Centre Daily Times, which covers the State College Spikes, has an article this morning about "brutally competitive" Pinckney Division of the NY-Penn league.

The six-team Pinckney Division, the largest in size and smallest in markets of the New York-Penn League’s three divisions, has turned brutally competitive.

Consistent Jamestown entered Saturday holding a tenuous lead.

Talented Batavia, which includes four players selected in the first five rounds of this year’s draft and five teenagers, trailed the Jammers by a game.

Two games behind Batavia rested Auburn which has won the division every year since 2002.

Two games behind Auburn stood Williamsport.

The Jammers (27-15), Muckdogs (26-16) and Doubledays (24-18) entered this weekend with the league’s best records.

It should be a great race to the wire.  Jamestown, Batavia and Auburn all won yesterday.

Today's game is at 4:05 p.m. against Williamsport. Tickets are only $5 per person for general admiission. 

UPDATE: Here's an article from the Auburn perspective.

Via Rochester Turning, we learn that the Powers campaign posted a video two days ago (it appears to be a professionally produced commercial, so might it show up on TV and not just YouTube?) accusing Jack Davis of bribery.

BATAVIA, NY (August 2, 2008)- Once again on a Saturday, the storm clouds found a detour around Genesee County and allowed racing to get in.  The end result would be the largest car count in years and a night to remember a great ambassador of racing.

With the white flag flying in the Troyer Chassis Sportsman, there were still four drivers that had a chance to easily lead the next time around; as it would turn out, consistency would be the way for Greg Mrzywka to get to Victory Lane.

Mrzywka, of Holley, took the lead from rookie Henry Maier on lap five and did the job holding off past champions Brian Sage and Rob Pratt for the win.

On the races final restart, Pratt moved from fourth to second and began to pressure the No. 04 of Mrzywka.  Pratt nearly lost control of his No. p38 in turn two though and would give the leader just enough room to hold on.

It was Greg’s first win since 2006 at the 1/3-mile.  He would also become the seventh different winner in the division this season.

Pratt would hang on for second, with Brian Sage, who was so fast early on, slipping to third.  Rounding out the top-five would be Stubby Pangrazio and Don Spatorico, the top two in points.

The Castle Powered Late Models simply could not get into a rhythm in their feature, with six cautions falling in the first six laps.  In an effort to allow the solid field to regroup, the decision was made to send the cars to the pits to run at the end of the night.  As it would turn out, the hard 11:00 p.m. curfew would end up postponing the event until August 16, when the race will be completed.  J.J. Mazur had taken the lead just before the final caution.

Jeb Walworth inherited the lead in the Power Trip Energy Drink Street Stock Feature on lap 7 when Nathan Arnold took his car pit side.  He would stretch out his advantage and cruise to his second win of the year.

Walworth survived a number of challenges to defeat Colton Chappius Jr., Lee Zimmerman, Matthew Pfalzer and Jason Babbit.

Russ Wassner shook off the bad luck of 2008 by picking up the first win in the Professional Driver Institute Mini Stock Feature.

Wassner took the lead on lap three from Mike Sweeney and held him off on the race’s only restart on lap 9.  He would pull away in the closing laps to continue his streak of winning seasons.

Behind Wassner was Sweeney, Dan Norton, Rick Johnson and point leader Brandon Aradine.

P.J. Havens became the eighth different winner in the DML Driveway Sealing Division, taking the lead early and winning the final event of the night over James Maier and Tom Urban.

Genesee Speedway Results: 8/2/2008-

American Cancer Society Jack Veach Memorial Night

Lap Leaders- T. Pangrazio 1, Mogavero 2-5, Mazur 6-

Heat Winners- Rivers, Babbitt, Boyle.

Lap Leaders- Downs 1-2, Maier 3-4, Mrzywka 5-20.

Heat Winners- Baker, Downs.

Lap Leaders- Arnold 1-6, Walworth 7-20.

