Author Archives: Express Weekly

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Sportsmen – By Doug Keenholts

Last week, Sports Illustrated announced its choice of Lebron James for 2012 Sportsman of the Year.  As the end of each year nears, every outlet everywhere compiles “best of” and “top ten” lists, names its “person of the year,” etc.  In the sports world, SI’s Sportsman of the Year still holds some clout.  SI’s aim is to recognize the most significant sports figure from the previous calendar year, and in that regard it is hard to quibble with the choice of Lebron James.

“The Decision” and all of the venomous aftermath was only two and a half years ago.  At that time, Lebron was on the top of everyone’s “most hated” athlete lists.  Looking back, it was all quite silly.  Did he make a huge mistake in how he announced his move to the Miami Heat from the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency?  Of course, and he’s admitted as much since.  When the Heat failed to win a title the following year, the general sports world reveled in the perceived failure.  They did make it to the finals, but the storyline centered around Lebron’s inability to finish when he averaged an anemic three points in the fourth quarter of each game.  Heading into the 2012 playoffs, despite being universally regarded as the best basketball player on the planet, the questions about Lebron continued to swirl.  They were answered emphatically in game six of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, when with the Heat down three games to two, Lebron delivered an epic 45 point, 15 rebound performance IN BOSTON, where he was completely and utterly unstoppable.  It was the most dominant athletic performance of 2012, and when the Heat went on to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals, Lebron James had placed his stamp on the 2012 sports calendar.  Any stain from “the decision” has been permanently removed.

What other performances in 2012 were worthy of consideration?  For me, perhaps the most electric and “goose-bump” inspiring moment was Gabby Douglas winning the woman’s all-around gold medal in gymnastics.  We collectively get a thrill out of rooting for members of the stars and stripes come Olympic time, but nobody on this year’s team captured the hearts of Americans like Gabby.  The stress and pressure of woman’s gymnastics, where one little bobble can cost you a place atop the medal stand, lends itself to heart-pounding drama.  But Gabby’s story and smile added greatly to the theater, and when she stuck the landing on her last tumble in the floor routine to seemingly capture gold, you could almost hear the entire country exhale and applaud simultaneously.

Another option for SI might have been the Brothers Manning.  Eli started the year off in grand form, securing his second Super Bowl victory and Super Bowl MVP trophy in February, highlighted by one of the more beautiful passes ever thrown in a huge moment:  the “dropped in a mailbox” over the shoulder throw to Mario Manningham that kick-started the Giants’ game-winning touchdown drive.  Peyton has since done his part, answering all of the doubters who thought he would never make it back from four neck surgeries, by delivering one of his greatest statistical regular seasons ever.  With a great chance at winning his fifth NFL MVP award, it will be hard to look back at 2012 without thinking of the accomplishments of Archie’s kids.

In the end, as a great calendar year of sports comes to a close, I think SI got it right with Lebron.   The scariest part is he’ll probably be in the conversation each year for the next decade as well.

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This Month In The Civil War-Dec. 1862 By Sandy McBride

 

   As the cold days of December, 1862 descended on Virginia, the Federal Army of the Potomac, under its new commander General Ambrose Burnside, was massed on the hills around the town of Falmouth.  Their objective was Richmond, the capital of the rebellious southern states, some fifty miles to the south.  In their path, however, were the rain-swollen Rappahannock River and the city of Fredericksburg.  Adding to the danger to troops attempting a crossing was a half mile of wide-open ground between the river and the town.

Urged by President Abraham Lincoln to move with haste, Burnside had moved the bulk of his officers, men, horses, wagons and artillery 40 miles in just two days.  But his inability to get them across the river in a timely manner had cost him dearly.  While Union troops waited on the north side of the river for the arrival of pontoons on which to build bridges to move men and arms across, 40,000 Confederate soldiers under General James Longstreet had moved in and taken up a strong defensive position along Marye’s Heights behind Fredericksburg on a four-mile stretch of high ground.

