VIDEO: Sticks For Soldiers Lacrosse Tournament 2017

Fairfield Ludlowe vs Fairfield Prep Sticks for Soldiers lacrosse game (Shawn Sailer photo) 

The 12th annual Sticks For Soldiers Lacrosse Tournament was held in Fairfield on Saturday, November 25.

Sticks for Soldiers raises money for wounded troops. Per the Sticks for Soldiers website, the purpose of the tournament is "to provide support and give thanks to the service men and women who put their lives on the line and sacrificed for our country, while creating an awareness among high school athletes to the unseen sacrifices being made on their behalf by people just a few years older than themselves. Through their play and fund-raising participation, the athletes can demonstrate their tangible thanks and support."

The honorees were United States Army Staff Sergeant William Kleinedler and United States Army Specialist Calvin Todd. Per the press release put out by Sticks for Soldiers President Jeff Casucci, below is background on the honorees. 

Staff Sergeant (SSG) William Kleinedler was born and raised in Michigan. He holds a degree in architecture and maintains a life-long passion for art. SSG Kleinedler served in the U.S. Army for 15 years before being medically retired in 2009 due to injuries he sustained after an improvised exploding device (IED) was detonated under the vehicle he was driving in Iraq. On October 17, 2006, SSG Kleinedler was with his unit in the town of Tarmijha, Iraq with the mission to provide medical attention to the local Iraqi people. Once the mission was completed, SSG Kleinedler and his unit loaded their trucks and moved out of town. While driving, SSG Kleinedler saw a fresh spot of asphalt in the road as it passed underneath his vehicle. While he immediately knew this spot likely contained an IED, he had no time to react. In an instant, the IED detonated raising the entire vehicle off the ground. The blast punched a hole in the bottom of the truck, blowing fuel inside and igniting it. Immediately flames filled the cabin and engulfed SSG Kleinedler and the four other soldiers he was driving. He instinctively held his breath to avoid inhaling the flames. After struggling with the latch, the door finally popped open and SSG Kleinedler rolled out of the truck and across the road to put out his flames. His team leader was thrown from the vehicle with minor injuries. The gunner and two interpreters were killed. Within three days William was at Brooke Army Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston, Texas. It would be a long journey back to physical and psychological health for SSG Kleinedler. After sustaining mostly second- and third-degree burns to a substantial portion of his face on upper body, SSG Kleinedler underwent several surgeries over the course of numerous years. Through the work of a wonderful medical staff and plenty of determination from SSG Kleinedler, he regained the use of his hands. Due to the severity of the burns to his face, William will undergo further treatment and surgeries for the foreseeable future. SSG Kleinedler received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, among many other decorations, for his service. SSG Kleinedler now resides with his wife Jenny and three daughters in New Braintree, Massachusetts. He recently opened a new studio where he continues his study of art and sculpture.

Calvin Todd is originally from Deerfield, NH. He started playing lacrosse at 12 years old. To him, “it (lacrosse) seemed like the world’s greatest invention.” He loved to play and decided to become a goalie because he knew that it would provide him with the most opportunities to play. After graduation from high school, Calvin attended the College of Wooster, where he played lacrosse during his freshman and sophomore years. Unfortunately, after his sophomore year, Calvin was dealt a blow when he suffered a career ending injury to his hand and wrist. The loss of lacrosse was difficult for Calvin to deal with but, like so many other challenges he faced in life, Calvin would not be kept down. He attained his certification to officiate; a certification that transitioned to coaching. In the spring of 2010, just a few months before his college graduation, Calvin heard the call to service and enlisted in the United States Army putting his love for lacrosse on hold once again. Calvin trained to become an Army medic so that he could render aid and support to soldiers in need. Upon completion of his training, Calvin was assigned to 1-64 AR, 2HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, GA. In March of 2012, Calvin and his unit were deployed to Afghanistan on a nine month deployment. On October 4, 2012, SPC Todd was part of a four-day mission in Afghanistan to clear improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and push the Taliban out of the nearby villages. His unit was about 200 meters from its final checkpoint when Taliban fighters opened fire. While moving up front to assist three other soldiers that had been wounded by an IED, Calvin stepped on a secondary device . As a result, Calvin lost his lower left leg. He was transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD to begin the recovery process. During his recovery, Calvin had to learn to walk again. He also worked to learn to run in a modified form. He had to deal with the phantom limb pain and the constant swelling and shrinking of his residual limb. For a while he was lost and confused when thinking of the course for the rest of his life. He questioned whether he would ever be able to follow his passion for lacrosse again. One day during his recovery, SPC Todd received an email from his former club coach, Jeff Coulson, inviting Calvin to play in an annual winter tournament. Coach Coulson was not aware of Calvin’s injuries. Calvin saw this contact as an opportunity to set a goal for himself: to play again. Calvin knew that he had fought through adversity and injury before and was confident he could do it again. Four months after starting rehabilitation, he began to run again and just a few months after that in March of 2013, he volunteered to coach a local lacrosse program in Washington, DC. Calvin credits lacrosse for laying the foundations of the man he is today, values further enhanced by his time in service. Lacrosse has motivated him to return to the most normal, active life he can have. Calvin has since studied furniture building and is currently trying to establish himself with his own business. Calvin currently lives with his wife and young son. While he no longer plays, he continues to help Jeff coach the Catamounts when he can.

