Crackdown on big hits makes sense

So, James Harrison decided not to retire from a league that his fellow players claim is headed toward two-hand touch football.

Gee, how nice of him.

The NFL decided to start enforcing its rules regarding helmet-to-helmet contact after violent hits knocked several players out of action, including one Sunday by the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker on Cleveland Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. And the response of Harrison and his fellow players is to complain that football will be ruined forever?

Ridiculous, says John Mara, co-owner of the New York Giants and a member of the NFL's competition committee, which is charged with making the rules.

"I don't think we're changing the way the game is played," Mara told the New York Post. "We're just asking the players to be mindful that some of these vicious hits, particularly when they involve going to the head, have no place in the game."

By enforcing its rules, the NFL is trying to save the careers of its employees. Does anyone want to see a Darryl Stingley carted off the field again?

■ SHOW GOES ON -- Michael Katsidis isn't one to walk away from a fight. And even the death of his brother will not prevent Katsidis from stepping inside the ring Nov. 27 when he faces WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden.

Stathi Katsidis was found dead in his Brisbane, Australia, home Tuesday. While devastated over his loss, Michael Katsidis said he will be fighting for two when he faces Marquez.

"The moment I walked in for a grueling sparring session after hearing the news of his death earlier that day, my trainer (Brendon Smith) shook my hand and said to me, 'You are about to take the bravest step of your life,' " Katsidis said. "We nodded, smiled and went to work. I worked as I have never done before.

"... Stathi is inside me. We will fight this fight together. I know this is what he wants."

■ FINALLY CAGED -- The Toms River, N.J., man who donned a gorilla suit and gained renown in 1998 as the mascot of the Little League world champion Toms River East American All-Stars was led out of a courtroom in handcuffs Friday to begin serving a 10-year prison term for stealing more than $200,000 from the league.

Richard Cunningham became known as the "Beast from the East'' while serving as the Toms River team's mascot. Cunningham, 52, a former treasurer of the Toms River East Little League, admitted in July that he diverted $237,361.32 of the league's money to his personal use from 2003 to 2007.

"In a situation like this, where you have an individual in a position of trust ... who over the course of three years steals almost a quarter of a million dollars, anything less than 10 years will send a message to the community that this is something worthwhile to do,'' Senior Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Martin Anton said to the judge in arguing for the maximum term for Cunningham.

Cunningham's stunt was textbook "monkey business," and like all bad monkeys who go ape, he was placed behind bars, where he belongs.

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL