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Weekend Recap
Posted by pblackwell | 09/02/08
So high school sports has started, with football teams going through the grind of a scrimmage and those in other sports getting into full-blown action.
The first serious wave was generated Thursday, when Fayetteville-Manlius nearly saw its girls tennis win streak of 14 years ended by Baldwinsville, needing comebacks in two doubles matches to squeak out a 4-3 decision over the Bees.
Then, on to the weekend, where B'ville dominated its own girls soccer Kickoff Classic and the boys, defending the AA title, knocked off Red Creek 1-0, and even the boys golf Bees went unbeaten through the weekend. Also, Cortland's girls had a strong start to its Class A title defense, beating archrival Homer 2-1...
CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: opening weekend, college football, U.S. Open, Singh, Gustav, Palin
Our Special Section
Posted by pblackwell | 09/02/08
Beginning next week - Sept. 10, to be exact - Eagle Newspapers will present the high school football season in a whole new way.
"Gridiron Round-Up" will be a 12-page section that will summarize each week of high school football at 15 different locales that cover our area.
Baldwinsville, CNS, Liverpool, Jordan-Elbridge, Westhill, Solvay, West Genesee, Skaneateles, Marcellus, F-M, J-D, ESM, CBA, Bishop Ludden, Bishop Grimes, Cazenovia - they will all be covered with game recaps, statistics and commentary from our coaches.
And there will be plenty of action photography, too - and on that front, we humbly ask for your help...
CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Gridiron Round-Up, photos, help
Weekly Column: The NFL Starts Again
Posted by pblackwell | 09/04/08
Here’s the dirty secret about the National Football League – whatever you might think at the start of September, the full truth doesn’t emerge for four months – at least.
Really, could anyone have foreseen the Giants’ run a season ago? In going to Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay to snag the NFC championship, then venturing to the Arizona desert to deny the New England Patriots perfection in Super Bowl XLII, Big Blue matched Pittsburgh’s late ascendance to the crown two years earlier.
And it’s impossible to tell, right now, which team will weave that kind of magic in 2008-09. In the meantime, it’s best to scan the divisions and search for possible clues, especially with so many teams dealing with serious injury concerns...
CATEGORY: Football (American)
TAGS: NFL, season, preview
First Night, First Fight
Posted by pblackwell | 09/05/08
Whatever else took place on the first night of the CNY high school football season, it would be difficult to replicate the hard feelings stirred up at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium when Baldwinsville hosted Liverpool.
WIth a lot of new players that went undefeated together in both the freshman and JV ranks, the Warriors took command almost immediately, running right through the Bees with a four-pronged attack that featured Tyler Kamide, Greg Bell, Mike Donitzen and James Wentworth.
And the defense? Yikes. Throughout the first half, Corey Bundrage and his pals camped out in B'ville's backfield, constantly forcing losses of yards and short possessions...
CATEGORY: Football (American)
TAGS: Baldwinsville, Liverpool, football, fight
Weekly Column: What Kind of History?
Posted by pblackwell | 09/07/08
With a single bold move – some would say brilliant, others reckless – John McCain assured that the 2008 election will insure some kind of historical breakthrough.
Nearly a quarter-century after Geraldine Ferraro, McCain tapped Sarah Palin as his running mate. It sure got people buzzing, which was the point after the breathtaking spectacle of 84,000 in Denver roaring for Barack Obama.
So come Nov. 4 (or some point after, remember 2000?), we’ll either have the first woman vice president, or the first African-American to reside in the Oval Office. Either possibility is big on its own merits, but it’s the way these parallel fates came about that might offer a clue as to how it will all end...
CATEGORY: Government
TAGS: election, Hillary, Obama, McCain, Palin
Brady Gone, What Next?
Posted by pblackwell | 09/08/08
Syracuse football lost. To Akron. There - the less said, the better.
Actually, there's more to say. How sad that, with the world premiere of "The Express" at the Landmark and Penn State coming to town, the Orange program is in such a sad state.
Never mind a stark contrast to the glory days of Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Don McPherson, Coach Mac, Donovan McNabb and friends. Just .500 would be a miracle, and that might take years, even with the greatest coaching hire.
Does ANYONE think anymore that firing Paul Pasqualoni made things better? Be careful what you wish for..
Serena Williams and Roger Federer, U.S. Open champs...
CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: SU, tennis, football, baseball, NFL, Brady
Winning Over the World Again
Posted by pblackwell | 09/11/08
As I write this, it will have been exactly seven years since a cowardly group of terrorists hijacked four planes, crashed two of them into the World Trade Center's twin towers, crashed another into the Pentagon, and were aiming the other for the nation's capital before brave people took over the plane and, giving their lives for us, crashed it into a Pennsylvania field.
