Here's a look back at the top-10 Providence Journal sports stories of 2023

What were some of the most popular sports stories of 2023? There are lots to choose from — from a plan to save McCoy Stadium, to Ed Cooley's departure from Providence College to Smithfield Little League's storybook season to the passing of our friend and longtime columnist Bill Reynolds.

Here are 10 sports stories that our readers identified as among the most interesting over the last year.

Billionaire makes pitch to save McCoy Stadium

Billionaire businessman Stefan Soloviev, who has ties to Rhode Island, was hoping to save McCoy Stadium and bring baseball back to Pawtucket, but the city’s mayor said the final pitch to save the stadium came too late.

Smithfield Little League's magical run

When Little League Baseball changed the format of the regional tournaments, placing Rhode Island in the same group as New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the expectation was that Ocean State teams would have a real hard road to reach the Little League World Series. Well, the Smithfield All-Stars never got that message, as they won the Metro Regional Tournament in Bristol, and headed off to the Little League World Series.

Ghost hunting on the gridiron?

How often do ghost hunting and football get talked about in the same sentence? Well, more than you might imagine when it comes to the Hawes brothers of Exeter-West Greenwich and their famous father.

Making golf a year-round sport in RI

With the cold weather upon us, we know the frustration golfers are feeling these days, marking the days on the calendar until spring. Our high school sports writer, Eric Rueb, is one of you. He plays and caddies and frets over his swing, his game, his score, etc. So who better than Eric to check out the new Top Golf Rhode Island?

Farewell Ed Cooley

When Ed Cooley surprised Providence fans by leaving PC for Big East-rival Georgetown after last season's NCAA-Tournament run, the news was met with shock and anger among the Friar faithful. Our college hoops writer Bill Koch took a deep dive into Cooley's rise to the PC head coaching job and what went into his decision to head south.

Friars go dancing

Before we got the news of Ed Cooley's departure, the Providence Friars were getting ready for their latest trip to the Big Dance. On Selection Sunday, PC — which finished the 2022-23 season at 21-11 overall, 13-7 in the Big East — learned that it was a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and would face No. 6 Kentucky in the opening round. The ending came all too quickly, with the Friars losing, 61-53, and learning a few days later of Cooley's exit.

Dis-Mounting from the RI Interscholastic League

The school that became synonymous with high school hockey excellence announced in November that it's leaving the RIIL. Mount St. Charles won 32 state titles, including 26 in a row from 1978 to 2003 under legendary coach, the late Bill Belisle. The Mounties will begin play in the NEPSAC league next fall, in all sports. “Ultimately, being a member of the NEPSAC allows us to recruit and retain athletes who want a great opportunity and great participation and want greater exposure and, in some cases, greater competitiveness,” school president Alan Tenreiro said.

Big league dreams for Alex Clemmey

It's not every day that a Rhode Island pitcher signs a contract with a Major League Baseball team. But that's just what happened last summer when the Hendricken star lefty inked a deal with the Cleveland Guardians. The Middletown native opted to pass up his college commitment to Vanderbilt to sign with the team that selected him 58th overall in the MLB Draft.

Jared Grasso leaves Bryant

The full story behind Jared Grasso's departure are Bryan basketball's head coach may not have been told yet, but when the coach sat down with our Bill Koch, he pointed to his need for a mental and physical break from the game. The school named his assistant, Phil Martelli Jr. as the new head coach, while Grasso looks to step away from the pressures of basketball for a bit.

Rhode Island loses an icon

Bill Reynolds was the face of The Providence Journal's Sports staff since the 1980s. His passing in July at age 78 brought an outpouring of remembrances from folks across the state, and even the country. Reynolds was a basketball star for Barrington High School and Brown University in the 1960s before becoming one of the leading sports writers in the nation. His long-running Saturday column — For What It’s Worth — was a must-read for Journal subscribers.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Top-10 Providence Journal sports stories of 2023