Leading off today: I promise to keep today's blog shorter than the scoring summary from last night's Louisville vs. Middle Tennessee football game. Of course, a Tom Clancy novel would be shorter than that.
With classes having started in New York City this week, we're now getting a more complete picture on who'll be playing basketball where this winter.
The New York Daily News reports that Xaverian of the CHSAA is now down five players. Forward Pat Jackson and guard Brandon Romain picked Boys & Girls last month, and now coach Dwayne Morton of Lincoln in the PSAL says Vincent Council and Reggie Davis are registered at his school. Xaverian guard Rasheem King has left for Jefferson, another PSAL school.
All five players who left told the 'NYDN' they weren't seeing eye-to-eye with Xaverian coach Jack Alesi.
"Vincent's a point guard, but I don't think he was getting an opportunity to showcase his skills at Xaverian," Council's father, Vincent Sr., told the newspaper. "It's a better look for him at Lincoln."
Going batty: The Journal News did a piece Wednesday noting that the first pitch of the first fall baseball practice at Stepinac High resulted in a broken wooden bat.
"There goes $80," yelled coach Pat Duffy.
That will be an ongoing theme in New York City now that metal bats have been banned. Duffy, who played at Mount St. Michael 30 years ago and has been around the game since, said he has never seen or heard of an injury that could be attributed to metal bats.
Wally Stampfel, the CHSAA baseball chairman and coach at Mount St. Michael, says many ADs haven't budgeted for bats but will have to do so now.
"Now it's going to be a financial burden to an already overstressed budget," Duffy told the newspaper.
He'll regret this: Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand, Peekskill's former superstar, is financing an expansion team (at the urging of his mother) in the American Basketball Association. The Westchester Phantoms are expected to debut Nov. 4 against the Strong Island Sound at Peekskill High School.
