Tag: 260319

Big weekend ahead

The Big Story — NCAA Tournament or WBC: Take your pick. Office pool brackets all over America say the tournament is the single biggest participation sports event in the U.S., and after 20 years the World Baseball Classic finally got some real traction this time, likely because electric Shohei Ohtani has become the Babe Ruth of the 21st century drawing card and many of the 13 Red Sox in the WBC did such big things.

Sports 101: How many of the eight to win basketball’s Triple Crown — Olympics gold plus NCAA and NBA titles — can you name?

News Item — WBC Update: With USA headed to the title game as I write this it’s been a captivating event. Here are a few highlights:

• Despite making the final out as Japan was eliminated, Ohtani hit .462 with three homers and seven RBI in 13 WBC at-bats.

• Jarren Duran’s three homers in 15 at-bats tied him with Ohtani and KC’s Vinnie Pasquantino for most homers in the WBC.

• Wilyer Abreu hit the three-run homer to put Venezuela ahead for good as it upset Japan to make the semifinals.

• Beep, Beep, Beep Award: U.S.A. backed into the knockout round. After seeing them on the bad side of arguably the biggest upset in WBC (8-6 loss to Italy) they needed the Italians to beat Mexico just to make Round 2. Phew! That got manager Mark DeRosa off the hook for his gigantic mistake of so not knowing WBC rules he used a this-game-doesn’t-matter starting line-up in that critical Italy loss because he somehow thought U.S.A. had already clinched a spot in Round 2, which they hadn’t.

• KevinTeel, the catching prospect Boston traded to get Garrett Crochet, hit .667 overall for Italy.

• Roman Anthony’s two homers knocked in the game-winning runs in wins over Mexico and the huge win over the Dominican Republic.

News Item — Alumni News — Rick Pitino: If you’ve been wondering what happened to Little Ricky since slinking out of Boston — three jobs and two (at least) major scandals later, he’s revitalizing St. John’s basketball, who knocked off UConn 72-52 to win the Big East title, sending him to his 25th NCAA Tournament.

The Numbers:

10 – out of 10 rating for Bill Lee’s very entertaining talk at last week’s Manchester Boys & Girls Club fundraiser.

40 – most ever freshman points scored in a Big 12 Tournament game, scored by Brockton, Mass.’s A.J. Debansta in BYU’s 105-91 win over Kansas State.

127 – consecutive games when Shai Gilgeous Alexander scored at least 20 points, to move him past Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up — Boston Legacy FC: For Boston’s return to Women’s Pro Soccer Sunday. It came in a 1-0 loss to defending champion NYC’s Gotham FC before an astonishing Gillette Stadium crowd of 30,231.

Thumbs Down — Patriots in Free Agency: Have no idea what they’re doing. Did little to fortify the glaring OL problems with an injury-prone, under-achieving Jets castoff, replaced Stefon Diggs with a guy who caught 30 fewer balls for 200-plus fewer yards and let the best pass rusher walk.

Prediction — Not quite informed enough to fill out an entire NCAA’s Women Tournament bracket, but I’ll take UConn for title number 13.

Sports 101 Answer: The basketball triple crown winners are Clyde Lovellette, Bill Russell, KC Jones, Jerry Lucas, Quinn Buckner, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Anthony Davis.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/03/19

Team Police was on fire

As reported by WMUR in a March 15 online article, Team Police won this year’s Battle of the Badges hockey championship. “Team Police reclaimed the victory over Team Fire, winning 4-2,” WMUR reported. The yearly event “features a competitive rivalry between police and fire departments from across New Hampshire,” the article read. “All of the money raised will go to Dartmouth Health Children’s and the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. This year, the event raised $285,000, the largest single-day total in the event’s 18-year history.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The Battle of the Badges hockey tournament has been played every year since 2008 except in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 18 years of the tournament, Team Police has won 11 times; Team Fire has won seven times.

