LOCAL

LOCAL

Russell, Pirates
set for Butler

YOUNGSTOWN — Manager John Russell will among those visiting when the Pittsburgh Pirates Caravan visits the Butler Museum of American Art on Jan. 18 for a noon luncheon.

Russell was named the Bucs’ 38th manager in the 121-year history of the ballclub. He was the manager of the Phillies’ Triple A team, Scranton/Wilkes Barre, the past two seasons.

Pitcher Paul Maholm and infielders Adam LaRoche and Steve Pearce will be part of the caravan. Broadcasters Greg Brown and Steve Blass will serve as emcees.

Luncheon tickets cost $15 and include a Pirates game ticket for the 2008 season. Reservations are necessary and may be made by calling (330) 743-1107 ext. 122.

Bailey, Stahl in
top swim meet

INDIANAPOLIS — Brooke Bailey of Boardman and Brian Stahl of Berlin Center were selected as members of the All-Ohio Swim Team to compete at the 2008 Mid-States Quad Meet.

The Quad meet will have all-star teams from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.

Bailey, 10, and Stahl, 14, were chosen to the team by being among the four fastest swimmers in Ohio within their respective age groups and events.

The meet will be contested January 5th and 6th at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.

Shields hits for 16

KENT — Freshman Ellie Shields (Howland) scored 16 points for the Kent State Univ. women’s basketball team in a 76-55 loss to Rhode Island Saturday.

Rhode Island connected on 10 3-pointers and four players scored in double figures.

Maher to Ursuline

PEPPER PIKE — Liz Maher, a senior at Poland High School, will continue her education at Ursuline College where she will play softball.

Maher is a pitcher-first baseman at Poland where she is coached by Reid Lamport.

Correction

Howland senior girls basketball player Alexa Williams is a Lehigh University recruit. A story in Saturday’s paper incorrectly listed her as a Kent State recruit.

Local coaches

The number of college football coaches from the Youngstown area continues to be identified and expanded which further enhances the area’s image as the “Valley of Coaches.”

Here is a list of seven assistant coaches who were omitted from the “Valley of Coaches” article in Friday’s paper on page C1:

Carl Pelini (Mooney), Nebraska defensive line coach; Reno Ferri (Mooney), Villanova wide receivers coach;

Eric Wolford (Ursuline), Illinois running game coordinator (Illinois will play USC in the Sugar Bowl), Brian Flynn (Ursuline), Akron wide receivers coach; Steve Boyle (Howland), Thiel defensive backs coach; Dave Arnold (Warren), Kentucky Wesleyan defensive coordinator; and Doug Phillips (former Springfield and Salem High coach), assistant coach at Bowling Green (the Falcons will play Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl).

NATION

Byrne dies at 87

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Tommy Byrne, who fulfilled a boyhood dream by pitching for the New York Yankees and won a game during the 1955 World Series, has died. He was 87.

Byrne, who served two terms as Wake Forest mayor, died Thursday, his son John said Saturday. Tommy Byrne had congestive heart failure and was in declining health the last six weeks. He was surrounded by his family and priest when he died, his son added.

After two years at what was then Wake Forest College, Byrne signed with the Yankees in 1940. In his rookie year of 1943, he played in 11 games and had a 2-1 record.

Byrne eventually was traded to the St. Louis Browns and also pitched for the Chicago White Sox and the Washington Senators. He returned to the Yankees in 1954, and in 1955 pitched a complete-game victory in Game 2 of the World Series. But he was the loser in Game 7, 2-0 to Johnny Podres and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

“His lifetime dream was to pitch for the New York Yankees,” said John Byrne, who is mayor of Fuquay-Varina. He said that dream grew from the fact that his father was born in Baltimore, home of Babe Ruth. The two eventually met when Ruth appeared at an old-timers game at Yankee Stadium.

“He borrowed my father’s glove,” John Byrne said. “Daddy said he could have had anything he had in his locker.”

The glove is in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, displayed as the last glove Ruth used at Yankee Stadium.

Byrne served eight years as a town commissioner starting in 1968 and became mayor in 1975. He served a second term as mayor in the 1980s but failed in at least three attempts to become a county commissioner.

WORLD

Morgenstern sets ski jump record

ENGELBERG, Switzerland — Austria’s Thomas Morgenstern became the first ski jumper to open a World Cup season with six straight victories Saturday, taking a large hill event to equal the record for most consecutive wins.

The Olympic champion won with jumps of 132.5 and 133.0 meters for 260.4 points, beating Austrian compatriot Andreas Kofler (134.5-128.5, 254.4 points).

Norway’s Tom Hilde (133.5-129.5, 252.9 points) was third.

Morgenstern last week eclipsed Austria’s Andreas Felder, who started the 1984 season with four straight victories, and Finland’s Janne Ahonen, who had four wins at the start of 2004.

The 21-year-old Morgenstern’s victory Saturday tied him with Ahonen and Finland’s Matti Hautamaki for most consecutive victories at any time. Morgenstern will have a chance to claim the record for himself today in another large hill event.

Gimpl wins Big Air
snowboarding event

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Austrian Stefan Gimpl won a Big Air snowboarding World Cup competition Saturday and overall standings leader Janne Korpi finished second.

Matevz Petek, last year’s winner from Slovenia, was third.

Two Italian tennis
players suspended

ROME — The ATP suspended Italians Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali on Saturday for making bets — some as little as $7 — on tennis matches involving other players.

The Italian tennis federation denounced the penalties by the governing body as an “injustice,” and the players said they have been made scapegoats.

Vindicator staff/wire reports