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Curse On The Cubs Feeling Real

I really do feel a bit of sympathy for Cubs fans. I am a Cardinals fan, so I guess I am not shedding tears over my divisional rivals Cubs' collapse in the National League Championship Series. And frankly, I can't count myself as a huge baseball fan. I rarely, if ever, watch a game from beginning to end. I look at box scores once in a while and the standings once a week or so. But when the playoffs come around, I find it a little more interesting and actually start watching a little more. It was painful to watch the Cubs.That's saying quite a lot coming from a Cardinals fan. I really am beginning to believe the Cubs are cursed, although I am not taken to believing in curses, spells, incantations and such things. But come on. How can you lose three games in a row with two of them on your home field? On top of that, the Cubs were throwing Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, who are inarguably two of the best pitchers on the planet.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Bison Stampede Rolls Over Whitko

WABASH - On the 10th anniversary of Whitko's last boys basketball regional championship, the Wildcats lasted all of 10 minutes against No.8 Benton Central Wednesday night in an 82-61 loss. Knotted at 13 after the first eight minutes, Benton Central six-foot-4 junior forward Blake Schoen sparked a 14-4 run with consecutive baskets two minutes into the second stanza as the Bison outscored the Wildcats 23-11 in the frame to blow the game wide open. Schoen scored 12 in the quarter and finished with a game-high 36 on 12-of-18 shooting from the field and an 11-of-12 performance from the free throw line.He also pulled down four rebounds and made five steals. Just days after shooting red- hot from the field in the Plymouth Sectional, Whitko's torch was blown out. The Wildcats shot a dismal 3 of 14 from the field in the second quarter as things got out of hand, finishing the game just 22 of 64.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Playing The Politics Of Vilification

You know, if everything political candidates say is true, we are in some serious trouble. I mean, really, each and every one of them tells horror stories about their opponents. Has anybody been watching those Jill Long Thompson and Chris Chocola ads? My word. I am waiting for the "My opponent kicks dogs, slaps small children and trips little old ladies at the bus stop" ads to come out. It's gone from bizarre to ridiculous to absurd. If these people were really as bad as they make each other out to be, there would be no one capable of holding office. It seems Third District candidates Rigdon and Souder have kept it a little more civil than lots of other House and Senate races.I have actually read about some issues in the faxes they send. But those guys are the exception.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Wawasee Names Zolman Girls BB Coach

SYRACUSE - Wawasee High School named former boys basketball assistant coach Kem Zolman the new girls head basketball coach Wednesday. Zolman takes over a program that has had four coaches in the past three years, including two last year. Randy Aalbregtse began last year as the head coach but took a nine-week leave of absence beginning in the first week of January.Assistant coach Mark Sumpter then took over the team as interim coach and helped it advance to the second round of the sectional. Aalbregtse then gave his full resignation one week after Wawasee was knocked out of the postseason.That left the door open for Zolman, who has been in the coaching profession for 17 years, including the past 10 at Wawasee. Among the many attributes that he will bring to the program is organization, according to athletic director Mary Hurley.
Jason Knavel, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Grace Pounds Goshen In Baseball

WINONA LAKE - The Grace College baseball team pounded out 26 hits in two games and held Goshen College to just 12 hits as the Lancers swept a doubleheader with the Maple Leafs 16-3 and 5-3, extending their winning streak to four games. Chad Newhard, Greg Hannah and John Kessinger all hit home runs in the opener as the Lancers scored 16 runs in four innings.Hannah's blast was a grand slam in the middle of an eight-run fourth that gave the Lancers a five-inning 10-run rule victory. Hannah drove in five runs in the game, while Newhard and Mike Cox each drove home three runs.John Edwards threw all five innings to get the complete game victory for the Lancers. In game two, Mike Cox hit a bases loaded triple in the first inning as the Lancers went ahead 3-0.Andy Manes hit a solo homer in the third and Cox scored on a single by Edwards in the same inning to give Grace a 5-0 lead.
Jason Knavel, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Get Involved, Get Informed, Then Vote

There is a very important election coming up on Nov.7. And not just because it happens to be a presidential election year. There are several local races to be determined in this year's election. And voting in those races is very important.Many times, those races are decided by just a handful of votes. Sometimes those races are decided by one or two votes. So the old "what difference can one vote make" excuse just doesn't hold water. Your vote counts. If you're not registered, it's too late for this election, so make sure you get registered for the next election. If you are registered, get to the polls and vote.It really is important.It's important at all levels - local, state and national.But it is especially important at the local level.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Triton Keeps Basketball All In The Family

BOURBON -ÊMedia day has descended on Triton, a day that happens when your team advances to the state finals, a day that allows the coaches and players to handle the onslaught of interview requests from TV stations, radio stations and newspapers in 90 minutes or less. It is also a day made for Triton's players.These are outgoing, laid-back, gregarious girls who do one thing as well as they play basketball: They can talk. Media day was made for Triton's girls basketball team, and Triton's girls basketball team was made for media day.They are reporters' dreams with their ability to fill notebooks with quirky and offbeat stories.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Valley Wins First Regional Title

