OBSERVATIONS: How UD Saved the Charleston Classic
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from room 235 of the Marriott Courtyard in Charleston, S.C., where University of Dayton basketball fans have commandeered the Historic District, saving their mayhem for inside TD Arena during the Charleston Classic. —UD SAVED THE TOURNAMENT: This is a story about how a basketball team’s fans saved a tournament from […]
McCoy: UD Flyers Face Three Big Tests in Four-Day Span
By Hal McCoy Charleston, S.C. — Although the University of Dayton basketball team played with grace and style at Northwestern last Friday, the Flyers muffed a chance to make a solid statement. Some late turnovers and a game-long inability to prevent second-chance field goals led to a 71-66 defeat. It was an opportunity to gain […]
McCoy: Once Around a Harness Track, Leading the Parade
By Hal McCoy Dayton, OH — Now I know what it was like to stand in front of The Charge of the Light Brigade or to face the controlled stampede of ten 2,000-pound beasts directly in front of me. Like most harness racing fans, my previous experience at the track was sitting in a glassed-in […]
OBSERVATIONS: Watson Goes From a Dirge to a Symphony
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, killing time before heading to Charleston, S.C. to cover the University of Dayton’s basketball team in The Charleston Classic this week, beginning Thursday with a game against LSU. —THE BIG BROWN-OUT: Ever since the Cleveland Browns handed quarterback Deshaun Watson a $230 million contract, there have […]
OBSERVATIONS: While We Wait. . .Some Baseball Oddities
By Hal McCoy UNSOLCITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, moving to the patio because it’s 75 degrees. . .and just what month is this? —AND IT’S THE TRUTH: While everybody waits to see if/when the Cincinnati Reds sign a notable free agent or to see what team trades for Jonathan India, let’s delve into some […]
OBSERVATIONS: Dusty Says Good-Bye, Prompted By Social Media Criticism
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, counting the days. . .not until Christmas, until spring training and Opening Day. —THE SHAME GAME: Dusty Baker said one of the major reasons he stepped away from the Houston managerial job, hanging up his toothpicks, was the constant criticism aimed at him on social media […]
OBSERVATIONS: Say a Fond Farewell to Joey Votto
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering how many minutes (or seconds) go by before Cleveland Browns quaterback Deshaun Watson leaves today’s game with an injury. —SAYING GOOD-BYE: The Cincinnati Reds made the right call, the right decision, by saying good-bye to Joey Votto. Simply put, there is no room at the […]
OBSERVATIONS: Reflections of Bob Knight and Jack McKeon
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave bemoaning the fact that baseball is over, but realizing I have University of Dayton basketball and Ohio State football to tide me over, with some comic relief from the Cleveland Browns. —THE DARK KNIGHT: There is no argument that Bob Knight was a basketball-coaching icon, an […]
McCoy: Rangers Win World Series With 5-0 Shutout
By Hal McCoy Contributing Writer The Texas Rangers exorcised the ghost of 2011 Wednesday night in one of the most bizarre elimination games in the 119-year history of the World Series. The Rangers won their first World Series championship in franchise history, a franchise that was born in 1972, blanking the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-0. That […]