sign in sign up
<<
Home , Ike Davis, Nick Evans (baseball)

CASTRONEVES ROLLING EARLY

SECTION CLASSIFIEDS, Driver earned first win since 8C PUZZLES, SPORTS C Sept. 2010 last weekend » 2C 11C OBSERVER-DISPATCH | FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2012 SHARAPOVA EDGES WOZNIACKI NBA CONSIDERING SELLING IN KEY BISCAYNE SEMIS » 8C ADS ON JERSEYS » 2C Saints’ Smith returns to honor players the Year Sean Crandall, of Herkimer, and the 28 other IF YOU GO Former Proctor star won’t comment on bounty scandal members of the Observer-Dis- Who: Observer-Dispatch’s 2011 All- patch’s 2011 All-Mohawk Valley Mohawk Valley Football Team. Football Team – at Daniele’s What: Fourth annual “Evening with All- BY RON MOSHIER School phenom from Utica will strongly about,” Smith said in a Banquet facility in New Hart- Stars” banquet hosted by New Orleans [email protected] be coming home telephone interview earlier this ford. Saints defensive end Will Smith and his again, honoring week. “Hopefully, we’ll win Sat- Do not expect him to address not-for-profit Where There’s a Will, Sure, Will Smith would like to the commitment urday and when I come back I the bounty scandal that shook There’s a Way Foundation. When: be back at the Superdome, he and his not-for- can make the (NCAA champi- the Saints to the core last week, Saturday (guests admitted at using his Final Four basketball profit Where onship) game on Monday night.” when NFL Commissioner 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7). Where: tickets to watch alma mater There’s a Will, Smith, who helped Ohio Roger Goodell said an investi- Daniele’s Banquet facility, 8360 Ohio State play Kansas in the There’s a Way State’s football team win a gation concluded that players Seneca Turnpike, New Hartford. Speakers: nightcap of Saturday’s semifi- foundation made National Championship in 2002 and former defensive coordina- Super Bowl champion Will nal doubleheader. four years ago by Smith and the Saints win Super Bowl tor Gregg Williams offered Smith; former University of Pittsburgh Instead, the New Orleans hosting the annu- XLIV three years ago, will be “payments for performance but player Penny Semaia, the Life Skills Saints defensive end and for- al Evening with All-Stars. one of the speakers addressing also for injuring opposing Coordinator at Pitt; Utica College head coach Blaise Faggiano. mer Thomas R. Proctor High “This is something I feel very the guests of honor – Player of PLEASE SEE SMITH, 3C : SEASON PREVIEW Final Four A work brings big in progress programs BY MIKE FITZPATRICK The Associated Press NEW YORK — Now that their to Big Easy financial future is sorted, the New York Mets can turn most of BY EDDIE PELLS their attention back to the ball- The Associated Press club on the field. Good thing, too, because an NEW ORLEANS — Looking for those awful lot of work lies ahead. charming underdog stories? Go find the DVD There’s far more to mending from last year. fences at than bringing This year’s Final Four brings together an them in a few feet. ensemble of big-name schools, all saddled Jose Reyes is gone, David Johan with their typically big-time issues — a Wright got hurt in Santana is reminder that everything in college sports is and was diagnosed with nearly back from not as pure as the NCAA and its “student-ath- a likely case of valley fever. Davis shoulder surgery, letes” would like us to believe. says he feels fine, and the team providing some In the national semifinals Saturday, Ken- plans to rest him regularly to pre- much-needed opti- I don’t want tucky plays Louisville and Ohio State meets vent extreme fatigue. But the mism, but there are these guys to Kansas. All the schools have made headlines major question marks “ for a variety of off-the-court reasons over the thought of playing in the loaded think for one sec- NL East with a payroll slashed by at every position last several months, including the prolifera- about $50 million has made plen- up the middle. ond there aren’t tion of one-and-done players, stories about ty of Mets fans queasy. New York has any expectations. coaches in courtrooms and a handful of “I don’t want these guys to think virtually no There are expec- financial misdeeds involving