Albany Events

February is an awesome basketball month. High school teams are battling it out with their conference opponents to try to get the best seeding possible for their tournaments, starting in less than a few weeks. On the first day of the month there was 33 games on the schedule for the boys and 18 for girls basketball.

Tuesday afternoon, Brian Flores filed a class action lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, that includes the New York Giants, the NFL and all 32 teams. It even includes allegations that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered Flores $100,000 PER LOSS! The bombshell lawsuit claims that the Giants interviewed Brian Flores for their head coaching position, even though they had already decided to go with Brian Daboll. The class-action suit claims that Flores' interview with Big Blue was a “sham.”

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is certainly qualified to analyze the NFL playoffs and deliver assessments that many teams themselves would be interested in. Payton marched his Saints to a Super Bowl victory in 2009 and wields some of the most impressive coaching credentials you'll find on any NFL resume. The former New Orleans head coach may or may not be pacing the sidelines next year but he is wasting no time laying out some candid NFL analysis of the playoffs.

Sometimes you come across advice that rings a bell in your head, even though the words of wisdom were not intended for you. Early in my college administration career was sitting at a media table at a tournament shoot-around. One of the top seeds in the tournament was wrapping up their practice. The team was huddled around their coach, who most would say had earned legendary status. As he wrapped up his instructions, he roared, 'now Buddy Up 24-7. No one goes alone.'

As a Division I college administrator for nearly two decades, I know better than to judge a situation based on a press release. Friday, Rick Bennett "resigned" his position as head men's ice hockey coach, effective immediately at Union College. Bennett had been on paid-administrative leave since January 20th, as a result of an allegation.

Many New York Mets fans wanted to see him in the Citi Field dugout as their team skipper. However, if those enthusiasts want to see former Amazin's star Edgardo Alfonzo manage a team, they'll have to travel to Staton Island. Mets fans will soon get to see 'Fonzie' in the dugout again.

No news is good news. Right? That's not the way the Pinstripes usually roll. The New York Yankees are used to dominating even the bleakest of sports-news days in past years. Until Wednesday, Brian Cashman seemed content to let his crosstown rival little brother bask in their new over-priced free agent toys and their flashy new manager, who he fired way back in 1995. However, on Wednesday, the Bombers GM may have fired a shot a cross the bow, letting everyone know that the Yankee line-up is loaded and we've made changes to optimize that fire power.

The new coach of the Broncos may have plenty of orange in his closet. As reported on Thursday by ESPN, Denver is working to finalize a deal to hire Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach. The Broncos have had five consecutive losing seasons. The last three had been orchestrated under former head coach Vic Fangio, who was fired in early January. Now Denver is hoping that the former Syracuse assistant coach can help bring that franchise back to the Super Bowl.

Bill Madden of the Daily News joined The Drive with Charlie & Dan today and stated that Major League Baseball, and specifically Commissioner Rob Manfred, publicly attempted to minimize David Ortiz's positive test result for PED's, in addition to the slugger's close relationship with a suspected PED drug dealer from the Dominican Republic. Madden backed up his claim as information documented in the book 'The Baseball Cop' written by former Major League Baseball investigator, Eddie Dominguez. The Daily News baseball columnist said that Major League Baseball will one day 'regret' David Ortiz' induction.

As high school basketball heads into the last weekend of January, coaches, players and fans begin to focus in on who may be in their school's way of a championship. This is the time of year when coaches try to make sure their best players aren't getting too worn down, while winning every game possible. Let's check out the top teams in each division in Section 2.

Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) commissioner Joey D'Antonio announced that Stony Brook University, Monmouth University and Hampton University will join the CAA as 'full members' next season. Stony Brook and Albany are currently 'associate members' of the CAA for football only. Starting next year, Stony Brook will become a full member and compete against the likes of Charleston, William & Mary, Delaware and Long Island rival Hofstra, instead of NJIT, Maine and the rest of America East.

The Tamarac boys basketball team is more than pretty good. Their top ranking amongst Class B high school programs in New York State is not something that the team nor the coaches take lightly. Success on any level takes hard work and commitment. Bengals coach Eric Medved, joined The Drive with Charlie & Dan on Friday to discuss his team's top ranking and Tamarac's 'Big Red' day.

It was a wild weekend of Divisional NFL Playoffs. We each game being decided by one score, you never know what could have made the difference in one game from the next. However, New York Giants fans can relish in the possibility that one of their own former heroes may have helped knock Aaron Rodgers out of the playoffs.

April has become a more important month than January for New York Giants and Jets fans. Neither groups has a team playing this weekend in the NFL Divisional Championships. Once again, the April draft will bring Giants and Jets fans the anticipation and excitement that other team's enthusiasts enjoy during the playoffs in January. On Wednesday, ESPN's NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. released his first version of a first round mock draft. Let's see who he has going to the two New York teams with their first picks.

Snowmobiling is no fun when there is no snow. Watching your $14,000 investment sit on a trailer with a cover on it in late December stinks! Now that we have some snow in the in the upper regions of New York, Massachusetts and Vermont, let's find some trails close to home. There are some smaller clubs that maintain awesome trails and some bigger ones that incorporate groups of land owners and associations. Season trail passes for many of these clubs run from about $30 to $100 a year. Some have volunteer stipulations for trail maintenance.

