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Bronx Sports Report: Walton Softball Steps Up Its Game
May 4, 2012
By Destiny DeJesus
Editor’s note: The Bronx Sports Report appears weekly on Breaking Bronx, usually on Thursdays. Today, we have this story on the Walton softball team’s move up in divisions, which was originally published in the May 3-16 print edition of the Norwood News. The slideshow above, by Adi Talwar, is from Walton’s 14-13 loss to HS of Info and Network Technology. Later on today Monday, we’ll have a Bronx Sports Report news roundup, which will, of course, include the sad news about iconic Yankees closer Mariano Rivera ripping up his knee while shagging fly balls yesterday.
The Walton High School Campus girls softball team dominated its B Division opponents last year. This year, after a jump up to the A Division, the Wildcats are working overtime to keep up with the higher level of competition.
“We asked to be moved up, no one offered it,” said Coach Tom Hall “When you play in the A Division you get more opportunities to play better teams, and that’s what the girls need.”
Back in 2004-2005, Walton was under a different coach and was known as one of the best teams in city playing in the top division. When the coach left, the team struggled and was moved down to B Division.
But, under Hall’s guidance, the team made the playoffs the past two years in a row and this year the team is back in A Division, playing against extreme competition. In its first year back in A ball, Walton has had mixed results. After a tough 14-13 loss to High School for Information and Network Technology, the Wildcats sat in fourth place in the Bronx A Division going into a showdown with Clinton on Wednesday. (Update: Clinton beat Walton 16-11 on Thursday afternoon after Wednesday’s match was rained out.)
Live Yankees Opening Day Roundtable
April 13, 2012
Trying a little experiment today on Breaking Bronx. We’re all set for Yankees opening day right here in the Boogie Down. We’ve assembled a cast that includes the Twitter feeds from the best beat writers to provide you with ongoing coverage and analysis throughout today’s game against the Angels. Quick update: Robinson Cano moves to the clean-up spot, with A-Rod hitting in the three-hole. Full lineups are listed below the chat thread. Enjoy.
Yankees Lineup:
1. Jeter SS
2. Granderson CF
3. Rodriguez 3B
4. Cano 2B
5. Teixeira 1B
6. Swisher RF
7. Ibanez DH
8. Martin C
9. Gardner LF
Pitcher: Hiroki Kuroda
Angels Lineup:
1. Aybar SS
2. Abreu RF
3. Pujols 1B
4. Morales DH
5. Trumbo 3B
6. Wells LF
7. Izturis 2B
8. Ianetta C
9. Bourjos CF
Pitcher: Ervin Santana
Bronx Sports Report: Jaspers Win Battle of the Bronx (Baseball-Style)
April 12, 2012
By Alex Kratz
Manhattan College catcher Ramon Ortega takes a cut for the 14-17 Jaspers who beat Fordham University last night, 6-5, to run their winning streak to 10 games. (Photo courtesy Manhattan College Athletics)
Following Manhattan College’s thrilling comeback victoryover cross-Bronx rival Fordham University yesterday in Van Cortlandt Park, Jaspers coach Jim Duffy summed up the 6-5 win in this way: “It was a crazy game,” he said. “There were some wacky plays out there.”
The wackiest play in this crazy game came in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out and Manhattan down 5-4. Jaspers sophomore Yoandry Galan grounded a single to left and then just kept running all the way home after Rams left fielder Stephen McSherry misplayed the ball, allowing it to trickle all the way back to the fence. That tied the game 5-5 and allowed Kyle Murphy to smack the game-winning single one out later after Nick Camastro had ripped a double to get into scoring position.
But that’s the kind of thing that happens to a team now riding a 10-game winning streak. The Jaspers started the season 4-17, but have stormed back and are now just three games under .500. Fordham, meanwhile, dropped to 14-20 on the season.
It was the 108th meeting between the Bronx schools. Yesterday, the Jaspers took a very small step in evening out the all-time series, which is now 76-27-3 in favor of the Rams.
Bronx Sports Report: Baseball Preview Edition
April 5, 2012
By Alex Kratz
The Yankees will compete in one of the strongest divisions in baseball history this year. Can they emerge as AL East champions? To do so, they may need to channel their inner Warrior. (Photo by Keith Allison)
Because of the mild (non-existent?) winter this year, it may be tough to tell, but it is spring and that means baseball season is firmly upon us! We’ll be following the borough’s high school and college teams closely as well as checking in with the Bronx Bombers as they do battle in the extraordinarily tough American League East. We’ll start with the Yankees, who open their season against the Rays tomorrow. (Click on the jump to see our high school preview.)
