THOUGHTS OF A SEPTUAGENARIAN. As I contemplate knowing I'm on the back 9 of life, but not knowing if it's the 10th tee or the 18th green, I have true reservations about where sports is heading. Specifically the issue of participation of transgendered athletes.

First of all, I'll be brutally honest. This did not exist in any athletic venue in the 1960s through the 1990s when I played and coached. In fact, this is a phenomena that has just surfaced in the last 10 years.

Now, I will readily admit that when it comes to this specific issue I am extremely biased. Why, you ask? That's because I'm a father of two female athletes that were extremely gifted in their area of expertise.

With that being said, there is no way I would want my girls, or for that matter the daughter of any father, being forced to having to compete against a male in any athletic endeavor. In the mind of this 70 plus year old, it's just not right and just not safe.

I never want to see a female athlete have to contend with a competitor in a male body. These athletes may think they're girls but those physiques screams boys and that, in almost every occasion, means bigger and faster and stronger.

This is truly something I never expected to come to fruition. Men playing again women? This isn't just a moral issue. In some sports, like basketball or volleyball or softball, it's a huge safety issue.

The Dad in me is coming to the surface. The powers that be in high school and collegiate sports need to step up and ban transgendered athletes with no exceptions. Period.

Book it Dano!