News & notes

 The Albany Dutchmen were rained out for the 3rd time this week Saturday, as their regular season finale at Glens Falls was washed out.

Tonight, they are playing for the season in what amounts to a play-in game in the Perfect Game League's Eastern division playoffs. As of this writing, they are trailing Saugerties, 5-3, in the 8th inning, with the Stallions looking to add some insurance runs.

Update, 7/31, 10:51 am: The Dutchmen were eliminated, 5-3.

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Saratoga Race Course has announced that the Ortiz brothers, Irad & Jose, have been suspended for careless riding. Due to outside commitments, the two will serve their suspensions from August 9-11 and return to action August 12.

File photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.

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The Tri-City Valleycats have moved into first place in the Frontier League's East division, and are riding a 7 game winning streak after sweeping the Lake Erie Crushers, 9-5, earlier today. The 'Cats return home Tuesday to play the Empire State Greys at 6:30 pm. In just their 3rd season in the Frontier League, the 'Cats are in a position to make the playoffs for the first time since joining the league two years ago.

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You might've noticed that the Chicago White Sox are trying out LaSalle grad Zach Remillard in the outfield yesterday, in addition to playing in the infield. Remillard is listed as a second baseman, but has also seen time at shortstop in addition to playing left field in Saturday's game. Entering play today, Remillard was hitting .305 with a homer and 13 RBI.

Luke Gold (Ballston Spa/Boston College) was promoted by the Detroit Tigers to their High-A team at West Michigan. However, he has yet to make the adjustment to the new league, hitting just .143 after 2 games. He's also listed as a second baseman.

Mike Kennedy (Troy High) has been impressive for the Florida Coast League Pirates. In 8 games, Kennedy is 2-0 with a 2.93 ERA with 37 strikeouts over 27 2/3 innings.

Tommy Kahnle (Shaker) saw action vs. the Mets earlier this week, pitching an inning. Overall, the Yankee reliever, on his 2nd tour of duty with the Bronx Bombers, is 1-0 through 22 games with a 2.14 ERA over 21 innings with 22 strikeouts. Fellow Bison alum Jeff Hoffman has been doing similarly well with Philadelphia. Hoffman is 3-2 through 24 games with a 2.70 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.

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Mets fans in the 518 may have cause for concern in a couple of years.

That's because the CW has added the NASCAR Xfinity series to their growing sports roster, to go along with the LIV golf tour and, coming in September, ACC football. Most Xfinity races are run on Saturdays, which would endanger Met broadcasts from WPIX scheduled for Saturday afternoon berths, usually at 1 or 4 pm. We'll see what happens. Fans can't count on CBS-6, which carried Friday's Mets-Nationals game, as they have sports commitments on Saturdays & Sundays virtually year-round.

News & notes

 The Watertown Red & Black is one of the oldest semi-pro football teams in New York, as their history dates back to at least the Empire Football League back in the 70's.

That background certainly worked in the team's favor as they routed the Troy Fighting Irish, 41-7, last weekend. The Irish will finish the season on the road, hoping to land a playoff berth.

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The Troy Haymakers will finish the 2023 Albany Twilight League in the Tholl division basement after getting thumped by Waterford, 17-1, on Wednesday night. Thursday's game vs. Capital City was rained out, and the Haymakers close out the season tomorrow, weather permitting.

The same goes for the Albany Dutchmen in the Perfect Game Collegiate League. In 5th place in the East, the Dutchmen had a game wiped out by rain after 3 innings vs. Amsterdam on Monday, then were rained out last night in Saugerties. They'll finish their regular season tomorrow at Glens Falls, weather permitting, at 7 pm.

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The Tri-City Valleycats are on the road this weekend after sweeping Joliet, 8-3, on Thursday.

The 'Cats will visit Lake Erie this evening, with a 7:05 pm first pitch. They'll be back home next week.

News & notes

 The Albany Dutchmen split a doubleheader with the Utica Blue Sox Wednesday night in Utica, with each team winning by a score of 4-3, Utica in the opener, Albany in the nightcap. The Dutchmen have just 2 games left, and won't make the playoffs, as all four East division playoff spots have been decided. Albany visits Saugerties tonight, and closes with a doubleheader at Glens Falls on Saturday.

