Fixing some, adding others, and just messing around with a few others:
Green Machine
A month or so before the start of the high school basketball season, a friend of mine who is quite knowledgeable of the Class L scene suggested that Manchester Central, despite graduating a ton of talent, would "still be pretty good."
Now we find out how accurate that comment is as the Little Green are undefeated through the end of January. Add in a three-game sweep in the Queen City Christmas Tournament, and you understand why the Little Green has sights on a Class L three-peat.
The Good Old Orange, Blue and Black
Local sports fan Brian Bendiks was a 16-year old on Long Island when the Dodgers and Giants fled NYC, and he is sure that the color combination of the New York Mets came together in hopes of rekindling some fan interest for the Mets, the new team in town. In fact, he remembers reading about it. He reminded me that the Polo Grounds (home field of the Giants) was in deplorable condition and that the average attendance figures for the Giants (6,000 per game) and the Dodgers (20,000 per game) was a far cry from today’s attendance.
While much younger, local sports media personality Mike Murphy, a staunch New York sports lover, chimed in saying my older son was correct, that the blue and orange indeed represents the melding of the Dodgers and Giants colors.
How did I ever miss that all these years? Maybe I was paying too much attention to Ed Kranepool, Choo-Choo Coleman, Elio Chacon, Ron Swoboda, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, a young, pickle-brine soaking Nolan Ryan (and the very attractive Ruth Ryan), and Wayne Garrett. (And for the record, that’s without looking at any reference material, which accounts for any misspellings!)
Not doubting Mr. Murphy, but those colors look an awful lot like Syracuse University colors to me.
To Err Is
Writing this blog is like the Flying Wallendas without a net.......there's no editor to correct my gaffes. To wit:
The name of the park off the old Dump Road is Terrill Park, not Terrell Park. Hope I didn't offend any Terrells. Thanks for the editing goes to eagle- eye Paul Dallaire.
Vega-terrians
Kind of neat thing happening at Rundlett Middle School (real hard not to type Junior High, but I managed). The basketball coach of the boys B team is Mark Paveglio. The coach of the girls B team is Bob Paveglio, father of Mark.
So Bob and Mark get to ride the bus together to away games, chat about game strategy before and after the games, kibitz at practices, and just hang around like buds.
Kind makes your heart skip a beat, doesn't it?
Way Back and (thankfully) Out of Here
There are a number of us who yelled “hurrah” when the Red Sox deep-sixed Jerry Trubiano from its radio broadcast team. Apparently, Boston Globe sports writer Nick Cafardo didn’t see things the same way. In one of his Sunday sports sections this month, Cafardo added the following in his Appropos of Nothing segment:
“5. I still can’t understand why the Red Sox let Jerry Trubiano go.”
My guess, Mr. Cafardo, is that being a sportswriter – even the Red Sox beat writer for a while – you don’t have the opportunity to listen to many Red Sox games on the radio. If you did, you would understand what the rest of us understand: Trubiano was horrible and will not be missed. Sorry. He’s probably a great guy. But thankfully I have listened to my last “Way back!” only to find out that the shortstop is camped under a pop fly. And I won’t miss the inane bantering between Trubiano and Joe Castiglione that either went nowhere or agitated Castiglione, who, by the way, is not one of my favorites either.
That’s what happens when you grow up listening to Curt Gowdy, Ned Martin, Ken Coleman, Bob Prince (Pittsburg), Jim Woods (Pittsburg), and Bob Murphy. Trubiano and Castiglione just don’t stack up.
New Trade Manny Idea
If you don’t read Bill Simmons (http://sports.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=bill_simmons&rT=sports) at ESPN.com under the Page 2 section , you are missing out. One of his recurring features is his Mailbag edition. Some of his readers are just plain creative and his answers are equally entertaining. Such as this creative way of dealing with Manny Ramirez:
Mailbag: The Sox should just tell Manny he got traded to Boston. He won't know the difference.--Mike H, Noxen, N.H.
Sports Guy (Simmons): I love this idea. They could go all out with this: Call him up, tell him he's been traded to Boston, have him pack up all of his stuff, fly him in circles in the team jet for five hours, then drop him off in Cambridge and tell him he's on the West Coast. He might fall for it. By the time the season starts, it will be too late for him to complain. I really think this could work.
Priceless.
Jim Veacock
His long right arm would shoot out from behind the old fashioned bubble chest protector. It would take a mini-pump before heading straight up as the man bellowed, "Steee-riiiiiiike." You could hear him all over the White's Park field, along White and Beacon Streets, and partway up Charles Street.
Jim Veacock umpired more of our games than anyone else. You may have argued with him on occasion or not liked his strike zone from time to time, but you always knew he was doing his best.......and you could guarantee that he knew the rules so if something funky happened, he'd make it right.
For me he was more than just an umpire. In my sophomore year of college I decided to take up umpiring as a means of making some money. Veacock was right there ready to help me learn the intricacies of positioning, strike zones, command of the game, and most of all, the rules. We'd work games together and talk baseball rules between innings and on the ride to and from the games.
He shared his knowledge and experiences with us because he wanted us to succeed, to carry the Concord umpiring torch on when he decided to get done.
Armed with my own supply of Knotty Problems baseball rules puzzlers first supplied to me by Walter Smith, I'd pick Veacock's brain for answers to the trickier questions. And he'd give me some from his own personal experiences. For a kid who loved the inside part of baseball, these meetings with Veacock were a pure joy.
Like other talented people in Our Town - the Old Scout, Ruel Colby comes quickly to mind - Jim Veacock likely could have taken his chest protector, his old mask soldered together in a dozen or more spots, and his balls/strikes indicator and umpired at much higher levels. Instead he chose to stay in Concord and our town's history is that much richer for it.
He moved away from Concord a number of years ago, after retiring from the Post Office. He spent his later years in Florida, reportedly umpiring games well into his 70s.
Now the local newspaper brings us the news that Jim Veacock, Umpire, has passed away at the age of 90.
Rest in peace, Jim.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/REPOSITORY/701100305/1006/COMMUNITY02
Paul Dupont
His name didn't appear in bright lights, his ego such that it didn't need stroking for his great and wonderful deeds performed in the world of Concord education. Nor did he ever need to chase his just rewards for teaming with his buddy Tom Thurston to keep Camp Fatima and Camp Bernadette afloat when both camps teetered on the brink of closing.
As directors of the two camps, they could have chucked it and let the camps close. But instead Dupont and Thurston put together video tapes (or was it slide shows?) and ventured off to Long Island and New Jersey in search of kids who would benefit from a summer or two or three in New Hampshire's wonderland.
The success of the two camps can't be measured in any quantitative means. But the love kids who attended the camps developed for each other has lasted much longer than a summer stay. Indeed, the bonds these kids developed have stayed with them forever.
And Paul Dupont was the common denominator for all of these kids.
When the tragedy of September 11, 2001, struck, I happened to be passing Paul's School Street house around noontime. Earlier in the day, a friend of mine had told me that many of the kids who attended Fatima over the years had jobs in and around the Twin Towers and that Paul Dupont had kept in touch with them over the years.
As I turned onto North Spring Street, Paul was coming down his back stairs. I pulled over and we talked. He was stunned - naturally - by the tragedy of the morning, and tears were welling in his eyes as he was thinking aloud of all the great campers - well educated, full of promise -who had moved on in life and taken jobs in New York City.
He had kept in touch with so many of the kids that his mind was racing, wondering which ones were in NYC that day, which ones had escaped the destruction, and sadly which ones were not as fortunate.
Kids - now adults - many of whom escaped the tragedy that day were at Paul's funeral last fall, bonding with friends from years gone by, honoring a person who made a difference in their lives.
Paul Dupont had that effect on the lives of many people in Our Town and beyond.
Betty Hoadley has written a eulogy for Paul that will appear in an upcoming newsletter for the Concord teaching community. She has graciously allowed me to print her thoughts.
"If a filled church for a memorial mass is a testament to a life well lived, then Paul Dupont must have had a life especially well lived.
On Saturday, October 21, family and friends gathered to say goodbye to Dupont, an educator with 37 years of service to the Concord School District. He had been a teacher at Walker School, Broken Ground School and Rundlett Middle School. He had the unique distinction of having served as assistant principal at the middle school as well as serving as principal at the Garrison , Walker and Conant schools earlier in his career.
Dupont has been characterized as a “straight shooter,” one who “called a spade, a spade,” and one who clearly let you know how he felt about a matter. Though not trained as a school guidance counselor, he gladly took on that role with Concord school students and with his campers (and staff) at his long time summer work at Camp Fatima. Young people listened to Paul and trusted him. Many of his students were appreciative of the way he explained mathematics, emphasizing the logic and relevance of the skills he was teaching.
Paul Dupont was a people person with adults as well. Staff members liked to work with him and for him. His stability, his interest in every staff person and his ever-present smile resulted in good school morale. As one secretary at Rundlett put it, “He was a joy to work for.”
Dupont’s interest and involvement with Concord athletics was both varied and continuous. He served as the first CHS varsity men’s hockey team coach at a time when the games were played at White Park. His wife, Bev, remembers him returning home at midnight on winter evenings after spending some cold hours spraying the rink to make a new and perfect surface. He was active in the Concord Youth Hockey program for many years. And in more recent years, he served as ticket seller and ticket taker at CHS games and matches. Why he even joined the “mall walkers” group after he retired from the school district! Looking around at his funeral, one could see representatives of all these groups, and others as well.
Paul and Bev Dupont raised five children, all of whom went to Concord schools. The next generation includes 14 grandchildren. It is a close and supportive family with their adult children having many memories of a typical Concord childhood made better still by summers spent at the church camp in Gilmanton. Though Paul was a professional educator and a faithful community volunteer, he balanced that with being a devoted and attentive father.
Concord is fortunate to have so many men and women citizens like Paul Dupont who care so much about this community, care about its young people and actually make differences in their lives. He exemplified a unique blend of educator and volunteer. We thank him for all of that. And, along with his family, we mourn his having left us." - Betty Hoadley
Rest in peace, Paul. Your deeds are done and your memory will carry on.
Jeff Smith
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Band of Brothers (The Lovejoy Boys) by Bobby York
http://www.recorder.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=587&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=&S=1
Bobby York, from the South End Yorks and Rollins Park, writes for the Greenfield, Mass. Recorder, and found a topic that should be near and dear to the hearts of many of us Concord natives.
Carl Lovejoy, from the South End Lovejoys and Rollins Park, has spent most of his life since early teens in and around the private school scene. A graduate of St. Paul's School and Colby College, Carl has three boys, all of whom have starred in athletics at Deerfield Academy.
Yorkie does a great job bringing us up to date with the travels of the Brothers Lovejoy. Enjoy......Jeff
Bobby York, from the South End Yorks and Rollins Park, writes for the Greenfield, Mass. Recorder, and found a topic that should be near and dear to the hearts of many of us Concord natives.
Carl Lovejoy, from the South End Lovejoys and Rollins Park, has spent most of his life since early teens in and around the private school scene. A graduate of St. Paul's School and Colby College, Carl has three boys, all of whom have starred in athletics at Deerfield Academy.
Yorkie does a great job bringing us up to date with the travels of the Brothers Lovejoy. Enjoy......Jeff
Thursday, December 14, 2006
A Little Holiday Cheer
Catcher of the Decade
For you younger folks, this might be hard to understand or even believe, but it is true. Back in the day – that being the 50s and 60s for me – the powerhouse college baseball team of the Northeast region wasn’t UMaine. Wasn’t Boston College. Wasn’t UConn. Wasn’t Providence. No, those schools all became regional and national powers a bit later on.
(While I have a hard time understanding why UNH dropped its baseball team, I’m dumbfounded as to why Providence College dropped its program.)
The Beast of the East was none other than Springfield College. Yup, the school that is now a Division III program was a Division I power. Complete with legendary coach and players being drafted in the professional ranks annually.
No, I haven’t been sniffing the Tide box from Mr. Foy’s store. Haven’t even been chewing on some stale baseball card gum left over from Sammy Dahood’s market. And I haven’t munched on some old mint julep candies at Dan’s Market.
(Concord Quiz 1: Please! If anyone can tell me where Dan’s Market was in Concord, I’d be thrilled. Concord National LL used to have a team called Dan’s Market in the 50s and no one around these parts can tell me where it was…..but I digress.)
Springfield College, coached by the legendary Archie Allen, was a power. So strong, in fact, that it went to the College World Series in Omaha a couple of times. Yes, the very same College World Series that is now on ESPN in the spring every year. And one trip to the College World Series included the late Walter Smith, a catcher for Springfield, who went on to a lengthy career as the executive secretary of the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association.
(Concord Quiz 2: Name Walter and Robin Smith’s five kids. Extra points if you put them in the proper order by age.)
So why does Springfield College come up in this holiday season?
Because they just selected their all-time team of the decades and James Sutton Watson (CHS ’64, Springfield ’68, ’70) –Promaker to his buds at White’s Park – was selected as the catcher on the Team of the 60s.
Congrats, Jimmy Cat Pro. Humble as you are, that’s a great honor.
Might even put you in the running for White’s Park Man of the Year.
(Congrats can be sent to:
JWatson89@hotmail.com)
What Goes Around, Comes Around
You all know that Jason Smith, he of the fabled Merrimack Valley basketball teams of the late 80s and early 90s, is the highly successful men’s basketball coach at Brewster Academy.
What you may not know is that his assistant coach is long-time New Hampshire high school hoops mentor Al Simoes, who just happened to coach at Merrimack Valley in the late 80s when Scott Drapeau and Company were just beginning their surge to stardom.
Now he sits beside Jason on the Brewster bench watching a collection of Division I talent romp up and down the floor.
(And if you’re into star-gazing of the college basketball coaching variety, then you need to stop by the Smith Center -no relation, Jason claims - on the school’s Wolfeboro campus. Not at every New Hampshire high school gym could you sidle up to, oh say, Steve Alford, bedecked in his black and gold Iowa University early-winter jacket and just quietly watch 40 minutes of basketball.)
A Shiny Head, a Nickname Forever
Once upon a time, many years ago, the young men (boys) of Our Town wore their hair considerably shorter and far less styled then today. In fact, folks like George the Barber (Washington Street) made a career of providing the North End kids with haircuts called fuzz ball, crew, and whiffle.
So when classmate Jimmy Golden had his hair cut real short when he was a student at Rundlett Junior High, one didn’t expect much to happen.
But it did. One of the guidance counselors at Rundlett was flat out bald. So bald that kids called him Chrome-Dome…..out of earshot, of course, unless you wanted a forced vacation at home or with the truant officer.
Somehow the low shearing of Jimmy Golden’s hair spawned a new nickname for him, one that has stuck to this very day: Tucker, aptly named after Mr. Tucker from RJHS .
I’m betting my next bottle of Jic Jac that there are a significant number of our classmates who have no idea that Tucker Golden’s real first name is James.
So how come this comes up now? Because Edward L. Tucker, the RJHS guidance counselor with the bald head, passed away recently.
And Jimmy Golden is still Tucker to all of us.
Mr. Tucker's obit:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/REPOSITORY/612070334&SearchID=73265937194978
Last One Standing
You’ve heard me expound on how blessed Our Town was with the number of large familys who had all boys….in fact all athletic boys. The Callahans, the Knees, the Ceriellos, and the Kallecheys all wore out the ballfields and the ice rinks in Concord playing nearly ever sport available to them in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.
So it is that my condolenses go out to old pal George Kallechey and his relatives on the passing of his uncle Harry Kallechey, the last Kallechey brother standing of that generation.
The Brothers Callahan, Ceriello and Kallechey are all now passed on leaving three of the four Knee brothers (Ron, Bobby and Doug) to carry the torch.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061212/REPOSITORY/612120394/1006/COMMUNITY02
Not Fashionably Late for This One
Always got a kick out of reading a newspaper report about one of the kids I coached in Little League or in basketball as they made their way up through the high school athletic systems. Also loved the feeling of going to the Will Call window to pick up your special tickets to the games.
So I can't even imagine what it was like recently for Bill Haubrich, The Current (as opposed to The Elder or the Younger), when found out that his national athletic director conference this year was in Anaheim. Naturally he quickly checked the NBA schedule to see who the Lakers or Clippers were playing and much to his delight, the Lakers were scheduled to play the Spurs, with former CHS star Matt Bonner.
That meant Bill could see his former player play.
In person.
