Thursday Grab Bag: Tossing the Bottle into the Bag

It's funny which things amuse you when you are tired.

I launched an empty water bottle into a trash bag opening the size of a magazine cover a few minutes ago from 25 feet and it thrilled me. Anything to give me energy to write a few hours past midnight...

*****

Rankings: The Lady Broncos took over the No. 1 spot in 4A, while St. Pius plummeted to No. 8 after a 2-4 start.

District 1-4A claims three of the top six rankings on the girls' side and none on the boys'.

Here is how I see the local pecking order.

Boys

1. Shiprock -- I'm not sure about the Chieftains. They typically don't call in their scores and most of them are not published on the NMAA site. I do know that they beat KC earlier in the season, so it's hard to rank them behind the Broncos right now. (Previous: 1)

2. Kirtland Central -- The Broncos are just 3-3, but they lost to Shiprock by a point and Bloomfield by four. They also played No. 3 Los Alamos tough. (Previous: 2)

3. Bloomfield -- The Bobcats earned a spot in the 3A rankings at No. 10 with their 8-1 start. (Previous: 3)

4. Farmington -- The Scorpions figure to improve every week, particularly on offense as Tyler Hough eventually returns. (Previous: 4)

5. Navajo Prep -- The Eagles have beaten Aztec twice, thrashed the Aztec and Shiprock JV teams and lost to Bloomfield by three. (Previous: 6)

T6. Piedra Vista -- The Panthers have returned to earth following their 3-0 start and have lost four straight. (Previous: 5)

T6. Aztec -- The Tigers continue to play mediocre basketball toward the beginning of the season, including a loss to Navajo Prep. (Previous: 7)

Girls

1. Kirtland Central -- The Lady Broncos are getting respect around the state, climbing two spots to No. 1. KC hasn't played its best this week, yet they still haven't lost to a New Mexico school and they've won easily. (Previous: 1)

2. Shiprock -- The Lady Chieftains have played well since a loss to Gallup, but some would question their No. 3 ranking in 4A. (Previous: 2)

3. Piedra Vista -- The Lady Panthers have gotten increased post production since injuries to their two All-District guards, something that bodes well for them during district play. (Previous: 3)

4. Navajo Prep -- The Lady Eagles are starting to look like a legitimate contender in 2A. They're not the team that took state last year, but they play hard and they're getting better. That being said, there's a considerable drop-off from No. 3 to No. 4. (Previous: T6)

5. Aztec -- The Lady Tigers demolished Bloomfield to end a five-game losing streak. Three of the losses were tight ballgames, two of which they lost by one point. (Previous: 5)

6. Bloomfield -- The Lady Bobcats plummeted after the suspension of some of their key players. (Previous: 4)

7. Farmington -- The Lady Scorpions looked rough tonight after Ben Tensay said they played well last weekend. They have a lot of work to do, but they'll be getting some key transfers in a few weeks. (Previous: T6)

Now to the actual rankings.

4A Girls

1. Kirtland Central (4), 87 points
2. Roswell (3), 80
3. Shiprock (1), 64
T4. Del Norte (1), 54
T4. Espanola Valley, 54
6. Piedra Vista, 32
7. Los Alamos, 28
8. St. Pius (1), 24
9. Volcano Vista, 22
10. Capital, 21

3A Girls

1. Lovington (1), 53
2. West Las Vegas (4), 52
3. Santa Fe Indian, 42
4. Portales, 38
5. Pojoaque (1), 36
6. St. Michael's, 26
7. Robertson, 24
8. Hope Christian, 21
9. Socorro, 18
10. Bloomfield, 9

2A Girls

1. Texico (2), 46
2. Santa Rosa (2), 38
3. Clayton, 28
T4. Mora, 25
T4. Navajo Prep, 25
6. Tularosa, 21
7. Rehoboth, 20
8. Navajo Pine (1), 18
9. Lordsburg, 17
10. Ramah, 10

3A Boys

1. Hope Christian (8), 80
2. Sandia Prep, 70
3. St. Michael's, 56
4. Pojoaque, 35
5. Robertson, 30
T6. Lovington, 26
T6. Santa Fe Indian, 26
8. Wingate, 25
9. West Las Vegas, 20
10. Bloomfield, 18

*****

Henry's death: Chris Henry's death is the third in recent years involving tragedy.

