News & notes

Could Arena Football be returning to the 518?

The folks in charge of the Times-Union Center certainly hope so, as they've been in negotiations with the owners of the Orlando Predators, who now play in the National Arena League, about a new franchise in Albany. The Albany Empire folded after winning ArenaBowl last year, and the Arena Football League followed soon after.

According to the Times-Union (natch), Empire coach Rob Keefe is being considered for the same position should Albany land a franchise in the NAL.

The Predators, historians will remind, lost to the Firebirds in the 1999 ArenaBowl.

As for a team name, they could stick with Empire, revive the Firebirds brand, or go with something else. Stay tuned.
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Siena basketball fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Manny Camper will return to the Saints for his senior season after withdrawing from the NBA draft. I think he feels like there's unfinished business after the 2019-20 season was halted during the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament in March, after Siena won the MAAC regular season title. The departure of Don Carey to Georgetown might've also had an influence on Camper's decision.
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Last night's ICBL double-dip between the Albany Athletics & Albany Dutch has to be filed under "you had to be there".

The Dutch, acting as the home team at Amsterdam's Shuttleworth Park, had issues with their live stream on their Facebook page, so unless you were brave enough to venture out to Amsterdam, you were shut out, which lends credence to the argument that the ICBL should've considered a minor radio and/or television deal.

The first place Athletics won the opener, 1-0, but Albany Academy graduate Johnny Decker (Stony Brook) turned the tide in the nightcap with a grand slam, as the Dutch inflicted just the 2nd loss on the Athletics this season, 6-2.

Standings after Wednesday's play:

Athletics: 14-2-2.
Dutch: 10-8-2.
Mohawks: 6-9.
Independents: 1-15.

The Athletics & Mohawks will play two tonight at Shuttleworth.

News & notes

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced Monday that their fall sports schedule has been postponed, possibly until spring 2021. This move was anticipated, and as of right now, none of the colleges in the 518 will have sports this fall.

Meanwhile, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) confirmed that the fall sports season has been delayed until at least September 21.

Where that could be problematic might in fact be the most popular fall sport, football. Because the players are in such close quarters on the field, football has the greatest risk of a fresh surge of coronavirus.

Cross country track, tennis, golf, and soccer can be played safely under appropriate guidelines. What the state is looking into now is whether or not athletes in those sports would actually be ready by mid-September. Stay tuned.
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In ICBL action last night, the Albany Athletics rallied from behind to clip the Amsterdam Mohawks, 3-2. The Albany Dutch swept a doubleheader from hapless Glens Falls, 7-4 & 4-2.

Standings:

Athletics 13-1-2.
Dutch 10-5-2.
Mohawks 6-9.
Independents 1-15.

News & notes

With three weeks in the books, here are the updated Independent Collegiate Baseball League standings:

Albany Athletics 12-1-2.
Albany Dutch 8-5-2.
Amsterdam Mohawks 6-8.
Glens Falls Independents 1-13.

Glens Falls has had two doubleheaders cancelled in as many weeks due to weather.

Tonight sees the Athletics vs. Amsterdam in a single game at Shuttleworth Park at 6:45, while the Dutch & Independents renew acquaintances at 5:30 in a doubleheader.
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Bertranda not only was a winner at Saratoga the other day, but the ownership includes management of the Albany Dutch and Athletics. Everything seems to be going Albany's way these days, doesn't it?
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It's been confirmed that the Mets will not be appearing on WCWN (Spectrum digital channel 1212), as, aside from two games having already aired on ESPN, and some games soon to air on Fox, SNY is not producing any games for WPIX in New York.

What we're not sure of is if WPIX/WCWN will be shut out of Yankee coverage. Speaking of the Bronx Bombers, the AL East co-leaders' game vs. former manager Joe Girardi and the Philadelphia Phillies has been postponed, an indirect result of the Miami Marlins, who played the Phillies over the weekend, having a total of 14 players and coaches testing positive for coronavirus.

Maybe in hindsight, the Marlins as a whole should've opted out.......

News & notes

The rain came to the 518 early enough Thursday, such that the Independent Collegiate Baseball League was able to get both scheduled doubleheaders in, after the Albany Dutch-Glens Falls Independents twin-bill on Wednesday was cancelled due to inclement weather, the 2nd cancellation for the Independents this season. Thursday? A different story.

The league leading Albany Athletics swept Glens Falls at East Field, winning a competitive first game, 2-1, before blowing out the hosts, 22-5, in the nightcap. Ouch! Over in Amsterdam, the Dutch, designated as the home team on this night, blew away the Mohawks, 16-6, in game 1, then completed the sweep with a 7-1 win in game 2. Amsterdam is on its 2nd 4-game losing streak as we approach the halfway point of the season.

Standings:

Athletics 12-1-2.
Dutch 8-5-2.
Mohawks 4-8.
Independents 1-11.

Play resumes Saturday.
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At Saratoga, Christophe Clement saddled three winners Thursday to take over the training lead from Chad Brown. Clement has 9 winners over the first six days, with Brown at 8. Things could change today. Among the jockeys, Joel Rosario has the lead through six days, despite Irad Ortiz, Jr. picking up 5 wins on the Thursday card. Ortiz ties brother Jose for 2nd place in what has been a spirited competition.

If you can't be home to watch the races on OTB-TV (Spectrum digital channel 1250) on the weekends, WTMM (104.5 FM) has you covered, as they'll have live broadcasts on Saturdays & Sundays, as long as it doesn't conflict with Yankees baseball, and it likely will this Sunday.

News & notes

To follow up on a recent story, former Siena basketball player Don Carey has found his landing spot for next season.

As a graduate transfer, Carey will play at Georgetown University under head coach, and 80's Hoyas icon, Patrick Ewing. Carey upgrades from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) to the Big East, so we'll see plenty of him on TV--maybe, if they do play this winter.
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The Liberty League announced Wednesday that they will not have any sports until January 1 at the earliest, which wipes out the Division III schedules for the three league members from the 518, RPI, Union, & Skidmore. RPI & Union had previously announced they wouldn't play football this year, so essentially, the other shoe has dropped.

As we reported yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo had announced that there would be no fans at any college events this fall. Cuomo can breathe a little easier this morning, knowing that at least the Liberty League has done him a favor, whether they realize it or not.

To that end, I suspect the same stipulations would apply to high school sports, assuming they can start play in late September.
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Even though it'd been announced that Section II was delaying the start of the 2020-21 sports season until at least September 21, Schedule Galaxy has a non-league soccer match between Troy High & LaSalle scheduled for September 5. Talk about wasting time posting it on the map, as the game won't be played. Would've been good for a Labor Day weekend brunch, though......

News & notes

As racing resumes today at Saratoga, Mechanicville native Chad Brown sits atop the leaderboard among trainers, having saddled six winners in the first four days. Joel Rosario & Jose Ortiz share the lead among jockeys, as each has won 8 races.

NYRA is reporting an increase in betting handle over the first four days, despite the fact that there have been no fans in attendance. Chalk it up to an increase in online betting.
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Fonda Speedway has been dark the last couple of weeks, and have announced plans to resume racing next month. They'd be well served to get a minor TV deal with a local station for the duration of the season. Just sayin'.
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The Albany Athletics managed to gain a measure of revenge on the Albany Dutch as the top two teams in the Independent Collegiate Baseball league met again on Monday. The first game ended in a 6-6 draw before the Athletics won the nightcap, 2-0.

Ex-Tri-City Valleycat Chris Salamida pitched the full 7 innings in game one, fanning 9, then moved to the outfield in game 2, and drove in a run for the Athletics. Troy High grad Nick Pastore had another big night, homering in game one, and driving in the other run in the second game. Tim Carroll & Anthony Raimo had the other homers for the Athletics in the first game.

