Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Dayton Gems

Jane’s Best Bets (3/23 – 3/27)

By Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

Woohoo…it’s spring!  That means you need to put a little spring in your step and make your way to some of these events going on this week!

On Wednesday, make your way to the Community Blood Center for Because Kerrigan Cared Week, where all blood donations will be made in memory of Steve Kerrigan, a veteran Dayton broadcaster who recently lost his battle with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.  After you have donated blood, you will want to help replenish your blood supply by eating a good dinner!  So be sure to head to the Bonefish Grill for their Bang Bang Shrimp Wednesdays or to Sammy’s El Pueblo for their Fajita Dinner for 2 for $19.99.  All you who love debating political issues should head to the Trolley Stop for Drinking Liberally – Dayton.  Even though St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, you will be able to attend the Green Drinks Dayton March at Cork & Vine Wine Market and Lounge, in which you will be able to find out about local organizations who “think green.”  And if you don’t mind making a fool of yourself, head to Blind Bob’s Tavern for Karaoke with DJ Nancy.  If you’re a really good singer, that’s okay too…except for the fact that you just make all of us bad singers look even worse!

On Thursday, if you want to celebrate that it is almost the weekend, head to After Work Thursdays at The Moraine Embassy for “Downtown Happy Times.”  They say wine and yoga relax you, so be ultra relaxed by attending Grape and Lotus – A Wine and Yoga Practice at Metropolitan Arts Center.  Love movies and art?  Make your way to DAI’s Movie Night, featuring Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead’.  Plus, the ticket price includes admission to the new exhibit, Creating the New Century: Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection!  If you are a film enthusiast, you may also head to Ajami: Dayton Jewish International Film Festival, which takes place at The Neon.  There are a couple options available for young professionals who enjoy the arts, including Young Professionals Night at the DPO (Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra) or Jump into Strings (hopefully you don’t get hurt) with jumpstART.  If you do decide to jump, join other jumpers at the Milano’s on Brown Street prior to the show!  Or head to New Music for New Dance at Victoria Theatre.  They must also enjoy jumping, as they say that you should “Jump into spring with a fusion of fresh, innovative dance and stimulating, live music!”  A good friend of mine saw a preview of it and said it was AWESOME!  And finally, all you car lovers must attend the Dayton Auto Show, going on through Sunday!

New Music for New Dance-Dayton Ballet

On Friday, if you haven’t made it to one yet this season (I’m talking about fish fry season, not spring), then make plans to attend the St. Charles Fish Fry.  At the Spaghetti Warehouse, attend the Mayhem & Mystery Dinner Theatre ‘Fashion Friction’.  If you enjoy music, head to the Schuster Center for Daugherty: Electric Guitar Concerto – Passport Performance.  All you dance lovers should plan to attend the Russian National Ballet Theatre performance at Clark State Performing Arts Center.  And if you can’t decide if you like music or dance better, then I have a solution for you – attend the Dayton Ballet’s New Music for New Dance at Victoria Theatre, which will have both!  Catch a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Playhouse South.  If you like Buzz (not to be confused with getting buzzed), then watch Toy Story 3 as part of the ArtStreet Friday Film Series Presents at the University of Dayton.  I have not seen it yet because I’ve heard it even makes grown men cry!  If you love wine and Porsches (just make sure you don’t try to drive the Porsches after you’ve had a few glasses of wine), then head to the Taj Wine Tasting 2011 at Taj Ma Garaj.  In addition to delicious wine and gorgeous cars, there will be yummy food from some of the area’s premier caterers, including Belmont Catering and Bernsteins.

On Saturday, start the day off right with the Dogfish Head Beer Breakfast at Spinoza’s.  If you’re more of a health nut, then head to The Mall at Fairfield Commons for their 4th Annual ‘No Buts About It’ 5K Run/Walk.  Over at PNC 2nd Street Market, you will be able to see Birds of Prey.  Seriously.  Just “pray” they don’t eat you!  Before the weather gets too warm, all you chili lovers should head to the South Park Chili Cook off at South Park’s Hope Lutheran Church.  Help “Big Brothers Big Sisters” by participating in their Bowl For Kids’ Sake at Woodman Lanes.  And if you’re not available or have a thumb injury and can’t bowl, feel free to make a donation to support this wonderful cause!  If you’re looking for a music, theater, or dance option (or perhaps some combination of these art forms!), spring over to Victoria Theatre for New Music for New Dance, Town Hall Theatre for Pinkalicious, The Musical, The Playhouse South for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, or the Schuster Center for New Worlds – Passport Performance.  And finally, if you love hockey and want to support a good cause, watch as the Dayton Gems Pack the House for Kyle Terrian.

On Sunday, head to the Little Art Theatre for brunch and a movie.  If you like Joseph, watch him and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Playhouse South.  At Town Hall Theatre, you will still be able to see Pinkalicious, The Musical.  If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to see New Music for New Dance, I strongly encourage you to do so!   At South Park United Methodist Church, listen to some beautiful voices as the University of Dayton Chorale performs.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out the Dayton Auto Show, remember that Sunday is the last day for it!  And if you need some techniques to help you relax before heading into another busy work week, head to Practice Yoga on Fifth for their Intro to Mindfulness Meditation.

And now it’s time for the Dumb Joke of the Week. Drum roll please…

Two kangaroo moms were talking to each other and one said, “I hope it doesn’t rain today.”  The other one replied, “Yeah, I just hate it when the children play inside.”

These are just a few best bets from the DMM Calendar.  There are plenty more events listed there, so if you haven’t, I encourage you to check it out today!  Also, if you have an event to share or promote, please submit it– it’s great marketing and better yet, it’s FREE!  And finally, if you have a dumb joke to share, I’m all ears!

Have a great week Dayton!

Jane’s Best Bets (2/23 – 2/27)

By Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

It’s time to start making plans for the week, as there are lots of events happening around town!  Here are a few options!

