It’s hard to believe another year of my writing for The Islander has passed, with this being my 34th year with the newspaper.
I’ve witnessed and written about a lot of great sports accomplishments during the years and met a ton of great folks along the way.
I want to thank everyone who contributes to the weekly column, especially the people at the Center of Anna Maria Island, Tom Nelson at the Key Royale Club, and Jay Disbrow with the AMI Pitchers.
Horseshoe action on Dec. 31, 2025, at the Anna Maria City Hall pits was short and sweet. Tom Skoloda and Steve Doyle posted the only unbeaten record during pool play and were the day’s outright champs.
The Jan. 3 games saw four teams emerge from pool play and settle things in a playoff.
Semifinal action saw John Poccynek and Bob Hawks advance to the finals with a 22-11 victory over Billy Silver. Bob Mason and Skoloda were paired up and defeated Tom Farrington and Bob Lee 23-4 in the other semifinal match.
Poccynek and Hawks cruised to a 24-5 victory over Mason and Skoloda in the finals to earn the day’s bragging rights.
Play gets underway at 9 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Anna Maria City Hall. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by random team selection.
It’s free to play, and everyone is welcome.
Meanwhile, golf action at the Key Royale Club in Holmes Beach got started Dec. 29 with the men’s weekly modified-Stableford system match.
Ken Nagengast grabbed first place with a plus-5, one point better than second-place finisher Tim Friesen.
The women played a nine-hole individual-low-net match on Dec. 30. Helen Pollock fired an even-par 32 to earn clubhouse bragging rights for the day. Carol Patterson was one stroke back in second, while Sue Wheeler was alone in third with a 2-over-par 34.
Rene Chapman had a chip-in on hole No. 5 to highlight her round.
The community center kids and adults should get started with winter sports on the return to school and activities.
Have a great year of sports in 2026.
Counting down to spring training in Bradenton
The Pittsburgh Pirates will play 31 games on their spring training schedule for the 2026 Grapefruit League. Sixteen games are set for LECOM Park, 1611 Ninth St. W., Bradenton, the team’s Southern home.
The Pirates will open their spring schedule with a trip to Sarasota to take on Baltimore Feb. 21. Pittsburgh’s home opener will be played Feb. 22 against Tampa Bay.
Additional highlights on the schedule:
- Feb. 23: The Pirates host the New York Yankees.
- March 3: The Pirates host Team Colombia in their fourth all-time matchup against a World Baseball Classic team.
- March 5: The Pirates welcome St. Louis to Bradenton, marking their first time hosting the Cardinals for a spring training game since March 29, 1998.
- March 17: The Pirates host Houston in Bradenton for the first time since March 6, 2016.
- March 23: The Pirates host Atlanta at LECOM Park in the Grapefruit League finale.
In addition to the 31-game spring training schedule, Pittsburgh’s Spring Breakout Game will take place against Detroit on March 20 at LECOM Park.
For more about the schedule, tickets and times, go to mlb.com/pirates/spring-training or call the ticket office at 941-747-3031.
— Lisa Neff