Heat Winners- Loveland, Walworth.

Professional Driver Institute Mini Stock Feature (15 Laps)- RUSS WASSNER, Mike Sweeney, Dan Norton, Rick Johnson, Brandon Aradine, Alan Kemp, Randy Barclay, Jason Hull, Samantha Burch, Duane Pingrey, Tom Amico, Ed Neal, Sean McKeller, Bobby Dickinson, Pat Powers, Mark Forsha.

Lap Leaders- Sweeney 1-2, Wassner 3-15.

Heat Winners- Aradine, Johnson.

DML Driveway Sealing Bandits Top 3 (8 Laps)- P.J. HAVENS, James Maier, Tom Urban.

Lap Leaders- Maier 1, Havens 2-8

The following posts were the most viewed in July, based on our web tracking stats.

• Davis campaign launches a "fake" Powers Web site, by Philip Anselmo
• News roundup: Oatka Creek death termed 'accidental' (this was really about the steer), by Philip Anselmo
• Muckdogs to Bird Dog, by Eric Manning
• Jack Davis: Candidate or caricature?, by Russ Stresing
• News roundup: Beck and Mallow double team Cox and Bialkowski, by Philip Anselmo
• Fire on Ellicott Street, Philip Anselmo
• "Where am I? How did I get here?", by Russ Stresing
• Daily News declares itself nothing more than a fly swat, by Howard Owens
• Walnut Street roundabout, by Philip Anselmo
• News roundup: $4 million GCC project passed, by Philip Anselmo

We launched our free employment listings during the middle part of the July.

I was just looking over our stats -- in just that short of a time, more than 1,000 people looked at the jobs page. That tells me, there is a local online audience looking for employement opportunities.

Click on the "jobs" tab above and follow the directions on how to post your free employment ad.

We can easily assume that Batavian readers are engaged, informed, energetic people; you don't want to miss your chance to make your next great hire at no cost.

 Here is the first installment of my new Meet the Muckdogs segment.  Keep the feedback coming of who else you would like to here from! Enjoy!

The Muckdogs (26-16) offense scored ten two-out runs with fourteen total hits in the game to take down the State College Spikes (9-32) by a score of 12-7.  Arquimedes Nieto got the start, going four and two-thirds innings with six hits, three runs, one walk and three strikeouts.  LaCurtis Mayes (2-0) pitched two-thirds of a scoreless ball to get the win.  State College’s Maurice Bankston (0-5) suffered the loss in his four and two-thirds innings with nine hits, six runs and a walk and a strikeout.

Batavia jumped off to an early lead in the 1^st on a Jermaine Curtis single and Shane Peterson double.  They added another in the 3^rd when Jose Garcia doubled, stole third and scored on a double-play ball.  The Spikes got on the board in the 4^th after Jeremy Farrell reached on an error, advanced on a wild pitch, then came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Andrew Biela.  They took the lead in the next inning when Andy Vasquez singled and scored on Chase D’Arnaud’s double.  The bases were then loaded and D’Arnaud scored when Biela was hit by a pitch.

But the Muckdogs wouldn’t stay down long, as they rallied for five runs in both the 5^th and 6^th innings.  In the 5^th, Charley Cutler singled, Curtis walked and Peterson had a RBI double.  Jon Edwards then hit two in on a single before Domnit Bolivar doubled and Frederick Parejo singled to score the other two runs.  In the next inning, the bases were loaded and a run was scored after Garcia singled, Colt Sedbrook was hit by a pitch and Peterson and Edwards had back-to-back walks.  Bolivar then singled to plate two.  Batavia’s last two runs scored when Parejo reached on a throwing error.

State College tried to rally back in the 8^th, scoring four runs with the help of four Muckdog errors, but it was not enough.  Batavia goes for the sweep and their eighth win in a row tonight at 7:05.  Ryan Howard bobble-heads will be given away to the first 500 in attendance.

