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Recalling a home run fishing trip of sorts

Sometimes a fishing trip can be a home run even when the fish fail to show up. For retired Mathews High School teacher Mike Miller, a long weekend of frustration on Pymatuning Lake with his father and brother turned out to be one of the best days of his life. Mike’s dad, Gerry Miller, was a hard-working man who toiled at two jobs to support his family in Vienna. When Gerry did finally make time to go fishing, the trips often turned into three-day expeditions that were — in Mike’s words — “fish, fish, fish.” Summer was waning in 1968 when Gerry announced to Mike and ...

Like in life, coaches rely on mentors and other resources

As a journalist, whenever I find myself in a jam and in need of advice I always turn to former colleagues, bosses, and professors. There’s my former editor at the Verde Independent in Cottonwood, AZ, Dan Engler. He was the one who gave me my first full-time job as a journalist and someone who taught me so much about the business. In fact, before I took this job I reached out to him to talk about the opportunity, just to have a sounding board. Then, there are my former professors at Arizona State University, Paola Boivin and Brett Kurland. Two of the best to ever do it. Dan gave ...

Local anglers giving back to support community

When the opportunity to give back to the community presents itself, some people step up and some turn away. It’s human nature. Some are givers. But even the most generous givers appreciate the opportunity to have some fun to go along with their investment. A dedicated corps of bass anglers has answered the call in Youngstown annually since 2000. Every year on the Saturday after Memorial Day, they gather at Aqua Ohio’s Evans and Pine Lakes to compete for the title of champion of the United Way Bass Classic. Now known as the Muransky Companies Bass Classic, the tournament started ...

Aces in the circle: Pitchers played major role in local district titles

The old adage goes “Defense wins championships” and when it came to six of our local softball teams winning district titles this past week, that saying could not be truer. But, you could also throw a little wrinkle into the mix and include the young ladies that stepped into the circle for our local champions. Winning pitchers in five of the six district title games went the distance this past week and all five of those winning pitchers recorded 10 or more strikeouts. Austintown Fitch’s freshman phenom Sydnie Watts could call herself a strikeout queen after this week as she ...

Anglers and journalists can’t take their tools for granted

Anglers have their lures, technicians have their tools and golfers have their clubs. It’s impossible to fish, repair or golf without them. Writers have tools, too, chief among them the keyboard on which they tap out the messages that are rattling around in their brains. As an angler and a writer, I speak from experience when I say that it’s easy to take lures and keyboards for granted. They are always there, ready for the call to duty. They are there, that is, unless misfortune strikes – and that is when we realize we have taken our tools for granted. All of this ...

World of Outlaws tour coming to Sharon Speedway

The World of Outlaws national tour — “The Greatest show on dirt” — will return to Sharon Speedway three big nights in one week. The biggest back-to-back weekend show in the speedway’s history. The Sprint cars will return Saturday May 21st. for a $10,000 to win. Last year in one of the seasons most popular wins went to hometown hero 58-year-old Dave Blaney. He won on a last lap pass setting the racing world into a frenzy bringing his career total to 95. The traveling elite series seldom loses to a non-regular. The series races across the county starting in Florida across the ...