Also honored as the "Distinguished Veteran" was United States Army Specialist Russell J. Edgett The release from Casucci on Edgett is below. 

SPC Russell lives in Fairfield, CT with his wife, Sabine. He completed two tours in Afghanistan during his 12 years of active duty service. During his first tour, SPC Edgett was wounded when the vehicle in which he was travelling ran over an improvised explosive device (IED). The explosion caused injuries to his left side that resulting in weakness, limited mobility, nerve damage, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). SPC Edgett remained on active duty and deployed to Afghanistan once again. As a result of his injuries and the PTSD he developed as a result of his experiences, SPC Edgett left military service after this second tour. Since returning home, SPC Edgett has continued to grapple with his injuries that have kept him from working. After struggling for over two and a half years to find housing, SPC Edgett decided to pay it forward by starting an organization  to help fellow veterans in his situation. He started the “Freedom Isn’t Free” ride in 2016 with just a few bikers. Since then,  the number of participants has tripled. SPC Edgett is working to secure 501(c)(3) status for the Freedom Isn’t Free Ride Foundation. All funds raised by the foundation will be given to homeless veterans and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans  of America (IAVA). SPC Edgett is active in his church as a member of the Knights of Columbus and coordinator of the St. Pius X military veterans’ group. He is a member of Port 5 and works with the Homes for the Brave to provide necessities to the veterans housed there. We are pleased to honor SPC Edgett as part of this year’s Sticks for Soldiers Tournament.

The Keynote Speech came from US Army Ranger SGT Jason Shaffer. The video can be seen below. 

The lacrosse games were played from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Teams involved in the tournament were:          

 

Boys Teams

Fairfield Ludlowe

Amity

Avon

BACON Academy

Berlin

Branford

Brien McMahon

Bristol Melting Pots

Bunnell Bulldogs

Catamount Lacrosse

Cheshire Melting Pots

Daniel Hand

Darien

Fairfield Prep

Fairfield Warde

Fundy Lax

Glastonbury

Greenwich

Guilford

Haddam Killingworth

Hamden

Hopkins

Joel Barlow

Lewis Mills

Lyman Hall

Mohawk Lax

Newington

Newtown

Notre Dame-West Haven

Old Saybrook

Pomperaug

Ridgefield         

Southington

St. Joseph’s

Staples

Trumbull

Weston

Xavier

          

Girls Teams

Fairfield Ludlowe

Fairfield Warde

Joel Barlow

Lauralton Hall

New Canaan

Newtown

Pomperaug

St. Joseph’s

Staples

It was a great day of lacrosse and family fun with raffles and silent actions going on. More importantly, money was raised for an important cause. For more information about the event, visit sticksforsoldiers.org

Photo's below. 

 

Start Spreading The News -- Playoff Baseball in the Bronx

View of the Stadium prior to first pitch. (SS Photo) 

What a night at Yankee Stadium last night. Amazing time being at Indians/Yankees ALDS Game 4. It was the first time I had been to a playoff baseball game and one the best atmospheres I had ever been at for any game.

Before the game even started, "my night was made" as I said to my dad. That was because Mariano Rivera, the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Mariano Rivera after throwing out the first pitch (SS Photo) 

Despite light rain, the game began on time (thankfully, because we know how long Yankees playoff games have gone; 4 hours and 7 minutes) and the crowd was loud on every pitch. In the area my dad and I were sitting in, every time Luis Severino (or any Yankees pitcher) got two strikes, the section stood up and cheered.

Another fun thing that some guys behind us in our section started and the rest of the section joined in on, was yelling the number of outs in an inning when the Yankees were on defense and sometimes also making comments about how the defense should be playing. It's like in high school and youth baseball when you are taught to yell "Two outs, plays to first," for example.