A gallon of gas is $4. A ticket to the Muckdogs is only $5. Conclusion? Why waste a lot of money on gas when you could  stick close to home for some inexpensive fun tonight at  Dwyer and watch the NY-Penn league's hottest team.

Batavia smacked down the Spikes last night 12-7, to move the team's record to 26-16.  The Muckdogs are a game behind Jamestown in the race for the Pinckney Division crown. The team also has the second best record in the entire NY-Penn league.

Tonight's game against lackluster State College is scheduled for 7:05  p.m. Tomorrow's game against Williamsport is at 4:05 p.m.

Slate profiles Ronald Hermance Jr., CEO of Hudson City Bancorp. Hudson is based in Jersey, but Hermance is originally from Batavia.

Despite the proximity to Manhattan, Hermance and his 140-year-old bank have never been part of the fast-money Wall Street scene. And thanks to its geographic and cultural distance, this bridge-and-tunnel bank has thrived amid the mortgage debacle.

Hudson City in late July reported that second-quarter profits were up 52.3 percent. In the 2008 first half, mortgage originations rose 50 percent from 2007. And yet its balance sheet is pristine. "Only 328 out of 79,929 loans are nonperforming at the end of the second quarter," he said. (But who's counting?) Last Thursday, Hudson City sported a market capitalization of $9.46 billion, twice the size of the Blackstone Group.

...

Hudson City banks the old-fashioned way: It takes deposits and makes mortgages to people who buy homes in which they plan to live. And then it hangs on to them. No subprime, no securitization. Hudson City's bankers are steady daters in a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am era. "We don't have Wall Street bundle up the mortgages and sell them to someone in Norway," Hermance says. "We're going to live with those loans."

...

CNBC's motormouth James Cramer has dubbed Hermance a modern-day George Bailey. And while it has been a wonderful life of late for Hermance (last year he was paid a total of $8.45 million, and his shares in the bank are worth about $114 million, according to Hudson City's 2007 proxy), comparisons between the balding, mustachioed banker and Jimmy Stewart only go so far.

It's a fascinating story even if the world of high finance isn't your thing. Read the whole thing.

DIRT Pro Stock Tour Group to Race in Jack Veach
Memorial at Genesee Speedway

WHAT: As part of a regional racing series, the best of the Pro Stock racers from Western New York and Southern Ontario will be showing their superior racing abilities on the1/3rd mile oval track at Genesee Speedway in Batavia. The racing program begins at 6pm with 5 others classes competing in addition to the Jack Veach Memorial Pro Stock event. The spectator gates open at 5pm

Jack Veach was a well-known racing official in this area, respected by competitors and his peers alike. Jack passed away two years ago July 11th, from cancer. He left a legacy in his wife, Bonnie, son John and daughter Dawn who have continued on in Jack’s spirit at the Speedway.

Race fans and drivers alike have a well-earned reputation of taking care of their own. Cancer is a disease that touches everyone no matter what their walk in life. This is a way for the racing community to show their unity in raising awareness in the fight against cancer.

WHEN/WHERE:
Saturday, August 2, 2008
• The racing program begins at 6:00 p.m.
Genesee Speedway
5058 East Main Street, Rt. 5 – Batavia at the Genesee County Fairgrounds

WHO:
• Race fans
• Cancer survivors, Caregivers, and their families
• The Community

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
###

The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives,
diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. The American
Cancer Society Eastern Division has 46 community-based offices, involving thousands of volunteers throughout NY
and NJ. For 24-hour cancer information, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org/nynj

All good things must come to an end.

I don't know about you, but I've seen that maxim proved time and again in my life. Like when they took Duck Tales off the air. Or when I discovered that Santa Claus was not a resident of the North Pole, but, in fact, my grandmother's hairy neighbor who smelled of bottom-shelf scotch and foot cream. Nice guy, though.

Well, it's about to happen again.

