The name of the game within the Las Vegas casino district is deception.  In days past, the goal of every casino was to get people into town in hopes of them blowing huge piles of money at their establishments.  They would sometimes throw the customer a free meal or tickets to a show, but even some of those perks are gone.  Having been to Vegas many, many times, a trend of deception is developing, and people need to be made aware of it.

In my most recent visit to Sin City, I stayed at Bally’s.  Having stayed at Bally’s once before, ten years earlier, I wasn’t thrilled because the casino was average in appearance and the rooms were well worn.  However, much has been done.  Mr. Bally must have made a few trips to Home Depot because the appearance of this hotel has improved greatly.  I was comped my room based on my player rating, which is merely accumulated through gambling and time spent on the machines and tables.

Before I shred this establishment with criticism, I will compliment the employees and staff.  Throughout my stay, they were hospitable and congenial.  Unfortunately, the rules they must enforce, in particular, hidden fees and charges, ultimately deter from the tips they may receive.

Once my group arrived at Bally’s, I learned about a hidden cost that irked me.  In order to have internet access, I would have to cough up $13.95, per 24-hour period that I wanted it.  For a five night stay, that total would hit $69.75.  My cable bill at home, which includes a Hi-Def package, HBO, Showtime, DVR, and my internet is $125.00 FOR THE WHOLE MONTH.

The next upsetting fee that I was not expecting was a $3 per day charge to use the safe in the room.  Nobody wants to carry all of their money around every second they are on vacation, especially in Las Vegas.  I have used a safe in a casino hotel room each time I have visited Las Vegas.  This was the first time I was ever asked to pay for it.

Another feature that blindsided me was the use of the hotel gym at Bally’s.  I learned that there was a $22.00 per day charge to use the facilities.  The fitness area was nothing different than I see at the gym I belong to in Youngstown, Ohio.  The 30-pound dumbbells weighed 30 pounds, just like the ones back home, and they didn’t play music, smoke, fizz, or make me feel any stronger when used.  This was the most disturbing of the charges.  Having stayed in Valparaiso, Indiana just a week before, the fitness area was complimentary and the treadmills there kept track of how many miles I would walk, just like the ones at Bally’s.

I was tempted several times the last couple of days I was there to call the front desk and ask if I would be charged fifty cents each time I flushed my toilet, a quarter for each square of toiled paper I would use, or a buck to use the shower.  Don’t be surprised if you see it soon.

So it is nice to be comped, but don’t think that your stay will be free.  I am sure Bally’s, as well as many other Las Vegas Strip casinos are just dreaming up new ways to squeeze something else out of their customers.  With casinos popping up everywhere in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, I would have thought the Vegas marketing department would do their homework to compete for my money.  I guess until they anger enough visitors, nothing will change.

I will return to Las Vegas again soon.  I will not stay at Bally’s.

Jake Giuriceo isn’t far along in his professional boxing career yet, but he is ready to adapt.  In a phone conversation with Giuriceo, he was emphatic about returning to his old ways, reinventing “The Bull” style of fighting.  Giuriceo will face Jaime Orrantia (26-24-5) on Saturday in a bout that says a lot about where the Campbell, Ohio natives career goes next.

The fight, which will take place at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange County, is a rare event outside of this area for The Bull.  Joe Corvino, Giuriceo’s manager, said that this fight will have potential promoters in the audience and hopes that Giuriceo can look sharp and land a good deal.  Corvino also noted that it is time for Giuriceo to fight on the road to help broaden his fan base.

“This guy has had 50 fights”, remarked Giuriceo.  “He is not going to be a pushover by any means.  Anyone with that many fights and has more wins than losses can present problems, so we are really working hard in the gym to get ready.”

Giuriceo (14-0-1, 3 KO’s) talked about what he needs to accomplish fighting a weight class higher than his last fight.

“I need to get back to being ‘The Bull’.  That means I will be be moving forward and throwing more punches, just really being more aggressive.  I think Frankie [Duarte] is excited about training me to be more aggressive, he loves it.”

