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Scenery change should benefit Fleming

UNIVERSITY PARK — Just in the last couple of years, the list of Ohio State receivers who launched from Columbus to the NFL — mainly in the first round — is staggering. It includes Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, both in 2022, Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2023 and Marvin Harrison Jr. this past April. Unfortunately for Julian Fleming, however, it did not include him. The former Southern Columbia High School standout and national high school player all the way back in 2018 kept getting bypassed as the Buckeyes’ top target. He did finish with 79 receptions for 963 yards and seven ...

Recalling childhood memories of the river

Last weekend my brother and I spent a relaxing time fishing on the Juniata River. The weather wasn’t the best for fishing, mostly hot and bright, but a frequent breeze kept things mostly pleasant, and enough river smallmouths attacked our lures to keep the day interesting. We didn’t land any monsters on that trip, but those hard-fighting Juniata bass of any size never disappoint. That’s why I have long considered the Juniata River as one of my favorite places to fish. And that river has provided a lifetime of wonderful memories for me. In fact, the oldest childhood memory I ...

US hoping to cap big year in Olympics

When major championship golf began in the late 1800s, the contests were heavily dominated by English and Scottish golfers. It wasn’t until the 1920s that Americans began to win, and even dominate, major championship play. Over the past several decades, Americans have continued to win the majority of these events despite a significant rise in the number of talented international golfers. With that said, I was surprised to learn that this was the first year for an American sweep of all four professional majors in more than 40 years. The winners this year were Scottie Scheffer ...

Drought challenging area courses, superintendents

It’s been several years since we’ve experienced the amount of dry weather and consistently hot temperatures we’ve seen so far this summer. Weather like this certainly has a big impact, and I can only imagine the effect it will have on our local farming communities if the trend continues much longer. While these concerns are undoubtedly more important, the recent weather has also begun to impact local golf courses. Every local superintendent I’ve talked to recently has their own story about how these drought-like conditions have been affecting their golf course. The heat ...

Mixing two adult sports

With scholastic sports on a break until August, many kids — and their parents — are spending the summer playing recreational sports. Many sports, like football, wrestling and baseball (unless you play for Lilly’s City League team), get harder or impossible to participate in the older you get. If you can find a league, you also run the risk of injury which could keep you away from a full-time job. Two sports that remain popular for adults into their 80s though are running and golf. Other than being exercise that people can easily find places to participate in, the sports ...

Excellent rotation has Pirates hopeful for playoff berth

Pitching is the engine that drives the team vehicle at almost all levels of baseball, and in that respect, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ prospects look very promising in the second half of this Major League Baseball season. Despite an offense that has registered a team batting average of just ...