Sports

Are you looking to own a game-worn, commemorative item of Tri-City ValleyCats history while helping to prevent cancer, save lives and diminish suffering from the devastating disease?  If so, the ValleyCats are hosting an online auction of game-worn and autographed jerseys worn by the Houston Astros affiliate ValleyCats and the Boston Red Sox affiliate Lowell Spinners. 

All proceeds of the auction will benefit the American Cancer Society.

The ValleyCats and Spinners donned the jerseys of their Major League affiliate clubs on September 5, the season finale.  The ValleyCats won 5-4 on a walk-off hit by David Flores, who also contributed two home runs in the contest. 

Lance Armstrong, the king of cycling, recently announced he was coming out of retirement.

The world of cycling has seen many great athletes, but none as great as Lance Armstrong. Armstrong has had seven consecutive wins at the Tour de France. After missing three years of the Tour de France, the 37 year old has decided to get back on the bike. “I have decided to return to professional cycling in 2009,” said Armstrong in an interview with The Telegraph. “The reason for this is to launch an international cancer stage based on the fact that we lose 8 million people around the world to this disease- more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.”

After his battle with testicular cancer Armstrong claims he is totally committed and plans to reclaim the podium which was once his. Sited on ESPN’s web site Bill Stapleton, Armstrong’s lawyer and longtime confidant, said, “We’re not going to try to win second place.”

Hudson Valley Community College’s boys soccer team improved to an amazing 6-0-1 record Wednesday, September 18 with their win over the Panthers of Tompkins Cortland Community College. A very physical game was played by the two teams involving some unsportsmanlike conduct.

The first half was a dead lock at 0-0 as both teams were playing a tough and grueling game, supporting their respective goalies. Meanwhile each of the teams’ coaches was trying to make something happen on the offensive side of the ball.

Finally, John LaForest scored the first goal for the Vikings by kicking the ball past the Panthers goaltender, Justin Woodbury. Dennis Forward picked up the assist on the play, taking the Vikings to a 1-0 lead heading into the half.

This fall’s Intramural Sports program features a roster allowing for a wider range of challenges and gameplay for the mind and body. According to the Hudson Valley website, the intramural program allows players to enjoy the pleasures of competition “in a safe environment without the pressure and demands of varsity athletics.”

The game opportunities include Home Run Derby, Frisbee Golf, Racquetball, 3-point Contest/FT Contest, Dart and Chess Tournaments, Indoor/Outdoor Soccer, Ping-Pong, Field/Floor Hockey and March Madness-- a 3-on-3-basketball league that ends in a single-elimination tournament determining the champion. For five straight seasons, March Madness has been the most popular event.

Unlike the Intercollegiate program, the Intramural Sports program is available to all students, faculty and staff members.

Intramural Coordinator Andre Cook stated, “All are welcome to join and have fun with new people.”

Entering the game against rival Lowell Spinners, the Valley Cats trailed behind by 13 games in the division. However, the Valley Cats defeated the Lowell Spinners 5-4 on September 5, 2008,
Starting Pitcher David Duncan took the mound, pitching a scoreless first inning. The Spinners got out to an early lead in the top of the second inning with First Baseman Ricardo Burgos leading off with a double. Burgos scored on an error by Valley Cat’s Centerfielder, J.B. shuck.

After an inning and a half, the Spinners led 1-0. In the bottom of the second inning the Valley Cats struck back with a run of their own due to Designated Hitter David Flores, who hit a solo home run tying the game at 1-1.

The Vikings men’s soccer team are ranked 5th in the country by Adidas. They recently preserved their 4-0 record and won their 5th game in a row against Albany College of Pharmacy, leaving them still undefeated.

Both teams came out playing lights-out defense and both sides were very physical, but it wasn’t long before the Vikings offense wore down the defense of Albany. With Albany weakened and 6:34 on the game clock, Kevin Long scored the Vikings first goal in the first half to put them in the lead 1-0.

With Vikings offense gaining momentum and Albany defense getting weaker, the Vikings seized the opportunity to distance themselves and struck again, scoring their second goal thanks to Mike Ackerman. They managed to score within three minutes ending the first half with a 2-0 lead.

The HVCC Martial Arts Club has been in existence since the early 1970s and is one of the college’s oldest student clubs. It is open to all martial art disciplines and all skill levels, from beginner to advanced.

The club’s purpose is to share a wide variety of martial arts knowledge, help members to hone their skills as well as to learn new skills while staying fit and to advance their art to their fullest potential.

The Martial Arts Club emphasizes nonviolence, good health, fitness and good etiquette. It meets on Fridays at 3 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the McDonough Complex.

This year activities will begin Friday, September 12. For further information, contact club advisor Professor Joseph Cardillo at his office in Marvin 214 or by calling 629-7577. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and military martial arts systems are covered

With the ninth sellout at “the Joe” this season, the Tri-City Valley Cats fell to the Vermont Lake Monsters 7-4, taking the loss in front of 5,031 spectating fans.

The Monsters had an early 2-0 lead, but the Valley Cats came roaring back to tie the game in the fourth inning. Shortstop Ronald Ramirez scored on a triple that was hit to centerfield by slugging first baseman Phil Disher, giving the first baseman his third triple of the season.

At the top of the seventh inning the Monsters broke open a 2-2 game by scoring five runs. The scoring frenzy for the Monsters was capped off by Third Baseman Steve Souza, lining a bases-clearing double to cap it off.

Every sports team needs a place to change and store their equipment. However, no team wants a stale smelling locker room that hasn’t been updated in a long time. According to Athletic Director David Bochette, “it’s been the same for twenty years.” That’s why Hudson Valley Community College is currently planning a new locker room for the football team.

The new locker room will be extended out into Hudson Hall, already in use by the Viking footballers, about ten feet from where the current locker room is located. The updates will consist of more showers and better lockers for athletes to store their uniforms in. In addition, the existing plan includes an entirely refurnished space larger than the existing locker room. Number 27 Defensive Back James Delgado said, “It would be great thing for the football team.”

Funny thing about sports – we debate, we argue, we are all experts and we all know exactly how it’s going to turn out. With the internet and 24-hour sports networks, the average fan sees enough footage of a team and hears enough from the talking heads that we have all become experts in our own minds. But every once in a while it doesn’t turn out how we expected, we aren’t the experts we thought we were and we are left stunned by a result nobody saw coming.

That is exactly what happened last weekend as Hudson Valley, the undefeated and number one team in the NJCAA Division III, lost in the semifinals of the Region III tournament.