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The Mahoning Valley Scrappers announced today that former Cleveland Indians player and manager, Mike Hargrove, will be the keynote speaker at the New York-Penn League All-Star Luncheon presented by PNC Bank on August 14 at the Magnuson Grand Hotel in Warren, Ohio.

Hargrove played twelve seasons in the Major Leagues with the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres. After retiring, Hargrove went on to manage the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners.

Luncheon tickets are available for $35 by contacting the Scrappers front office. All Star Game tickets are also available starting at just $10.

For more information, contact the Scrappers front office at (330) 505-0000.

This year, things could be different.  For starters, the 40th version of the Youngstown State football Red vs White game will be played Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium. Admission is $5 and free for YSU students. The contest will be carried live on 570 WKBN.  It has a big game feel, which is exactly what Eric Wolford and his staff want.

Wolford will be in the tailgate lot visiting with fans starting at 6:15 p.m. Tailgate contest will also start at 6:15 p.m. and the judging will be held until 6:45. The winner will be presented a trophy by Coach Wolford at midfield prior to the start of the game.

“Whoever has hot garlic will probably win”, joked Wolford on the Rookery Radio interview he did with Zach Humphries and Gary Brode.  “This area is famous for all of the good food and this is when people will compete to see whose is best.  I heard we had sold 100 tailgate passes already, that’s awesome!”

Tailgate passes for the M-24 Parking Lot across the street from the Stadium are available for $15 to all Penguin fans. Fans who purchase a pass, must also buy two game tickets. The tailgating lot will open at 5 p.m. For more information, or to purchase a tailgate parking pass contact the Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978. There is no postgame tailgating. Additional parking will be available near the stadium for $5 in various university lots.

Courtesy of YSUSports.com, here is a complete schedule:

5 p.m. — Tailgate (M-24 Lot Only) and Parking Lots Open
6:15 p.m. — Judging for Best Tailgate Food Contest Begins
6:30 p.m. — Stambaugh Staium Gates Open
6:50 p.m. — Entire Team Takes Field
7:30 p.m. — Kickoff

“It’s going to be a lot of fun, these guys have worked really hard”, said Wolford.

When asked if his defense can truly be measured against an offense with so many returning weapons, Wolford said, “You know, I was an offensive guy for a long time and love when we score.  However, as a head coach, I have to pull for the defense to do well also.  There is a lot of competition and about six or seven positions are up for grabs, so I think you will see guys trying very hard, defensively, to make a good impression.”

The Youngstown State University basketball team is looking for a couple of bodies to fill the void left by the sudden departures of Cale Zuiker and Nate Perry.

The Penguins are heavily recruiting and Coach Jerry Slocum should announce one of those he is pursuing as a new Penguin as early as tomorrow.  Kamren Belin is reportedly very close to committing to Slocum’s program.  Belin will come as a junior college transfer who stands at 6′ 7″, averages around twelve points per game, and has a reputation as a shot-blocker.

Can you imagine Damian Eargle having a pal to swat shots with?

Jonathan Octeus is another name that has been heard swirling around campus.  No word on his commitment yet, but the Penguins are trying to land him and it is very possible that he may commit within the week.

Neither signing is official, but when they are and if they happen, you will get the details here.

With their 2-1 overtime win over the Indiana Ice Saturday night, the Youngstown Phantoms clinched home-ice advantage for the first round of the 2012 Clark Cup Playoffs. The Phantoms will host the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in a best-of-three series starting with Game 1 on Monday, April 16.

Game 2 is scheduled Tuesday, April 17 and Game 3, if necessary, will be the following night. All games will be played at the Covelli Centre – start time is to be determined.

The Phantoms qualified for the Clark Cup Playoffs for the first time this season – their third in the United States Hockey League. Six teams from each conference qualify for the postseason with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes. After the best-of-three first-round, the playoffs revert to a best-of-five format with re-seeding after every round until the Clark Cup Finals.

Call the Phantoms Office at 330-747-PUCK (7825) for more information or to order tickets.  Ask for Bart Logan, tell him Paneech sent you.

8-Time World Champion Roy Jones Jr. in association with TNT Promotions Presents “Live Championship Boxing from The Harv at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort” on Saturday April 28th.  A Double Feature is planned for the evening’s headliners when Youngstown, OH’s Jake “The Bull” Giuriceo (15W-0L-1D, 3KO) battles former WBC Latino Super Lightweight Champion Juan “Chago” Santiago (14W-8L-1D, 8KO) and power punching sensation Joel Diaz Jr. (8W-0L, 7KO) takes on Russian native Georgi Kevlishvili (10W-3L, 3KO).