In Los Angeles.
At the Staples Centers as a guest of Bon-Bon.
Perfect.
Of course dining with Bonner the night before the game and meeting some of the celebs on game night (so wouldn't you like to meet Eva Longoria?) also made for an enjoyable time on the West Coast.
Itchy Boom
Our vet tech at Doggie Daycare (honestly, I wouldn't lie to you) explained to us that there is a procedure to take care of our dog doing the heinie scootch (her term, not mine - literal human translation: scratching your ass). It's called "squeezing your anal glands."
Stop right now: Betcha can't even put the thoughts you're having into a coherent sentence, can you?
Deal or No Deal
No reason to count the ballots. The National Human Resources Person of the Year award goes to the person in charge of hiring the 26 case carrying young laides on Deal or No Deal. Job well done, my friend. One would have to be blind to think Howie Mandel is the main attraction on that show.
And in case you're wondering: 17-10-3 in that order and I'd be a happy camper for a long time. On the other hand, Mrs. Off My Wall wants a replacement for No. 13. Says she is ugly. Funny, but I haven't made it up that far yet.
Name Change
Despite the accusations of being too 03301-centric, I must confess that I have no idea which Terrell family was honored by having a park named after him/her/them off the old dump road bordering the Merrimack River a block up from Exit 13.
But I do know that after the recent ConMon revelations of homosexual activity in the park, I'd be asking the City - no, make that DEMANDING the City - to remove my name from anything to do with that park.
Escaping the Wrath
So how come no one's bringing up J. D. Drew's lack of base running ability? Did you forget already?
Late last summer we almost doubled over in laughter watching SportsCenter as Met catcher Paul LoDuca tagged out the slow-footed Jeff Kent and Drew on the very same play at the plate with Drew arriving at home only seconds after the piano-bearing Kent was tagged out.
Of course, I went right to the Dodgers media guide to see if Wendall (Wave 'Em Home) Kim was coaching third for the Dodgers.
He wasn't.
Prove It!
I pay attention to major league baseball. Always have. So much so that when my oldest son told me that somewhere on the Internet he found that the color of the New York Mets baseball hats (black, blue and orange) honors the New York Giants (black and orange) and Brooklyn Dodgers (blue) leaving New York prior to the 1958 season, I gulped.
Never have I ever heard such a thing. Not then when the Dodgers and Giants left for the West Coast and not since.
So unless someone can prove to me otherwise, I'm siticking with my contention that some recent marketing or public relations person for the Mets thought it would be a neat thing to say.
But I don't believe it for a minute. It is just happenstance.
Fantasy Baseball
Towards the end of the regular major league baseball season, my wife and I were shopping at the Home Depot in Concord at about closing time. We were in the back of the store near the lumber racks when I picked up a long dowel and took a hitter's pose.
The kid working the area saw me and smiled, acknowledging that there's no bad time for a ball game. I agreed, naturally, and told him this was the first season in a long time that I was not following the Red Sox deep into the season and into the playoffs.
The kid, not yet 20 years old, said he too was bummed out by the Sox, but even more so because his fantsty team had just been knocked out of their playoffs.
Mrs. OMW, who has great disdain for my fantasy baseball involvements ("No different than grown women playing with Barbie dolls!"), all but vomited and immediately headed for the front of the store knowing that I'd be tied up in conversation for at least ten minutes discussing players, statistics, and future plans in Make Believe Baseball as she call it.
He’d Be Better Off Not Listening
Let me get this straight. Dice-K comes to America and can’t speak a word of English. He signs a mega contract and then listens to hordes of media types asking him questions in a language he can’t understand. Think about it: Bob Ryan talks at the speed of light. Glenn Ordway talks loudly over everyone. Tony Massoratti squeaks like he’s inhaled helium. Sean McAdams talks so low and slow that you think he might stop dead in his tracks in mid-sentence. Pete Sheppard talks like he still has last Sunday’s dinner stored in his esophagus. And Hazel Mae has been so styled up that she doesn’t look Asian anymore.
Then Dice-K goes into the Red Sox clubhouse and sees this guy with a perfectly bald head (Francona) who looks like he should be an emperor in a neighboring country. Then a huge black man (Ortiz) with wrap around sunglasses who sparkles from all the bling. And another big black man (Manny) with a funky hair-do sitting in the corner coloring in his latest color book. And a good-sized white guy (Schilling) with a mullet who seems to be unable to talk unless a camera is staring him in the face.
And think about this: All of Dice-K’s English lessons will be thrown out the window if Clemens shows up in June because nothing he says makes much sense.
Just be thankful that Pedro and Ricky Henderson aren’t with the Sox anymore.
Yup, welcome to Boston, Dice-K. You’ll just love it here if you can understand anything that anyone says.
Happy holidays to you all. May the new year be one filled with joy.
And just think: Every day that goes by means it's one day closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training.
Joy to all.
Jeff Smith
For you younger folks, this might be hard to understand or even believe, but it is true. Back in the day – that being the 50s and 60s for me – the powerhouse college baseball team of the Northeast region wasn’t UMaine. Wasn’t Boston College. Wasn’t UConn. Wasn’t Providence. No, those schools all became regional and national powers a bit later on.
(While I have a hard time understanding why UNH dropped its baseball team, I’m dumbfounded as to why Providence College dropped its program.)
The Beast of the East was none other than Springfield College. Yup, the school that is now a Division III program was a Division I power. Complete with legendary coach and players being drafted in the professional ranks annually.
No, I haven’t been sniffing the Tide box from Mr. Foy’s store. Haven’t even been chewing on some stale baseball card gum left over from Sammy Dahood’s market. And I haven’t munched on some old mint julep candies at Dan’s Market.
(Concord Quiz 1: Please! If anyone can tell me where Dan’s Market was in Concord, I’d be thrilled. Concord National LL used to have a team called Dan’s Market in the 50s and no one around these parts can tell me where it was…..but I digress.)
Springfield College, coached by the legendary Archie Allen, was a power. So strong, in fact, that it went to the College World Series in Omaha a couple of times. Yes, the very same College World Series that is now on ESPN in the spring every year. And one trip to the College World Series included the late Walter Smith, a catcher for Springfield, who went on to a lengthy career as the executive secretary of the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association.
(Concord Quiz 2: Name Walter and Robin Smith’s five kids. Extra points if you put them in the proper order by age.)
So why does Springfield College come up in this holiday season?
Because they just selected their all-time team of the decades and James Sutton Watson (CHS ’64, Springfield ’68, ’70) –Promaker to his buds at White’s Park – was selected as the catcher on the Team of the 60s.
Congrats, Jimmy Cat Pro. Humble as you are, that’s a great honor.
Might even put you in the running for White’s Park Man of the Year.
(Congrats can be sent to:
JWatson89@hotmail.com)
What Goes Around, Comes Around
You all know that Jason Smith, he of the fabled Merrimack Valley basketball teams of the late 80s and early 90s, is the highly successful men’s basketball coach at Brewster Academy.
What you may not know is that his assistant coach is long-time New Hampshire high school hoops mentor Al Simoes, who just happened to coach at Merrimack Valley in the late 80s when Scott Drapeau and Company were just beginning their surge to stardom.
Now he sits beside Jason on the Brewster bench watching a collection of Division I talent romp up and down the floor.
(And if you’re into star-gazing of the college basketball coaching variety, then you need to stop by the Smith Center -no relation, Jason claims - on the school’s Wolfeboro campus. Not at every New Hampshire high school gym could you sidle up to, oh say, Steve Alford, bedecked in his black and gold Iowa University early-winter jacket and just quietly watch 40 minutes of basketball.)
A Shiny Head, a Nickname Forever
Once upon a time, many years ago, the young men (boys) of Our Town wore their hair considerably shorter and far less styled then today. In fact, folks like George the Barber (Washington Street) made a career of providing the North End kids with haircuts called fuzz ball, crew, and whiffle.
So when classmate Jimmy Golden had his hair cut real short when he was a student at Rundlett Junior High, one didn’t expect much to happen.
But it did. One of the guidance counselors at Rundlett was flat out bald. So bald that kids called him Chrome-Dome…..out of earshot, of course, unless you wanted a forced vacation at home or with the truant officer.
Somehow the low shearing of Jimmy Golden’s hair spawned a new nickname for him, one that has stuck to this very day: Tucker, aptly named after Mr. Tucker from RJHS .
I’m betting my next bottle of Jic Jac that there are a significant number of our classmates who have no idea that Tucker Golden’s real first name is James.
So how come this comes up now? Because Edward L. Tucker, the RJHS guidance counselor with the bald head, passed away recently.
And Jimmy Golden is still Tucker to all of us.
Mr. Tucker's obit:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/REPOSITORY/612070334&SearchID=73265937194978
Last One Standing
You’ve heard me expound on how blessed Our Town was with the number of large familys who had all boys….in fact all athletic boys. The Callahans, the Knees, the Ceriellos, and the Kallecheys all wore out the ballfields and the ice rinks in Concord playing nearly ever sport available to them in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.
So it is that my condolenses go out to old pal George Kallechey and his relatives on the passing of his uncle Harry Kallechey, the last Kallechey brother standing of that generation.
The Brothers Callahan, Ceriello and Kallechey are all now passed on leaving three of the four Knee brothers (Ron, Bobby and Doug) to carry the torch.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061212/REPOSITORY/612120394/1006/COMMUNITY02
Not Fashionably Late for This One
Always got a kick out of reading a newspaper report about one of the kids I coached in Little League or in basketball as they made their way up through the high school athletic systems. Also loved the feeling of going to the Will Call window to pick up your special tickets to the games.
So I can't even imagine what it was like recently for Bill Haubrich, The Current (as opposed to The Elder or the Younger), when found out that his national athletic director conference this year was in Anaheim. Naturally he quickly checked the NBA schedule to see who the Lakers or Clippers were playing and much to his delight, the Lakers were scheduled to play the Spurs, with former CHS star Matt Bonner.
That meant Bill could see his former player play.
In person.
In Los Angeles.
At the Staples Centers as a guest of Bon-Bon.
Perfect.
Of course dining with Bonner the night before the game and meeting some of the celebs on game night (so wouldn't you like to meet Eva Longoria?) also made for an enjoyable time on the West Coast.
Itchy Boom
Our vet tech at Doggie Daycare (honestly, I wouldn't lie to you) explained to us that there is a procedure to take care of our dog doing the heinie scootch (her term, not mine - literal human translation: scratching your ass). It's called "squeezing your anal glands."
Stop right now: Betcha can't even put the thoughts you're having into a coherent sentence, can you?
Deal or No Deal
No reason to count the ballots. The National Human Resources Person of the Year award goes to the person in charge of hiring the 26 case carrying young laides on Deal or No Deal. Job well done, my friend. One would have to be blind to think Howie Mandel is the main attraction on that show.
And in case you're wondering: 17-10-3 in that order and I'd be a happy camper for a long time. On the other hand, Mrs. Off My Wall wants a replacement for No. 13. Says she is ugly. Funny, but I haven't made it up that far yet.
Name Change
Despite the accusations of being too 03301-centric, I must confess that I have no idea which Terrell family was honored by having a park named after him/her/them off the old dump road bordering the Merrimack River a block up from Exit 13.
But I do know that after the recent ConMon revelations of homosexual activity in the park, I'd be asking the City - no, make that DEMANDING the City - to remove my name from anything to do with that park.
Escaping the Wrath
So how come no one's bringing up J. D. Drew's lack of base running ability? Did you forget already?
Late last summer we almost doubled over in laughter watching SportsCenter as Met catcher Paul LoDuca tagged out the slow-footed Jeff Kent and Drew on the very same play at the plate with Drew arriving at home only seconds after the piano-bearing Kent was tagged out.
Of course, I went right to the Dodgers media guide to see if Wendall (Wave 'Em Home) Kim was coaching third for the Dodgers.
He wasn't.
Prove It!
I pay attention to major league baseball. Always have. So much so that when my oldest son told me that somewhere on the Internet he found that the color of the New York Mets baseball hats (black, blue and orange) honors the New York Giants (black and orange) and Brooklyn Dodgers (blue) leaving New York prior to the 1958 season, I gulped.
Never have I ever heard such a thing. Not then when the Dodgers and Giants left for the West Coast and not since.
So unless someone can prove to me otherwise, I'm siticking with my contention that some recent marketing or public relations person for the Mets thought it would be a neat thing to say.
But I don't believe it for a minute. It is just happenstance.
Fantasy Baseball
Towards the end of the regular major league baseball season, my wife and I were shopping at the Home Depot in Concord at about closing time. We were in the back of the store near the lumber racks when I picked up a long dowel and took a hitter's pose.
The kid working the area saw me and smiled, acknowledging that there's no bad time for a ball game. I agreed, naturally, and told him this was the first season in a long time that I was not following the Red Sox deep into the season and into the playoffs.
The kid, not yet 20 years old, said he too was bummed out by the Sox, but even more so because his fantsty team had just been knocked out of their playoffs.
Mrs. OMW, who has great disdain for my fantasy baseball involvements ("No different than grown women playing with Barbie dolls!"), all but vomited and immediately headed for the front of the store knowing that I'd be tied up in conversation for at least ten minutes discussing players, statistics, and future plans in Make Believe Baseball as she call it.
He’d Be Better Off Not Listening
Let me get this straight. Dice-K comes to America and can’t speak a word of English. He signs a mega contract and then listens to hordes of media types asking him questions in a language he can’t understand. Think about it: Bob Ryan talks at the speed of light. Glenn Ordway talks loudly over everyone. Tony Massoratti squeaks like he’s inhaled helium. Sean McAdams talks so low and slow that you think he might stop dead in his tracks in mid-sentence. Pete Sheppard talks like he still has last Sunday’s dinner stored in his esophagus. And Hazel Mae has been so styled up that she doesn’t look Asian anymore.
Then Dice-K goes into the Red Sox clubhouse and sees this guy with a perfectly bald head (Francona) who looks like he should be an emperor in a neighboring country. Then a huge black man (Ortiz) with wrap around sunglasses who sparkles from all the bling. And another big black man (Manny) with a funky hair-do sitting in the corner coloring in his latest color book. And a good-sized white guy (Schilling) with a mullet who seems to be unable to talk unless a camera is staring him in the face.
And think about this: All of Dice-K’s English lessons will be thrown out the window if Clemens shows up in June because nothing he says makes much sense.
Just be thankful that Pedro and Ricky Henderson aren’t with the Sox anymore.
Yup, welcome to Boston, Dice-K. You’ll just love it here if you can understand anything that anyone says.
Happy holidays to you all. May the new year be one filled with joy.
And just think: Every day that goes by means it's one day closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training.
Joy to all.
Jeff Smith
Thursday, November 02, 2006
The Ball Bounced Because of Red
We may not have been smart enough to understand what - or who - was behind why we did what we did, nor did we have much care for where we did it.
All we cared about was that we did it.......and did it as often as we could, where ever we could and with whomever was interested until we couldn't do it any more.
In the day when there were no color televisions, no FM radio, no handheld games, no indoor courts, and - take a deep breath - no fast food restuarants, we would simply put on our gloves, shovel off the newly fallen snow, find a neighborhood kid with a basketball, and shoot hoops.
By the hours. By the days. By the seasons.
On Blanchard Street at a basket high atop a bay of garages. At the courts at White's Park, or at the cozy cofines at West Street or Fletcher-Murphy.
At the hoop at the end of the driveway at Taylor's house off North State Street, or at the dunk-a-mania at Stooch Gagne's house on South State Street, or at the low (8 foot) hoops at Rumford School where we patented our dunks knowing that genetically we'd likely never have the chance in real time.
We all thought it was because we loved the game, that we all wanted to play for the Crimson Tide of Concord High or the Fightin' Irish of St. John's. Few, if any, of us understood who was responsible for planting the seed of interest in our being.
And realistically it was someone who may never have stepped foot in Our Town.
We may have loved basketball, but the genie behind the scene was Red Auerbach.
Red passed away a few months ago at the age of 89, and to most of us, he's freeze-framed in our mind as the genius behind the greatest TEAM in sports history - the Boston Celtics.
No, OUR Boston Celtics.
You see, we all played basketball because we loved the game, but hidden behind it all was the Celtics. Put together like pieces in a jig saw puzzle, the Celtics - Auerbach's Celtics - were everything that was right in our world.
