In lacrosse circles Long Island’s a known talent “hotbed.” I played with and against some great Long Island players at Trinity-Pawling School and Franklin & Marshall College.
On Saturday March 27th I was at Stony Brook University’s LaValle Stadium for the matchup with Albany. The Albany Great Danes came in ranked 19th in NCAA Division 1 lacrosse. Stony Brook jumped all over the Danes from the opening face off. Caleb Pearson scored two goals in the first 4:48 of the game. Pearson opened and closed a three goal start. Connor Grippe (Setauket/Ward Meville) had the other goal. The Danes and Seawolves traded goals with Chris Pickel Jr. (Bayport-Blue Point) getting Stony Brook a 4-1 lead. Stony Brook kept scoring with two more and Matt DeMeo(Sayville) put the Seawolves up 6-1 with 5:22 left in the first quarter. Then the Danes woke up scoring five straight goals. Stony Brook would not fold. They scored to end the half 7-5. The Seawolves opened the 3rd quarter with a goal and it was 8-5 at 13:33 of the 3rd. The teams traded goals twice to make it 10-7 going into the 4th. Bayport’s Pickel Jr had the last goal of the 3rd and first goal of the 4th. His goal made it 11-8 and the local product had a “hat trick”. They traded goals again and Albany got it to 12-10 with 5:51 to play. That’s when Stony Brook shut the door. Stony Brook native Dylan Pallonetti (Ward Melville) scored making it 15-10 with 2:39 left. The Seawolves scored again for a 16-10 final score. They closed the game with four straight goals. As we go to press the Seawolves sit on top of the America East Conference at 6-1 (8-3) overall. They’re ranked no.14 in the country and are the first team to qualify for their conference championship.
After experiencing the exhilaration of Atlantic City during the MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship in March. It was time to head back down to Absecon Island. This time I stayed at Resorts Casino Hotel in the Rendezvous Tower. Resorts is Atlantic City’s first casino. It became the first legal casino outside of Nevada on May 26, 1978. It underwent renovations in 2011, converting the resort to a “Roaring Twenties” theme. That’s appropriate with the hopeful renewal we feel as Covid restrictions are relaxed from 2020 into 2021, it’s a new “Roaring Twenties”. Now I understand the pleasing Art Deco look of the Rendezvous Tower.
During my stay I developed a love for the Buffalo Grand Slot Machine. It’s a progressive slot machine, where prizes increase as people play. I had some nice wins on the machine but It wasn’t until an older gentleman explained it further that I fully understood how lucky I had been. I also enjoyed the vibrating seat and loud “BUFFALO” the machine offered when Buffaloes appear. I’m still learning the machine and can’t wait to play it again.
Finally, Resorts has my favorite SportsBook. The ticket window attendants at DraftKing SportsBook were very helpful explaining “Live Action”, betting on games while teams are playing. My favorite and last bet was on the Knicks Sunday April 18th. I picked them and gave 3.5 points halfway through the game. They led by 13 at halftime so it seemed like a good bet. With 1:48 to play I was feeling hopeless with the Knicks losing 101-95. While the Knicks held New Orleans scoreless until the Pelicans hit two free throws with 7 seconds, the Knicks scored five points and the score was 103-100. Then with two seconds to play Reggie Bullock hits a three for the Knicks and it’s tied and headed to overtime. The Knicks beat New Orleans 19-9 in OT and my bet paid. Just when I thought it was over, I won. Another reason to always stay positive and visit Resorts.
