On January 1, 2022, the Times Union Center changed its name for the first time since 2007, becoming the MVP Arena. With a new name, brings new signs everywhere.
It has been a bad decade in New York sports. The New York Giants Super Bowl victory in 2011 is the last major championship in the Big Apple. I say that all changes in 2022! Let's look into our 104.5 The Team crystal ball and see what happens in the New Year!
For Andrew Platek, the Capital Region was home, and was the backdrop for the moments that put him on the map. Now, he's back, and looking for more with hometown Siena.
I laugh when people say that 'the Capital Region is a bad sports town.' Really? When people say that I sometimes feel that they are trying to find something wrong with everything. If you feel like I do, it's time to look at the facts. This is actually a pretty good sports 'town.'
Anytime you notch that first win of the year, it's a big sigh of relief for that head coach or manager. It just is. It's something that you want to get out of the way. Monday night, Siena men's basketball coach Carm Maciariello's team got their first win. It was an important step in Coach Carm's process.
Veteran's Day often reminds me of my dad's early pilgrimage in life. Military service is often a foundation and launch pad for one's future in many ways. The experiences and the lessons from these experiences are often played out and passed down for generations to come.
One coach will take the sidelines for the very first time in the lead chair. The other looks to secure an allusive MAAC Championship that has been snagged from his team's grips the past two seasons. Fans will eagerly return to their seats that have collected dust since March of 2020. Tuesday night, empty basketball venues will be a thing of the past for the Capital Region's two Division I basketball programs.
Playing Division I opponents in exhibition games is nothing new for the College of St. Rose basketball program. The Division II program, nestled in Pine Hills section of the City of Albany, has made the I-90 trip to the Carrier Dome to take on Jim Boeheim's Syracuse Orange for a preseason matchup. Trust me, Boeheim doesn't waste time. If an exhibition opponent isn't going to challenge his players like he needs, they aren't playing his team in the preseason. That is why I could never understand why Siena nor UAlbany would play St. Rose in an exhibition.
Winning the regular season title in his first two years at the helm of the Siena Saints men's basketball program has apparently gone under the radar for his fellow MAAC coaches and that always seems to be OK with the kid from Clifton Park. Saints' head coach Carm Maciariello has done nothing but win, even under some ridiculously restrictive conditions. So, when the MAAC coaches poll came out Tuesday evening and Siena was picked 8th, I laughed. Nope, certainly not at the Saints but at the coaches that voted.
It has been a long time since fans have watched the Siena Saints or the UAlbany Great Danes in person. It was weird last year calling the UAlbany games with Rodger Wyland for ESPN3 & 104.5 FM The Team. There were no fans and it seemed like nobody else was talking, just us. However, the strangeness is beginning to dissipate as fans have returned to sporting events. Things aren't perfect but we are truly getting back to some sense of normality in sports venues.
The UAlbany and Siena men's basketball coaches, Dwayne Killings and Carm Maciariello, may not face each other on the court this year but they are continuing the tradition to team up for the 16th annual Coaches vs. Cancer Basket "Ball", Monday, October 4th at the Albany Capital Center. This is a tremendous evening of true community camaraderie centered around our two Division I college basketball programs. It is definitely one of the best events of its kind.
It was hot in the UHY Center on the campus of Siena College in Loudonville, NY yesterday afternoon. I arrived a little early to set up for The Drive with Charlie & Dan from 3p to 7p. Dan is on vacation and my guest host was finishing coaching his team. Siena men's basketball coach Carm Maciariello was running the 2021-22 Saints through some 4 on 4 drills, all part of the summertime process, which Tuesday included being my co-host. The heat didn't deter any of the players, some in green, some in gold. They were going after it, happy to compete.