In Kansas City, It’s Not Hard to Tell When It’s Garbage Time

If you can get to Kansas City’s Kemper Arena by the second intermission of tonight’s International Hockey League game between the Milwaukee Admirals and the Kansas City Blades, you might wind up being one of 10 lucky fans who will compete for a set of 10 free tickets to the Blades’ final home game.

Then, if you win, you can return to Kemper Arena on March 31 with nine of your closest friends.

And you’ll have Blade Coach Doug Soetaert to thank.

Careful observers will recall that it was Soetaert who threw a garbage can onto the ice to protest the officiating in a recent game.

Tonight, the fan who throws the same 30-gallon receptacle the farthest will be awarded the 10 tickets. For the record--and for inspiration--the longer of Soetaert’s two throws was measured at 42 feet.

Trivia time: True or false: In 80 seasons’ worth of home games at old Comiskey Park, the Chicago White Sox won more games than they lost.

Get out of his way: Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press recently noted that in 1990, eight National League batters reached first base on catcher’s-interference calls. And Pirate outfielders accounted for five of them--Andy Van Slyke with three and R.J. Reynolds with two.

Hertzel added that in Van Slyke’s career, he has reached base 13 times on catcher’s interference, more than any other active major leaguer.

Next: For Adlis Thibodeaux of Groves, Tex., it was a moment to savor.

Thibodeaux was the first member of his sixsome to hit his tee shot on the 182-yard eighth hole at Port Arthur Country Club. Despite a stiff head wind, Thibodeaux, using a driver, made the first hole in one of his career.

After the congratulations and handshakes, Don Fought, using a four-wood, was the next to hit.

Suddenly, Fought yelled: “Mine is going in the hole, too!”

Correct.

Tax dollars at work: Imagine the face of Carl Owens, basketball coach at Harlingen (Tex.) High School Wednesday when San Benito police arrested him on a charge of inciting a riot.

According to the Associated Press, Owens, 45, was arraigned and released on a personal recognizance bond of $1,000.

San Benito Police Chief John Swan said that after a game at San Benito last Friday, won by Harlingen, Owens encouraged one of his players to cut the net, despite warnings from police officers.

Police also planned to arrest the player, whose attempt to cut down the net angered San Benito supporters and nearly led to violence.

Add nets: Harlingen Superintendent James Smith said: “The incident at the end of the game was more adult-related than student-related.”

Smith added that Harlingen coaches were unaware of a rule, adopted last spring by school district principals, that specifically prohibits cutting of nets.

Trivia answer: True. The White Sox won 3,024 games and lost 2,926 at old Comiskey Park.

Quotebook: Susan Yow, Kansas State women’s basketball coach: “Winning isn’t easy. Otherwise, everybody would be doing it.”