tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84934471855621093442024-03-15T18:11:59.136-07:00Mark Classic: A look at over 30 years in this businessAfter 30 years, I have some stories to tell. I hope you enjoy them.markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-48505897850747176992024-03-02T02:33:00.000-08:002024-03-02T02:40:41.189-08:00The night Palatka shut down an entire basketball program for good<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmymRNmO1K0d7FczmXuC-FUDa-z-GO1kIBkzTS3_7MTL7WSBc8rpc7CMULc_Iyqjq837V_jCtMqpzAovTaNc6k3pr5wwUVxaChdb-M4QyTZxFWlxrFGh3SEDAcPvCQaGaUm6TAHk51Vyx0rj2GdFvNRuMiuLY1RFHmPFEIniy03B30Eew7WaBZtnjiOZrd/s552/Oxendine-Palatka.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="552" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmymRNmO1K0d7FczmXuC-FUDa-z-GO1kIBkzTS3_7MTL7WSBc8rpc7CMULc_Iyqjq837V_jCtMqpzAovTaNc6k3pr5wwUVxaChdb-M4QyTZxFWlxrFGh3SEDAcPvCQaGaUm6TAHk51Vyx0rj2GdFvNRuMiuLY1RFHmPFEIniy03B30Eew7WaBZtnjiOZrd/w400-h266/Oxendine-Palatka.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">story that I find unique in all these years here is one that took place on a Friday night, March 2, 2018. Like all those other stories above, this, too, happened on the road. When you leave your home area, you really aren't in control of what happens to you or your story.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This night, though, was different. Palatka High School's boys basketball team, coached by Bryant Oxendine and winners of the Region 2-6A championship the year before and running through an amazing 27-2 season, was looking to repeat that regional title on the road against 27-3 New Port Richey Ridgewood.<span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the outside, you might think it's a terrific matchup between two great opponents.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But there was more to this night. In November 2017, the Pasco County school board had voted to end Ridtgewood High and turn it into a technical school and the students there would go to either Gulf High or Fivay High the following year.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was no secret that night to Oxendine or his players who the villain was in what would be the last high school basketball game hosted in that Ridgewood gym.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I had read about it before we went down there," Oxendine said recently. "It did overwhelm me a l ittle bit, thinking in my mind this would be that team's last game on that court. I know I didn't want my kids to focus on that."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The problem was it was a 2-hour, 45-minute trip to Ridgewood for Oxendine and his team. And he made it clear on the trip: No basketball talk. He even said he made up something he was mad about so his players wouldn't be thinking about the sentimental part of this very different game.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"We get there and already, it's getting full," Oxendine said of the crowd. "I think they had the students wearing white shirts to have a white-out night. We go into our locker room and I'm thinking, 'Let's see how they respond to this.'"</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I walked into the gym for my one and only time in my career that night, it was a growing madhouse. Ridgewood was trying to make it to Lakeland for the 6A Final Four and many, many students were filling into this nice-sized gymnasium. By estimate, there was easily over 1,000 fans at this game.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You would think the Panthers players -- even with that 27-2 record -- would be a little intimidated by it.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You would be right. Palatka was dominated in rebounds, 11-2, and was fortunate to be down 15-10 at the end of the first quarter because the Panthers forced the Rams into eight turnovers.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Center Mitchell McKinnon's three-point play capped a 6-0 run and gave the Panthers a 16-15 lead. The lead would change hands five times in the quarter before the Rams went in with a 25-24 lead.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I knew we had not played our best half of basketball," Oxendine said. "But I knew we were defending well. We were in this game."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oxendine also reminded his players of something that rang true the entire season: They were a third-quarter team. And with that shot of enthusiasm -- and a Ridgewood-dominated fan base continuing to yell everytime the Panthers had the ball -- Palatka went on a 9-3 run to start the quarter, taking a 33-28 lead.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ridgewood did not back down and went on a 5-0 run to tie it at 33-all. The Panthers answered back with another strong run of 8-4 and held a 41-37 lead going into the fourth quarter.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two things started to tell the tale down the stretch: A technical foul against Ridgewood's Will Dawson was called.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Wesley Roberts was asking me who was going to take the techncal foul free throws and my coaches were asking if Chamar (point guard Dumas) or Malik (forward Beauford) would take the free throws and I said to them at that point, 'Let Wesley take them.' And he hit both free throws as part of a 13-point night."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The other thing was how ragged Ridgewood players looked after chasing around the Panthers all evening.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I saw (Ridgewood) fade and get tired and our guys were not tired," Oxendine said. "By the fourth quarter, we were running them out of their shoes and there were two or three guys on their team that had their heads looking down and someone in the crowd said, 'They're tired.' I could see that and it's something I'll always remember."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But the Panthers player who had the biggest impact on this night was Dumas, the four-year varsity senior who Oxendine said played the best game of his career, scoring a team-high 16 points with seven assists, six rebounds and a steal. Throughout the game, Dumas put his team on his back and eventually guided it to the 64-51 triumph that led to a second straight Final Four appearance, the first time a county boys basketball team had done that in 54 years.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"It was the best game he ever had," Oxendine said of Dumas. "He didn't score a lot of points, but he defended well, he got to the (basket) and he set the tone for us in what was a college basketball atmosphere. He took charge of our team."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the final buzzer, those who made the long trek from Palatka to Ridgewood were dancing and celebrating the triumph. And those who came to cheer the home team on in what was the last game in that gymnasium left broken-hearted, some even teary-eyed. After 40 years as a program, it was over.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even Ridgewood head coach Derek Delgado had to hold back tears talking to media members after the game.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"This program had never been to a Final Four before and we really wanted it," Delgado said after the game. "We were so close."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They were until Palatka tired the Rams out down the stretch. And after Oxendine celebrated this title with his team in the opposing locker room afterward, telling them to enjoy this win until midnight, he had to leave the gym that just hosted its last basketball game ever.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"You see all these people coming up to you and congratulating you as you are walking toward the bus and then you get on and you sit and you realize those guys are never going to see their team play again," said Oxendine, who begins a new coaching venture with Interlachen Junior-Senior High this winter. "That's where it hit me. We were a footnote in history as the last team to play (Ridgewood). That's a huge thing to me."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Palatka's bus was heading home, and my car was desperately searching for a fast-food restaurant opened after 11 p.m. to write the story and send to Andy. Thankfully, US-19 was not far from the high school. But it became increasingly difficult to find a restaurant that was open that late, and also had a plug outlet. More and more fast-food places don't provide plug outlets anymore.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three restraurants had Wi-fi, but not the outlet. If desperate, there was always a hotel to find, but it didn't have food like I was needing at this time.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, I found a McDonald's somewhere between New Port Richey and Holiday. It had an outlet. No one was occupying the seat. So I brought my laptop and paperwork from the game in to type. It's 11:20 p.m. and my deadline is just before 1 a.m.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I order something to eat. Then I get going on the story after reviewing the notes from the game. I get the story written and sent to Andy by 12:20 a.m.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But I had more to do. Interlachen's track and field team was at a meet at Jacksonville Wolfson that night and coach Gerald Swayze was nice enough to get me the information I needed to write a story. So after toggling between the email he sent and the story I was writing through email, it took another 20 minutes to get that done. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By 12:45 a.m., I was done. I had my last bites of food and was reminded that the restaurant was closing at 1 a.m.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Thank you so very much for helping me out," I told the manager. By 12:55 a.m., I was on my way back home taking the long route: US-19 to SR-44 in Crystal River, then up CR-491 into Marion County and onto SR-200, which got me to I-75, then US-301 and eventually SR-20 for the final 26 miles home.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the time I reached my front door, it was just about 4:15 in the morning.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a long night, but a very enjoyable night.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw the joy of victory and the agony of defeat.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And the end of a high school program.</span></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-3696862771279456032024-02-26T13:49:00.000-08:002024-02-26T13:55:13.497-08:00These Panthers were hardly intimidated<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FUoP-AyRd-78Zja8HoRdVJpqZFbGNFWadOcT7pbaJ7MHOVIgKOzVo_57X6l4phtxPyoGeseE1NlStcLdeY8tL1ZIvEFHIo0STRnqN5IUcLt_osgaJqNLBRF-xLbrI8FRvY02jkUz5dYo3HoH2Z7TWN-fO41OPYcvpKW9VVMBPdW4XDvtf9utxvap5uef/s600/eastside-palatka.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FUoP-AyRd-78Zja8HoRdVJpqZFbGNFWadOcT7pbaJ7MHOVIgKOzVo_57X6l4phtxPyoGeseE1NlStcLdeY8tL1ZIvEFHIo0STRnqN5IUcLt_osgaJqNLBRF-xLbrI8FRvY02jkUz5dYo3HoH2Z7TWN-fO41OPYcvpKW9VVMBPdW4XDvtf9utxvap5uef/w400-h320/eastside-palatka.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This night five years ago was pretty special.</span></p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">All I kept hearing was that this Gainesville Eastside High School boys basketball team was dominant and had too many ways for Palatka to handle. There's no way that the Panthers would hang with the host Rams and that the Eastside gym would be too intimidating for the Panthers to handle.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I found that astounding considering that some of these Panthers like Wesley Roberts, Malik Beauford, Y'dontae Smith and Mitchell McKinnon had gone to two FHSAA Final Fours. No matter where these guys traveled, the crowd was the "least" of their concerns.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So on this Tuesday night, February 26, 2019 -- and after I had eaten at Sonny's BBQ up the road from the school where my waitress was a former Interlachen High girls soccer player -- I had made the short jaunt from there to Eastside High for the Palatka-Eastside game.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Panthers had all those solid veterans and were 24-4 going into this Region 2-6A semifinal showdown. But the Rams certainly had the homecourt advantage. They were 12-0 at home during the year and were 26-2 overall. They had a gunner who was not afraid to take the ball to the basket in Koren Bradley. They had steady senior guard James Pope and a dominant big guy in forward Emontea Shannon.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">If that was not enough, the Rams also had a strong shooting guard-strong forward at 6-foot-4 who was a better football player, but a very good basketball player named Anthony Richardson.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yes, THAT Anthony Richardson who went on to play quarterback at the University of Florida and is now the projected starting quarterback for the 2024 Indianapolis Colts after recovering from an injury.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">He was just another good basketball player on this great Rams team. But Bryant Oxendine, now in his third year as Palatka coach, was not intimidated by this Rams squad at all.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Even as the bleachers was filling up, and before long, fans started to stand up against the wall behind the basket on the gymnasium entrance side.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The teams spent the first half measuring each other out and by the break, Eastside had the 29-26 lead.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But I've seen Palatka teams under Oxendine rally in the third quarter. They got rejuvenated in that third period, but Eastside stuck with the Panthers and held a 47-46 lead going into the fourth quarter.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Then it got interesting.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Panthers would take the lead, only to see the Rams take it back. Palatka had the ball with 33 seconds to go and Oxendine called a timeout. He set up a play for his point guard, Smith, to find an alley way to the basket, draw a defender to him and dish the ball to an open man underneath OR ... just take the ball himself to the basket to give the Panthers the lead.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But with 33 seconds left, Smith started dribbling to find that opening. There was none. There was no defender leaving his man to pick him up. So Oxendine called another timeout with eight seconds to go and the ball to be inbounded in front of the Panthers' bench on their side of the court.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">"We called the play (the first tine), but (Eastside) didn't bite for it. We called another time out and ran a play called 'in-the-quarter' play. We wanted to take the last shot. I told Y'dontae to run the clock all the way down," Oxendine said.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So Smith got the ball in front of the bench. He passed off to McKinnon, Palatka's 6-5 center and tallest player, near the sideline. McKinnon got the ball back to Smith and Smith began to dribble in front of Bradley.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">With one quick step, Smith beat Bradley. That drew Shannon from his forward spot in front of Beauford toward Smith. Finally, McKinnon was not in a hurry to head to the basket, so that meant the guy who was covering him was just hanging out until he saw Smith make his move to the basket.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yup ... Anthony Richarsdon.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Richardson (slightly) and Shannon left the young men they were guarding and Smith had a wide-open Beauford under the basket that he threw a perfect short pass to and Beauford nailed the shot to give Palatka the 61-59 lead with 4.6 seconds left.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Pandemonium among Palatka fans broke out. Eastside legendary coach Herman "Pop" Williams called a timeout.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">That's when it got a bit off the rails. The officials had to reset the clock time and Eastside did not have one of those clocks that they can punch in a time and just go from there We had to wait over a minute so the clock would get to where it needed to be.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Under his basket, Bradley threw a pass to Shannon. Shannon raced as fast as he could and just as he was ready to take a shot, he was fouled by Smith.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yes ... fouled! What the hell was he doing?! Smith would explain later he didn't think Shannon was going to shoot. Seriously?! They are in hurry-up mode and down two points!! How can you NOT see this coming?</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the damage was done and all of us who had made the trek across State Road-20 to Eastside were not out of the woods yet with 1.6 seconds left in regulation. Shannon was two successful free throws away from tying this game again.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Once the ball was handed to Shannon, he took a few dribbles, then put up his shot.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Clang! Off the back iron!</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Palatka fans were elated, but the moment was nearly marred by one fan who didn't think about what his actions were going to be like when he stepped out onto the court in celebration.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The whistle blew.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Oh, no!! NOOOOOOOO!! Please, officials ... don't let this game be decided by an enthusiastic kid who didn't know his place at that time. Another officials meeting took place for about 30-45 seconds. I mean ... they were literally thinking about slapping the Panthers with a technical foul.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the end, the officials chose not to penalize Palatka, much to the chagrin of the Eastside fans. So Shannon got the ball from the official and we ALL KNEW what was going to happen next. Down two and with one free throw left, Shannon was to bang the ball off the rim and then a free-for-all would take place in those last 1.6 seconds. It was inevitable.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Except it didn't happen. Shannon, for some reason, sank the free throw to make it 61-60. OK, so now I'm expecting Mitchell McKinnon to get the ball in to a teammate and that teammate be fouled to send them to the line.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">McKinnon got the ball from the official and hit Roberts.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But no one was near Roberts. Suddenly, 1.6 seconds turned into 0.0.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Palatka fans celebrated, then hit the court to hug and celebrate with the players.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Palatka had survived the 61-60 win. It was emotional, and at one point in my interview, I asked the tougher-than-nails Oxendine if he even cried a little afteward.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Hell, no. We don't cry here!" he answered.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">OK, so for much for emotion. Oxendine did say, "We're a good basketball team. I tell these guys everyday just to compete."</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And while the elation was there on one end, I ended up with a couple of other reporters, I think one from the Gainesville Sun, interviewing Williams. For all the great the Rams had that year and in the previous ccouple of years, they couldn't conquer the Panthers in three straight postseason games the last three years.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Oh, and Williams was blunt when he said this.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">"We don't have the toughness to dig down. They are great kids, but they've got to learn to dig down and play hard. And Palatka started to come up into us. It was a great officiated game. I just think we didn't stand up to the challenge ... the boxing match. If we had stood up to the challenge, I think we would've come out on top."</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Getting out of the gym and back in the car, I sped back east on SR-20 to get back to the Daily News building to recount what I had just seen. And what "Pop" Williams said afterward.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It made great sense because in all those postseason losses, Eastside may have had the better record, but it did not have the physical presence to push Palatka around.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And Palatka made more plays than Eastside in the end. I got back to the building by just after 10 p.m., wrote the story after chasing down some spring sports stuff. And got done with plenty of time with everything.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Palatka WAS the better team that night ... not by much, but the Panthers were. Their physical AND mental toughness was better. Unfortunately three nights later, the bid to make it to Lakeland for a THIRD consecutive Final Four was taken away by a better Brooksville Nature Coast High team, especially when Palatka shot 6-for-28 from the field and had to play catch-up most of the second half.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the Eastside win will always stand out. The Panthers were tested ... they knew they were going to be tested ... and stood up to a really good Eastside team.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Rams team that was 12-0 at home ... until that game.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">These Pathers were unique.</span><br />markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-66415980934898722182024-01-21T15:20:00.000-08:002024-01-21T15:20:32.740-08:00Oh, so close<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1ffP_FEylQt5NYpQS73NHUyrg0wPAIogndiS1mQ3v8GZQS3MRzq0dbcsIxNkE1fvDYjbRWM-AyD3ZlOhcjmlHeE81_QDWYgbair7o7MXAXbK916Ab4NRbQCSw_OgYcbpCVSypXM5hjqLvo6r1GXEBiR1Ppe1LzzaG6K1onbtV72ZOKi9IhnimmhUhBlE/s1440/jags%20patriots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1440" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1ffP_FEylQt5NYpQS73NHUyrg0wPAIogndiS1mQ3v8GZQS3MRzq0dbcsIxNkE1fvDYjbRWM-AyD3ZlOhcjmlHeE81_QDWYgbair7o7MXAXbK916Ab4NRbQCSw_OgYcbpCVSypXM5hjqLvo6r1GXEBiR1Ppe1LzzaG6K1onbtV72ZOKi9IhnimmhUhBlE/w400-h228/jags%20patriots.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The Jacksonville Jaguars were a study of futility. Either the team was woefully bad or teasing its fan base with almost being a playoff team.</p><p>The 2016 season ended at 3-13 and saw management fire the affable Gus Bradley with two games left in the season. Though Doug Marrone didn't have that gregarious personality, he was very friendly with us media types who have covered this Jaguars team, me since 2003.</p><p>Until the 2017 season, I had never witnessed a Jaguars postseason game in person. But with what the Jaguars had -- and the blossoming play of fourth-year veteran quarterback Blake Bortles -- the 2017 season was setting up to be something special. We just didn't notice it was going to happen.</p><p>So when the Jaguars clinched the AFC South title -- and first divisional crown since 1999 -- us scribes knew we were going to get one home game at least. That was January 7, 2018. It was far from a pretty game, but if you loved defense, you were in your element.</p><p>The Jaguars beat the offensively deprived Buffalo Bills, 10-3.</p><p>This meant a trip to the AFC Divisional round and a matchup in Pittsburgh. I told my boss, Andy, that if the Jaguars found a way to beat the famed Steel Curtain, I would be on a plane with our Jaguars/Gators photographer, John Studwell, by the following weekend to New England and to cover the AFC Championship game between the Jags and the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.</p><p>First, though ... the Steelers. Unlike the previous game I saw in person, defense was optional. The two teams battled it out until the Steelers simply ran out of time.</p><p>Jaguars 45, Steelers 42. Mark was on his way to Foxborough.</p><p>Suddenly, it was reality, and not that I was going to be in Foxborough for the AFC Championship. Checking air prices for the trip became harsh reality. A simple flight from Orlando International to Providence went from $79 round trip ... to $258 round trip.</p><p>That was out. Orlando to Boston was not much cheaper and also out. And prices from Jacksonville International to key New England cities were ridiculous.</p><p>The only thing that worked for John and I -- and we spent more time on the phone than we normally did during regular seasons -- was a trip from Orlando to Hartford. That was $157 round trip. This was not including the hotel (I worked a deal on whatever points I had with the hotel chain we were staying at for both of us to pay $62 a night at a hotel 10 miles south of where Gillette Stadium was in North Attleboro). </p><p>We arrived at Hartford, got the rental car that I would use for two nights and we were on our way through the hills of Connecticut instead of taking the Massachusetts Turnpike. It was cold and I didn't know how icy it was. We stopped at a pizza place along the way that wasn't bad with pizza, but not great either.</p><p>It wasn't until about 8 p.m. we got to the hotel along U.S.-1. We checked in and both of us paid for our hotel room nights. I was working on a musical project up until 11:30 p.m. when Saturday Night Live came on our TV (Jessica Chastain was the host). Went to bed just after 1 (John was long asleep) and woke up about 8 a.m. that morning.</p><p>John and I had a couple of stops to make. We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts (where its plentiful in New England) and got coffee and something to eat, then went to a CVS to pick up something else. We were back in our hotel room and just hanging out there until it was time to go. That was 12:50 p.m. for a 3 p.m. kickoff.</p><p>Ten miles away didn't take long and the traffic surrounding Gillette Stadium was manageable. In total, it was about 25 minutes total from the time we left our hotel to arrive in the parking lot. If Jacksonville could be <i>this </i>manageable.</p><p>It took some time for John to get his equipment, but I was taking in the sights and sounds of this stadium I had never been to before. It was 46 degrees, so it was winter comfortable for me in a warm jacket. John and I found our way to the main gate of the stadium.</p><p>Once there, we were told to put our equipment on the ground. A big brown dog was going to sniff our bags. I thought, "This is unusual." But once the dog did his duty, we were allowed to continue to where we needed to go. We parted ways and I was on my way up to the press box where I saw some Jacksonville-based scribes I had known over the years. And I saw Boston-based writers I had seen over the years, including longtime Boston writers that I had only heard of or seen on television. I sat at a table next to them having the pregame meal.</p><p>I had a really great seat in the press box in the corner of the stadium. It was so surreal: For the first time since Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville 13 years earlier, I was here covering an important NFL playoff game. One Jaguars win and they were heading to Minneapolis for Super Bowl LII.</p><p>The first half was promising as the Jaguars could make it. Blake Bortles threw a touchdown to veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis and running back Leonard Fournette scored on a 4-yard run, and though James White scored in the late first half after a controversial pass interference penalty was called on A.J. Bouye, you felt good for the Jaguars and the fans who made the trek to Massachusetts for the game.</p><p>But could they hold on? I got me a bowl of authentic clam chowder and returned to my seat in the press box as the second half began. Josh Lambo provided the only scoring of the third quarter with a 54-yard field goal, making it 17-10.</p><p>Lambo would follow up that kick with a 43-yard field goal eight seconds into the fourth quarter to make it 20-10. The Patriots had the ball again and then came the play of the game.</p><p>The Patriots tried some razzle-dazzle with a double pass. The second of those passes went to running back Dion Lewis, who had blockers in front of him as he matriculated the ball down the field. But he never saw linebacker Myles Jack, who not only got a hold of him, but literally took the ball away from him. When they both fell to the ground, Jack had the ball, jumped up and started heading the other way for what should have been a Jaguars touchdown the other way.</p><p>I knew something did not look right when Lewis and Jack fell the ground from my view way up in the press box with the naked eye. But the way Jack reacted by slamming the ball to the turf after the whistle was blown, I knew the Jaguars were getting screwed.</p><p>And they did. Instead of possibly 27-10 with 13 minutes to go in the game, all the Jaguars got was the ball back on the fumble. And with the way the Jaguars' offense sputtered against an improving Patriots defense, I knew it was a matter of time before the game's momentum shifted.</p><p>Eventually, the Patriots got the ball back and scored on a Tom Brady TD pass to Danny Amendola of nine yards to cut the lead to 20-17,</p><p>Suddenly, I remembered all the bad moments the Jaguars had leading up to this season. When something went wrong or was going wrong, things would snowball out of control. And when Bortles and the Jaguars could not move the ball and were forced to punt the ball away, the reality was settling in.</p><p>It's Tom Brady. He has the ball and the game is on the line.</p><p>GOAT at work.</p><p>Thanks to that Amendola guy again -- returning the punt 20 yards to the Jaguars' 30 -- Brady needed five plays to go those 30 yards with the last play being Brady hitting Amendola in the back of the end zone with the receiver tip-toeing the back line.</p><p>The extra point gave the Patriots their first lead since 3-0 with 2:48 to go.</p><p>Bortles and the Jaguars had one more chance. And if not for Stephon Gilmore making a dynamic, one-handed defensive play, Bortles and Dede Westbrook would have been Jaguars heroes for life. Gilmore knocked a potential 42-yard down-and-out TD.</p><p>That was on fourth down. The Patriots took over and when Lewis ran for a first down on an 18-yard run, the fate was sealed in a 24-20 Patriots triumph and trip to Minneapolis for the Super Bowl.</p><p>Once I found my way with other writers I knew to the Jaguars smallish locker room, we talked with Marrone nd Bortles, who addressed the media. I remember talking with the great Calais Campbell, the leader and "mayor" of Sacksonville defensively. I talked with Marqise Lee, one of the Jaguars' top receivers, and I talked with Jack, who was impressed by the Patriots' resiliency down 14-3 and not panicking.</p><p>As for the TD that wasn't by Jack, none of the players, including Jack, were going to berate the officials afterward. They, as everyone mentioned, didn't make enough plays in the end. As for the future, Campbell cautioned how difficult it is to get back to this point again after working so hard to be there. Lee thought it was going to be a given to be back there after all that work Campbell described and the experience the team picked up along the way.</p><p>Turns out Campbell was a profit. The Jaguars have won just one potseason game since then and had to endure a 1-15 2020 season along the way in which Marrone was fired and Doug Pederson took over.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUXD32Np6m1_m2xq18Dg-w3AsVDqv8X7JQ8XOSfCsTqn9SNK5iOi2UJACVcdtMp9XmR5WTfrlNQHBuOtjgVHVKOeVmKjfLuh78mulLJLLXbwjq1mzIw23QqXFoWlpiWEHYRN7jP0f-Bk9WIgaFalF5sYZSqK1vMNjMq0AnKxm-JVeA5wDm4mEKAbiGAze/s640/markpats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUXD32Np6m1_m2xq18Dg-w3AsVDqv8X7JQ8XOSfCsTqn9SNK5iOi2UJACVcdtMp9XmR5WTfrlNQHBuOtjgVHVKOeVmKjfLuh78mulLJLLXbwjq1mzIw23QqXFoWlpiWEHYRN7jP0f-Bk9WIgaFalF5sYZSqK1vMNjMq0AnKxm-JVeA5wDm4mEKAbiGAze/w300-h400/markpats.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>I had started writing my lead, but John said he would wait in the car. So after getting the interviews I needed, I packed my stuff up and took the elevator back to the ground floor. But before I headed back to the parking lot and the car where John was sitting warmly in since he had a key to our rental, I walked onto the turf at Gillette Stadium and took in the sights and sounds one last time in a now-empty stadium except for the workers. I decided on taking a selfie of me with the scoreboard behind me.<p></p><p>From there, I headed off back to the car as John and I headed back to our hotel room. There, I got my laptop out of my bag and started working on the rest of the story, while watching the Philadelphia Eagles (with Pederson as coach) destroy the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship.</p><p>It wasn't until after midnight that I went to bed. I was up at around 4:45 in the morning since John and I had to check out and head back on a rainy, cold Monday Massachusetts morning. This time, I took the Massachusetts Turnpike heading west to Springfield and down I-84 back into Hartford to drop the rental off, then get driven to the airport to head back.</p><p>It was just a miserable morning with the rain and the clouds and the cold. But eventually, John and I boarded our Spirit Airlines flight back to Orlando. We arrived at 2 p.m., got taken back to my car and we drove to a nearby Wawa to get something to drink, then back onto I-4 and eventually to I-95 where I got John safely back to his wife at Denny's at Exit 305, then headed back up SR-206 back to SR-207 and eventually back to Palatka, where I made it back to my apartment by 5 p.m.</p><p>I got an hour-and-a-half sleep and eventually got to work after 7:30 p.m. where it was business as usual.</p><p>The weekend was officially over. And though the Jaguars lost, it was a fun time in Foxborough. One day, I'll make it back to an AFC Championship where the Jaguars actually <i>win.</i></p><p>Until then, I'll continue to live the dream until the dream becomes reality.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-61093015637097338092023-11-28T08:16:00.000-08:002023-11-28T08:16:19.781-08:00Back to Jersey for my first non-Florida NFL road game<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBdfyNtt75qMTZYE1ArxKjaHh51ZppYV4p064WWIt9tGPCw5nTO4hjs18knBc23lZk_-dKltkeD87168nUhFpD9_70YNmPwri-04_JPjKY-KR9zNXANEDQINZod8z2JtJJ0NPo5xJWa7pJPu9mWerU91semTOQQeQ5Dmx9m_HPsKn0Tw7c_URcSHY13qu/s2048/MetLife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBdfyNtt75qMTZYE1ArxKjaHh51ZppYV4p064WWIt9tGPCw5nTO4hjs18knBc23lZk_-dKltkeD87168nUhFpD9_70YNmPwri-04_JPjKY-KR9zNXANEDQINZod8z2JtJJ0NPo5xJWa7pJPu9mWerU91semTOQQeQ5Dmx9m_HPsKn0Tw7c_URcSHY13qu/w400-h300/MetLife.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Until this Sunday afternoon, the only time I had seen the Jaguars play a football game outside of Jacksonville was the road trip I took to Tampa in 2007 to see them beat the Buccaneers. Oh, and if you ever get a chance to do a game at Raymond James Stadium, try the Bananas Foster ... to die for!</span></p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Once the 2010 NFL schedule came out, I had one road game pencilled in: November 28 at the New Meadowlands Stadium (now Met Life Stadium) against the New York Giants. It gave me a built-in excuse to escape northeastern Florida and come home for Thanksgiving.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And by Thanksgiving, the Jaguars were vying for a postseason spot at 6-4 and a contender for the AFC South crown. The Giants were 6-4 as well and also a playoff contender. Everything was perfect for a homecoming.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was a long day before Thanksgiving, though. I had come into the Palatka Daily News building to do some work. I needed to be done by 4 p.m. so I had a fighting chance to get on an airplane. First, though, I had to travel from Palatka to Jacksonville to pick up the parking pass as well as press credential. Then I had to turn around after 5:30 p.m. in complete darkness now and head off to I-95 and down to I-4 and onto Orlando International Airport for a trip to Atlantic City International.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Throughout most of the trip, I made the mistake to listen to sports talk radio on Sirius XM. The whoooooole trip from Jax to O-town was about the terrible 8-7 start of the Miami Heat and new free agent signings LeBron James and Chris Bosh, who joined Dwyane Wade as this impenetrable and dynamic force.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sports talk radio, aka Specialty Diarrhea of the Mouth.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thankfully, I had enough to change the station to one of the other dozen stations I was listening to.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hello, Seventies on 7!</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I arrived at Orlando International sometime around 8:15 p.m., got shuttled from my car to the airport, and it didn't take more than 5 minutes -- I swear! -- to go through security before I could sit and relax before the flight. It was about 8:45 p.m. The flight was at 9:35 p.m. I was to arrive at around 11:35 p.m.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Boarded the plane and found out I was sitting near the back of the plane next to the father of a former Toms River South athlete who I really got to know in the early to mid 1990s when he worked at 7-Eleven on Route 37 named Bobby Batullo. Very nice man.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The flight was smooth and uneventful actually. Arrived at 11:30 p.m. and got picked up by my sister and her boyfriend not much longer after that and we were on our way back to my childhood home by 12:45 a.m. (there was a stop at Wawa for something to eat).</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Little did I know this would be the last Thanksgiving dinner I would have with my parents while they were still alive. I was up there for almost a week. I had gone out to Applebee's at the Ocean County Mall the night before the game on that Saturday. I do not remember if any of my stories I did at the Observer from the 1998 Little League World Series venture of Toms River East American were still up on the wall, but I do remember trying to find them while I was there.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anyway, the 28th arrived and I was to take my mother's Cadillac to the game. It wasn't until I got to the Garden State Parkway entrance at Exit 88 did I feel comfortable traveling in it. But once I got that car going toward East Rutherford, I was cruising.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Left at 10 a.m. and finally parked at 11:30 (traffic ... oh, the traffic!!). It was my first time ever in this stadium. At the old Giants Stadium, the only time I ever went there was for a Billy Joel-Elton John concert in July 1994. Never had I gone to the old stadium for a sporting event.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yet, here I was walking toward this new stadium, going through security with press credentials around my neck heading into the stadium and finding my way upstairs to the press box, putting my stuff down next to fellow Jacksonville-based scribes. Found out Times-Union writer Vito Sterino came from Jersey like me. The little things you find out.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This would turn out to be the first of three trips to Met Life Stadium over the next eight years (I'd do a Jags-Jets game in 2017 and another Jags-Giants game in 2018). I ended up grabbing some rye bread and roast beef and turkey and making a sandwich before the game. Yeah ... try that option in Jacksonville!!</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As for the game itself, the Jaguars held a 17-6 halftime lead and were looking good toward another victory. Then Eli Manning went to work at quarterback, hitting Brandon Jenkins and Kevin Boss for big completions berfore delivering a 26-yard TD pass to Mario Manningham. Ahmad Bradshaw's 2-point conversion to tie it at 17-all.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Josh Scobee would kick a 42-yard field goal to give the Jaguars the lead again, 20-17, but Manning and the Giants would respond and when Courtney Green could not wrap up Boss, the Giants' tight end was on his way to a 32-yard touchdown and the lead at 24-20 with 3:15 left.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Jags had one more opportunity, but big David Garrard was sacked three times in the final drive and the final one forced a fumble that Antrel Rolle recovered to seal the Giants' victory.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The day itself was sunny, but cold. And I remember having to take an elevator down to the ground floor and walking through a tunnel way to get to where the Jaguars' locker room was located. </span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Got to do it for 60 minutes," said Maurice Jones-Drew, who ran for 113 yards on this day. The loss dropped the Jaguars' record on the road to 2-3, a point emphasized by then-head coach Jack Del Rio.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">"You need to put wins together and this was an opportunity today where many things transpired and we had a great opportunity to do just that and didn't get it done."</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There were a number of straight-laced but sad-looking faces in the Jaguars' locker room. Little did we know that loss would lead to four setbacks in the final six games and keep the Jaguars from the postseason.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I made it back upstairs and I started writing this story. Now, I was in Jersey -- my old stomping grounds. And I remembered I was at the Meadowlands ... near the swampy areas of Jersey. Suddenly, a line came into my head that New Jersey's most famous modern-day poet wrote and wouldn't you know it ... INSPIRATION!</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Then came the second half. And to paraphrase favorite state on Bruce Springsteen's car in his classic, "Rosalita," the Jaguars' offense became a dud and was stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey."</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This was why I get paid the big bucks in intelligence dollars since the real ones don't exist in my profession at all.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was dark by the time I left to head back home to Toms River. I now pretty much had the next day and a half to myself. I met my friends Yanny, Double-V and Bobby G at an area eatery the next night on Route 37. By Tuesday morning, I was back on a plane and heading back to Orlando, thankful for the time I had there.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">My first non-Florida NFL road trip was over, and a part of me wondered what it would be like to do this on a weekly basis. I was indifferent over it.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But I can say it was memorable.</span><br /><br />markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-50559271909904314042023-11-10T12:19:00.003-08:002023-11-10T12:19:58.093-08:00The ecstasy and agony of a state football tournament victory ... for us<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9G0DFbuyos2jfBN6cyjqdUOG_qzK6iemOpXAjSbT4iYRpylUGXItfD71VdHaWrf5JnhGN4ISHTIu0HXfmPSOv4mi1b1kNRrln83KAY04DRjoJom7DeEZ5RJUS4SNnYQ-NdCTpPhB00sZKcXaASp5XmMUK0qVmjGVDXrfFcoHQJRajd8PDsYiisbTfSSwP/s570/IMG_1547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="570" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9G0DFbuyos2jfBN6cyjqdUOG_qzK6iemOpXAjSbT4iYRpylUGXItfD71VdHaWrf5JnhGN4ISHTIu0HXfmPSOv4mi1b1kNRrln83KAY04DRjoJom7DeEZ5RJUS4SNnYQ-NdCTpPhB00sZKcXaASp5XmMUK0qVmjGVDXrfFcoHQJRajd8PDsYiisbTfSSwP/w400-h299/IMG_1547.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p>Not every story I tell is a glorious one.</p></span><p></p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Well, there ARE glorious stories I tell, but there's a lot of shit behind it that makes you wonder why a) I put up with what I do and b) I never got arrested for smashing people's heads in.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In my 21 years at the <i>Palatka Daily News</i>, only one county team has won a Florida High School Athletic Association state football playoff game (I'm stopping you now, Interlachen 2022 fans of that Sunshine State Athletic Association title ... it doesn't fit this category!).</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was this Friday night five years ago that my late boss, Andy Hall, and I were over at Wisnoski Field at Wiltcher Stadium covering Crescent City's state playoff football game between the Raiders and Fort Meade, which was coached by former Florida Gator Jemalle Cornelius. And here's the weird part: I COVERED Cornelius when he WAS Fort Meade's quarterback in a destruction of Marathon High in the FHSAA 1A semifinals in the Keys in 2000 when I worked down there as<i> Citizen</i> sports editor.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Crescent City had also played Fort Meade before when they were District 8-1A rivals, so I got to know Cornelius as a coach.</span><br /><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">While Cornelius was a former Gator, Crescent City's head coach was a former Florida State Seminole -- the beloved and legendary Clarence "Pooh Bear" Williams. He was now in his second year as the Raiders' head coach and they were having a great campaign with an 8-2 regular-season mark.</span><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the restructured FHSAA football playoff system, Crescent City was the fourth seed compared to the fifth seeded Miners, so that meant they had to come all the way up from south Polk County to play this game against the Raiders on their field. Trust me when I say this: I don't wish that ride on anyone. It's three-plus hours on state highways and Interstate-4. It's far from a fun trip and win or lose, Fort Meade was not coming home from this game until sometime after 1 in the morning.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As far as the coverage of the game went, it was planned out that I would cover the football game and Andy would write the column. This was NOT our plan, by the way. This was the "scheme" of our editor, who shall remain nameless since he is the worst editor I ever worked for.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Because HE had a background as a former sports editor, HE thought he could run our sports department for the short time he was there. In all my years I've been in this business, I have never wanted to punch a news editor in the face more than this guy. It was seven days earlier on November 2, 2018, that I got called into his office and asked me why we didn't have pictures of Crescent City's regular-season finale, a dominant win at Newberry, in the paper. He didn't ask Andy ... he asked me. I guess <i>he </i>felt that I was more <i>reasonable </i>to deal with than my old-school boss.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>"It rained," </i>I started. "<i>And I've got a deadline to meet and I'm trying to do the statistics and write a story. That's time consuming enough! Then you want me to find pictures with no guarantee that I might have a good picture. No! I'm not multi-tasking like that and beside, Andy told me I didn't have to take pictures."</i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>"Well, he isn't in charge of that! I want you to take pictures! We're supposed to have a picture for every football game we cover in this paper!"</i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now keep in mind -- this jackass thought it was a wonderful idea to work the one photographer we did have, Chris, into the ground, so much so that Chris <i>quit. </i>This was mere weeks earlier and there was no way in hell we were going to get another full-time photographer at that point. That was made clear by said-jackass.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>"So let me see if I get this straight: If I'm covering a boys basketball game and I'm keeping statistics and what not and trying to do a A-class job, I'm supposed to take photos, too?"</i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>"Yes."</i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>"No! I ain't doing that shit because you're taking away from what I do best. You're going to ask me to do the impossible task of all those jobs in one? Absolutely not! If I have a guy who is going for a triple-double, I can guarantee you the young girls who are doing the statistics aren't going to be as thorough as I am."</i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">He basically didn't give a shit about that explanation ... or my job for that matter. He was trying to appease a publisher who put clamps down on him so hard that he was willing to accept mediocrity instead of excellence, and I'll say that to my dying day.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was in that conversation I just wanted to hit this guy. I've <i>never </i>felt that way about any immediate boss I ever had. He thought <i>his </i>way of doing <i>our </i>jobs was better and both Andy and I knew he was not good at all.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anyway, back to this story: To do <i>our </i>jobs properly, Andy and I were going to concentrate on the game with me keeping the stats upstairs in the press box, him next to me and having conversations during the game. Our editor was going to be on the field taking pictures and doing a Facebook interview with coach Williams at halftime.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As long as he stayed out of our ways and let us do what we had to do, we were going to be OK.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So I remember before the game began, I'm up in the press box and the editor is already there killing time before he went on the field. Turns out we had to wait almost an hour before kickoff -- lightning was in the vacinity and no game kicks off until that distraction is out of the area. Ironically, the season began with a lightning delay on the same field in the preseason game. Great bookmarks, weather-wise.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And we waited. Meanwhile, the editor asked me to do an interview outside the press box on Facebook to talk about this game. I gave my keys as to what Crescent City had to do, the natural "control the game" and "not commit turnovers" and they would be successful.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div>By 7:30, the teams were allowed to come out and warm up again. Andy arrived before that and I told him of the delay, which drew a blank response because that meant we were going to miss the 1 a.m. deadline.</div><div><br /></div><div>Reason No. 53 as to why I was hating this job.</div><div><br /></div><div>The teams finally kick off and Crescent City grabs a 7-0 lead when all-everything quarterback Naykee Scott throws a touchdown in the back of the end zone of 25 yards to Bernard Wright III on the first possession of the game. Christian Lopez kicked the point after.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Raiders' defense was doing the rest. The Raiders held Cornelius' Miners to just 57 yards in the first half. And quarterback Dearrick Howard was having a nightmare-like game, getting sacked six times by that relentless Raider D.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Raiders added on to their score as Scott dodged and weaved Miners defenders for an 11-yard score to make it 14-0 with 5:32 left in the half. They had another chance to score before halftime, but running back Mario Miler fumbled inside the Miners' 10 and the Miners recovered at their 9. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our editor took pictures and got his interview with Williams and left. Andy and I had one more half of football to cover. Before this game, the Raiders and Palatka had combined to go 0-14 in the postseason since 2002, the last time a county team won a state tournament game in the sport.</div><div><br /></div><div>That stop of Miler on the fumble gave the Miners some momemtum into the third quarter. Twice, Howard had his team in Crescent City territory. But Wright ended one drive with an interception in the end zone, then Howard was stopped on fourth and 5 at the Raider 25 after the Miners had picked off Scott in his own territory,</div><div><br /></div><div>Those drives may have made a difference for the Miners -- and shown how snakebitten Crescent City ... Putnam County, really ... was these last 16 years in the postseason.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally early in the fourth quarter, the Miners finally found the end zone as Howard hit receiver Jonathon Berrien with an 8-yard scoring strike. But kicker Adam Reyes missed the extra point, making it 14-6. Still, the Miners were within one score of the Raiders in spite of all their offensive woes.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was Scott playing the role of punter that kept any momentum going on the Fort Meade side. His second beauty of a punt -- a 37-yarder -- was downed at the Miners' 4-yard line late in the game. The Miners couldn't punt the ball away anymore. This was do or die for them. And after getting 1 whole yard on the drive, the Miners forfeited the ball back to the Raiders at the 5 on downs with 2:08 left,</div><div><br /></div><div>Two plays later, Scott scored on a 2-yard run in which he was pushed with the help of his team rugby-style into the end zone. Scott ran the 2-point conversion in to make it 22-6 with 1:52 left.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was over and the Miners knew it. One last offensive attempt failed and the Raiders and their fans celebrated their first state playoff win since 2000, a 22-6 triumph that had players beaming from ear to ear. Andy got his interview with defensive coordinator Wes Thompson, whose defense held the Miners to 100 total yards. He left to go back to the offense and do his column.</div><div><br /></div><div>I stuck around for a bit to hang out in the Raiders' football building and locker room, interviewing both Williams and Scott. I remember Scott telling me he never had dreams of being a quarterback. He was more than happy to play defense. But three years after I saw his debut at quarterback under dirress and difficult circumstances in Pahokee, he had helped make history for his team ... and Putnam County.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for Williams, he was not just satisfied with the win. </div><div><br /></div><div>"We want to win a state championnship," he said. "When you're confident in what you're doing, you think about winning a state title. We are excited not because we won, but we keep going."</div><div><br /></div><div>I said my goodbyes to the coaching staff, left the building and headed back up US-17 to Palatka and back to the <i>Daily News </i>headquarters. My boss was still writing his column, but close to finishing it, and my editor was sitting diagonally from where I sit trying to put together the "photo" page from this game.</div><div><br /></div><div>He had dumped his photos into our sports photo folder. Andy got done writing his column and I was working on my boxscore/summary and then story when he called me over.</div><div><br /></div><div>Andy had seen the pictures and he turned his head away from me, trying not to laugh as I looked at the photos our boss gave us.</div><div><br /></div><div>They were awful. No, no, no ... they were <i>f*cking </i>awful. The backs of heads, coach Williams reacting to a play but you don't see his face and stupid pictures -- I do mean <i>stupid </i>-- of players lining up <i>before </i>the ball is snapped. It was complete amateur hour stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've said it before and I'll say it to my dying day: Any idiot can take a point-and-shoot picture, but you need some talent to actually take <i>clear action shots!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>I did my best not to say anything or react. I went back to writing my story and doing the boxscore. I was done around 12:10 in the morning (I had gotten back to the paper just after 11 p.m.). I still had a scoreboard page to put together, and Andy still had the rest of the sports section to do. He found the one action picture that worked ... even if it was a bit blurry.</div><div><br /></div><div>So we're trying to finish the paper out and get it to print by 1 in the morning on Friday football nights ... our deadline. It's 12:45 and we finish up. That's when Mr. "I Know It All" Editor speaks up.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"How many of my pictures did you use? </i>He needed an idea of what Andy did so he could really go full out with the photo page.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Andy answered in only the way Andy could:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Just one."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>"One?! That's it? Why did I work so hard to get pictures for this game? I do think we should use more than one!"</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>And now, here's the moment I will always remember when the affable, funny, charming Andy Hall completely lost it for one moment:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Fine! I'll f*ckin' re-invent the wheel!!"</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>And so to appease him, he put a mediocre picture of the two teams lining up before a play on the jump page, which meant whatever extra agate I had gotten done had to be taken out, not that I was going to lose sleep over it at all. We got done, but we were now 10 minutes late.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our boss was <i>still </i>working on that "photo page," which featured some really terrible pictures on it. I'm not lying by any means there. Once he said he'd post the e-edition online, something either Andy or I did normally, we posted the local sports stories on Facebook and our website and left.</div><div><br /></div><div>That was it. On a night where we saw a Putnam County team win a state tourament football game, both he and I had gone through this torturous evening with a clueless boss who thought his way was the best way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Three days later, I'm back at work. And the first thing I see is a memo from our publisher to tell us that our editor was no longer employed by the paper. Either he quit out of disgust or got fired. Turns out it was the latter from my sources.</div><div><br /></div><div>We didn't have to have this overbearing human being run <i>our </i>sports department ever again. But Andy and I decided we would double cover Crescent City's next state playoff game against Hawthorne ... same scenario where I wrote the story and he wrote the column.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Raiders lost that game, 50-27, but that's another story considering I got threatened before that game by one of Hawthorne's coaches. Oh, it's a doozy and showed me that people <i>do </i>read what I write, even if it hurts their feelings a little.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I said before, not every story I tell is a glorious one. But at times, it has a happy ending.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-44533795877050066692023-10-06T00:54:00.004-07:002023-10-06T01:00:03.420-07:00For one weekend, I was "Perfect-Score Guy"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnF1HFbmyx_QLOoxdix-Gn8mtSPjn3_fNsEy1J4XN53_kMWas4izfH9ARYAr-9V5b_4GAMifqM0UmSz4MW_K6B0-5SaopDSM7lGE8hbIYwGCOCVwhQ4lUT54stQ5a895xG1EYgm4wmNljZx0oUtvo__NQ3tZYStTropWwz4eaw0T5Bi3LkM5aGTxo8oe1D/s150/ESPN%20Dream%20Job.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="113" data-original-width="150" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnF1HFbmyx_QLOoxdix-Gn8mtSPjn3_fNsEy1J4XN53_kMWas4izfH9ARYAr-9V5b_4GAMifqM0UmSz4MW_K6B0-5SaopDSM7lGE8hbIYwGCOCVwhQ4lUT54stQ5a895xG1EYgm4wmNljZx0oUtvo__NQ3tZYStTropWwz4eaw0T5Bi3LkM5aGTxo8oe1D/w400-h301/ESPN%20Dream%20Job.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>It was the late summer/early fall of 2003 and ESPN was conducting a contest to see who would be the next "SportsCenter" anchor. It was part of the promotion called "ESPN Dream Job."</p><p>I happened to look at the schedule and there it was: St. Pete Times Forum, Saturday, October 4, 2003.</p><p>Now what the heck did I know about being a broadcaster, reporting the news to millions of people who were watching it?</p><p>Abso-freakin'-lutely nothing! I had plenty of work on the radio over the years in Toms River, N.J. and in Key West. I did the occasional sports show on Clear Cable 8 in the 1990s with my good friend Art Criss hosting. It took a lot of paying attention to what the host or commentator said and me <i>not</i> answering, <i>"What? What did you say?"</i></p><p>Other than flapping my gums to make it sound like I was talking coherently, I just danced the on-the-air stiletto dance. In other words, I had plenty of knowledge, just not enough to think I was anything great in broadcasting.</p><p>Good, I thought, but not great.</p><p>Still, it couldn't hurt to find out if I had what it takes to play the role of a broadcaster. The arena was 2 1/2 hours away and I was willing to start heading down to Tampa at 2:50 in the morning with no sleep at all and done with the <i>Palatka Daily News</i> after another round of Friday night football.</p><p>I didn't know how long I was going to last, but I planned to be done with this and meet an online friend named Michele afterward. She lived in St. Petersburg. At least I had that to look forward to.</p><p>I drove throughout those early Saturday morning hours and then arrived at the arena by 5:50 a.m. There were a few people in front of me, but I was in a very good position to be part of the first group to go in and interview/test. It was mostly a lot of talking about our "dream job" and how it was going to go and there were mostly young men, at least 10-15 years younger than me, and there were a few ladies in the line.</p><p>We started talking about how this was all going to go down ... figured it would be "write your own script with something that happened" or "see how well you speak in front of a camera." Honestly, I"m not sure what any of this was going to be like. So you know everyone had to be on guard here.</p><p>At 7:10 a.m., the first 30 of us were allowed in as the line behind me began to grow with lots of candidates to be the dude or lady working next to Dan Patrick or Stuart Scott or Linda Cohn. In other words, there were a lot of wannabe dreamers behind us.</p><p>The 30 of us or maybe more than 30 of us were brought into the arena and we had to walk down a hallway until we got to a place that looked like a large college classroom. We were about to find out what the first part of the test to be a "SportsCenter" anchor was going to be about.</p><p>They put a test in front of us and those running this little event wanted to find out how much we knew about sports.</p><p>Unless <i>everyone</i> there was an absolute sports nut, I <i>knew </i>I was going to the second round. Now, I can't remember <i>every </i>question that was asked on these four sheets of paper, but I do know a couple: Who was the American League Cy Young Award winner in 2002? (Barry Zito) and what were the two leagues that made up Triple-A baseball (International and Pacific Coast leagues).</p><p>I knew I did well. When the tests were taken from us, I felt confident I had made the second round. I was uncertain of a couple of these questions (and they were all from a variety of sports), but I felt like I was going to move on.</p><p>A half-hour passed by and we were still in our seats. Then one of the young ladies running the entire day bellowed out the first names of those who were moving on.</p><p>I heard my name. So we were moving on to another room after the names of 10 of us were revealed aloud. As I put my blue dress jacket back on, I head out the door and the young lady who had told us who was advancing approached me.</p><p><i>"I just want to let you know that you got all the questions right and you're the first person we've tested in all our stops who got all 30 correct."</i></p><p>I was absolutely, freakin' dumbfounded. I smiled, but it felt awkward. All these stops ESPN's tour made and I'm the first person to nail all 30 of these questions? Wow! </p><p>But though I may have aced the test, the next part was going to throw me off. The 10 of us were put into another room not very far away from the testing area. This time, we were standing around a table, all 10 of us, and we had another representative, though to be honest, this guy was so far away from where I was that I had no clue whatsoever what we were about to do next ... and sure as shit, guess who got to be the starting guinea pig for this?</p><p>Yup ... me! And I had no freakin' clue what this hopped-up-on-Red Bull bunny was saying. He just points to me and I go, <i>"What? What am I doing?"</i> He told me to emulate by play by play my most favorite sports moment of all time.</p><p>At that moment, I couldn't come up with anything other than a luke-warm<i> "And it's going back ... way back ... it's gone."</i> I still believe to this day that if I didn't go first, I would have done much better. But I had no idea of what I was going to emulate. This is what happens when you have several great moments in your head, but your mouth doesn't record what your brain <i>might</i> be thinking.</p><p>After I went, the others were nailing their favorite calls of all-time in the way <i>they </i>interpreted it. Then I, along with the rest of the group, was asked who the nost overrated athlete was at that time.</p><p>Thankfully I wasn't going first here. I had time to think about it. When it came to me, I knew what I was going to say.</p><p><i>"Chipper Jones. Because for all the greatness he delivers every year, how many World Series titles does he have? One. That's all ... one."</i></p><p>I redeemed myself a little better here, but that play-by-play bit hurt. And I knew it did. I just wasn't good at that time at improvisation, making shit up as I went along.</p><p>I never said I was a great dancer. By the time this was done, it was 8:45. And because I was among the first people tested, I had to wait hours upon hours upon hours to see if I made it into the next part of the testing.</p><p>By that time, it was almost 2 p.m. I had been at this arena for eight-plus hours. I was asked by one of the young ladies there to write a short "SportsCenter" spot that I would read in front of a camera, whenever that time was going to be.</p><p>Thankfully, the bar inside the St. Pete Times Forum was open. And that meant the TVs were on. And I had my eyes affixed to what was on that day: Major League Baseball playoff games. One TV had Game 4 of the series between the San Francisco Giants and Florida Marlins in Miami, another had Game 3 of the series between the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome.</p><p>I knew this was going to take awhile, so like a good "SportsCenter" anchor did, I took notes of the games that were going on. Remember: In the world of sports anchoring, you only have so much time to do a highlight, usually about a minute. So that's what I did: Try to melt all the individual moments into the biggest highlights of the day.</p><p>If you remember Game 4 of the Marlins-Giants series, you remember how it ended. A base hit to left field by Jeffrey Hammonds. J.T. Snow is heading to home plate to tie the game up, but Mr. Marlin, Jeff Conine, gets the ball on a hop and fires a strike to catcher Pudge Rodriguez, who is bowled over by Snow, but keeps possession of the ball for the third out and the Marlins winning the game 7-6 and advancing to the National League Championship Series.</p><p>The Yankees-Twins game wasn't going to have too many highlights. The biggest of those highlights was the two-run home run by Hideki Matsui off starter Kyle Lohse that gave the Bronx Bombers a 2-0 lead. There was also the RBI single by Bernie Williams that scored Juan Rivera in the third inning to make it 3-0. And other than an A.J. Pierzynski home run in the third, Yankees starter Roger Clemens was on top of his game, allowing five hits over seven innings with one walk and six strikeouts. Mariano Rivera came in for the final two innings and held the Twins hitless, striking out three.</p><p>It was a long wait by now -- it was almost 6 p.m. and finally, I was brought into the room to do a "SportsCenter" type reading. By now, I don't think the two women who were in the room with me wanted to hear me talk, but I told them, "You said have something ready. Well I do! Let's go!"</p><p>So I basically read the copy since they ddin't exactly put a teleprompter in front of me. I read my script fluently -- proved I knew the English language well -- and gave a dramatic reading of the Giants-Marlins game: <i>"Now there J.T. Snow on second as the winning run. Jeffrey Hammonds singles off Uggie Urbina to left field. Snow is sent home, but Jeff Conine delivers a perfect one-hop throw to Pudge Rodriguez, who gets mauled at the plate by Snow, but holds on to the ball ... then shows it off to everyone with eyes on him! That's the ball game! That's the season for the Giants as the Marlins hold on for the 7-6 victory and advance to the National League Championship Series!"</i></p><p>It was obvious the two women were so busy with what they were doing they had no idea what was happening in the outside world. I can still hear one of them saying, <i>"Wow." </i>Then I read them the much-shorter version of my Yankees-Twins report. </p><p>One of the women told me it was fine, but they would let me know if I moved on to the next round, which I think was in Atlanta or somewhere close to there. They thanked me for my time and I was finally out the door by 6:30 that evening. Over 12 hours later, I was back in the car and headed to St. Petersburg to meet Michele at her place. I picked her up and we went to a fairly nice restaurant. We ended up spending the night together in a hotel in Pinellas Park and we left the next morning.</p><p>But after I dropped her off, I got a copy of the <i>St. Pete Times. </i>The headline on Page 5C blurted out "ESPN offers shot at a 'Dream Job.' I read the story and how all these wannabes wanted to be the next anchor. Some had no idea about sports, others thought they had the personality to move on.</p><p>Imagine my surprise, however, when seven paragraphs into the story, I'm reading, <i>"And ESPN, which gives a 30-question written trivia test as Step 1 in the process, was treated to the first perfect score."</i></p><p>Then came the eighth paragraph: <i>"But it took more than sports knowledge. Only a perfect score kept perfect-score guy in the game, though producers admitted he probably wouldn't make it much farther, as he lacked those other qualities they desired."</i></p><p>You know ... like a personality!! Mine, apparently, was too, ummm ... shitty ... for them. Either way, I got to read my own obituary of this contest in a newspaper and I hadn't died. ESPN producers were sinply just confirming my thoughts ... even though I felt I was better than how they rated me.</p><p>Needless to say I got a post card from these fine people who told me I did not make it to the next round, but told me my knowledge of sports was so overwhelming, I could have succeeded as a contestant on their game show "2-Minute Drill." Found that fascinating.</p><p>The reality show moved on without me (waah-waah) and in the end, a guy named Mike Hall wound up winning it all. Good for him. I'm almost certain he was much, much better than me.</p><p>But that's not the end of the story. It was over a year later -- December 26, 2004 -- and I'm sitting in the meal room below the press box at Alltell Stadium in Jacksonville as I'm getting ready to cover the Jaguars game with the Houston Texans. I looked up where I was sitting alone at ... and there was the stunning story of the death of NFL legendary defensive star Reggie White, dead at the age of 43.</p><p>I was shocked, practically saddened. Moments later, a female voice came over me from behind.</p><p><i>"Hey! Perfect -score guy!"</i></p><p>She was clearly close enough for me to know I was who she was talking to. I turned around and it was her -- the young lady who told me that I scored 30 for 30 on the sports knowledge test. She just wanted to say hi because she was working with an ESPN crew that was on location for this particular game.</p><p>I smiled. I don't know why I did, but I did. </p><p>Actually, I knew why I did. I may not have been perfect for what ESPN was looking for nearly 15 months earlier. But for one weekend -- thanks to the <i>St. Pete Times</i> -- I was "Perfect-Score Guy."</p><p>That was perfect enough for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeb1oQF4drMYwUyl7rZTzCL29e7fh66akdcaqWEiSVVEeZSabiRbZ5yitUAVvO6JXAQB4I_ELl_TzMYFFJnm1s6chvfsgeiceDHFKv552sdJ6lrxFV5OdBRd_dqEazbQRVTE9s9o0Tg7Ihp2yIj6MlMOGElnX1-LroDWMntNtrVbfUgqUnhxA_h-8SV_P5/s640/perfection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeb1oQF4drMYwUyl7rZTzCL29e7fh66akdcaqWEiSVVEeZSabiRbZ5yitUAVvO6JXAQB4I_ELl_TzMYFFJnm1s6chvfsgeiceDHFKv552sdJ6lrxFV5OdBRd_dqEazbQRVTE9s9o0Tg7Ihp2yIj6MlMOGElnX1-LroDWMntNtrVbfUgqUnhxA_h-8SV_P5/w300-h400/perfection.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-56326552480538730402023-09-16T02:10:00.001-07:002023-09-16T02:19:26.610-07:00A Trilogy: If only I were allowed a punch to someone's face<p>There have been plenty of frustrating moments over the nearly 40 years I've been a writer/editor/layout guy in my business.</p><p>But none of those were quite like Monday, September 24, 2018. Never in all my years in this business did I want to start a fist fight with someone I worked with more than I did that particular day. I'll get to that point later ... and trust me when I say this: I am not going to pull any punches here.</p><p>All this started on Friday, September 14, 2018. We were transitioning into a new editor who was two weeks into running the <i>Palatka Daily News. </i>Honestly, I didn't know what to think of this guy. He had a lot of bravado to him, but I've seen my share of new leadership and bravado.</p><p>It never works out in the end. Ego being too big, wears down on co-workers and someone wants to have a fist fight with this person, but never does because that person is eliminated or moves on rather quickly.</p><p>Anyway, let's get to this three-part story.</p><p><b>Part I</b></p><p>On this Friday night, I was to go to Wildwood High School, some 86 miles away from Palatka, to cover a football game between Crescent City and Wildwood. The two teams had met for <i>years </i>but this was the first meeting between the two teams since the fateful and unpopular decision by Wildwood High to not make up a football game at Crescent City the year before when Hurricane Irma rambled through Florida and one athletic director told the other "it wasn't going to make a big difference in the end."</p><p>Bullcrap! It very much did. When the seeds were announced for the 2017 FHSAA state tournament, Crescent City was on the outside looking in. The Raiders' coach, the legendary Clarence "Pooh Bear" Williams, was deeply upset, but he kept a strong, positive demeanor throughout. And as a "consolation" gift, the team was awarded co-championship with Wildwood in the short-lived North Central Florida Football Conference.</p><p>So this game at Wildwood was very much circled on Crescent City's calendar and there was no way in hell Wildwood was going to wriggle out of this one in case of hurricanes, tornadoes or other natural disasters. Not this time!</p><p>Still, Pooh Bear, the assistants and players, made it clear that "last year was last year and this was a new year" as they were playing yet another game in the NCFFC.</p><p>The Wildcats, though, weren't pushovers and they let the Raiders know that when quarterback Nate Mikell dashed 32 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0. The Raiders, though, responded when quarterback Naykee Scott hit Dustin Carmichael for a 6-yard score to tie it at 7-all going into the second quarter.</p><p>The only score in the second quarter was a 3-yard strike by Mikell to Marcus Niblack, who also booted the extra point to give the Wildcats a 14-7 lead.</p><p>I will say this before we talk about the second half: Wildwood's press box people were some of the nicest individuals I ever came across. There was no hatred, no bias, nothing toward Crescent City at all. They knew this was a bitter rivalry, but they stayed above the fray throughout.</p><p>But I also noticed that things were beginning to slow down in this one. And it became apparent something happened to Mikell and by the third quarter, Wildwood had a new quarterback in Alfred Corbin, who was in because Mikell reportedly suffered a groin injury.</p><p>It was Corbin's game the rest of the way. But he struggled to move the Wildcats, and the Raiders pounced in the third quarter. Scott capped a four-play, 56-yard drive the first time Crescent City touched the ball with a 1-yard plunge to tie it at 14-all after Christian Lopez's extra-point kick. Then on the kickoff, Rodney Mitchell struggled to get a grip on the ball and fumbled it right into the waiting arms of Jeremiah Roofe, who scooped it up and went 11 yards for the score to make it 21-14 in the Raiders' favor.</p><p>The Wildcats responded after the score by going 75 yards on the next drive, capping it with a 4-yard Mitchell run on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 21-20, but the Raiders blocked the extra-point kick, so they had the one-point lead. Wildwood's defense stopped the Raiders, forcing them into a punt.</p><p>I can still see the ball go off Lopez's leg in a wrong-way manner and going out of bounds. It was 12 yards and the Wildcats had first and 10 on the Raiders' 39. Then at the 32, Corbin threw a jump-ball pass that Nyzer Lucas came up with for the touchdown to make it 26-21. Corbin and Wildwood went for the 2-point conversion, but his pass was not on the mark and the Raiders could win the game with a touchdown.</p><p>There was 6:50 left. Plenty of time for the Raiders to do something.</p><p>Actually, the Raiders didn't need much time. They needed 100 seconds.</p><p>Crescent City went six plays to go 81 yards in that time frame. Scott hit receiver Tyler Unruh for 19 and 37 yards, while running back Kevin Williams had runs of 23 and 5 yards. It was Williams, who had 88 yards rushing on the night, who finished the drive with a bulldozing 6-yard run up the middle, giving the Raiders the lead as Lopez added the extra-point kick.</p><p>The Raiders weren't thinking about the previous year, but they wanted the win badly and needed to stop the Wildcats at least a couple of more times. The first drive ended somewhat quickly as Williams picked off Corbin. The Raiders had to punt the ball away and with 1:51 to go, the Wildcats had one more opportunity.</p><p>They got into Raiders territory, but Corbin was picked off by Bernard Wright at the Raider 25 with 50 seconds left that sealed the 28-26 victory, one of the better games I've ever covered.</p><p>Both teams had wonderful handshakes at midfield afterward and I had the chance to talk to an exuberent Pooh Bear, who told me, "I was interested to see how we responded to falling behind. My coaches had a vision of what we were to expect (from Wildwood) and our guys got back up and played well."</p><p>He smiled that Pooh Bear smile I recognized to his sad passing on February 17, 2022, and wished him well in the next game the following week against Interlachen.</p><p>From here, my job was to get something small to eat, jump on I-75 and head north to Ocala to a reliable hotel I had been to many a time to type in a story before deadline, the Courtyard by Marriott. My deadline was 1 a.m. All I needed to do was just type in the boxscore of the game as well as the story and we were done, even though I had the obstacle of a football game that lasted 3 hours and 10 minutes and saw the two teams commit 31 penalties for 259 yards.</p><p>I don't wish that sloppiness on anyone, Both teams played a great game, but both were fairly sloppy in the process.</p><p>Turns out the beginning of my nightmare was under way.</p><p><b>Part II</b></p><p>It was 10:35 p.m. after leaving this great game and total debacle all in one and I headed north on I-75 until I got to Exit 350, which was State Road-200 in Ocala. I knew my way to this hotel, which over the years was absolutely fantastic to me in writing up stories, the first of which came in the spring of 2009 when Palatka lost to Dunnellon in the state softball tournament.</p><p>I had written at least five game stories on deadline there whenever I was in Marion County or in the surrounding areas. I got there just after 11 p.m, knowing I have two hours to get things done. Piece of cake. I reach the front desk and a very friendly face is there and I ask if I could use the Wifi because I'm on deadline to get a story done and they have always been great about telling me I could.</p><p>That was the same situation here. I went into the restaurant area, which was now closed other than the seats to hang out in, to start typing my story. First thing I needed to do was get a pair of briefs done, one being Crescent City volleyball in an annual tournament they go to in Bell, the other being a girls golf match involving Palatka that took maybe two graphs and that was it.</p><p>Done! Out of the way. The next part is the toughest: Compiling the statistics of a game that got complicated because of all the penalties became a chore. It was after 11:30, but I vowed I'd be done in 15 minutes with it, leaving me only the game story from this Friday night.</p><p>I got that out of the way when I said I would. Now I have the story and it's 11:45 p.m. It's about this time I'm going to be meeting ... the overnight manager. I'm starting my story and, of course, it's not the typical 35-0 or 42-0 blowout that I can bang out in 15-20 minutes. This was a heck of a game in spite of all those stupid penalties.</p><p>We make small talk and then she hits me with a question that I to this day believe had no relevance to this situation whatsoever.</p><p><i>"How do you like your room?"</i></p><p>If I knew now what I didn't at that time or of what was going to happen next, I could have just lied my way through the conversation and said, <i>"It's quite nice, ma'am. Thank you!"</i></p><p>But I told her the real reason I was there and that didn't sit well with her at all.</p><p><i>"I can't have you staying here after midnight if you aren't a guest."</i></p><p>Really?! After all these times I've come here to get rescued by writing and sending a story, now I get the Overnight Manager from Hell telling me I've got 15 f**king minutes to get my story done and get the hell out?!</p><p>I told her I would be done in about that much time and I'll be out of her way. Obviously, this horrible human had decided I was some unwelcome guest at <i>her </i>little workplace and I absolutely had to go, f**k deadlines.</p><p>Now, I'm rushing to get this story done because if I'm not done in 15 minutes, we <i>will </i>have an unpleasant episode if this horrible woman was of her word. I get halfway through this thing and then she comes over to me to tell me time is up.</p><p>Needless to say, it's just after midnight and I'm not done. And here comes you know who in my direction.</p><p><i>"You have to leave now." </i></p><p>Let's say it got heated, but I left before she called security. That's how bad it got. Before I left, I promised I'd send a letter dressing her down to her company and that she wouldn't have another job in the hospitality business ever again.</p><p>For the record, I didn't, but I figured she probably wasn't a good manager anyway and someone would find the truth out in the end.</p><p>But it's now 12:05 a.m. and I have to find another hotel to finish this story out. Thankfully, there were enough hotels up and down SR-200 for me to stop in. I ended up stopping at the La Quinta down the road. </p><p>When I got to the front desk, I met Bill and Stephanie, the overnight front desk people. Bill was an older man and Stephanie was a younger lady who was an absolute sweetheart. After I explained my situation and how I got thrown out because "I wasn't staying at the hotel" and that I was trying to beat deadline, they could not have been nicer to me. You know: How hotel employees treat guests, whether they're staying there or not.</p><p>They showed me where to set up, gave me the password to the Wifi and off I went to finish the story.</p><p>But now I had a new problem: Where the Wifi was perfect at the last place, La Quinta's was giving me trouble and suddenly, my laptop was acting stupidly slow. Remember: All I had left was to send the story! That was it.