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YSU ‘grit’ campaign has its positives

YOUNGSTOWN — A little lumberjack, a little grit and maybe even a little swag. That’s the best way to describe the new sideline props of the Youngstown State football team, and if that doesn’t also accurately depict the Mahoning Valley, I don’t know what does. Maybe you caught a glimpse of the team’s sideline after a big play at some point this season. The new fad was clearly evident in the Penguins’ nationally televised season opener against Samford, and it mimics the “turnover chain” of the Miami Hurricanes, Alabama’s “ball-out belt” and Boise State’s ...

Get your northern pike experience close to home

You can spend big bucks on a dream trip to a North Woods wilderness lodge where northern pike prowl the cold waters. Or you might just drive up to Bazetta and Mecca townships and work the weedy waters of Mosquito Lake. Northern pike have been slashing and crashing anglers’ baits all across Mosquito the past week or so as the post-Labor Day cool-down has invigorated the food chain and activated big predator fish. Schools of shad and yellow perch are the feedstock for Mosquito’s walleyes, largemouth bass and northern pike. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been pulling water ...

Continue to be patient with us

Well, we are a week into this thing and all we can do is ask you to continue to be patient. When the Tribune Chronicle took on the publishing of a Vindicator edition for Mahoning County residents, we took on a lot of challenges, some obvious, some not so apparent. Obviously, the addition of thousands of new customers less than two weeks before getting started has created delivery problems. Our circulation department is doing what it can to get things straightened out. With the sudden increase in customers, the time it takes to print all those newspapers has increased accordingly. ...

Optimist always hits with next cast

For anglers, the next cast is one that still holds the promise of a magnificent catch. Fishing is the epitome of optimism. Its practitioners take new hope and big dreams every time they go to the water. Every trip is a fresh opportunity. Every cast has new potential. No matter how many failed attempts have preceded it, the next cast is the one we believe may connect. Like the golfer who believes every shot has a chance of rolling into the hole, the angler believes the next cast may result in a 6-pound walleye, a fat largemouth bass or a crappie as wide as the dinner plates in your ...

Loud fans can solve shortage of officials

You’ve heard that person. He or she is loudly berating the game officials at the athletic event you are attending. If it’s a professional sport, that’s one thing. Professional umpires and officials get plenty of training and are paid good money. They can handle a little verbal abuse (obviously, there is a line that should not be stepped over). But a witty, “You can borrow my glasses, ref,” or “I found your cell phone, ump, it’s got two missed calls,” are OK in most instances. Apparently, though, some people are taking things too far and have been for some time. Both ...

Gabrielson wins Bickerstaff race

Joe Gaberielson won the final leg and biggest race of his career, the Bickerstaff Cup, Saturday evening at Sharon Speedway. Besting a stellar field of the region’s best Outlaw E-Mods, the 31-year-old Bristolville native started fifth and drove a smart to victory. He bided his time, saving his tires for an inside pass with three laps to go over one of the best in the business, Joel Watson. What was so fitting of the win is that it happened on a night to honor the late Jim Bickerstaff, who ruled Sharon Speedway on the asphalt. During that time period, Joe’s father, Bill ...