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All Elite Wrestling returned to MVP Arena in Albany on Wednesday in front of a near-sold out crowd. This week's episode of Dynamite should be available On Demand later today. Tomorrow's episode of Rampage was also taped, and fans went home at 11:15 pm.

One of the top matches on the show saw England's PAC take on Mexico's Gravity. The internet went bananas over this one, as when he was in WWE as Adrian Neville, and later, just Neville, PAC was billed as "The Man Gravity Forgot" because of his prowess as a high-flying cruiserweight.

Fittingly, then, the announcers made reference to this during the match. Gravity's gimmick is that he slow-walks across the ring, as if he is walking on the moon.

Check the highlights, courtesy of AEW's YouTube channel:

The crowd saved most of their venom for newly turned villain Jack Perry (Don't call him Jungle Boy anymore), son of the late actor Luke Perry, as the promotion's biggest, most base villain, Don Callis, appeared only on videotape.

They'll be back again, probably next year.

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The Tri-City Valleycats, already without outfielder Aaron Altherr (hamstring) and Robbie Merced (oblique strain), are praying catcher Oscar Campos, who played 2nd base in Wednesday's win over Joliet, doesn't join them on the injured list. Campos injured his hamstring running out an infield single in the 7th inning.

No Romeo for Joliet (Joliet @ Tri-City, 7/26/23)

 Two weeks ago, the Tri-City Valleycats parted company with first baseman Zach Biermann for the 2nd time, trading him to the Joliet Slammers for a pair of pitchers. In one of the quickest turnarounds of the season, the Slammers are in town for a mid-week series at Bruno Stadium. Today's game, in front of a reportedly sold out Camp Day crowd, provided plenty of excitement for the hosts.

As was the case Tuesday, Joliet jumped out to an early lead against Tri-City starter Elijah Gill in the 2nd inning. With one out, Gill walked Matt McGarry. Christian Fedko reached on an infield hit. McGarry scored on a single by Lane Baremore, who moved to 2nd on an error by Jaxon Hallmark that allowed Fedko to advance to 3rd, where he scored on a sacrifice fly by J. P. Fullerton.

For the 2nd time in less than 24 hours, the 'Cats answered.

Juan Kelly led off the home half with a walk, and moved to 2nd on a botched pickoff by Joliet starter Turner Larkens. Oscar Campos was credited with an infield single, and Kelly scored on a sac fly by Ian Walters. Lamar Briggs then slammed a 2 run homer, and the 'Cats led, 3-2, after 2.

It stayed that way until the home 4th, when the Valleycats strung together five consecutive hits, and plated two runs. It should've been three, but Kelly got caught straying too far off 2nd, and was picked off. In the home 5th, Cito Culver singled. With 2 out, Kelly atoned for his blunder with a single, and Walters drove in Culver to make it 6-2.

Joliet finally got back on the scoreboard in the 7th against a tiring Gill. McGarry drew a walk, but was picked off. Three consecutive hits produced a run, and the lead was sheared to 6-3. Tri-City, however, got the run back in the home half as Campos, who finished 4-4, plated Culver with a single to make it 7-3. The 'Cats added two more insurance runs in the 8th to finish it off.

Gill improves to 7-2 on the season, going 6 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 6. Larkens was tagged with the loss, falling to 6-4 on the season. 

With the win, the Valleycats remain undefeated in home series this season, as they have clinched their 12th straight home series. They'll play for the sweep tomorrow, weather permitting, at 6:30 pm.

News & notes

 A few weeks ago, MVP Arena GM Bob Belber sounded confident he'd be able to bring a new arena football franchise into Albany for the 2024 season.

Now, not so much, though the confidence is still there.