As the temperature drops, the rivalries in high school hoops heat up. Tuesday night was no different on basketball floors in the Capital Region. There were 29 boys games on the docket and another 22 for the girls. A big shout out to Tamarac boys basketball for their #1 ranking in Class B in New York State. Congrats to Coach Eric Medved and the Bengals!

Last year, high school seniors in New York State played their final basketball games in mostly empty gyms with masks covering two thirds of their friends and coaches faces. The mask part won't be much different for now but full gyms are expected and even encouraged in 2022. That is a good thing for everyone involved, even if you still can't see the smile.

The final tally of the Baseball Writers Association of America's National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot will come out next Tuesday. On that list is a 'who's who' of Major League Baseball records and accomplishments. The MVP, CY Young and other awards owned by the list of ballot members could sink a ship. However, many of the names that own much of that prestigious hardware are in danger of their time on the Hall of Fame ballot expiring with induction.

Stillwater native and UAlbany Baseball head coach Jon Mueller announced the Great Danes' 2022 season schedule. The 48-game slate features 18 games at Varsity Field and 30 games on the road. In typical Coach Mueller fashion, UAlbany will open with one of the toughest baseball programs in the country, the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia plays in collegiate baseball's #1 conference the SEC.

As the New York Giants run through their candidates for the next general manager of the organization over the next few days, a not too distant eye can be kept on potential head coaching candidates. With each potential name, comes the speculation of what changes will be made based on the relationships of the individual that Big Blue hires. One of those candidates for the head coaching position brings with him the possibility of a major stir within one of the most buttoned up organizations.

It was a typical mid-January Friday night in Capital Region high school basketball. Single digit windchills were dropping to negative numbers, road teams kept the buses running. However, that didn't deter some road warriors from dropping the heat on this Friday night in Section 2 hoops. 38 match-ups on the schedule in boys basketball and another 29 on the girls basketball slate.

Of the contestants involved in the six games this weekend, in addition to the two top teams that earned byes, none of the 14 NFL playoff participants are the New York Giants. No surprise at this point to Big Blue fans, many who went into the season with so much hope only to have it evaporate week by week. The root of the problem general manager Dave Gettleman and his young unproven Coach Joe Judge were sent packing a few days ago. However, some former Giants players are still enjoying the excitement of the postseason tournament.

On Thursday afternoon, former New York Mets and New York Yankees all-star Darryl Strawberry jumped on The Drive with Charlie & Dan. Strawberry just wrote a new book, "Turn Your Season Around: How God Transforms Your Life." Darryl is now an ordained minister and has written several best selling books about his struggles with fame and addiction. He has been open and honest about his struggles in the past and he was definitely that way on The Drive.

It was a cold Wednesday night in the Capital Region but some high school basketball teams brought their own heat to the Section II scoreboard. There were 10 match-ups in boys basketball on the schedule and 14 more for the girls. A big congratulations goes out to Tom Galvin the girls basketball coach at Bishop Maginn. Tom won his 400th game as a head coach on Tuesday with their decisive win over Loudonville Christian.

Sophia Chen has been a staple for the UAlbany women’s soccer team. She first came to the university in 2017, starting three games as a freshman goalkeeper. Four years and over 30 games played later, Sophia led the women’s soccer squad and was a team captain in 2021 her graduate season. Chen is a native of Louisville, Colorado, the scene of one of the most devastating fires in the state's history. Following her December graduation from UAlbany, Sophia was back home when tragedy struck her home town.

It was a busy schedule for Section II high school basketball on Tuesday evening. Sub-zero windchills cancelled school in some districts and challenged even the bravest of road teams. 27 games were on the slate for boys basketball and 22 for the girls.

The 2022 NFL schedules were released on Monday. This is the time of year where New York Jets fans have a ton of time on their hands trying to find some nugget of optimism to grasp onto. Rationalizing the progress within a four win season is just another day at the office for an old grizzled Gang Green fanatic. What secrets lie within this year's NFL schedule? After 11 years, will this finally be the year that the Jets make the playoffs?

The Albany Cup is returning and it should be. Siena College and the University at Albany officially announced the return of the premier Capital Region men's basketball series at a joint press conference Tuesday at 677 Prime in downtown Albany. Both athletic directors have confirmed for months on The Drive with Charlie & Dan that they were working towards an agreement. The three-year deal tips off at the newly renamed MVP Arena next season.

The Great Danes and the Saints haven't met in men's basketball since 2017, when UAlbany won a thriller 74-69 at the former Times Union Center. The year prior, a sellout crowd shook the SEFCU Arena as the two teams matched up on the UAlbany campus for the first time since the 1970's. Now, after a four year hiatus, the match up is back.

When your team goes 4-13 and you haven't gone to the playoffs in more than a decade, you try to find the positives. The Jets did not have a good season but there were definite improvements. Yesterday's battle with the Buffalo Bills followed a down to the wire loss at the hands of Tom Brady. Plenty of teams have lost in the last 2 minutes to that guy. There is an undeniable fight in this Jets team. Now, will it last?