recruits, play- speed, little ers, coaches and even ticket managers. for one second there aren’t any tations. This is expectations,” second-year man- depth and a And so, while there are no little vs. big sto- ager said. “There suspect the major ries this year — the way tiny Butler or over- are expectations. This is the defense. leagues. We’ve looked VCU beat the odds last season to major leagues. We’ve got a good got a good team.” make it to basketball’s pinnacle — we’re team.” struggled mightily in spring train- regaled with tall tales of redemption and res- That remains to be seen, of ing and injuries — as always — urrection: Teams and coaches that overcame keep cropping up. Terry Collins course. Mets manager their problems and got everyone thinking PLEASE SEE METS, 5C about basketball instead of the underside of a business driven by a $10.8 billion TV con- tract. General manager Sandy Alderson said AP NEW YORK METS “There are a lot of good players out there recently the club lost $70 million. From left, David 2011: 77-85, 4th place. who are performing right now,” Kentucky Coming off three straight losing sea- Wright, Johan Manager: Terry Collins (2nd season). coach John Calipari said. sons accompanied by a severe decline in Santana He’s Here: CF Andres Torres, RHP Frank and attendance, New York has slashed its PLEASE SEE FINAL FOUR, 7C Francisco, RHP Ramon Ramirez, RHP Jon Jason Rauch, INF Ronny Cedeno, C Rob John- bloated payroll from $142 million at the Bay. son. end of last season to around $90 million He’s Outta There: SS Jose Reyes, CF to $95 million this year — the biggest COLGATE’S SMITH ONE OF Angel Pagan, LHP Chris Capuano, C one-year drop in baseball history. In per- THREE HOBEY BAKER FINALISTS Ronny Paulino, RHP Jason Isringhausen, haps their biggest offseason move, the OF Willie Harris, 1B-OF . Mets lowered and brought in the fences HAMILTON – Colgate University senior Austin Smith Outlook: Not long ago, the Mets spent at spacious Citi Field, about 15-20 feet is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. their winters landing big-name prizes closer to home plate in certain spots. The award, which honors college hockey’s top player, will be like Johan Santana, Francisco Rodriguez They hope that will benefit announced during the NCAA Frozen and Carlos Beltran. Now they hunt for and Jason Bay, a big-money bust. Four on April 6 in Tampa. bargains — if they even shop at all. – AP Spencer Abbott, of the University of Maine, and Jack Connolly, of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, are the other finalists. Fort to Fort, Our Switchbacks coming up Smith, a senior from Dallas, was Smith the nation’s leading goal-scorer this season with 36 OBSERVER-DISPATCH at Herb Philipson’s in Parkway Recreation Cen- goals. He also had 21 assists. A fifth-round draft pick Rome. Race day registra- ter in Utica. The entry fee of the Dallas Stars in 2007, Smith was the ECAC Hock- Two local road races are tion begins at 7:30 a.m. at is $15 before April 11 and ey player of the year and a first-team all-star this sea- coming up early in April. Rome Free Academy. $20 after. All proceeds go son, when he led the Raiders to a 19-17-3 record and About 500 runners are fits the Rome Area Branch There is a fun for chil- to the Save Our Switch- into the second round of the league playoffs. expected for the 25th of the American Red dren at 8:45 a.m., and the backs project. Nike tech- Smith, who is playing for the Texas Stars in the annual Fort to Fort Run Cross. Registration forms American Hockey League, is the first ECAC Hockey on April 7 in Rome. The main races go off at 9. nical T-shirts and awards for the 5-kilometer and 10- player to be chosen for the final three – the Hobey Utica Roadrunners’ Save Commemorative T-shirts go to the top finishers in Our Switchbacks Road kilometer events are avail- will be given to the first their age groups. Baker Hat Trick – since Cornell goalie David McKee in Race will take place April able online at www.geten- 400 registrants. Applications are avail- 2005. 15. tered.com or The Save Our Switch- able online at www.road- OBSERVER-DISPATCH The Fort to Fort bene- www.active.com, and also backs run will start at the runners.com.