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Slanoc sending a message

By Michael Boytim mboytim@altoonamirror.com It’s not often that high school coaches give their true thoughts on off-the-field drama or the day-to-day challenges coaching brings, especially an active coach. But that’s exactly what Portage varsity football coach Marty Slanoc did Saturday morning, even after the Mustangs opened their season with a convincing win over Conemaugh Valley on the road. Slanoc is in his fourth year as a head coach after taking over for Portage legend Gary Gouse, but he’s spent a quarter of a century on the sideline. He made it clear his post on “X” ...

Nehlen stays close to program at WVU

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com The last time Penn State played West Virginia was 1992, and the game featured Hall of Fame coaches on both sidelines. One, of course, was Joe Paterno, known as one of the great coaches of all time. The other was Don Nehlen, who gave West Virginia 21 ...

Fink worthy of Blair County HOF announcement

I was so pleased to hear the recent announcement that Artie Fink Jr. will be inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame. Fittingly, Fink will be the first local golfer to be inducted (he is also being honored for his impressive bowling exploits). I’m a little older than Fink, so I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many of the championship trophies he’s racked up over the years. Early in his golfing career, it was clear that he was the longest hitter in the area. Over time, I became even more impressed by the effort he put into becoming one of the most accurate ...

Rudel: Conference realignment can take toll

College football has been built on tradition, and all this conference poaching and realignment is threatening that tradition. The heavyweights, like Penn State, will survive and maybe even thrive. Others may be destroyed. A year after enticing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, the conference has now added Oregon and Washington, effective with the 2024 season. The move brings the Big Ten to 18 schools, which is not a round number and leaves open the distinct possibility of further expansion. Speculation abounds. Notre Dame has always made geographic and big-brand sense for the Big Ten, ...

Reaching for Messi is not new

Lionel Messi’s first appearance in a South Florida soccer stadium this season created high drama, and he wasn’t even wearing cleats. Messi’s formal introduction as the newest addition to the Inter Miami CF roster attracted a near-capacity crowd for an event that had all the trappings of a championship celebration. This wasn’t the first time an American city rolled out the red carpet for a superstar who was seeking a new experience, big payday, elusive team championship or fulfillment of a personal goal. Teams that are flush with cash doggedly pursue athletes who they view ...

All will suffer from realignment

The realignment frenzy in college athletics is all about football. And all that money, of course. There is barely a consideration of how these seismic changes will affect every other team on campus. From grueling road trips to missed classes to mental health challenges, it’s hard to see anything positive in all this dollar sign-driven nonsense if you’re an athlete who doesn’t happen to suit up for the pigskin squad. “I chose to play in the Pac-12 because of the ability to play close to home and in front of family,” said Shannon Cunningham, an Arizona State softball ...