The VOTL.com

Mike Williams Bids Farewell Via Facebook

2009-11-03T19:39:00.007-05:00

Well, I guess that's that. Former Syracuse University wide receiver Mike Williams took to his Facebook account Tuesday afternoon to send a message out to his friends. It read the following:

"thanks cuse! thanks for everything my best time was here and to all my real fans i promise i will b somewhere where u guys can keep being great FANS WITH OUT YOU THERES NO ME and to all my haters thanks to yall 2 cause i couldnt do it with out yall SO JUST KEEP HATIN .and LAST BUT NOT LEAST to all my teammates I LOVE YALL YALL MY 2 FAMILY THANKS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES."

That would appear to quell the rumor that Williams has reconsidered his decision to leave the program. On Monday afternoon, I Tweeted that Williams quit to avoid being suspended by coach Doug Marrone for a second time. The source of that information was a starting player on the Orange defense. The source also stated that Williams was to be suspended for, "getting into trouble with teammates." They did not elaborate on that statement, and I was puzzled as to what they had meant.

Hours later, the following appeared on the Syracuse.com fan forum:

"Here is what I heard from credible people: Williams, Bailey, Tiller, and Ball broke team rules and went to Turning Stone. In route, they got in a minor car accident. They were specifically forbidden from going there...when faced with repurcussions, Williams lost it, flipped out, and quit."

The user who posted this went onto say that Williams had realized he made a mistake and asked to be reinstated. The post read that Marrone let the team vote on Williams' status and that the team had voted him back on. That seemed to mark the beginning of the "he's back" rumors. Part of the forum post gained a great deal of credibility around lunch time Tuesday when ESPN's Joe Schad Tweeted:

"Mike Williams had a late night vehicle incident after the last gm that was going to lead to another suspension."

Minutes later, Syracuse University announced that the Orange lineup would look a bit different on Saturday in Pittsburgh. The school issued a press release stating that center Jim McKenzie would return from injury and play. Also, defensive end Jared Kimmel would be shutting it down for the season to have his knee operated on again. But the golden nugget was buried in the last paragraph:

"The Orange will also be without running back Antwon Bailey, defensive end Torrey Ball and offensive guard Andrew Tiller, who have been suspended for a violation of team rules."

Bailey, Ball, and Tiller. The same players mentioned in the post on Syracuse.com. It took Daily Orange reporter Connor Orr less than three hours to confirm with state police what had been written on the fan forum the day before:

"From New York State Police -- Williams, Tiller, Ball and Bailey in accident 5:30 Sunday morning. Tiller (driver) not being charged."

A full story was published on the Daily Orange web site just before 4 p.m. In it, Orr and Abram Brown reported that a man named Nathan Pimrose had rear-ended Tiller at around 5 a.m. early Sunday morning. The article does not mention if the players had visited or intended to visit Turning Stone Casino.

The accident took place in Lenox, NY. The casino is in Verona, less than 10 miles away. Syracuse.com's Charles McChesney reports that the accident took place on Thruway I-90 and that Pimrose was driving a tractor trailer. He also writes that State Police say Pimrose was at fault for the accident. Both articles say that police do not believe alcohol was involved in the accident.

As per usual, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician was on top of all the coverage today.

Notebook: Oswego State Returns From Western NY Trip With Four Points

2009-11-03T16:33:00.001-05:00

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team came out of their Western New York road trip unscathed for the fourth consecutive season Saturday night. The Lakers' 7-4 victory over Fredonia came 24 hours after Friday's 4-1 domination of Buffalo State.

Oswego State now has an overall record of 3-1-0 with a perfect mark of 2-0-0 in conference play. It's just the first week of November, but the SUNYAC standings already have a familiar look to them - Plattsburgh and Oswego at the top, followed by everyone else.

NOTES:

One red flag for the Lakers is their power play success rate. Coach Ed Gosek is usually displeased whenever the team is converting on less than 25 percent of their man up opportunities. That being said, he must be beside himself this week. After converting on 2-of-5 chances in a season-opening win against Elmira, Oswego State has failed to score on their last 17 man-up opportunities. The 2-for-22 mark puts the Lakers at nine percent on the year.

