News & notes

The Aurora Games began last night at Times Union Center with tennis, but the turnout was disappointing, per today's Albany Times Union. Reportedly, the TUC had sold 4,000 tickets for last night, but it seemed there were fewer than that in attendance, which is a shame for an event that has been heavily promoted the last few months.

Part of the reason might be ESPN.

The Games are being shown on ESPNU (Spectrum Cable channel 370), and while event tickets run from $15-25 per night, some folks might be more inclined to save money and gas by going to the TV. Television ratings will tell the tale there. With all the events indoors, including beach volleyball, set for Sunday, the Games could take an even bigger hit the rest of the week due to competition for the consumer dollar from the Tri-City Valleycats, who return home tomorrow, and Saratoga race track, which will have the 150th running of the Travers on Saturday.

All we can say for now is, stay tuned.
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Former Troy High three sport star Joe Casale will line up at linebacker for UAlbany this season after appearing in just four games last season before being redshirted. A new NCAA rule allows for freshmen to be redshirted after appearing in a minimum of four games during the season. That rule took effect last year, and the Great Danes hope that pays off for Casale.

Now, if we can just get the Danes to appear on TV once in a while......
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Football training camps in Section II opened on Monday, and teams will have nearly three full weeks of practice before play begins September 6. Other fall sports, such as golf, volleyball, & soccer, will begin play next week, otherwise the final full week of summer vacation. Most of those events will be contested in the morning, as would be the case for baseball/softball during Easter week.
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Speaking of the Valleycats, with 13 games remaining, Tri-City sits about 81/2-9 games in arrears of Lowell in the Stedler Division of the NY-Penn League, and would have to run the table just to be in position for a Wild Card. Tri-City entertains Hudson Valley tomorrow & Friday before the teams move to Wappingers Falls, thanks to a scheduling quirk, on Saturday. The 'Cats then return for a four game series with Staten Island on Sunday.

To make up for a postponement recently, the 'Cats will have fireworks following tomorrow & Friday's games.
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Things have gotten so bad for the Troy Fighting Irish, such that they can't be bothered to update their team page online. The Irish lost their second straight, 30-6, to Syracuse, but you'd have to go to the Strong's page on hometeamsonline.com to get that information. Troy's home finale in Saturday vs. Monroe County, and one wonders what morale is going to be like by then.