Week 7's Games to Watch

Here's the games this week that have major playoff implications:

CLASS AA
Shenendehowa at Guilderland - Fri, 7PM

Even with 3-1 divisional records, neither team can beat Saratoga Springs for the top spot in the Empire Division, as the Blue Streaks have the head-to-head advantage over either team.  But the winner of this game will be assured a home date next week.  The loser takes to the road as the #3 seed.

Columbia at Bethlehem - Fri, 7PM

Columbia has clinched a playoff spot by virtue of their 3-1 division record.  However, Bethlehem has not.  A win will clinch a playoff spot, and very well could boost the Eagles into the #2 seed depending on what happens over in La Salle.

CLASS A
Queensbury at Green Tech - Fri, 7PM

If Queensbury wins, they will get to host next Saturday as the #2 seed. If they lose, then they'll be watching the South Glens Falls game closely on Saturday, as the Bulldogs could tie the two teams with a win over Gloversville.

Mohonasen at Averill Park - Fri, 7PM

Both teams should make the playoffs, based on a head-to-head win over Bishop Maginn, who is the last team standing in the Southeast.  But the two teams will be fighting hard here, as the loser of this game will likely have to make a trip to Burnt Hills next Friday.

CLASS B
Glens Falls at Hudson Falls - Sat, 1:30PM

Not only is this the rivalry Jug Game, but it's with major playoff implications.  The two teams are already in the playoffs, but the winner of this game will be the #2 seed in the B-West and will get to host next week.  The loser, however, has a date at either Ravena or Schalmont next week.

Schalmont at Ravena - Fri, 7PM

Speaking of these two teams, both teams will make the playoffs and will get to host next week.  The winner of this game will clinch the Reinfurt Division #1 seed, the loser will be the #2 seed.

Broadalbin-Perth at Johnstown - Fri, 7PM
Hudson at Albany Academy - Sat, 1:30PM

The two games are both win and you're in games.  The winner of the Broadalbin-Perth/Johnstown game will be presented with a trip to either Schalmont or Ravena next week.  And likewise, the winner of the Hudson/Albany Academy game on Saturday will be spending next Friday night in Schuylerville.

CLASS C
Greenwich at Hoosick Falls - Fri, 7PM

After six straight Section 2 championships, the Hoosick Falls Panthers are in danger of missing the 2015 Class C Playoffs.  While the weight of the North Division could help them, that Week 1 loss to Hoosic Valley could hurt them, especially if they put together a poor showing against the Greenwich Witches Friday night.  Greenwich's guaranteed the North Division's top spot, and could help assure themselves of a #1 seed with a win.

Fonda at Coxsackie-Athens - Sat, 1PM

The two teams have already clinched their spots in the upcoming playoffs, but the difference between definitely hosting next week and playing on the road will be settled here.  The winner gets the division and one of the top 3 seeds in the playoffs, the loser will be seeded either 4th, 5th or 6th.

CLASS D
Whitehall at Cambridge - Sat, 1PM

Just like last year, these two teams will meet up to settle the last remaining unbeaten team in Class D.  And as a gift left by the Section 2 scheduling committee, they left it for last.  The winner of this game will take the #1 seed into Week 9.

Canajoharie at Rensselaer - Fri, 7PM

Canajoharie will take the #3 seed with a win.  But a Rensselaer win coupled with a Warrensburg win on Saturday will result in a tie for the final playoff spot, which quarter points may be needed to determine the teams moving onto the playoffs.

High School Football: Standings w/Week 7 Schedule

Hard to believe we're already at the final week of the regular season in Section 2 Football.  Many teams have clinched, some of those have already settled their Week 8 plans to be at home, but there's still many other things to be determined during the final week.

Below the jump are the current standings and the Week 7 schedule for all our Section 2 teams.

REPOST: Section 2 2015 Football Schedule

Because it's buried on our blog, we're reposting the High School Football schedule for all of Section 2.

The list is the most accurate listing as of August 31st, when it was known that Cairo-Durham wouldn't compete in the varsity level in 2015, leaving their 7 opponents needing to fill that hole in their schedules.

Click the jump for the week-by-week schedule.

CONFIRMED: American Pharoah to run in the Travers

WTEN

The connections of American Pharoah confirmed during an interview with Time Warner Cable News's Marissa Jacques that the Triple Crown winner will run in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, August 29th.

He will bid to become the first racehorse since Whirlaway in 1941 to win both the Triple Crown and the Mid-Summer Derby.

The New York Racing Association previously announced that if American Pharoah were to run at Saratoga, they would boost the purse for the Travers up to $1,600,000, an increase of $350,000 from the previously announced $1.25 Million purse.

The $1.6 Million would be the largest purse ever run at Saratoga, topping last year's Whitney Handicap, which was run for $1.5 Million.

Gates open for the 13 race program at 7:00AM, with the first post slated for 11:45AM.  The Travers, the 11th race on the program, is scheduled for 5:46PM.

Tickets for the Travers Stakes are sold out, as the New York Racing Association announced earlier in the meet that attendance would be capped at 50,000 for the race regardless of whether or not American Pharoah would run in the Mid-Summer Derby.  As such, NYRA is advising potential visitors to Saturday's races not to come if they have not purchased any tickets in advance.

However, those with season passes will still be admitted to the race course by going through the regular three gates they have all meet long.

American Pharoah enters the Travers on an eight race winning streak after losing his debut race in a Maiden Special Weight at Del Mar in California.  His wins include the three Triple Crown races, the Arkansas Derby and Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn, the Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner Stakes in California.  In his last start, he won the Haskell Invitation, defeating rivals Keen Ice and Upstart, both who could be alongside him in the Travers.

According to his owner, Zayat Stables, American Pharoah is scheduled to wrap up his career this October as he heads to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup Classic on Halloween.

FOX Sports Radio 1230's High School Schedule Unveiled

Edited: We have changed our Week 6 Friday Night game & Week 7 Saturday Afternoon games from previously announced and have changed our schedule graphic to accommodate these changes.

High School teams take to the field to begin practicing for the upcoming fall season soon.

That includes our local football teams, who hope to start a journey on Labor Day that will bring them to Syracuse over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend for the NYSPHSAA State Championships.

