News & notes

The Albany Empire closed the Arena Football League's regular season with a receipt handed out to the Philadelphia Soul at Times-Union Center Saturday night, thumping the Soul, 72-27. The second place Soul will begin the playoffs hosting Washington next week, while Albany hosts Baltimore.
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The flags at Saratoga Race Course are likely to be at half-staff for today's 13 race card in memory of socialite Mary Lou Whitney, who passed away on Thursday at 93. Dubbed the "Queen of Saratoga", Ms. Whitney had hoped to embark on a show business career after leaving her native Kansas before meeting and marrying her first husband, Cornelius "Sonny" Whitney, for whom one of the traditional Saturday stakes at the Spa is named.
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A late afternoon thunderstorm forced a suspension of Saturday's Albany Dutchmen-Glens Falls Outlaws doubleheader at East Field, with the hosts leading, 6-1, in the fourth inning. No make-up date has been set, but there are some open dates in the final week and a half of the regular season.
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The Tri-City Valleycats snapped a four game losing streak Saturday in beating Vermont, 8-5, in 10 innings in Bennington. At 13-20 (4-10 in the Stedler Division), the 'Cats still have a ways to go if they want to reach the playoffs. Contrary to what we had assumed, Kyle Serrano will get the start for the 'Cats today, nine days after being pulled from a game after just one inning against State College.