</p><p>I got done with my story and proofreading it by 12:35 a.m. Sending the story was a nightmare because nothing seemed to connect. I think I ended up calling Andy about half a dozen times before we got the story through.</p><p>By then, it was 12:58 a.m. Needless to say, we were late.</p><p>I thanked the pair one last time for being upstanding people and letting me get my job done correctly.</p><p>Oh, but the fun was just beginning after I left their hotel.</p><p><b>Part III</b></p><p>The scars of what I had to go through one week earlier: And the horseshit that was taking place in our newsroom with a new editor who thought he was the greatest thing to ever come out of journalism school (ha!) and whose sports background commaned <i>him</i> to go run our sports department.</p><p>What a f**king asshole! That's another chapter in my career that I will share someday. Let's just say I have never covered another regular-season golf match or a piss-poor excuse for a volleyball match involving two lousy teams since then.</p><p>Again, what a f**king asshole.</p><p>It was now Friday and I had survived the week with only a Crescent City-Interlachen football game to cover that night. I still had a column to write.</p><p>So I wrote about my trials and tribulations the prior Friday ... and I held nothing back on both kudos and criticisms, especially the woman who gave me the hardest time. The only thing I spared my reading audience from was her name. I never found out and I didn't care. She was going to be turned into my personal whipping post and I asked for her being reprimanded.</p><p>Even fired. I didn't care. It's my goddamn opinion as far as I'm concerned.</p><p>Now it's Monday, September 24, 10 days after the horrible ordeal I had dealt with. I am summoned into the office of the editor.</p><p>He takes out a piece of paper -- this shit's not even on official <i>Palatka Daily News</i> letterhead, just the name typed at the top.</p><p>I'm told by him how bad a person I am for even doing a column like I did and that I'm supposed to sign this piece of paper that for all I cared, I could have thrown on the parking lot grounds, whipped my dick out and pissed all over it.</p><p>He wrote this, but I know this wasn't <i>his </i>dirty work by any means. This was my publisher's work, and let's just say my four years at the <i>Daily News</i> with this guy in charge was a little bit frosty. I hated him. I'm sure he hated me. This man threatened me with my job at least five times.</p><p>Yes ... <i>five times! </i>And a big reason why: I was doing a morning radio show at WPLK down the road from the paper from 6-7 a.m. This guy didn't like my format because half of it had to do with telling people scores and highlights of games, but I was also promoting our paper to people who wanted to read it or subscribe to it.</p><p>Oh, he also didn't like the fact I had a sports guest on every Thursday on the radio show and that I'd interview them there, even though I had interviewed them for our paper as well.</p><p>Simply put, he hated the people at the radio station. I know they were not crazy about him, either.</p><p>But in 2018, my publisher made things personal against me. I know he did.</p><p>Let's put it this way: NOBODY said a word about my column during that week or the week after or the week after that.</p><p>My publisher decided to make it about <i>"Mark's a baaaaad person and needs to be punished."</i></p><p>So here is the memo as chiseled out by my editor, but actually written originally by my publisher. I know this: The editor didn't give a shit.</p><p><i>Re: Sept. 22, 2018 sports column</i></p><p><i>Let this serve as a written warning as it pertains to your job performance following the publishing of your sports column on Saturday, September 22, 2018.</i></p><p><i>The column should not have been written for a number of reasons, first and foremost is the fact that you publicly criticize a corporation for not allowing the utilization of their services at no cost. This happens to be the same exact same policy that not only Community Newspapers, Inc. implements on a daily basis, but most businesses throughout every industry follow the same policy. It is common sense. CNI will be very lucky if Marriott doesn't ask it to publish a public letter of apology. Secondly, you cite a specific Mariott International employee and state that she should be suspended or terminated. Your basis for this assessment is that she implemented company policy and you didn't like it.</i></p><p><i>It is one thing for a sports reporter to write a column calling for the termination of a prominent coach or team executive. That comes with the territory of sports reporting. It is quite another to do so for an employee of a corporation, who doesn't work in such a public environment, especially when all she did was enforce a corporate policy.</i></p><p><i>Thirdly, this topic may have been a significant matter to you, but it is of little interest to our readership,. In fact, it paints the Palatka Daily News in a terrible light.</i></p><p><i>The message to our readers is that we will use our platform to disparage a business simply if we don't like its polices or we are inconvenienced.</i></p><p><i>I have spoken with the publisher regarding this matter and we have agreed that a written warning is needed at this point, as well as a 30-day probationary period. If any further behavior similar to this occurs within that time frame, further disciplinary action will be taken up to and including termination. Thank you for your attention to this matter.</i></p><p>OK, let's answer each one of these points:</p><p>1. Marriott didn't give a shit and we never heard from them over it.<br />2. Not <i>all </i>businesses work under the same congeniel attitude. When I went into that hotel that night, I was given the go-ahead to do so <i>without the threat of being thrown out. </i>If the person there had told me I was not allowed to do my work from the start, I would have been disappointed, but would have left without incident.<br />3. This person I called for termination <i>wasn't </i>the first time I asked for such an action to a non-sports person. Nobody gave a shit about that then. So this wasn't my first rodeo where all bad things happened because someone got a case of crotch itch and decided I was the person to take it out on. Publishers shouldn't judge award-winning column writers on subject matter, really.<br />4. As stated above, NO ONE cared about what I wrote about. So really, it never put us in a <i>bad</i> light.<br />5. The "acceptance" that I get thrown out of a hotel at deadline is the first sign that you don't really give a shit about whether a story of local note gets into the paper or not. That's an easy sign for me to know you aren't a very supportive person.<br /></p><p>Believe me when I say this: I <i>soooooo </i>wanted to tempt that last fate badly. Things that particular week before (when I got sent to meaningless regular-season boys golf and volleyball) got so bad, I called up my buddy Skeet Alford, who ran WPLK, and asked if I could get a fulltime job there. He painted a less-than-rosy picture, but still wanted me to think about the situation.</p><p>And to be honest, if they had fired me during that time period, they would have done me a favor. </p><p>This newspaper stopped being a wonderful place to come to every day. It started to feel like a prison and that everyone had to be on their best behavior. Really, the only reason why I <i>didn't</i> try to get myself canned was because of my boss, Andy. He kept trying to tell me that he wasn't ready to start anew with someone else instead of me after 15 years together, and certainly not under the current situation at that time.</p><p>I bit my lip and tongue until it bled, but I did all I could to be a good co-worker. Every day, I told myself the same thing, over and over again, when I went into that building: <i>Please don't do anything to make me punch these people in the face.</i></p><p>Man, was that challenging! That period of my life is long over now, but the memories of it still sadly linger Sarcasm gets me through those times.</p><p>Nothing ever gets you prepared for the worst time of your life.</p><p>And September 2018 was the worst that it got.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-31877914487850432102023-08-23T11:14:00.002-07:002023-08-23T11:14:45.903-07:00The tone-setter at Lamade Stadium<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkEzUGT8JyI6RO628Un3_28dg0Hc3hRreqL4bPH8nRDEcA3qOLZiRxoKbKtAPqvpy4eKrF6bijqJJSOhNjkSjX1nuuO5O3bMCI5nF91eCzsQU4VgdrMAt-2zi8shaqeBDSuNVguBPAv3vWibdSgNYGzvsGXB64ny_w_bxev2aKVhOjQHWkGIWrrfbilUl/s640/LLWS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="640" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkEzUGT8JyI6RO628Un3_28dg0Hc3hRreqL4bPH8nRDEcA3qOLZiRxoKbKtAPqvpy4eKrF6bijqJJSOhNjkSjX1nuuO5O3bMCI5nF91eCzsQU4VgdrMAt-2zi8shaqeBDSuNVguBPAv3vWibdSgNYGzvsGXB64ny_w_bxev2aKVhOjQHWkGIWrrfbilUl/w400-h291/LLWS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>There was little time to bask in the glory of going to the Little League World Series.</p>The Toms River East American Little League All-Star team -- the second version of the Windsor Avenue Gang -- had defeated the boys from Georgetown, Del., 2-0, behind Scott Fisher's no-hitter on August 20, 1998, a Thursday night, to win the East Regional Tournament championship.<br /><br />By the next morning, I was back at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Complex in Bristol, Connecticut, to interview various team members. Normally, I would have had that Friday off from work because the <i>Ocean County Observer </i>did not publish on Saturdays.<br /><br />But not anymore! At least for the time being. We were now property of Gannett and that meant being buddy-buddy with our rivals for generations, the <i>Asbury Park Press</i>.<br /><br />Can you say "Awkward?" Well, it was, and for this Friday, I was here, my girlfriend Beth in tow with me because she wanted to be with me here in Connecticut but was limited by a severe back issue so she couldn't witness in person that TREA victory the night before and settled with watching it on our hotel room TV.<br /><br />I told her as much as I didn't want to be here, I had to be here. Joe Adelizzi, the longtime sports editor at the<i> Press</i>, was here, too, and we had to write different stories on this team. He wrote a story on the arrangements the grownups had to make to turn everything around from Bristol to Williamsport, Pa. for the World Series, which was to open on that Sunday evening. I simply had the task of writing about the afterglow of a championship with these boys I've known for over a month by now.<br /><br />One of the boys who starred on the team was catcher Brad Frank, the son of Toms River High School East baseball coach Bill Frank. That young man could talk, so it was easy to go to him to chat about what the time in Bristol was like.<br /><br />I told Joe that I would not likely have a story until later in the afternoon because Beth and I were headed back to Toms River. She had packed her stuff for the four days we were together, two in Bristol, two in New Jersey. At least we hit the roads during the middle of a Friday workday.<br /><br />We stopped to eat somewhere and got back to my parents' place late that afternoon. I started banging away on the story at the kitchen table on the Tandy TR-180 laptop that did me well throughout the trip. I sent it in to the <i>Press</i> by after 6 p.m. and waited to see what the story looked like the next day after the <i>Press </i>editors edited it.<br /><br /><i>Spoiler alert:</i> I didn't give a shit what the <i>Press </i>editors did with my stories because it's hard to fight City Hall when THEY think they're doing a great job even as they misinterpret a point I'm making in the story. Whatever!<br /><br />Beth and I spent the morning going out and doing some things in town. Originally, we had talked about going out to Williamsport together, but her back was just getting worse and it was the best idea to drive her to the Point Pleasant Beach train station and send her back to Queens where she lived and let her heal instead of the constant running around, which was upcoming for me.<br /><br />After spending a few hours at work putting another story together for just our newspaper, I went home, got some sleep and then started anew.<br /><br />Toms River East American had the only game on the docket on this Sunday, August 23 to open up the World Series. It was a 5:30 p.m. start, so I had plenty of time to pack in the morning and headed out by noon up the Garden State Parkway to I-280, then west into I-80 and into Pennsylvania where the mountains seemed regal as you looked around you. By around 4 p.m., I was in Lewisburg, Pa., and at the Quality Inn, the same hotel I stayed at three years earlier for the first Windsor Avenue Gang, which went 1-2 in the U.S. pool and didn't play in the final.<br /><br /><i>Keep this in mind:</i> East American went 2-2 in pool play in Connecticut and made the semifinal round as a second seed, but thanks to the pitching of Casey Gaynor, the youngest son of manager Mike Gaynor, and Fisher, their next two opponents went away with goose eggs. Personally, I wasn't sure how much this team would hit after Todd Frazier and Fisher went 1-2 in the batting order, the two best hitters Mike Gaynor had.<div><br /></div><div>Was I looking at being out of here by mid-week like the last time three years ago? I know it sounds cliche-ish, but for me, this group needed to take each game one at a time.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first team up on the Little League World Series docket: The boys from Georgetown National in Jenison, Mich. I had never heard of Jenison until that moment. And imagine the irony: They had vanquished a team from Georgetown, Del., to win the regional, now it was another Georgetown the East American kids were playing. By the way, I found out that Jenison, Mich., is in the southwestern part of the state and is actually as close to Chicago than it is Detroit.</div><div><br /></div><div>So there's the geography lesson of the day. Unlike three years ago when I had never been to Williamsport and showed up in the second inning of East American's 11-10 thrilling loss to Spring, Texas, I got to the stadium about 45 minutes before the game. And I noticed a big change from the previous visit. A new stadium was being built where the old parking lot was. That would end up being Volunteer Stadium, where international teams would play games in the Series.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remembered certain places to go at the complex, so I walked over to get my credentials, then I made the trip into Lamade Stadium and up ramps until I got to where I would sit for my time there -- next to the ramp that led to the ABC/ESPN broadcast booth. It meant my view of everything in left field was obscured.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fifteen seasons of covering Little League for my paper and <i>this </i>is what I get as a reward? Thanks for nothing! If something happened in left field or down the third-base line, I'd have to stand up and stretch as far as I could to see what was going on. I asked an official there if there was somewhere better to sit for this and he told me there wasn't and that all the seats were taken.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bit my poisonous tongue without saying a word and accepted the, "Glad to be in the building" mantra.</div><div><br /></div><div>As always, Mike Gaynor chose to be the visiting team after winning the coin toss. And this was a big deal: By the end of the game, it was announced 13,800 fans had come to Lamade Stadium to see the teams that came four and nine hours away. I knew the team I was there to cover traveled well, but those boys from Jenison had a large rooting section as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>For this game, Gaynor sent his son to the mound with four day's rest. That was perfect for him. Georgetown National sent a young man to the hill named Tony Clausen, a bulldog who battled East American hitters ... when he found his accuracy.</div><div><br /></div><div>The dangerous Frazier walked to start the game and three terrible pitches later, Frazier was home, the last being after a strikeout of Fisher. Though Mike Belostock walked and Joe Franceschini singled and yet another wild pitch put runners on second and third, Clausen showed cat-like reflexes to get to a two-out bunt attempt by Gaynor to throw hin out first to keep it 1-0.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the bottom of the first inning, Gaynor ran into immediate trouble. Leadoff hitter Pete VanderKolk beat out an infield hit. Second hitter Casey Robrahn bunted for a base hit to put runners on first and second. And on a 2-1 pitch, Gaynor threw a meatball that No. 3 hitter Derek Stempin drilled 245 feet over the right-center field fene for a 3-1 lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>I sat in my seat going, <i>"Here we go again!"</i> I read this damn script before: August 21, 1995, same field against those boys from the Northwest 45 Little League of Spring, Texas. Starting pitcher and future Major League ballplayer Jeff Frazier did not have it that day, and even when East American gave him a lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, he squandered it and Northwest 45 came from behind to win, 11-10, and ultimately cost East American a chance to play for the national championship.</div><div><br /></div><div>One out later, Billy Miller singled up the middle, but Gaynor settled down to get Sean Markle to pop out and Brandon Button to ground out to third baseman Gabe Gardner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Auspicious start, but I also knew these boys weren't going to be down that long. In the top of the second, a costly error by Robrahn at first put Eric Campesi on first with one out. No. 9 hitter Frank doubled down the left-field line to get Campesi to third and get the top of the lineup back up. Frazier grounded out to shortstop Markle, but that got Campesi home to make it 3-2. Though Fisher walked, Clausen struck out Gardner to end the inning, one of 10 strikeouts Clausen would have on the evening.</div><div><br /></div><div>These boys from Jenison, I found out, were relentless. Brett Meyer opened the bottom of the second against Gaynor with a double to left field, pinch-hitter Ben Van Klompenberg singled him to third and a forceout by Vanderkolk to shortstop Frazier at second brought Meyer home to make it 4-2.</div><div><br /></div><div>The top of the third came. And this was the moment when I realized the spotlight was not going to be too big for the boys I was there to cover.</div><div><br /></div><div>After Belostock struck out looking, Franceschini -- all 4-foot-8 and 75 pounds of him -- poked a single to left field. Then Clausen had difficulty finding the plate again and walked Gaynor and Cris Cardone to load the bases. Clausen recovered to strike out Campesi swinging, leaving it up to the young man I could rely on to talk my ear off -- beside Todd Frazier.</div><div><br /></div><div>It waas No. 9 hitter Frank, who, in my opinion, had the best eye at the plate. It's always these darned catchers! Frank worked the count to 3-2 and then he took a borderline outside pitch for ball four. Franceschini came trotting down the third-base line to make it 4-3.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that meant Frazier was coming to the plate. Clausen had done all he could to avoid the heart of Frazier's aluminum bat in his first two at-bats. The count was 1-1 and the next pitch was probably not where Clausen wanted it. It was letter high and outside and it didn't matter much to Frazier.</div><div><br /></div><div>That resounding <i>"ping"</i> off the bat meant that ball wasn't coming back. He belted it a good 260 feet away over the right-center field fence to give the Windsor Avenue Gang a 7-4 lead with his grand slam.</div><div><br /></div><div>Todd Frazier's bat was alive -- and that meant bad news to anyone who faced him the rest of the Series.</div><div><br /></div><div>But remember, Casey Gaynor was not having a good game on the mound. And Georgetown National knew it ... very well, they knew it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Clausen singled to left field and one pitch later, Miller blasted another Gaynor meatball over the center field fence to cut the lead to 7-6. After that, Markle doubled to the left-center field gap and stole third. After two strikeouts, No. 9 hitter Van Klompenberg singled to right to bring home Markle and tie the game and when Campesi treated the ball like it was a hand grenade, Van Klompenberg moved to second.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vanderkolk, who may not have had Frazier's power, but could hang with him as an effective leadoff hitter, then beat out an infield hit and when Robrahn's grounder swallowed Gardner up at third base for an error, Georgetown National was back up, 8-7.</div><div><br /></div><div>These guys from the Wolverine State were like pests -- they would not go the hell away! And if you gave them an opening, they more than took advantage of it. Whether these guys remembered the other East American team playing in this event three years ago or not, they were willing to stand toe to toe and slug it out with the New Jersey boys for however long it was going to take.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turns out it was going to take quite awhile.</div><div><br /></div><div>Clausen settled down in the fourth to set East American hitters down 1-2-3. But Gaynor settled down and got a flyout, popout and groundout in a 1-2-3,<i> three-pitch</i> inning against Georgetown National.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the top of the fifth, Gaynor walked and new left fielder R.J. Johansen singled to put runners on first and second with no out. Pinch-hitter Tom Gannon forced out Gaynor at third with a grounder, but Frank came through again: He blooped a single to right field to send Johansen home and tie the game at 8-all.</div><div><br /></div><div>That meant the top of the lineup was back up, but Clausen got Frazier to fly out harmlessly and Fisher to lineout to second baseman Robrahn, keeping the game tied. By now, Clausen's pitch count was at 117.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I didn't stutter when I typed that, especially in this era of saving arms and pitch counts. Five innings, 117 pitches. And when Gaynor answered his fourth-inning 1-2-3 with two strikeotus and a groundout for another 1-2-3 inning, Clausen was back on the mound to start the sixth in a tie game.</div><div><br /></div><div>East American fans were up and excited, knowing a run here and they could go home with the win with another solid Gaynor inning on the mound. But the big boppers -- Frazier and Fisher -- were now hitting 8-9 in the order in this inning, so it was the "other" guys who had to come through.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Gardner, who struggled the whole evening with two strikeouts and a flyout, got it started by legginng out an infield hit. The go-ahead run was on. And on the first pitch to the next batter, Belostock, Gardner swiped second base.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now he was in scoring position with no outs. On the very next pitch, a passed ball by catcher Miller had Gardner on third ... and one base away from giving East American the lead. All with no outs. Mike Gaynor had Belostock catch Georgetown National fielders sleeping by pushing a bunt toward the mound. Clausen checked Gardner back to third and threw to second baseman Robrahn at first for the first out.</div><div><br /></div><div>But once again, the smallest player in the East American lineup delivered as Franceschini lined a single to right-center field to score Gardner to make it 9-8. However, just as East American got rolling, Gaynor grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gaynor had recorded an "economical" 66 pitches, including that three-pitch, 1-2-3 fourth inning. Unlike his tepid start where he struggled, he had found his groove by now. Three outs, and East American survives.</div><div><br /></div><div>But he was done. His father had made the decision to get Fisher, a hard-throwing left-hander and one of East's top pitchers, on the mound to get the save, save his son's arm and go into the next game at 1-0.</div><div><br /></div><div>On four pitches, Fisher struck out Vanderkolk, the Georgetown leadoff hitter. One out.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the very next pitch, Robrahn ground out to second baseman Franceschini. Two outs.</div><div><br /></div><div>One out left. And up was Stempin, who had drilled a three-run, first-inning home run, but had fouled out and flied out since.</div><div><br /></div><div>First pitch ... strike one. Second pitch ... swing and a miss. Strike two. One more strike and this was East American's game.</div><div><br /></div><div>But Fisher missed the mark of where Frank wanted the pitch thrown. What happened here left me a while to pick my jaw up from off the floor.</div><div><br /></div><div>The left-handed hitting Stempin nailed the 0-2 pitch and send the ball well over the right-field fence. The shot had to be around 300 feet. It was a breathtaking no-doubter. And we're tied at 9-all. Clausen hit a bullet on the next pitch, however right at Frazier to end the inning.</div><div><br /></div><div>But on one swing, the damage was done. And suddenly it was extra innings between the clubs. Hadn't we gotten enough entertainment already?! It was almost 7:30 p.m. and I had a 10 p.m. deadline to meet with the <i>Observer </i>and an 11 p.m. deadline with the <i>Press. </i>Still, the weather was gorgeous that night and having free baseball was only appropriate for the level of fight both teams showed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chris Crawford, the East American center fielder and third player to be in the No. 8 slot of the order, singled against Clausen in the seventh to start the inning. But two outs later, Clausen wasn't having <i>anything </i>to do with Frazier, walking him on four pitches, the fourth a wild pitch that sent Crawford to third. That brought up Fisher, but he got under a pitch and popped out to first baseman Van Klompenberg.</div><div><br /></div><div>Clausen, now at 147 pitches, survived.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things got hairy for Fisher in the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, he hit Markle. Pinch-hitter John Sheeran bunted him to second and a passed ball on the very next pitch by Frank had Markle looking at home plate and ending the game. It was suddenly "Panic Time." Two pitches later, though, pinch-hitter Kody Fennema hit a harmless comebacker to Fisher and we went on to the eighth inning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gardner walked and two strikeouts later, Gaynor, now playing first base, singled to right. But Crawford grounded out, giving the Georgetown National players a chance to end the game. especially with the top of the order coming up. Though Robrahn beat out an infield hit, he was forced out at second by Stempin, who Fisher was careful to pitch to this time.</div><div><br /></div><div>After throwing 174 pitches, Clausen was done. He survived. Now it was Stempin, a left-hander, who came in to keep the East American bats down. But for the third time in the game, Frank delivered a hit, this time a single to center field. And once again, Frazier was carefully pitched to, drawing another walk, his third of the game. On a 1-2 pitch, Fisher just got under what could have been a long ride over the center-field fence. Instead, Clausen, who switched with Stempin, grabbed the flyball out. Gardner struck out on a foul tip into the catcher's mitt, and once again, Georgetown National had another chance to end the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>Robrahn beat out a two-out infield hit, but a Stempin forceout at second ended the threat.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was now the 10th inning ... and it was after 8 p.m., and I'm starting to worry (again) about making deadline. All our guys needed was a run ... and hopefully soon!</div><div><br /></div><div>With one out in the 10th, Franceschini reached on a walk. But on a 2-2 pitch, Gaynor hit a grounder to second base where Robrahn fielded the ball, stepped on second and threw to Van Klompenberg for another double play to end the threat.</div><div><br /></div><div>But Fisher was up to the task again, getting the Nos. 7-8-9 batters out on two strikeouts and a groundout.</div><div><br /></div><div>Onto the 11th inning. By now, this was the longest game in the history of the Little League World Series. We were all told this in the press box. The previous longest game was in 1971. I'm thinking as the time ticks away on my 10 p.m. deadline, <i>"God has an amusing way of punishing me."</i> I was hating this whole new system Gannett set up for us and was hating wit now more than ever. </div><div><br /></div><div>What a time to stab your eyes out with toothpicks.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 11th inning started with an innocent walk by Stempin to Crawford. One pitch later, Miller tried to catch Crawford sleeping with a pickoff throw, but it was low and skipped into right field, allowing Crawford to scamper to second base with the go-ahead run.</div><div><br /></div><div>Campesi sacrifice bunted Crawford up to third, putting him in scoring position.</div><div><br /></div><div>But throughout the course of the evening into night time, we'd been here before. This time, though, it was Frank's turn at the plate. He was already 3-for-3 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two pitches later, he was 4-for-4. Frank ripped a single to center field and Crawford dashed in with the go-ahead run, 10-9.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Frazier was coming to the plate. Well ... he <i>was </i>coming to the plate, but Georgetown National's manager and coaching staff weren't allowing Frazier to do any damage. Four balls later, it was first and second. And when Fisher grounded out to Van Klompenberg at first, there was two outs and runners on second and third.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gardner came to the plate. One more out and Georgetown National had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the 11th inning. It was 2-1 on Gardner when he made contact with a grounder heading toward shortstop Markle's way, a play he's probably made hundreds of times before.</div><div><br /></div><div>But not this time. It was as if Bill Buckner had revisited this young boy's body as the ball went under his glove and legs, allowing Frank and Frazier to score to make it 12-9.</div><div><br /></div><div>It would be reported a couple of days later that the young man who already felt awful about the error that ended up opening this game up for East American got a telegram from a man who was watching this game and did what he could to pick the boy's spirits back up and encourage him.</div><div><br /></div><div>That man who sent the telegram of support? Country music superstar Garth Brooks.</div><div><br /></div><div>But no one was more affected by the costly error than Stempin, who walked Belostock, hit Franceschini with a pitch and walked Gaynor to force home Gardner to make it 13-9. Stempin eventually got a forceout for the third out, but the damage was seriously done.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fisher had the top of the Georgetown National lineup to start the 11th, so he had to be careful again. He got Vanderkolk and Robrahn on groudouts to start the 11th. That brought up Stempin, the young man who with one swing made this game go another hour. Ugh! This time, Stempin beat out an infield hit to the right side of the field, his third hit of the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>It did no damage. Four pitches later, Clausen, who bravely threw 174 pitches in eight innings of work, hit a pop-up that Frazier gloved for the final out.</div><div><br /></div><div>At 8:24 p.m., two hours and 51 minutes after the game started, it was finally -- FINALLY!!! -- over.</div><div><br /></div><div>East American won the longest game in Little League World Series history, 13-9, in 11 innings.</div><div><br /></div><div>Remembering how the press conferences worked after the game, I had to head downstairs to an area near the front of the entrance way to the stadium off on the side. By the time Mike Gaynor arrived with a pair of players, it was 8:40 p.m. and I'm asking him to go through his mindset of what had transpired on the field in those nearly three hours, especially the move to taking his son out and putting Fisher in to finish it up and how that would hurt him going forward.</div><div><br /></div><div>Calm, cool and collected, Mike Gaynor said he didn't worry one bit about it. His pitching staff would be fine. For the next game against a team from California, he went with Frazier. East American won, 4-2, as Frazier threw 92 pitches in the complete game. The following night, Gaynor came back with his son on one-day's rest and threw 73 pitches this time in a 5-3 triumph over Tar Heel Little League of Greenville, N.C. For the U.S. championship against Tar Heel two days after that, Fisher pitched the entire game, a 5-2 win, and threw 78 pitches.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turns out Gaynor was right about the pitching staff. And those who followed this East American Little League to the championship know the rest of the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for <i>my </i>story, I had to get it done for our paper in just under an hour. It felt like a novel ... like this blog piece! But it didn't take as long as it did to tell you all the details. I sent the story to my boss, Al Ditzel, who was now sitting for me on desk on this Sunday night when I would normally play editor. Than I had to do it<i> all over again </i>for the <i>Asbury Park Press </i>and write a completely different angle to the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was done just before 11 p.m. It was a <i>loooooong </i>day, from packing in the morning, to the nearly four-hour trip to the area, to getting into my hotel room, then turning around and heading up US-15 to the stadium, and enduring the longest game in the history of the World Series to finishing two stories and then going back to the hotel and just plunking myself down on the bed and not waking up until 8 the next morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>This game was simply one of those moments that defined an entire team. East American's Windsor Avenue Gang II did not back down. They weren't allowed to ... there were too many people sitting in those seats behind them that wanted the best for them. And those kids delivered a World Series title six days later.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the game against the boys of Jenison will live on in history.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't the championship ... but it sure felt like it was.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-72791847561298685552023-08-08T11:04:00.000-07:002023-08-08T11:04:03.651-07:00Toms River East American Doubleheader Saturday<p>This particular month as I write this blog story marks the (I can't believe it myself!) 25th anniversary of the legendary Little League World Series championship for Toms River East American in Williamsport, Pa.</p>The first of the amazing games I covered took place on Saturday, August 8, 1998, and it was a harrowing and long day.<br /><br />Why? I was having to cover the OLD GUARD of the Windsor Avenue Gang, the 1995 Little League World Series participants, who were playing in the East Regional Tournament, thankfully, in West Deptford, N.J., where the tournament was held once again. The manager of that team was Bob Paschon and his assistant was Bill Castner. For a fourth consecutive year, this group of young men -- players like Jeff Frazier, Colin Gaynor and Chris Cerullo -- had won the state title, first as Little Leaguers in 1995, then as Junior Leaguers in 1996 and the last two as Senior Leaguers.<br /><br />I was to do that game in the late morning down there (11 a.m. start), come back to the office at the Observer in Toms River, write the story, help where I could with layout for my boss, Al Ditzel, then head north on Route 9 to Sayreville where Toms River East American's "newest" Windsor Avenue Gang -- led by Todd Frazier, Scott Fisher and Casey Gaynor, managed by Mike Gaynor and assisted by Joe Franceschini and Ken Kondek -- would have to defeat Randolph in the winner-take-all, double-elimination state Little League All-Star tournament. East American had lost the night before in Sayreville to Randolph, 3-2, as Randolph scored all its runs the first inning and held on from there.<br /><br />So this long Saturday started at 9:15 a.m. with that long, boring trip on Route 70 into Cherry Hill, then onto I-295 and off the exit for West Deptford. A year had passed since the disappointment of this group playing like crap and losing in three games. Almost the same group of young men, same manager, same assistant coach, and same setting.<br /><br />The first matchup was against South Portland of Maine. Paschon tabbed Jeff Frazier to be the starting pitcher. First inning: Ten pitches, nine for strikes, three strikeouts. One ball from an immaculate inning. The first three innings, Frazier allowed just one single.<br /><br />But it was no score. That changed in the bottom of the third inning. Andy Diaz singled. Jason Campanalonga singled. Chris Aiello singled to load the bases. Then Chris Donnelly singled home Diaz. An error on an Eric Edwards grounder by shortstop Jon Furbush scored Campanalonga. A bases-loaded walk one out later to Jeremy Dandorph plated Aiello.<br /><br />That was really all Frazier and Campanalonga, who came in to relieve in the seventh, needed for support. East American went on to a 9-3 win. Talked with Paschon and Frazier and I was out of there by nearly 2 p.m.<br /><br />Got back to the office by 3:45 and started typing away on my story. Helped out with the scoreboard page that afternoon, and by 5:30, I was out the door again, this time heading north in my 1993 Ford Thunderbird LX up Route 9 to Sayreville Little League for the second straight night, this time hoping East American got it right this evening against Randolph for the state title.<br /><br />Arrived with about 10 minutes to spare as Route 9 traffic got a little challenging in Monmouth County for a spell. Mike Gaynor was sending his youngest son to the mound to get the job done. It had been 14 years and four days since my first trip to Sayreville Little League -- and that ended in a Brick American section final loss and a trip to White Castle afterward.<br /><br />A trip to Bristol, Conn., was on the line this time around. But as the game opened at a few minutes after 7 p.m., I had to hustle. I brought the Observer's Tandy-TRS 80 laptop to type a story in as the game went on and then send the story through the couplers I was to put the phone into with the hope no one else was looking to use the phone in another room of the building and ruin the feed back to Toms River.<br /><br />Oh, those were the annoyingly painful days.<br /><br />East American was the visiting team for this one and broke through in the top of the third, just like its Senior League counterparts did earlier in the day. Chris Crawford singled, Brad Frank bunted for a base hit and Todd Frazier walked to load the bases for the dangerous Fisher. Starting pitcher Marc Nigro really did not want anything to do with Fisher and walked him to force home Crawford.<br /><br />Andrew Viccaro came in to replace Nigro with the bases loaded and still none out. Mike Belostock delivered a single to left-center field to score Frank and Frazier and it waas 3-0. Belostock would ultimately come around on a weird play. Gabe Gardner hit a pop-up on the right side of the field. Second baseman Scott Lineback caught the ball going away toward the line, but Mike Gaynor sent Belostock home from third and he beat the play at the plate for a 4-0 lead.<br /><br />This team was determined.<br /><br />Randolph got a run back in the bottom of the third on a costly error by Belostock in right field. With Nigro on second base after that play and two outs, Viccaro singled to right field. Belostock got the ball, threw to second baseman Joey Franceschini, who in turn threw a strike to Frank at the plate to nail Nigro to keep it 4-1.<br /><br />That would turn out to be one of the biggest plays of the game.<br /><br />East American added another run in the fourth when Crawford singled, pinch-runner Eric Campesi moved to second on a Frank groundout and scored when Frazier rocketed a double to the center-field wall.<br /><br />Then in the top of the fifth, Gardner got a hold of a 2-0 fastball from Viccaro and deposited it over the right-center field fence to make it 5-1. East American was on its way and the game story was becoming increasingly easy to write as 8:30 arrived by this point and I was going to beat the 10 p.m. deadline imposed on us now that Gannett had put its evil-doing hands on us and made us get done early with the newspaper.<br /><br />But then things have a way of evening itself out. Gaynor had thrown 59 pitchers and looked good through four innings. Here's where the evening out part happened. And the consternation of getting this damn game over with happened.<br /><br />Pinch-hitters Mike DeLisa and Brian Margue started the inning with back-to-back singles, bringing up the top of the Randolph order. Gaynor struck out Lineback and got Nigro on a groundout to plate DeLisa, making it 5-2. That's when Gaynor made his worst pitch of the night. It was 1-0 on Viccaro and he smoked it -- well over the center-field fence.<br /><br />Remember it being 5-1? It was now 5-4. And I really wasn't up to re-writing my story in case Randolph found a way to come back and win the game and the whole East American Little League World Series championship run never, ever exists. Silently with a couple of Sayreville personnel doing PA and the scoreboard upstairs, I'm saying, "C'mon guys! Hold on to this lead!"<br /><br />Belostock, one of the unsung heroes of that East American team, would deliver the RBI hit in the top of the sixth that scored Crawford to make it 6-4. East American had a chance to put this one way with runners on second and third, but Gaynor hit a heat-seaking missile right at Nigro to end the inning.<br /><br />By now, it was after 9 p.m. and I was hoping Randolph ran out of rallies. Now at 77 pitches and starting to run out of gas, Gaynor walked the first batter he faced, Kenny Anderson. Dave Kivett hit a forceout to second baseman Franceschini for the first out, but a balk against Gaynor -- and I rarely saw that on this level -- moved Kivett into scoring position.