Saturday, August 31, 2002
Milford coach wins No. 100
It might have happened a year too late for his liking, but Milford girls soccer coach Lorin Campbell earned his 100th career victory.
Future of baseball still in trouble
The date is Aug. 30, 2032. My 7-year-old grandson turns on the 3-D ultra-receptor 5000 and voice commands it to ESPN-17. It is airing a program that takes a historical look at the death of Major League Baseball. When the program breaks for an anti-gravity cruiser ad, the boy and I strike up a conversation.
Pickford pitches Tigers to victory
Troy Pickford continued his dominant pitching at Damaschke Field, holding Mahoning Valley scoreless over seven innings in the Oneonta Tigers' 5-0 victory Friday. Pickford took a perfect game into the sixth inning. He retired the first 16 Mahoning Valley batters before giving up a single by Andrew Baxter with one out in the sixth.
2002 High school updates
Morris Central announced soccer coaching changes for the 2002 season Friday. Julene Waffle, an English teacher at Morris, takes over the girls soccer program.
You said it
I always enjoy reading Jim Hamilton's column when I visit my family in Oneonta. I am a serious baseball fan and I find Jim to be wrong in very interesting ways.
Case could be made for many war veterans to be elected
Since Monday is not only Labor Day, which is irrelevant to my present purpose, but V-J Day, it is time for another of my columns linking baseball and the military. And, since V-J Day is associated directly with World War II, I figured the context should be about WWII veterans connected somehow with baseball.
Darlington ranks as Burton's favorite
In the last five Southern 500s at historic Darlington Raceway, Jeff Burton has a victory (1999) and three second-place finishes. He also won the spring race there in 1999.
Davenport boys top Unatego in OT; SK wins
Chris Weston converted a cross from John Lorber midway through the second overtime Friday as Davenport won a first-round boys soccer game over Unatego, 3-2, in the Edmeston Tournament.
Oneonta state roundup
Alissa Karcz had two goals and an assist to lead Oneonta State to a season-opening 3-1 victory over Montclair State (N.J.) in the Adidas Kickoff Classic on Friday in Massachusetts.
Hartwick college roundup
Hartwick College opened its men's soccer season with a 3-3 tie Friday against Coastal Carolina in the Virginia Commonwealth University Nike/Alltel Classic at Richmond, Va. Captain Neil McLean scored twice in the second half to rally Hartwick from a 3-1 halftime deficit.
Friday, August 30, 2002
Three veteran coaches quit; Sandford back
In an offseason that saw three of the last five Daily Star Coaches of the Year in girls soccer step down, the biggest icon of 'em all is back.
Lowell routs O-Tigers
Lowell had 15 hits and left 17 men on base in a 10-1 romp of the Oneonta Tigers on Wednesday in the New York-Penn League. All the Spinners' runs were earned, including five off Oneonta starter Jeremy Lewis (3-3), whose outing lasted two innings.
It may be early for bear hunting, but it beats work
I received an invitation to hunt bears in Maine this week. It would have been fun, but I've been on bear hunts nearly two dozen times. My biggest concern hunting this early would be the quality of the hide.
Veteran 'Wick soccer team opens season today
Hartwick College certainly appears to be taking the Atlantic Soccer Conference seriously this fall. The Hawks, who return nine starters to their men's soccer team, have eight 2002 opponents who reached the NCAA Division I Tournament last fall.
Thursday, August 29, 2002
Christman's stacks up to best and worst
TOWN OF ASHLAND — The rows upon rows of evergreens stacked high in the Catskill Mountains provided a stadium-like atmosphere. It was almost like the trees were BUY.ROB Tour fans and each one overlooking Christman's Windham House had a perfect vantage point Wednesday.
O-State opens season Friday
Oneonta State opens its 2002 fall schedule Friday, highlighted by home events for the volleyball and field hockey teams.
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Oneonta hit hard in ninth
The Lowell Spinners singled out Ross Koenig on Tuesday, scoring twice on four hits in the ninth inning to beat the visiting Oneonta Tigers, 2-1. Koenig, who relieved Rikki Johnston in the ninth, allowed a one-out double to Addison Bowman and three consecutive two-out singles as he fell to 2-3 this season.
Eagle leads B-G
Jamie Patten eagled the 11th hole en route to an even-par 36 on the back nine at Afton Golf Club, leading Bainbridge-Guilford to a 200-216 victory over Greene on Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
Connolly leads O-Tigers to victory
Oneonta High graduate Jon Connolly allowed two earned runs over six innings to get the victory Monday as the visiting Oneonta Tigers defeated the Vermont Expos, 5-4.
