Joe Paterno's Salary Released

Joe Paterno's long-secretive salary was revealed Thursday. The Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System revealed that Paterno earns $512,664 a year. Pennsylvania paper The Patriot-News had sought the coach's compensation information for upwards of five years. The state supreme court rules last week that Paterno's salary is a matter of public record because he participates in the state's retirement system.

Like many division 1A head football coaches, Paterno's base salary pales in comparison to his overall income. The coach is paid for his radio show and has a contract with Nike. Still, Paterno's base salary is lower than many of his counterparts. Last year, USA Today reported that more than 40 coaches earned more than a million dollars a year.

Ryan Maloney

Milledge for Scheider and Church

More details are being made available in regards to this puzzling trade between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals. Fox Sports, Ken Rosenthal is not confirming that this deal has actually taken place. Kudos to Mike and the Mad Dog for being the first to break this.

But now, seriously. Why on in the world would the Mets even entertain this offer? Sending their one trading chip away three days prior to the winter meetings? This really doesn't make any sense.

Oh, Lastings, we hardly knew thee.

Problematic as he might have been, Lastings Milledge showed tremendous upside. In just two short years with the Mets, he raised his average from .241 in 2006 to .272 at the end of the 2007 season. Many believed Lastings would have had a much higher trade value that what the Mets got in return.

This trade would now place Schneider as the regular catcher, bumping newly acquired Johnny Estrada to playing backup with current Mets catcher Ramon Castro. Estrada was acquired in exchange for troubled reliever Guillermo Mota. Church is a left-handed bat that could play right field...occasionally, the best option currently in right is to platoon Endy Chavez and Carlos Gomez. So again, I ask why did this trade happen?

It may not be obvious to any of us right now, but one would only hope that Mets GM Omar Minaya has something else up his sleeve.

One could only hope...

-Matt Armstrong

Oh god...

WFAN just broke news a few min ago that NY Mets outfielder Lastings Milledge has been traded to the Washington Nationals for LF Ryan Church and C Brian Schneidier.

Ummm....what?

Ill have more information as it becomes available.


-Matt Armstrong

The Infamous Starbury Interview

Courtesy of Mike'd Up, WNBC New York

Bruce Beck fills in for Mike Francesa on Mike'd Up: The Francesa Sports Final, and interviews Stephon Marbury a day after he did some charity work with his Starbury sneakers. Marbury was drunk, stoned, or just his stupid self in this interview. The whole thing is good, but the last 2,3 minutes is FANTASTIC!

Pat Morgan

Funny Clip From Mike and the Mad Dog

Someone pranked their show when I was driving home from the office, so it made me think of this priceless moment from Mike and the Mad Dog show.

Pat Morgan

Sean Taylor Dead at 24

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died as a result of a gunshot wound. Taylor was shot in his home early Monday during an apparent robbery. He sustained a wound to his leg and lost a significant amount of blood. Family friend Richard Sharpstein said he first heard of Taylor's death at 5:30 a.m. He said he was unsure of the exact time of Taylor's death. Taylor was 24 years old.

SportsCenter (Two) Minute(s and 20 Seconds)

Idle Lakers lose 4 votes, stay put

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team remained at #12 in Monday's USCHO.com national poll. The Lakers (4-3-1) managed to lose four poll points despite not having played since a Nov. 17 loss to Hobart (8-0-0). The Statesmen moved from #3 to #2 this week with three first-place votes, they have been idle since their win at Oswego State.

Wisconsin-River Falls (5-0-3) remained at #1 and gained three first-place votes after tying St. Mary's (1-4-2) on Nov. 20. Plattsburgh and Elmira came in at #3 and #4 respectively, with each earning four first-place votes. The Soaring Eagles beat the Cardinals in their head-to-head match-up 3-2 on Nov. 17. Elmira has not played since then, while Plattsburgh has scored wins over St. John's and #11 Norwich (2-2-0).

Oswego State has three losses and one tie on the season, all to the #2, #3 and #4 teams in the country.

USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll

November 26, 2007

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Wis.-River Falls	( 9)	5-0-3	275	1
2	Hobart	( 3)	8-0-0	270	3
3	Plattsburgh	( 4)	9-1-0	260	7
4	Elmira	( 4)	5-0-1	246	4
5	St. Norbert		6-1-0	221	5
6	Manhattanville		6-1-1	194	6
7	Middlebury		2-1-1	166	2
8	Wis.-Stout		8-1-1	165	8
9	Babson		4-0-1	147	9
10	St. Thomas		5-1-1	117	10
11	Norwich		2-2-0	96	11
12	Oswego		4-3-1	61	12
13	Wis.-Superior		4-1-4	45	14
14	Bowdoin		2-1-0	41	15
14	Southern Maine		4-0-0	41	NR
Others Receiving Votes: Mass.-Dartmouth 20, New England College 10, Adrian 7, Wis.-Stevens Point 7, Bethel 4, Curry 4, Milw School of Eng 1, St. Olaf 1, Utica 1 2007-08 Laker opponents in italics

Ryan Maloney

Lakers Crush Caz

The Oswego State men's basketball team had five players score in double figures including a team-high 17 points from Tommy Downing in a 96-67 win over Cazenovia on Monday night.

The Lakers used a 13-0 run to start the second half to take a commanding 22-point lead and never looked back. Mahamoud Jabbi scored 16 points for Oswego State and Dom White (pictured) added 14 for the Lakers. Kyle Reuter and Marshall Jones scored 10 points each. White also had 11 rebounds.

Oswego State is now 3-0 on the season and begins SUNYAC play this weekend when they host Potsdam on Friday at 8 p.m. and then faces Nazareth in a non-league game on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Max Ziel Gymnasium.

Oswego State Sports Information

Yanks and Twins Talk Santana

The New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins have entered into preliminary trade talks involving Johan Santana. The Mets, Red Sox, and Dodgers are also believed to be interested in Santana and his two Cy Youngs, 3.22 career ERA, and 93-44 career record. Santana is eligible to become a free agent after next season and the Twins have been unsuccessful in attempting to resign him. Santana became disgruntled with the Twins organization after they traded Luis Castillo to the Mets in July for a couple of prospects.

