News & notes

 Now we know why Troy High's road tennis meet with Saratoga, originally scheduled for today, was moved up to Wednesday, and ultimately cancelled due to rain. The Suburban Council held their league championships today, and only the top teams in the league took part in the tournament. Troy, in last place, was not eligible for the championships.

Shaker takes home the 2020 Suburban Council title. Troy officially finishes at 0-8.

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Speaking of Shaker, pitcher Tommy Kahnle has opted to test the free agent market, and declined an option from the Yankees to return to the Bronx for 2021. He could still return, but it's a question of whether or not the Yankees would meet the price. Injuries cut short Kahnle's 2020 campaign in August.

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Troy's soccer teams are still looking for wins, but there was just no way that was happening today vs. Shenendehowa.

Against the Plainsmen, the boys ended their recent scoring drought in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough, as Shen won, 6-1. The Troy men are now 0-7-1. The Lady Plainsmen routed Troy, 10-0, sending Justin Haviland's club to 0-6-1.

Added to the schedule for the women is a rematch vs. Albany at Picken Field on Thursday. The teams played to a 2-2 draw on October 9. The Lady Horses are otherwise at Guilderland on Tuesday, and Thursday's match begins a 4 game season ending homestand, which concludes on Senior Day against Colonie on November 14.

The remaining schedule for the men sees them at home vs. Guilderland on Tuesday, at Shaker next Saturday, Senior Night vs. CBA on November 10, and closing at Colonie.

News & notes

 The Perfect Game Collegiate League could have some company next summer. In a way.

Major League Baseball is proposing that if the Tri-City Valleycats end up losing their affiliation with the Houston Astros, which has netted the 'Cats 3 NY-Penn League titles and a handful of Stedler Division titles, they would be downgraded to a wooden bat league not too dissimilar to the PGCL. The 'Cats have had exhibition games with the Albany Dutchmen the last few, save for this year, of course, but the downgrade from pro minor league to amateur league would ensure the 'Cats would stay in town.

The last thing the team needs is another bad move, after the passings of founder William Gladstone and patron saint Joe Bruno earlier this year. Stay tuned.

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Troy/Averill Park squared its swimming/diving record at 2-2 after dispatching Albany, 105-65, Thursday night. The team has two meets left, against Ballston Spa & Bethlehem, over the final two weeks of the season before the Troy/CBA men's team begins their season in December.

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Thursday's entire high school slate was postponed or cancelled due to rain. Troy's women's tennis team apparently will finish their season today vs. Shenendehowa, with no makeup dates set for Colonie or Saratoga.

News & notes

 The Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) announced Wednesday that their 2021 tour will be coming to the 518.

A tour stop at Kingpin Alley in South Glens Falls is set for June 3-5. What isn't certain is if the final rounds will be on TV. Stay tuned.

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Troy High & Colonie were supposed to have a women's tennis meet two weeks ago, and that was wiped out by rain, and rescheduled for today. Unfortunately, it's one of a number of events that has been cancelled or postponed due to rain. For Troy, it's the 2nd straight cancellation, as yesterday's road match at Saratoga was also cancelled. The Blue Streaks' Twitter page seemed to indicate that this would not revert back to its original date of Saturday. One has to assume there were scheduling conflicts in the Spa City forcing the initial change.

Thus, for the winless Lady Horses, the season ends tomorrow----weather permitting, of course----vs. Shenendehowa.

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Siena College men's basketball coach Carmen Maciariello said Wednesday that the Saints could open the season at Mohegan Sun in suburban Connecticut Thanksgiving weekend. That will be updated soon enough.

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In addition to the Troy-Colonie women's tennis meet, the Patroon Conference soccer championship game between Maple Hill and Greenville was postponed to November 2 due to rain.

I get that it's all about the health & safety of players, coaches, et al, especially in the midst of the pandemic, but soccer is one of those sports that's meant to be played in the rain. I should know. In my only season of varsity high school sports, I was on a 1st year soccer team at a small Christian school in Lansingburgh, and we played one home game at Knickerbocker Field in a driving rainstorm. And that was 42 years ago. Times change, folks.

News & notes

 The Colonial Athletic Alliance, which counts UAlbany as a member school in football, released its league schedule on Monday. The Great Danes have 6 league games, with 2 non-league games to be announced at a later date.

