With broom to spare (NY @ Tri-City, 7/29/21)

 With just one matinee on their schedule this season, the Tri-City Valleycats made the most of it today, as they played for a sweep of their series against the New York Boulders at Bruno Stadium.

After Siena basketball coach Carmen Maciariello threw out the first pitch, newcomer Jose Cruz went to work. Not related to the namesake who played for Houston in their glory years of the 80's, Tri-City's Cruz labored through four innings and 91 pitches. In the 3rd, a single by Milton Smith, Jr. plated Phil Caulfield to give the Boulders a 1-0 lead. One inning later, Gian Martellini took Cruz out of the yard to give the guests a 3-0 advantage. However, Cruz survived the inning, but his day was over. He was clearly spent.

But there's a reason the 'Cats sit atop the Frontier League's Atlantic Division. What had been a doormat at the start of the season has found its groove.

In the home fourth, Zach Biermann, on his 2nd tour of duty with Tri-City, lined a sharp single leading off. One out later, after a walk to Juan Silverio, Luis Roman, another recent addition, singled to right, plating Biermann. With two out, Chris Kwitzer went shopping at the gap in right center, scoring Silverio & Roman to tie the game. The next batter, Carson Maxwell, launched his 11th homer of the season, ending the day for Nate Roe, a last minute substitution for Alex Mack as the Boulders' starter. Apparently, Mack wasn't able to leave his secret world in time. Nate Alexander retired Nelson Molina on a fly ball to end the inning.

But, the 'Cats weren't done.

After Silverio hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth, Kwitzer mashed his 4th homer of the season in the sixth to give Tri-City some breathing room at 7-3. In the eighth, with Jake Dexter on the mound, Tucker Nathans thought he saw a hot dog, and deposited it over the fence in center to trim the Valleycat lead to 7-4. In the home half, Andres Sosa answered Nathans' shot with his first of the season, restoring the lead to four at 8-4. With the lead at four going into the ninth, manager Pete Incaviglia decided not to use his closer, Trey Cochran-Gill, and went to A. J. Candelario instead.

New York's Phil Capra greeted Candelario with a wind-aided home run to right. Caulfield doubled, and came home after two ground outs, trimming the lead to two. Candelario then got Zach Kirkley to chase a third strike out of the zone to end it. Tri-City completes a four game sweep, 8-6.

The Valleycats now lead Equipe Quebec by 2 games in the Atlantic Division, pending the outcome of the Quebecois' game later tonight. Tri-City travels to Washington (PA) to play the Wild Things starting tomorrow, which also starts a six game road trip. The 'Cats return to Troy to play Sussex County August 6.

News & notes

 The Albany Empire clinched the National Arena League's regular season title Saturday, completing a season sweep of the Columbus Lions, 63-43.

The Empire returns home to Times-Union Center next Saturday for the regular season finale.

=======================================

The Tri-City Valleycats, for the 2nd straight night, split a doubleheader with Equipe Quebec, winning the opener, 13-6, before dropping the nightcap. The two teams will wrap up the series this afternoon at 5 pm, weather permitting, of course.

=======================================

The Albany Dutchmen won't win their division in the Perfect Game Collegiate League, and look like they're locked into 3rd place behind Amsterdam & Saugerties after losing to Mohawk Valley on Saturday night. 

The Dutchmen entered play Saturday 12 games out of first place due to a poor start to the season. Now three games under .500 with four to play, the chances of the Dutchmen making the playoffs are remote at best.

News & notes

 To my knowledge, the Mets have never drafted anyone from Section II. You'd think they would at least once.

On Wednesday, the NL East leaders abused Shaker grad Jeff Hoffman, knocking him out after four innings, in which Hoffman (3-5) gave up five runs on five hits, and walked three, en route to a 7-0 win over Cincinnati. The two teams will meet again at Citi Field July 30-August 1, so there's a good chance Hoffman will get a shot at redemption and revenge.