Let me first just throw out a disclaimer: your humble scribe is a huge baseball junkie, but not a Yankees fan, which, I believe, gives me an objective (if somewhat cynical and envious) viewpoint about the Bronx’s professional baseball team. In other words, I will tell it like it is.
But first, let’s hear from actual Yankee fans, starting with former Norwood News intern, ex-Bronx News Network Yankees columnist and current Riverdale Press reporter Graham Kates who just finished in second place for the New York Press Association’s Rookie of the Year award, which makes him kind of like the Derek Jeter of Bronx reporters. We asked for his take on the upcoming season. Here’s his response:
We’re heading into a season in which the Yankees will be playing in the single greatest division in baseball history. There are four playoff-quality teams in the American League East — and the Orioles — stuck playing each other 18 times. It’s a gantlet of power the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Warriors fought their way from Van Courtlandt Park to Coney Island (ultimately, if the Yankees are the Warriors, the Orioles are the Orphans, the Blue Jays are the Lizzies, the Rays are the Furies and the Red Sox, of course, are crooked transit cops).
Fortunately for the Yankees, their biggest problem going into the season is, “We have seven good starting pitchers and only five spots in the starting rotation.”
What to watch for:
- All Yankee relievers are in a season-long competition to be first in line to replace Mariano Rivera
- A major Alex Rodriguez rebound.
- Soon-to-be MVP Robinson Cano.
- The maturation of former Mariner Michael Pineda, 23, under the tutelage of fellow humongous hard-thrower C.C. Sabathia. (Editor’s note: Pineda is starting off the season on the disabled list after coming into camp out of shape and showing an alarming decrease in velocity, while Jesus Montero, the slugger the Yankees traded to the Mariners for Pineda, is being mentioned as a Rookie of the Year candidate. I’m just saying…)
- A season of provocation by new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine.
Bronx Sports Report: Monroe Lady Mustangs Repeat as National Champs and a Madness Wrap
March 27, 2012
By Alex Kratz
The Monroe College Lady Mustangs celebrate after repeating as NJCAA Division II champions with a victory over Lake Michigan on Saturday. (Photo by Ching Zedrick)
March and all the madness that accompanies it are coming to a close. We’ll wrap up all the insanity from a Bronx perspective, starting with a team of ladies representing the Bronx once again cutting down the nets as national champions.
Despite a nearly complete roster overhaul and the loss of their starting point guard on the eve of the season’s biggest tournament, the Monroe College Lady Mustangs repeated as National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national champions with a 78-73 victory over Lake Michigan in Peoria, Ill.
Alvah Parham, the only Lady Mustang returning from last year’s championship team, hit two clutch free throws to put Monroe in the lead for good after Lake Michigan had stormed back from an 18-point second half deficit to take a 71-70 lead with 2:24 left in the game.
Parham finished with 22 points and six rebounds and Jasmine Mcroy contributed 21 points and six rebounds. But it was Kashay Barnes who stole the show and tournament MVP honors after dropping 26 points and eight assists on Lake Michigan.
Bronx Notes: Yankee Stadium Hiring
March 26, 2012
Legends Hospitality, which does the bulk of the concessions at Yankee Stadium, is hiring for the new season.
Jobs available include: Hostess, Bartender, Pastry Chef, Runner, Premium Services Supervisor, Catering Coordinator, Catering Server, Concession Stand Cashier, Concessions Prep, Merchandise Warehouse Associate and Merchandise Sales Room Personnel.
Please apply on line at www.legendshm.com.
Once you go online, then click on the home button and then the career button. From there you will see all the jobs that are currently available.
Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.
Bronx Sports Report: The Madness Begins!
March 16, 2012
The “One Shining Moment” montage at the end of every NCAA Basketball Tournament is probably my favorite three minutes of television all year. I’ve included last year’s rendition above because (1) It’s awesome and, (2) It features several highlights and smiles from Bronx boy Kemba Walker who ruled last year’s Big Dance when he led the University of Connecticut Huskies to an improbable run to the title.
