All Aboard the Caravan

Hey everyone,

This weekend is PirateFest weekend and that means only one thing... The Annual Pirates Caravan will be held this week. Members of the Pirates Roster and Staff will travel around the Tri-State area greeting fans, signing autographs and talking about the upcoming season.

The stops lead up to Friday when PirateFest, the big indoor fan fest takes place all weekend at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. If you are a Pirates fan it is the place to go for autographs, giveaways, merchandise and much more for all ages.

The team usually makes an appearance at the Johnstown Galleria attracting fans from around the area. They will do so tomorrow night. Last year I attended and the line was the longest it has ever been. Andrew McCutchen   was in town last year which brought out a big crowd.

It is great to have the Pirates come out to this area and other areas where for some fans this is the only chance they get to see their favorite team in person.

I encourage everyone to go out to the stop closest to you, visit with the players and staff, show your Pirates Pride.

For the complete caravan schedule

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/community/caravan.jsp

On A Side Note: 

- The Johnstown Tomahawks have a busy weekend ahead with the Hanson Brothers coming on Friday and Penguins Chris Kunitz and Matt Cooke along with the Stanley Cup on Saturday. The team is coming off a successful road trip so if you can come out for one or both games, they would appreciate it as they take on Division Leading Jamestown.

Ed

-The Flood City Sports Fan

Big Win for the Panthers

A win over a team that came in with a 3-8 record and a 1-6 conference record. This may not normally be seen as a big win but for the Pitt Panthers, it meant so much for a team who has had so many issues in the past year. The biggest reward of the win is becoming bowl eligible. Not only does the team get to play in a bowl game, but they also get the reward of some extra practices to work to prepare and improve for next year.

The 27-3 win was a good one as the Panthers stepped up and dominated both sides of the ball. It was great to see Tino Sunseri get to 3,000 yards passing and Ray Graham get to 1,000 yards rushing. Both have had their ups and downs but they always come out fighting.

Now the waiting game begins. The Panthers are going to a bowl game but there are no guarantees about which one. There are projections of the Beef O'Bradys Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl (vs WVU) or dare I say it the BBVA Compass bowl for the 3rd straight year. Guess we will have to wait and see.

Ed
- The Flood City Sports Fan

Trip to Nashville

Hey Everyone,

This will be the first post of two tonight. I will be posting a Pitt Game Recap later. I have made it to the beautiful city of Nashville, TN. I will be attending the Baseball Job Fair this week but I will also be checking out the city. As part of the Job Fair, I get to attend the Baseball Trade Show as well.

The trip down was fun for me. Being a sports fan it is cool to see all these different stadiums and venues. It started in Cincinnati, OH where I got an up close look at U.S. Bank Arena, Paul Brown Stadium, and Great American Ballpark. All three are nice venues and I liked how the arena and the ballpark were connected by the walkway over the roadway below.

Next, as we made our way through I was able to get a glance of Champion Window field in Florence, KY. For those not familiar with the importance of this, you would have to know the history of the Independent Baseball team known as the Johnstown Johnnies. The Johnnies moved to this stadium and became known as the Florence Freedom.

The next place we went past was Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY. I was amazed that you could see it so well from the road. The additional parking lots added after the issues at the track in 2011 were also visible from the highway.

As I made my way into Louisville, I was able to see Louisville Slugger Field and Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Both looked like nice facilities and I wish I had time to stop and visit them.

Finally we arrived in Nashville and one of the first buildings you can see is LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans. I was impressed by the two large scoreboards on each side of the stadium

 

Finally, we decided to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville. The museum itself was very interesting and had a lot of cool memorabilia and artist momentos. The museum was also located across from Bridgestone Arena, Home of the Nashville Predators.

I hope to post in the next few days with updates of things I see here in Nashville and any cool experiences I have and I make my way through the PEBO Job Fair and the Baseball Winter Meetings.

Ed

-The Flood City Sports Fan

It's Been A While!!!

Good Afternoon,

It has been a while since I last posted, but after this action packed weekend of sports, I figured it would be a good time to do so.

The Steelers played well on Sunday night, but in the end Peyton Manning's return allowed the Broncos to defeat the Steelers 31-19. Manning looked good in his return and should help lead the Broncos to a good season this year. It will be nice for fans in Denver to have a QB who actually throws the ball.

