News & notes

Former Union College star Keith Kinkaid was traded by New Jersey Monday to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a draft pick. The Devils had been the only NHL organization that Kinkaid had played for since graduating from Union, and he's one of two ex-Dutchmen on NHL rosters (Philadelphia's Shayne Gostisbehere is the other) at present.
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If you're a Mets fan like me, you're not going to like this next item.

Reporting in today's Albany Times-Union, Pete Dougherty revealed that Pamal Broadcasting, the parent company of WROW, WFLY, and other area radio stations, chose not to renew its contract with the Mets, meaning the Amazin's will have to scramble to find a new upstate affiliate for their radio network before the season begins in late March. The Mets also switched flagship stations in New York, from WOR-AM to WCBS, the latter of which previously had been the Yankees' flagship before they flipped to WFAN, which was home to the Mets for many years.

Pamal's WINU (104.9 FM) flipped from sports talk to alternative music last year, prompting Pamal to move Mets broadcasts to WROW. Yankee games are heard on ESPN Radio affiliate WTMM, while Fox Sports Radio affiliate WOFX is home to the Red Sox. We'll see if someone steps up to the plate to give the Mets a radio home in the tri-cities.
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Covering Saturday's Class AA quadruple-header at Hudson Valley Community College, I could hear plenty of chirping behind me to have a chorus of birds in a recording studio.

Albany Times-Union high school reporter James Allen, in today's editions, noted that the veteran referees assigned to the Saratoga-Colonie game blew two calls late in the game that should've, in Allen's opinion at least, gone in favor of Colonie, but didn't. All that does is fuel the flames of conspiracy theories that someone in the Section II hierarchy wanted to ensure that the top 4 teams in Class AA (Bethlehem, Shenendehowa, Saratoga, CBA) advanced. I wish they would leave politics out of high school sports. Period. Let the games be decided on the court by the players themselves, not by a couple of guys who should be collecting Social Security.
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Shen grad Ian Anderson pitched in relief in Atlanta's pre-season game vs. Washington on Monday, and reportedly looked good against the Nationals. WNYT's Rodger Wyland has gone so far as to suggest Anderson could be in the big leagues this year. Let's not put the cart before the horse.