As bad as they've been when they have a man advantage, the Lakers have been equally as impressive when they're a man down. Oswego State had not allowed a power play goal going into Saturday's match-up at Fredonia. The Blue Devils lit the lamp twice on the power play, but that still leaves the Lakers at a 90 percent penalty kill rate.

The top forward line of Chris Laganiere, Eric Selleck, and Justin Fox (pictured) combined for 16 points on the weekend. Laganiere looks poised for a breakout junior year, as he is averaging a point and an assist per outing through the first four games.

Junior Stephen Mallaro scored his first collegiate goal in the 4-1 win over Buffalo State. His marker came on a rebound midway through the opening period and stood as the game winner.

Sohomore Paul Beckwith had his worst game of the short season on Saturday (four goals allowed on 27 shots), but all-in-all he has been exactly what Oswego State thought they were getting in net. His GAA is a miniscule 2.26 and he has stopped 93 percent of the shots he has seen.

Will The Reign Be Potty Trained? Former Oswego State Goalie Debuts in ECHL Tonight

2009-10-28T13:44:00.001-04:00

Former Oswego State goaltender Tim Potter will make his ECHL debut Wednesday night when his Bakersfield Condors host the Ontario Reign. The 2010 Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic MVP joined the Condors on Monday after Justin Pogge was recalled by Anaheim of the NHL.

Potter has speculated that he may only be with the team until Anaheim net minder Jean-Sébastien Giguère returns from injury. Giguère is currently listed as day-to-day with a groin injury.

Though his future is uncertain, Potter will definitely be a professional hockey player tonight. Faceoff is scheduled for 10 PM ET. The game can be heard on the internet via the ESPN Bakersfield web cast.

Midge's Turn: Former Teammate Brendan McLaughlin Reacts to Potter's ECHL Gig

2009-10-27T17:49:00.001-04:00

"Can I get a quote in there?"

Never one to shy away from the spotlight, former Oswego State forward Brendan McLaughin wanted to express his thoughts on Bakersfield's acquisition of his former teammate, Tim Potter. The 19th all-time leading points scorer in Lakers' history contacted TheVOTL.com on Tuesday to share his thoughts.

"I wish I had cramps," said the 5-foot-7 pivot, referring to Potter's past issues with cramping during games. He then speculated that Potter's good fortune could be attributed to more than just his on-ice abilities. "Potter is known for his wing man capability, thus giving him the ability to be a Condor."

McLaughlin himself was released from a tryout with Toledo of the ECHL earlier this month. He pointed out that none of the members of the Oswego State men's ice hockey class of 2009, a group that played a pivotal role in bringing the school their first national championship in 2007, are currently on a professional hockey roster.

"If I had graduated from any other school I'd be on a roster," said Mclaughlin.

The Lakers haven't been the only program to see their products struggle to crack a pro roster. Plattsburgh goalie Brian Hince left school after his sophomore year, only to get cut by two different minor league clubs. McLaughlin was well aware of Hince's futile efforts.

"Suck it, Hince," said the opinionated Ontarian.

McLaughlin is currently working part-time at a hockey school near his hometown of Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

Oswego State Ranked Ninth in Preseason Poll

2009-10-27T15:02:00.000-04:00

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team is ranked ninth in a preseason poll released Monday by USCHO.com. The Lakers already opened their season this past weekend by splitting a home-and-home series with Elmira College, who ranks 14th in the poll.

Plattsburgh was voted the top Division III team in the nation by a panel of 20, despite receiving little more than half as many first-place votes as Neumann. The Knights will begin the defense of their 2009 National Championship as the number two team in the land.

Oswego State was one of six schools to receive one first place vote. Neumann garnered nine while Plattsburgh appeared at the top if five ballots. The Lakers and Cardinals were the only teams from the SUNYAC to receive votes.

