Bits & Pieces

On The Road Again …

By Kim J. Harmon

 

Over the last few summers, I have put a lot of miles on my car (and found some nice places to eat) chasing down Newtown All-Star teams at Connecticut and New England Regional tournaments and while I don’t mind a good road trip (even with these gas prices), I am kind of jittery looking at the prospects for the next few weeks.

Oh, things are fine when I think about the Newtown Bombers 11-year-old baseball All Stars heading to Ewald Park in Southbury (roughly eight miles or 10 minutes) for the state tournament or the Hawks 14-and-under softball All-Stars heading to Stamford (40 miles or 50 minutes) for the New England Regionals.

But where I start getting a little jittery is thinking about the Newtown Blaze 12-year-old baseball All Stars heading to Keene, New Hampshire (150 miles of 2:36) for the New England Regionals and, if they win that, heading to Aberdeen, Maryland (236 miles or 3:47) for the Cal Ripken World Series.

It gets worse, though, when we take into account the Hawks 10-and-under softball All Stars, who will be heading to Lancaster, New Hampshire (285 miles or 5:06 on the road) for the New England Regionals.

And to top it all off, the U14 Hawks are also heading to the U14 Softball Nationals in Varina, Virginia (425 miles or 6:39 on the road).

I won’t be making all of those trips, but I will be making some, and I will be plenty glad when school finally opens.

“My wife tells me she doesn’t care what I do when I’m away as long as I’m not enjoying it.” – Lee Trevino on being a touring golf professional

 

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Is it just me, or are you sickened by the idea that a sixth-grade AAU basketball player has already been named the top player in his age group in the nation and is already received gifts from shoe companies and getting courted by top-flight college basketball programs?

And we sit here and wonder why NBA players are so spoiled and immature and refuse to listen to some of the best coaches the game has ever known (re: Stephon Marbury versus Larry Brown).

There is something wrong with telling a kid right from the get go how great he is and there is something really unsettling about telling a 12-year-old basketball player he is the best in the country.

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Do you feel bad for Alex Rodriguez?

No, me either, but what New York Yankees fans are doing is just plain wrong ... if not downright idiotic. Granted, the man is not having a great year but he is on pace to hit 36 home runs and drive in 122 runs.

Would you take those numbers? Darn right, you would, and if Yankees fans want A-Rod to start producing like they hope, then they should cheer and support him ... not tell him he stinks.