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UD Flyers

Celebrate Our Flyers!

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903d1f06e11eb38bcdc82737d36f659aThe University of Dayton will honor the Flyer men’s and women’s basketball teams with a public celebration on Tuesday, March 31 at the University of Dayton Arena.  The celebration is free and will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET.  Doors open at 6 p.m. ET.

“There is a lot of excitement surrounding our basketball programs right now, and we want our fans and both teams to share in that.  Plus, we would love nothing better than to turn this event into a pep rally that sends out women’s team off to the Final Four!,” Tim Wabler, UD’s Vice-President and Director of Athletics said.

“We have a big event coming  (Winter Guard International – WGI) into the Arena later this week, and if we did not have this celebration on Tuesday, we would not be able to recognize our basketball teams until late April,” Wabler added.

Fans can park for free in A lot and enter through the south entrance that faces Interstate 75.  Seating will be on the east side of the Arena.

The Flyer Pep Band and cheerleaders will set the atmosphere, both teams will be introduced, highlight videos will be shown and head coaches Archie Miller and Jim Jabir will address the crowd.

The Dayton men finished the year 27-9 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament.  The UD women are 27-6, and will be making their first trip to the Sweet Sixteen this weekend.  The Flyers play Louisville at the East Regional in Albany, N.Y. on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET.  That game can be seen on ESPN and WatchESPN.

Jane’s Best Bets (2/16 – 2/20)

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Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

You may or may not have been with the love of your life this Valentine’s Day, but hopefully it was a great one!  Guys…now with the pressure off, hopefully you’ll be able to relax and have some fun at some of these events!

On Wednesday, all you writers can head to Books & Co. for their Second Sunday Free Writers’ Workshop.  Is your bike just collecting dust in the garage or are you going to try cycling for the first time?  If so, you’ll want to participate in Five Rivers MetroParks’ Introduction to Bicycle Maintenance.  It may not be such a secret that this is going on, but over at Wiley’s, you will be able to see the opening night of Dirty Little Secret, which is co-presented by DaytonMostMetro.com’s very own J.T. Ryder.  (There is also a DMM article on this show, so if interested, check out the following link!)  And finally, for some good beer, check out the Sam Adams Beer Samplingat Heathers Coffee & Café or Green Flash Brewing Beer Tasting at The Caroline.

On Thursday, if you’re in the doghouse because you totally forgot about Valentine’s Day, try to make it up to your significant other by arranging flowers for him/her at PNC 2nd Street Market as part of February Flowers.  Or take that special someone to Spinoza’s for their Dinner and a Movie Package.  Even if your boyfriend’s/husband’s name is Scott, Fred, or Sam, you can still have a Romantic Dinner for 2 at Christopher’s and not get into trouble.  Over at Thai 9, attend their Tapping Firkin of Bell’s Hopslamand eat some of their delicious food.  I LOVE that their food can accommodate a diverse group of people in terms of spice preferences…and they don’t make you feel badly if you order a level zero like me!  Over at Hara Arena, catch the Dayton Gems as they take on the Quad City Mallards.  Even though it may be a little too cold to have an outdoor picnic, you can see the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award–winning play, Picnic at Wright State.  Also, if you love live music, head to South Park Tavern to see Ryan Roth and the Grand Plan with Seryn.

On Friday, if you feel like having a home cooked meal but are lacking Rachael Ray’s or Emeril’s cooking genes, head to the Dorothy Lane Market in Springboro for their  DLM Family Style Dinner.  Down in the city (RiverScape), head to Gone Country, where you will be able to ice skate while listening to country music.  All you graffiti artist wannabes should branch out to Olive for their Graffiti Party.  Hopefully you are fortunate to have a ticket to the sold out 6th Annual Valentine’s Dance for Special Wishat the Schuster Center.  If not, I encourage you to support this great cause by purchasing raffle tickets or making a donation.  I know a child whose wish was sponsored by Special Wish and I am so impressed by the work that they do!  If you prefer to have dinner and see a show all in the same place, go to the Spaghetti Warehouse for their Mayhem & Mystery Dinner Theatre ‘Tragedy in the Theater’.  Head to Cedarville University to watch High School Musicians Showcase Their Talent.  And for additional theater options, be sure to get your ticket to Fat Pig at the Dayton Theatre Guild, Picnic at Wright State, or The Foreigner at Sinclair.