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Nathan Hatalsky – Named Athlete of The Year By Sandy McBride


Nathan Hatalsky is pretty sure he was tossing a football around before he could walk, and it’s a safe bet that he learned how to tackle taking down his older brother, Chris.  Flag football was too tame for him, but he really got into the sport when he was old enough to play for the local Junior Red Raider program.  Nate loves the game of football.

   The Albany Times Union named him as their small schools Defensive Athlete of the Year and The Saratogian has also named him Athlete of the Year for his outstanding accomplishments in his senior football season. To receive these two prestigious honors is the crowning achievement in Nate’s four-year varsity football career at Mechanicville High School.  Nate was honored for his prowess on the gridiron where in his senior year he logged 72 solo tackles and 64 assisted tackles as well as several quarterback sacks in leading his Red Raider team to a 6 – 3 overall record.

 

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Never Forgotten: 3/9 Marines Remember Fallen Brother – Story by Cpl. Timothy Lenzo

COMBAT OUTPOST HANSON, Afghanistan – It was a day of somber remembrance for servicemembers with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, as they attended a memorial service for Lance Cpl. Anthony Denier, Dec. 8, at Combat Outpost Hanson, Afghanistan.

In front of a formation of India Company Marines and sailors stood a battlefield cross, which consisted of an upside down rifle with a bayonet, a Kevlar helmet, a pair of boots and identification tags, all assembled to honor their fallen brother who died while conducting combat operations in Marjah, Afghanistan, Dec. 2.

“(Denier) will be missed, but surely never forgotten because we will at all times hold him, as well as his family, in our hearts,” said Lt. Col. Carl Cooper Jr., commanding officer, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines.

Denier’s company commander, platoon sergeant and his peers reflected on their time spent with the India Company rifleman from Mechanicville, N.Y.

“He left us as he lived, protecting who he loved and putting their welfare before his own,” said Capt. James M. Geiger Jr., commanding officer, India Company. “I’m incredibly proud to have served with Lance Cpl. Denier, and I thank him for his courage and commitment to his brothers. To his family, we vow to always honor his memory and to always be there for you as members of our Marine family.”

Marines stood sharply at parade rest when 1st Lt. Kevin Murphy, Denier’s platoon commander, approached the podium to address the formation.

“There is no doubt that Anthony’s actions that day saved the lives of many Marines to his left and his right,” said Murphy. “I witnessed young men, in their prime, sacrificing everything for each other and with each other. I witnessed courage like this time and time again throughout the firefight. I am very proud of Anthony and his actions, for I know it is because of his sacrifice that the rest of us came home.”

Denier’s team leader, Lance Cpl. Robert Johnson, talked about his experiences and told stories about Denier and some of the things he will remember about him.

“I always knew I could ask him for advice,” said Johnson. “Being older than us, Denier had a lot of advice about life. I’m honored to have known such a great guy in my life and even more honored to have served beside him.”

Near the end of the ceremony, gunfire interrupted the silence, as the firing detail performed a three-volley salute to honor the fallen Marine.

After the service, Marines and sailors approached the battlefield cross, saying goodbye and rendering a salute as they remembered Denier’s life.

 

 

 

 

 

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Richard James Moore, Sr. – 86

Richard James Moore, Sr. of Lake Street, Stillwater, passed away on Monday, December 10, 2012 at the Wesley Health Care Center.  He was 86.

Born in Stillwater on June 23, 1926, a son of the late William Franklin and S. Elizabeth (Pilling) Moore.  Richard is the husband of the late Shirley Ann Moore.

Richard worked for B & M Railroad as a clerk/dispatcher.  Richard served in the Navy, and is a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He is a Life Member of American Legion Post #490, Stillwater. Richard held various positions at the Newland - Wood Fire Department. In earlier years he enjoyed bowling, coin collecting and antiquing.

