Episode Transcript
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The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots Podcast. Now here's your host, Daily Gazette Sports Editor Ken Shot. Thank you Scott Geezy, and welcome to the Parting Shots Podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me. From the Parting Podcast Studio in Schenectady, New York, we have another great show for you. Dan Rubin of USCHO.com joins me. We'll talk about the championship round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament taking place this weekend in Lake Placid. The semifinals are Friday with Cornell taking on Quinnipiac at 4:00 and then Dartmouth and Clarkson facing off at 7. The winners will face off Saturday at 5:00pm for the title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Then the Emmanuel Barbari, the voice of Siena men's basketball on 96.3 jams and also the host of the Yankees Post Game show on Yankees Radio Network is going to join me, his first visit to the podcast. We'll talk about Sienna and you know, having the role now as as the lead host on the Postgame show for the New York Yankees. So a lot to talk about there. As I mentioned, Union men's hockey season ended last weekend in the best of three quarterfinals. Dartmouth the better team. There's, there's no, no way around that. They just, they have unions number right now. That's seven straight wins for the Big Green over the Garner Chargers.
Three two game one final and then a seven two drubbing on Saturday.
Just the game got out of hand in the third period. I just, I think the the look at that series and Union had leads in both games. A one nothing and two one leads in game one and a one nothing lead in game two. And they were just not able to build upon that. You heard it from Union men's head hockey coach Josh Algae on Wednesday's podcast. We talked about that.
But I mean it didn't the season didn't end the way the Garner Charger wanted. But in the grand scheme of things, the season wasn't that bad. They, they got a first round bye for the Ecacitor, the first time that had happened since 2018. They had a winning record. Had been a while since they had a winning record. Was the 2018-19 season last time they had a winning record. They had a winning conference record for the first time since the 2017-18 season. And there are some breakout performances. Brandon Burr, 19 goals on the season. He was just that one go off becoming the first 20 goal scorer since Ryan Scarfo in the 201718 season. Ben Muthers bog was a revelation. The freshman forward all ECAC hockey rookie team. I should mention Brandon Burr was on the EC hockey third team.
Muthers Bog dangerous play. He's going to be a very dangerous player. He has a hard shot. He was the only Union player to have over 100 shots in this on the season. He's not afraid to shoot the puck and that's. You want somebody like that on your team. And yeah, for the most part the season you heard Josh. I don't think he was happy the way it ended. And especially in the final year mess ring. You don't want to lose that final game in the arena that had been home for Union hockey for 50 years. They're going to that new facility at Mohawk harbor arena next season. A lot of excitement there.
But as I said and I wrote about this, I think you can look at the positives out of the season for what they are. And this program has emerged well out of the COVID season when they did not play in 2020-21. Of course they had the Rick Bennett situation midway through the 2122 season. Josh Algey came aboard in April of 2022 and has slowly got this program getting back to a winning way. And I, I see foresee better things for this team because obviously I said the new arena is going to be a big attraction and this, I think this is a team on the rise. Are they ready to contend for a national championship? Not yet, but give it time, give it time. It took you how many years to get to that level when everything culminated in 2014 with that national championship. Now one thing they really have to look at next year, if you look at the record against the teams around them, the top five obviously finishing fourth top, first place Quinnipiac, second place Clarkson, third place Colgate and fifth place Dartmouth. Union went 091 against them and that includes the four losses to Dartmouth this season.
Union is winless in 11 against Quinnipiac, including 10 straight losses. So they have to get over that home. That's going to be the key to next season.
If Union can beat those teams, you get a split. That's fine. That's, that's, that's good. But Union's got to find a way to beat these teams. They, you know, the tie was a. At Colgate, of course they got the extra point with the shootout victory. But in the grand scheme of things is a tie. That's the way it counts in overall, in the overall record. But this is a team that is going to do something.
I like the direction this program is going. You know, I just completed my 29th season of covering this program and seeing the way the fans were reacting at those playoff games over the weekend, it brought back some memories. Back of 10, about 10, 11 years ago when the place was packed and you just could not hear yourself in that building and it was an intimidating place to play at Mesa. So in the end, it was for Union, it was a good season. That's, let's, let's put it that way. They have to keep improving and I think they will, Josh. Like I said, Josh Algae has his program going in the right direction. So. Well, coming up, we're going to talk more ECC hockey with Dan Rubin. We'll break down the Final Four, or should we say the frozen word? Were we allowed to say frozen four without getting in trouble with the ncaa? We'll break down those four, the three games this weekend and we'll talk about that. So that's coming up here on the Parting Shots podcast.
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Of course, when you participate in school sports, you want to win and become a better athlete, but the purpose is so much greater. Becoming a better person. Support your local school sports programs and if you have a student, encourage them to get involved.
[00:07:33] Speaker B: This message presented by NISFA and the New York State Athletic Administrators Association.
[00:07:42] Speaker D: Hi, this is Seanna women's basketball head coach Terry Prim. You're listening to the Party Shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shots.
[00:07:53] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. The Final Four is set for the ECAC Hockey tournament championship round in Lake Placid. And Dan Rubin of USCHO.com who does a great job covering ECAC hockey for that fine Internet publication, joins me now as we wrap up our ECAC hockey tournament previews. And then a couple of teams we expected and a couple, maybe one team we really didn't expect. But I think all we have a pretty good matchup up in Lake Plaza this weekend.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: You know, I think if we decided this year and said these were going to be the four teams that were going to make it, we thought this would go chalk to the top four. Didn't work out that way. But I think these are the four teams that, that nobody is going to be disappointed with on a Cinderella run for any of them.
[00:08:37] Speaker B: Of course, the matchups 4:00 on Friday will be Cornell and Quinnipiac and then at 7:00 Clarkson and Dartmouth. Let's start with the Quinnipiac Cornell matchup. These teams have faced each other three times this season.
