The Record, Bergen County, NJ

LACROSSE STATE FINALS

Boys Group 1

Old Tappan tops St. Joe

OLD TAPPAN -- Rob Pullsonetti drove in three runs Thursday as Old Tappan stunned St. Joseph, No. 2 in the North Jersey Top 25, 9-6. It was only the second loss in 26 games for the Green Knights, who play No. 1 Don Bosco in the North Non-Public A semifinal today and take on Ramsey in the Bergen County semifinal Saturday. Old Tappan faces Paramus today in the North 1, Group 3 final.

BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT

Defense (and pitching) wins championships: Don't expect a lot of runs when Don Bosco plays at St. Joseph in the North Non-Public A semifinal today. Pitching and defense will be the keys as these two rivals square off for the second time this season. Don Bosco won, 4- 2, on April 8. "They played defense and we didn't," St. Joseph coach Frank Salvano said. "The team that pitches and plays defense is going to be the winner." Lefty Kevin Ferguson will pitch for St. Joseph, while Don Bosco plans t...

TRACK: STATE GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS

Boys Group 1

SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT

You don't have to be perfect: Then again, it wouldn't hurt. The pitching matchup between Indian Hills' Katie Enright and Pequannock's Megan Brain in the North 1, Group 2 final should be a dandy. Enright, who pitched a perfect game with 20 strikeouts against Lenape Valley in the quarterfinals, got her 300th strikeout of the season in a three-hit shutout against Pompton Lakes in the semifinals. Pequannock has outscored its opponents, 28-3, in three games, giving up one run each game. That quite...

Refusing to lose ; Kennedy's Brown aims for State hurdles title

It was at the County Seat Invitational in Mahwah on May 2. Kennedy's Keshon Brown lined up with Passaic Tech's Nicoy Hines as favorites in the boys 110-meter high hurdles. This race was tight, the younger Brown battling the older Hines at each hurdle. A little more than 14 seconds passed before each crossed the finish line, Brown in 14.3, Hines in 14.2.

IC's Lopez chooses Division II Dominican

Immaculate Conception basketball player Lindsey Lopez, the school's all-time leading scorer with nearly 2,000 points, has decided on her next stop. Lopez, a 5-foot-5 guard, will attend Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y.

Sharp Cannata finishes job ; Junior tough with runners on base

SPARTA -- Rachel Cannata said she doesn't get nervous. She apparently doesn't get tired, either. Pitching for the third time in three days, the Paramus Catholic junior stymied Pope John, holding the Lions to four hits in the Paladins' 1-0 victory Thursday in the North Non-Public A semifinals.

Bulls dispute report on coach ; Say he's not on shaky ground

Juan Carlos Osorio isn't in trouble. His job seems quite secure, in fact: A contract extension still is being negotiated, and managing director Erik Stover expressed "utmost confidence" in the second-year coach, despite a 2-6-3 start and a report suggesting change is on the horizon. Stover adamantly refuted a Monday report from The Washington Post that stated "upper management is losing patience with Osorio." The blog entry, written by veteran reporter Steve Goff, used an anonymous source to ...

Time to flash back to the '80s ; Pens looking like Gretzky's Oilers

When Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins reached the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago, many compared them to the young Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s because of their star power and offensive skill. This year, the comparison might be even more fitting.

CC in Tribal territory ; Bombers' ace returning to where it all began

CLEVELAND - CC Sabathia can't simply slip back into this city quietly, so why bother? On Thursday night, Sabathia led a contingent of Yankees teammates and club employees into Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals - rooting on friend LeBron James and the Cavaliers against the Orlando Magic.

YANKEES NOTES

Welcome back Jorge Posada will be activated prior to tonight's game, according to general manager Brian Cashman. Out since May 4 due to a strained right hamstring, Posada is expected to be in the lineup as the Yankees open a four-game series at Cleveland. On Thursday, Posada participated in his third straight extended spring training game in Florida.

Will T.O.'s show play in Buffalo? ; Bills, QB Edwards hope for best as Owens brings his act to town

Trent Edwards is just 25, in his third season in the NFL, and happy as can be to have Terrell Owens as one of his wideouts in Buffalo these days. A bit naive, perhaps, but happy nonetheless. "Any extra practice we can get, on top of these OTAs, is beneficial to all of us ... and Terrell and myself are really communicating well," the Bills quarterback said after a recent OTA session, which included extra time working with his new receiver.

Coaches' headache: the prom

There is a four-letter word that no softball coach likes to hear this time of year. Prom.

A wave of huge stripers

The striped bass fishing in the last 10 days has been up and down. The water temperature has been fluctuating with the changing winds, so the action has been unpredictable. When it blows hard from the south or southeast for a day or two, it drops to about 49 degrees. When it comes from any other direction, the water warms to 54-58 degrees. The 49-degree water temperature normally would slow the bite down, but it hasn't on every occasion this season. The bass are feeding at some point in the d...

Optimism but no promise from recovering Delgado

GREENWICH, Conn. -- For a guy on crutches, Carlos Delgado certainly proved elusive when it came to defining a timetable for his return to the Mets' lineup. The slugger, recovering from hip surgery, won't guarantee he'll be back this season. Then again, he sees no reason why he shouldn't.

RB isn't running mouth ; Jets' Jones back, but avoids media

FLORHAM PARK -- Thomas Jones' biceps were as sculpted as they've ever been. So it's obvious that he had been working out on his own while boycotting the Jets' voluntary conditioning and practices. Still, although his muscles were as chiseled as ever, Jones declined to give his vocal cords a workout Thursday. After participating in the Jets' organized team activity for the second straight day, Jones was a no-show in the locker room during the time that media members were allowed in.

Bergen baseball's bonanza ; Don Bosco, St. Joseph facing a wild ride in County, States

The stage is set for what should be the best weekend of high school baseball in Bergen County in quite some time. The leading roles - well, of course - belong to familiar faces, with Don Bosco and St. Joseph prepared to play each other twice in a 72-hour span to not only determine which team will compete for a sectional title, but who will win Sunday's County championship.

Mets can't get over it ; Players trying to 'deal with' new digs' no fly zone

For generations, it seems, the Mets have been infatuated with pitching and defense, carrying that philosophy all the way into the architect's studio at Citi Field. Today, the stunning new ballpark is a shrine for pitchers -- but a black hole for gap hitters who used to reach the fences at Shea Stadium. Hitting a home run at Citi isn't impossible, but it's close enough for the Mets to privately root for a change in dimensions for 2010.

JIM FREDA'S SALTWATER REPORT

Best bet Big striped bass from 25-45 pounds are present in Monmouth and Ocean county waters. Bass have been most active at daybreak and then again at dusk feeding in the bunker schools.