By AARON J. LOPEZ, Scripps Howard News Service

There are certain genetic characteristics that will always be in demand in the wide world of sports.
Left-handed pitchers in baseball.
Beefy, 325-pound offensive linemen in football.
And in basketball, there's no such thing as being "too tall."

Two guys hunched at the ready, sweat dripping, sticks drawn, eyes focused.
The puck drops, the hands move, the feet slide and the battle is won or lost in a split second.
Welcome to the face-off, often taken for granted, but a subtle part of hockey that can go a long way during the course of 60 minutes.

Growing up in a blue-collar household in Pennsylvania, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl has always leaned to the left when it comes to politics -- though he admits to writing checks to Republican friends in the past.