Some actions in sports are hard to explain

I've been around the block a few times and there are still things that baffle me about high-school sports.

What follows is my list of things I can't comprehend. In compiling it, I talked to friends in coaching and sports administration and some fellow sports writers.

The Smitty "I-don't-understand-this" list:

• Parents who have the opportunity to watch their kids play high-school sports but don't do it.

• Coaches who either don't want to take their foot off the gas when a game gets lopsided or don't know how to do it gracefully.

• Coaches who don't insist that players say "thank you" to the bus drivers who drive them to games and other folks who do things for the team.

• Basketball coaches who scream at officials and then are surprised when their players receive technical fouls.

• Parents who are so obsessed with their child's sports that they watch practices, but then never attend a parent-teacher conference or an open house. These same parents will ask their son or daughter, "Are you starting?" but won't ask, "Are you ready for the math test?"

• Coaches who say they are in it for kids and then fight over players in the offseason with coaches of other sports in the school.

• Basketball players on teams that are hopelessly behind who decline to attempt miracle shots at the buzzer. You can't be worried about your precious shooting average, can you?

• Administrators who listen to a complaint from a parent before that parent has talked to the coach.

• Coaches who don't have their varsity team watch an occasional JV or C game. Having the eyes of seniors and juniors on them means a lot to young players and helps develop the feel of a "program" to the sport at the school.

Q: What book do you recommend for parents who wind up coaching youth teams?

A: "Positive Coaching" by Jim Thompson. It is a thoughtful, easy-to-read book by a guy who likes to win but not at any cost. It covers everything from dealing with gifted and disabled kids to coaching tips when your own son or daughter is on the team. He even offers advice on what kind of award is a mistake at the team year-end banquet.

Q: In the 1974 Class A boys basketball tournament, Nooksack Valley beat Mount Baker 81-61 for the title and Blaine finished third. That's a 1-2-3 finish for the Whatcom County League. How often has this happened in basketball?

A: It has happened four other times in boys basketball, according to Bob McKean, author of the authoritative Washington Prep Basketball History. The following are the years and teams. 1963 — Class A (now 1A) tournament: 1. Selah; 2, West Valley-Yakima; 3, Marquette-Yakima. 1987 — Class A (now 1A): 1, Naches Valley; 2, Kiona-Benton; 3. Highland. 1989 — Class AAA (now 4A): 1, Garfield; 2, Roosevelt; 3, Bishop Blanchet. 1989 — AA (3A): 1. Chief Sealth, 2. Lakeside; 3, O'Dea.

McKean said it has happened only once in girls basketball. The year was 2002 when Seattle Prep beat Eastside Catholic for the 3A title and fellow Metro League member Lakeside was third.

Q: Did you hear that bass fishing has become an official interscholastic sport in Illinois?

A: Yes. Talk about thinking outside the box. Teams have formed at more than 60 schools and there will be a two-day state tournament in the spring.

"We were looking for some other activities to get kids involved," Dave Gannaway of the Illinois High School Association told The Chicago Tribune. "We thought we could get at a whole different group of kids with this."

Q: I was looking at the schedule for the high-school football championships Dec. 5-6 in the Tacoma Dome and I noticed that the 4A game is at 4 p.m. on Saturday instead of its normal 7:30 slot. Why?

A: Mike Colbrese, executive director of the WIAA, says FSN has a commitment to televise a WSU men's basketball game that night. The 4 p.m. slot enables the network to telecast both the football game and the basketball game.

Have a question about high-school sports? Craig Smith will find the answer every Tuesday in The Times. Ask your question by voice mail (206-464-8279) or e-mail csmith@seattletimes.com