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BTN continues to pay off for PSU

It’s a big night of back-to-back Penn State action Friday on the Big Ten Network. A home hockey game against Notre Dame (6 p.m.) starts the evening and a wrestling match at top-ranked Iowa (9 p.m.) completes the doubleheader. Sure, football drives BTN — the popularity of that sports accounts for much of the Big Ten Conference’s overall television revenues, some $54 million every year, to member schools — but nights like Friday reflect the promise of the conference network come to life. Few besides then-commissioner Jim Delany probably envisioned a night with hockey and ...

Bellwood-Antis displays good sportsmanship

Sometimes you hear about the ugly side of high school sports like riots, shootings, trash-talking fans and fights in the stands. Then there’s the good side, like what happened at Thursday’s wrestling match at Bellwood-Antis. I figured there was going to be a big crowd for the Blue Devils’ match against Glendale when I didn’t find any parking outside of the high school. I got lucky when I circled the block once and, after a vehicle left, found an open spot right outside the gym entrance. That big crowd showed their appreciation for a milestone when Glendale junior Brock ...

Zero tolerance policy needed in pro sports

I grew up with a hard-core, old-school coach. My Dad preached the values of athletics to us from a very young age. While participating in sports, we were to learn skills, but also values; good habits, but also important lessons; and the biggest lesson of all was sportsmanship. We were to respect our teammates and coaches, our opponents, the officials and the rules of the game. No matter what. So the latest allegations and fallout of two more professional sports cheating scandals are not just disappointing. They literally hurt. The NFL is investigating the New England Patriots for ...

Looks like the right time to take a look at postseason picture

Most of the area’s teams have played at least 11 games, meaning the regular season is more than half over. So let’s take a peek at where the teams in the Mirror’s coverage area stand and where they might be by the time the playoffs begin. We’ll start on the girls side where once again the most intriguing race is in Class 2A. The field isn’t as deep this year with teams like Blairsville and Bishop McCort taking steps back, but the top four are as solid as ever. Bellwood-Antis is at No. 1 and seems like a good bet to stay there. The Lady Blue Devils turned down an ...

Giger: Lions right ship in crucial game

UNIVERSITY PARK — Most coaches won’t admit publicly that one contest is a must-win game, even when it’s pretty obvious. Like the game Penn State played Saturday afternoon. “Was it a must win?” Patrick Chambers replied when asked. “I don’t believe in that. I believe there’s a lot of basketball left to be played. There’s still a lot of time.” Be that as it may, Penn State would have been in a world of hurt had it lost to Ohio State in front of a packed house of 14,785 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Everybody knew it. Including Chambers. “For my sanity,” he said ...

Bellwood-Antis star maintains humility

CLAYSBURG — When Tuesday’s game at Claysburg-Kimmel was briefly stopped to honor Alli Campbell’s Blair County scoring record-breaking basket, it may have been the only moment Campbell felt out of place during the game. She was trying to get back on defense. Suddenly, teammates were mobbing her, Campbell’s family was on the court and even Claysburg-Kimmel’s players were presenting her with balloons and flowers. “It kind of snuck up on me, and I’m just taking it all in,” Campbell said. “It wasn’t really one of my top goals or focuses in the first place. This is ...