Sports this 'n' that

There used to be just two things that are inevitable, death & taxes.

To this we add Rafael Nadal winning the French Open. Nadal won the Open for the 11th time on Sunday, in straight sets. Winning Wimbledon, which begins in 2 weeks, however, is not as certain. Nadal has found the courts at Paris' Roland Garros Stadium to his liking so much, I'd say once he retires, they could rename the joint in his honor......
====================================
It's hard to be a Mets fan these days.

The Mets snapped an 8 game losing streak Sunday, becoming the first team to shut out the Yankees, 2-0, to salvage the final game of the homestand, as well as building some momentum for when the Subway Series moves to the Bronx next month.

After the game, however, the team cut aging, struggling first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, and called up Dominic Smith from Triple A Las Vegas. Smith struggled in his first extended tour of the majors last year, but with the team mired in 4th place in the NL East, and looking to avoid falling into the cellar as they begin a road trip to Atlanta and Arizona this week. Also, backup catcher Jose Lobaton will be designated for assignment for the 2nd time this season, with utility man Ty Kelly, back with the Mets after spending last season with Philadelphia and Toronto, being called up to replace Lobaton on the roster.

However, fans are up in arms because the team won't part with another aging vet, once-beloved shortstop Jose Reyes, who's seen some time at 2nd & 3rd this season. With Asdrubal Cabrera likely becoming the latest to go on the disabled list (hamstring), this gives the team an excuse to keep Reyes around, although Kelly will likely get a bulk of the reps at 2nd. Rumors are that the team wants to ease Reyes into retirement. Stay tuned.
=====================================
Until American Pharoah had won the Triple Crown three years ago, it had been 37 years since the last one (Affirmed). On Saturday, Justify, like Pharoah, trained by Bob Baffert, became the 13th horse to complete the Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes), and of course the rumors began that Justify could be headed to Saratoga to compete during the meet that begins July 20. Baffert brought Pharoah to Saratoga in 2015, only to lose to Keen Ice in the Travers. Baffert horses have won the last two Travers, however, so maybe Justify can pull it off. We'll see.
======================================
On Friday, there were 8 Section 2 teams vying for state titles in softball & baseball. At the end of business on Saturday, only 3 teams came home with championships. Albany Academy was denied in Class B, dropping a 4-0 verdict to eventual state champ Central Moriches on Friday. On Saturday, Queensbury (Class A) won their first state title. The other winners from Section 2 came in softball, as as Ichabod Crane (B) & Fort Ann (D) took home championships. Unfortunately, El Cheapo Media focused only on Averill Park (Class A), which was also denied a state title, ignoring the other games.

The Section 2 season officially ended on Sunday with an exhibition game for seniors in memory of Deanna Rivers, a Shenendehowa student who was killed in an auto accident in December 2012. This was the 6th annual event, but it hasn't gotten a lot of publicity. Surprisingly, the only way I found out about this year's edition was in El Cheapo's editions today.
=======================================
The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) has already begun play, with the Albany Dutchmen off to a 5-2 start. The Dutchmen will have their annual exhibition with the Tri-City Valleycats on Wednesday morning, billed as Education Day at Bruno Stadium, one last treat for the kiddo's as the school year ends. Valleycats season begins Friday.
========================================
El Cheapo Media gave some lip service to the Troy Fighting Irish semi-pro football team ahead of Saturday's opener, but as of this morning, there was no sign of a box score from the game. Gee, what a surprise. The Irish play their home games at Lansingburgh High, but with the Albany Empire playing across the river at Times-Union Center, where do you suppose most of the fans were going? And this was despite the fact that the Empire game started 30 minutes later than normal so fans could watch the Belmont Stakes on the big screen at the TUC.

The challenge for El Cheapo and the rest of the local media is to give the Irish maximum coverage for a change. How's anyone outside of the fan base supposed to be aware of the team if no one covers them with any consistency?