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I went to the MSJ football practice yesterday for the first time to see for myself what their situation really was. I counted 15 players including one on crutches and one not in in uniform. On top of that they are young, no juniors or seniors, and they are small. I wish them the best and all power to them, but I quite frankly don’t know how they’re going to finish the season. The 2010 football season opens up on Saturday September 4th as the Mounties will be at Rice.
Kudos to the VPA for having the media meeting every year.This year’s meeting was yesterday and NSN was well represented. Interesting that only two radio stations were there and several newspapers. Only two radio stations represented, pretty pathetic. For the record they were WSNO in Barre and WDEV in Waterbury. The rest of the state’s radio stations, with a couple of exceptions , who just as soon run syndicated programming than high school sporting events couldn’t be bothered.
Seems like I’m using this phrase a lot lately … biggest crowd of the season last night at the Vermont Lake Monsters game … but there it was again last night … 3,802 fans at Centennial Field to see the Monsters drop a 6-5 decision to the Connecticut Tigers. Yes, I know, it was 25 cent hotdog night … but that isn’t the point. The point is fans are still turning out to see baseball in Burlington. Twenty five cent hot dog night is part of the tradition at the ancient ballyard … a tradition that just cannot be allowed to slip away.
Engineering studies on the viability of the park are wrapping up … the results are still a couple of weeks away … but it all comes down to this … whatever needs to be done it is past time to get started with the process to make sure this treasure is not allowed to slip through our fingers.
I promise you this … once the Democratic primary race is decided and we know whether it is Peter Shumlin or Doug Racine or whomever running against Brian Dubie for governor in the November election, I’m inviting both of them to come on the Big Sports Show. The interview will be short … one question … “what will you do as Governor to make sure Vermont doesn’t lose it’s only professional baseball team?” Can’t wait to see how they respond to that one.
The on again/off again Big Sports Show is off again today … I’ll be on the way to Montpelier for the Vermont Principal’s Association’s annual media day … to be followed by the Vermont Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association’s annual meeting. The Big Show returns tomorrow morning at 9:00 am on NSNradio.net.
It’s getting to be do or die time for the Red Sox with a huge three game series at Tampa Bay this weekend. Taking 2 out of 3 only picks up one game, but a sweep is unrealistic for the Sox.
I really should always say the injury depleted Sox. The team the Red Sox put out on the field in the 2nd game of the doubleheader yesterday consisted of three rookies and three players who ordinarily wouldn’t be starting if the Sox were healthy.You’re also going with a spot starter who let’s face it had no real chance of winning the game. [That's Tim Wakefield who has been relegated to the bullpen. Remember?] On top of that the Sox were going up against one of the top pitchers in baseball. It was a miracle they were actually in the ball game until Daniel Nava hit into a double play in the 9th.
One of the players the Sox were playing without last night was Adrian Beltre who got tossed by a minor league umpire who was trying to be a big shot. The same thing happened the night before when Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard got tossed by a minor league umpire as well. Come on fellas the fans don’t go to the games to watch you.
Take note … Time to get cracking with your shopping … Christmas is four months from today!
Johnny Damon sent his holiday gift along to the Red Sox yesterday … a lump of coal. Was anyone really surprised when Damon announced he would pass on the chance to return to the Sox and stay in Detroit? I was a little … I mean I see Damon as a competitor … a guy who wants to be in the middle of a pennant race. But apparently not this time. I think he looked at the situation … considered how tough it would be to play against and try to catch his old Yankee teammates … and decided it just wasn’t worth it.
Unfortunately the move … or perhaps I should say the non-move … also has likely cemented his place in Red Sox history. I agree with Healey … if Damon had been able to play in that series when the Tigers came to Fenway a couple of weeks ago … his first return to Boston in a non-Yankee uniform since leaving after the ‘05 season … he would have been welcomed enthusiastically. Now I doubt if that will ever happen.
Johnny … you had your chance to come home … you passed … now so will Sox fans for evermore.
The Big Sports Show returns this morning … check it out live at 9:00am or anytime after that on the George Commo Archive at NSNradio.net.
Johnny Damon did what I expected him to do yesterday and that was to refuse to accept the trade to the Red Sox. Damon has earned the right to do whatever he wants, but I think he would’ve established his Red Sox legacy forever if he accepted the deal. Damon never seemed to get it , but he was the only one of the former Sox players from that 2004 team who got booed when he returned to Fenway Park because he was playing for the Yankeees. Plain and simple. Former teammates Orlando Cabrera and Dave Roberts got long standing ovations when they returned to Fenway.
I believe if Damon played in that Tiger-Sox series a couple of weeks ago he would’ve received his standing ovations from the Fenway crowd. He would’ve been greeted with standing ovations if he decided to return to the Sox as well.
I have always thought that when the 2004 team returned to Fenway, hopefully a new Fenway by then, for a 25th anniversary celebration that he would receive his ovation along with everybody else. Now I’m not so sure.
Johnny was one of the idiots on that wonderful “band of idiots in 2004″, and he’s still an idiot, but for a different reason.
Johnny Damon?
Johnny Damon coming back to the Red Sox?
Well give Theo and company credit … they apparently aren’t leaving any stone unturned in the effort to get back into the AL East race.
Like any Red Sox fan it bothered me when Damon opted to sign with the Yankees in 2006 … but that is now ancient history. The question is simply can he help the Sox of 2010 catch the Yanks or the Rays? Frankly I’m not sure … he hasn’t had the best of seasons in Detroit. But say this about Johnny Damon … he plays hard and he wants to win. He’ll give you everything he has every night.
Will he accept the deal? I’m not sure … a lot of sewage floated down the river at the end of his first tenure in Boston and in the subsequent years when he returned as a Yankee. But desperate times bring desperate measures, and I applaud the Sox for the effort. Here’s hoping they can pull it off.
The Vermont Lake Monsters remain in first place in the NYP League’s Stedler Division after a 2-1 win last night bin Lowell. Vermont has three HUGE home game remaining on the regular season … Wednesday, Thursday and Friday against Connecticut at Centennial Field.
The question remains … will those be the last three home games ever for the Monsters?
The feeling here is more and more that that will NOT be the case. Engineers were at Centennial yesterday beginning the study to determine is the old ballyard can structurally handle the renovation work it so desperately needs. What that study finds will have a lot to do with the ballclub’s future.
No Big Sports Show this morning … I’ll be occupied with other duties for NSN … back tomorrow morning at 9:00 am.
35 year old Torrey Allard was named the 14th coach in the history of the MSJ football program yesterday. Allard who had been an assistant at Otter Valley the last four years played his high school football at Burlington under coach Jim Billings and graduated in 1993. He’ll have his work cut out for him and I wish him the best. MSJ will open up the season at Rice on September 4th.
Johnny Damon back to the Red Sox? They could sure use him, but from what I’m reading he ain’t coming back. Id like to have him back, but if he thought he was being “mistreated” by the organization after the 2005 season then I say good riddance.
Tom Brady hates the Jets. Guess what? So do I. What did everybody expect Brady to say? “I love the Jets.” Big mouth Rex Ryan of course chimed back and said he hates Brady. So what? The story is much ado about nothing.
By the way Ryan, it was Tony Dungy last week, Tom Brady this week. Who will it be next week? Talk about rabbitt ears.
With the announcement yesterday that Lou Piniella is retiring immediately for family reasons (he wants to spend more time with his 90 year old mother) this question came to my mind … is Lou Piniella a Hall of Famer? He had a solid workmanlike career as a player and has had a long and mostly successful career as a manager. Actually the same question will come up at the end of the season when Bobby Cox ends his run as manager of the Braves. Then there is Joe Torre. Although the word is he wants to manage somewhere else after the expected end of his stint with the Dodgers you can also ask the same question about him.
Of the three I think Torre has the best shot … he had solid numbers as a player and has won more championships as a manager. Cox’s managerial record speaks for itself, although only winning one World Series may hurt him. Piniella is more of a long shot, but is certainly worthy of consideration. Oh … and although there is no word right now on a pending retirement for him, what about Jim Leyland?
We’ll kick this one around a little bit on this morning’s Big Sports Show … live at 9:00 am or anytime after that on the George Commo Archive at NSNradio.net. By the way the Big Sports Show will only air three days this week … Monday, Wednesday and Friday due to other duties this reporter has to perform for the company … ah so many tasks … so little time. lol!
Back from vacation and I’m ready for a very busy fall schedule of football, soccer and field hockey on NSN, by far Vermont’s Sports Leader.
I love Lou Piniella. I’m sorry to see him go. I always wanted him to manage the Red Sox.
I love Vin Scully and I’m happy to see that he’s sticking around. The best in the business is 82 now and he’ll be doing this long after I retire.
It’s hard to believe that the Yankees are 12-0 without A-Rod.
I know the Red Sox can’t seem to gain any ground on the Yankees or Tampa Bay, but I can’t believe they’re as close as they are with all those injuries. They’re a gritty team. That’s for sure.
I like Roger Clemens. I really hope everything turns out ok for him. Remember though that he asked Congress for the hearing, not the other way around. He didn’t have to testify.
Carl Yastrzemski , the last triple crown winner in baseball, turned 71 yesterday. I’ll never forget the sports talkshow I hosted on the old WHWB radio in Rutland right after the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the infamous 1978 playoff game. Not only did I take call after call from Yankee fans gloating in their victory , but most of them also were telling me that Yastrzemski was a bum and would never make the Hall of Fame. I kept saying he would, they wouldn’t listen. Guess what? I was right and they were wrong!
Happy belated birthday Yaz!
Alright I’ll admit it right now … I blew it. After all the talk in this space earlier in the week how Jon Lester has clearly taken over as the ace of the Red Sox pitching staff there could be only one result, and we got it last night … Lester gets drilled for eight hits and nine runs in two innings and the Sox lose 16-2 to the Blue Jays … maybe we’ll just start calling it the George Commo Blog curse.
The only good thing for the Sox on a truly ugly night … both the Yankees and the Rays also lost … but another game is gone … now 39 remaining … and the Sox again failed to gain any ground on anybody in the AL East. Throw in Dustin Pedroia’s return to the DL before the game and you get the idea just how ugly things were last night at the Fens.
Not real pretty at Centennial Field either, where the Vermont Lake Monsters lost again … beaten by the NYP League’s best club, the Brooklyn Cyclones, 6-1 last night. Vermont remains in first place in the Stedler Division despite having now lost 20 of their last 29 games … a testament I guess to what a great start they got off to and how weak the Stedler is. Vermont hosts Brooklyn again tonight starting at 6:05 pm and there will be fireworks show after the game.
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