If the Yankees want to have a shot at Santana, you have to think they'll have to dip into their talented pitching prospect pool. The Yankees have said that the only untouchable is Joba Chamberalin, meaning Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes could be had. The Twins will also be looking to fill the void at 2nd created after the Castillo trade and the gaping hole left by All-Star center fielder Tori Hunter who left town for LA. Second basemen Robinson Cano and center fielder Melky Cabrera will certainly be mentioned by the Twins. It's likely the Yankees will have to give up at least two of those four and probably more.

After much speculation that the Yankees would enter a bit of a rebuilding period and would part with A-Rod and either Mariano Rivera or Jorge Posada, that does not seem to be the case. All three will likely be back in pinstripes again next season and the Yankees are back to their old tricks; that is going after expensive veterans and trading away their younger prospects to build a team to win now. I was looking forward to a time when the Evil Empire would be a little less evil, but it appears that time is far off indeed.

Andrew Rohlin

Lakers Return to Action Tonight

The Oswego State men's basketball team returns from break with a road game against Cazenovia. The Lakers are 2-0 on the year after winning the Max Ziel Tip-Off Classic.

Senior guard Nick Perioli has returned strong from last season's knee injury and has played all 80 minutes. He is averaging 20.5 points, six rebounds and four assists per game. He also has six steals.

Last November, the Lakers didn't need Perioli's help to score a 114-60 won over the Wildcats. Five Lakers scored 13 or more points as Oswego State out-rebounded Cazenovia 57-28.

In 2005, the Lakers beat the Wildcats 95-66. That marked the last time these two teams had squared off at Cazenovia until tonight. Game time is set for 8 p.m. at the Stephen Schneeweiss Athletic Center.

Jinx! Clarkson's 20-game home unbeaten streak snapped

WNYOsports.com made their Cheel Arena debut Friday night, a 4-1 loss for the host Clarkson Golden knights. #10 St. Cloud State scored four goals on just 13 shots.

Sophomore goalie Jase Weslowsky (pictured) stopped 32 shots and improved upon his already-stellar .936 save percentage and 1.72 GAA (I'm not doing the math to see where he's at now!).

The Huskies were paced by two goals from Ryan Lasch, who now has 10 markers on the season. Lasch extended his streaks of games with a goal and multiple points to six, and games with at least one point to seven. Don't expect his name to drop off the INCH Hobey trackler anytime soon.

Garrett Roe also netted his ninth tally to stay within reach of his teammate for the distinction of the nation's leading scorer. Clarkson blue-liner Bryan Rufenach got his first collegiate goal late in the third to ruin Weslosky's shutout bid. The Huskies added an empty netter in the final minute for the final score.

Ryan Maloney

French Fries You Thought Were at the Bottom of the Bag, But When You Reached in There Was Nothing...and You Were Quite Pissed About It

Got to meet Clarkson coach George Roll after the game. He recently joined an elite club of coaches with his 200th career victory. He won 119 of those games in his seven years as coach of the Oswego State Lakers.






Andy Petrus was one of the linemen tonight. He is the man who whistled Oswego State for a penalty in the 2006 SUNYAC final against Plattsburgh after a bagel was tossed onto the ice in the third period.

Try The Cheel, It's Delicious

I will soon make my way to Potsdam, NY (Oswego isn't quite cold enough). Tonight, I will see my first D-1 hockey game as Clarkson hosts St. Cloud, a battle of two top 10 teams. The Golden Knights play in Cheel Arena. I'm told that Cheel was the prototype for the Campus Center and many other college hockey rinks. Take a look:

For more on Clarkson hockey, check out Clarkson Hockey Fans. More after the game.

Ryan Maloney

Happy Thanksgiving

First-half dominance leads to Oswego State victory

The Oswego State women's basketball team defeated Rensselaer 66-52 Tuesday night at Max Ziel Gymnasium in Oswego. Laker senior Sarah Lombard led all scorers with 18 points. She made her first seven field goal attempts of the game. Lombard missed her last field goal attempt, ending her streak of 13 consecutive field goals made to start the season.Oswego State's defense forced 29 Red Hawks turnovers. Senior Alaina Hannahs and junior Heather Merino led the Lakers with four steals each. Hannahs also had seven assists and eight rebounds. Laker guard Sam Driscoll fell just short of a double-double, pouring in 10 points while pulling down seven rebounds.

The Lakers held Rensselaer to just 18 points in the first half, and led 36-18 at the break. Rensselaer outscored Oswego State in the second half 34-30. Tory Lyons led the Red Hawks with 16 points in the game and also had eight rebounds. Elizabeth Barker had nine points and nine boards for RPI.

Oswego State improved its record to 3-0 on the season while RPI fell to 1-2. The Lakers return to action Nov. 30 when they host Potsdam in their SUNYAC opener.

Jets Demand an End to Embarrassment of Female Fans

Calling harassment of female fans at the now infamous Gate D spiral "outrageous" and "unacceptable," the Jets are demanding that Giants Stadium security put an end to what has become an unruly halftime tradition.

The Jets were responding to a New York Times story detailing the antics during halftime at their games this season in which fans reportedly line the circular Gate D ramp, shouting at passing women to expose their breasts.

Both Jets officials and fans said they were stunned to learn of the behavior. Some fans said they were even more shocked that they had been in the dark about it until Tuesday.

"I've never even heard it mentioned," said Joseph Catalano, a season ticket holder from Manhasset. "If that story never appeared, never in a million years would I have known that this happens."

Said Bob Muhlenforth of Ronkonkoma, another season ticket holder: "The thing that surprised me most is that I never heard about it."

The Times reported the halftime rowdiness Tuesday. Hundreds of fans reportedly line the circular ramp at Gate D that leads from the ground to the upper levels of the stadium to harass women with chants and shout at them to flash their breasts. Some do and, according to the report, the ones who don't are sometimes pelted with beer bottles and even spit on.

The New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority is in charge of security at Jets and Giants games. Calls to the authority and to the Meadowlands were not returned Tuesday.

Matt Higgins, the Jets senior vice president of business operations, released a statement saying authority officials have told the team they will fix the problem.