Here's the highlight reel:

===============================================

After getting blown out Tuesday night, the Tri-City Valleycats returned the favor against Sussex County on Wednesday, downing the Miners, 12-5. Sussex County rallied against the 'Cats' bullpen, but it was too little, too late.

================================================

Former WQBK DJ Dalton Castle, a Rochester native wrestling for Ring of Honor, will find himself in a different kind of arena on Sunday night when he appears as part of an all-star team of wrestlers on ABC's Celebrity Family Feud with Steve Harvey.

Castle will be part of a team captained by actor and part-time wrestler David Arquette that also features Peter Avalon and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, son of the late actor Luke Perry, representing All Elite Wrestling. The episode begins at 8 pm.

News & notes

 Shaker grad Jeff Hoffman will be on the hill this afternoon when the Cincinnati Reds host the Mets in the rubber game of a three game series. First pitch in 12:35 pm. Hoffman has been activated from the injured list for today's game. I don't know if Hoffman'd faced the Mets when he was with Colorado. Probably did.

==================================

The Troy Fighting Irish braved the rain, and remained undefeated Saturday night in beating Charlotte, out of the Rochester area, 23-6, in Watervliet. The Irish (5-0 overall) need a public relations department yesterday.

==================================

Pete Incaviglia and the Tri-City Valleycats need to figure a way to shut down the Sussex County Miners.

Sussex County blew away the 'Cats, 14-1 on Tuesday in the opener of a three game series. Every time the 'Cats get close to .500, something like this happens.

==========================================

A similar fate befell the Albany Dutchmen, who were drubbed, 15-2, in Saugerties Tuesday night. Time is running out for the Dutch if they want to make the postseason with a week to go in the regular season.

============================================

Since leaving the Albany Times-Union to work for NYRA, handicapper Anthony Stabile has appeared on NYRA pre-card broadcasts with Andy Serling, and, gosh, doesn't he sound a little like the late Billy Fuccillo, or what? Just sayin'.

News & notes

 It happens every year.

We get the rain in the Northeast. The West Coast is ravaged by wildfires. To borrow a line from REM, everybody hurts in some form. People are being evacuated due to wildfires in California, Washington, and, I think, Oregon. Meanwhile, here at home, persistent rain has been a plague on our local baseball teams.

The Tri-City Valleycats and the Albany Dutchmen, taking note of the weather forecast, postponed their scheduled games on Saturday night. The 'Cats will try again vs. Equipe Quebec in a twi-night doubleheader today, with the first game, weather permitting, of course, set for 4:30 pm.

========================================

In case you wonder, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jeff Hoffman (Shaker) is on a rehab assignment as he recovers from what they call shoulder impingement. That said, Hoffman, barring any setbacks, should be back any day, but could wind up in the bullpen, as he's lost his spot in the rotation.

I'm just hoping the Reds will play Atlanta in the 2nd half, so we could see Hoffman vs. Atlanta's Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa), currently on the IL himself, as reported yesterday.

========================================

Dion Lewis is in need of a job.

Lewis (Albany Academy/Pittsburgh) played with the Giants last season, but is currently a free agent. Lewis is hosting a clinic for the kiddo's Tuesday-Thursday, and to help promote the clinic, he was on hand at Times-Union Center Saturday night to help with the pre-game coin toss prior to the Albany Empire-Jersey Flight game.

Announcers Andrew Santillo & Tom Goslowski speculated on whether or not Lewis could join the Empire, which has two regular season games left after rallying to complete a season sweep of the Empire, 55-48. Albany clinched a playoff spot with the win. Personally, I'd rather see Lewis in an NFL camp when they open later this month.

Speaking of the Empire, here's the video of last night's game, including a sound check:

News & notes

 We've seen sub-.500 teams win divisions in football. The Tri-City Valleycats are steaming toward .500 at 21-22 after dispatching Equipe Quebec, 7-1, on Friday night. The 'Cats took first place in their division earlier this week in the course of sweeping the Washington Wild Things. Tri-City has now won four in a row, and six of their last ten, heading into tonight's game, weather permitting.

Personal note: It would be just dandy if the 'Cats remain in first when my employers have their annual picnic at Bruno Stadium later this month. Just sayin'.