For the fourth year in a row, FOX Sports Radio 1230 will be along with our high school teams for their journey as we go from the local fields to hopefully the Carrier Dome for the State Championship.

Our season begins on Saturday, September 5th in Salem as football returns after a year's absence.  The Salem Generals had to call off their season last year after low interest, but are committed to playing football once again in 2015.  They start a new season of football in Salem with the team who accepted a couple of their players last year, the Cambridge Indians.

In all, FOX Sports Radio 1230 will bring you eight regular season games on the radio, plus a ninth which will be made available on the internet due to a Mets conflict.  All broadcasts will begin 15 minutes before the game's scheduled kickoff with a comprehensive pregame coverage that includes coach interviews, game breakdowns and other analysis for the game.

American Pharoah is coming to Saratoga

The Bloodhorse reports American Pharoah owner Ahmed Zayat wants the Triple Crown winner to run in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on August 29th.

If he runs in the Mid-Summer Derby, American Pharoah would be the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, bidding to join Whirlaway as the only horse to have victories in the Triple Crown and the Travers Stakes in their career.

Whirlaway accomplished that feat in 1941.

The New York Racing Association, expecting a boost in attendance and handle because of the appearance, offered to boost the purse of the Travers Stakes to $1.6 Million Dollars if American Pharoah were to run, up $350,000 from its scheduled purse of $1.25 Million.

The Travers, the centerpiece of the Saratoga Race Course meet, is traditionally known as the Mid-Summer Derby, and commonly is the final major three year old stakes before owners race against older horses in preparation for the Breeders' Cup.  It is also NYRA's most attended non-giveaway day at Saratoga, and second overall only to the Belmont Stakes in June.

The Stanley Cup is coming to Saratoga

Dennis Wierzbicki - USA Today Sports

Hockey's greatest prize is coming to Saratoga Race Course.

The New York Racing Association announced today that the Stanley Cup will be paying a visit to the historic course next Monday, August 10th, from 1:30PM to 3:30PM.  The Stanley Cup will be on display at the NYRA Community Outreach Booth in the backyard, where fans will have the opportunity to get their picture taken with the Cup with a nominal donation to the Double H Ranch in Lake Luzurne.

The Stanley Cup comes to Saratoga Race Course compliments of Chicago Blackhawks Assistant Coach Kevin Dineen, who has local roots in the Glens Falls area with a summer residence on Glen Lake in Queensbury.

The Community Outreach Booth is located in the Saratoga Backyard, near the Jockey Silks room.

PGCBL Playoff Scenarios - July 29th

With two games left to play, the Albany Dutchmen have a 1/2 game advantage over the Glens Falls Dragons for the final playoff spot in the East Division of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

With the two teams playing each other on Thursday, it's very possible that the 7PM meeting at East Field could be a "Winner Takes All" game.

Here are the three scenarios that could happen tonight for the Glens Falls Dragons and the Albany Dutchmen:

Team	Glens Falls Dragons	Albany Dutchmen
Record	22-26	22-25
Remaining Schedule
Friday	@ Amsterdam L @ Amsterdam L	@ Mohawk Valley W
Saturday	Amsterdam L	@ Adirondack W
Sunday	off	off
Monday	@ Albany L	Glens Falls W
Tuesday	Saugerties W	@ Amsterdam L
Wednesday	@ Saugerties	Amsterdam
Thursday	Albany	@ Glens Falls

ALBANY can clinch if....
Albany wins against Amsterdam + Glens Falls loss to Saugerties

ALBANY maintains their 1/2 game advantage over Glens Falls if...
Albany wins against Amsterdam + Glens Falls win over Saugerties OR
Albany loses against Amsterdam + Glens Falls loss to Saugerties

GLENS FALLS takes 1/2 game advantage over Albany if...
Albany loses against Amsterdam + Glens Falls win over Saugerties

The half game advantage will be in play should the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League be forced to cancel Thursday's finale at Glens Falls.  There are widespread thunderstorms in the forecast, but meteorologists say those storms will pass through during the early afternoon and will clear out in time for the evening game.

With the PGCBL playoffs scheduled to begin the following night, July 31st, there's no room to reschedule the game in the event it gets rained out.  Given the importance of this final game for these two teams, the PGCBL will be doing all they possibly can to make sure the game gets played tomorrow night at 7PM at East Field.

Glens Falls Dragons Enter Important Stretch

The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League playoffs are a week away.

The Glens Falls Dragons currently sit in the third and final playoff spot for the East.  The Dragons are not safe, however, as the Albany Dutchmen trail them by only two games, with the two teams set to play each other twice in the coming week.

Team	Glens Falls Dragons	Albany Dutchmen
Record	22-26	22-25
Remaining Schedule
Friday	@ Amsterdam L @ Amsterdam L	@ Mohawk Valley W
Saturday	Amsterdam L	@ Adirondack W
Sunday	off	off
Monday	@ Albany L	Glens Falls W
Tuesday	Saugerties W	@ Amsterdam L
Wednesday	@ Saugerties	Amsterdam
Thursday	Albany	@ Glens Falls

The Dragons face the task of facing the top-seeded Amsterdam Mohawks three times in the next two days, wanting to maintain their advantage over the Dutchmen for the final playoff spot.  After a day off on Sunday, the Dragons will have two against Albany and two against Saugerties to complete their season.  Saugerties is 20 games back of first place Amsterdam, and 8 games behind the Dragons, thus eliminating the Stallions from playoff contention. 

Albany's schedule isn't easier.  After a game against the second place Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs, the Dutchmen travel to face Adirondack, who is only a half game behind Utica for the final playoff spot in the West Division and will be fighting for their playoff lives.  Then sandwiched between the two games with Glens Falls are two against Amsterdam.

The Glens Falls Dragons can technically clinch before heading into Monday's game, but will need to win all three games against Amsterdam, while Albany would need to drop their two games.  There's also a possibility of the Dutchmen to come into the rivalry game ahead of the Dragons, if the two teams should reverse the aforementioned fortune.  

