NFL heads back to London

Here’s my question: Why?

The AP is reporting that for the fifth straight year, the NFL will host a game at Wembley Stadium in London, England, when the Chicago Bears take on the Tampa Bay Bucs.

I’ll admit, it was cool the first time I saw it. And I know there is some history to the NFL bringing games overseas to the UK. But really, what do the British NFL fans– maybe spectators is a better word– get out of watching a sport they don’t know the rules to or understand? In past years, the only time the crowd showed any sort of interest was when the kickers and punters took the field. Cheerio, chaps.

Are there some genuine NFL fans in the UK? Of course. Do they make up a large percentage of the “fans” that will fill up Wembley? Of course not.

The goal, I guess, is to one day build towards having a European league that’s on par with the American league, and then having the winners of each league faceoff in a true international bowl.

Sounds great, but I don’t see it working. Here’s why: Europeans love their footy clubs because they grew up with them. Association football is often deeply intertwined with class and religious divides, and physical borders and boundaries (See: the Old Firm). Some of these teams’ subcultures and rivalries have boiled and simmered for over a century. Introduce a new sport without those deep-rooted rivalries, and well, just take a look at the empty seats during a MLS game and you’ll get the idea.

And we don’t necessarily want those same rivalries around our sport. A lot of European football hooliganism/firms/casuals/ultras/hardcores/whatever are tied to racism and fascism. The last thing we need is that spill over into American football.

I’ve been to the UK, and traveled Europe extensively. Despite what the NFL wants us to believe, Europeans do not give a damn about American football. Europeans care about our football less than we care about their football (though we’ve had some pretty good soccer teams in recent years that are worth caring about.)

I don’t have any actual numbers, but isn’t it expensive to fly an entire team, coaches, personnel and staff, over to London for a week? Is it really worth it? Will it be worth it when the novelty wears off, and attendance at Wembley begins to taper off? It’s one less game the diehard fans get to attend. You know, the fans that don’t go wild when a kicker boots the ball through the back of the end zone for a touchback.

(By the way, if you go to the nfllondon.net the lede story reads, “The 2011 NFL International Series game will see the Tampa Bay Buccaneets take on the Chicago Bears at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 23rd October 2011.”)

It's over...

And God said, "Let there be football." The NFL Players Association and Owners have reached a bargaining agreement that will end the four-month lockout.

Barring any major setbacks (or an opt-out in 2013) we will have a NFL season through 2021. Was there really any doubt? With mainstream sports media tracking every move, the NFL lockout has been covered tirelessly. We won't bore you with all the specifics, but here a few of the major points that were touched on in the agreement in layman's terms:

• Players are eligible to stay in the NFL medical plan for life. Previously, the medical benefits only covered a player for his first five post-retirement years.




• Injury guarantee. This one is a little more complicated, but it essentially says that if a player has a career ending injury (or an injury that sidelines him for multiple seasons), a larger portion of his salary and bonuses will still be honored then was previously the case.




• Percentage of yearly revenue. Players will get 47 percent of the roughly 9-billion dollars, owners will see 53 percent. Players will see 55 percent of TV revenue.




• 16 game season. For now at least. There is a possibility that, if at some point in the future, the NFL cuts the pre-season game schedule to two games players will choose an 18-game regular season schedule. Full-contact practices have been cut back.

How does all of this impact the average fan? It doesn't. Aside from bogging down your morning SportsCenter-watching routine for the past four months. But to the regular NFL fan there's nothing to worry about. There will be football, there will be NFL style football. Some have argued that cutting back on the number of full-contact practices (and at some point possibly cutting back on the number of pre-season games) will lead to sloppy tackling and a more wide-open style of play, similar to NCAA football.

That seems like a stretch. This year might be tricky, with so many weeks of the offseason wasted with the lockout. But will the fans even notice? Are we really expecting Pop Warner-esque play from the most skilled and knowledgeable players and coaches in the world? Don't think so.

And with all that said, LET THE FREE AGENCY FRENZY BEGIN!

Check back frequently as we follow the terms of the agreement throughout the day.

