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Extra innings

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Extra innings

by Trey Nosrac

A sport, like any business, can spiral downward quickly. Some players in our sport follow pending state legislation with the same intensity as buyers study yearling catalogs. The racing scene today will not remain the same in the long run. Nothing stays the same.

For many years, my wife, daughter, and I took baseball trips every summer to catch minor league baseball games in the New York Penn League. When the schedules were released, we selected options from the menu of at least 14 NYP towns hosting games in the upcoming season. Then we booked quaint Bed and Breakfast Inns, explored the city during the day, and visited the ballpark in the evening. I cannot explain the magic of the summer days and evenings watching young professional players with big dreams and meeting friendly people.

Then, one day, shockingly, the league was gone.

Gone? The New York Penn League had been around since 1939. It was America’s oldest and longest-running minor league, with lovely towns in mountain foothills and near the shores of the Finger Lakes.

Cities like:

Aberdeen IronBirds

Auburn Astros, Doubledays, Mets, Phillies, Red Stars, Sunsets, or Yankees

Batavia Clippers, Indians, Muckdogs, Pirates, Trojans

Binghamton Triplets

Bradford Beagles, Bees, Blue Wings, Phillies, Yankees

Brooklyn Cyclones

Connecticut Tigers

Corning Athletics, Cor-Sox, Independents, Red Sox, Royals

Elmira Red Sox, Pioneers, Suns

Erie Cardinals, Orioles, Sailors, SeaWolves, Senators, Tigers

Geneva Cubs, Pirates, Redlegs, Senators, Twins

Glens Falls Redbirds

Hamilton Cardinals, Red Birds, Red Wings, Redbirds

Hornell Dodgers, Maple Leafs, Maples, Pirates, Redlegs

Hudson Valley Renegades

Jamestown Braves, Dodgers, Expos, Falcons, Jaguars, Jammers

Little Falls Mets

Lockport Cubs, Reds, White Sox

London Pirates

Lowell Spinners

Mahoning Valley Scrappers

New Jersey Cardinals

Newark Co-Pilots, Orioles

Niagara Falls Pirates, Rainbows, Rapids, White Sox

Olean Athletics, Oilers

Oneonta Yankees, Tigers

St. Catharine’s Blue Jays

State College Spikes

Staten Island Yankees

Tri-City ValleyCats

Utica Blue Sox

Vermont Lake Monsters

Welland Pirates

West Virginia Black Bears

Williamsport Crosscutters

That’s a lot of teams, a lot of cities, a lot of history, a lot of ballparks, a lot of players, a lot of competition for seats at next season’s league table, and a lot of broken hearts when the lights went out on the venerable league. So, what happened?

The reason that this historic league disappeared is a lesson for harness racing; it was just business, nothing personal. Businesses do not care that the city of Auburn, NY, is lovely and that the sport has been played there in quaint stadiums for a long time. Businesses do not run on nostalgia. Businesses run on money.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020 baseball season, accelerating changes. Major League Baseball decided to restructure the minor leagues and reduce the number of affiliated minor league teams. They eliminated several leagues, including the New York Penn League, a Class A Short Season circuit, primarily serving as a developmental stage for newly drafted players. The business plan was to streamline player development and cut costs.

The elimination of the NYP league is sad but shows how quickly events can change, leaving disappointed fans, workers, and players with no place to turn or no one to turn to.

But that is not the end of this story.

Some individuals and groups would not let the lights go out. They would not let the green outfield grass wither and die. Innovators, go-getters, visionaries, passionate advocates, investors, individuals, and incorporated Town Councils did what many people do when knocked down. They rose, determined not to be the ones holding the reins for the end of the game they loved. Baseball continues in many, but not all, cities that hosted a New York Penn League team.

How did teams and cities adapt to keep baseball alive after the New York Penn League dissolved in 2021? Different cities took different paths to the future.

Some teams, such as the Hudson Valley Renegades, upped their game, joined other affiliated MLB Leagues, and became a New York Yankees High-A affiliate.

