B.P.

Bits & Pieces

By Kim J. Harmon

S

everal years ago I had to make a trip to Coginchaug High School in Durham for a high school state tournament game and later on I tried to explain to someone where it was – but I couldn’t. “You can’t get there from here,” was about all I could say in exasperation.

Heading out to Salem for the Babe Ruth 12-year-old state tournament is much the same thing. Now, I live in Waterbury, which is about 20 to 25 minutes closer to Salem than Newtown, but last Saturday was still an adventure – and I managed to avoid the huge traffic tie-up that delayed both Newtown and New Canaan.

But, jeez, I-84 to I-691 to I-91 to Route 3 to Route 2 to Route 11 to – well, to wherever. I always give MapQuest.com a holler when I’m heading out somewhere and two out of three times it pretty much messes me up (of course, they will say that that is my fault and not theirs). The directions were okay until I got within a mile or two – but that’s all. MapQuest didn’t find the name Round Hill Road on any of its maps, so it was hit or miss from there.

I stopped at a gas station – which ended up being just a mile past the turnoff – and asked the clerk, who didn’t even know the name of the road outside the store. Luckily, there was a man in line who was able to point me in the right direction.

Anyone want to know how to get to Salem?

“You can’t get there from here.”

If I were the coach of the Newtown High School softball team, I’d be getting out a stack of calendars (four or five years worth) and a magic marker and start X-ing out the days until the players from the current Newtown Babe Ruth 10-year-old travel team come to practice. It would be troublesome to single out just one or two kids, but manager Nancy Bowen has some darn good players on her squad right now. I can only imagine with four more years of seasoning how good they could be . . . there is a lot of hardware being brought home to Newtown, isn’t there? The Babe Ruth 12-year-old and 11-year-old All-Stars both won District championships in baseball (with state championship possibilities lying in wait) and the Babe Ruth U10 travel softball team won a state championship. Now, the Babe Ruth 13 Prep baseball team nearly won a District championship (finishing second) and the Babe Ruth U14 travel softball nearly won a state championship in Hamden (also finishing second). It is turning into a really successful summer for Newtown  . . . Not only is baseball and softball in the forefront here in Newtown, but the Rising Star Summer Basketball League has opened its third season. And if that’s not all, Tom Denninger just returned from Australia, where he competed in the Down Under Bowl football tournament, and Matt McCarthy just competed in the Hall of Fame Classic in West Haven where the Fairfield County All Stars defeated the New Haven County All Stars, 24-14. It’s the great sports overlap    . . . You know, I am really sorry to see that Rico Brogna (who lives in_Woodbury) has retired from major league baseball. I_remember covering the kid when he 15 years old on the Watertown High School football, basketball and baseball teams. I remember seeing his first major league home run off Melido Perez of the New York Yankees at the old Tiger Stadium. It’s too bad. But he hasn’t played well the last year and a half, hampered by injuries and his arthritic condition. One last shot with the Atlanta Braves was his swan song. Still, he leaves the game after nine seasons with Detroit, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Braves. He batted .269 for his career with 176 doubles, 13 triples, 106 home runs, 458 RBI and a nifty .445 career slugging percentage. In the field, he may have been one of the steadiest defensive first baseman in the majors. In 5,111 chances, he committed just 22 errors . . . for an very strong .996 fielding percentage. Even if not other team picks him up, those are still nice numbers to go out on . . . If you want a real taste of the brutal, business side of the National Football League, then read the ESPN: The Magazine article on the salary cap and the havoc it wreaks on the players. Lots of people don’t realize, most – if not all – NFL contracts are not guaranteed. Only the signing bonus is guaranteed. So, if a player is making too much money against the cap – no matter how good he is – he could be released with no more than a “see you later, don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out.” Read the article . . . And while we’re talking about contracts, every penny of a baseball player’s contract is guaranteed. If you want to know why the New York Mets simply don’t cut a guy like Steve Trachsel (2-9, ERA in the upper stratosphere) it’s because they would still have to pay him the rest of his $9 million contract. So, what’s the point? . . .