Ron Rosner, Sports Editor, Daily Freeman

Fans need to grow up

2012-01-12T11:57:00.005-05:00

In the coming days, I'm sure we'll all be hearing a lot about who threw the first punch in Wednesday night's Kingston at Newburgh girls basketball game that was stopped with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter when fans spilled onto the court after two players got involved in a fight.

Kingston folks will say it was a Newburgh player. Newburgh fans will say it was the Kingston player. I wasn't there, so I don't know who started the altercation.

Nor do I really care.

As detestable as it is that two kids started a fight during a game, I'm angered even more by the actions of fans and parents from both teams after.

Here's the video shot by Freeman reporter Mike Stribl, where security had to remove fans from the court. There are plenty of images of adults getting physically involved in the altercation.

A year ago, the Kingston and Newburgh boys basketball teams were involved in a similar altercation at Kingston's Kate Walton Field House. The final 14.2 seconds of that game was never played because fans spilled on the court after players got into a fight.

A month later, those two teams played under increased security in Newburgh. On Tuesday, they returned to Kate Walton Field House, where security was increased and the crowd as limited to 1,000. There were no incidents at either game.

I know things can get heated between players in games, especially when you're talking about the intense rivalry between Kingston and Newburgh. But I thought parents were supposed to be the adults here.

Parents need to get control of themselves or maybe we should, as both the Kingston and Newburgh coaches suggested, start playing these games in an empty gym.

And that would be the saddest part of it all.

Perfect man for a Giant job

2011-12-25T18:10:00.002-05:00

One win.

That's all that separates the Giants from the NFC East title after Big Blue dismantled the Jets in their backyard battle.

For all the injuries and adversity the Giants have been hit with this season, the fact they're in this position is a testament to their organization in general and head coach Tom Coughlin in particular.

While his Jets' counterpart, Rex Ryan, did the talking in the days leading up to the big game, Coughlin chose to let his players' actions in the contest do his team's talking. This is in now way taking a shot at Rex because he's the perfect man to lead the Jets.

But when it comes to keeping his team focused for the task at hand, Giants' fans could do a lot worse than Tom Coughlin.

He's back?

2011-12-05T14:07:00.002-05:00

If you want to know how important Tiger Woods is to the PGA, just listen to what the sports talking heads are discussing today.

The Giants almost handing the Packers their first loss? Yes.

Tim Tebow leading the Broncos to yet another fourth-quarter victory? Sure.

Tiger Woods winning the Chevron World Challenge? Definitely.

For the former top golfer in the world to get nearly as much attention as the two top NFL stories says a lot. I know it was Tiger's first victory in more than two years, but it came in a tournament he hosts that's not even recognized as an official PGA event.

Yet, the national sports media is giving him more attention than any of the golfers who won this year's majors. And I couldn't agree with them more.

As much as the PGA has wanted to thrust their young talent as the new faces of the PGA, they can't compare with the buzz Tiger Woods brings to the sport every week he is in contention. Over the weekend, every shot he hit was talked about and with every birdie Tiger posted, the announcers spoke about how close he looked to being the Tiger of old.

It's as if there were just begging for a Tiger return to dominance because, like him or hate him, Tiger Woods brings viewers to the PGA.

The Giants played a truly inspired game against the undefeated Packers before falling short in the final minute. Tebowmania continued its march to the playoffs.

But in what is a meaningless golf tournament in past years, the biggest story for next year might have began.

Creepy

2011-11-15T10:37:00.002-05:00

I don't remember feeling as uncomfortable as I did as I listened to Bob Costas' interview Jerry Sandusky.

For a guy who says he is not guilty of all charges against him in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, Sandusky certainly didn't sound like someone who is innocent. I actually found myself cringing the more I listened to him.

When asked is he was innocent on all charges, Sandusky said yes. When asked if he was completely innocent, he said something to the effect of, well maybe he did some of those things like showering with underage boys, horsing around with them, hugging them and touching their leg but in a non-sexual manner.

Later, when asked, if he was a pedophile, Sandusky said no, but when Costas followed up by asking if he was sexually attracted to boys, Sandusky responded by repeating the question, then said he enjoys spending time with children and being around them, and then, several moments later, said he was not sexually attracted to little boys.

The whole thing gave me the creeps — and I'm not even a parent.

I've been involved in sports all of my life, both as a participant, a coach and a reporter. Rule one, there is a distinct line a coach or instructor must never cross with a player — no matter what the age. And I have never seen nor heard of any coach at any level showering with his players or horsing around with his players in the shower.

In the end, there is enough blame to go around when it comes to this whole story and the ones who helped perhaps cover-up what happened at Penn State should be held accountable. But let's not lose sight who the biggest culprit in this tragedy is — the person who did these horrible things to these boys.

I know everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but the more I hear from Sandusky, the worse he looks.

Seventh heaven

2011-10-28T11:57:00.003-04:00

In case you missed it, and judging by the paltry ratings so far, you have, this World Series has actually been quite entertaining.

After a miraculous, come-from-behind Cardinals' victory over the Rangers Thursday night, a winner-take-all Game 7 looms this evening.

I know we're talking about St. Louis and Texas here. The big teams — we all know who they are — have been on their winter vacations for a while now (which explains in part why reruns of the Big Bang Theory are getting as high a ratings as the World Series), but make no mistake this has been quite the Series thus far.

Mike Napoli and David Freese have been the unexpected heroes (and MVP candidates) for the Rangers and Cardinals, respectively. Albert Pujols had a game for the ages with three home runs in Game 3. There have been as many big hits, botched calls, blown plays and burst bubbles as one could imagine.

I only hope Game 7 can live up to the drama the first 6 games have helped to build.

What a kick!

2011-10-23T18:02:00.003-04:00

Talk about a kick for the ages.

If a high school kicker ever made as big a kick as Kingston's Korey Jubie made, I'd like to know who it is. Jubie kicked what-still-seems-like-an-incredible 49-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter that gave Kingston a 3-0 victory over arch-rival Newburgh.

Kicking a 49-yard field goal is tough enough — even for the pros. To do it in Newburgh is that much more difficult.

Oh, and did I forget that with the victory, Kingston qualified for the Section 9, Class AA playoffs.

There were many heroes for Kingston in the win. You could take the entire Tigers' defense, considering Newburgh seemingly spent most of the game in Kingston territory only to be shut out.

In the end, it was the kicker that made the difference. Jubie's field goal was two yards short of the all-time Section 9 record. I wonder if that 51-yarder had as much riding on it?

Extra meaning for rivalry game

2011-10-21T14:07:00.002-04:00

So, it all comes down to this tonight for Kingston High School:

Beat longtime rival Newburgh and qualify for the Section 9, Class AA football semifinals.

Lose and play a meaningless end-of-the season contest next week.

If the Tigers ever needed extra motivation to play the Goldbacks, there it is.

Both teams have a lot of momentum heading into tonight's contest, with Kingston coming off a convincing win over Middletown one week after it nearly upset the then-undefeated-in Section 9 Monroe-Woodbury. Kingston lose 28-27 after scoring the tying touchdown late, only to miss on a gutsy 2-point conversion.

That would have ended the Crusaders' nearly eight-year, 62-game sectional winning streak. Last week, Newburgh ended that 63-game mark with a 7-0 victory. The Goldbacks also qualified for the playoffs with that win.

With Newburgh already in the postseason, Kingston has a lot more on the line than the Goldbacks. Tigers' fans can only hope their team will be use that do-or-die mentality to join in the playoff party.

Lost season

2011-10-11T13:55:00.003-04:00

So the NBA has canceled the first two weeks of the season, and by all indications, a lot more games — if not the whole year — will follow.

My reaction when I heard about this was, "Oh, well."

I'll be the first to admit I'm a baseball/football guy. I even like the NHL as much, if not more, than the NBA. But I know a lot of sports fans who probably won't lose a moment's sleep if there's no NBA this season.

The NFL dominates our sports minds from the beginning of September through the end of January. By the time the Super Bowl ends, the college basketball season is heating up and pitchers and catchers are reporting for MLB spring training. Most people probably don't care about the NBA until the playoffs roll around in the spring.

For the NBA's sake, I hope they can work through their differences and salvage part of their season. But come December or January, when a decision on the NBA season would need to be announced, I think most fans will be more interested in whether the Giants or Jets make the playoffs or what free agent moves the Yankees or Mets have made.

Time to second guess

2011-10-04T13:40:00.003-04:00

So the worst-case scenario for Yankees happened. The inconsistent — to say it nicely — A.J. Burnett will start tonight with New York's season on the line.

In using CC Sabathia to start last night's 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the ALDS, Yankee manager Joe Girardi left himself open for criticism, assuming as most Yankee fans are, that Burnett will implode and the Tigers will advance to the ALCS.

As I posted yesterday, it might have been wise for Girardi to hold Sabathia for a day for just this scenario. The toughest thing for fans to swallow about last night's loss is the Yankees actually scored some runs off Tigers' ace Justin Verlander. It turned out to be a win-able game.

Now the Yankee hopes rest on the strong arm and fragile mind of Burnett. There is no denying Burnett has the repertoire of pitches to dominate tonight. But if his past three seasons in pinstripes have shown, he doesn't have the head or heart to make Yankee fans feel this is the start where he FINALLY puts it all together.

Most Yankee fans are probably fearing the worst — that their team's season will end tonight. With Burnett on the mound, that fear is more than reasonable.

Pivotal decision

2011-10-03T14:56:00.002-04:00

With a pivotal Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Yankees and Tigers just hours away, the big question is whether New York manager Joe Girardi should throw ace CC Sabathia against Detroit's Justin Verlander, who is having an MVP-worthy season.

Or should Girardi have held Sabathia to pitch in tomorrow's Game 4.

Girardi chose to throw Sabathia tonight, but is it the right move?

The two contradicting theories of thought here are:

1) Match your ace with their ace. I'm sure Sabathia wants the challenge of pitching against baseball's best pitcher this season. And if the Yankees do win to take a 2-1 series lead by beating Verlander, it would be a pretty good bet the Yanks will take the series.

