Tag Archives: sports

20 years ago, speedway was the place to be

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Every young sportswriter has dreams of covering major league baseball, the NFL and major college football. Around these parts, as a 22-year-old intern at The Forum, the summer auto racing beat was the biggest deal crowd-wise outside of Bison football.

That was me 20 years ago, and my knowledge of auto racing extended to a couple of trips to the local quarter-mile track as a kid in Princeton, Minn.

So my first few trips out to the then-half mile dirt track in West Fargo in 1993 was an entirely different experience. First, it was more popular than I imagined. Secondly, it was louder than I imagined. To prove my point, I typically stood about 5 feet away from the legend of area auto racing announcing, Rod Miller. And EVEN I COULDN’T HEAR HIM.

Its not that I didn’t enjoy the Friday night trips out to the fairgrounds. I eventually looked forward to it. The big reason was the drivers and Miller dazzling me with his racing statistics going back to the early 1900s that he kept in his well-worn spiral notebook.

But the drivers were the characters.

Bob Sagen, Mike Sitzmann, Troy Olson, Mike Bruns, Corky Thomas, Barry Robertson and a young 15-year-old former go-kart racer who eventually got his real driver’s license, Donny Schatz.

If memory serves me correctly, that kid has had pretty decent career and made friends with some no-name big-time NASCAR star Tony Stewart.

Schatz wowed the crowd of 5,600 and other drivers almost 20 years ago to this day, May 1. He took first in his heat, beating the veteran Sitzmann to the line. Although Sitzmann eventually won the feature that night, Schatz’s night sparked his career.

Soon, he was running full time with the World of Outlaws.

Going to the races was the thing to do, and maybe perhaps, one of the only things to do in the summer. There were no RedHawks games or other entertainment options that truly competed with racing. And racing back then was simple. Late models, street stocks, Wissota modifieds and the rough (and sometimes tumble) sprint cars. It was good variety for the price of admission.

How big was local racing? The Forum even sold t-shirts with various racing stories and photos printed on them that year. I still have a couple in a sealed plastic bag.

And that’s how RRVS memories should be kept. Bottled and sealed up. While its doubtful anyone can make a go of it anymore promoting the track as a full-time race facility, anyone who took the checkered flag there will remember those steamy summer nights with packed grandstands and Miller’s voice carrying across the infield.

 

Reminder for Bison fans who want to share their thoughts on their way to Frisco

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We received an overwhelming response last week when we asked North Dakota State fans to contribute to a blog about their travels and game experiences for this Saturday’s title game in Frisco, Texas.

For the contributors who have already expressed interest, make sure to send me your email address (email: rbeer@forumcomm.com) so I can add you to the blog. Just sign up at areavoices.com for an account. We always have room for more.

We’ll feature the blog (bisonfans.areavoices.com) during the week.

Rare times at Leonard Country Club

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The first golfers of the day were just teeing off this morning when I called Leonard Country Club, a 45-minute drive from America’s Toughest Weather City.

Course GM Mike Pulczinski says he expects about 150 golfers to play today. He said the course hosted 50 golfers Saturday and Christmas Day.

The lack of snow in the region is not all that surprising, but considering temperatures (40 degrees now in Leonard at 10:30 a.m.) could reach 50 a day after Christmas is amazing.

It might not stop, either. Asked whether or not there’s a possibility the course could open again in January, Pulczinski said some golfers have asked him to host a tournament if the weather cooperates.

A quick look at the long-range forecast has 39 degrees in Leonard on New Year’s Eve day, but considering there’s a chance of snow three days next week, it might be tough to accommodate that request.

With family today, I would have jumped at the possibility to get my sticks out from the closet today and play there. (It’s extremely odd to get a text message from a co-worker on Christmas saying he has a 1:30 tee time while asking me to join him today.)

I last played a round Oct. 27 and I thought that was late. In my 31 years of playing golf, I don’t remember playing past Oct. 15. And here we are two months later and golfers in the F-M area can still get out for what could be, repeat could be, the last time today before spring.

Photos of Pizza Hut Park in Frisco

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Here’s a look at where the Bison will play for the national football championship in Frisco, Texas. Pizza Hut Park, which opened in 2005, is the home to FC Dallas of Major League Soccer.

Here’s also a link to a pdf with more images and renderings.

 

Pizza Hut Park before a Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas match in 2007. Associated Press

The stadium later that night. Associated Press

Sportswriter on Fargo trip: Nice place, kinda cold

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It’s always worth a look after big-time games what other media types think of Fargo, especially if its their first visit.

So I checked this morning for some Fargo-related posts on themorningcall.com and Keith Groller, the senior sports writer and columnist who made the trip here from Pennsylvania, had plenty of good things to say about our (cold) neck of the woods.

But first things first, Keith. I couldn’t help but notice the photo in another posting of the thermometer at the Ramada reading 13 degrees. Please, please, puh-leeeze don’t show your friends that photo. You surely noticed the lack of snow so we sort of feel like a guy wearing a tank top at Kardashian wedding. Underdressed and extremely out of place. We’re really not showing off why we’re the third coldest city in the U.S., so sorry about that.

We in Fargo take pride in having our cold and snow on the same plate. Did I fail to mention that twice in the past 24 hours, TWO different people happened to mention golf to me? Yeah, not golf as in buying a new driver for Christmas, but they wanted to play! It’s Dec. 12 for cryin’ out loud.

But we’re glad you made it to the mall and checked out the fine food court. Between you and me, if they keep squeezing in that kids’ play room, there’d better be a Plan B when my 3-year-old decides the corridor is a 100-meter sprint lane. The kid needs space.

