Wilkin reaches finish line
Over the past several years, on the day after Christmas, my brother Jeff would round up old friends from grammar school days from Sacred Heart School in Rochester. We would meet, have a few eggnogs and tell tales from days gone by.
My sister, Joanne, who would have no problem staying far away from the chewing of the fat, called it the “Remember When” tour. That name was in honor of the Tony Soprano line from an episode of the classic HBO series “The Sopranos.”
“Remember when,” Tony said, “is the lowest form of conversation.”
Ha ha. My sister, Joanne, is a regular riot.
There will be no gathering of the Rochester tribe this year because of the pandemic, but “Remember When” is alive and well. Right here. Right now.
And I’ll be the master of ceremonies. That’s because after 35 years at the Times Union, I’m calling it a career. Sort of. I have accepted a buyout offered to me from the Hearst Corporation. While you won’t see my name on these pages on a consistent basis anymore, I’ll still cover horse racing, which has always been my passion.
So, I am leaving, but I’ll be around. Just not as much.
Before I do sign off, just a little bit of “Remember When.”
Where to start? Over the course of my time on Albany Shaker Road, I’ve covered just about everything.
I was at Madison Square Garden for Siena’s NIT run in 1994. Visited outposts such as Rapid City, S.D., Wichita Falls, Texas, and Savannah, Ga., for playoff basketball with the Albany Patroons. Was on the scene for Ualbany’s basketball team’s three straight appear
ances in the NCAAS (2013-15). I remember interviewing Andy Pettitte after he pitched for the Albany-colonie Yankees in the mid 1990s. Did some Mike Tyson during his early days.
I spent a long, long night that went into morning at Messa Rink in 2010 when Quinnipiac beat Union 3-2 in five overtimes in an ECAC playoff game. At the time, it was the longest game in the history of college hockey. The game went so long (it ended at 1:03 on a Saturday morning) that Time Warner, which was televising the game, had to interview me between one of the OTS because they had run out of people to talk to.
RPI hockey. Ualbany football. Some high schools. Saint Rose basketball when the Golden Knights were making the NCAAS what seemed like a yearly stop. Sunday conversations with guys and gals throughout the 518.
So many stories. So many bylines. So many interviews. So many memories.
The people I have been fortunate enough to interact with is what has made this journey special. There isn’t enough space in the whole paper to mention all of you who have made the job a pleasure (most of the time). Let’s “Remember When” with them.
Bob Ford and Doc Sauers. Those two Ualbany icons ooze nothing but class. And they could coach a little bit, too.
Phil Jackson, before he became the Zen Master of the NBA, was the coach of the Albany Patroons. He was my coach for a week when the Patroons allowed me to try out for the team while doing a diary for the paper in 1985. My basketball skills, honed on the junior varsity at St. Bonaventure University, hadn’t eroded totally by then. I even got into an exhibition game, scoring one point. Also covered George
Karl, the late Bill Musselman, Gerald Oliver, Charley Rosen, Micheal Ray Richardson and
Derrick Rowland, among others, who coached the proud
organization.
And, believe this. There were
plenty of characters who came through the doors of Washington Avenue Armory to play, coach or watch. Could write a book about those memorable years. Where is the Honorable One, Jim Coyne, the father of the Patroons, when I need him?
Mike Deane, Paul Hewitt.
Rob Lanier. Bob Beyer. Put pen to pad with all of them at Siena. And Will Brown at Ualbany and Brian Beaury at Saint Rose. Gina Castelli and Ali Jaques on the women’s side at Siena; Mari Warner and Coach Abe at UALbany. And I can’t forget Union’s former football coach, John Audino.
During my days covering college hockey, I dealt with Mike Addesa, Seth Appert, Dan Fridgen and Dave Smith at RPI and Nate Leaman and Rick Bennett at Union. OK. Enough already.
Saratoga has always been the plum for me and I’ll be happy to keep up with the ponies for the paper. Hopefully, pick a few winners for you and regale you with tall horse tales in the Bankroll Beatdown with my downstate friend, Anthony “Herbie” Affrunti while being kept in check by the Saratoga press box watchdog, Tony Podlaski.
Being on the backstretch at Churchill Downs or Santa Anita, Belmont or Pimlico, but, most of all Saratoga, has been the best part of my job. Talking horses with Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, Todd Pletcher, Chad Brown, Dale Romans, Shug Mcgaughey and Nick
Zito; well it doesn’t get much better than that. Being able to chronicle the season of Tiz the Law with his owner Jack Knowlton and trainer Barclay Tagg has been an honor.
How many races have I handicapped? I don’t know. Thousands. How many winners have I picked? A few.
I would be remiss if I didn’t tip my tape recorder toward the people I have worked with over the years at the TU.
Matt Graves was a mentor and a good friend. Mike Jarboe, the fiddler, was my antagonist for so many years in the summer Bankroll Beatdown in the Green Sheet. Plenty of fun with those two guys and I miss them and think of them often. Always with a smile. I could tell stories about them until opening day at Saratoga.
Bill Arsenault. Tim and Joe Layden. Keith Marder. Buzz Gray. Al Hart. Dan Howley.
Pete Iorizzo. Hank Domin. Bill Callen. All a part of my Times Union past. I’ll end my watch working alongside the likes of sports editor Bill Douglas, James Allen, Pete Dougherty and Mark Singelais. They will continue to do good work.
Can’t leave out photo taker extraordinaire Skip Dickstein, who took a buyout a few years ago but still shoots the races for the paper. Could not imagine working the backstretch without him.
For me though, the time grows short. I thank you, the readers, for being supportive – and critical – over the years. Keep that up. Keep reading the Times Union. Support local journalism.
In return, I’ll give you the winner of next year's Kentucky Derby. Deal?
See ya around.
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