http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/A Sports Blog by Troy Ruel of the Muskegon Chronicle.enFri, 30 Jan 2009 12:43:26 PSTMovable Type Enterprise 4.29-advance http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/noA Sports Blog by Troy Ruel of the Muskegon Chronicle.goldenruelhttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/volifv-VKFk/a_super_prediction.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:43:26 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/goldenruel//3298.2132434 ]]>It's the curse of the sportswriter. The Number One rule for any sports journalist to remember when covering a game is "there's no cheering in the press box." The line often blurs quickly, but it's one I've tried to accept....http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2009/01/a_super_prediction.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/O5u90fp-bCI/a_new_year_for_horse_racings_n.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:18:51 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/goldenruel//3298.2001793 ]]>The countdown is on... 5... 4... 3 ... 2.. No, we rang in the New Year's over a week ago, but the horse racing action begins to pick up with the start of the new year. For many casual sports'...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2009/01/a_new_year_for_horse_racings_n.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/GSckWi3xksY/o16_its_a_starting_point.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:19:10 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1943006 ]]>No, I'm not rooting against the Detroit Lions this weekend. Becoming the NFL's only team to go 0-16 would be a fitting punishment for an organization that has made one mistake after another over the last decade....http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/12/o16_its_a_starting_point.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/zJ_KYEg1yLo/random_thoughts_2.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:48:09 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1785733 ]]>Just a few brief, random thoughts duringa busy sports period in which all of our thoughts are brief and random: * How about that Muskegon Big Red football team. In a game hyped as No. 1 vs. No. 2 in...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/11/random_thoughts_2.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/CNhtMr5blPs/pity_the_lions.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:20:49 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1731110 ]]>Trust me... I've never pretended to be a fan of the Detroit Lions. I used to watch them, when guys like Barry Sanders, Herman Moore and Johnnie Morton were on my fantasy football teams, but I wasn't a fan. Former...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/11/pity_the_lions.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/jS9T_o5wGkI/exciting_weekend_on_tap.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:52:55 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1647754 ]]>With the first blast of arctic air expected to hit West Michigan this weekend, it might be a perfect chance to sit back on the sofa and enjoy the entertaining options on tap. First, the expanded Breeders Cup extends to...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/10/exciting_weekend_on_tap.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/wjJRMLEt1_w/random_thoughts_1.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:09:06 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1614627 ]]>Time for some random thoughts... The Michigan horse racing industry gets a rare chance to celebrate again this week with the annual Michigan Sire Stakes. The horse racing community received a reprieve when Jerry and Felicia Campbell opened Pinnacle Race...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/10/random_thoughts_1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/9qDNMBaX0hA/nfl_predictions_the_millen_wat.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:17:05 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1471133 ]]>One of the greatest pastimes of sports writers are making predictions. Everyone seems to have an opinion. Everyone likes to pretend they're an expert. Everyone wants to share their "inside" information. The best part is that not many readers actually...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/09/nfl_predictions_the_millen_wat.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/dT0PNwiMaik/return_of_michigan_thoroughbre.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:25:00 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1233677 ]]>It was a sad day last fall when Great Lakes Downs shut its doors to thoroughbred racing. Troy RuelPinnacle Race Course will use it's pavillion for the opening year of thoroughbred racing in Detroit. A four-story clubhouse is currently being...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/07/return_of_michigan_thoroughbre.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/MoGtrO8-JE0/summer_vacation_at_comerica_pa.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:47:40 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1118282 ]]>Troy RuelBaseball purists may frown at the amusement parks in Comerica Park, however, they are popular with kids and families. The Ferris Wheel features baseball-shaped gondolas and costs $2 a ride. On Sunday's kids 14-and-under are free. As the height...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/06/summer_vacation_at_comerica_pa.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/Icz1hWi8C0o/big_brown_fails_to_deliver.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:20:21 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1067726 ]]>A lot of people in the horse racing industry were pulling for Big Brown to complete the Triple Crown last weekend. However, Da' Tara's upset win at the Belmont truly displays how tough the feat actually is to accomplish, despite...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/06/big_brown_fails_to_deliver.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/zYJF6Ws8ryo/random_thoughts.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Fri, 23 May 2008 11:45:51 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.1011776 ]]>It's been awhile since my last post, but after my Kentucky Derby picks, you can understand why I haven't gone out a limb lately. So, I'm finally back to offer some random thoughts as a whirlwind May ends, and an...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/05/random_thoughts.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/TWOLsQJ1e1A/kentucky_derby_picks.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Sat, 03 May 2008 07:55:12 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.945832 ]]>What can Brown do for you? As the A-list celebrities begin to gather and the gates prepare to fly open to signal the start of the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, that's the biggest question circling the grounds of...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/05/kentucky_derby_picks.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/NVckuPUklk0/derby_dazed_and_confused.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:49:46 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.932650 ]]>Chronicle file photoThe only home for thoroughbred racing in Michigan from 1999-2007 was at Great Lakes Downs. Magna Entertainment Corp. announced it would close the facility at the end of last season following eight years of financial losses. The phone...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/04/derby_dazed_and_confused.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/ULn08Af94iQ/west_michigan_track_season_in.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:22:36 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.922479 ]]>The MHSAA track and field season is already too short. And the cool weather to start the year and the annual spring break interruption has pushed things back even further. Ken StevensReeths-Puffer's Lee Thompson, center, and Fruitport's Dylan Clarke will...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/04/west_michigan_track_season_in.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/WfRz9L9IT_o/prediction_rbi_kings_but_tiger.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:42:19 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.832757 ]]>Let me start by saying I was a Detroit Tigers season-ticket holder and fan of the sport prior to 2006. I've sat through Opening Day with snow flurries so thick you couldn't see the pitch, and even worse, weathered through...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/03/prediction_rbi_kings_but_tiger.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/87dLvAnJF-I/revising_your_tournament_brack.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:50:30 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.824961 ]]>I don't claim to be an expert on anything -- especially, when it comes to basketball. But, since we're in-between prep seasons and I indulged in a weekend of DirectTV's wall-to-wall NCAA tournament coverage, I figured I'd give a quick...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/03/revising_your_tournament_brack.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/8PhWKgKy_Cg/a_disappointing_defeat_for_sho.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:02:16 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.775324 ]]>You learn quickly in this busines to expect the unexpected. You learn not to get too far ahead of yourself, because even the best-laid plans will change. I was guilty of that as I started researching a column idea late...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/03/a_disappointing_defeat_for_sho.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/b2UJOpSGnL8/west_michigan_hockey_teams_nea.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:54:10 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.723645 ]]>After nearly four months and several white-knuckle drives across the state, the high school hockey season is nearly over. But it's not too late to catch some exciting hockey from the local teams. The regional tournament begins next week with...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/02/west_michigan_hockey_teams_nea.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/goldenruel/~3/1mg_9C7iqkY/amped_up_but_the_hendrick_hone.htmltruel@muskegonchronicle.com (Troy Ruel)Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:19:02 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/goldenruel//3298.710575 ]]>Associated PressDale Earnhardt Jr. is looking to sweep the Daytona races after winning the Bud Shootout and Gatorade Duel earlier this week. Will he have what it takes to win the Daytona 500? Sorry, Junior ... The Hendrick honeymoon is...http://blog.mlive.com/goldenruel/2008/02/amped_up_but_the_hendrick_hone.htmlnonadult