Survivors include seven children, Darlene Messina of Wolfeboro, NH, Karen (John) Jalonski of Waterford, CT, Richard J. Moore, Jr. of Troy, John J. (Peggy) Moore of Broadalbin, Shirley Ann Ahern of Stillwater, William D. Moore of Schaghticoke and Kathleen M. (Paul) Stewart of Stillwater. Also survived by 20 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren as well as 3 great-great grandchildren.

In addition to his wife Shirley, Richard is predeceased by his son Philip as well as his twelve siblings.

Family and friends may call from 4-7pm on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at the Chase-Smith Family Funeral Homes, 729 Hudson Avenue, Stillwater.  His funeral service will be held at 9am on Friday at the funeral home.  Burial with military honors will be in the Stillwater Union Cemetery, Stillwater.

The family would like to thank the staff at 2 Springs at Wesley for their care for Richard.

Memorials may be made to the American Legion Post 490, Stillwater in his memory.

Online remembrances may be made at www.chasesmithfamily.com

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U.S. Marine Corps. Lance Corporal Anthony Joseph Denier-26

 

 

 

MECHANICVILLE – US Marine Corps Lance Corporal Anthony Joseph Denier, 26, was killed in action in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 2, 2012, in direct support of War on Terrorism/Operation Enduring Freedom,Afghanistan.

Born in Troy, NY, July 7, 1986, he was son of Mary Denier Morgan of Mechanicville, and Manuel Contreras of Miramar, Fla.

Anthony grew up and was educated in Mechanicville.  Before entering military service, he had been a house and commercial painter.

Early in 2011, Anthony fulfilled his life’s dream, enlisting in the US Marine Corps on March 14th of that year.  His unit was based in Camp Lejeune, NC. Anthony shipped out to Afghanistan on October 26th of this year, as a member of 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines (Regional Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division Forward) of 2nd Marine Division.

Anthony loved the Marine Corps, and was proud to follow in the military footsteps of many family members.

Survivors in addition to his parents include two sisters: Maria (Bryan) Betts and Amy Denier all of Gloversville, aunts and uncles Patrick (Kathy Retell) Denier of Schaghticoke, John (Marianne) Denier of Mechanicville, Josephine Craft of Stillwater and Ann Denier of Mechanicville, along with nieces, nephews, cousins and many boyhood friends, who called his “Baby D”. He was also predeceased by grandparents Joseph and Cecelia Denier and his uncle Joseph Denier.

Anthony will arrive at Albany International Airport on Monday, Dec. 10th at 11AM.  After the ceremonial welcome, he will be transported to the City ofMechanicville, escorted by a host of City, County and State officials, and various veterans service organizations and the ever present Patriot Guard motorcycle detachment.

Visitation will be held for Lcpl Denier, Monday from 3-7 PM at the American Legion Post 91, 427 So. Main St., Mechanicville.

Funeral Service will be Tuesday at 11 AM at American Legion Post 91.

Burial with full military honors at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga NationalCemetery, 200 Duell Rd., Schuylerville is scheduled for 1 PM Tuesday.

Remembrances may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517,Topeka, Kansas  66675, in respectful memory of Lcpl Anthony J. Denier.

DeVito-Salvadore Funeral Home has been honored to assist the US Marine Corps and Anthony’s family in this hero’s funeral details.

www.devito-salvadorefh.com to leave condolences and for directions.

 

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Time to Go Home By Doug Keeholts

 Last week, the Big East announced that Tulane University and East Carolina University had accepted invitations to join the conference in 2014 -- Tulane in all sports and East Carolina as an associate member for football only.  Feel free to read that sentence again to grasp its absurdity.  The best analogy I’ve seen regarding the Big East’s illogical expansion over the past few years is that they are the conference that stayed at the bar far too long.  While the Pac-12, SEC, ACC, and Big 10 went home hours ago with the likes of Colorado, Missouri, Syracuse, and Maryland – the Big East ordered another round of shots, looked around, and realized it was desperation time so they stumbled over to talk to SMU and Houston.  Judgment clouded by the lure of football dollars when they should have just realized it was time to go home.

