Leading off today: A court in Suffolk County has cleared William Floyd track star Zariel Macchia to run in the state indoor championships, ruling in her favor Thursday in an appeal of an ineligibility ruling,
Newsday reported.
Justice Christopher Modelewski said from the bench that he did not believe Macchia knew she violated a rule while competing in a non-scholastic event last month in Massachusetts. He added ruling against Macchia would cause her irreparable harm.
The attorney for Macchia filed suit in State Supreme Court late Tuesday seeking to allow her to compete in Saturday's NYSPHSAA indoor track and field championships. The suit alleges the NYSPHSAA "was arbitrary and capricious" in declaring the six-time state distance champion ineligible.
Modelewski heard initial arguments on Wednesday but adjourned the proceedings after requesting the parties to return on Thursday for additional testimony from witnesses.
The Brigham Young recruit had previously qualified for the state meet in Staten Island in the 1,000 and 3,000 meters and as part of a relay.
The longstanding rule in question prohibits NYSPHSAA athletes from competing or practicing "with or against any individual or team representing a college" during a sport's season. Macchia would not have violated the rule if her opponents had run unaffiliated.
Macchia said in court papers she was not aware of the rule when she participated in the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Feb. 15. Cynthia Augello, the lawyer representing Macchia, argued on Wednesday that the NYSPHSAA has been inconsistent in enforcing the rule.
However, Section 11 Executive Director Tom Combs testified that Macchia and her parents knew about the rule.
That's three wins in court in a month for L.I. athletes
William Floyd senior Zariel Macchia's victory on Thursday represented the third time in a past month that Long Island athletes have succeeded in overturning New York State Public High School Athletic Association eligibility decisions in court.
Commack girls basketball star Sofia Vasselman was OK's to play in her team's sectional opener on Feb. 27 after she received an automatic one-game suspension for being ejected from the final regular-season game.
On Feb. 7, six Northport wrestlers were restored to their league tournament after being ruled ineligible for competing in too many tournaments.
Buffalo team has pulled off a dramatic turnaround
Three years removed from an 0-19 season, Buffalo Science Charter will play for a Section 6 boys basketball championship on Friday.
Junior Jaleel Flowers paced a balanced Buffalo Science (16-6) offense with nine points, and senior Adrian Handley added six points and 12 blocked shots during a 48-44 win Wednesday over East Aurora in the Class A2 semifinals.
The fourth-seeded Wolverines will play No. 10 seed Lackawanna on Friday.
"Last year our goal was, 'Get to Buffalo State,'" coach Conor Wood told The Buffalo News. "We know what we're capable of, and (this time) it was not just 'Get here.' It was, 'Go win here.'"
Colonie volleyball player stricken, dies at club tournament
A Colonie High junior volleyball player died following a cardiac incident while participating in a tournament recently in Boston,
The Times Union reported.
John Verbo, 16, died on Feb. 25 at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Verbo had gone into cardiac arrest four days earlier while playing for the Clifton Park-based Capital Sliders at the Boston Volleyball Festival.
His funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Verbo, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time," Colonie principal Bill Behrle wrote in an email to the paper.
Industry news
Many of you have heard the expression "garbage in, garbage out" as an explanation for an unsatisfactory finished product.
Well, one of my former employers is in the market for the man or woman who'll be in charge of shoveling the refuse in hopes that it can be made into something enlightening for sports fans.
Gannett is advertising openings for an "AI Sports Editor" as well as an "AI-Assisted Sports Reporter" in its latest foray into artificial intelligence. The company, which publishes more than 150 daily and weekly newspapers, says the editor will "lead a cutting-age digital news team that blends human reporting with
AI technical expertise to storify data, automate content and create new reader experiences."
While it's true that AI has improved dramatically even in just the past year, the latest breakthroughs cooked up by Nvidia cannot overcome the lack of fundamental information or the supply of bad information. In 2023, Gannett famously ditched its AI sports writing program to generate game recaps at major, reputable papers after ridicule on social media over the robotic tone and at-times bizarre choices of phraseology.
The problem, of course is at the intake level, and Gannett -- hardly the only chain to do it -- has hacked its reporting staffs to death over two decades. Without someone gathering reliable information to complement box scores that can be generated on-site, the AI tool can tell you who won a basketball game by a score of 65-64 but typically can not tell you who scored the winning basket and whether it came in transition or on an in-bounds play from beneath the basket.
Gannett, which publishes 12 New York papers from Rochester to White Plains, also shuttered its product review site last year amid internal accusations that some content was covertly published via AI tools.
"Journalism is so much more than just compiling information for a story. Good journalism comes from human connections made through interviewing story subjects and developing sources; the logic and thinking behind what makes a good angle for a story; and the life experiences each journalist brings to the table," Susan DeCarava, president The News Guild of New York, told the Awful Announcing media website.
"There simply is no substitute for the skills of a human being."
