Funny Line, Ron Darling....

Ok....Im watching the SNY feed of the Mets game today (im liking the dynamic of Cohen-Darling-Hernandez, BTW), and Darling comes out with a beauty......the Mets have the bases loaded...single to right field, throw home....gets past the catcher, and Sidney Ponson forgot to back up the throw, allowing a third run to score.....and, according to Darling (not word for word, but you'll get the point),

"Ponson should have been backing up home on that play....we all know he could use the exercise"

Nice, Ron....smooth...

2006 Baseball Predictions.......National League

Ok, thanks to this unusually perfect weather, Im writing on the deck today. As of 12:50pm, its 62 degrees, mostly sunny with a slight breeze. The weather is a lot better than the 2006 Teacher Expo i went to this morning....basically a cattle call. Anyway, yesterday was American League, and I promised National League. Without further ado.....

National League East - Philadephia Phillies
-I know, brave choice (perhaps a pun intended). I think this is the Phillies year....plenty of offense in the lineup, and a team that is starting to resemble the White Sox of last year....especially since Aaron Rowand is out patrolling center. Looking at what they did the last month of the season last year, I cant see any reason why they cant continue it. Second place will be a tough battle between the Mets and the Braves. With a heavy heart I place the Metropolitans 2nd, somewhere around 87-88 games. An injury to Pedro, Wagner, Glavine, etc. will cripple this team. Ill talk about the Mets all season....so Ill end it there. The Braves are remade, featuring a much younger team than the last decade. Such budding stars as Francoeur, Langerhans and LaRoche mix well with Chipper, Andruw, Giles and co. Interested to see how the pitching staff fares this year without Leo Mazzone.....Smoltz and Hudson look good at the top, but it bottoms out with Sosa, Thomson and Ramirez.....and no closer to speak of (Reitsma, Devine). Still, enough talent to win 84-86 games. The Nationals go 4th (not enough talent to compete....won't repeat 2005's amazing run) being trailed by the Marlins, who will be lucky to win 60 games.....theyre terrible. Wonder how fast Miguel Cabrera starts looking for the exit....


National League Central - Houston Astros
-Well, the addidition of Preston Wilson won't hurt, who I personally think has enough left in the tank for a good season. It will be a close division, edging out the Cards and the Cubbies....but I think the Astros have enough balance in the lineup to take it......combine that with a few solid starters and one of the best relievers in the game, and it should work out A-OK for the 'Stros. Look for them at 90 wins. Then I see St. Louis, who I believe will suffer from the departure of Matt Morris to the Giants. Carpenter and Mulder are as good of a 1-2 in baseball, but the back end of the rotation suffers. The lineup is not what it used to be, with an aging Scott Rolen, fresh off an injury-plagued 05 and Jim Edmonds isnt what he used to be (still capable of 25 HR, 90 RBI though). The Cubs are the Cubs.....and without Prior/Wood (who could be the 2 most injury-plagued, talent filled athletes of the last 10 years) they dont have the firepower to compete. The Brewers have improved, and the addition of Prince Fielder to everyday play won't hurt. The Reds and the Pirates round out the rest of the division.....because, simply, they're the Reds and Pirates (but have nice, new stadiums). Speaking of new ballparks, the new Busch Stadium is gorgeous....go take a look here.

National League West - Los Angeles Dodgers.
-This continues to be the worst division in baseball. The Dodgers might win by default....slightly above-average pitching staff, who knows with Gagne....and a bunch of new faces that the Dodgers are "taking a chance on" (Garciaparra, Mueller, Seo, Lofton, Furcal, etc.). The Padres and Giants are in similar boats....playing in a bad division will get them 8 more wins than they should....but still it isnt enough. That leaves Arizona and Colorado, who are mediocre teams---look for 75 and 73 wins, respectively.

National League Wild Card - New York Mets
-Building on a much improved 2005, the Mets made enough additions to solidify a wild card spot. I think they can play well enough to secure a playoff spot. Giving Bannister the 5th spot in the rotation will turn out to be a good move...hes a solid pitcher, plus that allows Heilman to be a relief guy, where he flourished last year. Offense should be solid....like Beltran in the 2-hole. Theres less pressure for him there, and he can work on getting on base and taking some pitches for Reyes to run on.

National League Cy Young - Jake Peavy
-Simply put, it's his year. No Prior, no Wood.....I dont think Pedro will stay healthy enough to win it. Two straight years with sub-3 ERA......the only thing keeping him from the award is his win total, which will improve this year (only 28 in last 2 years). Look for him to go with 17 wins, 2.80 ERA, 220 Ks....not bad.





National League MVP - Albert Pujols
-Tough choice...could be Derrek Lee, could be others....but Pujols should win this. If he does what he's done the last few years, he should go around .320/45/130/100 Runs...and that should be more than enough for the award.







National League Rookie of the Year - Jeremy Hermida
-The Marlins OF might be the only good thing to come out of Miami this season. The young slugger hit a pinch hit grand slam in his first MLB at-bat, and had 4 HRs in 41 ABs last year. Hes got a solid swing and since he plays for the Marlins, he'll get plenty of ABs....the future is very bright for this young kid.

2006 Baseball Predictions.......American League

Ok, so Im in a big baseball mood today, so I thought id take a run at Nostradamus and throw some predictions out there. I have another fantasy draft tonight, so i want to keep in the mindset....so, here goes. Im going to do the American League today, and the NL later or tomorrow. Feel free to disagree, if anyone is out there.....

American League East - New York Yankees.
-I hate to say it, but the Yankees are loaded this year, offensively, which makes up for some of their pitching woes. This isnt a runaway this year, as I dont know if the AL East is as good as adverstised....the Yankees are loaded offensively, but the rotation of the Big Paternity Suit/Mussina/Chacon/Wang/Wright/Pavano doesnt put the scare of God into me. I see the rest of the division as such: the Blue Jays improved this year (not as improved as their payroll dictates), the Red Sox (falling back this year....chemistry loss, pitching questions) and the possibly-surprising Devil Rays, featuring some of the best young stars in the majors, as well as one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball (Doug Waechter? Seth McClung?).

