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OFF BEAT: Bowyer in position to claim Nextel Cup

What a couple weeks it’s been for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The Chase opens with Clint Bowyer dominating at New Hampshire to score his first career Nextel Cup win and then Carl Edwards scores his first career Chase win at Dover. I said at the beginning of the season that this Chase would be wide open and it turns out I was correct. The top five (Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Bowyer) are within 28 points of each other, while Martin Truex and Jeff Burton (seventh and eighth) are just 46 and 75 points out respectively. I said in the first column I wrote ...

Harrison Hills strike situation really hairy

School strikes are ugly situations. They are ugly for the people sitting at the bargaining tables, they are ugly for the community and, most importantly, they can be ugly for the most important people...the kids. The situation going on in the Harrison Hills Local School District is starting to get ugly. It could uglier this week as the teachers were on the picket lines early this morning and reports had said the board has issued its final proposal. I understand that sports are a small part of the educational experience and it’s just an extension of the classroom. However, for the ...

BL officials holding back others’ potential

By BRIAN COOK, Times Leader Sports Writer No one can ever doubt you for wanting to do better in life. There isn’t a day that goes by when someone wakes up and says “I don’t want to succeed today” unless you are harvested in the Buckeye Local School District. The Panthers athletic program is still having trouble cracking into the mainstream of teams in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. Creeping in the depths of the Buckeye 8 Conference, the potential for the athletes is tremendous, but not for the good folks leading those athletes. At a recent school board meeting, ...

Cando: Double distance threat at the Downs

Double threat. Double trouble. Braska Cando is a force to be reckoned with on either the backside or the marathon course at Wheeling Downs. Since moving to the distance races in late July, Cando has never missed the pay sheet — 4 wins, 5 seconds, 2 thirds and 2 fourths in 13 starts. He has Grade AA victories in both distances. “From the beginning, Cando showed all the signs of being a distance dog,” Darren Henry Kennel assistant trainer Ken Otto said. “In his sprint races, he always had that big late kick.” Cando, an August 2005 greyhound out of Flying Penske-Eeyore, also ...

TMC’s Avenger: Monster in the making

In 2003, TMC’s Josalynn was a monster marathon runner at Wheeling Downs. Second on the win leaderboard with 28, Josalynn absolutely ruled the distance from May to the end of the year. In 37 marathon starts in the seven-month period, Josalynn had 24 wins, 8 seconds, 2 thirds and 1 fourth. A closer look shows her dominance: — Seven and six race win streaks; — Victorious in 16 out of 18 starts during one stretch; — Clocked a 42.28, which was .01 seconds off Steph’s Good’s then track record of 42.27; — Wins by 10 lengths (four times), 9 1/2 lengths (twice), 9 lengths, 8 1/2 ...

No mistake by the lake

By RICH GIBSON, Times Leader Sports Writer CLEVELAND — First things first. No one here is suggesting the Browns are potential playoff qualifiers this season. Realistically, this has all the makings of a break-even campaign. Perhaps, even 9-7 is within the realm, considering their remaining schedule includes the likes of St. Louis, Houston, Arizona, Buffalo, San Francisco and the Jets — each and every one a winnable proposition. The Browns reached their bye week at 3-3 following Sunday’s 41-31 wipeout of winless Miami. One of their other two triumphs came in a 51-45 ...