sports

It’s time for the next step in softball

May 6, 2016

Softball.

For more than 26 years, softball has been a staple of my summer. I’ve run teams for most of that time, and we’ve had a pretty good run of success. We’ve competed in some pretty good leagues and always tried to be competitive.

We also tried to keep the main core of players together. For the most part, we’ve been successful with that. A few of us have played together for more than 15 years. Others have been there 8-10. We’ve done well with it in regard to staying together and being successful.

But as they say about all good things …

Last season … the final year before a bunch of us are moving to Over 35.

A funny thing about sports like softball – when you get older, it becomes harder to do what you once did. Ask my 60-year-old pitcher who has played with me for 18-plus years. Ask some of the other guys who have stepped away from the game in recent years. It’s not easy, that’s for sure. Families, other interests, time, work etc. all play a part in this.

It happens.

Too, though the enjoyment of playing is still there, other parts are not. The competition as it once was in the league we play in isn’t what it used to be. Basically, if we had stayed, there would have been us and another at the top (the same teams who have been there the past few years) as one or two others were opting to drop out. That meant a five- or six-team league with a large gap in the quality of the teams.

And yes, I say that with confidence. The teams have had chances over the years to be at a higher level and they aren’t. It’s nothing against them, but it’s just not fun when you wallop people over and over. And though some may argue that they can compete with the top teams, I let records and scores over the years solidify my case.

Last year, we went into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. We faced our rivals in the final and they had entered unbeaten. We won two out of three to win our second straight championship and fourth in six years. That series last year was fun, heated, and competitive. The win in the end was pure elation. We enjoyed and celebrated.

But it wouldn’t be the same this year as, unless another team or two made a late push to get in, it would be almost a foregone conclusion which teams would play in the final.

So, it was time to step away.

A group of us are going to head to the next step in our softball lives – a local over-35 league. It’s one day a week and is set up for the older guys (no bunt/steal, double home plate etc.), though it’s pretty competitive is as many older guys from the former league play on teams there.

The one league is going to continue (at least through this year). I know some of my guys are going to play in it and I’m sure I’ll stop over to watch a game or two throughout the year. But sometimes one has to move on.

It’s funny, too. When I made the decision the other night, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. The past few years I’d kept going for some reasons that weren’t just personal – such as making sure some of the younger guys had a place to play etc. I don’t regret it, but once I made the decision, I knew it was the right one. Several of our core guys were going to be stopping this year as well, so it made sense.

There were some great memories with this team. In fact, for the past 26-plus years, the memories have been great. I’m not sure how many more years I have in me, but this is the right path for me to go. I look forward to the new challenge and such and can’t wait to see what the league brings. No matter if we finish first or fourth or whatever, it will be a fun time and challenge.

Play ball!

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Drop the puck… Frozen Four!

March 25, 2016

While March Madness takes over for many, it’s time for the Frozen Four in college hockey.

Regional tournaments are this weekend with a chance to earn a spot in the Frozen Four April 7-9 in Tampa. The East Regional is in Albany on Saturday and Sunday and I’m intending on heading to the state capital to watch.

Hopefully both days.

My alma mater — Quinnipiac — has earned the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament. But you know how seeds can be. Sometimes they just don’t mean anything.

The Region also includes RIT (QU’s first-round opponent), Yale (the rivals), and UMass-Lowell. QU and RIT lead off at 4 p.m. Saturday, followed by the other two at 7:30. The championship is Easter Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

So this is a short post tonight, but it’s basically to hopefully give some good vibes to the Bobcats. I’m hoping the No. 1 seed holds up.

Go Bobcats!

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March Madness not the same without NJCAA tournament

March 10, 2016

Every year in early March, it feels like something is missing.

In March 1991, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) held its first Division III national tournament in men’s basketball.

The site selected for that was SUNY Delhi. Still a senior in high school at the time, I was excited for this. Large crowds were expected and I had the chance to be there, see it, and even volunteer for a few little things.

Over the next 20 years, the tournament grew, then lost some interest in the community and, despite a new field house for the home team, crowds dwindled. After 20 years, SUNY Delhi gave up the tournament and it moved to Sullivan County CC in 2012 and has been there ever since.

The final NJCAA game at Delhi — I was the announcer and this was the setup.

Delhi isn’t even NJCAA anymore, switching at the start of this academic year to an organization many had never even heard of until this move – the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). This is a four-year organization, unlike the two-year NJCAA, as Delhi continues moving toward more and more four-year programs.

The only reason I mention that isn’t to discuss the thoughts of that move, rather to point out that the school wouldn’t have been a good host for a tournament for an organization none of their teams compete in.

But the 20 years the NJCAA Tournament was at Delhi was pretty wild. I had the chance over the years to be part of the tournament, be it as a volunteer, on a committee, or announcing. I had the chance to meet many people, cover games for newspapers from around the country, and watch some great junior college basketball.

Unfortunately, the home team never reached the title game. In the early days of the tournament, Delhi had an automatic berth to the tournament if it had a .500 record. When that went away, if the Broncos didn’t make it, the crowds were sparse. If you went to a 1 p.m. game on the weekend (consolation games), it felt like a ghost town.

Better crowds were OK if one of the Region III teams made it far, but that was rare, too. Only two teams (Herkimer in 1991 and Onondaga in 1993) from the Region have won a national title, and only two others (Corning in 1995 and Jefferson in 1997) have even made the final game. That 1993 game wasn’t actually played in Delhi, anyway. It was in Oneonta as the weekend of the tournament brought a massive snowstorm. The teams stayed in Oneonta (most of them, anyway) and with the two in the final game there, they finished the tournament a day later than scheduled.