Despite recent flood watch, still a drought

According to a March 12 online article by New Hampshire Public Radio, even with this winter’s snowfall, “Eighty percent of New Hampshire is still in a drought.” NHPR reported that the state’s weather has been relatively dry this year. “While this year may have felt like a classic New England winter, it was the eighth driest December through February since record keeping began in the late 19th century, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: NHPR reported, “Conditions have been essentially ‘locked in place’ since winter began and the ground froze, said Ted Diers, who leads the water division at the state Department of Environmental Services. ‘Any snow that falls is on top of the ground, it’s not soaking in,’ he said.”

Not a good time to be a fish

In a March 13 announcement on its website, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (271-3421, wildlife.nh.gov) wrote that “New Hampshire may experience winter fish kills as ice melts” in the next few weeks. “Fish kills, where large numbers of fish die in a short period of time, are not an uncommon occurrence in the early spring. As the ice recedes, especially from many smaller Granite State waterbodies, there may be dead fish, and most of these occurrences are due to natural processes.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: The problem, NH Fish and Game reported, is a lack of oxygen in frozen-over bodies of water.

QOL score last week: 53

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 54

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/03/19

Slow down

Penalties for driving 100 miles per hour or more went up on Jan. 1 and could also result in higher insurance premium costs, according to a March 9 press release from the State of New Hampshire Insurance Department. A first offense for driving 100 miles per hour or greater has a minimum fine of $750 “plus penalty assessment and a mandatory 90-day license suspension,” the release said. “A subsequent offense carries a minimum $1,000 fine plus penalty assessment and a license suspension ranging from 90 days to one year,” the release said. The press release also warns that “a conviction involving extreme speed may result in higher premium costs or changes to underwriting carrier.” See the law, RSA 265:79, at gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXI/265/265-79.htm.

Good bugs

The Garden Club of Deerfield will hold a presentation on “Beneficial Insects: Good Bugs, Bad Bugs and the Truth About the Rest” on Saturday, March 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Deerfield Town Hall, according to an email from the club. The event is free to attend. See deerfieldgardenclub.com.

Old tech

The United Way of Greater Nashua is looking for old, working smartphones and laptops for its Tech Connect United digital access program, according to a Feb. 26 press release. The United Way is collecting unlocked Android or iPhone smartphones in working condition, preferably with a charger, and working laptops, Windows or Mac, that have a charger and are less than eight to 10 years old, the release said. Drop off items at United Way of Greater Nashua, 20 Broad St. in Nashua, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. See unitedwaynashua.org/digital-literacy for more about the United Way’s digital programs.

Historic sites

Eight properties across the state have been added to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic places, according to a Feb. 25 press release from the New Hampshire Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. The newly added locations are the Baptist Meeting House in Salisbury (built in 1794), United Methodist Church in Alexandria (built in 1819), the Brookline Community Church (1838), Riddle House in Manchester (circa 1844), the Deerfield Historical Society Museum (circa 1850), the South Weare Union Church (completed in 1876), Camp Kuwiyan on Lake Winnipesauke (buildings date from 1905 through 1930) and the Littleton Regional Hospital (main building constructed in 1906), the release said. Find the State Register of Historic Places as well as information on how to nominate a property at nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov.

“Mixing It Up,” an exhibit featuring art by Sandy Steen Bartholomew, Anne Boedecker, Joy Malcolm, Adele Sanborn, and Becky Sawyer, will open Saturday, March 21, and run through Saturday, April 25, at Two Villages Art Society, 846 Main Street in Contoocook, with an opening reception featuring the artists, refreshments and music by pianist Craig Fahey on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. See twovillagesart.org.

NH Roller Derby will hold a meet and greet for those interested in checking out the sport on Thursday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Manchester Ballers Association, 3 Sundial Ave. in Manchester, according to nhrollerderby.com.

Tickets are on sale now for Spooky World’s Halfway to Halloween, slated for Saturday, May 2, starting at 7 p.m. at Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield. The event features haunted houses, DJ and dancing, festival food, jousting competitions and more, according to an email about the event. See melsfunwaypark.com.

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