"We have spoken with NJSEA officials and demanded that they take steps immediately to ensure that it does not happen again," the statement said. "The NJSEA, the operator of the facility, has assured us that they will address this conduct at all Meadowlands events. We will not allow a small minority of people to ruin the experience for our fans and will be monitoring the situation."

Higgins also said that the Jets were unaware of the behavior.

The story said that close to 10 security guards were standing in the area watching the event Sunday, and one of the guards said they were not permitted to do anything to stop the abuse because of free speech laws.

"The problem is, you got to watch four or five hundred people sometimes in one particular spiral," Patrick C. Aramini, the NJSEA's vice president for security, parking and traffic for the Meadowlands Sports Complex, told the Times. "What do we do, arrest everybody that starts chanting?"

Rowdiness at sporting events is nothing new, but some say the attitude of fans who attend Jets games has changed in recent years. Michael Stallone, a season-ticket holder, said the demographic and focus of the crowd has shifted.

"It's definitely a younger crowd, a rowdier crowd, with people who don't give a damn about the game," Stallone said. "They're there more for an event than to support the team. They're there just to have a good time, have a few beers, and cause mischief."

Article Courtesy of Newsday
Based on this article

Posted by Pat Morgan (Should I include free shows in my future Ebay listings?)

Mets get Estrada for Steriod User

Omar Minaya has pulled off yet another spectacular deal for the New York Mets. Minaya was able to pawn off Mets relief pitcher Guillermo Mota and his steroid-free 5.76 ERA on the Milwaukee Brewers for former All-star catcher Johnny Estrada. While Mota was certainly instrumental in helping the Mets clinch the NL East in 2006, he did more harm than good in 2007 without that "extra edge". Estrada on the other hand will bring his switch hitting, .278 average to Shea where he will split time with Ramon Castro who signed a two-year deal with the Mets last week.

Even though Estrada is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery, I'd rather take my chances with him than Mota who looked awful this past year. Both will be free agents after this year, so Omar didn't get himself in too deep with a huge contract either.

I became very skeptical of Minaya after he balked on acquiring a good reliever at the trade deadline in July. I also wasn't sold on signing Yorvit Torrealba to be the Mets catcher of the future because he put up mediocre numbers at best and few would have even given him a second thought if it weren't for the fact he was on the Rockies this year. Thankfully that fell through, and even though I think bringing back Paul Lo Duca would have been the best option, the Estrada deal is a great one.

While pitching is still a concern for the Mets, I don't think the loss of Mota will be felt by the team next year. Minaya is still looking into acquiring a top of the rotation starter after Tom Glavine returned to Atlanta and free agent Livan Hernandez is also being considered because of the way he eats up innings. Whatever happens, my faith in Omar has been restored, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Andrew Rohlin

Who exactly is Caroline?

Yeup, the mystery surrounding Sweet Caroline is over. Neil Diamond has revealed his inspiration for the beloved song as being none other than Caroline Kennedy. Weird. I know. Makes you think a little bit...maybe good old Neil had a thing for the princess of camelot.

Oh well. Thats it from me this week. Enjoy Thanksgiving everyone!

Matt Armstrong


The Story

Another Reason to Love College Hockey

Rapper Lil' Romeo Signs to Play Basketball at USC
(This must be a joke... we can only hope)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lil' Romeo is headed to Southern California to play basketball.

The teenage hip-hop performer signed a national letter of intent to attend USC on Monday at a news conference held at a posh hotel near Beverly Hills.

Lil' Romeo, an actor and rapper whose full name is Percy Romeo Miller, is currently a senior guard at Beverly Hills High. He averaged 13.9 points and 5.6 assists last season. His father, hip-hop mogul Master P, had tryouts with two NBA teams in the 1990s.

"This is the most important thing I've had to do and hopefully it sends a message to kids across the country that education is more important than money," Miller said at the news conference. "Getting a college scholarship is more important than winning an American Music Award, and I plan to be the best student-athlete I can be at USC."

One recruiting service ranks Miller, a 6-0, 170-pounder, among the top 15 prep point guards in the country.

Article Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports

Two Thoughts:
-I wonder what Jim Nantzisms will come from this.
-Berrios is a rapper. Will he sign a letter of intent next?

Posted by Pat Morgan

Why I became a hockey fan

Three years ago today I couldn't have told you what an odd-man rush was. At the time, I was a guard on the OCC Lazers. I knew a 3-on-2 as a fast break and nothing else. The term "Gordie Howe hat trick" would provoke a blank stare from me. If you told me about a guy who went into the corners I'd have thought you were referring to his punishment as a child when he cursed.

Today, I'm the radio voice of Laker hockey. It has not been an easy transition. I still call "periods" "quarters." I've called a pad save a "blocker save," and about five times a game a whistle will blow and I'll have no idea why. A few people have been instrumental in helping me with this transformation. I'll never forget the first intermission of the Oswego State-Elmira game when WTOP announcer Chris Hill had to feed me lines to describe the first 20 minutes of action.

The person who has contributed the most to my newfound love for hockey is Oswego State SID Joe Gladziszewski. He is also a senior writer and editor for INsideCollegeHockey.com. He has filled me in on some of the finer points of the game, as well as the great traditions. Each holiday season, the INCH writers concoct a list of things within college hockey they are grateful for. I don't understand all of the items they list. But here are my favorites from the past five years:

Ryan Maloney
• That glimmer of hope you get each time you buy a 50/50 ticket.

• There's no BCS, contract holdouts, or threat of a lockout.

• Pep bands in the bleachers. (Geneseo)

• The unmistakable 'tink!' of a puck hitting the post.

• Being one of 50 visiting fans in a hostile opposing rink when your team wins a big game against a rival. (I hope to experience this very soon. Say...January 25th?)

• Getting the "on the record" post-game word from a coach outside the locker room, then getting the real story from him 35 minutes later over beers.

• Discovering a great college sweater on eBay.

• An elbows-down, from-the-front, open-ice hit that doesn't have you instinctively looking to the ref to see if there was a call.

• Suddenly remembering the answer to that previously unanswerable trivia question your buddy posed midway through the first period.

• Those rare games — Sunday afternoons, Tuesday evenings — that make the week go just a little faster.