On Wednesday, talk politics and help solve the world’s problems at the Drinking Liberally – Dayton event at Trolley Stop.  Seriously, they will be talking about politics, but I don’t think their solution to the world’s problems will be drinking…although the research shows that drinking water can help solve the dehydration problem.  If you own a business, you will want to attend Social Media for Business: How to Create and Use a Facebook Fan Page at Groundz4Living at The Greene…afterall, social media is a super cheap way to advertise!  Over at Sinclair, help promote sustainable living and economic development with Green Drinks Dayton, which will include a tour and networking event.  All you winos will want to attend the Wine Tasting at Rumbleseat Wine, the Weekly Wine Tasting at The Wine Gallery, Vina Robles Wine Tasting at Bruning’s Wine Cellar, or Wine Down Weekdays at Savona Restaurant & Wine Bar.  Craving some sushi?  Head to Sima Korean & Japanese Restaurants for 1/2 off Chef’s Specials Rolls.  And over at South Park Tavern, check out the music of The Motel Beds, The Smug Brothers, and The Fervor.  Hopefully “motel beds” isn’t indicative of the quality of their music!

On Thursday, all you art fans will want to attend REACH (Realizing Ethnic Awareness and Cultural Heritage) Across Dayton Joint Reception/Gallery Talk: Bucher/Moro, which takes place at both the Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC) and Sinclair.  Please don’t “wine” if you didn’t have an opportunity to sip your favorite merlot on Wednesday, as you will again have your opportunity to do so at the Wine Tasting at The Wine Loft, A Wine Dinner with Philippe Magrez at Jungle Jim’s, the Wine Tasting at Heathers Coffee & Café, or Wine Down Weekdays at Savona Restaurant & Wine Bar.  If you love the great outdoors, attend Fundamentals of Family Camping at Five Rivers MetroParks’ St. Clair Building.  Some consider music therapeutic, so head to Therapy Café to Sing Your Heart Out for the American Heart Association.  If you like theater, our local universities are the place to be!  Head to Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theater for The Foreigner, Wright State for Picnic, or Wittenberg for As You Like It.  Regardless of what you choose to do, I hope you like it.

On Friday, join Generation Dayton for their Fourth Friday Lunch Speaker Series at the Dayton Art Institute, featuring Ginny Strausburg of the DP&L Foundation, who will be talking to young professionals about “Choosing Board Professionals Wisely.”  Lunch will be provided, compliments of DP&L, so if you’re a young professional, be sure to register ASAP to secure your spot!  Couldn’t get enough wine during the earlier part of the week?  Head to the Southern Ohio Kitchens Showroom for the Go Red for Women Wine Tasting.  If you haven’t yet been to a fish fry this season, you will without a doubt want to head to the Alter High School Fish Fry.  There will be LOTS of people there (including myself!), so be sure to get there early!  We’ve already had a few days with spring like temperatures, so be sure to take advantage of the Star-Late Skates at RiverScape’s ice rink before it closes for the season!  Theater options for Friday include The Berenstain Bears on Stage at Victoria Theatre, As You Like It at Wittenberg, Fat Pig at Dayton Theatre Guild, Picnic at Wright State, and The Foreigner at Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theater.  At the Schuster Center, attend the Dayton Philharmonic’s Virtuosos at Home.  If you wish the doors would open to more musical options in the Dayton region, you’re in luck, as there will be a Doors Tribute at Canal Street Tavern.  And finally, for all you sports enthusiasts, the Dayton Gems will be taking on the Evansville IceMen at Hara Arena.

On Saturday, start the day early by participating in Ray’s Mountain Bike Trip at Five Rivers MetroParks’ St. Clair Building.  If you have it in you, join The Greene as they “go red” for the American Heart Association by participating in their 2 Mile Run/Walk.  At the Victoria Theatre, consider taking your kids to their own “Mardi Gras” with Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco.  All you fashionistas (my spell check underlined that word so sorry if I “mispeled” it) have a couple great options from which to choose.  Attend either The Noble Circle Project’s AWear Affair Fashion Show and Luncheon at Sinclair or the 11th Annual Crown Jewels Hat Show at Books and Co. at The Greene.  Be sure to bring your “hatitude”, as the event’s founder Sharon Howard calls it!  I attended last year and it was seriously a blast!  Have a few beers and support United Rehabilitation Services by participating in the Bud Light Barstool Open North.  If you’ve always wanted to be in the movie business, attend the Production Assistant Training Seminar at Sinclair Community College.  Saturday’s theater options include Fat Pig at Dayton Theatre Guild, As You Like It at Wittenberg, Picnic at Wright State, and The Foreigner at Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theater.  Or attend the Dayton Philharmonic’s Virtuosos at Home at the Schuster Center.  All you “Dancing with the Stars” fans will want to get tickets to see Julianne Hough at Kuss Auditorium.  At the Dayton Masonic Center, the Hermes Awards Ceremony will be going on to honor those in the advertising industry.  At Hara Arena, you will be able to see the Dayton Gems take on the Quad City Mallards.  And if you are sick and tired of winter, head to the Beach Party featuring the Parrots of the Caribbean at Jiffy Lube…oops I mean Quaker Steak & Lube.

On Sunday, head to the Schuster Center for their Visual Voices Art Exhibit:  Dayton Skyscrapers 2011.  Over at Coco’s, Savor Your Sunday & Support Stivers.  If you feel like experiencing the sights and scenes of theater, see Picnic at Wright State, As You Like It at Wittenberg, or Fat Pig at the Dayton Theatre Guild.  If you couldn’t get a babysitter to watch your kids so that you could go to a show with your honey, then take the kids to Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco at Victoria Theatre.  All you Oscar fans should consider watching the movie awards show AT the movies, as The Neon and the The Little Art Theatre will both be having Oscar screenings.  Just don’t be a grouch if your favorite movie/actor/actress/director does not win!  And finally, head to the UD Arena to watch the UD Flyers as they take on Xavier.  I have to say – I am completely jealous of all of you who have tickets!  (And if you have any extras, please feel free to send them my way!)

And now it’s time for the Dumb Joke of the Week. Drum roll please…

What did the hat say to the tie?

You hang around here…I’ll go on a head.