American League Central - Chicago White Sox
-The pitching is still solid, especially with the addition of Javier Vasquez to the mix. Most of the lineup is still here, other than Aaron Rowand (who brought back Jim Thome, who is hitting the hell out of the ball in Spring Training). Rookie Brian Anderson replaces Rowand in center, and should be able to contribute right away. The Sox edge the Indians, who have a year under their belt and should be a solid club, but dont see them making the next step to Division Champs for perhaps another year. Lots of young talent....look for a Wild Card run. Then comes the Twins, with solid pitching yet have a piecework lineup that will get 80-82 wins. A long jump back to Detroit (pitching woes, decent lineup) and the Royals, which could be the worst team in baseball, yet again.....oh, that wonderful futility.

American League West - Los Angeles Angels
-VERY tight race....I can see this coming down to the last weekend, where, look at that! The Angels host the A's for 4 straight to end the season (LAA vs. Oak last 7 of 10 games). I still see the Angels prevailing, due to the experience factor on and off the field. Mike Scioscia is a great manager and has the experience of playing and managing in tight situations. LA has a solid lineup, a good blend of old and new, and great experience. Oakland's young talent starts developing, and guys like Blanton, Haren, Harden and Zito all should have solid numbers. Just a slight bit more inexperienced than LA....and that will cost them a few wins. The good news for LA and Oakland is that Seattle (improved, maybe .500) and Texas (Still no pitching!) play in the AL West, and should be an easy 24-26 wins for each team.

American League Wild Card - Oakland Athletics
-See above.....tight battle with Cleveland, but a little more pitching and just enough offense gets the job done. Look for a similar style to the White Sox last year, with more manufactuing of runs (guys like Ellis and Crosby). Don't rule out Milton Bradley though.....he could still singlehandedly drive this ship right into the iceberg. If their youth plays up to where they can play, this team will be OK....if not, insert Cleveland here.

American League Cy Young - Johan Santana
-No shit. This guy is just awesome....best lefthander in years. Thats about all I have....look for Rich Harden and Roy Halladay to get some votes too.





American League MVP - Vladimir Guerrero
-Tough contest....Ortiz, A-Rod, Tejada, Hafner, etc.....all have huge seasons, but Vlad's stats and contributions are the main reasons behind the Angels's success.





-American League Rookie of the Year - Francisco Liriano
-Possibly in the Twins rotation already, and looks to be a kid that is going to stay in Minnesota. (I say kid....hell, theyre all kids compared to me). Anyway, struck out 33 last year in 23.2 IP.....not half bad. Control could be a problem, but his stuff is too dominant to be ignored. Word is he could start in the bullpen....much like another lefty pitcher on the team that turned out OK....

UPDATE : Crying....

A few posts ago, I mentioned (with pictures) the antics of JJ Redick, Adam Morrison, etc. after their recent losses. To sum it up....waterworks. No, not the prevocative club in Albany, nor the Monopoly property nobody wants, but crying....the outpour (literally) of emotion. Well, seems our good friend Bill Simmons also noticed the outpour of emotion, which he included in his latest Page 2 column, which included this gem:

During this year's March Madness, we've seen more bawling than in the entire 1993 season of "Sally Jessy Raphael."

True, true. Anyway, any story that can bring in such references ranging from Larry Bird to Randy "Pink" Floyd from Dazed and Confused to Jaws from James Bond, well....thats a good read. And it is.

About Damn Time......

I was never worried about it, but I was relieved yesterday when across the bottom of ESPN crawled, "ALBANY signs Head Coach Will Brown to a 5 year contract extension." Whew...one less thing for the team to worry about. At halftime of the AE championship vs. Vermont, the deal should have been signed. At halftime of the UCONN game, the deal should have been REALLY signed. But when I heard that the two sides were meeting Monday to "work" on a deal, it was over. Not even Lee McElroy is dumb enough to not seal this one up. Anyway, you can read about it here. Terms of the contract were withheld pending state approval, but bottom line: five-year deal, keeping him the coach here to 2010-2011. Nice.....wonder if that "story" about Canisius being interested in Brown got the deal finally done, whether or not Brown started the story himself :-)

Nice column by Brian Ettkin here, too. Amazing how someone can write an article and say absolutely nothing more than an orangutan would deduce from the facts. Look at some of the startling things he says....The deal had to be done.....it will be good for recruiting.....this rock-steadiness is good for the program. Thanks, Brian....way to give the readers what they already know.

A bit of insanity from the Singelais article: Jamar Wilson said that he would have been unsure of his future if Brown didn't come back, and considered starting his "professional career" if the deal wasn't done. When asked about his feelings after the deal was struck, Wilson was "pretty sure" he would be back to play. Pretty sure? OK, great season, great tournament. Nice notice with the Honorable Mention from the AP. But pretty sure? At this time you should be 150% sure....unless you want to play in the Turkish league, at best......

The Agony of Defeat.......

Madness....sheer madness...or will I get sued for use of the word "madness"? Has the NCAA copyrighted use of the word? I see a lot of "mayhem" and "big tournament" this year....much like Super Bowl time, where now it's "the big game". Anyway...

What a night of college hoop last night. Throw out Memphis-Bradley,which was according to script....a "pesky" Bradley hangs tight with Memphis, until Memphis wakes up and turns on the jets (see: Albany-UConn, 17 March 2006). The other three games are why college basketball is unrivaled in delivering bang for your buck......as yourself, when has college sports ever UNDER - delivered? Never....the storylines are great. Start with LSU-Duke, a game which the casual observer would have given to the boys from Raleigh, since most of the country didn't know much about LSU. This game was never as close as the score indicated. Once it became apparent that JJ Redick was on an off-night (3-18, 11 points), the game was over. Sure, Shelden Williams finished a nice career off with 23 and 13, but this team is all about Redick. All season, they lived and died by his smooth touch, and last night proved to be a demising one. Credit to LSU coach John Brady for taking Redick out of his game all night, and preventing him from having any shot at all. Perhaps by next year Kryzewski will learn how to use all those McDonald's All-Americans on his bench.....