Former Lakers Goalie Potter Says He's A Condor

2009-10-27T13:35:00.005-04:00

Former Clarkson and Oswego State goaltender Tim Potter says he has been contacted by Bakersfield of the East Coast Hockey League to fill an open roster spot. The Bakersfield native tells TheVOTL.com that he will suit up for his hometown Condors Wednesday night.

Starting backstop Justin Pogge was called up by Anaheim of the NHL on Monday. He is being counted on to help replace Jean-Sébastien Giguère who re-aggravated a groin injury this weekend. Giguère is listed as day-to-day.

Pogge's sudden promotion left Bakersfield with just one netminder, Timo Pielmeier, 20, of Germany. Pielmeier has logged 100 minutes in net this season and has a goal against average of 4.80 with a save percentage of .837 for the 3-2-0-0 Condors.

Potter last saw the ice as a member of the NCAA Division III Oswego State Lakers last season. He transferred from Division I Clarkson in January after failing to secure the starting goaltender spot with the Golden Knights. The junior was given the starting nod in Oswego upon arrival and earned a 10- 2- 0 record with a 2.09 GAA and .922 save percentage. The Lakers won Potter's first nine starts after going 8-5-1 before his transfer. They wound up earning a second straight appearance in the SUNYAC championship game before losing to arch-rival Plattsburgh in overtime.

Despite his success, Potter says head coach Ed Gosek told him he did not have a guaranteed spot on the 2009-10 roster at Oswego State. The coaching staff had grown concerned over a persistent cramping problem that had caused Potter to leave two games during his run with the Lakers. Potter withdrew from the college after completing classes in May. After touring the northeast as part of a summer-long hockey camp for youths, he returned home to California in August.

"The (Anaheim) Ducks had scouted me when I played juniors," said Potter. "So when I got back home I called them up and let them know if they needed me, I was around. They said they'd call if something opened up. I didn't believe them."

But on Monday, that call came. Potter will be in uniform on Wednesday night when Bakersfield hosts Ontario. He said he expects Pielmeir to get the start. Of the 16 players who left the Oswego State men's ice hockey program during or at the conclusion of the 2008-09 season, Potter is the only one with a spot on a professional roster.

Photo credit: Jared Crast's Facebook account

Video: Montreal 5, NY Rangers 4 (OT)

2009-10-25T13:06:00.000-04:00

Elmira Earns Split With Oswego State

2009-10-25T12:52:00.006-04:00

Darcy Vailliancourt's goal late in the second period was enough to push Elmira past Oswego State 2-1 Saturday night at the Murray Athletic Center in Horseheads, NY. The sophomore's marker came just 18 seconds after the Lakers tied the game on freshman Paul Rodrigues' second goal in as many nights. Rusty Masters had given the Soaring Eagles the game's first tally midway through the period.

Notes:

Oswego State was able to cut their PIM in half from the night before, spending just ten minutes in the box Saturday night. The PK unit was perfect again, killing off all five Elmira power plays.

After going 2-for-5 Friday night, the Lakers PP was 0-for-7 on Saturday including 0-for-4 in the first period.

Sophomore Paul Beckwith was stellar in net again for the Lakers. He stopped 41 shots in the loss and now has a 2.01 GAA on the season with a save percentage of .947.

This is just the second time in Beckwith's short career that he lost a game he had started. Both L's have come to Aaron Saul-coached teams as Beckwith fell 4-2 to Saul's Potsdam club in his final appearance last season. Beckwith's one other career loss came against Geneseo in relief of Chris Hyk.

Senior Casey Tuttle rebounded nicely from one of the worst outings of his career with a 37-save performance Saturday. He now has three career victories against Oswego State in seven starts (3-3-1).

Elmira and Oswego State combined for 140 shots on goal on Friday and Saturday night. The Soaring Eagles put 21 SOG in the second period of Saturday's game alone.

Luke Moodie recorded his first collegiate point for Oswego State when he assisted on Rodrigues' goal. Jon Whitelaw was also credited with an assist on the play, he has three through his first two games.

The only lineup change for the Lakers from Friday to Saturday was on the blue line with the benching of Jared Anderson in favor of Michael Gilchrist. There are four returning skaters who have yet to see the ice for Oswego State: Josh Chamberlain, Andrew Mather, Joe Hall, and Owen Kelly.