2) Concede the game to Verlander and throw CC in Game 4. Girardi has to do what's right for the Yankees and in this case it just might be to hold his ace a day. If you subscribe to the notion Verlander will be too tough to beat tonight then why waste what could be a great but just not-great-enough outing from Sabathia. Then the Yankees would also be facing an elimination game with the inconsistent at best A.J. Burnett on the mound on Tuesday.

Give Girardi credit for this — he has the confidence in both Sabathia and Burnett to throw CC tonight against Verlander. If the move backfires, however, Girardi will have a lot of explaining to do.

Looking for a win

2011-09-16T15:22:00.002-04:00

It's tough to say this, considering we're talking about young athletes, but tonight's home-opener against Minisink will go a long way in determining what kind of football season Kingston will have.

At 0-2, to say the Tigers need this win is an understatement.

After two games, Kingston biggest challenge could be its defense, which has given up 73 points. It's offense, after scoring six points in a 31-6 season-opening loss to Cornwall, rebounded to score 34 last week in a 42-34 loss to Warwick.

Zach Chilcott and Jake DeCicco have become quite the prolific quarterback-receiver combination, but the Tigers won't be able to outscore the likes of Monroe-Woodbury or Newburgh.

The Tigers open their Class AA season next week at home against Pine Bush. An 0-3 start could make for a long season.

Win one, lose one

2011-09-12T13:07:00.002-04:00

So I guess you could say the football opener was a bag of mixed results for the metro-New York teams.

The Jets had a thrilling come-from-behind 27-24 victory, albeit at home against a very mediocre Dallas Cowboys squad, while the Giants were pathetic against and even-more mediocre Washington Redskins team in a 28-14 loss.

Let's start with Jets. On the surface, Gang Green fans must be doing back-flips after their team rallied from a 14-point deficit to stun "America's Team." But the fact they did trail a team many experts predict to win 5-7 games this year shows the Jets still have some growing to do.

But the Jets are a Super Bowl-ready team and fans should expect the team that has reached the last two AFC title games to greatly improve as the year wears on.

As for the Giants, Eli Manning was sacked four times against a defense that ranked near the bottom last season. Big Blue was held to 315 total net yards, 102 after halftime. The defense, meanwhile, allowed Rex Grossman to throw for more than 300 yards.

The Giants are far from a Super Bowl-ready team and if opening week was any indication, Big Blue might be in for a long season.

Enough is enough

2011-09-07T20:07:00.003-04:00

You think Major League Baseball wanted the Yankees and Orioles to play that game last night?

Four-hour rain delay. Rain still falling at first pitch at 11 p.m. Rain falling heavy at times throughout the game, which doesn't end until after 2 a.m. The two teams then had to play a 1 p.m. game today.

I know scheduling can be tricky sometimes, but, seriously, MLB couldn't find a day for these teams to play? I'm concerned as much for the fans as the players. I know the Yankees did a good job — as they always do — in offering free 2012 tickets for those who had tickets to last night's game, but MLB making these fans wait in the rain for seven hours is indefensible.

Money is one thing. Common sense is another.

The more things change ...

2011-09-06T13:25:00.003-04:00

After one full week of college football, what have we learned.

LSU and Boise State are the real deal. Defending champion Auburn, as well as Notre Dame and USC aren't.

As someone who would love to see a college football playoff system, my biggest hope is we finish with three top-tier teams — say Oklahoma, LSU and Florida State — finish with undefeated records (sorry Boise State, but as good as you've been in recent years, the BCS will NEVER recognize you as a "top-tier team").

The BCS will once again be hit with the "we need a playoff system" and HOPEFULLY we'll be one step closer to a playoff format.

But, knowing the BCS, I wouldn't bet my house on it.

Saving the best for last

2011-09-02T16:14:00.003-04:00

Last night Mariano Rivera notched his 595th career save. Assuming eveything goes according to the Yankees' plan, the Bombers' closer should earn his 600th by season's end.

Earlier this summer, Derek Jeter collected his 3,000th hit — the first Yankee in the team's illustrious history to reach that milestone.

So, I wonder, what mark is actually the bigger milestone.

Reaching 3,000 hits is the standard when it comes to Hall of Fame induction. Of the 28 who have reached that mark, only Jeter, Pete Rose, Craig Biggio and Rafael Palmeiro are not in the Hall. Jeter and Biggio are not yet eligible for Hall consideration, Rose remains banned from baseball for betting on the sport and Palmeiro tested positive for steroids.

Only one other closer, Trevor Hoffman, has saved more games (601) than Rivera. And Hoffman figures to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he is eligible.

Both marks are historical, but I'll take the saves milestone over 3,000 hits. 600 saves equals 600 victories and, in the end, isn't that what team sports is all about?

Football frenzy

2011-08-31T06:33:00.000-04:00

For those of you, like me, who are counting, we are a little more than 48 hours away from the return of high school football.

And if you've been following Don Treat's excellent previews on each of our local teams, you know we're going to have one heckuva season. I can't remember the last time we've had so many really good teams (with a lot of question marks, however) in the same season.

It's the first season in a long time that I can say you really can't fall asleep on any one team. That makes things exciting for all football fans. I, for one, like it when you have a lot of really good teams instead of one or two super teams.

So here's to the possibiities this season will bring. Have fun boys. Give it all you have and remember, HAVE FUN OUT THERE!

Congratulations

2011-08-23T10:57:00.002-04:00

Call me a bit of a homer, but I enjoy it more when we can write stories about locals excelling, whether it's in sports or life.

I kind of find myself rooting for area teams and athletes to succeed, which is why it was nice to see Mike Tulacz win the Wiltwyck Pro-Am the other day. I was equally excited to follow the exploits of the Ulster Fillies at nationals, Chris DeForest in his PGA Tour events and the Kingston senior and junior American Legion at states and regionals.

These are only a few examples from the summer.

Now that we're a little over a week from the grind of the high school and college seasons beginning, I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate all those teams and athletes for excelling this summer.

It's been a lot of fun following your exploits. Let's do it again next summer.

Kudos to the Captain

2011-08-20T16:34:00.003-04:00

Don't know if anybody's noticed, but Derek Jeter's batting average is closing in on .300.

I bring this up because quietly, or at least as quietly as anything Derek Jeter does, the Yankee captain is having a pretty good season. I guess now that the pressure of reaching that milestone 3,000th hit is off, Jeter has been much more relaxed in the past month or so.

I'm not saying Jeter is at the level he was five, six, seven years ago, when he was arguably one of the top players in the game, but he seems far from done.

By Jeter's standards, last offseason was awful. Messy contract negotiations (although how messy can contract negotiations when you still end up with around $17 million) were followed by screams from many early in the year he should be dropped in the order, benched or released.

With all that, Jeter kept plugging away and now finds himself a big part of this Yankees team.

Maybe the Captain has a couple good years left.

Curious statement

2011-08-18T08:12:00.004-04:00

Since he arrived at Giants' camp a few years back, Eli Manning has always been a blue-collar, low-key, do-what-you-need-to-do-to-win kind of quarterback.

That's why it surprised me when he was recently quoted as calling himself a top-five quarterback in the NFL. Don't get me wrong, Eli Manning is a very good quarterback, one who's won a Super Bowl title, but top five? I don't think so.

I'm sure we can all think of at least five quarterbacks off the top of our heads -- Tom Brady, big brother Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Michael Vick, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers (just to name a few) -- who I think most Giants fans would take over Eli in a New York minute.

Now, a quarterback saying something like this at this time of year, probably won't raise the eyebrows of too many. I mean, it's preseason, and heck, all you have to do is listen to the coach of the other New York team to hear even bolder claims.

But, come November or December, if the Giants are nothing more than a .500 team (as many experts are predicting) and Eli is nothing more than an average quarterback (which is how many of these same experts rate him already), his preseason statement from the middle of August might just come back to bite him.

Back to action

2011-08-15T13:47:00.003-04:00

Is it just me, or has this summer flown by?

It seemed like it was only yesterday that Rhinebeck softball was on its quest for its third straight state title, while Kingston and Saugerties were going for their first state crowns in baseball.

And, starting today, practice begins for fall sports, with the high school sports season 17 days away. Kickoff for the football season starts a day later.

Maybe it's just that I'm a year older, so time seems to move even more quickly, or perhaps the scholastic sports calendar begins earlier or ends later.

In any case, the "offseason" gets shorter and shorter every year.

Keeping things in perspective

2011-08-09T14:39:00.002-04:00

So, the headlines this past week have been dominated by Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods.

Will A-Rod be suspended after allegations he participated in illegal poker games? Were these games even illegal? Would he be guilty if he were a participant? And, finally, was he even part of these games at all?

Then, there's the he said-he said between Woods and former caddie, Steve Williams. Did Tiger fire him by phone as Williams alleges, or was he fired face-to-face as Woods' said. And what about the statement that winning the Bridgestone Invitational with his new golfer, Adam Scott, was bigger than any win Williams had with Woods, which included 13 majors.

With all this going on, a college lacrosse player from Marist was killed in a car accident in his hometown in Pennsylvania. He was all of 19 years old. I didn't know the young man, never met him or even knew his name, but you can't be anything but sad when someone with so much life left to live dies all too young.

You hear this and think that maybe all this other nonsense about million dollar athlete-celebrities with these psudo-problems doesn't amount to much.

Happy for Tiger return

2011-08-07T14:45:00.002-04:00

Although his comeback has not gone nearly as well as he would like, I, for one, was glad to see Tiger Woods back on the golf course.

I have said this before, I have always been an admirer of Tiger Woods the golfer, much like I was always an admirer of Mike Tyson the boxer. (Not that I'm in any way trying to compare Woods' marital transgressions to Tyson's problems with the law).

I admire true greatness in an athlete. Iron Mike had that greatness in the 80s and Tiger had from the time he burst onto the golf scene in the late '90s until a couple of years ago.

Do I think Tiger will ever return to the dominance he held over the golfing world for more than a decade? Probably not.

