By Jamie Kempton

Forty-five years ago, the Albertus Magnus High School cross country team swept through Bear Mountain State Park like a typhoon, capturing Rockland County and Section 9 titles en route to the most dominant season in the sport’s illustrious history in Rockland. On Saturday, November 30, six members of the Falcons’ famed “Long Red Line” harrier squad returned to the scene of their watershed triumphs to take part in the 37th annual Bill Markiewicz Memorial Rockland County Alumni Cross Country Run, co-sponsored by the Rockland Road Runners.

On a sun-bathed, 40-degree afternoon at one of the most picturesque locales in the Hudson Valley, Michael Colangelo, George Buckheit, Gil Wager, Brian Kelly and Jamie Kempton – supported by “team photographer” and former teammate John McNiff – joined 156 other alumni runners in touring the well-trod 3-mile Bear Mountain layout used by local scholastic teams. Sharing equal billing with the participants, the course is marked by (and feared for) the steep climb of the old ski-jumping slope, site of regional and national championship events for more than 50 years. The Albertus harriers remembered the ascent as being challenging but manageable back in their days of vim and vigor.

Not now, though. “The hill got bigger,” said Buckheit, Albertus class of 1975, who won the Alumni Run in 1985 and 1987 and is second-fastest ever (14:36). “I just tried to survive it.” That he did, finishing as the Falcons’ sixth runner in 89th place out of 161 entrants in 25:40, more than 11 minutes off his personal best. The Falcon fossils, now all in their 60s, enjoyed their nostalgic sojourn on the storied course, albeit decidedly slower than in 1974, when they took the scholastic cross country realm by storm. Albertus, coached by the astute Dick Weis, went undefeated and unchallenged, winning the New York State Intersectional Class B title with a record-low score, salting away the Eastern States championship with ease, and earning the No. 2 ranking in the nation – the highest rating ever achieved by a Rockland high school team. Colangelo was their front-runner, dashing to victory in the County and State Intersectional meets and cementing his place in the Rockland XC pantheon. Earlier this year, the Long Red Line received an additional capstone distinction, becoming the first team to gain induction into the Rockland County Track & Field Hall of Fame. Colangelo had been inducted individually in 2011.

The Albertus alumni finished seventh in the team standings with 266 points, abetted by their fifth scorer, Brian Crowley, AM class of 1982, who won the 1990 Alumni Run and continues to shine as a masters (40-or-older) athlete. The men’s team title went to Monroe-Woodbury of Orange County, which scored 44 points for a 20-point victory margin over runner-up Suffern (64). The MW Crusaders have won three straight and eight overall, tying them with Albertus for the second-most men’s team crowns, behind Clarkstown North’s nine. The Suffern women re-entered the winner’s circle after a 28-year hiatus, scoring 82 points as the only female squad with a full scoring unit. The Lady Mounties thus snapped a string of nine consecutive team championships by Monroe-Woodbury.

Individually, John Dove, Monroe-Woodbury class of 2014, romped to his second straight crown, navigating the Bear Mountain layout in 15:32 to outdistance runner-up Corey Calajoe (16:03), Pearl River class of 2004, by 150 yards. Suzanne LaBurt, Monroe-Woodbury class of 1981, secured her second title in three years and broke 20 minutes for the first time, clocking 19:47. Since 2000, she has won twice, finished second seven times and third four times. Not too shabby for a 56-year-old! The Crusaders of Monroe-Woodbury also led the way with 32 participants, laying claim to that honor for the 10th straight year and 17th overall.

The race is named in memory of Bill Markiewicz, Albertus Magnus class of 1967, who was head coach of the Clarkstown North cross country team from 1978 to 1989. He endeared himself to everyone with his charismatic personality and deep devotion to his athletes and the cross country/track community as a whole. This year’s recipient of the Bill Markiewicz Award – bestowed annually to a significant, longtime contributor to Rockland cross country – was Pete Modafferi, Clarkstown South class of 1995. Modafferi was the 1994 Rockland County cross country champion and the 1995 NYS Federation 1,000-meter gold medalist. He has coached at Clarkstown South in track since 1998 and in cross country since 2003, and has participated in the Alumni Run many times, including this year’s 100th-place finish (26:22). Modafferi was presented with the award by Janet Markiewicz, Bill’s widow, who makes the trek annually from her home in Goshen to perpetuate the Markiewicz legacy.

One of Markiewicz’s all-time greats, Mike Rogan, Clarkstown North class of 1986, made the trip from his home in Evansville, Indiana, for the third straight year. Rogan’s plight is especially poignant. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in July 2013, having fallen down two flights of stairs at his home and sustaining severe facial and skull fractures. Through strenuous rehabilitation he has improved his mobility, although his injuries have left him unable to go back to work. He had been an emergency room physician and medical researcher in Indiana.

In a Hall of Fame career at North, Rogan won the state indoor title at 1,000 meters, ran the third-fastest time in the country in that event in 1986 (2:29.59), and swept the 5,000, 1,500 and 800-meter races at the spring county championships. At Notre Dame, he set a still-standing school record for the indoor 1,500 meters (3:47.64) and ran the equivalent of a 4:02 mile. Thirty-four years ago, Rogan won the Rockland County cross country title at Bear Mountain in a super-fast time of 15:05. Post-injury, he just aims to better his time from the previous year. He is now 3-for-3 in that department, progressing from 43:25 in 2017 to 36:23 last year, and to 31:23 this year. Rogan basked in the well-wishes he received at the race from his fellow Ram alums and his former track coach at North, Paul Duddy.

The race drew 129 male entrants and 32 female entrants, representing 40 high schools from six states – New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Indiana and California – as well as an international entry from Ireland. Among the other notables participating were former Rockland County scholastic champions Colangelo, Modafferi and Rogan, and past Alumni Run titlists Evan Ward, Suffern class of 2012, who finished third (16:04); Kyle Collins, a classmate of Ward’s, who took sixth (16:37); Brian McKnight, Monroe-Woodbury class of 1997, the 11th-place finisher (17:55); LaBurt, who placed 25th overall; Crowley; and Buckheit. The family participation crown went to the Collins family of Suffern – siblings Kyle, Wesley and Dustin and their dad, Mike, who was a third-place finisher back in 1987 and maintains a website devoted to the Alumni Run and Rockland track/cross country, www.rocklandsportingnews.com.

