The Sports Monitor

Favorite sports movie? Well, since it turned 25 years old and it's fresh in my mind, because of its big birthday bash over the weekend in Iowa, it's "Field of Dreams." Heck, it might be my all-time favorite. It was the first movie that I played back and watched again on VHS. (Yeah, I know, it makes me old) There are some terrific scenes, and there are others, like the one where Shoeless Joe lines Ray's pitch right back at his feet, where it doesn't get enough credit. And you can't forget Moonlight Graham. I'll avoid the obvious and go with a different clip as one of my favorite scenes: What's your favorite?

Chuck Noll has passed away. It still doesn't seem right to type those words. I know Noll was 82 when he died in his sleep Friday after being in ill health, but it doesn't seem possible. The news froze me when I heard it a little before midnight. Chuck Noll is dead? Wow. I couldn't believe it. He was a hero of mine growing up. How could you grow up in the '70s near Pittsburgh and not root for the Steelers? Noll was the firm hand guiding the Steelers to Super Bowl championships .    It wasn't that long ago when he was carried off a field winning a Super Bowl. And it couldn't have been that long ago when he stepped down as a four-time Super Bowl champ. That was a sad day. Today is even sadder. It's too bad we can't just push pause and stop and cherish those moments a little bit longer. But time moves on and all we'll have left is memories of The Emperor. Rest in peace. Steelers Nation mourns your passing. And thanks for the wo...

Every now and then I like to go off topic. Here's one of those stories: A parent is miffed that her pale-skinned child wasn't allowed to bring sunscreen to a field trip at a Texas school. The school's reaction? Tough. Well, sort of. Here's what they said: Typically, sunscreen is a toxic substance and we can’t allow toxic things in to be in our schools. They could possibly have an allergic reaction (or) they could ingest it. It’s really a dangerous situation. Yeah, I read about those dangers of drinking SPF50 all the time.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a new general manager. I think the analysis can be wrapped up rather easily: Would you, as a Penguins fan, prefer Ray Shero or former Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford? I'll take Shero. There were other bad choices to be made (Pierre McGuire), but Rutherford screams as an uninspiring choice. And Rutherford saying the team doesn't need sweeping changes, well, that sounds like the status quo wasn't all that bad. But, maybe I'm reading into things too much. Maybe all the Penguins need is a new voice calling the shots and a new voice yelling instructions at the players. It won't take too long to find out.

Can LeBron James take the heat? I'm not a James fan. Haven't been since he ditched Cleveland. The hour-long program and the way he left was too classless. But that was years ago. Since then, I've been happy when the Heat -- and James -- and faltered. But I won't dump on James for Thursday's Game 1 loss to the Spurs in the NBA Finals. James left the game with cramps -- and has been taking, well, heat for it. Fans quickly pointed out that Michael Jordan played in the Finals with the flu. He also left with stomach cramps, too. A player can gut it out with the flu. If the leg cramps up, you can't will it to work. You're at the mercy of the muscle. I'm rooting for the Spurs, but I can't fault James for this. If you want to point fingers, look at Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. He didn't adjust to the conditions and should have used a deeper bench.