Peterson: Copper Bowl memories varied

October 21, 2020

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 resident knows, can be unpredictable in the Copper Country this time of the year. Here’s a few of those memories. In the 1974 game, Hancock was rolling to an easy 53-0 win when tailback Steve Salani broke loose for a long run late in the game. The play was interrupted when a Houghton player (Tom ...

Niemi: Without fans, games lose their pageantry

October 10, 2020

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 ...

Peterson: An idea that really backfired

September 30, 2020

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 enough other teams to go along with a fall softball league, although a few did express interest. You have to realize that slow-pitch was quickly reaching its zenith in interest, and would soon zoom to 28 teams and three divisions within two years. So it was decided to advertise in the local ...

Peterson: Merv was one of a kind on or off the field

September 23, 2020

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 take it as just an exhibition or to play for real. He looked hard at me and said: “Have fun but play hard, just like it was a regular season game,” was his quick answer. I should have known better, having competed against his teams in the Twilight League and the Over 35 Softball League for ...

Peterson: Silence in sports is deafening

September 16, 2020

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 major league baseball, there’s been the placing of cardboard figures around the arena and ballpark. But cardboard just can’t imitate the sound of a roaring crowd. And in Cleveland, they still have John Adams banging away on his infamous drum. Or at least a recording of Adams doing his ...

Peterson: MHSAA acted in haste

September 2, 2020

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 that I’ve had time to mull it over, I believe the organization may have acted in haste. This is not a politically motivated decision on my part. That’s unlike some other segments of the population who have chosen to make the issue a political football. No pun intended. After watching prep ...