There’s a new game going on in the National Football League these days: It’s called Quarterback Search and it’s hot in practically every league city. It’s not that quarterbacks haven’t always commanded their share of attention. Names like Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Joe Namath and ...
Since it’s been such a rambling year in every respect, I figured I would ramble through the sports of the past week. First off, how about that North Central High School 8-man football team? The Jets — the most successful sports small school in the Upper Peninsula — continued to ...
A wise man once told me that if you want to know what the future is going to be, simply study the past. In the case of college football and it’s national championship series, that old saying holds true. Alabama has dominated the history of the big game. In fact, ‘Bama has won six ...
I’ve never been more ashamed to be an American citizen than Wednesday. Seeing the images of President Donald Trump supporters breach the U.S. Capitol, interrupting the democratic process as Congress was in session, immediately made me think of the service members who have fought and died ...
The college football bowl season got underway the last couple of weeks with only a glitch or two. One of the messups came in the Tulsa — Mississippi State game when both teams mixed it up in as good a brawl as you’re going to see in football. This took place at, of all places, the Armed ...
Perhaps it was just the competition. Or playing in the frozen confines of friendly Lambeau Field. But it’s apparent — after an impressive win over the over-rated Tennessee Titans on Sunday — that the Green Bay Packers have what it takes to get to the Super Bowl this season. I’m not ...
There are any number of things that will require fixing in 2021. I know that much will depend on the status of COVID-19 — and what variations of the disease are coming down the road. One of the many things that need fixing is the status of high school sports in Michigan. I believe that ...
Anyone who has ever played sports will remember one place that stood out from all the others. In the old days, such places were simply called “snake pits.” They could range from basketball courts that had their own idiosyncrasies, to hockey arenas that were just plain cold to opposing ...
After watching a show on NMU-TV the other night about the early days of the Green Bay Packers, I began to understand how close Upper Peninsula fans are to the Pack. After all, the Packers of the early 1920 used to play semi-pro teams in the U.P. back in those days. In fact, they probably ...
In this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic crisis, there’s no shortage of blame to go around. First off, you can point an accusing finger at China, which failed to properly warn other countries of the problem. The Chinese should be dealt a long — and serious — penalty. Secondly, you have to ...
As they used to say in Washington, D.C., the rebuilding season is never-ending But that term would also aptly describe the current sports scene in Detroit. It wasn’t always this way. Not long ago, the Red Wings, Tigers and Pistons had championships to celebrate. The town was even ...
The Copper Bowl was to be played for the 68th time this Friday night before it was canceled. It’s a sporting event with many — and varied — memories for me. Many of those memories were of great individual feats by players. But some involved the weather, which as any longtime ...
Fans are irreplaceable at sporting events. There’s no way around it. Fans breathe life into the pageantry and tradition behind our favorite teams across all sports. Without fans at this year’s games and events because of COVID-19 restrictions, it certainly gives interesting insight as to ...
It was just an idea at first. But as it came to fruition, it turned out to be a really BAD idea. After finishing our first season in the C.C. Slow-Pitch Softball League with a winning record, the Karvakko’s Market team was looking for something more to do that fall. We couldn’t find ...
It was the first game that I ever played with the late Merv Klemett. I had just become eligible to play for the Portage Lake Oldtimers baseball team, and Merv was the manager of the squad. Before my first game, I asked him how to approach things against the Wolverine Oldtimers. Whether to ...
The professional sports franchises have all tried various methods to combat the lack of crowd noise during this current dark period we’re all going through. The National Hockey League has taken the course of sounding fog horns (loudly) after a goal. In the National Basketball League and ...
The words — and brickbats — have been flying ever since the decision was made by the Michigan High Athletic Association last month. The action effectively ended the high school football season — at least until next spring. At first, I sort of went along with the MHSAA action. But now ...
There’s nothing wrong with banking on young players to bolster the fortunes of a professional sports team. But the Detroit Tigers may be putting too much pressure on their prospects. If you go strictly by the commentary of Detroit TV color men Jack Morris and Dan Petry, the pitching duo ...
When the Michigan High School Athletic Association made its recent decision to scrap the high school football season, it was met with opposition from several quarters. A number of parents of players have opposed it and are even threatening lawsuits to have it changed. I don’t quite go ...
Now that it’s official as far as the Big 10 football season is concerned, one has to wonder just how far this rush to judgement will go. When the Big 10 announced this week that it was scrapping the season because of COVID-19, it opened up a variety of options for those conferences who are ...