I’ve received several emails from readers since the football schedules were released in February. Many are outraged by Section 1’s decision to limit the number of contests, going from seven regular season games to six because of budget cuts. Several, though, are looking deeper into the schedules with raised brows.

There’s one reader from Bronxville who is outraged that his team has to travel to Dobbs Ferry again this season. Another Class AA fan is making the same claim about teams in that conference.

Do you have any issues with your teams schedule? If so, I want to hear your voice. Let me know what bothers you about the schedule or there seems to be anything eschew.

I had a story in today’s Journal News on the predicament Eastchester football is in, trying to find a sixth regular season football game. You can read it here.

As I wrote earlier this week, Section 1 did not give Eastchester an extra non-league game because of an odd number of teams in the conference. The Eagles, according to coach Fred DiCarlo, were essentially told by Section 1 that if it wants to play the week of Oct. 10 — and only that weekend — it would have to find an opponent on its own.

Eastchester has searched throughout the tri-state area, including an obscure trade school in Hartford that I actually found looking for a game that way. But it hasn’t secured anything as of it.

The article in today’s paper included a little bit more of the backstory, including Port Chester’s role in this. I’ve already received an email from PC athletic director Joe Durney blasting me for the story, and coach Greg Domestico posted a comment on this blog echoing those thoughts.

Let me explain quickly:

• First, all information in my article was credited to Eastchester coach Fred DiCarlo, was supported by AD Chris Fiore and two other coaches in the conference, as well as another source at PC.


• I was not assigning blame to Port Chester for Eastchester not having a game, although Durney and Domestico seem to think I am. What league and schedule they play is their business. But answer this question: Why would Port Chester participate in a league of teams almost all located on the opposite side of the Hudson when it could be in one that included neighboring rivals Rye and Harrison? Seems fishy.


• The story here is that Eastchester feels it is being hung out to dry here by its conference and Section 1. And it feels very strongly that nobody is listening or even attempting to help resolve the matter.

I’ve returned an email to Durney, the former chairman for Class A football, and will definitely allow him to state his school’s case in this matter. Perhaps I did miss an element that needs clarification.

Thought you basketball fans would be interested to get the latest on the Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia. Chris Lowe of Mount Vernon and Geoff McDermott of New Rochelle are both competing in the event, which is an NBA Draft showcase of college basketball seniors.

Click here for the tournament’s web site, which includes rosters, stats and other features.

Lowe, a 6-foot point guard at UMass, plays for the Tidewater Sealants and McDermott, a 6-7 forward at Providence, is on the Portsmouth Partnership. Their teams played in Thursday’s opening round, with Portsmouth winning 90-80. McDermott had six points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes and Lowe had 10 points, no assists and four turnovers in 26 minutes.

Tidewater lost its next game in the consolation bracket despite six points and nine assists (two TOs) in 31 minutes by Lowe. McDermott and Portsmouth are in the semifinals tonight at 7 p.m. The championship is tomorrow at 8 p.m. Lowe and Tidewater play their final game tomorrow at noon.

Lowe’s team features Alfred Aboya of UCLA and Alex Ruoff of West Virginia. McDermott is teamed up with DeMarre Carroll of Missouri.

Since most top college players leave for the NBA before their senior seasons, this event doesn’t usually have star-studded talent. Ben Wallace and Scottie Pippen are the two most notable.

I’m not sure what type of draft prospects Lowe or McDermott have at this point, if any. Lowe will really have to show some flash and a little more consistency in his workouts to prove he can play at that level. McDermott, who isn’t considered a prospect by DraftExpress, must overwhelm scouts to get any attention. Both could play overseas, which is a great way to make a living when you’re 23-years old.

DraftExpress has profiled both players. I encourage checking it out:

Here’s Chris Lowe’s profile page, which is a little dated but will be updated soon

Geoff McDermott’s page is even older but will be updated in the coming weeks, especially if he has good workouts.

The New York State High School Football Coaches Association released its 2009 Golden 50 Team today. You can view the complete list by clicking here.

Darlos James of Iona Prep and Rob Lombardo of Somers were the only local recipients. James is a DB headed to Maine. Lombardo is a FB/LB bound for Navy. It’s open to seniors only.

It’s a pretty solid list of players, most of which are headed to Division I and I-AA schools. There are a bunch of Rutgers, Pittsburgh, and Penn State recruits in there. The headliners are Najee Tyler of Xavier, who’ll play quarterback at Purdue, and Jeff Tundo of Orchard Park, who’ll play defensive back headed to Ohio State.

The biggest omission from the list? It’s got to be Kevin Arduino of Cornwall. Just because he’s not headed to a Division I school doesn’t mean he wasn’t one of the 50 best players in the state.

What’s worse than having a six-game football regular season? How about one with only five.

Eastchester might have to. Due to Port Chester moving to the Rockland league in Class A, and an odd number of teams in the conference, the school was informed by Section 1 it would only receive a five-game schedule and had to find a sixth game on its own.

Unfortunately, the Eagles are having no luck. They can’t find an opponent to fill their Oct. 10 (Week 5) open date despite searching throughout New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and everywhere upstate.

Only two teams in the tri-state area might be able to arrange their schedules to play Eastchester: Don Bosco and Bergen Catholic. Yikes.

Five regular season games becomes a little dicier when the season opener is against Saunders, which forfeited its first game last season to Eastchester because it wouldn’t have enough eligible players. Imagine that happens again this year?

The entire scheduling situation in Section 1 is a total joke. They decided to trim one game off in an effort to save money. I’m not saying this because I’m a big football advocate, but the sports should be treated differently. Games are sacred. I can tell you every football game I played in high school, where it was, who won and the key elements of the game. And I stunk.