Current standings:

Athletics 10-1-2.
Dutch 6-5-2.
Mohawks 4-6.
Independents 1-9.
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Governor Cuomo announced Tuesday that if there are college sports this fall, there won't be any fans in the bleachers. Not a surprise, and that announcement lends itself to the speculation about more schools going to online streaming so fans won't be shut out. I'd recommend the same things for high schools.
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UAlbany has slightly tweaked its Great Dane logo so that it's now:



You were expecting maybe a licensing deal to use Scooby-Doo?
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Sad news to close. Former area sportswriter and columnist Mike Dyer, one of the few to have worked for all three 518 dailies (Daily Gazette, Albany Times-Union, Troy Record), recently passed away at 81, according to Pete Dougherty of the Times-Union. Dyer had retired to Florida with his wife of 54 years, Carol, who has also passed away. Dyer has a Wikipedia page that has not been updated as of press time. His golf & bowling columns, especially the latter, at the Record were must-reads back in the day.

Rest in peace.

ICBL notes

Through two weeks, the standings in the Independent Collegiate Baseball League look like this:

Albany Athletics 9-1-1.
Albany Dutch 6-4-1.
Amsterdam Mohawks 4-6.
Glens Falls Independents 1-9.

Yes, you read that right. The Independents snapped an 8 game losing streak in beating the Dutch in Saturday's opener, only for the Dutch to bounce back and win game 2, 2-0. The Dutch return to Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam to play the Athletics tomorrow night. Amsterdam is idle until Thursday.

Speaking of the Mohawks, all the momentum they had after sweeping Glens Falls on Thursday evaporated with another doubleheader loss to the Athletics. Jason Savacool (Baldwinsville/Maryland) started, and ran out of steam in the 3rd inning, as the Athletics scored three runs in the frame. Savacool took the loss as the Athletics won game 1, 7-2. Nick Pastore (Troy High) reached base five times (HBP, Walk, error, 2 hits) and drove in a run, scoring a couple more, for the Athletics, while Brendan Harris added a late homer.

Harris also went yard in game two, as the Athletics completed the sweep, connecting in the first inning off Mohawks starter & loser Dale Stanavich (Amsterdam/Rutgers), en route to a 6-2 win.

Notes: It may be just two weeks, but the ICBL, if they have to return next year, may have to re-think the idea of one centrally located umpire in the center of the infield, behind the pitcher's mound. It leads to the occasional confusion on fair/foul calls on the baselines in the outfield. If they don't it creates more problems than they can immediately solve.

Amsterdam pitcher David Montalvo might just be the 2nd coming of former Met John Pacella.

Allow me to explain. In the early 80's, Pacella, who spent a couple of years in Flushing, had an unusual habit of having his cap fall off on virtually every pitch. In three appearances this season, Montalvo, whose retro-'do will remind Met fans of pre-2018 Jacob deGrom, is having the same problem, no matter which hat he uses. Might need to have his hat size reexamined.

News & notes

The Colonial Athletic Alliance (CAA), of which UAlbany is a member in football only, cancelled its 2020 fall season Thursday due to coronavirus concerns. What isn't clear is whether or not the America East, in which UAlbany plays most of their other sports, including baseball & basketball, will follow suit.

Meanwhile, the Northeast-10, which includes the College of St. Rose, has delayed the start of its fall season. I can hear the other shoe dropping any day now....

Update, 3:18 pm: That shoe has dropped as UAlbany becomes the 4th 518 college to cancel its fall schedule of sports, which, like the high schools, could be pushed back to spring. Also, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, home to Siena, has cancelled non-conference games in soccer & volleyball.

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The New York State Public High School Athletic Association's task force met on Thursday, and it was decided that the fall sports season would be delayed until September 21 at the earliest. If it is determined that there won't be any sports in the remainder of 2020, then the winter season would start in January, and the "fall" season would be delayed to March, where it would run concurrent with a delayed spring season.

In addition, there will be no regional or state championships in soccer, football, and cross country track this fall.

For many of the schools in the 518, high schools & colleges both, Homecoming is going to be bittersweet this year.

