It’s the season of giving. Since our sports friends celebrate all of the holidays, it’s time to hand out some gifts.

Cleveland Browns fans, I am gifting you at least three more years of patience. You have been so good at this. It’s like being a parent. Sure, you’re great at spending money on all of your kids. You, too, know that feeling of how great it was to get a present when you were a child. Well, guess what? I don’t see you getting anything until the team moves into the new dome. So, keep smiling when your kids get you another pair of socks.

Cincinnati Bengals fans, you get the gift of a happy and healthy Joe Burrow. I know he might sound a little frustrated right now. Just get him an offensive line, and that frown will turn upside down. I still think a healthy Burrow gets the Bengals to the top of the AFC North.

The Ohio State University football fans, you get a punching bag. I can’t think of a better gift to explain why the Buckeyes’ offense has fallen asleep in big games like Michigan last year and Indiana this year. I know Indiana was the No. 2 team in the country. But these games are like having money in the bank and then using an ATM from another bank. It’s like the $4 fee. You know you have to pay extra to get what you want.

Cleveland Cavaliers fans, you get a free pass to the trade deadline. I know the injuries are making things difficult. Things are not going as smoothly as they did last year. Head coach Kenny Atkinson is trying to figure things out. But, I think we are at the point where one of the guards has to go, and the team needs to stop chucking up three-pointers at the end of a game like they are playing recreation basketball. It’s hard to watch. Oops, the NBA Grinch is all over this one. He’s taking back the trade deadline gift. He just remembered that he bought not one, but two aprons for Cindy Lou Who. The second apron will cost them a move at the deadline. Here’s a bottle of Advil for this holiday headache.

Cleveland Guardians fans, for you, it’s simple. Bats. Could you imagine the surprise this spring to have a few hitters that could hit .240 to .250 all season? That would be awesome to have just one or two guys with a little pop next year, even if these players come from within the system. Looking at lineups with legit two hitters every game is as much fun as watching the Cavs take 100 three-pointers every night to end games.

Hockey fans. I see you. In Columbus, you are putting almost 16,700 in the stands every Blue Jackets game despite battling for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Be proud.

Cleveland Monsters fans, you have a tradition of leading the AHL in attendance, and you are doing a great job again this season. I give the gift of being strong through the good times and the bad.

Youth sports’ parents, you get the gift of time. You need to realize that time moves so fast, and your wallet empties so quickly. Your gift is a deep breath. To have the moment when you realize this is not going to last forever. It’s not worth trying to keep up with the Joneses. You may think your kid is going pro only to realize that they hit puberty before all the other kids. I say it all the time. Stop yelling at the officials. They didn’t wake up in the morning trying to figure out how to stop your kid from getting name, image, likeness money. We are really struggling to find refs and umps. Let’s give them a break this holiday season.

Andy Baskin writes about Sports for the Cleveland Jewish News. To read more from him, visit cjn.org/baskin.

If you have a suggestion for a column idea for Andy Baskin, send him an email at columnists@cjn.org. He can be heard on “Baskin & Phelps” weekdays on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland at audacy.com.

BENNINGTON — In a collaboration between Chess on the Hill and the Bennington Free Library, youth in grades K through 8, are invited to register for the December 28 “Frosty Knights Chess Challenge Tournament” at the Bennington Free Library.

The event is free of charge and open to the public.

Youth throughout the area are encouraged to enter and, according to Youth Services Librarian Linda Donigan, there are no geographical limits – “Everyone is welcome, no matter where you live.” This includes youth from Vermont, but also from New York and Massachusetts and, “well – anywhere, really.”

“We are very very excited to sponsor this tournament with area children, especially with kids now coming from as far away as Williamstown and the Manchester area,” said Donigan. “Trever Plizga has spread the love of chess throughout our county, and into the Berkshires.”

Plizga, Donigan said, has created a number of after school chess clubs throughout the region, and has worked with the Bennington Free Library to create multiple tournaments for area youth.