Some orphaned teams moved to the Independent Leagues. The MLB does not fund Independent Leagues. The Tri-City ValleyCats entered the Frontier League, maintaining professional Baseball outside MLB’s structure.

Some rumors are that a “League of Their Own” is percolating.

Some of the abandoned baseball cities joined Collegiate Summer League Teams. Several teams, including the State College Spikes, shifted to collegiate summer leagues, allowing them to continue hosting games with amateur players.

A few franchises, like the Lowell Spinners, folded or suspended operations. These franchises did not devise a plan or could not secure a new league and ceased baseball operations.

The analogy to harness racing is simple.

A beloved sport shockingly disappeared. Other entities pulled funding, leaving the local participants alone. A core of people who loved the sport wanted to continue. The obstacles were/are many — the primary obstacle is that the restarts begin without any guaranteed funding. Today, after the storm struck the NYP League, baseball action in the towns that lost their franchise ranges from oblivion to surprising success. While extremely difficult, a restart of a defunct baseball league can succeed.

If a disaster hits harness horse racing, will we have the resilience to race on? Can we convert from an engine driven by gambling to a more self-funded sport? A non-gambling or a minimal gambling horse racing world is challenging to ponder because the pari-mutuel model is the only model we have ever known. Could a harness racing league of our own be possible?

These are difficult questions to ponder.

But right now, we are planning a trip to watch the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, one of the teams that rose from the rubble of the New York Penn League. The Scrappers now play in a collegiate summer league. The game will not be precisely the same, and the players will not play for money, but the game will continue – and that’s something.

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Sports

Kansas City Yields Positive Results at Nebraska, Iowa State

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LINCOLN, Neb. — Kansas City completed their final meets of 2025, showcasing positive signs for the indoor season moving forward at the Husker Holiday Open and ISU Holiday Invitational on Friday afternoon. Last weekend, Kansas City broke school records in the men’s 60 and 300-meter dashes, the men’s 600-yard dash and the women’s shot put at the Crimson and Gold Invitational. This weekend didn’t go by without a record being broken as KC’s All-American Tory Lanham delivered his third indoor school record, darting a 47.62 second time in the 400-meter dash to take first in the race and break fellow sprinter Jayden Henry’s 47.71 time set in last year’s holiday meet. Lanham continues to cement a historic legacy at Kansas City as the junior sprinter is KC’s school record holder in the indoor 200, 300 and 400-meter dashes, breaking each previous record in the calendar year of 2025.

Elsewhere in Lincoln, several other Roos put forth a great effort on the track, ending 2025 of a positive note heading into the New Year. Notably, distance runner Dalton Heller set a career-best in the mile, running a 4:18.52 and finishing third in the event. Right behind Heller was Luke Swarts, running a 4:20.68 to give the sophomore a new career-best time in the mile. Connor Jacober finished first in the 800-meter dash among several competitors, finishing with a 1:59.45 time. In the field, Hunter Roos earned himself a first place finish, cracking a triple jump mark of 14.32 meters. Brant Wilson finished as Kansas City’s best long jumper, leaping a mark of 6.84 meters which was good for third in the event. 

On the women’s side, Jacky-Perez Vela nearly notched a program record in the 300-meter dash, recording a time of 39.86 seconds, finishing under a tenth of a second shy of the Roos all-time record at 39.79 set back in 2024. Naomi Eyanagho clocked a 60-meter hurdles time of 9.21 seconds, finishing fourth in the race and coming close to her career-best. In the women’s 60-meter dash, Tonique Fleming sprinted a third place time of 7.87 seconds while Sarah Wulfert came in sixth with a time of 7.92 seconds. Additionally, Wulfert and Fleming came in the top five finishers in the 200-meter dash, leaving the meet with times of 25.21 and 25.55 respectively.  