These are just a few best bets from the DMM Calendar.  There are plenty more events listed there, so if you haven’t, I encourage you to check it out today!  Also, if you have an event to share or promote, please submit it– it’s great marketing and better yet, it’s FREE!  And finally, if you have a dumb joke to share, I’m all ears!

Have a great week Dayton!

Jane’s Best Bets (2/9 – 2/13)

By Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

Some of you may be suffering from cabin fever, as the weather last week wasn’t conducive to enjoying all the wonderful activities in Dayton.  Although it’s supposed to be cold this week according to our local meteorologists, hopefully you will have the opportunity to get out and experience some of the wonderful things going on in our city!

On Wednesday, in the afternoon, take a trip to the Dayton Metro Library’s main branch for Special Events: Putting the FUN in Fundraising, in order to learn how to plan and execute a successful fundraising event.  Over at the Schuster Center, check out Visual Voices Art Exhibit:  Dayton Skyscrapers 2011.  If you missed the Trolley Stop’s Monthly Beer Tasting last week because of the ice/snow, no worries, as it has been rescheduled for Wednesday.  Afterwards, be sure to stay for the Old Time Acoustic Jam!

On Thursday, join Generation Dayton as they partner up with jumpstART for their Thirsty Thursday at De’Lish.  Afterwards, Jump into Theatre with these two great organizations by checking out the Human Race Theatre Company’s production of Twelfth Night.  Make sure you ask for the “jumpstart” deal in order to get half-off tickets!  Plus, the Human Race will offer a private tour after the production!  For those of you who love the sport of skiing, head to The Neon for their screening of ‘The Story’, which is a documentary on the topic.  At the Schuster Center, listen to the sounds of the Dayton Philharmonic for Heroes & Journeys: Strauss & Mozart.  In addition, A Streetcar Named Desirewill be playing at Victoria Theatre and True West will be playing at the University of Dayton.

On Friday, for those of you who like the color green, you’ll want to attend the ‘Ohio Leads the Way: Green Markets and Green Jobs’ Expo at the Dayton Convention Center.  If you’re feeling a little anti-social and would prefer to just watch a movie, head to UD for ArtStreet Friday Film Series Presents: The Social Network.  I still haven’t seen this movie, but have definitely heard good things about it!  Over at the Nutter Center, meet Achmed the Terrorist, Bubba J, and Jose Jalapeno on a Stick, as they take the stage alongside the hilarious Comedian Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham!  All you beer lovers may want to take a trip to Cincinnati for the Cincy Winter Beerfest – just bring a DD, or rather have the DD bring you!  For a fun way to start off Valentine’s Weekend, attend the Valentine’s Masquerade Ball Fundraiser at the Cannery Art and Design Center to benefit the YMCA Youth and Teen Programs.  If you’re looking for some theatre/music options, there are plenty!  Get your tickets to The Berenstain Bears Onstage: A Bear Country Musical (Town Hall Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire (Victoria Theatre), Fat Pig (Dayton Theatre Guild), Stauss: A Hero’s Life(Dayton Philharmonic at the Schuster Center), The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee (Dayton Playhouse), Twelfth Night (The Loft Theatre), or True West at the University of Dayton.  At Alex’s, you can see The Fries, one of my favorite local bands (and foods) perform as part of their 2011 Debut!  Speaking of fries, be sure to check out the St. Henry/Bishop Leibold Fish Fry!  After all, what Friday would be complete without one?!?!

On Saturday, head out to the PNC 2nd Street Market for their Valentine’s Celebration, featuring perfect gifts for your sweetheart.  All teens are welcome to attend the Game Day @ Your Library, which will take place at the East Branch of the Dayton Metro Library.  Be sure to reserve your spot for the Do-It-Yourself Valentine Cookie Cakeat the delicious Ele Cake Company…I just can’t get enough of their butter cream icing!  If you have any leftovers, feel free to send them my way!  Over at the UD Arena, watch the UD Flyers as they play Temple.  The ‘Ohio Leads the Way: Green Markets and Green Jobs’ Expo will still be going on at the Dayton Convention Center.  If you so desire, you can see A Streetcar Named Desire at Victoria Theatre.  All you Sex and The City lovers will want to see the new show, Hot Mess in Manhattan.  There are also several other theater options listed on the DMM calendar.  At the University of Dayton, you will be able to check out the Libby Larsen Residency: Grand Finale Concert.  If fish fryin’ is your thing, head to St. Peter’s for their Fish Fry and Monte Carlo.  Several restaurants are also having Valentine’s specials or “couples specials,” such as the Sweetheart Package at The Melting Pot.  Over at the Nutter Center, attend the WYSO’s Silent Auction and Wine, Chocolate and Cheese Tasting, featuring one of my favorite types of chocolates – Winans!  At Hara Arena, catch the Dayton Gems as they play the Fort Wayne Komets…kind of reminds me of that song I used to sing when I was little about comet making your mouth turn green and tasting like Listerine.  Darn, now I’m going to have that song in my head all day!  And finally, you will not want to miss the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s (DCDC’s) Black History Month Performance entitled In the Spirit of…The Spirit Within.  They are an amazing group of performers!

On Valentine’s Day Eve, be sure to Savor Your Sunday & Support Stivers.  At the Dayton Art Institute, check out the Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT - presented by The Human Race Theatre Co. - January 28 - February 13Afternoon Musicales.  If you’re looking for something to do with your sweetheart (or your mom or grandma), you can check out Spinoza’s Dinner and a Movie Package, the Valentine Sharing Menu at Fleming’s, 3 course dinner for 2 for $25.99 at Mimi’s, or the Sweetheart Package at The Melting Pot.  If your mom, grandma, or sweetheart enjoys theatre, take her to one of the many shows going on, including The Berenstain Bears Onstage at Town Hall Theatre, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee at the Dayton Playhouse, Twelfth Night at The Loft Theatre, A Streetcar Named Desire -Passport Performance at Victoria Theatre, or Fat Pig at the Dayton Theatre Guild.  If the lady in your life likes music, take her to listen to the sounds of the Dayton Philharmonic for The Magic Orchestra with Dan Kaminat the Schuster Center.  And finally, another wonderful Sunday option is DCDC’s Black History Month Performance In the Spirit of…The Spirit Within.

