http://cnylink.com/blogs You can listen to Phil Blackwell, Eagle Newspapers' sports editor, at 10 a.m. every Saturday on WHEN, AM620 en-us 60 Sun, 10 Oct 2010 05:57:34 -0700 Random Thoughts That part where we were just recapping what took place in Section III football the previous week is over. Now it's time to analyze where we are, everywhere, looking ahead to http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286758654 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286758654 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:25:22 -0700 Random Thoughts Six months of baseball left us with eight teams battling for the big prize over the next month or so. And we're due for some first-round drama. Not since 2005, when the Yankees http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286331922 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286331922 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:30:33 -0700 Random Thoughts Again, the Major League Baseball post-season is here, a month full of too-late start times, unnecessary off days, bone-chilling temperatures and other annoyances that have http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286328633 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286328633 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 01:34:29 -0700 Random Thoughts A lot of moisture got spilled in the four-day novel that was the 38th Ryder Cup Matches. Rain from the skies. Then more rain. Then water off those ineffective American rain http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286224469 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286224469 Sun, 03 Oct 2010 08:26:01 -0700 Random Thoughts October is a month of decision in high school football in Central New York. It dawns in regular-season uncertainty and, by the time kids in costumes walk the streets in search of http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286162761 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1286162761 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:18:11 -0700 Random Thoughts If you’re up late, or if you have a tough time sleeping, or (most likely) if you’re a golf nut, chances are you will be watching when, at 2:30 in the morning our time, an http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1285604291 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1285604291 Sat, 25 Sep 2010 07:41:21 -0700 Random Thoughts Safe to say, Cazenovia and VVS had nothing left. Not after four quarters, two overtimes, 94 points, more than 1,000 total yards, fumbles, near-fumbles, interceptions, dropped http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1285468881 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1285468881 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:32:02 -0700 Random Thoughts You probably know little about Stieg Larsson, the Swedish writer who, in his brief 50 years on this planet, evolved from science-fiction buff to journalistic activist in his http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1285000322 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1285000322 Sun, 19 Sep 2010 07:33:45 -0700 Random Thoughts Sure, other teams in other fall high school sports find a fair amount of success. A few get fortunate enough, go all the way and claim a state championship. Then there's cross http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284950025 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284950025 Sat, 18 Sep 2010 07:33:24 -0700 Random Thoughts A couple of distinct themes kept popping up in the third weekend of the Section III football season. First, you had comebacks - lots of them. Either instances where a favored http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284863604 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284863604 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:28:56 -0700 Random Thoughts Okay, so there's no big and bright sign at 2501 James Street telling everybody where Eagle Newspapers is now situated - but we're working on it. What is there is quite nice, http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284748136 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284748136 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:01:58 -0700 Random Thoughts This Monday morning, Sept. 13, unfolded for me like a thousand other mornings. I woke up, cleaned up, grabbed some breakfast and the morning paper, stopped at the convenience http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284494518 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284494518 Sun, 12 Sep 2010 08:30:48 -0700 Random Thoughts You could see your own breath Friday night as the second week of high school football got underway. That isn't supposed to happen until the playoffs, right? At the very least, http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284348648 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284348648 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:39:48 -0700 Random Thoughts Get out your sticks once more - it's fall, and it means high school field hockey. Some will never warm to the sport, with its odd rules and infrequent scoring. But for the http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284129588 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284129588 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:38:15 -0700 Random Thoughts Bundling up, fighting the elements, summoning all of your concentration so that you can go out and win. Sounds like Section III boys soccer in late October or early November, http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284057495 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1284057495 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:09:02 -0700 Random Thoughts Usually in the first week of September, high school athletes are still sweating in the sun or fending off the humidity. Not this time, though. Already a serious chill has hit http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283998142 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283998142 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:04:46 -0700 Random Thoughts As a whole, professional sports is hurting at the gate, with lower attendance and sagging TV ratings across the board, from MLB to NHL to NBA to NASCAR, as the rough economy has http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283861086 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283861086 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:11:45 -0700 Random Thoughts So now the results are in from the first week of Section III football, and as usual there's a lot to consider. In many cases, the big statements - and the teams making those http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283721105 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283721105 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:22:59 -0700 Random Thoughts Just one more day remains until Section III football kicks off for 2010, and just one more class left to preview - the big guys in Class AA, where glory has recently proved http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283458979 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283458979 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:54:08 -0700 Random Thoughts In the fourth of our five Section III football previews, we zero in on Class A, where it hasn't been difficult to pinpoint the top teams in recent years. A few might venture http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283388848 http://cnylink.com/blogs/pblackwell/view_blog.php?blog_id=1283388848