The skies over Pymatuning Lake were cloudy. A moderate south wind ruffled its surface. Perfect conditions for an early spring walleye trip.
Despite over three decades of ...
Two things I’ve always recognized as unique to Butler County high school athletics: The nicknames of Karns City and Mars.
To my knowledge, no other high schools in the Un...
You know I love baseball guys.
And Ben McClure was a true baseball guy.
McClure, a 1957 Butler graduate, recently died at the age of 84. His memorial service is taking pl...
I’m a trail runner.
I’ve followed blazes through parks of all sizes, flags and ribbon on races from 5k to 25k in rugged terrain and flour dots on hash runs on city stree...
The consistent and at times heavy rain that dominated our weather much of this past week further emphasized one thing in the Butler County sports world.
It pays to have t...
It’s a habit of mine to peer into the mouth of a fish while unhooking it for any evidence of what it might have been eating.
Adhering to this practice, I was curious abou...
With April Fool’s Day looming Monday, it is time for this column to make its annual selection for Sports Fool of the Year.
While worthy candidates can always be found, no...
Doing something for the first time is hard, also historic and memorable.
Think of the first sub four-minute mile, Joan Benoit’s first women’s Olympic marathon victory and...
While the Pittsburgh Pirates had a nice jump in wins last season — going from 62 in 2022 to 76 in 2023 — optimism for similar improvement in 2024 has to be rather cautiou...
Spring has arrived. I’ve got a vase of fresh daffodils on my desk and a bouquet of sweet races to preview for March 23.
Butler’s Best Buddies Easter Egg Dash 5k, Bunny Ho...
Any Butler basketball fan remembers Ethan Morton.
His 51-point effort at Pine-Richland. His thrilling performance down the stretch of a comeback playoff win over Peters T...
It’s an old-fashioned race in an old-fashioned town. And that means a good old time for runners.
This Saturday at 11 a.m. marks the 17th year for Ellport Boro’s Community...
There has been plenty of talk about how NIL and the transfer portal are changing the landscape of college football at the national level.
Here in Butler County, we don’t ...
Moments after the hook, was set the power of a strong fish was transmitted into the deep bend of the rod. The moment was exciting but not unanticipated.
While my frien...
High school sports aren’t always about playoffs or championships.
Sometimes it’s just about effort — and still more importantly, pride.
Butler’s varsity girls basketball ...
It’s never been canceled in 47 years — not for bad weather, bad viruses or anything else that might shut down a road race. The 48th Spring Thaw is set to run its laps aro...
Finally.
Super Bowl LVIII weekend has arrived. Not only is this the only time I ever pay attention to Roman numerals, it’s also the only time of year I actually try to pr...
A few weeks ago, I explored the use of spinner and spoons for winter trout. Add another option to the “hardware” category: suspending hard jerkbaits.
While spinners and ...
Next weekend at this time, Tom Henschel will be in Las Vegas.
The Cabot resident, now 82, has never missed being in attendance at the Super Bowl. From the first one — Kan...
As winters go, this hasn’t been a bad one. A little wind, a little snow, a freeze or two and, suddenly, it’s Groundhog Day. We honor the strange holiday of prognosticatio...
A few weeks ago, I explored the use of spinner and spoons for winter trout. Add another option to the “hardware” category: suspending hard jerkbaits.
While spinners and ...
The PIAA is at it again.
The controlling body of high school sports in Pennsylvania forced Butler to go to court two seasons ago just to be permitted to play its earned D...
Can lightning strike twice?
In terms of athletics, it appears to be doing so at Knoch High School.
The Knights’ football team finished 1-9 in 2022. They rebounded to go 8...
Being organized can have a big influence on your success as an angler. The difference between efficiently finding what you’re looking for — or becoming frustrated and cho...
Regarding boat ownership, it’s been said that there are two good days. The day you buy the boat and the day you sell it.
Though I’d suggest boats provide many more good d...
Holiday lights come down.
Cold, dark winter stretches out for months. Winter can be a lonely season, especially for those who suffer from seasonal depression.
But seasona...
Creating your own baits and lures during the winter months, when fishing activities tend to be lessened, is a great way to keep active as well as ultimately reducing the...
Coaches say it all the time.
Once they take over as head coach of a program, it’s like taking on a second family.
A by-product of that is keeping up with the original fam...
As water temperatures cool down in late fall and early winter, walleye action on our state’s rivers heats up.
From early December right through the season’s temporary clo...
Instant replay and the transfer portal.
On the surface, both concepts made perfect sense to enhance the worlds of professional and college football, respectively.
Why sho...