To get a new franchise into the arena, there has to be an agreement with the NY Workman's Compensation Board. The disgraced and defunct Albany Empire, under Antonio Brown, had a WC premium of $1.5 million, much higher than arena teams in other states, according to the Albany Times-Union. Belber wants the state to lower the premium to allow a team to play at MVP Arena, otherwise, there won't be any arena football in 2024. There were two iterations of the Empire (2018-9, 2021-3), and Belber isn't so sold on the National Arena League, which expelled the Empire last month, welcoming Albany back next year. The Indoor Football League remains an option

Stay tuned.

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There's a possibility UAlbany's basketball teams may get to return to what was SEFCU Arena this winter.

SEFCU is now part of Broadview Federal Credit Union, which will necessitate a name change for the campus arena, likely to something like the Broadview Arena or Broadview Center. Renovations have taken longer than expected, but UAlbany Athletic Director Mark Benson told the Times-Union he is hoping the Great Danes will return to the arena in November, and begin play in December. The Danes had trouble drawing non-students to Hudson Valley Community College last season, and that, largely, was due to a lack of on-campus promotion at HVCC, which can't even draw flies for their own team's games.

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Albany Academy's Kennedy Swedick advanced to the 3rd round of the US Girls' Junior Championship in Colorado Springs on Thursday, downing Tarapath Panya of Thailand, 2 and 1. 

Meanwhile, closer to home, the Epson Tour brings the Twin Bridges tournament to Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland today. In order to attract non-golfing fans, they're adding some music to the mix. Country singers Dylan Scott & Jackson Dean will appear tonight, starting at 7:30 pm. weather permitting, of course. However, while it's $10 for admission for the tournament, the concert costs an extra $35 per ticket.

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The Tri-City Valleycats are back home after losing in sudden death to Ottawa, 9-7, after 11 innings Thursday night. The NY Boulders are in town for the weekend. 1st pitch is scheduled for 6:30, but rain is in the forecast, which might either delay or postpone tonight's game.

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The Albany Dutchmen became the latest team to inflict a loss on the Amsterdam Mohawks.

Albany split a doubleheader with the Mohawks Thursday. Amsterdam came from behind to win the opener, 9-5, but the Dutchmen salvaged the nightcap, 4-0.

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The Troy Haymakers might not get out of the cellar in their division in the Albany Twilight League, but they did pick up their 6th win of the season Thursday, beating the Blue Jays, 6-1, at Bleecker Stadium. Maybe if the league can strike a deal with city officials in Troy and let the Haymakers play at Knickerbocker Park, they might get more attention.

News & notes

 Later tonight, the Tri-City Valleycats will be looking to complete a sweep of the Ottawa Titans after sweeping a doubleheader Wednesday, 8-2 & 3-2.

The 'Cats, meanwhile, sent 1B Zach Biermann packing for the 2nd time this season in a recent trade, and, in a separate deal, welcomed back catcher Oscar Campos for his 3rd tour of duty with the team. Campos was on the team's last NY-Penn League roster in 2019, and rejoined Tri-City in 2021, their first year in the Frontier League.

Campos made an immediate impact, as his homered in each game of the doubleheader.

Tri-City comes home tomorrow to host the NY Boulders, followed by the Joliet Slammers next Tuesday-Thursday, with the Wednesday game the final matinee of the season. Biermann was traded to Joliet, and will play his former club next week.

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The Chicago White Sox salvaged the final game of their series with the Mets today, spoiling the Met debut of ex-ChiSox pitcher Jose Quintana with a 6-2 win. Zach Remillard (LaSalle/Coastal Carolina) went 2-4 with a run scored as he played third base today.

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The Albany Dutchmen will be back in action today, hosting Amsterdam in a doubleheader, starting at 5 pm. The Dutch have just 1 home date remaining in the final 10 days of the season, counting today.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats suffered another rainout Tuesday, as their game at Ottawa was postponed. They'll try again today at 5 pm with a doubleheader.

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Zach Remillard (LaSalle/Coastal Carolina) made his Citi Field debut with the Chicago White Sox Tuesday, but despite a furious late inning rally, the Pale Hose fell to the Mets, 11-10. Remillard went 1-5, and also reached base on a fielder's choice. His season average dips to .304.

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The Albany Dutchmen know time is running out on their season.

