News & notes

 We wrote on Saturday that Troy High's lacrosse team absorbed another blowout loss earlier that day. Columbia hammered the Flying Horses, 19-1. Ouch! Save for a close win over Albany last month, which the Falcons avenged, it's been a typical season for Troy lacrosse, as their defense doesn't always show up. Maybe that changes tomorrow as they'll vie for revenge against Hudson Falls on the road.

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For Joseph Girard III, the good news is that he's picked his new college home.

For Syracuse fans, the bad news is that Girard is staying in the ACC.

Girard is heading for Clemson, which will play Syracuse twice a year.

Luckily for local fans, there's the ACC Network, in addition to ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, so they'll see plenty of Girard on their TV screens next winter.

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There's something about the Lehigh Valley Legends that vexes the Albany Patroons.

Last year, there were issues with the court configuration at a high school gym the Legends used for home games, which worked to their advantage.

Friday, the Legends got the better of the Pats again, 120-117. The Patroons return home on Friday.

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Lost amidst all the drama surrounding the Albany Empire, in a disclosure about a foreign interest being the "real" owners of the team, Antonio Brown was trying to claim he's a foreign national.

Papa Eddie might need to make sure his son takes his meds before his next press conference.

Fans have speculated that Antonio might have CTE as the result of concussions starting with his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and a vicious hit by Vontaze Burfict of the Cincinnati Bengals. My own thought is that it's a combination of CTE and other psychological issues.

On the field, the West Texas Warbirds spoiled the return of coach Tom Menas with a 41-38 win on Saturday. Trevon Shorts, who left the Empire in mid-week, was signed by West Texas, and was a factor against his former club. Albany (1-3) has now lost 3 in a row, which is unusual for this club, and will need to turn the ship around in their next game.

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WRGB meteorologist Alyssa Caroprese is one of those casual horse racing fans willing to take a chance.

Alyssa also contributes to WROW's Magic in The Morning with Ben Patten weekday mornings, and on Friday, Ben asked Alyssa for her pick for the Kentucky Derby, which Ben would then include on his bet. She chose longshot Sun Thunder, which fits with her job as a meteorologist.

But if you were looking for Alyssa at, say for example, OTB's Clubhouse Racebook on Saturday, you were out of luck. She was visiting her boyfriend downstate (sorry, guys). Sun Thunder finished 11th. I don't think Ben had the winner, Mage, else he'd have been crowing this morning. Better luck next time.