That leads into the biggest shocker of the night....UCLA/Gonzaga, the game that was going to put the Bulldogs on the west coast map, so to say. They started off like a bat out of hell, up 17 late in the first half.....and up a baker's dozen at the break. However, unlike a more experienced team (and a team ready to take the jump), Mark Few's team never stepped on the throat of the Bruins, who slowly crept back into the game. Down to 10, now 8, now 5, etc......UCLA simply played its game, and even down 5 with a minute to go, never panicked. Scoring the last 11 of the game, UCLA won a shocker.....leaving Adam Morrison in a heap on the floor, needing physical assistance to get off the court. I felt badly for the kid, I really did.....he's played all year like a possessed man, taking more punishment driving the lane than Allen Iverson. I dont know where he stands as an NBA player, i really dont. I hear the comparisons to Larry Bird, but I think those are racially motivated. Hes a good college scorer with a better than average jump shot, but his game never really impressed me. All of a sudden he would have 23 points, and I'd scratch my head, asking, "where the hell did those points come from?" His game might work against teams from the WCC, but I see some problems come time to play the Pistons or Spurs.

Finally, the ending of the night.....fast forward to the last 10 seconds of the WVU/Texas game. Longhorns up 71-68, with Kevin "Thanks for showing my wife and kids AGAIN, CBS" Pittsnogle trying to stop his bleeding nose any way he could, received from earlier contact. Shoving whatever he could to stop the bleeding, he stepped up and hit a game-tying three......only to have Texas NOT call a timeout, dribble down, and have their own Kenton Paulino hit a three at the buzzer to win. Unreal basketball....I was exhausted by the time the games were over.

Other than the Memphis/Bradley game, the night was filled with thrills and amazing finishes...and the best part is we get to do the whole thing all over again tonight.....and Saturday....and Sunday....

Victor Page - great article

Morning all.....going to be quick here. Woke up and checked the normal papers.....found a great article about an old Georgetown hoop star, Victor Page, which you can read here. For those that forget, Page was a 2-year start at Georgetown, averaging 22.7 points/game for the Hoyas his sophomore year (96-97). He shared the backcourt with Allen Iverson for a year, and led the Hoyas to the Elite 8 as a sophomore. He declared for the NBA draft, but went undrafted....which turned out to be another bad decision in his long road of life.

The title of John Branch's article is titled, "Without Bad Luck, He'd Have No Luck at All", which I think is possibly misleading. The article describes in much detail the tribulations of the young man's life to this point. He was arrested in high school for cocaine possession and a "number" of gun-related charges......all that before he was kicked out of high school for fighting. That damn bad luck, those guns and blow just fell from the sky and into his pocket. He went undrafted and ended up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.....where during a game he grabbed the broom from behind the hoop and chased an opponent down on the court. Sheer bad luck.

In 2003, he was shot three times, including one in the face, which robbed him of his eye. He now wears a black patch over the eye, a constant reminder of his "bad luck". He knew the person who shot him; there was no conviction. A year later he was shot again....this time in the leg. "Wrong place, wrong time," he mentions. Sure it was....perhaps it was an accident, but I'm not shot at too many times during my day (life). In 2004 he was arrested for a gun charge, plea bargained and got probation. A year later, he was arrested for theft, a charge later dropped on a "misunderstanding".

I dont want to get on this guy too much. He did have a tough childhood, losing his father at age 10 from pneumonia and his mother years later from complications from HIV. He lived with 10 other relatives in a three-bedroom house, one that operated from welfare check to welfare check. He got into "gunfire, drugs and women" during this time, developing his reputation thata would precede him as he entered college and as some NBA teams passed on the gifted gurad. Bad luck? You decide.

As a St. John's fan, I remember watching Page torch the Redmen (not Storm) and every other team in the Big East. His explosiveness off the dribble and smooth, silky jumper was a lethal combination. But, his demons took hold of the young man, and his life is now fatefully different ten years removed from Georgetown than he would originally imagine. Go read the article...it's very well written, but try and get the facts out of it and formulate your own opinions, especially about the title.

Fantasy Baseball time......

I love fantasy baseball.....ive loved things like this since I was very young, and someone gave me an old Strat-O-Matic baseball game to play with....I was hooked. Problem is, Im horrible at it. For some reason, I always draft the most injury-prone team, or a team full of guys fresh off a huge contract and hit .240-15-65 when last year they were twice that. Anyway, a few nights ago was draft #1 of 2....this is the main ESPN team I have been doing for years, with all the same people. If only i could write off some of these losses on my tax returns......
Anyway, here's my team (10 teamer, 5x5 mixed league)

C-Kenji Johjima (late-round, having a good spring)
1B-Richie Sexson (either a hig season, or .230, full of injuries)
2B-Jorge Cantu (loaded with talent, huge last year...)
SS-Julio Lugo (needed speed, had solid numbers from SS last year)
3B-Chone Figgins (lots of speed, solid last few seasons, has 2b, Of eligibility)
OF-Vladimir Guerrero (please stay healthy)
OF-Carlos Lee (monster last 2 years...)
OF-Garret Anderson (Uggh....fading fast)
OF-Jeff Francouer (could be good, could hit the wall)
OF-Austin Kearns (Uggh...at least he's full-time now)
MI-Mark Loretta (I like this pick, VERY late....new team, good lineup)
CI-Melvin Mora (I could have done a lot worse...hope for .300-25-85)
Util-Prince Fielder (took a shot)
Bench-Ryan Zimmerman (another rookie, see what he can do)

SP-Pedro Martinez (stay healthy, please)
SP-Josh Beckett (see above)
SP-Scott Kazmir (loads of potential, will he deliver? Ill get K's, at least)
SP-Kelvim Escobar (not a bad 4th)
SP-Matt Cain (rookie phenom from SF....people compare him to Felix Hernandez)
RP-BJ Ryan (not bad)
RP-Franciso Cordero (been steady....)
RP-Mike Gonzalez (see if he closes)
RP-Chad Orvella (will they trade Baez?)
RP-Jose Valverde (good arm)
RP-Joe Borowski (who knows.....still around)

Tell me what you think.....I like my middle infield, but bottom line is that this is a spec team. IF players play like they can, i'll do well...However players like Lugo, Cain, Cantu, Anderson, etc. could kill my team....

