Not off the Press: Looking at the TV sports weekend and two thumbs-up to the OHSAA
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
This weekend, especially Saturday night, was one of those rare sports weekends on TV where there was a vast variety of sports to take in … a buffet of sports, if you will.
There was Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals between the L.A. Kings and New Jersey Devils, where it was a must-win for the Devils to keep their season alive (they did). I've even tried to keep track of the Euro Cup (I watched highlights) and the French Open (sports editor's note: having men's tennis on the TV but not actually watching it leads to listening to a repeated amount of groaning. It's best to watch the event and not just listen to it.)
There was also the Belmont, and though the race had a close finish (Union Rags won), it was anticlimactic for me as I wanted to see a Triple Crown winner, but as we all know I'll Have Another was injured and retired on Friday afternoon, dashing away any hope of that thought for at least another year … though I'm betting we'll see a Triple Crown winner in baseball before we do horse racing.
There was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals (and who doesn't love a Game 7 in sports?) where the Miami Heat fended off the Boston Celtics in a battle of the veteran Big 3 of Boston (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen plus Rajon Rondo) vs. the new-age Big 3 of Miami (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh plus … um Mario Chalmers?) where the Heat won, and to the victor go the spoils of earning a trip to the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder (also known as the former Seattle Sonics.) Cough … if you look back at my preseason NBA column, I predicted this matchup (their paths were wrong, but they got there nonetheless.)
I'll write more about the upcoming NBA Finals later in the column … but there also was the boxing match between Manny Pacquiao against Timothy Bradley as Bradley upset Pacman for the welterweight championship of the world amongst a lot of controversy as he won in a split decision (and I didn't watch the fight … there is no way I'd ever pay $65 for a boxing PPV or any sporting event unless I was splitting the cost 5 or 6 ways). To be honest, I didn't even know the fight was even taking place this past weekend … plus without a viable heavyweight division, and the sport's biggest star currently residing in jail for 60 or so days, I could care less about boxing anymore.
Boxing was on life support before the fight (Did you see where the rematch poster between the two fighters was released 11 days before the first fight even took place on Saturday?), and now I care even less about the sport, though it pains me to say this because growing up, boxing was fun to keep track of with Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Tommy "the Machine" Gunn (wait, that was a movie) and Mike Tyson, to name a few … nowadays I can't name 10 boxers … oh well, that's why we have the UFC.
One more thought on the fight I didn't see (there was a fury of tweets following the fight on Twitter by those who watched it) … until boxing cleans up its sport (the promoters in boxing are to its sport what steroids were to baseball), it will be on its deathbed where only folks in Las Vegas and Atlantic City will actually care about it … and who knows, they may be the ones who need to turn their back to the sport before something is done.
The good news for boxing is people are actually talking about it again … the bad news is the "sweet science" needs an overhaul of epic proportions. (I miss Burt Randolph Sugar … one of the greatest boxing historians and reporters who died earlier this year. Would had loved to read his opinions on the fight.)
(Honestly, did I jump into a time machine and end up in the 1920s this weekend with all the horse racing and boxing talk? All I need is a fedora and a cigar to complete the puzzle.)
I almost forgot, I watched some NASCAR, which raced at Pocono (newly paved) in the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR (yes, the Twitter hashtag), which was their first race of the year to be broadcasted on TNT … yes, their theme for NASCAR on the channel is AC/DC (get it … TNT). (As for the TNT coverage, I enjoy the commentary of Kyle Petty.)
As for the race itself, it was a decent race with many lead changes and just as many pit road penalties, which doesn't happen often (apparently the track switched the timing zones on pit road). It's also good to see a young driver like Joey Logano gain his second career win (his first not in a rain delay in the Sprint Cup series), which is good for the overall health of the sport. (What was neat about the finish … Logano passed Mark Martin with three laps to go, and it was Martin who discovered Logano at a race track when Logano was 15 years old.)
• Two thumbs-up to the OHSAA
In one of the best decisions the OHSAA has made, the board of directors has made a recommendation to add eight wheelchair championship final events – four for boys and four for girls – to the OHSAA State Track and Field Tournament beginning in 2013, according to a news release emailed on June 7.
