Leading off today: I considered it a stretch when the state Department of Education told a few New York school districts that they had to ditch the Thunderbirds nickname or risk losing state funding.
I get the rationale behind banning Redskins, Braves, Indians, etc. But Thunderbirds, though they have a connection to Native American culture, are mythical.
And, speaking of mythical ...
The New York Post reports that Connetquot administrators have placed a whopping $23,620,000 price tag on the process of transitioning from the T-birds to something more acceptable to the state.
Let that sink in: Twenty-three million and change.
"The District has invested significant funds in larger-scale athletic costs at the high school and middle schools without the Thunderbirds name or imagery," Superintendent Joseph Centamore wrote on May 6 to Dave Frank, assistant commissioner of the state Department of Education, the paper reported.
"These costs included the replacement of turf fields, indoor gym floors and equipment, and other fixtures, as well as repainting projects throughout the schools totaling $23,620,000," he added.
Additionally, the district anticipates $323,000 more to update scorers' tables, scoreboards, additional uniforms, and signage.
Centamore said the district has been rebranding for the past five years and has completed at least 75% of the necessary work." State officials gave Connetquot an extension to March 2026 to complete its changes.
I am confident that Chautauqua Lake and Half Hollow Hills combined couldn't have spent more than 20% of Connetquot's estimated cost when they switched out of the Thunderbirds nickname in recent years.
The No. 1 cost for a school district doing an overhaul would likely be taking the logos off of artificial turf on football and soccer fields. But even a start-from-scratch installation for a football field currently costs $1.5 million to $2 million; merely replacing the surface instead of also installing the drainage and base is far less expensive.
It feels crazy that even replacing multiple surfaces and sets of uniforms across the district can add up to #23 million.
• New York education officials won't rescind the ban on Native American mascots and team names, despite threats from the Trump administration to withhold federal funding.
Instead, they suggested in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education last week that they could extend the list of banned names and mascots to other racial or ethnic groups that the department deems offensive.
Record performance on the big stage
Jamesville-DeWitt senior Jackson Saroney saved his best for last this week, posting the lowest score in tournament history to capture the NYSPHSAA boys golf championship at Mill Creek Golf Club in Section 5.
Saroney, a Penn State recruit, followed his opening-round 67 with a 65 on Monday to finish at 10-under-par 132 and a six-stroke victory. The previous 36-hole record was 134 set by Joey Sindelar of Horseheads in 1976. Sindelar went on to a lengthy career on the PGA Tour.
C.J. Strong of Albany CBA and Joe Carey of Yorktown tied for second at 138.
Saroney, who placed fourth in the 2023 tournament, recorded 12 birdies and just two bogeys over 36 holes.
"I felt like the last two days I had a really good game plan of playing aggressive, but really smart to try to avoid bogeys, and I missed it in a lot of the right spots, and I had a lot of really good shots and I putted it really well," Saroney said. "I had a really good game plan. I was super, super prepared. So that's kind of what helped me not make many bogeys at all."
Awards
Two right-handed pitchers have earned state player of the year recognition from Gatorade.
Poly Prep senior Miguel Sime earned the honor in baseball for leading his team into the NYSAIS playoffs with a 5-2 record, 1.13 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 49 1/3 regular-season innings.
In softball, Bath senior Kaili Witherall was recognized for piling up a 15-3 record and 0.73 ERA entering the NYSPHSAA playoffs, fanning 206 batters in 105 innings. She also posted a .552 batting average.
NYC stadium deal triggers pushback
New York City's Department of Education is under fire for spending $4 million on an athletic field overhaul in Brooklyn and then turning over control of the facility to an all-boys school after it had previously been used by several PSAL girls soccer teams.
The New York Post reported the arrangement benefiting Eagle Academy for Young Men II in East Flatbush is under federal scrutiny for an alleged violation of Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in public schools.
Girls varsity soccer teams from nearby Medgar Evers College Prep, Wingate and Prospect Heights high schools previously used the space for practice and home games. The Eagle Academy campus is two miles away.
Critics also point to the fact the Eagle Academy was founded by former schools Chancellor David Banks.
"Once the facility was transferred to them, they basically said, 'It's ours,'" said Medgar Evers coach Ruslan Yakovlyuk. "My guess is that Mr. Banks gave it to them somehow. It's all politics."
Banks did not respond to a request for comment.
