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Year in review: Q-C teams get new look

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By Craig DeVrieze | Monday, December 31, 2007 |

2007 was a year for changing Quad-Cities sports attire. What had been the Mallards for better than a decade morphed into the American Hockey League Flames, a Triple-A outfit peopled with players who literally are here today and gone to the NHL tomorrow.

An Iowan who was known as one of the better but more modest players on the PGA Tour tamed a Tiger at Augusta and put on a green jacket, signifying JDC poster boy Zach Johnson’s rise to major star status.

What had been the Swing to the disappointment of a fair majority of Quad-Citians returned to the tried and bandannaed. In the coming year, we will call our minor-league baseball team the River Bandits again under the new management of MainStreet Baseball, Inc.

Even the Quad-City Times Bix 7 made a long-awaited and unexpected wardrobe adjustment when Fast Eddie Froehlich abandoned the chip on his shoulder against putting timing chips in runner’s shoes.

Preps made news throughout the year, of course, but none quite like those Bettendorf Bulldogs, who won state titles in football and boys swimming, while finishing second in boys basketball and third in wrestling.

Or like the unstoppable Ashley Miller, the Tipton force of nature who added four state track and field wins in May to cap her career with a state record 15.

And that’s not counting a slew of cross country Miller gold and the distinction of being the only two-time winner of a Quad-City Times Prep of the Year honor.

The John Deere Classic drew large crowds without the gender-bending attraction of Michelle Wie in its field, while a long Quad-City Times sports staff look at the minor-league scene determined our local clubs badly could use a wee boost in attendance themselves.

Another Iowa-born golfer, Eldridge’s own LPGA Tour vet Beth Bader, followed Johnson in taking a step up in class, and an NFL legend helped a brave former Q-C prep grid kid move ahead in life without the use of his arms and legs.

As ever, 2007 was a year when local sports legends were lost, including ex-Major Leaguer Gene Oliver of Rock Island, but it also surely was a year when future Q-C legends were born — perhaps the next Ashley Miller, Zach Johnson or the first Q-C kid to rise from the Flames to become an NHL great.

Auld acquaintences won’t be forgotten, but here’s to a great ’08 in brand-new shirts.

Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.