Photo credit: Jared Crast/Facebook

Fox Scores, Assists on Three in Oswego Debut

2009-10-24T16:27:00.007-04:00

Salem State transfer Justin Fox provided a scoring spark to the Oswego State lineup in his Lakers debut Friday night. The junior tallied a goal and three assists to earn first star honors in a 7-2 victory over Elmira at the Campus Center. Here are some notes from the 2009-10 season opener:

Junior Chris Laganiere lit the lamp twice for Oswego State; he had just eight career goals coming into the season opener. Many who attended the game say he was buzzing around the net all night and could have tallied as many as six points had he not fought the puck early on.

Freshman Tyler Leimbrock's first collegiate goal turned out to be the game-winner. He buried a feed from senior Brad Dormiedy early in the third period to put the Lakers up 3-1.

The front line of forwards - consisting of Neil Musselwhite, Leimbrock, and Dormiedy - tallied seven points on the night. The second line of Laganiere, Eric Selleck, and Fox combined for ten points.

Sophomore Paul Beckwith stated his case to remain the team's top goaltender with 30 saves on 32 shots. He allowed just one goal in the third period despite facing 19 shots, allowing his team to pull away. Senior Kyle Gunn-Taylor, who transferred to Oswego State from Buffalo State in January, is pushing to steal some time in net away from the Cleveland, OH native.

Elmira backstop Casey Tuttle had a rough third period. He had stopped 20 of 22 shots over the game's first 40 minutes, but allowed five markers while making just two saves in the third.

The Lakers spent a total of 20 minutes in the sin bin. However, the PK unit killed off all six penalties. Oswego State killed off just 81.5% of all penalties last season after being among the nation's leaders in the category in 2007-08.

One of the rules NCAA officials have been encouraged to emphasize this season is the act of "face washing" (sticking your glove in an opponents face during an after-the-whistle skirmish). The infraction was called five times in Friday's game, thrice on the Lakers and twice on Elmira.

Box Score

CoverItLive: Elmira College @ Oswego State

2009-10-23T18:43:00.000-04:00

NCAA Men's Ice Hockey: Elmira College @ Oswego State

Elmira College Hockey Will Bring New Coach, Same Goalie To Oswego

2009-10-23T15:36:00.003-04:00

Aaron Saul (pictured) debuts as the head coach of his Alma mater Friday night when he brings the Elmira Soaring Eagles into the Campus Center Ice Arena to open the 2009-10 season at Oswego State. Saul left Potsdam, where he had been the head coach for two seasons, to replace Tim Ceglarski who stepped aside after posting 125 wins in eight years on the Elmira bench.

Familiar Venue

Having began his coaching career in Oswego Sate's SUNYAC conference, Saul is no stranger to the Lakers' four-year-old arena. His upstart Potsdam Bears program ruined senior night in Oswego just eight months ago with a 4-2 victory. Overall, Saul is 1-3-0 against the Lakers, his Bears were outscored 11-1 in the two-game series in 2007-08. They hung even in 2008-09 as Oswego State and Potsdam each lit the lamp four times in the series.

Familiar Backstop

Joining Ceglarski on Friday's 100-mile venture north to the shores of Lake Ontario will be senior goaltender Casey Tuttle. The Presidential Scholar is 2-2-1 in his previous five match-ups against the Lakers, a program he first faced on Dec. 30, 2006 when Oswego State was marching toward a national championship.

Tuttle's last meeting with the Lakers is one he'd surely like to attone for as he allowed six goals on 28 shots in a 6-4 loss in Oswego on Nov. 1, 2008. In all, Tuttle has a 3.16 GAA and a save percentage of 87.8 when facing the green and gold.

Jan Voyage

Elmira said goodbye to high-scoring Czech forward Jan Velich after the 2008-09 campaign. Velich led the Soaring Eagles with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) last season. The 6-4 pivot is perhaps best known by Lakers fans as the guy who butt-ended former Oswego State All-American Brendan McLaughlin in the neck during the last meeting between the two schools. Velich also had three points that night, lighting the lamp in the first before assisting on two scores.

