MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports Word has it the 1975 Fort Hill Sentinels football team, the Maryland Class A (second-highest of four classes) state champion, will be recognized during the September 12 Dunbar-Fort Hill game at Greenway Avenue Stadium to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the first football state title in school and Cumberland history.…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports Part 1 of John W. Miller’s brilliant biography of the brilliant Earl Weaver, “The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball,” opens on that fateful Sunday afternoon in October of 1982 when Weaver bid a tearful farewell to Baltimore, and Baltimore a loud and heartfelt farewell to…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports How terribly sad that Dave Parker, The Cobra, died on Saturday at the age of 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. How terribly sad he died just one month before he will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the Hall of…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports Watched the NBA Draft on Wednesday night for the sole purpose of seeing where former Maryland big man Derik Queen would land, and was delighted for the 20-year-old Baltimore native when he was chosen No. 13 by the Atlanta Hawks after they had already traded the pick to the New…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports Just three weeks ago, it was mentioned here that a long time ago in a sports galaxy far, far away the NBA Finals was No. 3 on the appointment-viewing list for sports fans behind only the Super Bowl and the World Series. It also said here that this year’s…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports The Washington Commanders have not been the only busy NFL team at either end of the BW Parkway. The Baltimore Ravens and their general manager Eric DeCosta have had a rave-reviews offseason as well. While the Commanders have suddenly put themselves into win-now mode with their offseason moves, the Ravens,…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports The word “legend” is overused, particularly in sports, and most of those who throw it around don’t seem to know what it actually means. The first and most basic definition of “legend” by Merriam-Webster is, “an old story that is widely believed but cannot be proved to be true.” The…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports Everything has been coming up roses for the Washington Commanders for the better part of a year now, highlighted by the franchise’s first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since 1991. And why wouldn’t it be roses and daffodils? The Commanders have the most important piece of the puzzle solved…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports During this the week of “No Kings”, the Baltimore Orioles announced plans for a “premium club” to open in 2026 behind home plate at Oriole Park at Camden Yards that will provide an “immersive indoor-outdoor experience” and include VIP parking, a private entrance and a rotating upscale food and beverage…
MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports Attended a high-school class meeting on Monday night, and a classmate mentioned how the last day of school was always the greatest day of our lives. Or so we thought. Actually, we weren’t wrong. As it happens, today is the last day of school, at least in Allegany County. I…