Quinnipiac won Atlanta Rink. The two teams tied at Madison Square Garden and they tied at in Hampton, Connecticut. We know this time they can't end a tie because it's, there's overtime and unlimited overtime. So this is a matchup. You know, these coaches have sort of not liked each other over the years. There's been some situations, but I think they've, I think there's a mutual respect there now. But this is going to be interesting because we know what Quinnipiac's history is in the EC Hockey tournament in Lake Placid. They, they've never won up in Lake Placid. The only time they really, they won the tournament was in Albany.
I take that back. They did win Lake Placid in 2016. My memory is going because they actually won the regional in 2016 in, in Albany. But it's just a team that doesn't seem to. I don't know if they just don't get up for it, but I think now they have to because if they lose, they're not guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament.
[00:09:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's kind of the biggest point for Quinnipiac this year is that this is, this is, this is put up a shut up time. Like it's historically been to this degree where you can push their back to the wall. And they've always had the safety net of going to the tournament capacity, whether it's as a force, as a two seed, as a one seed, as a right. Like they've always had that. They don't have that this year. So the, the safe. Not having the safety net has kind of forced. It's almost like cliffhanger. They're holding on and you're saying can they make it to the other end of the, of the rope? And what you're hoping is that if you're, if you're Quinnipiac is that that is almost the air of urgency which says this team went on Enough of a run to put itself in position for the tournament. But Rand Packno, being a coach who really only likes to control the controllables, he says that a lot. This is the stereotype of you need to control the controllable, win the game and move on to the championship and only focus on this because there is nothing else if you lose. For Cornell, it's similar because Cornell, even though they won a championship last year, would have been, I believe, the top seed had they been healthy all year. But now they're starting to pick up that momentum. And so this would have been a great matchup if this were 1 and 2 going for the conference championship on Saturday. But instead we're going to get it in a position where both of these teams almost desperately need this win. And I think it's going to create a phenomenal hockey game.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: There was, there really was no surprises in their quarterfinal matches. We expected Quinnipiac to take care of Brown and they did. And as I said last week, I thought Cornell had the road ice advantage at Colgate and it proved true. They ended up sweeping that series in two games. I had predicted three. I thought Colgate would give a little bit more of a fight there. But also Cornell is also riding the motion of Mike Schaefer, his final games coming up. I mean they want to continue, at least give him one more shot at the NCAA tournament. Of course we know what happened last year, winning the ECAC hockey tournament title and the emotions he showed after that game. I mean, how much is that a factor going into this one and how's Quinnipiac going to combat that?
[00:11:57] Speaker A: Well, I think when you look at Cornell, one of the factors about them is that if you go back over the last month, they lose that game, they lose those back to back games to Dartmouth and St. Lawrence. And since then they've won eight of their 12. They've only lost three outright. And in those games we talked about emotion, riding a team high, breaking down the number. Since they went to Brown and Yale and scored a six point weekend and swept Brown and Yale on the road, they've been outscoring team sports specifically in their wins by a 35 to 6 margin. So that's five goals per game and less than a goal against average across the games that they've won since the Brown and Yale weekend. The downside to it for Cornell is that they that none of the wins over the last over there with Stretch where they've gone 8, 3 and 1 in the last 12 games, I think I said have come against Teams that were in the top six. Not until they got to this point of playing Colgate. Until they played Colgate. They lost the Dartmouth. They. They lost the Clarkson. They lost twice to Union. They. They required a shootout to get the extra point against Clarkson in there. So how do you. How does Quinnipia combat is. It all depends on which side of the fence Cornell winds up on, which is if they're playing like the team that has obliterated teams, well, we're gonna be in for a classic. And if they come out, they don't start on time and they start out slow, that's going to be the moment for Quinnipiac. Those first seven or eight minutes in that first period, they'll know, okay, we could take it to these guys. And that's when you go in and you take it to him and you get that first goal. That'll be the swift punch in the mouth that I think Quinnipiac might need.
[00:13:29] Speaker B: Yeah. Of course, Ian Shane did not really live up to his expectations this year as the defending Ken Dryden Award winner as a top goalie in the conference, but in the postseason here, he's done well. Just allow one goal against Yale, and then the last weekend, just one goal in the two games. Getting the shutout in the game two clincher. I mean, if Ian Shane's back on his game, does that mean Cornell will win this game one Friday?
[00:13:55] Speaker A: It will change. It will change the dynamic considerably, especially because the defense did not allow a lot of shots against Colgate. I mean, Colgate never hit more than 25 shots, which is a bit of a sweet spot for Cornell, where if somebody lands in that 25 to 30 range, they start to. It was. There was a stat against Brown where.
Where 25 to 35 shots was really a sweet spot, that when Brown got between 25 and 35 shots on goal, they were exceptionally well defended on their own goal. But that also happens to be the sweet spot that Quinnipiac was able to really start attacking defenses and start to pile up goals. So in a game where Ian Spain did not see a lot of shots against Colgate, against a team like Quinnipiac, if he's only going to see 22 to 25 shots, that's going to develop a problem, which is which side again, which side of the fence do they fall on? Is Quinnipiac, as an incredible top line and incredible amount of depth able to score, or is Cornell able to keep it out and then use their depth to try and attack? Quinnipiac's backline, which has Limited shots and has limited teams from scoring by simply not allowing anybody to put anything on net with any type of consistency this year.
[00:15:09] Speaker B: What is Mike Schaefer's legacy?
[00:15:13] Speaker A: Well, you know, I remember. I'm sure you do, like you do remember that there were a couple of years, and I used to laugh about this, where it wasn't an official season until Mike Schaefer got him. Probably got himself in trouble for hammering the official.
That's when you knew college hockey season had officially started.
I think he goes down as probably one of. One of the best coaches in ecac, period. What he accomplished at Cornell fell short of winning a national championship. I think you could make the case. 2020 team might have. Probably the 2019, 2020 team might have done it or at least gone to the frozen four. But in terms of being an ECAC hockey team, Cornell itself had a tremendous legacy that he built on the fact that it was his alma mater. We're going to miss him. They do not make hockey coaches in this era like Mike Schaefer. So he's always been one of those. The last of the dying breed that, you know, between Don Vaughn and. And some of the other coaches that we've seen through the.