In Ames, Kansas City put together a nice performance with Stephen Clunis getting a time of 6.68 in the 60-meter dash and Junior Powell notching a time of 6.91 in the same event. Kai White and M.J. Foster got times of 2:28.84 and 2:29.60 in the 1000-meter dash to close out Kansas City’s day at Iowa State. Kansas City takes a break for the holidays before hitting the ground running on January 10 for the Alexis Jarrett Invitational at Missouri. 



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Wisconsin defeats Stanford in NCAA regional semifinals: Updates, recap

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6:20 pm CT December 12, 2025

Who does Wisconsin volleyball play next in NCAA tournament?

John Steppe

Third-seeded Wisconsin will face top-seeded Texas in the NCAA regional finals on Dec. 14 at a to-be-announced time. The Longhorns are coming off a sweep in the regional semifinals against fourth-seeded Indiana.

Here are some highlights from the Texas-Indiana match:

6:02 pm CT December 12, 2025

More to read from Wisconsin’s four-set win over Stanford

John Steppe

5:32 pm CT December 12, 2025

Wisconsin’s Charlie Fuerbringer goes out of her way to praise teammate Una Vajagic

John Steppe

3:20 pm CT December 12, 2025

Wisconsin volleyball advances to the regional finals, will face Texas

John Steppe

Wisconsin is headed to the NCAA regional finals following a four-set win over Stanford. The Badgers won the fourth set, 25-22. Check back for more postmatch updates.



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#11 Volleyball Practices, Then Meets Media Prior to #2 Kentucky Match

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Creighton Volleyball team practiced for just more than an hour before meeting the media in Lexington, Ky., on Friday afternoon as it completed preparations for Saturday’s Elite Eight match at No. 2 Kentucky.

After practice, Creighton head coach Brian Rosen, along with Eloise Brandewie, Jaya Johnson and Abbey Hayes met the media.

First serve between Creighton and Kentucky is set for 4 p.m. Central. The contest will be nationally-televised on ESPN2.

 



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What channel is Kansas women’s volleyball vs Nebraska? Time, schedule

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Dec. 12, 2025, 3:04 a.m. CT



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‘U’ Falls in Sweet 16 to No. 4 Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The No. 4 seeded Minnesota volleyball team fell to the No. 1 seeded Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday night at the Petersen Events Center in three sets. The set scores of the match were 25-16, 25-23, 25-22.

The Gophers season ended in the Sweet 16 for the 21st time in program history with a 24-10 (12-8 B1G) record.

“Congrats to Pittsburgh on the win and for the university and city for being such great hosts,” said head coach Keegan Cook. “I’m proud of the way our team battled tonight and throughout the season. We just fell a little bit short tonight. I told the team I have loved coaching them all year and appreciate their willingness to learn and grow. We’re going to miss these seniors next year, but we’re glad to get back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and continue to push the program forward.”

Kelly Kinney and Carly Gilk led Minnesota with nine kills while Stella Swenson had 28 assists, three blocks and three aces. Julia Hanson was held to eight kills in her final collegiate match.

The Gophers (24-10, 12-8 Big Ten) were outhit the Panthers (29-4, 18-2 ACC) .271 to .178, leading in kills (47 to 33) and digs (48 to 34). Minnesota had more aces (4 to 3) and blocks (10 to 5).

Julia Hanson commented on her time at Minnesota and what it meant for her to end her career as a Golden Gopher.

“There were times that I questioned myself and how things were going after my sophomore year,” Hansen said. “But I’m so glad to be a part of this program and so proud to have that ‘M’ on my chest. It means everything to me. I’m so thankful for my time at Minnesota.”

For Pittsburgh, Olivia Babcock had 19 kills while Brooke Mosher went for 35 assists. Bre Kelly and Blaire Bayless also had eight kills for the Panthers.