Overall, I gave the officiating this weekend a D+. While not every game had bad officiating, several did including several calls that could have cost teams games. The two that come to mind are the timeout call in the Seattle/Arizona game where the Seahawks were given a fourth timeout and the Steeler game with the challenge flag controversy. Let's hope the regular officials are brought back soon.


This weekend is a big game for the Pitt Panthers as they host #13 Virginia Tech this Saturday. The Panthers have not looked good in two games this year, but I expect this weekend to help turn their season around. This will be the first matchup between these two teams since 2003, but expect to see these two teams battling each season in the ACC starting next year. My prediction: PITT 24-17

- The Flood City Sports Fan

Pocono Race Weekend and AAABA!!!

Good Morning,

As I write this I am currently making the trek on the Auto Train from Virginia to Florida for vacation. I decided that one of the activities I would do while on the train is make a blog post. This post will focus on my experiences in the recent Pennsylvania 400 race weekend at Pocono Raceway. Before I get into that, I wanted to make note of another successful AAABA tournament that came to an end this past Saturday when the team from New Brunswick, NJ won their first AAABA title and according to the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, the first by a team other than Washington, Detroit, Baltimore, and New Orleans since 1994. It was a great tournament with plenty of exciting baseball.

On to the race weekend. This year I was lucky enough to work for Pocono Raceway during the Pennsylvania 400 race weekend along with some of the prep work and cleanup. The experience I had that weekend was one of the most interesting I have had. Not only was I able to be part of putting together a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend, but I got to see the hard work that goes into a race weekend by a large staff of various people. Some work in foodservice, some work in marketing, but they all work together and do whatever is needed to make the race weekend a huge success. Even the upper level management pitched in to clean chairs and setup tables. That is something you would not see in most organizations, but it was noticeable throughout the entire weekend.

The weekend was a lot of fun and I got to see many parts of the track off limits to the general public including Victory Lane and the Race Control center while helping to make the race fun for thousands of people. There was only one issue that came up during the race weekend and that occurred when a line of strong thunderstorms hit the racetrack during the Sprint Cup Series Race on Sunday. I can honestly say this was one of the strongest storms I have ever experienced and unfortunately 10 people were struck by the vivid lightning during the storm. One of these people, Brian Zimmerman was killed by the lightning while returning to his vehicle. My thoughts and prayers along with millions of others are with the families.

In the end, I left Pocono Raceway with some great experiences and memories. I also know how special this place truly is. This track is unlike any other in the Sprint Cup series because of the staff and their hospitality, respect, and the belief  told to me by one of the summer interns  that “we work for the fans and we want them to have a great experience here.” These words are so true.

I will be in Florida this week and I am planning on checking out Daytona International Speedway and if Possible Bright House Networks Stadium and Jackie Robinson Stadium.

-          The Flood City Sports Fan

A Star"ling" is born!

Good Morning,

If you are a Pirates fan, last night was a special game to watch as Starling Marte made his MLB debut and he did not disappoint going 2 for 4 with an RBI, helping the Pirates take game one of the four game series in Houston 5-3. The biggest swing of the game for Marte came on the first pitch of the game when he connected on a pitch by Astros Starting Pitcher Dallas Keuchel and drove it deep to Left Field to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead. Last night was an exciting moment not only for Marte and the Pirates but for all Pirates fans, especially those of us who were lucky enough to watch him work his way from Altoona to Indianapolis to Pittsburgh and I hope the next time I head to People's Natural Gas Park in Altoona that Starling Marte's Name will be added to the Road to the Majors Display I have pictured above.

Here is a link to the Home Run Video if you have not seen it yet.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=mlb&content_id=23364783&topic_id=17807232

Along with the great start by Marte, A.J. Burnett continued his successful season by recording his 12th win and Joel Hanrahan took over the NL. Lead in Saves with his 30th.

The other big Pirates News concerned Wandy Rodriguez who will make his first start as a Pirate against his former team the Astros Saturday Night. Should be an interesting game.


AAABA Update: With the severe weather that hit the Johnstown area last night, game 1 of the AAABA Championship literally floated away. The field took on so much water it began flooding and one photo from Twitter shows how bad it was. Game 1 is now scheduled to be played tonight at the Point.