WEST LAFAYETTE - After Tippecanoe Valley's boys basketball team's Class 3A regional championship game at West Lafayette Wednesday night, 6-foot-5 Viking senior center Craig Kuhn said the injury to his right knee that kept him out for the first half of the season was in the back of his mind. If he was truly thinking about it, the only way the few West Lafayette fans in attendance could tell was by his bulky, black brace. Kuhn scored seven of Valley's 16 fourth-quarter points as the Vikings topped the Red Devils 47-43 for their first regional title in school history.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Tigers Polish Off Squires

NORTH MANCHESTER - Warsaw baseball coach Will Shepherd sees his team as a talented bunch.But he sometimes wonders out loud what it could be when all the pieces of the puzzle come together. That is a scary thought. In an effort that Shepherd deemed "unpolished," Warsaw took it to an improved Manchester team and walked away with a relatively easy 10-2 win Tuesday at Gerold Faudree Field. "It wasn't a very polished game, but we will take it because this (Manchester) is a very good club," Shepherd said."They battled us.They always do." This was no average Squire team that the Tigers handled.After going 3-20 last year, Manchester (4-3) has already shown this year that it can be a team to be reckoned with, including two dominating wins over defending sectional champ Wawasee to open the season. But Manchester didn't seem to pose much of a problem against Warsaw on Tuesday, especially after a six-run second inning broke the game wide open.
Greg Jones, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Automakers Have Some Serious Woes

Delphi Corp.is the big automotive-related company that filed for bankruptcy this past week. Also this week, General Motors, the company that spun off Delphi in 1999, announced huge third-quarter losses. It's fascinating to me to read about these companies and how they deal with their financial woes. Take Delphi, for example. The Troy, Mich., based company employs 14,700 workers in Michigan.The Delphi plant in Kokomo employs 5,500 and one in Anderson employs 1,000. They are the nation's largest automotive parts supplier.They make everything from brakes to radios. And while the rumors were flying prior to Delphi's bankruptcy filing, the company sweetened the pot for its top executives. Prior to the filing, severance packages for Delphi's white-collar employees were capped at 12 months of pay.But voila, now Delphi's top executives are eligible for up to 18 months of pay and some of their regular bonus.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Veteran Viking Golfers Eye Big Season

With seven straight road matches to start the season, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings are going to get pretty comfortable golfing away from home.But according to head coach Roger Moriarty, it shouldn't matter much.Because this team is going to be good.Very good. "I think that they're going to be awful tough," Moriarty said."There's a nice blend of experience there, and I can't see us losing a whole lot of matches this year." Valley returns four starters from last year's 10-6 team.To fill the holes left by two graduated players, Moriarty will choose from a number of players that competed on the Viking junior varsity squad that went 12-4. Senior Darren Parker is the top returning player for Valley.Following him will be senior Justin Leslie and a pair of juniors, Aaron Martin and Jake Recoui.
JASON KNAVEL, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Tigers Overcome Vs. Warriors

Even at full strength, Warsaw coach Troy Akers knew he would have a battle with Wawasee in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both boys' track teams Tuesday at Fisher Field. But without two key runners, Akers was hoping for some unexpected help.He got just that from some of his younger athletes. Sophomore Jose Esquivel, along with freshmen Marvin Farmer and Aaron Chabot, came up big for the Tigers in a 77-55 win over the Warriors. Warsaw was already without the services of sprinter Derrick Duncan, who is still nursing a sore hamstring.But then, after only one race, middle distance star P.J.Wiley came up with a calf injury, putting more strain on Akers' young Tigers. It was a challenge they were up to as Esquivel won two events, Farmer led a Warsaw domination in the field events, and Chabot lifted the Tigers early.
Greg Jones, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Warriors Avenge Loss, End Valley's Season

NAPPANEE - With a packed house of 3,600-plus in "The Pit" at NorthWood High School, it was Hoosier Hysteria personified as Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee locked horns for the second time this season in the second game of the 3A regional Saturday. While the Vikings got the best of their Kosciusko County foes in both teams' regular season finale, the Warriors ended Valley's tourney run with a 73-63 win. Despite a career-best performance by senior John Gibson, the Vikings couldn't overcome turnovers and foul trouble. Both teams slogged through a 32-minute contest where 51 fouls were called and 29 turnovers were committed. It was the Vikings who took advantage of the tight officiating in the early going.Gibson was 9 of 10 from the line in the first half as the senior guard took advantage of mismatches with Wawasee's Andrew Mock and a hobbled Kory Lantz, who was playing with a severe knee injury suffered in last week's sectional final.
DANIEL RIORDAN, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Does Truth Matter In Politics?