Larry Beckerle, Albertus Magnus class of 1973, is the only individual to have participated in all 37 editions of the Alumni Run. Beckerle, the longtime track coach at Nanuet High School, finished 132nd in 31:05, trailing his brothers, Michael, Nanuet class of 1979 (42nd , 21:42), and Stephen, Albertus class of 1974 (103rd, 26:34). Also noteworthy is the streak of Sue (Gulla) Lanoce, Pearl River class of 1983, who has taken part in the last 36 editions, missing only the inaugural race in 1983.

New York may turn into one of the hockey capitals of the NHL this season. This city is represented by the Rangers, which begins to climb on the top of the table in the East. Rangers faced with a difficult start to the season, but now this team coached by David Quinn win a lot of games. The main merit in this lies on the shoulders of the Russian sniper Artemy Panarin. This creative forward made his debut in the NHL in 2015 and immediately became one of the Blackhawks’s leaders. In the first season he scored 77 points in 80 matches and became the sixth Russian in NHL history to win the Calder Trophy – the prize to the best debutant. Already then Panarin went on a par with Pavel Bure, Sergey Samsonov, Vladimir Nabokov, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.

This past summer Panarin signed a contract with Rangers and became one of the leaders of the club. Now Panarin is a rising star in the NHL, scoring bushels of goals for the Rangers. Last week he recorded a hat-trick in a match with the San Jose Sharks. The Rangers won and the Russian striker Panarin was recognized as the first star of the day in the league. These three goals brought his total to 361 (134goals + 227assists) points in 353 career games.

Thanks to this result Panarin became one of the six best Russian hockey players who scored most points in the first five seasons in the NHL. Panarin surpassed Sergey Makarov’s achievement (360 points) and reached 6th place. Only Alexander Ovechkin (529), Sergey Fedorov (422), Evgeni Malkin (418), Alexander Mogilny (397) and Ilya Kovalchuk (379) scored more during this period. More info about Russian players in NHL you can find following the link.

As journalists like to say, Panarin is on fire now. He has a scoring streak of four games and he is the top scorer of the Rangers with 42 points (19 goals and 23 assists) – it’s 14 points more than the team’s next leader Ryan Strome. Panarin figures to be among the leaders to win the Art Ross Trophy – a prize in the NHL awarded to the top goal scorer of the season. Fonbet experts are convinced that Panarin will be able to compete with two Oilers forwards for this trophy – Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are now the top scorers.

Panarin in the list of scorers so far is in eighth place, however, most of the season is yet to come. Edmonton and Rangers have good chances of going far in the championship and in the playoffs. Therefore, Panarin will still be able to score many points. In addition, Artemy is the most productive Russian league. He is eight points ahead of Andrei Svechnikov from Hurricanes and Nikita Kucherov from Lightingts. Even Alexander Ovechkin scored only 33 points. Panarin has 20 goals to Ovechkin’s 21.

The New York Boulders announced today that Seth Cantor has been named Vice-President of Business Development, while Julianne Trainor has been promoted to Director of Brand Marketing.

A Rockland County native now living in nearby Congers, Trainor is in her third season with the organization and is a 2012 graduate of Clarkstown North High School, where she was a three-sport athlete – soccer, basketball and track. She is a 2016 graduate of Syracuse University and in 2018 she earned her Master’s Degree in Sports Communication and Media from Iona College in New Rochelle.

In her new position, Trainor will handle regional marketing for the Boulders, as well as fan engagement. Meanwhile Cantor, who was an original member of the front office, expands his role in business development while also continuing to serve as the well-known broadcast voice of the Boulders.

“A business is only as good your people” said Boulders President Shawn Reilly “and we are very fortunate to have Julie and Seth, two of the very best in the industry!”

“With the teams new regional marketing initiative after the move to the Frontier League and name change to New York Boulders; Julie and Seth will both be playing a pivotal role in bringing the Boulders brands to new fans and corporations thru-out the metro New York area,” Boulders Assistant General Manager Megan Ciampo said.

The Boulders open the 2020 season on Thursday, May 14, traveling to face the Sussex County Miners before hosting the Washington Wild Things to start a nine-game homestand at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 15. Season tickets and packages for the 2020 season are now available – for more information call 845-364-0009 or slide to NYBoulders.com

SPARKILL, N.Y. – The Lady Spartans have made winning a habit in the last 10 months and Head Coach Kristen Sullivan plans to keep it going in 2020.

Sullivan and her Lady Spartans head into the season with plenty of optimism. Last spring, the Spartans logged the program’s finest season ever when they won a record 25 games, competed in the East Coast Conference playoffs for the first time since 2006 and were ranked in the NCAA’s East Region poll for most of the season. They followed that with a very successful fall season, winning seven of 11 games.

STAC lost eight seniors to graduation in May, but Sullivan has replenished the roster with eight freshmen and will ask several players from a strong sophomore class to make major contributions this season. Her 21-player roster features players from six states including five from California.
“Last year’s senior class improved every year and carried the program to new heights,” said Sullivan, who notched her 150th career win last season. “We bring back a few impact players but our success will surely be based on the performance of players stepping up into more expanded roles and a few new faces.”

Senior tri-captain Adrianna Dilal (Rochester, N.Y.) will anchor the staff and will be one of the premier players in the conference. In her first year at STAC last spring, Dilal registered a 13-10 record and led the team in earned run average (2.03) and strikeouts (98) to earn second-team All-ECC honors. She was named the preseason Pitcher of the Year in a poll of ECC coaches. Freshman Kessia Cisneros (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) pitched well in the fall season and will give Sullivan a reliable starter. Junior Paige Toothaker (Ashburnham, Mass.) will compete for starting assignments and freshman Jai Santiago (Albany, N.Y.) rounds out the staff.