=====================================

It's going to be a while before we see Atlanta Braves pitcher Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa) back on the mound.

Anderson was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday due to shoulder inflammation. That spells trouble for Atlanta, in 3rd place in the NL East after losing to Tampa Bay on Friday night.

Meanwhile, back at home, the Amsterdam Mohawks of the Perfect Game Collegiate League will be without Brett Young (Albany Academy/Siena/VCU) for the rest of the season. Word is that Young has come down with a double whammy----mono & strep throat. Young, who converted from infield to outfield while at VCU, should be ready to go for Siena next spring.

=====================================

Local viewers will have a choice between the Mets-Pirates and Yankees-Red Sox in primetime tonight.

Yanks-BoSox is one of the regional choices for Fox's Baseball Night in America, while WCWN, picking up the WPIX feed from New York, will carry Mets-Pirates, which will start 10 minutes prior to Yankees-Red Sox. Weather permitting, of course.

======================================

The Albany Empire returns home tonight after a two-week bye period for a rematch with the Jersey Flight. Albany beat Jersey back in week 2 on the road. Kickoff on YouTube will be around 7:05.

A salute to Section II's top athletes of 2020-1

 The Albany Times-Union included a sports awards insert in today's editions. This is the 4th edition, sponsored by Berkshire Bank. Let's just get right to it:

Male Athlete of The Year: Mike Kennedy, Troy High. Kennedy was Section II's answer to the Mets' Jacob deGrom, posting a microscopic 0.32 ERA over 44 innings while posting a 7-0 record on the mound to lead the Class A champions. Influences include Pedro Martinez and Clayton Kershaw.

Female Athlete of The Year: Carlie Rzeszotarski, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Carlie led the Lady Spartans to a perfect season as Suburban Council women's volleyball champions.

Need we add, Kennedy & Rzeszotarski were both juniors, and headed into their senior seasons this fall.

Female Team of The Year: Saratoga cross-country.

Women's Track Athlete of The Year: Gianna Locci, Stillwater.

Male Team of The Year: Troy High football. Enough said.

Men's Track Athlete of The Year: Getachew "Gitch" Hayes, LaSalle.

Coach of The Year: Gary Bynon, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake volleyball.

Large School Baseball Athlete of The Year: Mike Kennedy, Troy.

Small School Baseball Athlete of The Year: Troy Butler, Fort Plain.

Men's Lacrosse Athlete of The Year: Brock Behrman, Niskayuna.

Women's Lacrosse Athlete of The Year: Brigid Duffy, Queensbury.

Large School Softball Athlete of The Year: Ana Gold, Ballston Spa.

Small School Softball Athlete of The Year: Bella Milazzo, Ichabod Crane.

Seasonal Athletes of the Year:

Football: 

Large school offense: Alex Wolfe, Troy.

Small school offense: Rodney Parker, Schalmont.

Large school defense: Jaylen Riggins, Troy.

Small school defense: Bryce Lynch, Greenwich.

Soccer:

Men's large school: Darien Espinal, Shenendehowa.

Women's large school: Sophia DeMura, Shen.

Men's small school: James Mitchell, Greenville.

Women's small school: Meghan Krohn, Schoharie.

Volleyball: 

Women: Carlie Rzeszotarski, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.

Men: Aidan Calhoun: Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.

Field Hockey: Taryn Ringer: Johnstown.

Women's swimming: Rachel Love, Saratoga.

Men's golf: Will Braxton, Saratoga.

Women's golf: Kennedy Swedick, Albany Academy.

Men's cross country: Julien Franjieh, Niskayuna.

Women's cross country: Ella Kurto, Saratoga.

Women's tennis: Katrina Setchenkov, Guilderland.

Basketball:

Men's large school: Marcus Jackson, Albany Academy.

Men's small school: Royal Brown, Cohoes.

Women's large school: Meghan Huerter, Shen.

Women's small school: Lilly Phillips, Cambridge.

Men's bowling: Zach Bogholtz, Columbia.

