Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Sports this 'n' that

On Monday, Baltimore Orioles' slugger Adam Jones had a bag of peanuts tossed at him during a game vs. Boston at Fenway Park. Not only has the team apologized for the actions of a few drunken morons, as Jones was also the victim of some racial taunts, but the mayor of Boston offered an apology as well. More proof that no matter how far we advance in society, there are always going to be a few idiots dragging society back about 50-60 years.

However, the AL East rivals are feuding at present, and another Orioles slugger, Manny Machado, is at the center of the controversy. Seems that an aggressive, clean slide into second base at Camden Yards had injured Boston's Dustin Pedroia. The next night, Boston's Matt Barnes throws at Machado, gets ejected and suspended for 4 games. Pedroia could be seen saying it wasn't his fault, suggesting that Barnes might've acted on his own, feeling it was in the team's best interest. Uh, MLB is trying to eliminate bench-clearing brawls, not resurrect them.

Read a headline today where Machado, after being thrown at again on Tuesday night, says he's lost respect for the Sawx as an organization. What a shock. This will not end well at season's end.
==========================================
An era in local sports ended last weekend when the Albany (soon to be Binghamton) Devils were eliminated by Toronto in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs. Albany won the opener, but Toronto won the last three games, the last two at home, to advance. The Times-Union Center, under its various names, has hosted pro hockey since the 90's, but one wonders if they'll find another winter tenant to complement Siena basketball next season.
==========================================
Meanwhile, just up the hill, the Albany Capital Center has its first tenant, as the Albany All-Stars women's roller derby team moved in last month to begin the 2017 season. One wonders if they can lure some minor league sports teams of their own. Considering that the All-Stars left the ancient, acoustically-challenged Washington Avenue Armory for the Capital Center, I'd not be surprised if WWE moves the next NXT show to the new building as well.

Like, here's a thought. The T-U Center hosted the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference basketball tournaments this year. Maybe next year, the MAAC can have the men's & women's tournaments run concurrently, with one set at the TUC, the other at the Capital Center, to make it easier for everyone.
==========================================
High school beat: Troy High's baseball team is starting to resemble the 2015 edition after thrashing Burnt Hills, 14-1, on Monday. The funny part about this is that the game wasn't reported to the Times-Union, but a summary appeared in today's editions of The Record. Coach Will Whitty's club has reached .500 (7-7) as a result, heading into today's game vs. Shaker, wrapping up a 2-game homestand, as the Flying Horses close the week visiting Shenendehowa on Friday.

There's not much stopping Troy's softball team, on the other hand, as they ran their record to 10-2 with a win over Burnt Hills on Monday. Conversely, it will be news the next time the tennis team actually wins a game, much less a point, after another 9-0 whitewash vs. Burnt Hills. Seems there isn't as much interest among the boys for tennis as there was back in my time as a student.

The baseball team has at least six games left, the softball team five, barring makeup games not yet announced. The girls are almost assured a favorable seeding in the sectionals when pairings are announced in 2 weeks, but if the boys continue their recent stretch, they could surprise some folks.

For what it's worth, the lacrosse team's match vs. Burnt Hills last night wasn't reported to the Times-Union, and there's been  no word on whether or not the game was cancelled due to rain, since you'd expect them to play lacrosse in the rain. Well, at least that's the idea. Cold weather is one thing, but rain.....!


No comments: