Tag: 210729

Greek was a Freak in Game 6

A really good NBA Finals came to an exciting conclusion right before our last edition hit the streets, so today is the first chance I have to gush over it. It was pretty good salve for local hoopers burned by a sickening, under-achieving Celtics season. But that’s a gripe for another day.

Today I want to talk about Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 6.It was a “climb on my back. boys, I‘m taking us home” inspirational effort that brought to mind Yaz in the final two weeks of 1967, when he closed out the greatest pennant race ever by going 7 for 8 and knocking in the winning runs in the final two games to drag the Sox over the finish line to their first pennant in 21 years. Which is exactly what the Greek Freak did.

I’m mixing my sports and eras, but that’s the point. I spent the next day trying to decide where his incredible 50-point, 14-rebound, five-block game ranks among the best championship-winning and season-ending closeout games I personally have seen. Which, among others, leaves out Tommy Heinsohn’s 36-point, 23-rebound Game 7 vs. the St. Louis Hawks as the Celtics won their first title in 1957, and Bob Pettit’s 50 and 19 game when the Hawks’ returned serve on the Cs in Game 7 the next year.

It’s easier than you think, because most jump to mind. Though, probably because their greatest seemed so routine, none oddly do for Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, whose best closeout games muster just honorable mention.

Here are the guidelines for consideration. We’re looking for an individual in a game that clinches the championship and meets two of the following criteria: (1) not judged just on stats, (2) helps the team overcome being outmanned or fills a hole for an injured star, (3) completely dominates the game with a spectacular flair, (4) the effort strongly answers critics who’ve been yakking at them all series or all year, and (5) an “it’s me against the entire other team” effort that brings to mind King Kong hanging onto the flagpole on the Empire State Building while trying to fight off the squadron planes buzzing around him with the other hand. And the winners are:

Magic Johnson – 1980 NBA Finals: MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is out for Game 6 with L.A. up on Philly three games to two. So who in the name of George Mikan plays center? Rookie Magic Johnson does and goes for 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists in a 123-107 rout to give the Lakers their first of five titles in the 198s.

Bill Walton – 1973 NCAA Finals: Walton shreds the hopes of my at-the-game friend Jeff Eisenberg and his hometown Memphis State Tigers with an unstoppable 21-for-22 effort from the field in a 44-point, 13-rebound night to lead UCLA to its seventh straight NCAA title.

Jack Nicklaus – 1986 Masters: He hadn’t won a major since 1980 and at 46 was never in contention until the back 9 hole on Sunday. But then he shoots a record-breaking 30 to grab the sixth green jacket no one ever thought he’d get.

Sandy Koufax – 1965 World Series: Throwing 130 pitches in a three-hit, 10-strikeout Game 7 shutout on two days, after shutting Minnesota down with a four-hit, 10k, 135-pitch gem in Game 5.

Tom Brady – Super Bowl 51: Down 28-3 deep in the third quarter, he hits James White for a five-yard TD to start a 25-0 run that gives the signature win of the dynasty, 34-28 in OT as Brady goes 43-62 for 466 yards and two TDs.

Reggie Jackson – 1977 World Series: His manager hated him and so did just about everyone else, it seemed, as they waited for him to fail. But he didn’t, and after the Yanks charged into the World Series he hit five homers vs. L.A., including three in Game 6 with the exclamation point to his critics being a titanic blast into the center field bleachers to clinch the series.

Secretariat – 1973 Belmont Stakes: The only one of these I saw in person and I picked a doozy. In becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Citation in 1947, he delivered a performance for the ages when the lead coming down the stretch was so big not even Dave Wottle could have caught him.

Vince Young – 2006 Rose Bowl: In the best football game I’ve ever seen, Young passed for 269 yards, ran for another 200, scored three times and led the pulsating final drive to give Texas a 41-37 win in the national title game. It was King Kong on the ESB.

Phil Esposito – Canada-U.S.S.R. Summit of 1972: It was just an exhibition series. But it really wasn’t. It’s too hard to comprehend the magnitude of what this series meant if you didn’t live then. Nothing today is remotely close. Canada was in deep trouble after going down 3-1-1 in the eight-game series. Especially with the last being played back in the U.S.S.R. But they got back to 3-3-1 to set up a winner-take-all final in the shadow of the (gulp) Kremlin. Big trouble again as they went down 5-3 late in the final period, before Espo scored and then assisted on the final two, including Paul Henderson’s game-winner with 34 seconds left for a tension-ridden 6-5 win. With a four-point game Espo was immense to give him the best closeout game I’ve seen anyone ever have.

So where does that leave Giannas? He was Kong holding off the planes with clutch play after clutch play on O and D. And by going 18 for 20 from the foul he also told all the countdown mockers to stuff it, pal!

That puts him third best overall.

Nice job, big fella.

Still growing

Local farmers contend with heavy rain, dip in demand

Every sumShawn Jasper, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, gave an update on the current growing season and how local farms are doing.

How is the summer growing season going so far?

