If it didn’t occur before, it has now

July 18, 2008

I'm not sure if it has ever happened, but if it hasn't, it has now.Eastern Ohio currently has three players in Major League Baseball - and all three saw action last weekend.St. Clairsville's Jeremy Sowers was the starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians; Dustin Nippert, a Beallsville alum, saw relief action for the Texas Rangers; and Steubenville product Paul Hoover had a single in three trips to the plate for Florida.I know the Ohio Valley has had its share of professional baseball players, but have three played on the same day?SOWERS, a lefty who has struggled mightily, got a no ...

For the Love of the game

July 21, 2008

For the love of the game.I know the phrase is often overused at times, but in this case, it's not.What do former high school and college baseball players do to bypass their time after their prep and collegiate playing days are behind them?Simple. They play in the Ohio Valley Baseball League.The Barton Braves Baseball Club has been around for quite some time, and it shows no signs of slowing down.With a roster dotted with several players who have double-digit tenures in the more-than-century-old OVBL, the Braves are the oldest team - by far - among the eight that competed this ...

Give it a rest Favre

July 23, 2008

Enough is enough!I don't know about you readers out there, but I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about Brett Favre's saga.After the Green Bay Packers' All-Pro quarterback announced his retirement in early March, yours truly penned a column praising the signal-caller.Now, though, it seems good old Brett didn't really mean he wanted to retire, stating "I retired prematurely."Well, that statement drew my ire!What could have possibly changed his mind in the last three months?He had the blessings of his wife and children, along with other family members and close friends.I don't blame the ...

Youngsters fuel Wayne Ward surge

July 23, 2008

In their early years at Wheeling Island, the Wayne Ward Kennel was loaded with an endless list of young sprint stars.WW Time Warp, Itsjustplaingood, Its A Fancy Tune, WW Accelerator, Flaming Glory, WW Ruff Enough, WW Way Out, Ruff Running, Its Chewbacca, WW Nick Of Time, Luckydeals Honor, WW Apple Jax and Gene's Champion to name a few.This year, the glory days have returned.Sparked by an influx of young talent, the Wayne Ward Kennel is challenging Charter Kennel for the top spot on the win leaderboard. Leading the charge have been littermates Kiowa WW Dot, Kiowa WW Brother, Kiowa WW Son ...

OVAC Notebook: Timmersjo not awed by large OVAC crowd

July 28, 2008

Not until a few years ago did kicking specialists have a spot on the Rudy Mumley Ohio Valley Athletic Conference All-Star Charity Football Game rosters.However, with the emergence of placekicking in the sport - on each and every level - a roster exemption was granted for kickers-only.When Buckeye Trail's Randy Thompson was seeking a kicker for his Ohio squad for last night's 63rd annual event, he had no further to look than Martins Ferry.And for good reason.A BIG reason, in fact - that being 6-ft.-5, 235-pound Herman Timmersjo, the Purple Riders' foreign exchange student from ...

USS Race By steps up game

July 31, 2008

Last December, USS Race By left The Woodlands in Kansas for Tri-state Greyhound Park in West Virginia.She never got there.While stopping in Wheeling on her way to Charleston, Lester Raines Kennel trainer Joel Roden checked out the sprinter's lines and was immediately impressed. A couple phone calls later and Race By was in Roden's Wheeling Island kennel."Looking at her lines from The Woodlands, I could see she was rail and an early burner - a match for Wheeling," Roden said. "What I also really liked about her was her consistency. She looked like a dog who tries every time she goes to ...