News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats called Broom Service again Thursday, as they completed a 3 game sweep of the New Jersey Jackals, 5-4.

Stephen Still picked up the win. Tri-City entertains Three Rivers beginning tonight at 6:30 pm.

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Local NFL fans will have a choice Saturday afternoon, when the Bills & Giants meet in Orchard Park.

You can either watch the game on WNYT, which has had the rights to Giants pre-season games the last several years, or on WTEN, which shares the Bills' pre-season rights with step-sister station WXXA. 

Kickoff is shortly after 1 pm.

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Saratoga stewards have suspended jockey Fravian Prat for careless riding. Pending an appeal, Prat is scheduled for 7 mounts on today's 10 race card, which gets underway at 1:10 pm. Prat is 4th in the jockey standings with 20 wins. Irad Ortiz, Jr's lead over brother Jose has been cut to 1 (34-33), heading into today's card.

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After 2 years away, former Burnt Hills football coach Matt Shell is back, this time as an assistant to old nemesis Bob Burns at CBA. That should make for an interesting storyline should the Brothers & Spartans meet either this season or down the road.

News & Notes

 Rudy Winkler's not ready to retire just yet.

Per a feature piece in today's Albany Times-Union, Winkler, now 30, won another national title in track & field, and is now aiming for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Averill Park native now calls Washington home, where he lives with his wife. When not competing, Winkler is a throws coach at Maryland.

Being an Olympian stays in your blood, it seems.

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Now, we know preseason football kicks off in earnest (pun intended) tonight (check NFL Network listings), but the Tri-City Valleycats apparently have football on their minds. That shouldn't be a surprise, since Hudson Valley Community College's football field is a short distance away, but the 'Cats have just gone off on the New Jersey Jackals.

After 14 runs Tuesday, the 'Cats added two more touchdowns, two extra points, and a field goal to blow away the Jackals again Wednesday night, 17-5. Easton Klein pitched into the 7th inning to get the win, and Demias Jimerson & David Glancy homered for the 'Cats.

Stephen Still gets the start tonight as the 'Cats go for the sweep.

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The jockeys race is tightening up at Saratoga.

Jose Ortiz narrowed the gap between himself and his brother, Irad, Jr., to two with 2 wins on Wednesday's card, while Irad won 1, and Fravian Prat had a riding double as well, as he's in 4th place. Ricardo Santana, Jr., in 3rd, had a winner to keep some distance between himself & Prat.

Today's 10 race card begins at 1:10 pm.

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Guilderland is joining Bethlehem in the Cal Ripken World Series, which begins today in Branson, Missouri, a city better known for is country music-centric dinner theatres. Guilderland's team will be in the 12 & under tournament. Best of luck to both Bethlehem & Guilderland.

News & notes

 Proctors' GE Theatre in Schenectady hosted the Capital District Sports Women of The Year awards ceremony Monday night. Alvia Landy (Columbia) collected the final award of her high school career, as she was named Grand Scholastic Sports Woman of The Year. Landy will continue her athletic career at Wagner this winter.

Siena's Grace Dobrzynski was named Grand Collegiate Sports Woman of The Year, the 3rd Siena athlete to earn the award in the event's 5 year history.

Newly retired WRGB anchor Liz Bishop, who started her career as a sports anchor-reporter, was also feted.

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South Glens Falls' Hayden Knapp is in Bandon Dunes, Oregon this week for the US Women's Amateur Golf Championship after playing in the Junior PGA last week in Indiana. Unfortunately, Knapp, who will enter her sophomore season at South High next month, failed to make the cut after she was over par each of the first two rounds. Foothills Council play starts later this month or after Labor Day.

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On Tunnel to Towers night at Bruno Stadium, the Tri-City Valleycats feasted on New Jersey pitching, routing the Jackals, 14-7.

Wes Albert went 6 innings to pick up the win. Oscar Campos, just off the IL, and Chris Burgess hit two homers each, and Jake Reinisch had one as well, to lead the 13 hit attack.

Game 2 is tonight at 6:30 pm.

News & notes

 All that's left is a contract signing.

UAlbany & Siena will continue the annual Albany Cup series in 2025, and, once the contract is finalized later this month, the two schools will continue their spirited rivalry on the court for a few more years.

UAlbany athletic director Mark Benson said there will be a formal announcement within 2 weeks, right before the start of the new school year.

Stay tuned.

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Hoosic Valley grad John Rooney (class of 2015) has made the big leagues, but not with the Miami Marlins.

After the trade deadline came & went on Thursday, Rooney was quietly dealt to Houston over the weekend, and could see his first action as early as tonight, as the Astros are in Miami to play the suddenly surging Marlins. Rooney signed with Miami as a minor league free agent earlier this year after being in the Dodgers' system since being drafted in 2019 out of Hofstra.

