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Another love/hate round

Posted by rjonas | 09/25/08

I enjoyed doing my love/hate list a few weeks ago so much that I am going to do another one. Whether you love or hate it is out of my hands...

CATEGORY: General Sports

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Suburban Council soccer previews

Posted by rjonas | 09/12/08

As promised in this week's "From the Sports Desk" column, here are my predictions for the final standings in the Suburban Council boys and girls soccer leagues:

Boys
North Division
1. Shenendehowa -- Despite their 2-1 loss to Guilderland, I believe the Plainsmen are still the class of this division
2. Niskayuna -- The defending Class AA champions may have graduated Jake Johnson, Tyler Gansfuss and Luke Citrinitti, but they still have a lot of talent
3. Ballston Spa -- The Scotties are making a habit of winning the close games, which is a sign of a good team
4. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake -- Don't worry about their league record because the Spartans will still be one of the top teams in Class A
5...

CATEGORY: Soccer (Football)

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2008 Section II football predictions

Posted by rjonas | 09/05/08

Before the 2008 Section II football season kicks off Friday night, I am dusting off my crystal ball and making my predictions for the season (note: my crystal ball has been known to have bugs, so actual results may vary).

Class AA
Empire Division
1. Saratoga Springs -- I like Saratoga's defense a little better than ...
2. Bethlehem -- The Eagles will score a lot of points, though
3. Shenendehowa -- Great line, great running back (Suhayb Banks), but other juniors must step up
4. Ballston Spa -- The double wing T will still generate points for the Scotties
5. Guilderland -- With Paul Booker and Drew Smith at UAlbany, who's going to score touchdowns for the Dutchmen?
6...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

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Sports likes and dislikes

Posted by rjonas | 08/26/08

Everyone has their likes and dislikes, and until now I've never aired my list. Well, I've got a blog where I can say whatever I want (within reason), so what better place to show you my list than right here in Sports Scraps...

CATEGORY: General Sports

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Ready to get back to work

Posted by rjonas | 08/21/08

My summer break is almost over.

With area high school teams beginning practice this week, it won't be long before I start breaking out my coaches phone tree and start my preseason interviews.

While I look forward to having games to cover on a regular basis again, having a few weeks to work on feature stories like I do during the summer is a nice diversion. It gives me a chance to focus on a particular athlete or sport that I wouldn't otherwise get to because I'm swamped with reporting on the latest high school games.

On the other hand, it can get a bit harrowing when I don't know where my next feature subject is coming from. I usually like to know by the middle of the week what my main story for the following week is going to be...

CATEGORY: General Sports

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How to light a flame ... or not

Posted by rjonas | 08/08/08

There is only one thing that will get me to watch the opening ceremonies for the Olympics ... and no, it's not the bizarre interpretive dancing that symbolizes a nation's history in 20 excruciating minutes.

It's the moment when the Olympic cauldron is lit.

Not only does it symbolize the start of the Olympics, but it also gives the host city a chance to try to outdo the previous host city by coming up with a more elaborate sequence of events in order to get the flame lit.

Here is a summary of all the Olympic flame lightings that I've seen on TV and a rating for each one based on a scale of one to five:

Lake Placid (1980 Winter) -- The first use of an elevator to haul the flame to the top of the cauldron...

CATEGORY: Olympics

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Where has summer gone?

Posted by rjonas | 07/30/08

Less than three weeks to go until the start of practices for Section II fall sports.

In other words, less than three weeks to enjoy what's left of the summer.

Don't get me wrong. I look forward to another season of high school football, soccer, cross country, girls swimming, girls tennis, golf and volleyball. It's what makes my job fun.

But, I haven't really had a summer. Then again, it could be argued that none of us have really had a summer this year. We've had so much rain here that people in the tropical rainforests are envious. The only time we seem to get a nice day is when we're hopelessly locked in our offices from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., staring at computer screens and fielding phone calls...

CATEGORY: General Sports

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