We didn't understand just how right they really were. It took years and years of maturation, years of watching the slow demise of the NBA and the professionalizing of college basketball for us to realize just how finely tuned, how perfectly meshed, how mangerially perfect our Celtics were from the mid-50s through most of the 60s.
And it was Auerbach's fault.
It was clearly a different sports climate back in that day. My father would wake me, we'd scoop out the snow from the driveway on our side of the duplex, and we'd head off down Washington Street hill towards the Boston and Maine railroad yards to catch the passenger train into Boston's North Station.
North Station. Big, burly and flat out ugly, North Station meant two things to me: the passenger trains stopped there and the Boston Garden was upstairs.
For me, Boston Garden was a palace. Sure the first floor had its panhandlers and bums looking for an extra dime (inflation hadn't settled in just yet). And the walk up the curving ramps into the ticket foyer, well, stunk most of the time.
In fact I swear I had the following question on an SAT exam one year:
The smell of sausage is to Fenway Park as the smell of what is to the old Boston Garden?
Answer: Urine.
In any event, my father would bring me to Celtics games three or four times a year and we'd watch the best team in basketball beat team after team.
Sure there were the usual cast of stars that you read about or sawn on television paying hommage to their leader when he died.
But Red was more than a star-maker. He was into finding and fitting pieces together. Who wanted the geeky, bespectacled, knee-pad wearing kid out of that basketball behemoth NYU? (To be fair, NYU was pretty good back then, and Tom Sanders did have star power.) Or that skinny kid from North Carolina College who insisted on banking in all his shots from the side? (Sam Jones). Or that big brute of a guy who may have looked better providing pass blocking for Babe Parilli for the Pats? (Jim Loscutoff).
If it wasn't for Red we would never have heard of Gene Guarilla or Dickie Hemrick or Andy Phillips. We never would have had the joy of watching Baily Howell, a true star and gentleman, play out his career on the parquet floor.
We might not have fallen in love with basketball.....although I just can't see myself on skates.
Red Auerbach was just starting his climb to glory when we were lacing up our ChuckTaylor hightops. He was laying the foundation for what would become the greatest professional sport dynasty ever.
And all us lillte hooligans were the beneficiaries.
Thanks, Red.
All we cared about was that we did it.......and did it as often as we could, where ever we could and with whomever was interested until we couldn't do it any more.
In the day when there were no color televisions, no FM radio, no handheld games, no indoor courts, and - take a deep breath - no fast food restuarants, we would simply put on our gloves, shovel off the newly fallen snow, find a neighborhood kid with a basketball, and shoot hoops.
By the hours. By the days. By the seasons.
On Blanchard Street at a basket high atop a bay of garages. At the courts at White's Park, or at the cozy cofines at West Street or Fletcher-Murphy.
At the hoop at the end of the driveway at Taylor's house off North State Street, or at the dunk-a-mania at Stooch Gagne's house on South State Street, or at the low (8 foot) hoops at Rumford School where we patented our dunks knowing that genetically we'd likely never have the chance in real time.
We all thought it was because we loved the game, that we all wanted to play for the Crimson Tide of Concord High or the Fightin' Irish of St. John's. Few, if any, of us understood who was responsible for planting the seed of interest in our being.
And realistically it was someone who may never have stepped foot in Our Town.
We may have loved basketball, but the genie behind the scene was Red Auerbach.
Red passed away a few months ago at the age of 89, and to most of us, he's freeze-framed in our mind as the genius behind the greatest TEAM in sports history - the Boston Celtics.
No, OUR Boston Celtics.
You see, we all played basketball because we loved the game, but hidden behind it all was the Celtics. Put together like pieces in a jig saw puzzle, the Celtics - Auerbach's Celtics - were everything that was right in our world.
We didn't understand just how right they really were. It took years and years of maturation, years of watching the slow demise of the NBA and the professionalizing of college basketball for us to realize just how finely tuned, how perfectly meshed, how mangerially perfect our Celtics were from the mid-50s through most of the 60s.
And it was Auerbach's fault.
It was clearly a different sports climate back in that day. My father would wake me, we'd scoop out the snow from the driveway on our side of the duplex, and we'd head off down Washington Street hill towards the Boston and Maine railroad yards to catch the passenger train into Boston's North Station.
North Station. Big, burly and flat out ugly, North Station meant two things to me: the passenger trains stopped there and the Boston Garden was upstairs.
For me, Boston Garden was a palace. Sure the first floor had its panhandlers and bums looking for an extra dime (inflation hadn't settled in just yet). And the walk up the curving ramps into the ticket foyer, well, stunk most of the time.
In fact I swear I had the following question on an SAT exam one year:
The smell of sausage is to Fenway Park as the smell of what is to the old Boston Garden?
Answer: Urine.
In any event, my father would bring me to Celtics games three or four times a year and we'd watch the best team in basketball beat team after team.
Sure there were the usual cast of stars that you read about or sawn on television paying hommage to their leader when he died.
But Red was more than a star-maker. He was into finding and fitting pieces together. Who wanted the geeky, bespectacled, knee-pad wearing kid out of that basketball behemoth NYU? (To be fair, NYU was pretty good back then, and Tom Sanders did have star power.) Or that skinny kid from North Carolina College who insisted on banking in all his shots from the side? (Sam Jones). Or that big brute of a guy who may have looked better providing pass blocking for Babe Parilli for the Pats? (Jim Loscutoff).
If it wasn't for Red we would never have heard of Gene Guarilla or Dickie Hemrick or Andy Phillips. We never would have had the joy of watching Baily Howell, a true star and gentleman, play out his career on the parquet floor.
We might not have fallen in love with basketball.....although I just can't see myself on skates.
Red Auerbach was just starting his climb to glory when we were lacing up our ChuckTaylor hightops. He was laying the foundation for what would become the greatest professional sport dynasty ever.
And all us lillte hooligans were the beneficiaries.
Thanks, Red.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
A great BALL game: UNH-Richmond
Today was a very special day. I went to a college football game for the first time in a long time. But it wasn't just any college football game. It was to be a record breaker.
The last time I went to a UNH football game, Billy Estey was running back kickoffs and punts for touchdowns and quarterbacking the Wildcats.
And if you don't recall the name it's because he was a three sport star at Portsmouth High before starring in football and baseball at UNH in the mid-60s.
(In the spirit of honesty, I admit to attending one UNH football game in the early 90's, but that was to watch CHS alum Debbie Brown cheer. My seats were so low in the old grandstands that I couldn't see most of the field. So in my mind, it didn't really count.)
Today, well today was a different story. I took the advice of old friend and voice of Wildcat football Jim Jeannotte and tried the Alumni Association parking lot. Sure enough a lovely young lady informed me that I could park my rig in the AA lot so long as I was out by 4:00......provided I was going to the football game.
A short walk on this lovely fall day and I found myself at the ticket booth outside Lundholm Gymnasium......without the ridiculous lines I normally encounter for NHIAA tournament basketball games.
Once inside I thought about where I wanted to sit and decided standing high above the fray would work just fine so I chose to stand on the concourse to the east (I think it's East.....it's on the side where the baseball diamond used to be......and that's a story for another day) of the main grandstand.
A perfect choice.
Perfect, too, becasue in the third quarter, history found it's way right in front of me.
With the Wildcats knocking on the door at the one yard line, driving towards the 1,000 or so students rocking the East endzone grandstands, David Ball was split wide left on the one-yard line. He did his customary point to the sideline with his outside (this time his left) hand, his own personal way of gauging the distance from his position to the sideline. At the snap he came a couple of strides straight across the line of scrimmage, juked his sole defender in the endzone, and then planted his left foot and sprinted parallel to the goalline a few yards deep, making a beeline for the opposite side of the endzone, trying to find separation between his defender and himself. (And how much of a buzz word is "separation" these days in the world of football?). QB Ricky Santos, knowing from three years of practice exactly how long it would take Ball to traverse the width of the endzone and confident that in this situation Ball would find the slice of space needed to receive his toss, waited and then laid the ball into the waiting arms of what became, at that very instant, the Division One-Double A all-time touchdown leader.
And Jim Jeannote made the call! After all the miles and miles he has traveled with this team, he deserved the honor of making this call. And I hope he nailed it.
Instinctively my arms shot up and I found myself yelling. Talk about the quintessential Johnny-come-lately fan, but I couldn't help myself. There's something about the significance of this kid from Vermont, who had hoped to attend UNH as a basketball player, and settled for joining the track team, and just how much he has accomplished.
Of course maybe the emotions surrounding today's event was embellished a tad by whose record he broke. No one would give two hoots about someone breaking a record held by Bevo Francis, Dickie Hemric and Frank Selvy. But Jerry Rice, for crying out loud. JERRY RICE!
I found a welling feeling in my eyes and couldn't understand why in the world I was so touched by this event. Just watching David Ball catch that ball.....well that was just at thrill.
I couldn't take my eyes off him the rest of the game, hunting for him as they set up their formation, watching him run his routes. And it wasn't just him. A few moments after her son had caught his historic touchdown pass, his mother came over to the area adjacent to the home grandstand, right below my perch. I saw her, dressed in a blue home jersey with her son's #3 and carrying the now famous football, accept congratualations from a number of well wishers hanging by the area where the players enter and exit the field.
Later, at game's end, and with most of the huge crowd leaving, I couldn't leave my spot. Ball was surrounded on the field by the media folks, and then his parents, all of whom wanted a few words with today's hero.
But I couldn't leave. Not until he left the field.
Not until the only guy in college football who can say Jerry Rice is in HIS rearview mirror leaves the field.
And finally, he did. Out through the same area where his record breaking touchdown pattern started. Through the crowd of well wishers amidst the cheers, high-fives, hugs, kisses, and autograph requests. Stopping only for seconds, David Ball found his way under the grandstands and into the bowels of Cowell Stadium.
No one knows what the future will bring for David Ball, and I, for sure, have no way of knowing. But for one postcard perfect autumn afternoon in Durham, New Hampshire, David Ball vaulted onto the king's throne of receivers in his division.
********************************
Who is the UNH wedge breaker? He damn near killed three Richmond guys on one play and then got up and pursued the kick returner.
Standing on the concourse just outside of the gym - and more importantly only a short hop to the concession stands - is a great place to watch a game. No one standing in front of you. No one squirming in their seat beside you. Only problem is that you can't hear the public address system. Not......one.....friggin'.....word.
Only problem, part II: Until the sun gets over near right field (sorry, I still think of that area as a baseball field), the brightness on the scoreboard makes it hard to read.
I'm guessing that someone has a blast sending all those messages across the computer generated message board on the scoreboard. But they could find something else for the person to do because no one paid any attention to the messages.
Remind me not to advertise on that message board when I open my next business. (Don't worry about forgetting to remind me because I'm not planning on opening anythying but cans of Diet Pepsi).
Found Bob Cole (Ethan's dad) standing on the concourse. Says he stands there all the time. Chatted with him for the first half and part of the third quarter. Then he left to go to the Exeter HS game. Missed Ball's TD. He was a big star at EHS and says he has not been back to a game since when he left the field at the end of his last game of his senior year in 1966.
Couple standing to my left was the perfect example of why wifes get left home. She commented on every single damn play. Man was she annoying. But I'm just a guest here, so I kept my mouth shut.
But I had a laugh or two. A guy two or three people down from me put his head down to slurp some soup just as Ball was running his touchdown pattern and the guy missed the entire play. Why would someone bother with his soup when the home team is driving for a touchdown and has just snapped the ball at the one yard line?
And the guy on the other side of him left to take a leak and was really pissed (sorry, Freudian slip) when he returned to find out that Ball had caught his record breaking touchdown.
Later a couple shows up on my right at about the start of the fourth quarter. Both dressed as if they just popped out of a GQ catalog. Blue oxford button down shirt. Preppy v-neck sweater. $50 haircut. Designer glasses. Perfectly trimmed nails. And he spent the entire freakin' fourth quarter farting with his cell phone, trying to read and answer text messages and explaining to his wife who was texting him and why. I'm convinced he'll show up at some corporate headquarters on Monday and just gush about the UNH football game he went to over the weekend.
Oh, well. Enjoyed the afternoon. Got back to the parking lot before 4:00 and headed back to Maine. Hope the day was half as entertaining for you.
The last time I went to a UNH football game, Billy Estey was running back kickoffs and punts for touchdowns and quarterbacking the Wildcats.
And if you don't recall the name it's because he was a three sport star at Portsmouth High before starring in football and baseball at UNH in the mid-60s.
(In the spirit of honesty, I admit to attending one UNH football game in the early 90's, but that was to watch CHS alum Debbie Brown cheer. My seats were so low in the old grandstands that I couldn't see most of the field. So in my mind, it didn't really count.)
Today, well today was a different story. I took the advice of old friend and voice of Wildcat football Jim Jeannotte and tried the Alumni Association parking lot. Sure enough a lovely young lady informed me that I could park my rig in the AA lot so long as I was out by 4:00......provided I was going to the football game.
A short walk on this lovely fall day and I found myself at the ticket booth outside Lundholm Gymnasium......without the ridiculous lines I normally encounter for NHIAA tournament basketball games.
Once inside I thought about where I wanted to sit and decided standing high above the fray would work just fine so I chose to stand on the concourse to the east (I think it's East.....it's on the side where the baseball diamond used to be......and that's a story for another day) of the main grandstand.
A perfect choice.
Perfect, too, becasue in the third quarter, history found it's way right in front of me.
With the Wildcats knocking on the door at the one yard line, driving towards the 1,000 or so students rocking the East endzone grandstands, David Ball was split wide left on the one-yard line. He did his customary point to the sideline with his outside (this time his left) hand, his own personal way of gauging the distance from his position to the sideline. At the snap he came a couple of strides straight across the line of scrimmage, juked his sole defender in the endzone, and then planted his left foot and sprinted parallel to the goalline a few yards deep, making a beeline for the opposite side of the endzone, trying to find separation between his defender and himself. (And how much of a buzz word is "separation" these days in the world of football?). QB Ricky Santos, knowing from three years of practice exactly how long it would take Ball to traverse the width of the endzone and confident that in this situation Ball would find the slice of space needed to receive his toss, waited and then laid the ball into the waiting arms of what became, at that very instant, the Division One-Double A all-time touchdown leader.
And Jim Jeannote made the call! After all the miles and miles he has traveled with this team, he deserved the honor of making this call. And I hope he nailed it.
Instinctively my arms shot up and I found myself yelling. Talk about the quintessential Johnny-come-lately fan, but I couldn't help myself. There's something about the significance of this kid from Vermont, who had hoped to attend UNH as a basketball player, and settled for joining the track team, and just how much he has accomplished.
Of course maybe the emotions surrounding today's event was embellished a tad by whose record he broke. No one would give two hoots about someone breaking a record held by Bevo Francis, Dickie Hemric and Frank Selvy. But Jerry Rice, for crying out loud. JERRY RICE!
I found a welling feeling in my eyes and couldn't understand why in the world I was so touched by this event. Just watching David Ball catch that ball.....well that was just at thrill.
I couldn't take my eyes off him the rest of the game, hunting for him as they set up their formation, watching him run his routes. And it wasn't just him. A few moments after her son had caught his historic touchdown pass, his mother came over to the area adjacent to the home grandstand, right below my perch. I saw her, dressed in a blue home jersey with her son's #3 and carrying the now famous football, accept congratualations from a number of well wishers hanging by the area where the players enter and exit the field.
Later, at game's end, and with most of the huge crowd leaving, I couldn't leave my spot. Ball was surrounded on the field by the media folks, and then his parents, all of whom wanted a few words with today's hero.
But I couldn't leave. Not until he left the field.
Not until the only guy in college football who can say Jerry Rice is in HIS rearview mirror leaves the field.
And finally, he did. Out through the same area where his record breaking touchdown pattern started. Through the crowd of well wishers amidst the cheers, high-fives, hugs, kisses, and autograph requests. Stopping only for seconds, David Ball found his way under the grandstands and into the bowels of Cowell Stadium.
No one knows what the future will bring for David Ball, and I, for sure, have no way of knowing. But for one postcard perfect autumn afternoon in Durham, New Hampshire, David Ball vaulted onto the king's throne of receivers in his division.
********************************
Who is the UNH wedge breaker? He damn near killed three Richmond guys on one play and then got up and pursued the kick returner.
Standing on the concourse just outside of the gym - and more importantly only a short hop to the concession stands - is a great place to watch a game. No one standing in front of you. No one squirming in their seat beside you. Only problem is that you can't hear the public address system. Not......one.....friggin'.....word.