The Dutchmen, though, made it 5 in a row Tuesday, besting Watertown, 6-4. Albany has the day off today, and will host Amsterdam in a doubleheader tomorrow in Guilderland. Entering league play today, Albany is 14 games behind Amsterdam, and, of course, that means they won't catch the Mohawks for the division title, but they can make up ground as best as possible.

News & notes

 Once upon a time, Little Falls was home to a Mets minor league team.

Today, Little Falls is home to the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs of the Perfect Game Collegiate League. The Dawgs have been in playoff contention, but then, the Albany Dutchmen decided to play spoiler, and beat the Dawgs, 6-4, Sunday. With less than two weeks left in the regular season, the Dutchmen have won four straight, building momentum toward possibly getting into the playoffs themselves.

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The Tri-City Valleycats needed just over 2 hours to defeat the Evansville Otters, 5-0, Sunday at Bruno Stadium. Dan Beebe went 7 2/3 innings to get the win, and has been another jewel in the 'Cats' developing rotation.

Tri-City heads back to Ottawa, Ontario, for a rematch with the Titans on Tuesday before coming home to play the NY Boulders this weekend, and the Joliet Slammers July 25-27.

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LaSalle grad Zach Remillard didn't play Sunday vs. Atlanta, but he did have an impact on Saturday, as the Chicago White Sox won both days, upsetting the NL East leaders. Remillard drove in a run on Saturday to get the ChiSox started.

Remillard and the White Sox will be in Queens starting tomorrow for a series vs. the Mets, so figure there'll be a contingent from the 518 to cheer on the former Cadet.

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Prior to the pandemic, Raycom Sports had a syndication deal for Atlantic Coast Conference football & basketball. At the time, the games aired on WNYA, which is also home for selected Siena men's basketball games.

Starting in September, Raycom & ESPN will beam ACC football & basketball on the CW (locally, WCWN, Spectrum channel 1212). Siena fans know that WNYA picks up the feed from ESPN3 for home games at MVP Arena, so this is not too dissimilar.

The action starts September 9, and, hopefully, there will be no conflicts with the Mets, unlike last week, where WCWN chose a LIV golf tournament over a Mets game, likely on orders from corporate parent Sinclair Broadcasting.

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Some sad news to close this report out.

20 years ago, Funny Cide captured the attention and imagination of local racing fans by winning the Kentucky Derby & Preakness, but fell short of the Triple Crown, as Empire Maker exacted revenge for an earlier loss in winning the Belmont Stakes.

Funny Cide put Saratoga's Sackatoga Stables on the map, and won 11 races overall.

File photo courtesy The Daily Gazette.

On Sunday, Funny Cide passed away at 23 from complications due to colic. Funny Cide spent his final years on a stud farm in Kentucky. His passing was front page news in today's papers, and almost certainly, there will be tributes at Saratoga all this week.

News & notes

 All three games scheduled in the Albany Twilight League on Thursday were rained out. No make-up dates have been set as of press time, and with 2 weeks remaining in the regular season, it may be imperative for rescheduling games. The league is idle until Sunday.

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There've been occasions where a racehorse is entered in a stakes race despite having not won a race. This is what's referred to as being a maiden, regardless of gender.

On Thursday, opening day at Saratoga, Becky's Joker, a 1st time starter, shocked a crowd of just over 29,000 by winning the Schuylerville stakes, with Javier Castellano as the winning jockey.

Becky's Joker paid $44.40 for a winning ticket.

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With training camp a month away, Christian Brothers Academy is filing suit over their varsity football team being placed on probation, forbidden to play a Week 0 game on Labor Day weekend.

You'll recall that the Brothers were popped for a recruiting violation stemming from a JV coach contacting the parent of a Saratoga student. The ruling was set back in January, and now, six months later, CBA is crying foul, claiming, among other things, "abuse of discretion". The Brothers are on probation through the 2025 season, and it was the 2nd time they'd been cited for a recruiting violation, the other coming in 2019, two years before Bob Burns came over from Troy High.

CBA opens its 2023 season September 8 at LaSalle.