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...

Well, its been awhile. Like many things in life, I couldnt quite bring myself to post about the Albany - UConn game (almost a week now), so I just ignored it until it went away. A few posthumous thoughts:

• They played fantastic basketball.....for 30 minutes. Then, UConn remembered it was UConn, toughened up on defense, and shot the lights out. Game over...warm up the bus.
  
• Have to be proud for the boys.....suddenly, it was CBS switching the local games TO the Albany game.....not vice versa like it could have been.
  
• The first ten minutes of the second half were like nothing Ive been a part of for a long while. I was bartending, it was St. Patrick's Day, and the place was silent....we were packed, but dozens upon dozens of pairs of eyes were fixated on the boys in black, yellow and purple. When Albany would score, the place erupted......people hugging, high-fiving, etc....and these were people you could tell were not huge hoop fans, and certainly not big Albany fans. But you could tell they knew this transcended team loyalty....
• This should be the final nail in the "Keep Will Brown" movement....a deal that should have been done months ago. As Mark Singelais reports here, the two sides plan to meet Monday about a deal (Brown was paid $105,990 this year....in the bottom half of the America East).
  
• Hopefully this was the thing that puts Albany on the map, and makes the Capital Region (Capital District...which is it?) a 2-team basketball city. I am not an anti-Siena person as much as I am a pro-Albany person, but i do get sick of the attention the Saints would get regardless of their standings/performance. Anyway....

I found myself Saturday in a bag of mixed emotions over the game. At the beginning of the season, all the pre-season hoop magazines (Street and Smith's, Athlon, etc.) all said the same thing...this is Albany's year. They were loaded, as loaded as an America East team can be. Anyway, I never quite believed it.....an America East tournament win would bring about an NCAA berth.....something beyond imagination. They started off rocky this year, playing tough competition (Florida, UCLA, San Diego State......three tournament teams), losing all three games, mixed in with a Sacred Heart and a Siena loss. Soon, they were 2-6, and looking like the same old Albany.....then they won, and won again. They rattled off 8 in a row, and this was looking like the advertisements. They clinched the America East regular season, won the tournament, and got an NCAA berth. Nobody gave them a chance vs. UConn (including myself), but they hung tight, leading by 12 halfway through the 2nd, before the wheels fell off, losing a tough one, 72-59. So, bottom line is that they exceeded any expectations I (or a lot of people) had for them this season.....so why was I so disappointed?
They were never going to win it all. An NCAA berth is more than what I hoped for. Perhaps it is because this was such a good, exciting season, I don't want it to end. Maybe it is due to the fact that we had UConn on the ropes with 10 to play....and didnt come out on top. Either way, I was confused Saturday.....satisfied with the season, but wanting so much more.

Metroland's 2006 Readers' Picks -- Reactions

Have to take some time away from Albany hoop info....Im going to go nuts by Friday....so, I'll divert a little here.
Before I throw out last week's Metroland, I want to run down some of the choices from the annual "Readers' Picks" issue...which combined with the "Best of" Metroland are two of my favorite issues of any periodical that I read. Personally, I like the readers' version better, since we really get to see what the hell is going on with some of them.
They start out rather tame.....Best movie theater - Spectrum 8, no problem.....Best Museum - NYS Museum.....obviously. I was thinking this was going to be a year that I wouldnt really take exception to any of the selections. But then....things started going a bit skewed, for lack of a better word....

Best Solo Musician......Ernie Williams? We couldnt find anyone under the age of 95 to put on the list? He's an excellent artist, but if he's the best solo act in the Capital Region, we're in a sorry state.

Best Optical Store......I don't care who won, butwhy is this even a category? Do Metroland readers really care the best place to get their eyeglasses?

Best Place to Buy/Service a Computer.......Best Buy??? Are you friggin kidding me? If you like payng WAY too much for crappy service and a large selection of garbage product, well, Best Buy is your place. Personally, I like to go into Best Buy and ask questions, and listen to the drivel that comes out of their mouths. Ask a good enough question, and the salesman turns into the guy from Scanners....

Now we get into some of the good ones....

Best Bar......Lark Tavern. Hmm...I know that Lark Street is the main clientele for Metroland, but what the hell is so special about the Lark Tavern? Never did anything for me....I bet these elections are rigged.

Best Bartender/Best Server.......how does one win something like this? Of ALL the servers/bartenders in all of the Metroland distribution, why these people? Perhaps I'll figure it out someday.

Best Public Official.....Jerry Jennings. Ole' Mayor McCheese in a landslide, and as the paper itself commented, "you all were equating 'best' with long term in office". Couldnt have said it any better myself.....

Best American Food......RED ROBIN?!?! Ok, it tied for first with Justins, but a tie?? I like the place as much as the next guy, but "best"? First of all, chain restaurants should be barred from this poll, since there's no varying in their style. They are mediocrely consistent, never too good, never too bad. But any place that cooks its burgers on a conveyor belt should never be considered for such an award.

Best BBQ......Smokey Bones. Having worked in BBQ restaurants for years, I can tell you all, that the quality of the food at Smokey Bones just isnt there. They have an authentic feel, complete with a good menu and nice atmosphere.......FOR A CHAIN. The food comes out as bland as could be, with the quality of meat not up to par. For good baby back ribs, try Otis and Oliver's in Latham (gratuitous plug).

I really could go on and on, but it would get more redundant than this column already was. I cant get over the fascination that people have with chain restaurants....especially Metroland readers, who I assume to be eclectic anti-establishment. Guess I'm wrong again.

One of the funnier entries was the 3rd place finish for IHOP in Best "International" Food...aah, those funny Metroland readers.

Jamar Nearly Transferred???

Wow, didn't know that. "Alumni 92" over at Big Purple Fans provided the link from the New York Times article today (written in house) that refers to Jamar Wilson's near exodus to Marquette during the 5-23 season 2 years ago. From the article:

"Everything seemed to be going downhill and I thought about transferring to Marquette," Wilson said. "I was trying to stay positive, but how positive can you be when your team record is 5-23? But Coach Brown required me to attend every practice that season even if I couldn't play, and I went to every game home and away.

