Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer and and former WNBA Cleveland Rocker Janice Braxton joined the Cleveland Cavaliers youth academy for a special WNBA-themed championship at their all-girls summer camp in Aurora on July 31.

Gov. Mike DeWine wants changes to Ohio’s sports gambling laws following news of the investigation of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers for sports betting.

DeWine wants the Ohio Casino Control Commission to remove what are known as prop bets from the list of legal bets that can be placed in the state. Prop bets, short for proposition bets, are made on specific players or actions in a game – not the outcome of a game itself.

“The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass,” DeWine said in a statement. “The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly.”

The Casino Control Commission removed collegiate prop bets in January 2024, after some college players reported receiving threats.

In addition, DeWine wants major professional leagues to join in. He’s asked the commissioners and players’ unions of the six major sports leagues in the effort.

“There’s really nothing more important than the integrity of the game. Whether our team wins or loses, we care a lot about that but ultimately the enjoyment, everything is at stake when you are talking about the integrity of the game,” DeWine told reporters Thursday afternoon.

“I just think they’re [prop bets] really susceptible to abuse and this is something that we don’t need,” DeWine said.

DeWine said people could still gamble on the game itself, and admitted the action he’s asking for would only affects bets made in Ohio.

“We can control what is bet physically inside the state of Ohio. We cannot control what happens in other states,” DeWine said.

But DeWine said he wants to start a discussion with other states that allow legal sports gambling.

Earlier this month, Major League Baseball announced that it was investigating Cleveland pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase for sports gambling. The team placed the pitchers, who are a starter and closer respectively, on paid leave during the probe.

Redhawk Youth Recreation League director Sara Forrester (center left, pink shirt) excitedly announces the next prize to be given away during the 2025 Nick Riley Spirit Awards drawing on July 9 at the Traer public pool. Also pictured conducting the drawing, volunteer Tiffany Murty to Forrester’s left. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAER – The Redhawk Youth Recreation League capped off its successful 2025 ball season with a pool party payoff on Wednesday, July 9, at the Traer Municipal Swimming Pool.

After spending roughly an hour and a half swimming with their family, friends and coaches that evening, league players eagerly gathered around director Sara Forrester and volunteer Tiffany Murty for the final awards presentation of the season during which Kessler Sniffin was drawn as the grand prize winner of the 2025 Nick Riley Spirit Award.

“The award has become a tradition to celebrate good sportsmanship and positive attitudes at each third/fourth and fifth/sixth baseball and softball game,” Forrester explained. “We then do a final drawing for a grand prize.”

The Nick Riley Spirit Award was founded in the summer of 2023 in memory of Redhawk baseball’s ‘biggest fan’ Nick Riley – husband to Sami, father to Karver and Karrington, and dedicated volunteer firefighter – who passed away from pancreatic cancer on February 17, 2023.

“Youth sports is not just about learning to play a game. It is also about learning to be a part of a team. We want young athletes to practice good sportsmanship as much as we want them to practice the technical aspects of the game,” the award’s description states. “Nick Riley was a great example of bringing positive energy, enthusiasm and sportsmanship to every event.”

North Tama elementary students in grades first through sixth who play baseball or softball with the Redhawk Youth Recreation League, enjoy an end-of-season pool party with their families and coaches on July 9 at the Traer Municipal Swimming Pool. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

As part of the award and after every rec league game during the summer season, 3rd-6th grade coaches were given the opportunity to select one player to acknowledge. Players were chosen for a variety of reasons including positivity, excitement, eager participation, and team spirit (cheering on their teammates). Each acknowledged player then received a gold star pin plus one entry into the end-of-season drawing.

Present during the drawing on July 9 was player Lane Svoboda, a rising North Tama seventh grader, who in addition to playing as a member of the 5th/6th team this summer also volunteered to coach the 1st/2nd grade coach pitch baseball team when the league was unable to recruit an adult volunteer.

“I am thankful for all of my volunteer coaches,” Forrester said when asked to comment on Svoboda’s dual status. “We did have a few other ball players help coach other ages as well [while] some did field work, helped at practices, or umpired. They all did a great job and helped our players grow their skills and love of the game.”

In addition to Svoboda, North Tama Class of 2025 graduate Faith Dvorak and rising senior Addy Hochstetler – both members of the Redhawk varsity softball team – also assisted with practices.

League head coaches this season for softball included Tiffany Combs (1st/2nd); Mercedes Fink (3rd/4th); Sara Forrester, Channing Halstead, and Alea Dvorak (5th/6th). Head coaches for baseball included Svoboda (1st/2nd); Bryant Cizek, Martin Hastead (3rd/4th); Pat Ambrose, Tony Dudys, Haley Blaine, and Cheryl Popelka (5th/6th).