But any tournament that has Tiger Woods is a better tournament to watch.

Rivalry revisited?

2011-08-05T14:54:00.002-04:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but these Yankee-Red Sox series, like the one beginning tonight at Fenway, doesn't have as much pizazz as they once held.

Maybe it's because year-after-year both teams qualify for the playoffs anyway, or maybe it's because the players on these teams are a little less hostile than the players of the past.

Boston pitcher Bill Lee's shoulder getting dislocated by Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles in a brawl in 1976 and Boston ace Pedro Martinez throwing down Yankee bench coach (and former Red Sox manager) Don Zimmer in the ALCS in 2003 are just a couple of examples of that hostility.

Don't get me wrong, there is still a buzz whenever these two longtime, heated rivals get together, whether they're playing to open the season in April or playing for a spot in the World Series.

But it's just not the same.

Not again, A-Rod

2011-08-03T15:00:00.005-04:00

So ESPN New York, through the celeb site Radar Online.com, is reporting — using unnamed sources — that Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez participated in illegal poker games where cocaine was involved.

According to the ESPN story, MLB investigators are taking the allegation very seriously.

If the story is true, I ask this: Can A-Rod ever get out of his own way?

If the story is false, I ask this: Can the media ever get out of A-Rod's face?

From steroids to contract opt-outs to all his famous girlfriends and subsequent breakups, Alex Rodriguez has been a lightning rod of controversy since coming to the Yankees in 2004.

It looks like that won't change anytime soon.

Dizzying week

2011-08-01T13:47:00.002-04:00

So let me see if I this straight:

In the past week, the Jets signed former Giant Plaxico Burress and re-signed Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie; flirted with Nnamdi Asumogha before the All-Pro cornerback signed with the Eagles; and all but said goodbye to Braylon Edwards after watching Brad Smith bolt to Buffalo.

The Giants said goodbye to stalwart, but aging, linemen Sean O'Hara and Rich Seubert; welcomed back Osi Umenyiora only to tell him he could shop himself around for a trade; flirted with a possible Burress return before he bolted to Jets; and swiped punter Steve Weatherford from Gang Green.

The Yankees flirted with Rockies' ace — now Cleveland Indian ace — Ubaldo Jimenez before deciding the price-tag was too high and for the first time in a long time stayed completely quiet at trade deadline.

The Mets, who traded closer Frankie Rodriguez earlier this month, said goodbye to All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, but didn't completely rule out a chase for a playoff spot be keeping Jose Reyes and other very tradeable pieces.

Dozens of trades, hundred of signings in football and baseball this past week alone.

Stop the (sports) world. I want to get on.

Can't we all just get along

2011-07-23T17:30:00.003-04:00

I'm beginning to wonder what will be finished first — the debt ceiling talks of the NFL labor talks.

Just when we all thought the owners and players were hours away from a new deal, we get all this last-minute bickering back and forth. It's enough to drive you mad.

It's difficult for me to have empathy for either side. Somehow, billionaire owners fighting with millionaire players on how to divide billions of dollars just doesn't leave me feeling sorry for anybody.

I hope this gets settled soon for their sake as well as everyone else's.

Loss of a legend

2011-06-30T05:33:00.001-04:00

To say Wednesday was a sad day for the area would be a gross understatement.

On Wedesday the community lost one of its own -- Billy Costello.

I have to admit growing up I was not a huge fight fan so I didn't follow Billy's career. By the time I began working for the Freeman in 1988, Billy's best fights were probably behind me. That didn't stop me from hearing about the legend of Billy Costello.

He was a light welterweight champion that hit like a heavyweight I was told. I saw the photos of him in our file, the photo of him on the Freeman wall. He appeared larger than life.

In subsequent years I found out he was human, just like the rest of us, with all our faults and frailities. The biggest thing I learned about Billy Costello was how proud he was to be called a Kingstonian.

Billy Costello fought the courageous fight when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer last year. I remember when we tried talking to Billy about his cancer last year. He was more interested in talking about his fight card he was promoting. He told us his cancer was no big deal and he'd live at least another 20 years.

One year later the dreaded disease took one of Kingston's own far too soon.

RIP Billy Costello. You will surely be missed.

Teeing up for a good start

2011-06-20T13:12:00.002-04:00

A belated job well done to Rondout Valley product Chris DeForest on his strong showing at this weekend's US Open.

It's difficult enough to qualify for the Open, let alone make the cut. DeForest missed the cut by just one stroke. I'm sure he's already replayed his two rounds in his mind about a hundred times, thinking about the one shot here or there that denied him the opportunity to play the weekend.

But the Open was the first in what could be a long list of pro golf tournaments the Cottekill resident played and he deserves a huge ataboy for getting this far.

Here's hoping we all get the chance to see an area athlete compete on the professional national stage for years to come.

Rough weekend

2011-05-16T15:44:00.003-04:00

I guess saying the Yankees had a bad weekend would be a bit of an understatement.

They get swept by their arch-rivals and if losing three-straight to the Red Sox wasn't bad enough for the Bombers, their longtime emotional leader basically had a temper tantrum when he found out he was dropped to 9th in the batting order.

Bouncing back from last weekend's debacle may prove easier than dealing long-term with the aging superstars on the team.

Posada's tantrum was out of line, plain and simple, but it's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Yankee problems. CC Sabathia not yet pitching like the ace the Yanks desperately need right now hurts. All-Stars Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher not hitting hurts even more.

Jeter is in the twilight of his career and A-Rod MIGHT not be as far behind as we would have thought. Tex and Swisher are 30 and CC can opt out of his contract following the season.

If nothing else, the Yankee drama will be interesting to follow over the coming days, weeks, months and years.

Talking Yankees, Mets

2011-04-11T17:43:00.003-04:00

A little more than a week has passed in the Major League Baseball season, so let's take the temperature of the New York teams.

For the Yankees, your biggest concerns are Derek Jeter and Phil Hughes. In most of his at-bats, Jeter has looked overmatched. It seems as though the only person the Yankee captain would get a hit off these days is — teammate Hughes. The thing that would have to concern Yankee fans the most are not his two awful starts, but rather the fact that in each of those starts, this young hard-throwing pitcher is barely breaking 90 MPH.

That said, CC Sabathia is pitching like an ace and A.J. Burnett is pitching better than expected thus far. The Yankee offense is fine and will only get better.

As far as the Mets, fans have to be pleased with the more professional atmosphere new manager Terry Collins and GM Sandy Alderson has instilled. Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes, two big question marks for the season, have actually been OK.

Frankie Rodriguez has scuffled and Mike Pelfrey has yet to pitch like the ace he needs to be this season.

I see the Yankees making the playoffs. The Mets will surprise, but fall just short.

But wait a couple of weeks and I'm sure the temperature will change.

Joy and pain

2011-03-20T13:41:00.002-04:00

Today is bittersweet to say the least.

On one hand, I offer a big congratulations to the Coleman girls basketball team on winning its second state title in three years, and the Coleman boys basketball team, which fought hard in losing in the state final.

On the other hand, I offer my condolences to the entire Marlboro community on the passing of star athlete Carmen Congelli. I did not know Carmen personally, but I know she was an inspiration to everyone as she continued her fight against cancer.

Seventeen is too young for anyone to die.

Hooping it up

2011-03-14T10:08:00.000-04:00

So here we go again with March Madness. Have you filled out your NCAA brackets yet?

Is it just me or does it seem like this year's tournament might be the most wide open event in quite a few years? There just doesn't seem to be that one great team out there. For me, that makes things that much more fun when it comes to filling out my bracket.

That said, for some reason when it's all said and done, don't be surprised to see a team like Duke standing tall -- AGAIN -- when it's all said and done.

These next few days are going to be quite exciting. Get ready for some fun.

Hooping it up

2011-03-01T13:59:00.003-05:00

The Knicks are relevant again. St. John's is in the Top 25 again.

While I believe neither team will reach the ultimate championship goal again, it's nice to see Madison Square Garden rocking again. For my money, basketball season just seems better — NBA or college — when you have a New York City team involved to root for or against.

Steve Lavin certainly has made the Johnnies into a legitimate threat in a short time, while Knicks fans have been in heaven with the trade deadline addition of Carmelo Anthony.

All of a sudden, basketball seems to be a lot more interesting these days.

Hoop heaven

2011-02-20T11:12:00.000-05:00

A quick congratulations to Red Hook and Wallkill on their respective MHAL boys and girls basketball championships.

Red Hook once again showed why it is the gold standard when it comes to area boys basketball. It's no coincidence Raiders' coach Rod Chando has 600 career victories.

Wallkill, meanwhile, showed perserverance pays off getting that elusive title after four straight attempts.

I'm really looking forward to sectionals next week.

Every dog has his day

2011-02-07T12:36:00.002-05:00

Wow! I got one right!

For those of you who follow my prognostications are probably just as surprised as I am that I picked the Packers beating the Steelers in Sunday's Super Bowl.

I think that makes me about 2-for-10 with my playoff picks.

With a .200 batting average, maybe the Yankees or Mets will sign me to a minor league contract.

Here I go again

2011-02-05T18:02:00.002-05:00

Alright, I can't help myself. I have to give my Super Bowl prediction.

For those who have followed my previous picks, are probably waiting anxiously so you know who NOT to pick.

First, let me say it's nice to see two very traditional cold-weather teams are playing. It kind of makes it fitting that the cold, snowy weather has followed both teams all the way down to Dallas.

I have been going back-and-forth all week with who I'd pick and I'm still not completely sold on it, but, for the sake of predicting:

PACKERS 24-21

Enough already

2011-02-02T16:31:00.003-05:00

I'm sure I'm echoing the thoughts or area athletic directors, coaches and athletes when I say: "Enough with the snow already!"

It's bad enough our area high school and college teams play too many games in too few days, but you add in the snow that leads to postponements seemingly every day and now we're entering that time where many teams in some sports may have to play twice as many games each week to catch up.

All these teams and players are in the same boat, so there's no competitive advantage or disadvantage. It just makes things more difficult for everyone.

