Charlie Voelker

As a Division I college administrator for nearly two decades, I know better than to judge a situation based on a press release. Friday, Rick Bennett "resigned" his position as head men's ice hockey coach, effective immediately at Union College. Bennett had been on paid-administrative leave since January 20th, as a result of an allegation.

Many New York Mets fans wanted to see him in the Citi Field dugout as their team skipper. However, if those enthusiasts want to see former Amazin's star Edgardo Alfonzo manage a team, they'll have to travel to Staton Island. Mets fans will soon get to see 'Fonzie' in the dugout again.

No news is good news. Right? That's not the way the Pinstripes usually roll. The New York Yankees are used to dominating even the bleakest of sports-news days in past years. Until Wednesday, Brian Cashman seemed content to let his crosstown rival little brother bask in their new over-priced free agent toys and their flashy new manager, who he fired way back in 1995. However, on Wednesday, the Bombers GM may have fired a shot a cross the bow, letting everyone know that the Yankee line-up is loaded and we've made changes to optimize that fire power.

The new coach of the Broncos may have plenty of orange in his closet. As reported on Thursday by ESPN, Denver is working to finalize a deal to hire Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach. The Broncos have had five consecutive losing seasons. The last three had been orchestrated under former head coach Vic Fangio, who was fired in early January. Now Denver is hoping that the former Syracuse assistant coach can help bring that franchise back to the Super Bowl.

Bill Madden of the Daily News joined The Drive with Charlie & Dan today and stated that Major League Baseball, and specifically Commissioner Rob Manfred, publicly attempted to minimize David Ortiz's positive test result for PED's, in addition to the slugger's close relationship with a suspected PED drug dealer from the Dominican Republic. Madden backed up his claim as information documented in the book 'The Baseball Cop' written by former Major League Baseball investigator, Eddie Dominguez. The Daily News baseball columnist said that Major League Baseball will one day 'regret' David Ortiz' induction.

As high school basketball heads into the last weekend of January, coaches, players and fans begin to focus in on who may be in their school's way of a championship. This is the time of year when coaches try to make sure their best players aren't getting too worn down, while winning every game possible. Let's check out the top teams in each division in Section 2.

My older brother took me to Roosevelt Field, a shopping mall located about a 3-iron away from the Nassau Coliseum. As we were walking around, I recognized Clark Gillies, the New York Islanders captain at the time. Gillies and I shared a birthday and I walked up to him and let him know. Instead of blowing me off with a quick smile or a handshake, he put his arm around me and asked me where I lived, where I went to school and who my favorite Islander was. I was in heaven. Of course I told him that "he" was my favorite player. I left out the part about his teammate Dennis Potvin actually being my favorite player until that moment.

Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) commissioner Joey D'Antonio announced that Stony Brook University, Monmouth University and Hampton University will join the CAA as 'full members' next season. Stony Brook and Albany are currently 'associate members' of the CAA for football only. Starting next year, Stony Brook will become a full member and compete against the likes of Charleston, William & Mary, Delaware and Long Island rival Hofstra, instead of NJIT, Maine and the rest of America East.

The Tamarac boys basketball team is more than pretty good. Their top ranking amongst Class B high school programs in New York State is not something that the team nor the coaches take lightly. Success on any level takes hard work and commitment. Bengals coach Eric Medved, joined The Drive with Charlie & Dan on Friday to discuss his team's top ranking and Tamarac's 'Big Red' day.

It was a wild weekend of Divisional NFL Playoffs. We each game being decided by one score, you never know what could have made the difference in one game from the next. However, New York Giants fans can relish in the possibility that one of their own former heroes may have helped knock Aaron Rodgers out of the playoffs.