Albany Events

As we launch into the enjoyment of the Holiday Season, many of us will be meeting friends or attending functions at bars and/or clubs. Though these establishments can be focal points for fun and laughter, they can also be target locations for sexual predators. With a very forward-thinking partnership two local counties want to help put a stop to any potential problems. Albany and Schenectady have teamed up to help make "Safer Bars" and they are empowering bar owners and staff to make a difference.

The holiday season kicks off this week and along with a triple-header of NFL action on Thursday, the college football ranks often shine with storied rivalries. Those of us old enough to remember Doug Flutie's "Hail Mary" touchdown pass to propel Boston College over defending National Champion Miami, recall the magic happened on that Friday after Thanksgiving. Even the casual college football fan will enjoy some of the classic match-ups this weekend.

A victory on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, will put the New York Jets on top of the AFC East with seven wins. With triumphs over the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills, Robert Saleh and his "all gas, no brake" crew own the needed tie-breakers that have Jets fans salivating for a potential playoff birth. 2010 was the last time Gang Green visited the NFL tournament in January. Now, one man in particular is out to ruin those dreams, as he has many times before. Bill Belichick.

There are plenty of reasons to question the Fédération Internationale de Football Association or FIFA, the governing body of professional soccer. The organization has been riddled controversy for decades. In 2015, more than two dozen FIFA officials were implicated in a 24-year corruption scandal that reached the highest levels of FIFA management. Bribery connected to the awarding of hosting rights for the 2018 World Cup to Russia and this year's 2022 World Cup to Qatar were big factors in the corruption. Now, two days prior to the start, fans are told they can not buy beer with alcohol in the stadium. What?

If the New York Mets want to be a perennial playoff team, then they have to make decisions with their head and not their heart. Faced with the prospect of paying their free-agent, ace right-hander, Jake deGrom for the next 3 or 4 years, at $40 plus million per, Amazin's general manager Billy Eppler had better think long and hard about the investments that he makes over the next year, as Mets president-in-waiting David Stearns bides his time, collecting checks from the Milwaukee Brewers and making notes on his future employees.

For decades New York Mets (and for many years Jets fans) always felt that the area in Queens surrounding Shea Stadium, now Citi Field, detracted from the fan experience. From the rows of auto repair shops to the barbed-wire fences surrounding the junk yards, there is basically nothing for fans to do outside of Citi Field, if they don't need work done on their car. However, that is about to change. New York City officials have reached an agreement to build the city’s first professional soccer stadium and it has benefits for Mets fans.

The New York Mets do not have a storied history of great managers. Gil Hodges was terrific for his few years prior to his passing in 1972. Davey Johnson did a great job winning games with his late 1980s teams but his undisciplined style rubbed management the wrong way. Terry Collins was terrific in 2015, especially if you want a guy to win with a sub-par roster. However, none of them was ever named National League Manager of the Year, like this year's winner, Buck Showalter.

What a difference a year makes. Carmelo Anthony played for one season at Syracuse University. In that 2002-03 season, Melo averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds, leading head coach Jim Boeheim's team to their third National Championship. Melo left a few months later in the NBA draft as the 3rd overall pick of the Denver Nuggets. However, Anthony will always be on the Mount Rushmore of Syracuse basketball. Now his son may continue that Orange legacy.

For many fans of the iconic DC Comic book character, Batman, Kevin Conroy was the man that brought the animated Dark Knight to life. Conroy's deep, gravely voice that became synonymous with Gotham's super hero. Children and adults alike, shared a love of Conroy's verbal portrayal of Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter ego. Kevin Conroy died on Thursday in Manhattan at the age of 66.

As the United States celebrated their 18 million veterans across the country, a group of active military members, deployed in Kenya are not receiving a designated tax break from the Federal Government and New York State. "The Fighting 69th", which includes "Charlie Company" from the New York National Guard’s 2nd Squadron, 108th Infantry in Utica, and a western New York's cavalry troop 2nd Squadron, is not receiving a "combat zone" tax exemptions.

There are over 18 million veterans of United States military service living today. These are men and women that dedicated portions of their lives to "serving" our country, maintaining the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans, no matter what political party you align with. Yet, according to uso.org, over the last 21 years, four times as many military members died from suicide, then from combat wounds in Iraq and Afghanistan or any other military operation combined.

You don't expect rare elephants to be born in Upstate New York. However, that is exactly what happened at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. Twin male Asian elephants were born and survived for the first time in a United States facility. The survival rate for twin elephants is about 1%. Mali and Doc are the proud elephant parents of the rare duo.