But keep an eye on the weather.  The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League will attempt to reschedule lost games due to weather, but rescheduling is not guaranteed.  The loss of games due to weather last year resulted in the Dragons (last year as the Golden Eagles) being eliminated from the playoffs due to a rainout.

Mets Midseason Report: Highs/Lows & Awards

The All-Star break concludes on Friday when the New York Mets travel to Busch Stadium to face the St. Louis Cardinals.  The two teams split their series at Citi Field back in May, but after rest, the Mets face the challenge of tackling the best home team in baseball.

It's been a roller coaster first half for the New York Mets.  A fast start of 12-3 gave Mets fans some promise to the season, but then the injuries started catching up with the Mets.  Losing David Wright for an uncertain amount of time hurts, and once Travis d'Arnaud and Daniel Murphy made appearances on the disabled list, the Mets couldn't buy a hit to save them.

It led to them getting no-hit at home by the San Francisco Giants pitcher Chris Heston, and also led to a 7 game season sweep by the Chicago Cubs.

However, it seems as if the Mets have figured it out, winning 6 of their last 7, including 4 of 6 on the west coast against the top two teams in the N.L. West, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

But the gauntlet of July remains strong, with St. Louis, Washington and Los Angeles on their schedule fresh out of the break.

Before the first pitch Friday at 8:15PM against St. Louis, however, let's take a look at some of those highs and lows for the Mets in the first half of the 2015 season.

HIGH POINT OF THE SEASON: April 23rd.  The Mets just completed their third straight sweep to go 10-0 at home to start the season after beating the Atlanta Braves 6-3.  With Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey set to start the first two of the Subway Series, emotions were riding high for a successful trip to the Bronx.

However, losing David Wright, Travis d'Arnaud and Jerry Blevins to the disabled list in the past two weeks caught up with the Mets, as they went 3-7 in the 10 games that followed.

LOW POINT OF THE SEASON: June 24.  The Mets bats turned iced cold, leading to the no-hit game on June 9th.  They seemed to turn it around, winning 2 of 3 against the Braves and both games against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citi Field.  However, they left their bats at the customs checkpoint, as they were outscored 15-1 in the two games in Toronto, then was swept out of Atlanta.

The Mets road record reeked in the first half, but the stench grew more foul when they landed in Milwaukee for three against the worst team in baseball.  The Mets surrendered a 2-1 lead and lost the opening game 3-2, mustering only four hits in the effort.  That's one more hit than they had in the middle game, as they failed to bail Bartolo Colon out of a 2-0 hole he pitched himself into in the first inning, losing 4-1 as the losing streak reached a season high seven games, guaranteeing the Mets their third straight losing series.

THE GOOD NEWS: The Mets have already played all their games against the San Francisco Giants, and will have Los Angeles in their rear view mirror in 10 days.  And after this series with St. Louis, they will not have to face the Cardinals until the postseason, if they can get there.  Plus, the last big trip they will have to make is to Colorado in August, otherwise they will remain east of the Mississippi for the remainder of the 2015 campaign.

AWARDS
MVP: Jeurys Familia, P.  We agree with ESPN New York's Adam Rubin.  After the announcement that Bobby Parnell's return from Tommy John surgery and the suspension to Jenrry Mejia for supplement use, the Mets could have folded in their late game pitching.  But Familia came in and fully embraced the opportunity, and made the best, as he has converted 27 of his 29 save opportunities while pitching with a 1.25 ERA.

His pitching made it much harder for the Mets brass to figure out what to do with the bullpen with Parnell and Mejia's return.  Parnell has logged 10 innings since his return, only allowing 1 earned run in that span.  However, Mejia is the odd man out so far, only picking up a single out since his return to eligibility last week.

For non-playing candidates, David Wright would have to be a firm choice.  Whatever he said to his teammates when he had the opportunity to talk to them in Los Angeles seems to have cooled off the funk they were in.  The Mets are 7-2 since then.

GOLDEN BAT: Steve Matz, P.  Yes, we're going to give the Golden Bat award to a pitcher.  With no batter with over 100 plate appearances hitting better than .277, it's tough to give this to a position player.  Cases could be made for Wilmer Flores and Curtis Granderson, but Steve Matz electrified the crowd when he debuted on June 28th against Cincinnati, going 3-for-3 and driving in 4 runs in the winning effort.

GOLDEN ARM: Jacob deGrom, P.  Of the four pitchers who has started 17 games this season, Jacob deGrom's numbers are best.  With a 9-6 record and a 2.14 ERA, there's no surprise deGrom was the Mets representative for the All-Star team, and with a little more run support, he could have easily been a 10+ game winner by now.  He leads the Mets starting pitching crew with 112 strikeouts, has given up the fewest hits and homeruns, and has the best opposing batting average at .206.  Only Steven Matz has a better ERA and opposing batting average, but his sample size is smaller compared to deGrom's 113 2/3 innings pitched in 2015.

GOLDEN GLOVE: Lucas Duda, 1B.  Remember last year when there was the debate between whether or not Lucas Duda or Ike Davis should be at first base for the Mets?  Well, it seems like the Mets made the best move when keeping Duda over Davis, as Duda has turned into a dependable first baseman.  Only one charged error by Duda this season gives him a .999 fielding percentage.  If a put out isn't done properly, you can almost guarantee it was at the hands of someone else.

BROWN BAT: Michael Cuddyer, LF.  Lucas Duda and Curtis Granderson has more strikeouts than Cuddyer does, but makes up for it with their power.  Cuddyer has half the home runs they do, and a worse on base percentage.  Mets fans were hoping for better than what they got from a batter with a better than .300 average the last two years, although they were in the air-inflated confides of Colorado.

BROWN ARM: Dillon Gee, P.  On the back end of the Mets stellar rotation is Dillon Gee.  And when it came to campaigning to keep a rotation spot, Gee came up empty, resulting in the pitcher being DFA'd and eventually making way to the Las Vegas 51's.  In the eight games Gee pitched for the Mets in 2015, he accumulated a 5.90 ERA, second to Akeel Morris's 67.50 that was picked up in the late inning of a Mets loss to Toronto last month.

BROWN GLOVE: Wilmer Flores, SS.  In the first 45 days of the regular season, Wilmer Flores accumulated 10 errors and led the Mets to several unturned double plays that would later come back to haunt them.  Since then, his play has turned better, especially when Terry Collins made the switch and placed Flores as the second baseman instead of shortstop.

