Halfway point of spring sports: Which teams are having terrific starts
Just thought I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while waiting for Tom Brady to come out of retirement, sign with the Miami Dolphins, and stop Aaron Rodgers from winning a Super Bowl with the New York Jets ...
*Time sure flies when you’re having fun. The spring scholastic sports season is already at the halfway mark. A number of local teams have had terrific starts this spring, namely the Plainfield and Norwich Free Academy baseball teams (although the Wildcats just went through the toughest part of their schedule with an 0-4 mark); the Norwich Free Academy, Killingly and Norwich Tech softball teams; the Killingly golf team; and the Norwich Free Academy boys lacrosse team.
It’s been a busy start and I’m hoping it stays busy through early June, which would mean sampling the hot dogs at Palmer Field in Middletown for the CIAC baseball championships; traveling to Storrs for the softball finals, which are being hosted by UConn for the first time this spring; climbing the “stairway to heaven” press box stairs at New Britain’s Veterans Stadium for the outdoor track and field championships; traveling to Bridgeport for another first with the boys and girls lacrosse championships being held at Sacred Heart University; spending time at Pomperaug High School for the state volleyball finals; hanging out in the clubhouse and fairways at Fairview Farms where Killingly will contend for another state golf title; and heading back to Middletown for the boys and girls tennis championships at Wesleyan University.
*Kudos to the student-athletes at Killingly High School who are continuing their studies and athletic careers in college. There is a special signing ceremony this week for girls soccer players Casey Beauregard (Long Island University), Lainey Buffington (Dean College), Emma Girardin (St. Joseph College of Maine), and Jada Neri (Rhode Island College); boys basketball player Yianni Baribeau (Nichols College); football players Terrence Allen (UMass - Dartmouth), Thomas Dreibholz (Southern Connecticut State University), and Ben Jax (Southern Connecticut State University); boys golfer Harrison Giambattista (Norwich University); softball players Hannah Cozza (Nichols College) and Lyana Cuevas (William Peace University); track athlete Noah Colangelo (Central Connecticut State University); and wrestlers Jack Richardson (Johnson and Wales University) and Kaden Ware (Penn College).
*If the Major League Baseball season had ended Friday, the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Chicago Cubs would be in the playoffs and … members of the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers would be taking swings on the nearest golf course.
*How great would a Baltimore Orioles-Pittsburgh Pirates World Series be? A rematch of the 1971 and 1979 fall classics, each won by the Pirates in seven games. Roberto Clemente. Brooks Robinson. Willie Stargell. Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” It doesn’t get any better for someone who is still “stuck in the '70s.”
*Speaking of the MLB … does anybody miss seeing the pitchers bat in the National League? I do. Seeing Boston Red Sox pitching legend Luis Tiant smack two hits against the Cincinnati Reds in the 1975 World Series after not batting all season is one of my greatest sports memories.
*Loyal column reader John Davis, who played football at Fordham while I was a neophyte sports reporter for the school newspaper The Ram, wisely pointed out that while I was praising the Boston Red Sox’s surprisingly good start last week, the Sox were still sitting in last place in the American League East. Yup, it’s going to be a long season.
*Now that the Boston Celtics have vanquished the pesky Atlanta Hawks, it’s time for them to get serious in their quest for an NBA record 18th championship banner. I’m rooting for a Celtics-Knicks matchup in the Eastern Conference finals, which hasn’t happened since John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, and Jo Jo White battled Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and Bill Bradley in 1972, 1973, and 1974.
*The Boston Bruins struggles against the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs are a stark reminder that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in all of sports and the other professional teams who hold the record for most wins during the regular season - 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners (116 wins), 2007 New England Patriots (16 wins), and the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors (73 wins) - failed to win the championship.
*Rolling Stone magazine’s Rob Sheffield recently rated all 229 of the songs from Taylor Swift’s amazing one-of-a-kind songbook. Yup, 1-229. Number one is “All Too Well.” My top five are: 1. “Getaway Car” 2. “The Man” 3. “ME!” 4. “Shake It Off” 5. “You Belong With Me.”
*STUCK IN THE '70s: On April 28, 1976, the mighty J. Geils Band rocked the Boston Garden on what was J. Geils Band Day in Boston. Two nights later, the Celtics defeated the Buffalo Braves, 99-88, on the parquet floor in Game Five of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Dave Cowens scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, Jo Jo White had 19 points and six assists, and Paul Silas added 22 rebounds and 15 points as the Celts took a 3-2 series lead. Bob McAdoo scored 23 points, while former St. Thomas More and Providence star Ernie DiGregorio scored 12 points and dished out six assists for the Braves.
Jimmy Zanor can be reached at jzanor@norwichbulletin.com.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Good start: NFA, Killingly, Norwich Tech softball, Plainfield baseball