Source: [Twitter]

-The Flood City Sports Fan

AAABA, Penn State, Curve, and Much More

Good Evening,

Since the last time I posted, a lot has happened in the world of sports. The biggest story has been the Penn State sanctions handed down by the NCAA. These sanctions do hurt the current football players on the team and future players, but as many people have said, they were needed. I think these sanctions help to deal with the cult mentality that has overtaken the University over the past few decades. From former players to students, to fans there have been some comments about the Sanctions, the NCAA, and others that have been over the line the past few days, but one took the cake for me. In a video posted on the 96.1 Kiss Website (See it Here), one fan actually compared the sanctions to the planes hitting the towers on September 11th.  I understand fans of the team being upset because quite frankly had these sanctions been handed down to Pitt for something similar, I would probably have been as disgusted and upset as there fans are. However, to compare these sanctions to one of the biggest tragedies in the history of our nation is disgusting and futher proves the grip of the cult mentality in Nittany Nation.

OTHER NOTES:

Altoona Curve: After winning the rare 2 Doubleheaders in 2 days over the weekend, the Altoona Curve are currently in the midst of a 6 game winning streak that has them back near the .500 mark and also out of the cellar in the Eastern League Western Division. If that is not interesting enough, they sit in 4th place but they are down less than 3 games from second place so with a few more wins they could be right back in the playoff picture. Lets hope this roller coaster keeps going up.

AAABA: The AAABA Championship has been set and we know who the two teams will be that will represent Johnstown in the National Tournament. Regular Season Champion Berkley Hills Renegades and Martella's Pharmacy will now play a best of 5 series to see who will be the league champion and more importantly who will get the often sold out night games during the tournament.  This should be a good series matching two talented teams  MY PREDICTION: Renegades in 4 Games

NASCAR: The countdown is on until the second Pocono Race of the season and this one matters even more than the other considering only a handful of races remain until the Chase begins. The President of the Raceway is offering a unique promotion for the race: If Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins, a fan at the race wins $100K. Click Here for more info on this

- The Flood City Sports Fan

National League Wins and Post Game Thoughts

Good Afternoon,

If you are a fan of the National League, today is a good day for you especially if your team has a shot of making the playoffs, because thanks to the 8-0 N.L. win last night the N.L. representative will have home field advantage in the World Series. The argument is made by both sides about whether or not the All Star Game should determine this, but the fact of the matter is if you are a fan of the Pirates like myself, it is a guarantee that if they make it to the World Series, Game 1 will be played at PNC Park. I realize this is still a long shot with half the season remaining, but hey it gives us all something to look forward to. 

Overall I thought the game was entertaining, even though the N.L jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and never looked back, I always enjoy seeing these big match ups that you can only find in the All Star Game. I was also happy to see both Andrew McCutchen and Joel Hanrahan get into the game and provide support for the N.L.

Looking at the Home Run Derby, I was not impressed this season. The HR derby used to be one of my favorite parts of the All Star Festivities but I am slowly losing interest like many others. I feel this comes from a variety of factors, the biggest being how ESPN covers the Derby. One thing that disgusted me was during some of the hitters at-bats they were talking to other All Stars and not focusing on the hitters which I found disrespectful. The website Bleacher Report did an article with some interesting twists that could be added. Click Here to check it out.

The other big issue of this year's All Star Festivities was the situation involving Robinson Cano and him not selecting Kansas City Royal and hometown favorite Billy Butler for the Home Run Derby. This lead to Cano being booed relentlessly throughout the Home Run Derby and All Star Game. I have also read reports online today that Cano's family was "yelled at" during the Derby. While I disagree with the heckling of his Family members, I really had no problems with him being booed overall. This is an issue that may affect future Home Run Derbies.

- The Flood City Sports Fan


Photo Credit (NL Logo): http://media.photobucket.com/image/national%20league%20logo/multifariousramblings/baseball/NationalLeagueLogo.png?o=17

First Half Recap and Awards

Good Morning,

Today is the final day of baseball before the All-Star Break and the Pirates are guaranteed to be in a first place tie in the division no matter what happens in this afternoon's finale against the Giants at PNC Park.Sitting at 47-37 it is clear that this has been a first half to remember. The team has won 8 of their last 10 games and their 28-14 home record is the best in baseball. Today will be an interesting game because the  Giants will send Tim Lincecum to the mound. Lincecum comes into today's game with a 3-9 record in 17 starts with a 6.09 ERA. Hopefully the Pirates can take the series against the Giants and be 11 games over .500 as some of their players head to K.C.

Now For Some 1st Half Awards. Keep in mind that these are my opinions and you may agree or disagree with me.