Prep season opens today
Area high school sports awaken from their summer-long slumber today as two golf matches mark the beginning of the 2002 fall season.
Monday, August 26, 2002
Oneonta renews deal with Detroit
Damaschke Field will be the home to the Detroit Tigers' young minor leaguers through at least the 2004 season.
Tigers win, 4-3
Chris Maples and Kevin McDonald each hit two-run home runs in a four-run fourth inning to lead the Oneonta Tigers to a 4-3 victory at Vermont on Sunday.
Saturday, August 24, 2002
Game is getting old fast
"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more." That line, spoken by actor Peter Finch in the 1976 movie Network, enabled Finch to make cinematic history; he was the first person to be honored with an Academy Award posthumously.
Tigers clinch Stedler
ONEONTA — The manner in which the Oneonta Tigers clinched the New York-Penn League's Stedler Division speaks volumes about their season.
Former sprint car champion still searching for first victory
Little by little, Dave Blaney and his Winston Cup cars have shown improvement. But the progress has been too slow for his taste. As a former sprint car champion, he surely didn't expect to still be looking for his first top-five finish after 98 races.
Seniors Open coming to Cooperstown on Sept. 3-6
The 20th annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open and Pro-Am Golf Tournament is set for Sept. 3-6 at the par-72 Leatherstocking Golf Course in Cooperstown.
Friday, August 23, 2002
Catching a big pickerel brings back memories
Earlier this week, I joined a friend for a morning of fishing on Goodyear Lake. We launched a boat at the trailer park in Portlandville, hoping to catch a few big bass by the time the sun blazed high in the sky.
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Allec rejoins Tigers
The Oneonta Tigers kept moving on their day off Wednesday as three players joined the leaders of New York-Penn League's Stedler Division. Catcher Jason Allec returns to Oneonta, where he started his professional baseball career in June.
The ugly side of the BUY.ROB Tour comes out at Cee Jay
LAURENS — Apple, car and putter. Those notes appeared on my scorecard Wednesday for the BUY.ROB Tour's stop at Cee Jay Golf Course in Laurens. Apple appeared on the 10th hole, car on the 11th and putter on No. 15.
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
Bellinger continues solid play
Oneonta native Clay Bellinger has been solid this season for Triple-A Salt Lake City. Solid enough to earn a call-up from the Anaheim Angels when they can expand their roster from 25 to 40 on Sept. 1?
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Lack of offense costs Tigers in loss
The Oneonta Tigers offense abandoned Jon Connolly on Monday night, producing four hits in a 5-0 New York-Penn League loss to the host Staten Island Yankees.
Monday, August 19, 2002
Iron victory is no sweat
SPRINGFIELD — Some may sweat just thinking about the training regimen of Cooperstown triathlete Schatzi Hall. Her come-from-behind victory Sunday at the 20th annual Glimmerglass Triathlon seemed like no sweat at all, though.
Torrey wins 5th amateur
Four consecutive pars Sunday at the Leatherstocking Golf Course led Oneonta resident Steve Torrey to his fifth Otsego County Amateur Golf championship.
O-Tigers top Staten Island
Ross Koenig struck out four in three innings of relief and Curtis Granderson had two RBIs in the Oneonta Tigers' 4-2 New York-Penn League victory Sunday at Staten Island.
Saturday's Oneonta Tigers game
The Lowell Spinners scored seven runs over the final two innings off four Oneonta relievers to beat the Tigers, 11-7, Saturday in the finale of the teams' five-game series.
Hartwick names water polo asst.
Hartwick recently named former water polo standout Megan Thomson an assistant for the Division I program, the college announced Sunday.
Saturday, August 17, 2002
Tigers blast Lowell
ONEONTA — Go figure. From one run on three hits to 25 runs on 23 hits in one night for the Oneonta Tigers.
Time to give O-Tigers a hand
It was an honest mistake. See Friday's edition of The Daily Star, top story on Page 13, second sentence of paragraph six. Yours truly, reporting on the Oneonta Tigers' 2-1 loss Thursday night to the Lowell Spinners, wrote: "Lowell leads, 2-1, in the best-of-five series, which concludes Saturday night."
Gordon approaching one of The Intimidator's records
Jeff Gordon, who has finished 53 consecutive races since Darlington's spring event in 2001, is 14 races from matching a season mark set by Dale Earnhardt in 1997.
Friday, August 16, 2002
O-Tigers fall short again in 2-1 loss
ONEONTA — The Oneonta Tigers couldn't swing a victory Thursday night at Damaschke Field. Come to think of it, they didn't swing much at all.