This is a wonderful addition to the state tournament, and I am (as should everyone else) all for it. It will be great to see more student-athletes who are handicapped be able to compete against their peers in four events (100-meter, 400m, 800m and shot put) at the highest level in the state because the state track and field championships is a neat experience for the athletes and even for those in attendance.
In the news release, it states: "Track and field is the first sport in which the OHSAA will include wheelchair athletes as part of a state tournament and makes Ohio one of approximately a dozen states to do so."
That in itself is a good start, and hopefully all states will have wheelchair events at all state track and field meets one day. Again, a very good decision made by the board.
• Local players on select team
I was sent an email with information that the Southern Hills League will be well represented in the All-Ohio Underclassmen tournament this year. Earning a spot on the All-Ohio Southeast District team were Kiley Sosby (pitcher) from Whiteoak, and from Eastern Brown, Maria Johnson (pitcher), Shelby Mullins (catcher) and Kayla Seigla (outfielder). Congrats to all four players.
• Post 129 baseball update
Since their last home game on Tuesday, the American Legion Hillsboro Post 129 club stands at 2-7 overall, gaining wins against Chillicothe Post 757 (7-1) and a win on Sunday against Kalamazoo (Mich.) at the annual Troy Baseball Tournament. They had losses this weekend to Troy (twice) and to the Columbus Braves, who have defeated Post 129 three times this season.
This upcoming week for Post 129 is busy with an away doubleheader on Tuesday at Lancaster, a home doubleheader on Wednesday vs. Portsmouth and starting Friday and going through Sunday, they will play at least three games the first two days of the wooden bat tournament.
I have a feeling this team will turn things around … it just takes time. They have a lot of good baseball talent on the club … it's early in the season, and they've played some tough competition thus far.
• More of the upcoming NBA Finals
Ever since reading "The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons and seeing the influx of young talent in the NBA the past six or so years, I've become smitten with the NBA once again, and this year, the playoffs have been enjoyable to watch when I've had the opportunity to take in a game. (Though nothing will ever compare to the 90s NBA for me.)
At the start of the playoffs, my heart was with the San Antonio Spurs because this year could be the last hurrah (or maybe next year, but that's it) for them, but at the start of the regular season my mind was with the Oklahoma City Thunder (not the Sean Kemp Sonics) and the Miami Heat, and though it may have been the easy pick at the start of the year, it definitely wasn't a sure thing during the Eastern and Western Conference Finals.
But with the Thunda' winning in five games over the Spurs and the Heat winning in seven over Boston (gonna be a different look in Boston next season), this is the finals that I've wanted to see because I think, as do others, this series possesses the two best players in the NBA today in LeBron James (the reigning NBA MVP) and Kevin Durant (the regular-season scoring leader with 28.0 points per game … LeBron had 27.1 ppg, good enough for third place).
How can't this be a great series? It doesn't matter if you are a LeBron hater/Cavs fan (cheer for the Thunder) or if you like LeBron (cheer for the Heat) there is something for everyone … here are some of the thoughts/storylines that stick out for me …
- Derek Fisher helped save the NBA from lockout … now he's in the NBA Finals after being traded by the Lakers to the Rockets, then being released by the Rockets to sign with the Thunda'. Talk about a long road to potentially his sixth NBA championship.
- I think this is do or die for the Big Three in Miami … Getting to the Finals for this team is one thing (second year in a row), but to be a success they must win the title, right?
- Again .. Durant vs. LeBron … LeBron vs. Durant … Must-see TV.
- It's the finals … that's enough to watch itself … but I'm tiring of the "fear the beard" references already … that's so 2010 (see injured San Francisco Giants reliever Brian Wilson).
- I wish Marv Albert worked for ESPN/ABC this time of year so he could have the play-by-play of the Finals.
• Some non-sports thoughts from the weekend
- If you are a fan of documentaries, I suggest one titled "Page One: Inside the New York Times," as it is one of the better-made documentaries I've watched in a while. Very well done. (It came out last year, but I just saw it this past week, so it's new to me.)
