First cars, superstars and har-de-hars

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The Big Milestone

That's my soon-to-graduate-from-college daughter, Katie, and her first car. 

She took possession of it Monday and drove it back to Lawrence U. in Appleton. With its 4-wheel-drive, the 2003 Ford Escape will help her navigate the Wisconsin winters and will give all of us - including her old man and old lady - a little peace of mind. 

For those wondering exactly how spoiled Katie is ... we didn't let her get her driver's license until she was 18, she had no wheels until now and she put up a pretty nice chunk of her own hard-earned cash toward this graduation present (which has 81,000 miles on it).

Congrats, Katie, you deserve it!

The Bald Truth

Although he did nothing but contribute the genes, Michael Jordan was still the man in the spotlight as son Marcus helped Whitney Young win the Illinois big-schools prep hoops title.

The media barely cared that the school won a championship. After all, the real important news was that Michael shed tears over his son's exploits.

No matter what, it's always about Michael, isn't it?

The Balder Truth

One weekend in, I'm already tired of hearing announcers yammer on about players in the NCAA tournament experiencing "fatigue."

Please. As Bobby Knight said years ago: With all of the time outs that are called - and the length of said time outs - any 20-year-old who is tired must be in pretty crappy shape.

A 30-second time out lasts about 90 seconds, a full time out lasts about 2 1/2 minutes and a TV time out goes on for approximately an ice age. March Madness, indeed.

Believe me, these superbly conditioned athletes get far more fatigued during every team practice than they do during NCAA tourney games.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

"Four World Series, three world championships. That there are men with plaques in Cooperstown who never experienced one - and I was able to be on three teams over seven years that won it all - is another 'beyond my wildest dreams' set of memories I'll take with me." - Curt Schilling, announcing his retirement on his blog.

He averaged only about 11 victories during his 20-year career, but I'm leaning toward giving Schilling my Hall of Fame vote when he's eligible in five years.

Why? 

His incredible postseason performance (11-2, 2.23 ERA). 

His role in helping the Red Sox reverse the Curse of the Bambino.

His outstanding pitching during the heart of the Steroid Era. 

And, of course, his humility. I mean, at least he stopped short of claiming to be the best pitcher ever.