Bleacher Bits by Craig Purcell

Causing a stink with yellow cards

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

I've been at more than one high school soccer match when a player has been yellow-carded, only to hear somebody on the sidelines remark "That call stinks" (or other words unprintable). In the case of an English soccer player this year, the yellow... Full story

Hey, don't call me that!

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

What's in a nickname? It all depends on who the moniker gets hung on. The Boston Celtics' Glen "Big Baby" Davis earlier this week decided he wanted a new nickname. There's only one thing wrong with his request — you don't "ask" for nicknames.... Full story

Sports reporting in simple terms

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

If you're ever fortunate enough to wander across a newspaper from the early 1900's or earlier, take a look at the sports write-ups, which will most likely be mixed in with all the other news of the day. The writing is often eloquent, if not... Full story

'Big Mac' is no 'Mick'

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

So Mark McGwire has admitted to taking steroids — no surprise there. Anyone with eyeballs and an ounce of common sense saw the changes steroid use had on Mark McGwire's physique and the subsequent rise in his power numbers. No, the only... Full story

Picking just 10 sports moments impossible task

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

Every year Tri-County Newspapers ends the year by naming its top 10 sports stories of the year. And every year it seems to get harder paring the list down to just 10. With 13 schools competing in a multitude of sports, there are bound to be games... Full story

'Twas the day after Christmas

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

With apologies to Clement C. Moore, original writer of the famous holiday poem 'Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the region Not a player was playing, the holiday the reason. The uniforms were hung in their closets with care Because... Full story

Taking the "team" approach to sports reporting

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

Sports reporting is not rocket science, and that's a good thing, because with my luck I'd probably burn my fingers trying to light the fuse on the rocket booster. The process is simple, in theory — Paul Gadbois and I look at where each of the... Full story

Sports fans should keep comments positive

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

I found it disturbing at a recent football playoff game that a player from a local high school team was ridden so much by a "supporter" of that team that, at game's end, the player got face-to-face with the spectator to ask just what the problem... Full story

Offering my thanks to all of you

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

The calendar says it's once again time to give thanks, but with my sports calendar, giving thanks is something I could do in every issue of the newspaper. That's because there has not been a single issue that was put together without some... Full story

Take time to enjoy the beauty of sports

By Craig Purcell/Tri-County Newspapers

With volleyball and football playoff games dotting the schedules, and with every game now being "do or die," it becomes easy for fervent fans to get caught up in "we would have won if we did this" and "how come the coach didn't do this." You've... Full story

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