And now it’s time for the Dumb Joke of the Week…well actually, a couple cheesy pickup lines in honor of Valentine’s Day. Drum roll please…

  • Let’s make like a fabric softener and snuggle.
  • Are your legs tired, because you’ve been running through my mind all day long.
  • Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?

Disclaimer:  The success of these pick-up lines is not guaranteed.

These are just a few best bets from the DMM Calendar.  There are plenty more events listed there, so if you haven’t, I encourage you to check it out today!  Also, if you have an event to share or promote, please submit it– it’s great marketing and better yet, it’s FREE!  And finally, if you have a dumb joke to share, I’m all ears!

Have a LOVEly week Dayton!

Dayton Sports Weekly Upate: 7/20/2010

By 2 Comments

Sorry for the late post today.  Yesterday was exhausting and since I have a job I have to worry about during the day (I gotta sleep sometime!), it was the earliest I could make it.  So much happening around Dayton, it’s exciting.  The summer is only half way finished but my mind is already wandering to fall.  Maybe yours will too after today.

Well, I don’t want to do this anymore than anyone wants to hear it but the Dragons are slipping further into futility by dropping another 5 games in a row this last week, with their only win being last night, and results from today not currently available at the time of this writing.  The Dragons have dropped to second to last in the Eastern Division with a win pct of just .413, making them 4th from the bottom in the entire league.  At this point it’s hard to argue exactly what it is that is going wrong for the Dragons but as I’ve mentioned in the last few weeks, it simply looks like they cannot close a game.  There are few blow outs ever suffered here, and Dayton has, at the very least remained competitive through their summer struggles, but a close loss is not a win.  Seeing them lose such close games, the Dragons could easily be in a much different position at this point.  If you take the amount of games that the Dragons have lost by just one run since the beginning of June, they would have an extra 12 wins, and be above .500.  I know that’s a lot of conjecture, but as I said before, they have not been losing in blow outs, but struggling to finish good games, many of those going into extra innings I might add.  Here is hoping they figure out how to right the ship, if only to avoid falling into the basement at this point.

Hey, a bit of exciting news for the Gems, they are plugging along nicely as the season edges closer and closer to starting. First up, they announced that they have signed a two year deal with local TV station WWRD to air up to 20 regular season Gems games over the next two years. This is going to be great opportunity for the team that seemed to struggle a bit with getting it’s name recognized by the city’s patrons. Even the Dayton Daily failed to add a Gems header to it’s sports section for all of last year. This can only bring more attention a team that by all accounts deserves it.

The CHL also finalized it’s conference alignment with the affiliated IHL, splitting into a North and South conference. (names for these conferences are expected to change.) Dayton will be playing in the North conference with the remainders of the IHL (including the newly reformed Evansville Icemen), and include the following CHL teams: Colorado Eagles, Missouri Mavericks, Rapid City Rush and Wichita Thunder. The South will include the remaining CHL teams. Dayton will officially start this upcoming season home opener on October 16th. Playoff format was also announced, with 16 of the 18 teams qualifying for the playoffs. Each team will be seeded 1-8, with #1 playing #8, #2 playing #7 etc. Conference champions will expect to have new trophies, and conference champions will play for the League title.

The Gems have also announced the return of 7 players from last season’s roster. I am not going to go into too much depth there, but you can read about them here. A good bunch of players to have back if you ask me personally, a great way to start off the team.

Lots of great stuff happening here which is good to hear. I am sure there will be plenty of news coming out of the Gem’s organization in the coming months.

oh I wanted to add this to the post, so people can see how much larger the Gem’s world has gotten this year. The divisions aren’t noted here but I found it online and thought it would be a good representation of the Gem’s new affiliate league.

The Dutch Lions are almost done for this season. Has it really been that long already?  The Summer is winding down, and the Lions stand at an unfortunate 4th place. Their trip into Canada the other week really hurt, but that hasn’t kept the good news from rolling in. This last weekend Dayton played their last home game against the Kalamazoo Outrage and decimated them with a 6-1 victory. The Lions staggeringly out shot Kzoo 29 to 5. The whole amazing thing can be read here, what a way to finish their season in Dayton!
The Lions have one more game this weekend against the Chicago Fire and a win would be a great way to go out on the season but unfortunately should not change their current standings. Some other good news, both the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC have been keeping an eye on Dutch Lions players over the last few weeks. We could have our first MLS grads before too long, a tribute to the sensible skills and play style that the DDLFC has introduced state side.

Pretty soon there won’t be much to talk about with the Lions but as the news filters in, I’ll relay what I can.

So there wasn’t anything I could really find for Wright State, not even for club teams, which I’m keeping an eye on coming up here. I’ll try to get some football and hockey info in the coming months, and hope to see some more news regarding other college sports.

I do have an overlooked schedule release for the Wright State Soccer team, which might be of some interest to those looking to extend a possible Dutch Lions fix. Although Wright State’s season last year was not as prominent as several others in their recent past, don’t under estimate the Raider’s ability, tickets are only $5.00, how can you lose?

UD’s James Vercammen has been named on the preseason Buchanan award watch list. The Buchanan Award is given to the FCS’s national defensive player of the year. Since it’s introduction as an award in 1995, 9 of 16 recipients have gone on to play for the NFL. Vercammen headed the tough Dayton defense for 2009 that finished top in the Pioneer League. Making 134 total tackles set an new PFL record for tackles in a single season, outpacing the old record by 25 tackles, and earned him the honor of third best record in the entire FCS. Vercammen finished last year as Second Team FCS All-American and First Team All-PFL.

Sorry to see the Dutch Lions season drawing to a close? The UD Flyers announced their upcoming soccer schedule which will start Friday August 20thagainst Butler at Baujan Field. The Flyers, who were Atlantic 10 champions last season will have eight matches at home during the fall, and admission is free to all regular season games at Baujan. Soccer is truly becoming a power sport in the Dayton area, and an overlooked one at that. With professional soccer finishing up it’s first season in our fair city, perhaps it’s time to give the teams that have been here for a long time the credit they deserve. You won’t be sorry you go see a match at either University but go see one at least.

