Pearl Washington’s shot changed my life, and I have no idea why

March 19, 2020

Today would have been the start of the magical two-day extravaganza of the first round of NCAA Tournament, the greatest sports event in our country. I love, love, love the tournament. Always have. But we won’t get to see it this year because the coronavirus has forced a nationwide shutdown of sports. So, I’m taking this opportunity to write about college basketball in any way possible, and will do so by kicking off the Mirror’s new series for sports fans called “Picking favorites.” I hope you enjoy it and also take part by sharing your stories. n n n We like what we like. ...

No ‘Mania’ for this fan of wrestling

March 18, 2020

I’m never quite sure whether professional wrestling stories belong in the sports or lifestyle section of the newspaper, but with concerns over the coronavirus, pro wrestling may be the closest thing to sports still appearing live on our televisions every week. Friday’s Smackdown on Fox and Monday’s RAW on the USA Network both went on over the last week, but not exactly as planned. The events, originally scheduled for Detroit and Pittsburgh, were moved to the WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando and staged with no live crowd. It was certainly strange, considering big names ...

How to Flash forward: SFU will face future challenges

March 16, 2020

Judging a sports team or a coach can be a tricky thing. Like with anything in life, you pick the criteria you prefer and then make judgments based on that. Using one set of criteria, the good news is that a team or coach can look fantastic. Using other criteria, the bad news is that ...

Area seniors fretting over possible loss of spring sports season

March 14, 2020

Friday’s announcement by several school districts that spring sports will not take place until at least April was just another in a string of postponements across the world of athletics. The shock of a few baseball, tennis, softball and track and field events being postponed or canceled seems minimal to most when you consider every major sporting event is off — including The Masters, which was announced Friday. But for some star seniors across the area, the news was worrisome. It’s starting to sink in that they may have played their final high school game before the season even ...

Giger: Sports world sets leadership example by shutting it all down

March 13, 2020

Let’s try to catch our breath here. I mean, the world as we know it — particularly in sports — has been thrown into upheaval over the past 48 hours, as we’ve been hit with one knockout punch after another with cancelations because of the coronavirus pandemic. This thing has changed ...

Giger: Tough to have confidence in PSU right now

March 4, 2020

UNIVERSITY PARK — Be honest: No matter how much you’ve enjoyed this Penn State season, no matter how excited you’ve been for the great possibilities, there’s always been that nagging voice in the back of your mind saying, “They’re gonna blow it.” That is incredibly unfair to the players and coaches on this year’s team, who already have accomplished a great deal and will be going to the NCAA Tournament in two weeks. It’s also just the way it is. Call it the Penn State basketball condition, molded over many, many years of disappointing results that prevent people from ...