Ludlowe Football Murph Challenge

The players get ready to start the initial one-mile run. 

The Ludlowe football team participated in the Murph Challenge on Sunday at Ludlowe High School's Taft Field. 

The Murph Challenge for those who don't know (and I had to look it up) is a cross fit physical challenge that honor the life of Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2005. 

The challenge raises funds to help those wounded in war. Each player got donations from family and friends that goes towards the cause. 

The Murph Challenge consists of a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and then finishes up another one-mile run. 

It's normally done on Memorial Day, but it's never a bad time to support a great cause and was a good season kick-off event. 

Prior to the physical part of the event starting, veteran Earl Granville spoke to the players and everyone else in attendance about his story and what the event means.  

Most importantly, a great job by all the players who participated. It was the entire program, from freshman through seniors. 

Credit as well to all those who were involved in making the event at Ludlowe happen. I am sure I am going to miss people, but these are who I know of. Kristen Morrison, Dan Seek, Kristen Frame, Robin Charron, Jeff Love, along with all the coaches and many others. 

For more information on The Murph Challenge, visit The Murph Challenge - 2024. 

For information on Ludlowe's specific Murph Challenge event, visit Falcons Football "Murph" Challenge | Schoolfundr. 

Fall Sports Time

Ludlowe/Norwalk football November 3, 2023 (SS Photo)

It's time for another high school sports year, and another school year. 

While school in Fairfield in still almost two weeks away, fall sports are getting underway. 

Boys golf began this past Monday, football begins on Thursday, and the rest of the fall sports begin next Monday. 

I'm excited for sports to be back and people to be back around the schools. It's been too quiet this summer. It was nice to have some more staff back today and even more over the next several days. 

I'm looking forward to watching games and supporting the student-athletes. 

The fall sports season is a long season this year, with fall sports starting at least a week earlier than normal, and Thanksgiving being on the later side. 

Of course, I want success for all our teams. But yes, certain teams I have a soft spot for. Even in the sports I'm not as involved with, I follow the people I know. Often those are baseball and basketball guys, or those who have been a part of those programs at one time or another. 

Those bonds go beyond the specific sport. It's just that certain sports or teams are how the friendships are created. 

Every year is different. It's become about expecting the unexpected and preparing for things not to go as planned. If they do go as planned, that's a bonus. And this is from someone who hates change. 

We will have a few weeks of tryouts and practices before games get going. I can't wait for games to start. 

Good luck to everyone trying out for teams, and to all the players and coaches on the start of the season. 

Let's get it going! 

********

Good luck to all those who graduated last spring and are heading off to college in the next few weeks. I've talked at nauseum about what that class means to me. Best of luck to all! 

Statistics

Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination. - Vin Scully 

Statistics, or stats, are an interesting thing. They are what you make of them. 

I love sports statistics. 

I love being that "stat person" doing a scorebook* and looking at and compiling stats. I enjoy going back through books, days, months or even years later and looking at the stats. Yes, some of it is nostalgia. 

I've written about scorekeeping before.

*Yes, I am good with baseball, and okay with basketball. I need to get better with doing stats in game for other sports. 

That said, I don't need all the fancy, new-age stats, for the most part. 

There is a time and place for them. 

For coaches, stats only tell part of the story. The eye test to see how a player is performing is also part of it. 

In baseball, you can hit four live drives and be 0-4 and someone else can hit four soft bloopers and be 4-4. 

Now, people who are totally stat driven will say this is where exit velocity and launch angle and things of that nature matter. I get it, but I do not need numbers for everything. I can tell by what I watch. 

As Vin Scully said in the quote above, statistics are good to have for a broadcast, but don't need to be relied on. They are good to fit in spots. 

Often, especially at the high school and youth levels, they are non-existent. If you get them, it's a luxury. Certain teams have and share more than others, so it all depends on the program. 

This is why stories are important for broadcasting. There needs to be something besides just the straight play-by-play of what is happening in the game. Otherwise, it sounds boring and there can often be too much dead air. 

I talk a lot about stats in regard to baseball here, but it applies to all sports. It just seems like baseball is the sport where the stats are the most prevalent. Or maybe it's just that I am a baseball person. Or that I am in a baseball mode right now. Or both. 

Overall, stats are great, if used in the correct way. 

Another Summer of Baseball

2024 Barums team photo. Players (who were there) and coaches

It has been another summer of watching and covering a lot of baseball. 

This means the Bridgeport Barnums and Trumbull Babe Ruth. 

The Barnums had a terrific season, winning the Connecticut College Baseball League Championship. 

Congrats to all the players and coaches Chris Bugyi, Jim Chaves and Mark Keeney. It's also about Sars Ford, the general manager, who had the vision for bringing a college team back to Bridgeport before the 2023 summer, and ultimately got that done.  

For the Barnums, I serve in a team media/scorekeeper role. Although I will do whatever they need. 

If that's setting up or breaking down items, I've done it. After the July 4 fireworks, we helped clean up the fire of debris. It's about being a team player and supporting however is needed. 

In my media/scorekeeper role, I am managing GameChanger (a scorekeeping app) during games. I'm letting the coaches know if pitch counts, and anything else they may need. 

And yes, I likely (definitely) show too much favoritism toward the Ludlowe guys on the team. That includes Cole Gibson, Luke Anderson, Andrew Fortunato, Blake Benway, Matt Longo and Joey Sangiuolo.   

Additionally, my role includes managing the team Instagram (@BPTBarnums) and Facebook accounts (Bridgeport Barnums Baseball) and writing game recaps on Blogger that are shared via social media. 

That being said, it's in no way about me. We are the support staff. It's about the players, first and foremost, the coaches and families. I hated even getting told to get in team photos (and wouldn't post the ones with myself in it on the team accounts.)

Then, there was Trumbull Babe Ruth baseball with Rob Adams. 

A tradition like no other. 

This is the sixth Babe Ruth tournament in Trumbull that I've been a part of with Rob. 

2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. 

In 2018, we did one in Norwalk (I joined Rob for at least one game that year, so I'll count it.)

We also did one in Stamford in 2019. 

Of course, even when I'm not with Rob, I'm often listening. 

This year, we broadcasted the 13U Connecticut State Tournament. 

Stamford won the tournament, beating Easton/Redding in the Championship. 

It's always a blast to join Rob on the calls. He's a professional and more importantly, a great friend. 

There's something special about doing these tournaments and getting to know so many people. 

We get to talk with so many in the booth, from Mike Buswell, who is the reason Rob (and I) keep doing this year after year, to Bobby Gerbert, to members of CT Babe Ruth, and so many others. 

When coaches would stop up to bring lineups, or some coaches would be in the booth between games or during games they weren't coaching in, we would get a chance to have conversations. 

We didn't get to know as many people from the teams this year, but that's okay. Every year is different. 

On the air, we get to talk about what we see on the field and tell stories from past years of doing these tournaments, and so many other memories. 

Like when Rob brings up the 2019 FCIAC baseball championship. Yeah. That game. 

But again, it's about talking about the great athletes we see on the field, and if we can get information and get to know them off the field, that just allows us to promote them even more, and that is the ultimate goal. 

High school sports will be here soon. I'm excited for them all, but selfishly, cannot wait for the winter for basketball and the spring for baseball.