Another Disappointing Loss

Photo courtesy of Packers Twitter

Another season. Another heartbreaking ending. It seems like that has been the trend over the last number of years for the Packers. 

On Saturday night, the Packers fell to the 49ers on a last second field goal in the NFC Divisional playoffs.

Offense did not look like everyone knows they are capable of, and the special teams had major issues (blocked punt and blocked FG). Meanwhile, until the final drive, the Green Bay defense played well overall. There was a bend but don't break mentality. 

It was an ugly game all around. Credit to the Niners for making a few more plays when it mattered. 

There have been so many tough last second or overtime losses in the playoffs over the years. 

I could go back to 2007-2008 when the Giants defeated the Packers in what turned out to be Brett Favre's last game in Green Bay. 

But more recently in the Rodgers era: 

2015 OT loss to the Cardinals

2014 OT loss to the Seahawks

2013 loss to the 49ers

And a few years earlier...2009 OT loss to the Cardinals

Of course there were a couple of NFC Championship game losses and other playoff loses, but these were the nail bighting heartbreakers.  

Have we seen the end of Aaron in a Packers uniform? 

We will see. There are two ways to look at it. One way is, he has unfinished business so he will come back. Another is, he doesn't think he can win in Green Bay so he will go elsewhere. 

Personally, I want him back. Why couldn't I? He's a great quarterback*. Do I think he will be back? I'm leaning towards no. 

*As I said to someone earlier, I love him as a quarterback, I don't love him as a person/some of his character/personality traits. 

There could be a lot of changes this offseason. I know we say it every year, but if Rodgers leaves, more dominos might fall. The Rodgers decision has to come first, and then the Packers can figure everything else out. 

Sports. They are great. They also break your heart. Life goes on.....

Broadcasting Thoughts

A mixer in the press box at Ludlowe's Taft Field (SS Photo)

Public Service Announcement: The views below are mine and do not necessarily represent anyone I am affiliated with.  

There are a lot of broadcasting related topics I'm going to hit here. They could be separate posts, but I am going to make them one.  

Everyone thinks they can be a broadcaster. A lot of people are excellent. Others, not so much. 

I've dabbled in broadcasting, in large part due to Rob Adams. Dabble is putting in nicely. I put a headset on and say a few words every now and then. I know I am not good. However, I think I understand broadcasting and can talk about it. 

I think I have also learned some of the off-air behind the sciences part of broadcasting, both from talking to/watching Rob, as well as some of the video side from the days of helping out the HAN Network (also Rob, but others like AJ Szymanowski). 

I know people might say I'm not qualified to talk broadcasting. However, I feel differently. 

I listen and watch a lot of broadcasts, or clips of broadcasts. Either they are games I want to watch, I want to hear the broadcasters, or clips are sent to me. Sometimes I listen to the games for the broadcasting, other times for the sports content, but end up analyzing the broadcast aspect anyways. 

I listen to a lot of Rob and Mike Hirn, who both do a terrific job on their respective outlets. I listen to both local broadcasts around here, local broadcasts elsewhere, pro sports broadcasts, and more. 

Everyone had different styles, but there are a few things every broadcaster should do. Some do this better than others. They should report what is happening. They should also be entertaining to listen to, that's where there is a big line. They should be exciting and not boring, but at the same time, they shouldn't be over the top. We hear too much screaming from broadcasters now, when it's just not needed. Not everything is "unbelievable" or "gargantuan." There are certain points in a game when a broadcaster should get more excited. The listener/viewer still needs to understand what is being said. 

The color commentator also needs to know not to jump on the play-by-play broadcaster. To the same token, the PBP broadcaster needs to know when to be quiet and let their color person add in commentary. 

Then you go to the preparation aspect. Everyone prepares differently. There should be no one set way that everyone prepares for a broadcast. People have their own style that work for them. There are too many people that think they need to have all this "fancy" prep. It may work for them, but not for everyone. 

There are many different ways to have a setup. It also depends of the sport. Some people have rosters, others have depth charts. Some have notes on their computer, some have them handwritten or typed and printed out. There is no "one size fits all" like some people think there need to be. 

