Cuomo To Allow Limited Visitation!

ALBANY, NY- Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week that visitors are now allowed in hospitals and group homes across the state.

He clarified that facilities can allow visitors under their discretion. Those who wish to visit a loved one at a hospital or group home are to follow state guidelines, including wearing PPE, limited time during visits and subjection to temperature checks.

Group homes certified by the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities will be allowed to accept visitors beginning Friday, providing they adhere to state guidance and certify compliance to OPWDD prior to commencing visitation.

This development does not include nursing homes, the Governor’s Office confirms, as the state Department of Health continues to review all nursing home situations.

During one of his press briefings this week, Cuomo highlighted how the infection rate has gone down from the worst infection rate to one of the best in the country.

“New Yorkers have done an incredible job in working to beat back this virus, and we must continue to remain smart so we don’t erase the progress we’ve made.”

In addition, the Governor mentioned that New York has now conducted over 3-million coronavirus tests.

Some Youth Sports Get The Green Light!

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has given some youth sports the green light to resume sports on July 6th for regions that are already in Phase Three.

The regions that will enter into Phase Three on Tuesday are Finger Lakes, North Country, Central NY, Mohawk Valley, and Southern Tier.

The sports that can resume play are baseball, softball, crew, field hockey, cross country, and gymnastics.

One of the rules that will be in place for prospective attendees is that only two spectators per player can spectate.

At this juncture there are far more questions than there are answers, and we are doing our utmost to obtain those answers.

How does an organization police and enforce two spectators per player? Does an organization have to submit statistics to NYS documenting compliance? Who is responsible within that organization to track numbers?

Is the target date of July 6th a steadfast or fluid date, meaning can it change at any moment? Is July 6th the date to resume practices, or can games resume on July 6th, and at what point can teams gather to practice if the date of July 6th is when games resume? Does holding practices fall under the auspices of the rule allowing gatherings up to 25 people, and how are we defining “gatherings”.

How does field hockey obtain the designation of being “low risk” when sports like lacrosse does not? Who made the determinations as to which sports are low risk? What formula was used in making said determinations?

At this point nothing has been said as relates to scholastic sports. Adult rec leagues will also be able to begin on July 6th.

We will continue to update you as we obtain answers or information.

Stay fluid.

 

 

 

Victor Tabs New Girls Hoops Coach

Longtime Victor Central Schools PhysEd teacher and coach Frank Clark has been given the reins to the Victor Blue Devils girls varsity basketball team.

Coach Clark will be replacing former HC Blake Smith who resigned his position to spend more time with his young family.

Victor finished last season at 12-11 and their season ended with a 60-48 Class AA sectionals loss to Bishop-Kearney.

BK then went on to defeat Penfield 54-44 to win the Section V Class AA sectionals title and finish their 2019-20 campaign which was shortened by COVID19 at 20-3.

Read more at the VCS website here.

Upcoming Fall Season – Football

We have been in contact with Section V Football Chairperson Mr. Scott Barker (Pittsford Athletic Director) to set up an interview to discuss the upcoming Fall 2020 Football Season.

Mr. Barker emailed us back promptly with the following response:

“At this time I really don’t have any answers about the Fall, and all we would be doing is speculating.”

While we recognize the frustration of not knowing, such is the nature of the beast as we wait to receive word from the powers that be in NYS.

Once we are able to schedule and interview you will all be the first to know.

The Weather Planner w/Paige J

The Weather Planner w/Paige J is a new daily feature that can be heard on our online station every M-F morning LIVE at 8AM, and then On Demand on our Facebook page!

Paige J is better known as Paige Jansen, a Class Of 2017 graduate of Midlakes High School where she received the President’s Award for Educational Achievement.

“Aspiring Meteorologist” Paige will be a Senior in the Fall at SUNY Oswego where she has been named to the Dean’s List in a meteorology program that is widely recognized as being one of the best that NYS has to offer.

Paige provided a daily weather segment for the now defunct radio program Rise-N-Grind, that was very popular with listeners.

We are blessed to have her enthusiasm, knowledge, and professionalism as part of our team.

Paige did an interview with our own Spazman on his morning radio show that can be found here. She gives some insight into her background, and what inspired her to get into meteorology.

The Weather Planner w/Paige J.

 

 

Behind The Mic: Lancers – Bobcats – Braves

Spazman Reporting:

We kicked things off in my capacity as “The Voice Of The Lancers” last week with my first show behind the mic at the Dome Arena in Henrietta.

The Lancers got beat soundly by Utica City, but for me it was a great time.

It is an utter pleasure to work with such professionals. I wear a headset that has Jill Rizzo talking to me and telling me what is coming up next, and when to fire on certain things in the script or to describe what is happening for the fans in attendance.

I sit between the two teams and can hear the banter as well as the coaches/players chirping at the refs.