Swede D

The top returning scorer for Elmira is defenseman Karl Linden. The 6-0 Stockholm native led the team in assists as a sophomore with 22 while four of his seven goals came on the power play. Two of those four PPG came against Oswego in a 3-2 victory last season.

Masters of the Power Play

Nobody found the back of the net for Elmira more than Rusty Masters last year. The senior is coming off of a 14-goal season, including four game-winning markers and ten tallies on the power play. The Lakers may have found a way to frustrate him though, as a third of his penalty minutes for the season came against Oswego State, including one whistle for unsportsmanlike conduct and another for roughing.

Bob Emery Does Not Mince Words

2009-10-18T18:26:00.001-04:00

Plattsburgh men's ice hockey head coach Bob Emery was asked by longtime Cardinals radio announcer Ducky Drake what he thought about his star goaltender, Bryan Hince, leaving school after his sophomore season. Emery blunty replied, "I think it was one of the dumbest moves I've ever seen in my 22 years coaching." That comment was aired on Monday afternoon during Emery's weekly half-hour program, "Behind The Bench," on WIRY Plattsburgh.

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CoverItLive: New York Giants at New Orleans

2009-10-18T13:32:00.000-04:00

The following is a live blog comprised of the Tweets from Giants beat writers.
NYG @ New Orleans

Oswego State Trounces RMC In Sold Out Campus Center

2009-10-18T08:28:00.001-04:00

More than 3,000 fans packed the Campus Center Ice Arena Saturday night to watch the Oswego State men's ice hockey program open the 2009-10 season with a 7-3 exhibition win over Kingston, Ontario's Royal Military College.

Assistant captain Brad Dormiedy netted the first goal of the night in the game's eighth minute with an assist from fellow assistant captain Neil Musselwhite and freshman Tyler Leimbrock. Leimbrock was just one of ten Lakers making their Oswego State debut in the game. A graduating class of 13 players in 2009 opened the door for a wealth of new talent to make an immediate impact for the Lakers in 2009-10, and make an immediate impact they did. Five different newcomers tallied at least one point with Luke Moodie recording the game-winning goal early in the third period.

All three goaltenders on seventh-year coach Ed Gosek's roster saw action, with sophomore Paul Beckwith getting the starting nod. Beckwith stopped seven of eight shots in the first period, senior Kyle Gunn-Taylor stopped four of five shots in the second, and freshman Daniel Jones stopped four of five in the third to pick up the win.

Noticeably absent from the lineup were 2009 SUNYAC Freshman of the Year Eric Selleck and junior Josh Chamberlain.

Photo: Facebook account of SUNY Oswego grad Jared Crast ('09)

Tix To WWE Carrier Dome Debut On Sale Now

2009-10-17T12:40:00.000-04:00

Admittedly, when World Wrestling Entertainment announced that their first Carrier Dome event in Syracuse, NY would not be televised, I was skeptical. The company had been battling with Syracuse University for the right to use the 49,000-seat venue for more than a decade, and for what, a house show? But then the card was unveiled, and it would now appear that the Vince McMahon might be "testing" what type of interest level Syracuse, NY truly has for his product.

All previous WWE shows in the salt city had been housed by the War Memorial at OnCenter, an 8,000-seat venue that is roughly half the size of most arenas WWE Superstars perform in. The Dome seats upwards of 33,000 for a basketball game and will use the same set-up for the WWE show that they use for hoops. However, the ticketmaster.com event page shows the 300 level of the facility grayed out, meaning they are only selling seats on the floor, the 100 level, and the 200 level. One would imagine the 300-level tickets could become available should the initial offering of tickets sell out in a short amount of time.

All of the big names will be there: Triple H, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho will be the headliners breaking the Dome's sports-entertainment seal on Dec. 30. Tickets went on sale at 10 A.M. Saturday, both at the Dome box office and online. The WWE is undoubtedly keeping an eye on ticket sales and wondering what the future may hold for professional wrestling in Syracuse. Central New York hasn't been home to a televised WWE event in 11 years, but that could change with the Dome now at McMahon's disposal.