<br /><br />Hang on, guys! Chris Soriano hit a comebacker to Gaynor for the second out. That left it to Mike Cattano, who came back into the game after DeLisa had pinch-hit for him. Gaynor got to 1-2 on him before Cattano fought back with a pair of foul balls and a couple of balls worked the count to 3-2.<br /><br />It's 9:20 p.m. Let's go!<br /><br />On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Cattano hit a sky-high flyball to center field. I can see Fisher drift back ... and drift back ... and still drift back some more. If this ball had better wings to fly, I would REALLY be in trouble for it would have been 6-all and extra innings looming.<br /><br />Thankfully, the wings only flapped so much. The ball rested softly in Fisher's right-handed glove. East American was a state champion for the second time in four years, holding on this time for the 6-4 victory.<br /><br />But I still had to run downstairs, get a quote from Mike Gaynor and then re-construct this story on the Tandy TR-80. Nowadays, I can see my whole screen when I'm writing a story from inside T.I.A.A. Bank Field or Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on a laptop. The Tandy only allowed me to see a few lines at a time. It was annoying.<br /><br />I had additions to put into the story, including the Gaynor quotes, and a few subtractions to make. I'm sure Al was worried about getting this story. But somehow, I put it in proper English and sent it off to him without much hassle by 9:45 p.m. to beat the 10 p.m. deadline that I despised one month into the Gannett takeover.<br /><br />Two days later, I had to be back in West Deptford to cover the East American Senior Leaguers again. The original plan was that I was covering the East American Senior League team until its run was over, while someone at the Asbury Park Press (our NEW sisters/brothers in arms after over 100 years of fighting for quality stories against them) was covering the Toms River East American Little League state champs.<br /><br />First things, first: I was NEVER crazy about going to Kissimmee, Florida in the dead heat of August for the Senior League World Series had East American gotten there. Second thing: The next two games this team HISTORICALLY underachieved like no one's business. It lost to Montoursville, Pa., 6-4, on that Sunday, infamously remembered for Campanalonga's temper getting the worst of him and he getting tossed from this game for arguing a called third strike against him -- in a freakin' game he was pitching!! Nice timing!<br /><br />This team was a mess and it proved itself in the elimination-bracket game the following day against Fairport, N.Y. when Frazier, pitching a day after his 16th birthday, did not have his best stuff and Fairport beat East American, 10-5, thus ending East American's season and the legendary careers of a number of those players who had built East American's reputation.<br /><br />Now here's where I turned selfish ... and I got assists unknowingly from the wonderful parents as well as Gaynor and others who knew me for years and years at East American Little League.<div><br /></div><div>My boss said I was ready to go up to Bristol, Conn., and handle the coverage of this TREA Little League All-Star team. He told the higher-ups that at the APP (because we had to do EVERYTHING through them now ... ugh!!!). Meanwhile, the East American group had enough already with the guy the APP installed to write. After a couple of games -- including a tough loss to South Shore of Staten Island, N.Y. -- that young man was replaced and I got to cover that team.<br /><br />All the way to Williamsport. All the way to the World Series championship.<br /><br />Still the greatest moment of my career. And I wasn't really up to going to Kissimmee anyway.</div>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-57147739023358129142022-06-04T18:05:00.004-07:002022-06-04T18:05:55.907-07:00The Grudge Match of '92<p>It was Thursday, and by now, the week had already been an interesting one at Point Pleasant Boro Middle/High School's softball field.</p><p>On Monday, June 1, it rained and the first semifinal matchup between top-seeded Central Regional and fourth-seeded Southern Regional had been postponed. And since <i>both </i>semifinals were played on that same field that night, it meant having to stick around and wait for the Jackson Memorial and Toms River East buses to arrive and tell them to turn back the other way and try again tomorrow.</p><p>Since this was my first venture into co-directing the Ocean County Tournament with Boro coach Ric Malta, it meant making sure <i>everything </i>was right. But when rain comes, it makes things awfully difficult. And that meant finances, too. The four umpires who were to make calls on the field <i>all had to be paid </i>for that night because they all showed up.</p><p>Still OK, though, since we were going to get them again for the two semifinals the next night under absolutely beautiful conditions at Point Boro. In the first game, Southern and Central started over again, and Central would outlast Southern, 10-8, to advance to its first final in four years. The second game was an absolute thriller with East coming out on top in eight innings, 8-7.</p><p>We had our championship game albeit a day late. The top-seeded Golden Eagles would be taking on the second-seeded Raiders for the first time ever in the final on Thursday night, June 4, 1992.</p><p>But this was more than just No. 1 vs. No. 2. This was going to be a grudge match where no one was going to be really friendly before, during and after the game. The cause? That was Toms River East sophomore pitcher Erin Tulko. Tulko was a member of Central Regional's team as a freshman, but was relegated to "sometimes" duty behind fellow freshman Tara Menschner, who was beginning to make a name for herself in the circle. </p><p>So during the next school year, Tulko's family transferred her to Toms River East. And, immediatley, Raiders coach Debbie Schwartz had an instant ace to return after taking a year off for maternity leave. Schwartz was not afraid to ride Tulko's high-powered arm and the Raiders were a big-time threat after a five-win season under temporary head coach Joe Arminio.</p><p>Tulko was a threat both in the circle and in the batter's box, where she delivered seven home runs for the Raiders. She was the main attraction of a Raiders team that turned things around in 1992. The "other" parts of the Raider lineup fit nicely, starting with catcher and leadoff hitter Vicki Kube, sisters Angela and Stephanie Velardi, shortstop Amy Mullane and freshman center fielder Vicki Guarneri.</p><p>But, let's face facts -- Tulko's heat was a major reason for the Raiders' success. A 1-0 deficit felt like 3-0, maybe 4-0 and a 2-0 deficit felt like 6-0. She was that good.</p><p>Still, there was a reason why Tulko was no longer at Central Regional. I mean, you don't force kids to go somewhere else, and a lot of it ... was attitude. If you knew Golden Eagles coach Norm Selby and assistant Gloria Garibaldi, they were no-nonsense people. They didn't want prima donnas dotting their premier lineup and they would tell you in not so many words to get an "attitude adjustment." </p><p>Selby had run this program since 1981 when he took over for Marshall Davenport and had won numerous division titles and four OCT championships in the 1980s. The Golden Eagles even went to the NJSIAA Group III championship game in 1986, and won another NJSIAA South Jersey Group III title in 1988.</p><p>But after that 27-3 season for the Golden Eagles, the wheels began to loosen up. Star third baseman Michelle Carlson transferred from Central to East -- not her choice, mind you. And though the Golden Eagles were still winning, the win totals were not very high between 1989-91.</p><p>However, the 1991 Golden Eagles team offered a glimpse into the future. That team offered a look at very young players growing up. By the following year, the Golden Eagles had won 20 games and shared the Shore Conference Class B South title.</p><p>Now in what was the final game of the season for the Golden Eagles, they had that first county championship in four years on their minds. Menschner was back in her normal place in the circle. Senior Amy McGowan was her catcher the last two years. They had a steady infield of junior first baseman Amber Dafeldecker, junior second baseman Tara Gardner, freshman shortstop Dana Kennett and sophomore Erika Applegate.</p><p>Anchoring Central's outfield were a pair of seniors -- Selby's daughter, Lorrin, was in left field, and easily the best senior athlete in Ocean County, Lauren Wagner, was roaming center field. Freshman April Rose was in right field.</p><p>The night was already long. For the one and only time in the tournament's history, a third-place game was played (both Ric and I thought it was a great idea when we came up with it). And that game took over two and a half hours to play, but in the end, it was Southern outlasting Jackson, 9-8, in eight innings.</p><p>So a 7:30 p.m. start time was already not happening. Immediately, you can see a difference in both finalists' approach in this game. East struggled with its 15 minutes of warmup before the finale, struggling to come up with groundballs. East used up every last second of that 15 minutes of warmup. I can still see Selby pointing to the watch on his right wrist. Thankfully, East was finishing up and Central took the field. Central's fielders looked confident in snagging groundball after groundball, while the outfielders were snagging all the flyballs.</p><p>Usually, you don't read much into that whatsoever. Just because you have a good or bad warmup doesn't mean you can carry that onto the field.</p><p>On this night, both teams did.</p><p>In my normal position as public address announcer, I did my normal duties of announcing the substitutes and the starters for both teams. I played the national anthem and then there was a first pitch -- provided by OCT Most Valuable Player Lynne Prudhomme of Toms River South, who had won the honor 10 years before in 1982. She delivered a throw like she was still playing shortstop that I thought was going to take McGowan's glove off her hand.</p><p>But it was all finished and we finally got to play ball as the darkness was slowly settling in on the Point Boro field that evening.</p><p>If Menschner had any jitters, she did not show it. She struck out Kube looking to begin the game. She got third baseman Theresa Madden to pop out to Menschner. Tulko would bloop a single into right-center field for the first hit of the game. But Menschner controlled Angela Velardi, forcing her to hit a comebacker to end the first.</p><p>So far so good at Central's end. Now it was Tulko's turn to watch her let rip of her fastball on this night. She simply had one thing in mind -- overpower her former teammates, make them understand how much they missed not having her. And right off the bat, she began to prove that point against leadoff hitter Wagtner. She blew her fastball past Wagner for the first out on strikes.</p><p>Next was Lorrin Selby. She was able to make contact with Tulko and lofted a single into right field.</p><p>Selby's hit proved that their former teammate was not invincible. Then again, I'm sure coach Selby and Garibaldi had already shared that bit of wisdom with the players beforehand. Rose was next at the plate. She hit a grounder that should have been at least a forceout at second. Nope! Gyurecz fumbled the grounder for an error and runners were on first and second.</p><p>McGowan was the cleanup hitter, but she was not your quintessential cleanup hitter. But she was smart enough to stay away from chasing Tulko's pitches. Eventually, she worked out a walk and suddenly, Tulko had issues with the bases loaded and one out.</p><p>Her opposite number, Menschner, was at the plate. But it didn't take long for Tulko to overwhelm her, striking her out for the second out of the inning. All that was left was No. 6 hitter Applegate. Tulko got ahead of Applegate at 0-2. Then she tried to put one to the outside part of the plate. Applegate got enough of the bat on the ball to loft it into an area where no one was.</p><p>Selby and Rose scampered home with the first two Golden Eagles runs. After getting the ball late at the plate, Kube tried to make a pickoff of Applegate back at first.</p><p>Big mistake. The ball sailed over Angela Velardi's head and into the outfield to easily plate McGowan. Applegate got to second on the overthrow. Then Dafeldecker made things easily by hitting a grounder in between the plate and the circle. Tulko was slow to get to the ball and it took Kube's cat-like reflexes to throw Dafeldecker out by a step to end the inning.</p><p>The smoke figuratively cleared and the Raiders were down 3-0 after one inning. Their shoddy defense failed them in this moment. Still, East had a good enough team that they could gets hits off the accurate Menschner, put the ball in play and force the Golden Eagles to make plays. That's the plan, right?</p><p>The first out of the second inning was going to be all you needed to know about this game. Stephanie Klunk hit a foul ball over by the first-base fence. Dafeldecker hustled from her position lunged out and made the catch while also trapping East assistant coach Dawn Dziedzic, who could not get out of the way of the foul pop.</p><p>That play signified the rest of the night for the Golden Eagles defensively.</p><p>East, though, got a rally started as left fielder Jen Beresh and Mullane delivered back-to-back singles. That brought up Stephanie Velardi. Schwartz put the bunt on for Velardi, but she popped it up by the first-base line. Anticipating the bunt, Dafeldecker rushed in to make the snag, then turned around to where Gardner was at first base and fired a strike to double off Mullane to end the inning.</p><p>We were not in the bottom of the second inning, yet the Golden Eagles were operating on all cylinders, making big play after big play, holding the 3-0 lead.</p><p>In the bottom of the second, Tulko turned it up a notch. She struck out Kennett, Stacey Sperling and Wagner all swinging, winning her battle with Sperling after Sperling fouled off seven straight two-strike offerings.</p><p>Both teams went down in order in the third and by the top of the fourth, we were in darkness with the lights above us detailing what was happening. In the top of the fourth, Menschner got Tulko for the East slugger's first time in the tournament on a flyball out to Selby. But the Golden Eagles would make their only mistake of the night defensively, courtesy of the freshman Kennett, who threw an Angela Velardi groundball away and into dead-ball territory, putting Velardi on second. </p><p>How would East's bats respond? How would Central respond from the error? These were very important questions as we neared the midway point of this so-called grudge match.</p><p>It didn't take long to answer. Klunk hit a grounder back to Menschner, who looked Velardi back to second. She threw to Dafeldecker, but Velardi started toward third. The out was made at first and Dafeldecker delivered a low strike to Kennett covering third to nail Velardi to end the inning.</p><p>Once again, it was Central's defense saving the proverbial day. How could this keep happening, especially with East being the constant victim of this defensive wizardry?</p><p>East's own defensive wizardry? It was missing a wizard. With one out, Applegate beat out an infield hit. Dafeldecker hit a grounder to Mullane, but second baseman Kelly Gyurecz was not fast enough to get to second. That didn't stop Mullane from throwing toward the bag and throwing the ball into right field, allowing the runners to move up a base on what was East's third error of the game.</p><p>Central had a chance to put this one away, but Tulko found the gear to go into and strike out Kennett and get Sperling to softly line out to Angela Velardi, keeping it a three-run game.</p><p>While many in the crowd were awed by Tulko's speed and go-after-it attitude with Central hitters, no one was noticing the masterpiece Menschner was putting together. In the fifth, she got Beresh to ground out, Mullane to fly out and Stephanie Velardi to ground out.</p><p>Tulko induced three groundouts from Wagner, Selby and Rose in the bottom of the fifth.</p><p>My vantage point for this final was on the right side behind the backstop next to East's dugout on the first base side. You could start seeing the concern on their faces and the body movements were not as spry as before. This sixth inning was going to be a big moment for the Raiders. Either they were going to break through and make this game or they were just not destined to do anything on this night.</p><p>And the sixth started simply with an innocent bunt laid down by Guarneri along the first-base side. Dafeldecker had made just about every play on this evening, but couldn't for this one time. Eats had a baserunner. Kube then roped a single to left to move Guarneri up to first and second with no one out.</p><p>Suddenly, this was the moment East was looking for. With Tulko in the on-deck circle, Schwartz most of the time had Madden lay down a sacrifice bunt. And this time, she was perfect in her quest to do so as Dafeldecker got the ball and made the tag for the first out.</p><p>There were Guarneri and Kube in scoring position and the biggest threat at the plate. Let Tulko get her three rips in and make something happen. She hit the ball well in her two at-bats so far. Everyone within shouting distance was anticipating this moment -- the biggest moment of this championship.</p><p>What happened next still defies explanation to this day. Tulko squared up to bunt. Whether Schwartz asked for the bunt or not, I've never asked. But Tulko was there bunting, trying to catch the Golden Eagles' defense off guard. But all Menschner did was pick up the ball, look Guarneri back to third base, and put the ball back in her glove.</p><p>Yes, she knew when she did that the tying run was on base in a 3-0 game. This was the risk she and her Golden Eagles teammates were making on this tense night. Menschner -- as well as coach Selby -- knew the next two hitters weren't going to beat his pitcher the way Tulko could have.</p><p>On the very first pitch to Angela Velardi, she popped up. The infield fly rule was in effect as Kennett squeezed the ball for the second out. Now it was up to Klunk to finally loosen the vice grip of a lead Central held. The count got to 3-2. Then Menschner threw a pitch down a bit in the plate. Klunk lofted a sinking fly ball toward Lorrin Selby in left. It seemed to take an hour for Selby to get to the ball, but she reached out and snagged the flyball that ended the bases-loaded, one-out rally.</p><p>And was the next dagger mark in East's collective body. Now it was up to Central to add to the lead. And while I can hear Schwartz encouraging her players to get back up and get out of the bottom of the sixth, the Raiders looked already like a beaten team.</p><p>Tulko was also losing her invincibility. McGowan singled to right field. Menschner hit a grounder to Madden at third, but Madden threw the ball away for the fourth East error, moving the runners to second and third.</p><p>Now it was Central's turn to put it away. Denise Reiser came in to run for Menschner to give the Golden Eagles some added speed. Up stepped Applegate. She, like Tulko, attempted to surprise the defense by putting down a bunt along the third-base line. Tulko picked the ball up, never looked back at third and fired the ball away from Velardi into right field. The fifth East error of the game brought in both McGowan and Reiser and it was 5-0.</p><p>Game. Set. Match.</p><p>Applegate got to third on the play, but she would be left there as Tulko got Dafeldecker on strikes, Kennett on a foulout to Kube and Sperling looking to give her 11 strikeouts for the night, the most by a pitcher an OCT final that was set only one year earlier by Brick's Viki Kara with 10 in a 9-2 win over Toms River North.</p><p>But while Tulko may have been the person most talked about in this final, it was her ex-teammate Menschner who was the star of the game. She was three outs from making history -- the first pitcher to ever throw a shutout in an OCT final.</p><p>She didn't waste time, either. She got Beresh to pop out to start the seventh. Mullane would deliver her second hit of the game, a single to left-center field. But once again -- and it wasn't all that successful on this evening -- the Raiders tried to bunt on Menschner. This time, Stephanie Velardi popped out to Dafeldecker.</p><p>One out to go. It was No. 9 hitter Guarneri. And she, too, attempted to put a bunt down.</p><p>But like almost every other bunt on this night, Central had an answer. Menschner calmly picked the ball up and fired to Dafeldecker.</p><p>Central players began to mob McGowan, Menschner and Dafeldecker by first base. After an entire season of proving the Central Regional product was still a strong one you can rely on, the Golden Eagles had their championship in a 5-0 triumph over East ... and their former teammate.</p><p>Schwartz would say to me afterward her team did not have a good practice Wednesday after playing a late OCT semifinal on Tuesday night. Selby, meanwhile, was elated about the fifth OCT championship.</p><p>Tulko would win the top hitter honor of the tournament at .875, going 7-for-8 with two home runs. Kube was the tournament's top defensive player, fielding 21 out of 22 attempts successfully. Menschner would be the Most Valuable Pitcher.</p><p>And the Most Valuable Player? That was a surprise to quite a few people ... including the young lady who won it. And as I announced Erika Applegate's name for the honor, I can still see the hands over her face in disbelief as she went over to Malta to pick up her honor.</p><p>But this was also an emotional night, too. Not just for the fact Central won. This was supposed to be Norm Selby's swan song as coach. He was taking his 244 career wins and riding off into the sunset. There were plenty of tears being shed. Menschner in these big moments was a river of tears. </p><p>Selby told me this was going to be it ... period. He had no plans of coming back in 1993. Well, those plans were taken back when he was reminded that his niece, Jill Hirschblond, was only a sophomore and wanted to play for Uncle Norm until SHE graduated in 1994.</p><p>So Selby and Garibaldi stayed for two more years, accumulating 50 more wins and in the 1994 finale -- and Selby's finale for real -- the Golden Eagles took down Allentown, 7-0, for the Shore Conference Tournament championship on East's field.</p><p>Selby would tell me two years later that he had a conversation with Schwartz and Dziedzic and that the pair sarcastically thanked Norm for letting them have Tulko. Apparently, she was wore out her welcome, though two years later, she was the Most Valuable Pitcher in East's OCT championship win over Lacey, 9-5, after Lacey upset Central in the semifinal round.</p><p>Schwartz would go on to a Hall of Fame career herself in which she would win numerous titles at East, then switch over to Donovan Catholic (former Monsignor Donovan) and win state and overall Tournament of Champions titles there.</p><p>But my mind always goes back to that night at Point Boro in June 1992. And the Grudge Match.</p><p>That night also defined both the two greatest programs in Ocean County softball history. Central Regional on that night was the teacher. East was the student which one day would be the teacher.</p><p>It was just magical what happened.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-84539705297891699772022-05-31T13:41:00.000-07:002022-05-31T13:41:54.704-07:00The comeback of all comebacks in a fog<p>The 1997 Ocean County Softball Tournament semifinals had come down to the top four seeds remaining, all converging at Toms River High School East on Saturday, May 31, 1997.</p><p>The first game featured the top seeds and host Toms River East Raiders against fourth-seeded Toms River North. East won the Class A South title and had earned the top seed for the tournament as voted on by the coaches. The Mariners had struggled a bit, but got better as the season went along and came in to this game at 19-4.</p><p>In this first game, a 5 p.m. start, it was never a contest. East hit North hard-throwing righty Lauren Anderson for eight hits, but they never got a clutch hit throughout the game, stranding 13 runners, while North hitters hit Nicole Brigandi around for 12 his and turned the Raiders away, 10-2. Anderson only had four strikeouts on this damp, grey-skied evening, but it was enough for North to advance to its first final since 1993 and third final in the 1990s.</p><p>The game dragged on for two hours and 22 minutes and, in actuality, was a snooze-fest. Now North had to wait to see who it was playing in the title game.</p><p>For the third straight year, it was Central Regional facing the defending champion of the tournament, Jackson Memorial. At the same seeding meeting where East was made a No. 1 seed, Central Regional, which had been scuffling during that part of the year, was given the second seed. And now at 21-5, the record was shining as brightly. These Golden Eagles were playing to the same level as the 1996 Golden Eagles that made history by becoming the first Ocean County team to win a state title, taking down Paramus, 1-0, for the NJSIAA Group III championship in storybook fashion.</p><p>And most of that team was back for the '97 season, led by three-year starter Kristy Tice, and All-State first-team centerfielder Cheryl Zellman, both seniors. Other seniors led the way -- first baseman Jill Homage, catcher Kelly Honecker and right fielder-pitcher Robin Pepper, who was the winning pitcher in that Cinderella story of the 1996 state championship at North against Paramus.</p><p>Shortstop Toni Penniman and left fielder Becky Barrett were among the junior leaders on this experience-laden team of third-year coach Joe Winkelried.</p><p>But coach Al Aires had a number of key returnees to his third-seeded Jackson Memorial Jaguars team, led by senior shortstop Kerri Gleason. The rest of the team was filled with underclassmen with plenty of experience in their own right -- junior second baseman Rosanne Rocca, junior third baseman Tracy Goldych and catcher Erin Leonard. They were there when the Jaguars won that OCT title over top-seeded Southern Regional the year before. They knew the ropes.</p><p>But Jackson Memorial had a wild card at first base who was going to deliver a terrific career eventually at shortstop named Toni Williams. She didn't play like a freshman.</p><p>Those dark, damp, humid conditions at East were about to add a new element as the first pitch was about to be thrown sometime after 8 p.m. when both teams had finished out warming up.</p><p>The fog. In the distance where the trees were well beyond the outfield, it was starting to get tougher to see anything there. Little did I know this was going to be the telling tale of what would become an absolute classic.</p><p>Sitting in the same public address spot on the first base side behind home plate, I read the lineups and got Central out onto the field to get it all started.</p><p>For Tice, this was a senior year to finally win a championship for herself. As a sophomore, she was the winning pitcher when Central beat Jackson for the crown, 11-4. But she got injured badly in that state championship game in the first inning when she fouled a riser off into her face and did awful damage to her teeth and face. Pepper stepped in to throw that two-hit shutout at Paramus.</p><p>Right on cue, Tice was strong out of the gate. She struck out Cheryl Fossati and got Rocca on a comebacker. However, things changed quickly. Gleason walked on four pitches. And Goldych rocketed a shot to the right-center field gap to bring home Gleason. Goldych ended up on third with a triple. Williams hit a grounder that Penniman could not come up with, and the error allowed Goldych to make it 2-0. Tice struck out Leonard, but the early damage was done and the Jaguars had control at the start.</p><p>Starting pitcher Fossati got the dangerous Zellman to fly out to left fielder Krissy Sherman, and though Homage walked, Barrett hot a rope at Rocca, who caught the ball and tagged out Homage to finish out the double play.</p><p>Tice got herself in trouble in the second when No. 9 hitter Jen Kubinski reached on yet another Penniman error, was sacrificed to second by Fossati and moved to third on a Rocca single. But Tice got Gleason to pop out to second baseman Dawn Wilson to end the threat.</p><p>Fossati handled matters in her half of the second with a popout, groundout and strikeout.</p><p>The third came and darkness had covered the East field by now. On four pitches, Tice walked Goldych, bringing up Williams. Tice got ahead 0-2, but made the mistake of putting a pitch with too much strike zone in it.</p><p><i>"Plink!"</i></p><p>The sound reverberated around the East complex as the ball hunted the gap on the fence-less East field. Zellman and Pepper seemed to be running after a thoroughbred the way the ball kept tracking in the right-center field gap. Goldych scored easily and by the time the ball reached the infield, Williams had circled the bases with a two-run home run to make it 4-0.</p><p>Not a good start for a Central team that was looking at the end of its season if it did not get its act together. Sherman popped out and Leonard flied out, but up stepped No. 8 hitter Katie Barry. She singled and promptly stole second on Honecker and Tice. On another 0-2 pitch Kubinski took advantage of a ball that had enough plate by stroking a single to right field to score Barry.</p><p>Jackson 5, Central 0. And when Fossati struck out Pepper and Wilson and got third baseman Tricia Friedman on a soft liner to Rocca, reality was quickly setting in that Jackson had control of this game and really wanted one more shot at Toms River North in the final.</p><p>Tice finally had an easy inning with a strikeout, lineout to her and flyout against the Nos. 2-4 in the Jaguars lineup in the fourth.</p><p>Central was running out of outs. There was 12 left for the Golden Eagles. And it took the simplest of plans to get things going on their side of the field. It was a bunt on the right side of the infield that had every Jaguars player on that side flustered as Zellman beat it out for a hit.</p><p>Within the first two pitches, Zellman stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Homage singled to center to score Zellman with the first Central run, but she got greedy and Kubinski threw a strike to Rocca at second to nail Homage for the firsts out.</p><p>The out was costly -- Barrett boomed a triple to right-center field that would have delivered an RBI. She would come home on a Penniman groundout to Rocca.</p><p>The Golden Eagles had chipped into the 5-0 lead. But they weren't done.</p><p>Tice settled in the next two innings, allowing just one hit. In the bottom of the fifth, Honecker walked, moved to second on a Pepper groundout to Williams and scored when not only did Rocca fumble Wilson's groundball, but threw it away, making it 5-3.</p><p>Chip. Chip. Chip. Chip. Chip.</p><p>Homage began the sixth inning with another clutch moment -- a triple to the right-center field gap. Barrett struck out against Fossati, but Penniman walked. This is when Winkelried rolled the dice and took a chance. He had Penniman take off for second. Homage started down for home, but Rocca's throw to the plate missed the target and got by Leonard, allowing Penniman to move to third and 70 feet from being the tying run.</p><p>When Tice hit a grounder to Williams, Williams took the out instead of trying to make a play at home. Penniman easily scored and that 5-0 lead was now gone and over with.</p><p>A 5-5 tie made this game a lot more palatable for softball fans.</p><p>If the first six innings offered the drama, the suspenseful seventh was going to tell us the who, what, when, where, why and how of the game. And as I looked out at Central warming up in the seventh, I noticed something that was becoming way too obvious -- the fog had finally found its way to the outer stretches of the outfield.</p><p>Could it play the role in the end?</p><p>Gleason started the seventh with a walk. Goldych made good contact on a 3-1 pitch and singled to left to send Gleason to second. That brought up Williams. Williams worked the count 3-2, then Tice offered her a pitch that looked like a beachball to the freshman -- she roped it over Zellman's head in center field.</p><p>Yes, Cheryl Zellman had a ball go over <i>her </i>head. But Gleason and Goldych scored and Williams stopped at third with a triple and the Jaguars regaining the 7-5 lead.</p><p>On a team with experience, the hero was going to be this freshman phenom named Toni Williams, who was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs. But the inning was far from over.</p><p>Sherman bombed a double to right field to bring in Williams and it was 8-5 ... and still nobody out.</p><p>At this point, Winkelried made the walk out to the mound. I know he didn't want to do this, but the reality had set in -- Jaguars hitters were timing Tice's pitches perfectly. He painfully had to take the ball out of Tice's hands and bring in Pepper from right field. Pepper had more motion in her windup than Tice did and that fooled the Paramus hitters in that 1-0 victory at the state Group III title game the year before.</p><p>But things did not start so well for Pepper. She walked Leonard. Then she walked Barry to load the bases. For a moment, though, Pepper recovered to get Kubinski to pop out to Penniman, then strike out Fossati. But on a 3-2 pitch, she walked Rocca to force home Sherman.</p><p>Pepper would strike out Gleason, the 10th hitter of the inning. But the damage was done again -- four runs, three hits, no errors, four walks, three left on base. The inning could have been much, much worse.</p><p>Now the Jaguars and Fossati had three outs to get. But again, I'm watching the outfield and the fog has now rolled in to nearly the central part of the outfield. That's how long the inning to play! And it still was damp and yucky.</p><p>For Jackson, I was hoping the inning was not going to be long enough for where the fog may take effect somewhere.</p><p>Immediately, Fossati got in trouble by walking Wilson. From the side of the Jaguars' first base dugout, I could see Aires visibly upset. And when she threw a first-pitch ball to Wilson, Aires came out.</p><p>That was it for Fossati, who had her moments of trepidation in the circle, but was still in control of this game at 9-5 with three outs to get. What could <i>possibly </i>go wrong?</p><p>Fossati moved to left field, Sherman moved to right field and Barry came out of the game. And in came a freshman who had seen some time in the circle and would become the fulltime Jaguars starter the following year.</p><p>This was Dara DeVincenzo's time to shine. The daughter of Freehold Township softball coach John DeVincenzo, now she was asked to come up with the final three outs and secure the victory. That's not asking <i>too </i>much of a freshman, is it?</p><p>DeVincenzo got the count to 3-2, but walked Wilson to put runners on first and second with no outs. Friedman would loft a flyball to right fielder Sherman for the first out. Now, though, DeVincenzo had to face the teeth of the Central lineup.</p><p>Zellman was what we call the "trouble maker" of the Golden Eagles lineup. Her bunt eventually led to the first Central run and ultimately, a 5-5 tie a couple of innings later. She fell behind 0-2. Then she hit a groundball that she was going to beat on the right side of the field for an infield hit. But instead of swallowing the ball, Rocca made the mistake of throwing it past Williams and into dead-ball territory, scoring Pepper to make it 9-6, but both runners were now in scoring position.</p><p>What happened next was about to make things worse and intriguing. On the first pitch, Homage hit a grounder to Gleason at shortstop. The Jaguars were going to concede the run to get an out, but the moisture and dampness did something terrible and Gleason's throw went astray for another two-base error, scoring both Wilson and Zellman and moving Homage into scoring position.</p><p>Worse, it was 9-8 with Jackson holding on by its fingernails. After the walk to Wilson, DeVincenzo was throwing good pitches to Central hitters, but could only get one out in the deal.</p><p>Out came Homage and in came Meghan Barrett to run for her at second base as Winkelried was needing some extra speed for the occasion. Would it be Barrett's older sister, Becky, who would deliver the big hit to send her home? On a 2-2 pitch, the older Barrett grounded out to Gleason, this time taking the time to throw an accurate strike to Williams.</p><p>But Meghan Barrett was 70 feet away from tying this game ... again.</p><p>It came down to Penniman, who was 0-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. She had a good hack at DeVincenzo's first offering, but fouled it out of play. With the 0-1 count, I'm thinking, "Dara, just throw the ball at the corner of the strike zone and down or jam her. Whatever you do, don't give her anything good to hit!"</p><p>On the very next pitch, Penniman got a pitch she could handle and hit a flyball toward left field.</p><p>I'm watching Fossati out in left field thinking she can line this ball up. But there was the fog about to play havoc on her and Jackson's hopes of moving on. By the time Fossati had picked up the ball in that fog, she was starting to chase it down behind her. Meghan Barrett scored and Penniman did not stop until she slid into third base with a triple, popped back up and gave Winkelried an emphatic high-five.</p><p>Jackson 9, Central 9. How could this happen? Why did it happen? Well, you know the circumstances from reading those last few graphs on the bottom half of the seventh. As Central fans began to vociferously cheer and Jackson fans were trying to encourage their daughters and friends on that field, only one thought came to my mind.</p><p>Please don't go into extra innings. It's 10:27 p.m. and this game and day have gone on too long since I'm the one who had to beat a 12:30 a.m. deadline to write BOTH stories. Lucky me!</p><p>But all those worries went away with Tice. It was earlier in the seventh the senior was taken out of the circle by Winkelried and placed in right field while Pepper got to finish it up.</p><p>It was one pitch ... one pitch only. A high pitch that Tice thrived on. She laced her shot into left field to score Penniman and end the game in an improbably 10-9 victory. Just 20 minutes later, I was ready to write Central's obituary and the greatness the team generated in the '96 and '97 seasons, including that state championship.</p><p>Now it was Central mobbing Tice after her hit, happy she was the one who delivered the RBI smack. And while that was happening, I was watching Leonard leave to go back to the dugout in absolute shock. Jackson players walked to the dugout like it was a funeral procession. Aires and his brother, Marco, who helped him that season, did all they could to keep the players' spirits up.</p><p>But it was the end of the season for the Jaguars at 14-11. How do you even try to find a positive after seeing your season end like that -- the walks, the costly errors, the triple that got lost in the fog and the single that ripped their collective hears out? How?</p><p>I quickly grabbed Winkelried and talked to him about his win and he was grateful for the effort his team put into it by not just coming back once, but <i>twice. </i>I packed up all my PA gear, got into my car and sped back to the <i>Observer </i>office to type in two agates and then the details on the two games in one story.</p><p>Looking back, <i>this </i>was the greatest Ocean County Softball Tournament game ever. Just when Jackson had this game won and had the opportunity to become the first team in the history of the tournament to win back-to-back titles, Central Regional came back to win this thriller.</p><p>And five nights later on the same East field, Central and North played another classic. It ended with Zellman hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Anderson in her final high school at-bat for the 2-1 victory.</p><p>Within those five days, the two greatest games in the tournament's history were played.</p><p>Jackson would make it back to the OCT final the next two years and lose to North in 1998 and beat East in 1999. Central Regional would lose in back-to-back years to Anderson's North Mariners, but in 2000, the Golden Eagles would win their last of eight OCT crowns, beating Pinelands in the final.</p><p>When I have to talk about this game between Central and Jackson in 1997, it's hard to really describe in in a few years. Jackson got a big lead, Central tied it. Jackson took a four-run lead into the bottom of the seventh, only to have Central score five times to win it.</p><p>Let's just say I was proud to witness it and report about every detail in the end.</p><p>Even the fog that had the final say.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-25785332599341890342022-05-25T13:38:00.000-07:002022-05-25T13:38:36.209-07:00The future was on display in the circle<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZbJF4yytmQIUtRouc4Mn7-pyc0XqmJufV4z8gHRNVwqg9WU_8MtE3cBgLKB-BhRfid3hz-FMsvVEGV36MFAtVpq73VfODiJ8SU9ibHdrawsD4iOfUFU-Qtlv2NoZKae2AbK6m4kiwN8BCq6K_56RpxatiLx3NTDbsKoRTxETRShBVc1JIst7NxXf0g/s1080/oct96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZbJF4yytmQIUtRouc4Mn7-pyc0XqmJufV4z8gHRNVwqg9WU_8MtE3cBgLKB-BhRfid3hz-FMsvVEGV36MFAtVpq73VfODiJ8SU9ibHdrawsD4iOfUFU-Qtlv2NoZKae2AbK6m4kiwN8BCq6K_56RpxatiLx3NTDbsKoRTxETRShBVc1JIst7NxXf0g/w400-h300/oct96.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Back in the day when the Ocean County Softball Tournament was a well-run machine and coaches handled the tournament directing duties, there was Quarterfinal Saturday.<p></p><p>Whether it was at Lakewood High School or Point Pleasant Boro High School or Toms River High School East, it was an all-day, all-night Saturday of softball at one particular site.</p><p>And in 1996, that site was East, the first full year the Raiders' field had lights on it. The lights were to be installed to play in the 1995 season, but it took a while -- like the whole freakin' season -- for the lights to finally be put up for the county tournament championship on May 20, 1995. And for the record, Central Regional defeated Jackson Memorial, 11-4, for the title.</p><p>The lights now fully in use for 1996, it made running the county tournament all that much better, and gave us back a true Quarterfinal Saturday with all four tournament games on the same day.</p><p>And so this Quarterfinal Saturday was held on Saturday, May 25, 1996. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon at East. The first two games in the late morning and afternoon were blowouts -- defending champion Central Regional went first and pummeled Lacey, 10-2. The other game saw Jackson Memorial handle its business against coach Amy Tice's Brick Green Dragons, 12-3.