In terms of the game itself, it was nice to see the Yankees get an early 5-0 lead. Personally, I was happy to see Todd Frazier (Jersey guy) get a big double to get the Yankees on the board. Also, props to Frazier for having Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon" as his walk-up song. Aaron Judge didn't hit a home run, but he hit a two-run double to open up the game in the four run second. Gary Sanchez, did homer however, as he capped the Yankees scoring in the sixth with an opposite field shot to the short porch.

Girardi got destroyed for the decisions or non-decisions he made in game two. Last night I thought he made some great decisions. He let Severino pitch deep and work out of trouble. Even when the Indians cut the Yankees lead to 5-3 in the fifth inning, Girardi trusted Severino enough to allow him to stay in, which I think was the correct decision. In total, Severino threw 113 pitches over seven innings. Then Girardi brought Dellin Betances in for the eighth with a four run lead. After Betances walked the first two batters, Girardi brought Tommy Kahnle in. I was a bit surprised that Kahnle was in with the Yankees season on the line but with a four run lead and certain pitchers supposedly not available, it made sense. Kahnle got two strikeouts and a fly out sandwiched in between. Then with the Yankees still holding a four run lead, Girardi sent Kahnle back out, with action in the bullpen, and Kahnle was able to strike out the side to end it.

If there was any doubt after game two that the Yankees would not re-sign Girardi, I think the last two games fixed that. Now if Girardi wants to leave, to either take another managerial job, work in broadcasting, or something else, we will see.

The Final Out (And then you hear from me)

The Yankee Stadium Sign (SS Photo) 

Nice view from our seats (SS Photo)

MLB Postseason Predictions

The Major League Baseball postseason is getting underway. The American League Wild Card game is Tuesday and the National League Wild Card Game is Wednesday.

In the AL WC game the New York Yankees take on the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees have handled the Twins in the past in the postseason and I'll say the Yankees win and advance to the American League Division Series.  The Yankees have one of the best bullpens in the Majors and if the offense can get going against Ervin Santana, in can be a fun night in the Bronx.

In the NL WC game, it's the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies narrowly got in, clinching a spot in the second to last day of the season. Arizona has the better pitching and with the game being in Arizona vs Colorado, the Rockies offense doesn't have the advantage of playing in Coors Field.

In the one American League Division Series, the Houston Astros take on the Boston Red Sox. Both teams are young. The Astros probably have the better starting pitching, and the Red Sox the better bullpen. The bullpen strength makes me give Boston the advantage to go to the American League Championship Series.

In the other American League Division Series, the Cleveland Indians take on the wild card winner, which I have being the Yankees. I would love to see the Yankees and Red Sox face off in the ALCS but the Indians are more of a complete team, in my opinion. That being said, I have the Indians advancing to take on the Red Sox in the ALCS.

In the ALCS, I think the Indians defeat the Red Sox in seven games. As I said, I think the Indians are the most complete team.

Now to the National League.

In the one National League Division Series, the Washington Nationals take on the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are definitely not as strong as they were last season. The Nationals have been pretty good but have not been able to make a run in the postseason in years past. I'll say the Cubs get past Nationals in four games.

In the second National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the wild card winner, so in my predictions, they will face the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers were having a historic season and then hit a rough stretch but seemed to play better at the end of the season. I think the Dodgers will get past the Diamondbacks in four games.

In the NLCS, the Dodgers will defeat the Cubs in six games.

That will set up a Indians-Dodgers World Series. In the regular season when they matched up, the Dodgers took two of three. This would be a great pitching series and I think the Indians have a deeper bullpen so I would give them the advantage.

My World Series Prediction: Indians over the Dodgers in six games.

Let me know your thoughts on the MLB Postseason in the comments section. 

Goodbye Bluefish Baseball/The Ballpark at Harbor Yard

Ludlowe/Warde 2016 w/ HAN Network (Photo: Shawn Sailer) 

It was announced yesterday by multiple media outlets, including the Connecticut Post, that this would be the final year of baseball for the Bridgeport Bluefish and that the ballpark would be turned into an amphitheater for concerts.

Not only does that mean the Bluefish will either cease to exist or have to find a new home, but there are other groups who use the ballpark. Those include, Sacred Heart University baseball, University of Bridgeport baseball, as well as the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) baseball semifinals and championship. There have also been other games played at the ballpark on occasion, including regular-season high school games.

