22 JUN 07: OPPOSITE POLES

They stand only one block apart, and usually they stand united. But right now they don't -- and that has me puzzled. Before you get too excited about this: no, I'm NOT talking about a gas war between Spectrum stations....

Drive down Tenth Street downtown, and you can see what I'm talking about. The flag outside the Muscogee County Jail is at half-staff, mourning the late Deputy Meredith Rhodes. The flag outside the Public Safety Center is all the way up the pole, as if nothing happened -- or as if the police finished its time, when it made an arrest.

Other city government buildings downtown also had their flags at full-staff Thursday -- joining with the police department, which of course really has not been at "full staff" for a long time....

Here's the puzzling part for me: I thought we had a "Columbus Consolidated Government," with the Muscogee County Sheriff's Department as part of that. Shouldn't the entire government join in a show of respect, for the untimely and violent death of a deputy? After all, Meredith Rhodes worked at the jail - and police have to put the suspects they arrest somewhere.

The Columbus Police and Muscogee County Sheriff's Department work together on major cases and drug busts. So why isn't one openly joining the other, in marking a time of loss? After all, Columbus Council already approved the new city budget....

When nine firefighters died in Charleston, South Carolina the other night, flags were ordered down to half-staff - not only in Charleston, but across the state. Admittedly that was a much larger loss of life. But what happened to this Muscogee County deputy isn't even creating a wave for two city blocks. Even Streetscape on Broadway had more impact than that.

Perhaps the reluctance to lower city flags stems from the circumstances involved. Meredith Rhodes apparently was NOT on duty when he was shot early Sunday morning, and he was outside a bar on Steam Mill Road. But he was still a sheriff's deputy - and unlike some of Ken Suddeth's friends, his badge was real.

The last Columbus Mayor sometimes ordered city flags lowered to half-staff for obscure reasons. I remember one case where they were lowered because a former Defense Secretary died. Simply including Fort Benning in his budget proposals was good enough for an honor.

It's clear from Thursday's trip down Tenth Street that Columbus government departments have some amount of flexibility, in how the flag is displayed outside. But it baffles me as to why they're not flying flags at half-staff, in solidarity with a fallen sheriff's deputy. After all, this is one case where going halfway really IS a full commitment.

E-MAIL UPDATE: I'm not Chris Matthews, but let's play hardball. As promised, a supporter of the Pioneer Little League leadership comes forward:

I just wanted to write you regarding Rick Chadwick and Pioneer Little League. I am not ashamed to say that I am his daughter and I have grew up around Pioneer since I was 8. Miley has ALWAYS been a problem since I knew him and I never did anything to him. He complains about everything. When I was 17, I dated one of the umpires and he said that the only reason he was there was because he was "dating the head umpires daughter" which was not true. About my dad being in this for himself.... doubt it!!! He does it because he likes it, my mom too. Other than my dad getting paid for umpiring (like all other umpires) they do this for free. It's not because his daughter plays softball there.... it's because they both enjoy it. As for people running there mouth about stupid stuff, I have a rule book upstairs with me every time I kept the pitch count. There was one game when the opposing team (playing against the Pirates) was about to go over his pitch count when I told the umpire that pitcher had 5 or so pitches left. Miley went behind the plate and yelled up to the press box that I was not allowed to tell the umpire that until Miley pointed it out first. In other words, he wanted a reason to protest to win the game. So, that being said, I thought coaches were supposed to know the rules... HE DIDN'T!! If you look at page 34 Section VI(g), (and I quote), "The official pitch count recorder [me] should inform the umpire-in-chief when a pitcher has delivered his/her maximum limit of pitches for the game...." What gets me is, this is little league... it's not kindergarten. This he said/she said is for little kids. I really wish my dad would get out of this. Out of everyone at this little league, you notice its only Pirates fans. If people would read a rule book before they start acting like they know rules, they wouldn't look like idiots when they write the Ledger Enquirer or blogs. I think its funny because the people running their mouths are the people from the losing side that have no one else to blame.

