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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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. 

Local Sports Moments of 2021

While there were local sports for the majority of 2021, there are not a whole lot of moments that truly stand out to me. However, there were some great moments and games throughout the year, for one reason or another. 

My list only includes games I attended in person. Therefore, it does not include the FCIAC baseball or FCIAC softball championship games or the Cooper Cave Tournament that the Fairfield Legion team played in, and specifically Sean McAdams' home run. If I was at any of those, they would have been included on my list.  

Coverage of the games, either by me, or others, are linked below. 

So here we go (in no specific order)…..

Warde boys basketball defeats Fairfield Prep in the Fairfield Prep Holiday Classic.

Warde baseball edges Ludlowe 

• Warde took an early lead, then Ludlowe came back to tie the game, before Warde took the lead for good. 

Ludlowe football defeats Warde on Thanksgiving morning - New12's coverage cane be found here. 

Ludlowe girls basketball wins the Todd Burger Championship

• Ludlowe defeated Warde to win the Tournament Burger Memorial Tournament, named in honor of the former Fairfield Citizen sports editor. 

Warde football suicide prevention game

• In tragedy, community sometimes shines the brightest. The Warde football team and the Warde community (as well as students from Ludlowe and Prep) honored Kevin Kuczo and raised awareness for suicide prevention. 

 

 Zach Sullivan's one-hitter for Fairfield 17U Legion 

Southington defeats Ludlowe in softball state championship.

Southington scores two in the 7th. Blue Knights defeat Ludlowe 4-3 to win the Class LL state tournament #ctsb

— Shawn Sailer (@ShawnSailer) June 12, 2021

Ludlowe baseball walks-off New Canaan 

Prep baseball defeats Ludlowe in State Tournament

• While personally, as a Ludlowe coach, this was a tough loss, it was a great game. Ludlowe held a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning before Prep tied the game in the sixth and walked off with the win in the seventh to advance to the next round 

• View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Fairfield Prep Baseball (@ffldprepbaseball)

      

While I didn't think there were that many big moments, there were a number of moments that stand out. Hopefully things get back to normal even more in 2021 and we have more special moments and games. 

Ludlowe Girls, Warde Boys Win Holiday Tournament Championship

It was day two of the Fairfield Holiday tournaments, as the boys JV tournament held both a consolation and championship game and the girls and boys varsity tournaments held Championship games. The JV games were held at Ludlowe, while the varsity games were at Warde. 

It was the Fairfield Ludlowe girls and the Fairfield Warde boys who came away with Holiday Tournament Championships. The Mustangs in fact came away with two, as the Warde JV boys team also won their holiday tournament. 

The Warde JV team defeated Fairfield Prep to claim the Walter Fitzgerald Tournament Championship. 

Warde JV wins the Walter Fitzgerald Holiday Tournament

The Ludlowe girls team took down Warde 49-25 to capture the Todd Burger Championship. Kaleigh Sommers and Madison Roman were named to the all-tournament team for the Falcons, as was Leah Fry and Ryanne Gulbin for the Mustangs. 

Ludlowe wins the Todd Burger Tournament

In the nightcap, it was the Warde boys team coming away with a 60-44 victory over Prep. Justyn Davis of Warde was named the 2021 tournament MVP. 

Warde wins the Fairfield Prep Holiday Classic

Fairfield Holiday Hoops

A look at the court during a break in the action of the girls game 

The Fairfield Holiday Basketball Tournaments got underway today, with the conclusions tomorrow. 

The boys have a varsity tournament, as well as a JV tournament. This tournament features the four high schools from Fairfield, Ludlowe, Warde, Fairfield Prep and Notre Dame of Fairfield. The varsity boys tournament was held at Fairfield Warde this year, as the usual home, Alumni Hall was knocked down and is being re-built. The JV tournament rotates between being hosted by Ludlowe and Warde and this year it was at Ludlowe. 

The boys JV tournament is named the Walter Fitzgerald Holiday Tournament in honor the of former Fairfield High School assistant coach and Warde head coach, who passed away from cancer in 2010. 

In the JV tournament, Warde toped Notre Dame and Prep topped Ludlowe, so Notre Dame and Ludlowe play in the consolation game, while Warde and Prep play for the championship. 

Notre Dame withdrew from the varsity tournament due to COVID, so Warde, who ND was supposed to play in the first round, got an automatic bye to the championship on Tuesday at 6pm at Warde. Ludlowe and Prep played Monday night to see who would face Warde. 

The Jesuits came away with a 49-30 victory. The game was closer than the score as Prep was able to pull away in the fourth. 

The girls also play a varsity holiday tournament. Their tournament features Ludlowe, Warde, Staples of Westport and St. Paul Catholic of Bristol. That tournament also rotates between being hosted at Ludlowe and Warde, with this years edition being at Warde. 

Their tournament is the Todd Burger Holiday Tournament, named in honor of former Fairfield Citizen Sport editor, Todd Burger, who passed away from cancer in 2006. 

Like Notre Dame for the boys, St. Paul Catholic had to back out of the girls tournament due to COVID.

 That meant Warde, just like the boys, who they were supposed to play, got an automatic bid to the championship. They would meet the winner of Ludlowe and Staples. The Falcons came away with a 56-39 win to set up an all-Fairfield championship matchup on Tuesday at 2pm at Warde. 

The tournaments, while different this year due to COVID, are always an awesome events for the teams and the community, no matter the outcome. It brings students out (shoutout to The Nest), as well as Alumni, parents, and just random town people. Day two will be different with fewer games, but hopefully the games we do have are great.