Rough, real and relevant

Coach Carter (rated PG-13; opens in theaters January 14) was inspired by the true story of Ken Carter, a California high school basketball coach who had his players sign contracts promising to maintain at least a 2.3 GPA, among other requirements. When some players failed to live up to the provisions in the contract, he locked out his entire team from practices and games.

Coach Carter's subject matter--a teenage pregnancy, drug deals and racial expectations all figure in--isn't particularly suited to a family audience. The urban environment is rough, and so are the characters. When his team sneaks out of its hotel to party with some hot rich girls after a win, Carter (played by Samuel L. Jackson) blows up, saying, "You're out here signing autographs and humping honeys? Well, I'll show you what humping is!" Hoosiers, it's not.

In the end, though, Coach Carter conveys the messages it sets out to send. Sports can teach lessons that can't otherwise be taught. Sports can be used to get through to individuals who are otherwise unreachable. And, above all, sports help us to see--and, most important, not to fear--our potential. That point is driven home in the goose-bump-inducing climactic scene, but even more so in the real-life updates on each player that flash across the screen at the end of the movie. Kids who could have been lost were saved, and that's not the product of some Hollywood producer's imagination.

QUICK CLICKS

* "Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone to compete for Vanessa Bryant on Elimidate."

* "NHL labor woes chop into mullet industry."

True stories? OK, maybe not, but they sure are funny. Guerrillasports.com is sports' answer to the popular satire The Onion. Giggle at the day's mock headlines and news stories, and sign up for the weekly newsletter. Just don't let your boss catch you.--T.G.

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