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Jul 01 An Absolute WrongPosted by pblackwell | 07/01/08
After nearly three decades spent dedicated to coaching at East Syracuse-Minoa and earning more wins than any other Section III coach, Milton Valerio merited a warm and grateful send-off for all the good he had done for the young women he coached at East Syracuse-Minoa.
Instead, he got shown the door. A year before he was set to retire, Valerio was asked not to return for 2008, a decision that has shocked, baffled and angered much of the ESM community. As with any personnel decision involving a school district, the details are hush-hush, but I have a hard time believing that anyone in the ESM athletic department wanted this to happen. Bill McEachron and his staff have always handled their affairs in a classy and dignified manner... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: ESM, Milt Valerio, dismissed, outrage Jul 02 Folks, They Have a Chance!Posted by pblackwell | 07/02/08
When does a series played on June 30, then July 1 and 2 carry the weight, importance and tension of something done in late September? When it involves the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
Yes, we're still getting used to this alternate universe where money, headlines and TV ratings don't mean as much as talent, hunger and chemistry. Yet there sit the Rays, now two and a half games clear of the Red Sox in the AL East after beating back-to-back times in front of full houses in St. Petersburg that, for once, cheered more for the home team. As this has been going on, the "Baseball Tonight" shows on ESPN have been pondering this improbable circumstance, asking experts and viewers alike to weigh in on whether the Rays could actually win this thing... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Rays, first place, AL East, miracle Jul 03 Weekly Column: Seattle’s Cautionary TalePosted by pblackwell | 07/03/08
For months, ever since the Buffalo Bills made a deal to play pre-season and regular-season games in Toronto, the constant drumbeat of fear has surrounded the team’s daily existence.
Ralph Wilson, now 88, the Bills’ owner since they were founded nearly half a century ago, has made it clear he won’t sell the team and won’t pass it on to his family upon his death. The clear implication – either a local buyer steps up, or the Bills will be gone. Don’t believe that fear? Just take one look at what happened in Seattle, where a long-established, well-loved pro sports franchise got snatched away because the NBA, not to mention local officials, didn’t pay attention until it was too late... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Seattle, Sonics, move, Oklahoma City Jul 07 Left In AwePosted by pblackwell | 07/07/08
One would figure that, during Independence Day weekend, an American sporting event would assume the highest pirority. And there was no shortage of candidates.
In Omaha, you had the Olympic swim trials, with the triumphs of Michael Phelps (he'll swim in eight events in Beijing) and 41-year-old Dara Torres. Naturally a few cynics couldn't write about Torres without asking the PED question, despite a complete lack of evidence. Real nice. Out in the track and field hotbed of Eugene, Oregon, track athletes earned their tickets to China, including the pride of the Tully High School program, Lopez Lomong, who secured the third and final spot in the 1,500. Much more on him tomorrow - his story trumps just about any of an Olympian that I can remember... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: weekend, stars, baseball, All-Stars, Nadal, Federer Jul 08 Pure InspirationPosted by pblackwell | 07/08/08
As a child in war-torn Sudan, Joseph Lopepe Lomong could not fathom an athletic career, much less a shot at the Olympics. Just surviving to adulthood was enough of a challenge.
Thus, no matter how many times the story is retold, Lomong's journey from African poverty to a chance to compete in Beijing next month is as extraordinary as any I have ever come across. The fact that the story wove through Central New York only adds to the pride we all feel in his qualifying for the Olympic men's 1,500-meter run. At age 6, Lomong was attending church in Boya, Sudan, when he and 19 other children were kidnapped and blindfolded by soldiers, then taken to a prison camp where, unless they wanted to be a soldier, they would starve to death... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Lopez Lomong, Tully, running, Olympics Jul 09 Chicago Cubs, meet Isaac NewtonPosted by pblackwell | 07/09/08
No, it hasn't been 421 years since the Chicago Cubs last won a World Series, though the words of 1687 strangely apply to the Cubs' quest to end its century-long drought.
