LADRNED — Never in history have so many apologized so much while saying so little.  
I’m talking strictly the sports world here, you could say the same for politics.
Ray Rice pounds his girlfriend and everyone apologizes, including the punched-out girlfriend.
The owner of the Atlanta Hawks issues some racially-tinged remarks and everyone south of the Mason Dixon line apologizes. Ditto for Donald Sterling, owner of the L.A. Clippers and the athletic directors of half of the universities in the country, apologizing for either someone on the coaching staff or one of the players.
 We’re caught up in an epidemic of folks using their tongues, or some other extremity, instead of their brains!
Hasn’t ANYONE ever read the book of Proverbs and applied just a little bit of it?
There is a common banality here. Over and over we are treated to words in these apologies like, “That’s not who he is,” or “That’s not how we do things,” or “If I have offended anyone, I apologize,” kind of saying “I don’t know why everyone is so bent out of shape, I’m cool with it.”  
“This is not who I am.”
Really?
Again I refer to the Book of Proverbs, which offers that what comes out of your mouth is what is in your heart.
 Perhaps it is time for some college to start offering a degree in how to apologize. It most certainly looks like it would be a valuable asset!
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For the second week in a row two football teams seeking their first victory of the season meet in Great Bend. The 0-3 Wichita North Redskins travel to do battle with the 0-3 Great Bend Panthers.
They seem to be ball clubs traveling in different directions.
Last week against Garden City, Great Bend finally got its’ offense untracked in a 28-21 loss to the Buffaloes. That game was not decided until the final moments.
Meanwhile Wichita North was suffering their third straight drubbing, falling to Wichita Northwest 53-7.
The passing game of the Panthers behind quarterback Shade Wondra is maturing, which is what was needed to make the running game more accessible and keep defenses from loading up to stop the run. Wondra was 7 of 16 for 119 yards against Garden City.
As that continues to improve so will the Great Bend offense and scoring. The Panthers get a much needed victory, 27-13.
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CHALK TALK — Will the REAL Kansas Jayhawks please stand up! You’d better, Big 12 play is here and though Texas is not yet what they have been, they probably still have more talent than KU. Still, I think this will be a lot closer than the smarties think. Texas 31, Kansas 27 ... Former KC Royals relief pitcher on what might happen: “I have seen the future and it is much like the present ... only longer! Uh, right Dan ... Speaking of the Royals is it just me or does everyone else feel like you are riding a bucking bronco as we try to get a little rhythm out of the Boys in Blue and get into the playoffs? ... How good is Kansas State? They should have beat Auburn and they are ranked as the fifth best team in the country. Of course some of that might be because of the Southeastern Conference “mystique” in voters minds. If Auburn is indeed the fifth best team, then Kansas State is fifth and a half! Texas-El Paso comes calling Saturday and they are no slouch. They gave Texas Tech all they could handle before falling by four. Wildcats 30, Miners 21 ... Former coach of the number-one-rated Florida State Seminoles, Bobby Bowden on retirement: “After you retire there’s only one big event left ... and I ain’t ready for that yet!”

Charles Tabler is a contributing writer from Larned.