Dennis Meyers posted his 5th 300 game in Wii Bowling at 400 Towers, Sunday night. Dennis also has two hole in one shots in Wii Golf.
Senior citizens, at the Towers, appreciate the low impact excercise when playing the Wii.
Genesee Community College recently awarded seven local youths with a full scholarship to attend the Genesee Sport and Wellness Experience July 12 to 23.
The camp is geared toward middle-school-aged students and takes place at the Batavia Campus. The scholarship winners were nominated based on character, initiative and a demonstrated interest in, and appreciation of, wellness and sports. Effort, academic standing in health and physical education classes, and/or participation on an athletic team were taken into consideration.
The following Genesee County middle-school students were nominated by a faculty, staff member or coach from their school and have been awarded a $100 scholarship covering the entire cost of the Wellness Experience:
This newly developed summer program includes instruction and skill development in the areas of golf, tennis, soccer and volleyball. Education on a variety of wellness topics such as nutrition, fitness, stress management, peer pressure, and drug and substance abuse issues will also be presented and discussed.
All students in grades 6, 7 and 8 are invited to attend this program, which is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Cost is $100 and includes lunch every day and a T-shirt.
"We are very excited to present the Sport and Wellness Experience this summer," Rebecca Dziekan, director of Health and Physical Education at Genesee said. "These two weeks serve as an excellent way for local middle-school students to have some fun, play sports and have hands-on learning all at the same time."
It is not too late to register for the Genesee Sport and Wellness Experience. For further details or to register for the camp visit <http://www.genesee.edu/GCC/Wellness> and download the registration form.
For more information, please contact Dziekan at 343-0055, ext. 6424 or <http://rldziekan@genesee.edu>.
This Saturday, June 12, there will be a golf equipment flea market at the Batavia Country Club in the picnic pavilion.
This free event will run, rain or shine, from noon to 5 p.m. and is open to the public.
Sellers simply show up with your equipment between 11:30 and 11:55 a.m. See Tom Tucker, BCC teaching pro, to get table display space as available. First come first served.
Bring junior, adult or miscellaneous golf equipment or training aids.
Private individuals only, no retail organizations or businesses.
The country club is located at 7909 Batavia-Byron Road.
My new 70-300 mm zoom lens arrived today, and since I bought it primarily to improve my sports photography, I thought I'd head over to MacArthur Park for some Batavia Minor League baseball action. I caught the Astros and the Athletics in a game of 8-10 year olds.
Mor pictures after the jump:
The Holy Family School and St. Joseph's School seventh- and eighth-grade Notre Dame boys modified baseball team won their last game last night to finish off their undefeated 2010 season.
The team, coached by Holy Family School and Notre Dame graduate, Rick Rapone, played 10 games like a well-oiled machine. The team worked hard during each practice and it certainly paid off.
They played and looked like a professional, high school baseball team.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Here's a media release from the Muckdogs:
How would you like to live with the next Ryan Howard or Chase Utley this summer?
The Muckdogs are in need of your help in locating host families. The team comes to Batavia the weekend of June 12th and 13th. There are host families signed up for the season, but there is still a need to house at least 15 more players.
This is where you can help. Being a host family to a player has benefits:
So why wait? If you are interested or know someone in the Batavia area (within just a few miles of Dwyer Stadium) who might be interested in hosting a player or coach, please contact the Muckdogs office at 343-5454.
Thank you for your support!
By Phil Ricci, The World: by Phil
A couple nights back, Armando Galarraga was standing on the mound, literally one out away from history. Not only was he so close to a perfect game, but he would have been the second pitcher to throw one in a week; and the third of the year. Amazing. He had just watched his teammate make an amazing Willie Mays style grab in the outfield; and had a grin on his face like a school boy getting a piece of chocolate after class. It was his night. It kind of had to be. Guys were making killer plays, his location was flawless and he was only around his 80th pitch so his tank was still pretty full. He just had one batter left.
Everyone knows what happend next, right?