On Saturday, start your day off at the Yellow Springs Winter Farmer’s Market.  If you became engaged on Valentine’s Day, then you’ll want to head to the DRC Bridal Show.  For some live music, go to the University of Dayton for their Jazz Ensemble, Shiloh Church for the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra Concert, or Omega Baptist Church for their Omega Black History Celebration: Song, Dance & Praise.  However, if you prefer to add a little “boogie-ing” to your music (the dancing kind, not the nose kind), check out the band Crooked Style at Talegators or head to Alex’s to listen to the band Off the Hook.  Some theater options for Saturday include Fat Pig at the Dayton Theatre Guild, Forbidden Broadway: Dances with the Stars at Victoria Theatre, Picnic at Wright State, and The Foreigner at Sinclair.  I know it’s not a Friday, but you will still be able to join in the fun and food at the Carroll High School – Carrolleer Fish Fry.  And finally, be sure to check out the UD Flyers as they take on Duquesne…we are definitely due for a victory!

On Sunday, start your day off right by eating great food and supporting a great cause as part of the Savor Your Sunday & Support Stivers event at Coco’s Bistro.  Some musical options include Afternoon Musicales at the Dayton Art Institute, the Dayton Philharmonic’s The Symphonic Beethoven at the Dayton Masonic Center, the University of Dayton Jazz Band’sperformance at the University of Dayton, and Omega Black History Celebration: Song, Dance & Praiseat Omega Baptist Church.  At the Dayton Marriott, all you brides will want to attend The Dayton Bridal Expo.  Those poor guys…I have yet to hear about a Groom Expo or Groom Show!   Or perhaps they might actually be the fortunate ones because it gets them off the hook!  Over at RiverScape, participate in Fundamentals of Skating if you have yet to learn how to skate.  Also, some Sunday theater options include Fat Pig at the Dayton Theatre Guild, The Foreignerat Sinclair, and Picnic at Wright State University.  And finally, if you are stressed out and don’t know what to do about it, make plans to attend the Introduction to Mindful Meditation Workshop at Practice Yoga on Fifth.

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

The wise never marry…and when they marry they become otherwise.

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 (1/19 – 1/23)

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Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

I have to be honest…writing this column each week has been a bit overwhelming, and this week is no exception!  As I have been researching events to share with you, I have realized that there are just TOO MANY great things going on in Dayton from which to choose!  In an effort to reduce the time it would take you to read about all the events going on this week, I have narrowed them down to a hopefully more manageable number!

On Wednesday, you can yell “checkmate” as part of the Chess Club at the East Branch of the Dayton Metro Library…or perhaps you better whisper it since you’ll be at the library.  Test your dance moves with Zumba at the East End Community Center.  Since you worked out, you can head over to Nick’s Restaurant for their Kahlua Tasting (you can’t go wrong with kahlua!), The Wine Gallery for their Weekly Wine Tasting, The Caroline for their Eel River Brewing Company Beer Tasting, or Savona Restaurant & Wine Bar for their Wine Down Weekdays! Or check out the movie Bill Monroe: Father of Bluegrass Music at The (Fabulous) Neon.

On Thursday, if you don’t know much about twitter, be sure to check out How To Use Twitter for Business.  When I gave up Facebook for Lent last year (except on Sundays, which was still incredibly difficult!), I created a Twitter account to “replace” it.  However, to this day, I still don’t know how to use it, so I could definitely benefit from this workshop!  If you think ice skating is a breeze, learn some additional skills at RiverScape as part of So You Think You Can Skate? I definitely wouldn’t be able to cut it for that one, but perhaps you are much more talented than I am!  Over at the Dayton Art Institute, check out the Dayton Philharmonic’s The King’s Theme: Bach’s A Musical Offering…who could turn down beautiful music in a beautiful environment?  While you’re there, be sure to take advantage of their Free Third Thursdays, as you will get free admission to two of their exhibits!  And finally, whether you’re good or bad, check out Jekyll & Hyde, which will be performed at Wright State.