Team MVP: Andrew McCutchen. How can you argue with this decision: .359 Batting Average, .605 Slugging Percentage, 109 Hits, 16 HR, 56 RBI. McCutchen has been the driving force behind this teams offensive success lately, despite the fact that he was in a slump at the beginning of the season.
Honorable Mentions: James McDonald, Pedro Alvarez, A.J. Burnett


Team Cy Young: James McDonald. This was a tough decision considering how well the pitching staff as a whole has performed, but McDonald has stepped up this season with a 9-3 record in 17 starts, a low  2.37 ERA which is third in the N.L. and 100 Strikeouts makes McDonald a great choice for this award.
Honorable Mentions: A.J. Burnett, Joel Hanrahan

Team Comeback Player: Pedro Alvarez. To be honest, at the beginning of the season I didnt think Pedro was gonna last all season in the Majors, but I have been pleasantly surprised with him since then. 16 HR, 50 RBI and a .486 Slugging Percentage gives me confidence in Pedro as the season moves on.

Honorable Mentions: Casey McGehee, Rod Barajas, James McDonald, Garrett Jones


Along with these, some Pirates players and coaches were honored by ESPN's Jayson Stark in this article:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8134086/handing-baseball-midseason-awards

-The Flood City Sports Fan

10 Games over .500

Hello Everyone,

It has been a while since I was on here. Thats what summer does to ya! One great thing about this summer is the Pittsburgh Pirates this year. 10 Games over .500 and sitting in first place in the NL Central. This has all of us that are Pirate fans excited each and every night. It is extra special for people like me who were infants the last time the team made a run like this in the early 90's. We have never experienced a season like this one, so it is just as special if not more special for us.

I am also a fan of the Zoltan theme that this team has taken because it bonds the team and brings them together and also, I enjoyed the movie "Dude Where's My Car. There is even a company selling shirts with the Zoltan sign on it in a Pirates theme. Could this be a theme similar to the "We are Family" of the 1979 World Championship Team? I guess we will all have to wait and hope for the best. 

Photo: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IZwmkyB4kgI3G9ufXezIATphhMUtDFFVQBYtyh5IwAmPMsM6bqvgdTNL5p8v0dAO22GSI8o6yRM9Xt9CR_5dYD5IdpwkomBYQCGkibbIpSwsuwgCTTFTi_QIKjrZg6FQWsqK-ulKzpIN/s1600/zolt134.png

Looking at the Pirates AA Affiliate in Altoona, the Curve continue their up and down season teatering around the .500 mark and sitting in 4th place of the Eastern League Western Division at 41-43 at the time I post this. The curve sit 8 games out of First place, but only trail second place by 3.5 games which in the Eastern League is an easy challenge to overcome. The top team in the Eastern League is the Akron Aeros who hold an impressive 30-15 record at home and I dont see this changing. It seems that Akron is typically one of the top teams every year. No matter where they sit in the standings, a trip to Peoples Natural Gas Park is always an entertaining one, and my last trip when the Curve played these Aeros a few weeks ago included a bench clearing in the 9th inning.

Hopefully, when I make my next post the Pirates success is continuing and the Curve get on the right track. Until then, enjoy all the fun of summer both on and off the field.

- The Flood City Sports Fan

Jeff Karstens has a Strong Return

Good Evening,

On the eve of thousands of bikers descending on our little city, I figured I would write about last night's Curve game vs. the New Britain Rock Cats at People's Natural Gas Park. Last Night's game was an interesting one and not just because Team Ghostrider, the monkeys who ride dogs were in town. Last Night marked the first of two games where pitching was the focus for the Curve. Jeff Karstens made a rehab start last night for the Curve, and had an impressive outing going 7 innings giving up 1 run on 6 hits. He was impressive at times and looked like he is on the right track to possibly being back with the Pirates soon. The crowd at last nights game was a good one on a warm summer night. It also helped that it was a 2 for Tuesday with BOGO Tickets, Hot Dogs, and Popcorn. Tonight was another good one with Pirates #1 Prospect Gerrit Cole taking the mound in his Double A debut and he did not disappoint going 5 innings giving up two runs and striking out six for the win. Even though I could not be there I read some of the Twitter and Facebook posts which described his impressive outing. Thanks to his teammates he left the game with a great opportunity to pick up a win in his first Altoona start.


