Apple-A-Day: Bye Bye, Big Game Andy
The day has finally come. Big Game Andy is hanging up his jersey for the last time. It’s no surprise Friday’s big story is the retirement of Yankees’ pitcher Andy Pettitte. Pettitte, in his 13 years in pinstripes, earned 203 wins—third most in Yankee history and also won a major league record 19 postseason wins. Overall, he earned 240 wins in 16 seasons. One of New York’s “Core Four,” everyone looked up to the left-hander in the clubhouse.
Andy Pettitte (Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
As for the city, high school basketball playoffs tip off next Tuesday but not before a handful of teams hit the court for a pair of tournaments this weekend. No. 8 Mount St. Michael (19-0) looks to remain undefeated playing Poly Prep on Saturday at 8:20 p.m. in the Coaches vs. Cancer High School Classic at Manhattan College while the PSAL Class A Showcase will be played at Long Island City.
Tonight’s highlight will be the Battle of the Boulevard rivalry pitting St. Francis Prep against Holy Cross (12-8, 4-5 Brooklyn/Queens) in Fresh Meadows. Holy Cross is coming off a 79-63 loss against Rice in a game which Marquise Moore scored 21 points followed by Evan Conti who scored 18.
When some think of high school athletics, they tend to forget about academics, but not at Boys & Girls where Mike Taylor is serving a suspension for failing first period. The Rutgers-bound shooting guard has missed two games so far and it’s uncertain when he’ll be back. The Kangaroos are looking to defend its PSAL crown in the playoffs, but the school’s principal isn’t showing any signs of letting Taylor back on the court for the playoffs. What do you think? How much are school officials and coaches permitted to speak about the extent of grades? Tell us what you think about the balance of academics vs. athletics here on Small Apple Sports!