• Watching your team successfully kill a 5-on-3 power play.

• Chuck-a-Puck.

• Seemingly meaningless traditions that fans of other teams don't understand, but mean so much at our local rinks and alma maters.

• Rinks named after former coaches and players, not cell phone companies or financial institutions.

• The unbeatable sensation of walking into an ice rink and feeling
warmer.

• The simple, all-encompassing beauty of a line chart.

• The opportunity to catch a puck that caromed out of play, and even moreso, the chance to give it to a kid sitting nearby.

• Seeing a player sacrifice his body to block a point shot while killing a penalty in the third period.

• Concession-stand hot chocolate.

• Making that extra pass on an odd-man rush to attractively finish off a highlight-reel scoring play.

• Entering the arena and taking in the boisterous student section, energetic pep band, and vibrant discussion throughout the arena ...

Magagna gets SUNYAC award

Oswego State junior forward Peter Magagna was named SUNYAC Ice Hockey Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 18 and the Lakers are now ranked 12th in the USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll.

Magagna, a junior from Orangeville, Ontario, had two goals and two assists in Friday's 6-1 Oswego State victory over Cortland. That win improved Oswego State's SUNYAC record to 4-1-0 on the season and the Lakers are in second place behind Plattsburgh. Magagna added a goal in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Hobart.

Oswego State Sports Information

Laker freshman earns conference recognition after winning tournament

Oswego State freshman Cameron Mills was named Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Rookie of the Week for the week ending Nov. 18.Mills, a 165-pounder from Fulton and graduate of G. Ray Bodley High School, won his weight class at the 18th Annual Doug Parker Invitational on Saturday at Springfield College. Mills won his first two bouts by pin and his last three by decision, including a 10-8 win in the finals.

With five wins this weekend, Mills improved his overall individual record this season to 9-2.

Oswego State wins Max Ziel Tip-Off Classic title

The Oswego State men's basketball team beat the College of St. Joseph 84-66 Sunday in the final game of the Max Ziel Tip-Off Classic in Oswego. Laker junior Kyle Reuter scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Lakers used a 15-1 second-half run to overcome a 31-point, 18-rebound effort from St. Joseph's Rui Carmo.

Nick Perioli contributed 22 points and four assists. The senior co-captain was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award of the Max Ziel Tip-Off Classic. Tom Downing provided help at the defensive end with five steals. Sophomore Mohamoud Jabbi finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The Lakers improved to 2-0 on the season. St. Joseph's fell to 0-4. The Lakers return to action Nov. 26 when they visit Cazenovia. Oswego State returns home Nov. 30 for their SUNYAC opener against Potsdam.

Joining Perioli on the All-Tournament team were teammates Kyle Reuter and Mahamoud Jabbi. Rui Carmo of St. Joseph's and John Grazioli of Hobart.

Lakers win big; capture Skidmore Invitational title

The Oswego State women's basketball team defeated the host Skidmore Thoroughbreds 63-42 on Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the Skidmore Invitational at Saratoga Springs. Laker senior Sam Driscoll was the tournament's Most Valuable Player and fellow senior Jessica Collins was on the all-tournament team.

Sarah Lombard had 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field. Collins scored 12 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Alaina Hannahs also had nine rebounds, and added four assists. Driscoll made a pair of 3-pointers in the game and finished with 11 points.

Oswego State is now 2-0 on the season and plays its first home game of the year on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they welcome Rensselaer to Max Ziel Gymnasium.

Lakers finish eighth at Doug Parker Invitational

The Oswego State wrestling team finished eighth in the 18-team field and freshman Cameron Mills won the 165-pound weight class at the 18th Annual Doug Parker Invitational, hosted by Springfield College on Saturday.

Mills went 5-0 in the 165-pound bracket, winning his first two matches by fall and the next three by decision, including a 10-8 victory over Vincent Renaut of U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in the finals. Mills is now 9-2 on the season.

Oswego State heavyweight Jake Taylor finished second in his bracket, suffering his first loss of the season in the finals against Glenn Geesman of MIT by 7-4 score. Taylor won his first three matches in the tournament by pinfall, and is 9-1 this season with all of his wins coming by pin.

The Lakers also had two sixth-place finishers at the tournament, James Weber at 149 pounds and Chris Payne at 141 pounds.

Oswego State's team point total of 81.5 was good for an eighth-place standing. Rhode Island College won the tournament with 142.5 points, followed by U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (113), and Centenary (111.5).

Kige Rips Buffalo Almost as Badly as Brady

Kige goes out of his way to rip Buffalo in two of the three facets of his weekly NFL recap. Tom Brady was his performer of the week, and the Bills were his disappointment of the week in which he called an "embarrassment". I guess the Steelers losing to my pitiful New York Jets wasn't an option for the biggest disappointment. Kige also calls the Cleveland/Baltimore ending the best he's seen in seven years. Didn't know watching refs discussing a call for 10 minutes constitutes great action. Kige must have some funky fetish.

Pat Morgan

Lakers Fall From Top 10

The Oswego State Lakers are ranked 12th in the latest division III hockey poll released today by USCHO.com. The Lakers broke even at home this past weekend with a 6-1 win over Cortland and a 5-2 loss to Hobart. The Statesmen rose from 9th to 3rd and gained two first-place votes in the poll after their victory over the defending national champions.

Elmira climbed to #4 and earned two first-place votes after defeating then-unbeaten Plattsburgh 3-2 in Horseheads Saturday. The Cardinals fell from #4 to #7. Unbeaten River Falls is the nation's new top team.

"MissourAHHHHHHH!"

Normally, I wouldn't post a video that Deadspin had already published, but this one just has to go up.

Is Perfection Classless?

Another week, another opponent the New England Patriots have steamrolled. With the 56-10 romp of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park Sunday night, the Pats once again asserted that they are the best team in the NFL. But does perfection really have to be so classless?

The NFL has only ever seen one perfect team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins. And every year the remaining members of that team get together and toast with champagne the first loss of the final undefeated team in the NFL, knowing that their immortality is, at least for one more year, safe. When asked if anyone will ever be as good as they were, the answer is always a definate no. So, it makes you wonder, does perfection make you classless?

