Thought we’d start today’s award-winner with some college mascot news! Bowling Green State University, the alma mater of good friends Dave Trimble and Kyle Kagey, among countless other acquaintances, has long had Freddie (since 1950) and Frieda (1966) Falcon as the school mascots. A newcomer has emerged on the scene in the form of Pudge the Cat, a three-year-old Exotic Shorthair Persian owned by one of the players. The orange-coated feline (BG’s colors are orange and brown) has become an internet sensation and a football team’s good luck charm. Much to the delight of 23,000 fans in attendance at Homecoming last week, the “pudgy one” made a halftime appearance via the Catmobile with cardboard cutouts of the cat’s pugnacious face waving throughout the stands. Did it help aid in the Falcons upset win over Liberty? Who knows, but Pudge has been inundated with free cat food compliments of Purina and Friskies! He might more than live up to his name!
Here’s the first of today’s trivia questions—who is Bowling Green’s head football coach? No fair asking any of the BG fans, you know!
Staying local, let’s take a look at the Miami Valley League golf results as conferences head into sectional play this week. In boys’ action, Tipp won the overall title with Troy finishing second. Troy senior Mitch Sargent claimed honors over the course of the season with a 36.2 average with Butler’s sophomore Bennett Bardonaro second at 37.5. Greenville’s top scorer was sophomore Hayden Null with a 41.3 mark as the Wave boys finished fifth.
In girls’ play, Tipp also claimed league honors with Greenville second. Tipp senior Ella Berning took individual bragging rights with a 39.7 average, while Greenville senior Vera Cox was second with a 41.2, and fellow classmate Sofia Chrisman-Parin was third at 47.7.
Good luck to all schools at the sectionals this week at the various courses around the area!
The Indiana Fever of the WNBA pulled off a first-round upset in the playoffs by eliminating the third-seeded Atlanta Dream in three games. It was quite a feat for the six-seeds as they were missing five players, including Caitlin Clark, with season-ending injuries. The Fever now moves on to the semifinals to face the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces in a best-of-five matchup.
Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers announced his upcoming retirement from baseball at the end of the season. The 37-year-old lefthander has compiled an outstanding 223-96 record over the course of his career with LA to go along with a 2.54 ERA and is sure to be a Hall of Fame selection. Only the legendary Sandy Koufax, who’s now 89, is on the same level of greatness in Dodger lore. Both were tremendous competitors with breaking balls that broke many an opponent’s hearts!
With THE on a bye week before traveling to Washington to take on the Huskies this coming Saturday, the focus of Big Ten football fell on the Illinois-Indiana contest in Bloomington. What was interesting, at least to me and probably very few other people, is the fact that the last time the two schools met with both ranked in the Top Twenty was way back in 1950! The Hoosiers must be for real again this year as they hammered the Illini 63-10. Danger awaits, however, with upcoming road trips to Penn State and Oregon.
The Dick Enberg OH MY!! Category (NFL Classification)—
Bengals in an overwhelming loss to the Vikings, everything that could go wrong did. Browns in a miracle last few minutes with Andre Szmyt earning redemption from the Week One fiasco against the Bengals to beat the Packers with a 55-yard field goal on the GAME’S LAST PLAY.
Buccaneers with a game-winning field goal against the Jets on the GAME’S LAST PLAY.. 49ers same as above in beating the Cardinals.
Guess what? The Chargers kick a winning field goal on the GAME’S LAST PLAY to beat the Broncos.
Eagles beat the Rams by blocking a potential game-winning field goal on the GAME’S LAST PLAY and returning it for a touchdown in a 33-26 victory.
Major League Baseball races come down to the wire as teams vie not only for division titles but also the three wild-card spots available in each league. The Reds and Diamondbacks are vying with the Mets for the third and final NL berth. How would you like to be a Guardians fan right now? The (forgive me) Tribe has closed within one game of the Tigers in the AL Central after trailing by eleven games in August. Quick, can you name the teams that have never won a World Series title? Which team has never even appeared in the Fall Classic?
Eddie George, former Heisman Trophy winner and THE football legend, as well as NFL All-Pro, was named the 21st head coach in BGSU football history on March 9th of this year. He just led Tennessee State University to back-to-back winning campaigns in 2023 and 2024, including a share of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Championship and the school’s first postseason appearance since 2013, prior to taking the helm of the Falcons.
The Rockies (probably one of the all-time worst teams based on this year’s performance), Brewers (one of this year’s best squads), Padres, Mariners, and Rays have yet to win the coveted title. Only the Mariners have never even appeared in the World Series. Hope springs eternal in the Great Northwest, however, as the M’s have a really good team that is often overlooked because of their location—this could be the year!!