Sullivan’s trademark on offense has been to apply pressure on opposing defenses with bunting and aggressive base running. This year’s club has plenty of team speed and a handful of power threats to give Sullivan a potentially well rounded hitting attack.

Centerfield Missy Sadler (Milton, N.Y.) will be the centerpiece of the offense and will provide speed and power to complement her solid and often spectacular play in center field. Outfielders Teammates Me’-Lani Kendle (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Valerie Winalski (East Granby, Conn.), Selena Davis (Teaneck, N.J.) and Emilee Mayer (Frisco, Tx.) are speedsters who will provide quickness on offense and defense. Dilal, Amanda Schweitzer (Stony Point, N.Y.), Elisa Oliande (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) and Amanda Castro (Long Beach, Calif.) will supply the lineup’s extra-base power. Sullivan also expects offensive contributions from sophomores Sarah Williams (New Hyde Park, N.Y.), Kim Astrologo (Mahopac, N.Y.), Nikki MacDonald (Riverdale, N.J.) and Lauren Christensen (Salem, N.Y.).

Centerfielder Sadler and first baseman Taylor Sullivan (Suffern, N.Y.,), who is a senior tri-captain, will anchor the team’s defense. Williams is the leading candidate to win the starting third base job while Astrologo, MacDonald, Castro, Oilande and freshman Rudae Gadson (Westbrookville, N.Y.) vie for playing time at shortstop and second base. Schweitzer, Christensen, tri-captain Morgan Santora (Saddle Brook, N.J.) and freshman Kaley Pedersen (Riverside, Calif.) give Sullivan a deep reservoir of catchers. Athena Zak (Clarence, N.Y.) will provide infield depth.

The Lady Spartans will face one of the most challenging schedules in the 36-year history of the program. They will face a 46-game slate that will include a 12-game, 10-day road trip to Winter Haven, Florida where they will face seven opponents who won 30 games or more in 2019. The ECC will again be one of the most formidable Div. II leagues in the nation with defending conference champion University of Bridgeport and New York Institute of Technology figuring to field strong teams. STAC was picked to finish in second place in a preseason poll of ECC coaches, the program’s best showing ever in the annual survey. Caldwell University, Adelphi University and the University of New Haven will be good non-conference foes.

“Our Florida trip will be especially important this year as we try to find the right combinations,” said Sullivan. “I am confident that we can compete with the best teams in our conference. It will be another exciting year.”

By Jamie Kempton

The Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame will honor nine individuals during its 47^th annual induction banquet on Saturday, April 18 at the Pearl River Elks Club in Nanuet. Reception is at 6 p.m. followed by the induction program at 7 p.m.

This year’s roster of inductees includes Will Cunnane, Clarkstown North class of 1992; Charlie White, Spring Valley class of 1972; Heidi Higgins Sermabekian, Spring Valley class of 1980; Phil Consiglio, North Rockland class of 1985; Jose St. Victor, Nyack class of 1973; Wilbur Eschen, Suffern class of 1940 (posthumous); the brother tandem of Emil Willis, Spring Valley class of 1952, and Bob Willis, Spring Valley class of 1959; and Margaret “Babs” Stead, the Joseph Holland Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

“The makeup of the induction class varies from year to year but all share one overriding theme: excellence in their respective fields of athletics,” said Pete Scheibner, Hall of Fame Chairman. “This year we are proud to enshrine a former major league baseball player, two former professional football players, a trail-blazing female athlete, a champion wrestler, three outstanding multi-sport athletes, two of whom also stood out as coaches, and a highly regarded official in four sports. Rockland County’s success in the athletic arena far exceeds its small geographic size.”

Cunnane pitched for the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves during an eight-year major league career. At Clarkstown North, he was Pitcher of the Year for League I-B his senior year and allowed only three earned runs in 56 innings. White was a running back with the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Colts. He was a two-time All-America halfback at Bethune-Cookman College and two-time Rockland County 100-yard dash champion at Spring Valley.

Higgins Sermabekian was the first girl in New York State to play on a boys’ high school baseball team. She starred in basketball, soccer and softball and enjoyed an outstanding basketball career at Nazareth College. Consiglio won the 1984 New York State scholastic wrestling title at 105 lbs. and made two All-America teams. He set the Rockland County record for career victories (132) and placed at the State meet all four years.

St. Victor was drafted by the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, and was a free agent with both the Dallas Cowboys and the USFL’s New Jersey Generals. He earned a full scholarship to Syracuse University and started as an offensive tackle for three years. At Nyack he competed in football and track and coached both sports at his alma mater.

Eschen, who died in 2018, was an All-County performer for Suffern in football, basketball and baseball. He coached the Suffern Mounties baseball team from 1954 to 1972 and won a pair of County championships. He later coached the baseball team at Potsdam State College. Emil and Bob Willis were both three-sport stars for Spring Valley and varsity athletes at Springfield College. Emil coached the Tigers baseball team to the 1967 Rockland and Section 9 championship, and served as an educator, coach and  administrator at Rockland Community College for almost 50 years. Bob received a tryout with the Philadelphia Phillies as a pitcher and went on to a distinguished career as a superintendent of schools in the Midwest.

Stead has officiated swimming and track & field for 44 years, volleyball for 26 years, and refereed girls’ basketball for 25 years. She holds or has held leadership positions in multiple sports and spent 34 years as a teacher at St. Gregory Barbarigo School in Garnerville. Tickets for the gala are $65 per person and $30 for children 12 and younger. Ticket deadline is April 14. For further information, contact Pete Castellano at 201-390-3245 or riverviewmall@aol.com, or use the ticket form on the Hall of Fame’s website, www.RCSHF.org.

We need your help in selecting our All-Decade team!

As part of the New York Boulders’ Bould Decade celebrating the franchise’s first 10 years of play, fans will be voting to fill one position on our All-Decade team each week for eight successive weeks.

Up first is the catching position with the ballot sponsored by Nelson Metals of West Haverstraw. You have until Thursday, April 9, to cast your vote at https://forms.gle/coddra1yU5Tao69u7.

