Local Sports
Colts, Manning will be Super on Sunday
BY ERIC AHLQVIST
COOPERSTOWN CRIER
The NFL got its dream
match-up for this year’s
Super Bowl, when the
Indianapolis Colts take on
the New Orleans Saints this
Sunday in Miami at 6:30 p.m.
Not only are the teams
the top two seeds in their
respective conferences, but
they also feature star power
at the quarterback position.
Colts quarterback Peyton
Manning has taken the position
to a whole new level.
The wisdom in the NFL used
to be that a good running
game coupled with great defenses
win championships.
But Manning, the league’s
Most Valuable Player this
season, has led a change
in that thinking, taking the
majority of his snaps in the
shotgun and using a precision
passing game much like
a running game.
A few years ago when the
New England Patriots were
in the midst of their dynasty,
they figured out a way to
stop Manning, but no one
has been able to do that this
year.
I don’t think the Saints will
either. In the NFC championship
game against the
Vikings, New Orleans defenders
punished Favre with
hit after hit, but they won’t
be able to do that very often
against Manning, who gets
rid of the ball faster than
anyone in the league.
On the other side of the
ball is New Orleans quarterback
Drew Brees, whose 34
touchdown passes were one
more than Manning’s, and 11
interceptions five less than
Manning’s during the regular
season.
The Colts’ best pass rusher,
Dwight Freeney, is nursing
an ankle injury and if he can’t
play that might open things
up for Brees to have a huge
day against a mediocre Colts
secondary.
The Saints’ running game
is also better than the Colts’,
with Pierre Thomas coupled
with Reggie Bush, who is
also a threat out of the backfield
and on punts.
If the Saints do win, I look
for Bush to be the reason.
Both quarterbacks have
plenty of options at wide
receiver, while Colts tight
end Dallas Clark may be the
best in the NFL.
So, who is going to win? I
could make a case for both
teams, but I think Manning
and the Colts’ experience will
be the difference.
While the Saints are still
settling in to the game and
getting their bearings, I look
for the Colts to start strong
and get a big lead.
That will be the difference
in their 31-21 victory.
Let’s look at some other
area experts’ predictions:
Cooperstown football
head coach Steve Pugliese:
I think the Saints may have
more offensive talent than
the Colts, but Manning is
just so good he makes up
for that.
Which Saints team is going
to show up? Both teams are
Dome teams but I think if
you oook at the Saints playing
on grass they are much
less productive.
Turnovers always play a
big part, and the Saints can’t
afford to fall behind early.
I think the Colts’ defense is
better than New Orleans’ and
will be the difference in the
game.
Final score: Colts 31, Saints
17.
Cooperstown assitant
coach Jay Baldo: Man, I hate
to try and predict this one.
However, I will go with the
Colts. Peyton Manning is
going to be too much for the
Saints defense to handle. Defense
will be the key to this
game, and I think the Colts
have an edge in that area.
Final score: (Great minds
think alike) Colts 31, Saints
17.
- Local Sports
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Pair complete lake swim
EMILY KERR, LEFT, David Bonderoff and Amy Hage Delli-Coli were all smiles after their lake swim on Saturday.
David Bonderoff, 17, of Cooperstown and Amy Hage Delli-Coli, 41, of Exeter, N.H swam the entire length of Otsego Lake last Saturday. They began their 9.2-mile swim at Springfield Landing at 7 a.m. on the north end of the lake, along with their friend, Emily Kerr, of Exeter, New Hampshire.
Continued ... -
Patriots have shot at another stellar season
The Cherry Valley-Springfield boys soccer team had a dream season last fall, coasting through the regular season undefeated and capturing its third straight Tri-Valley Championship title with a 3-0 victory over Morris.
Continued ... -
Former CCS star to play for Hartwick
Former Cooperstown girls basketball and Herkimer County Community College star Samantha Fox is taking her hardwood talents to Hartwick College next season.
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Deer suggestions made
A citizen task force for the 4F Wildlife Management Unit, which includes most of Otsego County, has recommended the DEC set a no net change in the estimated deer population.
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Hawkeyes players honored
Two Cooperstown Hawkeyes players earned Second Team All-League honors from the New York Collegiate Baseball league on Monday.
Continued ... - Thursday, August 19, 2010
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Girl is in a league of her own
Some may argue that girls do not belong on the ballfield playing among boys, but a 13-year-old Little League girl from Plant City Fla., has proven she can hold her own.
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Perez to represent the East for National Title
Last spring, Elias (E.J.) Perez was the recipient of Cooperstown Youth Football’s inaugural Youth Football Camp Scholarship award, and recently attended the Offense/Defense football camp held in Rochester.
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Benefit golf tournament is Aug. 29
Prizes, good food and fun will be ``par for the course’’ at a benefit Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 29, at the Otsego Golf Course. The Tournament is organized by the newly created Cooperstown Rotary Foundation (CRF), a nonprofit, tax deductible organization.
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Edmonds named athlete of the year
Cooperstown’s Caleb Edmonds did more than enough to earn Daily Star Athlete of the Year honors in track.
Continued ... - Thursday, August 5, 2010
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Petroskey homers, but Hawkeyes eliminated
Cooperstown Hawkeyes owner Tom Hickey said on Monday the team’s inaugural season was a success on every level except for one.
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C’town Legion finishes season 11-8
The Cooperstown American Legion baseball team completewhat head coach Ed Dubben called a successful season by defeating Herkimer, 5-2, last Thursday at Doubleday Field.
Continued ... - Thursday, July 29, 2010
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Dawson has harsh words for steroid users
Andre Dawson entered the Hall of Fame wearing a Montreal Expos cap on Sunday, but it was clear his heart was still in Chicago.
Continued ... -
Hall voting process restructured
Thanks to a restructuring in the way the National Baseball Hall of Fame selects veterans for enshrinement, the late George Steinbrenner might have a plaque in the Cooperstown shrine next summer.
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C’town girls lose first
The Clark Sports Center hosted four games in the girls summer basketball league last Wednesday.
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Hawkeyes will host playoff game
This much is sure: The Cooperstown Hawkeyes will host a playoff game at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Doubleday Field. Who their opponent will be though, is still very much up in the air. Cooperstown clinched a playoff berth with a 4-1 victory over Albany Tuesday evening at Doubleday Field and played two games on Wednesday. They are currently 21-19, a halfgame ahead of fourth place Glens Falls. They played Glens Falls at 1 p.m. on Wednesday and with a win would lock up third place and a likely first round match-up with the Oneonta Outlaws beginning Friday night.
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The Outlaws ended their regular season on Tuesday with an 8-5 win at Albany. - Thursday, July 22, 2010
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'Hawk,' 'Whitey,' 'God' to enter Hall
When former Cubs’ second baseman Ryne Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, he took time during his speech to single out former teammate Andre Dawson, who was in attendance that day.
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Tennis tournament 'a success'
The third annual Chris Gentile Memorial Tennis Tournament was held last weekend at the Clark Sports Center.
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Ozzie to host Play Ball on Friday
He blazed a trail across the baseball world for parts of three decades, forever changing the game with fielding accomplishments never before seen.
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Hawkeyes in playoff hunt as season winds down
If the New York Collegiate Baseball League playoffs were to begin today, the Cooperstown Hawkeyes and Oneonta Outlaws would meet in a first round series. The top four teams in each division qualify for postseason play, and currently Oneonta is in second place and Cooperstown in third with one week left in the regular season.
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Cooperstown All Stars fall in final
The Cooperstown Major League All Star team advanced to the finals of the week-long Oneonta tournament, but fell to the hosts, 15- 8, in the championship game on Sunday.
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