I have so many memories of going to the ballpark. From going to games with Cub Scouts and sleeping on the field, signing the national anthem in fifth grade, going to Bluefish camps, to being around the ballpark when family friend Kathy Geiling worked in the organization.

Singing the National Anthem in 2006 (Photo: CT Post)

The memories extend to watching Ludlowe win the 2010 FCIAC Championship, being on the field and in the dugout for many Ludlowe/Warde annual rivalry games, to being in the dugout as the Ludlowe student manager for the 2013 FCIAC semifinals, to watching many more FCIAC games.

2013 Ludlowe/Warde pre-game intros (Photo: Allen Sailer) 

There's more, I got to be in the ballpark in a professional environment helping out the HAN Network. In fact, the first gave I ever helped out The Network was Ludlowe/Warde in 2015. I ran a camera from the third base line. I then helped out for the 2015 and 2016 FCIAC semifinals and final and the 2016 Ludlowe/Warde game. It was a lot of fun working from the Karma Club for a lot of those games with a great group of friends.

2015 FCIAC Semifinal w/ HAN (Photo: Josh Fisher) 

So many memories of being at the ballpark. Good luck to all moving forward. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Broadcasting Babe Ruth Baseball

The 14U Babe Ruth baseball New England Regional will be played on beginning on Friday at Trumbull High School and concluding on Wednesday. The winner advances to the Babe Ruth World Series.

There will be four pool play games per day on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with the semi-finals on Tuesday and final on Wednesday.

More information regarding the schedule and standings can be found here.

The Friday-Monday games will be broadcast by a group of Rob Adams, Dan Gardella, Jake Zimmer, Josh Somma and myself. You can hear the games via Mixlr.

The semi-finals and final on Tuesday and Wednesday can be seen on The HAN Network at HAN.Network

Follow along on Twitter and join the conversation using the hashtag #ctbrbb

Tune in or come out to Trumbull!

Remembering Bobby Murcer

Missing Bobby Ray Murcer today on the ninth anniversary of his passing.

Bobby played in the majors from 1965-1983, spending parts of 13 seasons with the Yankees and also playing with the Giants and Cubs. He missed the '67 and '68 seasons as he was serving in the military.

I remember being at a family party and the Yankees game was on. On the post-game show, Bob Lorenz announced that Murcer had passed away. I remember standing there watching it and then going outside to tell others who were at the party who were Yankee and/or Murcer fans.

I obviously never saw Bobby play but he just became my favorite player after watching highlights and Yankees Classics. He is one of the major reasons I have an interest in broadcasting as he was a Yankees broadcaster on both PIX11 and the YES Network following his playing days. I never saw him on PIX but remember hearing him on numerous games on YES.

As a player, Bobby was good, not great. He was looked at as the next Mickey Mantle. He wasn't that, but he did have a few big moments in his playing career including a pinch-hit Grand Slam in 1981 vs the Rangers and driving in all five runs in a 5-4 win vs the Orioles on August 6, 1979 after the death of teammate and friend Thurman Munson.

Bobby wrote his auto-biography called "Yankee for Life: My 40 Year Journey in Pinstripes" which details his playing career, his broadcasting career, and then his battle with brain cancer, which was what took his life.

The Yankees need to do something to honor Bobby. I know Rob Adams (who is an even bigger Murcer fan than I am) agrees. There needs to be a plaque in monument park or some recognition of Bobby's time as both a player and broadcaster for the Yankees. It is long overdue. He is very underrated.  It is always great to see Kay Murcer at Old-Timers Day and that the Murcer family is still involved.

I have other thoughts but I would just be babbling. I'm always happy to hear Bobby mentioned and love having conversations about him.

Yankees Old-Timers Day

Yankee Stadium 1923 (Photo: Baseball Fever) 

Old-Timers Day. The Yankees do it best. Obviously with the tradition and winning of the franchise, they have a lot of players with great accolades.

There are big-name players invited and there are also the lesser-known players invited. There were also players of many different eras. From the old guys like Whitey Ford and Dr. Bobby Brown, to Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada and many in between.

The players have changed over the years, as the alum have other obligations and times change, but it's always great to watch whoever is there.

In addition to the players, the Yankees also do a great job of honoring the widows of former Yankees who have passed away. The Widows at the 2017 OTD included, Helen Hunter (Catfish), Arlene Howard (Elston), Jill Martin (Billy),  Diana Munson (Thurman) and Kay Murcer (Bobby)

The Old-Timers Day Ceremony is currently emceed by the Yankees TV and Radio play-by-play broadcasters, Michael Kay and John Sterling.