"It made me a better person and player."

And they're off!!

Albany boarded a bus around 11:00 this morning for Philadelphia in preparation for their game vs. UConn, which will be at 7:25 Friday. This is still unreal to me, however, not completely in a good way. I am a big Albany fan....went to a lot of games, know the players, coach, some history, etc....you get the point. However, similar to Brian Ettkin's article today, the bandwagon is much too full. I mean, they are the lead story on the news, theres sellouts of Albany merchandise at Steve & Barry's, etc. On one hand, I love that the Danes are getting this attention and are growing before our eyes, but where the hell were all these people a year ago, when the RACC was being "packed" with 1,400 fans. Even this year the attendance and media exposure were pretty paltry until they started winning.....only Rodger Wyland really talked about them to any length. (Man, did I just give a backhanded compliment to Wyland AND Ettkin in the same article?) I felt the same way about this as I did when I got my DVD player in 1997.....I was in a pretty exclusive club full of passionate people, and a year or 2 later people were buying DVDs in Wal-Mart and Price Chopper.
Now for a ton of media links, etc....

The same AP article appeared here in Newsday and here in the Washington (D.C.) Examiner (and I'm sure countless other places). I like how the article starts out with Jon Iati, a player who took a backseat this season, a year after having a season-ending injury (and 2 years after averaging 40.1 minutes/game, tops in the NCAA). It finishes with a nice blurb about Doc Sauers......without him, we are still D-III, playing Sisters of the Poor instead of UConn.


The (NY) Daily News had a great article today, written in-house by Wayne Coffey. That impressed the hell out of me, that a paper the caliber of the Daily News, home of Mike Lupica, would write their own article about a team like Albany.....they could have just as easily pulled a story from the AP. The story focuses mainly on the Long Island-NYC hook that Albany has with Will Brown (Miller Place, LI) and Jamar Wilson (Bronx-born, played ball on LI). It even mentions Harlem-native Levi Levine, but that was for a brief moment, much like his production this season (I was shocked that he was 4th on the team in minutes.....he should have been a great force this year, but his game wasn't developing....insert Brent Wilson). Anyway, its a nice read.

Which brings us to the Times Union, which has "stepped up" it's coverage of the Danes lately. Talk about jumping on the bandwagon, Mr. Ettkin....look at your employers..... Anyway, Cathy Woodruff and David Filkins have a nice article welcoming the added attention. Danes beat writer Mark Singelais' article focuses on some Danes coaches that have been associated with tourney upsets (Eric Eaton with Holy Cross, Pat Filien with last year's Vermont team). Good article, a little too "local" for my liking. And the most original article is Kate Gurnett's, a piece about a group of Salt Lake City people that root for the underdogs....and one of its members just lost a longtime great dane he had....so, we get their karma.

Albany Links Galore.....

Allright, when I mentioned that I was seeing Albany all over the news, I didn't really have the full grasp of the situation.....its inundating.

The Times Union finally realized there was more than one college hoop team in town. They had their typical "advice to the new guy/what to expect" column here, a column on Jamar Wilson here, and a column on the non-existence of tickets here.

Monday, Mike and the MadDog had Will Brown on.....you can click on the link here (RealPlayer needed). Not a bad interview (maybe it was refreshing to hear someone other than Wyland or Murphy), also it was a change of pace to hear that bloated know-it-all Francesa admit he didn't know something (Brown brought up Jamar Wilson). Sounds like the only reason Brown was on was his Long Island roots, not like that makes him a bad guy....

ESPN columnist Pat Forde writes that Albany has the highest RPI ever for a 16-seed, at 119. Can always hope....

USA Today oddsmaker Danny Sheridan predicted the Danes to be 1 Sextillion to one to win the big dance.......folks, thats 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 to 1. So, find a linesmaker to take that one.....and destroy the economy forever.

Thats all, time to fly....go Danes!

UConn-Albany....

Ok, Sunday, around 6:30...waiting, hoping, patient....and....


Shit. Only thing worse than that would have been Duke. Anyway, Im not overly optimistic about any of it, but please, for the love of God, keep it respectable. Under 20 would be great, fantastic. As of right now, Vegas has the Danes as a 22.5 point spread, which sounds about right. Either way, they have nothing, repeat, NOTHING to be ashamed about. They're simply playing with house money now. For these kids, this will be one of the greatest moments of their life. But, its men against boys. I would be willing to put UConn's 6-10 guys on the floor and I would still take them over Albany....but, thats not the point.

Anyway, my mind is so frazzled right now with Albany stuff. Usually theres one article, maybe an AP feed, and that's it. But no, we have USA Today columnists doing pieces on them....national radio shows, etc. Its insane...not to mention, this is all on top of the greatest non-baseball time of the year. Usually I have enough to keep me busy without my team being in it...this is just overwhelming. Anyway, more to come later....March Madness stuff, brackets, and yeah....more Albany thoughts/info....

Cutting The Nets Down.....

I really couldnt think of title for this celebratory article that really captured my true emotion and feeling for the win (which is why I had to wait until Sunday morning for it). I thinkered back and forth between what I stuck with (still not overly-satisfied), "Dancing!", and some version of "Albany wins!", "Great Danes!", etc.....all garbage newspaper stuff. But, what can I say? They won yesterday. The lowly Albany Great Danes, the team that triumphed over 5-win seasons and the EJ Gallup debacle, the team that couldn't draw 500 people 2 years ago....that same team is now in the greatest tournament of them all, the Big Dance, the NCAA Tournament, where anything can happen (sorry, went a little overboard there).
The game lived up to everything I thought it would. The crowd was insanely wild, Vermont came out VERY tight, and Albany buried them. A 3 for Lucious Jordan and one for Brent Wilson to open the game, and the Catamounts were already looking to next year. Soon that 6-0 start became 18-4, and it was over. I dont think the lead ever got below 10 the rest of the game. If you didn't know it was over before this, Jamar Wilson's three at the end of the first half was the end of line for the Catamounts. 44-26 at the half, game well in hand.
The second half was much of the same. The Danes went into cruise control, actually being outscored by Vermont, 41-36. But, much of that was in garbage time, when Brown emptied the bench. Final score, 80-67. Jamar kicked ass in the game, proving to everyone why he's the America East POY. Donny Marshall, doing the game for ESPN2, even claimed he was "the best player in American nobody's heard of." Is he correct? Maybe.....but I do like the statement.

