Luck

All materials courtesy of California Dry Bean Advisory Board | National Pork Producers Council | USA Rice Federation Believed to bring luck for the New Year, staple foods like beans, rice and pork also add great taste and nutrition to meals throughout the year. Eating blackeyes and rice for New Year's luck has become an American tradition, made popular by Hoppin' John, a flavorful Southern dish that combines blackeyes and rice. In the South, blackeyes are thought to hold the power of one's destiny; around the world, beans like blackeyes are said to represent coins in the pocket - true good fortune.

If you do much saltwater fishing, particularly fly fishing, you soon learn that weather is the factor that will set the agenda for every day on the water. I personally have been "blown out" with the best of them. Fly fishing trips all over the coastal U.S. have been ruined by weather, but you roll the dice and hope for the best. You know that when the weather is good, the fishing is usually really good. This past week was another example. For years I have wanted to fish the bonefish flats of the Grand Bahamas with the Pinder Brothers.

For Audrey Ross, eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day won't be enough to ensure good luck for 2007. "We always sprinkle a few black-eyed peas in the bottoms of our purses," said Ross, who lives in Martinsburg, W.Va. "You carry them around all year for good luck. Just two or three peas, uncooked. " Many cultures have their good luck food rituals for New Year's - whether it's black-eyed peas, a tradition with Southern roots, or eating a heaping dish of pork and sauerkraut, a tradition popular among many Pennsylvanians.

andrewm@herald-mail.com "Good luck!" Heading to a race, that's what you're told by friends and family. Standing on the starting line, that's what you're told by fellow runners (many of whom might not mean it if they're in your age group). But every runner knows luck - aside from maybe shoelaces staying tied - has little to do with successful or unsuccessful performances on race day. Training, preparation and execution are the ingredients that count. In basketball, a player, without much practice, could heave up a desperation shot and have it hit nothing but net for the game winner.

Tenpin bowler Robert Shaw had luck with him recently when tossed 31 of a possible 36 strikes. Shaw rolled games of 278, 259 and 290 for an 827 set - his first-ever 800 set - while competing in the Sunday afternoon Soda Pop Adult/Youth League at Hagerstown's Dual Lanes. "I guess you could say that my grandfather, Hank Dawson, is a good-luck charm," said Shaw, 32, of Hagerstown. "He was there for the 800 set on his 92nd birthday. He also saw me roll a perfect 300 game last year.

SMITHSBURG -- Alex Akers is more than a little modest about his success as a linebacker. "You just get lucky most of the time when the play comes your way," the Smithsburg senior said. If luck has that much to do with it, count Akers as the luckiest guy on the field. Akers spearheaded a Smithsburg defense that allowed just nine points a game in the regular season and shut out four opponents. He topped the 100-tackle mark for the second straight year, finishing with 120 on the season.

Editor's note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail publishes "A Life Remembered. " This continuing series takes a look back - through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others - at a member of the community who died recently. Today's "A Life Remembered" is about Charles Patrick McCusker, who died Feb. 25 at the age of 62. His obituary appeared in the Feb. 27 editions of The Morning Herald and The Daily Mail. As Charles Patrick McCusker Jr. was preparing to eulogize his father, he was struck by how often the theme came back to the significant role luck played in the life of Pat McCusker - a life that ended Feb. 25 at the age of 62. A quadriplegic since 1980, Pat had suffered pain, seizures, multiple operations and loss of employment because of previous physical ailments that began years earlier.

Gore attends Mercersburg football game By DAN KULIN / Staff Writer MERCERSBURG, Pa. - Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, visited Mercersburg Academy on Saturday to watch their son play football. "It was very exciting," said Mercersburg Head of School Douglas Hale. "He and his wife were very, very generous with their time," said Hale, who said Gore posed for pictures and signed autographs during his brief visit. "He was very accommodating to many of our students," said Mercersburg Athletic Director Ron Simar.

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, W.Va. - In her first three years of varsity tennis, Brittany Moreland never reached the state finals. In her fourth year, she made it twice. The Jefferson senior advanced to the West Virginia Class AAA final in both singles and doubles in 2007 and compiled an incredible record in her final season, earning her The Herald-Mail Girls Tennis Player of the Year honor. Although Moreland came up short in both championship matches, it did little to blemish the season she put together.

Hedgesville trips No. 8 Martinsburg By BOB PARASILITI bobp@herald-mail.com Hedgesville 9 Martinsburg 4 Hedgesville0040005-9101 Martinsburg0020011-481 Runkles and Weaver; Bartley, Yurish (7) and Twigg. WP - Runkles. LP - Bartley. HR - H: Runkles (3rd, three on); M: Quinn (6th, none on.) MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Luck - at least not the good variety - hasn't been with the Hedgesville baseball team this season. On Friday, Josh Runkles did his best to make sure luck never had a chance to enter the game while Brandon Burkhart made sure it never came out of the dugout.