The images of that day, and the feelings of horror, grief and sadness we all shared, linger even now. The heroism of so many, especially the firefighters and police officers that raced into those burning towers to save others before the buildings fell down, remain breathtaking and unparalleled...
CATEGORY: News & Media
TAGS: 9/11, anniversary, America, world,
Spartan Kick
Posted by pblackwell | 09/12/08
In his mind, Andy Heagle already had made the field goal. Then he went out and did it for real. Twice.
The first time, it didn't count - yellow flag on the turf. Second time, it did go through the upright - good. Game over.
East Syracuse-Minoa 10, Fulton 7. With that result on Friday night, the Spartans assumed the pole position in the race for the Class A American division regular-season title.
Of course, ESM did this in 2007, too. That game with Fulton was a wild 34-33 affair played on a warm and steamy September night at Spartan Stadium.
A year later, no steam or heat in the rematch in Fulton. Just a lot of rain that fell in the afternoon, with spits of it continuing into the evening - and the grass held up quite well...
CATEGORY: Football (American)
TAGS: ESM, football, Fulton, Heagle, win
A Healthy Escape
Posted by pblackwell | 09/15/08
To say we are in some tough times might be slightly understating the point.
In the last three days alone, (1) Hurricane Ike hit Texas, hard. Galveston remains, in the mayor's own words, uninhabitable, (2) Merrill Lynch got sold and Lehman Brothers went kaput, just as the Dow dropped a cool 500 points, and (3) well, that Syracuse football team continues to do its best impersonation of the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccanneers. Who went 0-14.
And note I didn't even talk about that election, in 50 days time, which is a tad bit important. Bottom line - it's close, it will be close, and will likely be decided by stupid and trivial things, rather than the crises all around us and who's better equipped to handle them...
CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Sports, escape, college, baseball, NFL
Another Triche at SU
Posted by pblackwell | 09/17/08
Right from the moment he emerged as the new basketball star at Jamesville-DeWitt, people looked at Brandon Triche, saw the last name, saw the proximity to Syracuse University, and automatically assumed that within a few years' time Brandon would be wearing orange on the SU hill.
Well, that will come to pass in November 2009, assuming Triche can hold up through his senior year without further injury.
Though he didn't have to make the choice now, Brandon sided with SU before making formal visits to Connecticut and Georgetown, the other Big East schools making a big push for him.
Triche said he chose SU for several reasons, none of them having to with the blood ties of his uncle Howard (an SU standout from 1983 to '87) and cousin Jason Hart, who starred in the '90s...
CATEGORY: Basketball
TAGS: Jamesville-DeWitt, Triche, SU, decision
Weekly Column: A Farewell in the Bronx
Posted by pblackwell | 09/18/08
For their pinstripe-clad fans, the dream was that Yankee Stadium’s 85-year tenure would conclude as so many other seasons had – in October, aglow in the national spotlight, 57,000 generating a noise that could shake buildings from the Bronx to Battery Park.
Alas, this will not be the case. When the last man is retired or the last run scores in Sunday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, the doors will close on the original version of baseball’s grand cathedral.
And it means a lot for one simple, indisputable reason. No getting around it – the original Yankee Stadium is a spot where more history, on the diamond and otherwise, has been written than just about any other spot in America.
To think it all began with an eviction...
CATEGORY: Baseball
TAGS: Yankee Stadium, last days
Making His Own Mark(s)
Posted by pblackwell | 09/19/08
True, high-school football is not the same as the pro or college ranks in terms of skill level or attention lavished upon it. But each player still feels some kind of pressure upon taking the field every Friday or Saturday during the fall.
But I am pretty sure that, of all the players in Central New York at the start of the 2008 season, no one felt as much pressure as Jim Marks did.
West Genesee, as defending state Class AA champions, had to change head coaches after Steve Bush left for the Miami Dolphins - but the new boss, Joe Corley, was a popular assistant, and the rest of the staff stayed, too, insuring continuity...
CATEGORY: Football (American)
TAGS: West Genesee, pressure, Jim Marks, points
Yanks Say Goodbye, Rays Say Hello
Posted by pblackwell | 09/21/08
In case any of you are wondering, there will be plenty written about the Ryder Cup in a later entry. Safe to say, though, that the Americans were sensational and that Paul Azinger was the perfect captain for the USA. PGA of America, you MUST bring him back in 2010!
