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Lane takes place in ultimate ‘book’

As a young boy, I had first met Jim Lane at a candy store called Rocky’s, one block away from our house. Local sports enthusiasts would gather there, and I would often tag along with my dad. Our fare was Royal Crown Cola, Benzel’s Pennysticks and a Fudgesicle or Creamsicle for “dessert.” As a member of the Altoona Area High School basketball team, I became better acquainted with Jim throughout the years of 1969-71. He was our regular team reporter for the Altoona Mirror, recounting home games from the storied Jaffa Mosque. He was a consummate professional. As the boys ...

Pro-to-college pipeline going wrong way

It was a headline that I had to read twice: An NBA draft pick deciding to walk away and play college ball instead. Being an NBA draft pick wasn’t enough for James Nnaji. In a plot twist worthy of a Netflix sports series, Nnaji, a 7‑foot Nigerian center, was drafted 31st in 2023, traded ...

Baseball trivia book for super fans to be released

It won’t be too long before a whole lot of Pittsburgh Pirates equipment will be loaded onto a groaning truck and begin its 1,067-mile trip to Pirate City in Bradenton. The yearly phrase, “Pitchers (naturally with a focus on sensation Paul Skenes) and catchers report,” follows as does (eventually) pleasant weather back up in Pittsburgh. Until then, action is limited for fans to the good old, but imaginary, Hot Stove League. There, the activity consists of shooting the baseball breeze. Today’s topic Is trivia with all of the questions plucked from my upcoming Skyhorse ...

Guest column: On start times, pricing and betting

As the year winds down, a few thoughts that I would like to see: - Starting games at times where people with real jobs who have to get up at a decent hour can actually see the endings once in a while. - Coaches stop blaming themselves for everything that goes wrong as a protective mechanism. Full disclosure, this doesn’t work at home. My wife agrees, yes I did screw up. - When starting lineups are announced for college hoops and football games, their salaries are also listed next to their position. - Eliminate at least one-two timeouts for all games. There are a million TV and ...

Pitching in to help out Santa Claus

Eager to lighten Santa’s load this Christmas, but lacking access to a sleigh and reindeer, this handy vehicle is a satisfactory substitute for the disbursement of a few stocking stuffers across the athletic plains: n Great debate surrounded what to give Travis Kelce, a guy who seemingly has everything. How about the good sense not to embarrass yourself at the Super Bowl by bumping your head coach off balance during a sideline meltdown for all the world to see? n Perpetually athletic-appareled VP for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft is gifted the honorary title of assistant coach ...

PSU audio leaker should pay high price

To borrow and paraphrase a remark from President Gerard Ford: At long last, the great Penn State nightmare (2.0) is over. However, what still upsets me is the betrayal by the player who leaked the tape of the closed-door team meeting with team leaders. In the athletic world, that’s a sacrilege. If identified, he should be thrown off the team ASAP — preferably by the team leaders. And I would hope that each player at that meeting would let Kraft know it wasn’t him. I know it would be hard for the players to turn on a teammate, but this was also a betrayal to them and ...