Jim Joyce was positioned on the first base line as he had been all night; and other nights during his twenty two year Major League career. He watched as Galarraga went through each batter in succession, making his calls when needed. It seemed like it was going to be a special night. It was, but not in the way I’m sure he thought. When that fateful hit was made, Joyce dug in and watched as runner and pitcher charged the bag. The ball was fielded clean and over to Galarraga himself, it was close but he was totally…
“Safe!”
What!? What did he say? Did he say safe? I couldn’t believe it, Galarraga couldn’t believe it; and pretty much the baseball watching world couldn’t believe it. A perfect game gone in an instant; off a bad call. No off “the most egregious blown call in baseball over the last 25 years” as Tyler Kepner from the New York Times put it.
As a matter of fact, you pretty much can’t go anywhere without hearing about this play. Every sports channel, station, writer and blogger have been pouring the hearts over just how bad it was. Many calling for Selig to reverse it, but all screaming about expanding instant replay, for Joyce to be fired; anything! I understand the frustration. My heart sank in that moment. I get that people feel that it wasn’t just Galarraga who was robbed, but them in a way as well. I understand that it just wasn’t suppose to end that way.
But it did.
What I haven’t heard is about the good side of the story. The side that actually teaches us something more than just about outs or replays. It’s the side that isn’t sexy or controversial, but it is the side that is needed and important. The Human Side.
After the call was made, the world exploded. People came out of the woodwork to attack Joyce. They screamed in his face, they called him some choice phrases that even the most beginner lip reader could get; and they beat him down with waving arms of frustration. Joyce took it all. He didn’t yell, didn’t respond, just accepted it. Keep in mind at this point he had no idea if he was wrong or right. He made a call that he felt was correct, but unlike the rest of us, he did not have the luxury of the repeated frame by frame replay that we saw. After the game was over the only thing he wanted to do was see for himself if he was right. Once he realized that he wasn’t, he broke down.
In business and in life we make mistakes. We will get the call wrong. BP has done nothing but get the call wrong since the explosion in the Gulf first took place. They spent the first four weeks blaming everyone except themselves for what is ultimately, their responsibility. The explosion and spill killed innocent people, destroyed thousands of sea life and has ended communitues of business. Jim Joyce missed a call in a baseball game. Yet he went out, found Armando Galarraga and with tears in his eyes, apologized.
“I just cost the kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw until I saw the replay. It was the biggest call of my career.”
For Galarraga’s part, the term “grace under fire” has nothing on this guy. Nolan Ryan, arguably one of the best pitchers in history who threw like a hundred No Hitters, never pitched a perfect game. Galarraga was one four letter word away from that fame, but when the call came down, he didn’t scream or jump up and down. What he did was go back on the mound and get the next batter out.
“I’m a calm person. At that moment, [I did] not get angry, I was more sad about it,” Galarraga said.
Sad, yes, but not rude. When Joyce came to him after the game to apologize, he accepted it, told him ”it was OK” and embraced him in a hug. In every interview since, he has been a class act. Constantly reassuring everyone that he is not going after Joyce or the call. He even appeared on the CBS “Early Show” Friday and said “nobody’s perfect,” that simple.At the end of the day Joyce didn’t hide from his error, he owned it. He displayed the kind of courage and ethics that only a true professional can have. It’s not easy being wrong, but it’s even harder admittingit, especially when it affects other people in such a negative way. Yet in every bad situation, there is always something that can be learned. What I learned was that we could all use a little of what Galarraga and Joyce has displayed. Couldn’t we BP?
Until Next Time….
The Genesee Community College Office of Alumni Affairs along with the Athletics Department are seeking nominations for the first class of inductees to the newly established Sports Hall of Fame.
The first class of honorees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a reception at the inaugural Homecoming celebration on Saturday, Oct. 2. The deadline for nominations is June 30.
The Selection Committee seeks to identify outstanding alumni athletes, teams or people involved in Genesee athletic service for induction into the new Sports Hall of Fame.
Inclusion in the Hall of Fame is the highest athletic honor that the college bestows on its alumni and supporters, and will recognize the outstanding athletic achievements of individuals and teams of every era who have fostered athletic achievement and sportsmanship at the college.
The criteria for nominating an individual or team to the Sports Hall of Fame are based on:
Nominations may be submitted by the nominee or by friends, family, past team mates or other colleagues who are familiar with the nominee.
