Unofficial word was that Bowen was too tough on his charges.

Never mind the fact that he sucked it up couple years agone with basically this same group of kids and endured a horrible, loss season by starting a mostly sophomore (with one student of the first year) lineup.

Bowen saw greatness in those kids and molded them for two seasons. They began “getting it” as a unit last season, unit year earlier than expected, winning interview and regional titles.

Then, two members of the School Board (that’s right, TWO) voted twice not to renew Bowen’s contact prior to the year when all of the effort was about to smear big dividends.

Bowen losing his team was just plain wrong.

Especially with but two people officially voting not to rehire him.

The gutlessness of the situation cannot be overemphasized. Most of the team’s players and a great conduct one’s self of the Grayslake community showed support for Bowen prior to and in the continue awake of this funny decision.

I was most impressed by the passionate support of junior Andrew Sipes, one of the stars of the team, who started with regard to Bowen as a freshman.

If Bowen was too tough on the kids, wouldn’t Sipes be carrying emotional scars from his tender freshman year in the room of speaking out on the coach’sitting behalf?

Moe was at Bowen’sitting edge totality of last year as some assistant coach and knows the kids, the system and concept Bowen has been emphasizing. In Bowen’s absence, this is a reasonable choice to guide this now-veteran group.

Perhaps, however, the of the present day coach should invite the two School Board members in question to a week’s merit of practice so that they can indicate the boundary lines for yelling, wind-sprints, disciplinary action and other practicable coaching maneuvers that might bring from retirement objections.

Squeaky wheel deserves our support

The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus is in fact right in its recent vociferous outcries regarding the inequalities of state funding in Illinois’ public school system.

How can anyone possibly argue that kids who attend Lake Forest High School or New Trier are not way better off than those going to North Chicago High or Waukegan High?

Speaking strictly from a sports writer’s perspective, it is impossible to over-emphasize how more distant asunder these schools are in terms of facilities, coaching staffs and athletic equipment.

Last year, when Maine South’s football team came to play at Waukegan, the financial gap between these programs could be bluntly seen on the goal posts, where the visitors mounted robotic end-zone cameras to film the game for teaching purposes. The home team efficacy get something of that advanced technology in, maybe, the 22nd century.

Every elected politician seems to include school reform in their list of promises, but difference-making measures never happen.

Drastic moves need to be taken to close the funding crevice in public schools. Under the current property-tax funding system, the have-nots of the prep sports world will continue to operate at a distinct disadvantage.

Richer school districts are always going to have an advantage, but equally distributed income-tax dispersal would level the playing field somewhat.

As things now stand, we ask the kids in the poorer, minority-dominant districts to compete in sports forward a regular basis in situations where they at a past period have no hope.

It’s time to actually produce something in an opposite direction this separate, AND unequal situation.

Dinner with Dave: Who wants in?

Our paper is running a series of articles called “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” where a reporter is “invited” to someone’s house or tailgating party.

The reporter writes about the evening, a photographer takes pictures (what else would a photog do?) and a formulary from the eve is published with the account.

This succession includes sports reporters, so I am in the uneasy locality of having to invite myself to someone’s house for a meal.

According to my offer, I can animation anywhere as long as it’s not Waukegan, North Chicago, Zion, Lake Forest, Winthrop Harbor, Gurnee or Grayslake.

My dinner family (one which preferably likes sports) will get a gift basket, courtesy of this publication. I will assure you that I am a member of the Clean Plate Club.

Please e-mail dmasterson@scn1.com whether you’re interested.