News & notes

 Well, these are the dog days of summer, after all.

Saratoga hosted the first ever Corgi Cup Sunday afternoon, though there have been smaller events, some sponsored by NFL teams such as the Giants and Buffalo.

Photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.

In all, 48 dogs ran on the track in three heats in between the 3rd, 5th, & 7th races on a hot Sunday afternoon. By the end of the final heat, Sam, a 6 year old who'd previously won the Giants Corgi Cup, took home the grand prize. A Troy dog, Spike, 18 months, got a bit of stage fright and ran straight to the winner's circle, where his mom was waiting. Abbey, one of the oldest entrants at 12 1/2, ran on wheels after her hind legs were amputated several months back.

I guess you had to be there.

In other Saratoga news, the Sword Dancer Handicap is being renamed in honor of the late trainer, Christophe Clement, who passed away earlier this year. The Sword Dancer was originally run at Aqueduct, if memory serves me correctly, for many years before being moved to Saratoga.

Saturday's 12th race was supposed to be run on turf at a mile & a 16th, but due to an error in gate placement, it went a mile and an 8th, something the stewards missed. All the money has been paid out, so the result cannot be changed.

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The Tri-City Valleycats are on the road this week at the NY Boulders & Brockton Rox before returning home August 19 for their final homestand of the season. Tri-City remains 5 1/2 games behind Quebec for first place in the North Division after beating Three Rivers, 9-8, in 10 innings Sunday night.

News & notes

 Suddenly, LaSalle has two dates to fill on its hockey schedule.

James Allen, reporting in today's Albany Times-Union, says that Albany Academy is leaving the Capital District High School Hockey League for the 2nd time, and will have either 1 or 2 teams playing in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference. Plans call for Academy to move their swimming teams to NEPSAC, as soon as they can find a league affiliated with NEPSAC, which could be either this season or next. The men's basketball team has already left for NEPSAC, and other sports could follow. For now, they'll still field men's & women's soccer & golf teams, baseball, volleyball, & softball.

LaSalle had already scheduled their annual home & home series with Academy (@ Academy December 12, at Knickerbacker Arena February 6), so we'll see if the Battle of The Cadets will still be on the ice this winter.

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Ian Walters homered to back up starter Connor Wilford, and the Tri-City Valleycats took down Three Rivers, 4-3, on Saturday night at Bruno Stadium.

The series concludes today at 5. Bring sunscreen.

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Irad Ortiz, Jr. & trainer Linda Rice swept the early daily double Saturday at Saratoga. Ortiz finished with a riding triple, while brother Jose had just one winning mount.

Meanwhile, Chad Brown added two more winners, as he now leads Rice by 5 in the trainers' standings. Todd Pletcher has dropped to 3rd with 15 wins. Brown saddled Dylan Davis' lone winner of the day in the 11th race. Fravian Prat, appealing his suspension, had 2 winners on the day.

Today's 10 race card begins at 1:10 pm.

News & notes

 Dylan Davis & Irad Ortiz, Jr. each had a riding double on Friday at Saratoga. Davis now has 13 winners this season. Ortiz remains atop the jockeys' leaderboard, with 36. Chad Brown continues to be the top trainer.

Today's 12 race card starts at 12:35 pm.

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A day after being hired as an assistant coach at CBA, Matt Shell was inducted into the Capital District Football Hall of Fame for the 2nd time on Friday.

Shell had first gone in as a player 14 years ago, after a stellar career at Gloversville. 14 seasons at Burnt Hills produced 10 sectional titles and a state championship in 2022.

Shell isn't the only high profile coach inducted, either. Ravena's Gary VanDerZee went in as well. The rest of the 2025 Class, being feted today at the Polish Community Center in Albany:

Retired referee Fritz Brownell.

1991 Watervliet Cannoneers.

Assistant Coach Jim Dempsey, who served at Burnt Hills in the pre-Shell era (1982-4), then spent 30 years at Saratoga.

Service to youth: Dan Martuscello, who ran South Troy Pop Warner from 1986-2018.

Service to the sport: Jack Siedlecki.

WXXA Sports (now united with WTEN).

Player list:

Mike Altieri (Amsterdam 2001-3).

Mike Angeloitti (Amsterdam 1988-91).

John Barbieri (Hudson Falls 1992-5).

Dan Cole (Bishop Maginn 1997-2000). Cole might be better remembered for his time with RPI.

Matt Frese (Ravena 1994-6).

Mike Gaunay (Troy 1996-9). A 4 year player for Jack Burger, Gaunay helped Troy to their first two state titles (1996, '98).

Aaron Kuzmich (Greenwich 1997-9).

Mike O'Shaughnessy (Vincentian Institute 1960's).

Chris Phillis (Saratoga). 

Matt Robbens (Saratoga 1997-9).

Steve Ross (Ravena 1995-7).

Matt Sala (Shaker 1980's). After graduating from Lafayette, Sala was an original Albany Firebird (1990-1).

Matt Vittengi (South Glens Falls).

Don Wemple (Gloversville 1933-5).

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The Tri-City Valleycats dropped a 10-9 decision to Three Rivers Friday at Bruno Stadium. Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) went 5 innings, and did not pick up a decision.

