Thursday, May 31, 2018

Sports this 'n' that

Joe Bruno Stadium will host one more high school baseball game, that being a Class AA regional contest, weather permitting, of course, on Saturday night, as Section 2 champ Columbia will host Baker High, out of the Baldwinsville district. While I'm not privy to inside information, I'd guess that Carmen Erno, who started the semi-final vs. Shenendehowa a week ago, could get the nod here over Tuesday's winner, Danny Watson, but we'll see. Game time is 7 pm.

Meanwhile, Class B champ Albany Academy will play Ogdensburg tonight at St. Lawrence University in Canton. Last year's game between the two teams was played at SUNY-Canton. Same town, different venue. However, at least one parent was not thrilled with having to go on the road, especially since the Cadets are deserving of hosting a regional game, what with a 22-2 overall record this season.

Contracts are signed well in advance between the NYS Public High School Athletic Association and the various venues, including Bruno Stadium, that host state regional games. The semi-finals and finals in all classes will be at Binghamton University June 8-9, but you know there will be a clamor to bring the state title games to The Joe down the road.
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Former Shenendehowa star Kevin Huerter has decided to forego his remaining two years of college eligibility and enter the NBA draft, which will take place in 3 weeks at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

My initial reaction? Here we go again. Another local athlete is in line to make the big time, but watch. Despite the raves Huerter has gotten at the scouting combines, he'll more than likely be snubbed, just like UAlbany's Shereesha Richards was two years ago in the WNBA draft.

Do I think Huerter's turning pro too soon? Yes. The last Section 2 player to be drafted was Jimmer Fredette, and today, he's playing in China, not because he wasn't good enough for the NBA, but because there are people in positions of power on various teams that don't see the value of talents from the northeast.

Huerter's father, Tom, Sr., played four seasons at Siena, where Kevin's brother, Tom, Jr., is currently playing. Of course, the elder Huerter was part of a different generation, before the trend became 1-&-done to chase the money. I'm sure local fans are hoping Kevin Huerter lands with a regional team, like the Knicks, Celtics, or the Nets, which would make it easier for the family to travel to see him play.
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As noted, Valleycats season is just 2 weeks away, and racing begins at legendary Saratoga Race Course a month later. But before all that happens, there is the Freihofer's Run For Women, which marks its 40th anniversary with this year's race, set to step off from Albany's City Hall on Saturday. It is upstate NY's answer to the Boston & NY marathons. The event not only attracts athletes of all ages, but local TV personalities as well. It's too bad Freihofer's isn't sponsoring a similar race for the guys, and then, if they did, you could make the argument that the event would make up one leg of an unofficial triple crown, along with the Boston & NY marathons.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted in an interview earlier this week that the NFL's new rules regarding player conduct during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner were the result of the league caving in to pressure from America's #1 spoiled brat, President Donald Trump.

What started as a silent protest against police brutality toward African-Americans and other minorities has been warped into a perceived show of disrespect toward the military, which is funny considering that Trump reportedly avoided the draft himself due to foot injuries. It's Trump's way of controlling the narrative of any scenario, even if he's not directly involved. It feeds his overfed ego. A lot of us can see through his phony facade of toughness, but the brainwashed malcontents who voted for him don't. That should make all the difference in 2020.

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