YOU TELL US: Do you agree with our selections for these awards?  Is there a player you think should be placed in another's place.  Let us know in the comments below or by replying @WMML1230 on Twitter.

And be sure to listen as the Mets take on the Cardinals starting this Friday, with coverage beginning with Wayne Randazzo forty minutes before the first pitch of every Mets game this season on FOX Sports Radio 1230.

Football Schedule Changes

A couple opponents have filled their open game slots that were left by Fort Edward's decision not to field a varsity squad in 2015.

Lake George's new Athletic Director, Kyle Manny, confirms to FOX Sports Radio 1230 that the Lake George/Hadley-Luzurne War Eagles will play Section 1's Haldane Blue Devils on Friday, October 17th.  The game, which was originally a home game for Lake George, will instead be played at the neutral site of Dietz Stadium in Kingston.

To offset the loss of the home game, which would otherwise leave the War Eagles with only two home games in 2015, Lake George/Hadley-Luzurne will now host the Greenwich Witches on Week 4 instead of travel.  The game will still be played underneath the lights on Friday night, and will serve as Lake George's senior night.

Greenwich will be reduced to three home games after the swap.

In addition, according to the Section 9 Schedules, Warrensburg's replacement for Week 3 will be Millbrook.  The Millbrook Blazers, which come from central Dutchess County, will travel to Warrensburg for a 1PM game on Saturday, September 19th.

This change has yet to be confirmed to FOX Sports Radio 1230 by Warrensburg's Athletic Director, Scott Smith.

2015 Section 2 High School Football Schedule

Below the jump are the Section 2 football schedules, week-by-week, for all teams in Section 2 as released earlier this year.

This schedule takes in account the decision by Monroe-Woodbury to not participate in the Carrier Classic, paving the way for Shenendehowa to make its way to the Carrier Dome over Labor Day weekend to play Canisius, the Catholic High School Athletic Association champion out of Buffalo.  As a result, LaSalle's open date was taken by Monroe-Woodbury.  It also takes into effect Fort Edward's announcement that they will not be fielding a varsity football team.  As of this writing, that leaves the other teams idle on the weeks they were to play Fort Edward.  Lake George has announced that they will be playing Section 1's Haldane down at Dietz Stadium during Week 7.  All other replacement opponents for Fort Edward has yet to be announced, however.

In addition, some teams play under portable lights for special occasions like Homecoming, and likewise, some teams with permanent lighting opt to play Homecoming on a Saturday.  As some teams vary, there are likely errors on the schedule between who's playing Friday and who's play Saturday games for that particular week.  If you do notice any errors or omissions, please let us know.

Sunday Mets Schedule

Since the weather suspended the Mets game yesterday, today's schedule has been amended to accommodate the completion of yesterday's game.

Yesterday's game will resume at 1:10PM, the original start time for today's game.  Carlos Torres will take the mound as he was announced to be the pitcher for the Mets to start the 7th inning, with the game tied at 1.

There will be a 30 minute break after the first game is done before the second game begins with the debut of Steven Matz on the mound for the Mets.

So today's schedule is as follows:
12:30PM - Mets Pregame with Wayne Randazzo

1:10PM - Game #1 - Resumption of Saturday's suspended game.  Cincinnati will be up to bat in the top of the 7th inning, with Carlos Torres on the mound for the Mets.

Approximately 2:10PM - Game #1 will conclude.  Howie Rose and Josh Lewin will wrap-up the first game from the booth before sending it to the WOR studios for between game programming.

Approximately 2:45PM - First Pitch, Game #2

We will have coverage of both games on FOX Sports Radio 1230 from the first pitch of the 7th inning to the final pitch of the second game.

End of Year: List of Section 2's NYSPHSAA Champions for 2014-15

The Lake George Warriors hold their NYSPHSAA Class C Championship
after beating Waterville in the title game at the Glens Falls Civic Center

With the crowning of state champions in baseball, softball and track and field, the book is now closed for the 2014-15 NYSPHSAA High School Sports calendar, ending a year that began with practices in mid-August.

It's been a wild year for Section 2, filled with ups and downs.  Three teams made it back to Syracuse, but all three came up empty despite great efforts.  In the winter, three teams hoisted the state trophy at the Glens Falls Civic Center, none wilder than Lake George's game-winning bucket by senior Joel Wincowski.  There were several title-holders in the spring, including the first NYSPHSAA title in boys lacrosse for Section 2, claimed by the often determined Niskayuna Silver Warriors.

After the jump, a complete list of the teams and individuals who claimed state titles in Section 2:

NYSPHSAA Schedule for our Section 2 Baseball/Softball teams

This weekend, eight teams from Section 2 will attempt to win a state title in baseball or softball.  While it has been a great year already for Section 2, hopefully one or more of our local teams can join teams like Niskayuna (Lacrosse), Lake George, Scotia and Shenendehowa (Basketball) on the wall of NYSPHSAA Champions for the 2014-15 school year.

Here's the schedule for all of our local teams, and where they will be playing.

SECTION 2 TEAMS ARE IN BOLD

NYSPHSAA SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

All games are on Saturday, June 13^th at Moreau Recreation Park in Moreau.

CLASS A

AVERILL PARK VS. Pearl River - 9AM

Starpoint vs. W.T. Clarke - 9AM

Championship – 1:30PM

CLASS B

ICHABOD CRANE vs. Alden - 9AM

Solvay vs. Marlboro - 9AM

Championship – 1:30PM

CLASS C

HOOSIC VALLEY vs. Addison - 11:30AM

Chester vs. Elmira-Notre Dame - 11:30AM

Championship -  4PM

CLASS D

FORT ANN vs. Hamilton - 11:30AM

Andover vs. Deposit - 11:30AM

Championship - 4PM

NYSPHSAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

All games are on Saturday, June 13^th at various venues in the Binghamton area.