Only problem, part II: Until the sun gets over near right field (sorry, I still think of that area as a baseball field), the brightness on the scoreboard makes it hard to read.
I'm guessing that someone has a blast sending all those messages across the computer generated message board on the scoreboard. But they could find something else for the person to do because no one paid any attention to the messages.
Remind me not to advertise on that message board when I open my next business. (Don't worry about forgetting to remind me because I'm not planning on opening anythying but cans of Diet Pepsi).
Found Bob Cole (Ethan's dad) standing on the concourse. Says he stands there all the time. Chatted with him for the first half and part of the third quarter. Then he left to go to the Exeter HS game. Missed Ball's TD. He was a big star at EHS and says he has not been back to a game since when he left the field at the end of his last game of his senior year in 1966.
Couple standing to my left was the perfect example of why wifes get left home. She commented on every single damn play. Man was she annoying. But I'm just a guest here, so I kept my mouth shut.
But I had a laugh or two. A guy two or three people down from me put his head down to slurp some soup just as Ball was running his touchdown pattern and the guy missed the entire play. Why would someone bother with his soup when the home team is driving for a touchdown and has just snapped the ball at the one yard line?
And the guy on the other side of him left to take a leak and was really pissed (sorry, Freudian slip) when he returned to find out that Ball had caught his record breaking touchdown.
Later a couple shows up on my right at about the start of the fourth quarter. Both dressed as if they just popped out of a GQ catalog. Blue oxford button down shirt. Preppy v-neck sweater. $50 haircut. Designer glasses. Perfectly trimmed nails. And he spent the entire freakin' fourth quarter farting with his cell phone, trying to read and answer text messages and explaining to his wife who was texting him and why. I'm convinced he'll show up at some corporate headquarters on Monday and just gush about the UNH football game he went to over the weekend.
Oh, well. Enjoyed the afternoon. Got back to the parking lot before 4:00 and headed back to Maine. Hope the day was half as entertaining for you.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
FWIW (For What It's Worth)
Not being one to quibble, but I do think the radar gun in Atlanta was juiced a bit for the Red Sox - Braves game the other night. Hansen was consistently at around 98 and Papelbon around 96.
But the real clincher was the report that Jerry Remy dropped a fart in the 7th inning that registered 78 on the gun.
How about that Spurs trade for Matt Bonner?
Now we can go around saying that David Bonner spent his career working with Mr. Duncan (David) and Matt Bonner spent his career working with Mr. Duncan (Tim).
And who amongst us wouldn't like to be introduced to Eva Longoria, main squeeze of the Spurs super guard Tony Parker and new Bonner teammate?
What's the over and under on how many days it will take Bon-Bon to ask Parker if EvaLong has an available sister?
The Sox lost their beat writer when Chris Snow, the 24-year old Syracuse grad, opted out to take an administrative position with the Minnesota Wild.
I, for one, certainly hope that the guy in the back of the Boston Globe press room raising his hand fervantly yelling, "Pick me, pick me!" is former ConMon assistant editor and current Globe sports employee Chad Finn.
But my pals tell me that the beat writer's job hath no mercy on a marriage so Chad may have to hold off for Shaughnessy's gig.
You know, I check the Trading Places section of the ConMon on Sundays religiously and never did see that the Murphy Clan bought the Concord Monitor.
How else to explain the spate of articles over the last month featuring first Robbie Barker (Bishop Brady girl's lacrosse assistant coach/former UNH hockey player) then Casey Barker (recent Brady grad writing her own article) and then Tim O'Shea being featured on the delight of eating a hamburger - with a picture and all.
All kidding aside, I enjoyed all three pieces immensely.
I don't know about you, but I'm really pissed at Gatorade.
The TV was on in the background a couple of weeks ago and I stopped what I was doing to listen to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
But when I turned and looked at the TV, expecting to see some baseball highlights - or low lights as the case may be - I was shocked to see clips of soccer games leading up to the World Cup.
And Gatorade was the sponsor.
So, Gatorade, get your own flippin' song and leave mine alone!
Has anyone seen an appointment that just begged for the chairperson to cast one vote in favor of the most logical candidate than the one facing the Concord School Board when Bill Haubrich, The Present, applied for the AD's job?
But the real clincher was the report that Jerry Remy dropped a fart in the 7th inning that registered 78 on the gun.
How about that Spurs trade for Matt Bonner?
Now we can go around saying that David Bonner spent his career working with Mr. Duncan (David) and Matt Bonner spent his career working with Mr. Duncan (Tim).
And who amongst us wouldn't like to be introduced to Eva Longoria, main squeeze of the Spurs super guard Tony Parker and new Bonner teammate?
What's the over and under on how many days it will take Bon-Bon to ask Parker if EvaLong has an available sister?
The Sox lost their beat writer when Chris Snow, the 24-year old Syracuse grad, opted out to take an administrative position with the Minnesota Wild.
I, for one, certainly hope that the guy in the back of the Boston Globe press room raising his hand fervantly yelling, "Pick me, pick me!" is former ConMon assistant editor and current Globe sports employee Chad Finn.
But my pals tell me that the beat writer's job hath no mercy on a marriage so Chad may have to hold off for Shaughnessy's gig.
You know, I check the Trading Places section of the ConMon on Sundays religiously and never did see that the Murphy Clan bought the Concord Monitor.
How else to explain the spate of articles over the last month featuring first Robbie Barker (Bishop Brady girl's lacrosse assistant coach/former UNH hockey player) then Casey Barker (recent Brady grad writing her own article) and then Tim O'Shea being featured on the delight of eating a hamburger - with a picture and all.
All kidding aside, I enjoyed all three pieces immensely.
I don't know about you, but I'm really pissed at Gatorade.
The TV was on in the background a couple of weeks ago and I stopped what I was doing to listen to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
But when I turned and looked at the TV, expecting to see some baseball highlights - or low lights as the case may be - I was shocked to see clips of soccer games leading up to the World Cup.
And Gatorade was the sponsor.
So, Gatorade, get your own flippin' song and leave mine alone!
Has anyone seen an appointment that just begged for the chairperson to cast one vote in favor of the most logical candidate than the one facing the Concord School Board when Bill Haubrich, The Present, applied for the AD's job?
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Bits and Pieces
Some of you read the Concord Monitor on a daily basis. Those of you distanced from Our Town may read the ConMon on line. And still others, perhaps, may never read the paper.
What's hard to gauge is how many folks read the ROUNDUP section. I, for one, scan it every day.
And based on what I found on May 13th, I'm glad I do.
For many it was just another blurb highlighting a recent hole in one at the Canterbury Woods Country Club.
"Norma Heinz, of Boswawen, shot a hole in one at Canterbury Woods Country Club during the Concord High School girls' basketball Booster Golf Tournament yesterday. She aced the 11th hole using her 7 wood. Witnessing the occasion were Shirley Brown, Geraldine Beall, and June Purington."
Seems harmless enough for most folks.
But it was far from harmless to me.
Norma Heinz is a lifetime educator, the daughter of Clarence Huggins who was a big-time car dealer in Our Town back in the middle of last century, and the widow of Big Bill Heinz.
Bill Heinz was a science teacher at Concord High and doubled as the golf coach and even was an assistant baseball coach for Mike Garrett in the early 60s.
Big Bill was also The Key Guy on Sunday nights. You see, Bill had the key to the CHS gymnasium in the early 70s and would open the gym so we could play basketball Sunday night. If he didn't show up, we'd go over to Buddy Eldredge's Store and call him on the pay phone. He'd say he couldn't make it that night, but we'd beg a little and he'd cave in.
"Hug's gonna yell at me," he'd claim, and then tell us he'd be there in a half hour.
But most of all, Bill was a golfer. He's start many an early morning at the old Beaver Meadow, playing a round of nine and turning on the sprinklers behind him, before heading to Concord High to work.
Bill Heinz was one of those tall, angular, gangly guys who was just too easy to like. That's why his death in a motorcycle accident in West Concord in his mid-30s was so hard to take.
It was with delight that I read about Norma Heinz canning an ace in Canterbury. Norma never remarried after Bill passed away. She raised her two kids alone and never moved away from her house in Boscawen. A smile crawled across the left side of my face, followed by a moment of sadness, and then a smile......a smile knowing that Big Bill was Up There someplace jumping up and down rejoicing Norma's shot.
*********************
What's hard to gauge is how many folks read the ROUNDUP section. I, for one, scan it every day.
And based on what I found on May 13th, I'm glad I do.
For many it was just another blurb highlighting a recent hole in one at the Canterbury Woods Country Club.
"Norma Heinz, of Boswawen, shot a hole in one at Canterbury Woods Country Club during the Concord High School girls' basketball Booster Golf Tournament yesterday. She aced the 11th hole using her 7 wood. Witnessing the occasion were Shirley Brown, Geraldine Beall, and June Purington."
Seems harmless enough for most folks.
But it was far from harmless to me.
Norma Heinz is a lifetime educator, the daughter of Clarence Huggins who was a big-time car dealer in Our Town back in the middle of last century, and the widow of Big Bill Heinz.
Bill Heinz was a science teacher at Concord High and doubled as the golf coach and even was an assistant baseball coach for Mike Garrett in the early 60s.
Big Bill was also The Key Guy on Sunday nights. You see, Bill had the key to the CHS gymnasium in the early 70s and would open the gym so we could play basketball Sunday night. If he didn't show up, we'd go over to Buddy Eldredge's Store and call him on the pay phone. He'd say he couldn't make it that night, but we'd beg a little and he'd cave in.
"Hug's gonna yell at me," he'd claim, and then tell us he'd be there in a half hour.
But most of all, Bill was a golfer. He's start many an early morning at the old Beaver Meadow, playing a round of nine and turning on the sprinklers behind him, before heading to Concord High to work.
Bill Heinz was one of those tall, angular, gangly guys who was just too easy to like. That's why his death in a motorcycle accident in West Concord in his mid-30s was so hard to take.
It was with delight that I read about Norma Heinz canning an ace in Canterbury. Norma never remarried after Bill passed away. She raised her two kids alone and never moved away from her house in Boscawen. A smile crawled across the left side of my face, followed by a moment of sadness, and then a smile......a smile knowing that Big Bill was Up There someplace jumping up and down rejoicing Norma's shot.
*********************
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Tourney Leftovers
The King is dead. Long live the King.
Growing Up Concord, there was almost something romantic about Portsmouth High basketball. Naturally our favorite teams were the Concord High Crimson Tide and its parochial counterpart the St. John's Fightin' Irish.
But outside of the Concord area, the mighty Port City Clippers were our favorites.
And why not? They were close to the beach.....had the prettiest cheerleaders (outside of Concord, gotta save some face here, right BWT?).....had tremendous talent year after year.....always seemed to have a legendary coach.....had one of high school basketball's greatest managers, Pickles......and they had THE BANNER.
As kids, we had watched Portsmouth in the NHIAA tournaments at the University of New Hampshire Field House, with our seats in the front row as close to the floor as possible so we could absorb all the action into our youthful basketball crazed pours. Portsmouth, with its fan base just 15 minutes away, always packed the rickety old bleachers to yell and scream for their Wagners, Blacks, Neris, Sunneblicks and Shumways.
But I never had the opportunity to visit the Portsmouth High gym, at the time the largest basketball gymnasium in the state, until the 1962-63 season. As I walked into the Clippers home court along with my CHS teammates, I couldn't help but notice the maroon banner, high on the wall near the entryway to the gym, with each year that Portsmouth had won the Class L crown. Keep in mind as a 14-year old freshman still euphoric over Concord High's remarkable three-wins in three consecutive nights (by a total of five points) championship from 1962, the sight of that banner was a bit awesome.
Thirteen championship years hung on that banner. By far the most of any other team in Class L. What an accomphishment, I thought. Concord, my favorite team, a team I thought invincible, had won but only three at the time.
Three more championships have been added to the banner at Portsmouth in the last 43 years, a far lesser ratio than the first 40 years of high school basketball.
Nonetheless, Portsmouth maintained the crown as the most decorated school in all of Class L.....until March 18, 2006 when the Manchester Central Little Green finally dislodged the crown from Portsmouth.
Manchester Central had tied Portsmouth with 16 Class L crowns last season. This year the Little Green swept through as the number one ranked and unbeaten team through the regular season, the Queen City Christmas Basketball tournament and now through four games in the Class L tournament to snatch their 17th Class L championship and finally overcome the Clippers.
It's been a long and storied run by Central. Seventeen crowns and another 14 visits to the championship game. Central will continue to put competitive teams on the floor and the odds are that they will retain their loft perch for many years to come.
****************
Central's head coach, Doc Wheeler, is a big guy who likes to dress, shall we say, comfortably. At the end of the 2005 championship game won by Central, Wheeler pulled on a white hand painted champion t-shirt and looked oh so comfortable.
Adorning this year's Class L program is the team picture of last year's champs - Central - and there's Doc in the back row with a Green Bay basketball t-shirt on, courtesy of an old pal who is now a Division I head coach at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.
At the semifinals this year, Doc went styling with a black mock turtle neck shirt and a dark sports jacket and slacks.
Even the championship game found him looking pretty sharp......until you looked a bit closer. He was wearing a dark shirt with a sport jacket again, but if you looked carefully you could notice a white logo of some sort on the left breast pocket of his black shirt. You could only see the logo when he moved around waving instructions to his players.
It wasn't until late in the fourth quarter, with the game in hand, that Doc doffed his sports jacket to reveal a large PAPPY'S PIZZA arched in white letters across the back of the black t-shirt with the telephone number of Manchester's popular North Elm Street eatery underneath the wording.
*******************
Old friend and former Hopkinton High basketball coach Danny Parr was the game administrator for the tournament and looks dapper having just finished his 45th year of coaching basketball dating way back to Hopkinton stars named Bucko Johnson and Pat Leavitt. He currently coaches St. Thomas Aquinas after a long tenure with Portsmouth High.
*******************
The word around Lundholm was that the bleachers were broken on both sides of the gym and that's why the top half-dozen rows or so weren't pulled out thus limiting the crowd size. Truth be known, the local fire officials don't particularly care for the lack of walking space behind the team benches and the scorer's and behind the media tables on the opposite side of the gym and the only way they will let the games go on is to keep some of the bleachers folded in.
********************
"A" lot across from Lundhold was jammed packed by 11:30 on Saturday morning and fans arriving at that point in time scurried for parking spots wondering if, in fact, they'd even get a seat in the gym.
One of the things I watch for in high school basketball games is whether anyone can breakdown his man with a drive baseline to the basket from either the corner of from the fouline extended.
Can they make the requisite moves to get past their defender, drive hard to the basket, take the bump that usually always accompanies the drive, and finish off the layup.
Some get to the "take the bump" stage and have difficuties finishing the shot.
But the good ones finish.
So a couple of weeks ago when I was watching Bow's Paul Chergy, he of the 6'5" adult-sized body, drive baseline from the right side (he's a right dominant player), take a huge mid-air bump and finish off the layup with a two-handed in-traffic dunk, I was rightfully impressed.
That is until about a week later when I saw him do the very same thing, with the very same mid-aid contact, and the very same two-handed in-traffic dunk, from the LEFT side, then I knew this kid has something going beyond your normal high school player.
Talent like that doesn't happen much in New Hampshire.
*************************
Not up on my Robert's Rules of Order, but if at all possible, the Concord School Board should empower its chairperson to cast one ballot in favor of moving Bill Haubrich, The Current (as opposed to Bill Haubrich, The Elder and Bill Haubrich, The Younger) into the recently vacated director of athletics position at Concord High. I defy anyone to give me a better choice. Save the taxpayers the expense of advertising and say the Board the interviewing time.
*************************
Bill Whitmore will be missed. There aren't many people who have graced Our Town with as much dignity, professionalism, and organization. Our athletic programs have been in good hands.
*************************
Walked into Border's the other day to use one of my Christmas gift certificates on Roger Halberstam's book on Bill Belichek. But wouldn't you know it, staring me right in the face was John Feinstein's latest book, Last Dance, an inside look at what is now known as March Madness. With 30% off, to boot. Couldn't have thought of anything better to prep me for the upcoming weeks of college basketball. And despite what the New York Times says, it was a good read.
Growing Up Concord, there was almost something romantic about Portsmouth High basketball. Naturally our favorite teams were the Concord High Crimson Tide and its parochial counterpart the St. John's Fightin' Irish.
But outside of the Concord area, the mighty Port City Clippers were our favorites.
And why not? They were close to the beach.....had the prettiest cheerleaders (outside of Concord, gotta save some face here, right BWT?).....had tremendous talent year after year.....always seemed to have a legendary coach.....had one of high school basketball's greatest managers, Pickles......and they had THE BANNER.
As kids, we had watched Portsmouth in the NHIAA tournaments at the University of New Hampshire Field House, with our seats in the front row as close to the floor as possible so we could absorb all the action into our youthful basketball crazed pours. Portsmouth, with its fan base just 15 minutes away, always packed the rickety old bleachers to yell and scream for their Wagners, Blacks, Neris, Sunneblicks and Shumways.
But I never had the opportunity to visit the Portsmouth High gym, at the time the largest basketball gymnasium in the state, until the 1962-63 season. As I walked into the Clippers home court along with my CHS teammates, I couldn't help but notice the maroon banner, high on the wall near the entryway to the gym, with each year that Portsmouth had won the Class L crown. Keep in mind as a 14-year old freshman still euphoric over Concord High's remarkable three-wins in three consecutive nights (by a total of five points) championship from 1962, the sight of that banner was a bit awesome.
Thirteen championship years hung on that banner. By far the most of any other team in Class L. What an accomphishment, I thought. Concord, my favorite team, a team I thought invincible, had won but only three at the time.
Three more championships have been added to the banner at Portsmouth in the last 43 years, a far lesser ratio than the first 40 years of high school basketball.
Nonetheless, Portsmouth maintained the crown as the most decorated school in all of Class L.....until March 18, 2006 when the Manchester Central Little Green finally dislodged the crown from Portsmouth.
Manchester Central had tied Portsmouth with 16 Class L crowns last season. This year the Little Green swept through as the number one ranked and unbeaten team through the regular season, the Queen City Christmas Basketball tournament and now through four games in the Class L tournament to snatch their 17th Class L championship and finally overcome the Clippers.
It's been a long and storied run by Central. Seventeen crowns and another 14 visits to the championship game. Central will continue to put competitive teams on the floor and the odds are that they will retain their loft perch for many years to come.
****************
Central's head coach, Doc Wheeler, is a big guy who likes to dress, shall we say, comfortably. At the end of the 2005 championship game won by Central, Wheeler pulled on a white hand painted champion t-shirt and looked oh so comfortable.
Adorning this year's Class L program is the team picture of last year's champs - Central - and there's Doc in the back row with a Green Bay basketball t-shirt on, courtesy of an old pal who is now a Division I head coach at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.
At the semifinals this year, Doc went styling with a black mock turtle neck shirt and a dark sports jacket and slacks.
Even the championship game found him looking pretty sharp......until you looked a bit closer. He was wearing a dark shirt with a sport jacket again, but if you looked carefully you could notice a white logo of some sort on the left breast pocket of his black shirt. You could only see the logo when he moved around waving instructions to his players.
It wasn't until late in the fourth quarter, with the game in hand, that Doc doffed his sports jacket to reveal a large PAPPY'S PIZZA arched in white letters across the back of the black t-shirt with the telephone number of Manchester's popular North Elm Street eatery underneath the wording.
*******************
Old friend and former Hopkinton High basketball coach Danny Parr was the game administrator for the tournament and looks dapper having just finished his 45th year of coaching basketball dating way back to Hopkinton stars named Bucko Johnson and Pat Leavitt. He currently coaches St. Thomas Aquinas after a long tenure with Portsmouth High.
*******************
The word around Lundholm was that the bleachers were broken on both sides of the gym and that's why the top half-dozen rows or so weren't pulled out thus limiting the crowd size. Truth be known, the local fire officials don't particularly care for the lack of walking space behind the team benches and the scorer's and behind the media tables on the opposite side of the gym and the only way they will let the games go on is to keep some of the bleachers folded in.
********************
"A" lot across from Lundhold was jammed packed by 11:30 on Saturday morning and fans arriving at that point in time scurried for parking spots wondering if, in fact, they'd even get a seat in the gym.
One of the things I watch for in high school basketball games is whether anyone can breakdown his man with a drive baseline to the basket from either the corner of from the fouline extended.
Can they make the requisite moves to get past their defender, drive hard to the basket, take the bump that usually always accompanies the drive, and finish off the layup.
Some get to the "take the bump" stage and have difficuties finishing the shot.
But the good ones finish.
So a couple of weeks ago when I was watching Bow's Paul Chergy, he of the 6'5" adult-sized body, drive baseline from the right side (he's a right dominant player), take a huge mid-air bump and finish off the layup with a two-handed in-traffic dunk, I was rightfully impressed.
That is until about a week later when I saw him do the very same thing, with the very same mid-aid contact, and the very same two-handed in-traffic dunk, from the LEFT side, then I knew this kid has something going beyond your normal high school player.
Talent like that doesn't happen much in New Hampshire.
*************************
Not up on my Robert's Rules of Order, but if at all possible, the Concord School Board should empower its chairperson to cast one ballot in favor of moving Bill Haubrich, The Current (as opposed to Bill Haubrich, The Elder and Bill Haubrich, The Younger) into the recently vacated director of athletics position at Concord High. I defy anyone to give me a better choice. Save the taxpayers the expense of advertising and say the Board the interviewing time.
*************************
Bill Whitmore will be missed. There aren't many people who have graced Our Town with as much dignity, professionalism, and organization. Our athletic programs have been in good hands.
*************************
Walked into Border's the other day to use one of my Christmas gift certificates on Roger Halberstam's book on Bill Belichek. But wouldn't you know it, staring me right in the face was John Feinstein's latest book, Last Dance, an inside look at what is now known as March Madness. With 30% off, to boot. Couldn't have thought of anything better to prep me for the upcoming weeks of college basketball. And despite what the New York Times says, it was a good read.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Quotes and other wordly items
"Greatness necessarily attracts debunkers." - John Updike speaking of the Boston Red Sox fans' attitude towards Ted Williams in Updike's article, Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu, The New Yorker, 1960. Last home game: September 28, 1960. Attendance: 10,454.
The Real Wonder Lick Quiz
People of Concord, past and present, and fellow Parkmates wherever you are, here you go…a White’s Park/City of Concord quiz. I recognize that some of these will be Sooooo Concord that some of you folks who have been here for, oh 20 years or so, might not have the answers, but follow along and you might pick up some Concord history. I
Name the former Parks and Recreation director who people did not like?
Donald Sinn.
Several answers came in for Jack Penny and some even answered John Keach. The key here was that the person WAS NOT liked. Don Sinn was mean. Mr. Penny was a very nice man and had a long career with the State of New Hampshire’s Rec and Parks Department. As for John Keach, don’t ever step on to a field or court at Memorial Field without thanking him for his vision and foresight. Except for a couple of swimming pools being refurbished, a Monkey Around Playground or two being erected, and the renovations at Heights Playground – now called Keach Park - nothing much has happened in these parts since John left us.
What was Bill Greeley’s dog’s name? Bonnie.
What was the name of the bottled drink that the Kallechey Family produced in their warehouse on Montgomery Street? Whistle.
What type of soda was it? Orange
What is the real name of Phonsie Ceriello? Alphonse…one of the finest athletes Concord has ever seen. Used to skate by the hours on the frozen pond at White’s. During the summer he’d be the designated pitcher for all the kids in the park.
What was Don Mead’s nickname? Ducky. CHS grad and former high school basketball coach (Penacook High and Alvirne High) Mead might very well be the funniest guy ever to come out of the Park. Swore that he’d change his skin color if he thought he could get a major college coaching job.
What was Eddie Bazunk’s real name? Edward Knowles. Please don’t ever forget that Eddie did far more for us, in terms of field maintenance, than any of us ever did for him.
What was the ice cream man’s name at White’s and other parks? (maybe too easy, but you need one) Dan, Dan the Ice Cream Man (Dan Cusano). Not to be confused with his perverted nephew Phil who dished out something more despicable than snow cones.
Name the starting lineup for the 1951 Concord LL All-Star team. (Believe me you’ll know a lot them). P: Bobby Hansen; C: Rocky Vezina; 1B: Jim Desmarais; 2B: Jerry Gearan; SS Joe Hargen; 3B: George Boucher; OF: Jim Muldowney, Denny MacDonald, missing one; Coaches: Delly Callahan, Bill Slattery, SR. I think we’re missing one here but you get the gist. These are some pretty classy names in the history of Concord sports.
What current prominent Concord attorney broke his jaw playing flag (or touch) football at White’s Park in the 60s? Mike Callahan. Skip Hardiman says he played in the game which is no small surprise as Skip may hold the city record for most touch football games played, career. Skip was a passing genius in touch football. He had intricate passing routes for everyone, diagrammed on the palm of his hand or in the dirt with a twig. Funny how a talented CHS football lineman could be a most talented touch football QB. Wonder if Coach Martin ever knew?
Who was the sweatiest guy playing hoops at White’s? Lots of answers, but the Unknown Question Guy says Larry Houle.
What was Reynolds Prince’s nickname? Pecker. There must be a story here somewhere.
Who replaced Jim Ceriello as director at the Boys Club? Herbie Norton
Who was Beulah at Duck Island at White’s? Apparently an easy prey to lecherous young lads at White’s Park. One answer came in that Beulah must have changed her name to Tina P in the late 50s/early 60s. Then another answer came back in saying Beulah must have changed her name to Tina P in the mid 60s. The irony here is that the Tina Ps are different people…honestly.
Who lost his eye in an explosion at the Circle (Lover’s Lane) at White’s? Charlie Fletcher
Who was Geek? Steve Lillios although I thought he was called Zeke the Greek, and no matter what Steve Latham says, he always traveled on his post moves around the basket.
What did John and Teddy Gray have in common? Brothers, Charles Street residents, Marine Corp vets. Son of the infamous Red Gray.
What made Rock Greeley famous at the White’s Park swimming pool? The rumor goes, Rock supposedly drove an automobile into the White’s Park pool before the pool was fenced in.
Did Sal Falzone ever play sports? Not that anyone remembers. Although a couple made smart aleck remarks about hanging around Junior Mattice and the YMCA.
What was Fig Newton’s first name and where did he live? There were several versions of Fig Newton, but the one we’re looking for – Dick – played a little basketball for CHS and lived on the corner of North Main and Pearl.
What was the name of the fellow who ran the counter at the Y and always had a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth? Milton
What Church League team won the most championships in the 50's and 60's in hoop? St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s.
Who was the first football player from Concord to play in the Shrine Football Game? The series began in 1954. Joe Hart, St.John's in l954, Joe Shields in l955 along with Dick Bartlett
Name the three best catchers to come out of Concord in the 50's and 60's? Joe Shields, Larry (Bugga) West and Jim Watson.
Name the five top pitchers to ever play in the Sunset League? Don Steenbeke, Jim Shaw, Bob Wheeler, Bob Hanson, Don Soderstrom, Tom Destefano, Floyd Bernier, Bobby Hurst, Bob Batchelder (I know, that’s more than 5. I’m just sharing some of the answers.)
Who was the manager of the Hooz's Red Sox Sunset League baseball team? Irving (“You gotta hurry, Al”) Edelstein.
What was Don Soderstrom's nickname? Sodie, Soggie, or “million dollar arm, two cent head”
What was Alvah Longley's nickname? In the sports world it was Boonie, but around the railroad and truck yards it was Junior because Alvah T. Senior, the moving guy, was Boonie.
Name the four little league teams that were established in 1949, the first year of Concord Little League. Kiwanis, Eagles, VFW, Auto Dealers (there may be some arguments here).
Who said when a player let a ball go through his legs "What are you doing, picking dasies?" Delly Callahan.
Who was Whites Park's most famous Harry? I’m picking Barlow from the Rumford Street Barlows.
What White Park standard bearer was know for throwing rocks at the basketball players if he was not picked on a team? The one and only Leslie Childs (a/k/a The Mad Defacator).
Name two police officers who coached youth teams in the city in the 50's and the 60's? Hap Simpson, Herb Norton, Andy Martell.
What was "Tarzan" Healey's first name? John.
What was the name of the west end ice hockey team that played their games on Sunday afternoons behind Sacred Heart Church? Shamrocks.
What was the name of the movie theatre on Pleasant St.? Star.
What was Muggsy Mulligan’s real first name and where did he live? We’re accepting Beacon Street Tom, but I guess every Mulligan who ever lived went by Muggsy.
Who was Giggie? (Rick LaBontee)
When playing HR Derby from second base at the Little League field, what was a home run to right which amounts to hitting the ball onto White Street in the air? An out
Who was faster Louie Shepard, Jim Labbe or Speedy Harriman? Not sure, but Speedy Harriman was pretty damned fast when he chased us up the street because we chucked some green apples into his convertible when he drove by.
Who scored the only touchdown for the 1962 CHS football team? Sad, but true. Wayne Heath. (CHS ’64) scored the one and only touchdown for the Tide that year. Needless to say, they lost every game.
Who scored the first basket at the new CHS gym in 1962? Billy Degnan drilled a 18 foot shot from the right side.
What was Dickie Krueger’s high school girl friend’s name? Dottie Osborne.
At whose house did the cops stop first when checking out trouble at White’s Park? Trouble at the Park? Go to Mike Matthews house on White Street and work from there.
What was the name of the semipro basketball team in Concord in the late 50s and early 60s? The Concord Olympians. Superb basketball played at the Green Street gym.
Whose house was torn down to make a parking lot for the Green Street Community Center? Freddy Walker.
What are the names of the two most prominent quarry swimming holes? New England and ???
True or false: Bill Greeley played in the Sunset League. True. Towards the end of each season, the United Life team would let Bill pinch hit.
What is Arab (Yah-Yah) Labnon’s real first name? Richard
Who gave Jim Watson the nickname Promaker? Charlie Bowler
Who ran the Midget Football League at White’s for many years? Dave Sayward
What happened at the YMCA on Saturday afternoons after the football games in the fall? Perhaps a bit hokey by today’s standards, but a dance.
What downtown restaurant served a tainted éclair? The Puritan
What was the name of the ice cream joint in McKee Square? Do Drop Inn
What local legend was known for his cry of “Yowa, yowsa, yowsa” to motorists passing by in the South End? Kenny Casey
What family has lived on the most sides of White’s Park (that would be White Street, Beacon Street, High Street and Washington Street)? DiNapolis
What was Robert Diversi’s nickname? Squirrel
What did Clark Billings drive? A Jeep
What was Clark Billings’ nickname? Troll
What sport did Bobby Hurst compete in on television? Candlepin bowling
What Concord radio sportscaster was famous for using the line “up and around the rim” every time a shot was taken? Bob Lauze
Which Brochu coached Bishop Brady hockey? (The answer “Red” does not get credit.) Leonard
Where did CHS hockey player Rusty (God) Martin go to college? Dartmouth
What long-time Concord carpet layer is the father-in-law to the daughter of a Cy Young Award winner? Ray-Ray Dyment’s son married the daughter of Dr. Jim Lonborg (yah, THAT Jim Lonborg)
You all passed!
Name the former Parks and Recreation director who people did not like?
Donald Sinn.
Several answers came in for Jack Penny and some even answered John Keach. The key here was that the person WAS NOT liked. Don Sinn was mean. Mr. Penny was a very nice man and had a long career with the State of New Hampshire’s Rec and Parks Department. As for John Keach, don’t ever step on to a field or court at Memorial Field without thanking him for his vision and foresight. Except for a couple of swimming pools being refurbished, a Monkey Around Playground or two being erected, and the renovations at Heights Playground – now called Keach Park - nothing much has happened in these parts since John left us.
What was Bill Greeley’s dog’s name? Bonnie.
What was the name of the bottled drink that the Kallechey Family produced in their warehouse on Montgomery Street? Whistle.
What type of soda was it? Orange
What is the real name of Phonsie Ceriello? Alphonse…one of the finest athletes Concord has ever seen. Used to skate by the hours on the frozen pond at White’s. During the summer he’d be the designated pitcher for all the kids in the park.
What was Don Mead’s nickname? Ducky. CHS grad and former high school basketball coach (Penacook High and Alvirne High) Mead might very well be the funniest guy ever to come out of the Park. Swore that he’d change his skin color if he thought he could get a major college coaching job.
What was Eddie Bazunk’s real name? Edward Knowles. Please don’t ever forget that Eddie did far more for us, in terms of field maintenance, than any of us ever did for him.
What was the ice cream man’s name at White’s and other parks? (maybe too easy, but you need one) Dan, Dan the Ice Cream Man (Dan Cusano). Not to be confused with his perverted nephew Phil who dished out something more despicable than snow cones.
Name the starting lineup for the 1951 Concord LL All-Star team. (Believe me you’ll know a lot them). P: Bobby Hansen; C: Rocky Vezina; 1B: Jim Desmarais; 2B: Jerry Gearan; SS Joe Hargen; 3B: George Boucher; OF: Jim Muldowney, Denny MacDonald, missing one; Coaches: Delly Callahan, Bill Slattery, SR. I think we’re missing one here but you get the gist. These are some pretty classy names in the history of Concord sports.
What current prominent Concord attorney broke his jaw playing flag (or touch) football at White’s Park in the 60s? Mike Callahan. Skip Hardiman says he played in the game which is no small surprise as Skip may hold the city record for most touch football games played, career. Skip was a passing genius in touch football. He had intricate passing routes for everyone, diagrammed on the palm of his hand or in the dirt with a twig. Funny how a talented CHS football lineman could be a most talented touch football QB. Wonder if Coach Martin ever knew?
Who was the sweatiest guy playing hoops at White’s? Lots of answers, but the Unknown Question Guy says Larry Houle.
What was Reynolds Prince’s nickname? Pecker. There must be a story here somewhere.
Who replaced Jim Ceriello as director at the Boys Club? Herbie Norton
Who was Beulah at Duck Island at White’s? Apparently an easy prey to lecherous young lads at White’s Park. One answer came in that Beulah must have changed her name to Tina P in the late 50s/early 60s. Then another answer came back in saying Beulah must have changed her name to Tina P in the mid 60s. The irony here is that the Tina Ps are different people…honestly.
Who lost his eye in an explosion at the Circle (Lover’s Lane) at White’s? Charlie Fletcher
Who was Geek? Steve Lillios although I thought he was called Zeke the Greek, and no matter what Steve Latham says, he always traveled on his post moves around the basket.
What did John and Teddy Gray have in common? Brothers, Charles Street residents, Marine Corp vets. Son of the infamous Red Gray.
What made Rock Greeley famous at the White’s Park swimming pool? The rumor goes, Rock supposedly drove an automobile into the White’s Park pool before the pool was fenced in.
Did Sal Falzone ever play sports? Not that anyone remembers. Although a couple made smart aleck remarks about hanging around Junior Mattice and the YMCA.
What was Fig Newton’s first name and where did he live? There were several versions of Fig Newton, but the one we’re looking for – Dick – played a little basketball for CHS and lived on the corner of North Main and Pearl.
What was the name of the fellow who ran the counter at the Y and always had a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth? Milton
What Church League team won the most championships in the 50's and 60's in hoop? St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s.
Who was the first football player from Concord to play in the Shrine Football Game? The series began in 1954. Joe Hart, St.John's in l954, Joe Shields in l955 along with Dick Bartlett
Name the three best catchers to come out of Concord in the 50's and 60's? Joe Shields, Larry (Bugga) West and Jim Watson.
Name the five top pitchers to ever play in the Sunset League? Don Steenbeke, Jim Shaw, Bob Wheeler, Bob Hanson, Don Soderstrom, Tom Destefano, Floyd Bernier, Bobby Hurst, Bob Batchelder (I know, that’s more than 5. I’m just sharing some of the answers.)
Who was the manager of the Hooz's Red Sox Sunset League baseball team? Irving (“You gotta hurry, Al”) Edelstein.
What was Don Soderstrom's nickname? Sodie, Soggie, or “million dollar arm, two cent head”
What was Alvah Longley's nickname? In the sports world it was Boonie, but around the railroad and truck yards it was Junior because Alvah T. Senior, the moving guy, was Boonie.
Name the four little league teams that were established in 1949, the first year of Concord Little League. Kiwanis, Eagles, VFW, Auto Dealers (there may be some arguments here).
Who said when a player let a ball go through his legs "What are you doing, picking dasies?" Delly Callahan.
Who was Whites Park's most famous Harry? I’m picking Barlow from the Rumford Street Barlows.
What White Park standard bearer was know for throwing rocks at the basketball players if he was not picked on a team? The one and only Leslie Childs (a/k/a The Mad Defacator).
Name two police officers who coached youth teams in the city in the 50's and the 60's? Hap Simpson, Herb Norton, Andy Martell.
What was "Tarzan" Healey's first name? John.
What was the name of the west end ice hockey team that played their games on Sunday afternoons behind Sacred Heart Church? Shamrocks.
What was the name of the movie theatre on Pleasant St.? Star.
What was Muggsy Mulligan’s real first name and where did he live? We’re accepting Beacon Street Tom, but I guess every Mulligan who ever lived went by Muggsy.
Who was Giggie? (Rick LaBontee)
When playing HR Derby from second base at the Little League field, what was a home run to right which amounts to hitting the ball onto White Street in the air? An out
Who was faster Louie Shepard, Jim Labbe or Speedy Harriman? Not sure, but Speedy Harriman was pretty damned fast when he chased us up the street because we chucked some green apples into his convertible when he drove by.
Who scored the only touchdown for the 1962 CHS football team? Sad, but true. Wayne Heath. (CHS ’64) scored the one and only touchdown for the Tide that year. Needless to say, they lost every game.
Who scored the first basket at the new CHS gym in 1962? Billy Degnan drilled a 18 foot shot from the right side.
What was Dickie Krueger’s high school girl friend’s name? Dottie Osborne.
At whose house did the cops stop first when checking out trouble at White’s Park? Trouble at the Park? Go to Mike Matthews house on White Street and work from there.
What was the name of the semipro basketball team in Concord in the late 50s and early 60s? The Concord Olympians. Superb basketball played at the Green Street gym.
Whose house was torn down to make a parking lot for the Green Street Community Center? Freddy Walker.
What are the names of the two most prominent quarry swimming holes? New England and ???
True or false: Bill Greeley played in the Sunset League. True. Towards the end of each season, the United Life team would let Bill pinch hit.
What is Arab (Yah-Yah) Labnon’s real first name? Richard
Who gave Jim Watson the nickname Promaker? Charlie Bowler
Who ran the Midget Football League at White’s for many years? Dave Sayward
What happened at the YMCA on Saturday afternoons after the football games in the fall? Perhaps a bit hokey by today’s standards, but a dance.
What downtown restaurant served a tainted éclair? The Puritan
What was the name of the ice cream joint in McKee Square? Do Drop Inn
What local legend was known for his cry of “Yowa, yowsa, yowsa” to motorists passing by in the South End? Kenny Casey
What family has lived on the most sides of White’s Park (that would be White Street, Beacon Street, High Street and Washington Street)? DiNapolis
What was Robert Diversi’s nickname? Squirrel
What did Clark Billings drive? A Jeep
What was Clark Billings’ nickname? Troll
What sport did Bobby Hurst compete in on television? Candlepin bowling
What Concord radio sportscaster was famous for using the line “up and around the rim” every time a shot was taken? Bob Lauze
Which Brochu coached Bishop Brady hockey? (The answer “Red” does not get credit.) Leonard
Where did CHS hockey player Rusty (God) Martin go to college? Dartmouth
What long-time Concord carpet layer is the father-in-law to the daughter of a Cy Young Award winner? Ray-Ray Dyment’s son married the daughter of Dr. Jim Lonborg (yah, THAT Jim Lonborg)
You all passed!
Friday, December 23, 2005
They Said It:
"Mike Moffett is having his knee operation the old Marine way: no anesthetic, sewn up with a dull fishhook and an old shoestring between pushup sets." - Doug Ricard's characterization of his Over 35 League basketball teammate's recent knee surgery.
Moffett, the chair of the Sports Management program at New Hampshire Technical Institute and a weekly columnist, wrote of his surgery in his Weirs Times column. Take a peek:
http://www.weirs.com/archivepdfs/wtimes122205.pdf
“This is my first year in the last 30 years not ‘interacting’ with coaches. I have hung up my whistle. I can remember the ‘golden’ years of cutting my teeth (and thickening my skin) while doing three games a night at the Community Center. I had a very good run and have a bunch of fond and not so fond memories that began at the Center.” – Wes Cook on his retirement from basketball officiating.
Comment: Back in the days when I had the honor of running the Men’s Basketball League, we used only board certified referees to work the games, something that is nearly impossible now with 57 teams playing 28 games a week. Wes was one of a stable of guys – Chick Smith, Arthur Jackson, Jim Burney, Randy Daniels, Leon Kenison, among others – who honed their game at Green Street. What I liked most about Cook’s game was that he’d make any call, any place and if I was hiring high school officials, he’d be near the top of my list. Back in the day, the home school did the hiring and Wes didn’t care who was playing or who was paying. He’d make the call. Bronze that whistle, Wesley, and hang it somewhere for all to see……JDS
“I took Brian and Tony on a trip of a lifetime in October. We took in the ND-BYU game on October 22. What an experience!!! Not only did we get inside the Golden Dome and got to see all the Heisman trophies, but I got friendly with one of the assistant supervisors of ushers during the game and he took us down on the field after the game and took our pictures in front of the famous tunnel. (And yes I did grab a handful of turf, which is now in a baggie in my home office).” – Mike Sartorelli on his trip to the home of Touchdown Jesus.
“I played with T-Card until my knees couldn't take the pounding anymore at age 37. What is his secret?” - Dave Anderson on how Doug Ricard can still be going in the Men’s League at age 59.
The piece on Copulating for Williamsport drew an unusual number of responses, to wit:
“Sign me up and let me know when the tryouts begin!” – signed: Eager Beaver, from one of my (female) cousins after reading the piece on Copulating for Williamsport
“Loved the idea for spawning a Championship Little League Team! I fit the criteria for the switch hitter idea, but alas my ovaries have wilted!” – a female reader.
“Really enjoyed your Williamsport idea. I always could go nine so I'm going to step up and say with new medical advances I'm UP for a double header!!” – a former Concord resident who pays a lot of attention to baseball….from this post, perhaps a little too much.
“No oral exams for Williamsport?” – from one of my regular readers.
“By the way I`ve been to the Little League World Series for the past five years and it is a great experience. My sons, Cam (14) and Connor (11), love it there. If you are a baseball junkie like me its pure baseball heaven.” – David Angus on his real experiences at Williamsport.
“Your ‘take’ on producing a Little League ‘winner’ got me to thinking. If only I were a short fifty years younger, I'd be writing to say - ‘count me in’!” – from a dear friend.
“Feinstein praises Ray Lewis for being involved in the lives of his six children - even though they have four mothers, none of whom he is married to.” – from a friend suggesting that John Feinstein’s recent book about the Baltimore Ravens lacks a little cred.
So you think the popularity of Legion baseball has taken a dip in Concord in the past 10 years? Here’s a question I found in my email basket from a prominent sportswriter in New Hampshire who was preparing for a piece on Jed Hoyer a couple of weeks before his appointment as co-GM of the Red Sox:
“Jed played for Concord Post 21? Is that the correct name of the team? Do they still have a team?”
No discredit to the sportswriter…he’s great. But what does that say about the Legion program? Come on, guys, let’s get this thing back on track.
“Jeff: Thanks so much for the article (on Joe Shields). As you know I was the batboy on that Legion team. At a very young age I knew he was special, but didn't quite understand why then. I just knew he was my buddy and hero that wonderful summer. He played the game very Varitek- like in stature and he was physically tough as nails. Just another little piece of Concord that shaped who I was, and I’m damn proud of it. He taught me to eat lemons that summer. He'd cut a piece off, in the dog days of summer, and would say, ‘eat this so you won't be so thirsty.’ I couldn't smile all summer because I was puckered all the time. Wonder if he was bustin my chops??” – Mike McGrath on the passing of Joe Shields.
And here’s a few ways of knowing you’re from New Hampshire:
You consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping it will swim by.
You’re proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Mt. Washington is the coldest spot in the nation.
Your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May (except in Concord where Arnie re-opens to sell some Christmas trees.).
Someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work there.
“Vacation” means going somewhere south of New York.
You measure distance in hours.
You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.
You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked.
You carry jumpers in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them.
You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
You find 10 degrees "a little chilly."
Moffett, the chair of the Sports Management program at New Hampshire Technical Institute and a weekly columnist, wrote of his surgery in his Weirs Times column. Take a peek:
http://www.weirs.com/archivepdfs/wtimes122205.pdf
“This is my first year in the last 30 years not ‘interacting’ with coaches. I have hung up my whistle. I can remember the ‘golden’ years of cutting my teeth (and thickening my skin) while doing three games a night at the Community Center. I had a very good run and have a bunch of fond and not so fond memories that began at the Center.” – Wes Cook on his retirement from basketball officiating.
Comment: Back in the days when I had the honor of running the Men’s Basketball League, we used only board certified referees to work the games, something that is nearly impossible now with 57 teams playing 28 games a week. Wes was one of a stable of guys – Chick Smith, Arthur Jackson, Jim Burney, Randy Daniels, Leon Kenison, among others – who honed their game at Green Street. What I liked most about Cook’s game was that he’d make any call, any place and if I was hiring high school officials, he’d be near the top of my list. Back in the day, the home school did the hiring and Wes didn’t care who was playing or who was paying. He’d make the call. Bronze that whistle, Wesley, and hang it somewhere for all to see……JDS
“I took Brian and Tony on a trip of a lifetime in October. We took in the ND-BYU game on October 22. What an experience!!! Not only did we get inside the Golden Dome and got to see all the Heisman trophies, but I got friendly with one of the assistant supervisors of ushers during the game and he took us down on the field after the game and took our pictures in front of the famous tunnel. (And yes I did grab a handful of turf, which is now in a baggie in my home office).” – Mike Sartorelli on his trip to the home of Touchdown Jesus.
“I played with T-Card until my knees couldn't take the pounding anymore at age 37. What is his secret?” - Dave Anderson on how Doug Ricard can still be going in the Men’s League at age 59.
The piece on Copulating for Williamsport drew an unusual number of responses, to wit:
“Sign me up and let me know when the tryouts begin!” – signed: Eager Beaver, from one of my (female) cousins after reading the piece on Copulating for Williamsport
“Loved the idea for spawning a Championship Little League Team! I fit the criteria for the switch hitter idea, but alas my ovaries have wilted!” – a female reader.
“Really enjoyed your Williamsport idea. I always could go nine so I'm going to step up and say with new medical advances I'm UP for a double header!!” – a former Concord resident who pays a lot of attention to baseball….from this post, perhaps a little too much.
“No oral exams for Williamsport?” – from one of my regular readers.
“By the way I`ve been to the Little League World Series for the past five years and it is a great experience. My sons, Cam (14) and Connor (11), love it there. If you are a baseball junkie like me its pure baseball heaven.” – David Angus on his real experiences at Williamsport.
“Your ‘take’ on producing a Little League ‘winner’ got me to thinking. If only I were a short fifty years younger, I'd be writing to say - ‘count me in’!” – from a dear friend.
“Feinstein praises Ray Lewis for being involved in the lives of his six children - even though they have four mothers, none of whom he is married to.” – from a friend suggesting that John Feinstein’s recent book about the Baltimore Ravens lacks a little cred.
So you think the popularity of Legion baseball has taken a dip in Concord in the past 10 years? Here’s a question I found in my email basket from a prominent sportswriter in New Hampshire who was preparing for a piece on Jed Hoyer a couple of weeks before his appointment as co-GM of the Red Sox:
“Jed played for Concord Post 21? Is that the correct name of the team? Do they still have a team?”
No discredit to the sportswriter…he’s great. But what does that say about the Legion program? Come on, guys, let’s get this thing back on track.
“Jeff: Thanks so much for the article (on Joe Shields). As you know I was the batboy on that Legion team. At a very young age I knew he was special, but didn't quite understand why then. I just knew he was my buddy and hero that wonderful summer. He played the game very Varitek- like in stature and he was physically tough as nails. Just another little piece of Concord that shaped who I was, and I’m damn proud of it. He taught me to eat lemons that summer. He'd cut a piece off, in the dog days of summer, and would say, ‘eat this so you won't be so thirsty.’ I couldn't smile all summer because I was puckered all the time. Wonder if he was bustin my chops??” – Mike McGrath on the passing of Joe Shields.
And here’s a few ways of knowing you’re from New Hampshire:
You consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping it will swim by.
You’re proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Mt. Washington is the coldest spot in the nation.
Your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May (except in Concord where Arnie re-opens to sell some Christmas trees.).
Someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work there.
“Vacation” means going somewhere south of New York.
You measure distance in hours.
You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.
You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked.
You carry jumpers in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them.
You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
You find 10 degrees "a little chilly."
Giving Them the Bird
Remember Concord's Eddie Annal and his high flying friend Sam the Eagle? Here's another piece on how Eddie and Sam are wowing the local Cincinnati folks.
http://www.cinweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050727/LIFE/507270360/1068
http://www.cinweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050727/LIFE/507270360/1068
Monday, December 12, 2005
Running in the Street
Megan McGrath Runs the NYC Marathon
We receive gifts all year long. Some may be in the form of a couple of words...others may be a couple of paragraphs letting us know of something good in one's life. From time to time, people send us items that are important and heart warming. Here is a first person account of the New York City Marathon in November from Megan McGrath, the daughter of Mike McGrath, a native of Concord who has lived in Florida for decades now. Megan was running her second marathon and did so as a fund-raiser. Read on…..you can almost feel the crowd lining the streets of New York……:
Hello all -
I hope this email finds you all well..... with family and friends - possibly cooking up a large feast for Turkey Day. Sitting here on Thanksgiving Eve surrounded with a few of my loved ones I was thinking of you all.... as I am truly thankful to have you all in my life and thankful for the support you have all provided in some way throughout my training and/or running of the NYC Marathon.
I have to tell you all that you have to do it... maybe not run it, but you gotta go and see it-experience the energy. The day was nothing less than amazing. The streets were swelling as over 2 million spectators came out to cheer on the 37,000 competitors from around the world. The entire city seemed to be busting at the seams with crowds cheering for those of us that had decided to take on the 26.2 mile challenge.
At 6 am on the marathon morning Chris escorted me to the NYC Public Library leaving me with a big hug, kiss, and a fiery little pep talk. I caught a bus over to Staten Island - where I waited ANXIOUSLY in a grassy field with thousands of other people for a 10:00 start. It may have been my second marathon, but I was just as nervous. This time the weather was nice - opposite of the Disney Marathon that brought a chilly 35 degree start. Who would have thought that NYC November 6th would have us running in weather that rivals South Florida's balmy 70's. I was thankful.
When we were finally corralled into the starting areas Black Hawk helicopters hovered overhead while fire barges spouted red, white, and blue water. A cannon fired from Ft. Wadsworth signaled that it was time to get the show on the road.... and that road was straight up hill over the Verzzano-Narrows Bridge. The first 10 miles flew by.... I remember certain images but I felt so much energy from the crowd.... it felt as though I was on a treadmill set about five beats faster than I could run. I felt as though I was being sucked down the streets of NY and the louder the cheers were the faster my legs would take me. I was trying to force myself to slow down... as too fast in the beginning usually correlates to too painful at the end!! In my efforts of taking it slow I managed to high-five children all along the race course, pet a few super cute dogs, and wave to some of the firemen and police that lined the streets. One of the many bands that was performing along the race course incorporated my name into their song as I ran by (I had written my name in large letters and taped it to the top of my number bib).
We continued to wind our way through all five boroughs and over a few bridges....and FINALLY at mile 17 I got to see Christian, my Dad, and Katie. I cannot even begin to thank them enough for trekking up to NYC only to hope to catch a glimpse of me in the crowds. They have a picture of me with my mouth wide open in shock that I actually saw them. It was so crowded I had all but given up on seeing them so I was pumped for the next few miles... and then Central Park deflated me. I had done very little "hill training" while in Florida... to be more exact, none. Between the bridges and the rolling hills in the Park I was struggling. The last few miles weren't really fun at all. I was swearing to myself that as soon as I finished I was going to sign and seal some sort of contract where I agreed to NEVER run a marathon again - EVER.
Well, I finally finished after 4 hours and 11 minutes, which averages to about a 9 1/2 minute mile. I was too tired to do much of anything celebratory as I cross the finish line.... other than whimper and let out a sigh of relief. My legs were ready for mutiny and I wanted nothing more to find my family because I needed a hug. Finding them was another marathon altogether. It took over an hour for us to all meet up..... those 2 million spectators and the 37,000 runners made it difficult.
The following day Chris and I were lucky enough to get to shake hands with both winners (Paul Tergat (KEN) finished the marathon in 2:09:30 and Jelena Prokopcuka (LAT) finished in 2:24:41) at Tavern On The Green, which is where the finish line had been the day before. Needless to say that was closest I would ever be to those two phenomenal athletes at a finish line. I was in awe of their athleticism... but happy to see that Mr. Tergat had the familiar day after marathon gait - even the elite get sore!!!
Thanks to so many of you a total of $2,840 was raised and donated to the NY Road Runners Special Charity Programs. That is something that people that you and I will never even know will be thankful for - which makes giving it that more meaningful.
I would say that the crowd there that day helped me get through that race; however, it was all of you that helped me get there and that is priceless. I thank you all for your support, your donations, and for believing in me.
I hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy the time with your family and friends - I will be thinking of all of you.
Kindest regards,
Megan
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Bits and Pieces - Holiday Issue
Off My Wall
December 2005
BITS AND PIECES
Stop it with the Bring Back Nomar crap. Ain’t happening and shouldn’t happen. Any of you remember breaking up with the same girl friend twice? Of course you do and the second time didn't last as long, wasn't as fun and only served to see if what you had the first time was worth it. And for the most part, the answer was NO!
The Red Sox finally recognized at the end of last season that the Era of the Stud Shortstop was over. Who needs to clone Jeter, ARod, Tejeda or Nomar (pre-wrist surgery). No reason to spend the equivalent of the GNP of third world countries on shortstops.
Instead the Sox realized that the Juan Uribes (White Sox), Adam Everetts (Astros), David Ecksteins (Cardinals) – representing shortstops of three of the final four teams in last year's playoffs – are perfectly capable of manning that position at considerably discounted prices, thus leaving millions to be spent on other positions.
At least that’s what I thought until Miggy Tejeda suggested he wanted out of Baltimore and into the shadow of The Monster (your choice as to whether that means Green Monster or David Ortiz).
Condolences to my baseball loving friends on the West Coast now that they have the Walking Brain Fart (Grady Little) managing the Dodgers.
Here’s my take on what’s happening in Red Sox Nation: As Theo was leaving, he told Lucky Larry that he was opening a printing company with this twin brother. Lo and behold, Larry tossed a fig leave Theo’s way telling him he (Theo) could have the printing contract for game programs next season. To make this profitable, Theo hatched this plan with his ex-henchmen to make all these trades which makes next season’s game programs an absolute necessity because you really “can’t tell the players without a program” next year.
This item will be considered prophetic to my basketball teammates – both high school and long-time men’s league: The first sign you see on my road says: NO OUTLET. Pretty fitting, huh?
Old friend Doug Ricard turns 60 this coming April and still gets up and down the floor quite nicely for two teams in the Men’s Basketball League – one in the B League and one in the Over 35 League. So if you’re wondering just how long Card plans on playing, don’t expect to unlace those Chucks anytime soon - his mother, a former player at Plymouth State (or more likely it was Plymouth Teachers School back then) is in wonderful shape having turned 100 in 2005.
You know, this grandfather thing sure can be fun, but recently it gave me reason to ponder:
What the hell is a dell? When was the last time you saw one? And have you ever used it in a sentence without having the word farmer also in the sentence?
Just wondering.
From scoring 50 points in a game at Nashua North last high school season to firing in 3-pointers for Boston University in the season opening game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the campus of Duke University to going 6 for 9 from beyond the arc recently against UNH, life is pretty good for Merrimack High grad and BU freshman starter Corey Hassan.
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP:
Overheard at an A League game a couple of weeks ago at Green Street:
"You know....when so-and-so (name omitted to protect the unsuspecting) tells you something, you only have a fifty-fifty chance of it being true or false........and the other 50% you really can't be sure if it's true either."
Figure that one out and let me know what you think....
Remember when it was downright giddy around these basketball parts when the biggest of the big college basketball schools, hard on the recruitment trail, were showing up at Concord High to get a front row seat to watch Matt Bonner.
Along the way, Coach K took some foul shots at Green Street one night after flying into Concord Airport on the Duke private jet. Matt Doherty, then an assistant at Kansas, stood patiently and alone at the foul line after a game at Merrimack High just so the Bonners would make sure they saw him, not that his 6’7” stature would be hard not to notice at a New Hampshire high school game. Tommy Herrion, then an assistant at Providence, showed up at Concord High when Matt was about to break some scoring barrier even though he knew the Friars had little shot of landing Bon-Bon. And then there were all the telephone calls to Billy Haubrich’s house from people we normally watch on ESPN.
All of that for one kid.
So one can only imagine how hectic Jason Smith, the Merrimack Valley point guard in the Drapeau era, has it almost every year at his post as the head basketball coach at Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro). Not only a force in the New England prep school world, Brewster Academy – Jason – is a huge player in the major college basketball development process nationwide.Take a look at his roster and the early signees at Division I schools so far this season: Virginia (Will Harris 6'6 230lbs); Colorado (Xavier Silas 6'5 205lbs- son of former San Antonio Spur guard James Silas); LaSalle (Brian Grimes 6'7 220lbs); Winthrop (Rainer Blickle 6'7 190lbs); and Stony Brook (Kyle Wright 6'5 200lbs). And that doesn’t include three of his starters who will sign in the spring signing period, one of whom is down to Stanford and Columbia.
Not far behind is Jamie Arseneault, the former Portsmouth High and Colby College three-sport star who is the head coach at the New Hampton School. He already has three kids committed to Kansas, Southern Methodist and the University of New Hampshire and word along courtside is that another of his starters is heading to Dartmouth.
And just in case you didn’t notice, Jerome Dyson from Proctor Academy is listed in the Top 100 high school seniors and the shooter extraordinaire is heading to UConn next season.
Six former Division I college basketball players, a few pounds heavier, and for some a couple of steps slower, but none the less still playing, were on the floor together in Andy Pappas's Concord Men's A League season opener at the Green Street Community Center a couple of weeks ago.
Wasn't that long ago that the league was made up of former local high school players. Now the A League is loaded with former college players. Also was a time when there were only four teams in the entire league (United Life, IGA, Rumford Press and Universal Packaging). This year's count: 57!
The best laid plans of mice and men (no pun intended) : David Angus, from the South End Angus's, writes that Little League baseball has finally changed one of its rules. The birthday cutoff has been changed from July 31 to April 30 which means my Copulate for Williamsport event will have to be postponed to next August which isn't a bad thing.....the weather will be more conducive to outdoor procreation.
With this birthday change, I have three guys in my house screaming for a Do Over.
Don't know about you, but I'm writing to the AD at Notre Dame to let him know their football team needs another assistant coach or at least another student manager on scholarship. Someone needs to wipe Charlie Weis's nose. There's not another college football coach in America who has a runnier nose.....and on national television all the time, too.
I always love to see college basketball games in person when I visit our oldest son and his family in North Carolina over the Thanksgiving holiday. But this year, UNC-Charlotte was the real turkey as they shot 4 for 30 from three point land and 9 for 30 from inside the arc in a loss to Mississippi State. That's less than 22% for the entire game. They had nine points at the half....this from an experienced, senior-driven team. MSU, on the other hand, was filled with kids including a quartet of freshmen who played very well.
Gotta love the warmer climates. Charlotte Independence High was playing its 15th game of the season for the state football championship the Saturday after Thanksgiving. What do New Hampshire schools play, 10?
Anyone want to wager which box scores UNH hoops coach Billy Herrion checks first? Some place in my top three will be Purdue and Louisville. How come? Because each school has a New Hampshire freshman on its team and one would suspect playing time would be important to know for someone who is trying to build a better team in Durham. Chris Lutz (Trinity/Brewster) is starting at guard for Purdue and is the Boilermakers second leading scorer (11.5 ppg) and is second in minutes played per game (29.5 mpg). Chad Millard (Trinity/Brewster) has played in all four of Louisville's games averaging 2.5 ppg and 8 minutes per game.
And don't forget you won't find Luke Bonner's name in the West Virginia box scores this year as he's sitting out the season after transferring to UMass.
If you have real deep Concord roots and find yourself checking boxscores this winter, check out the College of Saint Rose and look for the name Will Monica, a 6'5" shooter and son of Paul Monica (CHS '66) who was the tallest defenseman in CHS hockey history.
Enjoy the holidays and get out there and wactch some of the local teams play. You'll be glad you did.
Jeff
December 2005
BITS AND PIECES
Stop it with the Bring Back Nomar crap. Ain’t happening and shouldn’t happen. Any of you remember breaking up with the same girl friend twice? Of course you do and the second time didn't last as long, wasn't as fun and only served to see if what you had the first time was worth it. And for the most part, the answer was NO!
The Red Sox finally recognized at the end of last season that the Era of the Stud Shortstop was over. Who needs to clone Jeter, ARod, Tejeda or Nomar (pre-wrist surgery). No reason to spend the equivalent of the GNP of third world countries on shortstops.
Instead the Sox realized that the Juan Uribes (White Sox), Adam Everetts (Astros), David Ecksteins (Cardinals) – representing shortstops of three of the final four teams in last year's playoffs – are perfectly capable of manning that position at considerably discounted prices, thus leaving millions to be spent on other positions.
At least that’s what I thought until Miggy Tejeda suggested he wanted out of Baltimore and into the shadow of The Monster (your choice as to whether that means Green Monster or David Ortiz).
Condolences to my baseball loving friends on the West Coast now that they have the Walking Brain Fart (Grady Little) managing the Dodgers.
Here’s my take on what’s happening in Red Sox Nation: As Theo was leaving, he told Lucky Larry that he was opening a printing company with this twin brother. Lo and behold, Larry tossed a fig leave Theo’s way telling him he (Theo) could have the printing contract for game programs next season. To make this profitable, Theo hatched this plan with his ex-henchmen to make all these trades which makes next season’s game programs an absolute necessity because you really “can’t tell the players without a program” next year.
This item will be considered prophetic to my basketball teammates – both high school and long-time men’s league: The first sign you see on my road says: NO OUTLET. Pretty fitting, huh?
Old friend Doug Ricard turns 60 this coming April and still gets up and down the floor quite nicely for two teams in the Men’s Basketball League – one in the B League and one in the Over 35 League. So if you’re wondering just how long Card plans on playing, don’t expect to unlace those Chucks anytime soon - his mother, a former player at Plymouth State (or more likely it was Plymouth Teachers School back then) is in wonderful shape having turned 100 in 2005.
You know, this grandfather thing sure can be fun, but recently it gave me reason to ponder:
What the hell is a dell? When was the last time you saw one? And have you ever used it in a sentence without having the word farmer also in the sentence?
Just wondering.
From scoring 50 points in a game at Nashua North last high school season to firing in 3-pointers for Boston University in the season opening game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the campus of Duke University to going 6 for 9 from beyond the arc recently against UNH, life is pretty good for Merrimack High grad and BU freshman starter Corey Hassan.
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP:
Overheard at an A League game a couple of weeks ago at Green Street:
"You know....when so-and-so (name omitted to protect the unsuspecting) tells you something, you only have a fifty-fifty chance of it being true or false........and the other 50% you really can't be sure if it's true either."
Figure that one out and let me know what you think....
Remember when it was downright giddy around these basketball parts when the biggest of the big college basketball schools, hard on the recruitment trail, were showing up at Concord High to get a front row seat to watch Matt Bonner.
Along the way, Coach K took some foul shots at Green Street one night after flying into Concord Airport on the Duke private jet. Matt Doherty, then an assistant at Kansas, stood patiently and alone at the foul line after a game at Merrimack High just so the Bonners would make sure they saw him, not that his 6’7” stature would be hard not to notice at a New Hampshire high school game. Tommy Herrion, then an assistant at Providence, showed up at Concord High when Matt was about to break some scoring barrier even though he knew the Friars had little shot of landing Bon-Bon. And then there were all the telephone calls to Billy Haubrich’s house from people we normally watch on ESPN.
All of that for one kid.
So one can only imagine how hectic Jason Smith, the Merrimack Valley point guard in the Drapeau era, has it almost every year at his post as the head basketball coach at Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro). Not only a force in the New England prep school world, Brewster Academy – Jason – is a huge player in the major college basketball development process nationwide.Take a look at his roster and the early signees at Division I schools so far this season: Virginia (Will Harris 6'6 230lbs); Colorado (Xavier Silas 6'5 205lbs- son of former San Antonio Spur guard James Silas); LaSalle (Brian Grimes 6'7 220lbs); Winthrop (Rainer Blickle 6'7 190lbs); and Stony Brook (Kyle Wright 6'5 200lbs). And that doesn’t include three of his starters who will sign in the spring signing period, one of whom is down to Stanford and Columbia.
Not far behind is Jamie Arseneault, the former Portsmouth High and Colby College three-sport star who is the head coach at the New Hampton School. He already has three kids committed to Kansas, Southern Methodist and the University of New Hampshire and word along courtside is that another of his starters is heading to Dartmouth.
And just in case you didn’t notice, Jerome Dyson from Proctor Academy is listed in the Top 100 high school seniors and the shooter extraordinaire is heading to UConn next season.
Six former Division I college basketball players, a few pounds heavier, and for some a couple of steps slower, but none the less still playing, were on the floor together in Andy Pappas's Concord Men's A League season opener at the Green Street Community Center a couple of weeks ago.
Wasn't that long ago that the league was made up of former local high school players. Now the A League is loaded with former college players. Also was a time when there were only four teams in the entire league (United Life, IGA, Rumford Press and Universal Packaging). This year's count: 57!
The best laid plans of mice and men (no pun intended) : David Angus, from the South End Angus's, writes that Little League baseball has finally changed one of its rules. The birthday cutoff has been changed from July 31 to April 30 which means my Copulate for Williamsport event will have to be postponed to next August which isn't a bad thing.....the weather will be more conducive to outdoor procreation.
With this birthday change, I have three guys in my house screaming for a Do Over.
Don't know about you, but I'm writing to the AD at Notre Dame to let him know their football team needs another assistant coach or at least another student manager on scholarship. Someone needs to wipe Charlie Weis's nose. There's not another college football coach in America who has a runnier nose.....and on national television all the time, too.
I always love to see college basketball games in person when I visit our oldest son and his family in North Carolina over the Thanksgiving holiday. But this year, UNC-Charlotte was the real turkey as they shot 4 for 30 from three point land and 9 for 30 from inside the arc in a loss to Mississippi State. That's less than 22% for the entire game. They had nine points at the half....this from an experienced, senior-driven team. MSU, on the other hand, was filled with kids including a quartet of freshmen who played very well.
Gotta love the warmer climates. Charlotte Independence High was playing its 15th game of the season for the state football championship the Saturday after Thanksgiving. What do New Hampshire schools play, 10?
Anyone want to wager which box scores UNH hoops coach Billy Herrion checks first? Some place in my top three will be Purdue and Louisville. How come? Because each school has a New Hampshire freshman on its team and one would suspect playing time would be important to know for someone who is trying to build a better team in Durham. Chris Lutz (Trinity/Brewster) is starting at guard for Purdue and is the Boilermakers second leading scorer (11.5 ppg) and is second in minutes played per game (29.5 mpg). Chad Millard (Trinity/Brewster) has played in all four of Louisville's games averaging 2.5 ppg and 8 minutes per game.
And don't forget you won't find Luke Bonner's name in the West Virginia box scores this year as he's sitting out the season after transferring to UMass.
If you have real deep Concord roots and find yourself checking boxscores this winter, check out the College of Saint Rose and look for the name Will Monica, a 6'5" shooter and son of Paul Monica (CHS '66) who was the tallest defenseman in CHS hockey history.
Enjoy the holidays and get out there and wactch some of the local teams play. You'll be glad you did.
Jeff
Monday, November 07, 2005
Off My Wall
November 7, 2005
Plan Now for Williamsport
Ever have this urge to want to make a difference? Ever want to leave some type of legacy behind when your days are done? Do you have trouble finding something unique that you can call your own?
Me, too.
But I think I’ve found the answer.
I’ve settled on a plan to conceive, nurture, and develop a national championship Little League team. I’m taking Concord, New Hampshire to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, or is it South Williamsport, Pennsylvania now? When did it change, anyhow?
I have a plan to win the Little League World Series.
And it all starts with what I call Little League Planned Parenthood.
In case you haven’t noticed - and the national television puhbas are making it much easier for use to see Little League baseball on the regional, national and international level – most of the players in the Williamsport final rounds are 12-year olds. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find most of them are August and September births.
Which means we’re in the midst of an important time if we want to make it to Williamsport.
We are in a 60-day Copulate for Williamsport time period.
That’s right. You gotta do it NOW! And not just once. After all, none of us are so perfect that it only takes one shot to win.
For this to work, you have to conceive during the months of November and December. That way the births next summer will be in August and September.
Perfect for 12-year old Little Leaguers in 2019.
If you have a tendency towards premature births, you should take heed and postpone this citywide copulation drill until January.
But if you’re right on target with deliveries, drop your draws now.
Here’s my plan:
We need to find as many able bodied young adults, preferably married, who have decent size and oodles of athletic ability. If at all possible we need to have both partners former baseball or softball players.
Right-handed men should match us with right-handed women.
Left-handed men find your lovely left-handed lady.
Ambidextrous folk take special note: you’re our switch hitters of the future. Please take great care in finding partners equally adept at using both hands. Hey, the equivalent to spring training could be fun.
As an alternative for switch hitters, we may need to look for multiple orgasm folks out there, and only you know who you are. A friend suggested using right-handed fore play the first time and left-handed fore play the second…..never can tell but that might be the right stroke for switch hitters.
We’re scheduling a field day this weekend just after dark each night at Grappone Park in the North End (American League) and the new field off Iron Works Road in the South End (National League). Memorial Field is off limits, being a publicly owned field and all. Don’t want to make this any more difficult than it already is.
Shy folks should probably head towards the mattresses and blankets off Iron Works Road…..see, Grappone Park might draw a huge crowd up on the banking.
Our plan is to have a mattress at each and every position on the field and the conception tries will be broken into innings with one try per inning. That allows nine different couples to try out each inning so as many people as possible can partake in this Williamsport gambit.
There’s no time limit on innings, but try not to be the last one out there with all the other positions having gone back to the dugout. We hate to have the umpires move the game along just because of you.
My suggestion is if you want a future shortstop, you should copulate in the shortstop area. If you want an outfielder, the going might be a bit better because the grass is softer than the infield dirt. If you’re one of those who just have to a have a pitcher, then you’re copulating at your own risk: there may be a slight balancing act to stay on top of that mound.
In any event, we should have no problem finding willing participants. It’s a whole lot more fun than selling candy bars as a fundraiser.
Let the copulating begin!
Bits and Pieces
In case you missed it, Ray Duckler gave all us local fanatics a line for the ages in his fine story about the recent passing of big Joe Shields.
“His life is one of those hidden joys of this city, a big-screen theme known only to various classmates at Concord High….and area senior citizens connected to team sports back then.”
Doesn’t that aptly describe many of the athletes we knew Growing Up Concord? There’s a whole memory bank of people who fits that description very neatly.
Keep your eyes peeled on the Red Sox GM situation. Post 21 alums may have one of our own pulling the strings on Yawkey Way as Jed Hoyer, who played Legion ball for Warren Doane in the early 90s, has been mentioned often as a possible replacement.
Of course, another Post 21 grad, Brian Sabean, has popped up again and maybe all the moons are aligned this time for it to happen. I’ve always wanted to do this…..an informed source told me that a number of things are in Sabean’s favor this time around. Whew! My chest almost exploded.
There….I did it. Won’t tell you who or what…..just like the big guys.
If you know Sabes at all, are you wondering how in hell he’d get along with Larry the Lizard?
Think of it as Harvard-Yale on a small school scale. Think of it as an in-state football rivalry between two colleges a few exits apart on I-95 in Maine (of course, a couple of exits in Maine could be the equivalent to a time zone change in some spots).
November 7, 2005
Plan Now for Williamsport
Ever have this urge to want to make a difference? Ever want to leave some type of legacy behind when your days are done? Do you have trouble finding something unique that you can call your own?
Me, too.
But I think I’ve found the answer.
I’ve settled on a plan to conceive, nurture, and develop a national championship Little League team. I’m taking Concord, New Hampshire to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, or is it South Williamsport, Pennsylvania now? When did it change, anyhow?
I have a plan to win the Little League World Series.
And it all starts with what I call Little League Planned Parenthood.
In case you haven’t noticed - and the national television puhbas are making it much easier for use to see Little League baseball on the regional, national and international level – most of the players in the Williamsport final rounds are 12-year olds. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find most of them are August and September births.
Which means we’re in the midst of an important time if we want to make it to Williamsport.
We are in a 60-day Copulate for Williamsport time period.
That’s right. You gotta do it NOW! And not just once. After all, none of us are so perfect that it only takes one shot to win.
For this to work, you have to conceive during the months of November and December. That way the births next summer will be in August and September.
Perfect for 12-year old Little Leaguers in 2019.
If you have a tendency towards premature births, you should take heed and postpone this citywide copulation drill until January.
But if you’re right on target with deliveries, drop your draws now.
Here’s my plan:
We need to find as many able bodied young adults, preferably married, who have decent size and oodles of athletic ability. If at all possible we need to have both partners former baseball or softball players.
Right-handed men should match us with right-handed women.
Left-handed men find your lovely left-handed lady.
Ambidextrous folk take special note: you’re our switch hitters of the future. Please take great care in finding partners equally adept at using both hands. Hey, the equivalent to spring training could be fun.
As an alternative for switch hitters, we may need to look for multiple orgasm folks out there, and only you know who you are. A friend suggested using right-handed fore play the first time and left-handed fore play the second…..never can tell but that might be the right stroke for switch hitters.
We’re scheduling a field day this weekend just after dark each night at Grappone Park in the North End (American League) and the new field off Iron Works Road in the South End (National League). Memorial Field is off limits, being a publicly owned field and all. Don’t want to make this any more difficult than it already is.
Shy folks should probably head towards the mattresses and blankets off Iron Works Road…..see, Grappone Park might draw a huge crowd up on the banking.
Our plan is to have a mattress at each and every position on the field and the conception tries will be broken into innings with one try per inning. That allows nine different couples to try out each inning so as many people as possible can partake in this Williamsport gambit.
There’s no time limit on innings, but try not to be the last one out there with all the other positions having gone back to the dugout. We hate to have the umpires move the game along just because of you.
My suggestion is if you want a future shortstop, you should copulate in the shortstop area. If you want an outfielder, the going might be a bit better because the grass is softer than the infield dirt. If you’re one of those who just have to a have a pitcher, then you’re copulating at your own risk: there may be a slight balancing act to stay on top of that mound.
In any event, we should have no problem finding willing participants. It’s a whole lot more fun than selling candy bars as a fundraiser.
Let the copulating begin!
Bits and Pieces
In case you missed it, Ray Duckler gave all us local fanatics a line for the ages in his fine story about the recent passing of big Joe Shields.
“His life is one of those hidden joys of this city, a big-screen theme known only to various classmates at Concord High….and area senior citizens connected to team sports back then.”
Doesn’t that aptly describe many of the athletes we knew Growing Up Concord? There’s a whole memory bank of people who fits that description very neatly.
Keep your eyes peeled on the Red Sox GM situation. Post 21 alums may have one of our own pulling the strings on Yawkey Way as Jed Hoyer, who played Legion ball for Warren Doane in the early 90s, has been mentioned often as a possible replacement.
Of course, another Post 21 grad, Brian Sabean, has popped up again and maybe all the moons are aligned this time for it to happen. I’ve always wanted to do this…..an informed source told me that a number of things are in Sabean’s favor this time around. Whew! My chest almost exploded.
There….I did it. Won’t tell you who or what…..just like the big guys.
If you know Sabes at all, are you wondering how in hell he’d get along with Larry the Lizard?
Think of it as Harvard-Yale on a small school scale. Think of it as an in-state football rivalry between two colleges a few exits apart on I-95 in Maine (of course, a couple of exits in Maine could be the equivalent to a time zone change in some spots).
Think of it any way you want, so long as you know there's a big -BIG - football game this weekend in Maine as Bowdoin (6-1) and Colby (6-1) have at it.
Why mention this? Because Bowdoin is led by pass catching whiz Jeffrey Nolin from Somersworth via St. Thomas....and more importantly the son of Jim and Joanne (Nadeau) Nolin who have some serious roots in our neighborhood.
Someone call Vehix.com and tell them to ditch that commercial with the guy sitting in his recliner dumping cars by pulling the chair gear shift.
Sexist Comment Alert! Sexist Comment Alert! Sexist Comment Alert!
Based upon her current body shape, does anyone else wonder if Summer Sanders really was an Olympic swimmer? Doesn’t seem possible, does it?
Sexist Comment Alert! Sexist Comment Alert! Sexist Comment Alert!
Based upon her current body shape, does anyone else wonder if Summer Sanders really was an Olympic swimmer? Doesn’t seem possible, does it?
Word around town is that the Concord Country Club is parting with some serious ching to renovate and redesign part of the back nine to make it less forgiving.
Not that I’d be the proper gauge, but I never found the back nine to be the least bit forgiving in the first place especially those damn trees to the far left of the fairway on the 17th where by 3-wood took up permanent residency high, high up in the timber a few years back.
Of course, the back nine at the local mini-golf course in Hooksett is a challenge for me.
Anyone else wondering if the folks at NHTI got a strip mining permit before they dug up all that ground as you enter campus?
Actually it’s being turned into a multifield soccer complex in concert with a couple of private companies.
Pretty neat story line with the two CHS soccer captains doing rock-paper-scissors to determine who took the penalty shot in an early tournament game.
But I guess I’m either an old fart or too much of a traditionalist. I thought decisions like that was what the coach was there to do.
For some reason, I can’t see Bill Haubrich leaning against the scorer’s table at Lundholm smiling while Ethan Cole and Matt Bonner shoot fingers to see who would take key foul shots in a tournament game. Or Warren Doane perched on the top step of the dugout at Gill Stadium while Rick Flanders refereed the rock-paper-scissors shootout between Joe Lefebvre and Mike Curry to see who pitches the last inning for the championship.
Just can’t seem to grasp that scenario.
And speaking of Lefebvre. Here’s a local version of why Theo My Hero may have left.
A few winters back, when Matt Bonner was still in high school, Lefebvre visited the Concord High cage to catch some action. At halftime, Joey went to the scorer’s table and said hello to Warren Doane, his former high school coach, and Chuck Landry, the official scorer.
After his visit, Joe started around the court looking for a seat and spotted me, sitting alone in my usual spot. Being the only chump he recognized, Joe came up and settled in for the second half.
Or so he thought.
Bonner could have broken his leg, Red Murray could have come out of retirement, and Haubrich could have thrown his jacket across the floor and laid down in front of the bench (wait, maybe he did that that game!) and we wouldn’t have noticed. I couldn’t help myself. I had my own version of the Hot Stove League and we did nothing but talk baseball the entire second half.
It even got so bad, I asked Joe if he could take off his World Series ring (Phillies) and let me hold it. How bad is that?
Now just imagine Theo in Boston, his home town, and a million folks like me being there wanting to just say hi and start up a conversation. Could be the answer to why?
Ever seen a softball field with centerfield closer than left or right? Check out the women’s softball field at NHTI.
Ask your favorite baseball geek if he/she knows if there has ever been a World Series with two players with the same last name who played on opposite teams who were traded for each other? Naturally the Red Sox are involved. In 1999 the Red Sox traded Adam Everett, a promising young shortstop (who they didn’t need because of Nomar) to Houston for Carl Everett.
And is anyone else grimacing over the thought of Carl Everett wearing a World Series championship ring?
I don’t know about you, but now that Theo My Hero is gone, I’d trade Larry Luccino for Larry Andersen (again) straight up wherever he is.
Watching Houston’s pitching staff sure makes me wonder if all those 900+ runs the Sox scored behind its B-level pitching staff was worth it or not.
And watching the Cardinals, Astros and White Sox makes me ponder why so many major league teams went the route of the big stud shortstops a few years back.
Hard to pick against Eckstein, Everett, and Uribe for the money.
Anyone know if there is a Fantasy Baseball League for the Winter League?
Just wondering…..or is it wandering?
Jeff
Send messages to: offmywall2@yahoo.com
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