Goodnight everybody, have a safe week, and even though the Dragons are the only team playing in town for the next couple of weeks, start savings those lungs too cheer on your favorites this August.

Dayton Sports Weekly Update: 7/12/2010

By 1 Comment

Woah, so clearly there is a gap in your brief sports news on DaytonMostMetro.com from last week.  What can I say?  The holidays got to me, and that amount of alcohol and fireworks makes for an uncooperative writing mood.  Besides, unless you wanted to read more about how the Dragons are stinking things up, you didn’t miss much.  This LAST week was the money week here in Dayton so thank God I’m here to tell you!  Unless you read it somewhere else first….  Here we go!

Ok ok don’t get all bent out of shape the Dragons didn’t do so bad over the last TWO weeks…  They managed to even themselves out with a really great run this last week but trust me when I say the week of the 4th was best left forgotten.  Also, I apologize but I’m not going to run down the 14 games I missed, so lets consider this another review on the fly week.  They started out great!  But a win against Fort Wayne was dashed away by dropping the other two games in that series, and what a shocker, both of them were by one run.  They continued the weekend of the 4th with another 3 straight losses to the Great Lakes Loons. That is 5 in a row, even for a team on a destined collision course with rock bottom, that can be hard to swallow.

But all was not lost!  In the ever blackening void that the team was traveling down, they found a light, an illumination, a 2 story glowing neon sign saying “Win a Game, second exit on the left.”  Heeding those wise directions, they slammed on the breaks, did a big U-ie  and hit the road for 6 straight wins, snagging two straight series from West Michigan and Bowling Green.  Ok West Michigan is practically the worst team in the league, but we don’t have much room to talk right now do we?  A win is a win after all, and the fresh air on the open road must have done the boys well because 4 of those games were even won by 2 or more runs.   Ahh, but something about heading back into the balmy Miami Valley must have staggered them, because 2 more losses against the Loons this weekend stopped them short.  (why have they played them the last 3 weeks in a row anyway?)  Oh well, you can’t win them all as they say, but I am pretty sure that now marks the Dragon’s longest win streak this year.

First news on the block for the Gems.  I had mentioned two weeks ago that they had delayed an expected press conference until an undisclosed date.  That date turned out to be last Wednesday.  At this conference the Gems finally announced their new Head Coach and General Manager, Brian Gratz. This is good news!  Sort of.. I mean, as near as I can figure… from what you can tell from the guy….  Let’s say he doesn’t have a huge record to work with.  Yes the Gems have definitely hired some young blood here, and some might consider it a gamble.  The Gems were not exactly the league sensation that I think ownership were perhaps hoping for in their first season back.  Their attendance was worst in the league (as was their record) and no amount of seriously cheap tickets or ridiculously cheap beer could seem to draw the crowds out to Hara.  The solution seems pretty obvious, namely, win more games.

So can this guy win more games?  It sure as hell looks like it on the surface.  His college career with Penn State is fairly distinguished, winning four American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National Championships as a goaltender, after which he went up to the minors playing for a variety of teams over the next 5 years, but had pretty limited play time.  He has had two years under his belt as a professional hockey coach.  His stats certainly don’t lie, with two winning seasons, (the second a little worse than the first) but any winning season is better than what the Gems dealt with last year, so he won’t have to soar high, just get this bird off the ground.  If anyone asks where he was last year, I have heard he was coaching JV hockey at Penn State, but don’t quote me on that.

Are the Gems doing the right thing?  I can’t say.  Hiring someone young to take the reigns might be exactly what the team needs, hell what the City of Dayton needs, and there is always a possibility it won’t work out, but give the guy a chance to work  his skills and see what he can do.  He’s never coached at this level before, so hopefully the management up top will give him more than a year to prove his stuff.  Welcome to Dayton Coach Grantz, we’re waiting in anticipation.

On a final note.  The Gems are changing their jerseys next year to reflect a little bit more with their classics from back in the day.  Personally I was a big fan of the new ones… Not sure really how I feel about these, and I would have preferred to see them bust out some real throwback jerseys a few times a year instead of completely changing their look after one season.  Still, you be the judge..  No seriously, you can go vote on which one you like most but only until this Wednesday, so get crackin’.

Ok, so there have been quite a few games for the Dutch Lions as well so instead of going over a game by game, I’ll let you know how they fared and where they stand at the moment.  The Lions played the Michigan Bucks two weeks that brought them a 2-1 victory, and was followed up this last weekend with two losses in Canada, ouch.  First a failed comeback attempt resulted in a 2-1 loss against Forest City and on Sunday, a 2-0 loss left the Dutch Lions with no points for the week, and dropped them down to 3rd place in the league with only two games remaining.  Their last home game is this upcoming Saturday at 1:00pm.  Go watch them if you haven’t yet this year!

Up next is great news for the Lions.  Last week they held a press conference to announce that Dayton has been promoted to the USL Championship League (formerly USL-2).  In addition the Lions announced they will be creating a new women’s team to compete next year in the USL W-League.  This is a pretty amazing jump after only a single year of play, but clearly the Lions administration has a specific goal in mind for their organization and the USL must clearly see them as an asset.  The Lions will no longer be playing regional teams in a separate division of the PDL, but six seasoned teams from in the Northeastern region of the US.  This will be more challenging play for the Lions, but it will help in just about every aspect of the program including exposure, attendance, increased skill level, etc.  The Lions are on their way to create true major league athletes that could end up playing across the globe.

Did I hear rumors of them considering construction of their own stadium?  Ehh, I can’t back that up, but bring it on guys!

On a brief note to the Dutch Lion’s brothers who played in the World Cup Championship yesterday, my condolences.  It was a very hard fought game, with yellow cards flying every where and more flopping players than should respectfully appear on world-wide television.  Both teams were playing pretty….. strongly, and though I lament the loss to Spain for our adopted Netherlands, at least they didn’t win the game off of a dirty free kick call after tripping over their own feet and falling to the ground in the most unconvincing display of pain ever televised…  They set up a good run and made a good shot, end of story.

