The 90-Hour-a-Week Man Mike Rickord
Mike Rickord was hurrying through his soup-and-salad lunch at Murphy’s Law on 100th.
But that didn’t surprise me.
Mike Rickord is always hurrying.
"I’d estimate I work 90 hours a week," he said.
Something tells me he wasn’t counting the hours accurately. I’m betting his work week goes into triple digits.
Rickord, 47, has been publishing the monthly Local Sports Connection tabloid since 1999. He not only oversees the writing in the newspaper, but he sells the advertising, too.
Rickord also does a lot of radio work and publishes other tabloids such as The Iowa Sportsman, which caters to those who like to fish, hunt and spend time in boats, and The Assembly, which features high school entertainment, athletics and academics.
I’ve been writing a column in each issue of The Local Sports Connection since 1999, but I’m not here today to talk at length about Rickord’s tabloids. I’m here to tell you about his second Sports Carnival, which will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Knapp Center at 27th and Forest in Des Moines.
"The purpose of the carnival is to provide an opportunity for sports fans and their families to rub elbows with the peewees to the preps to the pros," Rickord said. "We’ve hand-picked some National Football League players who went to high school in Iowa."
Among the NFL players scheduled to appear are Eddie Berlin, Jared DeVries, Billy Cundiff, Justin Hartwig, Mar Tay Jenkins, Sage Rosenfels and J. J. Moses.
"It’s not an autograph session," Rickord said. "It’s an opportunity for kids to see that, hey, if you work your tail off you might be another Eddie Berlin from Urbandale, who went to UNI and now is with the Tennessee Titans.
"You might be Justin Hartwig from Valley High School, who Iowa and Iowa State didn’t even look at. But he played at Kansas and now he’s with the Titans."
The hours for the Sports Carnival are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
SEE IF YOU CAN PASS THIS EXAM
Thank goodness Jim Harrick Sr. and Jim Harrick Jr. are long-gone from the men’s basketball coaching staff at the University of Georgia.
But, unfortunately, some memories still linger.
Like the final exam Harrick Jr. gave to students in his Coaching Principles and Strategies of Basketball course in the fall of 2001 at Georgia.
The AP sent the questions Harrick Jr. had on the exam, and my friend George Wine forwarded them to me. The Harricks were dismissed from Georgia after last season.
Here’s a copy of the test put together by Harrick Jr.:
How many goals are on a basketball court?
1
2
3
4
How many players are allowed to play at one time on any one team in a regulation game?
2
3
4
5
In what league do the Georgia Bulldogs compete?
ACC
Big Ten
SEC
Pac 10
What is the name of the coliseum where the Georgia Bulldogs play?
Cameron Indoor Arena
Stegeman Coliseum
Carrier Dome
Pauley Pavilion
How many halves are in a college basketball game?
1
2
3
4
How many quarters are in a high school basketball game?
1
2
3
4
How many points does one field goal account for in a basketball game?
1
2
3
4
How many points does a 3-point field goal account for in a basketball game?
1
2
3
4
How many officials referee a college basketball game?
2
4
6
3
How many teams are in the NCAA men’s basketball national championship tournament?
48
64
65
32
What is the name of the exam which all high school seniors in the state of Georgia must pass?
Eye Exam
How Do the Grits Taste Exam
Bag Control Exam
Georgia Exit Exam
What basic color are the uniforms the Georgia Bulldogs wear in home games?
White
Red
Black
Silver
What basic color are the uniforms the Georgia Bulldogs wear in away games?
Pink
Blue
Orange
Red
How many minutes are played in a college basketball contest?
20
40
60
90
How many minutes are played in a high school basketball game?
15
30
32
45
Diagram the 3-point line
Diagram the half-court line
How many fouls is a player allowed to have in one basketball game before fouling out in the game?
3
5
7
0
If you go on to become a huge coaching success, to whom will you attribute the credit?
Mike Krzyzewski
Bobby Knight
John Wooden
Jim Harrick Jr.
In your opinion, who is the best Division I assistant coach in the country?
Ron Jursa
John Pelphrey
Jim Harrick Jr.
Steve Wojciechowski
*Source: University of Georgia
OL' BUBBA IS UP TO HIS OLD TRICKS
David P. Mumm, senior pastor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Des Moines and a frequent contributor to this column, sent this e-mail:
Hi, Ron,
I just read your column which included the wonderful story about the priest and Bubba. It reminded me of another story involving ol’ Bubba.
Seems Bubba and his buddies were dipping into the shine a little too much one night. As they walked home, they stumbled into a cemetery. They sauntered along for a little while and one of the group said, "Look, there’s ol’ Billy Bob’s grave. Says he was 85 years old, God rest his soul." They paused and paid their respects.
A little while later, they came to another grave and one of them said, "There’s ol’ Buddy’s grave. Says he was 95 years old. God rest his soul." Again, they paused and paid respects.
A little while later, the third member of this illustrious group, not to be outdone by the others, said, "Look, here’s the grave of someone and it says he was 145."
The others responded, "That’s incredible. Whose grave is it?"
They lit a match and looked at the writing. It said, "Miles from Atlanta."