The next night saw me back at the Dome Arena with the Lancers, but this time I donned the red suit and did the Santa thing for the entire night. Famed local voice Rocky Perrotta handled the PA/Emcee duties while I worked the crowd, the players, and had a jovial good time.

Photo Credit: Lancers Dancers

There is ringside seating at Lancers games, and I pulled the old “tap on the shoulder and run” routine on what seemed like a hundred unsuspecting fans. If there was a buck to be had for every time I heard, ” Oh Santa” while walking away I would be rich!

I love indoor soccer. It is fast-paced, it is gritty, and it is fun to watch. The Lancers will struggle for a bit as they acclimate themselves to playing in the top division of the MASL, but once they start to gel they will start to be in games.

The Lancers do it right folks. It isn’t just a game, it is a party…and they feed you after the game FOR FREE in the VIP Lounge. Lisa and I had the stuffed shells, meatballs, sausage…and cupcakes that were to die for!

The Bryant & Stratton Women Bobcats played a home game at Pinnacle last Sunday, and to say that the trip there was treacherous would be an understatement. They hosted Point Park out of Pennsylvania and I was concerned about the Pioneers and driving. But they rode up the night before the storm and stayed in a local hotel so traveling was not a hassle for them.

For the second game in a row the microphone and speaker system in place did not work and we utilized my good old Bose L1 Compact system to use for the PA work. I place the speaker under the tables in front of me and it sounds fantastic…especially with some good pump-up music blasting through it.

We return to the Pinnacle Complex tonight for a Men’s/Women’s doubleheader as the Bobcats host Cayuga Community College.

Anyone who says that the game is not as exciting because it is Junior College is wrong, and I invite them to join us tonight to find out for themselves. It is still college-level basketball that is fast and aggro.

The first Winter season broadcast on Chosen Spot Radio is in the books. Canandaigua hockey dropped a heartbreaker in overtime to Churchville-Chili on Tuesday.

I was able to go directly from 3/4 basketball practice that I coach at Red Jacket to the game at Canandaigua Greater Civic Center. The game went into overtime but it did not take the Saints long to hit the game winner.

Although the loss was a bummer it was awesome being back on the red line calling the action. Hockey does not give me much of an opportunity to take a break as the action is non-stop…and I love it. Called almost every game last season and without sounding like a braggart the improvement was evident every game.

There it folks…thanks for stopping by and checking it out. I will see you in some gym, on some field, near some court…and always BEHIND THE MIC.

God bless.

 

Behind The Mic #2

There truly is no better place to watch a basketball game from than in the middle of the scorer’s table.

You get ALL of the action. On the floor, from both benches, from the refs as they come over to inform us of upon whom the foul was called.

It. Is. Awesome.

I called my first game(s) as PA Announcer for the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats – Rochester last Sunday. Games were played at Pinnacle in Victor, and to call it a rush is an understatement.

The PA announcer introduces the starting players, calls out baskets made, who a foul is on and how many it is for the player and the team, subs, sponsors and other info during the breaks.

I have to remind myself that I am doing PA work and not play-by-play. I do practice my play calling in my head as the game goes on though.

Upon my arrival, the microphone and speaker setup was not working, so I called my lovely wife and had her bring over my play-by-play (PBP) bag and my DJ speaker (Bose) and set it up.

Lisa ended up making three trips from Shortsville so I owe her big time (paying off that debt today by buying her a couple new tires for her Terrain from Uptown Tire & Auto in Canandaigua).

Once we got a nice flow going what we were doing added a nice dynamic to the game. In the words of the Athletic Director, “It made it seem like a real college game”.

On the way out one of the Security Officers said that I sounded awesome and should be calling Division 1 games.

I go wherever the money is. Trust me brother…if Syracuse called me today I would be there within an hour.

I will never forget the time that I was doing the game day music for the Rochester Razorsharks from courtside. Michael Ray Richardson of the team from Oklahoma was rapping at me the whole game with every complaint in the book, and he eventually earned two technical fouls which equals an ejection.

I played the “Hey Hey Goodbye” song and the Blue Cross Arena went nuts. Unfortunately they started throwing water bottles at him, and that compelled several OK players to go into the crowd. It was wild, and a part of me to this day feels guilty for having played the song at the time. I did get permission from the game day director to do it so I can kind of blame him…right?

It gets INTENSE on the sidelines and on the benches. There are no filters. I hear everything from the table, and I will never give up my seat or my job.

It is what I was meant to do. It is where I belong.

Behind. The Mic.

 

NYS Football Semis Preview – Kyle Meath

Canandaigua football will be taking on the Carthage Comets in the NYSPHSAA state semi-final at Cicero-North Syracuse High School at 8 PM. on Friday.