CLASS AA

At Union-Endicott High School

SARATOGA SPRINGS vs. Orchard Park – 1PM
Mamaroneck vs. Connetquot - 10AM

Championship – 4PM

CLASS A

At Maine-Endwell High School

QUEENSBURY vs. Hamburg – 1PM

Levittown Division vs. Byram Hills – 10AM

Championship – 4PM

CLASS C

At Binghamton University

HOOSIC VALLEY vs. Southold – 10AM

Tioga vs. Geneseo – 1PM

Championship – 4PM

CLASS D

At Conlon Field, Binghamton

FORT ANN vs. Smithtown Christian - 10AM

Oriskany vs. Westfield – 1PM

Championship - 4PM

Good luck to all our local teams from FOX Sports Radio 1230!

A Few Thoughts about the Belmont Stakes

90,000 fans are at Belmont Park this afternoon as American Pharaoh races for the Triple Crown.  He joins a long list of horses who entered Big Sandy having won the Kentucky Derby and The Preakness, but can he join the shorter list of the 11 who have won all three Triple Crown races.

Labeled the 3/5 favorite, American Pharaoh showed he can win on dry and wet tracks in his first two Triple Crown races, but the Belmont Stakes provides a greater challenge that has denied the last thirteen who have entered the Belmont having won the first two legs starting with Seattle Slew's unsuccessful bid.

That's in part, due to the configuration of the Belmont Stakes.  1 1/2 miles is a long race.  It's a distance not often seen on major stakes schedule.  Horses running in the Kentucky Derby are running 1 1/4 Miles for the first time in their career, and five weeks later, are asked to run another 1/4 mile on top of that.

In addition, the size of Belmont Park can be very tricky.  A 1-1/2 mile oval, an inexperienced jockey could fire the horse midway through the turn, to find that there's nothing left in them come the final furlong.

American Pharaoh showed a lot of ability in his win on the slop in Baltimore three weeks ago in the Preakness, giving fans more reason to be excited for this attempt at the Triple Crown.  But the pressure is there, as there are columnists and fans alike who believe that a horse winning the Triple Crown is the ointment that horse racing needs to rejuvenate interest in the sport. That's a lot of pressure to place onto a horse and its connections.

Here, I'll be watching the first quarter mile.  A fast first quarter mile will spell doom for the front-runners.  When Affirmed won the Belmont Stakes to sweep the Triple Crown in 1978, he posted an opening quarter mile in 25 seconds.  Recently, several Triple Crown hopefuls were found near or in the front, recording a 23 and change quarter.  Some bowed out in the far turn, and others had nothing left when pressured in the final stretch.

Then there's the late kick factor.  There were a few horses coming out of the Kentucky Derby who are running in the Belmont Park who were closing strides in the final 1/8th at Churchill Downs.  Will they be a factor on fresher legs?

Finally, there's the five week campaign factor.  How much did the first two legs take out of American Pharaoh?  Will he have anything left in the tank for the Belmont Stakes, running three races in a span of time that most horses nowadays run two.

If American Pharaoh wins today at Belmont Park, he truly will deserve his place among the other 11 horses that have won all three races.  But if he doesn't, then it will feel just like the last 12 Triple Crown attempts on Big Sandy, with that 13th being a withdrawal from the race due to injury days before the race.

NBA Finals is set

With last night's 104-90 win, the Golden State Warriors advance to the NBA Finals, where they will face the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Houston started off on the right foot, jumping out to a 22-17 lead after the first quarter.  But trouble emerged in the second quarter as the Rockets got out scored 35-24, and the Warriors never looked back.  Compounding the problem was Houston's James Harden.  His night started off right, stealing the ball away twice to begin the game.  But his dream night turned into a nightmare, turning the ball over a playoff record 13 times, and shot an ice-cold 2-for-11 from the field.  His only saving grace was his 10 for 13 from the free throw line.

It was a series that never really wanted to go the Rockets' way.  With the exception of Game 4's win to extend the series one more game, the Warriors were fully in control.

The Warriors will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals, who swept the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference final.  It will be a long week of rest and Lebron James references on sports talk and highlight shows, as Game 1 of the NBA Finals is slated for next Thursday, June 4th at 9PM.

NBA FINALS SCHEDULE
All games to air on ABC (locally, WTEN ABC 10)
GAME 1: Cleveland at Golden State - Thurs 6/4, 9PM
GAME 2: Cleveland at Golden State - Sun 6/7, 8PM
GAME 3: Golden State at Cleveland - Tues 6/9, 9PM
GAME 4: Golden State at Cleveland - Thurs 6/11, 9PM
GAME 5: Cleveland at Golden State - Sun 6/14, 8PM*
GAME 6: Golden State at Cleveland - Tues 6/16, 9PM*
GAME 7: Cleveland at Golden State - Fri 6/19, 9PM*
* - if necessary

Both Stanley Cup Conference Finals to require 7th game

The greatest pair of words in sports will be uttered twice in the Stanley Cup Conference Finals.

GAME 7.

A night after the New York Rangers manhandled the Tampa Bay Lightning to force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks defended their home ice to force a Game 7 against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night in Anaheim.

It is the first time since 2000 since both conference finals have gone the distance.

Noah Syndergaard: He can hit, too

Noah Syndergaard showed off some of his batting power he exhibited during his stint with the Las Vegas 51's on Thursday. 

In the 4th inning, he launched a solo homerun over the center field wall, travelling over 425 feet, to extend the Mets lead to 5-0.  On the power of his 7 1/3rd innings pitched, he help lead the Mets to a series sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies, winning the Thursday matinee 7-0.

He complimented his long bomb with a pair of singles to give him a 3-for-3 day.  His performance at the plate gives Terry Collins another option on the bench in a pinch hitter situation, as he will opt to go for a six man pitching rotation when Dillon Gee returns from the disabled list.

The Mets are off on Thursday as they get ready to host the Miami Marlins for a three game weekend series before heading west to San Diego and Phoenix for their first of two west coast trips this season.  Matt Harvey will take to the mound on Friday in the series-opener, which gets under way at 7:10PM.

Mets swept out of Pittsburgh

The Mets continue to get frustrated by the NL Central, getting swept by a second team in that division by way of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In the series finale, after the Mets scored in the top of the 5th to draw even with the Pirates on Wilmer Flores's hit, Andrew McCutchen turned Niese's walk to Jose Tabatha to lead-off the bottom half of the frame into two runs with his home-run.  Niese would not get out of the inning, surrendering another run to head to the dugout with the Mets down 4-1.

