Long-time Urbana High School athletics volunteers Roger Wilson and Mike Melvin were recently honored by the OHSAA Southwest District for their years of service.
Wilson, formerly the long-time Champaign County Common Pleas Court judge, has done the public address announcing for Hillclimber varsity football games since 1969.
He and Melvin, long-time president of Perpetual Federal Savings Bank, alternated as UHS boys and girls basketball public address announcers from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
Melvin has also run the scoreboard at UHS football games for over 20 years.
“From an Athletic Director standpoint, words cannot express the value of their contribution to the Urbana Athletic Department and to the community of Urbana and for that I can’t thank them enough,” said UHS Athletic Director Chuck Raterman. “I have grown to know these gentleman very well during my 18 years at Urbana and I can truly say that I am a better person for having known them. These gentleman epitomize what being a great citizen and great Hillclimbers are all about.”
––––
The Cincinnati Reds’ lineup this season will look vastly different than it did even two years ago.
Cincy has dumped high-priced veterans in favor of younger, cheaper players, but that might not be such a bad thing.
A number of the Reds’ veteran players seemed to be more interested in picking up their fat paychecks than actually winning games, so at least this year’s team will be hungry.
Will that hunger translate into winning games this season?
Probably not, but it might in 2019 or 2020.
Up north, the Cleveland Indians are favored by many to win the World Series this year after coming up just short to the Cubs last season, but lofty expectations can sometimes be crushing.
Here are my fearless predictions for the 2017 MLB season:
NL East – Washington, New York Mets, Miami, Philadelphia, Atlanta
NL Central – Chicago Cubs, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee
NL West – San Francisco, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado, Arizona, San Diego
AL East – Boston, Toronto, New York Yankees, Baltimore, Tampa Bay
AL Central – Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Chicago White Sox, Minnesota
AL West – Houston, Texas, Seattle, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland
––––
Trivia Time – After hitting 35 home runs for the Pirates in 1958, Frank Thomas hit 12 homers for the Reds in 1959.
This week’s question – In what year was Judge Roger Wilson inducted into the Urbana University Athletic Hall of Fame?