Giuriceo is looking to fight his way into the world rankings when stepping in with the rugged Santiago, a proven contender with multiple national television appearances.  Diaz Jr. gained national recognition earlier this year after rising from the canvas to score a stunning TKO victory over previously undefeated Guy Robb televised on Showtime.

Kevlishvili is coming off of a Showtime appearance himself dropping a hard fought split decision to unbeaten Casey Ramos. Kevlishvili’s three losses were to opponents who had a combined record of 34W-0L at the time he fought them.

This blockbuster event will include a full night of exciting action and entertainment.  In store are matchups involving fighters such as IBC Continental Heavyweight Champion Jason “Iron Man” Bergman, Super Middleweight “Big Chief” Morgan Fitch, Light Heavyweight Jaque “Lights Out” Lutz, Welterweight Billy “The Boilermaker” Hutchinson, and the special introduction of Cruiserweight Josh “The Handsome Hitman” Himes, Beaver County, PA’s New Face of Boxing, and more.

Base ticket prices are VIP $100, Section A $50, Section B $35, and Bleachers $25. Tickets can be purchased at Mountaineer Casino’s Players Club in person or by calling the Players Club at 1-800-804-0468 Ext: 8297.

First bell is at 7:30 PM.  More details to follow in the upcoming days leading to the fight.

Campbell’s Chris Hazimihalis (8-0, 7 KO) is getting back into the ring.  This time the trip is doable for the local fans as Erie, PA will be the setting for his next fight.

Hazimihalis will headline the 27th annual Erie Boxing Classic.  The card is slated for Friday, April 27th at The Avalon Hotel in Erie.  First bell is set for 8 p.m.

Only one of Hazimihalis’ opponents, Damon Antoine, has survived the offensive onslaught.  Even Antoine landed on the canvas, only to get up and finish the fight on the wrong side of a unanimous decision.

Hazimihalis has been under the watchful eye of Emanuel Steward for the past year while training at the world-famous Kronk Gym in Detroit.  This particular fight is scheduled as a six-round lightweight bout.  No word on who the opponent will be as of this writing.

Michael Acri Promotions announced that tickets are on sale.  They can be purchased at Dee’s Cigar Store (1705 State St.), The Avalon Hotel (16 West 10^th St.) and the Ringside Restaurant (3202 Sterrettania Rd).

The undercard will feature the WBA No.10 ranked Yenifel Vicente , a junior featherweight fighter who is drawing some national attention.  Sgt. Sammy Vazquez, who served two tours in Iraq, will be making his professional debut as a junior middleweight in a contest slated for four rounds.

Details on match-ups and opponents will be announced very soon.  Check back for details.

The Youngstown State football program will host a contest for the “Best Tailgate Food” prior to the Annual Red-White Spring Game on Friday, April 13. The winner will be selected by a four-judge panel and will receive prizes to area restaurants as well as a pair of sideline passes to YSU’s season opener Pittsburgh in September.

The cost for a tailgate parking pass is $15 along with the purchase of two game tickets which are $5 each. All tailgate lot passes must be purchased by Thursday, April 12.

The M-24 Tailgate Lot will open at 5 p.m. on April 13 and remain open until 7:30, just prior to the start of the game. Setting for the game will be on a first-come first-served basis only in the West Stands.

The judges to select the best food will be Jeff Crystal of Oveture Restuarant, Carm Cassese, former YSU equipment manager and owner of Cassese’s MVR, Ronnie Quaranta from Caffee Capri and Leo DelGarbino of Leo’s Ristorante in Howland.

The winner will receive gift cards to all four establishments.

From YSU, the winner will receive two sideline passes and transportation to the season-opener at Pittsburgh. That game at Heinz Field is slated to kickoff at 6 p.m.

All regular-season policies apply to Spring Game tailgating. Superior Beverage will be on site with Dom’s Ice House.

For more information contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.

After helping his team secure home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs over the weekend, Youngstown Phantoms goaltender Sean Romeo captured some accolades of his own on Monday. The Cary, N.C., native was named USHL’s Reebok Goaltender of the Week the league announced Monday evening.

This is the first time that Romeo, 17, has earned the league’s weekly honor and he is the ninth different Phantoms player to do so this season.   Playing time has been tough to come by because Matt O’Connor has played solidly between the pipes all season.

“He really deserves this,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. “Nobody works harder in practice than Sean. If he was sitting behind anyone else in the league he’d probably be seeing a lot more time but everyone got a glimpse of what we know he’s capable of this weekend.”

Romeo, making his 12th start of the season, turned away 38 of 39 shots (.974 save percentage) on Saturday to backstop the Phantoms (31-20-7, fourth East) to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Indiana Ice. The second-year netminder held the Ice, the USHL’s second highest scoring team averaging 3.66 goals for a game, to just a single goal in 60-plus minutes between the pipes.