It was in that long-ago year that Sir Isaac Newton published his laws of motion, the third of which stated that "every action has an equal and opposite reaction". In baseball terms circa 2008, that can be translated to the action - Milwaukee trading for pitching ace C.C. Sabathia - and the reaction - the Cubs swapping four prospects for Oakland A's ace Rich Harden less than 48 hours later. This might be taken as a sign that the Cubs are a tad bit desperate to put 1908 (not to mention 1945, the last time it won the National League pennant) into the trash bin... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Cubs, trade, Brewers, drought, A's, Rooneys, Stewart Jul 11 Don't Go Down This RoadPosted by pblackwell | 07/11/08
Here at Eagle we devote ourselves fully to the coverage of high school sports in Central New York, and we love doing it. But is what we are doing in danger of erosion, or outright erasure?
Much has been made locally of the fact that school districts from Fayetteville-Manlius to Liverpool to Auburn have rejected plans to put in new all-weather fields. Taxpayers don't want to see their money used for a so-called "luxury", even though the long-term benefits of having these facilities far outweigh the temporary costs. But hey, at least the sports programs here are still funded, for the most part, and they're done without a need for something as scary as "user fees". Elsewhere in America, that isn't always the case. Please, if you can, go to www.si... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: High School sports, America, trouble Jul 13 Weekly Column: Baffler at Birkdale?Posted by pblackwell | 07/13/08
Across the ocean in England, they’re still catching their collective breaths after Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played a Wimbledon final for the ages.
By the time normal breathing resumes next Thursday morning, thousands will be wandering through the dunes at Royal Birkdale, bearing witness to the latest pursuit of the Claret Jug, golf’s oldest prize. This particular edition of the Open Championship became, in the eyes of many, instantly discounted the moment it was announced that Tiger Woods was sitting out the rest of the season (and who knows how much of 2009) recuperating from his ACL surgery. The mere fact that Tiger played on that damaged left knee while outlasting Rocco Mediate in a 91-hole U.S... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Open championship, golf, Birkdale, preview Jul 14 Streaking Into the BreakPosted by pblackwell | 07/14/08
Here we are, at the All-Star break, and probably 29 teams are happy to see it - none more so than Tampa Bay.
If indeed the Rays' fairy tale of 2008, it will point to the last seven days where a big AL East lead completely vanished amid a seven-game skid where the bats went frigid. Seven days - that's all it took for the Red Sox to catch up and pull in front, helped by a cozy homestand at Fenway (they're 36-11 so far this year in front of the Monstah). Oh yeah, and Papi Ortiz is about to come back in two weeks' time. This might add to the Rays' urgency to get some kind of right-handed bat at the trade deadline. At this point, the Twins look like a more viable wild-card threat than the Yankees do. For sure, one team didn't want to see the break... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: baseball, break, Rays, Mets, golf, Perry, cartoon Jul 15 Jaw-Dropping JoshPosted by pblackwell | 07/15/08
So Josh Hamilton did not reach his goal of hitting a dinger out of Yankee Stadium during Monday night's All-Star Home Run Derby, leaving Josh Gibson (if you believe the legend) the only man to pull it off. Hamilton didn't even win the thing - the quirks of the format gave Justin Morneau the title, though Morneau himself was the first to admit he was lucky and undeserving.
Oh well - Josh will have to make do with completely taking over the most history-packed place in American sports for one magical evening. Face it, the 2008 edition of this made-for-TV spectacle began when Hamilton stepped up to the plate for his opening round, and should have ended the moment he was done, 28 home runs later. Everything before was pointless prelude, and everything after a crashing anticlimax... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Josh Hamilton, Home Run Derby, Yankee Stadium Jul 16 At Least Someone WonPosted by pblackwell | 07/16/08
So the last All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium took a while to get resolved.
Make that 15 innings, nearly five hours on the diamond, and the near-complete use of every player and every pitcher before Justin Morneau, at exactly 1:37 a.m., slid into home, inches ahead of Russell Martin's tag, to give the American League yet another victory and yet another chance to have home-field advantage come World Series time. At that moment, there was a very real fear of the same kind of tie that caused such an uproar in 2002. The fact that it didn't happen means that the changes MLB instituted after that PR debacle - a larger roster for each league, plus the fact that home field in the World Series was on the line - were worthwhile... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: All-Star Game, long night, Yankee Stadium Jul 18 Wide-Open WeekendPosted by pblackwell | 07/18/08
Any person that, in the month between Tiger Woods' season-ending knee surgery and the start of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, proclaimed that golf was boring without Tiger and that the remaining major-winners of 2008 required an asterisk are now free to eat generous portions of crow.
