NEWS » is, but baseball has a rich history in taking on societys

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Luke Kennard scored 24 points and top-ranked Duke beat No. 21 Rhode Island 75-65 on Sunday in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off title game.The sophomore guard made eight of his 11 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range for the Blue Devils (4-1). Amile Jefferson added 17 points and 15 rebounds.Jared Terrell led Rhode Island (4-1) with 22 points, and Martin Hassan added 15. Duke held Rams star E.C. Matthews to nine points, more than 10 below his season average.NO. 8 VIRGINIA 62, YALE 38CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Marial Shayok scored 15 points and No. 8 Virginia held Yale scoreless for a stretch of nearly 9 minutes in the second half.Freshman Kyle Guy added 12 points for the Cavaliers (3-0), eight during a 16-0 second-half run that turned a 37-33 lead into a rout.Blake Reynolds led Yale (2-1) with 10 points. The Bulldogs arrived averaging 93.5 points, had an early 8-0 burst and then never found any rhythm again. They made only 16 of 48 field goal tries.NO. 19 WEST VIRGINIA 100, NEW HAMPSHIRE 41MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Esa Ahmad tied a career-high with 14 points, Nathan Adrian added 12 and West Virginia routed New Hampshire on Sunday.The Mountaineers (3-0) started off a little stale in the opening minutes, trailing the Wildcats (2-2) 4-1 after 1:52, but then went on a 22-2 run over the next 6:30 to take a 23-6 lead.Iba Camera 10 points and 12 rebounds for New Hampshire.NO. 20 IOWA STATE 130, THE CITADEL 63AMES, Iowa -- Monte Morris had 17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists for the fifth triple-double in Iowa State history and the Cyclones set a program record for points in a game.Naz Mitrou-Long had 26 points for Iowa State (3-0). The Cyclones broke the school record of 129 set against Northeastern Illinois in 1978.Iowa State held the Bulldogs (2-2) -- who entered play averaging a national-best 112.2 points a game -- to 22 in the first half. Quayson Williams had 15 for the Bulldogs.NO. 24 CINCINNATI 71, PENN STATE 50UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Kyle Washington had 16 points and 17 rebounds and Cincinnati beat Penn State 71-50 in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off consolation game.Jacob Evans added 14 points for the Bearcats (3-1). Shep Garner had 20 points for Penn State (2-3). Rockies Jerseys China . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Authentic Custom Rockies Jersey . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. The promotion boasts 14-straight years of business and is operated by MFC president Mark Pavelich, who is often overlooked in this country for the foundation hes established for MMA in Canada. http://www.customrockiesjersey.com/custom-todd-helton-jersey-large-74r.html .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Custom Rockies T-shirts .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Custom Rockies Jersey China .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. When I first heard about the anti-hazing and anti-bullying rule added to MLBs new CBA, I got nostalgic. Twenty years ago, in 1996, I was a rookie on the Chicago Cubs, and I had heard rumors about major league newcomers having to pass ritualistic tests at some point in their first year. I kept waiting for it to come, but all I saw were little quizzes. Sit in the bus bathroom for the ride from the airport to the hotel, be someones personal valet. Thats it? Wow, this rookie thing is easy.Not quite.For our late-season road trip to St. Louis -- where what seemed like a million fans hovered around the hotel all day -- we were told to dress up. More specifically, we would have to dress as waitresses to serve the coaching staff and veteran players (and walk through that large crowd, mind you). We were given creative license to wear whatever, but the key word was waitress, which meant dressing as a woman.A wave of anxiety hit. I hadnt dressed as a woman before. It wasnt on my bucket list. But I understood the prevailing sentiment -- the big leagues are a place where you do just about anything to be part of the club. You needed to show undying loyalty to your team.If virility came into question because of your first, and possibly only, foray into dressing contrary to your male gender identity, it was understood that you could compensate by indulging in the riches of temptation island that are the big leagues -- conquests and cars could make up for any lost manhood points. So what were a few hours of humiliation or discomfort?The Cubs veterans gave us advance notice because we had to shop. I was told to go to Halsted Street near Wrigley Field and find the rainbow flags. So a few of us went and found some clothes. I decided I would dress as Funkweeta, a rough and tumble woman with her midriff (I will dare say six-pack midriff) exposed. I wore shades, which helped mask my horror. I may have even shaved my signature John Oates mustache.Then, for good measure, we served food and drinks and performed karaoke. I wore flip-flops over socks and kicked them off a la Patti LaBelle during En Vogues Giving Him Something He Should Feel. I remember teammate Scott Bullet jumping back when one of my shoes almost landed on his steak, knocking over a few waters instead.Bob Patterson, our veteran left-handed reliever, I believe genuinely felt bad for us. He whispered advice in the days prior. I remember my frugal side talking about the cost of the costumes and reimbursement, so I think he voted hard for Funkweeta to win first place because this madness was also some sort of twisted The Voice competition. I won, so to go with my tips, I got some extra cash. Made a couple hundred bucks or so. Nice.Baseball has a Fraternal Order to it. A little bit of break you down and build you up. I generally resisted this approach. (Just ask my budddy Sammy Sosa what happened when he tried to make me get him water midgame during my first full season.dddddddddddd) I recall a few players over the years digging in and not wearing the ritual clothes. Then-Phillies rookie Vicente Padilla had his suit cut up at Wrigley so he couldnt opt out, but he found another suit, declaring that there was no way he was going to wear a tutu. I, personally, didnt take joy in it as a veteran.After a full career, I found that there are so many ways this game humbles you, and veterans can be big brothers to build young players back up, inspiring loyalty through other means. But I did have fun in my rite of passage. It was funny, and I broke out of my shell to pull it off. I think my teammates respected that in a player. But that was many years ago.I am the chair of the School Governance Council at my kids school, and like any school, bullying is always a topic of discussion. Theres the fine line between kids being kids and someone with a pattern and practice of tearing other kids down. Hazing and bullying will always be terms we need to modernize and address.As an old-time player, there are experiences I miss that the current generation doesnt have, but I dont feel like the get-off-my-lawn guy. Things evolve. And its good that our game is taking a leadership role in our social environment. It will not be perfect in its first rendition, but its on the table now to be addressed. Sure, there will always be the past saying how soft the present is, but baseball has a rich history in taking on societys challenges. Our narratives on women, the LGBTQ community, race and religion are in sharp focus, and locker rooms have always been one of the worst culprits of indulging some of the stereotypes that plague us all.Yet Im optimistic. Baseball is full of talented and creative young players who are in tune with the amazing diversity that surrounds the game. This rule is a bold first step in addressing what all of us try to navigate in our everyday lives. And as I have learned as my kids grow up in elementary school, bullying and hazing do not have to manifest along the constructs of only protected classes, as outlined in the new policy. We may find that this first step will require refinement over time if we want to stay in line with our society at large.Even so, players are going to still have fun in whatever loophole they find, even if there will no longer be Funkweeta kicking off her flip-flops. Expect to see major leaguers as Godzilla, a giant hot dog, Trolls, Jabba the Hutt, Hatchimals, Bart Simpson, Pikachu or any of the Fantastic Beasts. Then, after commissioner Rob Manfred pulls his hair out with a smile, back to the negotiating table they will go. ' ' '