Giuriceo will hope that promoters Gary Shaw and Kenny Thompson will like what they see so he can land the del that could springboard his career to the next step.

Either way, Giuriceo will be getting married after this fight and said his fiance, Jackie Mazias, will be flying out to California for this fight and to support her future husband.

Results will be posted here once I get them from Giuriceo or his camp.

Youngstown State senior first baseman Jeremy Banks has been named the Horizon League Batter of the Week for the period of Feb. 27 to March 4, the conference office announced on March 6.

Banks, a native of Steubenville, Ohio, batted .462 and was named to the all-tournament team last week as YSU competed at the Austin Peay Riverview Inn Classic. Banks reached base seven times in YSU’s 16-15 loss in 10 innings to Iowa on Sunday. He hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth, recorded three singles and walked three times in the contest. He drove in a career-high six runs, and he scored three times. Banks also went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI against Austin Peay.

Banks currently leads the Horizon League in batting average (.463) and RBIs (15), and he is tied for the lead in home runs (2).

Valparaiso’s Tyler Deetjen was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week.

Banks and the Penguins will play three games at VMI this weekend.

Youngstown State women’s basketball player Brandi Brown has been named Second-Team All-Horizon League for the second straight season, the league office announced on Monday.

Brown, a junior forward from Pomona, Calif., averaged 16.3 points and 9.1 rebounds this season as the Penguins’ leader in both categories. She earned the sixth-most votes in the field, making her the first member of the second team. The Horizon League’s coaches, women’s basketball sports information directors and a member of each of the conference’s media markets voted on the postseason awards.

Brown ranked sixth in the Horizon League in both scoring and rebounding, and she also ranked sixth in defensive rebounding, eighth in offensive rebounding, 10th in free-throw percentage and 15th in 3-point percentage.

Brown averaged 17 points and 8.4 rebounds, and she shot 38.7 percent from 3-point range in conference games. In league games, she ranked seventh in the conference in scoring, eighth in rebounding, second in 3-point percentage, seventh in offensive rebounding, eighth in defensive rebounding, 12th in free-throw percentage and 13th in 3-pointers per game.

Brown scored at least 20 points on 12 occasions, and she registered nine double-doubles. She reached double figures in scoring 25 times in 29 games. She scored a season-high 26 points against Loyola on Jan. 12, and she matched her career high with 19 rebounds against Green Bay on Feb. 18.

Green Bay senior Julie Wojta was named the Horizon League’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Detroit’s Shareta Brown and Wright State’s Kim Demmings were named Co-Newcomers of the Year, and Detroit’s Yar Shayok was voted the Sixth Player of the Year. Green Bay’s Matt Bollant was voted the Horizon League Coach of the Year.

The Youngstown State women’s basketball had three tries to force overtime in the final seconds, but could not connect on any dropping a hard-fought 59-56 decision to Cleveland State in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament on Monday night at the Wolstein Center.

With 8.9 seconds left, the Penguins setup Monica Touvelle for the first try from straight on, but her shot glanced off the left side of the rim. Brandi Brown grabbed the board, but her off-balance 3-pointer from the wing bounced out. Heidi Schlegel grabbed the second rebound and alertly dribbled out to the 3-point line, but her shot at the buzzer didn’t fall as the Vikings advanced to play at Detroit on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals.  The Penguins finish the season 10-20 while Cleveland State improves to 12-18.

YSU turned up the defensive pressure to have a chance to force overtime. The Penguins tied the game early in the second half on two occasions, before the Vikings went on top 27-25 with 17:55 remaining.  At the 8:42 mark, the Vikings went ahead 52-45 on a 3-pointer by Shalonda Winton. YSU pulled within 52-47 on a couple of free throws by Kelsea Fickiesen. However, the Vikes pushed their advantage back to seven at the 7:08 mark on two free throws by Honesty King.

From that point, the team’s struggled offensively down the stretch. Touvelle broke the scoring drought for both teams with a base-line jumper at the 3:03 mark. Brown answered over a minute later driving to the bucket and converted a layup with 1:49 remaining cutting the deficit to 54-51.