The final results will be announced during the summer. Here is a breakdown of the five candidates:

Marcus Nidiffer (2014-18): In five seasons with the Boulders, Nidiffer hit 89 home runs and had three years with 20 or more dingers. In 2015, he had career highs in homers with 22 and RBIs with 93, while hitting .256. A member of the 2014 Can-Am League championship team, Nidiffer saved his best season for his final go-round with the Boulders when he hit a career-best .287 while hitting 21 home runs and driving in 60 runs.

Billy Alvino (2012-13): Acquired from the Newark Bears midway through the 2012 season, Alvino came into his own the next season, posting a .300 batting average to go along with a pair of home runs and 30 RBIs. A solid defensive receiver, he committed only four errors behind the plate in 2013.

Adam Ehrlich (2019): After three years north of the border with the Quebec Capitales, the lefty swinging receiver came to Rockland County and hit a solid and productive .253 with two HRs and 40 RBIs. Ehrlich also played a big role in shutting down opposing team’s running games by gunning down 25% of base stealers.

Scott Knazek (2013): In one full season with the Boulders, Knazek hit .181 with four home runs while knocking in 19 runs.

Landis Wilson (2012): Appearing in 36 games in his lone season with the Boulders, Wilson hit .270 with four HRs and 13 RBIs. However, he may be remembered more for his defense as he committed only one error, posting a .992 fielding percentage and throwing out 22% would-be base stealers.

Debuting in 1993, the Frontier League is the largest and longest-running of the modern independent leagues and features teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway.  More information and the complete 2020 schedule can be found at www.frontierleague.com.

Pomona, NY (June 24, 2020) – Today, the Board of Directors of the Frontier League announced the suspension of the entire 2020 Frontier League Championship season.

The New York Boulders, scheduled to play their first season in the league, will continue to explore all options to provide professional baseball this summer in a safe environment for our fans, players and staff. That is in addition to other safe, family-friendly entertainment we will provide for our community.

“Obviously this announcement is disappointing, but not unexpected,” Team President Shawn Reilly said. “We appreciate the effort that Bill Lee and all the Frontier League owners put into trying to find ways to salvage a 2020 season. For the last four months we, as a league, have dealt with the complexity and fluidity of the health requirements for each of our numerous states and local municipalities in an attempt to play as a league this summer.”

Reilly continued, “Unfortunately, with the continued uncertainty of Covid-19, we, as a league, will take this year off and look to restart in 2021. From last year when we hosted the joint All-Star game and we realized the merger of the Can-Am League and Frontier League was destined to happen, we couldn’t wait for opening day of 2020. Now we wait with the same anticipation for 2021 when we get to celebrate our 10th season.””

Reilly added, “This doesn’t mean there won’t be any Boulders baseball this summer. We are continuing to pursue other options for 2020, as we have done for the past several months. Our recent fan survey and sentiment shows overwhelming support for a return to play this season. Many have reached out individually and asked us to play to help heal our community. The Boulders takes our social contract with our stakeholders very seriously and we will exhaust every option to play baseball this summer in a safe environment.”

This past Saturday, June 20, Palisades Credit Union Park played host to the first Boulders Drive-In as the Boulders hosted a parking-lot drive-in fireworks event featuring live music followed by fireworks. Planned future attractions include “Movie Night at the Ballpark,” and additional fireworks nights, among others.

“It was great to see so many members of the Boulders’ family last Saturday” Reilly said. “It only adds to our commitment to make every effort to play baseball this summer, but the virus remains our top focus and we’ve been working closely with the local medical community and government officials to determine whether can do so in a safe manner.”

For updates and events schedule, check www.nyboulders.com, visit the Boulders’ Facebook page, or call 845-364-0009.

Debuting in 1993, the Frontier League is the largest and longest-running of the modern independent leagues and features teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2020 schedule can be found at www.frontierleague.com.

The post FRONTIER LEAGUE SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON first appeared on The Rockland County Times.

While minor and independent professional baseball leagues have been canceled across the country this summer, professional-caliber baseball will return to Rockland County at the Palisades Credit Union Park on July 23 as part of the 6-team, All- American Baseball Challenge presented by Good Samaritan Hospital.

The 32-game schedule will feature the Rockland Boulders (not affiliated with the New York Boulders) and New York Brave playing at Palisades Credit Union Park; Sussex County Miners and Skylands Cardinals at Skylands Stadium in Augusta, NJ; and the New Jersey Jackals and the Jersey Wise Guys will play at Yogi Berra Stadium in Montclair, NJ. All games will be held on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This all-star caliber, recreation league will feature top-level talent from both minor league and college baseball as part of the outdoor family fun series at Palisades Credit Union Park. “With Minor and Independent leagues shuttering for this season, we’ve had tremendous interest from very high level players who are anxious for a place to perform,” noted Shawn Reilly, President of NY BB, LLC. Players from the 2019 Jackals, Miners and Boulders are expected to participate. “We know there are many fans and families having baseball withdrawal this summer and this will allow them to watch America’s pastime in the safety of the fresh air and social distanced atmosphere of our beautiful ballpark.”

Palisades Credit Union Park, Rockland County’s premier outdoor family entertainment center, features drive in fireworks, movies and baseball and more this summer. A full promotion schedule for the baseball games will be announced shortly. In accordance with NYS guidelines, crowds will be extremely limited and masks required as part of the ballpark social distancing safety protocol. Schedule information and tickets will go on sale this week at www.palisadescreditunionpark.com.

The Boulders and Brave will hold an open tryout for players on Saturday, July 18 at 8 a.m. Registration is limited must be done in advance at PalisadesCreditUnionPark.com.

The post Palisades Credit Union Park to host All-American Baseball Challenge Weekend schedule to begin July 23 first appeared on The Rockland County Times.

Frank Nigro could be the poster boy for the All-American Baseball Challenge.

A 2019 graduate of Wilmington University in New Castle, DE, where he was the Wildcats’ catcher for four years after a standout scholastic career at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, NJ, Nigro was just itching for an opportunity to get back on the diamond this spring…which ran into the summer. Then along came the All-American Baseball Challenge and a call from Rockland Boulders’ manager Albert Gonzalez, who had been an assistant down at High Point of the Atlantic League last year where Nigro had appeared in 38 games.

