No one really has an idea what effects that COVID-19 will bring to us. But the one thing that appears certain is that sports—and sports fans—must adapt to a new norm. Will that new norm result in teams playing in near empty venues? Playing in shortened seasons ….or not at ...
One of the few things any Detroit Tigers fan will seldom argue about is the legacy of Al Kaline. The former All-Star rightfielder was more than a star—he was an icon in the Motor City. I had the chance to see him play many times and also the opportunity to interview him once for a story. ...
In these sportless days now upon us, the television networks have taken to running sports events of the past, in some cases, the distant past. We have seen countless reruns of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The great rivalries of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and the ...
In the troubled times we find ourselves in today, perhaps a few sports quotes will give us something to think or even chuckle about. It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine, so let’s give it a shot. Yogi Berra, perhaps the most quotable sports figure ever, was once asked what ...
I believe it was late Marquette University basketball coach Al McGuire who once observed that “sports is the coffee break of life.” And just like that, the coffee break was suspended last week. With the spread of Coronavirus, just about every major sport in this country has postponed ...
It was one of those early March afternoons that used to be more common than not. The snowbanks from a long, tough winter were finally melting in the mid-30’s degrees. Rivulets of water slowly ran along the path to Sherman Gym. It was March Madness in all its glory and it was the final day ...
The Finlandia University women’s basketball team is enjoying one of its better seasons in quite awhile. With a nine-game winning streak — and overall 14-11 record this winter — coach Mariah Dunham’s team goes into the AACA tournament this weekend as the number two seed. You have to ...
The Dollar Bay-Tamarack City High School boys basketball program has been one of the most successful in the state of Michigan the past three years. The Blue Bolts, a Class D state semifinalist the last two seasons, has lost only a handful of games in that period of time. Three of those ...
The 1970 basketball game between Houghton and Jeffers could only be described as a one-of-a-kind happening. Even though I wasn’t there to witness it, I’ve probably heard more about it than most other local athletic events since then. The score of the game — a 134-62 victory by ...
It’s been said that advancing age is merely a state of mind. But don’t tell that Bruce Coppo of Calumet or Harold Filpus of Tapiola that. The two senior citizens have shown clearly that age is just a matter of mind for some people. In Coppo’s case, he went out on the ice recently ...
I can honestly say that I’ve watched every Super Bowl that’s ever been played. And with very few exceptions, all of them have been overhyped by the media. Of course, probably a half of the people in this country can make the same claim as I have done. The Super Bowl is like ...
Those football fans who are curious about the future of the National Football League got a good look at it this past weekend. I don’t think there’s much doubt that younger — and much quicker — quarterbacks are the wave of the future. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and San ...
It’s a subject that has been discussed endlessly ever since the first cavemen started playing competitive marbles. Is winning the main objective to any activity? Vince Lombardi had it all figured out. The legendary Green Bay Packers football coach simply said: “There is no substitute ...
The first time I saw Kyle Monroe put up a shot I was instantly reminded of another player. It was, as they like to say, deja vu all over again. Monroe, who will likely become the all-time leading scorer in Michigan Tech men’s basketball history this winter, reminded me of Dominic ...
I’ve never claimed to a be a seer of the future. Or even a modern day Nostradamus. But I do believe that there are changes coming on the sports scene in 2020. High school football figures to be the most obvious area for changes. Shrinking enrollment at many Michigan schools has led to ...
It used to be there was no choice when it came to choosing a sports movie to watch. There was William Bendix playing a very poor rendition in The Babe Ruth Story. Or Jimmy Piersall playing himself in Fear Strikes Out, also not an Academy award winner. But the last couple of decades have ...
Contrary to what propaganda the Ford family is putting out these days, they don’t have a football coach running the Lions. Matt Patricia has clearly shown that he belongs on the long list of Motown coaching/front office failures — people like Marty Morhningweg, Darryl Rogers, Matt Millen, ...
I used to have a saying that you can always tell a newcomer to our area by his/her reaction to the first heavy snowfall of the season. Someone who had never been to the Copper Country between late November and early April would always talk abut the volume of snow. But to local residents, ...
It’s that time of the year for good cheer, family get-togethers, sales and, of course, the football bowl season. Every business, from Chuckie Cheese to Los Dos Amigos has a name in its so-called honor between next week and some time after New Year. There are a total of 52 bowls in ...
The sport of hockey is at a crossroads much the same way the entertainment industry was about a year ago. With the resignation last week of Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters, the NHL, and really hockey in general, has had to admit it has a problem. In case you have been living under a rock, ...