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Sports


Scott on Sports
with Scott Lowery
Ice Age Intrigue

The ugliness of the late February weather scored an unwelcome victory over what had been planned as a Friday night of high school playoff basketball. Schools had been closed and games cancelled.

With options limited and the TV remote in my hand, the channel lineup was perused seeking some type of sporting action to fill the void left by Mother Nature. With even those options greatly limited, my curiosity momentarily paused on the strange scene of women with brooms frantically sweeping the ice ahead of a sliding stone whose thrower kept yelling, "harder, harder."

Until that moment, I had only caught snippets of action from the XXI Winter Olympic Games being played north of the border. Curiosity had me watch segments of the opening ceremonies and much of the first round hockey action as the USA surprised the favored host Canadians. But now the highlight of a Friday evening centered in on two teams of ladies casting stones across a frozen surface. Aghast, a chick flick on ice.

For the next hour I watched mesmerized as the women’s curling gold medal game was not decided until the last stone was cast. The yellow-clad Swedish ladies out slid Canada’s crew to capture the gold medal and gain a new fan for a little-known sport – at least for one Friday evening. I knew nothing about the competition, or the rules of the game, but my curiosity was peaked; especially about that stone with the handle attached to its top.

I have since learned the object of my attention is a thick stone disk weighing between 38 and 44 pounds, traditionally made from a specific type of granite, called "ailsite" and found on an island off the coast of Scotland. The handle, that allows the stone to be gripped and rotated upon release, is secured by a bolt running vertically through a hole in the center of the stone. The island where the rare granite is found is now a wildlife reserve and the quarry is closed, resulting in sky rocketing prices for the best stones. Current prices range as high as $1,500.

Curling became an official sport in the Winter Olympics in 1998. It first appeared in the games of 1924 but had been considered a demonstration sport in the years since. It is a team sport in which stones are slid across a sheet of carefully prepared ice, which must have relatives in the shuffleboard family.

The game features two teams of four players taking turns sliding the granite stone across the ice towards a target called the house. Each team has eight stones. The game consists of eight or ten ends (similar to innings in baseball) with the winner determined by which team gets the most stones closest to the house.

Its origin dates back to the 16th century in Scotland where the climate provided good ice conditions in the winter. Its history calls for the game to be played with great sportsmanship with a tradition of the winners buying liquid refreshment for the losers. Come to think of it, maybe that’s a remedy that could be instituted today to help rid our sports of sore losers.

While not a devotee of Olympic intricacies, I was struck by the sportsmanship and overall friendliness of the competitions filling my TV screen. Of particular note was the classiness of two of Canada’s native sons, long cheered as sports stars in our county, who helped welcome the world to Vancouver’s big show. Wayne Gretzky, dubbed "the great one" most often hailed as hockey’s greatest player and Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) two-time NBA MVP, were featured lighters of the Olympic torch. 

  Both the USA and Canada can rightly claim Olympic glory via the medal count their athletes registered. When the flame was extinguished Team USA gathered the most honors with 37 medals (9 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze) outdistancing second place Germany (30). It marked the first time in Olympic history Uncle Sam’s contingent stood atop a medal count at the Winter Games. But the Canadians could proudly puff out their chest by winning the Game’s best 14 medals of the gold variety. 

For the hosts, it was clearly the gold medal won in the Games last contested contest that provided them the most satisfaction and the rest of the world with one of the best hockey games ever witnessed. In what many have called the greatest collection of hockey talent on display at one time in one place, the wearers of the Maple Leaf triumphed over a determined USA team 3-2 in overtime.

The game-winning goal was netted by Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who cemented his legacy for all time in Canadian hockey lore. The accomplishment topped a remarkable year for Crosby as he also wore the hero’s mantle in last year’s Stanley Cup championship performance for the Penguins. Ironically, Crosby was not chosen by his country to be a member of their Olympic team roster the last time around in 2006. That year Team Canada finished an embarrassing seventh.

All that is now just a distant memory as this Canadian Club is toasted as Olympic champions.

I was glad I tuned in. Now if I can just find those reruns of those stone tossing, broom sweeping curling crews!

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Sports Digest
with Bill Byham
Major League Baseball is Back...

Despite Florida suffering through one of its coldest winters ever, the time has come to hear the historical cry of PLAY BALL echoing from the sites of baseball fields from high schools to major league spring training camps.