Women's bowling: Jaidyn Rose, Middleburgh.

Gymnastics: Ava Dallas, Saratoga.

Hockey: Ben DiFiore, Adirondack.

Men's Alpine Skiing: Matthew Moeckel, Saratoga.

Women's Alpine Skiing: Avery Waters, Saratoga.

Men's Nordic Skiing: Lucas Jenkin, Queensbury.

Women's Nordic Skiing: Madison Relyea, Mayfield.

Men's swimming: Bryce Henkel, Albany Academy.

Men's tennis: Nick Grosso, Saratoga.

Women's Inspirational Athlete of The Year: Yeva Klingbeil, Shen.

Men's Inspirational Athlete of The Year: Zach Ashline, Colonie.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats returned home from the road to open a series vs. the Washington (PA) Wild Things Tuesday night after dropping three of four over the weekend to Sussex County. Oscar Campos hit his first home run since returning to Troy, and Tri-City won, 6-3.

The series continues tonight, weather permitting.

==================================

Condolences to the family of veteran NYRA handicapper Harvey Pack, who passed away over the weekend at 94. They'll likely name a stakes race for him during the Saratoga meet, which begins tomorrow.

==================================

Another Section II alumnus was drafted on Tuesday as the MLB Entry Draft closed.

Danny Watson (Columbia/Virginia Commonwealth) was selected by the Yankees, fulfilling a life's dream for Watson, who grew up a Bombers fan. Watson was used mostly out of the bullpen with VCU this season, as the Rams struggled for much of the year.

===================================

Locally based independent wrestler Foxx Vinyer added another line to his resume Tuesday when he appeared on AEW Dark. Vinyer has also appeared on TV for Ring of Honor. Dark is available on YouTube.

Vinyer has alternately been billed as hailing from Troy or Watervliet at various times in his career, which saw him wrestle for Dynasty Pro and Ultimate Wrestling East in the last decade.

Meanwhile, keep an eye out for another Troy native, Mike Parrow, who has appeared for Major League Wrestling and, most recently, the National Wrestling Alliance. How he's slipped under the radar for so long is a mystery.

==================================

The WWE will be returning to Times-Union Center on Sunday, September 12 for a dual-brand (Raw & Smackdown) card, with a 7 pm start. Tickets go on sale Friday It's just a matter of time before the NXT division returns as well.

News & notes

 To follow up on yesterday's update, Troy High has hired former Holy Trinity football coach John Barber, who took the Pride to the 2017 Class C championship game in Syracuse, as their next head coach, succeeding Bob Burns, who left for CBA last month.

Barber brings two of his assistants, and will retain much of Burns' old staff. Troy will have a fresh group being promoted from the junior varsity after a majority of the spring 2021 team graduated last month. Barber became available when Holy Trinity (Catholic Central, Bishop Maginn, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons) dissolved amid a lack of available players, and, because of that, opted out of the spring season after a couple of games due to declining interest. Barber won't have that problem at Troy, to be sure, as tailback Avvon Smith figures to be the center of the offense this fall.

=====================================

Speaking of Catholic Central, the Lady Crusaders will visit Troy for a soccer match on Saturday, September 4, a non-league game just added to the schedule, per Schedule Galaxy. Game time is presently set for 9 am at Picken Memorial Field.

=====================================

Former Fort Ann pitcher Tyler Mattison, now at Bryant College, was drafted Monday by the Detroit Tigers in the MLB Entry draft. That doesn't guarantee he'll sign right away, but we will be watching with interest.

======================================

The Troy Fighting Irish remain undefeated after shutting out Utica in a non-league game, 20-0, on Saturday night. Old nemesis Syracuse has moved to a new league closer to their base in Western New York, the same league that Utica plays in. The Irish return to their new home in Watervliet to play Oneida County on Saturday.

News & notes

 A friend asked me over the weekend if Troy High had hired a new football coach to succeed Bob Burns, who left for CBA last month. I told him I didn't know, since usually such changes are kept close to the vest, and the school would release the information at their convienence.