My answer is yes.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots lack all the class in the world at the moment. Up 35-7 against an inept Bills offense, Belichick had his players go for it on 4th and 1. They made it, and a touchdown was scored a few plays later, making it 42-7. The next time the Patriots get a chance to score, 4th and 1 again. Again, the Patriots go for it, a few plays later, another score. 49-7. This isn't the first time we've seen this happen. Numerous times the Patriots have been accused of running up the score on opponents. I don't really think it's accusations anymore, I think it's fact. Bill Belichick and the Patriots have no class, and no respect for their opponents. Even against the Bills, a team Belichick has stated that he likes, he runs up the score. Why? Who knows. Pride? Ego? Tom Brady said this to Yahoo! Sports last night, "Coach says he puts you out there to score when you touch it, he doesn't put you out there to punt." That may be, but respect is part of the game. You don't respect an opponent when you run up the score. It's fine to punt when you're up 35-7, or 42-7. And when you bring out a defenseman for your punter late in the game, that is just showing how low the Patriots can truly sink, and how obsessed with winning they have become. Winning is important, but it isn't the only thing. Respect for the fans, your opponents, and the game itself are more important than winning. And that's why when someone finally lays out Brady, and it will happen, and maybe injures him, everyone will stand up and cheer.

Maybe the Belichick should eat a piece of that "humble pie" he's preaching to his players. Maybe the Patriots won't be hated by everyone in the league then. Because I know one thing. If it turns out that the Patriots and Cowboys make it to the Super Bowl, for the first time in my life, I will be a Cowboys fan because I refuse to cheer for a team that lacks any class whatsoever.

Benjamin Amey

Streaks snapped: Hobart hammers Lakers, Elmira nips Plattsburgh

OSWEGO, N.Y. - Hobart (7-0-0) defeated Oswego State (4-3-1) 5-2 at the Campus Center Saturday night. Statesman goalie Keith Longo stopped 41 shots and improved to 4-0-0 on the season. Hobart supplied him with an early lead as Brian Harris scored in the game's first minute. Brian Cibelli's power play marker in the 15th minute made it a two-goal lead.

Hobart began the second period in the same fashion they did the first. Shawn Houde found twine 28 seconds in for his fourth tally on the season. The Lakers would get that goal back in the 16th minute as Peter Maganga found the back of the net to cut Hobart's lead to 3-1. That was the closest the Lakers would get all night as Longo turned away 16 shots in the third.

"(Longo) made big saves. But, we made him look good, too. We shot right at him, de ja vu of Kent State. But I give him credit, I thought he was the difference in the game," said Lakers coach Ed Gosek.

ONION RINGS AT THE BOTTOM THE BAG (INsideCollegeHockey.com has the fries)

• Ed Gosek was denied his 80th career win tonight
• Ryan Ellis was held scoreless and remains two points shy of the Lakers 100-point club
• Tony DiNunzio penalized in the 10th minute of the third period for roughing. It was his first infraction all season. He was second on the team last season with 48 PIM.
• There were two games at the Campus Center Saturday. Both saw a goal in the first minute of action.

In other top ten action, #8 Elmira (5-0-1) beat #4 Plattsburgh (7-1-1) 3-2 in Horseheads.

Cortland scores in 60th minute, tie Lakers

The Oswego State Lakers and Cortland Red Dragons skated to a 1-1 tie Saturday afternoon at the Campus Center Ice Arena. The Lakers led for more than 58 minutes after an early goal from Jessica Lister. The Red Dragons lit the lamp in the 60th minute for the tie.

More to come...

6:25 left to play; Lakers 1 Cortland 0

Game Summary

• Hilary Hitchman 18 saves
• Jessica Lister goal at 0:30
• Her second on the season
• Teams are a combined 0-7 on the power play
  

Lakers lead 1-0 after two

The Oswego State women's ice hockey team holds a 1-0 lead over Cortland after two periods of play. Tune into 88.9 FM or click the "listen live" link to the right to hear the third period.

Lister Lights Lamp; Lakers Lead

Oswego State has taken an early 1-0 lead off a goal from Jessica Lister. The Junior pivot now has two goals on the season and 17 for her collegiate career.

Pretty Nice Little Saturday

Today's Oswego State Athletics Schedule Wrestling at Springfield College Park Invitational 10:00 am Blake Arena

Women's Ice Hockey: Oswego State vs. Cortland 3:00 pm Campus Center

Women's Basketball: Oswego State vs. Lyndon State (Vt.) 4:00 pm Sports and Recreation Center

Men's Ice Hockey: #10 Oswego State vs. #9 Hobart 7:00 pm Campus Center

Perioli, Reuter lead Lakers to victory

The Oswego State men's basketball team started its season in winning fashion, as four players scored in double figures in an 86-74 win over Hobart at Max Ziel Gymnasium in Oswego. Kyle Reuter led the Lakers with 22 points, and Nick Perioli scored 19. Tommy Downing had 15 and Mahamoud Jabbi scored 13 for Oswego State (1-0). Hobart (0-1) was led by John Grazioli wigh 27 points. Robert Estep added 12.

Hobart built its biggest lead of the first half to six points, with an 18-12 advantage, but Oswego State made back-to-back 3-pointers from Reuter and Ryan Schupp to tie the score. It was a part of a big run for the Lakers to close the half, turning that six-point deficit into a nine-point lead at the break.

The Oswego State lead grew to as much as 15 points, four minutes into the second half, but Hobart whittled away at the lead and scored 13 consecutive points to reduce the Oswego State lead to 54-52 with 12:30 remaining.

The Lakers answered with a run of their own, re-establishing a lead in double figures, and held on down the stretch for the win in the first game of the season.

Oswego State returns to action on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they host the College of St. Joseph (Vt.) at Max Ziel Gymnasium in the final game of the Max Ziel Classic.

Ellis, Mags Shine in 6-1 Blowout

Peter Magagna had two goals and two assists in Oswego State's 6-1 win over Cortland in men's ice hockey on Friday night at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego. The win was Oswego State's fourth in a row, and the Lakers are now 4-2-1 overall and 4-1-0 in the SUNYAC. Cortland fell to 2-6-0 overall and 1-4-0 in the conference.

The Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period as Kyle McCutcheon opened the scoring halfway through the period, it was his first goal of the season. Ryan Ellis added his fourth goal of the year late in the first on assists from Magagna and Tyler Lyon.

Ellis scored his second of the game 5:48 into the second period to stake Oswego State to a 3-0 lead. Cortland responded with its only goal of the contest, a power-play goal from Zach Dehm, assisted by Frank Rizzo and Brent Fallon.

The Lakers scored the last three goals of the game, and all of them came on the power play. Magagna scored twice and C.J. Thompson had the other goal. Oswego State was 3-for-9 on the power play in the game.

Freshman Chris Laganiere had two assists in the game, as did Neil Musslwhite.

Laker goalie Ryan Scott made 13 saves and earned the win. Cortland's Mike Mistretta had 37 saves in the loss.

Oswego State is back on home ice Saturday at 7 p.m. in a non-conference game against Hobart College. The visiting Statesmen come into the contest with a perfect 6-0-0 record and are currently ranked ninth in the USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll. The Lakers are 10th in the national poll.

Derek Who? Brian Cashman is Mr. November

I fell for it.

I bought into the notion that this was the off-season the New York Yankees were going to depend on their home-grown guys and keep their checkbook closed.

• Alex Rodriguez wants out? Screw him, he's not a Yankee anyhow. Mike Lowell came up in pinstripes and will cost a fraction of the price to play the hot corner.
• Roger Clemens is headed for Cooperstown? Not a problem, Joba Chamberlain will join him in 20 years.
• Jason Giambi's playing career is in its twilight? Who cares, Shelly Duncan will be the next Chris Chambliss.
• Johnny Damon's hitting ability is starting to mirror his throwing ability? Fine, Melky Cabrera is the future of the franchise.

I hadn't only made peace with the idea of an idle winter; I welcomed it.

But Brian Cashman is eventually going to remember that he is Brian Cashman. Today, 18 days after Rodriguez opted out of his $250 million contract and 17 days after Hank Steinbrenner all but said good riddance, Alex Rodriguez agreed to an outline of a deal that would keep him in the Bronx for another decade.

I guess that takes care of the need for Mike Lowell, right? Not so fast, they want him too. After all, this is the same team that didn't understand why anyone would want to debate which shortstop they'd rather have, Derek Jeter or Rodriguez. The correct answer to that debate was, "both."

Who would Cashman rather have guarding the corners of that infield, Rodriguez or Lowell? Answer, there are two corners of the infield. You know what is coming next.

Ryan Maloney

The Yankees and A Rod: A match Made in Heaven

Remember when you were a kid, you were told fairy tales? You'd have a protagonist and they'd get into some sort of trouble, but in the end everything would work out alright. What was that key line? Happily Ever After?

Well, I guess Yankees Nation can cuddle up in those sheets of theirs and utter those three words before their eye lids droop too low and they fall away to dream land. Can't they? Well, maybe its not that dramatic but in the eyes of every critic in New York the 3rd base quandary has been solved.

A-Rod will be back in pin stripes and the fickle fans of Yankee Stadium can go back to figuring out whether or not they love him or hate him. Love him or hate him however the Yankees and A-Rod look like a joke right now.

• "We won't negotiate with someone who doesn't want to be a Yankee!"
• "We won't negotiate with someone who has Scott Boras as their agent!"
• "We're going to go in another direction"

Any of this sound familiar? These are all statements that were or something to that effect that came out of the Yankee organization. The sour grapes routine was laughable. You knew that the Stienbrenners were hurt, how could anyone not want to be a New York Yankee? Try 7 years of neglect for the real problem of that team, PITCHING.

It appears that the Yankees still don't get it. Little less then a month after the A-Rod/Yankee fall out, A-Rod came sulking back. This time its A-Rod that looks like a doofus. He learned the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side especially when you piss off the entire league by not only cheapening the World Series and demanding to the baseball world that you be paid like an Aztec God. Well, A-Rod there is no Mayan baseball team and the gold of El Dordo was a myth. Bottom line is that A-Rod has no other choice but go to the team with the most money and the least scruples. And the Yankees had no choice but to pay A Rod his contract or to sell the farm for Cabrera. As long as you got your can of Raid Joba is one the best in the league and Phil Hughes looks legit and as much as I dislike Melky, he's better then anything they have.

Bottom line, A-Rod looks like a prodigal son who left a home where he had a media that hung on his every word, money to spend on anything he ever wanted (no child support, however) and a team that is always ready to make a playoff push. He went out to the free agent market, found that sin city wasn't all that its cracked up to be. Meanwhile the Yankees look sheepish for backing down on a promise for a new start. A Rod has not helped the Yankees win a world series championships. My father always told me "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." Keeping A Rod seems like a good move but if its not coupled with smart moves and judging by Cashman over the last few years *cough* Farnsworth, Pavano, Wright *cough* the Yankees will fall short again.

But Yankee fans can sleep safe now, knowing that the Yankees and A-Rod have reconciled, thier marital hiatus is over and they are once again dancing in relationship bliss. The Question is, will the Yankees be any better off.

Chris Hill says no.

Chris Hill

Romes & Malones Idle Today Citing Lack of Sports News

Romes & Malones were absent from the airways during their normal afternoon slot today on 88.9m FM WNYO.

In other news, Alex Rodiguez agreed to an outline of a new 10-year deal with the Yankees and Barry Bonds was indicted.

Jake Taylor Earns Honor

Oswego State senior wrestler Jake Taylor was named as the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week. Taylor is also ranked fifth nationally in the most recent BRUTE-adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Individual Rankings at heavyweight.

Taylor is off to a perfect 6-0 start on the season and has pinned all six of his opponents on the season. Most recently, Taylor pinned RIT's Adam Abdelhamed in 55 seconds on Saturday in a dual-meet, helping the Lakers defeat the nationally-ranked Tigers 35-11. The senior from Rochester began his season by winning the heavyweight bracket with five pins at the 25th Annual Bomber Invitational, hosted by Ithaca College.

Taylor shared the Wrestler of the Week honor with Trent Zempiel of Messiah, a 165-pounder who won tournament titles at the Messiah Invitational and King's Monarch Invitational.