“Just being given this chance to play,” Nigro, who will turn 23 on Aug. 1, said. “I was – like all these guys – home for the last four months and not knowing what was going to happen. Then this great opportunity came around and I am thankful for this chance.”

Though he hails from Stony Point in northern Rockland County, Nigro opted to cross the New Jersey state border for high school at prestigious Don Bosco Prep.

“I had uncles go to Bosco and another to St. Joe’s (Regional High School in Montvale, NJ),” Nigro said. “My uncle Patrick Kearney ended up playing football at Boston University and my other uncle Michael Kearney played baseball at Seton Hall and Rutgers.”

Nigro continued, “I knew that the (baseball) competition would be very good and I also knew about the academics. Both are very good schools – I just decided that Bosco was the place to go.”

His freshman year at Bosco, he played second base. He switched to the outfield the next year before donning the catcher’s gear for good as a junior. He has been behind the plate ever since.

“I just love catching,” Nigro said. “Call me crazy, but I love it when the ball hits me – it wakes me up. I love being able to run the staff and get to know all the pitchers. And I am involved in every play.”

He added with a laugh, “And I am not fast enough to play any other position.”

Wilmington was the only school to come calling with a college offer, but it turned out to be a perfect match for Nigro.

“I loved it down there,” Nigro said. “I had to grow up really fast down there because there are no dorms at Wilmington – you have to live in apartments. You grow up pretty fast when you have to go out and buy your own groceries.

Play in the Central Atlantic Athletic Conference was gritty and a grind, according to Nigro.

“Back-to-back conference doubleheaders with a non-conference game thrown in every now and then,” he said. “It was a grind, but we all loved it.”

Over four years at Wilmington, Nigro appeared in 161 games and hit .270 with five home runs and 77 RBI. Good defensive catchers are always at the top of every manager’s list and Nigro takes pride in his play behind the plate and his relationship with pitchers. “I like to anticipate that a pitch will be in the dirt – you have to get below the ball,” he explained. “When there is a man on base, always expect that he is going to be running.”

Nigro continued, “I like to talk to the pitchers and find out what they are comfortable throwing that day – you have to find out how they are feeling that day. I like to find out what they are comfortable with throwing when they need to make a pitch. It is all about getting to know them and them getting to know me.”

With Palisades Credit Union Park in Pomona the home of the Boulders for the summer league, Nigro relishes the chance to play before his family – Stony Point is a stone’s throw from Pomona. “It is awesome that my family is getting the chance to see me play,” he said. “I am so grateful that Albert (Gonzalez) gave me this opportunity.”

Nigro continued, “We have such a great group of guys here. Even though we only had about three days to get to know one another before the first game, it all seems to have clicked.”

He added, “The goal is to have fun and hopefully win a championship – with these circumstances, who knows, but we are having a great time. Maybe we can get picked up for next year – whatever happens, happens. I am just taking it day-by-day and enjoying it.”

The All-American Baseball Challenge is a six-team league that includes the Boulders, Brave, New Jersey Jackals, Skylands Cardinals, Sussex County Miners and Jersey Wise Guys. Each team is playing a 32-game schedule.

All games in the All-American Baseball Challenge, a summer recreation league comprised of professional and college players, are being held each week on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, running through the weekend following Labor Day in September. In accordance with New York State guidelines, crowds are extremely limited and masks are required as part of the ballpark’s guest separation protocol.

Schedule and ticket information can be found at www.palisadescreditunionpark.com.

The post SUMMER LEAGUE A HOMECOMING FOR STONY POINT’S NIGRO first appeared on The Rockland County Times.

Rockland County, NY – It has been a long and much traveled road for Alex Fishberg to finally find his way back home to Rockland County.

The 2012 graduate of Suffern High School took his talents as a catcher to Iona College in New Rochelle. However, sometimes the best laid plans often go off the rails and force you to take a detour. That change in direction, though, has allowed Fishberg to forge a career as a relief pitcher in independent ball.

“When I was in high school, I played for the OTB Pirates with Mike Rooney as the coach and he had a close connection with Iona,” Fisherg said, “I trusted Mike with helping me make that decision more than anyone else. It was a great decision and I never looked back.”

At Iona, not all was well with Fishberg’s bat. His arm, however, was another story.

“I struggled as a freshman,” Fishberg said. “I was not as prepared as I thought I was for that level. When my bat wasn’t kicking, we decided to make the decision to make me a pitcher.”

As a sophomore, Fishberg split time between catching and pitching. Junior year saw him strictly on the mound.

“Once I began to pitch – I loved it,” Fishberg said. “It does take a lot of time to learn how to control the tempo out there and how to keep resetting yourself.”

It was the off-season prior to his senior season when it all started to click – mentally and physically – for Fishberg. In his senior year, he went 3-3 with three saves over 22 appearances and 37 2/3 innings. That season, he allowed only 22 hits while striking out 37 and walking 17.

After graduating from Iona in 2016, Fishberg began a tour of independent baseball. He has toed the rubber for seven different independent league franchises – the Ottawa Champions, Quebec Capitales, Sussex County Miners and Boulders of the old Can-Am League, the Vallejo Admirals of the Pacific Association, the Normal (IL) Cornbelters of the Frontier League and the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association.

“It is exciting,” Fishberg said. “I am fortunate that I keep getting the opportunities. I do work hard for them – I am the type of pitcher that will keep showing up day after day. I believe that if you keep working hard, good things will happen.”

In 2019, the call came from the Boulders – then of the Can-Am League. This summer, when the All-American Baseball Challenge was formed to fill a void for minor league and independent players, Fishberg hooked on with the “new” Rockland Boulders.

“It is just unbelievable to be able to play in front of your family and friends,” Fishberg said. “Being out in the middle of the country or out on the West Coast, you are alone and in a different time zone from your support group.”

He continued, “When it is going good, it is going good; but when it is going bad and you are out there, you have to try to figure things out on your own. I am very fortunate to have a great support system here in Rockland.”