- I read a story about parking times being enforced in Hillsboro on the HCP site … I'm looking forward to watching the everyday parking life in the city of Hillsboro resembling an episode of "Parking Wars." That's the last thing Hillsboro needs … a reality TV show.
- Since it's the "Summer of Love" in Hillsboro, I guess it's safe to say tuxedo T-shirts state the following: I'm classy, and I'm here to party. (I borrowed that from "Talladega Nights.") Peace, love and rock 'n' roll.
- I'm interested in seeing the bicyclists coming to Hillsboro and Highland County starting June 16 because it's a good thing for the community, and I like how there have been bikes placed everywhere around town. It's a nice touch.
- Since my schedule has been slow lately with the end of the high school sports season for the 2011-12 school year, I finally had a chance to take in the Veterans' Memorial at the Highland County Courthouse. Very, very nice. I didn't realize how nice it looked until I walked past it on Saturday afternoon. Again, a fitting tribute to the soldiers of Highland County.
• Stat of the Week
4 … The number of student-athletes named All-Ohio in baseball and softball for Highland County. Named to the Division IV baseball team were Whiteoak players Michael Smith (second team) and Gage Carraher (honorable mention). In softball, McClain's Jenna Perie and Fairfield's Lauren Larrick were named first-team to the Division II and IV teams, respectively. This is a great honor and congratulation to all four players … well deserved.
• Quote of the Week
"For the two years Michael was in our program, he worked very hard to become the caliber of player and leader he became. Michael is gifted and self-driven … losing him to graduation is a tough loss because he's a great person. He can run, bunt and as it turned out, he could do it all. He led us in every offensive category as he replaced a great lead-off hitter in Mikey Carraher this year. We had no idea we were getting this type of performance from him, but ever since he's been here, he's bought into what we do." — Chris Veidt, Whiteoak head baseball coach, speaking about Michael Smith being named second-team All-Ohio in Division IV baseball.
• One final item of business
Don't forget this upcoming weekend (Friday-Sunday) will be the annual wooden bat Hillsboro American Legion Post 129 baseball tournament at Shaffer Park. This is usually a great event to cover and watch. Also, they use actual baseball bats … which is always fun to see. Hope folks come out and watch some of the games this coming weekend.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]
There was Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals between the L.A. Kings and New Jersey Devils, where it was a must-win for the Devils to keep their season alive (they did). I've even tried to keep track of the Euro Cup (I watched highlights) and the French Open (sports editor's note: having men's tennis on the TV but not actually watching it leads to listening to a repeated amount of groaning. It's best to watch the event and not just listen to it.)
There was also the Belmont, and though the race had a close finish (Union Rags won), it was anticlimactic for me as I wanted to see a Triple Crown winner, but as we all know I'll Have Another was injured and retired on Friday afternoon, dashing away any hope of that thought for at least another year … though I'm betting we'll see a Triple Crown winner in baseball before we do horse racing.
There was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals (and who doesn't love a Game 7 in sports?) where the Miami Heat fended off the Boston Celtics in a battle of the veteran Big 3 of Boston (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen plus Rajon Rondo) vs. the new-age Big 3 of Miami (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh plus … um Mario Chalmers?) where the Heat won, and to the victor go the spoils of earning a trip to the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder (also known as the former Seattle Sonics.) Cough … if you look back at my preseason NBA column, I predicted this matchup (their paths were wrong, but they got there nonetheless.)
I'll write more about the upcoming NBA Finals later in the column … but there also was the boxing match between Manny Pacquiao against Timothy Bradley as Bradley upset Pacman for the welterweight championship of the world amongst a lot of controversy as he won in a split decision (and I didn't watch the fight … there is no way I'd ever pay $65 for a boxing PPV or any sporting event unless I was splitting the cost 5 or 6 ways). To be honest, I didn't even know the fight was even taking place this past weekend … plus without a viable heavyweight division, and the sport's biggest star currently residing in jail for 60 or so days, I could care less about boxing anymore.
Boxing was on life support before the fight (Did you see where the rematch poster between the two fighters was released 11 days before the first fight even took place on Saturday?), and now I care even less about the sport, though it pains me to say this because growing up, boxing was fun to keep track of with Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Tommy "the Machine" Gunn (wait, that was a movie) and Mike Tyson, to name a few … nowadays I can't name 10 boxers … oh well, that's why we have the UFC.