Coach Lane Svoboda (front row, far left), a rising North Tama seventh grader, pictured with his 1st/2nd grade coach pitch team this past summer. Svoboda was just one of a host of dedicated volunteers helping power the Redhawk Youth Recreation League this season. PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH TAMA T-BALL & REC LEAGUE/FACEBOOK

“All were assisted by other parents and other current junior high/high school players on occasions,” Forrester continued. “It takes a community to raise our kids and we have some great people who step up and help our youth in many aspects of sports and life.”

Forrester added that in the future, any past players who would like to coach and/or volunteer would be more than welcome as organizers work to keep the league viable. To learn more about volunteering for the 2026 season, contact Forrester at sara.forrester@n-tama.k12.ia.us.

“They all just want to play,” Forrester concluded. “The [ball] diamond is a special place.”

Julie Knaack, the daughter of Dr. Nicole Knaack and North Tama Activities Director Andrew Knaack, enjoys a trip down the big slide at the Traer swimming pool on July 9. Julie played on the Redhawk Youth Recreation League’s 1st/2nd grade softball team this season. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAVERSE CITY- The Michigan State Police are hosting their second annual basketball cop initiative this Saturday in Traverse City. This is the first year the event will be held in Traverse City, it’s a statewide program that connects officers with youth through the game of basketball, food, and music.

Special Lieutenant Ashley Miller says troopers have been practicing their skills.

“I think that we have a pretty good team.

You know, the Michigan State Police and our local partners feel like we need to connect with the the youth, especially, on a fun, carefree level instead of just a time of crisis. So we’re using basketball, food, fun, free gifts to just make those community connections.

And so we thought, what a better place than Traverse City” (Miller).

The event will be at the TC Curling Center and run from 11:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m.

JR Boyles and his partners were looking for a place to call their own. They wanted to create something new for Casper families. Boyles wanted there to be a place in town where families could go for a good time. Casper continues to grow exponentially, and with that growth comes a plethora of new events, activities and facilities for its residents to enjoy. But Boyles and his team wanted to create something for everybody; a place for children to play, a place for grownups to socialize, and a place for everybody to feel welcome.

That place is The Range at 5150 and it is officially open for business!

In 2021, Boyles and his business partners — Tennis Pro Eric Nokes, as well as Jared and Brian Stack — purchased the former Wyoming Athletic Club. Nokes was the director of tennis at the WAC and he was friends with the Boyles family, so when they found out the WAC was closing and that the building itself was being sold, they had an idea.

“We said, ‘Let’s buy it,’” Boyles stated. “‘Let’s buy it and let’s do something with it.’ We didn’t know exactly what we wanted to do with it, but we knew we didn’t want to see Casper’s only indoor tennis facility go away.”

Of course, tennis wasn’t the only activity that took place at the WAC, and they wanted to maintain some of those other activities as well. But they also had a few ideas of their own on what they could add to the facility, the biggest of which being a fully functional bar and liquor store.

“As far as where the bar idea came from, it wasn’t really our background,” Boyles said. “We didn’t wake up one day and go, ‘Hey, I really want to own a bar.’” But we thought it would be a good addition to Casper’s east side of town; like an upscale sports bar–type place because everywhere else on this side of town is primarily a restaurant first, bar second. We had a massive amount of space that wasn’t being utilized, so why not give it a try?”

The east side of Casper has a multitude of restaurants and a bevy of liquor stores, but very few — if any — actual bars.

Restaurants like Wyoming Ale Works, FireRock Steakhouse, Old Chicago and more all feature full-service and fully functioning bars, but Boyles said that he thinks a legitimate sports bar on the east side of town would benefit the masses in a big way.

He thought that indoor golf simulators would be a big hit as well.

“If you look at The Sand Trap and you look at Durbin Street Golf, they’re both incredible places,” he said. “But we think we’re missing the mark on fun places for families that offer a little bit of fun for everyone. We even looked at how fun our place could be for couples looking for a new date night. With the technology and games in these newer simulators, you don’t have to be good or even know anything about golf to have a good time.”

Boyles was quick to highlight how much he enjoys and respects the other indoor golf simulators that are in Casper, but both of them, he said, are downtown, and he really wants to see the east side flourish as well.

He doesn’t just want to benefit locals, either (though that is his main priority). Boyles serves on a number of different boards, including being the President of the Board of Directors for the newly built Wyo Sports Ranch. He knows how often other sports teams visit Casper for athletic events, and he wants something for those kiddos and families to do when they’re here as well.