A quick check of a coaches directory shows that varsity baseball coach Chris Stack, coming off a Section II Class A title run of his own, may be in line to be the next football coach. Stay tuned.

Update, 8:47 pm: The Daily Gazette is reporting that John Barber is coming over from Holy Trinity to be the new coach. The hire was made last Wednesday, but they have not yet established an e-mail address for Barber at Troy.

======================================

Just when the Tri-City Valleycats were closing in on .500, they have stumbled. After splitting a doubleheader at Sussex County on Saturday, the 'Cats fell to the Miners again, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon.

Weather permitting, the 'Cats return home to Bruno Stadium for a series vs. the Washington (PA) Wild Things tomorrow night.

=========================================

The Miami Marlins have Ian Anderson's number.

The Marlins, last in the NL East, chased Anderson in the 3rd inning Sunday, salvaging the final game of a weekend series vs. Atlanta. Anderson, technically still a rookie, gave up four runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings, striking out four, but it was five walks and a first inning, three-run homer to Jesus Aguiliar that did him in. The Shenendehowa grad drops to 5-5 on the season, and his ERA goes up to 3.56 for the year.

Diamond notes

Ian Anderson went 5 innings, but didn't figure in the decision as the Atlanta Braves lost to Pittsburgh, 2-1, on Tuesday. Anderson gave up just one run, but the Braves' offense has disappeared the last couple of days.

=========================================

The Albany Dutchmen have won four straight and are making a run at the postseason in the Perfect Game Collegiate League after blowing out Amsterdam, 12-4, on Tuesday. Three weeks remain in the regular season before the playoffs begin July 28.

==========================================

The Tri-City Valleycats have gotten hot at the right time, and so has Juan Silverio.

Silverio hit the game winning home run, a three run shot in the 6th inning, carrying the 'Cats to a 5-3 win over the NY Boulders on Tuesday. With all three teams in their division under .500, the 'Cats are now a game out of first place, and could move into the lead if they sweep the Boulders tonight and tomorrow.

Of course, there's rain in the forecast both nights, and, well, that would be a buzzkiller.

News & notes

 Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The NBA Finals will start tomorrow with Phoenix, which hasn't reached the finals since 1993, taking on Milwaukee, which hasn't been in title contention since the 70's. The Bucks eliminated Atlanta on Saturday night to take the Eastern Conference finals in 6 games. Kevin Huerter was held to just 5 points on Saturday, after netting only 8 in game 5 on Thursday.

The upside? Training camps will start in October.

======================================

The Albany Dutchmen made the most of a rare Sunday night game. In fact, it's the last Sunday game on the schedule, as they routed Glens Falls, 9-3, at East Field. Time, though, is running out on the Dutchmen if they want to advance to the postseason at the end of the month.

======================================

WCWN's bias toward the Yankees was showing this weekend.

The station, as we've reported, no longer carries the WPIX Mets pre-game show, but continues to produce, through sister station WRGB, a Yankee pre-game show.

But, ultimately, the joke was on the CW affiliate, as the Mets beat the Yankees, 8-3, on Saturday before splitting a doubleheader on Sunday.

Maybe that'll teach 'em.

========================================

Don't look now, but the Tri-City Valleycats are making a move toward a playoff spot.

The 'Cats completed a sweep of Equipe Quebec on Sunday, winning the completion of Saturday's suspended game, 5-1, before taking the nightcap, 3-1. Due to continued travel restrictions between the US & Canada for common folks, Equipe Quebec returns to Bruno Stadium July 23, when the Valleycats were supposed to be heading to Canada.

The Valleycats, of course, are off today before welcoming the NY Boulders on Tuesday.

Speaking of the 'Cats, someone should let WROW morning host Ben Patton know we do want to hear about them right along with the Mets, Yankees, & Red Sox weekday mornings. Just sayin'.

News & notes

 While former Shenendehowa teammate Ian Anderson was in a pitchers' duel in Atlanta with the Mets' Jacob deGrom, Kevin Huerter was having some struggles scoring himself in game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

Huerter was held to 8 points in 38 minutes as the Milwaukee Bucks moved one step closer to a league finals meeting with Phoenix, defeating Atlanta on Thursday night. Game 6 is tomorrow.

