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| Before Darien/New Canaan field hockey, Sep 22, 2015 |
I was flipping through memories on Timehop this morning when I came across this photo.
I described it as being "my game face. Or something" as a way to drive some engagement. I noted I was at New Canaan High School.
Who knows what was rolling through my brain as I took the picture but I can tell you going to NCHS kicks up numerous memories of games that involved and didn't involve the Rams. For instance, the FCIAC Football Championship was once played there as Greenwich beat Bridgeport Central.
I have a distinct memory of not being in that booth one night after I had left HAN. Greenwich was there to play New Canaan and HAN was there to broadcast it (trust me, this was not shocking at that time). So they -- and New Canaan's broadcasters got the booth.
Chris Erway and I stood on chairs above a student cheering section and called the game on WGCH. As always, we made it work.
But, looking at that picture of me, I'm reminded of the name of the facility at New Canaan.
Thanks to AJ, I learned that it is known to many as Dunning Field at Hawes Plaza. Eventually, I'd come to call it that.
But, prior to that, I'd go by what both the newspapers and the CIAC called it: Dunning Stadium.
However, there was the Dunning Field factor. It appeared there was no consistency with the name.
From the CIAC itself, as entered by the school, look at this screenshot:
So, silly me, I thought it was Dunning Stadium. You know, as in the state calls it that so it feels official. Plus I felt the school had input the schedule. So...stadium.
The inconsistency led me to have some fun with it on the air during the HAN days, as I would say "Dunning Stadium, Field, or whatever they want to call it." Literally, anyone with a clue and, perhaps, a correct-sized ego didn't think twice about it.
It was one of those running things. No offense was ever intended and it seemed no one ever thought anything about it.
Except when you're living rent-free, and I don't mean at Dunning...er....you know.
While driving home from a game in New Canaan one day -- lacrosse, soccer, field hockey, football, I really don't remember what it was -- I got an email.
Oh, I remember. I was approaching the Byram River on I-95 when I saw it.
In short, it was a commentary on how the Dunning Family wouldn't appreciate my being so loose with the name of the facility. It was terse, obnoxious, and even perhaps unprofessional.
It was also, perhaps, the dumbest email or interaction in a lifetime of dumb interactions. Let's put it this way: if we were ranking such things, it would be pretty high up. In this case, it came from, well, why dedicate any time to that?
Maybe I'll do that in the book that Shawn Sailer wants me to write.
After initial anger/horror at the email, I began to laugh. I considered the source.
I even forwarded it to a few key people so that they could see the utter ridiculousness. I mean, seriously, does anyone think I had any malicious intent?
I don't remember my response. I didn't give into the sender's desire to do whatever he could to destroy every last fiber of my soul, much as were attempted with social media nonsense down the road. I didn't argue with the screenshot of the state's website. I mostly responded with "OK."
To the point of the facility name, the Dunning Family probably wants nothing more than to simply hear their name attached to it. At least that's what I would think. Beyond that, why would they ever care so long as I wasn't doing anything to besmirch their name?
This is one of the many ticky-tack things that have gone on over the years and you can figure out why my frustration has either boiled over or I've simply walked away from things.
Please note I left HAN in mid-2016, mostly because my colleagues told me I needed to go for my health. Please further note that I have a STADIUM full of wonderful memories.
But this is the stuff that I warn prospective broadcasters about.
These are the stories.
After a while, you learn to pick your battles and laugh a lot of stuff off.
Like this.
But all efforts to run me out of broadcasting haven't succeeded. Yet.
Greenwich/Maloney.
Tonight.
6:20 p.m. pregame show.
1490 AM.
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