Tag: 230810

Down goes U.S. soccer

The Big Story: There were dueling big stories. There was the vocal grumbling over the Red Sox doing virtually nothing at the trade deadline, and there the abrupt elimination of USA soccer in the Women’s World Cup amid national hostility over their tedious mixing of politics into everything they did.

Sports 101: Ten Red Sox players have won the MVP award. How many can you name?

News Item – Better Start for Patriots Offense: The reporting from 2023 pre-season camp is in stark contrast to the hysteria that (correctly) started from Day 1 last year over troubles with the installation of a new offense under new Offensive Coordinator Matt Patricia. Luckily both are now history. And while not everything has been perfectly sharp so far, the vibe, especially at QB, is miles beyond the offensive discombobulation of 2022. We’ll get our first glimpse tonight (Thursday) in pre-season Game 1 to see how real that is. But the result so far is the changes seem to have settled things down.

News Item – U.S. Out in Women’s World Cup: Let’s just say it’s a long way from the ecstasy of 2019 for the U.S. women’s national soccer team. They followed up that glorious ride with a dismal 2023 tournament ending in their earliest exit ever. The end came in Game 1 of the Round of 16, losing 5-4 on penalty kicks to Sweden.

The Numbers:

74 – major-league-leading errors by the Red Sox, leading to 40 unearned runs.

… Of the Week Awards:

Athlete –FramberValdez – For the dazzling 93-pitch, no-hit gem the Astros hurler threw in a 2-0 win over Cleveland.

Dumbest Move – Justin Verlander Trade – Last winter Houston passed on re-signing Verlander in lieu of a giant contract offer from the Mets. But in trading for him last week they not only took on the contract they originally thought was too rich for them, but they also had to give up two of their top five prospects to do it.

Thumbs Up – Dusty Baker: To the Astros’ septuagenarian manager for not bowing to the almighty pitch count and the stat geeks to let Valdez complete the no-hitter he started and earned.

Random Thoughts:

Enough with whining from people like Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy about what the Red Sox owe their fans because they have the highest ticket prices in baseball. There’s a simple solution: Don’t go if you don’t like the product.

It happens every year in pre-season camp. The media drools over an unheralded rookie three days into camp like he’s headed to Canton before he disappears to the Taxi Squad and is rarely heard from again. This year the nominee is diminutive wideout Demario Douglas, taken by the Pats in the sixth round pick out of Liberty.

Sports 101 Answer: The 10 Red Sox MVPs are Jimmy Foxx, Ted Williams, Jackie Jensen, Yaz, Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn, Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts.

Final Thought: Despite the ill-timed weekend sweep by Toronto, Chaim Bloom was right not selling off top farm prospects just to silence yacking from the cheap seats at the trade deadline. Especially since the team is a long shot to go anywhere if they do make the playoffs.

First, health admittedly is a major X factor here, especially with Chris Sale, but with Sale, Trevor Story, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck about to come off the IL that seems like a lot more than they could have gotten in any trade without emptying the farm system.

That’s two starters, another for the bullpen and it fills the offensive abyss that’s plagued them at shortstop all season. That’s a lot to add to a team that until last weekend had the best record in baseball since June 30.

Second, the plan all along was to build a farm system they could rely on year in and year out. That takes time. But with Triston Casas, Brayan Bello and Jarren Duran looking like the real deals they have an emerging young, inexpensive and under their contractual control core to build around. One that can be better served long-term by keeping their top farm hands to fortify them next year than by giving up two of their top five prospects as Houston did to get the 39-year-old Verlander. And while I never believe the hype around young players until they show they can do it, it’s encouraging that the brass appears to be right in their assessment of the three kids just mentioned.

Given all that, I’m willing to give the plan a little more time, no matter how the rest of 2023 plays out.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Plain-spoken poems

Nathan Graziano talks about his latest project

Manchester author Nathan Graziano discusses his new collection of poetry, Born on Good Friday.

Tell us about Born on Good Friday.

I was actually born at exactly three o’clock on Good Friday in 1975, and in the Bible three o’clock was supposedly the time that Christ died. I was raised in a fairly strict Catholic household. My mother is a very devout Catholic. Because of that, I’ve always had a number of issues with guilt and anxiety and all those good things that come with being brought up a good Catholic boy. So part of the collection is actually dealing with a lot of the hang-ups that I experienced from growing up with Catholicism. Then it sort of moves into a second section which really deals with confronting guilt, confronting sin, and then the third part of it is my midlife crises, my whole dancing-in-the-dark moment. It really moves throughout my life. I don’t know if I should say it’s autobiographical, but it’s autobiographical.

This is the first book of poetry you’ve published in almost a decade. What made you return to it after such a long hiatus?

It’s been a long time coming for me. Earlier in my writing career, I published more poetry than I do now. … Poetry is a labor of love for me. I don’t just sit down and think, ‘I’m going to write some poetry.’ It’s one of those things that compels you, that calls you, when everything bottles up; it’s an emotional catharsis for me.

How did you capture some of these emotions and memories into the written verse?

These emotions, these memories, are indelible; they’ve been with me my entire life, so it really wasn’t all that difficult to recall those. For me, a poem hinges and moves on emotions. So even if it’s something that I experienced or felt when I was 14 years old, you still experience it, feel those same things as an adult; you just see it through a different lens.

While reflecting on your childhood through an adult lens, did you uncover any surprising revelations or insights?

That’s the real joy in writing; it always surprises you. Sometimes what’s there is every bit as shocking to you as it is to the reader.

How would you describe your poetry style?

My poetry is not … lyrical. It’s very much plain spoken. … I think poetry [has been taken] from layman readers and made into something so arcane and difficult to understand that most people start reading a poem and end up banging their head against the wall, like, ‘Why don’t you just say what you mean?!’ My aesthetic is the type of poem that you don’t need an advanced degree in literature to understand.