How It Happened

SET 1 | Pittsburgh started out hot, scoring six of the first seven points before Minnesota called a timeout. The Gophers tallied a pair of kills to get it to four at 7-3 before the Panthers scored three straight on two kills and a block to go up 10-3. An attacking error followed by a kill from Kinney and a block from Myers cut it to four again at 11-7. Following a service error from Minnesota, the Gophers scored four of the next five to force a Pitt timeout, trailing 13-11. Swenson tallied an ace, Gilk had a kill and Taylor combined with Gilk on a block. After the timeout, the Panthers bounced back by scoring four of five, taking a 17-12 lead and forcing coach Cook’s final timeout of the frame. The Gophers would get no closer than five the rest of the way as the Panthers closed out the first frame, 25-16. Pitt hit .267 for the set while Minnesota hit just .026.

SET 2 | Minnesota came out strong, scoring seven of the first 12. Swenson had two aces while Kinney tallied a pair of kills. A kill from Myers and a block from Kinney and Myers put the Gophers up 10-9 before three straight from Pitt forced a Minnesota timeout, trailing 12-10. Kills from Swenson and Gilk combined with a Panthers attacking error helped give Minnesota back the lead at 14-13. The Panthers scored three of the next four to tie it up at 16-16. Two more kills put them up 18-16, forcing Minnesota’s final timeout of the set. Pitt would go up by as many as three at 22-19 before two errors cut the lead to just one at 22-21, leading to a Pitt timeout. A Panthers hitting error and kill from Hanson tied it up at 23-23, forcing one more Pitt timeout. A kill and a block won the set for Pitt, 25-23.

SET 3 | Pitt scored seven of the first 11 points before kills from Taylor and Gilk combined with a block from Hanson and Taylor tied it up at 7-7. The Panthers went on a 5-2 spurt after that, getting four kills and an ace to go up 12-9, forcing a Minnesota timeout. The Gophers would battle back, scoring five of the next seven to cut it to 15-14. Kills from Gilk and Myers combined with an ace from Garr tied it up at 17 apiece. A pair of kills from Myers put Minnesota up 19-18, leading to a Panthers timeout. After the break, Minnesota got a block and a Pitt error to go up 21-19 before the Panthers answered back with two more to tie it at 21. The two teams exchanged the next pair of points before the Panthers closed out the match on a 3-0 run to win, 25-22.

Game Notes

» Minnesota is now 1-3 all-time against Pitt, including 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.

» The Gophers are now 10-11 in the NCAA Regional Semifinals.

» Minnesota posted 10+ blocks for the 15th time this season.

» Minnesota is now 4-7 against ranked opponents this season.

» McKenna Garr (10) posted 10+ digs for the 24th time in 2025.

» Lourdes Myers went for six blocks to lead Minnesota.

» Stella Swenson went for 28 assists and a team-best three aces.

Up Next

Minnesota’s spring season begins in January.



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Nebraska Volleyball keeping practices light-hearted as they prep for NCAA Regional

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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska volleyball is keeping the practices light-hearted as they prep to play Kansas in the NCAA Regional.

The Huskers come into the Round of 16 with a 32-0 record and a lot of pressure to make the Final Four. With the mountain of expectations, the players and coaching staff are keeping the training fun and focused on each round rather than the latter goals.

“We still have a lot of fun in our practice, so even though the level is so high, we’re still managing to find ways to have fun,” junior middle blocker Andi Jackson said.

The light-hearted practices and emphasis on playing freely, has really proven to help Jackson’s game. This season she is hitting a nation-best .483 and is averaging 1.14 blocks per set.

“If you look too far into the future, you’re probably going to get a little nervous and get a little stressed out. So just really focusing on what we’re doing in the moment and focusing on where our feet are,” junior outside hitter Harper Murray said.

Nebraska VB’s HC Dani Busboom Kelly, MB Andi Jackson, and OH Harper Murray Pre-Sweet 16 Press Conference | Dec. 11, 2025

No. 1 ranked Nebraska will face off against 16th ranked Kansas on Friday, Dec. 12. The match starts 30 minutes after the conclusion of the two-seed Louisville versus three-seed Texas A&M match, which begins at 6 p.m. CT.

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