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2014 TOP 10 SPORTS STORIES IN THE VALLEY
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Vindicator staff report
Youngstown State is betting Bo Pelini will thrive in his new role as the seventh coach in Penguins history more than Eric Wolford — another hometown boy — did in his return to the Valley.
Wolford was fired on Nov. 24 after five seasons. The Penguins seemed to improve a bit each season on the former Ursuline offensive lineman’s watch, but Wolford couldn’t get YSU into the playoffs and left with a 31-26 record after a series of late-season collapses.
Pelini, a former Cardinal Mooney quarterback, was fired less than a week later by Nebraska, where people also expect a lot from their football program.
Pelini was 67-27 (4-3 in bowl games) in seven seasons with the Cornhuskers, but he never got them into FBS national title consideration and his teams fell flat in some key games.
And there was the issue of Pelini’s temper. On the day he was introduced at YSU, a tape surfaced of the fiery Pelini using vulgarities in criticizing Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst and other officials.
- There were showgirls, suits and spending on Nov. 24 as the Racino saw the first legitimate horse races in the area in decades. Officials from Hollywood Gaming, Penn National and local politicians and other area movers and shakers joined gamblers and horsemen to usher in the start of live daily racing. If early results are any indication, the chance to wager on live racing was an instant hit.
The first thorougbred racing season at MVRC came to a close Tuesday and the final day of the 21-day season produced a record handle of $1,102,566. The season concluded with a total, all-sources handle of $12,909,041.91 for a daily average of $614,716.28.
- PHANTOMS
When 2014 began, there was no guarantee that the Youngstown Phantoms would be around for a sixth season. The franchise’s five-year contract with the Covelli Centre was set to expire in April.
Then in March, Phantoms owner Bruce Zoldan announced that Troy and Aafke Loney were going to purchase 50 percent of the team, with Troy taking over the day-to-day operations of the USHL team.
A two-time winner of the Stanley Cup, Loney and his wife were familiar with the junior hockey team as their son, Ty, played two seasons in Youngstown.
The Phantoms negotiated a three-year contract with the Covelli Centre. Anthony Noreen signed on for his fourth season as head coach and has the team playing much better than the 2013-14 season when the team’s two-year streak of making the postseason was snapped with a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
The Loneys’ influence has made an impact. Two weeks ago, 3,400 fans attended the Phantoms’ Pittsburgh Penguins night when special guests included the Stanley Cup.
With the team poised for another playoff run, the Phantoms are hoping attendance spikes. Unlike last year, hockey is now certain to be a fixture at the Covelli for at least two more winters.
- YSU BASEBALL TEAM WINS HORIZON league tournament
Coach Steve Gillispie’s team, which ended the regular season at 12-36 and lost eight of its last 10, opened the HL tournament with a 7-3 win over Valparaiso and never looked back. The Penguins followed with a 7-1 win over Wright State and an 11-5 victory over Milwaukee. YSU beat Wright State again, rallying for a 5-4 win, in the title game.
That put the Penguins in the Bloomington Regional in the NCAAs. They lost the opener to Indiana, 10-2, then beat Indiana State, 5-2. But the improbable run ended with a 12-4 loss to Stanford.
- YOUNGSTOWN STATE’S TRACK TEAMS ENJOY STELLAR SEASONS
The 2014 was magical for a lot of YSU athletes, particularly those on the school’s track teams,
Both the Penguins’ men and women won Horizon League outdoor titles.
The men beat out second-place Milwaukee, 199-189. The victory was sparked by individual titles from Bobby Grace (shot put), Arnaldo Morales (high jump), Jay Jakovina (long jump), Austin McLean (steeplechase), Eric Rupe (5,000 meters) and Conner Neu (hammer throw).
The women dominated, too, outdistance second-place Detroit, 185-116, thanks largely to Nina Grambling’s individual wins in the long jump, 100 and 200. Samantha Hamilton won the 5,000 and 10,000, Jennifer Neider won the shotput and Jessica Parham won the javelin.
YSU’s women’s indoor track team also won the Horizon League title.
- THE BROWNS DRAFT JOHNNY MANZIEL AND THE FUN BEGINS
The former Texas A&M QB reportedly texted Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains during the draft and before too long, Cleveland grabbed the former Heisman winner at No. 22.
But Manziel couldn’t beat out Brian Hoyer and made more news for his off-the-field antics. When he finally did play late in the season, Manziel was awful against Cincinnati and then was injured against Carolina.
He finished the season 18 of 35 for 175 yards and two interceptions, along with some embarassing missteps.
- LEBRON JAMES ANNOUNCES HE WILL RETURN TO CLEVELAND
After four seasons and two NBA titles with the Miami Heat, James returned to Cleveland.
Rumors began swirling about a return almost as soon as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Heat in the NBA Finals and a few weeks later, James confirmed them with a first-person letter on SI.com.
The Cavaliers paired James and point guard Kyrie Irving, then traded first-round draft picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett to the Minnesota Timberwolves for forward Kevin Love in a push for their first NBA title.
- THE BROWNS HIRE MIKE PETTINE AFTER A MONTH-LONG COACHING SEARCH
It didn’t take long for the reunion of Rob Chudzinski and the Browns to turn sour. One season, to be exact. It took almost as long for the Browns to replace Chud, as candidate after candidate took other jobs or pulled out altogether.
After spending most of January chasing a coach, the Browns finally hired Pettine.
Pettine led the Browns to a 6-3 start in his first season. Despite five straight losses to end a 7-9 season, the Browns have already said he will get a second year on the job.
- THE GREEN BAY PACKERS DRAFT BOARDMAN’S COREY LINSLEY OUT OF OSU
The former Boardman High and Ohio State center went to the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round in May’s NFL Draft. That might have been the steal of the draft.
Linsley wasn’t expected to start, but when JC Tretter went down with a season-ending knee injury two weeks before the season began, Linsley got the call. He’s never looked back, and his combination of skills and smarts helped the Packers win the NFC North and gain a first-round playoff bye.
- POLAND BOYS BASKETBALL COACH KEN GRISDALE GOES ON AN EPIC RANT
Grisdale, the dean of area coaches, became a trending topic state-wide when he said what a lot of people were thinking after Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s win in a tense Division II regional final.
An emotional Grisdale was critical of the OHSAA for allowing a system he feels rewards teams built like AAU all-star teams, instead of home-grown teams.