Nobody wants to see these kids deprived of a game. Spread the word. At this point, Eastchester is willing to play just about anyone.

If you’re looking for something to do tomorrow night, check out Fordham University’s “Sports Media 101: The Professional Perspective” seminar at the school’s new Westchester campus in White Plains.

The event runs from 7-9 p.m. and is no cost. I’ll be one of the five “expert” panelists, along with Walt Folwer of News 12, Marc Malusis of WFAN/SNY, Wayne Coffey of the Daily News, and public relations executive John Cirillo, who’s also a professor at Fordham. We’ll be discussing the evolution of sports media from high school levels to the pros.

This is from the press release:

Five prominent names in Westchester’s sports world – Harrison resident Marc Malusis of WFAN Radio/SNY Television, News 12’s Westchester’s Walt Fowler, Kevin Devaney, Jr. of The Journal News, Sleepy Hollow resident Wayne Coffey of the Daily News, and Chappaqua publicist John Cirillo – are heading to Fordham’s Westchester campus, and the public is welcome to join them!

Harrison, March 16—Tabloid headlines blaring details of the latest sports star scandal;  sports talk radio hosts and callers 24 hours a day;  all sports national and local cable stations; and immense dollars amounts being spent on players salaries, building new stadiums and broadcast rights have become a part of the very fabric of America. Fordham Westchester (400 Westchester Avenue, West Harrison, NY) will offer a one-night symposium open to the public giving the insiders’ view of that dynamic world at “Sports Media 101: The Professionals Perspective,” which has been scheduled for Tuesday night, April 7, from 7 to 9:00 PM.  High school, college and adult education students, as well as the public at large, are all welcome to attend the session (which was originally scheduled as a two night class on April 1 and 8). Admission is free, and guests may register by email at eventswc@fordham.edu or by calling 914-367-3202.

The five working media professionals will join Jacobson, sharing their insights and experiences on sports print and broadcast journalism and public relations.  If you are interested in sports media as a career or just as a fan, this is a night not to be missed. Jacobson is associate vice president of academic affairs and executive director of academic programs at Fordham Westchester.

Fordham Westchester is located at 400 Westchester Avenue, West Harrison, New York, 10604.

The third annual Tom Burke 3-on-3 Basketball tournament will be held Saturday at the Mulcahy Center at Iona College.

It goes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and proceeds from the event will go to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The event is open to the public and concessions will be available. Raffle prizes include: a signed basketball by the 2009 Villanova Final Four men’s basketball team, Yankees tickets, Mets tickets, gift certificates to various restaurants, iTunes gift certificate, Banana Republic gift bags, and Iona College athletic gear.

As of this week, there were 41 teams entered into the tournament, all adults.

Tom Burke played basketball at Iona College from 1964-68 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996. He a former president of the alumni and served on the Board of Trustees until he passed away in July, 2006.

Donations can be made to:
The Burke Family
10 Woodcrest Drive
Armonk, NY 10504

OK, so this has nothing to do with high school football or basketball, but I’m going to mention it anyway.

I got the peach assignment today of covering the first Yankee workout at the new stadium. Above is a picture from The Journal News seat in the press box. I’ve never been to the Parthenon, but I’m sure the feeling I got walking into Yankee Stadium today is very similar. The place is so clean, so open and there’s a television in centerfield the size of a football field (Note: So guys like fast cars, I’m obsessed with large televisions).

After two laps around the concourse (which had to be at least 12 miles in length), I got the lay of the land. There’s a Brother Jimmy’s in left field, a cheesesteak counter in right, a Hard Rock Cafe in right-center and anything else you’d ever want in between.

Shockingly, the prices of everything aren’t that bad. Most drinks are in the $5-8 range for decent-sized cups. There’s also a fresh fruit stand behind home plate, with things around $1.50, and a few other treats. Chocolate covered strawberries and baseball, what could be better?

The clubhouse will be opening up in about a half hour and I’ll get to meet with the players. The conversation will center around the stadium, of course. Is there anything you’d like me to inquire about? I’m here for you.

Not much to report from tonight’s CYP championship game. The New York Panthers rolled past the MetroHawks 71-56 in an uneventful game at Our Lady Mercy School in Port Chester behind another strong effort from Chaz Williams.

The Hofstra-bound point guard had 16 points to earn MVP honors. Williams only had 28 points in three games in the tournament, so it was refreshing to see the tournament folks pass over whoever scored the most points and give him the trophy. Williams was sensational, especially when he had four points in Monday’s semifinal win over Frenji.

Antoine Mason of New Rochelle had 16 points for the MetroHawks tonight and finished with a team-high 48 for the tournament. The week proved how much potential Mason has, both as a Division I recruit and in leading New Rochelle to a championship next season. He’s so savvy and so physically gifted. Once he puts everything together, he’s going to be terrific.

Blessed Sacrament junior David Samuels had 10 points and seven rebounds for the MetroHawks, who were down 10 in the first couple of minutes and never really threatened the lead in the second half.

Overall, it was not an exciting game, especially not when MetroHawks coach Kevin Pretlow pulled his team off the court in the third quarter because he was dissatisfied with the officiating. Joel Wright, who’s headed to Fordham, was fouled hard but didn’t get the call and Pretlow lost it. The team went into the locker room for a few minutes before returning. The game by that point was over, so it didn’t really matter. I actually thought the officiating was pretty good in the two days I was there, save for the second half of Monday’s Gauchos-MetroHawks game.

So what’s next? The CYP is the unofficial start to the AAU season. I’ll be following the top local players and teams throughout the summer and be checking in with updates.

And don’t worry football people, your season is very close, too.