[00:16:20] Speaker B: Like a Bob God.
[00:16:21] Speaker A: Yeah, Bob Goddess. Exactly where I was thinking of. They all had some type of character to them. And that's not to say that the coaches right now don't have any character, but they don't make them like that anymore. And so I think that that's going to be his legacy. The fact that Cornell is an Ivy League school maintained a tremendous amount of greatness. They went to a frozen four with him back in. Back in the early 2000s. They had. They'd won a couple of league championships and that he kept them relevant at a time, especially in college, when that was an incredibly difficult thing to do.
[00:16:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I remember that Frozen four. They got robbed. They had a goal taken away, which. On an alleged high stick, which I don't think it was, and I. I can't remember. I think it may have been against New Hampshire. I don't remember the exact team, but I know that really changed the way that first semifinal, that semifinal game was played. I think they got robbed from that. But I don't know if you happen to see any of the highlights from the Saturday. That Saturday game between Cornell and Colgate. I saw something I've never seen before in hockey, period.
Dalton Bancroft had pushed the puck into the neutral zone, intercepting pass. He was going down, and Colgate had an empty net. They're trying to get at least one or a goal here. And a Colgate player jumps on the ice and touches the puck in order to stop Bancroft from scoring into the empty net. And the officials ended up awarding Bancroft a goal. I've never seen anything like that.
[00:17:47] Speaker A: It reminds me of a goal that I had or a call that wasn't made against Brown way back when. Against. When Brown actually played Bentley. I don't remember the year Brown. Bentley had a guy in the penalty box across from the road bench at me. And he comes out of the penalty box, except there were already six, seven guys on the ice. And so the guy in the penalty box, I don't even remember who it was. I just remember him. The door opened and he stood in the box. He was not leaving that penalty box. He was standing there going, am I supposed to step on the ice? We already have too many men. Not a single call was made. They had eight guys on the ice for, like 10 seconds. Somebody skated off. Not a single call was made because no one was looking at the bench. It was an electric moment. My brother lost his mind.
[00:18:31] Speaker B: That's funny. So let's talk semifinal number two, Clarkson and Dartmouth. And I watched Dartmouth, and my goodness, they were just impressive. I mean, they fell behind one nothing and two one in game one, came back and won three two and Saturday, down one nothing, tied again. And then second period, two goals and got one early in the third and basically game over at that point. I mean, I know you got within 4:2, but my goodness me, if Dartmouth had been healthy all year and played consistent hockey, they would have been a. I think, challenged Quinnipiac for the top spot. Because I really thought they'd be a top four. Maybe they made a top two team this year. Didn't happen. But recashions got him going right at the right time.
[00:19:17] Speaker A: Hey, you gotta believe. That's the. Although I realize I'm using a New York Mets term to you, and that's probably.
[00:19:23] Speaker B: Hey, that's okay. Tugger was a Philly, too. That's fine. That's fine. That's fine.
[00:19:29] Speaker A: The. You know, you gotta believe if you're Dartmouth. I mean, that's the. That's the big thing is that a lot of folks, when I talked it kind of at the beginning of the year was the big question was Dartmouth last year made such a habit out of just not losing. And they. At the end of the season, with everything that had happened, they lost six of eight games and dropped out of the top four. And you're looking at them going, this is not going to be a run for Dartmouth. Like that's it. Dartmouth, they're, they're not as good as Colgate, they're not as good as Union who had all taken a jump and, and they had stepped back. But when you look at what Dartmouth has over the course of the whole season, you got to believe in them, which is through over three goals scored per game, just about two goals allowed. The only hole that Dartmouth really has is its power play being under 20%.
But the gold in the goaltending numbers, the. If the puck starts getting through, the goaltenders do not have the same save percentage as the remaining goalies who are left in ecac. So for Dartmouth, you take those two aside, which even those goalies don't face any shots. This is a complete team that has proven that it can win. And if Dartmouth had had the extra six games, that same with Cornell and they were able to win them, there's a possibility you're looking at a 23 win or so Dartmouth team. Maybe there's another team that's in this mix that, that would have existed with, with Quinnipiac that maybe doesn't exist right now with Dartmouth.
[00:21:04] Speaker B: I just, I mean Union just. Dartmouth has unions. Right number right now is 17 straight against him. I mean I was, I was disappointed in you. Especially Saturday when they knew they had to win that game to force a game three. And I mean they started off well, but they just were never able to build on that lead. And I think Dartmouth was just the way they played. Union has got. Union's got to figure that out going into the next season. I mean especially they were 071 against Dartmouth, Colgate and Clarkson and Quinnipiac 09091 with those four teams. So they got to figure out a way to beat those teams and you know, if they want to, you know, contend to go to Lake Placid next year.
[00:21:46] Speaker A: Yeah. And the funny thing is, is when you look at the win loss records of the teams that are there or you look at the winning percentage of the teams that are there and then you look at what happened to Union where Union finishes 19, 14 and 3. If you turn some of those games into Wins, you're now at 20 something. You're 22 and 11. We'll say you're right in it. And that's where Clarkson is. 23 and 11. If you're, if you lose any, if Your target is 10 to 12 losses a year, that puts you right in the mix to be a top two or Three seed in the league and also have a shot at Lake in Lake Placid. Not even going to Lake Placid because at that point you're at Lake Placid.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: Clarkson, I think was the surprise series and I don't, I don't think anybody expect that to go three and they were in danger. I mean Harvard was up one nothing going into the third period. Clarkson got the goal and got the overtime winner. So I mean surprising result, got that series going three, I think.