It’s sort of a mixed bag as to what’s going on out there. … Things started out very dry for much of the state. There was enough moisture that many of the farms, particularly the ones that were growing hay for forage, had a very good first crop, but then they were very concerned about the second crop. To a large degree, in the areas where a lot of the hay is grown, we never really got into a drought, but we were in dry conditions. Now the problem for most of our farms is that things are too wet. … We’re getting a lot of rain and just enough sunshine that the corn is shooting up like crazy, but for some of the other crops in some areas, like tomatoes, it’s not enough sunshine. … The other problem is we’re not having three days of dry weather to really be able to get out into the field. That’s a concern at this point, because second cutting should be well underway and almost wrapped up in most areas, but farmers can’t [work]. I’ve heard of some farmers who are out in the field trying to do various things and getting stuck, and that’s never a good thing. … Still, it’s certainly a lot better than where we were last year, when everyone was running out of water or their irrigation ponds were going dry and it was just one thing after another.

What conditions would be ideal for farmers for the rest of the season?

We’re praying for some sunshine at this point, for an extended period of time. Four or five days without any rain would really allow the vegetables and crops to take advantage of the moisture that’s in the soil. We could be poised for a very good remainder of the year, and all the fruits and vegetables are probably going to do pretty well if things dry out and don’t just immediately go back into another drought. Ideally, we should have a rainstorm about once a week, not once every other day.

How are local farms doing business-wise?

During the pandemic, our farmers markets and farm stands did very well. I hoped that people would continue to buy from our local farms, but that’s one case where things have gone back to normal. We need more people to buy more local products if agriculture is going to expand in New Hampshire. We’re all a lot healthier when we’re eating local food and getting those fresher products into our systems. It’s going to be a little bit more expensive, but as we’re seeing, [food] is getting more expensive anyhow, even at the grocery store.

What are farmers doing to protect their livelihood?

There’s no question [farming] is a challenge in New Hampshire, and it probably always will be, but New Hampshire farmers are smart. We’re seeing a lot more innovative farming methods. A lot more people are using high tunnel greenhouses; they don’t require any heat because they allow natural heat to be trapped within the greenhouse, which means farmers can start their seasons earlier. We had local corn on the Fourth of July because [the crops] were started under black plastic, which, again, traps heat and allows the corn to get a great start. Farmers are trying all the methods that are out there.

What is the best thing people can do for their home gardens right now?

Be aware of their soil conditions. A lot of the nutrients are leaching out of the soil with this large amount of rain, so putting in some extra fertilizer is going to be helpful.

Featured photo: Shawn Jasper. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 21/07/29

Covid-19 update As of July 19 As of July 26
Total cases statewide 99,966 100,286
Total current infections statewide 224 364
Total deaths statewide 1,382 1,385
New cases 196 (July 13 to July 19) 320 (July 20 to July 26)
Current infections: Hillsborough County 69 92
Current infections: Merrimack County 27 44
Current infections: Rockingham County 40 85
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

With its public health update on July 20, New Hampshire surpassed 100,000 overall cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic last year. As of July 26, there were 364 active cases, 23 hospitalizations and 1,385 overall deaths that have been attributed to the virus.

On July 21, Gov. Chris Sununu responded to the federal government’s extension of the non-essential travel ban between the United States and Canada through at least Aug. 21, calling the decision “absurd” to delay the border opening for another month. “It harms our small businesses and families, and does not follow the science,” Sununu said in a statement.

Also on July 21, the University of New Hampshire announced in a press release that it has obtained a federal grant to perform surveillance for Covid-19 variants in the state. The $757,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, according to a press release, enables UNH to perform testing in its lab in partnership with New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories and the state Department of Health & Human Services.

During a July 22 press conference, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that the state has averaged about 40 new infections of Covid-19 per day over the previous week. “This is a small increase from about a month ago, when we were averaging around 20 or so new infections per day,” he said. “Similarly, the test positivity rate is also showing an increase, [at] around 1.9 percent over the last week.” Overall, however, Chan added that the level of community transmission statewide has remained low. “Despite some of the increases we’ve seen, New Hampshire has one of the lowest rates of Covid-19 currently in the country,” he said.

Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, also provided an update during the press conference on vaccine distributions in the state. “The number of new people getting vaccinated each day has slowed down over time, [but] we still have about 1,000 new people each week,” she said. While New Hampshire is no longer allocated a weekly amount of vaccine doses from the federal government, health care providers can order them on an as-needed basis.

According to a July 23 press release, Sununu signed HB 220, known as the “medical freedom” immunization bill, into law. Under the new law, New Hampshire residents cannot be required to be vaccinated in order to access public facilities, benefits or services. It also allows mandatory immunizations in prisons and jails. The new law does not apply, however, to county nursing homes, the state psychiatric hospital or other medical facilities operated by the state.

Anti-discrimination

Guidance related to the new discriminatory practice prohibitions for public employers and government programs that were passed as part of House Bill 2 was issued last week by Attorney General John M. Formella, Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut and Commission for Human Rights Executive Director Ahni Malachi. Two frequently asked questions documents are now available at doj.nh.gov that further explain the new anti-discrimination laws, one for public employees and government programs and one for K-12 educational programs.

