News & notes

 Chris Envy's Dynasty Pro Wrestling, or, The Dynasty, returns to Empire Live in Albany Saturday night, with a potential future WWE star on the card.

Zilla Fatu, son of the late Eddie Fatu (aka Umaga), will make his Albany debut on the card, which kicks off at 6:45 pm. Some alleged know-it-alls on Reddit are under the impression that Fatu will move on to WWE before the year is out, adding to the expanding Bloodline.

Tickets are $20 at the door. According to a front page article in today's Albany Times-Union, and also online, it would appear that the Dynasty has found a home at Empire Live after years of working different venues in the 518 and beyond.

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

Another night, another loss for the Tri-City Valleycats, as they dropped an 8-5 decision to Trois-Rivieres Thursday in Canada. The 'Cats return to our side of the border tonight to open a series at Sussex County before returning home Tuesday night.

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

On the eve of the school's annual commencement exercises, set to take place tonight at Hudson Valley Community College, Troy High announced on Thursday that Jamil Hood, Sr., who led Green Tech to their first state basketball title 10 years ago, will be the new men's varsity basketball coach.

Rodger Wyland (WNYT/WTMM) broke the story on X on Thursday night, and Hood confirmed it on his Facebook page, shown above. Hood replaces Josh Pelletier, who resigned after one underachieving season at Troy. Hood's son, Jamil, Jr., until recently, played for the Albany Patroons.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats will play the rubber game of their series with Trois-Rivieres tonight after losing to the Eagles (not Angels, as WROW's Ben Patten keeps insisting), 10-8, on Wednesday night.

After a weekend rematch with the Sussex County Miners, the 'Cats will return home to Bruno Stadium on Tuesday.

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

The 2024 Arena Football League season took another twist on Wednesday.

The league has ended regular season play, as all week 10 games have been cancelled. The Albany Firebirds will be the #2 seed, gain a 1st round bye, and will host a semi-final at MVP Arena July 13 at 2:30 pm. Billings, which beat Albany last weekend, has the #1 seed.

Playoff action begins July 5 with Nashville at Orlando and Southwest Kansas at Salina. However, the league has not revealed the exact brackets for the playoffs.

This soap opera is far from over.

News & notes

 The Arena Football League has made some adjustments to its postseason schedule.

Six teams will advance to the playoffs, with the top two teams getting 1st round byes. The Albany Firebirds need to win Saturday at Orlando in the rubber match vs. the Predators to retake 1st place, take the regular season title, and a bye. A loss, and they'll host 1 playoff game before going on the road, likely as a #3 seed.

Something tells me this might be the AFL's last gasp, kind of like the crazy quilt way the Continental Basketball Association died a few years back.

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

Former Albany Empire owner Antonio Brown has filed for bankruptcy. Too many bad decisions and creditors have gotten Brown so deep in trouble that he might not escape.

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

The Tri-City Valleycats opened a 6 game road trip with a 6-1 win over Trois Rivieres on Tuesday. The teams continue their series tonight at 7 pm, but getting people to pick up the livestream might be a wee bit difficult because between the NBA draft and Yankees-Mets on the cable, folks will have other options.

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

A month ago, Hudson Valley Community College president Roger Ramsammy finished his 7th season at the school with commencement exercises.

This morning, he's out of a job.

The HVCC board of trustees, after a month long investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, have dismissed Ramsammy after 7 seasons. Louis Coplin, who had retired as VP-Student Affairs, was brought back as officer-in-charge, and will remain so until a new president is found.

Ramsammy's departure opens the door for the possible reopening of Robert Conway Arena for public skating and LaSalle hockey, although in the latter case, coach Tim Flanigan is open to moving the team across town to the Knickerbacker Ice Arena once it reopens this fall. The Cadets are committed to Frear Park for this season at the least.

Ramsammy took some bad advice, closing the Conway Arena 2 years ago, which made him a villain in local sports circles.

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

Niskayuna High, citing the fact that Suburban Council rival Shenendehowa kept their long running team nickname, the Plainsmen, has backtracked on an earlier decision to drop Silver Warriors as their team name, in defiance of a state edict issued a year ago.

Superintendent Carl Mummenthey, citing the fact that Nisky dumped its Native American imagery in favor of a red capital N logo in 1997, recommended to the Nisky board of education to pause efforts to change the team name. The only option remaining, then, is litigation against the state. Not a good idea. However, removing the Native American imagery isn't enough to satisfy the state board.

Back to the drawing board for Mummenthey and Niskayuna.

News & notes

 It should surprise absolutely no one that Virginia bound Kennedy Swedick was named female athlete of the year by the Albany Times-Union in today's edition. Being a 3-time state champ in golf will do that. Let's hope we get to see her on the ACC Network in ACC golf meets with the Cavaliers.

