Playing hooky

Thanks for looking for my column today, but I played hooky this week to watch the advent of one of America's great traditions -- spring training.

The weather was glorious in Phoenix. (Why don't we have spring training in Las Vegas, where it makes perfect sense?) My mind was mostly on our national pastime, but I still had a few thoughts you might be interested in. You can find them on my Internet desk at www.lvrj.com/sherm. You'll find a few noteworthy items, including an update on local golfer Billy Walters' win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, my reaction to a study on what American teenagers don't know, and a few observations on global warming and the Oscars.