On Friday, learn the basics of Bread Baking at the PNC 2nd Street Market.  Some music options are the Dayton Philharmonic’s ‘Bach: A Musical Offering’ at the Schuster Center, Betty Buckley – Broadway by Request at the Clark State Performing Arts Center, and Bruce Jordan with Sinclair Jazz Ensemble at Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theater.  I Hate Hamlet. Sorry to all the English teachers I have had in the past.  Actually, this is the name of a dramatic comedy you can see at The Playhouse South.  You can also catch Jekyll & Hyde at Wright State and Ravenscroft at the Dayton Theatre Guild.  And no matter your religious affiliation, if you missed the kick-off to fish fry season this past weekend at Holy Angels, be sure to head to St. Albert the Great for their Fish Fry!

On Saturday, get some tips on taking care of plants over the winter with the Plant Doctors at the PNC 2nd Street Market.  If you’ve never tried yoga and you’re wondering what all the hype is about, head to the Sri Yoga Open House at Sri Yoga Center, where you will be able to participate in FREE yoga classes!  Bring the whole family to Victoria Theatre for The Gizmo Guys – Comedic Juggling Duo.  If you have an ear for music, head to Aullwood Audubon Center & Farm for the Moon over Aullwood Musical Performance, Gilly’s for the Dayton Blues Society Winter Blues Showcase, or to Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theater for the Community Wind Symphony Concert.  Or if you’re like me and are a fan of music by THE Eagles (I can’t remember if any of them are bald), then head to the Schuster Center for ‘One of These Nights: Music of the Eagles’.  To catch some theater, purchase tickets to Ravenscroft at Dayton Theatre Guild, I Hate Hamlet at The Playhouse South, Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat Broadway Show at Clark State Performing Arts Center, or Jekyll & Hyde at Wright State University.  For a thrill, check out AMA Arenacross- Professional Racing at the Nutter Center.  Plus, be sure to get the DaytonMostMetro.com discount for Saturday’s show ($4 off your ticket) by entering the promo code MMETRO!  And finally, although it was a tough loss to Xavier, hopefully the Flyers will get a victory when they take on Fordham at the UD Arena…and hopefully you’ll be there to cheer them on!

On Sunday, you will be able to attend one of the events you may have missed earlier in the weekend, such as the AMA Arenacross- Amateur Racing at the Nutter Center, The Gizmo Guys – Comedic Juggling Duo at Victoria Theatre, I Hate Hamlet at The Playhouse South, Jekyll & Hyde at Wright State, or Ravenscroft at Dayton Theatre Guild.  If you like art, you can catch the Wright State University 2011 Faculty Exhibition.  And for all you social justice activists out there, head to the Dayton International Peace Museum for their exhibit, Under Our Noses: Modern Day Slavery and What You Can Do About It.

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

How do you identify a bald eagle?

All his feathers are combed over to one side.

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 (11/24 – 11/28)

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Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

As it is Thanksgiving week, I want to take a minute to say how very thankful I am to all of you for reading Jane’s Best Bets!  And thank you to DaytonMostMetro.com for giving me the opportunity to write on a topic I am so passionate about!  Here’s to another great week in Dayton!

On Wednesday, consider getting a FREE t-shirt by donating blood at the You’re The Ticket To Saving a Life at Community Blood Center! Don’t worry…you’ll be eating plenty of food tomorrow, so I’m guessing your blood supply will be okay.  At PNC 2nd Street Market, do your last minute Thanksgiving shopping as part of their Stock-Up Wednesday event.  And in the evening, be sure to catch the UD Flyers’ next win as they play Florida A&M at the UD Arena.  And if you want to get in the spirit of Thanksgiving and have a good laugh, check out the Thanksgiving Eve Show at Wiley’s.