News & notes

 After last night's action, there are two weeks left in the regular season in the Albany Twilight League. The league doesn't get the same kind of press it used to, which hardly seems fair for the oldest league in the area.

The Troy Haymakers split a doubleheader with the Waterford Nationals on Wednesday. Waterford won the opener, 4-2, while Troy came back in the nightcap, 3-0. Troy is 10-17, and is back in action tonight against the Albany Thunder at Bob Bellizzi Field, with first pitch at 7:10. Less than an hour later, the Nationals will be in Clifton Park to face the Gators at Clifton Commons. Both games, of course, are contingent on the weather.

The Nationals' roster includes Albany Academy graduate Brett Young (George Washington/Siena/VCU), who is still recovering from a back injury. Unfortunately, full 2023 rosters are not available on the league's website at present.

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As these words are being written, we're 35 minutes away from post time at Saratoga Race Course, with a 10 race card on the docket. Severe weather is in the forecast for the Saratoga area late this afternoon, which could impact the last part of the card.

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The Albany Dutchmen picked up an important win in their quest for a playoff spot in the Perfect Game league Wednesday, besting Saugerties, 7-6. If you check the Dutchmen's Facebook page, the video's still there.

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As part of an ongoing downsizing, the Albany Times-Union has reduced its Saratoga Green feature to just 2 pages, at least to start the season. It'll probably have more pages on the weekends.

News & notes

 In case you wondered if former UAlbany player Joe Cremo had disappeared after transferring to Villanova, wonder no more.

Cremo (Scotia-Glenville) has been playing professionally in Spain since graduating from Villanova and not being drafted by an NBA team. 

File photo courtesy The Daily Gazette.

Cremo is returning to Scotia to host----wait for it----a basketball camp at the school next month. I think, though, that the summer season for travel teams would be winding down by mid-August, when the camp takes place. 

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It seems that regardless of sport, Syracuse has the 518's number.

In college, the Orange have gotten the better of UAlbany, more often than not, in basketball and lacrosse. When it comes to semi-pro football, it's the same story between the Troy Fighting Irish and the Syracuse Strong.

The Strong shut out Troy, 24-0, at Watervliet High on July 8, dropping the Irish to 3-2. We obtained the information from the Irish's Facebook page, since, of course, it wasn't reported in the local press.

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At 28-2-1, the Amsterdam Mohawks have all but wrapped up the Perfect Game Collegiate League's East title after blowing out the Albany Dutchmen yet again, 12-0, on Tuesday. At 10-18, the Dutchmen have 16 games left, and their postseason chances are shrinking with each loss.

Yes, the Mohawks finished with a 3-3 tie vs. Saugerties the other night. It happens.

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You know about how they have competitive eating every July 4 on Coney Island. Joey Chestnut wins it every year, it seems.

Well, the hot dog eating contest is coming to Troy.

The organizers of the annual Troy Pig-Out, taking place July 16, have added a hot dog eating contest to this year's festivities. The hot dog contest will be contested along Monument Square while the balance of the Pig Out will be at Riverfront Park.

Word of warning. Bring some Tums or Rolaids.

As the coaching wheel spins.......

 As previously reported, Troy High has hired on prodigal son Jordan Canzeri (Class of 2011) as their new head football coach. WTEN/WXXA had a camera crew, either at THS or elsewhere, to interview Canzeri for Friday night's news and replays this morning.

After leaving Troy in 2011, Canzeri played his college ball at Iowa, and spent some time as a pro with the Albany Empire when the team was in the Arena Football League before it folded after the 2019 season. Canzeri returned to THS last year as a principal's assistant, likely to learn the administrative side of things before being offered the coach's job.

With Canzeri on board, Troy High, or, more specifically, the Board of Education, needs to address some other coaching issues.

As noted yesterday, baseball coach Chris Stack appears to have been promoted to assistant principal, much like Ryan Meikle last year. If it means Stack has to give up coaching the baseball team, then Troy has to look for another coach. This demonstrates, yet again, the short-sighted vision of the school board and/or athletic director Paul Reinisch.