Home for the Big East is men’s basketball.   Football was never supposed to be the focus of the Big East conference, but they began dancing with the devil in 1991 when the presidents voted to invite the University of Miami - a school with absolutely no basketball pedigree but a great football team - to join as a full member.  Here we are 21 years later and the time has come for the Big East to find its roots.  The non-football playing members need to break off and create their own conference - a basketball super-conference.

The core is already intact:  St. Johns, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Villanova, Providence, DePaul, and Marquette are all members that either don’t play football or whose football programs play in the lower Championship Subdivision.  The presidents of these schools need to reach out to other like-minded Universities, and there are two obvious ones that would be perfect fits:  Butler and Xavier.   Both have very strong programs featuring recent deep NCAA tournament runs; both reside in good-sized cities (Indianapolis and Cincinnati respectively); and neither has a football program playing at the BCS level.  They should also look at a school like St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia, a natural rival for Villanova and a school with a rich basketball tradition and no football team.  That would create a core of ten basketball programs, primarily in big eastern cities, with either great tradition or tremendous recent success.  Ideally, you would like a conference with twelve programs, so from there they should try to cherry pick two more schools with similar resumes (George Washington?  UMass?  Virginia Commonwealth?).  One would think a conference with such a makeup would attract a lot of exclusive television rights, be extremely competitive nationally in both competition and recruiting, and would be able to generate enough revenue to fund the schools’ other athletic programs.

And they should fight like hell to retain the name Big East.  The name means something in basketball, and the bastardized current football playing version includes San Diego State, which is east of what exactly?  Hawaii?  It’s time for someone to call the Big East a taxi, explain to them how drunk they are, and tell them that it’s time to go home.

 

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Deanna Marie Rivers – 17

CLIFTON PARK – Deanna Marie Rivers, who last week celebrated her 17th birthday, died tragically Saturday, Dec. 2nd, as the result of a two car motor vehicle accident on I-87, south of exit 8.

Born in Troy, , November 23, 1995, she was the loving daughter of Brian and Deborah Lanzone Rivers.  Deanna was a member of the Shenendehowa Central School’s Class of 2013, and was looking forward to graduation this June and entering the College of St. Rose, Albany where she would have pursued a teaching career.

A member of the National Honor Society at Shen, Deanna loved playing  softball, and was the scrappy second baseman for the Lady Plainsman softball team.  She also played many years with the ASA Softball program inClifton Park, and was a member of the area traveling league.  She also was the proud team manager of the men’s varsity basketball team at Shen.

An active member of St. Edward the Confessor Church in Clifton Park, Deanna taught religious instruction to the church’s youth.

Survivors in addition to her parents include her younger sister, Jenna Elizabeth Rivers, her grandparents Joseph and Mary Carol Lanzone of Mechanicville, and the late Bernard and Barbara Kohler Rivers.  Also aunts and uncles Debbie and John Wentworth of Clifton Park, Kevin and Michele Rivers of Mechanicville, Pam and Joe Fusco of So. Carolina, Diane and Anthony Zappone of Clifton Park, Cathy and Rick Reed of Halfmoon, Joseph and Ceil Lanzone of Mechanicville, along with a large number of great aunts, uncles, cousins and her many friends at Shenendehowa Central School.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, Dec. 6th at 10 AM at St. Edward the Confessor Church, 569 Clifton Park Center Road, with burial in St. Paul’s Cemetery, Mechanicville.

Calling hours at St. Edward the Confessor Church on Wednesday from 3-7 PM.

Deanna’s family suggests remembrances be made to the Deanna Marie Rivers Memorial Scholarship, c/o Shenendehowa Central School, 5 Chelsea Place, Clifton Park, 12065, in loving memory of Deanna.

Arrangements by the DeVito-Salvadore Funeral Home, Mechanicville.

www.devito-salvadorefh.com to leave condolences and for directions.