STEELHOUNDS
STEELHOUNDS
King hired
YOUNGSTOWN -- Robb King has been named assistant general manager and director of ticketing for the Youngstown SteelHounds.
"The addition of Robb to the SteelHounds family further strengthens our organization," said general manager George Manias. "In his role as my assistant general manager, Robb is another set of ears and eyes to ensure that we are providing Youngstown with the best possible product we can offer.
"Robb and I worked together in the past and I know he will be a valuable asset to our team."
The Swartz Creek, Mich., native has been involved with pro hockey off-and-on since 1993 when he was the director of media relations and marketing for the Flint Generals of the United Hockey League (UHL).
He broke in as a top-level executive in 1998 as the vice president of operations for the Muskegon Fury (UHL) where he served until 2001 when he moved back to Flint as the vice president and general manager of the Generals (2001-03). King has also served as the media relations manager of the International Hockey League's Detroit Vipers and general manager of the Columbus Stars (UHL).
"It's really exciting for me to be able to jump back into the field of pro hockey," said King.
King has received several honors and accolades, including being the only three-time winner of the UHL's Marketing Person of the Year (1996, 97 and 99). He's won two UHL Championships: 1996 with Flint and 1999 with Muskegon.
"I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead and to making the SteelHounds not only the talk of our town, but the Central League as a whole," said King. "We've really got something special and I hope to let everyone know about it."
The Hounds return home for a six-game home stand beginning on November 25th when they host the Corpus Christi Rayz.
LOCAL
Boxing
PORTLAND -- Youngstown middleweight Darnell Boone will fight Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward in a six-rounder tonight at the Rose Garden.
The eight-bout card will be partially televised by HBO, with the main event a junior welterweight 12-rounder featuring Floyd "Pretty Boy" Mayweather (34-0 23 KOs) against Sharmba Mitchell (56-4 30 KO). Boone's fight will be televised.
Boone (6-2-1, 4 KOs) is managed by Jack Loew and Tank DiCioccio from the Southside Boxing Club in Youngstown and has been trained by Loew throughout his amateur career. Ward (6-0, 4 KOs) is undefeated since turning pro.
"Darnell has a world of confidence for this fight and he knows this is a huge opportunity for him to be in the ring with an Olympic champ such as Ward," Loew said.
Added Boone, "I watched films of several of Ward's fights and I am very confident that I can win this fight."
Akron's Pykarehonored
AKRON -- University of Akron cross country runner David Pykare, a Maplewood High graduate, earned academic all-league honors. The education major has a 3.475 grade point average. He was also a second team all-league selection as a runner.
NATION
Rock Hard Ten retired
ARCADIA, Calif. -- Rock Hard Ten, a leading candidate for horse of the year honors before being scratched from last month's Breeders' Cup Classic, was retired Friday after an examination detected worn cartilage in his left front foot.
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens called Rock Hard Ten the best horse he's ever ridden.
Rock Hard Ten, a 4-year-old colt, completed his career with seven wins in 11 starts and earnings of $1,870,380. He was unbeaten in three races this year, and won four major stakes races after Richard Mandella became his trainer, including the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap last March.
"You haven't seen the best of him," Stevens said after that race. But Rock Hard Ten raced only one more time, winning the $484,000 Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita on Oct. 1.
Rock Hard Ten figured as one of the favorites in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Belmont Park, but was scratched from the $4.7 million race because of a bruised right front foot.
Rock Hard Ten bruised his left foot about a week earlier. Mandella didn't believe that injury was serious at the time.
"After his undefeated 4-year-old campaign, we are saddened by this decision, but felt it was best to retire him at this point," Mandella said. "Given the tremendous interest in him as a stallion prospect, we hope his career at stud will be as great as his racing one was."
Mandella said the problem was discovered Thursday in one of Rock Hard Ten's sesamoid bones, which are located above and at the back of the fetlock joint, similar to a knuckle in humans.
"We went in with an arthroscope. The cartilage had worn off pretty good about the size of a dime," he said.
"It's such an important part to a race horse right there. We thought best to advise retirement."
Mandella said Rock Hard Ten's career was "barely tapped."
Padres acquire Cameron
NEW YORK -- The San Diego Padres acquired outfielder Mike Cameron from the New York Mets for utility player Xavier Nady.
Vindicator staff/wire reports