According to the guidance, HB2 was passed on June 25 and includes sections 297 and 298, Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education. “There has been much discussion about this law and what prohibitions it imposes on public employers, government programs, and schools,” the document reads. “The purpose of these FAQs is to provide guidance to public employers, government program administrators, and school systems as they review their compliance with this new law.”

Questions address things like what public employers and government programs are prohibited from training and advocating: “In short, do not train or advocate that a person or a group is inherently oppressive, superior, inferior, racist, or sexist. Train and treat all equally and without discrimination,” the document reads. In the K-12 educational programs FAQ, one question asks whether the law prohibits teachers from teaching U.S. history. “No. Nothing prohibits the teaching of historical subjects including, but not limited to: slavery, treatment of the Native American population, Jim Crow laws, segregation, treatment of women, treatment of LGBTQ+ people, treatment of people with disabilities, treatment of people based on their religion, or the Civil Rights movement. Nor does anything prohibit discussions related to current events including, but not limited to: the Black Lives Matter movement, efforts to promote equality and inclusion, or other contemporary events that impact certain identified groups.”

The documents note that the term “divisive concepts” is not found anywhere in the new law, and that nothing in the new law prohibits these entities from examining issues related to equity, diversity, inclusion, equality and other related topics. They also recognize that such topics may make people uncomfortable, but that does not mean that the training has violated New Hampshire’s anti-discrimination laws and does not give employees or participants the license to refuse to participate in the training without consequence.

Auto insurance

The New Hampshire Insurance Department has issued a reminder to consumers to notify their auto insurance company immediately after getting a new vehicle. “Recent complaint investigations have shown that not all consumers are notifying their carriers when they are purchasing used or new vehicles,” Keith Nyhan, Director of Consumer Services at NHID, said in a press release. “The failure to notify their carrier has created situations where consumers are unknowingly uninsured.” According to the release, people typically have only a short grace period to notify their carrier. If they miss that window and the vehicle is not insured, they could be held financially responsible for injury and property damage caused while driving that vehicle.

Coppal House Farm in Lee is hosting its annual Sunflower Festival from Saturday, July 31, through Sunday, Aug. 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. According to a press release, the 4-acre field of sunflowers is only open during this festival. There will also be live music, food vendors, a wine garden, a craft fair and more. Tickets are available at the farm stand or at nhsunflower.com

On July 22 the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services issued an advisory after observing a cyanobacteria bloom on Governors Lake in Raymond. The previous day it issued a cyanobacteria advisory for Marsh Pond in New Durham. According to a press release, the advisories are intended for people who use the water bodies for recreation, as the blooms can release toxins that can cause acute and chronic health problems. See updated advisories at twitter.com/NHDES_Beaches.

Peter Holland, a longtime race team coach at Pats Peak in Henniker, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during Ski New Hampshire’s annual business meeting earlier this month. According to a press release, the award was presented posthumously to his wife Roberta Holland. Peter Holland began his ski career at Pats Peak as a ski instructor in 1980 and dedicated decades to teaching and coaching skiers of all ages, the release said.

The Merrimack Fire Department was called to the Merrimack Premium Outlets on July 24 after employees of one store received what they thought was a suspicious package, according to a report from WMUR. The hazardous materials team in Nashua was also called in, and the package was determined to be safe, but all shoppers and employees were evacuated, and the outlets remained closed for the rest of the day, the report said.

Who will take their place?

By Jeff Rapsis

The recent loss of Meri Goyette is hard to put into words — but here goes.

For anyone who grew up or lived in Nashua since about the time of the Truman administration, Meri was as much a part of the city as the Main Street Bridge or City Hall or the Nashua High School marching band playing “Our Director” every time the Purple Panthers scored a touchdown.

Meri, who passed away last week at age 95, and her late husband Charlie (who we lost a few years ago) both played a huge role in making Nashua a better place for many, many years. And while it’s important to celebrate their accomplishments, it’s also worth asking: who among us will take their place?

The answer, of course, is no one — not exactly.

I don’t think anyone, for instance, will ever match Charlie’s record of delivering more than 10,000 Nashua area babies (me included!) during his decades as a local ob-gyn practitioner.

And Meri — well, we could devote this whole issue of the Hippo to listing the many projects and initiatives she spearheaded to make Nashua a better place, especially in the arts.

That’s another area I can attest to: My first drawing lessons took place in 1972 at the then-new Arts & Science Center on Court Street, which Meri helped champion and make a reality.

Much later, Meri was a big supporter of the Hippo, and never more so when we published a separate edition for Nashua for a few years early on. She practically adopted one of our writers, Seth Hoy, making it her business to invite him to all the receptions and gatherings she frequently hosted at her home.

For decades, she and Charlie were local ambassadors for making Nashua the best place it could possibly be. In terms of the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life, they both helped Nashua trend more toward Bedford Falls than Pottersville.

And who can take their place? Truly, no one. But with the Goyettes now gone, it’s up to us to try — to channel our inner Meri and Charlie, and make our own efforts to make our own communities the best they can be. Keeping in mind their stellar example, we can all make a difference.

For all their interest in the arts, and in sculpture in particular, I think that’s one monument that the Goyettes would most appreciate.

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