Boxing- Olympic Trials Set to Start

Winners of various National boxing tournaments will face off for the first round of the Olympic Trials in Mobile, AL on July 31. The winner in each weight class will represent the United States in the 2012 London Olympics.

Why is this relevant to the Capital Region? Albany's Amir Imam, of Albany City Boxing will be competing.

Fighters generally qualify for the Trials by winning one of the following tournaments: The National PAL, National Golden Gloves, USA Boxing National Championships, or the Armed Forces Championships.

Imam didn't win any of these. Despite coming close in the 2010 National PAL championship, he came up just short, taking home the silver. Instead, he had to compete at the Last Chance Qualifier Tournament early this month --literally the last chance for boxers to advance to the trials-- where he won all six bouts over the course of six days.

Imam will be competing at 152 pounds in the welterweight division. Capital Region Sports wishes our local fighter the best of luck.

So long, Doc

The longtime play-by-play voice of the New Jersey Devils is stepping down to take a position with NBC and Versus.

Mike "Doc" Emrick has been with the Devils organization for 21 years. Most notably, he called the games during the Devils late-1990s/early-2000s run that included winning three Stanley Cup championships in nine years. Many of the notable players that were on those championship teams came up through the Devils' farm system in Albany, with the then Albany River Rats.

Here's what Doc had to say to fans about his departure: http://devils.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=569804

Capital Region Craft Brewers Festival at The Joe

Not exactly a sports topic per se, unless you're a competitive drinker, but sports related nonetheless:

The Tri-City Valley Cats and Brown's Brewing Company will be teaming up to host the second annual Capital Region Craft Brewers Festival at Joe Bruno Stadium on Saturday, July 23. The event runs from 2:30 to 6:30 pm.

According to The Valley Cats' website:

Attending this year along with Brown's will be: Adirondack Pub & Brewery, Blue Point Brewing, Brewery Ommegang, Brooklyn Brewery, C.H. Evans Albany Pump Station, Cape Ann Brewing, Chatham Brewing, Cooper's Cave, Cottrell Brewing Company, Crossroads, Ithaca Beer Company, Keegan Ales, La Brasserie Unibroue, Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, Madison Brewery, Long Trail Brewing Co., Olde Saratoga Brewing Company, Otter Creek, Roc Brewing, Saranac, Smuttynose, Switchback, Wandering Star, and Wolaver's Organic Ales. Several additional breweries are expected to join prior to the July 23rd event.

More information can be found at the Valley Cats' website: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110713&content_id=21774646&vkey=news_t577&fext=.jsp&sid=t577

Rumble in the Catskills

World Class Promotions hosted an amateur boxing card this past Saturday in Catskill. "Rumble in the Catskills III" hosted 14 Olympic-style boxing matches. A number of local gyms were represented, including fighters from Syracuse Golden Gloves, Albany City Boxing, Old School Boxing in Ellenville, and the legendary Catskill Gym (home of the late Hall of Fame Trainer Cus D'Amato, and recent International Boxing Hall Of Fame inductee, "Iron" Mike Tyson).

Also worth noting-- the baddest man to ever come out of the South Bronx (that's bad), three-time world champion, Iran "The Blade" Barkley was in attendence. For those of you who don't know, Barkley holds two wins over Thomas Hearns, and has fought the likes of James Toney, Nigel Benn, Michael Nunn, and Roberto Duran.

You can read more about "Rumble in the Catskills" here: http://blog.timesunion.com/boxing/world-class-promotions-rumble-in-the-catskills-iii-last-saturdays-great-show/8607/

New Kick-Off Rule in NFL

I HATE the new rule!

"Fire-Fly" Tay Fisher Returns to Albany

Before Siena ever took the court Sunday night, former Saint Tay Fisher returned to the Times Union Center with his new teammates, The Harlem Globetrotters!  As you may have guessed, Tay's squad was able to take down perennial loser, the Generals.  It was fun to see how Tay fits right into the show that is the Harlem Globetrotters.  It was a fun afternoon for children and adults alike and a great way to lead into Siena's 7pm season finale against Marist.  Welcome home Tay!

