Greetings and salutations.
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, having just transferred in from the Southern Standard to write about all things DeKalb. Being transferred isn’t anything new to me, having made many during my years in the military from Germany to various points around the United States.
With football season upon us, I am looking forward to visiting the sidelines of Tiger football, Tigerette soccer, DCMS football, youth league football and basketball to name a few. My beat was Warren County sports for the past year, but I’ve had my ear to the ground since I found out about my move.
At first glance, I noticed 2017 DCHS graduate Steven Jennings signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a $1.9 million bonus and 2013 DCHS pitcher Cody Puckett signed with the Oakland A’s. You can bet those two athletes were excited about the developments and what better incentive for ball players across the county? I know if I were drafted by Sports Illustrated I could relate. The closest I got to the draft was by Uncle Sam and that was voluntary.
It’s not hard to be excited about sports news like that. I did have the pleasure to see Jennings pitch in Smithville this year when the Tigers played the Pioneers. The diamond was abuzz with scouts checking out the action.
It’s fitting the first football game of the season pits the Tigers against the Pioneers as well. I get to change sidelines as it were, but my job is still the same – to bring as much sports as possible to DeKalb County residents each week.
Being the new guy here at the Review, my first couple days have been awash with adding coaches’ contacts to my cellphone, identifying schedules of practice times and places, and the general housekeeping that goes along with a new locale. For those who have sports news to pass along, my email is news@smithvillereview.com and feel free to send any schedules you might have.
Along with football season, we’re getting ready to kickoff Pigskin Prognosticator each week during the football season. Basically, we run 12 football matchups from NFL to local high-school contests the week prior. Readers then take their best shot at forecasting the winners. The best outcomes go into a winner’s pool and prizes will be awarded. We’ll do a story on it as the opening day approaches on all the fine print, but it has been a fan favorite in the past.
Another announcement I would like to make is the advent of a brand new Twitter account to help folks stay informed. It’s in a fledgling state at the moment, but fear not -- it will be a source of valuable information soon. Follow                            @SvilleReview for all the latest.