Vol. 4, No. 14
March 10, 2004
But that didn’t surprise me.
Mike Rickord is always hurrying.
"I’d estimate I work 90 hours a week," he said.
Something tells me he wasn’t counting the hours accurately. I’m betting his work week goes into triple digits.
Rickord, 47, has been publishing the monthly Local Sports Connection tabloid since 1999. He not only oversees the writing in the newspaper, but he sells the advertising, too.
Rickord also does a lot of radio work and publishes other tabloids such as The Iowa Sportsman, which caters to those who like to fish, hunt and spend time in boats, and The Assembly, which features high school entertainment, athletics and academics.
I’ve been writing a column in each issue of The Local Sports Connection since 1999, but I’m not here today to talk at length about Rickord’s tabloids. I’m here to tell you about his second Sports Carnival, which will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Knapp Center at 27th and Forest in Des Moines.
"The purpose of the carnival is to provide an opportunity for sports fans and their families to rub elbows with the peewees to the preps to the pros," Rickord said. "We’ve hand-picked some National Football League players who went to high school in Iowa."
Among the NFL players scheduled to appear are Eddie Berlin, Jared DeVries, Billy Cundiff, Justin Hartwig, Mar Tay Jenkins, Sage Rosenfels and J. J. Moses.
"It’s not an autograph session," Rickord said. "It’s an opportunity for kids to see that, hey, if you work your tail off you might be another Eddie Berlin from Urbandale, who went to UNI and now is with the Tennessee Titans.
"You might be Justin Hartwig from Valley High School, who Iowa and Iowa State didn’t even look at. But he played at Kansas and now he’s with the Titans."
The hours for the Sports Carnival are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
SEE IF YOU CAN PASS THIS EXAM
Thank goodness Jim Harrick Sr. and Jim Harrick Jr. are long-gone from the men’s basketball coaching staff at the University of Georgia.
But, unfortunately, some memories still linger.
Like the final exam Harrick Jr. gave to students in his Coaching Principles and Strategies of Basketball course in the fall of 2001 at Georgia.
The AP sent the questions Harrick Jr. had on the exam, and my friend George Wine forwarded them to me. The Harricks were dismissed from Georgia after last season.
Here’s a copy of the test put together by Harrick Jr.:
How many goals are on a basketball court?
1
2
3
4
How many players are allowed to play at one time on any one team in a regulation game?
2
3
4
5
In what league do the Georgia Bulldogs compete?
ACC
Big Ten
SEC
Pac 10
What is the name of the coliseum where the Georgia Bulldogs play?
Cameron Indoor Arena
Stegeman Coliseum
Carrier Dome
Pauley Pavilion
How many halves are in a college basketball game?
1
2
3
4
How many quarters are in a high school basketball game?
1
2
3
4
How many points does one field goal account for in a basketball game?
1
2
3
4
How many points does a 3-point field goal account for in a basketball game?
1
2
3
4
How many officials referee a college basketball game?
2
4
6
3
How many teams are in the NCAA men’s basketball national championship tournament?
48
64
65
32
What is the name of the exam which all high school seniors in the state of Georgia must pass?
Eye Exam
How Do the Grits Taste Exam
Bag Control Exam
Georgia Exit Exam
What basic color are the uniforms the Georgia Bulldogs wear in home games?
White
Red
Black
Silver
What basic color are the uniforms the Georgia Bulldogs wear in away games?
Pink
Blue
Orange
Red
How many minutes are played in a college basketball contest?
20
40
60
90
How many minutes are played in a high school basketball game?
15
30
32
45
Diagram the 3-point line
Diagram the half-court line
How many fouls is a player allowed to have in one basketball game before fouling out in the game?
3
5
7
0
If you go on to become a huge coaching success, to whom will you attribute the credit?
Mike Krzyzewski
Bobby Knight
John Wooden
Jim Harrick Jr.
In your opinion, who is the best Division I assistant coach in the country?
Ron Jursa
John Pelphrey
Jim Harrick Jr.
Steve Wojciechowski
*Source: University of Georgia
OL' BUBBA IS UP TO HIS OLD TRICKS
David P. Mumm, senior pastor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Des Moines and a frequent contributor to this column, sent this e-mail:
Hi, Ron,
I just read your column which included the wonderful story about the priest and Bubba. It reminded me of another story involving ol’ Bubba.
Seems Bubba and his buddies were dipping into the shine a little too much one night. As they walked home, they stumbled into a cemetery. They sauntered along for a little while and one of the group said, "Look, there’s ol’ Billy Bob’s grave. Says he was 85 years old, God rest his soul." They paused and paid their respects.
A little while later, they came to another grave and one of them said, "There’s ol’ Buddy’s grave. Says he was 95 years old. God rest his soul." Again, they paused and paid respects.
A little while later, the third member of this illustrious group, not to be outdone by the others, said, "Look, here’s the grave of someone and it says he was 145."
The others responded, "That’s incredible. Whose grave is it?"
They lit a match and looked at the writing. It said, "Miles from Atlanta."
Vol. 4, No. 14
March 10, 2004
posted by ronald wesley maly at 7:48 AM
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