</p><p>One semifinal was set for the following weekend with Central and Jackson having a rematch.</p><p>Now we had the other half of the quarterfinals to play. Top-seeded Southern Regional was to face No. 9 seed Toms River South in the prime-time game starting at 8 p.m. But at 5 p.m., we had the showcase game between No. 5 seed Point Pleasant Boro and No. 4 seed Toms River North.</p><p>The one girl on Point Boro's team, coached by former tournament director Ric Malta, with any name recognition was shortstop and leadoff hitter Jodie Cheasty, who had been a member of the Panthers' NJSIAA Group II championship girls basketball team two months before, the first Ocean County team to win a girls basketball state championship.</p><p>North's Mariners had a mostly young team, though senior second baseman Dawn Albruzzese and senior center fielder Carrie Brown were the upper-class leaders. North's team was building toward a stronger future with sophomores Lisa Miller at third base and Teresa Andreani behind the plate and shortstop Kathy Acosta at shortstop leading the way.</p><p>But the game featured two promising freshmen stars in the circle on this day. For Point Boro, it was Kristin Handwerk. I had seen her pitch maybe once that year, and the only other thing I knew about her was that I knew her father, Tom, who was a longtime basketball coach at the Boro and previously at Lakewood.</p><p>The other pitcher would eventually become a legend -- Lauren Anderson. L.A. The "Big M."</p><p>Already, she had begun to build her reputation as a bad-ass, hard-throwing right-hander who used every inch of the plate made possible to her, but preferred wiping you away with her fastball. Riseball? She did not need one. No one in most of these teams' lineups was catching up to the No. 1.</p><p>And as the sun shined brightly over Toms River East behind the field for the 5 o'clock start, I settled into my public address spot behind the plate to watch what I thought had every right to be a pitcher's duel from start to finish.</p><p>The Panthers had first crack against Anderson. In 10 pitches, Anderson vanquished Cheasty, Jessica McMullen and Summer Marini on a flyout, groundout and strikeout. North had its first crack at Handwerk and she went 1-2-3 in 11 pitches as Albruzzese popped out, and Miller and Andreani flied out.</p><p>Then Anderson got it cranked up in the second against an offensively challenged Panthers team. She struck out Meghan Shank, Handwerk and Dawn Christie all swinging.</p><p>Meanwhile, Handwerk ran into trouble in her half of the second. With two outs, Acosta walked. Toni Lynn Trombino walked and both stole bases. But Handwerk worked her way out of the jam by getting Melissa Dague to pop out to Christie to keep it scoreless.</p><p>The third inning for Anderson was more of the same -- three-up, three-down as she got a lineout, flyout and strikeout. Nine up, nine down so far for the star-in-the-making Anderson.</p><p>The Mariners mustered up another threat in the third inning. With one out, Albruzzese beat out an infield hit. Miller put down a sacrifice bunt that Handwerk fielded and threw to first baseman Julie Bishop for the out, but on the play, Albruzzese hustled all the way to third. Yet another Mariner in scoring position. Was THIS the moment to break through.</p><p>Turns out it wasn't. Andreani flied out to right fielder Wendi Baenziger to end the threat.</p><p>It was now the fourth. The Panthers had one go-round with Anderson and had no hits and four strikeouts to show for it. And it wasn't starting any better when Cheasty grounded out weakly to Anderson.</p><p>But Malta had a different strategy for No. 2 hitter McMullen. She had her lay down a bunt on the right side of the infield. McMullen beat the play at first and the Panthers had a baserunner and hit at last.</p><p>This brought up Marini, the Panthers' durable catcher. Marini hit a 1-2 pitch on the left side of the infield, a slow roller that it seemed to take forever for Miller to get to. Miller did retrieve the ball, but she was late in getting Marini at first. While all this is going on, McMullen was not stopping, heading for third base. First baseman Alyson Barnett fired back across the diamond to Acosta covering third, only to miss her target.</p><p>Badly, no less. The ball rolled on East's open field into dead-ball territory, allowing McMullen to come home with the first run of the game, making it 1-0. Chaos in no more than eight seconds and the Panthers had a run after doing nothing for three innings. Shank walked after Marini was allowed to advance to third on that errant throw. Shank stole second, but Anderson got a strikeout and flyout to end the inning.</p><p>Now the Mariners had to battle back. Seemed easy for them throughout this '96 season as they had a 14-7 record going into the game. With one out, things got started for North when a throwing error by third baseman Shank allowed Brown to get to second. An infield hit, followed by a stolen base, by Acosta put runners on second and third. But Handwerk showed the large crowd at East why as a freshman she had ice water in her veins, striking out both Trombino and Dague to end another North threat.</p><p>After the errant throw that allowed the Panthers to score, Anderson allowed the Panthers practically nothing the rest of the afternoon and early evening. She would retire 11 of the last 12 batters she faced, five of which were strikeouts, giving her 10 for the day.</p><p>For Handwerk, though, things were not as easy. In the bottom of the fifth inning, she hit Albruzzese with a pitch. She was forced out on a Miller grounder, then Miller moved to third on a bloop single to right-center field by Andreani, who would take second one pitch later. But against her counterpart, Handwerk prevailed by getting Anderson on a groundout to Cheasty.</p><p>The real battles, though, were about to take place. Brown started the sixth inning by booming a double over left fielder Diana Shank's head. Acosta bunted successfully for a hit to put runners on first and third with no outs.</p><p>Could this be the moment that North finally -- FINALLY -- broke through against Handwerk, who had navigated rough waters throughout the game? Trombino came up. On the first pitch, she hit a flyball to right fielder Baenziger. She caught it and North coach Becky Miller sent Brown home. Baenziger threw a strike to Marini at the plate. As she caught the ball, she turned to make the tag and right on top of her was Brown.</p><p>Marini, who had successfully blocked the plate, got plastered by Brown. Somehow, though, Marini held on to the ball and home plate umpire Jerry Caldarise called Brown at the plate. I'm pretty sure over 25 years later, that would not be allowed (blocking the plate, that is), but in this moment, it meant the Panthers secured their one-run lead. However, with Acosta now on third after the bang-bang play at the plate, the Panthers still had to hold their ground. Handwerk dominated Dague in striking her out to end the sixth.</p><p>One more inning and the Panthers would advance to their first OCT semifinal since 1991.</p><p>The bottom of the seventh began with pinch-hitter Nicolette Schellato beating out an infield hit.</p><p>There was the spark North needed for one last rally. Albruzzese, though, grounded into a force play as Cheasty fielded the grounder and tossed to second baseman Christie for the out. Lisa Miller then hit a grounder to Christie, who could have thrown to second to force out Albruzzese, but opted to throw to Bishop for the second out.</p><p>That was downright dangerous. That put Albruzzese in scoring position with two outs and a dangerous hitter at the plate in Andreani, who two years later would earn first-team all-state honors as North's catcher on a memorable 24-3 team. This lefty-hitting catcher was a star in the making like her battery mate. For this game, Andreani was 1-for-3 with each ball going to right-center field.</p><p>Boro played her straight away with McMullen edged a tad over toward right fielder Baenziger. Handwerk was 1-1 in the count to Andreani when she threw a waist-high pitch that Andreani got a hold of.</p><p>Boro fans stood up. North fans stood up as the ball was heading for the right-center field gap. If the ball lands, Miller easily scores, and if it goes by the two outfielders, there's no question that Andreani gets at least a triple, maybe an inside-the-park home run to win it.</p><p>It looked like a sure hit. But out of nowhere came McMullen, who had only one play -- stretching out and diving to make the catch. She went for it ... and the ball found its way into her glove.</p><p>Boro fans jumped up and down in joy. North fans stood in disbelief. And Panthers players raced out to where McMullen was still on the ground with the ball in her glove, saving the Panthers' 1-0 victory.</p><p>I'm pretty sure McMullen never made another play quite like that in her life. But the senior had delivered in the biggest of moments and had sent the Mariners packing for the rest of the tournament.</p><p>On the field, our writer for that game, Nick Huba (because I took the day off), was interviewing both coaches Malta and Miller afterward. I had seen the Boro state title win in girls basketball and, at this point, it was just more Boro magic.</p><p>Ironically, it was a throwing error on a play at third base by a first baseman, this time Bishop, that let the go-ahead run score and lift top-seeded Southern Regional to a 2-1 win over Boro in the following weekend's semifinal matchup.</p><p>And by the way, the final game of the Quarterfinal Saturday after that thrilling Boro victory was a 10-1 no-hitter by Southern's Dana O'Hearn against South that saw her set a then-OCT record 15 strikeouts.</p><p>North would get to the OCT final the following year behind Anderson's brut pitching force and lose on a dramatic solo inside-the-park home run by Central Regional's Cheryl Zellman, 2-1, in nine innings. But in 1998, the year belonged to North as it won the OCT and Shore Conference Tournament titles with Anderson as a junior and Andreani as a senior.</p><p>Then in 1999, North and Boro hooked up again, this time in the SCT second round. And just like in 1996, Boro won the game behind senior Handwerk. Anderson was the hard-luck loser as she had to do a lot more for a team that could not hit its way out of a paper bag after those players in '97 and '98 had graduated.</p><p>But it's always wonderful to go back to when those players were so much younger, most notably Handwerk and Anderson as freshmen, facing each other in a tournament game like that one.</p><p>I knew the future was pretty secure the rest of the 1990s.</p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-32929468534139210712022-05-03T01:36:00.003-07:002022-05-03T01:36:57.564-07:00The most bizarre event I've ever covered<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH13JUr-doArghLPnqNk0o8NLonN8epKslrEZp7vdlEI1uJbT0KaFq68b15HT1GKHUPlq5LzSIdFql9XnUQo-SEnI9J_lCWXmmvUK6nF-_dOae6fHsk5bB_FmtllVQwYrvQVJvLbmL6olHebQir-ltNSDYyXO_1VuEyusOCkBig09HwHlD7bMpQN7Oow/s1080/palatkasofty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH13JUr-doArghLPnqNk0o8NLonN8epKslrEZp7vdlEI1uJbT0KaFq68b15HT1GKHUPlq5LzSIdFql9XnUQo-SEnI9J_lCWXmmvUK6nF-_dOae6fHsk5bB_FmtllVQwYrvQVJvLbmL6olHebQir-ltNSDYyXO_1VuEyusOCkBig09HwHlD7bMpQN7Oow/w480-h640/palatkasofty.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>There are practically hundreds of events I've covered in all facets of sports over my 37-plus years as a journalist. There are those events that are memorable for many a reason, some for a great occurrence, others for record-breaking moments, and some because of the magnitude of what was happening.</p><p>But there are the rare events I've covered where Rod Serling needed to be called in to narrate because they were that strange and that preposterous in what happened.</p><p>One of those moments may be the most bizarre event I ever covered in all these years. It was Monday night, April 18, 2011. It was the opening round of the District 4-4A softball tournament between third-seeded and host Palatka and sixth-seeded St. Augustine.</p><p>Palatka's Panthers were expected to win the game. They came into the game with a 14-11 record in what could be considered an up-and-down season. One of the biggest adjustments these Panthers had to make was new coach Leslie Lewis. I always felt like Lewis inherited two strikes against her when she took the job because she was taking it from a very demanding, but popular coach in Rick Breed. Breed had been with the program for 14 years, first as the longtime assistant to Curt Smith, then taking the program over in 2008. Unfortunately for Breed, he was a government worker and whatever his agency </p><p>wanted to do with his job, he had to do it no matter the hour, so he couldn't keep the job at that time.</p><p>Breed could be feisty. He could be sarcastic. He could be a grizzly bear, but there was one thing about his players that made him who he was -- he was behind them 100%, And his players loved him, gruff exterior at times and all.</p><p>So being a new coach was a bad place to be if you were Lewis. This team had some talent, too, starting with senior third baseman Lizz Smith and junior pitcher Jessica Gornto. There was also junior designated player Dawn Averett and senior center fielder Kori Osteen.</p><p>Gornto was the rock in the center of the diamond in the circle. And she thrived as the "go-to" pitcher. In 2009 as a freshman, she was the pitcher of Palatka's last district championship team, and faced down a terrific Dunnellon lineup in the regional semifinals before the Dunnellon High bats got going and put the Panthers away, 8-0. Trust me, it was a closer game than the final score indicated.</p><p>So after I did my normal routine at work, which was get the scoreboard page set up and get some other things out of the way, it was back up St. Johns Avenue to Mellon Road and into the sports parking lot where the track, tennis courts and softball field were all in the same area. It's normally hard to get a halfway decent parking spot when a lot is going on, but at this point, it was just the softball team playing, so getting a parking spot wasn't too bad.</p><p>I get to the field and upstairs to the press box overlooking the softball field. Now, my mind is a little rusty here as to who was in the press box with me this particular night, but I already was tipped off that some of the Panther players came to the field on this evening not in the bestest of shape. Seems earlier in the afternoon, they ate something during lunch together that did not sit well in their stomachs. So a number of players came in with stomach issues.</p><p>Oh, boy. Here we go. Now was this going to give a St. Augustine team that was 8-15 going into this game any ideas of an upset?</p><p>Umm, no. Not at all. There was a reason why the Panthers beat the rival Yellow Jackets during the season and beat them handily, too. Even with stomach issues, these Panthers were still head and shoulders above the Jackets.</p><p>Honestly, I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary on this night whatsoever. This should be a "take care of business" kind of game and get ready for the next game in the semifinal round.</p><p>But this night was going to be a wee bit different.</p><p>Right from the very first batter, as a matter of fact, this game was going to be a little different. Hannah Hudson came up against Gornto to start. And on the first pitch, she's trying to slap-hit her way on ... except she made the mistake of stepping out of the batter's box when she hit the ball. Automatic out to start it off.</p><p>Though Sam Baker, the No. 2 hitter, walked on four pitches, she was forced out at second and K.K. Shaw struck out to end the inning. Onto the bottom of the first.</p><p>Sierra Riter is pitching for the Yellow Jackets and I don't exactly see her blowing fastballs by this Panthers lineup. The first hitter is Smith. She hits a laser only to have it snagged by first baseman Baker for the first out.</p><p>That now brings up Osteen. The count gets to 1-2. Riter sets her up with a low pitch that Osteen waves at for strike three. But the ball goes off catcher Kiersten O'Niel's glove. She has to go track the ball down, then make a throw to first to complete the out.</p><p>That's when the three-ring circus parked its tents and made itself at home on Palatka's field.</p><p>O'Niel's throw to Baker was nowhere near the mark and scooted out to the outfield. Second baseman Lauren Avolos and right fielder Linzy Hayes were literally M.I.A. on the play. The ball rolled all the way to the right-field fence and Osteen kept running, then got the windmill go-ahead arm wave of Lewis to continue home to score the game's first run.</p><p>On an inside-the-park strikeout.</p><p>Yup. This St. Augustine team was bad.</p><p>Riter struck out freshman shortstop Ashley Burney and Gornto, and the inning was over. But things were about to get even more bizarre after the bottom of the first took place.</p><p>I'm literally watching the Panthers take the field from my perch up in the press box. I see eight Panthers going out to the field, and one leaving the dugout and walking past everyone on the way to the parking lot beyond the outfield fence, getting in her car and driving away.</p><p>It was Osteen. She just left. And was never to come back again. In all my years of covering sports, this one I never saw -- a player just up and leaving. This one had nothing to do with a stomach problem. This had everything -- I found later -- to do with her relationship with Lewis. Osteen was one of the more devoted players under Breed. And she and Lewis didn't exactly see eye to eye.</p><p>But in spite of all the differences, you <i>stay! </i>You just don't up and leave ... in the niddle of a game! Those of us in the press box knew what was happening and this was the culmination of a year's worth of frustration. In the end, she hurt herself and lost her All-County bid to another player for just walking out the way she did.</p><p>And if that wasn't enough, Shelby Moody, the team's second baseman, had to come out because she wasn't feeling well. So Hunter Harper had to play right field, Shelisa Oliver came into the game to play second base and Katelynn Smith, Lizz's younger sister and freshman, had to move into Osteen's center field position.</p><p>On top of that, when you looked at the scoreboard, you didn't see any runs up there. The scoreboard wasn't working! I guess it cost a lot to get an electrician to come out to the school on this particular night.</p><p>As stated before, this was Rod Serling territory we were traipsing into this night.</p><p>Gornto got things back to some kind of normalcy and showed her dominance by getting the three hitters in the second inning -- Hayes, O'Niel and Teri Tate -- on strikeouts. </p><p>In the bottom of the second, Averett was hit by a pitch with one out and Allison Lewis singled her to second. Harper hit a flyball to center field where Tate was. Except Tate dropped the ball, then punctuated the error with a throwing error to score Averett to make it 2-0. One out later, Smith hit a groundball that shortstop Taylor Magnan flubbed for the team's fourth error of the game, bringing in Lewis to make it 3-0.</p><p>Gornto went strikeout, comebacker, strikeout in the third to give her five strikeouts in three innings.</p><p>In the bottom of the third, Arielle Driggers singled to center field with two outs and Averett belted a shot that almost cleared the fence. It hit the fence and went for a double as Driggers, running on the hit, scored to make it 4-0.</p><p>The teams played a scoreless fourth inning and we were about to get into the fifth inning. Somewhere in the top of the fifth inning, I hear a noise. Then I look down on the field ... the sprinkler system went off!</p><p>Can anything else go strangely wrong?! The delay was about five minutes, and before long the teams went back out to play. Gornto struck out two of the three outs she had in the inning to give her eight strikeouts on the evening.</p><p>The Panthers put this thing away with four runs in the bottom of the fifth as Burney singled, Gornto walked and one out later, Averett won a 12-pitch battle with Riter by hitting her second double of the game to bring in Burney and Gornto to make it 6-0. Lewis would single Averett in and Lewis would eventually score on a Harper sacrifice fly.</p><p>At 8-0, the lead was safe in Gornto's hands. St. Augustine, though, wanted to send a message that it was there not just for purposes of background art. Baker singled and eventually came home on a Lydia Hough passed ball in the sixth. In the seventh, Tate reached on an infield hit and eventually came home on a Gornto wild pitch.</p><p>And when Gornto made Hudson the 10th strikeout victim of the night, this bizarre hour and 45 minutes was over in an 8-2 Palatka win.</p><p>Gornto called it "a little different from your normal game." That was an understatement.</p><p>I remember talking to coach Lewis afterward. I asked what happened with Osteen and she confirmed my thoughts on the matter.</p><p>"Kori is done with the team," she said. "'She's leaving' was what she said and then she just walked out and left."</p><p>I go back down St. Johns after the bizarre events of this Monday night back to work and find out that No. 2 seed and tournament host Ponte Vedra was upset by No. 7 seed Menendez. If Palatka could beat Menendez, it was on to to the district final and the state tournament as an automatic district finalist.</p><p>But the Panthers were stunned by the Falcons a couple of nights later and did not make the state tournament.</p><p>Lewis left after one year as coach and Averett's dad, Todd, who had experience with coaching most of these Panther players through club ball, took over in 2012 as coach. But he gave it back up to Breed, who in 2013 returned as coach and got Palatka back to the state tournament as a district runners-up, losing the final, 1-0, in controversial fashion to North Marion.</p><p>Palatka got to host only one postseason game since that night in 2011. The next year, the Panthers lost a district semifinal to Belleview, 2-0.</p><p>I think about the bizarre events -- and unfortunate ones -- from that night in 2011 and I still have a hard time trying to truly describe what I saw.</p><p>Every so often, you get lucky with a game like this one.</p><p>Or unlucky. You decide.</p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-8081807664007213042022-03-13T15:29:00.003-07:002022-03-13T15:56:53.979-07:00And suddenly, the sports world stopped<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGx9JsgeBu56JxPDSd20vbGNA8ytE9ET4WfEoBRHYEd5Cgz6sMKxokhVAqxpOSKsQ2D1_ax-Sto90vPmy6YriRKBGEuYolo9F0lvfYGZcSi4X5yFQHyY1dgOXIMq3FucR7RBMlnPrS1zpbkmp6_o5CqXMdU9xpc2ncBLm_cQKMyC8iNgYmo0pcKgNqrw=s5043" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3362" data-original-width="5043" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGx9JsgeBu56JxPDSd20vbGNA8ytE9ET4WfEoBRHYEd5Cgz6sMKxokhVAqxpOSKsQ2D1_ax-Sto90vPmy6YriRKBGEuYolo9F0lvfYGZcSi4X5yFQHyY1dgOXIMq3FucR7RBMlnPrS1zpbkmp6_o5CqXMdU9xpc2ncBLm_cQKMyC8iNgYmo0pcKgNqrw=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>All week long, it felt like the world's walls were closing in on anyone involved with sports.</p><p>The year 2020 had so much promise to it, and when the spring season began in Putnam County, there were those individuals and teams who had a chance of taking the county -- all of us, really -- on a long adventure.</p><p>One of those teams was the Palatka High School softball team. The Panthers were dynamite ready to explode on the rest of their competition that season after coming off a 19-8 year that saw them reach the state tournament for the first time in six years and give the No. 1 team in the state, Eustis, a run for its money before falling in the opening round of the state tournament on Eustis' field, 1-0.</p><p>Most of the pieces of that incredible team were back in 2020. The battery of senior pitcher Brittney Funk and junior catcher Carlie Drew returned. The team's main power supplier, senior first baseman Kortney Booth, was also back, as was senior shortstop Jaden Musgrove, senior third baseman-outfielder Jesenia Feggins, senior outfielder Julia Hudson, sophomore outfielder Makenzie Clemons, and pitcher-third baseman Aubrey Brown.</p><p>This team was loaded. Coach Brandi Malandrucco, the first former player in the program's player (as Brandi Holley) to ever coach the Panthers, was the <i>Palatka Daily News' </i>Coach of the Spring honoree in 2019. She knew how good this team was, but there was one obstacle in the way in the Panthers' new District 5-3A. That was a very good and established Pierson Taylor team.</p><p>The season, though, did not get off to a good start. I was there at Palatka when the Panthers made too many mistakes in the field and didn't get the job done in an 8-5 loss to Keystone Heights. But after that loss, they got rolling. The Panthers beat Menendez and Clay. The next week at home against Eustis in the rematch of that regional first-round game, they were down 4-0 after three innings, but chipped away while team newcomer and North Marion High transfer Amy Kennedy was making her way back from Arizona earlier in the day. She got into the game late, pitched scoreless relief, then delivered the game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Eustis, 6-5.</p><p>The Panthers were on their way to big things. That weekend, they won the county tournament by beating Peniel Baptist Academy, Crescent City and Interlachen. Then on back-to-back days, March 10-11, they slaughtered Menendez and Yulee by a combined 27-1 score.</p><p>Their win streak was at nine games and they sat at 9-1 going into their final game of the week -- and this one was going to test how far the Panthers could or might go in the state tournament. They were facing district rival Pierson Taylor at home.</p><p>Good times never seemed so good, once sang Neil Diamond in "Sweet Caroline." But all that week, what was happening outside of this little cocoon was pretty ugly.</p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic had started in late January in this country, began spreading throughout the U.S. in February, but it didn't have a grip on us just yet. However, there was no denying the numbers were growing. And with the apathy being paid to it by a presidential administration, calling it nothing more than a "Democratic hoax," there was no telling how bad this virus was going to get.</p><p>Then came the night of Wednesday, March 11, 2020. The bulletin had come over our newswire that night -- Utah Jazz star player Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. Suddenly, the Jazz's game with the Oklahoma City Thunder was canceled. So were other games. And suddenly, March Madness was coming to an end in the snap of a finger with conference tournaments being canceled.</p><p>Major League Baseball put its operations on hold, which absolutely positively sucked because I had invested in over $100 in tickets to spring training games THAT UPCOMING WEEKEND in Fort Myers with games involving the Red Sox and Twins at two stadiums I've never seen games at before.</p><p>The only pillar that seemed to not be crumbling was involving high school sports. The softball game between the Panthers and Pierson Taylor's Wildcats was still on that -- ironically -- Friday the 13th.</p><p>So I had planned to write my Saturday column on the pandemic and it's plight among our county high school and college teams.</p><p>As I arrived at Palatka for this pivotal softball battle between the two best teams in the district, nothing about the mood changed much. Fans were still engaged on what was happening between the white lines on both sides. I got the rosters upstairs and saw our freelance photographer, Greg Oyster, before the game. We had done away with full-time photographers as of October 2019, a move that I still look upon as brilliant for a newspaper like us (THAT was said with sarcasm and I still don't hold back on my criticism of that matter).</p><p>I jotted down the lineups upstairs above the softball field, then went outside onto the deck to cover this game. Immediately, the Wildcats of coach Richard Gonzalez were scheming on how to put the Panthers in an early vice grip against Funk. It started with leadoff hitter Deana Cunningham. She singled to left and stole second base on the very next pitch. Karen Kelly walked. Avery Harcus fouled out to Hudson in right field, but on the play, Cunningham sped to third base. Kelly would steal second to put two runners in scoring position.</p><p>Ava Ramos, whose mom Tonya I've known for years as Pierson Taylor High volleyball coach, lofted a single into right field to plate Cunningham and send Kelly to third. Kailey Poole delivered a sacrifice fly to Clemons in center field to bring in Kelly to make it 2-0.</p><p>Harcus was the hard-throwing junior hurler Gonzalez had, but he chose to throw a seventh-grader named Hailey Whidden instead. Whidden could mix and match off-speed pitches and have Panthers hitters chasing the entire evening. And she did for the first three innings, not allowing the Pamthers anything good to get a bat on.</p><p>However, the Panthers had a rally in the fourth that was about to make things interesting. They had runners on first and second with two outs, but Kennedy hit a soft pop up to second baseman Hannah Worden to end the threat.</p><p>Just looking at the body language of Malandrucco, I could see a tinge of frustration since Whidden was not giving her team anything good to get a hold of and that it was a matter of time before Harcus came in to end the game early if Gonzalez wanted to.</p><p>Funk pitched 3 2/3 innings, but now gave way to Kennedy, who could challenge opponents with her heat and riseball. Taylor, however, was about to challenge Kennedy in the fifth inning, threatening to put the game away. Kelly hit a booming triple to right field, Harcus was hit by a pitch and Ramos walked to load the bases. However, Kennedy gained her composure and struck out the next three hits she faced to get the Panthers out of the jam and keep hope alive.</p><p>But once again, Whidden frustrated Panthers hitters. In her five innings of work, Whidden finished with four hits allowed, one walk and one strikeout. It was time for Harcus to finish things up. She had little trouble with the Panthers in the sixth.</p><p>After Kennedy finished up a two-hit effort in 3 1/3 innings with one walk, one hit batsmen and eight strikeouts with a flawless top of the seventh, it was now down to Harcus to finish it out.</p><p>Then again, these Panthers showed how resilient they were, starting with last season. They had the first two batters make outs, but Musgrove, who had two hits on the evening, walked. Drew hit a groundball that third baseman Ramos flubbed for the Wildcats' third error of the night, and suddenly, both runners were in scoring position.</p><p>The Panthers' faithful were up and cheering loudly for its team. This group had nothing to be excited about all night against a Wildcats club that got the job done. And now it was up to Booth to deliver the hit and tie this game.</p><p>But she fell behind Harcus. Then on a 2-2 pitch, she hit an easy grounder to Worden, who threw her out at first base to end the game, scoring the 2-0 shutout and ending the Panthers' nine-game winning streak.</p><p>That, though, was secondary. Malandrucco and assistant coach Mindi Buckles were talking to the team afterward. It was there she had to deliver the bad news to her players that did not know beforehand that a trip scheduled for the next day to Orange Park to play Ridgeview High School was canceled.</p><p>When she finished talking with her team, her players began tending to the field as they normally do. I can see the look on Malandrucco's face was glum. I had a feeling I knew why.</p><p>She showed me her phone and the email Palatka High athletic director Bobby Humphries had sent. It basically read that all sporting events as of that night (this game was allowed to be played) were postponed due to the growing pandemic.</p><p>Reality was slowly setting in and not only did I have a story to write on this game, I had a column to bang out and have everything done in 90 minutes after I arrived back at 8:45 p.m. from my game. I found Musgrove. One of their team leaders, she tried to paint a picture of optimism and of hope, like this will go away in a short time and all will be back to normal.</p><p>But when it came to this subject and not having a game the next day, you can see her mood and face changed. She said, "We were just talking before the game about the fact that tomorrow's game was canceled. I was really upset about it. I looked at coach Mal and said, 'Our game's canceled tomorrow,' and she said, 'Don't talk to me about it. I don't want to talk about it.'"<br /></p><p>Then she continued on by saying, "This is the moment I've been waiting for since freshman year. Senior year was going to be my time and the seniors' time to shine. And that's all we really wanted. If this was our last game, it would be devastating to us because this year is so important to us."</p><p>And she was right -- this isn't college where you can redshirt your way to another senior year. High school, it's black and white -- you get it one time and one time only. That slumping, ugly feeling was beginning to come splashing over this talented group of Panthers.</p><p>At 9-2 -- and even after this loss -- they were still prime to go places when the postseason began. The mistakes they made on this Friday night were fixable. Malandrucco said so. If you saw this game, you'd agree. Give Pierson Taylor its props. The Wildcats wanted it a little more on this particular night.</p><p>But as far as keeping a stiff upper lip and remaining positive that this was temporary, the truth was right there upon everyone. No vaccine to stop this and the death toll was about to rise from the coronavirus. </p><p>"I have to sit back and impatiently wait on what I can and can not do," Malandrucco said. "As of right now, we can not be near the girls if they want to go to practice. It's like back to preseason where they can't be on the campus, can't use the facility and if they want to go play or throw or hit, they have to be at a whole different place to go that isn't PCSD (Putnam County School District), and the coaches can't be anywhere near them."</p><p>But the coach remained optimistic.</p><p>"I don't see this being our last game. I don't. If (the state) get ahead of this and tries to squash this as early as they can and keep everyone in spot and try to keep everyone in their homes and hope (the virus) doesn't spread, maybe we can play again. There's a lot of uncertainty. I'm trying to be patient."</p><p>And so I left with a lot of people back at that field wondering if they should say, "See you later," or "Good luck next year." It was sobering.</p><p>But in my heart of hearts, I knew I was never returning to this field for another game this year.</p><p>I wrote the column and story for my boss, Andy, and we got the paper out as we normally did that night with few local games being played on this day (Interlachen and Crescent City baseball played that night, too).</p><p>Now with my original vacation plans with my better half gone, Kamesa and I decided we should go north instead of south. Instead of Fort Myers, we chose Savannah to do a two-day, one-night trip that Sunday and Monday since I took the day off from work on that March 16. But even in Savannah, we knew all the possible St. Patrick's Day plans were about to be put down by this virus no one had an answer for other than masks or just staying home.</p><p>Social was now no way to go. I had to prepare for a new way of sports thinking without any action going on.</p><p>The high schools were now not only on spring break, but they were on sports hiatus. St. Johns River State's baseball and softball seasons were both gone and never returning that spring.</p><p>Andy and I made the decision that instead of having our All-County winter teams come out in May like they normally do, we would run them starting the following week. And so we did. Girls basketball, which Andy wrote, was first up. They went into the paper on March 25 with the girls player of the year (Interlachen's Malea Brown) and the girls basketball player of the year the following day.</p><p>But it was that Thursday, March 26 that I walked into the <i>Daily News </i>building and saw Andy come out of our editor's office and walking to me to tell me I was in charge now. The paper decided to furlough him.</p><p>I won't lie -- I was bitter and I was pissed off that my partner in crime of 17 1/2 years was being sent away, but in fairness, he was not in the best of health. Suddenly, I had no time off because, well, I <i>WAS</i> the sports department.</p><p>As for the state high school sports world, it became official on Monday afternoon, April 20, 2020 -- the FHSAA shut down all athletic competition until the following year. Just as I expected it would happen. And those seniors who were hoping to have a final year to enjoy and make a final name for themselves ... that was gone. Other than being born between late 2001 and the first seven or eight months of 2002, it was not their fault that a virus screwed them completely over.</p><p>Before long, I had one-page sports sections and had to basically come up with sports stories to have something local on a regular basis.</p><p>Eventually, I got two weeks off in the Summer of 2020 and went back to New Jersey as Andy did return for one last time to lay out the paper and help me out. He would pretty much be my assistant and even take charge on some nights between August and October before his health was grew worse.</p><p>Then on my birthday in 2020, I got the greatest gift of all -- I found out I tested positive with COVID. Without Andy around regularly anymore, it was left to me to lay out the sports section from the confines of MY OWN PLACE the following week!! I got through that and on December 15, 2020, I officially became sports editor.</p><p>Eventually, Andy passed away on August 17, 2021. I've had two assistant editors/writers since then.</p><p>Things changed dramatically, and I can pinpoint that night -- that Friday the 13th -- for when they did.</p><p>I think about that transitional time. I think about what happened to my boss. I think about those seniors that had the carpet pulled out from under them.</p><p>And I think of the Palatka High softball team and how so much greatness that was put in front that team got taken away from the Panthers that night. All of it could have been avoided, but it wasn't. I'd understand the anger and the hurt.</p><p>Nonetheless, the walls and pillars crumbled and no one could do a thing about it.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-26403662973407006952022-03-03T10:37:00.002-08:002022-03-04T00:35:18.644-08:00An Ocean County kegler's delight<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5JH0iR8ZUOD53X88Lxpa6IJHa0FDuLMuXb1wwHKxOR8YoPp1lo0kTf-FPGrWCXoZwNhh26vzdliWwr-3tc2EtHRlxR1o9kHr8R5w5jZtz66d9Bfee_eWfavsEVXlfZjeYCjhOBl33FxEuiQXjIZyeM6VCjNF6GPYVLt4giZoq1X_p68_Q5aeBReChsQ=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5JH0iR8ZUOD53X88Lxpa6IJHa0FDuLMuXb1wwHKxOR8YoPp1lo0kTf-FPGrWCXoZwNhh26vzdliWwr-3tc2EtHRlxR1o9kHr8R5w5jZtz66d9Bfee_eWfavsEVXlfZjeYCjhOBl33FxEuiQXjIZyeM6VCjNF6GPYVLt4giZoq1X_p68_Q5aeBReChsQ=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p>One of the best gigs I ever had covering high school sports was bowling.</p><p>Yes, I did not stutter with my written words there. For the most part, the best part for the 15 years I did it was getting the results from the two bowling houses I used to deal with every week during the winter -- Ocean Lanes in Lakewood and Thunderbowl in Berkeley Township in a strip mall that no longer exists. Steve Vandegrift was wonderful to talk to in getting results every Wednesday.</p><p>That, honestly, was about 90% of the work. The rest of it really was postseason stuff. There was the Shore Conference Tournament for the top teams in each division from Ocean and Monmouth counties. There was the NJSIAA sectional tournaments for which if you finished Top 3 as a team, you qualified for the biggie every year -- the NJSIAA championships.</p><p>Over the years, the site for the championships moved around quite a bit. My first experience of covering the state final was in 1988 at the old Showboat in Atlantic City. On the surface, the idea to hold the state final in New Jersey's playground was intriguing and enticing, but when kids were sneaking out of the bowling house in between games to go next door to play slot machines, the NJSIAA had to reconsider this idea.</p><p>So in 1989, they moved the event to Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick alongside Route 1. The house got a big reputation, so much so that it was hosting the Johnny Petraglia Open there -- and where ABC would bring their cameras and crew and shoot the event live every year. I know -- in 1991, I had to step over some the thickest cables I ever laid eyes on to get through the front door to cover the NJSIAA championship, which started at 9 a.m. and needed <i>EVERYONE</i> out of the building by noon for the 1 p.m. telecast on ABC because <i>BOTH</i> events were being held that day.</p><p>Interestingly, that was the one year between 1987-92 that Ocean County did not walk away with a state title of some kind. In 1992 at Carolier Lanes, it was Lacey High newcomer Danielle Davis winning the girls overall state title. In 1987, Southern Regional's Debbie Freeman won the overall girls state championship and the Toms River High School North boys won the state team title. In 1988, North's Jay Stanton, who had a gaudy 220 average at Ocean Lanes that year, won the boys individual state title. And in 1989, a Lakewood High sophomore named Addie Dix won the girls state individual title.</p><p>And there were other things I witnessed after I started covering the state championship -- in 1988, highly touted Toms River North's boys team, coached by beloved band leader Frank Hughes, came up short in repeating as a state champion, taking second place, though Stanton won individually. The following year, Brick High's boys team coached by the wonderful Al Grove came up second, even with a star-studded pair of seniors Gabe Kamphausen and Kevin Musiakiewicz. </p><p>But 1990 had the makings of one of the best bowling seasons Ocean County ever saw. Though Kamphausen and Musiakiewicz were gone and in college, Grove's team was not depleted by any means. He had two senior mainstays back in Mike DeTata and the young man who I called the "bowler's bowler" in Anthony Bilello, a longtime kegler who would go on to coach college bowling one day. DeTata and Bilello were the Mutt and Jeff of the team, DeTata being shorter and stalky and Bilello taller and lanky.