Oswego State Sports Information

Another Look @ The New Duds

Black Saturday @ Campus Center

The Oswego State Lakers men's ice hockey team will don black sweaters Saturday when they host Hobart. The new jersey replaces last year's alternate yellow threads.

'Cuse Advances to the Garden

The Syracuse Orange beat St. Joseph's 72-69 Tuesday night at the Carrer Dome.
Some observations:

• This was a pre-season NIT tournament game, therefore no alcohol was sold.
• No alcohol was sold, therefore I was in a foul mood the entire game.
• Syracuse fans like to pretend they don't sit until the team scores their first field goal of the half. Going into the game's first TV timeout, the Orange had yet to score. I remained standing for the T.O. Ninety-five percent of the Dome did not.
• The school charges $19 for a seat in the upper-bowl.
• I paid a scalper $20 for a seat in the sixth row.
• Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris will clash this season.
• Flynn seems to know where Donte Greene is at all times. They teamed up for the #5 play on SportsCenter's top 10. Shockingly, the long-range alley-oop they combined for was not the play.
• Flynn was horrible: 1-6 from the field, 5 points...but he made the big shot in the clutch.
• UPDATE: Mike Waters says Flynn was borderline brilliant.
• OPINION: Waters is borderline retarded.
  
• The 'Cuse players now do the "diamond" symbol with their hands a-la Jay-Z.
• Any team that stops the Orange transition game can beat them. Take care of the ball.
  
• Hungry Charley's makes some mean cheddar fries.
• Prediction: Seven members of this team will wear an NBA uniform.
  

MLB Hot Stove Season Begins

Ahh yes boys and girls... tis the season where all the failures of the previous year are forgotten. All the pain seems to vanish when the new star, the "savior" is introduced to their new team. O, how I love the MLB off-season.

Where do we start. Last week we talked about the monstrosity that was Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez. He's still not signed by anyone and I reall don't have anything else left to say as far as A-Rod is concerned. I expect to see him playing for some west coast team next season. Anything else would be unexpected. So what is Mr. Rodriguez' team going to do about the significant hole left by his departure from the Bronx? Lets take a look and see who's available...not much. When the talent pool consists of the likes of Russell Branyan and Chris Woodward, there are some pretty slim pickin's for the pinstripes to choose from. The only notable name is Mike Lowell. Yes, that's World Series MVP, Mike Lowell, Mr-I-had-a-career -rebirth-playing-in-Boston, Mike Lowell. Smart money says he's not going anywhere.

But the Yankees did do something right. Jorge Posada was just resigned by the boys in the Bronx. Now they just have to re-sign Mariano Rivera and Yankee nation will not be crying foul.
As a whole, the free agent pool this year is one of the slim-est in a long time. Pitching is sparse, outfield position players are suspect. This means that trades are always a possibility.

The biggest names on the trade front are third baseman Miguel Cabrera and pitching god Johan Santana. Both of these deals would require multiple farm hands being exchanged along with cash and other considerations. Everyone would like both of these studs, its just a matter of where they end up at the end of the winter, if they even move at all.

This is just barely scratching the surface. Deadline deals are abound and ridiculous trade scenarios are almost inevitably going to be discussed. Anything can happen from now until the end of December, that's what really makes this "The most wonderful time of the year."

Matt Armstrong

Dome Night

I'll be taking a little trip down 481 tonight to see the 2007-08 edition of the Syracuse Orange basketball squad. The Orange host St. Joseph's tonight.

More after the game....

Ryan Maloney

Scott Earns SUNYAC Honor

Senior goalie Ryan Scott was named SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week for the week ending Nov. 11. Scott earned a shutout, making 28 saves on Friday night in a 5-0 win over Geneseo. It was the first shutout of the season for Scott, and the seventh of his career. He is now the all-time leader in career shutouts for the Oswego State men's ice hockey team.

Oswego State Sports Information

Scott by the numbers this season:
2-2-1 record
1.97 GAA
.922 SV %

Lakers Drop a Spot Despite Win Streak

The Oswego State Lakers (3-2-1) are ranked #10 in Monday's USCHO Men's Div. III Ice Hockey Poll. The Lakers have won two straight since losing the nation's top ranking and dropping to #9 in last week's poll.

Hobart moves into the #9 ranking on the strength of a 6-0-0 start. They will visit the Campus Center Ice Arena Saturday night to face Oswego State at 7 p.m. The Lakers will also host Cortland (2-5-0) Friday night at 7 p.m. Tune into 88.9 FM WNYO or WNYO.org's webcast to hear live play-by-play for both games.


The Lakers' opening night foe, Elmira (3-0-1), remained #8 in the nation. Plattsburgh, who defeated Oswego State 4-2 Nov. 2, moved up a spot to #4. The Cardinals also lost a first place vote from a week ago, leaving them with one. Plattsburgh will visit Elmira Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Oswego's Cole Taken Off Ice on Stretcher

FROM ESPN.COM:

Carolina Hurricanes forward Erik Cole was removed from the ice on a stretcher in the third period of Monday's 4-3 win after colliding with Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun.

Cole was injured at 12:34 as he was driving to the net. He was checked from behind by defenseman Jassen Cullimore and crashed headfirst into Vokoun's pads.

Cole remained motionless for several minutes before being placed on a stretcher.

The Miami Herald is reporting Cole did have movement in his arms and legs but did not want to leave the ice because of a prior neck injury, according to Sunrise paramedics.

Jaslow on Geneseo-Oswego State

USCHO's Russell Jaslow was at the Oswego State-Geneseo game Friday night. Below is an excerpt from his recap:

In the last few years, whenever and whereever Oswego and Geneseo get together, it draws standing room crowds, enthusiastic crowds that really get into the games. Little did they know that this time in the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena, the game would get into the crowd.

With 33 seconds left in the second period, a crushing check by Oswego’s C.J. Thompson next to the faceoff circle in Geneseo’s end caused not one but two panes of glass to shatter, sending thousands of tiny pieces into the laps of the fans.

You can read the whole article here.

Binga, We Hardly Knew Ya

WGSU Geneseo reports that Ben Binga is no longer with the Cortland Red Dragons. Coach Joe Baldoratta revealed the news during a pre-game interview with the Ice Knight announcers Friday.