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

Abraham Nova lost via unanimous decision on Friday in a bout for the WBO's North American Featherweight title. ESPN's Joe Tessitore (CBA) acted like Nova was ripped off by the judges. I didn't see the fight, but I've a feeling this was more of a case of the judges deciding that Nova didn't do enough damage to Andres Cortes, his opponent, to warrant any positive result. Nova drops to 23-3 overall.

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

The Tri-City Valleycats snapped a 6 game losing streak in beating Sussex County, 6-1, Saturday at Bruno Stadium.

Arlo Marynczak (Siena/Bethlehem) closed the game with 2 innings of scoreless relief. The rubber game of the series is this afternoon at 5 pm. Bring your sunscreen.

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

The Albany Firebirds had a chance to clinch the Arena Football League regular season title Saturday, but fell short against the Billings Outlaws. Albany drops its 2nd straight, 36-35, and now must travel to Orlando for a rubber match with the Predators next Saturday night.

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

518 Alumni Watch:  Courtesy of the Times-Union, here's a quick overview of how some of our local talents are faring in major & minor league baseball:

Luke Gold (Ballston Spa/Boston College): Since we last checked, Luke is hitting .254 for West Michigan in the Detroit Tigers chain. He has 10 HRs and 35 RBI.

Brian O'Keefe (Colonie): Currently at Omaha (Kansas City's top farm team), O'Keefe is hitting .252 with 7 HRs and 27 RBI.

Zach Remillard (LaSalle): The Chicago White Sox sent Zach to their top farm club in Charlotte, where he's currently hitting .135, with 1 homer and 6 RBI in 30 minor league games.

Kevin Smith (Columbia): Batting .230 for Scranton/Wilkes Barre (Yankees), with 2 HRs & 14 RBI in 39 games. We shan't be surprised if Smith is recalled to the Bronx before the season is over.

Adam Zebrowski (CBA): Catching for Rome in the South Atlantic League (Atlanta farm team), Adam is hitting .225 in 55 games with 5 HRs & 30 RBI.

Speaking of the Braves, Ian Anderson (Shen) is nearing a rehab assignment.

Ben Anderson (Shen): Pitching for Frisco in the Texas League (Rangers), Ben is 4-4 with a 4.30 ERA in 12 games, 52 1/3 innings, with 35 strikeouts. Based on that, he might be a year or two away from the bigs.

Matt Gage (Broadalbin-Perth): At Oklahoma City (Dodgers), Matt is 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA in 15 games, 15 1/3 innings, with 20 strikeouts.

Jeff Hoffman (Shaker): Did not appear in Philadelphia's 12-1 pounding of Arizona on Saturday. Hoffman, for the season, is 3-0 in 32 games with a 0.86 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings.

Tommy Kahnle (Shaker) has appeared in 12 games for the Yankees since coming off the injured list, with a 3.86 ERA in 9 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts.

Michael Kennedy (Troy): Pitching for Bradenton, Kennedy is 1-5 with a 4.70 ERA. Despite the inflated ERA, the Pirates prospect has 60 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings.

John Rooney (Hoosic Valley): Rooney has appeared in 28 games for Oklahoma City, with a 2-2 record, a 4.31 ERA, and 35 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. Rooney could, along with Gage, be in LA come September.

Dale Stanavich (Amsterdam): Stanovich has pitched in 7 games for Pensacola (Marlins) to a 4.35 ERA in 10 1/3 innings with 14 strikouts.

Danny Watson (Columbia): Also in the Yankee chain at Somerset, Watson has pitched in 8 games with a 1-2 record, and a 5.87 ERA through 7 2/3 innings and 6 strikouts in 8 games.

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

Troy High got the Rodney Dangerfield treatment as the Times-Union announced its softball & baseball all-stars this weekend. Senior Katie Pryor was the lone Troy player named, and made the first team in softball, a clear indicator of how badly and how quickly Troy softball had fallen this season.

News & notes

 Kennedy Swedick has qualified for the US Girls' Junior Amateur golf tournament after shooting a 3 under par 69 Wednesday at Seven Oaks Country Club in Hamilton.

The Junior Amateur tournament will be run July 15-20 at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, California. Best of luck to Kennedy.

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

Albany boxer Abraham Nova will be fighting for a WBO/NABO super featherweight title Friday vs. Andres Cortes in Las Vegas. The fight will stream on ESPN+, beginning at approximately 10:30 pm.

As you can see, Nova now has a costumed mascot that accompanies him for his fights. Nova came up with this idea 3 years ago, and while it will have been four months since his last fight, he's making a concerted effort to make it memorable.

With a gimmick like that, he could turn to wrestling when his boxing career ends......

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

The Tri-City Valleycats have lost 4 in a row after losing to Quebec, 14-7, on Wednesday night at Bruno Stadium. The 'Cats have fallen back below .500 at 16-19 heading into the series finale, tonight at 6:30, weather permitting, at The Joe.