Rossiter, Siena Get Win on Senior Night

Ryan Rossiter took the court Sunday night in his final home game as a Siena Saint.  For those who have followed Ryan through his four year career in Loudonville, it was no surprise to see him dump 34 points and become the single season rebounding king at Siena, all on Senior Night.  Fellow senior Clarance Jackson contributed with a much needed 19 point outburst, as Siena rolled to a 81-73 victory over Marist.   Both seniors, Rossiter in particular, received numerous standing ovations throughout the game

Because Canicius was able to knock off Loyola yesterday afternoon, Siena was locked into the 7 seed for the upcoming MAAC Tournament, to be held in Bridgeport, CT.  Siena will take on the 10 seed in Manhattan College on Friday night at 9:30pm.  The game will be broadcast in the Albany Recovery Sports Grill (62 New Scotland Ave.) for any fans who are not traveling to the game.  Saturday, Sunday and Monday games will be televised.

Siena's Ryan Rossiter scores against Marist's during their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference basketball game at the Times Union Center in Albany,N.Y., Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011. (Hans Pennink / Special to the Times Union) College Sports

Siena's Clarence Jackson moves the ball past Marist's Candon Rusin during their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference basketball game at the Times Union Center in Albany,N.Y., Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011. (Hans Pennink / Special to the Times Union) College Sports

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Senior-exits-in-style-1033777.php#ixzz1FI3OZ4JD

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

All that's left to speculate at this point is what number will Mr. Anthony wear (15 and 22 are both retired by the Knicks)?  As of 11pm last night, Carmelo Anthony is officially a NY Knick, and will be so for at least three more seasons!  It did, however, come at a high price!  As stated in my last "Melo" post, the Knicks likely gave up way more than they needed to acquire Anthony.  That being said, you can always rework the supporting cast.  It is far more difficult to land two superstars on the same team, and the Knicks have now done that with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.  It may take a year or two to redevelop the supporting cast but it will be a much easier sell to bring in solid role players, knowing they will play beside these two stars.  Also, expect the Knicks to go after one of these three guys next season: Chris Paul, Daren Williams, or Dwight Howard.

Anthony should make his Knicks debut on Wednesday night in front of a sold out, electric Madison Square Garden.  Oh, and did I mention that I have tickets to next Wednesday's game against Chris Paul and the Hornets?  Tickets I paid $85 each for a month ago are now going for $300+.  I will forgo selling my seats, however, and take in a great Knicks game!  Welcome aboard Carmelo!

For more on this blockbuster deal, visit ESPN.com

Siena Handles Maine in ESPN Bracketbuster

Going into halftime trailing by five, it looked like Siena was in for a fifth straight loss.  But wait, the Saints came alive in the second half and closed out strong to snap their four game losing streak and carry some momentum into Friday night's match up with first place Fairfield.  In the win, Clarence Jackson scored 15 of his team-high 17 in the second half, as he led the way for Siena.  The Saints finished with five double digit scorers, including double-double machine, Ryan Rossiter.  Ryan's final stat line looked like this: 14 points, 16 rebounds, and a career high, 6 assists.

Saturday was not only a great day for Siena but for the rest of the MAAC, as MAAC schools finished 9-1 in their Bracketbuster match-ups.  Siena will look to take down MAAC juggernaut Fairfield on Friday night and then will close out the season at home in Sunday night against Marist.  They need both games to get back to .500 in the MAAC are are looking to lock up the 6 seed going into the Tournament to avoid a first round game.