Carrier Dome Midnight Madness Highlights Everything To Hate About Basketball

2009-10-17T10:55:00.001-04:00

The lights dimmed, the crowd buzzed in anticipation, and a big, red, Syracuse Firetruck crept onto the Carrier Dome floor carrying the 2009-10 edition of the Syracuse University women's basketball team. A crowd of 10,156 rose to its feet and welcomed birthday boy Quentin Hillsman and his roster to Jim Boeheim Court.

Boeheim himself began his 34th campaign on the Orange men's bench by driving a Syracuse Police cruiser into the arena, dressed in near-full law enforcement getup. His entire depth chart had entered the floor ahead of him, one-by-one, riding on the backs of motorcycles.

Friday was a night of grand entrances at Syracuse University's Midnight Madness, the tip-off of the men's and women's basketball seasons. Beyond that, there wasn't much to write home about. Nobody expected the quality of play to be spectacular given the fact that this was the first day that official practices could be held. But the lack of effort was enough to make an amateur blogger try ardently to get a video feed of the Yankees game on his BlackBerry (I failed).

The women's side of the action was decent. They began the night with a short scrimmage that revealed a team with some talent, hungry to get back to the NCAA tournament after an appearance in the 2009 women's NIT. Then the men took center stage.

Not only was the quality of play not spectacular, it was horrific. Freshman Brandon Triche hit a nifty pull-up three-pointer early in the men's scrimmage, but it was all tomfoolery from that point on. Defense was optional over the next ten minutes as the crowd was exposed to multiple failed alley-oop attempts, several uncontested dunks and layups, and a handful of errant passes. All the while, the arena speakers provided the best in today's hip-hop and R&B music. The whole night had the feel of a poor man's NBA All-Star Weekend.

Thankfully, the majority of those who attended the event were easily amused. Every missed alley-oop drew a collective "ohhhh" from the crowd while the successful ones brought them to their feet. After a three-point shootout and slam dunk contest, the night came to a close and the fans applauded their approval.

But on a side note, Brandon Triche is being counted upon to replace now-Minnesota Timberwolves guard Johhny Flynn in the Syracuse back court. Brandon Triche also suffered a severe knee injury not long ago which robbed him of nearly a full season at Jamesville-DeWitt High School. That said, why the hell was Brandon Triche competing in the dunk contest? Without any sort of knee brace, no less!

Thankfully, he left the hardwood without any sort of hitch in his giddy-up. The Post-Standard did a nice job of making the event appear joyous in the video they posted to Syracuse.com. Take a look:

Syracuse Basketball Midnight Madness 2009

Photo: Syracuse.com's Nicholas Lisi

IHL's Generals Cut Former Plattsburgh Goalie Hince

2009-10-16T10:35:00.003-04:00

Former Plattsburgh goalie and 2009 Herb Hammond Most Valuable Player of the Year Bryan Hince was released Thursday by the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League. Hince left Plattsburgh in May, a few months after he had led the Cardinals to their second straight SUNYAC Championship, to pursue the professional ranks of hockey. He had also cited the school's tuition increase as a factor in his decision to leave. He was released by the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League earlier this month.

Yes We Can! Grab Your Ouija Board & Give Greg The Heisman

2009-10-14T16:56:00.004-04:00

Ed Griffin-Nolan has two last names. He is also insane. Read SyracuseNewTimes.com

Big Blue Bulldoze Oakland; Best Start Since 1990

2009-10-11T18:28:00.002-04:00

Eli Manning played just five offensive series, but by the time his day was done the New York Giants had a 28-0 lead over Oakland. David Carr replaced the game's highest-payed player in the first half and helped the Giats hold on for a 44-7 victory. New York improved their record to 5-0, the first time they have started a season with at least five straight victories since 1990. The Giants went onto win their first ten games that year then beat Buffalo in Super Bowl XV.

Manning caused concern among Giants fans when he left last week's victory over Kansas City with a right heel injury. He missed multiple practices over the course of the week but ultimately felt well enough to start his 83rd straight game.