Maybe Mother Nature has dealt us the worse when it comes to all this snow and we'll all be spared these postponements as we head into the postseason.

Then again if you believe that, here's a little more cold water.

The next predicted snow we are expected to get comes Saturday — just in time for the Section 9 wrestling championships.

Will it ever end?

Super prediction

2011-01-21T14:51:00.003-05:00

We're a couple of days away from the conference championship games and to listen to the "experts," you'd think a Packers-Steelers Super Bowl is a near certainty.

I say don't discount the "underdogs" in these games — the Jets at Bears.

The Jets come into the AFC title game with road playoff wins against Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, while the Bears have been the most underrated team this year — even as they won their division title and secured the No. 2 seed.

You know how I am when it comes to predicting games, but here I go again.

NFC Championship: Bears 24, Packers 21

AFC Championship: Jets 17, Steelers 13

Maybe the experts do have it right.

Crash & burn?

2011-01-05T09:22:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just me, but am I the only one who thinks the Jets are in trouble Saturday.

I know on paper New York might be considered the better of the two teams but how can you ever bet against Peyton Manning in his own building? Manning has shown he know how to beat a Rex Ryan defense and the Jets defense is not what it was last year.

My pick: Colts 24, Jets 14.

By the way, before you go to the bank with my prediction, remember I had the Cowboys playing the Chargers in the Super Bowl. Where are those teams now? Watching the playoffs on TV.

A team defeat

2010-12-20T15:03:00.003-05:00

Could there have been an uglier loss than Sunday's Giants' loss to the Eagles.

Ahead 31-10 with approximately eight minutes remaining, a Big Blue victory seemed a certainty. But Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and the Eagles snatched the game, scoring 28 unanswered points.

I know many have placed the loss squarely on the foot of Matt Dodge, who inexplicably punted to Jackson with 14 seconds remaining and the score tied instead of booting the ball out of bounds. The result was a game-winning 65-yard score by the Eagles' dynamic wide receiver/returner as the clock ticked to :00.

Dodge was not the only culprit when it came to this loss. The offense, which had put up 31 points in 3 1/2 quarters suddenly went ice cold. The defense, which had kept Philadelphia in check throughout most of the game, suddenly faded. And coach Tom Coughlin, considered one of the most well-prepared in the game, didn't see on onsides kick coming with the Eagles behind 31-17 and less than seven minutes left.

It all resulted in what could be a devastating loss if the Giants fail to reach the playoffs. If nothing else, it could well go down as the most embarrassing loss in the history of the franchise.

Bronx blues

2010-12-14T14:00:00.004-05:00

To say this has been a rough offseason for the Yankees might be an understatement.

First there were the less-than-pleasant negotiations with Derek Jeter. They ultimately re-signed their captain but the public relations hit both the Yanks and Jeter took was noticeable.

Then their arch-rivals in Boston traded for Adrian Gonzalez, who is one of the best first basemans in all of baseball, before signing premier outfielder Carl Crawford.

The biggest blow, however, came late Monday night when the Yanks learned Cliff Lee spurned their offer, signing instead with the Phillies. New York made no secret of the fact obtaining the ace lefty was their top priority this offseason and as of a week ago it seemed a near-certainty it would only be a matter of time before Lee was donning pinstripes.

That, however, did not happen.

Now begins the speculation as to why Lee signed elsewhere.

Did Lee only use the Yankees to drive up his price? Were the three months he spent pitching in Philadelphia in 2009 so great he was just waiting for an offer to go back there? Did the Yankees not show him enough love while courting him? Did the incident with a few Yankee fans disrespecting Lee's wife during the playoffs influence the decision? Did the Yanks' hardball negotiations with Jeter leave Lee with a negative impression with the organization?

Whatever the reason, Lee left anywhere from $30-$50 million (depending on which reports you believe) on the table to sign with Philadelphia. This normally does not happen to a Yankee organization prone to landing the big fish.

The Red Sox got better. The Yankees lose out on Lee with no known Plan B in sight.

I know it's only December 14 but for Yankee fans this is already shaping up to be a LONG, COLD winter.

Deal done, finally

2010-12-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

The biggest non-story, thankfully, came to an end.

Derek Jeter and the Yankees finalized their contract extension and all was right in the world. The Yankee captain said he was angry at the Bombers during negotiations and I say stop whining. The Yankees said during negotiations Jeter needed to drink the reality potion and I say stop the whining.

Everyone knew Jeter wasn't going anywhere but for the past month these negotiations have dominated the landscape. Why are the Yankees being so callous to their icon? Why is Jeter being so unreasonable to the team that has treated him so well for so long? And could this lead to Jeter playing elsewhere?

I had to laugh everytime I heard one of those questions. Negotiations usually get a little messy and this one was no different. Yet everyone -- from Yankee fans to Yankee haters -- had their opinions.

I guess I just never got too wrapped up in billionaires arguing with millionaires over millions of dollars.

In Jeter's case, I won't have to hear about it for another three of four years.

Humiliating defeat

2010-12-07T07:42:00.000-05:00

So, that sound you might be hearing this morning is the sound of many fans jumping off the Jets' bandwagon. You could hardly blame them after Monday's embarrassing loss to the Patriots.

New England dominated Gang Green in every way imaginable, leaving the boisterous Jets and their fans more than humbled. The question now is where does New York go from here?

With games against the Steelers, Dolphins, Bears and Bills on the horizon, the Jets have to forget about this 45-3 loss as quickly as possible.

If not, New York just might find itself on the outside looking in come playoff time.

On/off the bandwagon

2010-11-23T15:30:00.002-05:00

Wasn't it less than a month ago that Jets' fans were worried about making the playoffs and Giants' fans were worried about where the championship parade would be? What a difference a couple of weeks make I guess.

One of the coolest things about doing what I do is listening to fans lament or gloat about their teams. Cooler heads almost never prevail when talking about your sports teams.

My guess is a couple of weeks from now probably those same fans how have jumped off the Giants' bandwagon will probably jump back on with a couple of wins.

I love this stuff.

Sad day

2010-11-17T16:23:00.003-05:00

If the reports are true that the Empire State Games are canceled, I, for one, will be disappointed.

I truly understand the climate of the economics of the state. But that doesn't make the situation any less sad. I know many people around these parts very-much look forward to participating each year.

I remember the excitement when the Hudson Valley hosted the games a few years ago and I remember the disappointment when the games, scheduled to return to the area a couple of years ago, were canceled because of money.

The Empire State Games were the closest thing anyone around here will get to competing in an Olympic-style competition.

If the reports the Games are finished are true, let's hope it's only temporary. If indeed it's over for good, the Empire State Games will surely be missed.

Fair outcome

2010-11-12T16:22:00.006-05:00

As unseemly as the whole story around Tom Tegeler has been, I for one am pleased that a potential outcome never materialized.

Five days after the veteran New Paltz football coach was arrested for DWI, New Paltz superintendent Maria Rice declared he could coach Friday night's regional semifinal against Croton-Harmon. Rice made the decision about eight hours before kickoff.

Now let me make this clear: If he is found guilty, I do not condone what Tegeler was charged with and I do believe some sort of punishment would be needed if he indeed is found guilty.

But if the decision was to not allow Tegeler to coach after letting this situation fester for nearly a week before making that call would have been unfair to the team.

No matter what the outcome, the kids did nothing wrong and by ripping their coach away hours before the game, they would be the ones getting punished.

Luckily, in this instance, cooler heads prevailed.

Keeping up the intensity

2010-11-09T00:02:00.003-05:00

Is it just me, or have the hits in all levels of football become that much more intense?

From NFL games to college down to our own local level, I've never seen hits that fierce. It makes you wonder what can be done to make things even more safer for especially the kids.

I know officials try to enforce the rules even more closely with an eye on safety, but even that might not matter.

I remember seeing a movie several years ago called Starship Troopers. There was a scene in the beginning of this kind of futuristic football game and when I think of where football might go in the future, I think of that scene.

I'm sure you all have your own examples, but let's just hope -- for safety sake -- football does not become any more violent than it already has.

Super shift in opinion

2010-11-01T17:03:00.003-04:00

What a difference a week makes.

This time a week ago, all the pro football talk in this area was about which team is better — the Giants or the Jets. Entering their bye week, the Giants were an impressive 5-1, while the Jets. coming off a bye week, were an equally impressive 5-1.

All I heard on sports radio was what the league would do if both teams hosted its conference championship. Would they play at 1 and 8? Would they play Saturday and Sunday? Would they play Sunday and Monday?

Where would the parade be held? And should both teams take part in it?

After Sunday's Jets' loss to Green Bay, the questions shifted to whether the Jets would still make the playoffs.

The Jets went from heroes to goats in one week. Imagine the talk if the Giants somehow lost to Seattle on Sunday.

My guess is the countdown to spring training would start early.

The aftermath

2010-10-23T15:36:00.002-04:00

Let the second-guessing, name-calling and blame assessing begin.

The Yankees' hopes for repeating as World Series champions came to a sudden halt with their Game 6 American League Championship Series loss to the Texas Rangers. For Yankee fans, losing the series 4 games to 2 felt even worse than it looked.

The Rangers outperformed the Bombers in every way: From pitching to hitting to defense to managing, etc. The Yankees looked like an old team, while the Rangers looked like a team ready to start a Yankee-like postseason run for years to come.

For the record, I still believe ON PAPER the Yankees are the better team, but as well all know, games and series and titles are won ON THE FIELD and not on paper.

Worse than the Yanks' pathetic performance was listening to the distraught Yankee fans and giddy Yankee haters that have blown up the airwaves with their thoughts since A-Rod struck out to end New York's season in Arlington.

For Yankee fans, remember this team is not a whole lot different than the one that one a World Series a year ago. Bottom line, this one did not perform the way last year's team performed. I'm not going to get into all the nit-picking that comes with a series loss.

For Yankee detractors, remember this team that -- in your words -- can't buy a title, is not a whole lot different than the one that you said last year bought a championship.