Update On the Melo Situation

As of Monday morning, all reports are that the Knicks are the odds on favorite to wind up trading for Carmelo Anthony.  It now sounds like the Nuggets are trying to squeeze rookie center Timofey Mozgov into the deal.  Melo becoming a Knick overshadows more poor decisions being made by the front office.  With Carmelo likely disinterested in signing an extension with anyone other than the Knicks, Donnie Walsh had the Knicks in the driver seat for Carmelo for months now.  With a week left before the trade deadline, it appears James Dolan has taken control and offered the roster to the Nuggets.  Once again, Mr. Dolan needs to stay away from the day to day operations and let Donnie Walsh do his job!  It took two years for Walsh to bring this team back from the laughing stock of the league and it seems as though it will take Mr. Dolan just one weekend to undo all the progress.  In my opinion, the Knicks could have made this deal happen with just one or two NBA ready players.  What other option do the Nuggets have?  They will take the Knicks best offer or wait and lose Melo to free agency this summer.  Expect to see this trade go through later today.  Below is a list of the speculated names that will be included in the deal.

Nuggets will get: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Corey Brewer, Knicks 2014 first-round pick.

Timberwolves will get: Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry

Knicks will get: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Sheldon Williams, Renaldo Balkman

Stoudemire and Anthony at the All-Star Game Sunday Night in Los Angeles, CA

Projected starting 5 for NYK: PG- Billups, SG- Fields, SF - Anthony, PF- Stoudemire, C- Turiaf

This will also leave the Knicks in good shape to bring in one of the following 3 major free agents in 2012: Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard.

For more on this story, visit NY Magazine.

Former Syracuse Star, 'Melo, Closing In On Northeast Return

Carmelo Anthony has been tied to rumors involving both the Knicks and Nets for months now.  With the trade deadline fast approaching, it appears the Nuggets have a deal pending that will send Carmelo to the Nets.  This deal is pending because it will still be up to NJ to convince the one-time Syracuse star to sign a three year contract extension.  It is expected that Makhail Prokhorov will meet with Anthony this weekend in LA to try to get this extension in place.  It has been widely publicized that Anthony's goal was to become a Knick, and thus, NY Knick owner, James Dolan, will be meeting with him this weekend as well.  Because the trade deadline is 3pm Thursday afternoon, this weekend will be crunch time for his two suitors.

Here are the details of the tentative deal:

Nets get: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Sheldon Williams, Melvin Ely, and Renaldo Balkman from the Nuggets.

Nuggets get: Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh, and FOUR First Round Draft Picks from the Nets.

This would truly be a BLOCKBUSTER!

For more on this story, check out FoxSports.com

Siena Falls Again, Losing Streak at Four

Siena took the court Wednesday night needing a win to get back to .500 in the MAAC.  St. Peters had beaten them in New Jersey earlier this season so Siena had sweet revenge on their minds.  Instead of rallying the troops, Siena's wheels came off late in the second half and let a seven point lead turn into a 10 point defeat.  In the loss, Rossiter lead Siena with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 assists, giving him yet another double-double.  With the loss, Siena drops to 7-9 and are tied with Canisius for the all important 6 seed, to avoid the play-in round game in the MAAC Tournament.

After the game, Coach Mitch seemed very disappointed in the way the game ended but did point out that all but 6 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less.  Siena has the talent to be in each game but needs to develop some confidence down the stretch.  Confidence will begin to bloom as soon as Siena is able to close out a few games in a row without relinquishing a lead!  Coach Mitch believes there is still time to right the ship before the MAAC Tournament.  Siena's remaining regular season games include Maine at home, Fairfield on the road and concludes with Marist at home.

From left, Siena's Rakeem Brookins is defended by Saint Peter's Ryan Bacon as he goes up for a layup during a basketball game at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Siena-can-t-find-its-offense-1017396.php#ixzz1EFaR9ZWx

Ambrose, UAlbany Power Past Stony Brook

Tim Ambrose continued his stellar season last night as his game high 22 points helped lead UAlbany past Stony Brook by a final score of 58-43.  Will Brown's Great Danes (13-15, 6-7 America East) climb into fourth place, now a game ahead of Stony Brook.  This was a nice home win for Albany, as they try to separate themselves from the lower end of the conference and improve their position in the stadings before the America East Tournament.

Ambrose, who scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half, finished seven of 12 from the field and was the team's only double digit scorer.  It is clear that Ambrose brings the offensive explosion Albany had been hoping for when he arrived in the Capital Region a few years ago.  With some help from his supporting cast, don't be surprised if Albany is able to make a little run come America East Tournament time!

