WNY Sports and Food Reviews

Ottavino "Tovie" Asarese (right) intently watches a playoff game at the Asarese-Matters Community Center.    (For Bengal News Online) Inside the Asarese-Matters Community Center on Rees Street on a Monday or Wednesday night during the winter, next to the scorer’s table sits a man who has seen and done it all for sports in the West Side.     He’s 84-years-old, he currently uses a cane, he has aged greatly, but his mind and passion for helping kids in the community has never diminished.         His name is Ottavino “Tovie” Asarese, the founder and Commissioner of the West Side Play Area Street Hockey League.    Asarese has been involved in amateur and youth sports for over 50 years. From founding the West Side Little League Football Club, West Side Boys Baseball, West Side Ponytail Softball, and of course the West Side Street Hockey Program.     Although Asarese said that the hockey program...

Tonight at 9PM in Madison Square Garden, the fourth ranked Cardinals of Louisville will play the resurgent 24th ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame for a crack at the Big East championship. Tonight will be the third time Notre Dame and Louisville will go head to head in the Big East tournament. The Cardinals have won both previous meetings, including a 64-50 win over the Irish in last year's semifinals. The Irish and Cardinals split this year's series 1-1 with Notre Dame winning a five overtime thriller over head coach Rick Pitino 104-101 in South Bend, and Louisville returning the favor with a 73-57 drubbing of Notre Dame last Saturday. Louisville since their five overtime loss against the Irish have won every game since. The defending Big East champions and Final Four representative have won eight straight, winning by double digits in all but one of those games (A 58-53 win over Syracuse March 2). Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated The Irish will have to contain...