Manning not only started, he played "perfectly." In the NFL passer rating system, a score of 158.3 is considered perfect. Manning's numbers - 8/10 passing, 173 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions - were good enough to attain that feat. He is the first quarterback to have a "perfect game" this season and only the fourth New York Giant to do so (Y.A. Tittle, Fran Tarkenton, and Kerry Collins).

Despite the gaudy numbers from Manning, the star of the day was running back Ahmad Bradshaw. Bradshaw, who possesses a build similar to former Giants fan favorite David Meggett, ran for 61 yards in the first quarter and finished the game with 110 yards on the ground and a pair of scores. He came into 2009 with one career 100-yard game but now has two in the past three weeks.

As anticipated by many, the feeble Oakland offense was no match for the mighty New York defense. The Giants forced and recovered three fumbles from quarterback JeMarcus Russell. Oakland gained just 124 yards and seven first downs on the afternoon. The Giants stopped the Raiders on 10-of-11 third-down opportunities.

On tap for next week is a much-anticipated collision between that dominant Giants defense and the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints (4-0) at the Superdome. The game will feature two of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the NFL in Manning and Saints signal-caller Drew Brees.

Avery Makes 2009-10 Debut For Rangers Today

2009-10-11T17:26:00.000-04:00

Sean Avery appeared in the New York Rangers lineup for the first time this season Sunday against Anaheim. The agitator centered a line with Artem Ansimov and former Phoenix winger Enver Lisin.

All-Star net minder Henrik Lundqvist is sitting today after earning three wins in four games to start his fifth season. Steve Valiquette, his backup for four seasons, is seeing his first action of the season against the Ducks team that is playing the third and final game of an Atlantic-division road trip. They've scored victories over Boston and Philadelphia over the past three nights.

Eli's Fine, But Ahmad's Amazing

2009-10-11T14:18:00.005-04:00

Eli Manning started Sunday's game against Oakland, but Ahmad Bradshaw is the one dominating it. Manning was held out of multiple practices this week with that foot injury I won't even attempt to spell. His efforts may not be needed however, as Ahmad Bradshaw has 63 yards on the ground and two scores on just six carries against the Raiders defense. The former Marshall standout is just two weeks removed from his second career 100-yard performance and looks well on his way to a breakout game this afternoon. The Giants lead 28-7 late in the first half.

Giveaway Greg Will Start Against Akron

2009-10-11T14:00:00.006-04:00

Syracuse football coach Doug Marrone wasted little time announcing quarterback Greg Paulus as the Orange starter for their Oct. 24 game against Akron. The former high school phenom was benched after a horrid first half on Saturday in which he threw for just 30 yards and killed the first Syracuse drive with an interception to a defensive lineman.

Backup Ryan Nassib threw two touchdown passes in the second half, but it wasn't enough as the Orange fell to West Virginia for the eighth straight season, 34-13.

Paulus has thrown an interception in all but one of Syracuse's six games, including an end zone pick in overtime of a season-opening loss to Minnesota. He has thrown ten interceptions on the season, five of which came in a 34-20 loss last week to South Florida. He has been picked off by defensive linemen in two consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Nassib has been impressive in limited action. The red-shirt freshman completed four-of-five passes for 30 yards in his debut at Penn State on Sept. 12. He threw his first collegiate touchdown pass on Saturday, a 50-yard strike to Mike Williams that brought the Carrier Dome crowd to life after Paulus failed to lead the Orange to a single point in the first half. Nassib was named the team's starting quarterback in spring practice, but lost the job after Paulus received a special waiver from the NCAA to play a year of college football after playing four years of basketball at Duke University.

Marrone stated in Saturday's post game press conference that he benched Paulus because, "I just didn't feel comfortable with the way that Greg was responding to questions that I was asking him...on the sidelines."

Paulus would not elaborate on what those questions were."Whenever a player and a coach have a relationship, I think that's the way it should stay, whether it's in-game action or what a coach might say, individually, in a private meeting," Paulus said. "Coach and I are always having constant dialogue...talking about what we need in order to be successful. We're going to keep doing that."