The early Old-Timers Day had Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle along with Mrs. Ruth and Mrs. Gehrig, along with Mel Allen as the Master of Ceremonies.

Even though I'm a Yankees fan and the Yankees have the history that they do, I wish more teams, and others sports would do an Old-Timers Day and honor their history. Some do, but not a lot, and none like the Yankees.

Sports history is great and OTD is a great way to recognize it. Love that YES Network televises the OTD ceremony and game.

Thank you.....Ludlowe Baseball

Similar to what I wrote in March about the Ludlowe basketball team, I am here to write about the baseball team.

The 2017 Ludlowe baseball season ended on Saturday with a loss in the state quarterfinals.

Since I graduated in 2013 after being the student manager in the program for four years, I have continued to be around the team.

Now that I have graduated college, I will have a job and likely be unable to be around the team. As much as Mike Francese says that I have a "lifetime contract as team manager" that obviously does not pay and I have to find a job. Hopefully, I will still be able to see games and depending on the job I get, maybe I would be covering the team.

I have a lot of people to thank that have been a big part of my time with Ludlowe baseball.

Keith O'Rourke, "KO" who was the head varsity coach for the four years I was a part of the program. KO, thank you for allowing me to be a team manager for your program. Baseball has been my number one sport and you allowed me to stay involved with a game I love. I learned a lot from you about the game of baseball that I think about all of the time, even when I just am watching a game as a fan.

Mike Francese, "Franny" who was the assistant coach during my years and took over for KO in 2014. Franny, thank you for all your help with the scorebook when the players would try to tell me to change things in their favor. Thank you as well for allowing me to continue to be around the program after you took over as head coach.

Josh Marko, who was the freshman coach my freshman year. Coach Marko, thank you for getting me started as manager and for asking me to manage basketball. That was a fun freshman year.

Dennis Whalen, the junior varsity coach my sophomore year when I was the JV manager. Coach Whalen, thank you for teaching me things about the game.

To the rest of the assistant coaches, past and present, thank you.

Mike Silk and John Berardino, who were the varsity managers before me when I was a sub-varsity manager. Thank you for teaching me the ropes of being a student manager.

Carmi Mandelkern, who was the JV manager my junior year. Thank you for your assistance and I hope I taught you some things just as older managers taught me.

To all the managers after me: Mark Malone, Justin Keller, Spencer Foley, Nick Bochanis, Mike Renzulli and Alex Borruso, thank you. Even though I was still around, you guys did a fantastic job. Thanks for dealing with me still being around and I hope I did not do too much to overshadow the jobs you guys were doing.

The players...thank you for allowing me to be part of the team. We had a lot of fun times. From watching the 2010 team win an FCIAC Championship as a freshman, to the run we had in 2013 winning 12 of 13 to finish the regular season and making it to the FCIAC semifinals, to this years team making it to the state quarterfinals. It was a great ride. (I will always be the toughest scorekeeper ever)

Art Cockerham, the voice of Kiwanis Field and pretty much the all-around guy in the press box. Thank you for teaching me the scoreboard and thanks for allowing me in the press box with you the past couple of years.

And finally, to my parents especially, but to all the parents of the players in the program, thank you for your support along the way.

I will always love and support this program. Falcon Pride!

Senior Day 2013

SHU Spectrum

My first byline in The Spectrum, Sept 2014

My time as sports editor for The Spectrum, Sacred Heart's student-run newspaper, officially came to an end with our end-of-year dinner tonight.

It has been a pleasure to be a part of The Spectrum for the past three years. I started as a staff writer the fall semester as part of the News Writing and Reporting class. That spring, I became assistant sports editor and worked with Nick McAnney. The end of that semester, I was offered and accepted the sports editor position, which I have held the past two years. Thanks to Nick for teaching me what I needed to know.

Thanks to Anthony Santino and Tamaric Wilson who were assistant sports editors last year. Also to Alex Padalino, who was my co-sports editor this year and Heather Keller, who was our assistant this past semester.

Thanks to everyone else of the board this year and past years and to faculty advisor, Professor Joanne Kabak, for your assistance. 

Thanks to all the writers for all your work, no matter the difficulty of the assignment.

Thank you to the Athletic Communications, all the coaches and student-athletes and everyone in the athletic department for your help and patience. 

There were great moments and tough moments.

I wrote things that were fun to write, and other things that were not so fun to write. As a journalist, they all had to be done. Some I wrote well, others I would change how I wrote it. There are many reason why.

I always pushed for more online and social media presence and I am happy to see the progress that was made and what will be done in the future, including The Bridge Network.