One more thought on the fight I didn't see (there was a fury of tweets following the fight on Twitter by those who watched it) … until boxing cleans up its sport (the promoters in boxing are to its sport what steroids were to baseball), it will be on its deathbed where only folks in Las Vegas and Atlantic City will actually care about it … and who knows, they may be the ones who need to turn their back to the sport before something is done.
The good news for boxing is people are actually talking about it again … the bad news is the "sweet science" needs an overhaul of epic proportions. (I miss Burt Randolph Sugar … one of the greatest boxing historians and reporters who died earlier this year. Would had loved to read his opinions on the fight.)
(Honestly, did I jump into a time machine and end up in the 1920s this weekend with all the horse racing and boxing talk? All I need is a fedora and a cigar to complete the puzzle.)
I almost forgot, I watched some NASCAR, which raced at Pocono (newly paved) in the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR (yes, the Twitter hashtag), which was their first race of the year to be broadcasted on TNT … yes, their theme for NASCAR on the channel is AC/DC (get it … TNT). (As for the TNT coverage, I enjoy the commentary of Kyle Petty.)
As for the race itself, it was a decent race with many lead changes and just as many pit road penalties, which doesn't happen often (apparently the track switched the timing zones on pit road). It's also good to see a young driver like Joey Logano gain his second career win (his first not in a rain delay in the Sprint Cup series), which is good for the overall health of the sport. (What was neat about the finish … Logano passed Mark Martin with three laps to go, and it was Martin who discovered Logano at a race track when Logano was 15 years old.)
• Two thumbs-up to the OHSAA
In one of the best decisions the OHSAA has made, the board of directors has made a recommendation to add eight wheelchair championship final events – four for boys and four for girls – to the OHSAA State Track and Field Tournament beginning in 2013, according to a news release emailed on June 7.
This is a wonderful addition to the state tournament, and I am (as should everyone else) all for it. It will be great to see more student-athletes who are handicapped be able to compete against their peers in four events (100-meter, 400m, 800m and shot put) at the highest level in the state because the state track and field championships is a neat experience for the athletes and even for those in attendance.
In the news release, it states: "Track and field is the first sport in which the OHSAA will include wheelchair athletes as part of a state tournament and makes Ohio one of approximately a dozen states to do so."
That in itself is a good start, and hopefully all states will have wheelchair events at all state track and field meets one day. Again, a very good decision made by the board.
• Local players on select team
I was sent an email with information that the Southern Hills League will be well represented in the All-Ohio Underclassmen tournament this year. Earning a spot on the All-Ohio Southeast District team were Kiley Sosby (pitcher) from Whiteoak, and from Eastern Brown, Maria Johnson (pitcher), Shelby Mullins (catcher) and Kayla Seigla (outfielder). Congrats to all four players.
• Post 129 baseball update
Since their last home game on Tuesday, the American Legion Hillsboro Post 129 club stands at 2-7 overall, gaining wins against Chillicothe Post 757 (7-1) and a win on Sunday against Kalamazoo (Mich.) at the annual Troy Baseball Tournament. They had losses this weekend to Troy (twice) and to the Columbus Braves, who have defeated Post 129 three times this season.
This upcoming week for Post 129 is busy with an away doubleheader on Tuesday at Lancaster, a home doubleheader on Wednesday vs. Portsmouth and starting Friday and going through Sunday, they will play at least three games the first two days of the wooden bat tournament.
I have a feeling this team will turn things around … it just takes time. They have a lot of good baseball talent on the club … it's early in the season, and they've played some tough competition thus far.
• More of the upcoming NBA Finals
Ever since reading "The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons and seeing the influx of young talent in the NBA the past six or so years, I've become smitten with the NBA once again, and this year, the playoffs have been enjoyable to watch when I've had the opportunity to take in a game. (Though nothing will ever compare to the 90s NBA for me.)