A quick note here, Cassandra Lloyd has been selected as the Horizon League Outdoor Track & Field Female Co-Athlete of the Year.  The first time for a Wright State athlete as I understand it.

I’ve mentioned the last few weeks about Wright State baseball athletes picked up by professional teams, so I wanted to take the time to note that  Cole Tyrell, a former Flyer who was selected in the 2010 draft by the San Diego Padres, has been promoted to their Single A club, the Eugene Emeralds, congrats, Cole, best of luck out there.

Football season is fast approaching, and Phil Steel’s College Football Preview has recognized seven Flyers to be on it’s pre-season All-Pioneer team.  Since I’m completely uneducated in Flyer’s football, I guess I had better start doing some reading before September gets here shouldn’t I?  Phew, there is going to be a lot to keep up with when college lets back in, isn’t there?

Well, I’m out, we’ll be back next week with more tidbits and updates on your favorite local sports, and until then, go watch a game in Dayton!

Dayton Sports Weekly Update: 6/28/2010

By Leave a Comment

Week four at the Weekly Update!  That seems like a milestone for me that I should probably write down somewhere.  Hope a couple of you went out and saw a game this last weekend despite the insane heat again.  Here we go.

Ouch, The Dragons had a rough weekend away from home against the Lansing Lugnuts.  They fought some hard games but alas were swept in the series.  This will make the third time this year that the Dragons have lost every game in a series against Lansing.  The only time they have been successful was actually their very first series of the year in which they swept Lansing.  The first game of the series on Friday was a 7-6 loss.  I’ve mentioned the last three weeks that Dayton’s losses frequently have been very close, usually coming by one run which can be difficult for a struggling team.  Out of the Dragon’s last 9 losses including this weekend, 6 of them have been by one run, one was by two and the other was by 4 back against Beloit earlier this month.  Of  course the other one was the Saturday game which was lost 4-1.  That’s not to say there wasn’t a fight, in fact, Friday and Sunday’s (a 5-4 loss) games were both taken into extra inning, and both time the Dragons fell short in the 11th.  I’ll spare you any of the details this week unless you’d like to go read the game wrap ups, but let’s just say there isn’t a lot of great news there right now.

The Dragons have got to show up against Fort Wayne early this week.  They just finished a series with them, all three games were decided by one run (1 win 2 losses) and that little bit of extra effort needs to show here or else this downward spiral might continue.  On the plus side, this weekend during City Folk, they will be home against the Great Lakes Loons again.  Despite the Loon’s great away win record, Dayton has had great luck against them all year.  Let’s hope they can keep it up.

UPDATE: 6/30/2010 Well apparently the Gems press conference was cancelled, stating “unforseen circumstances” as the cause. Your guess is as good as mine as to what this means. It could be someone couldn’t make it today, or it could mean something really big has happened, but we’ll let you know if anything comes up.

Hey guess what?  New head coach to be announced this Wednesday, June 30th.  Bout darn time right?  Check back here for an update on that on Wednesday.  There is also some interesting news involving an 18th team to the new CHL this year.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that two IHL teams would not be making the transfer over as a result of various problems, (Port Huron Icehawks and the Muskegon Lumberjacks)  As it turns out the single -A hockey team in Evansville has purchased the team and transferred them play for their own Icemen.  This means that Evansville will now be playing in the IHL, from the AAHL (getting confused yet?) and we have already mentioned that the IHL and CHL will be tenatively merging before the start of next season SO..  Muskegon will be with the new league in a sense, combine… sort of…, with the already existing Evansville Icemen.

Remember to check back, hopefully we’ll have some news on the Gems’ new coach

The Dayton Dutch Lions managed another loss-less week which included a tie against the Cincinnati Kings and a win against League leader, the Chicago Fire.  The only thing keeping The Lions out of first place right now is the amount of ties they have had.  Although this is definitely better than having a bunch of losses, you can see the main difference between the Fire and the Lions are the Fire’s two extra wins.  Even though they actually have 3 losses to the Lion’s 1, those wins make all the difference in the long run.  Still, the win against Chicago has put Dayton back within two points of the lead, which on the flip side makes having only 1 loss so important.

The Lions were in a prime position to have the lead in the League this week as a matter of fact, as they played a commanding game against Cincinnati.  They took a lead of 2-0 for the majority of the game, and looked as if win was inevitable but Cincinnati wasn’t going to go down without a fight and managed a score at the 70th minute of the game. Though a few free kicks were given to the Lions over the next few minutes, they could not capitalize on them and a potential 3-1 win went belly up as the Kings scored a second time in the 86th minute of the game.  Instead of going home with 3 points (which would put Dayton on top of Chicago this week by 1)  they had to settle for 1 point in a tie.  It should be noted that an estimated 75% of the fans in Cincinnati ths weekend were Dutch Lions fans.

The great victory this week was against the Chicago Fire.  It was a stunted first half however, as the score remained 0-0 after 45.  But shortly after the teams entered the field again, a cross kick from Bas Ent to Geert den Ouden would fly right past the King’s keeper to make it a 1-0 game after 55 minutes.  Defense prevailed for a while but as the 89th minute approached, and the game was winding down, den Ouden was there again, this time with the set up for George Davis IV, scoring another goal as regulation came to an end.  With 5 minutes of stopage time however the Chicago Fire managed to get a good shot off to make the ending result 2-1, and handing the Lions a great victory.  The next game up is against the Michigan Bucks on July 3rd.  I probably won’t be there as downtown will be calling my name, but best of luck to the Lions, another win will keep them in contention for the playoffs.

Would you believe there isn’t any new postings for the Raiders this week?  I had mentioned two weeks ago that former Wright State Pitcher Alex Kaminsky had signed with the Cleveland Indians earlier this year.  In his first game with the Indian’s Single-A affiliate, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, he threw 5 shutout innings, striking out  4, and won his professional debut game.  Congratulations!

Also it should be noted that Jon Durket signed with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Independent Frontier League as the 3rd free agent this year to enter into professional baseball.  This makes 5 Raiders that have joined the professional ranks this year, the most of any team Wright State has produced, best of luck to all of you guys out there.

