Nice start for baseball teams

The league season got under way today for local baseball teams and three came away with victories. Rocky Point earned a 9-1 win against East Hampton, Miller Place beat Shoreham-Wading River, 7-1, and Longwood blanked Patchogue-Medford, 8-0.

The Eagles have gotten off to a strong start with three wins and no losses. They beat Comsewogue and Mount Sinai in non-league. Pitcher Tim Popko is already 2-0 on the year and won the league opener Monday with a complete game and six K's. Phil Rado has been red hot at the plate. Against Comsewogue he had three hits, against Mount Sinai he hit a 2-run homer for the team's only runs and against East Hampton he went 4-4 with two doubles and four RBIs. Now that's how you start a baseball season!

The Panthers won on the back of their ace, Thor Miller. That was a tough way for the Wildcats to have to start the season on a chilly, windy afternoon against a hard-throwing lefty. The next two games should be pretty competitive. Shoreham needs to make sure its gets at least one of the next two. In a league this competitive, starting 0-3 is far from ideal.

For the Lions they picked up a real nice win against the Raiders. As expected, the Raiders did not go with ace Marcus Stroman for the opener. With the win, behind a shutout by Jimmy Knudsen, the Lions are in good shape to get two of three in the series. That would be a perfect way for the Lions to open in League I, where plenty of tough games lie ahead.

David Wright mustache?

In speaking with Shoreham baseball coach Sal Mignano today, he mentioned how his son and friend started a Web site dedicated to David Wright growing a mustache. The site launched last week and has gained serious traction. ESPN's Bill Simmons mentioned it on his podcast Monday and the folks at SNY have been in contact with them for an interview. Blogs across the world wide web have picked up on the site. The power of the Internet never ceases to amaze.


So to join the cause, check out www.thewrightstache.com


Personally, I have to say it's a brilliant idea. More mustaches the better.

About a year back in a column I handed out an award for best local mustache. It went to Tom Rotanz, SWR lacrosse coach. If I were to do it again, at this time, it might have to go to Longwood wrestling coach Ethan Prifte (below, left). His fu manchu is a sight to behold!

New look to Sun Sports

If you haven't picked up a copy of this week's North Shore Sun, this is how the new back page looks this week. As part of an overall redesign we've been working on for close to a year, the sports section now begins on the back page, similar to the tabloids like Newsday and the Daily News. This guarantees a color page every week and an easier way for readers to find the sports.

If you have any comments on the new look, fell free to comment. We'll still be working to tweak certain things over the next three months or so. I hope everyone enjoys!

Video: Lions lose in title game

Longwood hoops fans may not want to watch this, but here it is, highlights from the Class AA county championship:

State Track Results

Here are local results from today's state championship in track and field in Ithaca.

Boys 3,200

1. Bobby Andrews, SWR, 9:13.67

19. Kyle Wightman, SWR, 9:50.29

Boys 1,600

2. Bobby Andrews, SWR, 4:20.65

Boys Triple Jump

11. Dannie Holland, Longwood, 43-05 1/2

Girls 1,500

3. Janie Turek, MS, 2:56.96

Girls 600

21. Jenny Johnston, Longwood, 1:40.72

Girls 55 Hurdles

Semifinals

14. Kayla Murphy, Longwood, 8.64

Girls 300 

Preliminaries

9. Janet Mellor, MS, 40.85

Girls Shot Put

5. Ashley Clasen, SWR, 39-06 3/4

Girls Pole Vault

17. Christi Nassauer, MS, 9-00

Complete results are available here.

Video: Lions defeat Bay Shore

The Longwood boys hoops team defeated Bay Shore in the semifinals and will take on North Babylon for the county title tonight. 

Lions fans should come out in full force tonight at Farmingdale State. The Lions have only won one county title in their history and could make it two tonight.

College lax season begins

While snow still covers the ground on Long Island, college lacrosse teams are playing games across the country. There are obviously numerous local athletes, boys and girls, playing at some of the top programs. Throughout the season I'll try to keep tabs here on how some of the lax stars are doing.

One name that jumps out in girls lacrosse is Colleen McCaffrey, who starred at Mount Sinai. She's playing at Hopkins and has gotten off to a terrific start in her freshman year. She already has seven goals and one assist for the No. 14 team in the nation. She has a team-high 14 shots for Hopkins, which is 2-2.

McCaffrey scored once in Hopkins' 18-9 win today against Cincinnati. 

Rocky Point graduate Brianne LoManto has seen limited action in goal for the defending national champions, Northwestern. She's played in four games and has totaled 34 minutes of action. She's stopped four shots while giving up three goals. As a freshman she'll be a backup to starter Morgan Lathrop. Northwestern is 5-0 and has outscored opponents 99-34.

145 Consolation: Volpe vs. Tompkins

Rocky Point junior Anthony Volpe placed third in the state at 145 by winning this match against Ryan Tompkins.

189 Semifinal: Buonaiuto pinned

You don't see this very often. In fact, only once before. But Zach Buonaiuto was pinned in the 189 semifinals by Matt Loew of Wantagh. Buonaiuto settled for fifth place for the second straight year.

215 State Final: James vs. Butler

Longwood senior Ernest James won a 4-0 decision against Steven Butler in the 215-pound finals of the New York State wrestling championship.

135 State Final: Dutton vs. Lenzi

Rocky Point junior Stephen Dutton won a 10-1 major decision against Fordham Prep's Andrew Lenzi at 135 pounds in the state finals.

119 State Final: Keith vs. Flamio

Steven Keith wins a 6-4 overtime decision in the 119-pound finals of the state championship.