The schedule, courtesy of the Albany Times-Union:

Spring 2021 UAlbany CAA Football Schedule
  

March 6 at New Hampshire
March 13 at Maine
March 20 Rhode Island
March 27 Stony Brook
April 3 at Delaware
April 10 Villanova

We will keep you updated.

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We are still waiting for results from Troy High on the following:

Women's soccer vs. Saratoga, 10/24.

Cross country vs. Albany, 10/26.

None of these have been reported to the press.

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Update, 6:58 pm: Troy snapped its shutout streak on Saturday, though they were still defeated by Schenectady, 6-3. The Lady Horses remain winless on the season with a 9-0 whitewash this afternoon at Averill Park.

News & notes

 Golf season has ended in Section II, or, at the very least, it's almost there.

The Suburban Council held its league championships on Saturday. Shenendehowa won the women's title, while Saratoga captured the men's crown. Troy High? Last place in the men's event, while the women's team didn't play, as they didn't have enough matches, or opted out.

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We are still awaiting the result of yesterday's Troy-Saratoga women's soccer match at Picken Field. Seems as though Troy is withholding the result to avoid further embarrassment, as the Lady Horses are still looking for their first win of the season. Today's Albany Times-Union omitted soccer results due to space limitations.

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Troy's cross-country teams are still looking for their first wins as well. The Flying Horses fell to Columbia on Saturday in a dual meet also involving host CBA. Three meets remain. In a surprise schedule change, the November 7 meet at Albany has been moved up to tomorrow, due likely to scheduling conflicts on the original date. That means that Troy will have two weeks in between a Halloween meet at Colonie and the season finale at Schenectady on November 14.

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UAlbany basketball fans will see the Great Danes as weekend warriors this season. The America East conference revealed its 2020-1 schedule, and the Danes will play conference games on Saturdays & Sundays. Now, if they could just get a local TV deal......!

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Schenectady High has rescheduled their women's soccer match vs. Troy, originally set for October 13, to Veteran's Day, November 11, at Picken Field. Both Troy soccer teams close with Colonie three days later, on November 14 (Senior Day for the women).

Troy High notes, 10/24

 As of now, we don't have the results of today's Suburban Council golf championships. Should have that by tomorrow. The women's soccer match at Picken Field vs. Saratoga has not been reported. We are awaiting results of today's cross country meets vs. Columbia High.

The men's soccer team was shut out again, this time by Saratoga, 5-0. Mike Murnane's club will return home to play Averill Park on Tuesday and Shenendehowa on Halloween, followed by an Election Day meeting with Guilderland. The winless Flying Horses (0-6) are lucky there are no sectionals this year.

The women (0-3-1, not including last Tuesday's home game vs. Columbia, which was not reported), of course, are on the road next week.

The women's tennis team's schedule seems to be scrambled. They were shut out again last night, this time by Shaker, but the scores were not reported until this morning, and dated for today, which would be in error. They were scheduled for a home meet this morning vs. Schenectady, and that has not yet been reported. The meet vs. Colonie, which was rained out on October 16, has been rescheduled for October 29, as the Lady Horses are closing the season with a flourish. Last night's meet vs. Shaker began a stretch of 6 meets in 8 days to close the season, as a road meet vs. Saratoga was moved up to Tuesday. Troy has one of the longest losing streaks in women's tennis, if not the longest, in Section II history, and it doesn't look like that'll end any time soon.

All I can say is, basketball season can't come soon enough.

News & notes

 What is it going to take for Giants coach Joe Judge to show Dion Lewis some love?

Lewis, an Albany Academy graduate, barely saw the field last night in a loss to Philadelphia. He lost one fumble, but made up for it later with a 20 yard run. He made one catch on Sunday vs. Washington for 10 yards. Bear in mind, if memory serves, Judge was an assistant under Bill Belichick when Lewis was in New England. You'd think he'd know better than have Lewis as a situational back. This is one of the reasons why the Giants are 1-6 after blowing an 11 point 4th quarter lead, losing to the Eagles.

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Another night, more losses for Troy High.

Troy's combined women's swimming & diving team (merged with Averill Park), dropped a 101-70 decision to Guilderland/Voorheesville last night. Now 1-2,. with 3 meets left, the Flying Warriors won't have it easy going forward.

Meanwhile, Troy's men's golf team ended a winless regular season in a loss to Shaker. Alex Wolfe was low for Troy with a 42. The Suburban Council championships take place on Saturday. Troy & Shaker meet today in women's tennis.