Some good news for Flyers women basketball, as they have been awarded a grant for program funding.  This will hopefully build on a lot of momentum that Flyer’s women’s basketball has had over the last year or so.  The intention of the grant is to help increase awareness of the team and the games they play through various outlets and hopefully increase attendance at games.  People should know about this women’s team;  last year The Flyers won their first ever top 10 game with a victory over Michigan State, appeared in the AP and ESPN top 25 for the first time, held an average attendance of 3404 which was highest in the Atlantic 10, 34th highest in the country and if I might add, quite a bit better than some of Dayton’s professional team attendance from last year and this year, and finished last year’s season a staggering 25-8 which ties a modern-era record for most victories in a season.  Congratulations UD, that’s outstanding news.

That’s all for this week, I’m out!  Enjoy this weekend, City Folk is a blast, and with the new pavilion downtown, there isn’t any reason to not be there!

Dayton Sports Weekly Update: 6/7/2010

By 3 Comments

Welcome to the first edition of the Dayton Sports Weekly Update.  Join us every Monday for a rundown of all of your favorite home teams from the UD Flyers to our newest club, the Dayton Dutch Lions.  We’ll try to keep you up  to date on anything you may have missed last week, and everything you want to know coming up this week from stats, and scores to the latest news.  Enough talking though, let’s jump right in.

The Dayton Dragons are still selling out games but are having a difficult time finding a good rhythm.  They’ve dropped six of their last ten games, and out of those, 4 of them have been by one run.  What makes that even more difficult is that those one run losses cost them 3 out of their last 4 series.  The Dragons play away from home for the next two weeks and won’t be back at 5/3rd field until June 18th.

This week they will be playing at Beloit and Wisconsin, and next week they’ll be playing at Fort Wayne.  Currently Fort Wayne is the only team out of those three that stand at a PCT of .500 or greater, so it’s a good week for the Dragons to make up some lost ground against some less challenging teams in the league.

The Dayton Gems had an interesting first year in Dayton.  After being competitive for half of the season they embarrassingly slid into last place in the league.  Ownership was at one time taken over by the IHL and then transferred to new ownership early on.  They also seem mired in an endless list of traded and cut players, which would be fairly typical of any first year team, especially if you don’t know who you’ve got playing for you.  Still, with such a difficult end to the year, the big guys upstairs clearly were not happy with Coach Marks and let him go, as well as several other staff members in an effort to right the ship before it falls to far.

If that wasn’t enough, the IHL’s contention as a league was in serious doubt at the end of the season with a flutter of rumors being passed around about their inevitable folding.  It was just recently announced however that the IHL and CHL intend to merge together into one large league similar to that of the ECHL, with two separate divisions.  This has a lot of implications for the Gems, namely their viability as a team in Dayton and how critical next year will be for them.  This will expand their playing area drastically, including a half dozen teams from Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Louisiana, and Colorado, to name a few.  Having said that, Dayton can no longer be considered in a “bus league” and will definitely have to hope fans will be curious about this new league to fill seats fast.  I for one encourage anyone who hasn’t seen the Gems play yet, do so next year when their season starts.  They did great things for the community last year, and though beleaguered as they were, deserve our support.

The Dayton Dutch Lions are doing an amazing job in their first year in Dayton.  In the giant unending tangle of a mess that is the United Soccer League, Premier Development League, the Dutch Lions find themselves in second place in the Great Lakes Division, suffering not a singles loss all season.  For those who might be unfamiliar with soccer, the Dutch Lions hold a record of 3-0-3 or 3 wins no losses and 3 draws.  As a result they are one point behind the Chicago Fire.  They tied their last game this weekend against Forest City London 1-1.

With their winning record so far this year, the Dutch Lions have also found themselves qualified for the 2010 U.S. Lamar Hunt Open Cup.  As one of 8 PDL teams to make the Open Cup, make no mistake that this is a prestigious honor.  The US Open Cup is the longest running cup series in the United States, dating back to 1914.  Qualifying teams can be from any tier of the United States Soccer Federation, from amateur teams to the MLS.  Since the inception of the MLS back in 1996, they have won the cup every year except 1999, in which the Rochester Rhinos beat out four MLS clubs to claim the championship.  The luck of the draw has placed the Rhinos as the Dutch Lions’ first opponent in the tournament starting June 15th.

The Dutch Lions have an exhausting schedule ahead of them before June ends.  On the 9th they play an away game against the Indiana Invaders, but return home this Saturday the 12th to play Toronto.  Then on the 15th they’ll be travelling to Rochester to take on the Rhinos in the first round of the US Open Cup, followed by an away game on the 17th against the Cleveland Internationals.  This will all be topped off by a home game (they are the away team however) against the Columbus Crew at Baujan Sports Field at The University of Dayton.  I’ll have my tickets for that one, I hope you will too.  All in all one heck of a next few weeks, all the best to the DDLFC.

What to say about university athletics in our town?  There is a heck of a lot going on and I will not do them justice here, but I will try to capture what I can about what is going on right now around town.  Though inevitably our thoughts will drift back to Basketball here in Dayton, I’ll try to be true to all the student athletes out there who play hard for WSU and UD.

Recently Raider’s Baseball found itself in the Horizon League Championship game after finishing the regular seasons with a 29-23 record.  On May 30th however they stumbled against Milwaukee 14-7 to end their season.  Though a disappointing end, the Raiders have found themselves as perennial contenders in the Horizon League, finishing the last 5 years over .500.

Women’s Softball also find themselves in the Horizon League Championship this spring, and after winning 4 out of 5, advanced to the NCAA Regionals in Ann Arbor.  Though they ended their season there, the Raider posted their second ever NCAA tournament win this season, an encouraging end to a great season.

There is more to mention here about upcoming news for the Raiders, but we’ll have plenty of time to get to it.  Check back soon.

The Flyers equally will have plenty to talk about in the upcoming months, especially as fall sports start to pick up steam so bare with me for now.  The Flyers had a more difficult time this year in both Baseball and Softball, both finishing with losing records, but the Flyers soccer team faired better in their spring training, going undefeated, and shutting out the likes of Ohio State and Wright State, and finishing with a 2-2 tie against Kentucky.

