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Clifford misfires on loyalty

Say it ain’t so. When has it ever happened where a Nittany Lion football player would go behind the coaches backs to potentially lose the trust of their coaches as well as possibly disrupt what could be a successful new season? Does Sean Clifford realize that most major football programs would have some difficulty welcoming back a sixth-year, 24-year-old starting quarterback who at best is average in his playing ability while waiting on the sidelines are some outstanding young recruits? Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. Wanting to improve the college players ...

Changes abounding in MLB

By John Hartsock jhartsock@altoonamirror.com In Major League Baseball, as the old saying goes, “The times, they are a changin.’’’ Several significant changes have been implemented in the game this season and during the recent past, and several more could be on the immediate horizon. The designated hitter is now in effect in both the National and American Leagues, there’s a new and better postseason format on tap beginning this October, and the radical defensive shifts that teams have used to cut down batting and run production could soon be significantly modified. The ...

Clifford on right track with pursuit of benefits

I was reading the story in the Mirror about Sean Clifford leading a movement to help improve the benefits for college athletes. Medical benefits for life for athletes is an overlooked and incredibly important issue. Until it’s affordable to personally treat/finance sports injuries, the teams and leagues need to address this. I have two neighbors that were Division III athletes. The ex-football player sustained a knee and back injury during his college career and estimates he’s paid out over $50,000 in medical bills. The second guy was a tennis player. He has ...

Everybody loves the underdog

A few days after the film “American Underdog” was released, I was able to work with Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner in what was Ben Roethlisberger’s final game at Heinz Field. Warner was color analyst for Westwood One’s national broadcast, working alongside Kevin Harlan. Not surprisingly, Harlan joked with Warner about the film during the broadcast since it was based on Warner’s amazing NFL career. Warner did not allow Harlan’s light-hearted ribbing to distract him from in-game analysis. He offered several unique insights about Roethlisberger’s career that only he ...

Baseball providing timely release

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror Americans are well aware that the cost of everything continues to rise. Depending on the source, the factors that are cited for runaway inflation vary. The specific reason why all but three MLB teams enjoyed an increase in average attendance through the first third of their 2022 home schedule, when compared to last season’s overall home average, is similarly variable. With discretionary income at a premium, only Texas, Cincinnati and Oakland are suffering a drop in average home attendance compared to 2021 numbers. All three teams sport ...

Additions should benefit Big Ten

The additions of USC and UCLA into the Big Ten in 2024 will brighten the traditional Big Ten brand of historic American universities and their athletic programs. In four ways, these additions will benefit Penn State. First, it will bring more revenue to State College and the surrounding communities, via fans of these universities. Secondly, the growing conference will also help Penn State recruit more major talent, giving athletes the opportunity to play against UCLA and USC, schools possibly too far away to consider for those on the east coast. Third, the Big Ten will be ...