[00:22:46] Speaker A: So I think that's more of a credit to what Harvard did. They were, they were really good. There's a really good team during the playoffs. They, they were a team that didn't want to go quietly and they made sure that they were not gonna, to be fair to Clarkson. Clarkson, that wasn't very much an iron sharpens iron series that, that, that really wakes you up in, gets your, gets your, your mulligan out of the way where you lost the game and you lost it during your best of three.
Having to come back and having Harvard play the style that they do and did helps Clarkson out because Clarkson is really the only team that is capable stat by stat, stick for stick of matching Quinnipiac. Right now. Cornell, we have to look within the numbers. Dartmouth, we have to look within the numbers, but on a stat by stat basis. Clarkson is right there. And Clarkson didn't lose to any of the remaining three teams during the regular season. So the fact that they've played some of these one goal games before they got to the playoffs, they were kind of 500ish in one goal games. Playing Harvard the way that they did boosted that to a spot where in these type of situations when you're playing in a playoff game and it's single elimination and you, you've got your back to the wall and the other team's got its back to the wall, that makes you incredibly dangerous because you have a season long gamut to be able to run on.
[00:24:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean as you mentioned, Clarkson swept the serious and Dartmouth, of course St. Lawrence swept Dartmouth too. And Dartmouth got the revenge in that first round game. Do you see something like that happening here Friday night?
[00:24:26] Speaker A: It wouldn't hurt for Dartmouth.
No, I think it's, I think it's going to be difficult. That's the one thing I'll have with Dartmouth. The, the only thing that I looked at was that Clarkson pounded the Harvard net on Sunday for the, for like 40 odd shots and still needed to score in the third period to force overtime. And it was Ayrton Martino that scored the goal that put you into overtime. So you needed your best player, which is true. You want your best players to make plays in the playoffs. You know, big time players make big time plays in big time games.
But you also needed to come up with something a little bit different along the way, that if you're going to pepper a team for 40 shots, you need to get a goal from somewhere else. Now you're at least facing Dartmouth where if you can get over that hump and get over that 30 shot hump, you're likely to get more opportunities because Dartmouth goalies do not have the same numbers as everyone else. It's just getting through a defense that does not allow a lot of shots and capitalizing on it. So I think you have the depth and I think you have the skill to be able to knock Dartmouth out. I will say that matchup at least if you can get through one of them, you don't have to go through Quinnipiac or Cornell and Quinnipiac or Cornell has to go through Quinnipiac or Cornell before they get the winner of the other semifinal.
[00:25:43] Speaker B: So who are you picking this in the semifinals?
[00:25:47] Speaker A: There is a part of me that really, really wanted to take a Cornell Clarkson final, but I think it's going to be Quinnipiac that advances. And I do think Clarkson's going to get through. I think Clarkson's going to get through. I think we're going to have a 12 in the title game. But that is. That's kind of where my head goes. I do think one of these games is going to be close. I think the other game is not. And I think it's going to be like a 5:1 or a 4:1 or something like that. I think the game that's close may wind up as a 4:1, but I think we're probably going to wind up with like a two goal win for Quinnipiac, like a 31 2, nothing type of game against for Clarkson over Dartmouth rather. And then the other one might be a 5:1 just in case it. It breaks down along the way. So I do think that's kind of what we're looking at, where it'll be Quinnipiac in Clarkson getting to the championship.
[00:26:41] Speaker B: Round and who's raising the Whitemore Cup.
[00:26:46] Speaker A: You know, there's. That's the, that's the big question. I really like Clarkson this year. I love what, what jf, Who I was was doing this year was incredible. And when I talked to him during the year, I talked to him twice. His. His attitude was it was short and direct the way that he was an interview. And that to me was great because he knew exactly what to say. You almost like he anticipated the question. Like he had that professional edge that I think will suit him very well for Clarkson. I think this is Quinnipiac's year to win it, and I think the league is just not good enough to overcome Quinnipiac figuring it out. And I think Quinnipiac understands if you don't win the championship in ecac, you are not going to the tournament. And that is not something anyone in Hampden's heard before, or at least for a very long time, while still maintaining a number one seed. So I don't know if Michigan or Penn State's going to make it based on one what happens in the. In the. Not in the Big Ten, in the NCHC or what happens in Hockey East. I do think Quinnipiac is going to get in, and I think Quinnipiac is going to be something like 13th, but they'll win the league.
[00:27:59] Speaker B: Well, I just think the power of Mike Schaefer winning one more title before he hangs it up is going to be the difference. On Friday night. I'm going with Cornell and I'm going with Clarkson, and I'm going with Cornell beating Clarkson in the championship game to send Mike Schaefer off in a blaze of glory and then on to the NCAA tournament. But that's. I just.
I just have that feeling. I just. But I'm not a betting man, thankfully, so.
[00:28:26] Speaker A: Of course, listen, I can host. I can host a podcast about handicapping, but I cannot.
What I always say is, I always say that I will not touch any of this for that reason. I'll at least tell you what to look for, but I will not touch it for this reason.
[00:28:40] Speaker B: Of course, we should mention that you are the voice of Bentley hockey on the radio. And they're playing in the hockey. The Atlantic Hockey. Is it Atlantic Hockey association, is it called now?
[00:28:51] Speaker A: They changed the name this year. I think it's Atlantic Hockey America Association.
[00:28:57] Speaker B: Atlantic Hockey America.
[00:28:58] Speaker A: Let's call it Atlantic Hockey.
[00:28:59] Speaker B: Well, they're playing Holy Cross for the.
[00:29:01] Speaker A: Championship Saturday, Saturday at 7pm at Holy Cross.
[00:29:07] Speaker B: How much fun is that going to be?
[00:29:09] Speaker A: I'll let you know on Sunday how much fun it is.