All nominations received by June 30 will be considered by the Selection Committee for the 2010 Sports Hall of Fame.
Nomination forms can be downloaded from Genesee Community College's athletics website (http://www.genesee.edu/_content/depts/athletics/Sports_Hall_of_Fame.pdf) and e-mailed or sent to Genesee Community College.
Please send all nominations to: Sports Information Director- Kristen Schuth, Genesee Community College, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020 or email:<http://KESchuth@genesee.edu>.
The Batavia Muckdogs, Genesee County’s only professional sports franchise, has released its 2010 promotional schedule featuring fireworks, giveaways, special events, theme nights and daily promotions.
The fun will kick off three days prior to Opening Day with the very first pre-season “Pep Dog Rally” starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday June 16. This free event will be fans’ first chance to meet this year’s team.
It will feature games for the kids, local mascots, and prizes and raffles throughout the night. One highlight will be a homerun derby featuring local celebrities, including City Manager Jason Molino and Elba Town Supervisor Lucine Kauffman.
The Muckdogs will again offer fans a daily menu of money-saving promotions available throughout the season.
The Batavia Daily News will continue to sponsor Muckdog Mondays. Every Monday home game, fans can receive $1 discount off a general admission ticket when they redeem a coupon that runs in the Saturday edition of the newspaper.
On Tuesday nights, KRAFT Singles presents KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets. Fans can bring a KRAFT Singles wrapper to the Muckdogs box office for a buy one -- get one free ticket from KRAFT Singles. Visit kraftsingles.com for more details.
The Family Four Pack will take place on every Wednesday and is presented by Drug Free Communities. Fans can purchase four general admission tickets, four hot dogs, four 12 oz. sodas and a 2010 program for only $30, a savings of $12. Every Family Four Pack purchased will also receive a free prize pack courtesy of Drug Free Communities.
Fireworks will again light up the sky after every Friday night game at Dwyer Stadium, as well as on the annual Independence Day celebration on July 3.
Every Saturday will feature a pre-game concert in the concourse. These “Rock the Ballpark” events are presented by Tim Horton’s of Batavia and will feature New Buffalo Impact with Papa and Mama Root, an oldies rock 'n' roll tribute band, and original music recording artists. All performances begin at 6 p.m., weather permitting.
The Muckdogs will also play host to multiple unique events at Dwyer Stadium this summer.
On Saturday July 10, the Muckdogs will host the first “Festival of Muck," paying tribute to the mucklands in Elba. The night will feature muck wrestling, an onion giveaway, muck slip 'n' slide and a bobbing-for-onions contest. More details will be revealed at a later date.
The Muckdogs will have two Community Sleepovers on Saturday, July 10 and Saturday, July 17. Participants who buy their tickets in advance will be given a discount. Only 400 vouchers for sleeping on site will be given out for each night. For more details, fans can call the office at 343-5454.
Other games of note this season include:
Opening Day/Magnet Schedule Giveaway Saturday, June 19
Star Wars Night Saturday, June 26
Anti-Bullying Night Monday June 28
Museum Night at the Muckdogs – fans will learn about Friday, July 2
history of Genesee County
Free Buzz Cuts Friday July 16
Sun Visor Giveaway (1st 500 fans) Saturday, July 17
Renew Your Vows with Reverend Sick Sunday, July 18
Muckdogs Fans Fan Giveaway (1st 1000 fans) Friday July 30
Frisbee Giveaway (1st 500 fans) Saturday July 31
“Muckdog Gazette” Giveaway Monday, Aug. 2
Team Photo Giveaway I Saturday, Aug. 14
Belly Buster Night Monday, Aug. 30
Fireworks Nights will be: July 2 & 3, July 9, 16 and 30; Aug. 13; Sept. 3.
The Muckdogs open their 2010 home schedule at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, June 19 vs. the Auburn Doubledays. For a complete 2010 promotional schedule, go to www.muckdogs.com or call the Muckdogs office at 343-5454.
For the past two days, young ball players from all over Western New York converged on the ball fields at MacArthur Park for the annual Michael Napoleone Memorial Baseball Tournament.