Meanwhile, Nassib is doing his best to stay optimistic about his role on the team. “I trust the coach’s decision on what he thinks needs to be done,” Nassib said. "Any time my number can get called, I just need to make sure I’m ready.”

Nassib completed just 7-of-16 passes against West Virginia, but his receivers dropped three well-thrown balls. He threw his second career touchdown to former CBA wideout Marcus Sales with just over nine minutes remaining in the game. Nassib has yet to throw an interception in his first 21 passes.

Eli Manning Likely To Start, Game Not Televised in CNY

2009-10-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

A Central New York television audience will not see Eli Manning take the field today against the Oakland Raiders regardless of whether the Super Bowl XLII MVP plays or not. The New York Giants expect their franchise gunslinger to start, but the game will not be shown to non-Direct TV subscribers in Syracuse. That's because the ~~most annoying franchise in sports~~ Buffalo Bills are hosting Cleveland at the same time.

The Giants, who normally play on FOX as a member of the NFC, are playing host to an AFC team. Whenever an interconference game takes place, the road team's network takes the coverage. That means the Giants and the Bills are both on CBS with 1:00 kickoffs.

Torre, Mattingly Inch Closer To Revenge Showdown With Yankees

2009-10-11T12:57:00.003-04:00

The Los Angeles Dodgers earned their second postseason series victory under second-year skipper Joe Torre Saturday night when they beat St. Louis 5-1 to complete a three-game sweep of the NLDS.

Headhunter Vincente Padilla picked up his forst postseason win with seven scoreless innings for the NL West champions. Padilla was added to the Torre's roster on Aug. 20, a few weeks after he was released from Texas.

Manny Ramirez and Andre Ethier each collected three hits and drove in a pair of runs. The Dodger offense, aided by the tutelage of batting coach Don Mattingly, outscored the Cardinals 13-6 over the course of the series.

Los Angeles now awaits the winner of the Colorado-Philadelphia series. The Rockies and Phillies have each taken a game in the best-of-five series. Game 3 was postponed Saturday due to inclement weather in Denver, it has been rescheduled for Sunday night at 10:07 PM ET.

Torre and Mattingly are in their second season with the Dodgers organization. Torre had managed the Yankees to 12 postseason appearances and four World Series titles before joining Los Angeles before the 2008 season. He brought Mattingly with him after the former Yankees captain lost his bid to replace Torre and Joe Girardi was hired as New York's manager. The Dodgers swept Chicago in the 2008 NLDS for their first posteseason series victory in 20 years. They have won back-to-back NL West titles in Torre's first two years as Dogers manager.

The New York Yankees currently hold a 2-0 series lead over AL Central champion Minnesota. Game 3 is scheduled for 7:07 PM ET Sunday. A Yankees-Dodgers World Series would likely produce gigantic ratings for Rupert Murdoch's FOX Network. Not only would it be a meeting of the top two markets in the country, but the underlying story of Torre facing the franchise that hesitated then failed to bring him back for a 13th season would rule headlines in the sports world. It would also likely provide another encounter between Padilla and Teixeira.

Keyshawn Johnson Might Be Holding A Grudge

2009-10-11T12:22:00.000-04:00

The ESPN Sunday Countdown squad has released their Week 5 predictions on ESPN.com. One prognostication sticks out like Torry Holt's middle digit, Keyshawn Johnson's pick in the Dallas-Kansas City game. Johnson says Kansas City - the franchise that ranks 29th in the NFL in total offense and 29th in total defense, the team that team that has been outscored by 48 points in their first four games, the squad that has won 6 of their previous 36 contests - will defeat the Dallas Cowboys at Arrowhead Stadium today.

Johnson played for the Cowboys in 2004 and 2005, catching 141 balls and scoring 12 touchdowns before being unceremoniously released in March of 2006 to make room for Terrell Owens. The author of Just Give Me The Damn Ball played one more season with Carolina in 2007, catching 70 passes with four scores before the Panthers released him in the off-season. He soon retired to join ESPN as an analyst.