So I've never been in a conference championship before. My brother's been there with Brown a couple times. 10 years. Six years ago. I think he was there in 2019. He'd been there to like, he'd been to Atlantic City and He'd done the whole thing. I have never been in a championship game with Ben. I've never even been to a semifinal. So this is the first time they're playing in1 since 2006 when they played Holy Cross. This is a very exciting game, but I can tell you that even by the middle of the week, the nerves are starting to ramp up and everyone in my house is already sick of me talking about it. But this is gonna be, it's gonna be an exciting night and I'm gonna, at some point I, I've, I've made it a mental thing and I'm sure, you know, certainly during unions run, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about. When they won the three straight, which is stop and smell the roses, which is just close your eyes and enjoy kind of soaking in the win or lose. Soak in that like championship game atmosphere because it's, it's, it's a special thing.
[00:30:12] Speaker B: Well, the two years union, one Atlantic City, there was no atmosphere down there. So empty seats. Don't cheer.
[00:30:21] Speaker A: I was going to say we got, we're going to a campus site and it's a small, small building with one side of seating. That's the only thing I'm really bummed about is that it's not at home with Bentley where we have, you know, 2,000 people in the full bowl. Holy Cross, it's going to be cramped. It's going to be, it's going to be like, it's, it's going to be like those old buildings where you only get like, I think it only seats like 1600 people, 1300 people. It's going to be. Yeah, you're going to be people hanging off the walls in there.
[00:30:45] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, enjoy it. And I appreciate you doing this last three weeks again, Dan, and we'll talk soon and maybe of course next year we'll get ready for another season. So my season is done and you least have games to cover. So enjoy it.
[00:30:59] Speaker A: Thanks, Ken. You too. Enjoy, Enjoy the, enjoy the break.
[00:31:03] Speaker B: Thank. I will. Thanks. That's Dan Rubin. Coming up, Emmanuel Benbari, the voice of CNN men's basketball and 96.3 the jams and also the post game host on the Yankees radio network will join me next to talk about the Yankees and CNN's basketball. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
The Daily Gazette has some great subscription deals happening. Sign up today at www.dailygazette.com. and as always, when credibility matters, trust the Daily Gazette.
[00:31:38] Speaker D: Hi, this is Daily Gazette sports Reporter Will Springsted. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schott.
[00:31:47] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. My next guest is the voice of the CNN's basketball team on jams 96.3 and this season will be the postseason post game host of New York Yankees coverage on the Yankees radio network. It's Emmanuel Barbari here. And Emmanuel, how are you doing? Welcome to the podcast on your maiden voyage here.
[00:32:07] Speaker D: Thanks for having me, Ken. I'm looking forward to this maiden voyage. Good to meet you.
[00:32:11] Speaker B: Good to meet you too. And we've talked about the next few minutes here, but let's get to the Yankees and the job you're going to have this summer. How excited are you?
[00:32:19] Speaker D: Oh, it's surreal. It's really been an unbelievable experience the last few years to, to be a part of the radio team around the team I grew up rooting for. You know, when you think about dreams, when you go into this business, you set lofty goals that are just not that attainable when you consider the odds of it happening. But you keep them in the back of your mind and you hope that one day it could work out. So just to be around the Yankees the last few years is been everything I could have imagined and more. And to have this consistent role this year where you're interacting with the fan base every night, you're on the air every single night. I'm really, really excited for it. So, yeah, I appreciate you asking.
[00:32:59] Speaker B: And of course last year you were doing a lot of the play by play when John Sterling, about a few games into the season retired. Of course he came back for the postseason. What was that whole situation like last year that I had to catch maybe not only you, but Yankees fans off guard because I mean we, everybody thought John Sterling be there forever.
[00:33:18] Speaker D: Oh, totally off guard is a good way to put it in the sense that the retirement came in the middle of April. And John, he's an ironman when you consider broadcasting standards and playing standards. If you stack up his streak, I'm not comparing him to a player of course, but you understand what I'm saying in terms of the, the magnitude of his streak and the amount of games he had called in a row. And that ended a few years back and started to have some filling coverage. But off guard, if I were a fan, I wouldn't be expecting to not hear John or to hear anybody else stepping into his place. So we certainly all had that in the back of our minds when we were filling in throughout the course of last Season, we wanted to do the best job we could and uphold the standard. Where we were sitting is I always looked at it as, this is still John Sterling's seat, and we're keeping it warm. But you also want to put your own stamp on it and make sure that you're bringing an entertaining broadcast to the. To the fans, because at the end of the day, you're serving them. And if I were a fan, I'd be like, oh, who's this guy who's filling in? I'm used to John Sterling. So that was never lost on us. And I think off guard is a good way to put it. But for us, we just had to stay as ready as we could, even when we were filling in, where we knew at any point your number could be called, and you just had to step up and do the best job you could.
[00:34:40] Speaker B: And, of course, you worked with another icon there in Susan Waldman. I mean, how was she to work with? Obviously, you know, she worked with John for a long time, and, you know, she's been involved with the Yankees broadcast, not only in the booth, but as a reporter for WFAM back in the day.
[00:34:57] Speaker D: She was. I always put it this way, considering how young I am and stepping into that booth, filling in with a Hall of Famer. She's a Hall of Famer, a trailblazer, somebody who has more baseball stories, more baseball experience, more baseball knowledge than anyone could have in a couple of lifetimes, let alone one. I just think the kindness and respect she showed me throughout the year was above and beyond what I could have expected. Now, you got to get used to the rhythm and the flow of the broadcast. You got to make adjustments, but that's no different than, you know, if you're doing it every day with Susan or once a week with Susan, and you're stepping into the Yankee booth, or any booth, for that matter, but let alone the Yankees. You're always making tweaks, you're always making adjustments. You're always trying to get better. So the whole year was. It was a great learning experience. But the way she brought me in and the way she would treat it like, I think, any other broadcast from her perspective and sort of adapt to me the best she could, that spoke volumes because it was really me adapting to her. So I think the fact that we could talk about things that brought us together as opposed to anything, I think spoke so much to the person that she is and really served as a mentor figure throughout the year, telling me, you know, different tidbits about what could Make a broadcast better than it currently is, or even giving me a little bit of encouragement when something I did she thought was right, steering me in that direction, I thought was really valuable.