The high schools have been at it a few weeks back as teams from here in Manatee County are about seven games into their new seasons at this writing. The Big League guys were opening during the first week of March after being very careful of their bodies since the camps opened during the first week of February. Sports pages in the area have not listed any major or minor injuries to players so, despite the cold, the winds and rains, the players have come through in good shape.

We are here in Bradenton, which is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. You have all known about the Pirates and this aged lefthander. The Pirates have been in my blood almost from the day I was born but over the past 18 seasons I have grieved their existence as they have now set a new major league all time record of futility by not even coming close to closing a season with at least a .500 record.

But they are my team. They are the Bucs, the Buccos, the team Roberto Clemente played for, the team that had Bill Mazeroski hitting a dramatic last inning home run to beat the Yankees in a world series seventh game, the team Willie Stargell played with and created the "We Are Family" greatness, the team Ralph Kriner played for with his home run bat and when I was a kid I read the stories about Pie Traynor, the Waners and Honus Wagner.

Alan Dell, a baseball writer from the Bradenton Herald, wrote an almost perfect piece in describing people like me in regards to the Pirates.

‘Spring Brings Optimism to Pirate Fans’ was his headline and his first paragraph said, "The start of spring training should be declared a national holiday for optimists. Out of nowhere they emerge, ready to defend their beliefs with the skill of a Clarence Darrow or any other lawyer good enough to earn a place in the history books.

Their favorite team has no losses, and if the losses mount up there is always the excuse these games don’t count.

Everyone has their constitutional right to be an eternal optimist; even those who follow the Pirates."

Dell then hit us hard when he wrote " a whole generation of kids has been born, gone through high school and is now off to college or starting families without being able to witness a winning season by the Pirates."

But, hey, the Pirates first game here at famous McKechnie Field on 9th Street in Bradenton was a win. They defeated the ball club from State College of Florida by a 6-1 score with just about all the hype going toward rookie catcher, Pedro Alvarez who posted three base hits and drove in a run. On top of his heroics was a homer spree of three in a row sparked by former Williamsport Crosscutter Steve Pearce (2-run shot).

The Pirates might not take up as much of my time in 2010 as in the past. A lot of my guys are with someone else after the Bucs owners had a "garage sale" late last summer but allow me to possibly change my mind before it is all over. *

HAPPY

I am happy learning that several pretty darn good small college people have been recognized for what they showed over the winter.

At Lycoming, 2nd year head coach, Guy Rancourt, was named Coach of the Year in the Middle Atlantic Conferences Commonwealth League after his Warriors finished 21-6 and 10-4 before being invited to an At Large spot in the NCAA D-3 postseason playoffs.

Senior Eric Anthony earned his third consecutive choice as a First Team Commonwealth selection. Anthony posted a 15.4 per game average that included his reaching the 1,000 point plateau. He was the teams best foul shooter and was the ninth best conference player in assists.

Junior Will Kelly was named to the league’s second team after leading Lycoming in scoring average (15.6) and rebounding (7.1 per game). He shot fouls at an 82.0 %. average.

Freshman Gerald Williams was named the Commonwealth League’s Rookie of the Year. The fast moving point guard was third all time at Lycoming in assists with 145. Seventh in the D-3 nation in steals with a 3.2 per game average and 5.6 assists per game.

Over at Penn College the Wildcat basketball team finished runner up in the state championship race. They were lead by senior Joe Simon who became the PCT all time leading scorer with 1,197 points.

Simon was joined by two underclassmen in the 1,000 point parade. Greg Solyak and Williamsport’s LeRoy Joiner both had banner seasons.

In wrestling Lycoming coach, Roger Crebs, was taking two of his wrestlers to the D-3 National Tournament in Iowa.

Senior Chris Dahlheimer(165), already an Academic All American plus being a wrestling All American, took his 25-2 record into the tourney. He earned this after placing first in the Empire State Collegiate Wrestling Conference championships. *

Isaiah Britton, in first Lycoming season, was an at large choice by the Empire State Conference where he placed second at 149. He wrestled to a 23-3 record, which included 10 major decisions and seven technical falls.

This corner congratulates each and every one of these young people.

- That’s 30 -
Read more sports on thats30.com

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