I had ideas that I mentioned to other staff members. Some I knew would never happen, others I thought might help. Some were used, others not, and that is Ok.

There were compliments, but also complaints and suggestions. I welcomed all.

Most of all, I learned a lot of journalism and being in a work environment that will hopefully help me following graduation.  

Thanks for the memories, Spectrum.

Ludlowe and Greenwich Baseball

As I Tweeted yesterday, my "worlds collided" as Ludlowe and Greenwich played in baseball at Cardinal Yard at GHS. I've used the term of my worlds colliding when the Falcons and Cardinals played in football and basketball, as well. Obviously basketball and baseball are the teams I was a part of and am still involved with so those mean more to me.

I've been doing a lot with Rob Adams and WGCH Radio in Greenwich and obviously with it being Ludlowe baseball, I knew I would go to the game.

I was pestering Rob to call the game and as Rob alluded to in his blog, the cell service and WI-FI at GHS was not great. For that, Rob should #BlameShawn for making him call the game.

Rob called the game with Mick McGowan and I was there to Tweet, do stats, and assist the broadcast from a Ludlowe information point-of-view.

Always a fun time watching baseball and hanging with and helping of friends. 

You can listen to the game here or at 3pm today on WGCH.com on Greenwich Sentinel Doubleheader.

Opening Day

It's officially spring. It's Opening Day for Major League Baseball

For me, as a huge baseball fan, it's one of the best days of the year. As much as I love other sports, there is something special about baseball. It has such a great history. And it's played every day so there is always a game on TV to watch.

There is something special about Opening Day when the lineups are announced and the teams run out to the baselines as they are introduced. 

Baseball has changed, but there is still great tradition. 

For baseball fans, today is a great day. I would use the cliche of it being Christmas morning, but I'm Jewish, so pick your holiday/special occasion.

On a down note, this will be the first year since 1949 without Vin Scully behind a microphone.

In terms of the Yankees, I hope the have a good year, but I don't see them as a playoff team. The youth should be fun to watch. 

Yankees/Blue Jays Sept. 5 2016 (SS Photo)

If you want to read something really well written about Opening Day, check out Rob Adams' blog post from two years ago.


Here are my predictions for the season, which will probably be completely wrong.

I could write more, but I would just be rambling. Let the season begin. Play ball!

Sports Heartbreak

As sports fans we have memories of great moments and games for our teams and for games we watch, be it our team or not.

Sports also breaks our hearts.

I am not a Wisconsin fan, but I do enjoy rooting for them, and last night's loss to Florida in the Sweet 16 was heartbreaking. The Badgers never gave up. Florida kept trying to pull away late and Wisconsin stayed in the game until they were able to tie it until Zak Showalter's three with 2.5 left to send the game to overtime.

Wisconsin took a 83-81 lead with four seconds left in overtime before Chris Chiozza's running three-pointer as time expired ended the Badgers season and sent the Gators to the Elite Eight.

With that said, I thought of heartbreaking losses I've seen. The odd thing, being a Packers fan, I can think of many heartbreaking losses for Wisconsin sports fans.

Yes, I'm a Duke basketball fan, but the Duke loss wasn't as crazy as last night, so it didn't have as much emotion.

Here are my top five off the top of my head, in no particular order. I'm sure I'm missing some and these are for teams I was rooting for. Comment your thoughts and let's get the conversation going. 

1) 2014 NFC Championship - Packers vs Seahawks
2) 2012 Notre Dame vs Florida State Football
3) 2017 Wisconsin vs Florida Elite Eight
4) 2004 ALCS Game Seven - Yankees vs Red Sox
5) 2008 NFC Championship - Packers vs Giants

Update: I was thinking of this based off last night but from a team I am a fan of, I would have to switch the Wisconsin game for Packers/Cardinals in 2015. 

March Madness

The 2017 NCAA Tournament, also called "March Madness" begins today.

As we often do, I'm sure we will see some upsets, especially today and tomorrow.

Have multiple teams I am rooting for, for a number of different reasons. Overall, I hope we get competitive, exciting games. The teams I am rooting for are Duke, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Rhode Island. Unfortunately. those four teams are in the East and Midwest regions, respectively, so they all can't make the final four.  

I filled out two different brackets. After filling out the first one, I wasn't happy to see how much "chalk" I had. And I filled them out for different groups.

My first bracket: Lots of chalk

That was the first one, which I wasn't happy to see that I had picked the four number one seeds to be in my "Final Four."

Bracket number two

I was much happier with bracket number two. In this bracket, I picked a few upsets with my heart, rather than my brain.