“These Scholastic Tournaments are always fun,” said Donigan, noting that it is an excellent way for youngsters to meet others in the area with similar interests.

“It is very motivating for kids to work on their chess skills, and to prepare for the tournaments, and it’s a way for kids to participate in – well, in sports it would be a playoff, but here, it is like athletics for the mind. And, these types of tournaments are very motivating in terms of kids focusing on building their skills.”

The “Frosty Knights Chess Challenge Tournament” will be run as a Scholastic Chess Tournament, starting at 10 a.m. and concluding around 1 p.m.

Parents are asked to register their children by emailing chessonthehill@gmail.com with the player’s name, age, school, and the parent’s contact information (preferred phone number and email).

Donigan stressed that the “school” is for record-keeping and should not be seen as a barrier – homeschoolers are encouraged to join, as well.

The “Frosty Knights Chess Challenge Tournament” will take place on a Sunday, Donigan noted – a day when the Bennington Free Library is typically closed. However, Donigan added, the Children’s Room will be kept open to allow parents a place to hang out and enjoy the Wi-Fi – should they choose to stay.

More information can be found at benningtonfreelibrary.org/about/youth-services, or by emailing chessonthehill@gmail.com.

Three Edwards County residents has had felony charges filed against them this week by Edwards County State’s Attorney, Eric St. Ledger.

Phillip Walden, 54, of Albion, has been charged with domestic battery with a prior conviction. This charge was also filed on Monday, and a court date is pending.

25-year-old Bradley Cummins of Grayville has been charged with possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, a Class 3 felony. He also faces charges of aggravated assault, a Class A misdemeanor, and possession of an expired FOID card. No court date has been scheduled.

43-year-old Martin A. Williams of Grayville faces aggravated drunk driving charges—his third such offense—as well as aggravated DUI while driving on a revoked license. The charges were filed on Monday, and a court date has not yet been set.

Down the Middle Foundation (DTMF) and its partners helped brighten the Christmas holiday for children across the area through its sixth annual Shop with a Cop event.

DTMF founder Darnell Lee Jr. noted that the event gives area children the opportunity to cultivate a positive relationship with area law enforcement as they participate in an exciting shared endeavor — shopping for presents that the children can have for Christmas.

This year’s iteration of the event took place Tuesday, Dec. 16, and featured second graders from Capron Elementary School, Meherrin Elementary School, Nottoway Elementary School, Riverdale Elementary School and Kilby Shores Elementary School in Suffolk.

Participating law enforcement agencies included Southampton County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State Police.

“The goal is to have 20 (children involved) every year, and we’re trying to increase it every year, but this year we were able to have 13 kids in the store,” Lee said.

The store partnering with DTMF for the event is the Walmart located in the city of Franklin.

“What Walmart does, they provide little goodies for the kids at Walmart, and then each kid will be partnered with a police officer, and they will shop for $100 of whatever they want,” Lee said. “And after that, we go to the (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community) Center, we have volunteers that wrap gifts and (we) eat pizza. (Franklin) Parks and Rec partners with us, they provided the crafts at the MLK Center.”

As noted on its website, Down the Middle Foundation, which Lee founded in 2009, has a mission “to support the character development and athletic skills of youth through community service, mentorship, team building, and sports education.”

Lee explained that the Shop with a Cop event aims to develop youth in a positive way by dispelling fears they may have about law enforcement, helping them to understand that officers are here to help the community.

A lot of local teams have a lot of different needs

Fort Lewis College men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast cheers his team on while playing Adams State University on Dec. 13 at FLC. (Jerry McBride/Herald)

Jerry McBride

It’s the holiday season, so there’s no time like the present for a fun Christmas-themed article that looks back at the first part of the winter sports season.

Local winter sports teams have had varying amounts of success, but all of them want to improve in certain areas to reach their potential.

Let’s look at some local sports teams and what gifts their coaches should’ve asked Santa for this Christmas.