It is certain the Yankee will not repeat as World Series champions this year. It is also very likely the Yankees will once again compete for a championship next season.

What do I know

2010-10-18T19:09:00.003-04:00

One of the things that make me laugh the hardest is when I'm thought of as an expert when it comes to making predictions because I am a sports editor.

I know as much as anyone else who has an opinion and I am certainly no expert.

Two examples:

1) In our weekly Friday Morning Quarterbacks local football predictions I am currently in fourth place among our five Freeman pickers. My record so far(46-18) would still be considered decent, but I'm sure anyone out there would be at least as good with their picks.

2) My Super Bowl teams, Dallas and San Diego are a combined 3-8. The Cowboys, at 1-4, are in last place in the NFC East, while the (2-4) Chargers are also last in the AFC West.

So much for predictions, eh?

Upon further review

2010-10-08T18:08:00.004-04:00

With the recent gaffes by umpires in the MLB playoffs, I know there is this big cry for increased use of instant replay.

While I am in favor of the use of instant replay on a limited basis, I have a better idea: How about getting more competent umpires. With the exception of balls and strikes, which have always been subjective (even though the rule does define what a strike zone is), most of these missed calls have been blatant.

Whether it is the Yankees' Greg Golson's catch that was called a hit or the Giants' Buster Posey stealing second (when he was clearly out) that led to the only run in San Francisco's 1-0 win over the Braves to a couple of blown calls against the Rays that helped the Rangers to a 2-0 series lead, the umpires have been flat out awful.

I'll even give home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt a break on the strike 3 pitch he called a ball on the Yanks' Lance Berkman before he hit a go-ahead RBI double against the Twins because 1) ball/strike calls might be the toughest call any umpire/referee makes and 2) he had been calling that pitch a ball all game.

All I've been hearing is how we need to expand replay, but how about expanding the search to find better umpires?

I consider myself a bit of a tradionalist, so I don't believe we need to turn to replay to solve all the problems of human error. If we start down that slope, maybe in a few years -- with our technology -- we can use technology instead of umpires.

After what we've witnessed the past couple of days, I'm sure a lot of people would love that idea.

Risky decision

2010-10-04T19:46:00.003-04:00

Let's hope, for his sake, Joe Girardi knows what he's doing.

The Yankee manager essentially gave the AL East title to the Rays by his moves over the weekend. Now I know we can all look to the pathetic numbers the Bombers compiled hitting with men in scoring position, but the fact remains that if Girardi would have managed differently, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs was there for the taking.

Up 6-4 late in the second game of the doubleheader against the Red Sox on Saturday, who did Girardi turn to close out the game to keep the Yankees a game a head of the Rays in the standings? The answer: Royce Ring and Ivan Nova.

Why? Good question. In the first game, Girardi used his top relievers of David Robertson, Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain, Kerry Wood and Mariano Rivera in a game the Yankees won in extra innings.

I have no problem with using those guys in that situation. But because he did that, Girardi was too worried (in my opinion) that he was going to hurt one of those pitchers by using them twice in the same day. Less than 24 hours later, however, Robertson, Logan and Chamberlain were used in a game the Red Sox cruised past the Yanks.

Now I know Tampa won on Sunday to finish a game ahead of the Yanks and that if the teams tied, the Rays would have won the division by virtue of a tiebreaker, but no one is going to convince me that had the Yankees had destiny in their own hands on Sunday, they would have played the game differently.

As I said earlier, Girardi has been too cautious with this team's health down the stretch, although the Yankees are an older team. But now instead of having the extra game at home for the remainder of the AL playoffs, the Yankees will have to be road warriors if they want to defend their World Series title.

If it works, Girardi's a genius. If not, he might very well be managing the Cubs next season.

Quite a story

2010-10-01T17:21:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I wonder just how stupid athletes believe we are when it comes to drugs.

From Roger Clemens denying to this day he's never touched steroids to Manny Ramirez saying it was a personal reason why he tested positive for a fertility drug commonly used as a masking agent for performance-enhancing drugs to David Ortiz saying his reported positive test came from legal supplements and vitamins he did or didn't know he was taking, athletes denying drug use has become laughable.

And I'm just touching the surface with these examples.

My favorite story WAS tennis player Richard Gasquet saying -- and subsequently getting away with -- testing positive for cocaine last year came from kissing a woman who had the drug on her lips.

Now comes the saga of Tour de France champion Alberto Contador. The No. 1 cyclist in the world tested positive for a PED as he pedaled his way to his third Tour title. He now says the positive test for clenbuterol came as a result of eating meat that MAY have been laced with the illegal substance.

Tainted meat leading to a positive drug test? Really? Then, to paraphrase what a national radio personality said recently, I must be Arnold Schwarzenegger with the amount of beef I eat a week. I'm guessing the same can be said for a lot of people in the world.

Say what you will about those athletes who have come clean -- or been forced to come clean -- about their PED use, at least they're still not trying to insult our intelligence.

A long road back

2010-09-26T10:02:00.000-04:00

Talk about a wakeup call. Coming off an impressive win against a less-than-impressive Pine Bush team, Kingston was brought back down to Earth by Monroe-Woodbury.

Now nobody really could have expected a win against the No. 1 team in the state, but Friday's 44-6 loss showed just how far the Tigers have to go before they could be considered an elite team in Section 9.

It seems as though it's been quite a long time since Kingston has been considered a true contender in the section, and Monroe doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon. But it would be nice to at least put Kingston in the discussion as a threat.

Here's hoping that happens sooner rather than later.

Seriously?

2010-09-16T16:41:00.002-04:00

I know things are magnified when you play for the Yankees, but after all the talk on TV and sports radio about Derek Jeter and whether he's a cheater, I just have to ask, "Are we seriously wasting time talking about this?"

For those of you who have been living under a rock, in Wednesday night's Yankees' game at Tampa Bay, Jeter was awarded first base after the umpire ruled he was hit by a pitch. Replays CLEARLY showed the ball hit off the knob of Jeter's bat, but the Yankee captain did a great acting job selling he was hit. The Yankee trainer came out to check on him as he was bent over like he was in pain.

Rays' manager Joe Maddon was ejected for arguing the call and Jeter -- after the game -- admitted the ball indeed hit his bat. Maddon, to his credit, said after the game that although the call was wrong, he didn't fault Jeter.

"If our guys had did it, I would have applauded that," Maddon was quoted by the Associated Press in Thursday's Freeman.

What Jeter did was no different than those players we see all the time claiming they got hit by an inside pitch when they didn't or the ones that act like they've hit a foul ball off their spikes when they merely just hit a weak ground ball or the outfielders that sell a catch they made when they know they clearly trapped it.

Yet, I don't recall seeing those highlights becoming the major talk of the sports airways.

Because it's Jeter and the Yankees, we feel we need to make a big deal of it.

It's funny but I hear Yankee detractors say all the time that it's unfair the Bombers are held in such high esteem. Yet, when something as completely minor as what happened last night to Jeter happens, all we hear is how this is a big deal because Jeter and the Yankees should be held to a higher standard.

It's all pretty ridiculous when you think of it.

Ouch!

2010-09-14T15:56:00.002-04:00

Some losses are harder to take than others.

For the Jets, Monday night's season-opening loss to the Ravens is one of those losses.

I know it's only one game, but the loss comes after an offseason in which Gang Green spent the majority of their time puffing out their chests and telling the rest of the NFL just how good they were going to be this season.

Mark Sanchez looked like he should be holding a clipboard rather than running an offense. The Jets' secondary, with the exception of Darrelle Revis, looked ordinary at best. And perhaps worst of all, defensive lineman Kris Jenkins is now lost for the season with a torn ACL in his knee.

Not exactly the way the Jets wanted to open their new stadium and it doesn't get any easier from here.

Here's hoping for a quick turnaround.

By the way, did you see how my Super Bowl picks did in Week 1? Great start for me, too, don't you think?

Super fun day is here

2010-09-12T09:24:00.000-04:00

With kickoff only a few hours away (I know the Saints beat the Vikings on Thursday) I know all of you are anxiously waiting my Super Bowl predictions.

In the AFC: I know the Ravens and the Jets are the chic pick by many, which will make Monday's showdown all the more interesting. But I think this is the year for the San Diego Chargers. The Indianapolis Colts will be right there in the end -- as usual -- but Phillip Rivers is ready to take that next step to be mentioned with Peytom Manning and Tom Brady as the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

In the NFC: New Orleans, Minnesota and the Green Packers are the chic picks. I mean, how can u pick against the defending champs or Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers? I'll go with the Dallas Cowboys. Call this one a complete hunch, but the Cowboys are kind of flying under the radar -- at least as much as America's Team can, but they have put together a pretty solid team.

So, I have the Chargers beating the Cowboys for the title. Take it to the bank. Unless you're paying attention to my high school picks, then you might want to go with the Ravens and Packers.

Football is back

2010-09-06T23:54:00.002-04:00

With the temperatures dropping, the days getting shorter, you know football is here.

A great start to area football with Onteora breaking a 31-game losing streak and Rondout Valley hitting the field again after a year hiatus. Although the Ganders lost, just getting on the field was a start.

Too many other times in other sports, once a varsity sport is taken away, it's tough for it to come back.

Let's hope better days are ahead for both Rondout and Onteora, which found itself in Rondout's shoes not too long ago.

A tough break

2010-08-27T12:17:00.000-04:00

So, Stephen Strasburg has a torn tendon in his elbow and the Washington Nationals phenom is likely to miss the rest of this year, all of next season & part of 2012.

It makes you wonder if Major League teams are guilty of pushing these kids too far, too fast. Or are these kids being coddled so much that they are not ready for the challenges of pitching in the Major Leagues.

Whatever side you take, one thing is clear: Strasburg's injury is a huge blow to the Nationals, a team that so desperately needs a face to build around, as well as Major League baseball.

A rule is a rule ... I guess

2010-08-15T23:02:00.002-04:00

What a little mess the PGA Championship -- golf's final major of the season -- turned out to be.