Fish are sluggish in warm weather
The sun beats down relentlessly, making it too hot to do anything. As temperatures rise above 95 and humidity increases accordingly, it's no wonder we call it the dog days of summer.
Otsego Amateur starts Saturday at Oneonta CC
Two-time defending champion Bruce Miller heads a field of 25 players who'll vie for the Atchinson Cup this weekend in the Otsego County Golf Amateur.
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Lowell nips O-Tigers, 6-5
ONEONTA — It ain't over until Kevin McDonald says it is. "It's not over until we get that little star next to our team," said catcher McDonald, whose Oneonta Tigers failed to tighten its vice-like grip on the Stedler Division's top spot Wednesday after a 6-5 loss to the Lowell Spinners.
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Romprey rallies O-Tigers
ONEONTA — The last three innings of Tuesday's New York-Penn League game provided excellent examples of why the Oneonta Tigers have the best record in the league.
Carr a quick pick for 'Wick
Hartwick College made quick work of searching for a head football coach, putting assistant head coach Mark Carr in charge Tuesday. Carr replaces former boss Steve Stetson, who announced July 25 that he had accepted the assistant head coaching position with University of New Hampshire football program.
Walton, Delhi football get a little closer
Contraction is not just limited to baseball. For the second consecutive season, Division V of the Section Four Football Conference has lost a team. The division that includes powerhouses Walton and Delhi is down to four teams as Seton Catholic Central moved to Division IV to play as a Class B school.
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
Oneonta outslugs Tri-City
TROY - The Oneonta Tigers are likely sad to say goodbye to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
Monday, August 12, 2002
One last blast from the past
Soon, a new scholastic sports season will be upon us. But before looking ahead, let's reflect. The 2001-2002 season was one that will not soon be forgotten by this reporter.
Patient O-Tigers beat Cats, 6-3
TROY — Oneonta attacked with patience Sunday. Curtis Granderson went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and the Tigers turned four walks into runs during a 6-3 victory over the Tri-City ValleyCats.
Saturday, August 10, 2002
Basketball treats Mattingly to European vacation
Basketball has been good to Courtney Mattingly. It allowed her to experience a run to the state finals as a senior at Bainbridge-Guilford. It's giving her an education at St. Bonaventure at no cost. And now, it's providing her with an all-expense paid trip to Europe.
Connolly finds a way to win
ONEONTA — Jon Connolly didn't have his Grade-A stuff, the Oneonta Tigers committed three errors and they didn't hit particularly well.
Struggling driver Nadeau is full of it
Every once in a while someone tells such a colossal fib I wind up spitting out my corn flakes in disbelief. Since I'm almost always eating, that's quite common.
Fred Lynn was good, but certainly not Boston's best
In a recent column I mentioned a Red Sox fan who claimed to have seen every home game the Sox had played since about 1912, and claimed that Fred Lynn was the best ballplayer he had ever seen.
Friday, August 9, 2002
Tigers bounce back with 4-2 victory
ONEONTA — That's more like it. One day after a sloppy, eight-run loss to the Tri-City ValleyCats, the Oneonta Tigers played like the team that owns the best record in the New York-Penn League on Thursday.
Hunting travels provide scares
Over the years I've been fortunate to hunt across the wilderness of North America. From Alaska and Colorado to Maine and New Brunswick, and north to Ungava Bay, the road has wound through some funny and breathtaking experiences.
Thursday, August 8, 2002
Tri-City sticks it to O-Tigers
ONEONTA — The Oneonta Tigers carried a big stick Wednesday night at Damaschke Field. Too bad for them it was the ugly stick.
Area golf Wednesday, August 7, 2002
Mendez switch leads to victory
ONEONTA — Victor Mendez said he wasn't happy with his move from the leadoff spot in the Oneonta Tigers' batting order to No. 7. But there's no doubting the Tigers' speedy center fielder's fortune has changed since the switch.
Christman mows 'em down
Oneonta High graduate Tim Christman retired six straight batters Tuesday night, leading the Portland Sea Dogs to a 4-1 Eastern League baseball victory over the host Binghamton Mets.
Tuesday, August 6, 2002
O-Tigers fall to Tri-City
ONEONTA — The Oneonta Tigers were missing something Monday night at Damaschke Field. Make that a couple of things.
Monday, August 5, 2002
Connolly stymies Lowell
Oneonta High graduate Jon Connolly pitched seven strong innings to lead the visiting Oneonta Tigers to a 5-1 victory over the Lowell Spinners on Sunday.