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

There is an Albany team playing in the Perfect Game Collegiate League after all. 

The Albany Baseball Club was created to replace the Dutchmen, who chose not to field a team this year after a dispute with the town of Guilderland. The new team is playing at Dutchman Field at Keenholts Park, same as the Dutchmen. Still don't like the politics involved in evicting the Dutchmen, though......

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

Christian Brothers Academy will be looking for a new baseball coach for next season and beyond.

Head coach Casey O'Connor lost his battle with cancer on June 15. The disease had returned during the last couple of years, but O'Connor worked through the issues. CBA has said they will dedicate their baseball field in honor of O'Connor prior to the 2025 season.

Troy High 2024-5 bowling & basketball schedules revealed

 Courtesy of the Colonial Council website, we have Troy High's bowling & basketball schedules for the 2024-5 season.

Bowling: Ichabod Crane does not field a bowling team, and, apparently, neither do the Albany Academies.

Home matches are at Uncle Sam Lanes, which Troy shares with LaSalle, Lansingburgh, and Catholic Central.

November:

25: Home opener vs. Schalmont.

26: @ LaSalle.

December:

5: Lansingburgh.

9: @ Catholic Central.

10: Mohonasen.

12: @ Cohoes.

16: @ Voorheesville.

17: @ Ravena.

January:

6: @ Schalmont.

7: LaSalle.

9: @ Lansingburgh.

13: Catholic Central.

14: @ Mohonasen.

16: Cohoes.

28: Voorheesville.

30: Senior day vs. Ravena.

Basketball:

Unless otherwise indicated, men's games will be listed, with the women at the opposite site, just like in soccer.

December:

3: Men @ Shenendehowa, women @ Saratoga.

6: Men's home opener vs. Bethlehem.

7: Men @ Columbia. Women's home opener vs. Schenectady.

10: Women @ Academy of Holy Names.

13: Men @ Schalmont.

17: Men vs. Catholic Central. The Crusaders make their first visit to Zotto Gym in 10 years.

The women's game vs. Catholic Central will be at the Old Mechanicville School.

20: @ Ravena.

21: Men @ Saratoga.

27-28: Women's tournament @ Glens Falls. Troy vs. Hudson Falls is scheduled for 12/28.

January:

3: Men vs. Schenectady.

7: LaSalle. The women's teams will meet for the first time at McCormick Hall.

10: @ Cohoes.

14: Lansingburgh.

17: @ Mohonasen.

21: Men vs. Columbia.

24: @ Ichabod Crane.

31: Women @ Albany Academy.

February:

1: Men vs. Shenendehowa.

4: @ Voorheesville.

7: Cohoes.

10: @ Lansingburgh.

14: Senior night vs. Mohonasen. Troy & Mohon have not met in the regular season since the 2017-18 season, when both were in the Suburban Council.

18: Men @ Schenectady.

Schedule subject to change due to weather. 

News & notes

 It's going to feel like old home week for UAlbany's women's basketball coaching staff next season, with two former Lady Danes joining coach Colleen Mullen's staff.

First Tiana-Jo Carter, class of 2018, was hired as an assistant in mid-week. Next, Val Klopfer, a Bishop Maginn product who played her college ball at Wake Forest, will begin her 2nd tour of duty as an assistant, after serving 1 season under Trina Patterson some 20 years ago. Regardless, the familiarity with the program will boost the current Lady Danes as America East title contenders.

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

Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) won his first professional game Friday, as the Tri-City Valleycats defeated Three Rivers, 11-6. Awarding the decision to Marynczak was strictly at the discretion of the official scorer, since Marynczak came just short of the 5 innings required of major league starters, and, I'd presumed also, minor league starters, too.

However, the Eagles evened the series Saturday with a 7-5 verdict. The teams close the series this afternoon at 1 pm, before the 'Cats return to what will be a steamy Bruno Stadium on Tuesday night. Bring your sunscreen!!

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

The Albany Firebirds will not run the table in the Arena Football League.

The Orlando Predators collected a receipt Saturday, defeating Albany, 56-49, at MVP Arena. The scene shifts to Orlando on June 29 for the season finale.

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

Could there be a Section II alumnus on the Olympic team? Maybe.

Sam Brown, a recent grad from Scotia-Glenville, is taking part in the Olympic Trials in swimming. The trials take place this week in Indianapolis. USA Swimming has installed a 50 meter pool at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Colts. Brown will swim on Wednesday.

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

Schalmont's Dannah Smith will graduate on June 27. On Saturday, Smith won the Schenectady Women's Golf Classic after shooting a round of 73, 1 over par. No one broke par, and Smith bested the field by 5 strokes over the runner-up, defending champion Karen Feldman (Columbia). Smith will be attending Monmouth in the fall. The New Jersey school is getting a good one.