Or at the very least, they should be allowed to admit the errors of their ways and enjoy the next two days of a tournament that has gone mad with storylines that would make Hollywood blush. Golf has a funny way of reminding us, from time to time, that the game can be quite interesting regardless of who is out in front. The goings-on at Birkdale prove this, beyond any doubt... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Open Championship, midway, thoughts Jul 21 Quite A Golfing SundayPosted by pblackwell | 07/21/08
Whether you partake in the local golfing scene or are just a casual observer, last weekend's course of events left a lot to talk about.
On the larger scale, you had the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, won for a second year in a row by Padraig Harrington. Not since James Braid, a "Great Triumvirate" member more than a century ago, had any European repeated - though Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson all incorporated Birkdale wins into their repeat efforts. More importantly, Harrington went out and won it, a flawless back nine including birdies at 13 and 15 and a lights-out eagle at 17 that led to a 69 and a four-stroke margin over Englishman Ian Poulter. With 283, Harrington was, again, "the winner of the gold medal and the champion golfer for the year... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Open Championship, Harrington, Norman, Futures Jul 22 Dark, and MasterfulPosted by pblackwell | 07/22/08
As far as I'm concerned, the summer movie season is over. Nothing could possibly top what director Christopher Nolan and his crew hath wrought with their second re-imagining of Batman, titled "The Dark Knight".
So far in this latest summer of popcorn, Indiana Jones returned, Iron Man emerged, pandas got the kung-fu treatment and a cute little robot further reinforced the Pixar magic touch. All of that, though, was prelude to "The Dark Knight". It had a built-in curiosity factor in the fact that one of its primary stars, Heath Ledger, died before the film came out. Then came the loud critical buzz about Ledger's turn as the Joker, only adding to the intensity of the situation... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Dark Knight, film, Bale, Ledger, Batman, Joker Jul 24 ESG Day 1: Team ImprovementPosted by pblackwell | 07/24/08
Much was made in the days before the 31st Empire State Games about the dearth of Central region team gold medals the last couple of years. And it's all true.
But in a couple of days, that might change. You might see a lot of light-blue jerseys at the top of the medal podium, in a variety of places. Start in open softball, where Central ripped Hudson Valley 6-1 and routed Long Island 10-1. Sarah Reed starred on both occasions, especially against Long Island where she pitched a complete game and also got three hits and four RBIs at the plate. Also, the Central scholastic lacrosse men started 2-0 with romps over New York City (12-4) and Adirondack (12-3). Good defense and balanced scoring has Central poised for a shot at Long Island, the long-time champs, on Friday night... CATEGORY: General Sports
TAGS: Empire State Games, first day, team success Jul 25 ESG Update: Golden, Night and DayPosted by pblackwell | 07/25/08
What began in the pool at SUNY-Cortland Thursday night continued on the track at SUNY-Binghamton Friday morning, resulting in five gold medals for local athletes at the Empire State Games.
We start with Thursday night's swim results, on the scholastic (16-and-under) side, where West Genesee teammates struck gold twice. First, Ben Seketa claimed victory in the 100-meter breaststroke, his time of 1:11.13 just enough to hold off Hudson Valley's Mike Meck (1:11.21) as Seketa's WG teammate, Carson Elias, took the bronze medal in 1:13.01. Elias wasn't done, either. He showed up later that night for the 100-meter butterfly and earned his own gold by posting a top time of 1:02.28, beating Central teammate Drake Becksted by 0.71 seconds... CATEGORY: General Sports
TAGS: ESG, Day 2, gold medals, swimming, track, lacrosse Jul 25 ESG Day 2 Wrap-UpPosted by pblackwell | 07/25/08
Now we have reached the end of the second day of the Empire State Games, with trends turning around in some spots and staying true in others.