First off, let me say this, had the name involved been Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, not Dustin Johnson, this would be an even bigger deal.

See Johnson had a one-shot lead heading into the 18th hole of the PGA before hitting his tee shot well right into the gallery. There his ball stood on a small patch of dirt, sand, whatever you want to call it surrounded by fans.

Johnson grounded his club (touching the dirt with it before swinging for his shot), hit a bad second shot, settled for bogey and what appeared to be a three-way playoff with Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer. (Like I said, if the names we're talking about were bigger, this would be a bigger deal.)

When Johnson walked off the final hole, a rules official said he might get hit with a two-shot penalty for grounding his club in a bunker, a no-no in golf. Johnson said he didn't even know it was a bunker and looking at it on TV, I agree. It just looked like a piece of trampled ground where the spectators were standing.

So, after several minutes, Johnson indeed was given the two-shot penalty, Kaymer beat Watson in the playoff for the title and the rest of us are left to wonder who was right.

I see both sides.

A rule is a rule and by all accounts, all golfers and their caddies were made aware of all the bunkers on the course, so Johnson hit from a bunker, so I guess grounding the club in that bunker is a penalty.

On the other hand, you're on the final hole of the PGA Championship, holding a one-shot lead. You're on a piece of ground that bears little to no resemblance to a bunker, so why would that thought ever cross your mind.

And, by the way, since the shot was so far off line in the gallery, where was an official who might have alerted him to that being a bunker? I know that's usually not his job, but this was an unusual situation.

In the end, there's blame to go everywhere. It's just sad a possible major golf title was lost because of it.

Quick question

2010-08-04T00:31:00.002-04:00

Brett Favre is retiring again? Alex Rodriguez is still waiting for home run No. 600? Darrelle Revis is waiting for a new contract from the Jets? And Albert Haynesworth is still waiting to pass his running test before he's allowed to start practice with the Washington Redskins?

If you include Favre possibly un-retiring again, anyone care to place a bet as to what will happen first?

For my money, it might be Favre.

Just a thought.

A good first step

2010-07-28T10:20:00.002-04:00

So, MLB commissioner Bud Selig is proposing to alter next season's schedule so that the World Series ends in October?

Let me be the first to say, "It's about time!"

The World Series should begin and end in October, not November. The first time baseball stretched into November was in 2001 but there was a very good reason -- the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Now, however, the season is extended solely to appease ESPN and Fox. That's not right.

I don't care if the season begins a couple of days earlier. It's already cold and rainy and snowy here in the Northeast, so what's a couple of days going to matter.

So, bravo, Bud! Now if you can take away the league that wins the All-Star Game getting home field advantage for the World Series, that would be even better.

Boss in the Hall?

2010-07-15T17:19:00.002-04:00

It's been a couple of days since the passing of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. By now we've learned just about everything we can possibly learn about the Boss and one question I have is: "Does George Steinbrenner belong in the Hall of Fame?"

It's an interesting question and quite frankly I don't know what the answer is.

I'm not sure any owner belongs in the Hall of Fame, but if any owner does, perhaps Steinbrenner is one that belongs.

He bought a franchise for roughly $10 million (only a couple hundred thousand was his own money) and turned it into a global empire worth billions of dollars.

I'm sure the question will be asked many times over the coming weeks, months, years. I'll be interested to see the final result.

Decision time

2010-07-08T20:15:00.002-04:00

We're about an hour away from LeBron James' big decision and now it appears the King is headed to Miami to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

I don't know about you, but while this has been more fun than I thought, I'm ready for it to be over.

I just feel bad for Cleveland, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and the Clippers. They can say what they will, but their free agency was built around getting LeBron and if he goes to the Heat, there will be a lot of hard feeling in three major markets.

Should make for a fun season. Don't you think?

End in sight

2010-07-07T18:11:00.002-04:00

Well, the continuing national saga that is LeBron James will finally reach its conclusion tomorrow.

I, for one, can't wait.

This story has gone on for far too long and it's hard to believe any one player in any sport can hold an entire league hostage. Will he stay in Cleveland? Will he go to Miami? Or New York? Or Chicago?

Will he make his announcement Monday? Or Tuesday? Or Tomorrow? Will it be in Ohio? New York? Connecticut?

At this point I could care less.

But, if you're asking, don't be surprised if King James dons a Knicks cap tomorrow night when he makes his announcement as part of a 1-hour ESPN special.

The King at Madison Square Garden? Maybe there isn't an end in sight to the LeBron story.

Let the fun begin

2010-06-30T20:40:00.002-04:00

Hey.

NBA free agency begins in about three hours -- although technically teams can't sign players until July 8 -- and if the rumors are true, it sounds like this will be quite the moving period for NBA stars.

Whether it's LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade or others, the landscape in the NBA could totally change. Then why am I left to thinking this might be much ado about nothing.

In a couple of weeks or so, when the dust settles, I think you'll see a good deal of these big-name free agents end up right where they started. I'm sure they'll be a couple of big signings, but not the dozen or more that have been rumored.

In any case it'll be fun to follow until baseball's trading deadline the end of the month.

Live chat with Stuart Robinson

2010-06-23T21:04:00.002-04:00

KINGSTON — New Paltz High School boys soccer coach Stuart Robinson participates in an online chat about the state of soccer in the U.S. with the Freeman at 6 p.m. Thursday.

You can submit your questions live.

Live chat with soccer coach Stuart Robinson

We want to hear from you

2010-06-12T17:56:00.003-04:00

As I get set to take a much-needed vacation, I wanted to let you know about a couple of projects in the next couple of weeks that will require direct feedback from you.

We are in search of the ultimate Hudson Valley Yankees and Mets fan. We wants fans to submit their photos wearing their favorite team's (Yankees or Mets) attire. From there, we'll vote and do a story profiling these ultimate fans.

Also, with the World Cup upon us, we'll be doing a live web chat with New Paltz High School coach -- and former SUNY New Paltz men's soccer coach -- Stuart Robinson on June 24 about the state of soccer in the U.S. We want you to submit questions before the chat or you can speak on-line live with coach Robinson.

For more information about both projects, please visit http://facebook.com/Freeman

I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Mistakes happen

2010-06-03T08:28:00.003-04:00

I woke up this morning and the sun was out. I say this not because I think you need to know everything that's going on with me, but rather to prove life goes on even after what is being described as the worst call in sports history.

Let me start off by saying Jim Joyce completely blew the call at first base which cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. But as bad as that call, what was worse was the complete overreaction by the sports media or anybody who has a opinion.

The overreaction I'm talking about is the cry to expand the replay rule baseball has at the moment. Mistakes happen and I feel as badly for Galarraga as the next guy, but expanding replay is just not the answer.

Where does it end? What if the play at first wasn't as blatant as last night's play? What if the perfect game was lost on a called ball on a 3-2 count when replay would show the ball was clearly a strike? What if the blown call happened in the third inning and that was the only baserunner Galarraga allowed?

On the ball four, I know the no-hitter would still be intact and if the call happened in the third the response would be there were still six, seven innings to play as opposed to the final out of the game, but it doesn't make the calls any less egregious.

And I don't buy the argument that since the call didn't affect the outcome of the game, so it should be overturned. What if the next batter hit a two-run home run, more runs followed and that led to a Cleveland victory rather than a 3-0 Tigers' win? Those runs should never have scored, but there would be no outcry to change the call.

Look, Jim Joyce immediately took responsibility for blowing the call and he'll have to live with that call the rest of his life. But let's not take a bad situation and make it worse by overreacting.

Not a fan of the system

2010-05-31T21:16:00.003-04:00

I understand the reasons behind it, but I don't think I'm a big fan of separating the Section 9 baseball and softball tournaments.

Having one each week makes the whole postseason seem kind of disjointed. Mind you, when we had so many local teams playing for championships and we're trying to cover every one of those games, the idea of splitting the two probably would have been welcomed with open arms.

But it just seems as though there's a bit of an emptiness this year. While softball begins this week, local sectional baseball champs Marlboro and Pine Plains are looking for teams to scrimmage just so they can stay sharp for regionals next week.

I know these teams, especially in baseball, want to make sure their No. 1 starter is available for regionals, but it doesn't mean I have to necessarily like it.

It seemed more like the postseason when everything was going on at the same time.

Way to go

2010-05-24T16:26:00.003-04:00

A big congratulations goes out to our local scholastic winners: Marlboro in MHAL baseball and softball, Roosevelt (as well as Jonah Berkowitz and the doubles team of Geoff and Ackerman) in MHAL tennis, Ellenville in MHAL boys track and field and Rondout in girls track and field, just to name a few.

It seems like this has been a weird spring season, so it's great the playoffs are underway.

Let's hope the local teams are equally successful in sectionals and states.

Wake me when it's over

2010-05-21T15:59:00.002-04:00

I know there is normally a lot of buzz when the Yankees play the Mets in their annual 'Subway Series.' But the first installment in this matchup that begins tonight has the potential of being a real snooze-fest.

The Mets are playing bad baseball. The Yankees, also playing bad baseball, are a shell of themselves as injuries continue to mount.

What had some promise the beginning of the season has really lost some pizazz. Don't get me wrong, when these teams gets together there's usually at least some entertainment value.

But it's not what it should be.

Waiting on the postseason

2010-05-13T16:50:00.002-04:00

Maybe it's all the seeming starts and stops we've been having on the local sports scene or the unseasonably cold weather, but it just doesn't seem as though we're getting ready for the MHAL and Section 9 playoffs.

This has been a real funky spring thus far and I'd bet those of you playing any of these spring sports feel the same way. There just hasn't been any kind of rhythm to this season, with games being seemingly moved on a daily basis.

Let's hope this next month goes better than the first couple for all those concerned. It will make for more fun for everyone.

When will it end?

2010-05-07T17:06:00.004-04:00

Does it really surprise anyone that another professional athlete has been charged with a crime?

Former Giant great Lawrence Taylor is the latest name added to the long list, from Kobe Bryant to Plaxico Burress to Ben Roethlisberger to just about any starter who's played for the Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys or Cincinnati Bengals in recent years, who found themselves in trouble with the law.

