In some parts of the country, ice fishing is serious business, an outdoor pursuit undertaken with an almost religious fervor. Those of you who hail from the upper Midwest know what I am talking about and probably can trace the ice fishing gene back through your genealogy.
This is a Christmas story that has nothing to do with the one that will be shown on TBS on a continuous loop Friday. This one is about UNLV coaches with soft spots in their hearts, and a Rebels basketball player who is much better beyond the 3-point stripe than he is with a Mexican yo-yo, and sick kids in the hospital, and the local sports radio host who brings them all together each year.
The cheers began when he first became visible from a tunnel at Orleans Arena. They stood and clapped and chanted his name and held signs in his honor because, well, it’s true everybody loves a winner. No matter the cost.
The last time I saw Ken Johann, UNLV’s uber soccer booster, was at Johann Field — named for his son, Peter — on Oct. 18. The Rebels were playing Incarnate Word from Texas. Fellow humongous soccer supporter Tim McGarry, a former Rebels player who in recent years has continued what Johann started as a benefactor, asked if I had wandered over to say hello.
It was Friday afternoon at the South Point, and the women’s basketball team from Stonehill College was playing Tarleton State in the annual Division II holiday tournament. That was one way to look at it.
If anyone wonders why NFL wagering is so popular, Ben Roethlisberger is one reason. If he’s on the field, he’s never out of a game. When the Pittsburgh Steelers are down, only a fool counts them out.
It was following a game at the Maui Invitational in November when UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford, his team having just lost to Wake Forest, spoke about the Bruins being assessed 28 fouls.
If this is the end, it’s sad. What appears to be the Chargers’ final season in San Diego is coming to a forgettable conclusion. Philip Rivers has spent his 12-year NFL career as the quarterback for one team.
It all made sense before Wednesday, how this week might play out for UNLV’s basketball team, how important it could prove in regards to the postseason, how a winnable game against Arizona State would be followed by an extremely difficult one at Arizona.
Bryce Harper, the National League’s Most Valuable Player, and Kris Bryant, its Rookie of the Year received keys to the city during a ceremony on the the 3rd Street Stage at the Fremont Street Experience downtown Thursday night.
