Silver Jones wins $50,000 Holiday Sprint Championship

January 3, 2008

The late Johnny Biehle wasn’t one to boast or tout young greyhounds. After getting the pups track-ready at his Texas farm, Biehle would let the greyhounds do the talking on the racetrack. One exception was Silver Jones. “Johnny didn’t brag much, but the last time I talked to him I knew I had something special,” Charter Kennel trainer Rodney Cooley said. “Silver Jones was one of the last dogs Johnny finished for us.” Biehle had an eye for talent and he was right about Silver Jones, a February 2006 greyhound out of Dodgem By Design-Fuzzys Jasmine. In the final of the ...

New coaches should leave their mark soon

January 4, 2008

A pair of head coaching vacancies with local ties were filled in the past two days. First off, the Wheeling Nailers named 43-year-old Greg Puhalski as their 10th bench boss in team history during a Wednesday afternoon press conference at the team offices in downtown Wheeling. The former Toledo Storm head coach takes over for Glenn Patrick, who was reassigned within the organization as a scout after two-plus seasons. For this writer, it was a treat to talk with Glenn about hockey because of his immense knowledge of the sport he grew up playing, and eventually coaching. ...

Which ‘D’ will blink first in title game?

January 5, 2008

NEW ORLEANS — The Buckeyes’ defense has their attention. “They’re not rated No. 1 defensively by accident,” declared LSU quarterback Matt Flynn, one of several Tigers spending major minutes attempting to dissect film prior to Monday night’s BCS showdown. “If they (OSU defense) have weaknesses, I’m having a hard time finding them,” confessed Bengals’ wideout Early Doucet. “This is going to be our biggest challenge, and I guess that’s the way it should be.” Led by lights-out linebacker James Laurinaitis, the Bucks were burned basically once in the regular ...

Questions abound for Buckeyes

January 6, 2008

NEW ORLEANS — To a man, the Buckeyes insist they are focused. You were expecting something less? It was the media’s final opportunity to get up close and personal with players Saturday during 90-minute interview sessions conducted by both schools in the Superdome. OSU quarterback Todd Boeckman consistenly fielded the same question — time and again: “Do you feel you’re prepared to handle the pressure of playing in a national championship game?” Linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive end Vernon Gholston and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins received similar treatment: “If there ...

Deja Vu all over again for Buckeyes

January 8, 2008

NEW ORLEANS — Same old, same old. Ohio State’s ‘A’ game lasted all 15 minutes. “You can’t expect to win a big game playing one good quarter of football.” That from Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator Jim Heacock whose top-rated unit absorbed another heavy blow in a BCS title game. “Sure, we’ve played in two straight (championships), but what do we have to show for it?” Heacock shrugged. “This is a one-time deal. You have to show up and play consistently for 60 minutes. Two years in a row, now, we didn’t get it done. It’s frustrating.” If last January’s ...

Year in Review

January 10, 2008

Mariska, Silver Jones, Gable Pimiento and Makin Bakin. These four greyhounds were just a few of the newsmakers during the 2007 racing season at the Wheeling Island racetrack. Veterans, as well as newcomers, shared the spotlight throughout the year. Two stake races were held in 2007 with Thorne-Abrahamson Kennel’s Mariska capturing the $25,000 Hound Madness Stake in April and Charter Kennel’s Silver Jones winning the $50,000 Holiday Sprint Championship in December. In the two Night of Stars features, two Majestic Kennel racers — CS Bosco and San Tan Nomemory — prevailed. ...