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New Year’s wishes from the couch

Here are some New Year’s wishes for our Mahoning Valley sports fans: The Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers will both have a better 2023 season than 2022. NFL fans around here haven’t been excited about football unless there is a bet riding on it. By the way, let’s hope for success at the new sports betting venue at the Mahoning Valley Race Course and Hollywood Casino in Austintown. A big party is set for 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve in anticipation of the first Ohio sports bets at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. For Browns and Steeler fans, that means interest in Sunday’s games can ...

Successful walleye hatch a great Christmas gift

Gale winds and sub-zero temperatures this Christmas weekend are not exactly putting us in the mood to go fishing, but Lake Erie has done her best to gift wrap a present Ohio anglers are sure to love. Ohio Division of Wildlife and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry surveys confirmed another successful walleye hatch in 2022 in the western basin of Lake Erie. As a matter of fact, it’s possible walleye aficionados may be getting spoiled as Lake Erie has gifted us with great hatch news for several years. This year’s western basin walleye hatch produced 83 fish per ...

Oh Franco!: A Browns fan’s tribute to the enemy’s warrior

I was going to write a column this week about all the strange games the Oakland / L.A. / Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders have played in throughout NFL history. Last Sunday’s game in Las Vegas continued that trend as the New England Patriots tried to score on a series of laterals as time was running out in a tie game. Instead, one of the laterals went awry and one of the Raiders linemen managed to intercept it and run over quarterback Mac Jones on the way to the winning score. These two teams also played a memorable playoff game in the snow in 2004 when Tom Brady was just a youngster. ...

Fishing a year-round passion for all to enjoy

In the spirit of the season (and to paraphrase Cousin Eddie in the popular 1989 movie “Christmas Vacation”), fishing is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year. Truth is, it is a lifetime of giving for those lucky enough to have been gifted with the art, science and unparalleled pastime fun of fishing. Avid anglers extend their fishing trips across the seasons. During winter, we typically have good ice for those who like to jig for crappies and walleyes. Come spring, the walleye fishing kicks in first with crappies and largemouth bass close behind. Summer and autumn are ...

How to accomplish the Northeast Ohio Slam

Exotic locations with glorious sunrises, pristine waters and abundant gamefish are the storybook dreams of many anglers. The big three outdoor magazines of my youth—Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, and Sports Afield—teased me with articles about the Florida keys, Alaskan rivers, Canada’s Northwoods, and Siberian rivers teaming with char and taimen. They were out of reach for a Youngstown boy who needed parental permission to ride his bicycle on any street other than the one where he lived. Even the great muskie waters of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York seemed like a ...

Canfield and South Range share history, titles

For the first time in the history of the Ohio High School Athletic Association football tournament, a pair of public schools from the Mahoning Valley have won state titles in the same year. Early Friday afternoon, South Range claimed its first-ever title with a resounding 53-21 win over ...