Baseball, secession and a heroic act

Thumbs up: To the Florence Freedom as they host the Frontier League All-Star Game at Champion Window Field this week. The game is a sellout. The team has had to overcome some unusual obstacles. That includes the conviction of its former majority owner, Chuck Hildebrant, who was sentenced to prison for bank fraud and other violations, and the failure of local officials to do enough due diligence at that time. But, as each year goes by, the franchise's rocky start recedes into old news. Third-year owner Clint Brown has led a needed makeover. Attendance is up, the games are fun and affordable, ownership is stable and Champion Field -- a jewel of a small ballpark -- has become a great venue for community events and high school baseball games.

Thumbs down: To attorney Eric Deters for again raising the idea of having Independence and the surrounding area secede from Kenton County in the dispute of whether the new Kenton County Jail should be located near a school and residential area in rapidly growing Independence. It's fine to be a spirited advocate for a cause, but the secession idea seems like grandstanding. Not only is it all-but impossible under the Kentucky Constitution, the last thing Kentucky needs is more counties and the related cost of more government. Kentucky is the 26th-ranked state in population but has the fourth-most counties -- 120 of 'em. Ohio gets by with 88.

Thumbs up: To a real hero -- David Setters of Burlington. Early Saturday, he drove into the Darlington Farms condominium complex in Burlington with a friend after work and saw flames coming from a building roof. He ran to the building, knocked on a security door until someone let him in and went door-to-door making noise to wake sleeping residents, many of them elderly. On the third floor, he had to cover his mouth with his shirt to protect from smoke inhalation. "I just did what I hope anyone would do for me," said the humble hero.

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