For example, West Genesee's Ben Seketa continues to tear up the swimming pool at SUNY-Cortland. He got a second gold medal in as many nights in the scholastic men's 200-meter breaststroke, then nearly snagged a third before settling for silver in the 400 freestyle. Then came another medal, a bronze as part of the 4x100 medley relay. Liverpool's Carly Jones got two open women's medals - a bronze in the relay and a silver, on her own, in the 200 breaststroke... CATEGORY: General Sports
TAGS: ESG, Day 2, summary Jul 26 ESG Day 3: Stogsdill's Big DoublePosted by pblackwell | 07/26/08
On the third day of competition at the 31st Empire State Games in Binghamton, Chris Stogsdill gave the Central region fans a rare treat.
All the outstanding Marcellus runner did was win the scholastic men's 5,000-meter run in the cool morning conditions, then return in the midday heat to add a 1,500-meter title at the SUNY-Binghaton track. And he wasn't alone, either. Canastota's Allison Lasnicki landed a gold in the scholastic women's 5,000, and Liverpool's Wanetta Rodney helped a Central relay team prevail. Start with Stogsdill, though. He won at 1,500 meters in the 2007 ESG in Westchester County, but had much greater ambition for '08 - and met it. Just after 8 a.m., Stogsdill took to the track in the 5,000... CATEGORY: General Sports
TAGS: Empire Games, Day 3, Chris Stogsdill, gold medals Jul 27 ESG: Breaking the IcePosted by pblackwell | 07/27/08
Late on Saturday night at Broome County Community College's rink, the Central region's gold-medal drought in team sports ended.
It ended when Long Island beat Western in overtime in scholastic men's ice hockey. Central was already 4-0 after Saturday wins over Hudson Valley and New York City, but still had to face the long-time champs from Western on Sunday with the gold possibly at stake. However, Western's OT defeat to Long Island dropped them to 2-2. With everyone else owning two defeats and no medal round, Central is assured of being on top of the medal podium Sunday. It might not end there, either, as at least four different Central squads are playing in gold-medal games, all on the SUNY-Binghamton campus, as the ESG wraps up. Two of them come from soccer... CATEGORY: General Sports
TAGS: ESG, Day 3, gold, teams Jul 30 Heavenly HalosPosted by pblackwell | 07/30/08
Much has happened since the end of the Empire State Games. First, though, we must credit the folks in Binghamton and the Southern Tier, especially the hosts at SUNY-Binghamton, for hosting a first-class event.
At least (for the most part) the weather stayed good, though a big storm forced Central’s men’s lacrosse team to finish its game with Hudson Valley late Saturday night. They would later say that they had little gas for Sunday’s final with Long Island, thus the 14-3 result. Here we promise you a blog that is free of any single mention of a certain football player that spent a lot of time in Wisconsin wearing no. 4. The world needs oxygen, after all... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Angels, trade, Teixiera, baseball, election, Batman, mom Jul 31 The Turf Issue Gone?Posted by pblackwell | 07/31/08
So now the Consumer Product Safety Commission unveils a report and says that the spring hysteria over possible lead poisoning on artificial turf fields was just that - hysteria, overblown, a lot of hot air.
To be exact, what the CPSC found in studying hundreds of these athletic facilities was that the older fields had a bit more lead, but nothing that would pose any kind of danger. Basically, the danger on turf is the same danger that existed when the stuff came into widespread use nearly 40 years ago - namely, that the carpets have no give and that can lead to some nasty injuries. Every athlete is aware of that danger, and gladly accepts the risks involved... CATEGORY: General Sports
TAGS: Turf, safety, CNS, Liverpool, baseball, trades, Manny, Favre Jul 31 Babe Ruth Underway.....Posted by pblackwell | 07/31/08
From now until Tuesday, we'll be offering here on cnylink.com an exclusive day-by-day account of the annual Babe Ruth Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament for top age 13-15 baseball teams from five different states.
In all, 10 teams are involved, but the main focus is on two local entries - the hosts from North Syracuse, and Valley, from the city of Syracuse, as games are played at the Gillette Road complex and the North Syracuse Junior High School on Taft Road. The 10 teams are divided into a pair of five-team divisions. From now until Sunday, they'll all play four games in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each division will advance to the semifinals at Gillette Monday, with the championship game on Tuesday... CATEGORY: Baseball
TAGS: Babe Ruth, tournament, baseball trades, Griffey, Manny 
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