I am hoping to update this either tonight or tomorrow with pictures of the game and the cowboy monkeys from Tuesday Night.

For now I sit and enjoy peace and quiet, because starting tomorrow Thunder invades town and brings fun and excitement.

- The Flood City Sports Fan

Pocono is Much Faster

As I sit here in my hotel room for the night, all is quiet right now about 10 miles away at Pocono Raceway. This morning however, qualifying showed me how much faster these cars are thanks to the repaving of the track. In the end, Joey Logano took the Pole Award and 36 of the 44 Drivers who made a qualifying attempt broke the previous qualifying record.

The speeds were fast and it will be interesting to see how fast the cars are tomorrow. This is a race of many interesting storylines with the two biggest being the reduction of the race by 100 miles and the fact that this is the first race since "Doc" Joseph Mattioli passed away in January. There is to be a special ceremony during pre-race tomorrow to honor him which should be very special.

For those who missed it, on Friday during final practice #33 Stephen Leicht hit what appeared to be a groundhog on one of the straightaways. Here is a link to the video if you have not seen it: http://www.nascar.com/video/preview/practice/120608/cup-poc-prac-leicht-hits-groundhog/index.html

West Hills Lacrosse Clinic & League

A new Lacrosse group in Johnstown called the West Hills Lacrosse Club is forming and will be starting this fall.  According to their website  http://mattziance.wix.com/whlax#!HOME/mainPage the group is forming now and will hold their next informational meeting on July 9th at 7pm at the Grove in Westmont. There will also be a Lacrosse clinic July 9th-12th from 1pm-4pm each day at the Mound near the Inclined Plane. More information on all of this can be found on the website listed above. You can also keep up with the club on Facebook and Twitter The director of the Lacrosse league is Matt Ziance, who is a member of the Pitt Johnstown Lacrosse League. For anyone who is interested in learning this sport or getting some more practice at it, this is a great opportunity.

Generals, Pirates, NASCAR, and More

Good Morning,

Its another sports filled weekend in Johnstown with lots going on here in town and with other local teams.

The Johnstown Generals will have their first real test since they were reinstated by the UIFL when they take on the Erie Explosion tonight at the Cambria County War Memorial. Last Saturday the Generals returned and easily defeated the Western PA Sting by a score of 33-6 in a game that featured plenty of trash talking between friends. The attendance was not the best and from what I counted there was less than 150 in attendance, but those who attended saw a fun and interesting match up. This week's game will be a tough test as the Explosion come into the game with a 7-2 record which ties them  for first place in the North Division with the Cincinnati Commandos. Last week the Explosion defeated the Commandos 68-12 in Cincinnati in what is said to be the Commandos first loss at home. This will be a tough game for the Generals but if they can pull off an upset tonight, it will be a major win for this organization.

The Pirates did something last night that they rarely do last night, win in Milwaukee. The Pirates defeated the Brewers 8-2 to get over .500 and get a much needed win to start the series. The best play of the night was the Jose Tabata Three Run Double over the head of Nyjer Morgan, who has been critical of the Pirates the past few days. Unfortunately, tonight's game will not be aired on  Root Sports because of the Fox Game of the Week being shown tonight, which means other games cannot be shown on TV. 

For anyone who is interested in playing Lacrosse, the Westmont Hilltop Recreation Commission is offering a Lacrosse Clinic and League this summer. I will be doing a full post on this when I get more information, but you can also check it out now by visiting http://www.wix.com/mattziance/whlax or find them on twitter @WestHillsLax .

The AAABA begins their unique inter-league play format today as the Johnstown teams take on teams from Altoona today in locations across Blair County along with Lilly. The leagues will play each other at these sites on several weekends and will play each other in Johnstown during the week throughout the season.

The countdown is on to the Pocono 400 with less than a week until I make the trip to the Tricky Triangle known as Pocono Raceway. I am interested in seeing how the repaved track races and also the changes the friendly folks up there have made. I will make updates on this site during my trip.

-The Flood City Sports Fan

Introducing the Johnstown Tomahawks

Good Afternoon,



This morning during a press conference in Johnstown, the ownership of the North American Hockey league team that is coming to Johnstown in the fall announced the name of the team along with the head coach. The team will be called the Tomahawks and some photos  found on the team's official Facebook page can be in this post. The new team will feature a red, white and blue color scheme for their logos and uniforms. This is a great name and look for the team, because it symbolizes the Chiefs who played here as members of the ECHL, who own the rights to the Chief's name and also the veterans that the War Memorial was built in honor of.