On the other hand, none of this would be happening if certain people in Washington didn't misread the spread of the virus in the first place (and continue to do so).

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The thoroughbred racing season at Saratoga, which started yesterday, gives a home field advantage to one of the top trainers in the country.

Mechanicville product Chad Brown learned his trade as an assistant to Todd Pletcher before striking out on his own a few years back, and has reaped the benefits, having usurped Pletcher as the top trainer at the Spa the last couple of years.

Brown started this year's meet winning Thursday's co-feature, the Peter Pan Stakes, saddling Country Grammer. Going into today's card, Brown & Pletcher both trail Linda Rice, who saddled two winners on opening day.

Mother Nature's not sympathetic enough (Glens Falls @ Amsterdam, 7/16/20)

It took five days, but the last place Glens Falls Independents finally got to play against the Amsterdam Mohawks. The two teams were supposed to meet at East Field last Saturday, but the double-dip was washed out.

The 3rd place Mohawks are in the middle of a stretch where they'll finish the month, either as the home team or as visitors, at Shuttleworth Park, and their only other visit to East Field isn't until August 3. By that point, Independents manager Steven St. Claire, brother of former major league pitcher Randy, might be waving the white flag.

St. Claire sent Zach Snyder to the hill in today's opener against the Mohawks. The way Snyder pitched, you'd swear he was facing the Justice League. In the ICBL, you have 10 players on offense instead of the standard 9, and before an out was recorded, Amsterdam had batted around. In all, 13 Mohawk hitters came to the plate in the opening frame, with 8 scoring. Snyder couldn't get anyone out, so St. Claire brought the hook out.

Amsterdam starter Brendan Disonell (Shenendehowa/Stony Brook), who pitched three innings in relief in a losing effort Monday, started and fanned five in three frames for the Mohawks, continuing his current hot streak. Devin Fahnestock pitched two innings, walking three. By the time Luke Pascarella (Averill Park/Trinity) took the hill in the 6th, the Mohawks were already up big, and the only thing left on the checklist was the first no-hitter in league history.

Ehhhh, no. Pascarella gave up a single in the 6th. William Van Busekom (Christian Brothers Academy)  gave up a run on two hits in the 7th, but by then, it was all over but the shouting, as Amsterdam plastered Glens Falls, 13-1. Things were so bad for the visitors that the folks operating Amsterdam's Facebook page froze the score at 12-1, even though you could clearly see the field scoreboard on the screen.

In the second game, with apologies to Barry Manilow, the teams didn't make it through the rain. With the Mohawks up, 5-0, in the third, the game was called with one out due to a downpour. Dan Parslow pitched three innings to get the win, and Devin Disonell, Brendan's brother, provided all the necessary offense with a 2nd inning homer.

Standings:

Athletics 7-1-1.
Dutch 5-3-1.
Mohawks 4-4.
Independents 0-8.

Does anyone get the feeling Glens Falls should've stuck with the Dragons?

News & notes

As the flat track season at Saratoga begins tomorrow, the jockey colony may be a little bit smaller than usual.

That's because the New York Racing Association won't be able to use out of town jockeys due to coronavirus travel restrictions that are in effect involving a number of states experiencing recent surges in virus infections and positive tests. Conversely, any jockey who takes an assignment out of state, say for example, to California, will not return for the rest of the Saratoga meet.

These are the times we live in.
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Russell Sage College, a member of the Empire 8 athletic conference, has become the 3rd college in the 518 to cancel its fall sports schedule, joining Union & RPI. A caveat here is that there is a possibility of fall sports being played in the spring, which would really clog up the calendar.

At this rate, it won't surprise anyone if the other colleges in the area follow suit.
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The Albany Athletics are undefeated no longer.

The leaders in the Independent Collegiate Baseball League, coming off a 15-0 pounding of Glens Falls in Monday's nightcap, were served with a mammoth dose of karmic justice earlier tonight, as the Albany Dutch avenged a loss on Saturday with plenty of interest. Adam Dembrowski (CBA/St. John Fisher) hit 2 home runs, and former CBA teammate Nick Melillo (Siena) added a 7th inning grand slam, as the Dutch routed the Athletics, 20-0.