“We thought that, when you do a lot of travel for youth sports, when you’re going to other towns and things like that, you’re always looking for something to go do with your kids,” he said. “You might only play, say, two basketball games in a day. What do you do for the other 22 or 23 hours of the day? You want to find something to do with your kids, with your family. So we thought this was a good opportunity to offer some more upscale golf simulators, to give people a place to come watch sports and just hang out.”

Boyles also revealed that, starting Thursday, July 31, The Range will officially open its new restaurant, courtesy of Gringo @ The Range.

“Gringo previously had a food truck that they ran here in town,” he said, “but beginning Thursday, they’re going to be a full restaurant. It will be Gringo @ The Range. Kelly, the owner of Gringo, prepares and creates food like Casper has never had. 99% of what he makes is from scratch; it’s absolutely delicious and I know Casper is going to love it.”

Boyles continued, saying, “It’s kind of funny — when I tell people that Gringo is getting close to opening, they always respond with something like ‘I love Mexican food!’ But I have to explain to them that it’s not actually Mexican, it’s everything — from smash burgers to barbeque, to salads, even avocado toast with homemade sourdough bread.”

Boyles smiled at the thought of it, because what is a round of golf or a cold beer during a football game if you don’t have some great food to go with it? That, Boyles said, is exactly what customers will get at The Range at 5150.

“It’s really the one piece that we thought we were missing: the full menu,” Boyles said. “We had a very basic bar menu since we opened, but we really felt like we were missing a full menu for lunch and dinner. A lot of people will come in here and get a drink before and/or after dinner, so how do you make it a one-stop shop? How do I make it a true date night, where I can bring my girlfriend out and play golf and have dinner and drinks?”

Boyles said that there’s a misconception about golf — indoor or outdoor — that it’s a male-dominated sport, and, he says, that’s just not the case.

“Golf, especially our golf simulators, are for anybody and everybody,” he said. “It’s no different than going bowling with your girlfriend or taking your wife and kids out. We have different simulators and there are a lot of fun games you can play. It’s not just playing 18 holes of indoor golf. You can play darts, you can play putt putt; there’s Angry Birds– and Top Golf–style games.”

The Range doesn’t just get its namesake from a golf range. It’s also a place designed to entertain a wide range of people of all different ages, backgrounds and skill levels. It’s something for everyone. Boyles said that The Range even provides golf clubs, though people are welcome to bring their own as well.

“We do have clubs.” he reiterated. “There are clubs in each bay, so you don’t even have to rent them; it’s just part of the simulators. People do bring in their own, but they don’t have to. If you’re just looking for a cool date night, or if you just want to stop in for an hour or so, we’ve got you covered.”

Boyles said that The Range has four total bays, three of which are HD golf simulators and the fourth of which is an HD golf simulator with a multi-sport package.

“The multi-sport function has been really good for birthday parties and things of that nature,” he said. “People can play soccer; there’s archery on it, zombie shooting and various other cool things.”

Speaking of birthday parties, The Range at 5150 is the perfect place to hold one. It’s available to rent for large gatherings, private parties, company gatherings and any other special occasion. The Range also hosts various leagues and puts on a variety of different tournaments throughout the year. In short, The Range is open to anyone, for anything, at (almost) any time.

So what, exactly, compels somebody to embark on such a massive undertaking? For Boyles, the answer is surprisingly easy.

“If you ask my wife, it’s because I get bored easily and I’m always looking for something to do,” Boyles laughed. “I sold my business — an oil and gas company here in Casper — in 2022, so the timing was just right for us to take on our next venture. We saw this building, and it’s too big of a building to just go to waste. It’s an 81,000-square-foot building and it was deteriorating when we bought it.”

Boyles, his wife and his partners purchased the building in 2021. They remodeled the entire thing over the course of a couple of years. It was, in a very literal sense, a labor of love. It was hard work, turning the former WAC into what The 307 Tennis Club and The Range at 5150 would eventually become, but it was the best kind of work to do because Boyles and partners knew that they were building something good. They were building something important. They were building something special: a love letter to Casper and its people.

“When it comes down to it, I’ve lived in Casper my whole life,” he said. “Born, raised. We’ve got three children in high school, middle school and elementary school, all in Casper. This is our home and these are our people. And we just wanted to give Casper something cool to do.”

Boyles and his family have invested in their future and the future of Casper; they’ve built their home on The Range. In doing so, they’ve created Casper’s newest family-friendly establishment that’s perfect for first dates or 50th dates or play dates. It’s available for big games, birthday parties or business after hours. The Range at 5150 is a golf course, a sports bar, a restaurant, a liquor store and everything in between. It’s sports. It’s entertainment. It’s a place to take a sip, take a swing or to take something home with you after a long day at work. Eat, drink, play — you can do it all at The Range at 5150.

