Tim Crone, a former activities director for Blue Springs High School, writes a weekly column for The Examiner. Reach him at tcrone@bssd.net.

Home is definitely where the heart is.
As Blue Springs prepares to host St. Louis DeSmet in Friday’s Class 6 state semifinal football game at Peve Stadium, I sit back and ponder all of the critics on this side of the state who have dismissed the visiting Spartans’ undefeated season so far.

“Zack Greinke is going to find out how the Cy Young Award changes your life forever,” said Rick Sutcliffe.

Two seconds and 21 yards.

That’s all that separated kicker Cody Best from a lofty place in Blue Springs football lore.

Thanksgiving, Christmas … the opening weekend of  deer season.
In no particular order, those seem to be the most meaningful gatherings for family and friends in my mind. Of course, most of my family would simply laugh.

What's Up Next area sports calendar for Nov. 14-20

A host of Hollywood script writers, O. Henry and Agatha Christie could not have collaborated on a more thrilling, unexpected or dramatic home opener for our new Missouri Mavericks Central Hockey League team.

The high school playoff season provides a tremendous opportunity for young people. The new football playoff format in Missouri has been a great success. To have two teams from each district instead of just one has allowed twice as many to enjoy the process. One change I would still like to see would be for the state to consider seeding the teams after the first round of state play.

A journey that started nearly six years ago is far from complete for the producers of the independent film "Streetballers," an urban drama exploring the lives of two junior college basketball players from diverse backgrounds and their struggles within a divided city, broken homes and the demand of collegiate-level athletics.

I’ve always been fascinated by facts and figures.

Let’s begin with the Blue Springs softball team.