In addition to his family and friends, Fishberg has also hooked up with Power Arm Performance in Ramsey, NJ, where he works out, but also gets to work with pitching coaches to hone his craft and a nutritionist to help with his diet. The conditioning has enabled Fishberg to be the type of reliever that a manager craves – someone who is willing to throw nearly every day.

“I am willing to go any and every day to help the squad,” Fishberg said. “One thing that I think I did well over the pandemic was I never acted like there was not going to be a baseball season. No matter how down it looked, I kept working because I wanted to be that much ahead when we did get back.”

He added, “We are all blessed and fortunate that we have this opportunity. There are minor league ballplayers everywhere that had their season cancelled and they are wondering what direction their careers are going to take now.”

The All-American Baseball Challenge is a six-team league that includes the Boulders, New York Brave, New Jersey Jackals, Skylands Cardinals, Sussex County Miners and Jersey Wise Guys. Each team is playing a 32-game schedule.

All games in the All-American Baseball Challenge, a summer recreation league comprised of professional and college players, are being held each week on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, running through Sept. 12. In accordance with New York State guidelines, crowds are extremely limited and masks are required as part of the ballpark’s guest separation protocol.

Schedule and ticket information can be found at www.palisadescreditunionpark.com.

Palisades Credit Union Park, Rockland County’s premier outdoor family entertainment center, features drive in fireworks, movies, baseball and more this summer.

The post LONG ROAD OF INDY BALL FINALLY BRINGS SUFFERN’S FISHBERG BACK HOME first appeared on The Rockland County Times.

By Joe Rini

His laughter was a high pitched cackling laugh of joy.

The uniform number 41…the steaming fastball powdered by his locomotive legs with his drop and drive delivery punctuated by a dirt stained right knee..yet to me, the foremost image I have a Tom Seaver is the image I saw on TV as a six year old first grader in Brooklyn, the image of the joyous, boyish man of 24 celebrating in the clubhouse with his teammates the improbable championship of the 1969 Mets.

Tom Seaver was the Mets and the Mets have been a major part of my life since captivating my imagination with their championship in 1969. I never met Tom Seaver yet he has been a part of my life’s journey.

For Mets fans who share a city with the memory of Yankee legends like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle in addition to the legacies of the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, Tom Seaver was our legend and all-time great that no one can take away from us, not even death.

My Dad would take me to a game or two on his vacation when I was a kid and Labor Day 1975 found us at Shea Stadium. On this day, Seaver was not only seeking his 20th win but six strikeouts would give him 200 for an unprecedented eight seasons in a row. As we sat in the mezzanine along the right field line, Seaver pitched a four hit shutout and I can still see my Dad’s pumped-first, pencil in hand, and the explosion of the crowd as Seaver fanned Manny Sanguilen in the seventh inning, a strikeout immortalized in my Dad’s scorecard with a circled letter “K.”

I haven’t seen my eighth grade autograph book in years but I still remember what my buddy Tom wrote in my book in June 1977: “A girl for a guy who thought Seaver wouldn’t be trade” a few days after the Mets inexplicacbly had done just that. Full disclosure. I also remember my Grandma Maggie wrote on a blue page, “May you never be the color of this page.”

I was in college six years later and after my last class on April 5, 1983, I headed to Shea Stadium via the subway from Manhattan. Exiting the number 7 train, I joined my buddies Pat and Tom in the upper deck behind home plate just in time to join the roar of the crowd as Seaver made his way to the field from the bullpen in right field. The Franchise was back.

In a match-up with Steve Carlton and Phillies, a team seemingly filled with future Hall of Famers, Seaver struck out Pete Rose to leading off the game and he pitched six shutout innings enroute to a 2-0 Mets victory, with the Mets first run being driven in by Mike Howard, an outfielder as innocuous as Seaver was iconic.

And then suddenly, Seaver was gone again after one season. Instead of the malicious dismissal at the hands of M. Donald Grant in 1977, the new Mets front office lost him in a move that was as bewildering a blunder as a dropped popup.

Seaver was gone but he thrived as his absence from the Mets kept them out of the postseason in 1984 and 1985. Mets fans cheered as he picked up his 300th win in New York City, albeit at Yankee Stadium in a White Sox uniform. That oddness of Seaver winning number 300 at Yankee Stadium was matched a year later as the Mets won the 1986 World Series at Shea Stadium with Seaver in a Red Sox uniform in the visiting team’s dugout.

After an abortive comeback in 1987, Seaver retired and on July 24, 1988, Pat, Tom, and I sat in the Loge section behind third base as the Mets officially retired his number 41. As Seaver ran to the mound to bow to the fans in all corners of the stadium, I shook my head in the presence of his greatness and told my friends we’d never see another Met like him again.

And now 32 years later and days after his death, when my 57-year old self finds himself closer to Seaver’s age at his passing, 75, than his age of 24 in 1969, I say again, “We’ll never see another Met like him again.” He was The Franchise and there will never be another Franchise. There is no second to only.

The post A Journey Through Life with Tom Seaver first appeared on The Rockland County Times.

The New York Boulders continued to build their roster for their initial foray into the Frontier League in 2021 as they bolstered their pitching staff this past week with six signings, including North Rockland High School and Pace University graduate Danny Wirchansky.

The team also inked right-handers Luke Burton, Alex Carrillo, Ben Strahm, and Gaylon Viney, and also extended the contract of southpaw Matt Valin.

The left-handed Wirchansky, 23, graduated from North Rockland in 2015. After a year at Rockland Community College, he transferred to Pace, where he pitched from 2017-2019. In the 2019 season, he went 6-2 with a 1.38 ERA for Pace. He has not pitched since that season.

Drafted in 2019 by the Milwaukee Brewers, Wirchansky, who resides in Stony Point, has also been the property of the Texas Rangers, but was released by both teams late that year with an arm injury and underwent Tommy John surgery.

“This is a great opportunity to get back on the field,” Wirchansky said. “It is a chance for me to go out there and prove that I can still play and compete in the game that I love and have been playing since I was a little guy.”

Burton, 24, is also a local product, hailing from Rockville Centre on Long Island. He originally signed with the Rockland Boulders late in the 2019 season out of Molloy College and did not record a decision in four appearances. This past summer, Burton pitched for the Palisades Credit Union Park-based New York Brave in the All-American Baseball Challenge.