[00:36:28] Speaker B: Were you ever tempted to do a John Sterling home run call?
[00:36:34] Speaker D: Good question.
I think we're all tempted because he's so iconic and so unique. But I knew from the start, like, you can't do that. And you also, if I did that, I'd be giving away the one thing that I think is every broadcaster's advantage when they're put in any role, which is yourself, like. Like there's only one John Sterling. And I think if you don't. And I feel like I'm still working towards this, and I'll never stop working towards this. Finding your own voice on the air, but if you ever give that away and you try to be somebody you're not, I think that's a very dangerous thing to do. And John is one of one. He's a reason why I got into this business. Like listening to Yankees radio growing up and hearing those home run calls and hearing his unique stamp and his unique voice and his booming presence on the air, that was a big reason why I decided to pursue sports broadcasting. But, no, you're tempted because it's so iconic, but you just can't do it. It would give away everything that makes you you.
[00:37:36] Speaker B: Now, the. I think you were in the mix for the. To take over the role this year to end up going with Dave Sims, who, like me, is from Philadelphia. So I was hoping to get talked to Dave. We were scheduled to do an interview a couple weeks ago, but some things came up and he wasn't able to do it. But have you had a chance to talk to Dave? I assume you had a chance to talk to Dave since you've gotten down to, you know, spring training and all.
[00:37:58] Speaker D: Yeah, we connected soon after he got the job officially, and we've talked a little bit throughout the off season, and he's been super nice and gracious. And now getting to not meet him in person because I saw him last year when he was in the Bronx with Seattle. So we got to connect a little bit then. Not too much, but got to speak to him here and there. And he was the same person then that he is now, but now we're just on the same radio team, if you will. So just being in the booth with him and Susan, watching them go about their business, go about their craft, has been amazing. And just getting to spend more time with Dave now. So we did connect earlier in the offseason, we were in touch, but now more bringing it together. With the season inching closer, it's been a lot of fun.
[00:38:43] Speaker B: Has he had a chance to talk to you about our Philadelphia Eagles winning a Super Bowl?
[00:38:48] Speaker D: Not directly, but. But I do overhear him talking about it a lot, and it's fun hearing the Eagles references because I know he's a massive Eagles fan. I know how much that, that championship, another championship, meant to him. So it's cool to overhear some of those conversations.
[00:39:05] Speaker B: Well, let's talk a little bit about the team. We're about a week away from the start of the regular season, and my goodness, the last healthy Yankee better shut off the lights down in Tampa. Do they have a healthy team going into this season?
[00:39:18] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, they definitely don't have a healthy team going into the season. But the cool thing is that anybody who's on the active roster on opening day, that's a healthy team. So I think it's tough to look at it that way because you lose your your ace and Garrett Cole for the season. Luis Heel for a significant part of the season. Giancarlo Stanton, no timetable on him coming back and, and who knows what that could evolve into. The Yankees are, are hopeful they'll get him back at some point, but you can't when there's no timetable. And he's been dealing with this since last postseason. Amazing to think he did what he did last postseason with the current condition that he's in right now. That's costing him a major time. He was playing like MVP Joe and Carlos Stanton, so that's just to name a few. But those are key injuries right off the bat. It's not a healthy team, and you're just hoping that what the Yankees have could be enough until they get some reinforcements back. And they can, of course, as they always do, re evaluate things at the trade deadline. But there's opportunity now for some of these young guys to step up and some of the guys who are fighting for roster spots right now to make a big imprint on this year's Yankee team. I always thought even with Garrett Cole, even with Luis Heal, even with Giancarlo Stanton, etc. Etc, some of these young guys were going to make or break the season. I still thought that at full strength. I thought Jason Dominguez and Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe and Will Warren, some of these guys that are coming up, varying degrees of experience, but I thought they would swing the season one way or another. Now it's even more onus on them to take the next step in their development. And they're at different parts of their development, of course, but a guy like Dominguez, if he, if he plays to his, his fullest extent, like if he's a star, this team could be really good. But if he's not, they could still be good. But then you need a Volpe or a Wells to do a lot more. So that's the way I look at it. A lot is on the young players that the Yankees have developed to at least keep them in the mix and then we'll see what happens in July.
[00:41:14] Speaker B: How much does losing Garrett Cole hurt this team? I mean, I think that injury caught a lot of people by surprise and he's done for this year and you're hoping he's coming back next year, but he'll be a year older and who knows? It takes some time to come back from Tommy John.
[00:41:31] Speaker D: It hurts the team on a lot of levels. You're losing arguably, I think the best pitcher in baseball, for my money, when he's on the field, when he's healthy. So there's a guy who's won a Cy Young, who's a workhorse, who is one of the last remaining workhorses in the game and his impact on the clubhouse, which I don't think will go away, but, but it's different when you're hurt, right? When you're, when you're not out there, you can share wisdom to other guys. And I saw it last year when the Yankees missed Garrett Cole. For the first couple of months of the year, he was a de facto pitching coach. Not to take anything away from Matt Blake, but Garrett Cole was, was there, he was present. And you can't say that about every star or every player for that matter when they're out for an extended period of time. So I think he'll have a big impact still. But you're going to miss the off field impact, of course, which is massive. And I think at times you're going to miss, whether it's rehab recovery or just not having.
He's not losing a voice, but not that same Garrett Cole voice is when he's part of that five man rotation, I think that means something. So it's, there's no sugarcoating it. It's a huge loss. But I think the Yankees can take a little bit of solace and they still have that voice in that room and hopefully some other guys can step up. And that's a big reason why, hey, if they had signed Max Freed right now, Obviously, there's a hypothetical because you signed earlier in the off season, if they sign him right now, the fan base would be like, whoa, that's a great counter move to losing Garrett Cole. So you almost got to look at the sequence of events. They signed Max Free earlier to hedge something exactly like this. So you hope other guys can step up.
[00:43:04] Speaker B: Well, of course, that Max Free signing came shortly after Juan Soto went crosstown to sign with the Mets. Do you think there's going to be some regret not resigning Soto?