So, a little breakdown and some links. Jamar was amazing. 29 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, only 1 turnover....and 8-8 from the line. That impressed me all game on a team level, was the free thrown percentage. Always a good FT team (71%), this continued yesterday, going 13-15 from the line. Overall, there wasnt much that they couldnt do...outrebounded Vermont 37-27, shot much better (49% to 39%), and the 3-pt % was the dagger....the Danes shot an amazing 9-16 (56%) from beyond the arc, compared to 4-19 (21%) for the Catamounts. The surprise of the game, for me, was Lucious Jordan. 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists.....and came out as fired up as I've seen him. Even though he's a Colonie High grad, congrats.

Nice coverage by the Times Union today, offering a cover story, a commentary by Brian Ettkin, and a good article by Mark Singelais, the usual Danes writer (and who should have gotten the main story. Mostly good stuff, save Ettkin's column, who did his usual overly-dramatic spin on the game, and on a team that he usually ignores. There's also a link on the main page to a nice photo collection, but its a Java-link, and I don't know how to link to it...
ESPN and Yahoo both used the same AP story, so I'll only give the ESPN link, here (ESPN has a good box score and play by play, plus a brief video.
Also, here is the link to the Burlington Free Press, the local paper for the Catamounts. Being one of the youngest teams in Division I, they have nothing to be ashamed about. With a year of growth, combined with the experience of playing in the conference championship, they will be a force next year. Congrats, Vermont.

Brown Town

T-minus 10 hours, 15 minutes to gametime......

And, the student faithful have turned the area outside the gym into a city of tents, starting as early as Thursday night (for the 12:00 Saturday tipoff). The cluster of tents, lawn chairs and blankets, dubbed "Brown Town" by the student body, is gearing up for the game with music, frisbees, and one would assume, some libations. According to this post, the crowd is estimated at over 500 people, and described as a "crazy party". Capital News 9 stopped by for a visit, which you can see here. I'm glad to see the coverage that CN9 gives to the Great Danes. Whereas the other stations have been around awhile, and cover Siena like they walk on water, Capital News 9 is a newer station...perhaps they don't have those strong allegiances?
I'm hoping that the ticket distributors have some sort of system for distributing the tickets to ensure that the kids sleeping out get the seats, and it doesn't turn into a bullrush of latecomers, trying to show up and get a seat. Anyway, Im off to bed now....get up, go to work (im such a disappointment....I am already kicking myself for missing the game, and it hasnt happened yet.

P.S. - I love the name "Brown Town". From one state college grad to another, very creative name.

UPDATE - (9:35 am, Saturday) - Brown Town is now insane. CN9 had a live feed, and its well into the thousands now outside the RACC. Its awesome..keep it up, kids. Don't get tired before gametime!!

I hate Parade Day

Yes, you read that right. I hate it. I consider myself a very Irish person, of well-documented Irish descent. I take tremendous pride in my Irish heritage, and that is why I really hate the events that surround the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. It has nothing to do with being an Irish celebration, rather just another excuse to become drunk and idiotic, then do ridiculously stupid things, and blame it on the parade. Much like the AOH's Irish 2000 Festival, the semblance to anything of Celtic pride has long been gone.
I hear a lot of people talk about how they "cant wait" for parade day....why? So you can go be a public ass? I mean, there are some good old timers that enjoy the day, post up at Duffy's or some other place, and enjoy the day.....thats fine. But, when the "Bayou Cafe" starts celebrating the Parade, well...I never knew New Orleans to be the hotbed of Irish culture. And when I see pictures like the guys below....well, where are their people from? What county did you say?
This is why I'll be nestled away, watching the Albany game, and not involving myself with this madness.....and certainly not drinking an Amstel Light on St. Patrick's Day!

The Bobby Knight of the America East?!?

Thats how Jamar Wilson referred to Will Brown in Mark Singelais' column in today's Times Union. In actually a suprisingly good piece from the Times Union (fluff piece, no less), Singelais tries to break down the man behind the team. Bobby Knight? When I think of Bobby Knight, I think of great coach, yes, but a guy with wasted talent. Banished to Texas Tech now for the last straw, Knight had a well-documented history of bullying, tantrums and explosions on and off th court. That is personally what i think of when his name is mentioned. Unless we don't know what goes on in practice, I don't see the comparison. Wilson later went on to cover his ass, et...reiterate that he was trying to convey that Brown and Knight both are excellent motivators and use a direct approach. Nice save :-)
The item that I took exception to is the mandatory part in the article about AD McElroy and the near-season long contract negotiation between he and Brown:

"The basic premise is that Will wants to be there and we want Will," McElroy said. "Whenever we're finished playing, we're going to cross the T's and dot the I's."

Ok, but Im sure that Brown and the rest of us would like those little formalities taken care of a LONG time ago. I mean, come on....look at Johnny Damon.....if you don't get these "little" details taken care of, you might lose him. And, as I said before, there will be a lot of Division I schools looking for a coach soon, and a guy with 21 wins under his belt looks awful tasty.

UPDATE : Troy's problems

Added to the Troy mayhem today is this little nugget, taken from Capital News 9:

Woman Accused of Beating Child :

29-year old Nicole Shackett is being held at Rensselaer County Jail after she admitted to beating her 7-month old child. The child is in critical condition at Albany Medical Center with severe head trauma.

That's nice. Banner day for the Collar City.

A Day in the Life of the City of Troy

So, I get home today from subbing (nice day.....lots of reading little kids' books), and I fire up the internet. One of the first things I check is Capital News 9, which is one of the better news sites, actually. What are the first four stories, as of 3:25 pm?