Kenya Middlebrooks split a pair of free throws with 1:07 left and with 26.5 seconds left, Melissa Thompson‘s putback of a Middlebrooks missed triple got the Penguins within 56-54.  With 24.4 ticks left, Janelle Adams sank a pair of free throws to push the CSU lead up to 58-54.

Fickiesen quickly drove to the hoop scoring with exactly 18 seconds left.  With 16.6 seconds left, Thompson fouled Honesty King who made the first, but missed the second free throw.  The Penguins quickly moved the ball up the court, but Fickiesen was whistled for a charging foul with 9.8 seconds remaining. The YSU pressure then forced Adams to travel setting up the final 8.9 seconds.

For the game, YSU shot 30.4 percent making 21-of-69 shots, but went just 3-of-22 (13.6 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. All three 3-pointers came in a five-minute span of the second half. CSU shot 36.5 percent from the field converting 23-of-63 attempts.

Fickiesen led the Penguins with 11 points while Middlebrooks and Touvelle each finished with 10. Coleman had game-high honors with 17 points while Shalonda Winton had 15 and King added 13.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, shooting a combined 27 percent and committing 26 turnovers, and Cleveland State held a 23-21 lead at halftime. YSU’s defense forced 10 steals as a catalyst to Cleveland State’s 15 first-half turnovers, but the Penguins were 7-for-34 overall from the floor and 0-for-9 from 3-point range offensively.

YSU scored the first four points of the game, but Cleveland State scored six straight points for the first of three lead changes in the opening period. Middlebrooks put the Guins back up 9-8, and her steal and lay-up gave them a 16-12 lead with 6:10 left.

Schlegel’s bucket put YSU up 18-14 with 5:22 remaining, but YSU did not score for nearly five minutes as Cleveland State scored the next nine points to go ahead 23-18. Schlegel made a free-throw with 30.9 seconds left to end the drought, and Fickiesen made a lay-up with less than three seconds left to make the score 23-21 at halftime.

Iowa scored the tying run in the ninth on a balk and got a pinch-hit RBI double with two outs in the 10th to defeat the Youngstown State baseball team in a slugfest, 16-15.

The Penguins led by five runs twice and by three through seven innings. Iowa scored four runs in the eighth to go up 14-13, and Jeremy Banks gave the Penguins a 15-14 lead with a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the ninth. The Hawkeyes scored the tying run on a two-out balk when the umpire ruled that reliever Erik Okleson did not pause prior to his delivery, and the game-winner came when Taylor Zeutenhorst doubled in Chett Zeise with two outs in the 10th.

Banks had a monster day for the Penguins, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and six RBIs. He also drew three walks and reached base in all seven of his plate appearances. Drew Dosch was 5-for-7 with three RBIs and two runs, and Jack Graham also drove in two.

Ryan Rumpf had four hits, Jake Mangler scored four times and Zeise scored for times for the Hawkeyes.

Rumpf was also the winning pitcher as he came on to record the final two outs in the 10th. Okleson was charged with the loss, allowing two runs on two hits in 1.2 innings.

YSU got single tallies in the first and second innings when Banks singled in Dosch in the first and Dosch brought in Phil Lipari in the second. The Guins then scored three runs on four hits and two errors in the third to go up 5-0. Kevin Hix and Dosch both had run-scoring infield hits, and Graham scored and reached on errors.

The Penguins returned the favor with two errors in the bottom of the third, which helped lead to two runs, and Rumpf tripled in Mangler in the fourth to make the score 5-3.  YSU then did all of its damage in the fifth after there were two outs as Craig Goubeaux singled in Jason Shirley and Graham doubled in Goubeaux and Banks to put YSU up 8-3.

Mangler doubled in three runs as part of a four-run fifth for the Hawkeyes, and they answered Banks’ bases-loaded walk with two more runs in the sixth to tie the score at 9-9.

The Penguins scored four two-out runs in the seventh to go up 13-9. Graham scored on Lipari’s fielder’s choice to break the tie, and Dosch singled in David Leon for the second run. Banks then put the Guins ahead by four with a two-run single to right that brought in Dosch and Lipari.