I will be ecstatic if Duke makes the championship, as I don't think they really had a great year. However, as a fan of the Blue Devils (yes, I'm a front-runner), seeing North Carolina win would hurt, especially if it is against Duke.

Today is one of the best sports days of the year, along with Major League Baseball Opening Day and the Super Bowl, in my opinion. March Madness also means that spring and baseball is close which makes me happy.

Excited to watch the games. Lets have some fun! 

Thank You....Ludlowe Basketball

In December, I wrote about my experiences about being a student manager for Ludlowe basketball and baseball.

The 2016-2017 Ludlowe basketball season came to an end last night. 

Since graduating high school in 2013, I have still been around the teams....a lot.  It's been a blast.

Due the the fact that I'm graduating college in May, I'm going to need to get a job. That being said, I realize that last night is probably the last time I will be around the basketball program on a close to everyday basis.

Who knows, depending on a job I get, if I will still go to some games, or even if I might be covering the teams.

With that being said, many people to thank.

 First off, Josh Marko, who was the basketball coach and I managed freshman baseball for him. I never managed basketball for him as he resigned, but I never would have thought of managing basketball if it wasn't for Coach Marko asking me about it.

Brian Silvestro, who was the varsity head coach for the three years I was the manager. He was not only a coach, who I enjoyed helping out and doing whatever was needed. He became a friend and someone who would (and still does) push me with school work and other life things.

John Dailey, thank you for allowing me to continue to be around the program after I graduated when you took over as varsity coach.

To all the other coaches, sub-varsity and volunteer assistants...Thank you.

Alex Borusso, Kevin Mason, Kieran Kilbride, Colin Sullivan and Jack Began. All of these people (sorry if I missed anyone) were varsity managers at one point or another in the last four years. Thank you for allowing me to hang and help you guys out. Sorry if I did too much. You guys were fantastic and I can't think of better successors.

To all the players, from guys like Kevin Bentivegna and Erik Krumins, who were seniors my first year, through this years team, thank you for allowing me to be a part of the team

This is a program that I am so thankful for being a part of. I'll always have the managers pride and I'll always follow this program.

Baseball season ahead. Falcon Pride forever!

Super Bowl LI

So it's Super Bowl Sunday.

Patriots and Falcons will kick-off at 6:30pm.

Living in the New England and the Northeast, there are a lot of Patriot fans around here. However, for the majority of people who are not Patriot fans, people are rooting for the Falcons.

I am one of those rooting for the Falcons, but just hope we get a good game.

If the Patriots win, Bill Belichick and  Tom Brady will have the most Super Bowl victories for a coach and quarterback combination of all-time. Currently the Patriot duo is tied with the Steeler's duo of Chuck Knoll and Terry Bradshaw.

I previewed the game and gave my prediction in The Spectrum. You can read that here.

I am sure, in addition to watching the game for the football aspect, I will be watching for the broadcast purpose. The game is on Fox, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the booth, along with Erin Andrews on the sideline.

In honor of the Super Bowl, had to watch this earlier today.

Brett Favre was drafted by Atlanta and then traded to the Packers. That's a good reason to root for the Falcons. #RiseUp

Good luck to all the Patriots fans I know.

My Love and Hate of Technology

This might as well be me. (Photo: TEACH Magazine)

I love technology. I would much prefer to type something than hand-write something. and obviously I love social media.

I used to think I was pretty good with technology. I even won a computer technology award in eight grade (I think they had to find an award for everyone).

I am coming to realize, I'm not as tech-savvy as I thought I was. I am pretty good with Windows and Android products, which use a similar operating system.

However, I am awful with Apple products. This is not a good thing with the fact that I want to go into journalism/media. Everything is Apple products and software.

Being the Sports Editor of The Spectrum, Sacred Heart's student newspaper, we use Mac's and Adobe InDesign. Every week I have issues and have no idea what I am doing or how to fix problems I run into.

Also, taking media production and radio production courses, I have no idea how to use the Mac programs. For some of the programs, I can get them, or pretty close equivalents on my PC, but the fact that Sacred Heart uses Mac's, they no not teach the PC equivalent.  

I just had to write this today as it it the first production Monday of the semester (and my final semester) for The Spectrum. I'm sitting in the office waiting for programs to be fixed and someone who knows more than me to come help me/fix the problems.

That's All She Wrote.....On The Packers Season

At least the Packers didn't rip our hearts out with another late-game playoff loss. But a loss is a loss and their season has come to an end. 