</p><p>Still, you need a supporting cast to take you places and Grove's Green Dragons had that in Mike Ulrich, Tom Lucas and Tony DiGironimo, It was as if this team did not miss a beat week after week.</p><p>The Green Dragons had been the county's best bowling team in the six years I had covered the sport on the boys side. The best team on the girls' side? That was Brick Memorial, who was coached by Marie Kobilnyk. She took the program over the year I started covering the sport in 1984. And her teams were always consistent and had reached the state finals a few times. But something would always happen and the hopes of a state title died on those oiled-up alleys.</p><p>Except for one girl who graduated the year before, Dawn Hess, Kobilnyk had her whole team returning. This group of Mustang girls was led by Tracy Whitman and Eileen Ruddy, the team's lone seniors. They, like the Brick boys, had a strong supporting cast in Paula Yancis, Stephanie Sabatino and Gina Gioia, a freshman, putting them in the conversation to compete for a state championship.</p><p>Both the Brick boys and Brick Memorial girls were coming off stellar performances at the South Jersey championships in Cherry Hill and Pennsauken. Now could they finally duplicate that into state championships?</p><p>Saturday, March 3, 1990 was going to be the telling tale. I woke up very early -- like 7:30 a.m. early -- and was on the road by 8:15 for the 10 a.m. start to the NJSIAA finals at Carolier. Thankfully, I had been there the year before, so I knew once I got to the ridiculously cluttered intersection of Route 18 and Route (OK, US-) 1 in Middlesex County, I had to be in the right lane to make the jughandle to head south on 1 until I saw the house on the opposite side of the highway. Then I'd have to find the first jughandle and make a U-turn to head in the other direction to pull into the parking lot, which was barely sufficient for parking, but it worked on this day.</p><p>This is why you show up early for these big events!</p><p>I found out on this particular day from Grove, one of the most recognizable people you will ever meet with the Jerry Garcia-like glasses and long beard, that his team shared a yellow bus with the Brick Memorial girls to get to Carolier Lanes. On the other side of the house where the girls competed, I saw Kobilnyk, asked her how she was doing. After answering me, she nudged her head slightly to the crowd behind her team. Let's say Brick Memorial brought a large representation of fans to this event.</p><p><i>"We're going to be fine," she said.</i></p><p>The third person I needed to find was Dix, who was back to defend her championship. She was bowling with her Piner teammates and her coach, Madli Monesson, was watching intently behind her. You could sense some nerves there, but coach told me she had seen her star pupil, now a junior, do this plenty of times.</p><p>There was plenty of representation from the county at this large house on this cool March morning. Even among the talented North Jersey bowlers there, I was comfortable among the people I was there to cover that day.</p><p>Somehow, I had a feeling we were going to win a state title. What happened next, I didn't expect.</p><p>I positioned myself behind Brick's bowlers, who were rolling against a North Jersey team, though the school name escapes me. Brick High's boys did not bring a large contingent compared to their sister school's girls team, but they were loud. And the Green Dragons were on a roll. DeTata, DiGeronimo and Bilello were unstoppable. They rolled a 210, 208 and 202, respectively, in that first game. It was one strike after another.</p><p>When the game was done, I looked up at their screens above the ball returner.</p><p>Brick -- 1,001.</p><p>Sadly, I had been here before with North in 1988 and with Brick in 1989. My attitude was "Show me more." So I told Grove I'd return to him for Game 3 when I got the chance and that I was going to be over watching the Brick Memorial girls bowl.</p><p>Turns out, I didn't have to relocate them -- I just followed the noise their fans brought. They had to be loud for a reason and they did have a reason. In their first game, the Mustang ladies had bowled an 856 first game. They were well ahead at this point, so I wanted to hang around to see what the second game would bring.</p><p>By the middle of the second game, I was in need of earplugs ... desperately. <i>EVERY</i> strike the Mustangs girls nailed or even a simple spare was met by loud cheers. They followed the 856 first game with an impressive 890 second game. That put them up at 1,746 and over 170 pins ahead of JFK-Iselin. Unless they forgot how to bowl or JFK-Iselin put on a show that left jaws dropped in the third game, Brick Memorial was winning their first state title in the sport.</p><p>I took a quick walk down to where the Brick boys were. they followed 1,001 up with a 995 and at 1,996, it was still hit or miss, even if the Green Dragons had a 200-pin lead. Remember as I said -- I'd been here before.</p><p>I said I'd return again, but this time I wanted to watch Dix bowl with her Piner teammates. They were in the hunt for a top three placement because they weren't winning as a team. As mentioned, unless Brick Memorial went sleep-walking, the Mustangs were on their way to a championship. But after two games, Dix was leading the girls' individual competition. She had been consistent in rolling a 425 through two games, compared to Pascack Valley's Janine Cauwels, who had a 397.</p><p>Was I really dreaming this day? In one day, I would have been covering THREE state champions out of four opportunities at this event.</p><p>However, things changed for Dix. Suddenly she wasn't figuring out the alleys like she had in the first two games. She left frames open and had finished with a 172 final game to roll a 597. Cauwels, meanwhile, got going and nothing could stop her at her end of the alleys She bowled a 236 and ended up taking the state title away from Dix with a 633.</p><p>The calm, cool and laid-back Dix liked how she did on the day, but you can tell the disappointment on her face. It didn't end the way she was hoping it would end,</p><p>Meanwhile, the Brick Memorial fans didn't stop screaming every time one of the Mustangs did something. The third game ended with them rolling an 863. They put JFK-Iselin away by nearly 300 pins in the end with a final pinfall of 2,609. The numbers they put up on this day were insane, and here's the tragedy -- none of the Mustangs' quintet had qualified individually from the previous week's South Jersey championship. Yancis would have finished third with a 594 total.</p><p>Gioia, the freshman, rolled a 529. Sabatino finished at 511, Whitman at 503 and Ruddy had the low total of 472. I surely would have loved to average 157 per game each time I bowled.</p><p>"I had a lot of confidence in this team," Kobilnyk said afterward. "This was a team effort."</p><p>And over on the boys' side, Brick was finishing off its day to remember with its best game of the day -- a 1,021 to finish at 2,977, well ahead of second-place Linden. And two other county teams I was there to cover on this day -- Lakewood and Toms River East -- finished third and fourth, respectively.</p><p>Bilello finished third overall with a 635 pinfall, while DeTata was sixth individually at 626.</p><p>"Last year's team had mega-talent and we should've won the title," Bilello said. "This year's team is full of spirit. Everyone's bowling for the team, not for themselves."</p><p>Grove was playing the championship moment cool for he had one more surprise for his team -- and I knew what it was going to be. He had always told me over the years that the day his bowling team would win a state title, he'd shave his trademark beard off. It may have taken him 11 years as coach, but he kept a kit in a bag he brought with him to matches. There was the razor and there was the shaving cream.</p><p>And with his bowlers watching -- they may have been accurate on bowling lanes, but he wasn't trusting him with his whiskers -- Grove shaved off the beard as promised.</p><p>"I'll feel it when I go outside and the cold breeze hits me," said Grove. "I've wanted to shave it for years, but I needed a reason to do it. My wife likes the beard."</p><p>It was a different look I had to get used to at that point, especially covering softball that spring where Grove was head coach. He would coach both the boys bowling and softball teams until retiring in 1994. Sadly, we lost this wonderful man to cancer in 2011. He will always be one of my favorite coaches.</p><p>Oh, and that bus ride home -- I am sure that had to be the loudest-sounding bus in central New Jersey with two state champions aboard. </p><p>I left after getting all the information I needed from that day and headed back the other way, though for some silly reason, I wanted to have lunch at the Big Boy's restaurant at the rest stop just over the Garden State Parkway. I did and headed back down the Parkway south to Toms River to get back to the <i>Observer</i> building to write about this amazing day.</p><p>Amazingly, a front-page story of not one, but TWO state championship teams ended up on the <i>THIRD</i> page of the sports section. I know .. <i>WTF?! </i>Don't ask me why ... I can't answer for my sports editor's decision then.</p><p>That </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc6OUPkpN2jcaOlW3W8cy1C069DPaB024f7LfXu4KtAF743XGTuB2nZu-uiNAqLfhbZeIZGWelPL1xiifB7ceJp3I8F9WOCVaIVoJCK5skA5SLs1r6Oe2FO8LT9JlRqy7Gyq5NUUjMSNSpghFoHFHYRlEZmaWSGMisFWQzkyqwX67y6Hucsjau_o4fSg=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc6OUPkpN2jcaOlW3W8cy1C069DPaB024f7LfXu4KtAF743XGTuB2nZu-uiNAqLfhbZeIZGWelPL1xiifB7ceJp3I8F9WOCVaIVoJCK5skA5SLs1r6Oe2FO8LT9JlRqy7Gyq5NUUjMSNSpghFoHFHYRlEZmaWSGMisFWQzkyqwX67y6Hucsjau_o4fSg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />day at Carolier Lanes is still one of the most amazing ones I've ever witnessed. It was an Ocean County kegler's delighr.<p></p><p>If all days were quite like that one.</p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-74465461102544382912021-06-12T11:31:00.002-07:002021-06-12T11:41:08.961-07:00From locked out to the culmination of a great 1988 season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl92kFQRM10N1gG1y1v3jg2YFT4aYHmBltyGLdoYNnEwTZoCairWDe0KpYYCbcVotOBm11ysi_H2qbiQxeOaBw5lJ-gZTGjQsnENdPnIOVQv7ISeUR7Ys6-DaoSOGI8dtfUFiRcwm-pvo_/s2048/angelcentral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl92kFQRM10N1gG1y1v3jg2YFT4aYHmBltyGLdoYNnEwTZoCairWDe0KpYYCbcVotOBm11ysi_H2qbiQxeOaBw5lJ-gZTGjQsnENdPnIOVQv7ISeUR7Ys6-DaoSOGI8dtfUFiRcwm-pvo_/w400-h300/angelcentral.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>When we last left the Central Regional High School softball team, it was Wednesday, June 8, 1988, and the Golden Eagles had just scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on Stacy Witfill and Monsignor Donovan to win the Ocean County Tournament in dramatic fashion, 3-2, at Toms River High School South.</p><p>It was truly one of those moments in time that showed those in attendance what the Golden Eagles' softball program was all about under coach Norm Selby -- the grit of a comeback victory and doing so without the panic that would dull that calmness this club exuded.</p><p>And so after the championship was over and the Golden Eagles had received the championship trophy from tournament director and Lakewood High softball coach Dave MacKelvey, you'd thought they'd have a little party on the bus as they immediately went back to Bayville to the school and party some more there, right?</p><p><i>Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!</i></p><p>"Selby, you know we should just drive over to Donovan and do a lap around the school with the trophy!" Angel Slack told Selby. Normally, that would be an idea left to the side of the road after being laughed at during the moment. But these two teams were big-time rivals. Selby and assistant coach Gloria Garibaldi prided themselves on the program they built into a winner in the 1980s, first under previous coach Marshall Davenport. Selby and Garibaldi just enhanced it further. Johnny Come Latelys were frowned upon, especially when a new pitcher with Witfill's talent and power shows up at the team's doorstep from St. Rose the year before and automatically transforms a Donovan program that struggled for years into a winning club.</p><p>So the idea that Selby's star pitcher threw out there was<i> taken into consideration. </i>Central's bus headed from South up Hooper Avenue no more than a mile and a half to Donovan where -- sure as anything -- Central's bus did the one lap around Donovan's parking lot showing off the trophy, then headed back to Bayville.</p><p>Truth is, for all the celebrating these Central ladies wanted to do, they still had one last bit of business to attend to -- capturing the Shore Conference Class B South championship all to themselves. Because of postseason tournaments, which took precedent over regular-season games, the Golden Eagles had one last game to play for the division title against another team Central had a history with -- Manasquan High School, led by longtime mentor Pat Barnaba, who, too, had a ton of talented young ladies on her club, led by leadoff hitter and catcher Chris Hilla and No. 3 hitter and second baseman Amy Faas.</p><p>Manasquan would go into the game with a 20-6 record and 9-2 divisional record, the only blemishes being to Central on Central's field and to an up-and-coming Wall team of second-year Tony Vodola. The Golden Eagles were trying to top off the greatest season by an Ocean County softball team, taking a 26-3 record into the game with the losses coming to Wall in the regular season in divisional play, JFK-Iselin in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III state semifinal round and to Manasquan in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals.</p><p>So that loss to Manasquan was still in the front of Selby's mind as well as his players' minds when they loaded up the bus at 8:15 in the morning on Saturday, June 11, 1988, and headed north to Manasquan to arrive for a 10 a.m. game that would determine if Central was going to win this divisional title by itself or have to share it with <i>both </i>Wall and Manasquan at 10-2 since the Knights' season was over with that 10-2 mark. As for myself, I left my childhood home at 8:40 a.m. to get to Manasquan's field -- which I never covered a game on before -- for the 10 a.m. game. I used to leave way early when I was heading to a school I had never been to before and frankly, I had never covered an event at Manasquan High in the nearly four years I was at the <i>Ocean County Observer. </i></p><p>I arrived at Manasquan High at about 9:15 a.m., the field located in the back of the school along a street in the back. Neat little set-up. I parked my car a few blocks away from the field (foul balls, windshields, you know what I'm talking about here, don't you?). I walked over to the field and Central was already there, but there was a problem.</p><p>The gates were locked to get onto the field from the street and this forced Central players to have to practice outside the fence with simple tossing. You didn't have to ask Norm Selby how he was feeling at the moment -- he was pissed off to say the least. He wanted to start practicing infield/outfield with his players like he had for 29 previous games. Normally, he would take catcher Lisa Wallace with him to the plate and he'd hit grounders to a sound infield of Dawn Boertmann at first base, Dee Boudah at second, and star players Kelly McGowan at shortstop and Michelle Carlson at third. Garibaldi would take the outfielders, hitting fungos to left fielder Alison Duffy, center fielder Sue Faella and right fielder Sue Bitten. Then Slack, who was slated to start this finale to her season and career, would come to the circle and start taking grounders and relays after warming up.</p><p><i>This </i>would be the normal routine. <i>This </i>is what Central Regional would be doing over a half hour before the game. But they couldn't because they couldn't get on the field, and worse, there was no sight of Barnaba and her Big Blue players in the distance of the school. Suddenly, 9:20 became 9:25, then 9:30, then 9:35 and finally at 9:41 a.m., the doors opened and the Big Blue players just casually walked out of the school and to the field.</p><p>It was Manasquan's home game, and the umpires were arriving five minutes <i>after </i>Barnaba and her players showed up. Needless to say, none of Central's bunch were too pleased having to wait this long to have the gates unlocked and properly warm up. We were all wondering if this was just a mental game Manasquan was playing in making Central wait to get on the field.</p><p>If it was, all it did was fuel Central further. And needless to say, the game didn't start until 10 minutes after 10. Manasquan pitcher Debra Swaney started and got two groundouts and a strikeout in the first. In the bottom of the first, Hilla led off with a single and Barnaba decided to shake things up by having Hilla steal second. But Wallace put a perfect throw to McGowan to throw her out.</p><p>This was key because both Amy Burns and Faas singled to put runners on first and second immediately after the caught stealing. But the shaky Slack got a forceout of Melissa Metuch's grounder to Carlson at third and struck out Denise Aromando to end the inning.</p><p>Maybe those early jitters were out of the way. Soon, though, Slack was back on the mound after Central's middle of the lineup went groundout, popout and foulout to end the second.</p><p>Big Blue third baseman Jenny deCastro singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. That was followed by a walk to Katy Hoos (Manasquan had some interesting last names on its roster) and an infield single by designated hitter Kim Lockenmeyer to load the bases.</p><p>Uh-oh. Maybe the mental games of before the first pitch were playing tricks on Slack and her teammates. Slack settled down, though, to strike out No. 9 hitter Stacey Schilling. But that meant Hilla was back up. She looped a 1-2 pitch into center field to bring in deCastro. Burns hit a comebacker to Slack, who threw to Wallace to get Hoos at the plate, but Faas walked on four pitches to bring in the second run to make it 2-0. Slack got Matuch to pop out to end the inning, but the Golden Eagles were down to 2-0.</p><p>And to a casual viewer of the game such as myself, something didn't seem right or feel right with Slack. It turns out she wasn't 100 percent for the game. Selby told me after the game, "Angel was pitching with a 102-degree temperature. Gloria knew she was ill and we just sent her home Friday. She wasn't doing us any good practicing with us on Friday, so we told her to get the day's rest and come back today."</p><p>It may have been short-sighted for Slack to be out there trying to pitch her guts out when she wasn't at her best, but nonetheless, there she was trying to secure Central's first <i>outright </i>Class B South title ever and first outright divisional title in seven years.</p><p>After going six up and six down, though, there needed to be a wakeup call. Faella began the top of the third inning with an infield single. After Boertmann popped out, No. 9 hitter Boudah forced Faella at second base.</p><p>There was two outs, but at least it was back to the dangerous top of the Golden Eagles' lineup. Carlson, who was building an impressive softball resume as the cat burglar-quick third baseman and an eight-game winner in the circle as the backup pitcher, while also being the quintessential "do-everything-to-get-on-base" leadoff hitter, dropped a two-out bunt on an unsuspecting Big Blue infield and beat it out for an infield hit.</p><p>This brought up Duffy, a solid junior leftfielder. She hit a grounder that shortstop Matuch should have just swallowed up and stepped on second base for the forceout of Carlson. But she may have seen Carlson barreling into second base with her speed and for one second took her eye off the ball. The bobble and error allowed the bases to be loaded for No. 3 hitter Wallace.</p><p>Like Duffy with older sister Dee, Wallace had an older sibling who had enjoyed success in previous years as Lynn Wallace played center field for the 1986 team that won both the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III and Ocean County Tournament titles like this '88 team did.</p><p>Swaney threw a first-pitch ball. Wallace nearly lost the next pitch to her.</p><p>"Ping!" The sound still resonates to this day as Wallace nailed the delivery and put a laser shot to the right-center field gap on a fenceless field. Boudah, Carlson and Duffy all scored and suddenly, it was Central holding the 3-2 lead. Wallace would tell me after the game, "I was just looking for a base hit. I just wanted a hit. (Swaney) threw it right down the middle. I had been coming under the ball and (Selby) had his eye on it. I had to keep my hands in and back."</p><p>If not for Bitten hitting a rope right at third baseman deCastro, the inning would have gone on.</p><p>Suddenly, the fans on the Central side of the field along the back street were excited. And Slack further got them excited by finally having a 1-2-3 inning in the third.</p><p>Soon, though, the Big Blue would be back to the plate. Slack got Lockenmeyer on a strikeout and Schilling on a groundout. But that meant Hilla was back to the plate. One swing could change the game from her. And it did. Hilla sent a booming triple over Faella's head and suddenly, the Big Blue were in business again. Burns walked and stole second, but still, all Central needed was one out to get out of the inning.</p><p>It didn't happen as Faas hit a grounder to Boudah, who booted it for an error to allow Hilla to score the tying run. Slack got out of the jam by inducing Matuch into a foulout to Carlson, keeping it at 3-3.</p><p>Suddenly, I thought, "Oh, great. There goes the momentum!" For all the successes I had seen of Selby's Golden Eagles over the years, I had seen their failures, too. But with this team, I never had that "Oh, no, it's all starting to go downhill" feeling, even with Slack throwing with a 102-degree temperature, Carlson still dealing with the aftermath of a badly hurt thumb in the final week of the season, McGowan dealing with a hurt arm, Bitten having to nurse a slight knee injury and Faella sporting a toothache she had no time to take care of, all according to the coach.</p><p>Yet, all these young ladies with the physical troubles were out there trying to win that outright divisional title in the final game of the season on this sunny, blue-sky Saturday morning as Bitten and Slack were playing their final games in Central uniforms. </p><p>The Golden Eagles had a threat in the fifth inning as Duffy singled and Wallace walked, but Bitten popped out to first base to end the inning. Other than a deCastro single with one out in the bottom of the fifth, Slack navigated out of possible danger with a flyout by Hoos and a foulout by Lockenmeyer.</p><p>With all the hurts and aches Central players were dealing with, it probably was best to avoid extra innings at all costs. And the girl with the bum arm at shortstop took matters into her hands.</p><p>McGowan had delivered the game-winning hit that ultimately captured Central's first state sectional title in 1986 when she was a freshman. She was about to help put the ribbon on this amazing season. On a 1-1 pitch from Swaney, She blasted a shot over Hoos' head and didn't stop running until Selby put the hands-up stop sign at third base.</p><p>The triple was a nice start to the sixth. All Central needed to do now was get a bat on the ball and avoid a Big Blue glove to get McGowan home. The Golden Eagles had struck out just twice in the game against Swaney. Sounds easy, right?</p><p>It was! Slack hit a grounder away from danger as first baseman Burns got the ball, but had one play to Faas covering first for the out. McGowan crossed the plate and Central had a 4-3 lead.</p><p>With one out in the sixth, Hilla finished out a superb high school career for herself with her fourth hit of the game, a single to left field. But there were no thoughts of trying to steal again on Wallace. Burns flied out to Faella and her achy tooth and Faas hit a comebacker to the girl with the 102-degree temperature.</p><p>Central put two runners on base with one out in the seventh, looking to expand on the lead, but Swaney got Bitten to pop out to Matuch and McGowan hit a grounder to Matuch, who tossed to deCastro at third for the forceout and final out of the inning.</p><p>All it left was Slack to get the final three outs of the game, the season ... and her career. Matuch hit a grounder at Carlson, who swallowed it up and fired to Boertmann at first for the first out. Aromando hit a line drive, but at Boudah for the second out. All that was left was deCastro, who had touched Slack for two hits on the day.</p><p>And she hit the ball again -- but this time to the wrong player. Right at Carlson. She gobbled that grounder, too, and fired to Boertmann for the final out of the game.</p><p>Central had held on for the 4-3 win and could now add Shore Conference Class B South champions along with their titles of NJSIAA South Jersey Group III, Ocean County and early-season Pemberton tournament champions.</p><p>They ended the year with a 27-3 record, breaking the county and program record of 26 wins established by Selby's first team in 1981. Slack ended her year at 19-2, striking out five Big Blue hitters, walking three, scattering eight hits and giving up two earned runs.</p><p>There were hugs and happiness from the Central young ladies, though with all that was ailing Central on this day, I'm not sure how much partying they wanted to do. </p><p>Over the years, Selby always told me about the pride he ran his program with Garibaldi. They were never "girls" to him. They were "young ladies." And he could not have been prouder of how his "young ladies" handled the adversity on this Saturday morning, especially being locked out of a softball field so they could warm up before the game.</p><p>"That's the kind of kid we had here at Central this season," Selby started off telling me after the victory. "If they had a 2 p.m. appointment somewhere, they would get to that appointment at 2:25 p.m. They put up the time to practice and put up with me and G (Garibaldi). They had to put up with that and more."</p><p>These Golden Eagles were always devoted to the love of softball and the chance to do something special -- like this '88 group was.</p><p>It was an early day for me. I got to the <i>Observer </i>just after 1 p.m. and wrote the story, did some other things around the office and went home for the rest of that day.</p><p>But it was a wonderful morning, which started in that bizarre fashion of Central not being able to get onto a field to practice. Mentally, that could have ruined most good teams that the other team didn't want you to have your regular routine. Maybe it was miscommunication, too, but even 33 years later, I highly doubt that.</p><p>Central and Manasquan were, at times, very bitter rivals.</p><p>And that's what made the last game of the 1988 season -- even a regular-season game -- a special one, played by a group of special players who made it their business to not share anything with any other team that day.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-35288778888778060742021-06-07T14:42:00.004-07:002021-06-08T01:31:30.600-07:00The capper to a long-awaited great season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6hQN9cRVXxb02FlGd23DeTneb9j0D879WYSixEa5qd-L4vTMAgyKoj5fHpjxZpeeJzHexL8C5RWitQmZSFw6NoaH5ZgmZ8QhfmFuAjokuRi2r2P5KKqCoNa6xYRPeP2QZjhSO_4bfcKt/s604/89east.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="604" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6hQN9cRVXxb02FlGd23DeTneb9j0D879WYSixEa5qd-L4vTMAgyKoj5fHpjxZpeeJzHexL8C5RWitQmZSFw6NoaH5ZgmZ8QhfmFuAjokuRi2r2P5KKqCoNa6xYRPeP2QZjhSO_4bfcKt/w400-h293/89east.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>So many things could have conspired to make the 1989 Toms River High School East softball season yet another season of heartbreak and failure.</p><p>Whether it was the first coach of the program, the late Gail Halbfoster, or her successor, Rick Dispoto, or his successor before the 1988 season, Debbie Dietrich, the history of Toms River East softball was one of disappointment.</p><p>Sure, there were plenty of fantastic seasons in which the team would win the Shore Conference Class A South title. The Raiders did that five times between 1983-88. But when it came to postseason play, the Raiders had never gotten far enough to claim a title of any kind. As a matter of fact, the only time in the first nine years of the program the Raiders played for a tournament championship was 1987 and they were shocked by Lacey High in the final, 7-5, the Lions being the last of 10 seeds in the Ocean County Tournament that year.</p><p>The 1988 Raiders won the Class A South title under Dietrich in her debut year as coach with assistant Diane Morrissey helping her. But Margie Egrie-led Atlantic City would beat the Raiders on the Raiders' home field in the South Jersey Group IV tournament. In the Ocean County Tournament, it was Toms River North taking down the Raiders on the Raiders' home field in the quarterfinal round. And the Raiders would lose to Central Regional, 16-9, in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Central as the Golden Eagles were in the middle of a 27-3 season under coach Norm Selby.</p><p>But one of the centerpieces of that 1988 Golden Eagles team was about to tip the scales in East's favor in the Fall of 1988. Michelle Carlson was moving with her family out of Bayville into Toms River and though she told yours truly over the years she never planned on leaving Selby and the Golden Eagles' program, that it wasn't going to work semantically. Her parents weren't going to get her in a car and drive from Toms River to Bayville every day, so she was having to enroll in classes at Toms River East as a junior.</p><p>And once Dietrich found out about this, she suddenly realized her very good team, which had won 20 games the year before, was about to become better. The all-important battery was established with catcher Kathy Hawtin and pitcher Kim Tompkins beginning their third year together on varsity. Jennifer Brown was back at first base, junior Christine Grice was returning to second base, Cristy Iorio, like the battery, was now the Raiders' established shortstop, and Carlson was going to fit in perfectly at third base, moving Grice from the hot corner to second. The outfield featured seniors Kathy Higley in right field, Sally Ballantyne in left and junior newcomer Jeannine Zarillo in center field. Cheryl Stump would take the pressure off Tompkins ever hitting by being the designated hitter (designated player now).</p><p>The Raiders started the 1989 season at 18-0, the second-greatest start behind Toms River South's 19-0 start in 1976. But Greta Jannsch stymied East in the circle down at Southern Regional High and handed the Raiders their first loss of the season, 6-3. The Raiders, though, would not be deterred to win yet another Class A South championship.</p><p>First up was the state tournament -- yes, the state tournament was FIRST!! The Raiders won a dramatic, come-from-behind victory over Toms River South for their first-ever state tournament win -- yes, it took all these years to WIN A STATE TOURNAMENT GAME for the program. But in the following game, a gamble in center field by Zarrillo on a low-sinking line drive proceeded to go behind her on East's fence-less outfield and two runs scored -- the only two runs Washington Township needed to beat the Raiders, 2-0.</p><p>Uh-oh!! Here we go again!! All I kept thinking was "please don't let arguably the greatest Raiders team assembled go down in flames, too."</p><p>Stump delivered a pair of run-scoring doubles in the opening round of the Shore Conference Tournament on Memorial Day, May 29, 3-1. Over a week earlier, the Raiders began the Ocean County Tournament run with a quarterfinal victory over Brick, then defeated Lacey in the semifinals, 8-3, to advance to the final for the second time in three years.</p><p>But on May 31, the Raiders were hosting Lacey again, this time in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals. And coach Mike Shern had his Lady Lions ready. They took a 1-0 lead on the old East field which is now a soccer and lacrosse field on the side of the gymnasium. East threatened with Hawtin on second and one out. Grice hit a screaming liner that was ticketed for the left-center field gap. In what I still consider the greatest catch I've ever seen on a softball diamond, left fielder Janene Spitaletto dove to her right and caught the ball while sliding o n East's rough outfield turf. When she got up, she fired the ball into second base to complete the double play as Hawtin was heading back to the dugout thinking she had just scored the tying run.</p><p>Lacey built a 3-0 lead going into the sixth. But an error off a steal attempt of third base by pinch-runner Cindy Himpele allowed her to come home and an RBI infield hit by Ballantyne brought home Zarrillo to make it 3-2 going to the seventh.</p><p>That was the first time all year I started to feel that "Raider magic." In the bottom of the seventh, Hawtin walked, Grice beat out a sacrifice bunt for a hit and an error by pitcher Patty Brilly on a Higley grounder loaded the bases with no outs. Left-handed hitting Stump came up. On a 1-1 pitch, she drilled a drive into left-center field to score both Hawtin and Grice and complete a 4-3 victory. I watched Raiders players jump up and down in elation and angry and sad Lions players come off the field in dejection.</p><p>That was Lacey's win and East was having nothing to do with it.</p><p>One night later with the glow of that victory very much apparent, East arrived at Wilbur Thompson Field in Lakewood to play a back-and-forth drama with rival Toms River South, who the Raiders had beaten three times during the season, for the county championship. In a game that saw Tompkins get a line drive back at her face by South's Emily Dupignac, but the blow of that ball hitting her was dulled by her putting her glove up in time, the teams battled to 8-8 by the bottom of the seventh inning.</p><p>Once again, though, the "Raider magic" prevailed. Hawtin walked, stole second, took third on a single and once again, it was Stump playing hero by hitting a high chopper to second baseman Marti Seaman, who did not have enough time to throw Hawtin out at the plate as East celebrated its first-ever tournament title, beating the Indians, 9-8.</p><p>And once the Raiders won that first important championship in program history, everything else fell into place for what would be the finale. The Raiders came back on Monday, June 5 to take down Wall, 8-1, in the SCT semifinals at Toms River South.</p><p>Now one game was left. It was the Shore Conference Tournament final on Wednesday, June 7, 1989, and the last team left standing was Red Bank Catholic. The Caseys were having a really good season at 19-3. The heart of the Casey team was the top of their batting order -- shortstop Megan Zusi leading off, right fielder Jen Gross batting second, pitcher Ellie Traino hitting third and center fielder Kim Harter batting cleanup. Traino, undeniably, was the Caseys' best player, a tall talent at 5-foot-10 who could bring it hard on opposing hitters.</p><p>By now, though, these Raiders were confident. The 25-2 record they came into the game with spoke volumes. But, of course, there was one more demon Dietrich, Morrissey and her Raiders needed to turn back -- one of the two losses the Raiders suffered was on this Southern Regional field.</p><p>I was at the game covering it as I was expected to as the softball writer for the <i>Ocean County Observer,</i> finishing up my fifth year of covering high school softball. I am a Toms River East graduate so I knew a lot about the program and the players in general. A good amount of them were seniors on this team and were graduating with my sister that June.</p><p>Well, <i>Asbury Park Press </i>softball writer Theresa Shevlin arrived at Southern moments after I had gotten there and she was an unabashed RBC grad. This made for interesting coverage. I sat up top of the small bleachers along the first-base side, Theresa sitting along the first row. She looks at me and tells me she thinks this is going to be her alma mater's day and they'll break through against the top-seeded Raiders.</p><p>I looked at her, smiled and said, <i>"No chance."</i> Traino needed to be better than excellent to keep this Raider lineup down. And after the first three batters in the Casey lineup hit groundballs to Iorio (two of them) and Carlson that they turned into outs. I was pretty confident on what the outcome was going to be. In the first, Ballantyne got a base hit, but Traino got Iorio and Brown to fly out to end the inning.</p><p>In the second, that got tested though, when Harter hit a grounder that swallowed up Brown for an error. One out later, Karen Taylor bunted her up to second, but in what would be her last game as a Raider, Tompkins got Dana Jack to pop out to Iorio.</p><p>In the bottom of the second, Grice singled with one out. Traino struck out Higley, but Stump walked to put runners on first and second and bring up No. 9 hitter Zarrillo. Ever since that line drive in the Washington Township game went under her glove allowing the only two runs of the game to score, she had beaten herself up for the mistake. Now, Zarrillo had a chance to redeem herself in the first huge moment of the game.</p><p>And, oh, did she ever do so. On a 1-2 offering from Traino, Zarrillo drilled the ball over Harter's head. I'm guessing Harter did not think a No. 9 hitter could launch a rocket over her head. She was proven wrong. Grice and Stump scored and Zarrillo landed a third with a triple.</p><p>Zarrillo's shot had practically opened the cork to the champagne and the soon-to-be celebration. Still, to this day, it's one of the biggest clutch hits I've ever witnessed.</p><p>But the inning was not over yet. Leadoff hitter Carlson was hit by a pitch and openly took second base. Ballantyne hit a grounder at Jack, who muffed it for an error, allowing Zarrillo and Carlson to score to make it 4-0.</p><p>In the third inning, Kim Dollinger singled. RBC put the hit and run on with No. 9 hitter and designated hitter Melissa DelPresto at the plate. But DelPresto popped up to Brown, who only had to step on the base to complete the double play. Zusi flied out to Zarrillo and suddenly, RBC looked like a confused team down 4-0 and East was a confident team which could sense the blood in the water.</p><p>In the bottom of the third, Hawtin and Grice started the inning with singles. Grice beat out a close play at second on a Higley grounder to load the bases. But things started looking bad for East. Stump struck out and Hawtin was thrown out at home trying to score on a passed ball (the backstop on Southern's old field wasn't too deep in those days).</p><p>So with two outs and runners on second and third after the out at the plate, Zarrillo stepped up again. On a 2-1 pitch, she drilled a shot to left-center field for a single that brought in Grice and Higley and it was 6-0.</p><p>Meanwhile, Tompkins settled into a groove. She retired five of the next six batters in the fourth and fifth innings, but with two outs in the fifth, Dollinger doubled. With Liz Ryan at 1-2 in the count, RBC thought it might be a good time to catch the Raiders sleeping. Pinch-runner Nicole Gross took off for third, but Tompkins was fully aware of what was happening and fired to Carlson, who chased Gross back to Grice, who caught the ball and made the tag for the third out.</p><p>These Raiders could simply do no wrong. Traino, who the next time I would see on a softball field was in some professional league in the mid-1990s that ESPN2 used to show the games, the same league that also had Michelle Carlson playing in it, kept the deficit to 6-0 heading to the bottom of the sixth, hoping to give the Caseys one more chance in what was already a humbling experience. Traino got Stump to line out to open the inning, but her personal kryptonite, Zarrillo, was up again. She drilled another single to left field to be 3-for-3 for the game.</p><p>Carlson worked out a walk. An error by Traino trying to throw out Zarrillo at second moved the runners up a base. Ballantyne hit a grounder that they tried to get Zarrillo again at third, but she beat the play back to the base, loading the bases for Iorio. Iorio singled to center to score Zarrillo and Carlson, and when Traino committed another error on the play, that allowed Ballantyne to come home from first to make it 9-0.</p><p>The story of the '89 East season was almost finished. Traino helped finish it for East when she threw a wild pitch to Brown on the first pitch of the at-bat, allowing Iorio to scamper home with the 10th and final run of the game.</p><p>And it was over -- East had the emphatic 10-0 victory over the Caseys and their first-ever Shore Conference Tournament. Tompkins finished her career in terrific fashion, allowing three hits, walking one batter and striking out three to finish her season at 26-2 like the team. Both she and Zarrillo were the stars of the capper to one of Ocean County's greatest seasons.</p><p>It was also East's breakthrough to what would be an amazing 26-year career for Dietrich, now Debbie Schwartz, as head coach. Now Donovan Catholic's head coach, Schwartz's Griffins won the overall NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title in 2019, exactly 30 years to the day East won her first-ever title as coach in the OCT final over Toms River South.</p><p>East players rightfully celebrated this amazing 26-2 season, but realized this would be the last time they would be together. But it was a longer ride home than expected. I remember heading back onto the Garden State Parkway, but traffic came to a standstill due to an accident miles up the road. I got to the Lacey Township rest stop and just took a walk to the northbound-side of the Parkway to see how long the traffic was. Suddenly, I see a Toms River bus coming up on right side. One of the East players asked what was going on and I told them there seemed to be an accident up ahead. We had about a three-minute conversion before the bus could move up a little more. </p><p>I eventually got back to the Observer to write the story and continue working on the Lacey-Middletown North girls soccer championship in the SCT. Lacey would win that championship, 4-2.</p><p>I had one more final thing to do and that was write about the All-County team for softball in which Carlson, Tompkins, Higley, Ballantyne, Hawtin and Stump made first team.</p><p>That 1989 season ended in a way a great team's season should win -- a title-game victory. That '89 East team was special ... and found its way out of possible pitfalls of its past to prevail as a two-time tournament champion.