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518 native Bobby Fish was in a position to win another NXT tag title as part of the Undisputed Era faction on Wednesday. 

Instead, Bobby and partner du jour Roderick Strong were attacked separately backstage as part of a show-long storyline that resulted in England's Danny Burch & his American partner, Oney Lorcan, with a late assist from former NFL punter Pat McAfee, winning the titles from Breezango in Wednesday's main event. Haven't heard anything about legit injuries, but Fish has spent time on the injured list the last couple of years, and the worst case scenario would be another lengthy stay on the DL.

Troy High notes, 10/21

 As of press time, last night women's soccer match between Troy and Columbia has not been reported to the press. Neither school has said anything about the game on their Twitter pages, either.

However, it was Senior Night for the Blue Devils' men's team in East Greenbush, and Columbia beat Troy, 4-0. Mike Murnane's Flying Horses have been shut out in four of their five losses, scoring just 1 goal in 5 games. They're back on the road Saturday at Saratoga, while the women entertain the Blue Streaks in a brunch special at 11 am.

On Monday, Columbia shut Troy out in women's tennis, 9-0. I know it's an annoying refrain, but in all honesty, the talent just isn't there on the court for the Troy women. Columbia also swept the golf matches, leaving Troy's men at 0-11 (assume CBA beat them in a meet that wasn't reported), heading into the season finale at Shaker tomorrow. 

News & notes

 Troy High is still looking for wins in cross country and golf.

The cross country squads, for the 2nd straight week, did not submit complete scores from Saturday's meet at Shenendehowa. Things must be so bad, they are not submitting results to avoid total embarrassment. The Flying Horses (0-3 for both the men & women) are doing the best they can, but there has to be something to motivate them to do better.

The women's golf team didn't play Burnt Hills on Saturday, as the guys did. Instead, they had a make-up date with the Academy of Holy Names, out of the Colonial Council. The meet was supposed to take place two weeks ago, per Schedule Galaxy, which never acknowledged the change in dates.

Not surprisingly, then, Troy's women remain winless, as Holy Names won handily, 91-103. Molly Bisceglia was low for Troy with a 46. She also had low score for the school overall, as the guys fell to the Spartans, with Jaleel Goodbee posting a 51 over 9 holes to lead Troy. They're back on the links today against Columbia.

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It's wait 'til next year for Ian Anderson & the Atlanta Braves.

Anderson was lifted after 3 innings and 73 pitches Sunday night, but the bullpen could not hold off the Los Angeles Dodgers. Former Tri-City Valleycat Enrique "Kiki" Hernandez tied it with a homer in the 6th, and Cody Bellinger won it with a solo shot in the 7th, the Dodgers advanced to the World Series, which starts tomorrow, 4-3.

Anderson gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 2 and walking 2, in his 3 innings.

News & notes

 Shenendehowa grad Ian Anderson will have the most important start of his major league career on Sunday, as he takes the mound in the final game of the National League Championship Series. Los Angeles & Atlanta are tied at 3 games apiece after the Dodgers defeated the Braves, 3-1, earlier tonight. Locally, the game will air on WXXA following NFL football.

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After the coronavirus forced a premature end to the 2019-20 college basketball season, Albany's Times-Union Center will get another chance to host the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 2023. In addition, they will also host the women's tournament early round, and hockey regionals between 2022-26. Siena College & the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will host the basketball tournaments, while the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC), together with Union College & RPI, will host the hockey regionals.

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Schenectady High's women's soccer team finally took to the pitch on a soggy Friday, and were blown off the field by Colonie to the tune of 12-0. Ouch! 10 Garnet Raiders tallied at least 1 goal, but the victors were not willing to gloat, and the Patriots left the field with heads high.

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Troy High's women's tennis team just needs to win a set. Period.

It was another day, another shutout loss, as Troy was swept, 9-0, by Niskayuna earlier today. Not a good way to start a 3 meet road trip, which continues Monday at Columbia. Last night's meet vs. Colonie was rained out, as expected, with no make-up date set.

Troy High notes, 10/16

 As retired Chicago White Sox announcer Ken Harrelson used to say, you can put it on the board----YES!

Troy High's combined women's swimming & diving team (w/Averill Park) finally found the elusive winner's circle for the school Thursday, defeating Shaker, 92-78. Unfortunately, the results are not in today's papers, as they weren't submitted in time for morning deadlines. The results can be found at www.section2swim.com.