Meanwhile, Carrillo, 23, of Paramount, CA, signed with the Texas Rangers in 2019 out of Faulkner University in Montgomery, AL and pitched for their Arizona Rookie League team that summer; while Strahm, 23, also pitched in the 2019 Arizona Rookie League, for the San Francisco Giants’ affiliate after being selected by the Bay Area team in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Northeastern State in Tahlequah, OK.

Viney, 26, last pitched for the University of Central Oklahoma back in 2018; while Valin, 23, who pitched for the Ottawa Champions of the Can-Am League in the summer of 2019 after graduating from SUNY-Cortland, signed with the Boulders before the suspended 2020 season and agreed to an extension with the club.

Valin also participated in this past summer’s All-American Baseball Challenge as a member of the New York Brave.

Debuting in 1993, the Frontier League is the largest and longest-running of the modern independent leagues and features teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway.  This past September, the Frontier League reached an agreement to become a “Partner League” with Major League Baseball.

As a “Partner League,” the Frontier League and its teams will meet regularly with MLB representatives to discuss joint marketing and promotional opportunities, as well as collaborate on initiatives to provide organized baseball to communities throughout the United States and Canada.

The post North Rockland's Wirchansky Among Six Pitchers Signed By Boulders first appeared on The Rockland County Times.

Just two days separate two student deaths. Steve Sanon, 18, and Olivia Lee, 14, both attended Suffern High School, and tragically died last week. 

Sanon was a senior and a renowned football player who had been recruited by Buffalo State University and planned to attend in the fall. He died on Friday, Feb. 19.

The Suffern Mounties issued a statement Saturday on its official Facebook page announcing Sanon’s death:

  “We are saddened to share the news of the passing of senior Steve Sanon. Steve was our friend, our teammate and our brother. This is a difficult time for all who knew Steve. Steve was always a big part of the team and played a huge role on and off the football field. He always came to play and constantly had his teammates backs. Steve will be remembered by the Suffern Football family forever. Rest in nothing but peace. #holdtherope”

Football Coaching Staff at Suffern High School created a GoFundMe page for Sanon’s funeral expenses. As of Tuesday, almost 600 donors raised $32,786. 

The school district reportedly confirmed Sanon’s death. However, it did not confirm Lee’s. Penny Louise Mann, a friend of Lee’s mother, confirmed with the Rockland County Times that Lee was a freshman at Suffern High School.

“Olivia was a bright, energetic loving sweet girl and we will miss her smile and the joy that she brought to us all,” said Mann. 

Lee reportedly died on Feb. 17. 

Mann created a Facebook fundraiser for Lee’s funeral expenses. As of Tuesday, 451 donors raised $22,781. 

“What I want to express is the sincere thanks and appreciation to all those that have donated in honor of Olivia, especially the Vincent Crotty Memorial Foundation, who donated $1019.00,” said Mann. “They always give when it comes to a child among other things.”

Neither Sanon nor Lee’s cause of death has been released. 

Jared Lloyd’s son turned six yesterday. Hundreds of first responders from Rockland County, Orange County, and New Jersey drove by his house to wish him a happy birthday. Lloyd died Tuesday morning as he helped save over 100 lives in a major fire at the Evergreen Adult Home in Spring Valley. 

Over 150 pieces of first responder apparatus gathered for the 40-minute-long parade. 

The New York Mets also offered condolences to Lloyd’s family in a statement on Twitter Thursday morning. The statement reads: “We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of #Mets fan and hero, Jared Lloyd. Jared, a volunteer firefighter, was killed while rescuing elderly residents from a nursing home. We salute his bravery and sacrifice. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”

An online fundraiser has been set up for Lloyd’s two sons. Over $305,000 was raised as of Thursday morning. 

Donations can be made at this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/firefighter-jared-lloyd-fundraiser?utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&fbclid=IwAR2O3DuOMHSn14xr6n7dRozJYy15fh673e3KF5zxesainr8EmM7qiQgyZ4w 

The 2021 baseball season is a little over a week old, so naturally overreactions are running wild.  It’s the nature of the beast, it is par for the course.  Some overreactions are totally overblown.

For example, the Yankees lineup is not going to continue to stink throughout the regular season the way it has over the first week.  It may take a little longer than you’d like, but eventually a lineup full of talented players is going to produce.  The same could be said for Michael Conforto despite the fact that he is in a contract year.  He is too talented and too good a player to perform the way that he has.

However, there are a couple of early season narratives that I think are totally fair to analyze. In Yankee land, Gleyber Torres’ early season defensive struggles are a legitimate cause for concern. Gleyber Torres played poorly in 2020, offensively and defensively.  One of the major questions going into this season was whether or not he would be able to handle one of the most important positions on the field.

So far, Gleyber Torres has struggled. He cost the Yankees a game with his glove on Wednesday night and has been an adventure in the early going of the year.  By the end of this year, you need to know if Gleyber Torres can be the Yankee shortstop for years to come.

A week plus into the year, the jury is very much still out on that.

In Mets land, it’s been frustrating waiting for games to be played. It’s also been beyond frustrating watching the Mets squander Jacob deGrom gems.  Jacob deGrom has started two games this year and has been brilliant. 14 innings pitched, 1 run allowed, but somehow, some way the Mets are 0-2 in games started by their ace this season.

That simply can’t happen.

It follows this disturbing trend, since 2018 the Mets are 36-42 in games that Jacob deGrom has started. Let that sink in, 2 CY Young awards, total dominance and yet the Mets as a team are 6 games under .500 in games he has started. The trend has to change, if the Mets are going to take him seriously. If you’re going to win a division title, a pennant or for that matter a World Series, you have to win the games that are started by the best pitcher in baseball.

When Jacob deGrom is on the mound, go and win the games. It’s a week in, but know this.

