An old dog can learn new tricks

See, you did it!
That's a line from an old commercial, but it certainly describes how I feel as I venture into the world of blogging.
I've been a sports writer for more than 20 years, working for a four different papers. For the past nine years I've been writing for the Holmes County Journal, a weekly paper here in Millersburg. I've been a part of the Journal since it started back in August of 2000.
I love covering sports here in Holmes County. I was hoping that by blogging I can reach more readers than the few thousand subscribers we have here in Millersburg.
Through this venue, I hope to touch base with baseball fans all over the world, while sharing some insights I have on the Cleveland Indians.
But I won't limit my comments to baseball. Here in Holmes County, high school basketball is the ruler of the court from November to March. And it's not just boys basketball, either.
Girls basketball has long been a main winter staple for sports fans, dating back to the mid-1980s when the West Holmes girls strung together 108 straight wins and three straight State championships. The Hiland boys won their first State title in 1992 and the girls at Hiland have captured four Division IV crowns since 2000, including three of the past four.
Coaches have made their names synonomous with success here in Holmes County. Jack Van Reeth has amassed more than 800 career wins, coaching both the boys and girls programs at West Holmes. His son Todd had a great run at nearby Garaway, Philo and Tri-Valley High Schools before taking his show up north to the Cleveland area. He had Solon on the brink of greatness before stepping down.
Perry Reese Jr. was the boys coach at Hiland from 1983 until his untimely death in 2000. He was featured in Sports Illustrated after his death (the story re-appeared in Reader's Digest and is reprinted annually in the Hiland Girls promotional literature promoting the Classic in the Country on the Classic's website: classicinthecountry.org.
Dave Schlabach is the coach of the Hiland girls who has guided the team to four State titles and several more State appearances during his 17-year career at the school. He has sent more than 26 kids to play college basketball, helping them earn more than $1.5 million in scholarship money. Not bad for a tiny school that graduates about 60 to 75 kids per year.
There is also some pretty good wrestling here in Holmes County. Does the name Sponseller ring a bell? The 160-pound sophomore at Ohio State was a three-time State champion at West Holmes, and his older brother Clint is a senior at Kent State. Those brothers have eight State appearances between them.
Being a sports staff of one, with lots of great free lance helpers, I've had a wonderful career here in Amish Country, and simply wanted to share my writing with more readers.