James Cook: The Cookies, a look at the best in NoMI

James Cook, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·5 min read

Jan. 1—Welcome to the newest hastily-written, not-thought-out way to ensure a certain group of Traverse City sportswriters can all take it easy on New Year's weekend.

If you like parenthesis, you'll love this. If not, well, I can't account for every taste.

Sports are meant to be fun and not taken too seriously, so let's have some fun. Here we go.

BEST PODCAST GUEST: Ian Robertson and Trae Collins, TC West.

There's a lot of contenders here, but Ian and Trae stuck around after The Get Around recording was done and just chatted about sports with us for about an hour. That's dedication. Trae and Ian are also big components of the next award.

BEST STUDENT SECTION: Traverse City West.

There are some notable rivals for the title, but the Bleacher Creatures are the kings of the mountain. The bucket brigade for football games, putting a couch courtside for basketball and all the other antics give other schools a target to aim for.

BEST PLAYLIST: TC St. Francis basketball.

Playing "For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Metallica prior to every game is just a great choice. (The song is a take on the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same title.) Although, I figured a choice Metallica option for a Catholic school would be "Creeping Death," from the same album, which tells the Biblical story of Passover. Fellow metalhead and McBain volleyball coach Shawn Murphy might agree with this one. So let it be written, so let it be done.

BEST GYMNASIUM: Petoskey.

This gym just has the feel of old-time college basketball. The big scoreboard hanging in the middle, the entrances at the top and having to go down to your seats, it all lends itself to an incredible sound and feel.

BEST PRESS BOX: The Oleson Press Box at Thirlby Field.

I mean, c'mon. It has an elevator (even though it's perhaps the slowest one ever invented). It's heated. There's a fridge with beverages and almost always food. This is particularly good for St. Francis games, where Mike Kanitz is the nicest security guy you'll ever meet and a seat is always reserved for the Record-Eagle. Anything that makes a deadline-driven job less stressful is always welcomed.

WORST-KEPT SECRET IN AREA SPORTS: That Jason Morrow will be the next football coach at TC West.

How this comes about may look a little sketchy to some, but it seems like the outcome exactly 100 percent of folks expect. Naming him as track coach to succeed Tom Brown also seems like a stepping stone toward his eventual announcement as football coach.

BEST FOOTBALL HELMET: Gaylord.

The Trident coming over the top with the tines forward is just perfect for the Blue Devils. Runner-up is a tie between Grayling, Manistee Catholic and Lake City, all of whom have a sword instead of a stripe down the middle. (I was partial to Mesick's helmets that had "The Sick" on the back collar plate, but those were done away with a few years ago.)

BEST BALL DIAMOND: Petoskey.

The massive dugouts at their fields give them an advantage. Being able to see the field from the concession stand line is nice for fans as well. (Note: No field that has high fences all the way around, thus restricting photography, will really be considered. This is the way.) We'll see what TC West's new baseball and softball fields hold, but right now they're just dirt and light posts.

BEST SOCCER PITCH: The Trojan Athletic Complex.

We'll see what TC West's looks like once it gets completed, but for now, the winner is the TAC. Maybe the largest bleacher seating of area soccer stadiums (West comes close), and the home dugout gets a few extra amenities that the visitor doesn't. The deck on the press box for taking photos/video is a nice bonus.

BEST SCOREBOARD: Thirlby Field.

This comes with the caveat that I don't think it's even been used to its full potential. Once they let A/V students at TC schools sink their mitts into it (plus show instant replays), it can really take off to another level. Boyne City's basketball video board shows replays, but the Ramblers' A/V program is also light years ahead of everyone.

BEST POPCORN: Kalkaska.

This is near and dear to my heart. For those of you that follow me on Twitter (Shameless plug: @jamescook14), you know I try to hit up the concession stand at every game I cover and do a quick rating of that school's popcorn. So far, nobody has topped Kalkaska's caramel corn (which even comes in two varieties, one in Blazer blue), although TC West has had a food truck at soccer games that sells kettle corn, so that's a close second.

BEST CALLER: Ryan Knudsen, Leland girls basketball.

This dude comes prepared. When he calls in scores, he not only has all his team's stats and info, but gets the opponents' stats, record (even the conference mark) and next opponent.

BEST ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Phyllis Olszewski, East Jordan.

Organized to a T, Phyllis has EJ athletics running like a well-oiled machine. That's a big reason why the Red Devils get so many postseason assignments, too. The fact that she spoils the media doesn't hurt, but in no way influences this decision (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Have any suggestions for categories next year's Cookies? Send them to jcook@record-eagle.com or DM/tag us on social media. (Warning: Whining about not winning may result in ridicule.)

Follow @Jamescook14 on Twitter.