Sports this 'n' that

Tonight is supposed to be the end of the regular season for high school basketball & hockey,  but teams are rescheduling games in order to get them played before sectional pairings are announced later this week.

Troy High & LaSalle have no such worries.

LaSalle's basketball team closed its regular season with a win over Cobleskill-Richmondville last night, and the skating Cadets, defending Section II champions, wrap their season tonight, hosting Queensbury. Since the Spartans are a Division 2 school in hockey, they won't play in the Section II tournament that starts with a play-in game between "Guilderville" & Niskayuna-Schenectady on Friday. Assuming they beat Queensbury, LaSalle would be the #2 seed and play #7 Saratoga next week in the quarterfinals.

Troy's basketball teams close the regular season tonight. The boys are home for Senior Night vs. Schenectady. It's the opposite for the girls, as they visit the Pat Riley Center for the Lady Patriots' Senior Night. Both Schenectady teams are looking for revenge after losing to Troy right before Christmas. On the boys' side a Patriot win would lock up the Suburban Council Gray division for CBA, although the Brothers could do that all by themselves on their Senior Night vs. Albany.

Sectional pairings for basketball will be announced tomorrow, hockey on Thursday.
======================================
Those of you who live in the home district know that the Schenectady High Patriots are a merger between Linton (Pat Riley's alma mater) and Mont Pleasant. However, in the early 20th century, there was a Schenectady High, too, but back then, their team name was the Dorpians, per The Record's daily history column. Apparently, the name change was needed because no one in today's society would understand what a dorpian is.
=======================================
Hard to believe, but pre-season baseball is right around the corner, and the requisite pre-season preview books are already on shelves. With so many free agents still out on the market, there are rumors suggesting that the owners are again trying collusion.

Of course, the one agent with the most clients, Scott "20 Mule Team" Boras, is raising a ruckus, but what he doesn't realize is that the owners are tired of getting fleeced by this failed minor leaguer-turned-lawyer-turned agent/con artist. Get with the program, Boras, and go away.
========================================
Boras' counterpart in basketball is not an established agent anymore, but stage parent LaVar Ball. La Loudmouth is at it again, making comments about having all three of his sons play for the Lakers at some point, and eldest son Lonzo, who's been battling injuries of late, ain't exactly trying to stop the tirades. The tone of La Loudmouth's comments reflects his selfishness, using "I want" instead of a more responsible "I'd like to see" to describe his wish to see Lonzo & his brothers, LiAngelo & LaMelo, together with the Lakers.

To recap this sad saga of a parent in need of therapy, La Loudmouth pulled LaMelo out of high school just because he doesn't like the basketball coach there. Doesn't care about his youngest child's education. After LiAngelo was suspended from the UCLA basketball team after the shoplifting imbroglio in China, LaVar pulled him out of school. And he thinks the Lakers will draft LiAngelo in June? There's no question he's delusional. He doesn't care about his boys' education, or lack of same, as I don't think LaVar finished school, either. Nobody that I know is buying his overpriced shoes, and now I hear he's peddling bottled water? We already have a premium brand of bottled water on the market. You know, Evian? Knowing La Loudmouth, he'd charge $5 a bottle and $20 for a 6-pack.

Then again, LaVar's never met this guy......



What La Loudmouth doesn't get is that Lonzo is under contract to the Lakers for 3 more years, with club options on the last two, and it'd be that long minimum before he becomes even a restricted free agent, meaning Los Angeles can match any offer. LaVar isn't happy unless he's controlling what his sons do on the court. That's the problem. He doesn't know how to cut the apron strings and let his kids mature. He's already screwed LiAngelo & LaMelo out of their education, though LaMelo could apply for and get a GED.

This kind of drama doesn't happen here in the home district, and never will.