[00:43:16] Speaker D: I don't think regret would be the word. It's a good question, but I don't think regret would be the word just because the Yankees really feel, and I feel like they put their best foot forward and at a certain point negotiations end and if it's going to keep going up and up and up and up, eventually, you know, you reach that top of the mountain and you're either going to one up everybody, but then in the Mets case, they were going to one up you no matter what. And I think the Yankees look at it now with some closure, like we were not going to land Juan Soto. And they tried their very best to make that happen. But if it was always going to be the nature of how the negotiations played out, Juan Soto is just not going to come back to the Yankees. So I think there is closure there. That closure will sort of be reopened a tad when the Yankees play the Mets pretty early in May and Juan Soto is getting booed at Yankee Stadium, which we all know is inevitable.
[00:44:09] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:44:09] Speaker D: So right now there's closure and the Yankees just have to look forward. I think any time wasted thinking about what could have been with Soto is probably time that's costing the Yankees from reaching their, their goals for the season and beyond. So, yeah, yeah, it probably stung in a moment greatly, and it stung Yankee fans for longer than that. But at this stage it's, hey, what do we have? And let's go for the season.
[00:44:31] Speaker B: Of course, the Yankees got to the World Series last year, lost to the Dodgers in five games, and what do you think the chances are of getting back there and actually winning the first World Series for the first time since 2009?
[00:44:44] Speaker D: So much can happen. I think there's still favorites in the American League. I think they were the unquestioned favorite before these injuries, and now there's a lot of parity looking at the American League. But that place of the Yankees favor, can they stick in it the first couple of months? I think they can, especially with the talent they have in that pitching room. And some of the contributions they could get from different guys in the lineup and still having Aaron Judge and a guy like Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt professionals veterans in the middle of that lineup and the emergence of some young guys, I think they can stick in that mix. And then I think the ability to be the last team standing will come down this year, especially without Cole. We don't know about Stanton right now. Who knows about heel. Considering the earliest would be July, it will come down to what they do at that trade deadline. I really feel that way. They could be in a great position. Who knows? By the trade deadline everybody could be happy and the Yankees could be surprising. Rarely did the Yankees ever surprise. I think the Last time was 2017 when there were low expectations with young guys going into the year. And it was a really enjoyable ride because they exceeded all expectations once a game seven of the championship series, yada, yada, yada. But if they surprise this year, it'll be a very enjoyable season. But winning a championship I think will come down to those trade deadline adjustments without Cole in particular.
[00:45:59] Speaker B: Well, let's talk about Sienna men's basketball. Their season last week in Atlantic city in the first round, 14 and 18 overall, 911 in the Mac. Obviously not winning records. But considering what happened last year, just four wins overall and which led to the firing of Carmen Massarello. How would you assess the season under first year head coach Jerry McNamara?
[00:46:20] Speaker D: I think it was a great step forward and I think Jerry McNamara showed you he can coach as a first year head coach first and foremost, which is a big question with a lot of guys who are longtime assistants. And we know the pedigree of Jerry McNamara, a legend at Syracuse, and that's why I emphasize the word legend. You always wonder, are you stepping into a head. Coaching is different now. You're leading an operation, you're leading an organization almost as much as you're coaching X's and O's. But he checked all those boxes. I think he restocked the roster. There was still some leftover on the roster this year, but he restocked it in the best way that he could. And some of the leftover actually contributed. When he looked at how he developed a Brendan Coyle, his type of player and turned him into a real, real threat in this conference. So I look at it as a big step forward. I think there is a little bit of a hint of disappointment at the end of the year because they were a talented team and they struggled a little bit down the stretch. Marcus Jackson getting Hurt, I think was a major shot to their depth early in conference play. It's probably a much different season. They might go to the semifinals of the Mac tournament with Marcus Jackson. Beyond that, I truly believe that he was that important to what they were doing. So it was a big step forward. I think Jerry McNamara is a fierce competitor, knows what he wants, knows what he needs. Siena has raised that. We know it's part of college basketball now. They have that collective, they have that nil, where they've raised enough to be a force in the Mac year in and year out. And Jerry McNamara knows the type of talent he needs. He knows the holes he has to plug. We'll see who departs in the transfer portal, which we know is inevitable every single year in this day and age of college basketball. I expect this team to be competing for a Mac championship next year and I think that's a reasonable expectation. They went from a four win team to essentially a 500 team. That's the way I look at it with Jerry McNamara at the helm. And now it's time to take that next step because this was a classic. I think year one, some growing pains, losing a lot of tight games that could have tilted the season in the other direction. Next year it's about getting over that hump a little bit more.
[00:48:23] Speaker B: Do you think the fan base is pleased? I mean, the fan base sometimes is tough to please with the team, but do you get the sense that they like the direction this team is going?
[00:48:34] Speaker D: I think they do. I think you're always going to find Sienna's fan base. It's a weird comparison, but I'm going to compare it to the Yankee fan base a lot. You know, there's been a lot of glory in Sienna Saints history and there's been a lot of success and there have been a lot of great players and head coaches. So there is that championship expectation. But when you go through a four win season, even the Yankee fan, even the Sienna fan can readjust the expectation a little bit. So I think you're still going to find a fan or two who say, oh, I'm very disappointed the way this season went. That's natural. But I think 90, 95%, and I hope I'm not out of touch here, 90, 95% would say, let's give Jerry year two to see what this is really about.
[00:49:14] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:49:15] Speaker D: And you know, when you go from four wins overall to nine and 11 in conference play, what, 14 wins overall. Even in a day and age of college basketball where there's a new Roster almost every season, bar a couple of exceptions. That's a step. That's a major step. And Sienna was in every game maybe outside of one or two. So I think outside of a couple of Sienna fans, you're gonna hear most saying, I'm pretty optimistic about Jerry McNamara on this program in a year, too.