The team also announced that Jason Spence will be the team's head coach, which is a familiar name to Johnstown hockey fans. Spence played for the Johnstown Chiefs along with several other teams during his Minor League and Junior League Career. His career totals included 49 Goals and 58 Assists in 575 career games. Spence will provide a familiar face for local hockey fans.
The team also launched their official website http://www.johnstowntomahawks.com/  which includes links to their social media pages. For a recap of today's press conference visit http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=5637

Photos Found At: http://www.facebook.com/johnstowntomahawks

Hopefully this is the beginning of a successful run in Johnstown for the Tomahawks.

- The Flood City Sports Fan

Shepherd wins WVIAC Baseball Championship

It's the Monday After the WVIAC Championship, and most if not everyone has headed home after a weekend filled with baseball action. In the end Shepherd University defeated Alderson-Broaddus 10-5 to pick up their 5th WVIAC Title and more importantly an Automatic Bid to the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Shepherd jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and it appeared they would run away with this game, but Alderson-Broaddus cut the lead to 6-3 before Shepherd scored two more runs to make the score 8-3. Alderson-Broaddus would pull to 8-5 before Shepherd scored 2 more runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to set the final at 10-5.

 The game was played through a rainy Sunday afternoon, but it subsided near the end of the game. Even with the rain there was a nice crowd in attendance from both teams which added to the excited atmosphere. Overall the weekend, was successful for both the conference and the city even with the cold temperatures on Thursday.

It was announced Sunday night that Seton Hill along with Shepherd had received bids to the NCAA Tournament with Shepherd receiving the 5 seed and Seton Hill receiving the 1 seed for the Atlantic Region which will be hosted by Kutztown and held in West Lawn, PA 

So that concludes my posts about the 2012 WVIAC Tournament. In my opinion it was a success and I hope the conference decides to come back again. In 2013, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) will bring their tournament to the Point Stadium.

-The Flood City Sports Fan

WVIAC Championship Preview

Well it is down to two teams in the WVIAC Baseball Tournament. After all the games were played yesterday, we are left with the Shepherd Rams and the Alderson-Broaddus Battlers who will play at 1pm today for the WVIAC Baseball championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Rams will be playing for their 5th WVIAC Baseball title while Alderson-Broaddus will be looking for their first title.

Last Night, the final game of pool play which determined who would face Shepherd was one of the most exciting of the tournament and took 11 innings to settle before Concord scored on a double to left field in the top of the 11th to take a 4-3 lead which won them the game. The game was an interesting game because Concord was basically playing for pride because they had no chance to advance to the title game and I was impressed with the intensity both teams brought into this game. In the bottom of the 9th, trailing 3-1 Fairmont State finally got the offense they needed thanks to a bases loaded hit off the screen in left field which scored two runs, but the winning runner was thrown out at the plate on a nice throw to send the game to extra innings. 

There was some bad blood in the crowd following the game with shouting between some people in the stands after the game and even one man who called the police because he sad another fan had assaulted him. I am guessing that these two team had some history with each other which caused this because overall during the game both sides were pretty good. Overall the crowd was great for the past two days and I would expect another good one today to close the tournament. I think all of us here in Johnstown need to thank the WVIAC for bringing this tournament to town and helping our businesses on this weekend. 

Prediction: I think Shepherd wins their 5th WVIAC Title this Afternoon.

WVIAC Day 3 (Updated 11pm)

Hello Again Everyone from the Point Stadium where today is go home day for 6 of the 8 teams in this year's WVIAC Tournament. As of 5pm Shepherd University has clinched their spot in tomorrows championship game at 1pm by defeating WV State this morning 13-6. Seton Hill then defeated Charleston 6-1 in the 1pm game, but Shepherd held the tiebreaker because they had beaten Seton Hill yesterday 7-6. Right Now Alderson-Broaddus and WV Wesleyan are tied in their game and the final game of the night will be Concord & Fairmont State at 8:00pm.

UPDATE 1: After 6 Innings WV Wesleyan leads 2-1. They took the lead with a Sacrifice Fly in the Bottom of the 6th.


UPDATE 2: Heading to the top of the 8th Inning Alderson Broaddus Now Leads 3-2.