UAlbany's Tim Ambrose, left, drives to the basket while Stony Brook's Bryan Dougher defends during the second half of UAlbany's 58-43 victory over Stony Brook on Monday night at SEFCU Arena in Albany. ( Philip Kamrass/Times Union )

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Ambrose-leads-way-for-Danes-1013688.php#ixzz1E47qzbgX

RPI Drops Both This Weekend

I was sitting in the stands late Saturday afternoon to watch as Cornell broke a 2-2 tie with an overtime game winner, handing RPI it's second loss in as many days.  Just a day earlier, RPI lost to Colgate, who had been struggling in the ECAC this season.  Back to the Cornell game, Cornell seemed to be in control most of the game, with RPI playing catchup throughout.  Cornell took a 1-0 lead which was evened up at 1-1 and then a 2-1 lead all before the end of the first period.  RPI answered with a goal in the 2nd period and the score stayed that way until overtime.  This highly contested match saw it's far share of penalty minutes, even in overtime (which you see very rarely).  The officials may have called the game a bit too tight, which in the end resulted in an Engineers loss.  It was a fun game to watch and a great atmosphere in the Houston Field House!  If you have not been out to see an RPI game this season, I suggest you find time to do so!  My next stop will be at a Union game so keep your eye out for a post from Union!  With 2 of the nations top college hockey teams in the Capital Region, local hockey fans are in for a fun finish to the season!

RPI fans (dressed in all white for the "white out") cheer for the equalizing goal in the 2nd period

Can the Big East Get 11 Teams into the Tournament?

According to Joe Lunardi with ESPN.com the answer is YES!  In his recent article "Kembo Walker's team now a No. 3 seed" he breaks down his bracket projections by conference.  With a big win last night over Connecticut, it is hard to argue that St. John's should be left out of the field this year.  They have now beaten #9 UConn, #3 Duke, #11 ND, and #13 Georgetown.  That is a pretty impressive resume and should be enough to get them in.  Keep in mind, St. John's is currently ranked 11th in the Big East so as hard as it would be to imagine a team with this resume being left out, each of the 10 teams above them appear to be just as deserving.  For this reason, I agree with Joe Lunardi's prediction that, pending a late season melt down, 11 Big East teams should make the Tournament this year!

Here is the breakdown (bubble teams in italics):

Big East (11): Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Connecticut, Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse, Louisville, West Virginia, Marquette, Cincinnati, St. John's

Big 12 (6): Texas, Kansas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Kansas St., Baylor

SEC (6): Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia

Big 10 (5): Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota

ACC (5): Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Boston College

Kemba Walker's team now a No. 3 seed

Kemba Walker's team now a No. 3 seed

Syracuse/Georgetown Preview

After loosing four consecutive Big East games, it appears Syracuse (20-4, 7-4 Big East) has righted the ship.  With a tight win over Connecticut and then a blow out win over South Florida, Syracuse now enters their next big challenge with Georgetown in the Dome tonight.  John Thompson III has his Hoyas (18-5, 7-4 Big East) on a six game win streak in the Big East  and rolling into Syracuse with some swagger.  Georgetown and Syracuse, ranked 11 and 13 respectively, can both greatly benefit from a win tonight!  With just six conference games left after tonight, the jockeying for Big East tournament seeding will be heating up!

Georgetown's leading scorer, Austin Freeman, currently ranks 3rd in PPG in the Big East

Kris Joseph's electrifying play has sparked Syracuse as of late

 

For more preview of this match-up, check out ESPN's take on the game.

Mike Faragon Improves to 14-0

Guilderland's very own, Mike Faragon, entered the ring last night at the Empire State Plaza with a perfect 13-0 profession record.  His opponent, who earlier in the day weighed in 7 pounds overweight, appeared to be a step slower for the entire 8 round contest.  Mike left Albany Thursday night with a unanimous decision and a boat load of local support!  We look forward to watching Mike rise through the ranks and get his shot in the big show!

For some footage from Thursday night, check on Fox23's website.