Main Street Coffee is closing shop. Yes, that's right. Everybody's favorite hometown proprietor, Rob Credi, is saying goodbye to No. 111 Main Street, perhaps as soon as September. He has not confirmed the closing date for the cafe, but the month-long music festival farewell kicks off tonight and ends in a blowout on Saturday, August 30.

Rob told me today that Main Street Coffee owes its success to the patrons who came back day after day, week after week to support good coffee and better people. That's what I found there, I can tell you that. Especially in Rob, who — no questions asked — let me settle in and make a table corner my office for more than two months, which I was happy to do. He served good coffee, cooked a mean breakfast sandwich and offered regularly hilarious commentary on the goings-on inside and outside the cafe.

I would urge anyone with a heart and a penchant for caffeinated beverages to stop by Main Street Coffee at least once in the next month.

Check back with The Batavian over the next couple weeks for exclusive video interviews with some of the band members performing at Main Street Coffee this month.

A new Web site called See Through NY promises to deliver "a clearer view of how ... state and local tax dollars are spent" by quite literally connecting users with the state's financial tax data. Launched by the Empire Center for New York State Policy on Thursday, the site has already made quite a splash. When I visited it this morning, it took about ten minutes to load because the site traffic has been so overwhelming.

All visits to the site today come with this disclaimer:

Due to heavy traffic, SeeThroughNY is experiencing technical difficulties and may be performing slowly.  We apologize for this inconvenience and are taking every step to correct these issues as quickly as possible.

We anticipate full functionality by mid-day on Friday, if not sooner.

It's pretty simple to use the site. Say you want to find out about how much money a state employee earns. Click on the bright green Payrolls button, follow the links to search the state payroll database, and... Voila! Or, at least, it would be voila if the search wasn't "timed out" after every effort to browse the salaries of the legislative branch, for example.

You can do the same for information on Contracts and Expenditures — and the data seems comprehensive — when the site is working, that is.

An article from the Johnson News Service, published in today's Daily News goes a little more in depth, behind the scenes. Reporter Tom Wanamaker talks with several people, including a municipal journalist's best friend, Robert Freeman, the executive director of the state Committee on Open Government.

"Thirty years ago, 'high-tech' meant electric typewriters and carbon paper," Freeman told Wanamaker. Freeman went on to call the site a "treasure trove of information on how public money is spent."

Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director of the League of Women Voters of New York State, hopes the site will spark a "rich debate about how governments spend taxpayer money."

Just a thought: The timing for the site's launch seems almost too perfect considering the governor's recent announcement that the state will need to start cutting staff and services to avoid a complete fiscal meltdown. We can now see in the barest and most unforgiving of languages — mathematics — just how each and every person, project and contract stacks up. Is this a good thing? Or a bad thing?

All of the following calls were reported by the City of Batavia Police Department. Listed offenses do not imply that charges were filed. Calls may result in no official action.

Monday:

• 12:58pm, 315 W. Main Street, accident
• 1:10pm, Columbia Ave., accident
• 3:29pm, 3 Treadeasy Dr., harassment
• 4:01pm, 7 Central Ave., burglary
• 5:11pm, 2 Olyn Ave., harassment
• 9:25pm, 14 Union St., harassment

Tuesday:

• 12:03am, 24 Porter Ave., harassment
• 12:51pm, 260 State St., larceny
• 2:21pm, 12 Ellicott St., harassment
• 2:53pm, 8351 Lewiston Road, accident
• 4:01pm, 5 Osterhout Ave., harassment

Wednesday:

• 5:09am, 4 Swan St. (Lower Rear), burglary
• 7:59am, 218 Ellicott St. (Lower), larceny
• 2:27pm, 196 Oak St., accident
• 5:26pm, 128 Jackson St., fraud
• 6:18pm, 12 Oak St., criminal mischief
• 8:37pm, 33 Dellinger Ave., reckless endangerment

Thursday:

• 12:33am, 433 E. Main St. (Apt: 5), harassment
• 9:16am, North Street, accident
• 1:28pm, 419 W. Main St., accident
• 5:11pm, W. Main Street, accident
• 7:26pm, 115 S. Main St., larceny

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

State police reported the arrest of Michael A. Soliday, 30, of Niagara Falls, Monday in the town of Lewiston. Soliday was stopped on Route 31 shortly after 9:30pm and discovered to be driving without a license and allegedly under the influence. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation.

When police searched Soliday's vehicle, they allegedly discovered more than 20 ounces of marijuana, hydrocodone tablets, codeine pills and a hypodermic needle.

Soliday was subsequently charged with a felony count of criminal possession of marijuana, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and two counts of criminally possessing a hypodermic instrument. He was sent to Niagara County Jail on $5,000 bail.

Batavia city police charged 33-year-old Jodylynn Wetmore, of 33 Dellinger Ave., with second-degree reckless endangerment Wednesday afternoon. Police were told that Wetmore drove into someone standing in a driveway.

That same night, the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force searched the apartment of 29-year-old Joshua S. Gaylord at 11 Wood St. (Lower), in Batavia, and allegedly found a third of an ounce of cocaine. He was charged with one felony count of third-degree and another of fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Officers then searched the upper apartment of 30-year-old Aaron J. Gaylord and allegedly found about an ounce of marijuana. Aaron Gaylord was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

All reports were issued in published releases by the respective departments.

We're back! After an intensive three-day video training workshop in Fairport, Philip is back in Batavia, more capable than ever to get out there and record the news. In the meantime, here's what you'll find at WBTA this morning:

Batavia's Charter Review Commission will meet Monday at 6:30pm at City Hall.

Batavia families welcome some inner-city kids to the open country as part of the Fresh Air Fund experience.

Professional Turf Services breaks ground today on the company's 12,000-square-foot facility in Pembroke Commerce Park. The company based in Grand island and Lockport distributes fertilizer to golf courses.

Check out WBTA.com for more on these and other stories.

High oil prices are pushing refinery upgrades and expansion, which is good news to Batavia-based Graham Corp. Its revenue and profits are soaring, reports the Buffalo News.

Graham is coming off a fiscal year where profits and sales were the highest ever by a wide margin. The company’s stock, which traded for just over $10 in January 2007, now stands at $89.

And Graham’s order backlog and new order bookings are running at a record pace, prompting Lines to predict that the company’s growth spurt is far from over, with sales expected to rise by another 15 percent to 20 percent during the fiscal year that began in March. That would push revenues to around $100 million for the first time ever.

The article indicates that Graham is continuing to expand its work force, at home and aboard.

It was a back-and-forth game, but Batavia (25-16) prevailed to beat State College (9-31) 8-5.  Hector Cardenas (3-0) got the win on the mound, throwing two innings with two hits and three strikeouts.  Adam Reifer came in to pitch a scoreless 9^th with two strikeouts for his twelfth save.  Rudy Owens (1-5) suffered the loss and blown save in three innings with five hits, four runs, one walk and two strikeouts.

 The Spikes scored first in the 3^rd when Ciro Rosero hit a solo homerun.  Batavia answered back in the bottom of the inning on a Charley Cutler single and Jose Garcia double.  But the Spikes came back again in the 4^th to score two.  Andrew Biela and Quincy Latimore both had singles then Miguel Mendez cleared the bases with a double.

 They added to their lead in the 5^th when Chase D’Arnaud started off the inning when he reached on a throwing error.  Jeremy Farrell then singled before Latimore singled to plate the two.  However, the Muckdogs started their comeback in the bottom of the 5^th on back-to-back-to-back doubles by Frederick Parejo, Cutler and Xavier Scruggs.  Scruggs came through to score on a throwing error later that inning.

 Batavia came through with the win in the bottom of the 8^th after Jermaine Curtis, Shane Peterson and Jon Edwards all singled.  Peterson came through to score the go-ahead run when Cutler ground-out.  Scruggs added some insurance with a two run double.