Erik Goeddel got out of the inning without any further damage, but had troubles himself in the 6th inning, emphasized by Starling Marte's three-run home-run that put the game away at 7-1.

The Pirates would go on to win the game 9-1, dropping the Mets to 2 1/2 games behind the Washington Nationals for first in the NL East.

The Mets have lost 5 of their last 6 games, losing 4 of those by 6 runs or greater, as productivity at the plate continues to plague the injury-depleted Mets.  David Wright continues to be on the disabled list, with his stint extended with the latest news that he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis.  Lucas Duda was scratched from the Sunday lineup with discomfort in his hamstring.  That led to a lineup that featured a .263 hitter as their best hitter (Daniel Murphy), and three position players hitting below the Mendoza line.

The Mets are 4-10 against the NL Central, with their only series win coming against the basement-dwelling Milwaukee Brewers.  The Mets will travel to Milwaukee next month for a three-game series.

What have we learned?
- Matt Harvey can dazzle, but he can have off days.  And when he has an off day, watch out.  The Pittsburgh Pirates sent him to the showers after four innings, torching him for a career-high seven runs which ballooned his ERA to 2.91.

- The Mets need players who can produce.  Producing even includes sacrifices, which the Mets were unable to do early on Sunday.  With two in scoring position and nobody out, the Mets struck out three times to leave them stranded.

- Terry Collins told media "There's no panic here" on Saturday.  But truth be told, this is becoming a very telling stretch for the Mets.  The magic of their 12-3 start in April is now gone, they now trail the Washington Nationals by 2 1/2 games, and their away record is a bothersome 7-15.  Injuries have built up, and the fans are clamoring for change.  The Mets could really use some good vibes during their upcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins before embarking on their southwestern trip to San Diego and Phoenix next week.

Next Up
The Mets begin a six game homestand as they host the Philadelphia Phillies on a Memorial Day matinee.  Bartolo Colon will try to improve off his loss to St. Louis where he gave up 8 runs in 4 1/3rd innings.  Once 4-0 with a 2.77 ERA, Colon now sits 6-3 with a 4.85 ERA.  He will face Severino Gonzalez, who has calmed down a little since his season debut where he gave up 7 runs in 2 2/3rds innings of work.  He now has a 2-1 record after a pair of 5-inning games.

Coverage begins at 12:30PM on FOX Sports Radio 1230.

Sports Sunday: One of the busiest non-football days to hit our TV's

It's one of the busiest days on the sports calendar.  And it begins during the breakfast hours and continues through the night.

Not including the full 15 game slate for Major League Baseball today, here's what's going on:

• The Monaco Grand Prix (8AM, NBCSN)
• English Premiere League Championship Sunday (10 games all at 10AM, Various NBC Networks)
• Indy 500 (Noon, ABC 10 WTEN)
• Coca-Cola 600 (5:30PM, FOX 23 WXXA - Cable Ch. 7)
• NHL Eastern Conference Finals: Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers (8PM, NBCSN)
• NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavilers (8:30PM, TNT)

What are you looking forward to?  

Lundqvist Gets Torched in Overtime Loss

The Tampa Bay Lightning have Henrik Lundqvist's number.

Two nights after allowing 6 goals on 26 shots, Lundqvist had another game he'd rather erase from his memory bank on Wednesday.

However, this time, the Rangers did all they could possibly do to make up for Lundqvist's troubles, scoring five goals and forcing overtime with a Dan Boyle goal with less than two minutes to play in regulation.

But King Henrik misplayed a wrister from Nikita Kucherov, reacting only once the puck whistled past him, resulting in the overtime winner that sees the Tampa Bay Lightning take a 2-1 series lead after their 6-5 win.

It is the fourth time this season that the Tampa Bay Lightning have lit the lamp five or more times against Henrik Lundqvist.

Lundqvist will have a day off to walk the latest loss off, as Game #4 is on Friday in Tampa Bay.

Blackhawks Win in Triple Overtime after 2OT Goal is Disallowed

The Chicago Blackhawks evened their series with the Anaheim Ducks early in the morning, requiring three overtimes to finally net the game-winner nearly 80 minutes without a goal was played after Corey Perry's second period goal tied the game at 2.

But the game nearly came to an end sooner, as Chicago found the back of the net.  Only one problem, the goal was scored soccer-style, as Andrew Shaw hit the puck off his head to beat Frederik Andersen in the second overtime.

Rule 78.5 disallows goals that are scored by way of use of anything other than a stick.  And in this case, Shaw's forward movement off the head was a deliberate attempt to score.  Awesome attempt, though.

Thankfully, Marcus Kruger gave the Blackhawks win in the third overtime, sending the series back to Chicago tied at 1.

Chicago fans were finally able to meet their pillows at 1:09AM Central Time.  They'll get a night off to catch lost sleep, as Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is on Thursday night.

The Subway Series: Mets at Yankees Preview

Story updated to reflect Thursday Mets and Yankee wins

It's Subway Series time again!

The New York Mets and the New York Yankees begin the first of two series this year on Friday when the Mets make the short travel to Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees return home after playing a four game series at Detroit.

A lot of people are talking New York Mets, and for good reason.  After three straight sweeps, the Mets enter the Subway Series with the best record in baseball, helped by an ongoing 11 game win streak.

The win streak is remarkable considering the growing list of injuries that the Mets have faced.  This includes their capitain, David Wright, Travis d'Arnaud, Jerry Blevins, all who have been injured recently.  Add a suspended reliever in Jenrry Mejia, Zack Wheeler, who was scratched from the lineup prior to opening day as he needs Tommy John surgery, and closer Bobby Parnell, who is set to make his return next month to the list, and you get a Mets team that should otherwise be among the basement dwellers in the NL East.

The success of the Mets through 16 games is the effort of the whole team.  Lucas Duda is hitting the ball well, leading the team with 19 hits.  Juan Lagares has 16 hits, second best on the team, but has made his value more on the field, showing why he was a Gold Glove recipient for his work in center field.  He showcased this on the Wednesday night game against Atlanta when he robbed what would of been an extra base hit in the seventh inning.