Green Bay lost to the Falcons 44-21 in the NFC Championship Game, and the game wasn't even that close.

Congrats to the Falcons and best of luck in the Super Bowl.

The Packers came back from a 4-6 record and won eight in a row to make the NFC Championship Game. In that respect, it was a good season and was a fun ride as a fan. However, just as with the Yankees, it was unsuccessful because it did not end with a championship.

Aaron Rodgers is a fantastic quarterback, but injuries hurt the Packers and then need to play better defense. This is not just coming off of today, because Atlanta has a great offense, this has been the last few seasons. 

Crazy that it had been seven years since the Packers Super Bowl. That's not a long time for most teams, but the fact that Green Bay has been in the playoffs every year since then and not made it to the big game, it feels like forever.

I feel like changes need to be made (others saying it as well), but I've been saying that for the past few years and no much has happened, so we will see. 

If it's Falcons vs Patriots in the Super Bowl, I'm rooting for Atlanta. If the Steelers beat the Patriots, I'll be pulling for Pittsburgh in the big game.

To that end, I'll be writing a Super Bowl Preview for The Spectrum, The Spectrum Heart University Student Newspaper. The preview will come out a week from Wednesday, so be sure to check it out. 

Good luck to the Steelers and Patriots in the AFC Championship. 

Forever and always, Go Pack Go. 

Journalism and Media

 
My friend, and great journalist, Susan Shultz, posted the above on Facebook yesterday. You can read Susan's work in The Darien Times. What Susan posted is so true.

As as aspiring journalist/media member, it is annoying when people make comments about how bad the media is.

There is no doubt that the media world is changing, but the media will always be around, and journalism will always be around, in one form or another.

There is online journalism, like blogs (yes, blogging is journalism, in my opinion) there is also radio and online streaming, which is all part of journalism. There will always be a need for journalism. 

Journalists are just doing their job to provide information to the public. They are not trying to hurt anyone. It's a job, just like any other job. Nobody wants others to bash what they are doing in their lives and the way they are making money to support themselves and their families.

With that said, I'm not saying all journalists do everything correctly. There are obvious exceptions and as Susan says, we shouldn't generalize about a group of people, whether we agree with what they are doing or not.

There are a lot of journalists, like Susan, who I have the utmost respect for. These are journalists who do their job with integrity and without an agenda to make it about themselves. A journalist should not be part of the story, in most cases.

However, there are journalists who want to make it about themselves and think that they do everything correct and if you don't do or say something the way they want, you are wrong. This is not the case.

January 4th

As I said in a previous post, we all have dates that are relevant to us for good or for bad reasons.

For me, and my family (two different parts), January 4 is one of those days.

My Uncle David passed away on this date in 2005 and my grandmother passed away on this date in 2011.

I think about them both all of the time, when different things are mentioned and certain events come up.

I am have a weird memory and remember all the events of both of those days and the surrounding days, both before and after. Doesn't seem like 12 and six years, respectively. I could write everything I remember about those times, but that is not necessary.

Just keep remembering. Always in our hearts.

Christmas Tree with notes written to Uncle Dave

Packers are NFC North Champions

Packers/Giants from 10/9/16 (SS Photo)

 The Packers were 4-6 through 10 games. Then they ran the table and won the NFC North. They defeated the Lions on Sunday 31-24.

The Packers will host the Giants in the NFC Wild Card round on Sunday at 4:40. The Pack won 23-16 at Lambeau on Oct 9.

However, Packers/Giants match-ups in the playoffs have not gone well in the past (for the Packers). The Giants won the 2008 NFC Championship 23-20 in OT (Brett Favre's last game as a Packer.)

Then, in 2012, the Giants handled the Packers 37-20 in the NFC Divisional Round

Both years the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl. Hope the reverse happens this season.

When the Packers were 4-6, Aaron Rodgers said they could win out, and the indeed did run the table.

Need four more wins to finish the deal.

Should be fun next week.

Go Pack Go!

Thanks, Giants

Yes, the Packers are in the playoffs!

The Packers clinched a playoff berth thanks to the Giants defeating the Redskins, therefore eliminating Washington. The winner of tonight's Packers vs Lions game will win the NFC North. The winner will host the Giants, while the loser of tonight's game will travel to Seattle and face the Seahawks. 

Should be a fun (hopefully), but nerve-racking night. Excited to chat with fellow Packer fans, AJ Szymanowski and Jack Began, among others. Good luck to Lions fans, Brian Silvestro and Sean Close.

I'll probably be back during and/or after the game to write more.

Go Pack Go!