Two weeks after visiting the New York Stock Exchange with the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team and ringing The Closing Bell, Bobby Douglas was playing a game of “Beat the Streets” back in the Midwest. “Listen to the instruction,” he implored youngsters during a warm-up session to launch a two-day wrestling clinic Friday at Shepard High School in Palos Heights. Douglas is a 70-year-old two-time former Olympian (1964, 1968), World silver and bronze wrestling medalist and a two-time former Olympic wrestling coach (1992, 2004). He still is fit as a fiddle. And he is preparing himself these days to …

Until earlier this week, Lincoln-Way Central pitcher Matt Mikolajczak was one of the Knights’ most trusted starters. Now, he’s adding a bit more responsibility to his repertoire on the mound. He is bringing a fastball and curve to the mix as well as a wrong-way look out of the bullpen. And he is making life tough on Lincoln-Way Central opponents. Call it a 'Miko' lefty look. Or call it nasty. Mikolajczak, a junior left-hander, pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief in the Knights’ 5-4 10-inning victory over district rival Lincoln-Way East on Thursday afternoon in New Lenox. He retired 10 of …

Listen to their voices. “It was a great tournament for me,” Lincoln-Way West’s Morgan Flaherty said after she captured individual medalist honors at the IHSA girls bowling state tournament. Her comments first appeared in an article by Dennis Nelson of the Sun-Times News Group along with those of some other newly crowned champs. “Today is one of the best days of my entire life,” Andrew’s Ashley Stefanski said after the T-Bolts captured their first girls bowling state title on Saturday at Cherry Bowl in Rockford. “We didn’t expect this at all,” Andrew coach Julie DeChene said. And did you catch…

Running up the score is a dirty subject no one in sports wants to talk much about, particularly not when it involves high school sports and accusations of poor sportsmanship on the part of coaches and/or players. The subject reared its ugly head on Patch message boards following Lincoln-Way East’s 45-9 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way Central on Tuesday. “Shame on you,” is how one commenter chose to berate East’s coach. I say cheap shot. I’m sure there are occasions when coaches and/or players attempt to run up the score on opponents. It’s human nature to hold a grudge…

From now on, I will be prepared when somebody stops me and asks, “Why would anyone in his right mind play small college football?” My answer: St. Xavier University. The Cougars capped a stirring run to the NAIA national championship with a 24-20 victory over Carroll (Mont.) on Saturday at Barron Stadium in Rome, Ga. The game was a classic—just like St. Xavier’s season—featuring enough back-and-forth drama and late-game heroics to fill a scrapbook with memories that will last a lifetime. And that’s what small-college football is all about—making memories with friends and classmates, sharing in…

In the hours—then minutes—before kickoff, St. Xavier football coach Mike Feminis will not waiver his tried and true routine, at least not much. Feminis will call on his captains to speak in a team meeting at the hotel before St. Xavier takes the field to face Carroll (Mont.) in Saturday’s NAIA national championship football game (3:30 CST, CBS Sports Network). Then, ‘Fem’ will open the floor for other players and his assistants to say a few words. Finally, he will finish up with his own thoughts, those thoughts ranging from paying attention to assignment detail and execution of the Cougars’ …

In the sports world, there is a tendency for all of us to get caught up in hero worship. The big names and big stars are people all of us follow, if only to satisfy our celebrity curiosity craving. What does Bulls guard Derrick Rose think about getting back to work now that the NBA labor dispute has been settled? How much money did he lose during the strike? Who does a better touchdown dance? Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers? Or the two hopelessly out-of-touch folks in the television insurance company ad? You know the ones: they mimic Rodgers’ championship belt routine by working their hands…

Brace yourself college football fans for the Game of the Century, Part II. No, I’m not talking about a potential rematch of Alabama vs. LSU for the Division I national championship, though the SEC rivals remain in line for the game’s next great apocalyptic adventure. Rather, I’m referring to a semifinal matchup of St. Xavier vs. Marian as the cataclysmic battle of small-school college football powerhouses. The two will be meeting for the second time this season, a trip to the nationally televised NAIA championship game Dec. 17 in Rome, Ga., resting in the balance. Kickoff is at noon (CST) …

An old friend of mine, Edgy Tim O’Halloran, noted recently in his column for the Chicago Tribune how impossible it is to select a high school football Player of the Year and a Coach of the Year. To be sure, this is a task that falls under the category of inexact science. Do you side with the best player? Or the best player on the most successful team? And do you automatically pick the winningest coach? Or do you like the coach who turned a sleeping giant into a winner? Tough questions. No right or wrong answers, either. After boiling my list of candidates down to five, I picked Lincoln-Way …

Anyone who watched attentively will tell you Rob Ninkovich was a terrific high school football player. He just wasn’t cut from the mold of a five-star recruit coming out of Lincoln-Way Central in 2001-02. He was judged too small to play on the defensive line in the collegiate ranks. He was deemed inadequate for a tryout at tight end or fullback. And there was some question whether he would make it academically, too. So, now a decade later, who would’ve figured Ninkovich would be cast in a spotlight role on Sunday Night football, his most recent breakout performance beamed into living rooms …