Iowa got an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 13-10, and the Hawkeyes took the lead with four runs in the eighth. The go-ahead run scored after a passed ball and a two-out error by Dosch at third.

Iowa reliever Nick Hibbing retired the first two Penguins in the ninth, but Shirley singled to left to keep the game alive. Banks then hit a 1-0 pitch over the right-field fence to put YSU up 15-14. In the bottom half, Okleson beaned Brand to start the inning, and he advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Brand went to third on a ground out, and he scored on the balk. Mike McQuillan followed with a single, but Okleson got Mangler to fly out to end the inning.

Hix walked and stole second with one out in the 10th for YSU, but back-to-back strikeouts left him stranded there. Zeise drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 10th, and he went to second on a sacrifice bunt that accounted for Iowa’s second out. Zeutenhorst then doubled in Zeise on a 2-0 pitch for the game winner.

YSU was looking for its first win over a current member of the Big Ten since 1996.

The Penguins will play a three-game series at VMI next weekend, starting on Friday at 5 p.m.

The Youngstown Phantoms picked up right where they left off on Friday with a dominant 6-1 win over Team USA Saturday night in the Covelli Centre. It was the Phantoms’ (28-14-5, third East) second win of the weekend, and third straight overall against Team USA (19-20-4, sixth East) after dropping their first four meetings of the season.

Six different players found the back of the net for the Phantoms, led by Alex Gacek who scored a goal and set up three others. JT Stenglein, Dylan Margonari and Eric Sweetman each notched a goal and an assist, while Pat Conte and Soren Jonzzon tallied the others. Matthew O’Connor near perfect between the pipes, stopping all but one of Team USA’s shots for his 25th win of the season.

“There was really no change in our game from the first minute to the last minute tonight,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. “We talk about not looking at the scoreboard and I thought we did a really good job of that tonight.”

Conte got the scoring started at the 8:02 mark in the first period. Sweetman read a play in the defensive zone, intercepted the puck and jumped up to lead a 2-on-1 rush. He moved the puck to Conte at the left circle and the Niagara Fall, N.Y., wristed it past Hunter Miska.

Stenglein put the Phantoms up two 1:45 later when he finished off a tic-tac-toe play on the backdoor. Then in the waning seconds for the first, Gacek forced a turnover in the neutral zone and chipped it out for Margonari, who came streaking in on the left wing and roofed a wrist shot to give the Phantoms the 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Jonzzon scored the Phantoms’ lone goal of the second, batting the puck out of mid-air from inside the crease into the net at the 9:18 mark to make it 4-0. Hudson Fasching responded for Team USA, burying the puck on a 2-on-1 just 34 seconds later, but that would be the only goal O’Connor would grant.

Gacek snuck behind the Team USA defense 1:25 into the third period and went in on a breakaway. He cut center from the left, making Miska move laterally before depositing the puck between his legs to put the Phantoms up 5-1.

“I found a loose puck and used my speed to try to burn a couple of defenders,” Gacek said. “Then I took him across the crease and he opened up five-hole, so I just slipped it in there.”

Then with 8:01 remaining in regulation, and the Phantoms down a skater, Gacek hit Sweetman flying down the left wing and the defenseman flashed the offensive skills, putting it past Miska for his third goal of the season.

“It was a nice sweep this weekend – to get the four points,” Gacek said. “But we can’t let our highs get too high. We’ve got a tough rest of the schedule moving up and we just need to keep moving forward.”

The Youngstown State Lady Penguins fought back after putting themselves in an early hole, but ultimately came up short, falling to Cleveland State.  Over the final seven-and-a-half minutes, the Vikings outscored the Penguins 20-9 and walked away with a 79-69 victory.  YSU committed 28 turnovers, matching a season high, and attempted a season-low 14 3-pointers in the loss.