Some people like many colored pens/markers for different types of notes and information. Others can work with one or two different colors. 

It's also imperative to get facts correct and it's really not that hard. If you don't know something for sure, as questions, and do research. If you're on the air and not sure if something is true or not, don't say it. It just makes you/the broadcast lose credibility. In addition, pronunciations can be difficult, but a broadcaster should make every effort to learn them. Ask a coach, statistician, team manager, etc.

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Live video streams are great. However, they are even better with broadcasters on them. Broadcasters help bring the game to life and help the viewer understand what is happening. At the worst, if there is no broadcaster, there needs to be a score bug/clock that work. I see too many broadcasts that schools put out a live stream with no working score bug and no broadcasters. Some don't even have natural sound. It makes it nearly impossible as a viewer to tell what's happening. 

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Around Fairfield County, there are many different streaming outlets that schools use. There's NFHS and Local Live as the two primary ones, and then a number of other schools have their games on YouTube, either with just a live video, or as part of their broadcasting network. There are pros and cons of every one. 

Personally, I'm a big fan of Local Live as I feel the quality of the video is superior and it's free, as opposed to NFHS, which is a pay subscription service. There are some good broadcasters that Local Live uses, however, there are others that are questionable. I think a lot of the schools that have their own setups are good, but there are always things that can be improved on. I've seen what a lot of schools have and I think it's interesting how they have different outlets. It would be nice for consistency if each league did the same thing. But I know that won't happen. 

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So now you have some of my thoughts on broadcasting. I haven't said everything, but I likely said too much.  

Doubleheader Saturday of (#OneTown) Hoops

Warde and Wilton play at Warde on Saturday Afternoon

It was a fun day of high school basketball on Saturday. Some would say it was a #OneTown (running joke and yes, the hashtag is needed) kind of day. 

I always love long days of sports, especially baseball basketball, and it was good to see both Ludlowe and Warde boys teams play. 

Ludlowe defeated Bridgeport Central 44-39 in a hard-fought game that saw Ludlowe have to come from behind after trailing after a quarter and at halftime and being tied after three quarters. 

Warde fell to Wilton 50-44. The Warriors led for the majority of the game, with Warde only getting a slight lead at a couple of points. 

Before the varsity game at Ludlowe, the freshman and junior varsity teams took down Central as well. 

It was my kind of day, being in a gym from 9am-5:30pm with only a short break to change from Ludlowe basketball clothes to Warde basketball clothes. Yes, I do switch back and forth from each. 

It terms of being there that long, yes I'm watching all the games, but also doing the scoreboard or book where needed, or just doing other random things. I'm not very good at just "watching as a fan" but when I am just watching the game, my passion gets me so into the game. I am really bad at sitting in the stands and just watching, as I can't sit/stand in one place. I get picked on for this often. 

As everyone knows, I help out and am around the Ludlowe team a lot, but it was good to see Warde play twice this week, as I saw them defeat Norwalk at home on Thursday, before seeing them again today.  

Also, in girls basketball, Warde took down Wilton for Coach Dave Danko's 450th career win. Congrats, Coach! 

Season number 28 for coach Danko.
Today's win was his 450th at Fairfield Hs/ Fairfield Warde.

— Warde GBBall (@WardeGBBall) January 8, 2022

A date always remembered

I'll just to keep this short and not ramble. 

January 4 will always be a date that sticks in my mind. It is the day we lost both my Uncle David and my Grandma Bea, seven years apart. Uncle David passed away in 2005, while we lost my grandmother in 2011. 

I've wrote about this before, and while nothing has changed other than the length of time, stories always come up and they are both often on my mind, especially today. 

I have so many memories, and for the most part, it's not my story to tell. I have memories of the exact days, the days prior, and the days following both of their deaths. Not only is it not my story to tell, but in the big picture, my memories are random and mostly irrelevant. 

I will add, I have memories of the wake (uncle) and funerals (both) and of visiting both of them before they passed  There is too much to say but the thing I remember is my grandmother passed the morning of the fourth, while my uncle was in the evening. 

In some ways, this entire post is irrelevant, in other ways it means a lot.  I could write a lot more, but as I said above I won't. 

We honor them always, and they are always in our hearts.