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Items included in this column are things that I have heard, seen or have been reported to me. I cannot vouch for their veracity.

Now that Dwayne Wade and his Miami heat have officially ended the basketball season, he seems to have emerged as the newest sports superstar.

Wade was born and raised on the south side of Chicago (like Bad, Bad Leroy Brown). He lived with his father and stepmother. He credits one of his older sisters with setting him on the right course.

He didn’t play much, in high school, until his junior year. It didn’t hurt that he grew four inches between his sophomore and junior years. As a senior, he broke school records for points (676) and steals (106). He finished seventh in the Illinois Mr. Basketball voting in 2000.

As a freshman at Marquette, University, Wade was academically ineligible. As a sophomore and junior he led the Golden Eagles in scoring. In 2002-3 he powered the Eagles to a 26-7 record and into the Final Four. That was Marquette’s first final four appearance since the pre-PC Warriors were there in 1977.

Many Minnesota hoops fans remember him from his triple double against heavily favored Kentucky in a Midwest Regional game in Minneapolis. Wade recorded a rare triple-double (29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists) in the 83-69 upset win.

He became only the fourth player in NCAA Tournament history to record a triple-double. Only Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Andre Miller had accomplished the feat before him....Pretty good company.

We’ll be seeing a lot of Heat jerseys with WADE on the back!

Perhaps the next basketball superstar will be a freshman at Rutgers University. This five foot nine high school senior scored 113 points in a game. In that contest, SHE was 54 for 60. In the process, 17 year old Epiphany Prince broke the 24 year old record of 105 points.

Cheryl Miller, Olympian, four time high school All-American, USC player and coach broke the 100 mark in a California high school game in 1982.

Three-time Olympic gold medal winner Lisa Leslie is the only other high school girl to get into triple figures. After she scored 101 points in a California game in 1991. Leslie went on to the Olympics (1996, 2000, 2004) and was the 2001 WNBA MVP.

Also, some pretty impressive company.

Baseball

Before Roger Clemens re-signed with the Houston Astros, he had a bunch of offers to chose from. All the usual suspects had their chances. Of course, the Yankees had a very lucrative offer on the table. The Red Sox would love to have had him return to Boston. He was such a big part of their history over the last two decades.

But, perhaps the most interesting offer came from the Brockton Rocks of the Can Am League. The Massachusetts minor league team was prepared to open its checkbook. “Money is no object,” said Rocks president Jim Lucas. “We’re willing to offer him the league max’, $3000 a month. Of course, that would have to be pro-rated for May because we don’t open ‘til May 25.”

Instead, the 43 year old Rocket agreed to return to the Astros for a pro-rated $22,000,022 contract. Because he didn’t return to the Bigs until June 22, the Astros will only have to pay him a bit more than $12 million in 2006.

However, the power pitcher was unable to pick up his 342nd big league win when he returned to the mound against the rejuvenated Minnesota Twins June 22. There was a lot of hype around The Rocket’s return and his matchup with Twins’ rookie sensation Francisco Liriano. Clemens was pretty good, but “Cisco” was unhitable for seven innings and, except for a blip in the eighth, he was masterful. Joe Nathan cleaned up to earn the save and Morneau, Mauer and the boys provided enough offense for Liriano to get another win.

Liriano was seven months old when Clemens (43) got his first major league win while pitching for the Red Sox in 1984. The game, hyped as “the past versus the future of baseball,” was greatly anticipated. From a Minnesota fan’s perspective, it was worth the wait.

Zambonis

In April, we ran a photo of a lucky 12 year old Chisago City boy who had the opportunity to ride the Zamboni at a Minnesota Wild game.

In May, a news release came across my desk that said that the Forest Lake School district was going to be able, thanks to a generous donation from the Hallberg Family Foundation, to retire the 30-year-old Zamboni used at the Forest Lake Arena.

The Zamboni company employs about 30 people. The first two generations of the ice resurfacing machines were powered by Jeep engines. The newest ones employ Nissan automobile engines that can push the machines at up to nine miles per hour. The new ones can cost up to $90,000. Three generations of the Zamboni family have built 8000 of the machines.

You are invited to send interesting, unusual and/or humorous items that could possibly be used in this space. If you choose to do so, please send it to [email protected].

If you prefer, you may send it to

Chisago County Press

Attn: Dave

12631 Lake Blvd.

Lindstrom, Mn 55045

or, you may bring it in to the office.

Sports stuff would be great, but, please do not limit yourselves. Politics, religion, culture (pop or otherwise) are welcomed. Please do not feel offended if your contribution is not included.

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