The nightcap saw the first tie of the season (no extra innings in the ICBL), as the teams played to a 2-2 draw.

The updated standings:

Athletics 7-1-1.
Dutch 5-3-1.
Mohawks 2-4.
Independents 0-6.

News & notes

Mere days after the Liberty League announced their fall schedule, Union College, on the heels of arch-rival RPI cancelling their fall sports schedule, opted to do the same, citing concerns over coronavirus. With most, but not all, of the remaining Liberty League schools based in New York, it's a matter of time before other schools follow suit.
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James Allen of the Albany Times-Union reported Monday that, on the heels of the NFL's Washington franchise ditching the nickname "Redskins" after nearly 90 years, schools in New York's Section II will begin taking a look at following suit. Shenendehowa removed Native American imagery from their Plainsmen uniforms more than 2 decades ago. Siena College was perhaps the first team in the area to make a name change, dropping "Indians" all the way back in 1988, and taking on "Saints" a year or two later. More than a dozen schools in Section II have Native American inspired nicknames that conceivably be waving goodbye in due course.
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What a difference a week makes in the Independent Collegiate Baseball League.

After getting off to a fast start, the Amsterdam Mohawks have dropped four in a row, the latest a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Albany Dutch on Monday.

Brian Hart got the Mohawks going with a 2 run homer in the first, but, having not played since losing a doubleheader to the Albany Athletics Wednesday, the Mohawk pitching staff was out of sync, as the Dutch came back with seven runs in the first two innings, mostly via a parade of walks and hit batsmen, en route to a 9-4 win. Ben Lavery (Shen) homered in the 7th, but it wasn't enough for Amsterdam to mount a comeback.

Game two was a 9 inning affair to make up for games cancelled on Saturday due to rain, and the two teams endured some light rain in this game, after game 1 was disrupted by a nearly half hour weather delay in the 4th inning. Ben Seiler (Albany Academy/Siena) continued his strong start to the season, fanning six in four innings, and I have to imagine he was lifted due to pitch count. The Dutch pummeled Amsterdam, 11-1, to complete the sweep.

Meanwhile, the first place Athletics remained unbeaten, sweeping winless Glens Falls, 4-3 & 15-0.

The current standings:

Athletics 7-0
Dutch 4-3
Mohawks 2-4
Independents 0-6

Play resumes on Wednesday.

Remembering Joe Loudis

He appeared in 2 Little League World Series as a 2nd baseman from Schenectady Little League, whose teams were runners-up in 1953, then won it all the very next year. He played four sports at Mont Pleasant, and played basketball for a fellow area legend, Richard "Doc" Sauers at Albany State (now UAlbany). In fact, he'd be more closely associated with basketball for the rest of his career.

Joe Loudis would forge his own coaching legend in Section II, coaching at Cohoes & Mechanicville, leading the Red Raiders to three sectional finals.

In recent times, Loudis, now confined to a wheelchair, would be at courtside while son Eric coached at Schenectady and Lansingburgh, and was present when the Knights captured the Uncle Sam Holiday Classic in December, then came up short in the Class A final in Glens Falls a shade over two  months later, losing to Mekeel Christian.

Joe Loudis passed away Sunday at 78. Eric Loudis was quoted as saying he had a feeling last season would've been his father's last at courtside. The Daily Gazette led with the rememberance of Loudis' Little League title run.

Come December, assuming basketball season starts on time, we'll see if Loudis has the court rededicated in his memory at either Cohoes or Mechanicville.

Rest in peace.

News & notes

Saturday morning's rainstorm put a damper on the ICBL schedule. Literally.

Hours before they were to take the field, the Glens Falls Independents announced that their doubleheader vs. Amsterdam was cancelled. No make up date has been set.