Walker’s now in the NBA playing for Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats and there doesn’t appear to be a native son emerging to take his place in this year’s tournament. But that didn’t stop us from looking through every roster of every team in the tournament to see how the Bronx is being represented. This is what we found: Read more
Bronx Sports Report: Borough Catholic Boys Teams Representing and Other HS Hoops Updates
March 9, 2012
By Alex Kratz
[The Evander Childs Campus boys team would prevail in their match-up, captured in the slideshow above by photographer Adi Talwar, against Benjamin Banneker Academy, 58-42,to move into the PSAL Boys A Division quarterfinals. But with a birth into the Final Four at stake on Wednesday night, the Tigers fell at 4th-seeded Bedford Academy in Brooklyn.]
This is the penultimate weekend of New York City high school basketball playoff games. All of the public school divisions have semifinal match-ups and the Catholic league will crown a champion. A handful of Bronx teams still in the running have legitimate title shots.
The Boogie Down was heavily represented in the Catholic High School Athletic Association boys semifinal round, with three teams in the Final Four: St. Raymond’s, Cardinal Hayes and Mt. St. Michael. Read more
Bronx Sports Report: The Borough’s Olympic Hopeful, Plus PSAL Hoops Playoff Update
March 1, 2012
[Video: From Bronxite John Orozco's fifth place performance at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan last year.]
Lots of hoops action to get caught up on, but first a few words about John Orozco, the pint-sized Bronx acrobat who is positioning himself to be one of the breakout stars of the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer. In today’s Wall Street Journal, Aimee Berg wrote an outstanding profile of Orozco (“Gymnast’s Unlikely Bronx Tale”) and his journey to the top ranks of United States gymnastics.
Berg starts the piece off with rich details about Orozco’s early athletic feats: hanging on a basketball rim at 1, jumping off a roof into his father’s arms at 18 months, crazy skills in martial arts and dance. His talent was recognized early and he began training at an elite gymnastics center in Chappaqua, a 45-minute drive from his home in Clason Point.
As a Puerto Rican who attended Holy Family (J.Lo’s alma mater) for high school, Orozco was constantly teased about his chosen sport. It didn’t matter. He kept improving and won the junior all-around title at 14. He suffered a torn Achilles in 2010, but rebounded big-time last year. Orozco took bronze at the U.S. Nationals and finished a stunning fifth in Japan (just micro-points from earning a medal, see video above). A month ago, he won an event in Las Vegas.
On Saturday, Orozco will once again have a chance to shine, competing against the best in the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. But Orozco, who now carries the nickname “SNinja” (for secret-weapon ninja) told Berg he’s not nervous.
High School Playoffs Back in Full Swing Read more
Bronx Sports Report: Having Fun With New Manhattan College Coach Steve Masiello
February 23, 2012
Manhattan College Coach Steve Masiello has the Jaspers on the verge of a 20-win season. (Photo courtesy Manhattan Athletic Dept.)
The Bronx Sports Report recently had a chance to talk with Manhattan College’s first-year head coach Steve Masiello who has led the Jaspers to this season’s biggest turnaround in all of NCAA men’s basketball. Last year, Manhattan won a total of six games. Tonight, at home against Canisius, they go for win number 20. A White Plains native, Masiello starred in high school, played his college ball at Kentucky where he won a national championship after joining the team as a walk-on. He returned to Manhattan, where he was an assistant coach from 2001-2005 after spending the previous six years as an assistant under coaching legend Rick Pitino at Louisville. Here are some highlights from our conversation.
On the Jasper’s performance so far this year
I think it’s been a fun year, we really got our brand and our product out there for everyone to see that this is a new era in Manhattan basketball. We let everyone know that we are no longer a bottom feeder. We’re close to a 20-win season, one of our goals this year.
How did the turnaround happen so quickly?
It’s really a lifestyle. This is something that doesn’t just happen from 7 to 9 at night. It’s all day. It starts at 6 a.m. and it continues throughout the day, every day. It’s something we pride ourselves on.
Who’s stepped up their game?
[Freshman and Bronxite] Emmy Andujar. He’s a New York product and he’s stepped up his game and become one of the better players in the conference.
