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Peterson: Detroit hurting in pro sports

It would not be unfair to call the professional sports situation in Detroit a case of riches to rags. It was only a few short years ago that Motown was billing itself as the “City of Champions.” After all, the Red Wings had a couple of Stanley Cup championships under their belt. The Pistons had won a NBA title. The Tigers were in a couple of World Series (albieit failing ones) and captured AL pennants. And the always futile Lions were at least finishing above the .500 mark. That’s all changed. It’s hard to find a winner anywhere in Detroit, unless you call the Detroit ...

Peterson: Stats are vital in sports coverage

It’s a point I always try to emphasize to every new coach I may encounter. And that point is: Try to keep the very best stats you can and get them to me as soon as possible. Late Mining Gazette sportswriter/editor Dick Loranger gave me the same instructions when I wrote my first sports story way back when. When was way back then? Well, Lyndon Johnson was still President of this country. Calumet & Hecla Mining Co. was still producing copper at a good rate. And the price of a stamp for a letter cost all of two cents. Loranger was a particular stickler on basketball box scores. ...

Karnosky: Something brewing at the Mac

Between the second and third periods Saturday night at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena, I ran into a friend of mine who made as bold a statement as I have heard in quite some time: he believes that the Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team will win its next 10 games. Upon first glance, I fully admit I thought he was nuts. The Huskies were on the verge of dropping their sixth game of the season and third in a row. However, the reality is, he might be right. The Huskies are coming off a loss to then-No. 14 North Dakota two weeks ago and two losses to No. 3 Minnesota State this past ...

Peterson: Football changing rapidly in UP

If there was any doubt the landscape for Upper Peninsula high school football has drastically changed, look back 25 or 30 years ago. Back in the late 1980s, the were several more 11-man teams than there are today. And no 8-man football teams. Consider the situation in Gogebic County today as compared to 1990. You had three teams playing back then, Class B Ironwood, Class C Bessemer and Class D Wakefield. Today, those three schools have had to combine forces to make up the Gogebic Miners. In the Copper Country area, there were several more schools playing 11-man ball three ...

Peterson: Contracts too large for pro athletes

Take a look at some of the salaries being paid to today’s professional athletes and you have to wonder if it’s case of them being overrated or overpaid. Now, I know the year is 2019 and everything has an exorbitant price tag. Take a look at your next grocery bill — or the sticker price on a new car or truck — and you’ll know what I’m referring to. The most glaring example that comes immediately to mind are baseball salaries. And our local big league favorite, the Detroit Tigers, is one of the prime examples. Sure, I know that the $30 million annual salary paid to ...

Peterson: A definite case of mind over matter

Some years ago, there was a basketball player at Bergland High School by the name of Neil Kalember. A smooth lefthanded shooter, Kalember helped the Vikings to a couple of district titles and a berth in the U.P. regional finals as a sophomore. But early in his senior season, Kalember suffered a broken arm and missed the entire campaign While we had been opponents, I hadn’t seen him until many years later at Lake Gogebic while vacationing. We got to reminiscing about our past days on the court and I asked him about the season he lost to injury. “It was the longest winter of my ...