“It felt good to clinch home-ice for the team and getting the win in overtime made it that much better,” Romeo said after the game. “My defense played really hard for me and they deserve a lot of the credit.”

The Phantoms wrap up the regular season this weekend when they take on the Green Bay Gamblers in a pair of games this Friday and Saturday at the Covelli Centre. The puck drops at 7:15 p.m. EST both nights.

It’s Fan Appreciation Weekend at the Covelli Centre and the Phantoms will be holding a game-worn jersey auction while the Eagle Wear Team Shop will be offering a 25 percent discount on all merchandise as well as buy one, get one free deals Phantoms T-shirts.

The Youngstown State football team had a productive two-hour scrimmage on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.  Anyone not living under a rock knows that all of the pieces from last season are back on offense this season.  However, a young defense with lots of new faces will continue to thrive and improve.  The defensive unit, unfortunately, is competing against an offense that practically rewrote the record books in 2011.

The Penguins worked on moving-the-ball, red-zone, third-down, four-minute and two-minute situations during the workout, and the offense opened the scrimmage with three consecutive crisp scoring drives.

On the first sequence junior quarterback Kurt Hess engineered a 11-play, 70-yard scoring drive. On the drive, Hess was 5-for-5 while senior tailback Jamaine Cook  (above) ran for 22 yards on five carries. Cook rushed for six yards on a fourth-and-two play from the 33 to extend the drive. Three plays later, Hess connected with Christian Bryan on 17-yard scoring toss.

On the second drive, sophomore quarterback Patrick Angle and junior tailback Torrian Pace went to work. Pace carried the ball four times for 16 yards while Angle was 5-for-5, including a 36-yard strike to tight end Nate Adams. After the defense forced a third-and-goal from the eight, Angle found Jelani Berassa (below) in the back of the end zone for a score capping a 10-play 70-yard march.

Angle led the offense on a 65-yard drive on the following possession. Cook opened the drive with a 25-yard rush while Jordan Thompson followed with carries of five, 18, 13 and three yards. On 3rd-and-4 from the 11-yard line, Angle went to Berassa again for nine yards to pick up a first down. Thompson then found a crack of daylight, scoring from two yards out.

“We are going to start to solidify positions”, said Head Coach Eric Wolford.  “We are pretty deep into this thing.  I was encouraged by things that I saw on both sides of the football.  Overall, we are getting better and there are still missed tackles and things we need to improve on.  Jeremy Edwards did a very good job on Will Shaw downfield today.  Will can run and Jeremy kept him in check.  It’s just an example of the expectations and that we are getting better on that side of the ball.”

“This is a process”, echoed Defensive Line Coach, Tom Sims.  “Last season, Andrew Johnson was a leader on defense, but there really was not much leadership from the linebackers and defensive backs, partly because they are so young.  Ultimately, we want competition.  If the ones get hurt, we should not have to worry about a two going in, the one should worry about the two going in and taking the ones spot.”

The defense held on the next series and then Jimmy May intercepted a Dante Nania overthrow to quickly end the fifth drive.

The Penguins ran four-minute situations with both the top and reserve units. The scrimmage was capped off with a two-minute drill. Hess found Bryan again for a 30-yard scoring toss with 31 seconds left on the first try. The defense held the reserve offense out of the end zone when Angle’s desparation pass fell incomplete on the final play of the workout.

Here are some statistics from the first portion of the scrimmage:  PASSING – Hess 7-of-7 for 66 yards and two touchdowns, Angle 6-of-7 for 70 yards and a TD, Nania 3-of-7 for 22 yards and one interception. RUSHING – Thompson 9-81; Cook 8-53; Pace 6-21. RECEIVING – Bryan 3-54, 2 TDs; Berassa 3-23, TD; Andrew Williams 2-22.

YSU returns to the gridiron on Monday for its 12th practice of the spring. Next week the Penguins are slated to hold workouts Monday and Wednesday before Friday’s annual Red-White Spring Game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.

Loyola scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning en route to a 5-1 victory and completed the series sweep of the Youngstown State softball team on Saturday morning.

The Penguins, who have now lost three straight, fall to 21-9-1 overall and 5-4 in the Horizon League while the Ramblers improve to 13-16 overall and 6-3 in the league.

Loyola’s Brittany Gardner picked up her third win of the series, striking out seven Penguins and allowing just five hits.

The Guins attemped a rally loading the bases in the top of the seventh on single by  Sarah Gabel and two hit batters. Senior Amanda Palmore reached on an error to score Gabel for the only YSU run.

A lineout double play and a strikeout ended the Penguins threat.

The Guins return to action against St. Bonaventure, Wednesday, April 11, at 3 p.m.