Giger: Curve resembling 2017 title team

July 10, 2019

There’s something about this year’s Curve team that’s starting to look more and more similar to the gritty, clutch 2017 Eastern League championship squad. That was my first thought following Altoona’s come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Erie on Sunday to wrap up the first half of the Eastern League schedule. The Curve struck out 17 times and managed just two hits in that game — both by Bligh Madris — yet somehow found a way to win despite the offensive inconsistency. Madris delivered a clutch two-run double in the sixth inning for the lead. It was just the kind of hit that ...

Hoping to help a young player get back a game ball

June 19, 2019

I need some help trying to find the owner of this baseball. As you can see in the picture, it’s a game ball from two years ago in the Altoona Area Baseball Association. Somehow, the ball ended up in my batting practice bucket of balls two weeks ago. While not certain where it came from, ...

Online sports betting now live in PA

June 9, 2019

Legal online sports betting has finally arrived in Pennsylvania after longer-than-expected delays. There’s only one available online casino option for people to wager at so far. There also are still technology and legal issues that have to be addressed within the industry to make the betting process easier. But if you’re 21 or older and looking to bet the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, French Open, baseball or anything else, you now can do so from your living room — without breaking the law on some offshore website. SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia became the first to offer ...

Giger: Stevens’ decision great news for Chambers

June 5, 2019

UNIVERSITY PARK — Good for Patrick Chambers. He deserved this. Make no mistake about what happened last week, when Lamar Stevens decided to return for his senior season of Penn State basketball. That decision saved Chambers’ job. Or at least, it gives Chambers a fighting chance to keep his job. Had Stevens made an unwise decision and turned pro a year early, Penn State probably would have been lousy this winter. In the neighborhood of 10-20 overall and near the bottom of the Big Ten kind of lousy. That probably would have gotten Chambers fired. Instead, with a first-team ...

Net results: Ballparks becoming much safer these days

June 2, 2019

Crack! Blink. Smack. Ooouuuccchhh!!! It happens so fast. Lightning fast. Even if you’re paying close attention at a baseball game, it can be tough to avoid getting hit by a screaming foul ball aimed at you in the ...

New SFU coach finally gets opportunity she’s deserved for so long

April 28, 2019

LORETTO — As she stood at the podium on a day devoted specifically to her — not someone else who was being named head coach — Keila Whittington explained why she had such confidence and belief that her big day would indeed finally arrive. “Yes, I absolutely knew that this day would come for me,” Whittington said Thursday during her introductory press conference after being named Saint Francis women’s basketball coach. That’s head coach. Not assistant coach. Not this time. It took nearly 30 years of being a college basketball assistant before the 51-year-old ...