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Veteran Teletubbie always ‘empties tank’

A workhorse.A warrior.Gable Teletubbie turns 4 years old this month, but the veteran sprinter has shown he can still compete against some of the best sprinters at Wheeling Island. Just a month ago, he notched a Grade AA victory.From the time Teletubbie broke in at Wheeling in April 2006, he's been a solid competitor. Never a superstar, but a steady blue collar top grade racer."He's no world beater and he's never had big win streaks, but I'd like to have a whole kennel full of Teletubbies," Gable Kennel trainer Wayne Piquette said. "He empties his tank every time he goes to the ...

Penny Ante, Mancini in American Derby final

Two greyhounds with Wheeling connections have advanced to the finals of the $115,000 American Greyhound Derby at Twin Rivers Greyhound Park (formerly Lincoln) in Rhode Island.Moving on to Saturday's final are Magic Penny Ante (Mike Fynmore Kennel) and Flying Mancini (Flying Eagles-Miner Kennel). Another Wheeling racer, Starz Supreme (Flying Eagles-Miner Kennel), made the consolation final.The finalist for the championship race and point totals follow: Lovely Sonia, 72 points; Magic Penny Ante and Rossmore Althia, 60 points each; Chasen Tail and Flying Mancini, 46 points each; BWG Tax ...

OSU needs Trojan horse tactic

WHERE'S a Trojan horse when you need one?In mythology, the Greeks used the Trojan horse to defeat the Trojans, but the Buckeyes didn't come up with a similar clever tactic, suitable to football, against the USC Trojans last week.Possibly, the OSU contingent will use a surprise strategy - as did the victorious Greeks - when they encounter another group of Trojans Saturday. It seems unusual to be opposed by Trojans two weeks in a row, and the new opponent is from Troy University in Alabama. They have reigned as Sun Belt champion for two consecutive years.This week's unranked Trojans are ...

Rooting for Buckeyes this week a no-brainer

I'm torn between two loves, and it has nothing to do with my marital life.I was born and raised in Troy.I've never rooted against the Troy Trojans, my alma mater, in my life.Then again, I was born in the state of Ohio.I've never rooted against the Buckeyes in my 49-plus years of existence.Come Saturday at noon, I have a dilemma. Troy plays Ohio State in the Horseshoe, and both teams sport scarlet and gray colors!Problem solved as Troy is not Troy High School in southwestern Ohio. It is Troy State University of Troy, Alabama, and they wear maroon and white uniforms.At any rate, I would've ...

OSU must realize games are played on the field, not on paper

COLUMBUS - Just what the doctor ordered. Right?When a team is down on its luck after being humbled a week prior, a small Division I-A school is just what you like to see come to town.That's exactly what faced the Ohio State Buckeyes here Saturday afternoon inside Ohio Stadium when Troy University came calling for the first-ever meeting between the two universities.At least it seemed that way on paper.At some point Ohio State's going to realize that games aren't played on paper and just because you're wearing the mighty Scarlet and Grey doesn't guarantee victory, and certainly doesn't ...

Buckeye 8 Showdown doesn’t pan out

Showdown or Mow down?We're not sure which of the above titles better fits what transpired at Martins Ferry's Purple Rider Stadium Friday night when Union Local showed up for what was supposed to be a huge Buckeye 8 showdown.The Purple Riders flexed their muscle, showed their speed and basically laid the hammer down on the Jets to a tune of 60-18. Simply unbelievable. Union Local came into the game with a high-powered offense, but the Ferry defense performance led to a lot of head scratching.The Purple Riders brought all sorts of pressure on Jets' quarterback Jordan Barbina and made sure ...