Here's hoping Ernie opens many more Tiger seasons.