</p><p>When I told Theresa Shevlin that RBC had <i>no chance </i>to beat East, I meant it. It wasn't small talk.</p><p>These East Raiders were committed to putting an exclamation point on what was a great year.</p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-9367406005944791132021-05-30T12:17:00.001-07:002021-05-30T12:26:42.113-07:00Dejection one day, viewing a sectional title the next<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOUVLVSCpxUloyRl2f3szhha9b-7e4oJXeahyUaEO32fX6lj27ZUP3gwJQsvjSKew-c31I8QNj8C2fD9Dk8vImYNRDlz21V53JKAWllCdyuQZvIPcjxo7485bW88LJxM4ofk_f-UBap-H/s1080/headline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOUVLVSCpxUloyRl2f3szhha9b-7e4oJXeahyUaEO32fX6lj27ZUP3gwJQsvjSKew-c31I8QNj8C2fD9Dk8vImYNRDlz21V53JKAWllCdyuQZvIPcjxo7485bW88LJxM4ofk_f-UBap-H/w400-h300/headline.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The night of Thursday, May 29, 1986 would be one of the most humiliating days of my life.<p></p><p>For months, I had planned on this as a special night -- I was to graduate from Ocean County College in my hometown of Toms River, N.J., getting my associate's degree. This was a big night for myself and my parents and sister. Just two years earlier, I had graduated a proud Raider at Toms River High School East.</p><p>Now I was to graduate a proud Viking from OCC. It was a beautiful, sunny 74-degree night in Toms River on the campus and the hour or so long ceremony was full of pomp and circumstance, just like any graduation ceremony would be. </p><p>The ceremony ended and so it was time to go back to the media center at the other end of the campus to collect my actual degree that I got in journalism. I hand in my gown and mortarboard, just like I did two years ago at East. I get handed my diploma to tuck inside the soft, leathery (not the actual leather, mind you) case that they hand you during the ceremony. I know the drill.</p><p>Instead, there's a white folder waiting for me with my name on it. And there inside the folder is <i>not </i>the diploma with my name on it. Instead, there's a neatly typewritten piece of paper that explains why it isn't my diploma.</p><p>I didn't read it all the way through, but the word "fail" and "biology" came up on it. There was no diploma. The toughest course I had in my so-called last semester at OCC tripped me up from continuing on. I should have followed my instincts and taken chemistry -- where numbers are involved and I'm so much better in that regard!</p><p>But no! I'm hard-headed and wanted to not take the easy way out. I struggled with biology in high school, so I should have known better. But I passed by the end of the year there. College biology was not as basic as high school biology, though, and once you slip down that bunny hole of struggle, you have a hard time recovering.</p><p>So swallowing the words that I was not graduating was tough enough. Now I had to go tell the family waiting outside to celebrate.</p><p>Let's say they didn't take the news that well. We went straight home where it was explained to me that I was a failure in the family and that whatever I was doing from this time on I would have to pay for myself.</p><p>OK, I'm exaggerating when it comes to the first part -- I held down a full-time job while going to college at the <i>Ocean County Observer. </i>That was full-time working every day, even if it was as a correspondent. But the second part was partly true -- to get my degree and move on to Monmouth College in West Long Branch where most of my credits were transferrable I would have to pay for the course I would take during six weeks of summer school at OCC.</p><p>I rarely told a soul of what happened that humiliating May 29, 1986. More on the aftermath later.</p><p>I think I made one call to work to find out if Lacey beat Wall in the Shore Conference Girls Soccer Tournament to advance to the championship game and keep its unbeaten season going. The Lady Lions did.</p><p>I went to bed early that night, disappointed by what had transpired hours earlier. But what to do about it would have to wait until the following Monday.</p><p>By 8 the next morning, another sunny and beautiful day in the upper 70s, dad had gone to work in Asbury Park, probably still fuming over his son's failure to graduate properly. My sister had gone to school and I was left with mom. Mom was always the easy-going one who put things in perspective far better than any of us could. She, too, knew there was no reason to remain upset and that nothing could be done until after the Memorial Day weekend ended.</p><p>I had a state tournament softball game to cover in southern New Jersey that early afternoon and wanted to go to our county mall a half an hour before going on the road to a high school I had never been to before.</p><p>Breakfast eaten and newspapers read from what I missed in local sports the night before, I was off to the mall at 10:30 a.m. I was there for one reason -- I was to stop into Camelot Records, located on the eastern end of the mall by Sears. They knew me by name at both Camelot and Listening Booth, the other record shop on the west end of the mall. There in the cassette aisle was what I was looking for -- Peter Gabriel's "So" cassette. It was locked up in that orange contraption to trap thieves from stealing from the store that a single key could unlock it out of its case.</p><p>I, like millions of American music fans, became fascinated by the first single release from that Gabriel album (the first one I ever bought by him) called "Sledgehammer." And for the next hour and half while I was on the road to Hammonton High, taking Route 70 west into the Route 206 circle and going south until finding the high school, I resisted hitting rewind and replaying "Sledgehammer" repeatedly. But I listened to the tape from start to finish and found it to be one of the most fascinating cassettes I ever bought -- not really a bad song in the bunch.</p><p>So on this Friday afternoon, May 30, 1986, I found myself at Hammonton High School for a 1 p.m. softball game. Why 1 p.m. on a Friday? Because it so happened that the team I was there to cover that day -- Central Regional High School -- was having their senior prom that night, so coach Norm Selby and athletic director Jerry Golembeski asked for an earlier start, that way the "young ladies" as Selby always called the players on the team could get back home to prepare for their special night.</p><p>But since the <i>Observer </i>did not have a Saturday paper, I had all day to cover the story and get home whenever I wanted, This was only my second spring of covering softball, but I had been to enough Central Regional games to know the pre-game drill by now -- Selby hitting grounders to his infielders and assistant coach Gloria Garibaldi hitting fungos to the outfielders, while new assistant coach Phyllis Angellella was watching pitcher Dee Duffy warm up down by the third-base coaching line. She had been part of Selby's first varsity team in 1981 that went 26-4 and came close to winning a South Jersey sectional title, losing in the championship to Lenape in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group IV.</p><p>Since Central Regional's population shrunk when Lacey Township High was built to open the following year and took some of the kids from the area, Central dropped from Group IV to Group III. And for the first time since losing in '81, the Golden Eagles were playing for the SJ III title against Ocean City.</p><p>The Red Raiders were 18-3 and talented up and down their lineup, a strong-hitting group with a burly, left-handed hurler named Cindy Rau in the circle throwing hard and neutralizing the opposing lineup.</p><p>On the other hand, Central Regional came into the game with one very distinct difference to its opponent -- there was not one senior starter on the team. Duffy was a three-year varsity junior and most of the starting lineup were juniors except the left side of the infield where third baseman and sometimes pitcher Angel Slack was a sophomore and shortstop Kelly McGowan was a freshman.</p><p>In other words, the expectations were not so high for Central Regional as it was for Ocean City. The Red Raiders were all but expected to win the SJ III title, but come in 1987, that was to be Central's year. After all, you'd think these young ladies from Central Regional would be distracted by the prom being that night.</p><p>Turns out, a Norm Selby-coached Central Regional team was finely focused. And the Golden Eagles sent a little message to their opponents they were ready to play from the start.</p><p>No. 2 hitter Duffy hit a dribbler that she beat out for a single with one out. Wallace singled to left field to put runners on first and second. That brought up right-handed hitting McGowan in the cleanup spot. She took a 2-1 pitch to the right side of the infield where the ball bounced off the glove of second baseman Laurie Good, who gave it a strong effort to go to her left to make the play. That allowed Selby to wave Duffy home for the first run of the game.</p><p>Rau worked her way out of trouble and for the next six innings after that, she was unhittable as she and her and her teammates were in sync in the field.</p><p>And while Rau and the Red Raiders were untouchable, Rau giving up three walks in that time, Duffy had her moments in the circle. In the third, the Red Raiders got the equalizing run as Good reached on a forceout, moved to second on a wild pitch, got to third on a Kellie Ross sacrifice bunt and scored on a single to right field by Denise Tauscher.</p><p>The fourth inning saw Duffy get into trouble by loading the bases with two outs. This could have been a pendulum-moving moment with Good at the plate, but Duffy -- always the fighter in the circle -- rebounded to strike Good out and end the threat. In the fifth inning, Ocean City put runners on base before Duffy got the third out to thwart the would-be rally.</p><p>The game remained 1-1 through the sixth inning, then the seventh. Extra innings were upon us.</p><p>So was 2:45 p.m., and the more and more time the game went on, the less and less time there would be to get on a bus, go home to Bayville and prepare for a prom that night in neighboring Monmouth County. By now, it seemed like a rush to get this game done and neither side was yielding to the other.</p><p>The Golden Eagles, who were 16-6-1 (they had a tie with Southern Regional during the season) were holding their own against the favored Red Raiders. With the top of the lineup coming up, the moment was right in the eighth inning to do something. So Slack started the inning by doing something the Golden Eagles had not done since the first inning -- get a base hit.</p><p>Duffy hit a screaming line drive -- she got a hold of the Rau delivery -- to left field. Shannon Garrity took off and made a running catch for if she didn't, Duffy and Slack could run all day. That forced Slack to scurry back to first base bringing up Wallace.</p><p>On a 1-1 pitch, Wallace hit a popup between the Ocean City dugout and the backstop. Catcher Tracy Smith backtracked and reached out just over the dugout fence to make the catch. Smith showed the ball enthusiastically and celebrated her accomplishment of a great catch over the dugout fence.</p><p>But she had a problem she totally forgot about -- there was a runner on base. And as soon as Smith caught the ball, Slack took off for second base. By the time Smith looked back to the field with her teammates and coaches screaming in her ear, it was took late. Slack safely landed at second.</p><p>Selby would tell me later, "We practice that, though it's not really a familiar play. Obviously, (Smith) did not know the ball was still in play. She made a nice play on it and while she and her teammates were celebrating, Angel took off for second."</p><p>It didn't seem like much at the moment, but it gave the next batter -- freshman talent McGowan -- a chance to knock her in. On a 2-2 pitch and after fouling off three two-strike pitches, McGowan delivered a single just out of Good's reach into right-center field, easily getting Slack to third. But when right fielder Lynn Argoe bobbled the ball, Slack headed toward the plate and easily scored the go-ahead run to make it 2-1.</p><p>Moments later, it was up to Duffy to finish things out. Three outs and the Golden Eagles were going home with the championship.</p><p>But leadoff hitter Lisa Crompton was about to make things uncomfortable. She drove a shot to the left-center field gap on the first and only truly hit hard ball of the day and didn't stop until she landed on third base with a triple. Just like that, the tying run was on base and the Golden Eagles needed to get three outs.</p><p>Smith, the catcher who forgot about the runner on base after catching that dramatic foul ball, was up next. She put down what was a safety squeeze bunt attempt. Duffy collected the ball and looked Crompton back to third base. The idea was once Crompton saw Duffy's intentions, she was to take off for home when the throw went to first base.</p><p>However, Duffy had another plan in mind. She faked the throw to first baseman Bonnie Evans and instead chased after Crompton, who had already started down the third-base line and was dead meat. Evans threw the ball to Slack, who chased Crompton to catcher Dawn Cosnoski, who got the ball and chased Crompton back to third where she threw the ball back to Slack to nail her for the all-important first out -- and the one that was closest to scoring the tying run.</p><p>Only two people I've ever covered in 36 years of high school softball have ever been successful with that fake -- I saw Michelle Carlson do that in the 1990 Ocean County Softball Tournament final for Toms River East and that successful fake by Duffy.</p><p>Still, that left Smith in scoring position at second base with one out. Dorann Foglio got under a Duffy pitch and lofted a flyball to center fielder Betty Hester for the second out of the inning. That left it up to Kristie Miller to tie things up or at least keep things going. But on a 1-2 pitch, Duffy rang her up for her ninth strikeout of the game.</p><p>And just like that, Central Regional was the unlikely South Jersey Group III champions. Teammates jumped all over Duffy and Cosnoski and after congratulating the foes they just conquered afterward, the cheers and tears began to come out of the straight-laced, businesslike Golden Eagles. </p><p>Selby, the tough-as-nails disciplinarian of a coach, looked at the smiles and the tears and just about lost it addressing the team.</p><p>"I wish I can split both these softballs into 17 or 18 different places," he started, holding a softball in each hand and holding back tears. He gave Duffy one of the game balls for her effort that saw her allow five hits and walk five batters beside the nine strikeouts. The other game ball?</p><p>"One of these I'm keeping for myself," he said with players laughing.</p><p>Duffy was a hero in the win. So was McGowan, a freshman star in the making, who delivered both hits that drove in the Central runs. And this 15-year-old was in tears herself ... tears of joy, though.</p><p>The shy McGowan, who was more outgoing three years later when I did a feature story on her as a senior, would say, "It's been hard to be someone that is counted on. But it's worth it."</p><p>Selby said that this championship -- the second in Ocean County history after Toms River South's NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV championship in 1976 -- was for the county and not all for Central Regional, though it was a history maker at the time.</p><p>"Winning a conference title is nice and winning two Ocean County Tournament titles (at that time) is a joy, but this is the most gratifying win I've ever had," Selby said after the victory. "I think it's time Ocean County gets its due credit in softball."</p><p>The team packed up its gear and got on the bus to head back to Bayville. I tallied up my statistics and was going to head back to Toms River, but I was going to stop by the nearby Wawa that I remembered was not far from the high school heading there.</p><p>I get into the parking lot and there's Central's bus there. I saw Selby again in the store and we talked again for a few minutes about the team and how special these young ladies (again, it's what he would call the girls who played for him in his 14 years as coach) were. He said he was pleasantly surprised it would be this group that brought him he and the program's first state sectional title. He also talked about how special the ride was to take with both Garibaldi and Angellella.</p><p>Turns out the fun part of the ride was only beginning for Selby and his players. On Monday, June 2, Duffy would throw a no-hitter as Central defeated Pinelands Regional to advance to the county championship against 24-4 Toms River South. The very next day, Central would beat Hamilton East, 7-1, in the NJSIAA Group III semifinal for what would be Selby's 100th career victory. The very next day -- the third game in three days and the fourth in six days with a prom put in between, the Golden Eagles defeated Toms River South, 9-5, to win their third county tournament title.</p><p>And the following Saturday, June 7, the Golden Eagles played in the NJSIAA Group III championship game at Trenton State College (now The State Of New Jersey), but could not do anything against Pam Froehlich's fastball in a 7-0 loss to Parsippany High School.</p><p>Now as for myself, I headed back to Ocean County College that Monday and signed up for six weeks of chemistry classes. Turns out I had a better time with my beloved numbers and mixing things together in class. It also turns out that I met my first girlfriend, a senior-to-be named Mary, in that class that summer. Nonetheless, I got a B grade in the class and got my diploma about 10 days later and was off to Monmouth.</p><p>And "Sledgehammer" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late July, one of the busiest summers I've ever been involved in during my career.</p><p>Turns out May 29, 1986 was a humbling day for me. But everything after that -- starting with the unlikely South Jersey Group III softball championship won by Central Regional -- was more than good.</p><p><br /></p>markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-43538195980386567812020-05-31T13:36:00.002-07:002020-05-31T13:47:06.979-07:00The last softball waltz where I grew upBy late spring 1999, I was disillusioned.<br />
<br />
I had come into the sports editor's position at the <i>Ocean County Observer</i> after working there as a correspondent and then assistant sports editor. By January 1999, I had taken over as the guy in charge of the department, the plum job you aspired to get to after 15 years. However, it was under the flag of Gannett, which had taken over from Goodson in 1998 and had us combine our efforts with our rivals of the last 100-plus years, the <i>Asbury Park Press</i>. So whatever it was we wrote for our publication, the exact same story would be in <i>their </i>publication.<br />
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I knew that was the beginning of the end of my paper and I knew it there and then, 9 1/2 years before it officially happened. We were suddenly a second-class citizen and my displeasure carried into taking the job. I had a meeting with the sports editor at the <i>Press </i>and he laid out what his vision for the two papers going forward was. I listened and wasn't agreeable on everything he put out there in front of me.<br />
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Let's just say I was looking for an escape route from the road to Hell. I had no problems whatsoever working with my immediate boss. It was the bosses beyond him I had issue with.<br />
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So as the 1999 spring sports season was coming to an end in Ocean County, I began to believe further and further that this was going to be it for me, the last season I was to cover in my home county for my hometown newspaper. Things were changing and they were changing for the worse. I simply had to leave.<br />
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So on Thursday, May 27, 1999, I had two county teams, Central Regional in South Jersey Group III and Jackson Memorial in South Jersey Group IV, playing for sectional championships. I chose to go down to West Deptford High School to see the iconic Central program play for its title. The Golden Eagles lost big that day. But on the way back, I heard Jackson Memorial won its first sectional title, beating Shawnee on Jessica Fiorentino's inside-the-park home run in the top of the seventh inning.<br />
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Two days later on Saturday, May 29, Jackson Memorial would win its second county tournament championship in four years by taking down Toms River East, 1-0, at Toms River High School South. It was the second time within a week, coach Al Aires' Jaguars had beaten coach Debbie Schwartz's Raiders, the first time being in the SJ IV semifinal round on that Tuesday.<br />
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The win against Shawnee meant the Jaguars earned the right to play in the NJSIAA Group IV semifinals on Tuesday, June 1, 1999 against Hunterdon Central, which was on fire, too, at 22-4. As a matter of fact, both the Jaguars and the Red Devils were 22-4 going into their matchup at Middlesex County College in Edison. There was irony in that the game was in Edison -- it was in September 1984 that the first-ever high school event I got to staff was a Sunday afternoon football game between Brick Township and East Brunswick at East Brunswick High School ... also in Middlesex County.<br />
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Somehow, I had a very strong premonition this was going to be my finale.<br />
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I knew both coaches. Obviously, for years, Aires had been head coach of the Jaguar program since 1987 and watched his program grow to this state sectional championship and two-time county winner. I also knew the opposing team's coach, too, from my years of covering high school gymnastics -- Pete Fick was the longtime head boys gymnastics coach at Hunterdon Central and I had a number of conversations over the years with him at state championship meets, some hosted by he and his school.<br />
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Since I had never been to the Middlesex County College facility, it took me awhile to figure out where it was in an era long before GPS, Google Maps and Mapquest. We had the police department in the town to rely on, though I did have a Middlesex County map booklet to locate where I was heading toward though, admittedly, it was annoying to look at the map, look at the highway and take turns doing both until I was certain I was where I was supposed to be.<br />
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I literally got to the field as the two teams were lined up on their base lines with the national anthem playing in the backdrop, me having to scribble the lineups down from the scorekeeper for the game. The game was literally starting as I finished writing the last of the lineups down in my scorebook with hard-throwing left-hander Jenny Bender finishing up her warmup pitches.<br />
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The Jaguars made Bender work in the first inning, but within 14 pitches, Bender retired Fiorentino on a groundout, Erin Leonard on a comebacker and Toni Williams on a flyout.<br />
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Unlike Bender, Jackson pitcher Dara DeVincenzo wasn't a hard-thrower, but she was crafty with what she threw and placed around the plate. The daughter of Freehold Township High softball coach John DeVincenzo, she got a foulout and struck out Bender swinging. Lori Notaro singled to right field, but was wiped out on a forceout by Kristin Cass as shortstop Williams tossed to second baseman Fiorentino to end the inning.<br />
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The second inning was a different story for the Jaguars. Kelly Czubak singled to center field to lead off. This brought up Shannon Baldwin. On an 0-1 pitch, Baldwin hit a slow roller that got past Bender and headed for second baseman Crystal Epright. She fielded the ball, but things got complicated -- Epright was a left-handed second baseman and a right-handed second baseman could have flipped the ball easily to shortstop Katie Jenkins to get Czubak. But having to twist even the slightest bit to make the play at second took a few valuable milliseconds and Czubak beat the play to second.<br />
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The Jaguars had two on with no one out. And after Cheryl Fossati walked on four pitches, the bases were loaded and a run, maybe two coming across in this major point of the game was all but inevitable. However, the bottom of the Jaguars' lineup was coming up and Bender was about to change the Jaguars' hopes. She caught No. 7 hitter Tara Bailey looking on strikes for the first out. Then she wiped out DeVincenzo swinging on the same 1-2 count. This left it to Casey Bartolf. But on a 1-0 pitch, Bartolf grounded out to Epright, who made the play to first with ease.<br />
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Fick clapped and cheered the girls back to their dugout. Aires jogged back dismayed by the lost opportunity.<br />
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DeVincenzo had a 1-2-3 bottom of the second. Then the Jaguars had another potential threat in the third. Fiorentino led off with a walk. Leonard grounded out to first baseman Dayna Egan, but on the play, Fiorentino moved into scoring position at second. Bender got Williams to fly out to right fielder Annie O'Keeffe for the second out, setting up the most important moment of the game.<br />
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On a 2-1 count, Aires had Fiorentino stealing with Czubak at the plate. Notaro's throw to third base bounced past shortstop Jenkins covering the bag with third baseman Nicole Gacos playing up. The ball skipped into left field and it looked like Fiorentino was on her way to the plate.<br />
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But with Jenkins arriving the same time as the ball being thrown toward third and Fiorentino arriving at the base, things got messy. Fiorentino tripped over Jenkins' feet after sliding in to third and she stumbled to the ground. Left fielder Cass retrieved the ball quickly and got the ball back to the infield. Fiorentino was forced to hold at third and Aires was a tad bit upset that no interference was called on the play.<br />
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Was the play interference? I say it was close. Everything happened in such a flash -- and both were trying to do something after the ball got by Jenkins. By the letter of the rule, it probably should have been ruled interference and Fiorentino should have been allowed to continue home with the run automatically. Turns out it was a huge play for a few pitches later, Czubak grounded out to Egan.<br />
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Another opportunity wasted.<br />
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In the bottom of the third, Allison Pricer beat out an infield single and was sacrificed to second, but a flyout by Epright and a comebacker by Bender ended that threat.<br />
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The fourth inning saw Jackson Memorial strand Fossati at first after a one-out walk. The bottom of the fourth got a bit contentious when Cass doubled to left field with one out. Gacos walked, but DeVincenzo struck out Egan for the second time and O'Keeffe forced out Gacos as Williams tossed to Fiorentino to end the inning.<br />
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The fifth went by quickly as Bender set the Jaguars down in order and Pricer's leadoff single in the fifth was wasted by a strikeout by Sarno and a popout and lineout by Epright and Bender, in order, both going to Williams ended the inning.<br />
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With two outs in the sixth, Baldwin walked and moved to second on a wild pitch, another possible threat for the Jaguars. But just like she did all afternoon, Bender was able to bear down in the circle and got Fossati on a comebacker. In the bottom of the inning, Cass reached on an infield single and got to second on a sacrifice, but Egan flied out to right fielder Fossati to end the frame.<br />
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The game was flying fast, but the more the zeros got put up on the scoreboard, the less time I had to beat the ridiculous 11 p.m. deadline that our newspaper neighbors to the north slapped on us almost immediately after the company made the sale official on July 7, 1998. I had over an hour to get back to work, write my story, <i>then </i>layout my pages on a system I still had trouble understanding since the company took us off our reliable systems we worked on for years that May 17 ... just another reason to want to check out of what I slowly started calling Club Clusterf*ck.<br />
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Meanwhile, Bender was still going strong. She got two groundouts and a strikeout of the bottom three hitters in the Jaguars' lineup in the top of the seventh. Not to be outdone, though, DeVincenzo got a popout, flyout and strikeout of the bottom of the Red Devils' lineup to send the game to extra innings as the sun was sinking a little further and I was looking at my watch a little more with each passing half-inning. Good thing this game started at 3 p.m. instead of 4 p.m.<br />
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With one out in the top of the eighth, Leonard sharply singled to left field. After Williams grounded out to move Leonard to second, Czubak won an eight-pitch at-bat by walking, putting runners on first and second. But Bender found the little extra and fouled out to Gacos to end the last big threat the Jaguars had.<br />
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Onto the bottom of the eighth. Epright led off. She hit a grounder to third baseman Bailey, who bobbled the grounder for an error. It would turn out to be the only error of the game, but it set the tone for what was to happen next. Bender singled to right field to move Epright to second base. Notaro put down a perfect sacrifice bunt that DeVincenzo fielded and threw on to first baseman Michelle Goldych for the out.<br />
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With the open base at first and the game on the verge of ending, Aires instructed DeVincenzo to throw four wide ones to intentionally walk Cass, who had singled and doubled. That brought up Gacos, who was 0-for-1 with a walk and sacrifice. Aires had his middle infielders move in as well as his outfielders. Gacos didn't waste time -- on the first pitch, she hit a low line drive that right fielder Fossati came charging in for.<br />
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The ball bounced in front of Fossati, but that was just the start of things getting entertaining. Having to wait for the ball to fall in, Epright took off for the plate. Fossati was able to get the ball and make a throw to Leonard at the plate. For a moment, it looked as if Fossati and Leonard had gotten Epright for a forceout.<br />
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The home plate umpire made the "safe" call instead. And once again, Aires came charging out from his position and argued the call at the plate, asking for help. But it was to no avail.<br />
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Hunterdon Central 1, Jackson Memorial 0. Just like that, it was over. The careers of Fossati, utility player Erica Meyer and Leonard, the best athlete in Ocean County, came to an end. I can still remember asking Leonard if she thought they had gotten Epright at the plate on the bang-bang play.<br />
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"I knew I had my foot on the plate, but the umpire said (Epright) had got in," she said.<br />
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In this pitcher's duel, Bender was wildly effectively with five walks and five strikeouts. She allowed just the hits to Czubak and Leonard. DeVincenzo scattered seven hits in allowing the one unearned run, walked just the one batter intentionally in the eighth and struck out five.<br />
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Both pitchers had done their job. It came down to who would take advantage of the other team's gift. It was the error by Bailey that eventually led to that one run in the eighth inning.<br />
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I left the college, found my way back to Route 9 and ended up getting back to work by 6:45 p.m., writing my story for our paper first, then for the <i>Press, </i>and then laying out my section. On Friday, July 30, 1999, I flew down to Key West, interviewed with my former <i>Observer</i> editor in chief, Steve Sosinski, and a day later, I took the job as sports editor at the <i>Key West Citizen. </i>I worked my final day at the <i>Observer </i>on Sunday, August 15, 1999, glad that the end came of a short, six-and-a-half-month stint as sports editor ... the plum job that turned out to be nothing more than rotten fruit.<br />
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Four days later after that game at Middlesex County College, Hunterdon Central would beat hard-throwing pitcher Michele Walker and Paramus High in the state 4A championship at Toms River East for Fick's first state title as the program's head coach. He eventually stepped down after the 2012 season, winning 741 games in his career.<br />
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Aires remained head coach with the Jaguars until 2006 when he finished a 20-year career to become Jackson Memorial athletic director, and then an administrator at another Jackson-based school.<br />
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I won't forget that '99 Jackson Memorial and players like DeVincenzo, Williams, Fiorentino, Fossati and especially Leonard, who would say of her time as a four-year varsity member of the team and move on to Caldwell. She said, "I'll always remember the togetherness and how we won as a team and that it's not one or two people that carried the team."<br />
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Yeah, 22-5 wasn't bad. To this day, I believe the Jaguars would have figured out a way to get to Walker and Paramus and win the state title. But like so many other times I watched before or after that 1-0 loss, I was left with "What if?"<br />
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That Jackson Memorial-Hunterdon Central game would be the last high school game of any sport I would cover for the <i>Observer.</i><br />
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Turns out it was a heck of a way to end my career in covering high school sports there .. even if it was a loss for the team I covered.<br />
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<br />markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-20343220371975018942020-05-24T10:26:00.002-07:002021-03-09T01:46:20.177-08:00Remembering Earle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Long enough time has passed since I lost one of my first sports colleagues from my first real job, the <i>Ocean County Observer</i>, on May 21, 2020, at the age of 65, cancer taking him away from us.<br />
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Well, not all of it has been spent in deep thought -- during these days that the COVID-19 pandemic has sidelined those with jobs, I'm still having to do mine at my current employer, the <i>Palatka Daily News</i>, while playing radio hero one hour each morning, five hours a day, at another outlet. So I've been a bit busy and there are chores that need to be done, too.<br />
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But I'm prepared. Or at least I think I am.<br />
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Was John Earle Livingston the best sports writer I ever came across in my lifetime? No. I've come across numerous award-winning sports writers in my career who I admire for their work. But was Earle the most colorful writer I ever came across? That one is a resounding, "Yes." Before you could get into the first two or three paragraphs of the story, he had painted a picture so vivid that you were already there.<br />
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Of course, he painted it for you without giving you much of the "what actually happened" detail. Many an editor I worked for -- Ken, Mike, Al, Tom, Greg, Dave, even me -- were driven nuts by his storytelling from a journalistic aspect. Even if you told Earle yourself that the story might be a tad bit better if you had kinda, sorta put the main details in those first three paragraphs as they taught you in journalism school, it would've been fruitless.<br />
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Earle painted pictures without "who, what, when, where and why within 90 words" journalistic rules. That was not his style. If you tried to ruin what he had painted for public consumption because journalism meant <i>everything</i>, all you were doing in the process was ruining what local wrestling and football fans looked at was the latest Monet, Picasso, Rembrandt or Van Gogh.<br />
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Again, he drove us editors crazy!!<br />
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Still, the truth was no one was more passionate about the sports he reported on in all my career than John Earle Livingston. And he saved his best for wrestling. Every year during my 15 winters at the <i>Observer </i>and in years before and after I wasn't there, Earle would regale the viewing audience with match stories and previews that made you sit up and read. even if you weren't a wrestling fan. He knew <i>everything </i>about the good wrestler as well as the future state champion like Damian Hahn of Lakewood or Maurice Worthy of Central Regional or Bobby Martin from Brick Memorial.<br />
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Earle knew 'em all. A key matchup involving an Ocean County team could be broken down individual match by individual match. Those 13 or 14 individual matches were dissected like a high school biology class frog. Many times, he was correct. And if he couldn't be at a match himself, you could almost be assured he would have had something in a roundup he took from a phone conversation that made it sound like he was there, sometimes making you believe he was at two matches at the same time if he was covering a match himself.<br />
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As for myself, I had a very good working knowledge of wrestling going into the paper. I went to Toms River High School East -- we had a kick-ass wrestling program that included standouts such as Joe Hadge, Denis Thesing, Chris Sierchio and Eric Priest, coached by a great coach and one of the nicer people you will ever come across, Warren Reid. My parents regularly went to East wrestling matches because they knew people in our Georgetown neighborhood who wrestled for the Raiders. It was second nature, really.<br />
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My first year at the newspaper had me covering a couple of wrestling matches, but they weren't of "great" note compared to what Earle got to cover. I didn't know the technicalities of the sport like he did, but I did know how to describe the action to Earle for which he could understand -- and that would be the tone of our conversations for years until I got to become an assistant sports editor and had my own girls basketball beat to cover in 1993, which kept me away from wrestling.<br />
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And if I had anything to ask about a certain match he was at, Earle would explain it as if I was there. If I close my eyes now, I can still hear him that first winter explain how Brick Memorial's Dean Kanabrocki caught Toms River East's Tim Rioux in the right position with a memorable bear hug, would not let him go and eventually pinned him in the heavyweight class to score Brick Memorial's memorable first Shore Conference Tournament championship over East. Ultimately, I saw Clear Cable-8's replay of the match ... yup, exactly how Earle described it.<br />
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There were other matches along the way he wanted to know about that I covered -- that February night in 1986 when Lacey stunned host Point Pleasant Boro in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals or the night in February 1987 when defending state Group III champion Brick Memorial lost to coach Ralph Ross' Highland Regional Tartans in Blackwood and how the place became a near-riot when Tod Narwid took his Highland opponent down hard and eventually got disqualified for a slam that I personally thought the kid was not hurt enough to stop wrestling. Narwid was dominating him and if he won, there was no doubt Brick Memorial would have won that match. I can still hear coach Tony Caravella's voice cracking to the point of near soprano as he broke into tears over the loss and slammed the locker room door behind him to have to deal with his unhappy Mustangs wrestlers.<br />
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Earle knew the nuances of the world of wrestling because he, too, was a wrestler back in the day at Toms River High School North for the legendary John Nemetz. Wrestling wasn't just a sport Earle wrote about ... it was a way of life, too, though his other way of life were both the Seaside Heights boardwalk stands and memorabilia businesses he owned.<br />
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And it's because of that passion and love he won many over as fans. It also made it easier for the wrestling coaches to warm up to the non-wrestling writers. Some of my favorite coaches over the years were Ed Gilmore at Point Boro, Mike Baldi at Toms River North, Al Aires at Jackson Memorial, the late Don Burstein at Lacey, Steve Sasse at Point Pleasant Beach, Bill Savage at Pinelands Regional as well as the venerable Warren Reid and Tony Caravella.<br />
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Was I as passionate about covering wrestling as Earle? Hell, no! I did it, though, because it was a continuing growing sport, even though a boys basketball match between Lakewood and CBA or Lakewood against anyone was more appealing. But knowing Earle could tell you things you needed to know before you headed out to a wrestling match made it that much easier to cover.<br />
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Individual stories about Earle? Well, I have three in particular.<br />