• Man Sentenced in Beating Death of Girlfriend : Guy gets 25 years to life for killing his girlfriend with a hammer. Now, for anyone that saw Oldboy can realize how brutal that move is. The sentenced, 37-year old Thomas Chancey, Jr. of Troy, claimed self-defense. I think the best part of the story is Chancey's brother, who had this gem of a comment,

  "It doesn't make [any] sense why people can't just walk away. When me and my wife argue, I leave the house."

• McMillian Turns Down Plea Deal : A Troy man led police on a high speed chase before deliberately slamming his car into a police car. Apparently the cops tried to pull McMillian over for a parole violation. Apparently, his girlfriend's 11-year-old daughter and 10-year-old cousin were in the car for the chase, but let them out before slamming into the police car......which he injured a cop.

• Troy High Closes After a Mercury Spill : You know, mercury....that little substance inside thermometers and fish that causes developmental problems? Yeah, that mercury. Apparently, a barometer inside the school broke several years ago in a closet, but the closet was only opened today because of school construction. So, wait....this has been broken for years......but its OK, because we shut the door?

• Cars Vandalized in Troy : Overnight a bunch of cars in the Sycaway area of the city had thier windows smashed. That's always nice to wake up to.
  

Yes, that was one day.....the four lead stories were some sort of nonsensical garbage about Troy. Couldnt we have thrown an arson/rape in there? I know its coincidental that those are the stories I saw, just thought it was humorous. So, all of that, coupled with the insanely high school/property taxes....where do I sign up?

Found a neat video online today

I found this video today online basically titled "Mets 2006 Champions"......I do like the kid's spirit, and actually the video isnt half-bad (and a plus for being set to All Along the Watchtower). Personally, I liked that he added the HR LoDuca hit last year at Shea off Benson...nice touch. He also threw a lot of Beltran highlights in there, which was nice...since most people were down on him last year. Anyway, here goes:

Mike Pelfrey......this year??

Theres been a lot of talk lately about Mike Pelfrey, NY Mets minor league prospect, being ready for the majors by the September call-ups. I dont know about that, but he did look sharp in his outing against Puerto Rico.

Now, granted he did look good, but a good fastball needs a good compliment pitch, and I guess that is where Pelfrey is lacking. Hes working on a change, has a good breaking ball (supposedly), but September? Really?
I dont want him turning into the next Generation K, here.....(or worse, trade him away for a garbage pitcher and a banged-up middle reliever, like Kazmir). Let him work along, dont rush the kid....we waited patiently on David Wright, and he's paying off in spades. Allow Pelfrey to develop into a guy who we can count on for ten years to come.

Going to be a slow one today.....

Morning folks, no subbing today, so here I am. A few notes:

• The UAlbany/Vermont game sold out in just under three hours. Superfan Stephen Gersztoff was first in line for tickets....getting there at 7 am for a 9 am sale. Nice job, Stephen. I expect nothing less than sheer mania at the game from you and everyone around you. BTW, Stephen writes a hell of a blog about the Great Danes hoop team....you can read it here.

• The championship game tickets were $40/$30/$20. Wow....quite a mighty jump from the normal prices. Did we have to pay ESPN personally to come? Does Doug Gottlieb get a free meal at Across the Street Pub on us?

• I think the place is going to be out of control. Unlike Siena, which has a little bit of an older season ticket base, Albany's ticket holders usually bring the noise. 4593 people (minus 600 Vermont fans, which will be silenced) will rock the place.
  

• I still don't like the Times Union's lack of coverage. If this were Siena, there would be a cover story every day. Mark Singelais does a good job, but the coverage is like clockwork. Well, its Wednesday, so we must do a nice puff-piece filler on Josh Duell, the forward for Vermont that played at CBA. Uggh....theyve got 3 days to get some good articles out there. Im not going to hold my breath.

• Thats enough now, more later....still kicking myself for missing the Section 2 final last night at the Pepsi Arena. CBA 71, Albany 69, in Double Overtime. That says enough.
  

The Will Brown controversy......

A little prodding found an old Times Union letter to the editor about Will Brown. The letter, titled "Great Danes Win in Spite of Coach", was written by a one Paul Koehn, who is entitled to his own opinion, but obviously has his head up his ass. At the time of the letter, February 12, all Coach Brown had done was have the Danes in a 12-2 run, right in the middle of conference play. Since Brown took over for Scott Beeten in 2001, he turned the Danes from a 5-win team to a 20 win team this season, 40 minutes away from an AMAZING NCAA bid. How did he do it? Did they win "in spite" of the coaching? Of course not. The players on the court are his players.....recruited and signed by him and the staff, and developed into the fine team they are now.

Well, apparently I wasn't the only outraged reader, because the Times Useless, er....Union published several letters the following Sunday in strong support of the work that Coach Brown and his staff have done. In a 5 year stretch, the UAlbany basketball program has been transformed from an embarassment to a team poised to enter the NCAA tournament. More importantly, the balance of power in the Albany area has shifted, and the little Saints over in Loudonville find themselves with less of a market share of the Albany hoop fans. I will give Coach McCaffrey credit....he deserves every accolade imaginable for what he did this year. My point being, is that Albany is now a 2-team college town, and much of that credit should be given to Will Brown.

Happy 21st, AJ Soprano.....

Well, good to see that Robert Iler finally turned 21. I was worried that he was getting a little too wrapped up in his work and forgot to enjoy himself. He had his birthday bash out in Las Vegas, at the Tao club in the Venetian.

From the NY Post:

Yesterday, he weaved inside and joined a well-dressed coterie of about 20 buddies, clinking his Heineken with their glasses and hugging Sigler, who at one point found Iler's head in her lap. "Oh, baby," Iler growled to her before scarfing down Kobe beef and chicken dumplings. The crew moved on to the packed nightclub, where go-go dancers strutted, models massaged each other on beds and Iler pranced proudly on the back of a banquette as two women pulled off his jacket.

"It's all good, it's all right, f---all day, f--- all night," chanted Iler, Sigler and pals to a hip-hop song as the party raged under red chandeliers. White balloons feel from the ceiling as the MC chanted "It's your birthday!"

