News by Tom Barton
News by Tom Barton on South Shore Press
No No for Longwood
While it's still early in the high school baseball season there was a pivotal matchup waged this week between first place William Floyd and second place Longwood. The early season series was circled in the preseason as a battle for first place and that is exactly the kind of game that was delivered. After the dust had settled William Floyd might have remained at the top of the standings, but it was Longwood who stole the headlines, or rather CJ Foreman.
Shutout City for Commack
The 2024 high school baseball season in Suffolk county is only a few weeks into the season and we already have very few teams with an unblemished record. The Commack Cougars are one of them that remain. Commack put on a pitching display this week that will have people turning their heads and taking notice of their unbeaten record and what might be on the horizon for this team.
And Then There Was One
As the Suffolk baseball calendar entered last week there were a few teams who had yet to endure their first loss of the season. All of that changed as teams got deeper into their schedules and heading into the new week there is now just one team standing that is perfect. The Comsewogue Warriors absolutely crushed Deer Park on the way to their 8-0 record.
Ben Brown's Big Debut
Ben Brown was as good as advertised as he made his major league debut this past week, and that comes as no surprise for anyone who watched him excel at Ward Melville just a few years ago. Brown was just what the doctor ordered, or in this case what his head coach Craig Counsell needed. After blowing an eight run lead the night before, Brown shut down the San Diego Padres in his first big-league start for 4 2/3 shutout innings at Petco Park. The Padres managed just three hits, one walk and struck out five times against the East Setauket native.
Spallina is Splendid
Senior day is always a special time for players and coaches alike, but this season there was a little extra something special for the Stony Brook women's lacrosse team. Head coach Joe Spallina won his 200th game as head coach of the SeaWolves, and doing it on senior day was just the icing on the cake. Spallina led the Stony Brook women's lacrosse to a decisive victory over Delaware, 17-4. The Seawolves were led by Kaitlyn Clark, who scored a career-high seven goals, six of which came in the first half of play.
Trump Earns Hall of Fame Endorsement
The greatest closer of all time just closed all speculation about who he will be supporting for president. Ex-Yankee Mariano Rivera told radio host Sid Rosenberg that he will be backing Donald Trump for president.
The Ducks Will Honor Our Heroes
The Long Island Ducks are bringing back one of their most cherished traditions this season. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, in partnership with Legislator Nick Caracappa, the Long Island Ducks, Flagstar Bank and the Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency, announced the return of the Heroes of the Game program for the 2024 season to honor local veterans and active-duty personnel.
Ducks Adds International Flavor
The Long Island Ducks are still adding to their roster as opening day closes in. This week the Ducks added some international flavor to the roster when they signed first baseman Rixon Wingrove and catcher Aaron Antonini. Wingrove hails from Australia while Antonini is originally from Venezuela. While both players are entering their first season with the Ducks they are not new to professional baseball. WIngrove has five seasons under his belt while Antonini will be starting his fifth.
Are the Jets The Team To Beat?
As we now begin to look at 2024 there isn't as much hype surrounding this Jets team, but maybe there should be. A bettor could have taken the Jets at more than 3 to 1 odds just a few weeks ago to win their own division, not the Super Bowl this season. They remain at just about +250 odds in most sports books across the country and that number looks like a steal after seeing what has happened to the division. This week the Buffalo Bills lost their star wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. While there will be Bills fans who can argue that he was a 'headcase' and 'distraction', his loss certainly will be felt throughout an offense that now has no true #1 receiving option. This team also lost Gabe Davis their #2 receiver earlier this season and they have had massive losses on the defensive end.
Clutch O'Connell
This weekend New York was well represented in the Final Four. Perhaps not by regular standards because there are no Stony Brook, Hofstra, St. John's or any local teams playing in the Final Four, but there certainly are key players across the teams making contributions.
There's No Place Like Home
Being born and raised in Medford, Marcus Stroman certainly understands the aura and grandeur that comes with opening day at Yankee Stadium. When Gerritt Cole went down with an injury the coaching staff asked Stroman if he would rearrange his normal pitching schedule to pitch on opening day. Stroman declined, because he wanted opening day at the stadium and boy did he deliver.
Long Island AD Moving North
Long Island University's athletic director Ryan Kelly is set to become the new Senior Associate AD for Football at Syracuse University. Kelly joined LIU in 2021 and has since led the department to what they call 'unprecedented heights'.
