Al Hamnik

With a side of kraut.

May your long-respected football program find inner strength by brushing off the distractions.

2025 Gary Sports Hall of Fame WRAPUP (C): Willie Williams (track & field) who ran world-record 10.1 in 100-meters while at University of Illinois and later coached West Side to 5 state titles, was next door neighbor of past inductee John Campbell, who won 12 titles at Roosevelt.

2025 Gary Sports Hall of Fame WRAPUP (B): Don Leek (track and field) was the oldest of 12 children. Marce Gonzalez Sr. (track and field) was born blind in one eye. Asked once if it was hard running, replied: “Not if you’re far enough ahead.”

2025 Gary Sports Hall of Fame WRAPUP (A): Inductee Jerry Shay (football) couldn’t attend because of health issues but sent a video. Minnesota Vikings’ assistant general manager Ryan Grigson sent a congratulatory video for his former Highland coach Dave Shelbourne (football).

Friday night’s 2025 Gary Sports Hall of Fame Induction at IUN was called “the best ever” by several of the 300-plus in attendance. Inductees Angela Hamblin-Blakely (basketball) and Dave Shelbourne (football) fought back tears during their emotional speeches.

You have a good memory.

Tuesday is our final walk-through at IUN for Friday night’s 2025 Gary Sports Hall of Fame induction and our board of directors is pumped. Tickets still available. Marce Gonzalez Sr., Willie Williams, Angela Hamblin, Don Leek, Dave Shelbourne, Jerry Shay. Gonna be a great night!

Why? Should be suspended — shame on the Chiefs.

Memberships available?

I once asked for ketchup at a hot dog stand in White Sox park and the 2 ladies working behind the counter laughed, shook their heads, and blurted out: “KETCHUP!!!! You must be from INDIANA!”

Rice should miss the entire 2025 NFL season. Sit his ass. Did you watch the frightening video on that busy expressway and the damage he did to other cars? It’s a miracle he didn’t killed several people, including himself. It’s as if he had a death wish.

I climbed into my car at 3:30 Tuesday afternoon and temperature inside was 100 degrees. Ran AC for 10 minutes before it finally cooled off. Good Lord. Can’t say it enough. Don’t leave your children or pets in a locked vehicle during dangerous heat. THINK!!!!!

Gary West Side District AD Hank Kilander is pushing to have Cougars new turf field and new track renamed in honor of legendary coaches Gene Johnson (football) and Willie Williams (track & field). I hope school administration approves this well-deserved and long overdue tribute.

Classy move by the Railcats. “Tee Dub” brightened the day for all of us.

Watching Cubs in New York reminds me of Gary native/former White Sox AL Rookie of The Year Ron Kittle, whose first impression of old Yankee Stadium’s run-down neighborhood was: “It’s like when you finally remove an old fridge to clean and there’s all that gunk underneath it.”

Can remember when John O’Malley, Mike Osipoff, Mike Hutton, John Mutka and I regularly covered Big Ten Conference Football and Basketball Media Days for our competing newspapers, always looking for that ‘local’ angle and trying to scoop each other. What a great time that was.

Love prep football? Thank Hobart grad Paul ‘Grandpa’ Condry for his many years of great coverage.

Gary Sports Hall of Fame 2025 inductee: FAST FACT: DT Jerry Shay was No. 7 pick of the First Round by Vikings. Career included seasons with Falcons & Giants. Been a member of Giants’ scouting staff since 1977. He and fellow GSHOF inductee Dave Shelbourne grew up 2 blocks apart.

Elia’s ugly, obscene, over-the-top rant towards booing Cubs’ fans deserves its own plaque in baseball hall of fame.