I say the Over/Under on rehab or an overdose is 4.5 months....any takers?

RIP Edgar, we hardly knew ya....

Off to the IT department in the sky....

World Baseball Classic.....

You know, this WBC got killed the last few weeks or so. Players dropping out, owners crying the blues (see inset), questions over the timing of the thing, and a general apathy for the games on the whole. Then, all of a sudden, the games started over in the Far East, and some of the critics were silenced. The games in that pool were mostly blowouts (thanks to the poor Chinese Taipei and China teams), but the Korea/Japan game was pretty good (a 3-2 Korea win, including the win by ex-Met and Big Unit thrasher Dae-Sung Koo). Now, as the bigger games start, the games are getting good. Today, the first game is Venezuela and Dominican Republic, two teams that are supposedly rather heated rivals from the days of the Caribbean World Series. Well, there were some players that pulled out, but these teams are stacked.....especially the Dominican Republic. Let's see: Soriano/Tejada/Pujols/Ortiz/Alou/Beltre.......WOW. Even the Venezuelan team is loaded, with Vizquel, Abreu, Cabrera, etc. Sounds like the All-Star game, right? Nah....these teams care about wins and losses. Fact is, as I watched it, David Ortiz just hit the mother of all hanging curveballs about 430 feet. And the place erupted......fans went crazy, waving flags, whistles, etc. The team came out of the dugout like it was on fire....all to mob Ortiz.

The "national pride" aspect of the WBC seems like it works, for now. From what I have seen, and if nobody gets hurt badly, this looks like a winner for both the players and the fans. Only thing I couldnt figure out, is why is Venezuela/Dominican Republic being played in Orlando?

PS - Theres a great article over at Yahoo Sports written by Todd Jones, reliever for the Tigers. He has been a columnist for Yahoo for a year or so now, and this a great piece about being selected for the WBC.

ESPN.com - MLB - Book details Bonds' steroid regimen

Im shocked. What can I say? Bonds....more steroid evidence?? Unreal.

ESPN.com - MLB - Book details Bonds' steroid regimen

Shaker hoops, my full congratulations.

Although not nearly the fan of Shaker basketball as Matt Glassman is, I did enjoy the trials and tribulations of the Shaker High basketball team this year. Getting a lot of information about the team from Matt's blog (which is an excellent read and an obvious display of hard work and determination), the Blue Bison played with a ton of heart and courage this year, and have nothing to be ashamed about.

Good luck to Brad Sheehan in his future at Georgia Tech and the rest of the Shaker team in their future endeavors.

Will Brown - Bigger and Better Pastures???

Its no shock that Albany AD Lee McElroy (excuse me, DR. Lee McElroy) isnt the biggest fan of Will Brown. His undercutting contract extensions (not signing until Aug. 2, 05 for the 05-06 season) and failure to deliver a long-term deal after the improvement Brown has brought to Albany is shameful. Bringing a Division I team to 20 wins in such a short time (after taking over for Scott Beeten in 2001) is not a feat that should be overlooked. He is an excellent recruiter that has scoured the tri-state area for talent (luring Jamar Wilson from bigger schools), which was well written in a NY Post article last week.

Whatever Albany does Saturday (and theyre going to win.....) , Will Brown deserves a multi-year deal to keep him in Albany and to build upon the great program that he was instrumental in building. His youthful enthusiasm in addition to his great basketball knowledge and relationship with his players are exactly the things that bigger schools look for when they look "outside the program", like when Louis Orr and Paul Hewitt went to Seton Hall and Georgia Tech, respectively. A season like the one Albany had will most certainly turn the heads of some larger Division I schools that are in need of a coach.

Whats the Title Mean?

Well, my friends, some of you may know the title, and some not. For those of you ignorant souls, that is the famous order by one Buford T. Justice, Sheriff of Texarkana, Texas in EXCELLENT piece of cinematic brilliance, Smokey and the Bandit. Why did I choose it as the title? Who knows. Sounds neat.

Im gonna BBQ your ass in molasses!

Albany/Vermont at the RACC - Saturday 12:00 - America East Championship!

Ill have to say that I am all excited about the Albany game Saturday. Unfortunately for me, I have to bartend that day, but i dont give a rat's ass less what happens at the bar, that game will be on television. I was pumped when I saw that Vermont beat Binghamton in the semis, since I always thought that the Bearcats provided the toughest matchup for Albany. They're quick, resilient, smart.......and they're out of the tournament now, so no worries. The Danes did split their season series with the Catamounts, losing the first up in Burlington back in January, but winning big in Albany a month later. The loss came after 8 straight wins, so perhaps it was a let-down game, or maybe Albany saw the green jerseys and remembered the ass-kickings they have received over the last few years from the likes of TJ Sorrentine and Taylor "backwoods freak of nature" Coppenrath (thanks, Brian Etkin). However, the game is at home, on national TV, and Albany is now the mature, older team. The ticket sale this morning was crazy, according to Channel 9. Will Brown and staff were there to do a meet&greet, as I assume the players were in class (hah!). Its going to be wild.....they're passing out shirts and towels to the crowd, and the fans are going to eat up the atmosphere.....predictions? They come out with butterflies in their stomach, have to call a timeout at the 15:00 mark of 1st half, then come out of the break on a 13-2 run and never look back. I say 67-58, Albany, on to meet (Duke, Villanova, UConn). Go Danes!

What is this blog about??

Umm, I dont know. Basically whatever I feel like talking about....I dont see (right now) that this blog having a certain theme as of now....it might someday, but not today. Somedays might be sports-themed, some days might be about movies.....etc. You get the point. After a while, you'll start to see a pattern, I hope.

Why am I doing this??

The simple answer is boredom. Ive found myself in a lull here lately, being between jobs (read: unemployed). Sure, I have my restaurant thing, and my substitute teaching gig, but Im not really a good job that takes advantage of my endless years of schooling. Hopefully someday soon I will have a teaching gig, but until then (and maybe after then) I will be able to entertain myself (and maybe others) with my online musings.