However, the Lady Bison proved to be too much on the soccer pitch, as they downed Troy in a non-league match that was originally scheduled for last Thursday, but rained out. Shaker won, 8-1. The two teams will meet again at Picken Field November 7.

Keep in mind the Lady Horses have scored a grand total of 3 goals in 4 total games (0-3-1 overall, 0-2-1 in the Suburban Council. The men's team has just 1 goal in 4 games. The teams are idle until Tuesday vs. Columbia (girls are home, guys on the road). The women's match vs. Schenectady, which was postponed Tuesday due to coronavirus concerns, has not yet been rescheduled, per the THS soccer page.

The Lady Horses' tennis team would like to win at least 1 set once in a while. Troy is now 0-3, maybe 0-5 after two matches last week went unreported, after another shutout loss, this time to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. The meet was the first in a series of 4 in 5 days, as they're home to play Colonie today, though that's likely going to be rained out, then at Niskayuna tomorrow, and Columbia on Tuesday, before moving on to Shaker next Friday.

Troy's golf teams remain winless as well, falling to Shenendehowa on Thursday. Molly Bisceglia was low overall for Troy, carding a 45 over 9 holes, followed by Eric Balogh's 47. The Troy men are now 0-7 or 0-8, as Wednesday's match vs. Christian Brothers Academy was not reported. They'll tee it up tomorrow vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, and will have Senior Day Monday vs. Columbia before closing at Shaker on Thursday before the league championships on October 24.

News & notes

 You probably figured it was going to happen, and it is.

The Troy Turkey Trot becomes the latest local sporting event to go virtual due to coronavirus concerns, especially considering how COVID-19 cases are spiking up again all across the country

Photo courtesy of the Albany Times-Union.

Entries for the virtual Trot are being accepted now until November 28, which is two days after Thanksgiving. I'm assuming the virtual Trot would take place soon after. This is the 2nd major race in the 518 to go virtual, following the Freihofer's Run For Women back in May.

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Troy High's men's soccer team absorbed another loss this afternoon, shut out once again, this time by Schenectady, 2-0. The boys are 0-4 on the young season, with just 1 goal scored through 4 games. As previously reported, the women's game was postponed due to coronavirus concerns with the Lady Patriots.

Troy's men's golf team is 0-6 after falling to Ballston Spa on Monday. The women's tennis match vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, originally set for Monday, per Schedule Galaxy, has been pushed back to Thursday for unknown reasons. We're still waiting for results from matches vs. Guilderland & Albany on October 9-10.

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Shenendehowa alum Ian Anderson started game 2 of the National League Championship Series vs. Los Angeles tonight at Arlington. He didn't go the requisite 5 innings to qualify for the win, but he retains a 0.00 ERA through 3 post-season starts. Anderson went 4 innings, giving up a hit and 5 walks while striking out 5. The game is ongoing as of press time.

The significance of this game, however, is that it's the first time Anderson's family, flying in from Rexford, is in attendance to see the phenom pitch this season.

Bear in mind the NL East will play the AL East again next season. Can you imagine the cheering section for Anderson at Citi Field AND Yankee Stadium?

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The Giants are 0-5, and after Saquon Barkley was lost for the season with an injury last month, 1st year coach Joe "Here Comes The" Judge had a chance to let Albany native Dion Lewis be the featured back. Nope.

Lewis, whose resume includes stops in Philadelphia, Cleveland, New England, and Tennessee, remains a reserve behind Davonte Freeman, signed as a free agent after being released by Atlanta. Judge is a former Patriots assistant, though I'm not sure he and Lewis were in New England at the same time.

It begs to ask how it's possible that the majority of sports teams in NYC are so inept at the management level. Boggles the mind!

Troy High notes, 10/11

 For the 2nd straight day, Troy High's women's tennis team was on the court, this time against Albany. For the 2nd straight day, the results have not been reported to the press. One must assume that whomever is tasked by AD Paul Reinisch to submit the results either did not attend either meet (Friday vs. Guilderland being the other), or couldn't be bothered, because the Lady Horses have yet to win a match, much less a set. Assume, then, that Troy lost both, to go to 0-4.

