Helena's Cee Cee Tryan, who at least one rodeo aficionado thinks is the best female roper on the planet, is primed to take on the College National Finals Rodeo.

Tryan, a senior at Montana State University, wrapped up the Big Sky Region's women's all around title this past week in Missoula in the region's final event before the national championships.

"I think she's the best female roper in the world at any level and I've been around this business for 50 years," MSU coach Mike True says of Tryan.

Tryan won the team roping and breakaway roping titles and placed fifth in barrel racing. She leads a strong contingent to the finals.

"It's a team that's good enough to win it all, but it's just one rodeo and a lot can happen," True said.

Sarah Guenzler, JoBeth Askin and Mercede Knudson are the other three members representing MSU. Helena's Shelby Blixt just missed making the finals in barrel racing. She won the second of two rodeos in Missoula.

"Her horse is better suited for running outside and we have a lot of indoor meets, so that cost Shelby along the way," her coach said.

Boulder's Quentin McCauley will be on MSU's six-man men's team after finishing runner-up in the Big Sky.

Hello Texas.

Former Helena Senator catcher Dean Gray has worked out a deal to get his 16-and-under baseball from the Dallas area all the way up to Helena in late June.

Gray used to play against Capital City Thunder coach Jerry Miller during his American Legion days when Miller played for the Great Falls Chargers. They became teammates at North Idaho College in the mid 80s.

"We were talking last fall about how fun it would be for our Dallas, Texas area 16U team to go to Helena for a tournament," Gray, who coaches the 91 Allen Xtreme Eagles, said. "Jerry proposed a date for the tournament and it all fell in place."

Gray's club will work in a trip through Yellowstone Park as part of their tour.

Metal bats will be banned in New York City high school baseball starting this September after the City Council on Monday overrode a mayoral veto of the bill two weeks ago.

The move makes metal bats illegal based on the theory that they cause balls to be hit with more velocity more frequently, and therefore risk more injuries. Opponents say there is no evidence metal bats are more dangerous.

Youth leagues and lawmakers have proposed similar bans in other areas, including New Jersey, where a 12-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest and suffered serious injuries after a batted ball struck him in the chest, and Montana where Brandon Patch of Miles City was killed in 2003 after being struck by a ball hit by a metal bat.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the ban earlier this month, saying the issue should be left up to those who run the youth leagues, not the government. But the City Council reversed Bloomberg's veto by a landslide vote of 41-4.

Travis Lulay was up to his old tricks and then some this past weekend in NFL Europa. The former Montana State quarterback engineered one of the biggest comebacks of his career when he brought the Berlin Thunder back from a 21-0 deficit to claim a 31-28 win over Cologne.

Lulay brought the Bobcats back from fourth quarter deficits nine times in his career at MSU.

This time he did it against former Eastern Washington foe Erik Meyer, who is now quarterback for Cologne.

Meyer completed his first 10 passes to stake the Centurions to the lead, but Lulay finished with 17 completions in 26 attempts for 218 yards and two TDs to offset Meyer's hot start.