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.
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.
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'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