Last week, we mistakenly thought that host CBA was also a part of Troy's 1st cross country meet of the season. Nope. That was yesterday, as the Brothers & Trojans both took on Ballston Spa. Looking at the results, Troy had to be so bad, they didn't submit a complete report, as it's listed as "inc.", or, incomplete. CBA defeated Ballston Spa & Troy. Troy is now 0-3 in cross country.

Troy's men's soccer team fell to Albany, 7-0, while the golf team lost to Niskayuna. Alex Wolfe was low man on the links again for Troy, carding a 49 over 9 holes.

What Reinisch needs now is a motivational speaker. These kids are trying, but there apparently isn't enough talent.

And so we move on.

Troy High notes, 10/10

 It took an extra day, but the newly united Troy High/Averill Park women's swimming & diving team took to the pool Friday vs. another newly created union, Scotia-Glenville/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, on the road at Burnt Hills. The hosts came away with a 106-67 win. The AP/Troy team will be back in the pool on Thursday.

Troy's women's soccer team still hasn't won a game in three tries, but they found the net in playing to a 2-2 draw with Albany under the lights. Troy is now 0-2-1, and Justin Haviland's club is now idle until October 20, when they return home to play Columbia.

This is due to Schenectady postponing their first two varsity matches, on the women's side, including a home game vs. Troy, set for Tuesday, due to coronavirus concerns. The men's soccer team is on the pitch now at Picken Field vs. the Falcons, and we should have a result later today.

Friday's women's tennis match between Troy & Guilderland was not reported, which leads one to think that, too, might've been postponed.

Remembering Joseph L. Bruno (1929-2020)

 Career politician. Lifelong sports fan. The late Senator Joseph L. Bruno was able to unite the two biggest interests in his life to bring Minor League Baseball back to the 518.

As the 21st century began, the closest thing to a minor league baseball team in the region was the independent Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs, who'd taken over Heritage Park in Colonie a few years earlier after the Yankees moved their Eastern League (Class AA) team to New Jersey, despite the strong fan base the parent club had built for years.

Hudson Valley Community College converted its baseball field into a full-on, state of the art stadium, named for Senator Bruno, to welcome the Tri-City ValleyCats, formerly the Pittsfield Astros (and before that, the Pittsfield Mets) to the 518 in 2002. Despite Bruno's legal troubles in later years, he was still a welcome presence on opening day at the stadium.

Before the 2020 minor league season was scuttled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Valleycats were among the leaders in attendance in the New York-Penn League every years, regardless of the team's record. Bruno had delivered a winner to Rensselaer County. The 'Cats won 3 NY-PL titles (2010, 2013, 2018), and several divisional titles, and have seen over 80 players move on to the major leagues, including current Houston Astros George Springer and Jose Altuve, White Sox pitcher Dallas Keuchel, Mets utility man J. D. Davis, and Phillies pitcher Vincent Velasquez.

However, the Valleycats will be playing in a different league in 2021, with Major League Baseball dissolving the NY-PL as part of a contraction plan, and, quite possibly, without MLB affiliation. In other words, the 'Cats could be an independent team, as the Diamond Dogs were before them before folding some years back.

It won't be the same next year, assuming the 'Cats will resume playing, with both Bruno and owner Bill Gladstone having passed on, but the memories of these men will be honored.

Rest in peace, Senator.

Fishing for Vindication

Entering this year's postseason tournament, the Miami Marlins had never lost a playoff series, but it had been 17 years, when they were still the Florida Marlins, since their last playoff appearance.

While they will be the home team for today's NLDS game 3 vs. Atlanta, the Marlins are on the verge of seeing that run of postseason success come to a grinding halt.

Shenendehowa graduate Ian Anderson avenged an earlier loss to the Marlins, as well as a Labor Day no-decision, combining with the Atlanta bullpen to shut out Miami, 2-0. Anderson went 5 2/3 innings, giving up 3 hits while striking out 8. The Braves now lead the series, 2-0, and could close out the Marlins this afternoon.

MLB's YouTube channel provides a highlight reel:

It's safe to say Anderson left the Marlins' bats thick as bricks.

News & notes

 The Albany Empire will rise again.

The Empire, which won the 2019 ArenaBowl, will compete in the National Arena League in 2021. On Tuesday, the team's new owners announced that the team will retain the "Empire" name, having already signed coach Rob Keefe and his top assistant, Les Moss, for next season. Now, all that's left is securing a radio or television deal in order to better sell the league to a new audience. Stay tuned.

