If you knew Jimmie (like I knew Jimmie)

August 17, 2023

Longtime Detroit Tigers radio announcer Jim Price passed away recently. Anyone who listens to the ballgames may remember how he liked to start each broadcast by saying “It’s a beautiful day…” even when it was cold and rainy. You could just hear the excitement and optimism in his voice. Price played for the Tigers from 1967-1971. He was part of the 1968 World Series Champions. But even he would joke that he was a much better broadcaster than player. Self-deprecating humor was one of his trademarks. A lot of people who met Mr. Price have “Jimmie-stories.” I was lucky ...

Baseball, softball in good hands

May 31, 2023

In this era of sports we live in, at least at the professional level, everything is “win now.” There is no room left in major sports for rebuilding or reloading, it is all win, win, win. This line of thinking led to the Florida Panthers dropping Andrew Brunette as the interim head coach after they won the President’s Trophy as the NHL’s best regular season team, but then lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in four straight games. We saw the same thing in the NBA numerous times already in these playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer after getting swept by the Miami ...

Picking the Kentucky Derby

May 10, 2023

Okay, I will be the first to admit that I only watch three horse races a year, the Triple Crown. I fully admit I know next to nothing about horse racing, other than the three races are all different lengths, which is why it is so hard to win the Triple Crown, I know the horses all have crazy names that seemingly make no sense to a casual fan like me, and I know that the jockeys (the people who ride the horses), all look like malnourished little people who would be knocked over by a stiff wind. However, I will be the first to admit that watching the horse sprint like crazy around the ...

An open letter to the MTU Pep Band

February 15, 2023

Dear Michigan Tech Pep Band, From the very first hockey game I ever attended with my family after we moved to the Copper Country in 1983, I have always enjoyed listening to you play music and lead chants, whether at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena, at Kearly Stadium, in the SDC Gym, or even on campus. I even had the opportunity to see you perform on Michigan’s field, scaring the pants off the Grand Valley State band, who saw you hit the field, and I watched their collective mouths hit the ground, in unison. Your job is not always easy. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the hockey program ...

Gremlins have huge matchup this week

January 25, 2023

Editor’s note: I know it has been about a month or so since I last wrote a column, but I have been busy taking care of things on our end to give you the best coverage we can muster. As the No. 13 Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team gets ready to face their rivals from down the road, the Northern Michigan Wildcats, the Houghton Gremlins, who are ranked No. 2 in Michigan according to mihshockeyhub.com, are preparing for a massive matchup of their own on Friday night at Dee Stadium. Why is that, you ask? The Gremlins are preparing to host the No. 2 team in Wisconsin, the Bay Port ...

Early returns mixed for top-ranked Gremlins

December 14, 2022

As of Nov. 28, the Houghton Gremlins hockey team is the top-ranked squad in Division 3, according to the Michigan High School Hockey Hub poll. They are also the No. 2 team in the Super 10, which ranks the teams regardless of division. The Gremlins are 6-0 on the season thanks to wins this past weekend against Saginaw Heritage and Kingsford of 6-3 and 6-2, respectively. Houghton had not surrendered a goal until their fourth game of the season, a rivalry matchup against Hancock at the Dee Stadium last Wednesday. So, why don’t the Gremlins feel like the best team in the ...