Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Sports this 'n' that

Regular season action in high school basketball wraps tonight in New York's Section 2. The sectional tournament pairings will be announced tomorrow, and in order to secure a home game in the sectionals, Troy High needs to win its regular season finale tonight at Christian Brothers Academy. Troy won the first meeting in December, so they're looking for a season sweep. As of now, they're in 2nd place in the Suburban Council's gray division, and are not guaranteed a home game just yet. The Troy girls, on the other hand, finished 3rd in their division, and likely will be on the road. We'll know for sure by tomorrow.
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Meanwhile, the pairings are set for the hockey sectionals. Niskayuna-Schenectady will meet Guilderland-Mohonasen-Scotia-Glenville tomorrow for the right to play top-seeded LaSalle on Friday at Hudson Valley Community College. The other pairings:

Shaker-Colonie at Shenendehowa
CBA at Bethlehem
Saratoga at Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa

The semi-finals & finals will be played at Union College's Messa Rink on February 25 & 28, respectively. LaSalle last won a Section 2 title in 2000, but the only team they didn't beat in the regular season was Bethlehem (LaSalle split with Shen), and that could be a problem.
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Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon has been confirmed as the new head of the Small Business Administration, a move that was largely a case of President Donald Trump doing a favor for the McMahons after he'd been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame 4 years ago. If this doesn't get Vince away from WWE for good, what will?
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More WWE: You might not notice, but Bray Wyatt (real name: Windham Rotunda) became the latest 3rd generation wrestler to win a World title in WWE on Sunday at Elimination Chamber, eliminating both of the previous champs, John Cena & A. J. Styles, to achieve the top prize. Wyatt's father, Mike Rotunda (aka Mike Rotundo and Irwin R. Schyster) won multiple tag titles in the NWA & WWE in the 80's and 90's with multiple tag team partners. The late Blackjack Mulligan, Bray's grandfather, held the WWWF & AWA tag titles with Blackjack Lanza in the 70's. Neither Mulligan nor Rotunda, however, ever held a World singles title in their careers. Wyatt's current tag team partner, Randy Orton, followed the same career trajectory 13 years ago. Randy's grandfather & father, Bob Orton, Sr. & Jr., never won World titles, either. One figures that either Orton will turn on Wyatt or vice versa between now and Wrestlemania on April 2 in Orlando.
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Much has been made of Knicks/Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan banning former Knicks & Bulls star Charles Oakley from MSG after an incident at the Garden last week. The tabloid press, of course, had a field day, and Dolan, earning himself a fresh set of Weasel ears, didn't help matters by trying to use the press to smear Oakley.

However, there is a happy ending. Hornets owner Michael Jordan and Commissioner Adam Silver interceded on behalf of Oakley to resolve the issue. If I'm Silver, though, I'd start investigating some of Dolan's business practices that have alienated the fan base in New York. Dolan has been characterized as being clueless about the teams he owns (Knicks, Rangers, Liberty), and lashes out in much the same way President Trump does when things don't go his way.

Suffice to say, President Trump would do us all a favor if he helped convince Dolan to sell the team in exchange for a presidential appointment, kind of like what Trump wanted to do for Jets owner Woody Johnson. Stay tuned.
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Finally, congratulations to Geno Auriemma and the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team, which defeated South Carolina Monday night to run their record winning streak to 100 consecutive games, having long passed UCLA's legendary men's teams under John Wooden. At this rate, someone will suggest pitting the Lady Huskies against the Harlem Globetrotters, just for kicks. Just sayin'.

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