So we appreciate all the good things you shared with your readers. Just save the 13 degrees photo for January. We’ll need it then.

Moss’ purple seasons have no ring to it

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When Randy Moss burst into purple in 1998, defensive coordinators were left shaking their heads and went to work trying to stop him from outrunning their defense.

For the Minnesota Vikings, the speedster was a perfect compliment to the sure-handed Cris Carter.

Take Moss’ first game with the Vikings. Against Tampa Bay in the season opener, he caught four passes, two of which went for scores of 48 and 31 yards, respectively.

And, still fresh in most of our minds is the Dallas Thanksgiving game where Moss sizzled in the national limelight with three touchdowns of more than 50 yards.

The Vikings had everything rolling in their favor that season. Moss put up his best yards-per-catch average of his career (19.0) and, more importantly, re-energized the Vikings faithful.

Of course, if the officials would’ve raised their arms instead of wave them on a certain Gary Anderson kick, the Vikings would have enjoyed their first trip the Super Bowl in more than two decades.

In 2001, the New York Giants bottled up quarterback Daunte Culpepper, limiting Moss to two short receptions in the infamous 41-0 rout. If there’s any image that goes with Moss’ career, it should certainly include him and Culpepper with jackets on and heads hanging on the sidelines.

The indifference was just starting to show.

Of course, Minnesota fans had to live with the “I play when I want to play,” comment he told the Star Tribune’s Sid Hartman the following fall. The following Sunday, the Vikings lost 13-6 to the Bears at the dome, a few weeks later Dennis Green was fired and Mike Tice took over for the final game in a 5-11 season.

Moss never got his ring with the Patriots, either, and his attempt to resurrect his career after his years in New England fell absolutely flat. In a much-anticipated return to Minnesota last season, Moss looked as disinterested as a flea at a fly-swatter expo. He caught just 13 passes for 174 yards in four games and played simply like a shell of his past.

Defenses bottled him up with a deep safety and if Moss wasn’t breaking off the line of scrimmage, 11 men in opposite jerseys simply left him alone. Oh, and we should add that he also helped send another coach packing in Brad Childress.

That’s what you get with Moss. That’s what Minnesotans got with Moss. You had to take the good with the bad because when he was good, he was great. When he was bad, he was making the game 11-on-10.

It was (sort of) great while it lasted Randy. It’s just unfortunate the Super Bowl drought never ended.

I’ll part ways here with one of my favorite plays:

On this date …

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Headlines from inforum.com on this date:

2006: A blood stain the size of a dot from a ball point pen came under fire by the defense for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. during a special hearing. A judge’s ruling on the evidence, considered critical by prosecutors and the defense, could prove to be a turning point in a trial still mired down with jury selection. Rodriguez is the accused kidnapper and murderer of Dru Sjodin.

2007: MINOT, N.D. – Members of the North Dakota congressional delegation say a new law should help victims of the 2002 train derailment that killed one man and injured hundreds here.
A homeland security bill with provisions related to rail safety passed the U.S. Senate late Thursday night and the U.S. House on Friday. The bill says that the Federal Railroad Safety Act doesn’t prevent people from collecting in personal-injury lawsuits brought against railroads.
Sen. Kent Conrad and Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., said President Bush is expected to sign the bill.

Moorhead firefighters were on scene to help clean up debris on the 8th Street bridge over I-94 after a hydraulic lift from a Ken's Sanitation and Recycling truck crashed into it, Friday, July 25, 2008. Carrie Snyder / The Forum

2008: The driver of a truck that struck the Eighth Street South bridge over Interstate 94 on July 25 in Moorhead faces pending citations for careless driving and not having the proper driver’s license, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

2009: Luis Gonzalez has won a World Series and now the former major leaguer gets a chance to call one in Fargo.
Gonzalez, who helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win a World Series crown in 2001, will offer color commentary for some of the Web casts at the American Legion World Series, which starts Aug. 14 at Newman Outdoor Field.
Former major leaguer Jeff Kent will also help in the coverage. Kent is slated to work the tournament on Aug. 15-16, while Gonzalez will cover Aug. 17-18.

2010: A reportedly stolen car crashed into a gas pump and started on fire early today in south Fargo, forcing authorities to close a major thoroughfare as firefighters battled the blaze.
An officer noticed the car traveling at a high rate of speed on 13th Avenue South at about 1:55 a.m. and tried to make a traffic stop, but the car fled south, according to Fargo Police  Sgt. Joe Anderson.
The driver tried to turn left onto 20th Avenue South but was going too fast and crashed into the gas pumps at the Stop-N-Go at 2002 25th St. S.
The vehicle and some gas that spilled onto the ground started on fire, WDAY-TV reported. The car was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, and 25th Street was blocked off because of the danger.

Something new for golfers

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Golf’s hole-in-one has lasting memories. Because of that, we want your accomplishment on our web site.

Today we rolled out a page displaying hole-in-ones at area courses. You can find it on the sports page.

In typical fashion, we still want your club pro or manager to report your ace to our sports department. However, golfers on that list can email me if they would like to add some details about their shot.

As a golfer who has two career aces, I know that each one is memorable in their own right. My first, on No. 4 at Moorhead Country Club in the summer of 1992, was sandwiched between a bogey and double bogey. My second, on Village Green’s No. 4 about six years ago, was during a nighttime round with a co-worker who was the first to point it out from the teebox. Over time, as I miss more and more greens, those aces are becoming more special.

If we happen to miss adding your hole-in-one to this page in a timely matter, let us know.

And if you make the list, congratulations. Frame the ball!