Back in Amsterdam, the 1st round of the Battle of Albany began with the Athletics scoring 5 runs in the 3rd inning, then tacking on extra runs in the 5th & 7th innings, to pancake the Dutch, 9-1. Johnny Decker (Albany Academy/Stony Brook) drove in the only Dutch run with a 2nd inning triple, plating Jake Manderson (Ballston Spa), who'd walked.

The 2nd game was called off with more rain in the forecast for the Amsterdam area. The Dutch (2-3) will be the home team when they play Amsterdam tomorrow. The Athletics (5-0) will play Glens Falls next, I believe.
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Don Carey transferred to Siena from Mount St. Mary's in the hope of playing for Jamion Christian. However, Christian left for George Washington before Carey could see the court.

Now, after helping the Saints to a MAAC regular season title, Carey is leaving, and will be a graduate transfer at his next school. It won't be George Washington, which has no scholarships, unless he's a walk-on, which is doubtful. Carey entered the transfer portal on Friday.
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To the surprise of, well, no one, the local press has backburnered the ICBL after opening night.

El Cheapo Media prints what passes for box scores in very small type, and there've been no headlines the last few days in the Albany Times-Union or Daily Gazette, at least on their websites. Like, until Saratoga opens the flat track on Thursday, fellas, this is the only game in town. Literally.

News & notes

As Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians and the NFL's Washington franchise, referred to at this desk as the Trumpets, are considering changing their team nicknames, despite opposition from President Donald John Archie Bunker Trump, at least one Section II school is following suit.

The Daily Gazette reports that Mechanicville is considering removing the Native American imagery that goes with their team name, the Red Raiders. Other schools in Section II with similar imagery, including Glens Falls, Schoharie, Fonda-Fultonville, and Niskayuna, just to name a few, might follow suit if Mechanicville goes through with changes. Stay tuned.
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There's never a substitute for experience in team sports.

The Amsterdam Mohawks found out the hard way Thursday night as they dropped a doubleheader at home to the Albany Athletics.

In game one, the Mohawks squandered a brilliant 2 inning start by hometown hero Dale Stanavich (Amsterdam/Rutgers), as Von Baker (OESJ) couldn't find the plate in 1/3 of an inning. Albany, the defending champions of the Twilight League, built a 4-0 lead behind starter Zach Breen, who went four plus innings before tiring. Ryan Lambert (Colonie) nearly blew the lead, but ex-Tri-City Valleycat Chris Salamida (Watervliet), who has made a new career with the Athletics as a pitcher-outfielder, moved from his center field position to the mound, and picked up his 3rd save in as many chances, slamming the door shut to lift Albany past Amsterdam, 5-3.

Salamida was released by Houston more than a decade ago, and has been with the Athletics the last few years.

Game two was more of the same. Brendan Disonell (Shenendehowa) pitched a perfect first inning, but the roof caved in on him and the Mohawks in the 2nd, as Albany batted around, and plated 6 runs, erasing an early 2-0 Amsterdam lead. Disonell was done after 1 1/3 innings. Not long after, brother Devin (Shen) was ejected for arguing balls & strikes in the home 3rd. The strange part about that play was, the ejection was recorded as an out. Like, who does that? Was that a rule that no one knew about? Manager Greg Christodulu, who has a number of Shen alums on his team, didn't argue, else he too would've been shown the door. Anthony Raimo (Hudson Valley Community College) had a big game with three hits and 4 RBI's, as the Athletics completed the sweep with a 12-6 win. The game was called by mutual consent after 6 innings.

The Athletics, some might think, may have a bit of an advantage in that their roster, just like in the Twilight League, is a mix of high school & college players, plus older semi-pro players, including Broadalbin-Perth baseball coach R. J. Pingatore, who came out of the 1st game for precautionary reasons after seemingly tweaking an ankle running the bases, but was good to go to return in game 2.
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Rensselaer is considering some changes to their athletic program due to budget concerns, per the Albany Times-Union. Amsterdam is doing the same thing, and among the programs being "put aside" is varsity cheerleading. I don't think they've paid attention to what happened in Lansingburgh the last two seasons without cheerleaders. Their football team is now a laughingstock in Section II.