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LaSalle Institute is going co-ed.

The school made the decision Tuesday to open its doors to women beginning in 2021. What this decision does in terms of athletics is open the possibility that women's sports will also be added at the Williams Road campus. 

LaSalle, which competes in the Colonial Council for most sports, and the Capital District High School Hockey League, could follow the lead of other schools in the latter league and add women to the hockey roster for 2021-2.

The Colonial Council has the all-women Academy of Holy Names as a member school, so we could see a budding rivalry between Holy Names & LaSalle.

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Speaking of Holy Names, there was supposed to be a women's golf match between the Colonie school and Troy High on Monday, per Schedule Galaxy, but this wasn't listed on Holy Names' page on the Colonial Council website, which suggests that plans fell through for the match.

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As for Troy, however, winning is still elusive.

The women's tennis team fell to 0-2 after another shutout loss, this one to Bethlehem, on Monday. The women's soccer team is still looking for its first goal after absorbing a 6-0 loss to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Tuesday night.

And the Lady Spartans are already planning Senior Night this early in the season?!? It's probably a morale thing.

The Troy men also fell to the Spartans, spoiling their home opener at Picken Field. Morgan Waters, however, ended the scoring drought early in the second half, as Burnt Hills won, 4-1.

The women are back on the pitch at Albany High on Friday night, while the Falcons' men's team comes to Picken Field on Saturday morning.

A message from the Suburban Council

The Suburban Council issued to following memo to its member schools last week regarding spectators for sports events (i.e. soccer, basketball).

Following is the memo, culled from Troy High's website:

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The Governor’s office, NYSPHSAA, and the Department of Health have set guidelines for the return to interscholastic activities, which began on September 21, 2020. Although we are excited to return to play, the guidelines include some restrictions for spectators. The Suburban Council has decided to set up a system that we hope will make attending games not only enjoyable but also efficient and safe for parents, officials, coaches and players.

Each player will receive two spectator badges that will be the entry pass for Troy home and away games. It is up to each individual family to decide who will attend each game. It does not matter who attends, as long as they have a badge on they will be allowed entry. When you arrive at a game, you will need to identify the player with whom you are associated. If there are more than two people attempting to attend to support the same player, only two will be allowed in. This goes for away games as well. Also, please be aware that some schools may be using systems that will allow them to track who has attended each game. That may include you providing your name and address in writing, as well QR code on your phone. Albany is not allowing any spectators at all for any contests.

Once you are in, we will have marked spaces for you to sit in the bleachers. We ask that you arrive with a mask on and keep it on as you move throughout the facility. Once you find your marked seat, feel free to remove your mask and enjoy the game. The marks on our bleachers will be distances safe enough for all in attendance.

Troy High update, 10/5

 Troy High's cross country & tennis teams opened their seasons on Saturday, but, just like the golf & soccer squads, the Flying Horses have been kept grounded.

Troy's cross country team fell to Averill Park and CBA on Saturday morning. The women's tennis team was shut out by Ballston Spa, and Colonie swept the golf matches.

The season records to date:

Men's golf: 0-5.

Women's golf: 0-3.

Men's soccer: 0-1.

Women's soccer: 0-1.

Women's tennis: 0-1.

Cross country: 0-1.

The women's tennis team is right back at it today with their home opener vs. Bethlehem, while the women's golf squad hosts the Academy of Holy Names, from the Colonial Council, at Frear Park, also this afternoon.

We should note that the women's golf match vs. Saratoga was apparently postponed or cancelled for unknown reasons. The cross country meets are being held on weekends only, in case anyone wonders.

News & notes

After the NFL was forced to postpone Sunday's Patriots-Chiefs game due to positive COVID-19 tests to a Chiefs backup quarterback, and starting New England QB Cam Newton, local fans will get to see the Buffalo Bills-Las Vegas Raiders game after all. Kickoff on WRGB is approximately 4:25 pm.

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Speaking of COVID-19, it's made its way to Section II, as today's Suburban Council opener between Guilderland & Shenendehowa on the men's side was postponed. No makeup date has yet been set. The women's match went on as scheduled.

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New year, same results for Troy High. The school's soccer squads got off to identical 0-1 starts after shutout losses to Niskayuna today.