Oh and about the city tournament.... it was a Jack Cook tournament not a Rick Chadwick tournament. It's not my dads fault the Pirates lost. What was he supposed to do, get up to bat for them. You can't blame someone else for your own mistakes. There was an announcement made over the PA by Tommy Smith telling "all coaches for the next games" to report to the press box for a meeting. It was not only said once... but three different times. If people had complaints for that particular tournament, my dad was not the one to go to. Tommy Smith and Bernard Ashley were the men in charge. Why did everyone on the Pirates side (even the 9-11 year olds) get in my dads face cussing him out??? Miley told his players after the game "you see the people in the yellow shirts? They are the reason y'all lost." Why would you say that to little kids? If Miley was an adult, he would have handled it like an adult.

Have you asked anyone other than people associated with the Pirates about my dad or Pioneer??? I PROMISE you, you won't get the same responses that you get from Pirates fans.

When we first broke the Pioneer story last Sunday, we noted some people in Columbus take Little League baseball VERY seriously. If the comments of the last week don't prove it, the fact that players sometimes date umpires should.

Pitch counts were added to Little League baseball this year, so young pitchers don't wear out their arms. But it appears even this rule has become a breeding ground for argument and dispute. Leagues may have to borrow old bingo boards, to settle disputes about this.

Should the official pitch count recorder [her] tell the umpire EXACTLY when the maximum has been reached? Was she right in giving a five-pitch warning? Should a coach be declared an automatic loser for going over the count -- following the great "Price is Right" tradition?

The daughter makes a very good point when she says this is "Little League.... not kindergarten." Maybe we should find a middle ground, and say some of the parents belong in "coach pitch" - or even believe in what coaches pitch to them.

But Rick Chadwick's daughter should realize that in baseball, it IS often easy to blame someone else for your mistakes. For instance, major league pitchers have blamed the guy providing Barry Bonds with steroids....

I agree that there's no place in youth sports for "cussing out" by parents. But let's be honest: if those parents really wanted to escape that, their children would be in the Cascade Hills Church league.

The list of contacts we've had involving Pioneer Little League is now as follows: President Rick Chadwick, his daughter, a league board member and two people sending e-mails critical of the program. And after what happened when I called Rick Chadwick about the "bathroom incident," do I dare pick up the phone and ask Coach Philip Miley for his opinion?

I'm admittedly not plugged into Little League baseball in Columbus. But I think I have a clue about where Pioneer Little League developed this interest in debating back and forth. One of the coaches mentioned on a sign at the complex is Columbus Councilor Skip Henderson. [True!]

BLOG UPDATE: I finally had a chance to watch and hear the "Concerned Citizens for Uptown Columbus" TV commercial from start to finish Thursday. If they think the proposed city ordinance will prevent immorality from coming to Broadway, I have news for them -- a couple of prostitutes already were arrested downtown last weekend.

The "Concerned Citizens" commercial suggests having live music on Broadway will "corrupt our young people." This must be why Columbus has no Salvation Army brass bands.

Now let's see if we can whistle a happy tune, about some of Thursday's news stories:

+ Your blogger moved up to fifth place out of seven (third person out) on poker night at Lil Kim's Cove. I won my first pot ever, with a pair of aces - but lost with three 10's to a man with three queens. Come to think of it, the "Three Ten-ors" don't get PBS very far anymore, either.

+ Columbus Police reported a Circle K store was robbed on Manchester Expressway. What made this unusual is that the evening news showed the store - and it actually had prominent Circle K logos on it. The Spectrum signs finally seem to be going away. So that S now stands for "sayonara."

+ President Bush visited the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in north Alabama. Never mind the advantages he cited, in moving our country away from fossil fuels - did anyone there finally teach the President to say "nuclear" correctly?

+ WRBL presented a live interview with Rod Hood about his football camp - and he appeared on the air wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap. Aw c'mon, Rod! I don't think the Yankees are THAT desperate for pitchers....

(I mean, think about this. Shouldn't Rod Hood wear a ball cap of his new team, the Arizona Cardinals? Or if all else fails, he can wear a "hoodie.")

+ Instant Message to the children who draw chalk art on the sidewalk, in the 700 block of Broadway: Those are some attractive medieval castles you drew! And I agree - you need that street of businesses you put between those old-style castles. Like the Crown Store. And the Petsmart. And the Publix.

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