Fort Lewis College men’s basketball: The gift of health

The FLC men’s basketball team has had a decent start to the season at 6-5 overall and 4-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. FLC has a win over a top-25 team in Division II, and four of its five losses were against teams that were either in the Division II top 25 or were receiving votes in the poll.

However, the season has already started to turn into a what could’ve been story with all the injuries the Skyhawks have had. It began in the preseason with senior guard Jude Tapia tearing his meniscus, freshman guard Daniel Steverson tearing his ACL and freshman forward Garrett Barger breaking his collarbone.

Tapia was the RMAC’s leading scorer at Adams State last season and was expected to be a big part of FLC’s success this season; Tapia is still out. Steverson is a promising guard who will miss the rest of the year, and Barger has only played a few games since his return.

After the season started, the Skyhawks lost redshirt sophomore guard for a few games to a sprained MCL. Senior forward Cassius Carmichael missed a few games with a concussion and redshirt sophomore guard Nate Penney has only played in three games with a broken foot.

FLC still has the depth and talent to do well in the RMAC even with the injuries. However, FLC needs the gift of health so no more players get hurt.

FLC women’s basketball: The gift of free-throw shooting

The Skyhawks women’s basketball team is off to its best start in six years, with the team at 9-3 overall. FLC is having a great year so far despite struggles at the free-throw line.

FLC ranks last in the RMAC in team free-throw percentage at 60%. Free-throw shooting hasn’t cost FLC a close game, but it’s only a matter of time before that happens.

The schedule will get much tougher for FLC in RMAC play, and if the Skyhawks want to keep a winning record, make the RMAC tournament and secure some key upsets along the way, FLC will need to hit its free throws at a higher percentage.

Durango High School boys basketball: The gift of role-player production

It’s a transition year for the Durango boys basketball team after the Demons lost valuable seniors from last season’s state-tournament team.

Durango is 3-4 overall after two non-league tournaments down in New Mexico. The Demons have gotten great production out of their top two players, junior King Kerlin and sophomore Taj Batiste.

After that, the production hasn’t been so reliable from the role players, which isn’t surprising considering a lot of these role players don’t have experience at the varsity level.

Once the Demons get into league play, teams will be keying in on Kerlin and Batiste. Durango can’t expect those players to play well every night, so the role players will have to produce on some nights for Durango to win.

Durango High School girls basketball: The gift of consistent offense

The Durango girls basketball team lost a lot of production from last year’s Great 8 squad, with four experienced seniors graduating. Therefore, it’s not surprising the offense has been inconsistent for the Demons with some new main characters.

Durango failed to hit 40 points in its first four games, and the Demons have scored at least 49 points in their last four games. Can the offense be consistent? That’ll likely be the key to Durango’s success as the Demons have always been strong defensively under head coach Lauren Moran.

Durango High School boys wrestling: The gift of experience

Like Durango boys basketball, the Durango boys wrestling program is going through a reset year after losing star wrestler Ryan Dugan to graduation.

The Demons have some experience, but even those wrestlers haven’t hit the heights of competing in top matches at state. After that, the Demons have a lot of inexperienced wrestlers who are still trying to figure it out on the mat.

Head coach Jason Silva has said this year is all about his team getting experience, as most of the wrestlers will be back for next year.

Ignacio High School wrestling teams: The gift of continued success after big tournaments

The Ignacio boys and girls wrestling teams have had a great start to the season with Lincoln deKay picking up a few wins, other wrestlers making it to the finals and other Bobcats placing.

Ignacio has competed in some of the top local tournaments, including the Western Slope Showdown and Warrior Classic. For a 2A school, the Bobcats faced a lot of wrestlers from bigger schools that they won’t see again this season.

The question is: Can the Bobcats take this early-season success to the postseason tournaments? deKay has shown he can wrestle at the top of the state after finishing second last season. Larissa Espinosa also placed last season for the Ignacio girls.

Can either of these two get over the hump and win a state title? Using what worked for them in those bigger tournaments early in the season will help.

bkelly@durangoherald.com

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