There aren't going to be many times when Stephen Strasburg doesn't give up an earned run and the Washington Nationals lose the game. Unfortunately for Washington and its ace right-hander, that is precisely what happened Saturday in an NL East duel against the Atlanta Braves. Strasburg threw six innings of five-hit ball, but a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman paved the way for Atlanta to extend its winning streak to eight games with a 3-1 victory. Coming off a flawed outing in Cincinnati (6 runs in 5 1/3 innings)

The Williamsport Running Company meant business Saturday morning in downtown Hagerstown. Its men, sporting new green racing singlets for the occasion, took the top two places and six of the top 11 spots overall at the second annual St. Patrick's Day Run for Your Luck 5K. There were more than 600 finishers. “We wanted to look nice,” champion Tony Clement said. Clement, 26, needed to kick to win the race for the second straight year, edging his buddy Wade Miller by one-tenth of a second for the victory in 15:26.2.

In an event that will not only promote running and the Community Free Clinic but also encourage people to stay in downtown Hagerstown for events such as “A Night at the Opera,” city and county officials Thursday afternoon formally announced this year's St. Patrick's Day Run for Your Luck 5K foot race in Hagerstown. The March 16 race, which attracted about 400 participants last year, raises money for the Community Free Clinic, which provides free medical care for under-insured people.

Even in the era of inflated ticket prices, it's a bit of a stretch to say there's $35 worth of entertainment value in a typical NFL preseason game. But put together the top two picks in the draft - both quarterbacks - and schedule it for the third week - the game considered the dress rehearsal for the preseason - and the teams involved figure it'll not only be worth the price of admission, it'll be worth a $35 T-shirt. The Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins have been pushing “QB Showdown” T-shirts featuring Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III ahead of their game Saturday, feeding on a frenzy of hope and hype surrounding two rebuilding franchises and the thought of witnessing the beginning of a match-up that could only flourish in years to come.

The Luck of the Draw "Sports Day" a Youth M.O.V.E. Social Event will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at Parks & Rec Gym at Pangborn Elementary School, 195 Pangborn Blvd., Hagerstown. The event is for young adults ages 16 to 25 who are supported in the child serving systems. To register, contact Kathleen at 240-818-3537 or kphillips@mdcoalition.org .

Michael Day, 60, of Hagerstown thought it was all over even before the 84th annual Academy Awards had barely begun. Different from years past, the first category during the Feb. 26 broadcast was Best Cinematography. Day was hoping that "Tree of Life" would win. Instead, the Oscar went to "Hugo. " "I was 0 for 1 and I thought this wasn't going to be my year," he said.  But this wasn't Day's first time at the Oscar Picks podium. He nabbed the coveted prize last year, and spent the $50 prize by taking his wife, Carol, out to dinner.

The City of Hagerstown, Washington County Recreation Department and the Community Free Clinic announce the St. Patrick's Day Run for Your Luck 5K Run/Walk at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 17, in downtown Hagerstown. The run is in honor of Dr. Dan McDougal, with proceeds benefiting the Community Free Clinic. Registration is between 8:30 and 9:45 a.m., race starts at 10 a.m., awards ceremony is at 11 a.m. at The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., downtown Hagerstown. The course is a 3.1-mile loop.

Washington County Commissioner Ruth Ann Callaham plans to join in when the first St. Patrick's Day “Run For Your Luck 5K” is held in Hagerstown. Callaham said she will run with her daughter and 8-year-old grandson during the Saturday, March 17, run/walk that will take participants through parts of the city's downtown area on a 3.1-mile course. The run starts at 10 a.m. “So when you see the three of us, give us a little encouragement because 5K is a long way,” Callaham said.

The city of Hagerstown is teaming up with two local agencies to host the first 5K run through City Center on St. Patrick's Day. The St. Patrick's Day “Run For Your Luck 5K,” which is planned annually, will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 17. Karen Giffin, manager of Community Affairs for the city, has teamed up with Jaime Dick of the Washington County Recreation Department and Robin Roberson of the Community Free Clinic of...

Legends are hard to break. People in the deep South believe eating black-eyed peas, rice and greens on New Year's Day brings luck and money. Pennsylvanians of German heritage say eating pork and sauerkraut on the first day of the year means luck for the rest of the year. On Sunday afternoon, about 250 people, not all of German descent, were not only hoping for a good year, they were also enjoying a fine dinner of pork and sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and applesauce prepared by the members of Pond Bank Mennonite Church, a 120-member congregation on the community's main street.