Now I know -- and believe -- that all accused are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and maybe LT did not rape that 16-year-old girl. But the mere implication of his name PROBABLY means there is something to those charges.

But athletes seemingly have this sort of above-the-law mentality. As a sports fan all my life who hopes to someday be able to take my family to a game, I would hate to be put in the position parents have been put in today of having to explain these athletes and what they're accused of to my kids.

It has to come to an end -- and SOON!

End of an era

2010-04-28T16:05:00.002-04:00

It will be sad that Jim Malak will likely not be returning as Rondout Valley football coach.

In the 17 years he was coach at Rondout, Malak has been a good guy when it comes to dealing with the media. Win or lose, he reported every game -- a trait not shared by a good number of coaches in the area.

We don't know all the reasons behind his likely ouster -- and we probably never will -- but if this is the end of the run for Malak at Rondout, I wish him well in his next endeavor.

In any case, football weekends won't be the same around here.

Let them have their fun

2010-04-20T18:15:00.003-04:00

Did everyone see the recent news that college football is looking to stop players from celebrating, they say taunting, when a touchdown is scored?

That is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard in quite some time. While I agree that, in some cases, players take their celebrating to the extreme of taunting, you can't just look to put everyone in the same category and try to tell them they can't celebrate.

Celebrating in sports is a must. Without it, there is simply no fun.

As long as you're not being disrespectful to your opponent, why should these kids have the fun taken away from them?

It just doesn't make any sense.

Time to play catch up

2010-04-16T16:53:00.003-04:00

Boy, I go away for a relaxing vacation to the Caribbean and I seemed to miss everything.

For Tiger and Phil at the Masters to opening day of baseball season to the NCAA men's and women's basketball championships, April really got started off with a bang.

Locally, a quick congratulations to Kingston's DaVonne Dunlap and Rachel Coffey, who were named Freeman boys and girls basketball Players of the Year. Although the competition was great, these two truly deserved the honor.

Roosevelt softball received a huge blow by losing Freeman All-Star Jen Reitemeyer for the season because of a shoulder injury. I watched her shut down Valley Central in last year's Section 9, Class AA championship last year. The Presidents will surely miss her.

Speaking of missing things, I don't know if it's me, but April doesn't seem to be the same without having the Kingston Classic to look forward to at month's end. I'm not a runner, but I always enjoyed watching the elite runners as well as the local running enthusiasts race past the Freeman twice during the race.

Who said April is a quiet month. And we're only halfway through.

Leave a good thing alone

2010-03-31T20:38:00.002-04:00

So the rumors have intensified the NCAA Tournament will expand to 96 teams sooner rather than later and that makes me ask, 'Why?'

I understand all sports, professional and amateur, are looking to make a buck, but when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, why mess with a playoff system that is as close to perfect as you can get?

We don't need 31 more teams added to the pool. And if the NCAA chooses to go this route, then why don't they just include every Division I team. I believe there are more than 200 Division I institutions. I'm not sure how many have men's basketball teams, but throw them all in.

Render every NCAA game in the regular season irrelevant. Eliminate a once-proud tournament like the NIT so we can all see Pacific play Virginia Commonwealth in an early-round game. But somebody please wake me up when the game is over.

I mean how ridiculous can this get.

If I had a say in this -- which I don't -- I would say we need not mess with a good thing. The NCAA Tournament is special because there's at least some credibility to each of the 65 teams that qualify.

You add 31 and you lose quite a bit of that credibility. The NCAA Tournament and those of us who follow it don't need that.

Right decision

2010-03-27T10:41:00.003-04:00

So the Yankees decided to make Phil Hughes their fifth starter.

As someone who had always been in the corner of making Joba Chamberlain a starter I'm here to say the Bombers made the right call.

Although Hughes did a great job as the Yankees' primary eighth-inning set-up guy last year, I believe his stuff is better suited for the starting rotation. Conversely, watching Joba as a starter for most of last season, I believe he belongs in the pen.

Joba's stuff is better suited for the pen, which was apparent when he was throwing 90, 91 mph last year as a starter as opposed to 98, 99 mph as a reliever. Plus, I think he will be the man to take over as the closer when Mariano Rivera decides to retire.

You have to hope both excel in their roles. It would make a strong Yankee team even stronger.

Wild about the Wildcats

2010-03-24T22:08:00.003-04:00

So now that my NCAA bracket is all but useless -- thanks Kansas, Georgetown and Villanova -- it's time to predict who has the best chance to win it all.

I picked Kentucky before the tournament and I haven't changed my mind. Tonight's game against Cornell is intriguing and a lot more than the David vs. Goliath matchup everyone thinks. Cornell is the real deal but it doesn't have enough to hang with Kentucky.

Expect the Wildcats to cruise tomorrow night and win three more times to give coach John Calipari his first national title.

There are a lot of really good teams left in the tournament. Kentucky is the one great one remaining.

Congratulations

2010-03-22T21:05:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to take a minute to offer a belated congratulations to the three area teams that played this weekend in the state basketball final four.

The John A. Coleman boys basketball team was so close to winning it first state title, while the Coleman girls and Red Hook boys were more-than-competitive in their semifinal losses.

I'm sure the sting of defeat will remain for all three teams, but hopefully -- in time -- they will be able to step back and realize how difficult it is to get as far as they all did.

Job well done!

Random thoughts

2010-03-17T10:54:00.002-04:00

* So Tiger Woods is coming back for the Masters. Are you as surprised as me? I truly figured he would not back until the middle of the summer. But let me ask you all this: If Tiger Woods wins the Masters next month, is it a sign of his greatness as a golfer or an example of how weak the PGA Tour has become the past couple of years?

* Has everybody filled out their NCAA brackets? I know I'm already behind the 8-ball with my bracket since I didn't pick Arkansas-Pine Bluff to win the play-in game. That could upset the whole apple cart, right? But seriously, is it just me or does it seem like this NCAA Tournament might have the weakest field. There are no TRUE great teams out there, but I wouldn't be shocked if all four No. 1 seeds get to the final four because the field is generally underwhelming.

* The Yankees are still searching for a fifth starter. With that lineup, does it really matter?

* The Mets are still trying to field a completely healthy team. When will the pain stop for them?

Great job

2010-03-09T16:05:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to take a moment to recognize our local Section 9 basketball champions -- Red Hook and Coleman in boys and Kingston, Highland and Coleman in girls.

It's great when area teams meet and surpass goals when maybe quote a few people not in this area didn't think it was possible.

Getting to the state final four is always a difficult chore, although the Coleman girls punched their ticket already with their Class D win, putting the Stateswomen two wins away from defending their state title.

Kingston girls are a win away from their fourth straight final four trip, while Red Hook and Coleman boys and Highland girls are two wins from making their trips to states.

Good luck to them all.

Getting back to normal

2010-03-01T12:34:00.002-05:00

The big question following Sunday's Olympic hockey gold medal thriller is whether the NHL will reap the benefits of this widely-watched showdown between the champion Canadians and the underdog Americans?

My guess is no!

Yes, Canada's 3-2 overtime win was thrilling and will be talked about in Olympic circles for years to come, but, say, a week or two from now, Sidney Crosby scores the game-winning goal in OT past Ryan Miller to give his Pittsburgh Penguins over the Buffalo Sabres, will anyone other than Penguins or Sabres fans care?

Maybe it's the professional aspect of it that bothers me, but I see Olympic hockey and it kind of reminds me of the Ryder Cup, where professional golfers every two years play for national pride over a weekend (the U.S. vs. Europe) and then you see them three days later competing against one another in the (insert name of any PGA Tournament).

I just don't see a long-term carryover for the NHL.

But, pros or not, it was one heck of a game.

Silver on ice

2010-02-27T17:29:00.003-05:00

After two weeks of competition, the one contest I would think most people were waiting for, will happen in Sunday's men's hockey gold medal final between the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. beat the host Canadians 5-3 in a preliminary-round game earlier this week.

Don't expect a repeat.

Canada is bigger, stronger, faster and better than its American counterparts and now it has a chip on its shoulder after its loss to the U.S.

The Americans have had quite a run, getting to the gold medal game and if you would've asked most hockey fans, I don't think many would've predicted the U.S. would be playing for gold.

Unless something unforeseen happens, the Americans will have to settle for silver.

Olympic snooze-fest

2010-02-24T16:13:00.002-05:00

With roughly 3/4 of the Olympic Games finished, I have one question: "Is anybody watching?"

I consider myself a pretty rabid sports fan, and even I have had a difficult time really getting into these Olympics. I'm not sure why because there was a time when I was a kid, my friends and I would get together to watch the Games (Summer and Winter) for hours on end.

But with the exception of a few of the marquee sports, I find most of the Games serving as white noise on my TV while I'm doing other things.

The U.S. is having a great Olympiad and is on track to win the medals table for the first time in nearly 80 years.

Wake me up when it's over.

Do we really care?

2010-02-20T19:20:00.002-05:00

After having a day to mull it over, I've decided to be the 1,000,000,000th person to comment on Tiger Woods' public statement.

I've heard many people call it heartfelt, phony, robotic, clinical, a step in the right direction and after seeing it I can see each person's viewpoint.

But, first of all, as a golf fan who admires Tiger Woods as a golfer, I didn't need to hear an apology from him about his marital infidelity. For that he needs to make peace with his wife, his family, his God and his conscience.

For those who said he looked robotic speaking from prepared text, I say, you're right. However, for those who have followed him over the years, I believe they would agree he looks pretty robotic no matter what the situation -- whether he's apologizing for his transgressions or celebrating another major win.

I know a lot of people felt he had to make some public statement, many even saying he should hold a full-blown press conference. Count me among those who would disagree.

The part of the speech that raised my eyebrow was the part when he said he hoped to return to gold this year. From the sound of it, I don't think we need to look for Tiger playing in a PGA event anytime soon.

Tiger Woods the golfer is really the only Tiger Woods I care about. Tiger Woods the adulterer -- I'll leave that for TMZ and Entertainment Tonight.