[00:49:41] Speaker B: And I think also with the women's program, first year under Terry Prim, they had a good season as well. It seems like it's gonna be some good times at Sienna basketball next couple seasons.
[00:49:52] Speaker D: Yeah, I think so. Terry Prim did a marvelous job with his. You look at some of the injuries that happened early this year? Yeah, we want to talk about men's basketball team injuries. The women's basketball team is playing with six active for felt like a month, and they found a way to make that work. They got a little more whole at the end of the year, but still there were some players playing through. I don't want to speak out of turn here because I don't know exactly what was reported, but there were some players on that team playing through serious nicks and bruises. So I look at Terry Prim, the job he did, having that team right there easily, you know, without that letdown in the quarterfinals, easily could have competed for. For the title. Obviously Fairfield, I think, and Quinnipiac tier above everybody else.
[00:50:31] Speaker B: Maybe this year.
[00:50:33] Speaker D: Yeah, it seemed like it, especially Fairfield that ended up winning it. But Quinnipiac, I have a whole lot of respect for Tricia Fabry and what she does every single year there.
So I think we're in for some good days here with the men's and women's basketball teams and we will see what the roster construction looks like next year. I'm hoping. The old school in me is hoping. Funny I say old school at my stage, but. But still, I have the old school heart of. I want to see some returners. I want to see a couple people from these years, this year's team come back next year. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but I have some faith that Jerry McNamara and Terry Crim can retain some talent.
[00:51:11] Speaker B: Well, Emmanuel, appreciate a few minutes. Have fun this summer with the Yankees. We'll be in touch during the season if there's any breaking news we can chat about. So I appreciate you coming on the podcast and you did a great job on your first appearance here on the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:51:25] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, of course, Ken. Thanks for having me. Look forward to doing it again.
[00:51:28] Speaker B: All right, that's Emmanuel, Ben Barri. I'll be back to wrap up the podcast and have the latest winner in the Daily Gazettes auto racing contest in just a moment.
You guys just didn't want it bad enough. That should have been an easy win.
[00:51:55] Speaker D: What were you doing out there?
[00:51:56] Speaker B: You got a hustle? You could have made that play if.
[00:51:59] Speaker E: You'D been open on the car ride home after the game. When you think you're helping by telling me what I did wrong and what I need to work on, all I hear is that I'm not good enough. That I'm supposed to be perfect. That it's not okay to lose on the car ride home. All I need to hear is how much you love me and enjoy watching me play. That my worth isn't determined by my performance. That even on my worst day I am worthy. That you see me learning, growing and doing my best.
And that is enough.
[00:52:43] Speaker B: This message presented by NISFA and the New York State Athletic Administrators association.
[00:52:51] Speaker A: Hi, this is Union College hockey alum Josh Juris. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast with Daily Gazette support editor Ken Shad.
[00:53:00] Speaker B: Back to wrap up the podcast with some breaking news on Thursday morning. Union men's hockey junior defenseman John Prokop has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. So that's a big news.
Prokop had outstanding career through your career at Union. There was an All American last year, second team and unanimous first team all ECAC first team defenseman last year was the third team or this year led the team in scoring. His first two seasons with the Garner Chargers, he finishes his career with 85 points on 20 goals and 65 assists.
He played in 107 games this past season. He had 8 goals and 19 assists for 27 points in 36 games. In a press release issued by Union on Thursday afternoon, John Prokoff said, union has been a home to me for the past three years. I can't thank my family, coaches, teammates and everyone else who has helped me over my time here. I'm excited to join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and cannot wait to get started. Prokoff will report to the Maple Leafs American Hockey League team, the Toronto Marlies, on an amateur tryout contract for the remainder of his season. His deal, a one year deal, begins next season. Josh Halge, the head coach of Union, said in the press release. I am extremely proud of John for earning this incredible opportunity with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His dedication, work ethic and growth as a player have been nothing short of impressive. Watching him develop over the last three years has been a privilege and I'm excited to see him take this next step in his career. He's ready for the challenges ahead and I have no doubt he will make a significant impact with the Leafs. This is just the beginning of an exciting journey for him. So good luck to John. That's going to be a big loss for the Garner Chargers. He was their backbone on their power play quarterbacking it and he was a pretty good defenseman. I think the fact that he was a third team of this year may show there was some outstanding defenseman in the ECAC hockey this year. So congratulations John and good luck on your journey with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Week five winner in the Daily Gazettes auto racing contest was John Iverone of Albany. With 20 points, John wins a $50 gift card. Congratulations John. The VIP winner for the second straight week was Jerry Peel of FrankenSonz with 15 points. I'll announce the auto racing contest winner's name and that winner's name will appear in Saturday's Daily Gazette. To play, go to dailygazette.com and click on the auto racing contest banner.
Just because COVID 19 mandates are easing, that does not mean you should relax. Be vigilant. If you have not gotten vaccinated or received a booster shot, please do so. Do it for yourself, do it for your family and do it for your friends. And a reminder, vaccines do not cause autism.
Don't forget to download the Daily Gazette app and sign up for our E Edition so you never miss a headline. Subscribe today at www.dailygazette.com. we have a lot of great specials going on. When credibility matters, Trust the Daily Gazette on the latest edition of the Stan and Shen Podcast. Stan Houdy and Enshenandoa Briere taste tested the new Coca Cola orange cream soda and talked about the Cortland Standard. Exiting the news landscape, Daily Gazette political Reporter Tyler A. McNeil talked about several local village elections in our coverage area. The Stan and Shen Podcast is available wherever you get your podcast.
That wraps up another edition of the Parting Shot Podcast. I want to thank Dan Rubin and Emmanuel Barbari for being on the show. If you have questions or comments about the podcast, email them to me at shot that's s c h o t taily gazette.com follow me on X Threads and Blue sky at Slap Shots the views expressed on the Parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette Company The Parting Shots Podcast is a production of the Daily Gazette company I'm Daily Gazette Sports Editor Ken Schott. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time from the Parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day, good sports.
