TOM STUBER - Independent Record - 06/10/08

The Montana High School Finals Rodeo starts Thursday in Missoula and Helena’s Tyler Erickson is looking to make some big noise.

The senior-to-be at Capital High is tied for first place in calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping, according to the standings through June 4. He is all alone in first place in the all-around competition.

The burly Erickson, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs well over 200 pounds, was also a key player on Capital’s basketball team this past winter, averaging just under 10 points and seven rebounds per game.

Curt Synness and the folks who have put together the Helena Sports Hall of Fame have wrapped up their fundraiser and are ready to move forward with additional construction.

“We were able to raise over $16,900 altogether, 10 percent of which will go to the Angel Fund,” said Synness, who sat in the Carroll PE Center for two days moving one seat for every $10 contribution. “The rest will be used to finish building the Helena Sports Hall of Fame’s outdoor display located between the Great Northern Town Center’s Carousel and X-Works.”

A total of 294 separate contributors made donations ranging from $10 to $2,000.

“The HSHOF is extremely grateful to all the generous individuals and businesses that helped make the fundraiser a success,” Synness said.

Some University of Montana football fans are eager to see the Grizzlies move up to the highest classification of college football - the Football Championship Subdivision.

That isn’t likely to happen any time in the near future, according to UM athletic director Jim O’Day.

“The NCAA requires a five-year study just for a team to be considered for a move up to (FCS),” he said. “So even if we were going to look at it, it’s a long ways away.”

The 2008 Helena Brewers are just days away from setting foot in Helena and it looks like they’ll do so just as the weather clears up. Forecasts call for temperatures back in the 70s this weekend, which coincides with the Brew Crew’s arrival.

There’s a reason they’re called the Boys of Summer.

From the bleachers: Am I the only one that thinks the Los Angeles Lakers that are down two games to none to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals look a lot like the 2004 Lakers that lost 4-1 to the Detroit Pistons?

Obviously they’re not as aged as the 2004 Lakers with Gary Payton and Karl Malone, but the Lakers look a step slow and not as athletic as the Celtics, which is pretty tough to overcome. L.A. is a much younger team than Boston, which starts three players nn Kevin Garnett (32), Ray Allen (32) and Paul Pierce (30) nn that are all over 30. The Lakers have just one player nn starter Derek Fisher (33) nn over 30 that gets significant minutes.

The national media seems to be of the opinion that Kobe Bryant and the rest of the team aren’t being aggressive, which could be, but if so they’ve picked an odd time to adopt that style of play.

Reporter Tom Stuber: 447-4070 or irsports@helenair.com