Leading off today: You've got to give Doug McClaine credit for trying, I suppose.

   The Times Union reported this morning that the Times Union Center in Albany, where McClaine is assistant general manager, is bidding for the three-year contract to host the Federation basketball tournaments beginning in 2011.

   Besides Albany, there are expected to be formal bids and presentations Jan. 20 made by Binghamton, Long Island and Glens Falls -- which has been the event host since 1981.

   "We are the most centrally located of the four," McClaine told the newspaper. "Glens Falls has had it a long time. We know it is going to be a bit of a challenge to get it away from there, but we feel we have an excellent bid."

   Here's hoping the Albany bid is based on something more compelling than an alleged central location. Jamesville-DeWitt, Iona Prep and Newburgh Free Academy were the "closest" of the 11 boys teams that competed last year in Glens Falls, which is figuratively just up the street from Albany. Nanuet and Newark were the closest thing the 10-school girls field had to "hometown" representation.

   The Federation field has long been dominated by metro New York City schools if for no reason than the fact that's where the PSAL and many of the CHSAA and AIS teams are located. Those are three of the four organizations that comprise the Federation field.

   Here's hoping that Long Island pulls together a decent presentation and wins an overdue opportunity to host, saving a lot of schools some travel time at the end of a long, cold season.

   King of the mat: Beacon senior Ryan Tompkins has had a nice week. First, he signed a letter of intent to attend West Point in the fall. And then yesterday he picked up career victory No. 193 to become the winningest wrestler in Section 1 history.

   Tompkins won a pair of 152-pound matches via pins in duals against Arlington and Roy C. Ketcham to pass Joe Mazzurco, who won 192 matches for Mahopac before graduating to 2001.

   "It's nice to be at the top because I've been chasing that record for a while," Tompkins told The Poughkeepsie

Journal. "It was in the back of my head, but I have to just focus on wrestling the rest of the season."

   Life at the top: Defenseman Ryan Michel’s two goals and two assists lifted unbeaten and No. 1 state-ranked West Genesee to a 4-0 victory over No. 5 Ithaca in boys ice hockey.

   It was the 10th straight win for the Wildcats.

   The first set of rankings from the New York State Sportswriters Association can be found here.

   Girls basketball: Eastridge pulled one of the biggest surprises in recent Section 5 history by posting a 54-53 upset of Pittsford Mendon, which was coming off Friday’s upset of No. 9 Pittsford Sutherland. Democrat and Chronicle reporter Jeff Di Veronica blogged that it's an indication that there is no "super” girls basketball team in Section 5 this winter.

   Watkins Glen sophomore Taylor Chaffee scored 26 points and grabbed 24 rebounds to beat Odessa-Montour 53-48.

   R-H boys stay perfect: Juniors Mandell Thomas and Ashton Broyld combined for 43 points as Rush-Henrietta improved to 4-0 with an 87-77 victory vs. 2009 state quarterfinalist Greece Athena.

   Thomas scored 13 and Broyld nine in the fourth quarter for the Royal Comets. John Wallace scored 26 points for Athena, which cut a 16-point deficit to three in the third quarter.

   Former coach arrested: Alexander science teacher Mark R. Hamilton, 49, was arrested and accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student, The Daily News reported.

   The Genesee County Sheriff's Office said Hamilton was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, official misconduct and forcible touching, all misdemeanors. The alleged incidents occurred between January and October of this year.

   Hamilton coached the girls basketball team at Batavia from at least 2000 through the end of last season. He was arraigned last night in Alexander Town Court.