Yes, I am a die-hard fan of the Albany Patroons, that star-crossed basketball team that came to our area in 1982, won championships in 1984 and 1988, left in 1993, returned in 2005, and left again in 2009. It was a team that sent several legendary coaches to the NBA (Phil Jackson, George Karl, Bill…
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NBL Canada Championship Game and the Albany Patroons
Talk about an experience. Last night, I drove nearly three hours from Saint John, N.B. to Summerside, Prince Edward Island, to watch Game 4 of the NBL Canada championship best-of-five series between the Summerside Storm and the London (Ont.) Lightning. London was already up 2-1 in the series, so Game 4 would either mean a…
Read MoreBlackbird, meet Canada. Canada, meet Blackbird.
I’ve had my 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS, nicknamed “The Blackbird,” for at least six months now. And now comes its first true test. Road trip to Canada. Specifically, Saint John, New Brunswick, home of this week’s National Basketball League of Canada All-Star Classic. Why am I here? Trust me. It’s an All-Star Game. Actually, counting…
Read MoreBarack Obama won because of the Albany Patroons!
So Barack Obama won re-election last night. Congratulations on the election, and I hope that you finally complete your mandate. And as far as I’m concerned, you finally made up for a big mistake you made earlier in your first term. Let me explain. A year or two ago, when the Dallas Mavericks won the…
Read More3 Capital District athletes among the 100 worst in history?
I get a kick out of reading Bleacher Report’s various lists. And when they created a slideshow list of the 100 worst athletes in sports history, yeah I had to take a look at it. Of course, I know that any time Bleacher Report creates one of these lists, it’s usually in a “click to…
Read MoreFormer Albany Patroon to train new champions
The IMG Academies, the nation’s top youth sports foundation whose previous champions include tennis players like Maria Sharapova, soccer players like Freddy Adu, and basketball stars like Kobe Bryant, now has a Capital District sports connection to its mix of top professional teachers, coaches and managers. And you might remember him as a legend from…
Read MoreThe Capital Region Pontiacs: Corporate Rebranding FAIL
The NBA recently announced plans to add small 2-inch advertising patches on NBA team jerseys, starting as soon as the upcoming 2012-13 season. I’m really not a fan of corporate advertising on team uniforms, although I understand that in many cases it’s a necessary revenue stream for cash-strapped franchises. Several WNBA teams now feature full…
Read MoreRemembering Fritz Walker
It’s November 21, 1989, and the Albany Patroons are hosting the Omaha Racers in the season opener at the Washington Avenue Armory. The Pats had a new coach, former General Manager Gerald Oliver, and most of their nucleus from the 1988-89 season (Mario Elie, Vince Askew, Clinton Smith). This would be last season for the…
Read MoreThe Albany Patroons’ first home game in Knickerbocker Arena
The Knickerbocker Arena’s inaugural performer was the great Frank Sinatra. Ol’ Blue Eyes wowed the SRO crowd, most of whom paid top dollar to see the critically acclaimed performer in the new building on 51 South Pearl Street. The Albany Patroons became the Knick’s first sports tenant, a building which would later become home for…
Read MoreFor Micheal Ray Richardson, all it took was an interview from the Times Union five years ago…
Five years ago, Micheal Ray Richardson was the head coach of the Albany Patroons. He had taken the Patroons to their first Continental Basketball Association finals in nearly twenty years; the last time Albany went to the CBA finals, Richardson was actually a player for the Patroons and helped Bill Musselman win his fourth consecutive…
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Chuck The Writer 
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