Krause: All-star award ceremony a positive development for Lynn

For all Lynn seems to have going against it at times, one of the things this beleaguered city has going for it is the number of adults who work tirelessly, and contribute mightily, to its youth.Thursday, at Breed Middle School, local cable TV announcer John Hoffman will host his seventh all-star award ceremony for Lynn’s four high schools – which will be broadcast at some point in the future on Channel 15.Hoffman, whose brother, the late Charles “Red” Hoffman, was a former sports editor for The Item, is a longtime booster of Lynn sports and has done much over the years to see the young people in the city recognized and validated for what they do.He is, of course, not alone. There are certainly others who do their share too. But the partnership Hoffman has forged with Taso Nikolakopoulos of John’s Roast Beef and Kevin Harrington of Harrington Trophies is unique.The partnership between Hoffman and Harrington goes back a quarter of a century, back in the days when Hoffman would do cable commercials with local kids.”I just figured,” said Harrington, who donates all the trophies the players receive, “I just felt it would be fun for the kids to see themselves on TV.”Nikolakopoulos, who, like Harrington, is a former Lynn athlete, first met Hoffman when he was a small boy. By the time he got to St. Mary’s, where he excelled in sports, he says he found a kindred spirit.”He was always so passionate about Lynn sports, just as I am,” he said.John’s Roast Beef caters the event, “and,” Nikolakopoulos says, jokingly, “he’s going to make me go broke. This is the biggest one they’ve had yet. There are 98 kids getting recognized.”Neither Nikolakopoulos nor Harrington does this for the money, however. In fact, Harrington says that the overhead of producing 98 trophies for the kids really isn’t that much of a burden.”I just think kids should get recognition for what they do,” he said. “I think this is such a great thing for the city.”And, says Nikolakopoulos, events such as the Hoffman ceremony reinforce something he’s always believed ? that Lynn is rich in sports history.”We’re rich in sports,” he says. “That’s one thing we in Lynn have going for us. Something exciting is always going to be going on. It’s one of the bright lights about Lynn, and it’s one of the things I like best about the city.”A couple of quick hits to finish this off: First, who is Cole Hamels to take it upon himself to teach Bryce Harper – or anyone else – a lesson? The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher hit the Washington Nationals rookie square on the back ? for no reason other than because he was a highly-touted first-year player ? and then bragged about it afterward.Jerk.Finally, the National Football League Players’ Association – with its vehement protest against commissioner Roger Goodell’s suspensions for the bounty-hunting scandal – is putting itself in an impossible position. Or, rather, it has been put into one. The union is being forced to defend players who went out of their way to hurt fellow members.Some union.To me, these guys are on their own. This technical quibbling over who has jurisdiction to discipline them is absurd.Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].