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In an unprecedented move, Union College's women's hockey team will play their first 10 games of the season in the new M & T Bank Center. The Garnet Chargers were to play a home & home series vs. Merrimack October 3-4, but now both games will be in Schenectady. For what it's worth, they will have their annual home & home series vs. RPI November 7-8.

News & notes

 You might've noticed how CDTA rerouted some of their buses over the weekend due to the CrossFit Games at MVP Arena. Unfortunately, as for the Games themselves, other than athlete profiles, coverage was scarcer this year. No results are available at press time.

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The Tri-Village 10-&-under baseball team is heading to Hoosier Country.

The unit from Bethlehem will be competing in the Cal Ripken World Series, starting Thursday, and running through Sunday, August 17, after winning a state tournament. Unfortunately, the Ripken tournament doesn't get the same kind of press coverage as the Little League Baseball & Softball World Series, which begin this week.

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Halfway through the Saratoga meet, Irad Ortiz's lead in the jockeys race has shrunken to three. Ortiz had the day off yesterday, while brother Jose had a winner bring his total to 29 for the season

Ricardo Santana, Jr. had two winners on Sunday, as did Flavian Prat. Racing resumes on Wednesday.

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When NFL preseason action kicks in this weekend, we will remind that you'll be able to see Bills & Giants preseason games on local television. WXXA has the rights to the Bills, likely shared with WTEN as scheduling allows, while WNYT/WNYA have the Giants.

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The Tri-City Valleycats return home Tuesday having trimmed Quebec's lead in the Frontier League's North Division to 5 1/2 games after taking 2 of 3 from the slumping Capitals. Tri-City defeated Quebec, 6-3, on Sunday night. Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) was activated from the IL for the start, but went three innings, as he's on a pitch count. Connor Wilford went 4 1/3 innings in relief to pick up the win.

The New Jersey Jackals return for Tunnel to Towers Night Tuesday.

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Troy High basketball coach Jamil Hood is keeping busy in the offseason.

Hood hosted a youth basketball tournament in Albany over the weekend, hoping to curb youth violence in the tri-cities, and was interviewed by WNYT.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats aren't having it so easy in Quebec this weekend.

The 'Cats & the Capitals have split the first two games of their weekend series, with the North Division leaders winning, 8-3, on Saturday night.

The rubber game of the series is today at 5:05 pm.

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Matt Gage (Broadalbin-Perth/Siena) pitched 2/3 of an inning at Citi Field Saturday against the Mets, but again, San Francisco manager Bob Melvin should've left him in there a bit longer to stem the tide. The Mets blew out the Giants, 12-6, to even the weekend series, and clinch the season series between the two teams.

The series finale is today at 1:40 pm (SNY).

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It was quite the day Saturday at Saratoga.

Mechanicville native Chad Brown moved back atop the trainers standings, saddling 4 winners, including Whitney winner Sierra Leone. Brown now leads mentor Todd Pletcher, 15-14, heading into today's 10 race card.

On the jockeys' side, the Ortiz brothers remain 1-2, but the gap is narrowing, as Jose had a riding triple, while Irad didn't make the winner's circle until the 13th & final race of the day. Flavian Prat had 4 winners on the day, including riding Sierra Leone in the Whitney.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. remains atop the leaderboard with 32 wins, followed by brother Jose with 28. Prat is 4th with 15, and Dylan Davis remains in the middle of the pack with 10.

Post time today is 1:10 pm.

News & notes

 After a profile in Thursday's Albany Times-Union, trainer Amelia Green, a protege of Todd Fletcher, picked up her first win at Saratoga, and didn't waste any time, either.

Green saddled Minorinconvenience, ridden by Ricardo Santana, Jr., in the Thursday opener. Santana finished the day with a riding triple, while Dylan Davis had a riding double. Irad Ortiz, Jr. was shut out, while brother Jose closed to within six of his brother.

Today's 10 race card begins at 1:10 pm.

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In case anyone wondered, former Shenendehowa pitcher Ian Anderson cleared waivers, and was sent back to Triple A Gwinnett by the Atlanta Braves back in May. Meanwhile, twin brother Ben is one step closer to his major league debut.

Ben Anderson was promoted to Triple A Round Rock by the Texas Rangers on Thursday. There's always the possibility both will be in the bigs in September. The Rangers still have an outside shot at the playoffs, while the snake-bitten Braves have been all but written off as a playoff contender, but, if recent history is any barometer, don't be so sure.

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Former major league catcher Paul LoDuca, who played with the Dodgers & Mets, among other teams, is in Saratoga for the meet as a trackside reporter. LoDuca interviewed the Saratoga Catholic baseball team between races on Thursday, as the Saints were honored for their state title run back in June.