Meikle had to give up being the women's basketball coach last year after 4 seasons, and we all know what happened. Rather than promote Sarah Fullmer to head coach, the board went outside the THS family and hired AAU coach Steve Lombard. The end result? 1-20, eliminated in the 1st round of the sectionals. Just 9 players on the active roster, one of whom, Ava Mamone, is transferring to a prep school this season.

Would things have been different with Fullmer at the helm? Maybe, but we'll never know. Fullmer did serve as an interim coach when Lombard missed a game late in the season.

After the John Barber disaster with the football program two years ago, in which Barber was let go after a 1-7 campaign, I'd not be too shocked if Lombard is gone after 1 season as well. He couldn't solve opponents' full court pressure defenses any more than Meikle did before him, and, as the record shows, things were worse.

Despite winning a Section II Class A title on the men's side, rumors were circulating, likely unsubstantiated, that John Killian would be relieved of his post after 2 seasons. It appears, however, he'll be sticking around.

So...who replaces Lombard? Fullmer should've been given a chance, but if she wasn't interested in the head coach's job, who would? In hindsight, removing Meikle from the bench was a giant sized mistake that should never have happened.

That allows us to circle back to Chris Stack. Removing him from the Troy dugout during baseball season might not be the right move, but Troy was just starting to regain respectability under Stack, winning a Section II Class A title in 2021, and reaching the semi-finals before falling to Mohonasen in 2022. However, Troy had a down year this year, unable to make up for the graduations of Mike Kennedy & Austin Francis last year.

There is an old adage that applies here.

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

Paul Reinisch was a 3-sport star at CBA, much like his son, Jake, was at Shenendehowa before moving on to Wake Forest. Some coaches in Section II are also athletic directors, like, for example, Blaine Drescher at CBA, who gave up coaching hockey after the 2021-2 season to concentrate on his duties as AD. Hiring 2nd generation coach Aiden Melrose didn't produce the results the Brothers hoped for, at least not yet.

So what's stopping Reinisch from taking over as baseball coach or running the women's basketball program? If the promotions of Meikle and Stack are any indication, the school board might not want them being coaches and administrators at the same time. It's about the bottom line, in this case the school district budget. Yes, that would categorize Troy as being cheap, which doesn't help their situation at all.

So, how do you solve the coaching problem with the women's basketball team? The hiring of Jordan Canzeri may give us a clue. Depending on who's available, the Troy school board might want to again reach into the school's past to find a coach. The women's basketball program produced stars like Maureen Holohan (now a succesful author), Nikki Hilton, and, in more recent times, Kiana Patterson. The board either promotes Sarah Fullmer to head coach, or has to find someone who'd be a marked improvement over Steve Lombard. The final answer doesn't have to be Clark Kent or Jimmy Olsen, you see, but maybe the board should walk back their decision on Ryan Meikle from last season, and let him coach.

Otherwise, you might need to persuade Reinisch to give it a shot.

If anyone's got better ideas, I'm open to reading them.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats are in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada this weekend for a rematch with the Titans after downing the Empire State Grays, 7-3, Thursday night at Bruno Stadium. It's too bad the 'Cats can't take their online broadcasts on the road. I'd be begging for them to queue up the open to the McKenzie Brothers' skits from SCTV back in the day.....

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Union College has announced that they will reveal their new team nickname before classes start in September. The Schenectady school is retiring "Dutchmen", perhaps sending a message to Guilderland High to consider doing the same down the road.

Of course, Guilderland would also need to see about copyrights to their "Big G" logo on their football helmets, also used by the University of Georgia and the Green Bay Packers of the NFL, but that's just me.

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Given Albany's Dutch history, the Albany Dutchmen of the Perfect Game Collegiate League won't change any time soon.

The Dutchmen split a doubleheader with Glens Falls last night in Guilderland, winning the opener, 6-1, while dropping the nightcap, 2-0. The teams continue their series in Glens Falls tonight, weather permitting.

Need we add that three weeks remain in the regular season after this weekend's games? Didn't think so.