On recruiting New York players like Andujar
It’s something we definitely want to do, keep the local products here. We tell them, if you’re not going to one of the major college programs — like Louisville or North Carolina — then why not stay in the country’s biggest media market where you’re going to get a lot of great exposure … Recruiting is a lot easier when you win. [Masiello has already signed up three new players for next season and says he expects to add one more by the end of the recruiting season.] Read more
Bicycles and Basketballs Could be in the Armory’s Future
February 22, 2012
By Jeanmarie Evelly
Photo by Adi Talwar
There’s less than a month left for those vying to take over the Kingsbridge Armory to submit their proposals to the city, and a number of organizations have come forward with ideas for filling the long-vacant, 600,000-square-foot building.
Recently, a group of cycling enthusiasts who have been campaigning to turn the Armory into a giant bicycling center have teamed up with New York Gauchos, a Bronx-based youth basketball program, as well as several other sports-oriented groups, with the intent of converting the structure into an enormous sports, recreation and wellness center.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm for our vision,” said Rocky Bucano, vice president for the Teamwork Foundation, Inc., the nonprofit that runs Gauchos. “They know the previous roadblocks were the pure retail plans, which were not a good fit for the community.”
It’s been two years since a previous plan to turn the building into a giant shopping mall was killed by the City Council after a tense political battle between the developer and local activists over wages. During his State of the City speech in the Bronx in January, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the city would once again be seeking pitches from developers interested in the Armory, with a deadline of March 22 for submitting proposals to the Economic Development Corporation. Read more
Bronx Sports Report: Your Bronx-Centric Guide to the PSAL Playoffs
February 17, 2012
[Video: Before we get to high school playoff action, we'll start with reaction from Manhattan College head coach Steve Masiello after his team's disappointing 70-64 loss to Siena on Valentine's Day. And just a week after we featured them in the Bronx Sports Report! Hopefully this won't turn into an SI jinx type of thing.]
Representing the Boogie Down
The borough playoffs are over. It’s time to find out who are the top high school hoops dogs in New York City.
The Public School Athletic League playoffs kicked off this week with a slew of early round match-ups. But now we hit the tournament pause button as the city’s schools take next week off. It will give some teams a chance to regroup, while slowing the momentum of others.
With perennial powers — Brooklyn’s Lincoln on the boys side and Manhattan’s Murry Bergtraum on the girls — having less than dominant season, this could be the year a team bring a city title back to the Booggie Down. Here’s a breakdown, by division, of all the Bronx contenders and Cinderellas. Read more
JFK Boys Take Bronx HS Hoops Title
February 13, 2012
By Alex Kratz
The John F. Kennedy High School boys basketball team exorcised some regular season demons with a thrilling 59-54 upset of Wings Academy Saturday in the Bronx borough title game. (Click here for photos from MSG Varsity.)
During the regular season, JFK lost to Wings twice, including a heart-breaking home loss that ended on a buzzer-beating three-point shot by Wings star player Justin Jenkins.
This time, with the Bronx borough championship on the line during a mid-morning game at York College in Queens, JFK withstood a couple of big shots in the final minute by Wings to pull out the win. Both teams will move on to the citywide AA Division playoffs, which start on Wednesday.
Wings gets a first round bye after receiving a 4 seed. JFK received a 10 seed and will play Forrest Hills High School on Wednesday in Riverdale.
Bronx Sports Report: Old School Hoops Slideshow as Borough Playoffs Heat Up
February 9, 2012
By Alex Kratz
[Slideshow: These vintage-looking shots by Adi Talwar were taken during the John F. Kennedy boy's 78-60 win over rival DeWitt Clinton in the quarterfinals of the Bronx borough playoffs. JFK plays Eagle Academy tonight in Riverdale at 6 p.m.]
The Embattled Eagle Academy Marches On
The Eagle Academy boy’s team, the number three seed in the Bronx borough playoffs (and they probably deserved a two-seed), goes into tonight’s semifinal match-up against JFK with a total of three wins on the season, according to the Public School Athletic League website. They were forced to forfeit their first 11 games played by point guard Gerard Carty, who the PSAL has deemed ineligible because he is a fifth-year senior, according to the NY Post. The Post‘s anonymous sources dispute this claim.
It’s unclear how the forfeits will affect Eagle’s seeding in the citywide playoffs coming up next week, but the loss of Carty has not stopped them from winning. Since losing by four to Wings Academy on Jan. 19, Eagle has reeled off five straight wins, including a 58-42 quarterfinal win over a much-improved Evander Childs team on Tuesday. Read more
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