Bits & Pieces

By Kim J. Harmon

If you want to get a gander and some fine tennis action, stop down at Dickinson Park this weekend to see the semi-finals and finals of the Newtown Tennis Open.

The tournament is sponsored by the Newtown Tennis Association.

The schedule (both days) looks like this:

The men’s and women’s 40 singles will start at 8:45 am; the men’s and women’s open singles at 10:30 am, the men’s and women’s 40 doubles at 12 noon, the men’s and women’s open doubles at 1:30 pm, the men’s 55 singles and mixed doubles at 3 pm; and the men’s 55 doubles at 4:30 pm.

It’s not Wimbledon, but it’s not bad.

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There was talk this week of a local softball team being excluded from the playoffs because it is too good.

Yep, it is too good (don’t let major league baseball get wind of this, or the Yankees are finished!).

Just from hearing the story it seems to me that such a decision had been made (and since rescinded) in a simple effort to maintain competitive balance.

Well, it seems to me a lot of odd decisions get made in the effort to achieve competitive balance.

I’m reminded of a crazy playoff format the league director for the Waterbury YMCA had concocted for my son’s Game Time Hoops League last winter.

It was a six-team league and my son’s team – And 1 – finished on top with a 9-1 record. It should seem obvious to anyone that the top two teams would get a first-round bye while the bottom four teams would battle for a chance to get into the semi-finals.

But for these playoffs, the No. 1 seed played the No. 6 seed, the No. 2 seed played the No. 5 seed, and the No. 3 seed played the No. 4 seed.

Okay, so far, but for some reason it was determined the winner of the No. 1-No. 6 game was going to earn a bye into the division championship while the winners of the other two games will battle in the semi-finals – even if it was the No. 6 team, which finished 1-9.

Does that make any sense?

It is okay, though, because And 1 won the championship. Still . . .

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Speaking of the playoffs, as I write this (Tuesday, June 3, 12:35 pm) I’m getting all fidgety anticipating the South-West Conference boys’ lacrosse championship game between Newtown and Joel Barlow less than seven hours away.

Newtown lost to Barlow in the CIAC Division II championship last year and then lost to Barlow during the 2003 regular season. With the Falcons just oozing confidence (or maybe over confidence?), the Nighthawks have a lot to prove to themselves and I am anticipating a great game.

I hope I’m not disappointed.

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I wasn’t.

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Is there any sane reason why Sammy Sosa needs to cork his bats? The man hit 60 homers a year for three years running for crying out loud!