HOMETOWN BREAKDOWN HODGEPODGE

Couple quick Hometown Breakdown notes:

• Coach Rob Smart's Queen's Golden Gaels, at No. 10, have made their first appearance in Mark Wacyk's latest Top 10 rankings at the CIS Hoops Blog. Mark notes that "the Gaels have been simply tremendous compared to their pre-season forecast."
  
  (UPDATE: Indeed, the Gaels remain in the "Also Receiving Votes" zone in the "official" rankings -- the York Lions, whom the Gaels beat two weeks ago and are tied with for third in the OUA East, are No. 10 after being unranked this week. Carleton's No. 1 of course, and the U of O Gee-Gees slipped two rungs to No. 7, which is where Mark placed them.)
  
  The Gaels basketball squads are in Ottawa this weekend to play Carleton and the U of O, but naturally I have work commitments. You understand.
• Another bleed-Tricolour note: Queen's has been selected to host the 2010 World University Cross-Country Championships. That's a real feather in the cap of Gaels coach Shane Lakins (a fellow Napanee native).
• Congrats to Gaels soccer star Eilish McConville, who was honoured last weekend at the Ottawa Sport Awards, which recognize amateur athletes in more than 50 disciplines.
• There's a possible connection here with two other Ottawa athletes who were honoured: Allie Hann-McCurdy (figure skating) and Malinda Hapuarachchi (field hockey). Hann-McCurdy's ice dance partner Michael Coreno (they're competing in their first senior nationals this week in Halifax) is from Delhi, Ont., part of the Simcoe Reformer's coverage area. As for Ms. Hapuarachchi, who starred in field hockey at the University of Toronto, this is tangential -- among the 13 roommates I had during my four year's at Queen's (no word of a lie) was one Michelle Hapuarachchi, who was from Ottawa and who had a younger sister who would now be about university age. Same hometown, same first initial, same last name -- it almost couldn't be a coincidence.
• Veteran outfielder Pedro Swann, whom I understand was a popular player here with the Ottawa Lynx in '03-04 a couple years ago, was reacquired by the Lynx's major-league parent, the Philadelphia Phillies, late last month. I checked with the Lynx and was told they don't know who will be on the roster until late March, but it would be a nice story if he does return. Swann is one of the few Delewareans to play 15 seasons of pro baseball. The best of 'em all, of course, was former Expos second baseman Delino DeShields.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.