The women's home opener was spoiled by the Silver Warriors, 7-0. The Troy men opened at Nisky, losing, 8-0. Up next for Troy is Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake on Tuesday. The men will have their home opener at 6:15 pm, while the women will be on the road with a 7 pm start.

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According to a headline in the Albany Times-Union, the Tri-City Valleycats' affiliation with the Houston Astros could be soon coming to an end. The 'Cats' contract expires at the end of the 2020 baseball season, and the team could be either unaffiliated or hooking up with another organization next year. I'm reading that the American Association, which was formerly affiliated with Major League Baseball years ago, could be a landing spot for an unaffiliated Valleycats franchise with the demise of the New York-Penn League. Other leagues, such as the Frontier League, have also been mentioned. Stay tuned.

News & notes

 Football fans in the 518 are divided among the following NFL teams: Giants, Jets, Bills, Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers, Dolphins, & Eagles. There's even a few Raiders fans, and some bandwagon jumpers wearing Chiefs merch after Kansas City won the Super Bowl, or Bucs gear now that ex-Patriots Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski play for Tampa Bay.

Kansas City hosts New England in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader on CBS, airing in most of the country. Bills fans in the Tri-Cities are up in arms because CBS affiliate WRGB chose that game over the Buffalo Las Vegas game, according to Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times-Union. WRGB can make all the excuses they have to, but if their market research says there's not enough interest in the AFC East-leading Bills, then they need to recheck their data.

Two AFC East-West games running concurrently, and you'd have to hit your favorite sports bar for dinner & drinks to watch both games at the same time, or just watch the games over a pitcher of soda.

And, oh, by the way, WXXA, the Fox affiliate, will have the Giants-Rams game airing opposite the CBS game. Pass the Maalox.

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Troy High's golf teams have yet to chart a win a week into the season.

As noted last time, the Troy men lost to Averill Park on Tuesday, but it took the Times-Union until today to post the results. Senior Alex Wolfe, now a 3-sport star at Troy, was the low scorer for his side again, carding a 43 through 9 holes in the 257-288 loss. John Durocher took medalist honors for the Warriors with a 38.

Thursday's women's match between Troy & Guilderland was called after 8 holes due to darkness, with Guilderland beating Troy, 132-162. Molly Bisceglia led Troy (0-2) with a 43. The Troy men are now 0-4 after falling to the Dutchmen, 264-302. Riley Mitchell's 43 was low for the Flying Horses, who now get a week off before teeing it up vs. CBA. Not all of the Troy women's matches are listed on Schedule Galaxy, but we'll update it for you next time.

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History was made in Atlanta on Thursday as the Braves completed a 2 game shutout sweep of Cincinnati to advance to the National League Division Series against either Miami or Chicago.

Shenendehowa grad Ian Anderson went six innings, walking two, giving up two hits, and striking out nine to pick up the win. Marcell Ozuna & Adam Duvall, the latter a former Red, added late homers to put the series away.

Let's enjoy Anderson's latest highlight reel, courtesy of ESPN & MLB's YouTube channel:

Anderson snapped a personal two-game losing streak, and could face his nemesis, the Marlins, if they close out the Cubs today. The Braves will play their NLDS at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The series is set to begin, I believe, on Monday, meaning if manager Brian Snitker goes back to ace Max Fried in game 1, Anderson would get game 2. Stay tuned.

News & notes

UAlbany got some good football news as the Colonial Athletic Alliance (CAA) announced its schedule for the spring 2021 season, to start in March. The Great Danes will have a 6 game league schedule, while the league itself will be split into two divisions. Traditional winter football weather might still be in effect when the season starts, as winter segues into spring, and temperatures would be anywhere between 25 & 40 degrees on a given day. Old school traditionalists are going to love it.

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A correction on Troy High's soccer schedule. The women's home opener on Saturday vs. Niskayuna, per the THS website, is set for 2 pm. After that, the Lady Horses will embark on a three game road trip, starting Tuesday night, at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. The women will only have five home games this season, due to Ballston Spa & Bethlehem opting out.

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Shenendehowa grad Ian Anderson will take the mound today for Atlanta as they'll try to close out a best-of-3 1st round series vs. Cincinnati. First pitch is set for 12:08 pm at Truist Park, with the game airing on ESPN.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder if they'll have television monitors tuned to the game at Shen......! If Atlanta wins, they'll get the winner of the Miami-Chicago Cubs series, and Miami has already shown they have Anderson's number. Stay tuned.