Central field hockey is golden
SYRACUSE — First, Central's girls scholastic field hockey team burst Adirondack's balloon. Then they got to play with a few after the final horn sounded. Sunday's gold-medal game saw Central beat the Albany-area team, 3-0, in workmanlike fashion.
Marcelo Balboa coming to Soccer Hall
Marcelo Balboa, a defender on three United States World Cup teams, will visit the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta on Tuesday.
Granderson leads Oneonta to victory
Curtis Granderson went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs to lead the visiting Oneonta Tigers to an 11-4 victory over the Lowell Spinners on Saturday.
Empire State Games roundup
Sean Whittaker, who'll be a senior at Delhi this fall, scored five points, but Central Region lost to Hudson Valley, 75-65, Sunday in the scholastic boys bronze medal game at the Empire State Games. Oneonta High senior-to-be Geoff Bean and Sharon Springs senior-to-be Evan Lane both played but did not score for the Central team.
Saturday, August 3, 2002
Lane plays big in loss
SYRACUSE — The Central Men's Scholastic basketball team still has a chance. Central's medal hopes at the Empire State Games dimmed somewhat Friday after falling at the overtime buzzer to Adirondack, 73-71.
O-Tigers lose to Brooklyn, 1-0
Winning pitcher Jason Scobie limited the Oneonta Tigers to one hit over 6 2/3 innings, leading the Brooklyn Cyclones to a 1-0 victory Friday in a game shortened because of rain.
Masters excel to win medals at ESGs
Three area masters athletes earned gold Friday at the 2002 Empire State Games in Syracuse and Cortland, with Cooperstown's Douglas Geertgens leading the way as a two-time winner.
Oneonta Legion baseball season ends
Oneonta Post 259's American Legion baseball season ended Tuesday with a 6-4 loss to Canastota in the District 6 Tournament at Conlon Field in Binghamton.
Hall members have an alphabet's worth of strange facts
A thought recently occurred to me: Why not do a column on relatively obscure facts about Hall of Fame members? And, as a corollary, use the alphabet as a format? So here goes.
Elliott making most of second chance given by Evernham
Considering that Bill Elliott was car owner Ray Evernham's third choice to drive the No. 9 Dodge when the team took shape late in the 2000 season, being ninth in points isn't so bad.
Friday, August 2, 2002
Hunters helped by law changes
Some hunting laws have finally been changed for the better. The Super Sportsman License is going to be available in a few weeks. This new permit covers just about everything — big game, small game, bow hunting, muzzleloading, turkeys and fishing.
O-Tigers can't solve Cyclones pitcher
Brandon Kentner struck the visiting Oneonta Tigers hard Thursday night in front of 8,201 fans at KeySpan Park. Reliever Kentner keyed the Brooklyn Cyclones' 3-2 victory over Oneonta with inning-ending strikeouts in the eighth and ninth of the New York-Penn League game.
Bainbridge wrestler wins two at Games
Bainbridge resident Tyler Mumbulo won his first two scholastic freestyle wrestling matches for the Central team Thursday at the Empire State Games in Syracuse and Cortland.
TCGA event starts at OCC on Saturday
Staff Report Some of the area's best golfers will compete in the John Grandeo Open — a Triple Cities Golf Association event — Saturday at the Oneonta Country Club.
Thursday, August 1, 2002
O-Tigers power past Brooklyn, 9-2
Curtis Granderson hit a three-run triple during a seven-run fourth inning that carried the visiting Oneonta Tigers to a 9-2 victory over Brooklyn Cyclones on Wednesday.
Bellinger raises his average .271
Oneonta High graduates Clay Bellinger and Mike Connolly have continued their productive minor-league seasons. Bellinger has raised his batting average to .271 for the Salt Lake Stingers of the Pacific Coast League and Connolly has improved to 5-3 on the mound for the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Class A Carolina League.
BUY.ROB Tour channels in to discover impressive course in Roxbury
ROXBURY — 'Twas a day of discovery at Shephard Hills Golf Club. The BUY.ROB Tour found perhaps the best nine-hole course this area has to offer; the tour's namesake rediscovered his swing, and two players discovered they could function on less than three hours of sleep.
Ceremonies heat up Empire State Games
SYRACUSE — "It's really overwhelming." For a girl with numerous state titles and two state Player of the Year awards to her credit, that seemed like an odd statement to make. But Afton's Kris Kelly sounded sincere in her assessment of the opening ceremonies for the 25th annual Empire State Games Wednesday night.