UPDATE 3: Alderson Broaddus wins 4-3. If Concord wins Game 2, Alderson-Broaddus advances to the championship game and if Fairmont State wins they advance to the championship game.


Update 4: Concord defeats Fairmont State 4-3 in 11 innings. This sets up a championship game between Alderson-Broaddus and Shepherd at 1pm at the Point.

                       (View of the Stands from Center Field & the Flags blowing out to CF)

Yesterday was a Home Run Fest during the four games thanks to the strong wind blowing out towards center field with home runs going in every direction and even a rare river shot HR to right field. Yesterday along with Shepherd, WV State, Concord, and Fairmont State all picked up victories which gave every team a 1-1 record going into today. The weather has also been a lot better the past two days with warmer temps and sunny skies.

Check back later tonight for more on the tournament and for Live Stats visit: http://136.142.229.91/stats_baseball/xlive.htm


-The Flood City Sports Fan

WVIAC Tournament & Altoona Curve

Greetings from Sunny Point Stadium in Johnstown, PA.

After yesterday gave us every kind of weather imaginable including sleet. The cold weather is gone and the sun is shining on the 66th Annual West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Baseball Tournament. This years field is made up of four teams from each division split into two pools. The four teams in each pool are guaranteed 3 games before the top team from each pool advances to the championship game Sunday afternoon with the winner of that game getting an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Yesterday's games were interesting with Charleston, Seton Hill, West Virginia Wesleyan, and Alderson-Broaddus all picking up victories. One of the most interesting games to me was the game between WV Wesleyan and Fairmont State which went 12 innings. Down 4-3 in the Bottom of the 8th inning, Spencer Webley of WV Wesleyan launched a 2-run homer off the light tower over the wall in Left-Center field to give Wesleyan the 5-4 lead heading into the 9th inning before Fairmont State tied the game with a double from Nick Hallis to tie the game at 5. The game would go to the 12th before Matt Edwards tripled to score Webley to give WV Wesleyan a 6-5 win in 12 innings. Today should be another exciting day of games with the possibility of both pools coming down to one game tomorrow. To follow all the action visit the official WVIAC Tournament Page which will provide you with all the information about this weekend's tournament action.

 

(View of the Action from the Point)

I also attended my first Altoona Curve Game of the season this past Wednesday for one of the annual 10:30 Education Day Games. This year the first morning game at People's Natural Gas Park included bonus baseball as the Curve and the Bowie Baysox had to finish their game from the night before which was stopped for rain going into the 4th inning then they played a full 7 inning game following that. The Curve dropped both games of the doubleheader and their season has not been going very well. The good news is that they sit at 13-19 overall but in their division every team is struggling at the start except the Akron Aeros who are 22-9 overall, 6 games ahead of first place and 9.5 ahead of the Curve in the division standings.

(Scoreboard Image of Manny Machado, One of the Top Orioles Prospects)

During my visit to the park the biggest chance I noticed was the change of the name from Blair County Ballpark to People's Natural Gas Park. The signs were changed to reflect the new name, and there were some new sponsors but other than that the park is the same and still provides the same fun and entertainment  that it always has.

Stop back to the site tomorrow for a recap of today's WVIAC Action.

-Ed S.
The Flood City Sports Fan

I AM BACK!!!!!

Sorry it has been over a week since I have been able to update the blog, but the burden of Finals Week and the end of another semester is behind me and I am comfortably in Summer mode. With Summer comes more trips to the Pirates Games and Curve Games. I attended my first Bucco game on April 22nd when they fell to the Cardinals. I always enjoy entering PNC Park and I was excited to enjoy my first trip to the Ballpark of 2012 and to check out the new Budweiser Bowtie Bar in Right Field. I left disappointed, after getting there and  finding out I would have to shell out $9.50 for a draft beer. That was not going to happen. I still enjoyed the Buc Day Promotion which is one of the best ones the Pirates Have. I did not go crazy, but I did enjoy my share of hot dogs and popcorn for $1 each. Even though they lost with a view like this how could you not enjoy yourself. Still the Best Ballpark in America.

Now onto the Johnstown Generals. After this past Sunday's embarrassing 74-14 lost at Erie, a game in which a fan on their Facebook page stated that it looked like only 13 players were dressed and had different helmets, the Generals return home to take on the Western PA Sting this Saturday Night. Honestly, I am not sure if I will be attending this game and I have attended every game since they became founding members of the UIFL last season. This is looking like the downhill slide to the end of another Johnstown Indoor Football team and the blame needs to be on the ownership & managment, not the fans.