The Mets are known for their pitching, and the Yankees will have to face their top two hurlers during the series.  Jacob deGrom was the National League Rookie of the Year, and has followed up that effort by keeping teams scoreless through 18.2 innings since allowing a first inning two-run home run in the opening day game against the Washington Nationals.  Matt Harvey will pitch the middle game of the series, and Jonathon Niese will be on the mound for the Sunday Night game.

Mets fans will be familiar with the Yankees top hitter.  Chris Young was hitting only .205 with the New York Mets last year before he was released and picked up by the Yankees.  He's off to a hot 2015, hitting .357 to lead the Yankees, and would love nothing more than to show Terry Collins and the New York Mets what they missed out on by releasing him.  Brett Gardner is also off to a good start, and Mark Teixeira leads the Yankees with 13 runs batted in.  Plus, Alex Rodriguez is back and wanting to make a statement to Yankee fans and the league.

The Yankees will send out Michael Pineda to start the series.  He surrendered three runs in the last start, but got the help from Yankee bats to earn the win over Tampa Bay.  On Saturday, C.C. Sabathia will oppose Matt Harvey.  Sabathia is off to a rough start, losing all three starts he has made to start the 2015 season.  His latest loss was one where the Yankee offense wasn't clicking, taking the loss despite only giving up two runs in eight innings pitched.  Nathan Eovaldi will pitch the series finale on Sunday Night.

The Yankees started rough, but have picked things up by winning 6 of their last 7 entering the Thursday series finale at Detroit.  They will be a formidable foe for the Mets.

Don't forget, as an affiliate of the New York Mets Radio Network, we have coverage of all three games this weekend live from Yankee Stadium.  Coverage begins 40 minutes before the first pitch.

And just remember, this is only the first of two series between the two teams.  They will meet again at Citi Field for a three game tilt in September.  And how fantastic would that be if both teams are relevant on the quest for October.

New York Mets at New York Yankees
Fri 4/24 - First Pitch: 7:05PM.  Pregame Coverage: 6:25PM
TV Coverage: WRGB CBS 6 (Mets); YES (Yankees)

Sat 4/25 - First Pitch: 4:05PM.  Pregame Coverage: 3:25PM
TV Coverage: WCWN CW 15 (Yankees); SNY (Mets); FOX Sports 1 (National)

Sun 4/26 - First Pitch: 8:05PM.  Pregame Coverage: 7:25PM
TV Coverage: ESPN (National Exclusivity)

Full Broadcast: NYSPHSAA Class C Championship - Lake George vs. Waterville

Due to popular request, we have uploaded our radio call of the NYSPHSAA Class C Boys Basketball Championship between the Lake George Warriors and the Waterville Indians.

The game was a close battle between two good teams, making for a great championship game.  But the game was best known for the Joel Wincowski shot that came with 1.6 seconds left to go that gave the Lake George Warriors the State Championship.

After the jump is the full broadcast, edited down to exclude the commercial breaks. In addition, the pregame, halftime and postgame report were not archived. During the broadcast, we mention a special "Plays of the Year", which will be made available online in a separate blog entry soon.

Joel Wincowski Air Mails a Lake George Title

GLENS FALLS - Most of the 4,000 that was at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Saturday night will remember Joel Wincowski's 2,613rd, 2,614th and 2,615th career points for a long time.

Those points, coming with 1.6 seconds left on the clock, gave Lake George a 53-50 lead over the Waterville Indians.

And after a lengthy round of timeouts and one inbound pass, a great look from Zach Sawyer bounced off the back of the rim and rolled over the hole as it fell away from the basket, giving the Lake George Warriors the NYSPHSAA Class C Championship for the Waterville Indians.

It was a fitting moment for #4, who propelled himself to the top of Section 2's career scoring list at the start of the playoffs.  He finishes his high school career with 2,615 points, 5th all-time in New York State, displacing East Hampton's Ken Wood by two points.

He finished with 30 points as Waterville opted to double-team him most of the game, but was able to use screens and fakes to lighten the coverage on him.

The seesaw game brought several lead changes and ties.  Lake George fell behind early, prompting Dave Jones to spend a timeout.  But the Warriors came back to tie the game at 11.  Waterville came back to take the lead, but Lake George scored their first lead of the game off a Jake English foul that brought Joel Wincowski to the line.

Waterville regained the lead on a Jake English three and a pair of Zach Sawyer free throws.  But Lake George would score the final 10 points of the second quarter, and took a 27-21 lead into the half.

No problem for Waterville.  They emerged out of the locker room and shot three behind the arch to retake the lead off the hot-shooting hand of Jake English.  He had 3 threes in the third quarter, and Will Specht added a three to give the Indians a quick 30-27 lead.

Waterville would outscore the Indians 19-11 in the third quarter.

Joel Wincowski scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Class C Tournament MVP used his power to get inside for buckets.

But the final three was set up perfectly.  Waterville tied the game 50-50 on an offensive rebound following a free throw, and put up a three with 30 seconds left to play that rimed out.  Lake George drained the clock down to 7 seconds before Dave Jones called a timeout.  Off the timeout, Wincowski made a move backwards with the help of a screen to get a double team off him, and launched a 30-footer that went in.

As the Lake George Warriors were celebrating, the officials were conferring as they would eventually put 1.6 seconds left on the clock as Waterville called a timeout right after Wincowski's shot.

After about five minutes, the Lake George faithful at the Glens Falls Civic Center was finally able to celebrate the championship win.

The Lake George Warriors finish the season 26-1, with their lone loss being a one point loss to the Hoosick Falls Panthers on January 24th.  Wincowski's 30 was aided with Dylan Hubbard's 9 points.  Andrew McGowan scored 7 points.

The Waterville Indians finished their season 25-1, as Jake English used the power of six 3's on his way to 20 points.  Zach Sawyer, a returning member of last year's All-Tournament Team finished with 17 points as he was named on the team once again this year.

