Sunday, November 04, 2007

The Big Three

Hmmm...Staples isn't that good, right? They're bound to lose this year, eh? Darien is rebuilding and will knock off Marce's troops!

That's the rhetoric that I heard. Yet all I see is the following:

Staples 28, Darien 7.

Uh huh.

I admire your effort. You went out on a limb. Thanks for playing. We have some fine parting gifts for you.

On to the Big Three.

1) Greenwich (8-0, Last Week - 1) - OK, they're that good. Now comes Naples, where frankly, they're the underdogs. Huge underdogs. Yet allow me to shine some history on things for you:

The year was 2002. The Cardinals were playing the defending Class LL Champs - Jack Cochran's New Britain Golden Hurricanes - in the Class LL Semifinal at Boyle Stadium. Despite the "home field" edge, the thinking was that the Cardinals were underdogs. Along came a little videotape controversy (sound familiar?). The Cardinals had to lose, right?

Wrong. Final score: Greenwich 40, New Britain 21.

I'm just sayin'. Of course, that was then and this is now. One thing has nothing to do with the other. Again - let the game begin.

2) Staples (7-0, 2) - I hear somebody laughing. Oh, hey Coach Petroccio! Nice to see you. Good luck against New Canaan. The winner gets the Cardinals. It's the game that I would love to be at if I wasn't otherwise involved on Friday.
3) New Canaan (7-1, 4) - Time for me to move the Rams up a slot. They've earned it, though I think it's a shame for Central.
4) Central (6-1, 3) - It's not their fault. Like Staples, I wish they didn't have an open date, but it is what it is. They deserve better.
5) Wilton (6-2, NR) - Welcome back to the Warriors! They had a perfect storm to return. They beat St. Joe's and Ridgefield lost to Norwalk. So they've earned their way back.

I dealt with the new FCIAC sideline pass rule for the first time on Friday. Jesus, this is exactly what the media needs now - to have to get in touch with already overtaxed athletic directors who have better things to do than make up sideline passes for people like Mr. Sideline himself, Nick Angotto (who's likely getting a promotion on Friday night). We'll have to address this again on Thanksgiving morning at Staples, and possibly at Boyle for the FCIAC Championship, and then into the LL's.

1 comment:

Tim Parry said...

I had no problem getting on the sideline at Darien, and it seemed pretty relaxed at Wilton. Keep in mind though that the folks at Boyle used to be like the sideline police towards the press! I remember not being allowed to cover a game there for the News-Times because I didn't have a press ID from them, and they were too ignorant to understand that a freelancer is a contract worker who does not have a fancy laminated ID card. It was only last year that they loosed up.