The series continues tonight at 6:30.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats called Broom Service again Thursday, as they completed a 3 game sweep of the New Jersey Jackals, 5-4.

Stephen Still picked up the win. Tri-City entertains Three Rivers beginning tonight at 6:30 pm.

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Local NFL fans will have a choice Saturday afternoon, when the Bills & Giants meet in Orchard Park.

You can either watch the game on WNYT, which has had the rights to Giants pre-season games the last several years, or on WTEN, which shares the Bills' pre-season rights with step-sister station WXXA. 

Kickoff is shortly after 1 pm.

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Saratoga stewards have suspended jockey Fravian Prat for careless riding. Pending an appeal, Prat is scheduled for 7 mounts on today's 10 race card, which gets underway at 1:10 pm. Prat is 4th in the jockey standings with 20 wins. Irad Ortiz, Jr's lead over brother Jose has been cut to 1 (34-33), heading into today's card.

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After 2 years away, former Burnt Hills football coach Matt Shell is back, this time as an assistant to old nemesis Bob Burns at CBA. That should make for an interesting storyline should the Brothers & Spartans meet either this season or down the road.

News & Notes

 Rudy Winkler's not ready to retire just yet.

Per a feature piece in today's Albany Times-Union, Winkler, now 30, won another national title in track & field, and is now aiming for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Averill Park native now calls Washington home, where he lives with his wife. When not competing, Winkler is a throws coach at Maryland.

Being an Olympian stays in your blood, it seems.

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Now, we know preseason football kicks off in earnest (pun intended) tonight (check NFL Network listings), but the Tri-City Valleycats apparently have football on their minds. That shouldn't be a surprise, since Hudson Valley Community College's football field is a short distance away, but the 'Cats have just gone off on the New Jersey Jackals.

After 14 runs Tuesday, the 'Cats added two more touchdowns, two extra points, and a field goal to blow away the Jackals again Wednesday night, 17-5. Easton Klein pitched into the 7th inning to get the win, and Demias Jimerson & David Glancy homered for the 'Cats.

Stephen Still gets the start tonight as the 'Cats go for the sweep.

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The jockeys race is tightening up at Saratoga.

Jose Ortiz narrowed the gap between himself and his brother, Irad, Jr., to two with 2 wins on Wednesday's card, while Irad won 1, and Fravian Prat had a riding double as well, as he's in 4th place. Ricardo Santana, Jr., in 3rd, had a winner to keep some distance between himself & Prat.

Today's 10 race card begins at 1:10 pm.

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Guilderland is joining Bethlehem in the Cal Ripken World Series, which begins today in Branson, Missouri, a city better known for is country music-centric dinner theatres. Guilderland's team will be in the 12 & under tournament. Best of luck to both Bethlehem & Guilderland.

News & notes

 Proctors' GE Theatre in Schenectady hosted the Capital District Sports Women of The Year awards ceremony Monday night. Alvia Landy (Columbia) collected the final award of her high school career, as she was named Grand Scholastic Sports Woman of The Year. Landy will continue her athletic career at Wagner this winter.

Siena's Grace Dobrzynski was named Grand Collegiate Sports Woman of The Year, the 3rd Siena athlete to earn the award in the event's 5 year history.

Newly retired WRGB anchor Liz Bishop, who started her career as a sports anchor-reporter, was also feted.

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South Glens Falls' Hayden Knapp is in Bandon Dunes, Oregon this week for the US Women's Amateur Golf Championship after playing in the Junior PGA last week in Indiana. Unfortunately, Knapp, who will enter her sophomore season at South High next month, failed to make the cut after she was over par each of the first two rounds. Foothills Council play starts later this month or after Labor Day.

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On Tunnel to Towers night at Bruno Stadium, the Tri-City Valleycats feasted on New Jersey pitching, routing the Jackals, 14-7.

Wes Albert went 6 innings to pick up the win. Oscar Campos, just off the IL, and Chris Burgess hit two homers each, and Jake Reinisch had one as well, to lead the 13 hit attack.

Game 2 is tonight at 6:30 pm.

News & notes

 All that's left is a contract signing.

UAlbany & Siena will continue the annual Albany Cup series in 2025, and, once the contract is finalized later this month, the two schools will continue their spirited rivalry on the court for a few more years.

UAlbany athletic director Mark Benson said there will be a formal announcement within 2 weeks, right before the start of the new school year.

Stay tuned.

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Hoosic Valley grad John Rooney (class of 2015) has made the big leagues, but not with the Miami Marlins.

After the trade deadline came & went on Thursday, Rooney was quietly dealt to Houston over the weekend, and could see his first action as early as tonight, as the Astros are in Miami to play the suddenly surging Marlins. Rooney signed with Miami as a minor league free agent earlier this year after being in the Dodgers' system since being drafted in 2019 out of Hofstra.

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In an unprecedented move, Union College's women's hockey team will play their first 10 games of the season in the new M & T Bank Center. The Garnet Chargers were to play a home & home series vs. Merrimack October 3-4, but now both games will be in Schenectady. For what it's worth, they will have their annual home & home series vs. RPI November 7-8.