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Veteran radio DJ John Gabriel is back on the air at WROW today after being on vacation most of the week, while morning host Ben Patten is on vaycay, and it must've been a last minute thing (Brother Lou Roberts is covering Gabriel's normal afternoon drive shift through today), because Gabriel, God bless him, got some MLB scores mixed up between Wednesday & Thursday, reading the results of Wednesday's games for the Mets & Red Sox (they won Wednesday AND Thursday), but got the right date on the Valleycats & Yankees results. WROW's other weekend host, Bill Williams, handles traffic reports weekday afternoons, and was not considered to fill in.

You're forgiven, John.

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All that's left is a press conference at Troy High.

The Troy school board on Wednesday made it all but official in signing former football star Jordan Canzeri (class of 2011) as their new head football coach. Canzeri came aboard last year as a principal's assistant under Joe Mariano, Jr., and at the same meeting, Chris Stack, last year's football coach, who took the baseball team to a Section II Class A title 2 years ago, was named assistant principal, succeeding Matthew Robinson, who left last month to be the head man at Ballston Spa. What that means for Stack as a coach remains unclear, as you'll recall that last year, Ryan Meikle was "kicked upstairs" to be an assistant principal, leaving the women's basketball team, and, oh, was that a mistake in hindsight.

Stay tuned.

News & notes

 The Albany Dutchmen, after a 2-1 loss to Oneonta on Tuesday, return home today for a doubleheader vs. Glens Falls, starting at 5 pm. The Dutchmen are 8-15, and in 7th place in the Perfect Game Collegiate League's East division, and time may not be on their side.

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The Frontier League will hold its annual All-Star Game in the Chicago suburbs next Wednesday night. The Tri-City Valleycats will be well represented at the game.

Infielder Cito Culver and pitcher Reymin Guduan were named to the team last week, and while the 'Cats were in New Jersey last weekend, bench coach Thomas Incaviglia, the nephew of manager Pete Incaviglia, was named as a coach for the East all-stars.

On the field, the 'Cats dropped a 7-2 decision to the Empire State Grays in a game interrupted by a passing thunderstorm on Tuesday, such that the post-game fireworks were moved up so they could get that out of the way before the game could continue.

Wednesday was a different story, as Tri-City blew away Empire State, 18-4. Ouch! The teams conclude their series tonight.

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If you were hoping Albany Academy senior Kennedy Swedick would take part in the Twin Bridges Championship, part of the Epson Tour, at Pinehaven in 2 weeks, you're out of luck. It's not that Swedick is injured, oh, no, but rather, she's accepted a berth in the US Junior Girls Championships in Colorado Springs, which ends the same day the Twin Bridges tournament begins. The US Junior Girls runs July 17-21. 

Small wonder, then, that Swedick was named the female athlete of the year by the Albany Times-Union, encompassing the entire school year. Congratulations, and best of luck in Colorado Springs.

News & notes

 After sweeping the New Jersey Jackals over the weekend, the Tri-City Valleycats open a series tonight vs. the Empire State Greys at Bruno Stadium. 1st pitch at 6:30.

If you're like me, and you're a commuter that relies on buses to get around, you might need to round up some friends and catch a ride. CDTA is on holiday schedule today, which means the buses will stop running before the game ends.

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Albany Academy star Kennedy Swedick was in Missouri last week for the Women's Western Junior tournament, and reached the semi-finals before losing on the 2nd sudden death hole on Friday. Barring any more road trips, she'll rejoin the Bears for her senior season after a well-deserved vacation. Trust me, we'll see her on the LPGA tour in due course.

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The Albany Dutchmen and Utica Blue Sox may need to find some place with a retractable roof.

Two games have been rained out in Guilderland, and Sunday's doubleheader in Utica was suspended before the Blue Sox could bat in their half of the 3rd inning in game 2, leading Albany, 1-0, after the Dutchmen won the 1st game. The Dutchmen are in Oneonta tonight to play the Outlaws with a 6 pm start.

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The Amsterdam Mohawks are threatening to run away and hide in the Perfect Game League, and in the course of a historic start to the season, manager Keith Griffin won his 500th career game on Friday. The Mohawks will be a prohibitive favorite to win the league title when the playoffs start at the end of the month.