The Batavia Muckdogs ended their road trip strongly, taking all three games from the Crosscutters of Williamsport.  Here is a look at those games:

• Monday, July 28: Batavia 4, Williamsport 3:  Ramon Delgado (2-1) got the start and win, going five innings with six hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts.  Jameson Maj closed out the game and got his first save with four hits, two runs and four strikeouts in his four innings of work.  Jermaine Curtis went 1-for-4 with a three-run homerun.  Christian Rosa went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Tuesday, July 29: Batavia 6, Williamsport 4:  On the mound, Scott Gorgen (2-0) pitched five innings with three hits, one run and four strikeouts in his start for the win.  Adam Reifer let up two hits, one run and a walk in the 9th, but was still good enough to earn his eleventh save of the season.  Offensively, Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.  Jon Edwards also had a multi-hit night, going 2-for-3.
• Wednesday, July 30: Batavia 8, Williamsport 1:  The Muckdogs excelled in both parts of the game to complete the three-game sweep of the Crosscutters.  Thomas Eager (2-3) threw the first five innings with three hits, one run, four walks and three strikeouts to get the win.  George Brown was impressive in the last three innings, letting up only two hits and one walk with six strikeouts for his second save.  And the Batavia bats were hot, totaling twelve hits on the night.  Edwards went 1-for-5 and Xavier Scruggs went 1-for-4, each with a homerun and two RBI.  Shane Peterson went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-3 and Curtis went 3-for-5 with a stolen base.

Batavia is back in action tonight, starting a long homestand.  The State College Spikes come into town to play a three-game series.  The Muckdogs hope to keep-up their impressive stretch.  Here is where we stand right now:

• We are on a 5 game winning streak, winning 8 of our last 10 games.
• We are tied for 2nd with Auburn in the Pinckney Division, 2 games back of Jamestown.
• Jermaine Curtis's .324 batting average is 7th in the New York Penn League (NYPL).
• Arquimedes Nieto has record of 4-0 and an ERA of 1.41 to put him 2nd in the NYPL.
• Thomas Eager is right behind him with a 2-3 record and 2.12 ERA to place him 5th in the NYPL.
• Adam Reifer leads the NYPL with 11 saves.
• The team is 3rd in batting, with an average of .262.
• Colt Sedbrook is tied with two others for the league lead in triples; he has 5 on the season.

This week, we also lost pitcher Lance Lynn, as he was moved up to Quad Cities. Blake Murphy also got the call up and Louis De La Cruz has also left Batavia.  However, Nick Vera is back on the roster and new infielder Brett Lilley has joined the team.  Lilley, oringinally from North Canton, Ohio, went to school at Notre Dame.  He has a .308 batting average with Johnson City.

Stay tuned for more information on games, players and everything else Muckdogs!

(via Rochester Turning)

First, I want to let you all know that Lance Lynn was moved up to Quad Cities.  He had a great start on the road, going four innings with seven strikeouts.  We all wish him the best of luck!

We have a long homestand coming up starting this Thursday.  Here is some info on those games:

July 31-August 2: State College

• Thursday- Team Photo Giveaway
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks
• Saturday- Ryan Howard Bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans

August 3-August 4: Williamsport

• Sunday- Game starts at 4:05; dog bowl giveaway to the first 500 fans, courtesy of Invisible Fence; post-game run the bases
• Monday- "First Pitch Fly In" to benefit Mercy Flight; Muckdog Monday presented by the Daily News

August 6 & August 8: Auburn

• Wednesday- Doubleheader starting at 5:05; Genesee County ARC Night; reusable shopping bag giveaway courtesy of Genesee County ARC; Family Four Pack
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks

Keep checking in for game updates! I will have video after each home series! I hope to have a few player one-on-one interviews up during this homestand, too! Hope to see you at the ballpark!