As I look forward the positives of the next few weeks in Sports, I am getting closer and closer to my second trip to Pocono Raceway this year. This time, I will be attending the first race on the newly repaved "Tricky Triangle" so I am looking forward to the fast speeds that are expected by the drivers who took part in the Goodyear Tire Test last week. 

Here is an article from the Scranton Times-Tribune about the two day test

http://thetimes-tribune.com/sports/two-day-tire-test-session-at-pocono-raceway-1.1306070#axzz1teEXZ17P

I look forward to more sports experiences this summer and I hope you visit often to see what I am up to and what I have to say

- The Flood City Sports Fan

Game 6 Preview & A Bucco Win

Well its the night before a big day for me. Game 6 of the playoff series is tomorrow at noon and I will be attending my first Pirates game of the season tomorrow. This will be the first of many trips to PNC Park this year. Before I talk about the Pirates game, I have to focus on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

1. It's great to see the support for the Penguins. It's hard to believe that just a few days ago people were saying the series was over and now the Pens are just one game away from hosting a game 7 at Consol. The pressure is still on the Pens, but I feel like its about even with the Flyers. Either way Game 6 in Philly should be interesting.

2. I am finally glad the NHL is taking hits seriously and I agree with the 25 Game Suspension on Coyotes Forward Raffi Torres. They need to send a message to players and this is a great way to do it.

Tonight also marked the debut of A.J. Burnett to the Pirates Staff. If he pitches this well every start I think we will all be satisified. I only hope some of his ability to stay in a game for 7 or 8 innings rubs off on some of his teammates. I see good things for this team this season, especially if Pedro Alvarez gets it going which it appears he has done so with his 2 RBI's tonight.

Look for a recap of tomorrows games after I return from the Burgh.

Thanks,

Ed
The Flood City Sports Fan

Opening Day... Nothing Like It

Yesterday was one of the best day's of the year: Baseball Opening Day. There is nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass and the crack of the bat. Unfortunately the Pirates lost their home opener 1-0, but the record crowd was hopefully a sign that there are more fans on board for this year. I cannot wait to return to PNC Park for my first game this season, and I am excited to see the changes that have been made this year. My first trip will be April 22nd and should be the first of many trips. Along with the Pirates, the Altoona Curve began their exciting 2012 season which will hopefully be more successful and productive than last year. Best of luck to both of these teams and all the others this season.

This will be a busy week for me when it comes to sports. Tomorrow I will attend the Johnstown Generals Arena Football Game and Monday I will make the trip to Long Pond, PA to Pocono Raceway and a possible side trip to the Scranton Area to see the home of the Baby Pens and the Yankees. Look for photos of these next week.

I hope to post more often on this blog and feel free to follow me on Twitter @BigEdSheets

- The Flood City Sports Fan

Wild and Wonderful Trip to Wheeling

This season I was lucky enough to be an intern for the Wheeling Nailers Hockey team for their games here in Johnstown, PA. This team is celebrating their 20th season of hockey this season and for the second year they played 10 of their home games here in Johnstown. I took an internship with them in Communications/ Media Relations and I found that this is a great organization with a great fan base. A few weeks ago, I was able to make the trip to Wheeling for the first time to work a weekend there. 

What I found was a unique area. I visited many area attractions including the giant Cabela's store, Wheeling Island, and Oglebay Park & Resort. The main part of the trip was working with D.J. and the rest of the staff at WesBanco Arena in downtown Wheeling. This was my first time in Wheeling so I enjoyed exploring the arena and its unique layout. It is a large and as the photos show the arena is home to the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame which is one of the largest High School Athletic Conferences in the United States.

 

  Map of the Conference         Display Cases Filled with Memorabilia  

Wall Of Helmets in the Concourse                                           

One of the More Interesting features of the Hall of Fame is the Wall of Football Helmets shown below that represents the different teams in the conference. Along with this part of the arena, another noticable feature is the goal horn which is three brass horns and one of the loudest I have ever experienced. It along with the fans rocks this building.

                                                                                                        The Goal Horn

After getting to come to Wheeling I am planning on coming back next season to catch a few games because a few days after my visit it was announced that new local owners had been found and the team will be staying in Wheeling. I reccomend a trip to Wheeling and a visit to WestBanco Arena.

- The Flood City Sports Fan