Mitch Vingle: Examining WVU, Big 12 football schedules
By Mitch Vingle No one can criticize WVU's football scheduling.OK, so, maybe the 2017 Mountaineer non-conference slate isn't the most difficult. Yet it still shows a date with Virginia Tech in...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: Hoops rankings, Macon and football over/under
By Mitch Vingle Ye olde notebook:If you check the "way too early" 2017-18 college basketball rankings, you'll see teams familiar to Mountain State fans like Kansas, WVU, Baylor and TCU. As always, the...
View ArticleMike Casazza: Jevon Carter's return a big deal for WVU basketball
By Mike Casazza MORGANTOWN - Elijah Macon is out, and the centerpiece of West Virginia's frontcourt creates a 6-foot-9, 240-pound vacancy some freshmen and sophomores will attempt to fill. But Jevon...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: Marshall football can be back - in 2017
By Mitch Vingle I don't see a reason Marshall's football team can't rebound from last season's nightmare. There. I've written it.Yes, I apparently hold MU's coaching staff in higher regard than some...
View ArticleFrank Giardina: Sonny Randle appreciated in-state players
By By Frank Giardina For the Gazette-Mail Last week's death of Sonny Randle brought back many stories and memories of the former Marshall head football coach. To say he was a colorful character is an...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: WVU football will have opportunities in 2017
By Mitch Vingle It's rare when a single number elicits so much response. Yet one included in this space last week did.The number was seven. It was the opening over/under win total set for WVU's...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: Somewhere the 'Rammer,' others smile for WVU baseball
By Mitch Vingle While watching the NCAA baseball tournament selection show I couldn't help but think back to the old days within the Mountain State. There was a young man named Jerry Retton of...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: From three amigos to three rivals - for the weekend
By Mitch Vingle This is a story about three boys that grew up together in St. Albans. They'd paint bases in the street and play Wiffle Ball. Or they'd play on the same Little League all-star teams. A...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: Saying goodbye to Leon
The news took me by surprise.I mean, it shouldn't have. The man was 88 years of age, going on 89. I understand we all have to pass away sometime. Yet this was Leon, man.It was Leon freakin' McCoy.If...
View ArticleDerek Redd: NCAA transfer rule needs a makeover
By Derek Redd Bill Snyder has been around Kansas State football for 28 years. He mentioned that when asked to explain why he blocked backup receiver Corey Sutton's transfer request to 35 schools....
View ArticleMitch Vingle: Kanawha Valley baseball stands tall
By Mitch Vingle You've come a long way.It's not Baby of which I write, though. You've come a long way St. Albans. And Charleston Catholic. And certainly Kanawha Valley baseball. When Saturday's action...
View ArticleDoug Smock: Bubba Watson recalls destructive floods at Greenbrier
DUBLIN, Ohio - Last June, Florida Panhandle native Bubba Watson had his first experience with West Virginia flash flooding, and it left a deep impression. The two-time Masters champ and his family...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: The Penguins/Almost Heaven connection
Maybe you don't know.Maybe you do know, but keep forgetting. West Virginia has a minor league hockey team. And that Pittsburgh Penguins team that won last season's Stanley Cup and is now going for...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: WVU's Billy Hahn, wife now on a new mission
By Mitch Vingle When I got the call saying Billy Hahn was retiring from WVU's basketball program, the state baseball tournament was swirling around me. I was able to piece together a story, but knew...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: What the Bob Stoops news means to Big 12
By Mitch Vingle The news hit like a lightning bolt across the Big 12. "Bob Stoops to retire as Oklahoma football coach after 18 seasons," came the headline. "Lincoln Riley to take over." Stunning, it...
View ArticleMike Casazza: College football coaching demands are no game
By Mike Casazza MORGANTOWN - Not often these days do we get a completely unexpected headline. There are leaks, whispers and hints that serve to splinter news before it breaks, and we're ordinarily...
View ArticleDerek Redd: Scott James hopes to balance mayoral, coaching duties in St. Albans
By Derek Redd Scott James loves his hometown of St. Albans. He was born there, raised there. He wants to help shine a positive light there any time he can. It's why he took the St. Albans girls...
View ArticleFrank Giardina: Sports Legend Dinner, relationships, Ben Schwartzwalder and...
By By Frank Giardina For the Gazette-Mail One of the highlights of the summer is coming on Saturday, July 15, thanks to state coaching legend Tex Williams. Tex will honor a new class of state sports...
View ArticleTom Bragg: If Reds have a shot at Hunter Greene, they should take him
By Tom Bragg It is no secret that times have been tough in recent seasons for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds last captured the National League Central crown in 2012 when they won 97 games, and then...
View ArticleMitch Vingle: New Big 12 chairman Gordon Gee outlines plan of attack
By Mitch Vingle Over the last year, expansion was voted down by Big 12. Yet that doesn't mean there weren't changes. Just this past week, Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops set sail and Lincoln Riley...
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