The tournament is named after a Batavia boy who succumbed to a form of leukemia and raises funds for a foundation in his name that assists families of children with cancer.
Ten teams in the 9-10 year old range and 10 teams in the 11-12 year old range competed. There was also a tournament for T-ball-age players.
More pictures after the jump:
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There's a horse show going on at Batavia Downs. Riders from all over the northeast are in Batavia to test their skills and display their handsome mounts. If you've missed it, the show continues Sunday at 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
More photos after the jump:
I have only fished a couple of times this year, so I took the opportunity to go out today and see what I could catch. I went to Godfrey's Pond and rented a rowboat for 2 hours, and then fished from shore for about another hour.
After 10 largemouth bass... I told myself that once I reached an even dozen, that I'd go home. And let me tell you... they were still biting when I left.
You say LEAVE??? When the fish are biting?? Are you nuts?!
Well... I had to work this afternoon. I had just enough time to post some pictures online, take a shower and eat lunch before I had to go to work.
Up until last year, I fished a lot! But in January 2009, I was dealing with a herniated disk in my neck and I could not fish. I had surgery for it that April, but my fishing was limited. This was the first time that I have rowed a boat since 2008. I am paying for it a little tonight. But it was worth it!
These are pictures of my first three catches. ( I stopped taking pictures after three!) The first two were very respectable fish! And well, actually, most of them that I caught today were good!
Here was my first one! Very nice Bass! They look to be healthy!
This is the second one. I took 2 pictures of it. The other picture is of it in the water.
And the third one. It may not be a monster, but I love this picture!
In an article about set backs to his career, Alan Ahmady, one of the Batavia Muckdog's most impressive young players last year, says that his current suspension for amphetamine stems from him taking some old prescription pills.
Ahmady was still in Fresno in mid-May because of yet another mistake. This one, though, he says, was a "misunderstanding of the rules." At the end of last season in Batavia, he was drug tested in mid-August and then notified in October that he had taken a performance-enhancing drug and was suspended 50 games.
"They said it was amphetamine," he says. "I was like, 'What's an amphetamine?' "
He says the test result was caused by Adderall, a drug he was once prescribed for attention-deficit disorder. While at Batavia, he'd started taking it again to help him focus on learning a new position: catcher. He contacted Bud Selig's office to appeal the decision, but because the pills were left over from an old prescription, he had no case.
In 67 games for Batavia in 2009, Ahmady hit .297 with a .407 OBP, 3 HR, 46 runs scored, and 32 RBI.
He's expected to join the Quad City RIver Bandits on May 31.
Batavian Max Radley, a 2009 graduate of Batavia High School, earned a spot in the State University of New York Athletic Competition as a freshman on the track and field team at SUNY Fredonia.
The competition took place on May 7 at SUNY Brockport, and it allowed the top finishers in track and field events in the state university system to compete for a berth in the national competition.
Max's specialty is the Hammer Throw. He trained with Lou Paganello, of Batavia, who holds a two-time All-American Hammer record in 1979 and 1980. Paganello is also a four-time SUNYAC and NYST&FA Champion for hammer.
As a Fredonia freshman, Max with the Fredonia Indoor and Outdoor track team participated in meets in Boston, Tampa, Ohio and Pennsylvania under the leadership of Coach Liz Aldrich.
Max was on the Dean's List for the fall, 2009 semester. He is the son of Diana Radley, of Batavia, and Carl Radley, of Florida, and the grandson of Bill and Bea Radley. of Stafford.
Submitted by GCC Golf team coach Tom Tucker:
The GCC Golf team competed in the GCC Invitational Tournament on Saturday, but the 10-team event was curtailed by rain and winds gusting up to 60 mph that would not allow golf balls to remain stationary on the greens as the day wore on.
Several early groups did finish, but no teams had complete scores.
Each team has six players maximum competing, and the low four scores count.
Individual medalist honors were awarded to Brian Whitbeck of Erie CC, who shot a 76 in the Men's division, and to Rae Mahon of Hudson Valley CC in the Women's Division.
Matt Ferdinand of GCC, the only GCC player able to finish, placed 2nd with an 80.
