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Guilfoyle’s 1973-74 team stood tall

By John Frederick For the Mirror The number of Blair County boys basketball teams that have made it to the PIAA Final Four in the last 50 years can be counted on one hand. Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic’s 1974 third-place finish in the state tournament was one of that small handful of teams and celebrates the 50th anniversary of their playoff run this spring. Some exciting basketball was played in these parts in the late 1960s and early ’70s. During that span, and in 1974 in particular, a number of talented teams filled the Jaffa Shrine and area high school gyms. Altoona ...

Big boys already hurting new CFP

By Ralph D. Russos The Associated Press The College Football Playoff unveiled a 12-team format in the spring of 2021 that looked like an exciting step in the evolution of the postseason, with potential to lift the sport’s national profile even further while boosting all five power conferences and keeping the other five relevant. Three years later, the expanded playoff fans were promised is not what they are getting. It has been twisted and distorted by conference realignment and greed, with more changes being proposed that nobody outside of a few beneficiaries want. There will ...

Behind the scenes, it’s ‘super,’ too

By Ira Kaufman For the Mirror Is it possible to enjoy yourself at the Super Bowl without even going to the game? Yes! Last weekend I was in Las Vegas for all the Super Bowl festivities — parties, music, food and rubbing elbows with current and former NFL players. As the ultimate NFL fan, I was like a kid in a candy store, meeting and talking to so many current and former players, in a relaxed setting. On Friday afternoon, I went over to the Aria Hotel (where many of the players stayed), and at one point, while CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliot were playing blackjack right in ...

Don’t count Belichick out just yet

By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press Bill Belichick has won more Super Bowls than any coach and more games than everyone except Don Shula. Still, he didn’t land a new job. An iconic coach who built a two-decade dynasty in New England and teamed with Tom Brady to lead the Patriots to six championships somehow got shut out in a hiring cycle that started with eight openings. “I was surprised. I thought there would be quite a bit of interest in someone who has won that much and is available,” Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy told the AP. “Coach Belichick is obviously a legend ...

Don’t write Djokovic off just yet

By Howard Fendrich The Associated Press It might be tempting to see some tidy symbolism and greater significance in Novak Djokovic’s loss to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals. The end of the thirtysomething Djokovic’s 33-match winning streak at Melbourne Park. The end of his bid for an 11th championship there and 25th Grand Slam trophy overall. The breakthrough for the twentysomething Sinner, an up-and-coming talent who will now get to play in his first major final, against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday. Then again, that was the sort of passing-of-the-torch ...

Walton part of 75 years of memories

By John Marshall The Associated Press The best praise UCLA’s players could expect from John Wooden was a twinkle in the eye or a slight upward curl in one corner of his mouth. After wins — and there were a lot — Wooden might give a player a pat on the shoulder or rub of the head, perhaps a nod and a quick “Good job.” When Bill Walton produced one of the greatest performances in college basketball history, Wooden couldn’t resist taking a tongue-in-cheek jab at the big redhead. “When he got to me that day in St. Louis, he stopped, looked down at me and says: ‘I used ...