Deaf Drivers, NCAA Championship, and Some Philly Sports

I'm not wasting any time, let's just jump right into the agenda...

- I asked the question yesterday about whether or not deaf people can obtain driver's licenses. Since I received about one response over the course of Monday, I just decided to do what anyone else would do: I googled it. Here's a good excerpt from pbs.org:

"Can the deaf drive cars? Many deaf drivers use special devices that let them know when fire or ambulance sirens are wailing or car horns are blaring. To enable drivers to distinguish between sounds, many of these devices can rate the type of sound and alert users on a multi-light panel. Some deaf drivers also use special panoramic mirrors so they can see more of what is around and behind their car. In the U.S., there are few restrictions on the deaf obtaining a license to drive. In certain states, deaf drivers may be required to have special licenses to indicate that the driver is deaf. Not all countries permit deaf people to drive, however; according to statistics from the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), at least 26 countries do not allow deaf citizens to hold a driver's license."

- Alright, so I was completely off with my prediction that the NCAA Championship Game between Florida and UCLA would be a good one. I couldn't have been further off. Florida just ran away with the game and it was uneventful in the process. The Gators were up by 11 points at half time, and with 10 minutes left in the game, they were hanging on to nearly 20 points worth of a lead. Way to hold up that solid defense, UCLA.

What annoys me is that back in the day, the Division I colleges would usually just have a good football team or a good basketball team. Now more than ever, schools have a good football and a good basketball team. Schools like Florida, LSU, West Virginia, Texas, and Ohio State (cringe) can all hold their own in both sports and remain competitive. Of course, during my time at the Penn State, we had one good football season and one good basketball season. We couldn't allow ourselves to become greedy....

- Way to go, Phils. Opening Day and the Fightin' Phils get hammered, 13-5, by the St. Louis Cardinals. If it wasn't for Jimmy Rollins' hitting streak, I'd probably be less excited for the beginning of the season, but if JRoll keeps getting on base, then it could be an interesting April in South Philadelphia. In other sports news, I am extremely excited that Charles Barkley was elected to the NBA's Hall of Fame Class of 2006. Sir Charles, the Round Mound of Rebound, was my favorite 76er when I was growing up, and one of the sports highlights of my childhood was meeting Barkley at Sixers Camp in June, 1991. I was 9 years old and I asked Charles if I could shake his hand. He said, "Sure, little man" and then I got an autograph. I think I still have the autograph somewhere at home. [Side note: I'm still pissed that the Sixers traded Barkley to Phoenix in 1992 for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang. Why do I still remember this? Because it absolutely devastated me that my favorite player was being traded away. I despised the owner of the Sixers at the time, Harold Katz, for making this move. I went to camp a few summers with his daughter, so my friends and I harassed her for what her father did.]

Here's Barkley before his weight ballooned up. Also notice in the second picture, when he paid tribute to Magic Johnson by wearing #32, and when the Sixers decided to go with the ugly uniforms with the stars. Bad idea.



- Folks, that's all I have right now. Be back later on...