A Champion Arrives on Long Island
The Long Island Ducks have signed former major leaguer Jackie Bradley Jr. to a contract. Bradley was a 2018 World Series Champion and played for the Red Sox, Brewers, Blue Jays, and Royals over his 11 year career. The 2016 All Star was known for his glove and won a Rawlings Gold Glove for his efforts. Bradley is regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders of his era and those skills are what the Ducks are banking on. His bat was always more contact, rather than power, but his doubles power will make him a dual threat.
Going Streaking
The Stony Brook baseball team completed a much needed three game series sweep this weekend over the Elon Phoenix. With the win Stony Brook was able to even their record to 15-15 on the season and have now won 2 of their last 3 series.
Back to .500
The Stony Brook baseball team completed a much needed three game series sweep this weekend over the Elon Phoenix. With the win Stony Brook was able to even their record to 15-15 on the season and have now won 2 of their last 3 series.
The Final Four
In a season where the brackets were dominated by heavy favorites we find ourselves with potetntially the most dominat favorite in history. The reigning champion UConn Huskies were ranked near the top of the rankings all season long, before eventually steamrolling teams in the Big East tournament and eventually continuing that pure dominance in the big dance. UConn has had the best NCAA tournament ove rthe past 10 seasons, and many are saying this could be the best team of all time. Hurley and the Huskies grabbed the #1 overall seed and proceeded to beat 7 teams in a row by double digits, beating the spread in each game. They wont on a 30-0 run against Illinois to get here and are still the clear favorite to win it all.
Chalky Tasting Sweets
The 2024 installment of the NCAA tournament has been mostly bland. We had a few upsets early, but there are no upper seeds advancing, no last second buzzer beaters to hang our hats on and this Sweet 16 is tasting very chalky. Chalk is a term used by sports bettors when you talk about the favorites and favorites were on full display this past Saturday. Favorites went a perfect 8-0 on Saturday with all but one team covering the spread. It was a nightmare scenario for sports books, but the public ended up cheering. That favorite run didn't only start and end Saturday. In fact bookmakers have called this the most chalk filled NCAA tournament of all time.
Discount Shopping
Mere hours later the New York Giants landed defensive end Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers. Burns was traded for a second round pick and a fifth round pick, a massive discount from just a year ago. Last season at this time Burns was being asked about in NFL circles and it was reported that the Panthers inept front office declined two first rounders. Now, just one year later he falls into the laps of the G-Men. Not only is Burns now part of the fold, but he can take the place of Barkley as the most talented player on the team, and he will be for some time. Not only did Burns land in New York but he quickly signed a five-year extension, worth $150 million dollars with $87.5 million guaranteed.
A Sunday For The Island
This Sunday changed all of that, setting up one heck of a game Monday night in a clash of the Island. Both Hofstra and Stony Brook walked away winners in their tournament games, setting up the #3 vs. #7 matchup. The Seawolves shocked everyone en route to their victory, not only because they were +3000 to win their own tournament, but the fashion that they won was as exciting as we have seen in a long time for island basketball. Stony Brook won their game in double OT, with contributions from their entire lineup and clutch late shots to take down #2 Drexel. Meanwhile, Hofstra had no issues defeating Delaware to advance as a 3 seed. The Pride might have been a 3 seed but even they had to feel disrespected at the +400 number that was put on them to win the tournament as well.
The Case Against Caleb
We have watched super star quarterbacks push to not be drafted by certain teams. Eli Manning and John Elway were pretty vocal about their landing spots and both got what they wanted. The latest entry is Caleb Williams. He had people in his camp make it known that he does not want to go to Chicago, before backing off that statement weeks later. This week he decided to not allow medical examinations with teams at the NFL Combine and did not sign off on having his medical records shared with all teams. This is the first player ever at the combine to decline an examination. This sort of behavior, combined with his other odd behavior, could be sending up red flags for the Bears.
Daily Feed
Ward Melville's Athletic Trainer Wins Alumni Award
Ward Melville's Athletic Trainer and Science Teacher Claudine Weiner recently was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award from Stony Brook University.
Coach Desi Honored
This weekend the Suffolk County Baseball Coaches Association honored legendary Coach Al Desiderio.
Parents Protest at William Floyd High School
Multiple groups, including “Moms for Liberty, Suffolk Chapter” and “Show Me Your Face” protested the William Floyd School District after concerned parents claimed a biological boy is a member of the Girls’ Varsity Track Team.