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A memorable trip to Boston

Last Sunday night, as I was standing in a downpour inside the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, watching Tom Brady make his epic return, one of my friends texted me, “Are you going to Fenway on Tuesday?” An hour before, a wild series of games on the final day of the baseball season had set up a one-game, winner-take-all Wild Card game in the greatest rivalry in sports — Yankees vs Red Sox. Plus, the game would be played in one of the most historic venues in all of sports — Fenway Park. The answer was “of course.” What a better way to complete an absolutely ...

Have no fear: Underdog is here

The words ‘Draft’ and ‘Kings’ conjure up thoughts of cold, brisk winds and Old World royalty. Combined, one could draw a conclusion that the phrase may have rotisserie league connotations. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Similar to other popular online wagering initiatives like FanDuel, FoxBet and BetMGM, Draft Kings actively and aggressively seeks to acquire market share in the white-hot online sports gambling arena. The competition among these apps is fierce as they jockey daily to make themselves your primary online choice and as commonplace on your phone ...

Williams was a Saint Francis anchor

With the recent passing of Sandy Williams in Atlanta, Georgia, Saint Francis University lost one of its most prolific basketball stars. Although numbers never illustrate the complete picture of an athlete’s contributions, Williams’ leap right off the page. Williams is one of only a handful of Saint Francis players to compile more than 1500 (1546) points and 750 rebounds (833). Competing in only three seasons — freshmen weren’t eligible in 1960 — Williams’ career totals are remarkable. A “Frankie” (Red Flash) Hall of Famer who played from 1961-64, Williams ...

All that’s left for college football playoffs … negotiations

The road to a new format for deciding major college football’s national champion took a detour Wednesday when the CFP management committee — 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director — was unable to come to a consensus on the proposed 12-team format. Instead of teeing up the university presidents who have the final say for a vote next week in Chicago, members of the committee circled back on the possibility of an eight-team playoff and discussed other issues. They are set to reconvene in Chicago, with the presidents joining via Zoom, for what CFP ...

US Open is in a class by itself

Even if you are not a fan of tennis, the U.S. Open in New York City should be on your bucket list. Over the last two weeks, I attended over 50 hours of matches between the best tennis players in the world — including Novak Djokovic, who was trying to achieve the Grand Slam (all four major titles in the same year), a feat that has not been accomplished in the men’s division since 1969. The first four days of the tournament are especially exciting as 128 men and 128 women play their first- and second-round matches at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center. The 23,000-seat Ashe ...

Mailbag

PSU needs stronger mask requirement Of all the changes to Beaver Stadium admission and operation this year, the most important element seems to have been totally discarded. That being the requirement to “mask-up” while at indoor portions of the stadium. Does anybody in stadium management understand that the COVID-19 pandemic continues? Have Penn State Athletics been made aware of the spread of the Delta variant? Sans a few announcements on the public address system, I couldn’t find any evidence of Covid precautions at last Saturday’s game. There were no ...