What would you like readers to take away from this collection of poetry?

I’m very well aware that poetry is a hard sell. You can’t write a poem or a book of poems thinking it’s going to make you famous. … But I’m really hoping that with the plain spoken approach and the humor, that maybe people who wouldn’t generally consider looking at a poetry book might take a swing at this one. … In my definition of it, a poem makes you feel something; it probes at a type of emotional truth that you can expand on however you like. … My goal with any book has always been to just make the reader feel a little less alone in the world … and to see themselves and their own experiences through what I’m writing. With this one, I hope they laugh. I do not take myself overly seriously. There’s a lot of humor in the book. Some of it is certainly on the darker side. Ultimately, I just want the reader to enjoy the experience of reading it, to make connections and to laugh.

News & Notes 23/08/10

Lead protection

Manchester’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen recently approved the creation of a Lead Exposure Prevention Commission. According to a press release, the commission’s mandate includes developing strategies to prevent childhood lead poisoning, assessing existing ordinances, recommending changes and providing regular updates to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The commission will evaluate its progress annually, work with city departments on lead-related issues and suggest necessary funding for its recommendations. Comprising 12 members, the commission will include Manchester residents or city employees, representing the Manchester Health Department, the Manchester School District, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, medical professionals, landlords and nonprofit partners. The group is expected to submit reports biannually and will hold public meetings. The city of Manchester contains an estimated 30,000 dwelling units built before 1979 when lead-based paint was banned. From 2016 to 2020, 465 children in Manchester registered blood lead levels above the state’s current action level. The city has received over $18.4 million from the HUD since 2002 to address lead issues, with 1,170 units using this funding for remediation.

Historic sites

The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources has added four properties to the State Register of Historic Places, according to a press release. These include Claremont’s Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church and Rectory, characterized by its Eastern Orthodox Christian architecture and an 1840s brick Green Revival style house; the Grasmere Schoolhouse #9 and Town Hall in Goffstown, a Queen Anne style building constructed in 1889 with two schoolrooms and an auditorium; the Hampstead Congregational Church from 1861, a blend of Greek Revival and Italianate architectural styles, known for its community significance; and the Joshua Hill House in Stratham, a 1725 two-story timber-framed structure featuring Georgian architecture with Federal details. Visit nh.gov/nhdhr.

Human library

Goffstown Public Library will host its fifth Human Library on Sunday, Aug. 13, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. According to a press release, the event gives visitors an opportunity to engage in direct conversations with “human books” — individuals from diverse backgrounds willing to share their personal stories and challenge societal stereotypes. With narratives spanning from experiences of homelessness to life as a police officer or surrogate mother, these 20-minute dialogues aim to humanize diverse experiences and diminish prejudices. The Human Library, originating in Denmark in 2000 as a response to societal violence, has since spread to more than 70 countries. “We are very excited to be hosting our fifth Human Library and once again be part of this ever-growing global movement, with events being hosted around the world,” Dianne Hathaway, Director, Goffstown Public Library, said in the release. “Being a vehicle for the public to explore the humanity of different lifestyles or belief systems and choices is part of our job. To be able to do that through face-to-face interaction makes it all the more meaningful.” For the latest on the Human Library project’s global activities, visit humanlibrary.org.

Five-star rating

Catholic Medical Center (CMC) in Manchester has earned a five-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which reviewed over 4,500 hospitals across the country. According to a press release, CMC stands out as one of only three New Hampshire hospitals to receive this top rating and is among 483 hospitals with such a distinction nationwide. CMS’s ratings are based on five quality areas: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience and timely and effective care. “I am extremely proud of our team for their dedication to quality care for each and every patient,” Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. James Tanner said in the release. “The five-star rating system allows patients to easily determine which hospitals are high-performing to make a more informed choice for themselves or their loved ones. As CMC is the only New Hampshire five-star hospital in the Greater Manchester region, patients should feel comforted that they can receive high-quality, compassionate care right in their community.”

New name

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has announced a name change for its Office of Federal Compliance. Effective Sept. 1, it will be known as the Office of Access, Opportunity, and Compliance (OAOC). According to a press release, the revised name aims to better capture NHDOT’s efforts in promoting inclusivity, opportunity and adherence to state and federal regulations. “Our values align perfectly with the principles represented by the new name,” Larisa Djuvelek-Ruggiero, Administrator at the OAOC, said in the release. “The Office of Access, Opportunity, and Compliance represents our unwavering commitment to creating a level playing field for all employees, contractors, and stakeholders in the transportation sector.” Visit dot.nh.gov.

Concord Hospital Trust is set to host a Moonlight Gala on Sept. 21, at the Barn at Bull Meadow in Concord to fundraise for new technology at the Payson Center for Cancer Care, according to a press release. The primary goal is to support the acquisition of a new linear accelerator for the Payson Center, which diagnoses over 1,300 individuals with cancer annually. The Foss Family Foundation and J. Daniel Davison have pledged a $50,000 matching gift. Major sponsors include Concord Imaging Center, Sulloway & Hollis and several others. For more information or ticket purchase, visit ch-trust.org.

After closing its previous location in June, the Goodwill store in Hooksett has reopened in a newly renovated space half a mile away at 1328 Hooksett Road, according to a press release. With over 12,000 square feet, the new space includes a “Handpicked” section featuring standout items like designer jeans and KitchenAid mixers. The store will not, however, be accepting donations, and donors are directed to the Manchester or Concord stores.

Students of Bedford Academy, a private STEAM-focused elementary institution in Bedford catering to preschool through grade 5, are excelling academically, testing 1.7 years above national grade level norms in math and literacy. According to a press release, every student scored above national averages in key subjects.

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