Poll comments

Back after a few days off (family wedding) and I'm catching up on the weekend's happenings.

Before I do that, however, it's time to share my thoughts on a poll posted on this blog throughout last week. I asked visitors to vote for the sport they thought was the best in the area and I'm absolutely stunned by the results.

Football was the clear-cut winner and wrestling finished second. No other sport was close. My question is this: Did voters actually think about the topic before making their decision?

I'd like to hear some arguments from those who voted football as the area's best sport. Remember, this wasn't a vote for the favorite sport. There's no way football is the area's best sport. Not one team from the two-county area has played for a WPIAL championship since 2001 (Washington and Fort Cherry). Most years, only one or two teams make it out of the first round.

As for wrestling, there are definitely several accomplishment student-athletes competing, but there was not one PIAA individual champion and no local team won a WPIAL team title either.

Maybe it's the traditionalists voting for football and wrestling.

My vote goes to baseball and softball. Our area dominates both. In baseball, Peters Township, Canon-McMillan, Washington, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston and California are annual contenders. In softball, Char-Houston has won three straight WPIAL titles, while Peters Township, Washington, Waynesburg, West Greene, Carmichaels, Burgettstown, McGuffey and Beth-Center are always in the postseason.