WFMJ sports boss loves job

By Greg Gulas

Dana Balash has been with the station 23 years, the last seven as sports director.

BOARDMAN — As the sports director for WFMJ-TV Dana Balash feels that reaching out to the community beyond his everyday sports reporting duties is one of the unwritten duties of his job.

Speaking Monday to the Curbstone Coaches during their weekly gathering at the Blue Wolf Banquet Center, the Hubbard native shared his views on area sports while boasting of its many individual and team accomplishments over the years.

“I truly love what I do and that’s no secret. The area gets a bad rap when it comes to jobs, its unemployment rate and crime, but the Mahoning Valley is a hotbed for athletics and that, while unbeknownst to some outside the area, is common knowledge to area fans in the know,” he said.

Balash has been at WFMJ for 23 years; 16 as sports anchor and the last seven as sports director.

The station has earned numerous awards for excellence and this year added awards for Best Sports Operation and Best Regularly Scheduled Sportscast to their long list of accomplishments.

“When people ask me about my hometown I tell them about the Brooklyn’s Dodgers’ local connection to the Boys of Summer, George ‘Shotgun’ Shuba and the four umpires currently calling balls and strikes in the major leagues,” he said.

“I then add to the list Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich from Chaney High School and South High’s Bob Dove, our lone “College Lineman of the Year” recipient. Also on the football list is Bernie Kosar, Jeff Wilkins, Bo Pelini and the Stoops Brothers and you can make an argument that it is as impressive a list as any nationwide,” he stated.

Sports other than football and baseball have enjoyed their day in the sun as well.

“With Lowellville’s Joe DeRosa representing us as one of the NBA’s best game officials, Dave Blaney ready to break out in auto racing and Bruce Zoldan’s Team Valor and Vision Racing qualifying Visionaire in this year’s running of the Kentucky Derby, the Valley remains well-represented in all facets of the sports world.”

While attitudes of an athlete sometime overshadow their exploits on the field, one area athlete that Balash believes has always represented the Mahoning Valley in a first-class manner is middleweight boxing champion Kelly Pavlik.

“Having interviewed thousands of athletes and coaches over the years, both on the amateur and professional levels, the most approachable and gracious, hands down, is Kelly Pavlik. I’ve been covering Kelly’s career since 1996 when he lost to Jermain Taylor in the Olympic trials and from his amateur days to the top of the boxing world, he hasn’t changed one bit.

“Kelly is more than willing to grant an interview, even when it might seem like be an imposition to others. He always speaks well of the area and gives so freely of his time to many charitable causes,” Balash added.

Balash was instrumental in assisting the Hubbard H.S. Athletics Hall of Fame committee with its re-organization and is proud to boast that after a 30-year hiatus, this Saturday 12 new members will be enshrined on the school’s athletics honor roll.

“Local sports are very important to us. The coaches, players and teams, and their many accomplishments become a part of our everyday conversations,” he said.

Next week, Joe Malmisur, former executive director of athletics at YSU, will be the featured speaker.