Roberta Terbuska competed in the Women's Individual division and placed 2nd.
On Friday at the MCC Invitational, GCC finished third in a seven-team field with a team score of 330. MCC won (308) followed by Erie CC (326).
Medalist was Ben Finn of MCC with a score of 76. Matt Ferdinand of GCC placed 8th with a score of 79 for his 2nd week in a row as low scorer for GCC.
Roberta Terbuska was Medalist in the Women's Individual division for GCC.
Competing in both events for GCC were: Jeff Marcy, Matt Ferdinand, Ryan Winchip, Mark DeCook, Alex Muench, Mike Estela, Chris McDonald and Roberta Terbuska.
The team departs for regionals at Cornell University's Cornell GC on Sunday, May 16.
Genesee Community College Golf Coach Tom Tucker provided this information:
On Sunday (May 2), the GCC Golf team finished 3rd in a field of 12 teams at the Tompkins-Cortland CC Invitational. It took place at the par 70 Elm Tree Golf Course in Cortland, NY.
GCC shot a season low team score of 309 to finish 3rd behind Monroe (287) and Erie (300) on windy but fair day for golf. The GCC team beat their previous low team score by 22 strokes.
Jeff Marcy for GCC shot a personal best 67 to tie Ben Finn of MCC for individual honors in the field of 67 players, but Finn was declared medalist on the fifth tiebreaker hole when the scorecards were compared.
Marcy had 9's of 33 and 34, and hit the ball solid all day with 5 birdies, 2 bogeys and 26 putts. Marcy continued his season long streak of top 10 tournament finishes.
Matt Ferdinand shot a smooth 80, Mark DeCook and Mike Estela each shot 81, and Alex Muench shot 83.
GCC's Roberta Terbuska shot a season low 96 to finish second to Tompkins-Cortland CC's Lauren Tallman's 80 in the individual Women's competition.
Other participating community colleges included Genesee, Niagara, Mohawk Valley, Adirondack, Jamestown, Jefferson, Broome, Cayuga and Corning.
GCC has two tournaments this week, its last two tournaments before regionals.
On Friday, GCC will compete in the MCC Invitational at Webster Golf Club in
Webster. It is located at 440 Salt Road. And on Saturday GCC will host its first Invitational Tournament at the Batavia Country Club, tee times start at 10 a.m.
Spectators that want to see some good NJCAA Division lll golf are invited to attend.
Regional and local soccer players gathered at the recently completed Batavia Sports Park at Batavia Turf Farms on Bank Street Road over Saturday and Sunday for various training sessions.
The camp included sessions for the New York State West Olympic Development Program on both days. This afternoon the Genesee Amateur Soccer Association held a Coaches and Players Clinic.
More pictures after the jump:
Harness racing isn't want it used to be and probably never will be again, according to newly elected Chairman of the Western Region Off Track Betting Board of Directors Dick Siebert.
In an interview with WBTA, Siebert characterized harness racing as "the cost of doing business." It's the loss leader that under state law allows Batavia Downs Casino to keep its doors open for the much more profitable video slot machines.
"The people that used to come to our parlors, the 55 and older men, are no longer 55 years of age," Siebert said. "Unfortunately, they're dying off. The newer group of people, it doesn't have the interest to them that it did with the old bettor. ... I honestly can't see where harness racing is going to turn around and ever be back where it was in the '50s, '60s and '70s."
He said in 2009, Batavia Downs lost $1.5 million on harness racing while the video lottery terminals brought in $3 million in profits.
To help reduce harness racing costs, more bets will be placed at electronic terminals rather than at the traditional caged window with a person taking the bet.
Meanwhile, Siebert said the Downs continues to work with state regulators on a plan to address deficiencies in some administrative procedures. He said the board is looking to hire a consultant to help address the state's concerns, rather than bring in a management company to take over the Downs' operations, which is one of the state's other suggestions.
Full interview available here (mp3).
In the fall of 1962 Ron Grazioplena turned 14, making him old enough to hunt when accompanied by an adult. Back then, as it is now, the waterfowl season was split into two parts, the early and late season. Because his birthday occurred after the first split, Ron partook of the late season duck hunt. It wasn't until the following year - during the autumn of '63 - that he experienced his first goose hunt.
