Phew, that’s finally done. The Kickoff 2005, first conceived back in the first week of April, is posted.

If you have password issues, contact ryan@cwis.biz for help. There are also instructions available on the Kickoff login page regarding that. Hope you’re as thrilled as we are!

The San Antonio Express-News hasn’t exactly done the Trinity (Texas) football team too many favors in recent years. Game coverage is almost non-existent. Occasionally there’s a feature. Even, on occasion, the facts are right.

I was reading a story in the paper this evening when I thought my opinion was going to change. Here was a well-written, useful story about the Tigers’ consecutive first-round exits, when there was a glaring error.

“Leading by five going into the fourth quarter, Mary Hardin-Baylor used a punishing ground game to drive 80 and 71 yards for touchdowns, outscoring the Tigers 14-0 down the stretch.

“The Crusaders went on to play in the D-III title game, losing to Findlay, Ohio.”

Thanks for playing.

Still, it’s not as irresponsible as the way the paper blew up Roy Hampton’s run-in with the law after the national semifinal win against St. John’s in 2002. That story, which, let’s face it, pales in comparison to what Division I athletes in the state have been connected with, was a major story in their newspaper for days. Eventually the school suspended Hampton for the Stagg Bowl.

An Express-News columnist after the fact wrote, “I just hope that our sensational headlines on the subject didn’t play even a small role in the decision to oust the star player.”

I’m afraid those hopes were unfounded. Trinity deserves better, and so does Division III.

I’ll be honest — I was borderline disgusted when I received my first Gagliardi Trophy publicity package last winter, one promoting Wesley safety Rocky Myers for the award. I was sure this wasn’t within the spirit of the award, wasn’t in keeping with what Division III is all about. And since I’d heard of everyone on the ballot and was familiar with who they played for and against, I voted without looking at the highlight DVD.

But eventually my curiosity got the better of me, and I popped it in the computer and watched it. It was a highlight video, set to the theme from Rocky.

Myers has moved into the real cinema world this month, however, playing New York Giants fullback Larry Csonka in an upcoming movie called Invincible, about Vince Papale, who went from substitute teacher to Eagles special teamer in 1976. The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., talked to Myers and reports.