The two teams have identical records at 10-1 on the season, and are both ranked in the Top 10 of the class A standings. Carthage is currently ranked #4, while Canandaigua is ranked #8.

The last four opponents the Braves have faced have all been ranked higher in the class A standings at the time of their matchup.

The Comets are averaging 45 points a game this season on offense, while only allowing 15 points a game on defense. Canandaigua’s offense is averaging 28 points a game, while allowing only 11 points a game.

The Braves’ defense was able to harass South Park the whole game in the far West Regional last Friday. The defensive line gave SP quarterback Mykell Hepburn no time to throw the ball, and gave Keith Jackson zero running lanes. All of this was a big reason why Canandaigua was able to hold an offense that was averaging 40 points a game to only 6 points last week.

If the Braves want to shut down their opponents offense this week they will have to do it against Senior running back Fombo Azah, who has over 30 touchdowns this season for the Comets. Last week, Azah turned in 220 rushing yards on 33 carries in the Comets win over Auburn in regionals. He also rushed for three touchdowns.

Luckily the Braves have shown the ability to shutdown stud running backs lately like Freddie Brock of East, and Keith Jackson of South Park. Hopefully the third time will be another charm for the Braves defense.

The Braves offense will go a long way in helping their defense if they put up another bulldozing effort by the offensive line, who have been creating massive alleys for the running backs to run through, especially in the postseason.

Lastly, I want to highlight that special teams has been a huge advantage in every game this season behind the legs of Senior punter Joey Urlacher and Senior kicker Matt Vierhile.

You can listen to the game LIVE online for free at http://chosenspotradio.com or on your smartphone using the free Mixlr app.

Pregame Friday with Spazman and Greg Herbst will start at 7:45PM.

Regionals Preview By Kyle Meath

Canandaigua will face the South Park Sparks on Friday at SUNY Brockport at 8PM.

The Sparks are the sectional champions of Section VI (Buffalo area) and are a perfect 10-0 on the season. South Park defeated McKinley 38-0 to be crowned champions.

The Sparks powerful offense is averaging 40 points a game this season, combined with the defense that is giving up only 8 points a game.

Junior quarterback Mykell Hepburn is a dynamic player that can beat a defense with his arm and legs. Hepburn’s favorite skill players seem to be Junior running back Keith Jackson, and senior wide receiver Anthony Mack.

South Park won a state championship in football back in 2015 and will have to get past a tough Canandaigua team to add another. South Park became the first City of Buffalo team to win a state championship in football.

Your Canandaigua Braves are 9-1 on the season, defeating East 21-13 en route to winning their eighth Section V title, and first since the 07-08 season.

The Braves are averaging 31 points this season while giving up 15 points a game.

Last week the Braves lost the turnover battle to East 3-0 but still ended up coming out on top due to shutting down East star Freddie Brock, and rushing as a team for 275 yards.

Like all Braves games this season when they dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball they win the game. The one time that didn’t happen this season was the first game against Victor where the Braves suffered their only loss.

If the Braves want to continue their 10 game winning streak, they will look to the line of scrimmage to gauge their success on getting one step closer to the first state championship since 1999.

You can listen to the game LIVE online FOR FREE at http://chosenspotradio.com or on your smartphone using the free Mixlr app.

Pregame tonight with Spazman and Greg Herbst will start at 7:45PM.

Class A Sectionals Title Preview – Kyle Meath

Hobart & William Smith College will be the site of the Section V Class A Championship game between #5 Canandaigua Braves and #2 East Eagles. The two wins in the semi-finals boosted both team’s records to 8-1 on the season.

Seven McGee, the University of Oregon commit, was ruled ineligible by section V officials earlier this fall, but that hasn’t stopped the Eagles from having a dominant season behind the play of senior Freddie Brock, a University of Massachusetts commit.

Brock has nine total touchdowns in the sectionals, with four against Spencerport in the semi-final. Like the Braves, the Eagles lost their first game of the season and have racked up eight straight since then. East has averaged 49 points their last two games, and 36 points per game over the season.

The Canandaigua Braves advanced in their semi-final with a 56-40 win over top-seeded Eastridge. Dom Comella had an MVP performance with more than 300 total yards and six touchdowns. The Lancers did have a great day throwing the ball, but the Braves almost completely shut down a rushing attack that is among the best in Section V.

One aspect that will be interesting to watch, is that the Eagles were able to hold the Lancers to 21 points despite the loss. Canandaigua obviously had a much harder time of stopping the Lancers giving up 40 points, but will that be a sign of the Braves’ demise or only a meaningless stat? You will have to tune in Friday night to find out!

You can listen to the game LIVE online for free at http://chosenspotradio.com or on your smartphone using the free Mixlr app.

Pregame Friday this with Spazman and Greg Herbst will start at 6:45PM.