NYSPHSAA CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIP
2-Lake George Warriors vs. 3-Waterville Indians
Saturday, March 21st, 7:15PM at the Glens Falls Civic Center

LAKE GEORGE          9  18  11  15  53
WATERVILLE          11  10  19  10  50

LAKE GEORGE
 3 KYLE JONES        0   0   2   0   2
 4 JOEL WINCOWSKI    4  10   4  12  30
10 CRAIG KEENAN      3   0   0   0   3
21 DYLAN HUBBARD     0   6   0   3   9
31 ZEKE REYNOLDS     0   2   0   0   2
44 ANDREW MCGOWAN    2   0   5   0   7
TOTALS               9  18  11  15  53

THREES: Wincowski (2), Hubbard (3)
FREE THROWS: Wincowski (3), McGowan (3)

WATERVILLE
10 JAKE ENGLISH      2   6   9   3  20
23 ZACH SAWYER       4   2   7   4  17
25 J.T. MACHOLD      0   2   0   0   4
30 HUNTER WILLIAMS   2   0   0   3   5
41 WILL SPECHT       3   0   3   0   6
TOTALS              11  10  19  10  50

THREES: English (6), Specht (3)
FREE THROWS: English (2), Sawyer (5), Williams (1)

Boys Basketball: A quick guide to all 20 teams

At 10AM Friday Morning, the first of 15 basketball games to be played at the Glens Falls Civic Center will tip off, culminating in five state champions being crowned on the hardwood floor.

Many of these teams have seen the insides of the Glens Falls Civic Center before, including the return of Mount Vernon, who has an unprecedented 10 state titles.  Bridgehampton makes their first appearance in Glens Falls in well over 15 years, and Section 2 will fill the Glens Falls Civic Center as three teams will play on Friday and Saturday.

Let's take a look at each of the teams, starting with the Class D teams.

NYSPHSAA State Championships: Champion-bearers

The twenty teams with travel plans set for Glens Falls next weekend for the NYS Basketball Championships combine for thirty state championships spread among ten teams.  

After the jump, the list of the twenty teams, how many titles they have won, and when the last time they hosted the plaque at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

NYSPHSAA Boys Basketball Championships Schedule

The field of 20 teams making their way to the Glens Falls Civic Center for the NYSPHSAA Boys Basketball Championships is set.

The three-day event begins on Friday morning with the Class D Semifinals, and wraps up on Sunday with the Class A and AA Championships.

The championships for all five classifications will be televised on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel, Channel 50 in the Glens Falls/Queensbury area.

For ticket purposes, the event is broken down into five sessions, with general admission giving you access to all games within a single session.  Tickets can be purchased online through the Glens Falls Civic Center, or through the NYSPHSAA website.

The list of teams coming to Glens Falls is after the jump.

Mets return to FOX Sports Radio 1230 for fourth straight year

FOX Sports Radio 1230 announces they will be continuing their partnership with the New York Mets.

The New York Mets and Adirondack Broadcasting, FOX Sports Radio 1230's parent company, have signed a deal allowing 162 regular season games and 2 preseason games to air on FOX Sports Radio 1230 during the 2015 season.

The two preseason games will take place on April 3rd and 4th, as the New York Mets take on the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park.

Then on April 6th, the New York Mets begin their 2015 regular season campaign as they travel to Washington to face the Nationals at 4:05PM.

The broadcasts will feature Ryan Randazzo as the new host of the Mets Extra pre and postgame shows.  Randazzo comes from Chicago, where he handled talk and sports anchor duties for CBS Radio's WSCR-AM and WBBM-AM.  In addition, he did work for the Chicago White Sox, the Big Ten Network, ESPN and various other sports clubs and networks.  Randazzo replaces Seth Everett, who handled the duties for Mets flagship WOR last year.

Howie Rose and Josh Lewin return to describe the action on the field from the booth for the fourth straight year.

Coverage for all regular season Mets games will begin 40 minutes prior to the scheduled first pitch.

About FOX Sports Radio 1230: FOX Sports Radio 1230, WMML-AM, is a 1000-watt radio station licensed to Adirondack Broadcasting to cover the Glens Falls area.  The coverage area for WMML expands from Saratoga Springs to the south, Granville to the east, Corinth to the west and Warrensburg to the north, with more areas receiving the station during the course of the daytime.  FOX Sports Radio 1230 is home to the Dan Patrick Show, Rich Eisen Show, as well as other sports/talk programs handled by FOX Sports Radio.  The station is also home to Buffalo Bills football coverage in the fall, New York Mets baseball in the spring and summer, and high school sports in both fall and winter.

###

Regional Semifinal Preview

Three of our Section 2 boys teams will be in action on Wednesday as the state tournament kicks into full swing.

Lake George and Scotia will travel north to Plattsburgh, where Northern Adirondack and Peru await them at SUNY Plattsburgh.  Meanwhile, Class D's champions, Germantown, will play Section 10's Harrisville at Saratoga High School.

More about the games after the jump.

Thoughts From The Press Box: Sectionals

Two games remain on the docket, with the Class AA Championships being held at the Times Union Center on Tuesday, but for us, our sectional season is over.

And what a fun sectional season it has been.

First, I was hoping to be able to write every day about the past day's activities, but other projects and home life prevented some of those blogs from being authored.

In addition, I was hoping to be able to recap my thoughts about the games I was at for broadcasts, but couldn't do that either, for the same reasons.

But I have some time now.  First, I'll offer my reflections on the games we were honored to be a part of, and then reflect upon the sectional tournament as a whole.

All that begins after the jump.

Our interview with Joel Wincowski

On Friday, we had the opportunity to talk for a few minutes with Lake George Warrior Joel Wincowski.

We got to talk about the community support he received as his Lake George Warriors won the NYSPHSAA State Championship two years ago, the family support he receives as he continues to grow and excel as a basketball player, and passing Jimmer Fredette as the highest scoring player in Section 2 history and the ceremony at Lake George High School on February 24th.

We ran the interview during the halftime of our Section 2 Class C Championship coverage between the Lake George Warriors and the Waterford Fordians.  As there were several at the game at Colonie High and were not able to catch our broadcast, and more who live further away and cannot listen to our station, we've uploaded the interview here.

After the jump, our interview with #4, Joel Wincowski.