Sports this 'n' that

When the Mets finish their season Sunday, it is expected, per media reports, that manager Terry Collins (7 seasons) and pitching coach Dan Warthen (10 seasons) will be cut loose, and the team will begin 2018 with a new manager/pitching coach combo after a disastrous 2017 campaign plagued by injuries. With Collins, this was inevitable. Warthen, according to the New York Post, has hinted at retiring. It is believed that bullpen coach Ricky Bones would be promoted to pitching coach. As for the manager's job? Former Met Robin Ventura, who was let go by the White Sox last year, has been mentioned, as has former 3rd base coach Chip Hale, who last managed in Arizona, also until last year. Stay tuned.
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Troy High's women's soccer team picked up their 2nd win of the season, and their 1st in the Suburban Council, Tuesday night, shutting out Schenectady, 6-0. Heather Moss had a hat trick, and sophomore Abby Burns added two goals, as the Lady Horses won their second game in the last three. Up next is a quick road trip to Shenendehowa tomorrow before a 3-game homestand next week vs. Saratoga, Albany, and a Saturday Senior Night Special vs. Queensbury (Foothills Council), which might just snap Troy's winning streak against non-league opponents.

However, if I'm coach Justin Haviland and/or AD Paul Reinisch, I have to see about starting an annual series of non-league games closer to home with either Heatly or Emma Willard, both of whom play in the Central Hudson Valley League. Troy beat Heatly on Senior Night last year, but the varsity has never played Emma Willard that I know of. Like, Troy doesn't otherwise have an in-city rivalry on the women's side anymore, so......!

As of press time, the boys' result at Schenectady hadn't been reported, but unofficial word from sources at THS suggest Mike Murnane's club won again. The boys entertain Shen tomorrow night, then hit the road vs. Saratoga & Albany next week before returning home to play Averill Park & Mohonasen to close the regular season. Sectionals begin the week of October 16.
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While President Trump doubles and triples down on the stupidity of his remarks last week against NFL & NBA players, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had his team kneel before the playing of the Star Spangled Banner before Monday's win over Arizona. I think Jones' idea might be to have them kneel in prayer or something akin to that, to ask God for guidance. What the President is failing to recognize is that the players' silent protests, which started last year with Colin Kaepernick, are more about racial inequality and social injustices. They're using the public forum accorded them as pro athletes to make their stands. For Trump to suggest that they be fired by their employers is just flat ludicrous, and just the sort of thing that Trump wants his brainwashed followers, mostly in the Midwest and in the South, to hear, to keep them angry.

Oddly enough, Trump should be doing some praying, too. He professes to be a Christian, but doesn't behave like one.
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Congratulations to WWE's Mike & Maria Bennett (the couple uses Maria's maiden name, Kanellis, professionally), as they announced via Instagram on Monday that they're expecting their first child. Maria joins Maryse Mizanin on extended maternity leave as a result, and the baby is due in late March-early April, right around Wrestlemania.
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NY Giants owner John Mara reportedly isn't happy with receiver/shampoo salesman Odell Beckham, Jr.'s latest stunt.

You've probably seen it by now. Beckham, after scoring a touchdown, did his impersonation of a dog urinating, and that resulted in a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Giants, who went on to lose to Philadelphia. The fans & Beckham might think it's funny stuff, but the league doesn't think so, and neither does Mara. Beckham, a 4th year pro out of LSU, should know better than to do an attention-seeking stunt when his team's looking for its 1st win of the season.
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More Troy High news: The women's volleyball team finally won a match Tuesday, shutting out Schenectady in straight sets. Troy is 1-7 after a 10-6 campaign last year. Unsurprisingly, the cross country, golf, & women's tennis teams are without a win as their seasons wind down.

There has been some fallout from a Record article back in March that accused basketball coach Paul Bearup of abusing some of his players. There was never a follow-up to Sam Blum's piece, but he was subsequently ejected from the school during a game or practice, I'm not sure which. The school will let athletes grant interviews to the Albany Times-Union, but not the hometown paper, which, in turn, hasn't done proper justice to the football team, as the results of all 4 Troy football wins this season have been relegated to a compilation piece in the Sunday edition. Like, that is totally petty on the part of the school as well as the paper. Bad enough that the Record doesn't have the proper resources to cover the team or any hometown sports, but what kind of message does the school send by ignoring the hometown paper?  A bad one.
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Albany Academy QB Brett Young was a guest on WCWN's Upstate Sports Edge Friday night, ahead of the Cadets' home game vs. Berkshire School. Young has committed to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for next season. Unfortunately for the Cadets, Berkshire was a rude guest, beating them, 46-19, dropping Academy to 1-1 in the New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC).