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Sports Editor’s Playbook, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012

Pat — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:52:22 +0000

During my sophomore year of college, I took a required business course, statistics. As I remember it, I think I was about the only one in the class who actually enjoyed finagling formulas to complete statistical analyses. Little did I know 20-plus years ago that statistics would be part of my job description. And I still love the computations. Thanks to my friend Greg Bonczkowski (Norwich teacher and Unatego basketball coach), who already inputted the proper formulas, I use a formatted spreadsheet to tally scoring averages, free throw percentage, and anything else numerical that I think is necessary. The process is fun for me as I enter the numbers for each player, and then look to the far right as the average constantly changes. Another one of my friends called me a “sports geek.” Yes, the shoe indeed fits in this case. The number of games is slowing down as the playoffs near, and I was able to not only update scoring averages Wednesday, but also peruse free throw shooting numbers and three-pointers made. Through Tuesday, Feb. 7 games, Unadilla Valley’s Justin Hofer (19.6/game) and Ryan Porter (B-G, 18.2/game) lead the boys’ scoring. On the girls’ side, B-G senior Shania Vandermark is averaging a county-best 15.4 points, while UV junior Jordan Anderson is a close second at 14.9 points per game. For three-pointers, Norwich junior Kyle Edwards has 44 makes, eight more than runner-up Jeff Carlin of Greene. On the ladies’ side, Greene’s Kaitlin Gorton has 32 three balls in 15 games, while Sabrina Brooks of G-MU has 25 treys with one game left to play. In the free throw shooting department, Sherburne-Earlville senior Cassie Beaver is draining a nifty 83.3 percent of her attempts. Norwich senior Dennis Oralls leads the boys at 80.8 percent.

The Section III and Section IV Division II wrestling tournaments begin Friday afternoon. I will have the top-four seeds in each weight class listed in our Friday sports section, and if the number one seeds hold, we could have as many as eight Chenango County wrestlers heading to Albany for the state tournament. Top-seeded Section IV wrestlers from the area are Joe Nelson, Oxford (99); Tristan Rifanburg, Norwich (126); Dan Dickman, Greene (152); Mike Beckwith, Greene (160); Keegan Cerwinski, Greene (182); and Kyle Stanton, Greene (220). From Section III, Sherburne-Earlville’s Spencer Franklin (120) and Cody Santiago (220) are the top seeds in Division II.

Getting back to free throw shooting, I was surprised at the slow start of UV junior Amanda Off. She was a good free throw shooter last year (around 70 percent), so when she was barely above 50 percent through the first five games of the season, I took notice. Off is a returning second team Chenango County all-star who put up 15.3 points per game as a sophomore. I expected better, and over the last 10 games, Off has seldom been “off.” Over the last 10 games, she is hitting free throws at an 82 percent clip to pull her seasonal average to 71 percent, the best on her team and among the best in Chenango County…Oralls, as we noted above, tops the area boys in free throws, and he made 21 straight charity tosses over the previous four games before missing on his fifth attempt last Friday against Owego.

Bainbridge-Guilford’s girls basketball team has enjoyed a great deal of success under longtime coach Bob Conway. The boys? Not so much, until this year. In a season of firsts, B-G clinched its first MAC playoff berth since the 2005-2006 season, and not coincidentally, that was the last time the Bobcats sported a winning record. In the last month, B-G ended two winless droughts. The first was the team’s first victory over Oxford in six years. A week and a half ago, the Bobcats ended an even longer drought defeating local rival Sidney for the first time in 21 years. “People around town have said we have had talent,” said B-G first-year coach Greg Warren. “The biggest thing was getting them to believe in themselves. In the early part of the season when we lost some close games, we spent a lot of time breaking it down and looking at the positives in everything we were doing, and building on those. Now they believe. It’s not arrogance, but (the players) now believe they can compete in any game they are in.” Since a 1-3 start, B-G has won 11 of 13 games, and meets Unatego Tuesday in the MAC Tournament semifinals.

Follow me on Twitter @evesunpat

Editor’s Notebook: 2/8/12

Jeff — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:26:41 +0000

• So “tomorrow” turned into “Wednesday,” but here it is – Blog # 217! Woohoo! Why the uncharacteristic use of exclamation points, you ask? Well, as an astute reader pointed out to me (I honestly forgot our website tracked such things), I have now surpassed the much-missed Melissa Stagnaro as The Evening Sun’s most prolific blogger. Trust me, it’s a milestone only in our own minds, but Melissa would appreciate my gloating. Competitive girl, she was.

• Shawn’s story today made me want to break down and finally try out the Caboose diner in downtown Norwich. Sounds like owner/chef/chief bottle washer Kris Passafiume has done a great job with the place. I still have misty, water-colored (or, more likely, smoke-clouded) memories of Millie’s, the restaurant’s storied predecessor. Like the honey badger of recent YouTube fame, Millie didn’t take no *@%^. Especially when you were young, loud, obnoxious and drunk at 2 a.m. after having just stumbled out of Smitty’s. Believe me, I know. But damn I miss those over-easies.

• Congratulations to my friend Karen Sastri, the NBT exec recently elected to the New York State United Way’s Board of Directors. See, Karen? Told you I wouldn’t embellish your biography Nice to see Chenango being represented well on the state level!

Truly Giants, the GOP, Hollywood and Hendrix

brian — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:03:04 +0000

Ah, yes, that wonderful feeling of knowing one has bragging rights for an entire year, as my beloved New York Giants pulled out a ridiculously sweet victory Sunday night over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

What can I say? I’m giddy.

In other news, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum pulled out a surprising three-state victory over fellow GOP hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. I think I’ll file this one away in the “I-could-really-care-less-because-none-of-you-will-get-my-vote” cabinet. Sorry, but the thought of Santorum, Romney or Gingrich in the White House is simply … terrifying.

Thank the stars Bachmann and Palin never made it this far … I shudder to even consider the possible ramifications for our country.

As for me, I’m thinking I’d better start saving my pennies considering the absolute whopper-esque number of motion pictures coming this way that must be seen in the theater, as far as I’m concerned. “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “The Dark Night Rises,” “The Amazing Spider-man,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Prometheus,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (in 3-D),” “Battleship,” “The Hunger Games,” “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” the list goes on and on (and on). With those I just listed (ten films in all), I’m guessing I’ll need to save up at least $1,175 for tickets, popcorn, soda, nachos and other snacks.

Going to the movies just isn’t the same nowadays, is it?

On a personal note, I’m looking forward to getting out there this weekend and playing some guitar. Besides the most recent Master Thieves’ studio session and a shortish, hour-and-a-half “acoustic” performance at the Bohemian Moon, I can’t remember the last time I picked up the good ol’ Stratocaster and cut loose. And speaking of Stratocasters, my stepfather recently threw me an extensive selection of Jimi Hendrix recordings that I can’t wait to sit down and … err … experience. All I can say is that I’ve had Jimi on the brain lately. In fact, I almost used the legendary guitarist as my topic for today’s column.

Oh well, there’s always next week (or maybe tomorrow … don’t be late).

Twists and turns …

julian — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:25:55 +0000

Wow, what a weekend.

Friday began like any other but took a series unexpected twists and turns throughout the day. That afternoon, Jeff, Brian and I made our way down to Oxford to pay our respects to the father of former Evening Sun staff writer Melissa Stagnaro.

I didn’t know Fred Stagnaro, but I knew his daughter and if the hard-work, dedication and loyalty she possesses is any indication, I’m sure he was a great man.

Friday continued to catch me by surprise as I received a text message from someone I met two weeks ago while out celebrating the end of another *cringe* Progress. And thus, around 9 p.m., a certain mild-mannered reporter found himself on his first date in two years.

I know what everyone is thinking: “But Julian, you’re so smart and handsome and funny (not to mention modest) you must go out all of the time!”

Alas, it is not true. In truth, my Fridays and Saturdays are usually spent with a few good friends playing music, cards or watching bad movies a la MST3K. (Megashark vs. Crocosaurus was an absolute tour de force … of putrescence.)

Anyway, as much as I know everyone is dying to hear the details, you’ll be waiting a long time. Jeez, go get your own date why don’t you? So nosy …

I will, however, say that I had a fantastic time and I really look forward to doing it again … but, this time maybe I can drive…;)

I would have been thoroughly pleased if that had been the only surprise over the weekend, but as it turned out, the fun was just beginning. While attacking the kitchen cabinets with an OCD-like drive to organize the various pastas, soups, rice (seven boxes, mom? Seriously?) and olive oils, I received a call from my best friend, and in fact very first friend after moving to Norwich in ‘99, asking if I had plans that night.

This took me by surprise as Belush moved to Maryland a few years ago, making our chances of hanging out fairly slim. However, he went on to explain that he had come into a little extra money and had every intention of jumping in the Belush-mobile and making the six hour trip to see yours truly.

It’s been one hell of a year so far and the notion of getting the chance to kick back with my closest confidant seemed about the greatest thing in the world. I said yes, he set off from Maryland, and I tried to pass the time without giggling like an inflated chipmunk.

Before he arrived, I had the chance to see Cordis and Lehrer Dance perform their show Kaleidoscopika at the Council of the Arts and I was very impressed. Honestly, the whole modern dance combined with dissonant, post-modern music isn’t really my thing. But the Council always finds interesting acts and I wanted to give these guys a chance.

I must say that it was worth it. Still not my favorite type of music/dance, but these guys were impressive, especially when taking into consideration this was only the second time the band and the dance troupe had performed together. I would definitely encourage everyone to check them out. Some will love it, some not so much … but it’s always worth broadening your horizons and musical understanding.

Anywho, immediately after the performance I was met outside by mi amigo who had brought gifts from the far-away place known as Maryland. The first was a pack of smokes (which cost him less than $6, argh) and the second, and much more exciting, was a four pack of Midas’ Touch. If you haven’t heard of this amazing brew, check it out. Go now and check. I’ll wait.

Oh good, you’re back. Isn’t that fantastic? Scientists actually analyzed samples of jars found in ancient tombs that at one time held wine, beer or liquor and have recreated it using the exact same ingredients used by the ancient Pharaohs or Kings or whatever.

Midas’ Touch was from a sample found in a town in Egypt and it … is … amazing. I’m not sure if it tastes so good just because I think it’s possibly the coolest scientific breakthrough since Lego Star Wars! Anyway …

We enjoyed those slowly (certainly not the cheapest beer) before making our way down to the bars.

Now, I’d like to mention briefly that within the last two weeks I’ve gone to the bar three times. Within the last four months I’ve gone to the bar … three times. Needless to say I’m already tired of them, not to mention broke. It can be a great time when you’re with your friends just kicking back. However, the drama and craziness of some people is off the charts and I learned last year how important it is to stay away from crazy …

Despite my disillusionment with the whole bar scene, my two closest friends and I had the chance to catch up, knock a few back and boogie down for the remainder of the night. It was most certainly memorable (which is often tough when Belush has a pocketful of cash and is in a spending mood) but we made it home safely and pleased with ourselves for no apparent reason.

However, it wasn’t until the next morning that we realized we may have left our friend passed out in a dozen wings at Denny’s but hey, there are always casualties of war, and the Battle of Belush’s Wallet vs. Wits was no different.

Dream of bleu cheese oceans, sweet prince, and may you wake in your own bed come morning.

Follow me on Twitter … @evesunjulian

Facebookitis and Happy Birthday Mr. Monopoly.

Shawn — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:15:29 +0000

I saw an interesting news report earlier today about Facebook and it’s addicting appeal. Apparently, new studies show that Facebook is as addicting, if not more addicting than tobacco and alcohol. Researchers are pointing to the fact that unlike tobacco and booze, Facebook is free, available almost anyplace at anytime and doesn’t come with the same governmental restrictions and social taboos as other addictive substances.

This brings interesting new questions to the table. What’s the cut-off for Facebookers and how much status updating is too much? What constitutes as Facebook withdrawal? Should there be a Facebook support group (I would say Facebook anonymous if it weren’t an oxymoron it itself)? And my favorite, is this a real problem?

The funny thing about Facebook addiction is that it’s only my generation, generation Y, that’s ever going to make claim to such a dumb addiction. Generation X – now there’s a generation that had real addictions: Sex, drugs and rock and roll – status updates were written in graffiti. Their parents never had to listen to lectures on the seriousness of cyberbullying, though if they did, I’m sure they would have had a blunt solution. “What? Cyber wha… Shut the computer off and go mow the lawn … go chop some firewood!”

As far as whether or not there really is such a thing as a Facebook addict (like big-foot, you don’t really believe in it but don’t want to say it doesn’t exist either), the idea of Facebook addiction easily meets 3 of the 4 symptoms of substance abuse criteria outlined in the DSM IV. Scary, huh? Even our Guru News Crew friends at CNN felt it was worth the time to highlight the seriousness of Facebook addiction in past stories and of course, they have a list of symptoms to convince people that they’re addicted; I’m still waiting for the prescription drug that cures the ailment (and if there really is a market for that, please let me know; I’ll happily invest or be the spokesman).

So, off my Facebook-I-got-a-problem-but-it’s-not-a-real-problem rant, today is the 77th anniversary of the board game Monopoly – a game that maintains a nail-biting excitement matched only by other rousing capitalist board games like The Landlord’s Game and Inflation. In celebration of the milestone, I’m going to start brainstorming ways to actually make the game fun.

Editor’s Notebook: 2/6/12

Jeff — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:39:17 +0000

• “Chenango sees double-digit sales tax increase.” Always nice to write a good news headline on a Monday. You’ll have to read the story to find out what the county treasurer attributes it to, of course. Or you can read only the headline, and come to the conclusion, as did one ‘30 Seconds’ poster, that “Sales tax is up because of Agro Farma. Duh. What a bunch of genius.” Indeed. Someone’s eating a hell of a lot of yogurt in Chenango County to cause a double-digit sales tax increase!

• Proud to say I did not follow the lemmings and watch the Super Bowl yesterday, even if just for the commercials. Or Madonna and M.I.A. Yikes. When was the last time we had a good, family-friendly halftime show that everybody liked? I say bag the whole thing next year and let the cheerleaders do a kickline or a pyramid or whatever cheerleaders normally do and call it a day.

• Before I devolve into yet another treatise on the weather, I’m going to call it quits for today. Tune in tomorrow for my 217th blog on evesun.com, surpassing, I must note, our all-time blogging champion, Melissa Stagnaro, who ended up with 216. I win!

Super Sunday and that Bill Murray movie.

Shawn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:51:44 +0000

I guess it wouldn’t be an appropriate blog without mentioning the Patriots / Giants game on Super Bowl Sunday. Since I’m not a big football fan myself, that’s enough said for me.

Anyone without day-long Super Bowl plans should consider checking out the Northeast Classic Car Museum this Sunday when they have a two-for-one special. They have some amazing things in that building and as a heads up, it’s much, much bigger than it looks on the outside. It’s a fun attraction and a good chance to get out of the house.

After taking a tour of Unison Industries yesterday, I’m still trying to wrap my head around some of the things they do. I watched employees assemble components no bigger than my finger nail but still a crucial piece of a larger temperature sensor that’s essential to keeping a plane in the air… that’s something to consider next time a see a plane flying overhead.

Temperatures are supposed to be back into the mid 30s this weekend, bidding this week’s 50 degree days a fond memory and we all have the groundhog to blame for it (but thank you weather, for once again being the topic of choice when I have nothing good in mind to write about). And speaking Groundhog Day, I didn’t get a chance yesterday to watch the Bill Murray movie and I’ll have to watch it tonight. You know the one I’m talking about – I just don’t know if I’m going to watch Ghostbusters one or two…

Editor’s Notebook: 2/3/12

Jeff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:21:25 +0000

• Friday seems to have worked out to be a good news/bad news kind of day, depending on your perspective. The county’s natural gas advisory committee all but gave up the ghost at a meeting earlier this week, deciding to meet half as much due to the lack of progress in the Marcellus Shale prospects in New York. On the good news front, Unison’s proudly declaring a sound, stable future in Chenango County for years to come, thanks to higher demand for its aerospace products and the success of its corporate owner, GE. That’s always good to hear.

• A shout out, again, to my unnamed friends at Chobani, who apparently read my blog a few installments back and sent me a case of their new flavors I’d lamented not having tried yet. I’ll be sure to do a taste test this weekend and report back

• On a similar note, I have never owned a Cadillac. Worth a shot.

• Headed over to the Arts Council tomorrow night for “Kaleidescopika” performance (hopefully that’s the last time I’ll have to try to spell that). Should be a good show … and a Members-only reception at the Bohemian Moon, to boot. Pays to be an arts supporter in this town, let me tell you!

• Got any plans for Super Bowl Sunday? … I don’t even know where I’m going with that. It’s Friday afternoon, and way too late to pretend to care about football.

• On a somber note, Brian, Julian and I just went down to Behe Funeral Home in Oxford for Fred Stagnaro’s calling hours. He was, of course, the father of our former colleague and dear friend, Melissa Stagnaro. Our hearts go out to you and your family, Melissa, and our deepest condolences on your loss.

Sports Editor’s Playbook, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012

Pat — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:59:40 +0000

Again, I must thank the late Tom Schwan for his diligence in keeping historical records of area basketball teams. Last weekend, Bainbridge-Guilford beat Sidney 41-35 in a Midstate Athletic Conference boys’ basketball game. B-G head coach, Greg Warren, said it’s been a long, long time since the Bobcats defeated the Warriors. He wasn’t sure when that last B-G win came, but posited it may have been in the 1970s. I keep the majority of my historical records (dating to the 1995-1996) in-house, and I looked back over my records. Nope, the Bobcats had not beaten Sidney in my tenure. I e-mailed Greg with my research results, and resolved to dig deeper. Thursday morning, it occurred to me that Schwan’s basketball records – from 1970 to 1995 – were kept in a spiral notebook in a box at the base of my computer station. How could I forget? I rifled through each meticulously-kept season. Tom kept standings and game results for just about every conference in Section IV – STAC, Susquenango Association, Tri-Valley League – and even Section III’s Center State Conference and Central Counties League. If those details were not enough, he also kept up-to-date junior varsity results for the STAC and the Sus leagues. Each season was divided and stapled, It took a little bit of digging, but I found that elusive B-G win over Sidney. The opening game of the 1990-1991 season, B-G edged Sidney, 53-50. I let Warren know, and again, my heartfelt thanks to the late, great Mr. Schwan.

Sherburne-Earlville’s boys’ basketball team became the first area team to earn league honors when it clinched the Center State Conference Division I title last weekend. This week, S-E won its ninth and 10th league games to complete an unbeaten run in the CSC. I have seen the Marauders play three times this season, and I like to compare them to Norwich. Each team is extremely deep – nine or 10 players see plenty of action – and each club banks on its defense and contributions from many different players. The Marauders do not score as much as Norwich – about 55 points per game – but give up just 47 points per game. S-E has held its last eight opponents under 50 points, and it has the unique distinction of bringing its leading scorer off the bench. Eighteen area players average double figures scoring, and S-E sophomore, Austin Jasper, at 11.75 points tops his club and is 12th in overall scoring. In my recollection, I cannot recall a team with a record similar to S-E’s (13-3) that had its top scorer coming off the bench.

The most meaningful wrestling matches of the season begin this weekend with the Class B, C, and D tournaments. Top-four finishers in each weight class earn automatic bids to the Section IV Division II tournament next weekend at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. In case you’re interested in attending any of this weekend’s tournaments, be prepared to fill your gas tank. The Class B tourney, featuring local clubs B-G/A and Norwich, is at Waverly; the Class C tournament is at Lansing; and the Class D tournament is at Odessa-Montour. If you’re a Section III fan, particularly Sherburne-Earlville, the Marauders host the Class C tournament Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter @evesunpat

Patriots by three

Pat — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:39:55 +0000

The past week, I have been asked countless times, “who do you like in the Super Bowl?” I like – and prefer – the Giants, but my head tells me New England settles the score from its 2008 loss to the G-Men. The talking heads have analyzed the matchup to death. Will the Giants’ defensive line pressure Tom Brady? Will Rob Gronkowski’s gimpy ankle hold up? Is Bill Belichick masterminding another fool-proof game plan? I have nothing much new to add. Both teams will throw – and complete – a lot of passes. My feeling is that the team that better establishes its running game will have the advantage. New England has had a sneaky running game. Brady will hit a bunch of passes, and then running backs Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Stevan Ridley or Danny Woodhead pop a couple of nice gains. I have seen it dozens of times, especially with my Buffalo Bills taking beating after beating from the Patriots over the past decade. With a strong offensive line and complementary backs – Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw – one would think the Giants have the ability to run effectively. Not so at all. The Giants ran for just under 90 yards per game this season, and averaged only 3.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the seemingly pass-centric Patriots averaged more than 20 yards rushing per game than New York, and a respectable 4.0 yards per carry. Statistics aside, I have my own statistical theory on who will win, and why. The Patriots won all three of their Super Bowls under Belichick by three points. They also lost their only Super Bowl (with Belichick) by three points to the Giants. In 2008, the year the Giants won the big one, 17-14, New England defeated the Giants in the regular season, 38-35 – three points again. Fast forward four years, and the AFC East is again playing the NFC East in its interconference games. Earlier this year, the Patriots and Giants met with New York emerging with a four-point win, 24-20. That was New England’s last loss, and the Patriots are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. Some interesting parallels between the last Super Bowl meeting between these two clubs: In 2007, the Giants lost their 14th game of the season to the Redskins, 22-10, and in the process looked anything but Super Bowl ready. In 2011, the Giants looked listless in game 14, again losing to the Redskins by a near identical score, 23-10. Too, in 2007, the Giants had to win three NFC playoff games to reach the Super Bowl, the last of which – each time – an overtime victory (Green Bay in 2007-2008 and San Francisco two weeks ago). New England’s game results are not as similar other than the fact that it has had a double-digit winning streak entering the Super Bowl. Remember those 1972-1973 Dolphins, they of the only perfect season, wishing for New England’s unbeaten season to come to an end? New England had an unblemished season incur a large pimple in the form of a Giants upset victory. I say New England finds the Clearasil to erase that pimple, and wins Sunday’s game by…three points.

* One quick edition, during the Giants’ current five-game winning streak, they have picked up their rushing attack averaging 114.6 yards per game, up about 25 yards from their regular season average. The Patriots, too, have elevated their running game picking up 128 yards per game over their last five. Of course, big days against the Denver defense helped the Pats.