The full weekend of high-school football saw CBA, CNS and Rome Free Academy join West Genesee at 3-0 in the AA ranks, East Syracuse-Minoa and Cortland do the same in Class A, and Whitesboro beat New Hartford 22-21 by going for two in overtime.
Meanwhile, Marcellus and Westhill are bound for a big B West showdown next week after Mike DeCarr came back and helped the Warriors dump 51 on Homer. Oneida is rolling in B East, while Chittenango did itself proud in falling to mighty Chenango Forks 7-3...
CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: high school, foootball, college, NFL, baseball, Rays, Yankees
Weekly Column: Hail to Captain Zinger!
Posted by pblackwell | 09/24/08
At the dinner hour last Sunday at Valhalla Golf Club in a beautiful part of the world known as Kentucky, Paul Azinger was in no mood for a big meal.
That made sense, though. Thanks to Azinger’s near-perfect captaincy of Team USA in the 37th edition of the Ryder Cup matches, the Yanks had already feasted on Europe, ending the continent’s domination of an event that stretched back to the famous Sunday comeback of 1999 at Brookline.
Two years of hard work and total preparation by Captain Zinger had produced a true team that reveled in each other’s successes and piled up 16 ½ points to Europe’s 11 ½. The score didn’t reflect how close it was, but there was no doubt which side was better at Valhalla.
It was those guys in the Sunday red – a perfect color choice, by the way...
CATEGORY: Golf
TAGS: Ryder Cup, Azinger
Worth Arguing About
Posted by pblackwell | 09/27/08
How odd to have a full Friday night of football games while a momentous debate consumed the nation's interest at Ole Miss.
A quick summary - McCain attacked often, ever the aggressor, trying to force Obama into mistakes or similar behavior. But Obama didn't flinch, staying his usual cool, calm self while delivering some good lines whenever the time called for it. Next is the VP debate - insert your own punchline.
Now, to the football stuff. Look how good Westhill is with Mike DeCarr under center, 90 points in two weeks and a huge win over Marcellus to take charge in Class B West. It all comes down to when DeCarr has surgery on that left shoulder. The Mustangs' defense still has work to do...
CATEGORY: Football (American)
TAGS: debate, Friday, football
Remembering Paul Newman
Posted by pblackwell | 09/28/08
A lot is going on the world, a lot more is going on in the sports world and there's plenty of time to get to all that stuff.
But like everyone else that cares about the movies and about humanity, I felt a deep sadness about Paul Newman's passing at age 83. He had been sick for a while, so it didn't come as a complete surprise. But his loss is still profound.
If he had been simply a talented, handsome actor with magnetic blue eyes whose resume included everything from "The Hustler" to "Nobody's Fool", that would be great, but not worth the kind of love that poured out upon the news of his death.
No, it was much more...
CATEGORY: Movies
TAGS: Paul Newman, remembered
Sports to the Rescue!
Posted by pblackwell | 09/29/08
What a lovely day - $1 trillion lost, stocks down nearly 800 points, no bailout package thanks to the House antics, both parties looking bad for various reasons..how are you doing?
Yet again, the sports world offers serious refuge. Just the last five days has brought enough drama to last an entire year.
It started with USC, no. 1 and rolling, getting rolled in Corvallis by Oregon State. That began a college-football weekend where Alabama put a beatdown on Georgia and Ole Miss won in Florida's swamp. Now Oklahoma's in the no. 1 hot seat.
With the NFL, the only unbeaten teams in the AFC play in Buffalo and Tennesee, not New England, Indianapolis or San Diego. A power shift or just a month-long mirage? Bills fans pray it's not the latter...
CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: college football, NFL, baseball
Double the Chicago Pleasure
Posted by pblackwell | 09/30/08
Quite a feat the Chicago White Sox pulled off to win the AL Central title.
First, the South Siders had to beat Cleveland on Sunday. Then it had to beat Detroit on Monday. Finally, it had to beat Minnesota Tuesday night - just after the Twins had swept them a week before. Not an easy feat.
Well, Chicago managed. And the last part of the trifecta involved John Danks, on three days' rest, pitching the eight innings of his life. Then the old guys stepped up.
In the fifth inning, Ken Griffey Jr. threw out Michael Cuddyer at home, A.J. Pierzynski hanging on at collision time. Two innings later, Jim Thome hit a drive off the otherwise splendid Nick Blackburn, and as I write this, it still hasn't landed. Maybe it's in Lake Michigan...
CATEGORY: Baseball
TAGS: Playoffs, White Sox, Rays, Angels, Red Sox, Brewers, Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs
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