Ben Amey's Take on Oswego's 4-3 Win

Well, that third period was certainly interesting. Brockport came storming back with two more goals to make it an interesting affair at the end, but the Lakers were able to pull out two more points on the road with a 4-3 victory. So, the major questions is, what happened?

My first guess, and this is just a guess, is that Chris Hyk did not have his head in the game mentally. He came out in the third period thinking the game was already won, with the Lakers holding a 3-0 advantage and a large shots on goal advantage, and was ready to coast through the final period.

Give credit to Brockport for not simply throwing in the towel. Hyk got beat twice in the third period, and both were goal he should have been able to stop. The first one was a shot along the ice that Hyk spread out for, but then looked suprised when he had been caught out of position and the puck had squeaked inside the near post to make it a two gaol affair.

The next was a complete mental lapse as a shot was put on goal to his glove side that he just plain missed. Kudos to both Hyk and the Oswego State defense for not panicking, however, and holding their own against a 6x5 for the last 50 seconds of the game. Hyk made a couple nice saves down the stretch to preserve the victory, but the mental lapses earlier made this game a lot closer than it needed to be.

Thoughts on the game as a whole...

Brockport wanted to come out and show they were the more physical team early. And they picked Brendan McLaughlin to demonstrate on. The hit sent the junior All-American head over skates and bleeding to the ice. It also earned Brockport an early roughing penalty which Oswego was able to capitalize on.

Oswego went 2 for 3 on the powerplay tonight, their best showing all year.

Oswego got called for two game misconduct penalties in tonight's game. That's one more than they've had all season so far. And the player who had it called on him this season (Joel Kitchen) wasn't even playing tonight. And one man called both of these game misconduct penalties. Bob Baldwin. He reffed one of Oswego's three losses last year (Plattsburgh) and always seems to have a vendetta against the Lakers. The bias showed tonight as what should have been a two minute roughing call on C.J. Thompson turned into a five minute major for checking from behind with a 10 minute game misconduct that resulted in Thompson, the Lakers' co-captain, being ejected from the game.

Random side note: One person we won't see in Oswego Friday for any game misconduct penalties is Cortland goaltender Ben Binga. Binga was involved in two fights in a loss in the Campus Center last year, but his new coach has said that Binga is off the team now. No reason was given.

More on fights, what happened during the hand shakes at the end of the game? That's the first time I've ever seen teams go at it after the final buzzer sounded. I'm pretty sure McLaughlin said something to the Brockport player who ran him over early in the game, and that started the physical nature of the altercation. Peter Magagna came in to defend his line mate, got in a couple punches, took a couple to the head, and the sides were finally separated. It will be interesting to see if the conference comes down with any punishments for those extra curricular activities.

All in all, great road trip weekend. The 5-0 was certainly impressive for Oswego State, and between the glass shattering hit by C.J. Thompson (see picture below) against Geneseo, and the post-game fight at Brockport, it was certainly exciting. We can only hope the action continues to be as good when Cortland (sans Binga) and Hobart come to town next Friday and Saturday.

Until then, Benjamin Amey signing off. Catch you on the flip side.

Benjamin Amey

2nd Period Recap

Another interesting period here from the Tuttle Ice Arena. Ryan Ellis notched his third goal of the season and first of the night only two minutes and four seconds into the period. It was an even strength goal assisted by Peter Magagna and Rich Zalewski. It was the second assist of the night for both players.

Neil Musselwhite scored his second goal of the night and fifth of the year just over three minutes later. It was a powerplay goal assisted by C.J. Thompson. Musselwhite put a beautiful move on goaltender Greg Van't Hof and had a wide open net for his backhand goal.

This period was relatively clean, until 14:36 into the period. Thompson went to lay a hit on Tony Marinello and lost his balance. Thompson crushed Marinello up against the boards and rose slowly. Marinello lay prone on the ice for several seconds before finally moving. Brockport's trainer came out and Marinello skated off the ice under his own power.

Thompson was given a five minute major for checking from behind, as well as a ten minute game misconduct, Oswego's second of the night. Both penalties were called by, you guessed it, Bob Baldwin. Thompson was sent to the locker room for the rest of the night but is allowed to play in the Lakers' next game.

Brockport wasted no time scoring on the man advantage. Steve Seedhouse scored his fourth goal of the season only thirty seconds into the five minute major. Oswego didn't allow another goal by Brockport, and the teams went to the locker room with the score Oswego 4, Brockport 1.

Benjamin Amey

Quote O' the Night

"Something awesome is going to happen."

-Anonymous fan
Commenting on the upcoming third period between Brockport and Oswego State.

Keep in mind, Brockport took a run at Brendan McLaughlin in the game's first minute. Then, C.J. Thompson laid a dangerous hit on Brockport's Tony Marinello in the second period. Stay tuned...

1st Period Recap

Lakers take an early 2-0 lead over the Brockport Golden Eagles. McLaughlin took a nasty hit just 25 seconds into the game that left him bleeding on the ice. He did return later on. Whitehead and Musselwhite notched the goals for Oswego. Whitehead scored on the powerplay, assisted by Magagna and Zalewski, while Mussels was assisted by Dormiedy and Gagnon. Whitehead's goal came only a minute and fifty three seconds into the first, while Musselwhite's goal came less than four minutes later. The first period also saw its share of penalties. Steve Seedhouse of Brockport got a two minute minor for interference on McLaughlin's hit, and then McCutcheon got a 10 minute game misconduct just two minutes later. Lyon received a two minute minor for roughing on the same play. Gershon of Brockport got a cross checking penalty ten minutes into the period, and then Joe Hall received a a roughing penalty and Musselwhite got a hooking penalty at the end of the period. Oswego will start the 2nd period down a man for the first 1:14.

One interesting thing as Oswego was called for four penalties for a total of 16 minutes in the first period, the referee Baldwin is calling tonight's game. Baldwin is despised in the Campus Center Ice Arena, as he called the Plattsburgh game last year, which Oswego lost. It doesn't seem like that will happen tonight, but Oswego has not been called for this many penalties in a while.

Benjamin Amey