For more information on The Range at 5150 or to book a tee time, visit their website and follow them on Facebook for daily updates, specials and more.

Related

It is one of the great achievements in Manchester United’s history and the kind of record that even supporters of rival clubs begrudgingly have to admire.

How else can you describe United’s feat of naming a player who has come through their academy in every first-team squad since October 1937?

To put it into context, that’s a run of 4,321 games, and counting, with 44 major trophies accumulated in the process, including three European Cups and 18 of their 20 league titles.

Suddenly, though, the run is looking unusually vulnerable and, without wishing to be alarmist, it feels legitimate to ask whether the 2025-26 season might be when it finally comes to an end.

Marcus Rashford has gone to Barcelona. Alejandro Garnacho is out of manager Ruben Amorim’s plans. Jonny Evans, another player brought up in United’s academy, has called time on his playing career. Scott McTominay and Mason Greenwood have both been moved out of Old Trafford over the past year or so in very different circumstances. Brandon Williams, too.

Kobbie Mainoo is still on the scene, but what if the 20-year-old picks up an injury? Or a suspension? Mainoo missed 17 matches last season and 21 the year before that. So what happens if, or when, he misses out again?

“Selling McTominay was an error,” Tony Park, the United fan, historian and author, states matter-of-factly. “Rashford hasn’t been managed right, Williams the same. I think Garnacho just wants to play attacking football and the manager is quite defensive in his approach. There’s no one really standing out in the academy right now and the whole system is very vanilla.”

It was Park’s research and number-crunching in 2013, while co-authoring his Sons of United book, that established the details of a long, unbroken sequence that now stretches to almost 88 years.

Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan (Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images)

Does it really matter? Well, yes, it does to many people connected with the club, given what it says about United’s traditions and their dedication, year after year, to bringing through players who could qualify for the chant of “one of our own”.

As Nick Cox, United’s academy director, told The Athletic last year: “It was youth development that helped us survive the Second World War. Youth was there to help us recover from the Munich disaster. And youth has been at the heart of our best days as well, winning league titles and European Cups with a core of young players.”

Exhibit A: the FA Cup final in 2024, when Garnacho and Mainoo scored the goals to defeat Manchester City in arguably United’s finest moment since Alex Ferguson’s retirement 11 years earlier.

“It’s never been forced, it’s not a gimmick, it’s not a PR stunt,” Cox added. “It’s just a byproduct of the way we do things here. The club is incredibly proud of its traditions of youth development. The fans expect to see young, local players in the first team because youth has been a consistent part of our history, including our darkest days.”

What, though, of the club’s current position now that the choices have been dramatically reduced?

Park’s analysis shows that, last season, the average number of youth players in each first-team squad was 4.51, down from 6.65 the previous year. This season, it might be the slimmest pickings for three decades.

“In the 1990s, we regularly only had one player on the substitutes’ bench keeping the record alive,” he says.

Park, like many United fans, would like to believe the record can be extended. “Losing so many youth players doesn’t help from several perspectives, and we shouldn’t be losing certain players. Something is wrong somewhere. However, if the likes of Tyler Fredricson, Jack Fletcher, and one or two others can get regular bench time, things should be OK.”

Tyler Fredricson playing for the first team last season (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

It is going to be a close-run thing, though, and that, in turn, raises the question about how seriously the record is viewed at the top of the club.

Do the Glazers care? Does Sir Jim Ratcliffe view it as a source of pride? Is it ever discussed? “I’m not convinced how important it is to the club,” is Park’s verdict. “A lot of people in charge don’t seem to ‘get it’ from a number of aspects.”

That would be a shame, particularly given the importance previous United managers have placed on promoting the club’s own.

“Using youth players so consistently, and winning trophies along the way, is definitely something to be proud of,” says Park. “We have been doing it since the 1930s. Walter Crickmer believed in it during the Second World War and then we had two managers, Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson, who really made it part of the United DNA.”

So what of Amorim? This is a big season for the current United manager, desperate to show that his tactics can work in the Premier League, and he is probably entitled to have other priorities given last season’s 15th-placed finish. But does he really want to be the manager who breaks such a proud record?

One idea that has been floated by some fans (though not by the club) is to make it an official stipulation. Would United become the first club to make it a mandatory rule? Would they even write it into the managers’ contracts?

“I’m not a fan of that personally, although it wouldn’t be hard to do,” Park counters. “Every manager should strive to give youth its chance as a matter of course. But at the end of the day, every player has to earn their place in the squad.

“It’s a meritocracy. If our youth players aren’t good enough, don’t pick them. However, if it gets to that point, we have got things terribly wrong somewhere.”

(Top photos: Getty Images)