The Yankees won’t find their way to the World Series if Gleyber Torres can’t handle shortstop, and the Mets won’t find their way to the postseason if they can’t win Jacob deGrom starts.  There is no overreaction in that…

A history lesson in modern-day horse racing events

Britain is considered to be the birthplace of many of the world’s much-loved sports, and one of those is horse racing. The kind of horse racing events that we see drawing huge numbers of spectators and bettors in today’s era actually originated in the U.K. It is believed that the first and oldest horse racing event was the Kiplingcotes Derby, which began way back in 1519 up in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Across the pond from Britain in the United States, there are several tracks that are considered to be the oldest in the country. As far as major sporting venues go, many consider the New York based Saratoga Race Course to be the oldest of its kind in the States, with the first modern-day event taking place in the mid-1800s.

The United Kingdom versus The United States

Horse racing is a big deal across the world, and no more so than in places like the United Kingdom and the United States. They are both home to some of the most famous racing events around the world and routinely draw enormous crowds and tv viewers each year.

In the U.K. the horse racing event regarded as the number one in the country is the Grand National without a doubt. It is the one that has the largest TV audience and is the one that is able to capture the attention of everybody in the country. One of the reasons the Grand National has become such a big event on the calendar is the betting. While gambling is not for everyone, you’ll often find that those people who only bet once a year are betting on the Grand National. Whether it be direct from the bookmakers down at the race for those lucky enough to go, or from a U.K. online betting site, the thrill of watching your horse score you some extra cash is a big part of what makes this such an exciting day for many.

Another reason for the popularity of this event is the drama. Due to the nature of the course, the unexpected is often expected with lots of shock wins and favorites falling at the fences. The culture at this event is also massive and typically British. Everyone flocks to Aintree dressed to the nines, ready to watch some horse racing and potentially make some money, all in a very British fashion.

The Grand National, however, is not the only major horse racing event that the U.K. is blessed with. Others with an enormous reputation both nationally and around the world are The Royal Ascot, Epsom Derby, Scottish Grand National, and of course, Cheltenham Festival. The latter is considered as one of the biggest and sees the world’s best jump racing horses feature at this racecourse. Not only are the horses some of the finest, the very best of Britain and Ireland’s trainers and jockeys battle it out as the noisy Cheltenham crowd cheers them on.

In the whole of horse racing, the U.S.’s Kentucky Derby is arguably the number one race in the world. The world’s most elite horses and jockeys make their way to Louisville ready to go full throttle straight to the finish line, with the hope of winning horse racing’s greatest prize and cement themselves as legends of the sport. Just like the Grand National, betting on this race offers plenty of thrilling scenarios with the favorites tending to do well compared to other events.

The U.S. also possesses an exceptional schedule of horse racing with the addition of Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Breeders’ Cup, and Travers Stakes. One of the biggest draws to horse racing as a sport is betting. It is a hugely significant cultural and economic aspect that up until 2018, posed some challenges to the industry in the U.S. Gambling as a whole was illegal, with the exception being horse racing. The decision on gambling was passed over to the states with many now opening their doors to the gambling industry. On the other hand, it is taking much longer for others to completely accept gambling, particularly online gambling. The state of New York for example has legalized casinos, but has favored more live horse racing and off-track betting, with horse racing being the only form of legalized online gambling here.

So who takes it?

Two fierce destinations in the world of horse racing. It’s a very tough call to make about who is the best as both present strong claims for this victory. The U.K. has the most history and holds the crown as the pioneer as it is where the sport originated from. They also are home to a bunch of huge racing events that draw in huge spectators with it being the second-largest spectator sport in the country.

The U.S. on the other hand also boasts an impressive calendar of racing events and is the proud creator of the greatest race in the world — the Kentucky Derby which is able to sweep staggering amounts on the betting markets too. This alone could sway the decision stateside. Perhaps though, the culture, history, spectator numbers, and freedom to bet nationwide could be the reason why the U.K. has to take this one. What do you think?

Rewind the calendar about six weeks ago. It was full-fledged panic mode in Yankees land. The Yankees started the season 5-10. They were 2-8 against the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays and actually played worse than that 5-10 record would indicate.

Over that fifteen game stretch, I couldn’t really pinpoint one particular element that was working well for the team. That said, I always expected the Yankees to find their groove at some point in the regular season, because after all a team with that much talent is usually going to perform to the back of the baseball card.

The Yankees have done exactly that. Since the 5-10 stretch, the Yankees have won a whole lot of series. I’d make the argument that their most impressive series of the year was this past weekend against the Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox are one of the most talented teams in baseball and a team the Yankees will likely meet come October.  The Yankees won two dramatic games and found a way to sweep one of the hottest teams in all of baseball. The negative vibes of early and mid-April have turned into walk offs and Gatorade showers postgame.

So, what’s been the biggest difference from the Yankees in April to the Yankees of right now.

Well, it’s the pitching stupid! Since mid-April, the Yankees starting rotation has been amongst baseball’s best units. Sure, offense is down throughout the sport. We all know that, but that does not in any way take away from what the Yankees rotation has been able to do.

Heading into Tuesday’s matchup against the Blue Jays, the Yankees starting rotation has hurled 35 consecutive scoreless innings.  It helps when you have Gerrit Cole who clearly profiles as baseball’s second-best pitcher, but he has had a whole lot of help recently.  Corey Kluber has so far lived up to the billing of being a legitimate number two starter. He has flashed the form we saw from 2014-2018 with the Cleveland Indians and threw the Yankees first no hitter in 21 years last Wednesday against Texas.

In addition to Kluber, Domingo German and Jordan Montgomery have been durable and reliable arms that have exceeded expectations. The Yankees rotation went into the season with all sorts of questions and two months into the season, it has provided a whole lot of answers.

It may not be the case for all four starters not named Gerrit Cole, but I do believe the success of the rotation throughout the last six weeks is sustainable. The Yankees have put together the best rotation they have had in about ten years and remember help is on the way.

At some point, former ace Luis Severino will make his return to the team from Tommy John surgery. Who knew that two months into the year, the success of the team would be tied to its pitching staff?

That’s baseball Suzyn!

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York every Sunday Night, Tuesday Night & Thursday Night on the Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify and Apple. Plus bonus episodes on Wednesday & Friday Night after both Knicks Playoff Games.