If that doesn't tell you that there's politics in the school boards of Section II, what would?

News & notes

The Liberty League will still have fall sports this season, but the start of the season has been delayed until the last weekend in September. While RPI won't be playing this season, the other 518 representatives of the league, Union & Skidmore Colleges, will, as of right now. A lot can still change in the next couple of months.
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In Major League Baseball, black uniforms were marketing tools for teams such as the Mets in order to appeal to inner city fans.

At Siena College, the men's basketball team will use black uniforms this season to serve a different purpose, to take a stand against racial inequality and injustice.

Trust me when I say this, they won't be the only ones.
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The Albany Dutch evened their record at 2-2, leaving the Glens Falls Independents winless after a doubleheader sweep in Amsterdam on Wednesday night. The Dutch won the first game in blowout fashion, 10-0, then needed a walk-off hit by pinch hitter Chris Hamilton (Schalmont/Stony Brook) to complete the sweep with a 3-2 win.

We learned that in the Independent Collegiate Baseball League, there are no extra innings. Had it not been for Hamilton's heroics, or those of Luke Gold (Ballston Spa/Boston College), whose pop fly double was reversed into a foul ball in a bizarre scenario that illustrated the downside of having just one umpire per game, the game would've ended in a 2-2 tie after 7 innings.

News & notes

Elijah Burns has the next phase of his basketball journey mapped out, even if he can't embark on it just yet.

Having finished graduate studies at Siena this spring, Burns isn't waiting for the NBA draft later this year, having signed a pro contract to play in Bulgaria, depending on when the foreign travel restrictions are lifted in relation to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Twin brothers Brooks & Carter Knapek haven't just come home for the summer.

According to Mark Singelais of the Albany Times-Union, the Knapeks have actually graduated from Virginia Commonwealth, having transferred there from UMass, and sat out a year under NCAA transfer rules. They still have two years of collegiate eligibility left, and they'll use it at Siena, starting in 2021, and will reunite with former Albany Academy teammate Ben Seiler.

There was a mini-Academy reunion Monday, as a 4th ex-Cadet, Johnny Decker, also plays for the Albany Dutch. Seiler got the better of Brooks Knapek in their brief matchup on Monday night, but if the twins can get their mechanics straightened out during this summer, Siena coach Tony Rossi could have a formidible staff next year.
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Former Shenendehowa star Ian Anderson is on the 60-man roster for the Atlanta Braves, and could see major league action this season. Of course, Rodger Wyland was predicting the same thing last year, but it didn't happen. This year, in a shorter season? Ya never know.

But if Anderson, as a prospect, has baseball cards out, that might explain in part why it's so difficult to buy baseball cards now if you don't go to the hobby shops. Larger retailers like Walmart and Target can't keep them in stock, and the same holds true for this year's football cards. Seems there are greedy customers who buy up the stock, then resell online to turn a profit, according to a Target clerk I spoke to last week.

That said, it's worse than panic-buying over toilet paper, hand sanitizer, et al, in the early days of the pandemic....! Adults will say they're buying for their kids, as per normal, but something has triggered this wave of hoarding, and it needs to stop yesterday.
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When the Glens Falls Independents took the field Monday at East Field, they wore the uniforms of the Perfect Game Collegiate League franchise in the city, the Dragons, because their own uniforms were not ready in time. With tonight's doubleheader vs. the Albany Dutch being played in Amsterdam, and a threat of rain, there's no guarantee they'll play or if the Independents will have their actual uniforms. By the way, the Mohawks return home tomorrow to play the Athletics.
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Had the PGCBL played, Troy High alumnus Isaac Brown would've been pitching for Amsterdam. Currently at Marist, Brown could've conceivably been selected to play for the Mohawks anyway, but gets a season off instead. Go figure.

Baseball's back, but with some bugs

The Independent Collegiate Baseball League kicked off with doubleheaders on Monday, but there are some kinks still to be worked out.