Snow was often part of the tournament. It won’t be this year as it’s this weekend and weather is supposed to be quite warm, so I’m sure there will be no issues at Sullivan.

But each year when the tournament comes around, I miss it. I can’t say I always went to every game – I didn’t. There were times when I was working and such and would only see a few games, but I tried to get up there and see some of the action. I always enjoyed the years I had the chance to announce games. I hadn’t done it in a few years, but was asked to do the national championship game for the final tournament in Delhi, which was a thrill. Though the last couple of years they shifted things a bit, there were three people over the years who were “mainstays” when it came to announcing the games, and I was always proud to be part of that.

I went down one or two years to Sullivan when Delhi made the tournament. It was nice to watch the Broncos play, but it didn’t have the same feel to me. But, let’s be honest, when you’ve watched something grow for 20 years, it’s not easy to see it move. Sullivan looked like they did a wonderful job, though, and they have a nice facility with plenty of parking (the one issue Delhi always had was parking!), so that’s a good thing.

Still, I miss going to the games here and seeing teams from all over the country converge on this small town in quest of the national title. I’m a big fan of the NJCAA and its mission and it was awesome to watch this tournament start and blossom in my town. So, there’s no doubt, it’s missed.

In the end, the tournament ran its course in town and at this college. It was a wonderful thing while it was around, but the reality was it would eventually move. I still miss it a little bit as this time of the year rolls around as it was nice to have a local “March Madness.”

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Going for the glory!

November 12, 2015

Today is a big day in my niece’s life.

A freshman in college, Nicole is going to be playing in the NJCAA Division III national women’s soccer tournament.

She’s been playing soccer her whole life, but this is a big step.

Over the years, she’s been on some seriously good teams, including a high school team that made two trips to the state championship game, winning one of them.

Nicole during the regional championship game.

Through the years, Nicole has been on some great travel teams and everything else.

This year, she went to college and has started throughout the year. She’s played a few positions and has been a strong part of the team. She earned all-conference honors this year and was named to the all-region tournament team.

And now, her team is three wins away from winning a national championship.

The fourth-ranked team in the country, SUNY Broome is the third seed in the tournament, being held in New Jersey.

Thankfully, I have some vacation time I can use, so I’ll be there watching and cheering along.

The team played a guaranteed two games (Thursday and Friday). Should they win at least one, they’ll play in a game Sunday. If they win two games, they’ll play for the national championship.

It should be fun to watch and here’s hoping the team does well.

Good luck, Nicole!

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Golf has ups and downs like other recreational activities

July 27, 2015

Recently, a local newspaper noted a low turnout in two county golf tournaments – the women, and the junior.

The women’s tournament only featured 32 players and the junior tournament only features six. The women’s tournament is by flights, so it’s not as though all golfers competed in the highest group.

Conversely, the men’s county tournament, which was held a few weeks ago has a strong turnout as normal, drawing about 125 people. Still, that number even seems down from the past. I remember when I used to play golf and played in that tournament, there was a larger turnout and often a sellout (which I believe was about 156 or so).

The big number, to me, when it came to the men was the numbers in the two lowest – the D and E – flights, which had a combined 55 players. That means nearly 50 percent of the field were in the two lowest groups.

Like other sports, golf’s participation can sometimes go up and down.

So what’s happening? Why are numbers down all around?

Probably price and time.

When I switched to playing disc golf a few years ago, my two biggest reasons were because of the time aspect (I can play 18 holes of disc golf in about an hour and a half; 18 holes of ball golf, even with a cart, is 3.5 to 4 hours minimum), as well as the price point. In disc golf, the majority of courses don’t cost anything to play. Your biggest cost is the discs. And, if you aren’t competitive, a mid-range disc and a putter (so, about $20-$25 total) will be just fine for you.

Anybody price out decent clubs recently?

It’s also not cheap to play golf. If you want a cart, which I think the majority of golfers choose, it ups the price even more. Heck, there are some courses out there that require you use a cart!

Greens fees aren’t cheap.

Balls aren’t cheap.

You get the picture.

Our economy, while showing some signs of getting better, isn’t what it once was. That cuts into people’s “recreation” budget. More people are finding cheaper alternatives for their recreation, which is understandable.

I stopped playing because it got too expensive and I just didn’t want to sit out and play a round for four-plus hours. I’ve thought about getting back into it. I liked playing (at times). I liked it more when I walked the course and played, especially if I was by myself or just one other person. I got exercise and it was enjoyable for that long amount of time because I could kind of be in my own thoughts. My golf bag is one of those backpack-style ones and I tried not to pack it so much, making it decently comfortable.

But, like many people, I got frustrated. I wanted to do better. I hated shanking a ball or duffing a shot. I wanted to be some top-level player, even though I didn’t have the time, patience or money to put into being that strong. Let’s face reality – if you are going to play at a very high level, you need to put the time into it. I didn’t do that enough.

The same can be said for disc golf. To be good, you need to put the time in. I don’t have any decent courses too close to me, so getting better was tough. I didn’t play enough. And, honestly, one can only throw discs in a field or put on a portable basket so often before it gets amazingly boring.

The reality is times are changing. People are more in tune to expenses and what they do for recreation. This is all way too understandable, that’s for sure.

People still play golf, that’s for sure. Tournaments cost money, though. Sometimes people just don’t want to pay to play in the tournaments anymore.

Maybe it’s becoming more recreational and not so competitive. Maybe some people just want weekends for other things, leaving golf for a few rounds after work during the weeks. Like other things, though, it’s likely cyclical. I’m sure it will go up again at some point.

Hopefully, the reason isn’t just economical, rather family or friends or something along those lines. Diversity in what people do is an important aspect in life, and it’s always good to broaden horizons and see what else is out there.