By Steve Svetoivich

Former Bishop Hannan and Syracuse University basketball standout Gerry McNamara named coach at Siena University…McNamara had been an assistant coach at Syracuse since 2009…Congratulations to Tessa Mangan, Rebecca Oakes, Eva Kaszuba, Sophia Galko and Ella Schofield of Scranton Prep named to All-Region Swimming and Diving team…Maura Michalczyk won four individual events to lead Dunmore to 74-67 win over Mountain View in Lackawanna Track Conference Division III-IV girls meet Thursday, March 28…She won 100-meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump and pole vault to account for 20 points for Lady Bucks…Condolenses to family of Dunmore’s Caroline Angerson, always very active with Dunmore Senior Center, who died last month at 98…She was longtime volunteer for Telespond and Hospice of Sacred Heart and was chosen as Lackawanna County Volunteer of Year…Condolences to family of Cactus Carl Evans, well known local car salesman for over 50 years and proud Army veteran, who died last month at 92…Congratulations to Scranton Prep girls basketball team for advancing to PIAA Class 4A title game, losing 56-44 to Blackhawk at Giant Center in Hershey…Jenna Hillebrand scored 16 points for Prep in the loss…Do you remember Dunmore’s Tara Macciocco selected to play in annual girls basketball Roundball Classic at University of Pittsburgh’s Fitzgerald Fieldhouse 30 years ago?…Congratulations to Dunmore’s Luke Healey for winning boys 100-yard breaststroke at District 2 Class 2A Swimming Championships at Wilkes-Barre Area High School…Congratulations to Mario Matrone of Holy Cross named to District 2 Class 2A All-Tournament boys basketball team…Congratulations to Peyton Graboske of Holy Cross named to District 2 Class 2A All-Tournament girls basketball team…Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael, hospitalized recently with ALS, to be inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton this August…Congratulations to Scranton Knights for winning fourth straight District 2 Class 6A boys basketball title, 68-58 over Hazleton Area…Tony Battaglia and Oliver Almonte scored 16 points each for Knights…Pedro Lugo added 12 points on six powerful two-handed slams and had 13 rebounds…Congratulations to Scranton Lady Knights for winning District 2 Class 6A girls basketball title, 46-34 over Abington…Zya Small led Scranton with 15 points…Maggie O’Shea added 10 points for Lady Knights…Congratulations to University of Scranton Lady Royals sophomore and Western Wayne graduate Kaell Romanowski named Defensive Player of Year in Landmark Conference…Congratulations to Scranton Prep’s Rebecca Oakes for winning 100 butterfly with time of 1:01.82 in District 2 Class 2A swimming championship…Andy Russell, two-time world champion and seven-time Pro Bowl selection as linebacker in 12-year career with Pittsburgh Steelers, died last month at 82…Condolences to family of Dunmore’s Angelo Valvano, U.S. Army veteran and brother of former Sunday Scrantonian Tribune sports editor Guy Valvano, who died at 86…Following his retirement from Gress Refrigeration Services, he worked at former Lackawanna County Stadium in commissioner’s box…He also worked 18 years at A&P and participated yearly in St. Rocco’s annual festival and procession in Bunker Hill section of Dunmore…Condolences to family of U.S. Marine Corps veteran and avid body builder Dennis Williams, Green Ridge section of Scranton, who died last month at 73…Formerly employed at Tobyhanna Army Depot, he volunteered for civilian duty in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and dabbled in writing and publishing music, guitar and comedy…How about Blake Snell finally signing on two-year $62-million deal with San Francisco Giants…Why are MLB free agents Tommy Pham, Brandon Belt and Donovan Solano not signed?…Pham hit 27 doubles, 16 homers and drove in 68 runs for Mets and D Backs last season and then hit three post season homers and batted .421 as Arizona’s cleanup hitter in World Series…Belt, two-time world champion with Giants, hit 23 doubles and 19 homers with 61 walks and .369 on base percentage  in 339 at bars with Toronto Blue Jays last season…Solano, former Silver Slugger, has hit between .280 and .330 in last five seasons…Surely, all three are major league worthy…And how about former New York Yankees pitcher and Texas Rangers World Series hero Jordan Montgomery singing $25 million contract with Arizona D Backs…If Monty starts 23 games this season, a $25-million option will trigger for 2025 season…Injury plagued and enigmatic Ben Simmons only played 15 games for Brooklyn Nets this season, with one year left on $40-million a year contract…Does this teach NBA owners anything more about this guy?…Two-time Cincinnati Reds world champion and former New York Yankee Ken Griffey, Sr., a .298 career hitter, was featured speaker at Greater Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons of St. Patrick’s 78th Anniversary Dinner last month…Congratulations to Sophia Talutto of Dunmore and Abby Thompson of Holy Cross named to Girls Basketball Lackawanna League Coaches’ All-Star team and to All-Defensive team…Dunmore’s Tristan Canavan, an honorable mention, also named to All-Defensive team…Former Dunmore basketball standout Moriah Murray at press time averaging 4.6 points for Penn State University and second on team with 39 3-pointers as redshirt freshman…How about Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto signing at age 40 with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays…Votto will begin season in rehab stint for Triple-A Buffalo…Congratulations to Duquesne graduate student Kierra Saldi, Holy Cross graduate, selected Northeast Conference women’s Bowler of Year and first-team league all-star…So Ohtani stated he never bet on sports and his interpreter Ippel Mizuhara stole $4.5-million from him and told lies…With Mizuhara’s alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and millions in debts allegedly paid through Ohtani’s checkbook, MLB better give Ohtani the same investigative treatment late MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti gave to Pete Rose…This could be MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s worst nightmare…Face of baseball or not…Congratlations to first-year coach Al Callejas, Jr. and his Holy Cross Crussders boys basketball team who advanced to PIAA Class 4A championship, losing to Aliquippa, 74-52…Michael Hughes led Crusaders with 13 points in loss…Mario Matrone scored 11 points and C.J. Thompson and Adam Badyrka added 10 each for Holy Cross…Congratulations to Michael Hughes and Matt Lyons of Holy Cross named to Boys Basketball Lackawanna League Coaches’ All-Star first-team…Michael Hughes, who averaged 18.1 points per game, also named Division III Player of the Year…Matt Lyons named to All-Defensive team…Michael Hughes scored 22 points and Matt Lyons added 21 in Holy Cross 78-66 win over Constitution in PIAA Class 2A semifinal…Mario Matrone added 15 points and freshmen C.J. Thompson and Adam Badyrka scored 10 each for Holy Cross…Best of luck in retirement to long time Holy Cross legendary basketball coach Barry Fitzgerald who rallied his team to a district title and one win in the state playoffs before losing in second round to Minersville…Peyton Graboske led Lady Crusaders with 17 points in Holy Cross win, 58-50, over Wyalusing in first round of state playoffs…Ava Schmidt scored 14 and Abby Thompson added 13 for Holy Cross…Look for Dunmore sophomore Rachel Walsh to have big year on mound and at plate for Lady Bucks this season…Congratulations to Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School for winning Diocesan J.V. championship with 48-40 win over St. Clare/St. Paul’s…Do you remember Wade Ollendyke?…Whatever  became of Clint “Jackson” Frazier?…