By Debbie Schlussel
A couple of strange sports stories today:
* Dumbest new idea for a themed high school since the gay high school: ESPN and the New York City Department of Education are teaming of to create a new high school focusing on the business side of sports.
No word on when the New York City Department of Education will team up with someone to create a new high school focusing on reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and basic core knowledge.
Is it just me, or are you tired of themed high schools, especially for something–sports business–in which there are very few jobs and in which the salaries are artificially much lower than market rates in an already terrible economy. Having a high school to train for jobs in sports business is like having a high school to train for the New York Knicks starting center jobs. The jobs are almost as scarce.

Why do high schools need a theme? What ever happened to basic learning and education? Am I wrong, or isn’t that what high school was supposed to be for? Just asking.
Oh, and one last thing: Each of the students at BOSS–the Business of Sports School–will provide free labor for ESPN, as they’ll each be required to work at one of ESPN’s companies. Hmmm . . . sounds like national “voluntary” service–only not for the country, but for ESPN. Gee, why didn’t Chrysler think of this?
* St. John (Kansas) High School boys basketball coach Clint Kinnamon was told to stop hypnotizing his basketball team.
I just love this story. Two years ago, this team won the state championship and, last year, finished second. And parents didn’t seem to think there was a problem with their kids being regularly hypnotized by a professional hypnotist the coach hired to do this.

But, all of the sudden, this year–now that the team isn’t doing so hot (just 7-6 through last week)–parents are worried that their kids might get hooked on hypnosis. Not sure what “hooked on hypnosis” means–like they’re gonna ask this guy, “Please hypnotize me. I need another fix of mindlessness.”
But seriously, parents put up with a coach having their kids regularly hypnotized for two years? Oy vey.
Parents actually signed permission slips for this. Incredible.