Archive for June, 2012

Youngstown State men’s basketball Head Coach Jerry Slocum will participate in the Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer Program and Fall Tip-Off Event, Friday June 15, at 5 p.m. at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Cleveland, Ohio.

Joining Slocum are Northeast Ohio Division I Head Coaches Keith Dambrot (Akron), Rob Senderhoff (Kent State) Gary Waters (Cleveland State) and special guest Phil Martelli from St. Joseph’s.

Coaches vs. Cancer is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers coaches, their teams, and communities to join the fight against cancer.  The recent success of the event has led to the program’s expansion at the high school and Division I, II and III college levels.

Since its national inception in 1993, Coaches vs. Cancer has raised more than $70 million to support the American Cancer Society’s work to save lives from cancer.

For more info on the Coaches vs. Cancer, please contact Dave Heck at 215.985.5316 or david.heck@cancer.org .

On a definite road forward, Kelly Pavlik ran his record to 39-2 and picked up his 34th knockout in Las Vegas Friday night.  The former champion opened a seven round barrage on his overmatched opponent, Scott “Cujo” Sigmon.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the telecast was watching ESPN’s Teddy Atlas expose Pavlik’s flaws before the fight, mentioning that if Sigmon had a shot to pull off the miracle upset it would be by capitalizing on Pavlik exposing himself when he throws an uppercut.

As for the fight itself, Sigmon entered the ring to the Ghostbusters theme song.  Ray Parker Jr. may have put up more of a fight than Sigmon did.  Sigmon showed heart in taking a beating for all of seven rounds until the ref stopped the mauling before the beginning of the eighth round of a scheduled ten.

Pavlik basically looked like he didn’t get hit when the fight ended.  Sigmon was still running his mouth through the blood trickling down his face when the fight was stopped, and will surely proclaim Pavlik did not knock him out.

“I did what I could do, give him credit, he took body shots and what I was throwing”, said Pavlik.  “If I would have stayed down more, the fight would have been over earlier.”

“He didn’t have any power.  Robert [Garcia] and I will watch the film and come back ready.  This is a loaded weight division.  I want a big fight for the next fight.  If it isn’t a world title or a Top-5 guy, the media can come down on me.  No more tuneups, I’m ready for the next step.”

It is going to be interesting to see who the Pavlik camp lines up next.

The Youngstown State football coaching staff will hold a Youth Football Camp for children ages 8-13 at Stambaugh Stadium on the YSU campus on Saturday, June 9. Cost to attend the camp, which will offer a variety of drills for the children, is $45 and goes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Campers can register directly online at www.penguinsfootballcamps.com or by calling the football office at (330) 941-3478.

The camp will teach young football players offensive and defensive drills and skills. Lunch will be provided and all participants will receive a YSU hat. The registration deadline is June 8. No walkups will be accepted. Campers will register in the F-7 Parking Lot just north of Stambaugh Stadium.

 The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are looking for host families for the upcoming 2012 season. Families have the opportunity to host a Scrappers player during the season, receive complementary tickets to each home game, discounts on team merchandise and more.

Scrappers host families share their home with a Scrappers player from June through mid-September.  The schedule of only 38 home games, practice, and other player obligations result in the player spending minimal time in the host family home.  Families wishing to be considered for the host family program are required to fill out a questionnaire.

If you would like more information about becoming a host family, are interested in hosting a Scrappers player for this season, or would like a copy of the host family questionnaire, please contact Tim Pozsgai with the Scrappers at (330) 505-0000 or email at tpozsgai@mvscrappers.com.

How many people can see they had Jason Kipnis, CC Sabathia, or Victor Martinez as a house guest?  You can help the Indians organization and enjoy a Summer at Eastwood Field!

On Friday, June 8, Kelly Pavlik returns to mainstream television to fight Scott Sigmon on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.  Pavlik (38-2, 33 KO’s) and Sigmon (22-3, 12 KO’s) both recently expressed to me how good victory will taste by winning, problem is, only one of them can be victorious.

“I’m not sure why everyone thinks I am talking trash about Pavlik”, said Sigmon in a recent phone conversation.  “I made the alcoholics anonymous comment, but other than that I haven’t said much out of line.”

“He’s an idiot”, said Pavlik.  “He has some kind of a reality show and I watched some of it.  It was horrible and he is really out there, I mean way out there.”

Sigmon claims this fight is his stepping stone.  “I don’t care how, I just want to win.  I’m probably not going to be the first guy to knock him out, but I think my conditioning and my toughness can give me a win.”

“He made this personal.  I am going into the weigh-in and I don’t want to say much.  To sum it up, he has me really pissed right now and I can’t wait for the fight.  I’m not sure whether I want to beat the hell out of this guy for five or six rounds or hit him hard early-on for a quick finish”, said Pavlik.

Pavlik has something at stake in the nationally televised main event, the chance to get back on a pay-per-view, possibly in mid-November, possibly with Carl Froch.

“I feel really good and sparred 18 rounds in the last two days, which is quite a bit for me”, claimed Pavlik.  “I am about three-and-a-half pounds from making weight and it will not be an issue.  I am working hard and want to make a statement in this fight.  People say I’m overlooking him [Sigmon], but the reality is that I wanted this fight really bad because of his ignorant and disrespectful comments.”

On the downside, Pavlik stated that he wanted to extend his best get-well wishes to Paul Williams.  Williams was involved in an accident that has left him paralyzed from the waist-down.

“You never want to see something like that.  I was shocked when I heard about it”, said Pavlik.  “He is a fighter and I want to go on the record and let Paul Williams know that he is in my prayers and that I know he is a fighter and he can beat it and walk again.  I want to try to make contact with him after this fight, maybe send something or shoot a text to let him know that my heart is with him during something I can’t imagine going through.”

Youngstown State University has parted ways with Rich Pasquale.  Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Ron Strollo, said that the Penguins will begin to search for a new mentor immediately.  Pasquale coached from 2008 until this season.

“I want to thank Coach Pasquale for his service to our department, the university, and the community in his five seasons as our head baseball coach,”said Strollo.  “We experienced several successes under his direction, and we are looking forward to experiencing many successes in the future.”

The Penguins went 86-187 in Pasquale’s five seasons as the skipper.  In 2012, they finished with an 11-44 mark but did manage to pull together for a third-place finish at the Horizon League Tournament.

“I appreciate the opportunity that Youngstown State gave me to coach at the Division I level,” said Pasquale.  “I was fortunate to coach and develop some great young men both on and off the field, and I thoroughly enjoyed who I worked with.”

Three YSU players were drafted to the Major League system under Pasquale’s tenure, including two in one year – a program first.  Seven players earned all-conference first team honors during the five seasons he coached.

Pasquale was the Horizon League’s Co-Coach of The Year in 2008 when the Penguins posted 23 wins and had a 13-12 record in league play, which were both his best marks over the span.