The loss shook things up for the Horizon League Women’s Tournament.  Had the Penguins (10-19, 4-14) been able to nab the road win, they would have hosted a game Monday night in the first round.  Because of the way it ended, the Lady Penguins will head straight back to the Wolstein Center for a do-over with their local rivals.

The Penguins trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, but were was able to chip away and pulled themselves into the lead midway through the second half.  The Penguins outscored the Vikings 15-7 in the first five minutes of the second half to cut the margin to three, and they took their first lead of the contest when two Macey Nortey free throws at the 9:47 mark made the score 58-57. Cleveland State made two free throws to re-claim the lead, and a Kenya Middlebrooks bucket put YSU up 60-59 with 7:34 left. The Vikings made six of their next seven shots, and YSU missed six free throws in the final 6:37.

Cleveland State shot 63.3 percent in the first half and 50 percent for the game. The Vikings scored 22 of their 33 points in the second half in the final 8:30. YSU shot 40.7 percent and posted a season-high 16 steals.  Cleveland State made 10 of its first 13 shots and ended the first half on a 9-3 run to take a 46-35 lead at halftime. The Vikings led by as many as 14 in the period, and their 9-3 run to end the period came immediately after YSU had cut the deficit to five.

Heidi Schlegel registered her second career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Kelsea Fickiesen added a career-best 14 points.  For Cleveland State, Shalonda Winton finished with 25 points, and Takima Keane and Cori Coleman both had 14 points.

The Penguins will enter tournament play as the #10 seed, while Cleveland State will host as the #7 seed.

Youngstown State University did all they could after they sunk into a 24-point first half hole.  They cut the lead to ten early in the second half, but could get no closer, ultimately falling, 93-76 to Detroit.  Damian Eargle had 25 points to lead all scorers but the defense was not able to contain the Titans arsenal of weaponry.

“There are a lot of tears flowing in that locker room”, said YSU Coach Jerry Slocum.  “This was a very close-knit group of guys who really clicked.  I am proud of what they accomplished this season, they worked very hard.”

Detroit came out smoking hot in the first half.  That first half saw a 50-point outburst by the Titans.  Oddly enough, the Penguins shut down Detroit’s standout guard, Ray McCallum, as he scored only two of the Titans first 25 points.  McCallum would get untracked and finished the game with 22.

The Titans held the Penguins long-bombers (Blake Allen and Ashen Ward) in check for most of the 40 minutes.  The tandem both averaged double-digits in scoring and were viable three-point options.  Detroit held the pair to a combined eight points on 3-11 shooting.  The Penguins would bring the ball across mid-court and Detroit would double the point forcing turnovers (YSU committed 15 turnovers in the game).

Detroit shot 60% with McCallum leading the way with 22.  Eli Holman had a double-double with 11 points to go with his ten boards.  Chase Simon finished with 14, and LaMarcus Lowe chipped in with 13 more.  Detroit will face Cleveland State Saturday to see who will advance to the Horizon League Championship game.

For the Penguins, Eargle’s 25 points and seven boards were team-highs.  Senior DuShawn Brooks finished with 19 and Kendrick Perry tacked on 18 points.

Congratulations to the Penguins for having a special season and getting the program headed in a positive direction.  Coach Slocum and staff have a lot to be proud of for not only the product that they put on the floor, but the quality of people they are recruiting.  This was a special bunch of guys who have bright futures.  There were some great individual performances, but team was inscribed in all of their hearts more so than any year in Slocum’s tenure.

Finishing 16-15 is a tremendous fete in a very tough Horizon League.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are excited to host a special day game, presented by Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley, on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at Eastwood Field between the Youngstown State University Penguins and the University of Pittsburgh. Gates will open at 10:30 am with first pitch at 11:00 am .

The Scrappers have an affordable package available for area schools. The cost of the school package is only $5.00 per student and includes a game ticket, lunch and an educational curriculum.

The Scrappers are taking reservations and encourage groups to sign up early to guarantee seating. The deadline for groups is Friday, April 13, 2012. Should you not be a part of a school group, individual game tickets will be available for $5.00 each.

For more information, contact the Scrappers Front Office at (330) 505-0000.