Baseball and softball fields sat empty. A spring passed without a track meet.

TOKYO A debate is brewing between former gold medalist Maya DiRado and some American swimmers over U.S. medal threat Michael Andrew’s decision not to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus as he prepares to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

CANNONSBURG If you scored a run on Emily Cole this season, you had to earn it.

GRAYSON Raceland and Lawrence County both expected to have baseball teams in 2020 that, at the very least, rivaled their best ever.

CANNONSBURG Kerri Thornburg was humbled — in a good way.

BOWLING GREEN Although Ashland was already eliminated from final four contention, the 12U All-Stars didn’t leave Bowling Green’s Ephram White Park without a victory.

BOWLING GREEN Through two days of the Little League Baseball State Tournament, District 6 teams have gone a combined 1-5 at Ephram White Park.

GRAYSON Brandon Samples chucked a softball from the infield over the fence in left-center field on Saturday morning, exclaiming, "Leave this here for them to remember us by!"

GRAYSON Boyd County National 10U All-Stars needed a run Friday, and coach Kristin May decided to gamble.

GRAYSON Boyd County suffered a White-out.

GRAYSON Russell-Flatwoods didn’t put many hits on the scoreboard at Grayson Sports Park on Wednesday night.

GRAYSON "That kid's got some WHEELS!" the home-plate umpire mused aloud to no one in particular Tuesday night after Stan Spence's Kaylin Pollock turned a strikeout into three bases.

I’m not exactly in game day shape.

GRAYSON Montana Fouts was fidgeting.

CATLETTSBURG The Boyd County Cal Ripken All-Stars’ trophy haul keeps growing.

Jake Russell said an imperative of winning in Mid-South Conference football is a high-scoring offense.

CANNONSBURG JB Terrill was happy people noticed what he did.

ASHLAND Asked his thoughts on Eddie Sizemore as a tennis coach, Ashland’s Alden Johnson paused and grinned.

LOUISVILLE Kari Seasor had a good feeling going into the Ripken League All-Stars 10U state softball tournament over the weekend.

ASHLAND Mia Ferguson carried an undefeated record into the 16th Region Tournament tennis singles final, where Ashland’s Abby Meek, whom she’d beaten in two previous encounters, waited.

Opponents attempted to put runs on the board against the Boyd County Cal Ripken 8U softball team this weekend.

OLIVE HILL Pitchers Luke Melvin and Eli Craft combined to allow just four hits, catcher Chris Whitt racked up four of his team’s 12 hits and first baseman Wes Merrill was an extra-base machine as Russell-Flatwoods knocked off Fleming County, 10-4, in the Little League District 6 8-10 basebal…

SUMMIT It was a couple of days before the Fourth of July, but there were definitely fireworks at Fraley Field.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

FLEMINGSBURG Ryan Lother told the Russell-Flatwoods 9-11 baseball team to keep their hats on.

ASHLAND Saturday night at the Ashland Armory was the first time many boxers on the East Coast Promotions card had stepped back into the ring since the pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt last spring.

Seven northeastern Kentucky players were named to the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State teams, led by first-teamers Bryce Blevins of Lawrence County and Rowan County’s Mason Moore.

ASHLAND Travis “Rattlesnake” Hanshaw cracked a smile in the direction of his family Saturday night late in the second round of the main event matchup with Anthony Williams presented by East Coast Promotions.

SOUTH SHORE The Boyd County National 8-10-year-old softball pitching staff compiled its third no-hitter of the Little League All-Stars summer on Friday night.

Life is all about opportunities and what you are able to do with them when you are afforded the chance.

Randy Wallace hates hats.

Elliott County’s Maleigh McDaniel and Bath County’s Jesselin Miller were the first-teamers among 11 northeastern Kentucky softball players to be voted onto the Kentucky Softball Coaches Association’s All-State Teams announced Sunday.

LEXINGTON Kayla Lykins-Thomas estimated she’s able to attend about one Lewis County softball game a year, because the former Lady Lions coach lives in Ashland now. Besides that, she joked she’d have a hard time getting her two young kids to sit still for seven innings.

LEXINGTON Lewis County's sensational run was in trouble, and its ace was laboring. So Joe Hampton went to check on her.

LEXINGTON Lewis County still had reason to celebrate on Saturday afternoon.