We are in the midst of, without a doubt, the most negative campaign in the history of modern politics. I say modern because there used to be some pretty significant mudslinging around the turn of the century.I thought we had outgrown that, but I guess not. Both candidates have gone negative, but I see something happening in the campaign of Sen.John Kerry that is unsettling.It's his penchant to simply make stuff up.I realize that politicians on both sides of the aisle exaggerate, obfuscate and yeah, I'll say it, lie. But Kerry's campaign has become extraordinarily disingenuous.He has taken to this end-justifies-the-means campaign style and he's employing some pretty overt scare tactics.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Zolman Invited To National Tryouts

SYRACUSE -ÊAlthough the high school basketball season is officially over, the accolades keep rolling in for Wawasee sophomore Shanna Zolman.Zolman was recently invited to try out for the Junior National Women's team in Colorado Springs June 9-12. Forty-five girls from around the U.S.have been invited to the June tryouts, and 12 will be selected to compete for the UAS Basketball Junior National team in Argentina July 26-30. "A committee chooses the 45 girls who are invited to the tryouts in Colorado," said Kem Zolman, Shanna's father and Wawasee head coach."Shanna was recommended by several college coaches who have watched her play this year.That is a major accomplishment for her." Shanna is one of just three sophomores invited to the camp. "She's quite excited," said Kem."Even if she doesn't make the team, this is quite an opportunity for her.
Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Vikings' Brown hits free throw in OT for win

COLUMBIA CITY - At the time, it just seemed like a normal comment from a normal Tippecanoe Valley fan.Who would have known that this guy could see the future? As warm-ups were taking place, this fortune teller yelled out to Valley star Jeff Brown, "Free throws win ball games!" Who knew that Brown would step to the line with :00.8 left in overtime in the Columbia City sectional championship to win the game? Who knew that Brown would miss the front end of a one-and-one with 39 seconds left in regulation that could have sealed the game? Who knew Justin Waterson of Columbia City would miss a free throw with :08 seconds left in regulation that would have given the Golden Eagles a one-point lead? Finally, who knew Columbia City would get to the free throw line just six times after shooting 43 free throws the previous night, 24 in the fourth quarter, in a victory over Manchester? This man was nothing more than a prophet disguised as a Valley Viking.
JASON KNAVEL, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Gerber Is Wawasee's Defensive Remedy

SYRACUSE - Austin Kaiser is the team's leading scorer and three-point specialist.Kory Lantz is the emotional leader and the team's floor general.Ryan Kauchak is the top rebounder and the opposing team's biggest low-post headache. Those three seniors have gotten a lot of publicity this year and deservedly so.But there are four seniors on this year's Wawasee boys basketball team. So who is Austin Gerber? Gerber, a 6-foot-3 guard, is the defensive stopper.His stats show up in the box score but not under his name.His work is shown in the anemic shooting percentages of who he guards. Look at the first meeting between Wawasee and Plymouth earlier this year. Gerber spent most of that night hounding Kyle Benge, the state's second leading scorer at 27.5 points per game. Benge went 3 of 12 from the field in the first half and finished the triple-overtime contest with 23 points on 9 of 23 shooting.
DANIEL RIORDAN, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

TV Fans Should Make Other Fans Green With Envy

Anyone who says that the class basketball system has killed attendance at basketball games hasn't been to a Tippecanoe Valley game lately. After good attendance during the regular season, the Valley fans surprised almost everyone at the Plymouth Sectional by showing up in droves wearing bright yellow Tippecanoe Valley shirts.It's been quite a while since I have seen such enthusiasm from both students and adults in a high school game. To date, more than 850 bright yellow Valley shirts have been sold by the Valley Booster Club, and glancing at the crowd last week, I would say 80 to 85 percent of the fans were cloaked in the eye-catching garb. After good regular-season attendance, the Vikings had an even better showing at the sectional, selling 600 tickets before the game.After just one afternoon of ticket sales for the regional, more than 570 tickets had been sold.
Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Three's A Charm!

Tippecanoe Valley Set To Play Pendleton Heights In Frankfort Semistate By Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer Because of the new format the IHSAA has adopted for the boys and girls basketball postseason, coaches all around the state are scrambling to gather information about opponents. Tippecanoe Valley coach Bill Patrick is no exception.Because he is an experienced coach, he wasted no time relishing Valley's 47-43 victory over West Lafayette in the regional.Instead, he got right to work locating tapes and scouting reports to prepare for Saturday's semistate game against Pendleton Heights. As of Thursday evening, Patrick had six videotapes and several scouting reports on 16-7 Pendleton Heights, which defeated No.1 Maconaquah in its regional, and he and his assistants were diligently pouring over the videos to scavenge as much information about the Arabians as possible.
Tippecanoe Valley, Triton and Warsaw Advance To Semistate Competition- | July 28, 2016

Tiger Baseball Team Shuts Out Warriors

It's been the Achilles' heel much of the season for Warsaw's varsity baseball team, but the Tigers took a step forward with their defensive play Wednesday afternoon. Behind stronger defensive play, a solid outing from senior pitcher Ryan Cox and some quality at-bats, the Tigers beat visiting Northern Lakes Conference rival Wawasee 10-0 in five innings in front of a good-sized crowd at Tiger Field. Warsaw entered the contest having committed 45 errors in 12 games, an average of nearly four miscues per contest. Wednesday against the Warriors, things were different, however. The Tigers committed an error in the first inning, allowing Wawasee leadoff hitter Ryan Beer to reach first, but were flawless the rest of the game as they swept the two-game season series against the Warriors.
Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016
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