====================================

Assuming they can hold off the rain, the Tri-City Valleycats are expecting a full house tonight for the start of their series vs. Equipe Quebec. Tonight is the first night the 'Cats will have 100% capacity at Bruno Stadium, after beating New Jersey, 2-1, on Thursday to complete a suspended game from Wednesday. The regularly scheduled game was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on August 10.

======================================

The 2021 class of the Capital Region Football Hall of Fame has been announced, with the official induction ceremony taking place in November at the Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown Albany.

This year's inductees include:

Jordan Canzeri (Troy), who racked up over 3,000 yards in two seasons before going on to Iowa.

John Chaney (Albany), no relation to the late Temple basketball coach.

Lyle Darmetko (Watervliet).

Mike Fosmire (Troy), who was a lineman on Troy's 1996 state championship team.

Josh Etu (Queensbury).

John Irion (Queensbury), who led the Spartans to a state title in 2013.

Mike Mazurki (LaSalle), who played his college ball at Manhattan before turning to acting and wrestling. His acting credits include "Challenge to be Free" and guest appearances on such shows as Batman & It's About Time. The Daily Gazette misspelled his name in their article today.

Ron Jones (Hoosick Falls), who won a state title in 2012, and won six straight sectional titles from 2009-14.

Shenendehowa's 1972 championship team.

Artie Waugh (Guilderland), an assistant coach for the Dutchmen for 2 decades.

Maybe they should've given the bullpens the night off (Mets @ Braves, 7/1/21)

They could've faced each other 10 days earlier, and it'd have been, in hindsight, the same thing, but perhaps even better.

Instead, Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker thought it might be best to have Ian Anderson pitch the 2nd game of a doubleheader vs. the Mets at Citi Field. That strategy worked, as the teams split the two games, and there would be another day for Anderson, the 2nd year pitcher, technically still a rookie, from Shenendehowa, to face 2-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom. Indeed, it was assumed Anderson would not see the Mets this week at Truist Park, and was originally going to face Miami tonight.

But after the Braves scored three touchdowns and two extra points in a 20-2 blowout on Wednesday, Snitker had other ideas, and moved Anderson up, giving fans the matchup they wanted a week and a half earlier after all.

New York struck first for a run in the top of the first, as Michael Conforto drove in Francisco Lindor with a base knock to center. However, Atlanta answered back vs. deGrom in the home first. Snitker and the Braves coaches had studied their game tape from last week, and made the adjustments. After Ozzie Albies tied the game with a base hit, Austin "Bus" Riley went oppo taco on deGrom with a 2 run homer to right, and the Braves led, 3-1, after one inning.

It stayed that way until the seventh inning, when Dominic Smith took Anderson out of the yard to trim the deficit to 3-2. 

Anderson & deGrom both went seven. Anderson lowered his season ERA to 3.35, giving up the two earned runs, while fanning just two, and walking two. DeGrom saw his already ridiculous ERA balloon, if you will, to 0.95, as he righted the ship, giving up just the three runs in the first, and striking out fourteen. Now, it would come down to the bullpens.

In the visiting ninth, Atlanta closer Will Smith, who will never be confused with the Dodgers' catcher of the same name, or the rapper-actor also known as the Fresh Prince, might have felt like he went through a sparring session with Mike Tyson after Dominic Smith struck again to tie the game. For Will Smith, it was his second blown save of the season.

However, in the bottom of the ninth, Mets reliever Seth Lugo dug himself a hole he and the team could not get out of. Lugo committed an error to start the inning, and ended up loading the bases with two out. Freddie Freeman, named to the All-Star team earlier in the day, and already with a golden sombrero (four strikeouts), singled through a drawn-in infield to win the game for Atlanta, 4-3.

Check the video:

Neither Anderson nor deGrom factored into the final decision, but this was a night where they should've gone old school and let them finish the game. They'll meet again. Count on it.