Sports Columns

Sometimes it's hard to believe how the world once was.

For much of the first half of the twentieth century, the public viewed antismoking groups with a sort of What's-the-big-deal? bemusement now reserved to groups just north of the lunatic fringe, like PETA. After all, smoking was portrayed as glamorous, actors and athletes sung its praises in advertisements, and talk about peer pressure close to half of American adults were doing it.

The past two seasons, Allison Updike went into the PIAA State Track and Field Championships as the hunter.

The Tamaqua junior ended up bagging a fourth place medal in the Class AA javelin as a freshman and a seventh place last year, although she was still recovering from a knee injury.

For this weekend's State Meet, Updike will be both the hunter and the hunted, as she will be seeking gold in the AA javelin as the top seed in the field.

Also drawing a top seed for the PIAA Meet is Palmerton senior Lanny Buck, who is tied for the number one spot in the AA pole vault.

Once again, I've taken a page out of the Bob Urban column-writing book.

The editor of our paper often writes short thoughts about what's happening in the world and in our area.

If it can be done about news and everyday events, it can also be done about sports.

So, here it goes ...

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As of May 3, it's been 11 years since the TIMES NEWS Sports Department has been running the On This Date section.

By MIKE HAINES

There might be no fans in sports riding as high right now as Philadelphia Phillies fans.

Over the past five years the Fightins' have taken a step up in class. They developed a core of players, kept them together into their primes and entered the world of big market teams.