Ron's entry into the world of the waterfowler took place in a different era, when hunters stood in line for days at the old permit station on Albion Road, hoping to draw one of the available blinds on the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, where duck and goose hunters were limited to 15 shells and all hunting to cease at noon. But Ron and his buddies never had to stand in line. Rather than hunt the game management areas they scouted corn lots, winter wheat fields and the like. Gaining access courtesy of landowners was never a problem.
Ron's high school years at Notre Dame of Batavia limited his hunting to after school and weekends. In 1970 he graduated from St. Bernard College in Alabama with a degree in biology. Rather that apply for a job, he opted to spend the autumn outdoors and proceeded to hunt geese for 70 straight days. It was a regimen he adhered to for nearly two decades, spending every moment possible outdoors. In the process he accessed another form of education, one seldom found in a classroom.
Ron's hunting career began with the youthful anticipation of taking his first duck or goose, to seeking his first bag limit, to striving to take birds on every hunt. Before long he began to invest his time and money into purchasing the best equipment in order to help him attain his goals. Eventually, after years of waterfowling, the time came when he felt that taking his limit of ducks or geese was not nearly as important as the enjoyment of the hunt in all its different aspects. Said Ron, "The frosty chill that comes with first light, sunrise, the whistling of wings over the marsh and the beauty of the birds. Nature began to mean something."
By 1991 Ron had reached a point where he pulled the trigger only on occassion, discovering he no longer wished to hunt the waterfowl he had enjoyed over the years. By now the family owned a 30 acre marsh and it was at this time when Ron decided he would do his part to help waterfowl thrive. Thus began the building and erecting of wood duck nesting boxes.
While wood ducks readily took to the nesting boxes, so too did various predators help themselves to the contents of the boxes. One spring, while assisting Ron in the repair of the nesting boxes, we found several with raccoons sleeping inside. And these were boxes that had been placed in the middle of the marsh, far from shore. Still, it had not deterred the strong-swimming racoons. In addition to racoons, mink inhabit the marsh. While not a skilled climber like the raccoon, the mink is an aquatic predator which readily preys on ducks and their eggs. Thats not too mention weasels, a hazard for shore nesters, then there are were the winged predators: Great Horned Owls,Redtail hawks and the like.
With so many predators having a taste for waterfowl, Ron developed a new type of nesting compartment, one made from plastic drums, both comfortable and roomy for nesting waterfowl. Made of hard plastic, the drums are secured to steel pipe, their width and and slick surface prevents raccoons and such from taking a firm grip and climbing up and in. In the above photo, the drum on the right has a goose sitting on a clutch of eggs.
"This style of nest has a bottom section which enables hen ducks to spend the night with their ducklings safely out of the water, yet out in the middle of the marsh and away from shore predators" said Ron. He refers to them as "duck motels."
"Past experience has shown that mother ducks, particularly wood ducks, will utilize such a structure to protect their brood at night when they need to be out of the water and under their mother's wings for warmth and protection", he added.
Installing and maintaining the nests, as well as policing the marsh takes a lot of work. Here Matt Moscicki prepares to install nests. Additional help on the marsh includes Jeff Moscicki, Mary MacIntyre, Darla Luttrell and Ron's cousin and marsh owner, Kenny Grazioplene.
This is Mary MacIntyre showing the location of active nests.
Mary removing debris from the spillway.
Here Matt prepares to set a pipe into the marsh bottom.
Here's Ron enjoying the fruits of their labor as depicted in the following photos.
A pair of mallards dabbling
As the mallard on left comes up for air, note the water running off his head and down his bill.
The marsh is home to a variety of waterfowl. Sometimes the open water diving ducks show up, like this pair of buffleheads.
Buffleheads taking off. Both bufflehead photos courtesy of Mary MacIntyre.
Check out the pointed bill on this Red-breasted Merganser - he's a diving duck and a fish eater.
A winged predator with an ample wing span flies past...
While nesting waterfowl are protected.... thanks to Ron "Grazo" Grazioplena and his friends.
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