Dayton has also had great success this year in Track and Field.  This week two members will be competing  in the upcoming NCAA Championship in Eugene Oregon; Junior Mallory Barnes (hammer throw) and freshman Katie Nageotte (pole vault).  But there have also been several other distinguished athletes from various events noted this year, including Ashley Cattran and Sarah Allen who were recieved ESPN acedemic all-district honors this past week.  Cattran was also recently announced as the A10 student athlete of the year.

Well that’s it for this week, come back again and we’ll let you know what’s going on in the Gem City.  Show your pride for Dayton and those who play here, get out and watch a game!

Thanks to Lefty, the Gems Play Today.

By 1 Comment

The Dayton Gems pt. 2

The Dayton Gems were originally established in 1964 by local business man Edgar “Lefty” McFadden. Discussing the team of that day may sound an awful lot like describing them today, for many similarities exist between that team and the one that now plays for Dayton. The Gems played then where they play now, at Hara Arena, which also opened its doors for the first time in 1964. The original team also played in the International Hockey League.  The IHL similarly folded (though much later), but has been re-established as a new entity carrying on the same name. Though eventually growing to immense size, the IHL was considered a bus league for mostly Midwestern teams who could easily ride a couple hours to each game, which is again true today. The IHL in its current incarnation was once the Colonial Hockey League, a smaller league that adopted the IHL name in 2007.

Blade warms up the crowd before the game.

Blade warms up the crowd before the game.

It’s a wonder all the similarities that exist between the two, but if it has any bearing on the future of the new franchise, it may bode well for the Gems. In the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons, they won back to back championships, and again in 1976. They produced several NHL players in that period as well, and frequently filled Hara to capacity for games, with local fans dazzled. The Gems did eventually fall on hard times, as we all know, and folded in 1980, but exactly thirty years later they play for Dayton again.

In their first year they have proved themselves to be competitive in the league. Struggles are expected as the team learns to play together, but they stand only one spot out of playoff contention, with plenty of games left in the season. With John Marks coaching the team, hopefully for years to come, it seems a very likely possibility. Coach Marks left the ECHL as the winningest coach in the League, with 523 wins, and 3 championships to his name since 1993*. Prior to his time there, he coached in the former IHL, with another 240 wins. Most of coach Marks’ professional hockey career was with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he started as a defenseman but eventually changed over to the left wing position, where he scored 129 goals.

During last Saturday’s tribute to Lefty McFadden, Coach Marks spoke in front of a crowd about his own experiences in the NHL and how he coaches his team. He thanked the loyal supporters in Dayton and those who work so tirelessly for the team before discussing how they are fairing so far. He acknowledged they still have some work to do, and discussed in quite a bit of depth how he likes to train his team, giving those present a crash course in basic hockey strategy. Teamwork, he said, was the key to any team’s success. Discussing some of the Gem’s heartbreaking losses this year, which have frequently been only by a difference of one goal, he explained how a team playing together and playing their role can come out victorious. Later on in the evening he recalled that when he was playing in college, a friend of his, who played basketball, discussed the similarities of the games with him. He said the principles of protecting the net were the same; a good defense will make the opposing team shoot from the perimeter. Likewise a good offense can dissect that defense, get in close and make the shot; but only, he stressed, when working together.

The Gems played good defense in last Saturday's 4-2 win against Port Huron

The Gems played good defense in last Saturday's 4-2 win against Port Huron

The night continued on the ice with a pre-game ceremony that honored Lefty McFadden with a banner that will now hang in Hara Arena, as well as distribution of a plaque and flowers to his family members who were in attendance at the game.  After the Star Spangled Banner, the Gems came out fast against Port Huron in the first period.  They struggled for the first five minutes to keep the Icehawks away from their own net, but Dayton then flashed down the rink and scored two goals in less than one minute.  John Ornelas, with an assist from Preston Briggs and Pierce Norton, fired the first shot past the Port Huron goal tender, and only 19 seconds later, Joe Van Culin slipped another one by with the help of Corey Courturier and Matt Auffrey.  Keeping the aggressive pace going, Mike Olynyk scored yet again, with assists from Preston Briggs and Justin McCutcheon.

Following a late first period goal by Port Huron’s Adam Maccarone, the Gems went into the second period up 3-1.  An increase in penalties as well as no score on either side, showed it was heating up between these teams, and it could be felt in the crowd whose cheers, despite their lack of numbers, echoed loudly throughout the entire arena.  It wasn’t until the third period that things really got interesting though, as Port Huron scored again to bring the game within one goal.  A fight broke out between Matt Auffrey of the Gems and Daniel Tetrault of the Icehawks in the middle of the period, and 28 minutes of penalties were wracked up between both teams in the 3rd as well.

Justin McCutcheon sealed the game however with a late goal that brought the final score to 4-2.  Coming from the Johnstown Chiefs in Pennsylvania, McChutcheon has only been with the team for about a month. He has proven himself a valuable player already, scoring 3 times in the 9 games he’s played with the Gems, including 2 in the difficult loss to the Quad City Mallards last Wednesday. Having a quick word with him, I asked how well he was adjusting to Dayton.  He smiled and laughed a bit, saying he was enjoying it so far but hasn’t had a lot of down time since he’s been here, as their schedule has kept the whole team rather busy.

I embarassingly stutter through some questions with Wingman Justin McCutcheon

I embarassingly stutter through some questions with Wingman Justin McCutcheon

This weekend the Gems will take on the Muskegon Lumberjacks Friday at 7:30pm and also also play the Quad City Mallards again on Sunday at 5:00pm.  The Lumberjacks are first in the league right now, having only lost 10 games all season, but the Gems are responsible for 3 of those losses earlier in the year.  Don’t forget $10.00 adult tickets and $7.00 tickets for children 12 and under, makes for a cheaper night of entertainment than going to the movies, and on Friday nights, beers are only $2.00 a piece.

* information taken from hockeydb.com

**All photographs courtesy of Andrea Ivey.