Thank you for visiting NewYorkSportswriters.org, the online home of the New York State Sportswriters Association.

   I'll be posting various observations and from time to time answering some of your e-mails on this page in between my full-time job at DemocratandChronicle.com in Rochester and my efforts to add more content to this site.

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005

   Congratulations go out to the more than 200 players selected to the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports all-state soccer team. The 20th annual all-star team was assembled by girls soccer editor Perry Novak.

   Ashley Riggs of Cicero-North Syracuse (Section 3) and Kerry Jacobs of Massapequa (8) share the Class A coach of the year honors. Other honored coaches are Judi Croutier of Rockville Center South Side (8) in A, Tom Farrell of Mattituck (11) in B, Jackie Blake of Stillwater (2) in C and Burt Reed of Downsville (4) in D.

   There was also one set of co-players of the year, with Marissa Viola of Mattituck (11) and Marisa Abbott of Tamarac (2) sharing Class B honors. The other top picks are Gina DiMartino of Massapequa (80) in Aa, Melissa Gimpel of Rockville Center South Side (8) in A, Caroline Bonepath of Woodmere (AIS) in C and Megan Gee of Arkport (5) in D.

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005

   Congratulations to the New Yorkers on the 2005 NSCAA/adidas All-America Soccer team, announced recently on the soccer coaches' web site. They'll be invited to the annual awards ceremony Jan. 21 in Philadelphia.

   The boys selections are Peter Hill (Pittsford Mendon, sr., D), Ben Arikian (West Islip, sr., M), Wilbur Bonilla (Brentwood, jr., M), Alex Johnson (Niskayuna, sr., M) and David Piedrahita (White Plains, sr., M).

   New York girls being honored are Hannah Cerrone (R.C. Ketcham, jr., M), Gina DiMartino (Massapequa, sr., M), Ashley Moore (Shenendehowa, sr., F), Marci Pasenello (Honeoye Falls-Lima, sr., F) and Jessica Remmes (Grand Island, sr., F).

   Flashing back to the Dec. 3 blog item about active dynasties, reader Barry Bresky nominates Rockville Centre South Side girls soccer, which has 11 state championships in the last 16 years. Fair enough. Add them to the list alongside West Genesee boys lacrosse, Christ The King girls basketball and Saratoga girls cross country. We'll figure out a way to put the issue to a vote at a later date, but more nominations are encouraged in the interim.

   USA Track & Field President Bill Roe handed out his organizations President's Awards last week. Individuals on the list included Dr. Norbert Sander, president of the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York City, and Cedric Walker, who has served on several national team staffs in between coaching numerous Rochester-area high school athletes.

Monday, Dec. 5, 2005

   There but for the grace of God go we. That's the best way to sum up the mess in Oklahoma, where the high school football championships are being played out this week in court rather than on the field.

   State Supreme Court is expected to rule tomorrow whether Shawnee QB Tucker Brown, suspended for kicking an opponent 19 seconds from the end of a state quarterfinal, should be reinstated for the twice-delayed semifinals.

   Brown's action was a retaliation for being roughed up as he attempted to kneel down and run out the clock in the Nov. 19 game. He was ejected, which triggers a two-game suspension. Brown's mother challenged the punishment and won the first round in district court. The governor, a Shawnee graduate, is siding with the QB as the player's attorney argues that the rule in the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association handbook is worded in such a way that it applies only to playoff games if the player came off the bench to fight.

   The attorney also says the rules don't allow for playoff games to be postponed indefinitely. Instead, schools must decide whether to use players at the risk of forfeiting later. This opens the door to schools being stripped of championships well after the fact similar to how I'm confident Vanderbilt will some day get a retroactive berth to a Sugar Bowl from the late 1990s as the result of NCAA and Southeastern Conference investigations into the eight teams above the Commodores in the final standings.

   Why should you care? Well, try reading through the New York State Public High School Athletic Association handbook. Though it covers a lot of ground, it's hardly a perfect document. Take an ambitious lawyer and an activist-style judge interested in doing what's "right" rather than what's written and you can just envision chaos coming soon to a tournament near you.

Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005

   Congratulations to the Saratoga boys for their unexpected triumph Saturday in the Nike Team Nationals cross country meet. The Streaks are frequently overshadowed by the distaff half of the program, but they've had their share of success in the last decade. It's nice, though, that they finally get some time in the spotlight.

   On the girls side, Hilton finally toppled the Saratoga girls by leading the elite field from start to finish. It's been well documented how Hilton standout senior Amanda Griggs had to fight through a foot injury for much of the last month, and she came up big by hanging on for 12th place.

   By the way, I watched the webcast of the race and was struck by a few things:

• A week of rain left the course a mess. Runners were plodding through small ponds rather than puddles. No truth to the rumor the race was held under a small craft advisory.
• The course was tricked up with bales of hay and man-made moguls, much the way you would expect a motocross course to look.
• The automated scoring, done with chips tied into the runners' shoelaces, added a cool dimension to racing. The computers were spilling out standings after every 1,000 meters.

   Niagara Falls and Buffalo St. Joe's were scheduled to play the final of the Lockport boys basketball tournament in an empty gym last night. There was a fight in the parking lot after Friday's semifinal doubleheader, and Lockport officials didn't want to take any chances.

   Kevin Devaney Jr. of The Journal News did a nice story and multimedia piece last week on tryouts for the Mount Vernon boys basketball team. The three three-minute videos, shot during the final days of tryouts, added a lot to the story as dozens of young men made bids for the final three spots on the roster.

   If you don't know the story of Aquinas' Don Holleder, a fallen hero in the Vietnam War, check out the Philadelphia Inquirer preview of the Army-Navy game.

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005

   We assume the conspiracy theorists will be out in full force now that the story of an alleged alcohol violation by a star athlete at Geneva is out there for public consumption.

   There will be much flapping of lips about who knew what before the Panthers took on Amsterdam for the state Class A football title and whether the young man should have played.

   School officials indicate that they only became aware of the full story in the aftermath of the game. Considering that the player was ticketed on the Wednesday of Thanksgiving holiday week and that there was no school on Thursday and Friday, it seems plausible. The Finger Lakes Times reports that a school official and school board members discussed a football-related issue on Saturday shortly before the game; I'd have a hard time finding fault with them if they decided at that time that they needed another 48 hours or so to sort out the facts.

   For those who want to bash Coach/AD Dave Whitcomb, hear this: I've known him for more than 20 years. If he chose to put winning above ethics in that case, it would definitely be a first. That's not the way that man works.

   OK, let's throw this one out there and open the debate: Who has the best in-progress New York sports dynasty, Saratoga girls cross country, Christ The King girls basketball or West Genesee boys lacrosse? The subject popped up last week briefly on the Syracuse.com forums and was the subject of some press box discussion during the football finals. My vote is for Saratoga.