Classic on hold

2010-02-17T20:54:00.003-05:00

If the Kingston Classic indeed is done for the year, then I for one will be sad not see it around.

I'm not a runner, but I have to admit it was always fun watching the runners pass by the Freeman -- to see them all, the elite runners to the avid competitors to the causal runners -- was always fun.

I think I had more fun seeing them pass the Freeman on the way back and to see their obviously-gassed faces with a look of both exhaustion and relief, knowing the end of the race was near.

I do hope the idea of holding the Classic in the fall does not pan out because the Classic belongs in April, not September or October. But let's hope this only serves as a one-year hiatus, not a death sentence, for the Classic.

The race and the runners deserve better.

Bring on baseball

2010-02-12T10:35:00.002-05:00

Maybe it's the little bit of snow we recently got, or maybe it's just knowing that Major League pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training next week.

But whatever the reason, I cannot wait for spring.

Baseball has always been my favorite sport and knowing the season is less than two months away makes me already begin thinking about taking in a game or two in the summer.

The sooner, the better for me.

Super victory

2010-02-08T19:10:00.003-05:00

Well, include me among the many who were stunned by last night's Super Bowl.

As I said in an earlier post, my heart was pulling for the Saints, but my head said to pick the Colts. That's the last time I listen to my head, I guess.

The Saints and their relationship with New Orleans was the feel-good story of the year in the NFL. And now they get their storybook ending.

It only seems fitting, doesn't it?

And the winner is ...

2010-02-07T11:25:00.002-05:00

Ok. I know you all have been waiting patiently for my Super Bowl pick, so here it is.

I really want to pick the Saints. They have most definitely been the feel-good story of this football season. I appreciate watching Drew Brees, a "short" quarterback by today's NFL standards pick apart defense after defense week after week.

I have loved watching Reggie Bush play since his days at USC and New Orleans has quite a talented receiving crew and an underrated defense.

That would be good enough against most team in the NFL, just not the Colts because of Peyton Manning. The "other" Manning as some Giants fans would call him is simply the best quarterback today and this win could cement him as the best QB of all time.

The Colts, too, have an underrated defense, although Dwight Freeney's injury, whether he plays or not, certainly hurts. But in the end ...

COLTS 34, SAINTS 31.

Minding Ryan's Ps and Qs

2010-02-03T16:52:00.004-05:00

So the NFL did not Rex Ryan for flipping off fans in Miami during a Mixed Martial Arts event over the weekend. That was probably the right move, since the Jets fined their over-the-top coach $50,000 on Tuesday.

Ryan, who apologized for actions a day later, has paid enough this time, and hopefully this will serve as a wake-up call. Ryan proved to be an excellent motivator in his first season with Gang Green, getting the Jets to the AFC title game.

Over the season, the majority of the media and fans have loved the confidence he has bestowed on his team. There is a fine line between being confident and a jerk, and Ryan is flirting with that line.

Hopefully, he won't cross it again because that wouldn't be good for him, the Jets or their fans.

Having fun watching sports

2010-02-01T16:16:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, it's good to watch a non-professional sporting event as a fan and not as a member of the media.

I had that good fortune over the weekend when I watched my nephew's college hockey team and let me tell you it was a blast. It didn't hurt that this team is nationally-ranked, or that they won both games they played.

But to see the fans thoroughly enjoy an event as much as these crazed fans enjoyed this was a blast. When you've been in this business as long as I have, you tend to get jaded when it comes to how you view sports, whether it's professional or amateur.

It was so nice to see sports kind of put in perspective, at least for a couple of days.

Vizvary is quite the character

2010-01-27T20:51:00.003-05:00

I was sad to hear that George Vizvary stepped down as the Ulster County Community College men's soccer coach today.

In my 20-plus years working here at the Freeman, I have spoken with and taken results from George more times than I care to remember. When it comes to coaches around here, there is no equal to Vizvary in terms of being colorful.

George's quotes reached legendary status around the sports department here and we can always count on him saying something colorful -- sometimes too colorful for print. But that was the way George was as a coach and I always got a kick out of speaking with him.

Now it's not completely clear whether George left on his own , was forced to do so or felt as though he was forced to do so. You could tell, however, he was uncomfortable in making this decision and that is truly sad.

In any case, I hope he finds work -- whether it's for a local high school or college -- and finds it soon. I think any institution would be lucky to have George as its soccer coach and -- personally speaking -- I can't wait to have the next conversation and get that next quote from him.

No more excuses

2010-01-25T22:35:00.002-05:00

Now that I've had a day to relish in my going 2-for-2 with my football championship picks, one question crosses my mind.

How much longer are we going to sit around and watch the national media do everything in their power to keep the critical comments about Brett Favre to a minimum. For those of you who did not stay to see the NFC title game, here's a quick recap of the final seconds of regulation.

With the score tied at 28-28 and 19 seconds remaining, the Vikings -- after a foolish penalty -- are on the outer edge of kicker Ryan Longwell's range. With a timeout still in its pocket, all Minnesota needed was about five or so yards to give Longwell a FG attempt of about 50 yards.

Brett Favre drops back, rolls to his right, has about 10 yards of open space as well as a receiver about 10 yards down the right sideline just waiting for the easy toss. What does the 'gunslinger' do instead? He throws across his body -- a very low percentage throw -- across the field and has his pass picked off.

Game goes to overtime. Saints kick a field goal. New Orleans goes to the Super Bowl. Minnesota goes home. If Favre were a rookie, I could see him making that mistake, but a veteran of nearly 20 years -- no way.

But listening to a lot of the national media, they talked about his courage and guts to make a throw like that. It was simple stupidity from what I saw. And we've all seen him do it time and time again over the years.

It's like he cares more about winning on his terms than simply winning.

Now who knows if he'll have the chance to know what if feels like to win a big game again.

He's

Super picks

2010-01-23T11:59:00.003-05:00

OK. I know you've all been waiting all week for this, so here goes my AFC and NFC championships picks.

We'll start with the NFC:

Is there a hotter quarterback in the playoffs than the Vikings' Brett Favre? After watching him shred a very good Cowboys' defense last week, I would say no. But I think this is the Saints' season for some reason. Since the game is New Orleans and Drew Brees is quite the quarterback himself, I'm taking the home team and saying Saints 27, Vikings 23.

On to the AFC:

Given what happened in Week 16, when the Jets beat the Colts after Indianapolis had pulled the majority of its starters -- including Peyton Manning -- this matchup is fitting. The Jets are a much better team than that one that won in Indy last month, but the top-seeded Colts go into this title game feeling like they have something to prove. Given that, plus New York relying on rookie QB Mark Sanchez to have to make at least a few plays, I'll once again take the home team and say Colts 23, Jets 14.

I'm picking the Saints vs. the Colts in the Super Bowl, so you know what that means -- make your bets on Minnesota and New York and you'll do fine.

Stop the (early) Madness

2010-01-20T19:00:00.003-05:00

I was watching a college basketball game the other night, and something just got under my skin.

The game was fairly close with 2 minutes left to play, but because of timeouts, TV timeouts and fouls, the final two minutes literally took 20 minutes to play. That's not an exaggeration.

In the end, maybe my ire was raised a bit because I was waiting for the game to conclude, so I can make sure the score appeared in the next day's edition, but 20 minutes? Are you kidding me?

I can MAYBE understand something like that if it were an NCAA championship, but when a game in the middle of January takes as long as one in March, something needs to be done.

I'd like to wait until March before the Madness begins.

Getting it wrong -- again

2010-01-18T20:11:00.002-05:00

So just how good were my football playoff picks were?

Let's see: Arizona over New Orleans (wrong); Indianapolis over Baltimore (right); Dallas over Minnesota (wrong -- big time); and San Diego over New York (wrong again).

1-for-4 -- that's about right for me. As I told you all before, if you make your picks based on my picks, go the opposite way and you'll do fine.

I'll have my Super Bowl predictions later this week. Pray I don't pick your team.

Football follies

2010-01-16T12:48:00.002-05:00

With the divisional round of the NFL playoffs just a few hours away, it's time for me to put on my prognosticators hat, so you know who not to pick this weekend.

We'll start with today's games:

Cardinals at Saints: I really like Kurt Warner as a postseason quarterback and if you look up his statistics, the numbers will support my support. I'm not sold on the Saints, so take Arizona with a 28-24 win.

Ravens at Colts: So much has been made of the Colts' lack of success after having a bye week, but I just don't the Ray Rice and Ravens have enough to derail Indianapolis. Take the Colts, 24-17.

On to Sunday:

Cowboys at Vikings: This is certainly the marquee game of the weekend. Does Brett Favre have enough magic in his 40-year-old right arm to stop the Cowboys, who might be playing the best football of anyone in the playoffs? I say ... no. Cowboys 31-24.

Jets at Chargers: If the Cowboys aren't playing the best football of anyone in the playoffs, then it's the Chargers. The Jets are playing with house money. I think this will be the continuation of the maturation of rookie Mark Sanchez, but in the end ... Chargers 24-14.

So, now you know you can book New Orleans, Baltimore, Minnesota and the Jets in the title games because I'm usually never right.

Flawed polls

2010-01-15T16:15:00.004-05:00

It's a good thing high school athletics isn't run by the BCS.

If it were, Kingston's girls basketball loss to Minisink Valley earlier this week would have all but denied the Tigers a shot at competing for a state championship.

For those who didn't know, Kingston was ranked first in the state in AA until the unbeaten Tiger lost to the Warriors. Now, you would think a drop to seven or eight would have been appropriate, but 23rd? Are you kidding me!

Minisink is a state-ranked team, certainly not an also-ran by any stretch of the imagination, so how does losing to a state-ranked team warrant a drop of 23 places?

If you can answer that, you know a lot more than most.

Luckily, Kingston does not have to worry about rankings and I have a sneaking suspicion come state tournament time, the Tigers will be major players. They have made it to the state semifinals the last three years so maybe they deserved a little more respect by the pollsters.