On Thursday, with it being the Thanksgiving holiday, I’m going to keep it brief.  Consider participating in the The 32nd Annual Turkey Trot in downtown Miamisburg to counteract all the delicious food you’ll be eating later in the day.  And from what I’ve been told, you DON’T have to be a runner…walking is perfectly acceptable!  Over at the Dayton Convention Center, attend Thanksgiving in Dayton ‘A Feast of Giving’, in which several sponsors are helping to continue the Beerman family Thanksgiving dinner tradition.  Regardless of where you go, have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING and eat some turkey for me!  Gobble Gobble!

On Black Friday, set your alarm clock early so you can catch some of those fabulous deals.  Just be sure I don’t see you on the news later because you got into a fight over a super deal on the Emerson 32” LCD HDTV they’re selling at Wal-Mart! If you’re not up for fighting the crazy crowds, there are many other ways to officially kick off the Christmas season on Friday so let me fill you in one little secret…Downtown is THE place to be!  If you want to burn off some of those calories from all that turkey you ate the day before, head to the MetroParks Ice Rink Grand Opening Weekend at Riverscape.  Visit Santa and allow your kids to do a little shopping of their own at The Tike’s Shop, as well as see the Wonderland Windows (the old Rike’s holiday displays) at the Schuster Center.  Check out some amazing gingerbread houses as part of the Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays Contest at the Old Courthouse.  Over at Kettering Tower (which is actually in downtown, not Kettering!), bring the kids to the Holiday Village, which will include festive crafts and games.  Also for the kids, The Junior League of Dayton will be sponsoring their 2010 Holiday Hunt.  In addition to all these great events, there will also be a Street Fair on Third with free carnival rides, a McPherson Town Holiday Home Tour, and a Sounds of the Season concert at Fifth Third Center, where Culture Works brings together several local choirs for a free holiday concert!  And finally while you’re downtown, you won’t want to miss the Grande Illumination and Dayton Children’s Parade Spectacular in Lights (Dayton Holiday Festival) at Courthouse Square.  Oh…and if your legs are exhausted from doing all that shopping early in the morning, take one of the Horse-drawn Wagon Rides to get from location to location!  Or if you want to kick your feet back and enjoy a show where others are doing all the legwork, head to the Schuster Center to see Cirque Dreams – Holidaze, which is a holiday musical with an international cast of acrobats, aerialists, singers, dancers, and musicians!  Whew, I’m exhausted!  If you don’t remember everything I said about Friday, don’t worry – just remember the word “downtown” and the rest will take care of itself!

On Saturday, head back downtown for one of the many things you may have missed, since after all, how could you possibly fit it all in on one day?!?!  There will be The Tike’s Shop, Wonderland Windows, and Cirque Dreams – Holidaze at the Schuster Center; Carriage Rides and ice skating as part of MetroParks Ice Rink Grand Opening Weekend at Riverscape; the Virginia Kettering’s Holiday Train Display at Kettering Tower; and the McPherson Town Holiday Home Tour.  Also, check out the PNC 2nd Street Market and bring a non-perishable item or two to donate to the Foodbank as part of the Food for Friends event.  At Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, they will have a Holiday Art Fair and Open House.  If you are looking for a Christmas tree, head out to Choose & Cut Christmas Trees at Young’s Jersey Dairy.  Bring your dancing moves to the Dayton Mall and participate in Dance Along Nutcracker…all are welcome!  And finally in the evening, support the AIDS Resource Center by watching The Rubi Girls present ‘The Show Must Go On’ at Club Masque.

On Sunday, to be perfectly honest, I’m probably going to need to rest due to all the hustle and bustle from the previous days!  But if you’re game, there will still be many events going on strong in the wonderful Dayton region!  Have “Some-Fun” at the Schuster Center with crafts, entertainment, and more.  While there, be sure to check out Wonderland Windows and The Tike’s Shop if you didn’t get a chance to see them earlier in the weekend.  Or, check out the Cirque Dreams – Holidaze show.  If you’re no Peggy Fleming, attend Fundamentals of Skating at Riverscape.  And finally, if you’re a beer lover, attend the Tapping Dogfish Head Burton Baton at Chappy’s.

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

Why did the police arrest the turkey?

They suspected it of fowl play.

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!

Dayton Sports Weekly Update: 7/12/2010

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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: 6/7/2010

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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!