At the start of the playoffs, my heart was with the San Antonio Spurs because this year could be the last hurrah (or maybe next year, but that's it) for them, but at the start of the regular season my mind was with the Oklahoma City Thunder (not the Sean Kemp Sonics) and the Miami Heat, and though it may have been the easy pick at the start of the year, it definitely wasn't a sure thing during the Eastern and Western Conference Finals.
But with the Thunda' winning in five games over the Spurs and the Heat winning in seven over Boston (gonna be a different look in Boston next season), this is the finals that I've wanted to see because I think, as do others, this series possesses the two best players in the NBA today in LeBron James (the reigning NBA MVP) and Kevin Durant (the regular-season scoring leader with 28.0 points per game … LeBron had 27.1 ppg, good enough for third place).
How can't this be a great series? It doesn't matter if you are a LeBron hater/Cavs fan (cheer for the Thunder) or if you like LeBron (cheer for the Heat) there is something for everyone … here are some of the thoughts/storylines that stick out for me …
- Derek Fisher helped save the NBA from lockout … now he's in the NBA Finals after being traded by the Lakers to the Rockets, then being released by the Rockets to sign with the Thunda'. Talk about a long road to potentially his sixth NBA championship.
- I think this is do or die for the Big Three in Miami … Getting to the Finals for this team is one thing (second year in a row), but to be a success they must win the title, right?
- Again .. Durant vs. LeBron … LeBron vs. Durant … Must-see TV.
- It's the finals … that's enough to watch itself … but I'm tiring of the "fear the beard" references already … that's so 2010 (see injured San Francisco Giants reliever Brian Wilson).
- I wish Marv Albert worked for ESPN/ABC this time of year so he could have the play-by-play of the Finals.
• Some non-sports thoughts from the weekend
- If you are a fan of documentaries, I suggest one titled "Page One: Inside the New York Times," as it is one of the better-made documentaries I've watched in a while. Very well done. (It came out last year, but I just saw it this past week, so it's new to me.)
- I read a story about parking times being enforced in Hillsboro on the HCP site … I'm looking forward to watching the everyday parking life in the city of Hillsboro resembling an episode of "Parking Wars." That's the last thing Hillsboro needs … a reality TV show.
- Since it's the "Summer of Love" in Hillsboro, I guess it's safe to say tuxedo T-shirts state the following: I'm classy, and I'm here to party. (I borrowed that from "Talladega Nights.") Peace, love and rock 'n' roll.
- I'm interested in seeing the bicyclists coming to Hillsboro and Highland County starting June 16 because it's a good thing for the community, and I like how there have been bikes placed everywhere around town. It's a nice touch.
- Since my schedule has been slow lately with the end of the high school sports season for the 2011-12 school year, I finally had a chance to take in the Veterans' Memorial at the Highland County Courthouse. Very, very nice. I didn't realize how nice it looked until I walked past it on Saturday afternoon. Again, a fitting tribute to the soldiers of Highland County.
• Stat of the Week
4 … The number of student-athletes named All-Ohio in baseball and softball for Highland County. Named to the Division IV baseball team were Whiteoak players Michael Smith (second team) and Gage Carraher (honorable mention). In softball, McClain's Jenna Perie and Fairfield's Lauren Larrick were named first-team to the Division II and IV teams, respectively. This is a great honor and congratulation to all four players … well deserved.
• Quote of the Week
"For the two years Michael was in our program, he worked very hard to become the caliber of player and leader he became. Michael is gifted and self-driven … losing him to graduation is a tough loss because he's a great person. He can run, bunt and as it turned out, he could do it all. He led us in every offensive category as he replaced a great lead-off hitter in Mikey Carraher this year. We had no idea we were getting this type of performance from him, but ever since he's been here, he's bought into what we do." — Chris Veidt, Whiteoak head baseball coach, speaking about Michael Smith being named second-team All-Ohio in Division IV baseball.
• One final item of business
Don't forget this upcoming weekend (Friday-Sunday) will be the annual wooden bat Hillsboro American Legion Post 129 baseball tournament at Shaffer Park. This is usually a great event to cover and watch. Also, they use actual baseball bats … which is always fun to see. Hope folks come out and watch some of the games this coming weekend.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]