Summer in Albany just got a lot more interesting. All because of perhaps the greatest upset in professional sports history.

Now, we’re going to be the summer home for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Not the NFC wild card Giants or the NFC champion Giants. The Super Bowl champion Giants.

Somebody pinch Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings and University at Albany athletic director Dr. Lee McElroy to make sure they’re not dreaming. Heck, somebody pinch all the Giants fans to make sure they’re not dreaming.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to this bunch of Giants, anyway. Eli Manning wasn’t a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback. Tom Coughlin wasn’t a Super Bowl-caliber head coach... Continue Reading

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Some observations from last weekend’s Suburban Council Tournament at Albany’s Washington Avenue Armory:

• Guilderland is the best balanced boys basketball team (try saying that five times fast) in the Suburban Council, and that’s why the Dutchmen are the best hope that the Suburban Council has to end the Big 10’s stranglehold on the class AA title.

Watching Guilderland beat Colonie 61-56 in Sunday’s Division I final, it’s going to be difficult for any team to shut down the Dutchmen’s offense for an entire game. If a team focuses on stopping Brett Marfurt (which many will, given that he’s the league’s Player of the Year), Guilderland has at least four good options to turn to – Andrew Smith, Dan Gejay, Kevin Kost and Jon Terry... Continue Reading

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The Shaker wrestling team came in last place again at Saturday’s Section II, Class A championships.

But take a closer look at what the Blue Bison accomplished. They had three place finishers – the most the program has had in several years. Two of the wrestlers that placed at Sectionals, lightweight Sam Pacelli and heavyweight Dan Hojnicki, were seeded in the top four of their weight classes. The other, heavyweight Ami Berger, wasn’t seeded in the top four.

This performance follows a season in which Shaker won its first dual meet in a decade and finished with a 16-5 record – its best in … well, a really long time.

“We started off with 50 kids in the (practice) room and finished with 23,” said second-year Shaker coach Dan Gibson... Continue Reading

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Remember a couple of weeks ago when I said neither Bethlehem nor Shenendehowa could beat the Amsterdam girls basketball team? Forget I said that -- especially those of you living in Delmar, Slingerlands, Elsmere and Glenmont.

I was wrong. Big time wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

The way Bethlehem attacked Amsterdam in Wednesday's Section II, Class AA semifinal at Hudson Valley Community College was amazing, if not a little daring. Offensively, the Lady Eagles charged to the basket. Defensively, they didn't allow Amsterdam a clean look at the basket. If a foul was called against a Bethlehem player (which happened quite often, especially in the first half), so be it... Continue Reading

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