Legendary Kelso would help program

Note: This article appeared in the Feb. 11, 2004 issue of CM Life. This is my only "award-winning" piece as I took second in the Michigan Press Association college newspaper contest for sports column writing. Maybe still my favorite (not best) piece I've ever done. I interviewed Kelso in the stands during the 100-year CMU men's basketball celebration and connected the dots on something I thought could work. Looking back, I wish I had gotten to the message sooner and, also, come out and said what I think: Jay Smith, pictured above, should do whatever he can to get Ben Kelso on his staff.

The old adage says that sometimes it isn’t what you know, it’s who you know.

And while most of the focus of the weekend’s 100-year celebration of men’s basketball was Dan Majerle’s return, the man who knows everyone went largely unnoticed.

Although Ben Kelso watched the game at Rose Arena in relative anonymity, it was apparent that he enjoyed returning to his alma mater.

But as the team struggled to hold its halftime lead, Kelso expressed the importance of bringing the legendary players back.

“It is a responsibility that all of us guys have to try to maintain CMU at a winning level,” he said.

Kelso is a basketball icon in the state of Michigan. It is part of men’s basketball coach Jay Smith’s job to make sure that guys like Kelso continue to be involved in the program.

Stadium turf needs altering

Note: For my first post on the new site, I went with probably the first column I was proud of from my Central Michigan Life days. This was published on Sept. 10, 2003:

As freshman running back Jerry Seymour shuffled his way through holes Saturday, Herb Deromedi had to be cringing slightly, despite his glee over the new star.

The CMU athletics director has to be thrilled about the emergence of the tailback and prospects of several years of a potent ground weapon.

But as Deromedi watches Seymour go to work on what should be his long term canvas, the former CMU coach knows the he has five more home games on the outdated Kelly/Shorts Stadium surface.

Five more games to watch would-be tacklers' knees buckle and turn every which way as their arms grab nothing but air. Five more games for Seymour to cut and twist, juke and jive on the ancient surface.

"We certainly feel like this will be the final year," Deromedi said.

It better be.