For example, the Amsterdam Mohawks' live stream for each game was late in starting, and the video feed cut out periodically. The Glens Falls Independents, who use a website created by Wix, had some video issues as well, and were late in starting their feed. Not every team's roster is readily available online for media use, which isn't going to help.

The rosters have a decided Section II flavor by design, as there are very few players outside of the 518 in the league.

At East Field, which is home to the Dragons of the Perfect Game Collegiate League, the home-standing Independents dropped a doubleheader to the Albany Athletics, one of the traditional powers of the Albany Twilight League, 8-5 & 3-1.

Over in Amsterdam, the Mohawks, playing without regular manager Keith Griffin (COVID-19), swept a double-dip from the Albany Dutch, who are using the Dutchmen logo from the PGCBL. Acting manager Greg Christodulu has a roster that includes a few familiar faces from Shenendehowa, including Wake Forest-bound Jake Reinisch. A gentlemen's agreement allowed the bottom of the 7th to be played, even though Amsterdam won the opener, 7-4, just to give the players some extra work on defense.

In the second game, Albany wasted a solid start by Ben Seiler (Albany Academy/Siena) and an early homer by Luke Gold (Ballston Spa/Boston College), as the Mohawks came back from a 3-0 deficit to complete the sweep. Down 3-1 in the 6th, Nick Kondo (Saratoga/UAlbany) belted a 3 run homer to put the Mohawks up for good, as Amsterdam came away with a 7-3 win. Brooks Knapek (Albany Academy/Virginia Commonwealth) started for Amsterdam in game 2 opposite former teammate Seiler, but lasted just 1 inning, giving up all three Dutch runs.

The teams are off today, and the home teams will swap opponents on Wednesday, with the Athletics at Amsterdam, and the Dutch at Glens Falls in another set of doubleheaders.

News & notes

Updating a recent story, Amsterdam Mohawks manager Keith Griffin is officially out for the 2020 season due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions implemented by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Shenendehowa baseball coach Greg Christodulu will be the interim manager when play begins in the Independent Collegiate League later this month.
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With Major League Baseball set to start play in three weeks, local fans will only have two options for radio broadcasts as of right now.

As of press time, the Mets don't have a local outlet, as they ended their contract with Pamal/Albany Broadcasting after the 2018 season. The Boston Red Sox can be found, in all probability, on WOFX (980 AM), and the Yankees, with ageless John Sterling at the mic hamming it up, remain on WTMM (104.5 FM). Hard to believe Sterling is over 80. Yow!
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Local product Gary Apple, long time host of the Mets' pre-game & post-game shows on SNY, reported that he & his family have recovered from COVID-19. A Troy native, Gary started his TV career at WRGB many, many moons ago, before moving to NYC. Prayers going out to the Apple family to avoid a relapse.

It's wait 'til next year for RPI, Valleycats

COVID-19 hit Troy with a double whammy in the last 24 hours.

First, RPI announced that they were cancelling their fall 2020 sports schedule, which includes the annual Dutchman's Shoes football game vs. Union, which takes place either in late October or early November. The game has been cancelled for the first time in 75 years.

RPI is erring on the side of caution, of course, due to the unpredictability of the coronavirus. While UAlbany, Siena, Hudson Valley, etc., are still hoping to play, one has the feeling the dominoes will soon fall in line.

Speaking of Hudson Valley Community College, their summer sports tenant, the Tri-City Valleycats, will not play this season at all. Two weeks after the start of the 2020 NY-Penn League season was delayed, Major League Baseball announced that the minor league season across the board, from full season Class A all the way down to Rookie Leagues, would be cancelled. With the majors about to start in three weeks or so, there might not have been enough time for the 'Cats or any other short season leagues, so cancellation was virtually inevitable.

With the Northeastern Football Conference having already cancelled their regular season, the 'Cats' cancellation leaves hometown residents without live sports until possibly the start of high school season in September, if that, since fans will not be admitted to Saratoga Race Course when it begins its season in two weeks.