Darrent Williams, a former Bronco, was shot and killed following a dispute between some of his teammates and gang members at a club.

Sean Taylor, a former Redskin, got shot while his house was being robbed.

And now, from everything I've read... Henry died following a fight with his fiancee.

The Bengals wide receiver broke his forearm and was spending time away from the team while on IR.

According to reports, based on his fiancee's social networking sites, the two were planning their wedding Wednesday. Sometime during the afternoon they got into a dispute. The fiancee got in a truck and tried to drive away, but Henry leaped into the truck bed.

A witness saw him standing in the truck bed, shirtless, banging on the back window while his fiancee was driving. It's unclear how Henry ended the ride in the middle of the street unconscious, but obviously he either fell out or jumped out while the truck was traveling at a fairly fast rate.

It's a terrible tragedy, specifically for those that knew him. Henry had a sordid history with the law, but seemed to mature in recent months, similar to Taylor.

There's been a lot of trauma among athletes this year. First Steve McNair's mistress killed him. Then Tiger's sex scandal and possible divorce came along and trumped that. Now Henry's death, apparently linked to an argument with his fiancee.

I hate it for the people those events have impacted, but it may be a good thing for society.

Just think: What message would it send to the world if Woods' wife stayed with him despite his very public infidelity? What about if McNair's mistress became public and no one thought any different of him and he reconciled his marriage?

What we've learned is that when you take certain risks, or make certain moral missteps, you're likely to suffer consequences, even if you're rich, famous and powerful. What's more, many, many people around you likely will suffer also.

Their stories didn't end happily ever after. Wives and girlfriends have become more suspicious. But perhaps more men -- and women -- will think twice before cheating or doing anything irrational during an argument.

*****

Johnson's boast: Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson has a right to boast.

He's posted the best season in terms of explosive plays since Barry Sanders.

But on Wednesday, his bragging exceeded reality.

Johnson, discussing a no-show by Dolphins speedster Ted Ginn for a supposed race, also said he could beat Usain Bolt in the 50.

Johnson ran a 4.24 at the NFL combine, fastest ever.

His talk has revived the 40-yard dash comparisons and projections for Bolt, the fastest man ever born.

The splits from his 100-meter races are available, so mathematicians have devoured them and made all sorts of projections. The accurate, rational ones vary from 3.9 seconds to a little more than 4.2. Here's a more conservative one that pegs him at 4.22.

Now, Bolt isn't the ideal height for a good reaction time. I'd give Johnson .06 seconds off the line, because reaction time would count during an actual race.

Johnson, over 100 meters, clocked 10.38. That's nearly a second behind Bolt, but for argument's sake, we'll say he could run a 10.15 now.

Still, accounting for reaction time, that's Johnson leading by .04 seconds through 40 yards.

From 40-50 meters, Bolt ran .85 seconds.

That's a 5.07 for the 50 meters. Johnson would need a .89 to tie, which is a few hundredths slower than the fastest sprinters of all time over 100 meters. Plus, Bolt runs track. He wouldn't quite reach top speed over that distance, but he might shave a few hundredths off his time knowing the race is more than 50 yards shorter than his usual distance.

I'd say it would be a close race, but Bolt wins, 5.07 to 5.11.

But how great would it be to have an exhibition during the offseason? The fastest NFL players vs. Bolt in the 40-yard dash and again in the 100 meters. It would draw a lot of attention to track and field and the NFL players would love it.

*****

Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher