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