There are times a sports story transcends the world of athletics. Such is the case with the Southwest Missouri State University Lady Bears basketball team, which begins Final Four play tonight in St. Louis. The success of the Lady Bears is being talked up in the nation’s capital. Both Senator Christopher Bond and Senator Jean Carnahan took to the floor of the Senate this week to sing the praises of the team, in general, and superstar Jackie Stiles, in particular. Bond said Stiles is much more than a basketball player; she is a role model. He called her a Missouri sports legend, putting in the same class as baseball players George Brett and Mark McGwire, football players Derrick Thomas and Kurt Warner, and golfer Payne Stewart.