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The first one came at the NJSIAA wrestling championships in 1987 at Jadwin Gymnasium. I was at the Dillon Pool facility on the Princeton University campus that March 14 to see if Toms River South standout swimmer Terence Donnelly could win a state championship in either the 50 or the 100. He did not, but he got a medal for his efforts. When I got done dictating my story to Chris Christopher, our fastest typist in the sports department, I headed over to where the state wrestling championships were. I had my press pass so I could easily walk in and find my way to press row. I found Earle. He was getting into each match, so I found a spot sitting next to him. For the next hour, he was going over what each individual wrestler was doing right and wrong with me or anyone else willing to listen -- whether he was an area wrestler or not. You could get a quick education listening to Earle talk about these wrestlers.<br />
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The second one came in a more contentious time for us at the paper. It was February 1993. Pinelands Regional High School had some big-time wrestlers who suddenly weren't on the lineup sheet for the district tournament. Earle, obviously, was inquisitive. He pressed Savage on the matter. Most coaches wouldn't pry the "real" reason out of themselves for protection purposes. But Bill Savage was not one to hold back. Turns out, he told Earle that those wrestlers had been suspended for an incident involving the egging of another coach's car at the school. Earle reported what Savage told him. Let's just say that time was not fun because Savage spent an entire day having to explain himself to higher-ups for his comments in the paper and, to top that, the once-affable athletic director at the school refused to talk to any of us in the sports department ever again. I know, I know ... what a freakin' cry baby! But Earle had no fear to report something that involved a key member or members of the team, good or bad. He proved his worth.<br />
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The last of the three came in a more sentimental time. Now I was not around Toms River at the time -- I was up in Bristol, Conn., covering the Toms River East American Little League All-Stars ride to the East Region championship and ultimately, their first trip to the Little League World Series in 1995. It was during this trip to Bristol that two iconic figures of a generation or two ago -- baseball star Mickey Mantle and Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia -- passed away. Mickey Mantle died on a Sunday morning, August 13, 1995. Earle was working his boardwalk stand that morning in Seaside Heights and one of his young workers at the stand, a young lady who had just graduated from North named Renee Larson, has no idea who Mickey Mantle was when he brought up his death to her. He had to take initiative -- after he got done with his work at the stands, he headed over to the paper's 8 Robbins Street location and told our boss, Mike Lazorchak, he wanted to write a column on Mickey Mantle and who he was to a generation of kids growing up. And so Mike gave him the green light to do so.<br />
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It was, in my opinion, the best column Earle ever wrote.<br />
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As the assistant sports editor from 1993-99, then sports editor for the last winter I was there, I understood the frustration of other editors before me who had to deal with Earle's personal touch in writing stories. The one thing I could never understand was the three-dot statement in his stories -- the ..., which drove me crazy! The ellipsis, I came to find out, meant leaving a word or a whole phrase or sentence out of the text of the story. It left me wondering what the heck else Earle had to say in his story that was missing.<br />
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But years later, I came to <i>appreciate </i>that three-dot interlude. Now ... because of Earle ... I regularly use the ellipsis in stories and on my Facebook page. It's ... helpful.<br />
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So there! There's the Earle influence on me journalistic-wise! I can't paint pictures in five or six paragraphs to start a story like he did, but hey, I can take something from him!<br />
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The only times I saw Earle after I left the <i>Observer</i> in the summer of 1999 would be at either his boardwalk stands or in the Ocean County Mall at his sports souvenir and memorabilia kiosk. In 2003, he, my former boss, Al Ditzel, and photographer, Pete Picknally at the paper, and some others went to what was the final opening day at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia between the Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates during the time I was in between my jobs in Key West and Palatka. It was 43 degrees that day. God, it was cold!<br />
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The last time I saw Earle was the Summer of 2014 while I was up in Toms River for my 30th class reunion and got to see my old Little League, Toms River, win a state championship. It was just a passing "Hi!" and to catch up on things.<br />
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And so with his passing, so much thought comes to mind. I think to my former <i>Observer</i> compatriot, Steve Falk, who has taken what Earle passed down to him in my later years at the paper, and run with the wrestling baton as the main man in covering that sport at the <i>Asbury Park Press</i>. And believe Steve when he said how much he hated wrestling -- I was there to hear it back then!<br />
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Wrestling was already a top sport in Ocean County, the Shore area, the state of New Jersey when Earle began writing about it in 1983 -- he helped elevate it to a point no one had seen it, especially in a time period when the newspaper <i>was</i> the only way to find out how matches went in detail if you could not be there yourself. And if you <i>were </i>there, you just wanted to read Earle's take on the match just to see if he and you were thinking the same thing about that match and its key moments.<br />
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Being at the <i>Observer </i>was a lot of work, but I could not have picked a better time to be working at the newspaper, which I did from 1984-99. We elevated all local high school and college sports to a new level not quite seen before. But no sport in Ocean County got elevated the way wrestling was.<br />
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That was all Earle, colorful writing and all, even if it took him a number of paragraphs to get to the main point.<br />
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R.I.P. Earle. It was always knowledgeable what you wrote ... entertaining, too.<br />
<br />markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-35395010682958295422018-02-04T14:32:00.000-08:002018-02-04T14:32:30.321-08:00Ranking the 51 Super Bowls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hard to believe that what once was an idea to unite the two professional football leagues with a game that carried a bulky name to it has been played 51 times.<br />
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It's hard to do anything 51 times these days, let alone doing them once a year every 51 years. But the game once called "The AFL-NFL Championship Game" has been edited down to the name we know it by and celebrate every time it happens -- the Super Bowl.<br />
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Some even ask to make it a national holiday. That's how big it's become.<br />
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And in honor of the previous 51 games played and with No. 52 (that's Roman numeral LII), I thought it was a good time to take the first 51 games and rank them in order of worst to first. There once was a period there were the game was a clunker. But there are games that are just beyond explanation. Those games -- and the clunkers for that matter -- I will do my best to rank and describe. Like most countdown lists, there's always debate. Feel free to do that.<br />
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Without further adieu, here those rankings are:<br />
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<b>51. Super Bowl XXVII (Dallas 52, Buffalo 17, January 31, 1993, The Rose Bowl)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Wo1WHUo_JDq35EJ4f3IjE0zSmGUmE8z1eYjuRQAFpgksUZSNO3X74upJ5RlmO40dDpy-Tm5ex68qYK18-nMIgny6BptrKtrMASlbh25pKX09sxxWTotf3DkooBALN0dySwmYGh5LEoRZ/s1600/emmitt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Wo1WHUo_JDq35EJ4f3IjE0zSmGUmE8z1eYjuRQAFpgksUZSNO3X74upJ5RlmO40dDpy-Tm5ex68qYK18-nMIgny6BptrKtrMASlbh25pKX09sxxWTotf3DkooBALN0dySwmYGh5LEoRZ/s1600/emmitt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>All of these young and hungry Dallas Cowboys didn't look like scared puppies when they walked into the Rose Bowl against the two-time runners-up Buffalo Bills at the Rose Bowl. And when a brutal hit on a sack by Charles Haley leveled quarterback Jim Kelly, allowing Jimmie Jones to score a touchdown on the fumble recovery in the end zone, the beginning of the end was starting to take place for the Bills ... once again. Kelly would get hammered on a sack by Ken Norton Jr., meaning backup Frank Reich would come into the game. And Reich would get more of that same beating from the Cowboys' defense. Meanwhile, Troy Aikman would have a day to remember. The MVP of the game went 22-of-30 for 273 yards and four touchdowns, two to Michael Irvin and one each to Jay Novacek and Alvin Harper. The Cowboys -- a 1-15 team just three years earlier -- would run up 408 yards of offense and cause the Bills to fumble the ball an inexcusable <i>nine times</i>, a Super Bowl record, another of them being a Norton return of a fumble in the fourth quarter. And it looked as if another fumble would establish the Super Bowl record for most points in the game as Leon Lett took said fumble down the sideline for what should've been a touchdown except as he was about to move his hand with the ball over the goal line, Bills wide receiver Don Beebe hustled back to knock the ball away and out of the end zone for a touchback, one of the few highlights of the day for the Bills.</div>
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5<b>0. Super Bowl XII (Dallas 27, Denver 10, January 15, 1978, The Louisiana Superdome)</b><br />
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And the maddening thing about this particular game is the fact the Denver Broncos defense did everything it could to keep them in the game that night. The three touchdowns the Broncos gave up included two long passes, one thrown by Cowboys running back Robert Newsome to Golden Richards. Unfortunately, quarterback Craig Morton did everything he could to help his old teammates in Dallas. Morton was a putrid 4-of-15 passing for 39 yards and threw as many interceptions as he did receptions. Yeah, he was <i>really </i>bad. On the other hand, Roger Staubach was 17-of-25 passing for 183 yards and a long touchdown bomb to wrap up the deal to Butch Johnson. The MVP was split among Harvey Martin and Randy White, who spearheaded Dallas' defense to make Morton and the Broncos' night miserable by making them cough the ball up eight times. <i>Eight! </i>Morton's night was so bad that coach Red Miller pulled him in the third quarter and the lone Broncos score was a touchdown drive engineered by backup Norris Weese.</div>
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<b>49. Super Bowl 50 (Denver 24, Carolina 10, February 7, 2016, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.)</b></div>
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Here's all you have to know about this Super Bowl: There were only <i>three </i>touchdowns scored in this game, one came on a fumble recovery in the end zone, another coming off a turnover that led to a 4-yard, three-play drive that clinched the Broncos' third championship. Von Miller was the deserving MVP of the game, leading a Broncos defense that made regular-season MVP and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton look like he wanted to go back to the locker room and hide, sacking him seven times. Newton may have thrown for 265 yards, but he was 18-of-41 in doing that and threw an interception and fumbled the ball off a Miller sack that led to Malik Jackson landing on it for the touchdown. Still, if you think the losing quarterback's performance wasn't hot, the <i>winning </i>quarterback's performance was satisfactory at best. In what would be his final NFL game, Peyton Manning did an OK job in leading the Broncos to three field goals and finally a touchdown drive -- albeit, three plays, four yards after another Newton fumble that his defense picked up. C.J. Anderson scored the touchdown and Manning's last hurrah was a 2-point conversion throw to Bennie Fowler. Manning was 13-of-23 passing for 141 yards and an interception, far from the guy who lit defenses up his entire career. The defense saved the day in what turned into nothing more than a defensive tug of war and yawn-fest.</div>
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<b>48. Super Bowl XXIV (San Francisco 55, Denver 10, January 28, 1990, The Louisiana Superdome)</b></div>
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Sure, it feels like we're picking on the Denver Broncos, win or lose, but boy did they get involved in some bad Super Bowls. And this one was a soul-crusher. After being there two of the previous three years, John Elway and Co. won the AFC Championship and had the right to meet the defending champion and NFC juggernaut San Francisco 49ers. Let's say it didn't go too well: David Treadwell's field goal was sandwiched in between Joe Montana touchdowns to Jerry Rice and Brett Jones and a Tom Rathman 1-yard plunge, giving the 49ers a 27-3 halftime lead. If you weren't sure the game was over at the half, Montana made sure it was in the third quarter with two more hook-up TDs to Rice and John Taylor. Add in TD runs by Rathman and Roger Craig in the fourth quarter, you have the laugher of all Super Bowl routs, so bad that even <i>The Simpsons </i>mocked the game in one of their episodes. Montana finished 22-of-29 for 297 yards and five TDs to easily win MVP honors as the 49ers rolled up 461 yards, while the Broncos mustered 167 as a team and turned it over four times.</div>
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<b>47. Super Bowl VIII (Miami 24, Minnesota 7, January 13, 1974, Houston Bowl)</b></div>
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If not for the fact that game MVP Larry Csonka rushed for 145 yards on 33 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 5 and 2 yards, nobody would even remember this game unless you are the most die-hard Dolphins fan there is around. The Dolphins, coming in as defending champions, methodically made life miserable on Minnesota's vaunted Purple People Eater defense and made things uncomfortable for quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who they sacked twice and forced an interception. Tarkenton did scramble for a fourth-quarter touchdown, but by then, the Vikings were down 24-0 in the fourth quarter. As seemingly was heard when the Vikings got to this particular game four times in the '70s, "Thanks for coming."</div>
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<b>46. Super Bowl XXVI (Washington 37, Buffalo 24, January 26, 1992, The Minnesota Metrodome)</b></div>
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When the one thing you remember from this particular game was running back Thurman Thomas misplacing his helmet as his Buffalo Bills took the field to open up on offense, you know it's a bad game. And it was a bad day for the Bills, who found themselves down 24-0 early in the third quarter and started realizing they weren't going to come back and win. By the time Scott Norwood kicked a field goal and Thomas scored on a run, they were down 24-10. And all Washington did was add a 30-yard TD pass form MVP Mark Rypien to Gary Clark and two Chip Lohmiller field goals before the Bills answered with beautiful window dressing at the end on two TDs. The Bills actually had more first downs (25) than Washington (24), but Jim Kelly probably needed a month or two to rest his arm after throwing <i>58 passes </i>with four of them getting intercepted. Buffalo turned the ball over five times.</div>
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<b>45. Super Bowl IX (Pittsburgh 16, Minnesota 6, January 12, 1975, Tulane Stadium)</b></div>
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The beginning of what would be the Steeler Curtain defensive dynasty. Pittsburgh's defense was dominant on this day and it had to be -- the Vikings' Purple People Eaters were up to the challenge against Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw and the rest of the offense. The Steelers provided the only offensive scores of the game with Franco Harris scoring on a 9-yard run and Larry Brown catching a 4-yard score from Bradshaw. That touchdown had been ruled originally a fumble and recovered by the Vikings, but after the officials talked things over, it was ruled a score instead. Otherwise, it was yet another horror show for Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who was 11-of-26 passing for 102 yards and three interceptions and was sacked in the end zone in the first quarter by Dwight White for a safety. The lone Vikings score? That came after big Matt Blair, a linebacker and punt-block specialist, blocked a punt and Terry Brown recovered it in the end zone, making it 9-6 at the time after Fred Cox missed the extra-point kick. Even with all that terrific play defensively, it was Harris who earned the MVP honor with 158 yards on 34 carries, which proved once again you could run on the Vikings defense when you needed to.</div>
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<b>44. Super Bowl XXIX (San Francisco 49, San Diego 26, January 29, 1995, Joe Robbie Stadium)</b></div>
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The record performances in this game amazed, especially game MVP Steve Young throwing for six touchdowns, breaking the mark of five set five years earlier by former teammate Joe Montana. And though the first-time Bowl competitor San Diego Chargers knew what to expect from two weeks of watching film, they <i>still </i>couldn't stop the 49ers on offense. And just 1:24 into the game, Young unloaded with a perfect down-and-out strike to Jerry Rice for a 44-yard TD score. Just 2:29 later, Ricky Watters scored the first of his three touchdowns when he turned a screen pass into a 51-yard score. Natrone Means made it close early on with a Chargers touchdown run of one yard, but short TD passes from Young to William Floyd and Watters made it 28-10. And it got worse from there as Watters scored on a run and Young threw two more TD strikes to Rice to finish out a 24-of-36 night for 325 yards, while also running for 49 yards. The only thing the Chargers gave us in the end: Two 2-point conversion passes by Stan Humphries, the first two 2-point conversions in Super Bowl history.</div>
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<b>43. Super Bowl XLI (Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17, February 4, 2007, Pro Player Stadium)</b></div>
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Here's a Super Bowl that Peyton Manning won for the first time. But it was awfully hard to watch this game, especially with a South Florida driving rainstorm throughout the second half. If the only thing you remember from this game is Prince's memorable halftime musical performance, we all understand. Devin Hester, a South Florida native from Riviera Beach, got the game going in the right direction with a 92-yard kickoff return score to start it off. And after Manning connected with Reggie Wayne for a touchdown, the Chicago Bears answered back with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Rex Grossman to Muhsin Muhammed to take a 14-6 lead after one quarter. That's when the Colts kicked in and the Bears went into hibernation the rest of the night. An Adam Vinatieri field goal and Dominic Rhodes touchdown run gave the Colts a 16-14 halftime lead. And the second half in that horrible rainstorm was no better with Vinatieri kicking two field goals and Kelvin Hayden intercepting a Grossman wounded duck and returning it 56 yards to seal the deal for the Colts and coach Tony Dungy, the first African-American to win a Super Bowl.</div>
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<b>42. Super Bowl XXXV (Baltimore 34, N.Y. Giants 7, January 28, 2001, Raymond James Stadium)</b></div>
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The Baltimore Ravens flexed some mean muscle when the postseason began. Relegated to a wild card, they stormed to the Super Bowl with an impressive defensive effort against the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship. No one suspected they could do the same thing to quarterback Kerry Collins and the New York Giants, right? Apparently the Giants didn't think about preparing for the Ravens all that well. The Ravens defense treated Collins like he stole something from it. Collins was 15-of-39 passing with four interceptions. The only touchdown the Giants would get (they had a Jessie Armstead 43-yard interception return for a TD nullified early in the game by a defensive holding call) would be on special teams as Rod Dixon returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score. But the Giants couldn't even celebrate <i>that! </i>A moment later, Jermaine Lewis took the kickoff after the scoring return and brought it back 84 yards for a touchdown to give the Ravens a 24-7 lead. Collins would be sacked four times and the Giants would end up turning the ball over five times, one of those a Duane Starks interception for a 49-yard touchdown. Jamal Lewis would rush for 102 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown to seal the deal. Ray Lewis, who grew up in Lakeland, just an hour away from where the game was played in Tampa, sealed his MVP honor with three solo tackles, two assists and four blocked passes.</div>
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<b>41. Super Bowl II (Green Bay 33, Oakland 14, January 14, 1968, Orange Bowl)</b></div>
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The NFL kept thumbing its nose at the AFL because between the two leagues, it had the dominant team in the business with Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. After surviving the minus-15 degree conditions to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL title game, they took on the AFL champion Oakland Raiders. Two Don Chandler field goals would be followed by a 62-yard TD strike from game MVP Bart Starr to Boyd Dowler, making it 13-0. Daryle Lamonica connected with Bill Miller for a 23-yard score before the break, making it 13-7. But the Packers ... well they were the Packers. And they leveled their will on the Raiders in the second half with two more Chandler field goals, a Donny Anderson 2-yard run and a 62-yard interception return by Herb Adderley to seal the deal. Lamonica and Miller connected for another 23-yard TD score in the fourth, but by then the Packers began celebrating Lombardi's going-away game ... and smirking at the AFL, wondering if there ever would be a team that would challenge for a championship.</div>
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<b>40. Super Bowl V (Baltimore 16, Dallas 13, January 17, 1971, Orange Bowl)</b></div>
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The game itself was a nail-biter. But it was far from poetry. In what may be the sloppiest Super Bowl ever, the two combatants soiled themselves to the tune of 11 turnovers. And the Baltimore Colts had to play most of the game with backup Earl Morrall after starter Johnny Unitas was knocked out with a rib injury. And yet, the game was filled with exciting "moments," mostly John Mackey's 75-yard touchdown catch that scraped off the hands of Baltimore's Eddie Hinton and Dallas' Mel Renfro before being pulled in by the Hall of Fame tight end or defender Mike Curtis punching the ball out of Dallas running back Duane Thomas' hands as he was going in for a touchdown. In the end, though, a high pass from Dallas quarterback Craig Morton to running back Dan Reeves bounced off Reeves' hands and into the arms of Curtis with 57 seconds left in a tie game. The Colts ran two plays before rookie kicker Jim O'Brien was summoned to kick the game-winning 32-yard field goal with five seconds to go, giving the Colts their first title in a memorable game filled with sloppy, unmemorable moments. It's the only Super Bowl to this day where the<i> losing</i> team had the MVP (Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley).</div>
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<b>39. Super Bowl XXXVII (Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21, January 26, 2003, Qualcomm Stadium)</b></div>
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Rich Gannon was the league's Most Valuable Player for the Oakland Raiders in 2002. He couldn't do any wrong and the Raiders were back in their first Super Bowl in 19 years, a joyous occasion, right? Well, unfortunately for Gannon, he came up against the one coach whose defense was confident enough to stop him. And that coach was Jon Gruden, who happened to be the Raiders' coach for four seasons. Simeon Rice's early sack of Gannon in Bucs territory was key to limiting the Raiders to a Sebastian Janikowski field goal. After that, Gannon got nothing the rest of the first half. A pair of Martin Gramatica field goals make it a 6-3 lead, then a touchdown run by Mike Alstott and a touchdown pass from Brad Johnson to Keenan McCardell gave the Bucs a 20-3 halftime lead. And then it got worse as Gannon got picked off three times in the second half, and <i>all of them, </i>two by Dwight Smith and one by Derrick Brooks, would be returned for touchdowns. McCardell would catch another touchdown pass to complete the rout. Gannon would get touchdown passes to Jerry Porter and Jerry Rice, but had to suffer the indignity of a 24-for-44 day passing for 272 yards and five interceptions, very un-MVP like.</div>
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<b>38. Super Bowl XLVII (Seattle 43, Denver 8, February 1, 2014, Met Life Stadium)</b></div>
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This would be the first time a Super Bowl would be held outdoors in a northern climate, which should have favored the high-flying offense of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Nope! On this day, Seattle's defense of head coach Pete Carroll and coordinator Dan Quinn ruled the day. The game had disaster written all over it when center Manny Ramirez misunderstood Manning's snap count, fired the ball back too soon and New Jersey native Knowshon Moreno had to sit on the ball in the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 lead. Two Seahawks field goals would be followed by a Marshawn Lynch 1-yard scoring run, then the play of the night as Malcolm Smith took a deflected Manning pass out of the air and rumbled 69 yards for the touchdown to make it 22-0 at the half. And if you weren't sure this game was over, Percy Harvin sure did by taking the opening kickoff of the second half 87 yards for a touchdown to make it 29-0. It became 36-0 on a Russell Wilson touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse. The Seahawks' "Legion Of Boom" defense made life rough on the Broncos this day as Manning couldn't get anything going until a fourth-quarter TD pass to Demaryius Thomas. But Doug Baldwin's TD catch sealed the deal in what was a terrible game to watch unless you were a Seahawks fan and loved their defense.</div>
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<b>37. Super Bowl XX (Chicago 46, New England 10, January 26, 1986, The Louisiana Superdome)</b></div>
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They had the swag. They had the celebrities. They had that "Shuffle" song and video. The only thing left for the Chicago Bears to do was win the Super Bowl. And they did. And they destroyed a New England Patriots team that was happy to be there after they upset both the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins in the AFC playoffs to reach the big game. Tony Franklin gave the Patriots a 3-0 lead with a field goal ... and then the Bears scored the next 44 points. Quarterback Jim McMahon scored two touchdowns, running back Matt Suhey had a TD run, Reggie Phillips intercepted backup quarterback Steve Grogan and returned it for a 28-yard touchdown and to add insult to injury, defensive lineman William "The Refrigerator" Perry got to score a touchdown on a 1-yard plunge. About the only thing the Bears did wrong was never allow legendary running back Walter Payton a chance to score in the game. Seemed like everyone else did. Both coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan were carried off the shoulders of their players and the '85 Bears were legends forever.</div>
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<b>36. Super Bowl XIX (San Francisco 38, Miami 16, January 20, 1985, Stanford Stadium)</b></div>
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Dolphins QB Dan Marino had rung up a record 5,084 yards passing and was the darling of the 1984 season. That, still, wasn't impressive to 49ers players, especially the defense, which "contained" Marino to 318 yards passing on 29-of-50 accuracy and two interceptions. The one touchdown -- a 2-yarder to tight end Dan Johnson. As for the "other" QB in the game, MVP Joe Montana would go 24-of-35 passing for 331 yards and three TDs, two to running back Roger Craig, one to Carl Monroe. Montana and Craig would score rushing touchdowns. The 49ers defense held Marino and the Dolphins to as many points as you and I scored that day in the second half -- zero. Marino may have been all the rage in '84, but the 18-1 49ers were <i>the </i>team of that season.</div>
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<b>35. Super Bowl XI (Oakland 33, Minnesota 14, January 9, 1977, The Rose Bowl)</b></div>
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The victory in this Super Bowl was the coronation of one of the greatest seasons in NFL history by one of the flagship franchises ever produced. Arguably the most talented Raiders team of all-time (with a group of players that seemed to come from the swash-buckling pirate days of yore), the Raiders went 16-1 and capped the season by thoroughly dominating a Minnesota Vikings team that had seen this script had gone before in three Super Bowls. This, as they say, was a thorough whippin': Fran Tarkenton was 17-of-35 passing and threw two interceptions, the last sent back 75 yards by "Ol' Man" Willie Brown to all but lock up the Raiders' first Bowl title. Ken Stabler didn't have to have a dominant game, just an efficient one. He was 12-of-19 for 180 yards passing and a touchdown pass to ol' reliable Dave Casper. The MVP? That went to receiver Fred Biletnikoff, who caught four passes for 79 yards, even though he never scored. And somewhere, Sammy White is having nightmares of his helmet being knocked off by Jack Tatum.</div>
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<b>34. Super Bowl VI (Dallas 24, Miami 3, January 16, 1972, Tulane Bowl)</b></div>
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Everything about this one was bad for the Miami Dolphins, from the weather (a chilly 39 degrees) to the offensive effort to the Dallas Cowboys' efficiency. Now the fulltime starting quarterback for the Cowboys, game MVP Roger Staubach was 12-of-19 passing for 112 yards and two touchdowns, both by players whose star had come and gone, one to wide receiver Lance Alworth, the other to tight end Mike Ditka, both of seven yards. Duane Thomas rushed for 95 yards and a TD. The Dallas defense made a mature Miami team look like rookies as the Dolphins became the first and only team to not score a touchdown in a Super Bowl, held to just a Garo Yepremian field goal before halftime and relegated to a lowlight 29-yard sack by the great Bob Lilly of Bob Griese. But as Griese would tell yours truly 36 years later, that loss would be the motivator for what would turn out to be a 17-0 season in '72.</div>
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<b>33. Super Bowl XL (Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10, February 5, 2006, Ford Field)</b></div>
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It's a Super Bowl that may be remembered more for some of the questionable calls made by officials, including one on Ben Roethlisberger's 1-yard sneak that replay officials had to rule a touchdown just after the two-minute warning to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 7-3 lead over the first-time Bowl participant Seattle Seahawks of coach Mike Holmgren. Willie Parker's 75-yard touchdown run gave the Steelers a 14-3 lead, but QB Matt Hasselbeck wasn't going to give the Steelers an easy run to a title. He fired a 16-yard TD pass to Jeramy Stevens to cut the lead to 14-10 going to the fourth quarter and giving Seahawks fans hope. But in one trick play, those hopes faded away as game MVP and wide receiver Hines Ward took an end around from Roethlisberger, then fired a 43-yard strike to Antwaan Randle-El. It would be the first and only Super Bowl championships for coach Bill Cowher and for running back Jerome Bettis, who would retire a championship in his home town of Detroit.</div>
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<b>32. Super Bowl I (Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10, January 15, 1967, L.A. Memorial Stadium)</b></div>
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Two things about this one: One, it was the first game (the original AFL-NFL Championship). Two, it was on two networks (CBS and NBC). Oh, and a third: The game was close at halftime, Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers leading Hank Stram's Kansas City Chiefs, 14-10. Then the Packers unleashed their will on the Chiefs, who were holding the hopes of an entire league (American Football League) on their shoulders in proving they were not the "inferior league." Elijah Pitts scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 5 yards and the game's initial MVP, Bart Starr, threw a 13-yard TD strike to Max McGee, McGee's second TD catch of the game after coming in off a night on the town blitzed himself. McGee finished with seven catches for 138 yards, Starr ending up 16-of-23 passing for 250 yards. Lombardi's Packers were the elite of all football. Stram's Chiefs were only building to bigger things in the coming years. And a championship game was born.</div>
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<b>31. Super Bowl XV (Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10, January 25, 1981, The Louisiana Superdome)</b></div>
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This was supposed to be the Philadelphia Eagles' coronation as a franchise that once was a laughingstock. Dick Vermeil, through his toughness and tears, had built the franchise into an NFC championship club. The Oakland Raiders were nothing more than a wild card team at 12-7, having to play through Houston, Cleveland and San Diego with a quarterback (Jim Plunkett) who was nothing more than a backup and got the chance to take over after regular starter Dan Pastorini broke his leg. But the former Heisman Trophy winner from Stanford a decade earlier proved he was a vital part to the team's success right at the start by throwing a TD strike to venerable receiver Cliff Branch, then hitting Kenny King out of the backfield and King outracing defenders 80 yards for what was then the longest TD strike in history. Plunkett and Branch connected for a 29-yard strike in the second half and Chris Bahr added two field goals to finish out the scoring as the defense did the rest, frustrating Ron Jaworksi to 18-of-38 passing for 291 yards and a touchdown pass to Keith Krepfle. But he also threw three interceptions, all to linebacker Rod Martin. Plunkett would be the MVP with 13-of-21 passing for 261 yards and the three scores. The Raiders became the first wild card team to win a Super Bowl.</div>
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<b>30. Super Bowl XXII (Washington 42, Denver 10, January 31, 1988, Jack Murphy Stadium)</b></div>
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A year after losing in the Super Bowl, John Elway was back in the big game with the Denver Broncos, hoping to rectify things for Broncos fans. And it looked good after one quarter as they built a 10-0 lead thanks to a 56-yard TD pass from Elway to rookie Ricky Nattiel. Then came the second quarter and the all-time greatest Super Bowl eruption. Veteran Doug Williams, who took over the team after regular starter Jay Schroeder got hurt, exploded for four touchdown passes, two to Ricky Sanders, one to Gary Clark and the last one to tight end Clint Didier. Timmy Smith would run for a 58-yard score in between all the TD passes and a 10-0 deficit turned into a 35-10 Washington lead at halftime. The competitive portion of the game was over, especially with Washington's defense tormenting Elway to the tune of 14-of-38 passing for 257 yards and three interceptions. Meanwhile, Smith would finish out a 204-yard rushing night with a 4-yard, fourth-quarter score. In winning the MVP with a lights-out performance starting in the second quarter, Williams was 18-of-29 passing for 340 yards and the four scores.</div>
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<b>29. Super Bowl XXIII (Denver 34, Atlanta 19, January 31, 1999, Pro Player Stadium)9</b></div>
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The Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons were both 14-2 and this game had all the makings of another great Super Bowl. But the arrest of Falcons safety Eugene Robinson the night before the game in Miami highlighted the pre-game ceremony and it may have had an effect on the first-time Bowl participants against Broncos veteran quarterback John Elway. The Falcons took a 3-0 lead on a Morten Andersen field goal, but the Broncos answered back with a Howard Griffith 1-yard TD run and a field goal by Jason Elam. Then came the big play -- Elway going over the top to wide receiver Rod Smith, who was covered by Robinson, for an 80-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-3. That was it ... the Falcons never recovered. Griffith and Elway would score on runs and by the fourth quarter, Elway would leave in a blaze of glory in what would be his last game, ironically against old coach Dan Reeves. He would finish 18-of-29 passing for 336 yards with the one TD pass and one TD running. At 38, he was named the game's MVP. The Falcons didn't help themselves as they turned the ball over four times.</div>
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<b>28. Super Bowl XVIII (L.A. Raiders 38, Washington 9, January 22, 1984, Tampa Stadium)</b></div>
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Washington was the favored team after beating the Los Angeles Raiders in a wild battle in November. But the Raiders were taking notes and watching film. And it all paid off the second time around in this game at Tampa Stadium. Derrick Jansen blocked a Jeff Hayes punt and landed on it in the end zone for a touchdown for an early 7-0 lead. Then the venerable Jim Plunkett hit veteran receiver Cliff Branch for a 12-yard, second-quarter strike for a 14-0 lead. Mark Moseley would get Washington on the board with a 24-yard field goal and after Ray Guy pinned Washington back at its 12 late in the first half, coach Joe Gibbs attempted a play that worked during the regular-season game against the Raiders. Quarterback Joe Theismann rolled out right, then threw back to running back Joe Washington for a score then, but this time, the Raiders had it scouted out. Linebacker Jack Squirek jumped in front of Washington and returned the ball 5 yards for the touchdown. The defending champions were shell-shocked. Though John Riggins would score on the first drive of the second half for Washington, Los Angeles dominated from there. Actually, Marcus Allen would dominate the second half, scoring two third-quarter touchdowns, the last a 75-yard score in which he started right, saw trouble, back-tracked the other way, then burst through a hole opened up by the Raider offensive line. Allen finished with 191 yards on 20 carries and would win the MVP. Washington, meanwhile, would need years to regroup.</div>
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<b>27. Super Bowl XXI (N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20, January 25, 1987, The Rose Bowl)</b></div>
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The New York Giants were putting together a special season under coach Bill Parcells, led by league MVP and linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Their reward was winning the NFC title game against Washington and facing off in the Super Bowl with Dan Reeves-coached Denver and quarterback John Elway, playing in his first Super Bowl. Elway's 4-yard score gave the Broncos a 10-7 lead and they looked for more late in the first half. But veteran George Martin crashed through to grab Elway in the end zone for a safety, making it 10-9 at halftime. And that was the momentum shaker for the Giants. Phil Simms hit Mark Bavaro for a 13-yard TD pass on the opening drive of the second half to give the Giants a 16-10 lead. Raul Allegre kicked a 21-yard field goal and Joe Morris slammed into the end zone for a 1-yard score, giving the Giants a 26-10 lead going into the final quarter. A deflected pass from Simms to Bavaro was caught by receiver Phil McConkey for a touchdown and Ottis Anderson scored on a 2-yard run to make a close game into a rout. In a record-breaking performance, Simms won the MVP, going 21-of-25 passing for 268 yards and three TDs, the other going to the other tight end, Zeke Mowatt, in the first quarter.</div>
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<b>26. Super Bowl XXVIII (Dallas 30, Buffalo 13, January 30, 1994, The Georgia Dome)</b></div>
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Finally, it looked as if the fourth time would be the charm for the Buffalo Bills, who led 13-6 at halftime over the Dallas Cowboys in the first rematch of a Super Bowl. Then the Cowboys reminded the Bills and their fans why Bills stood for "Boy I Love Losing Super (Bowls)." Thurman Thomas was stripped by Leon Lett and James Washington took the ball back 46 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 13-all. On the next possession, the Cowboys would go 64 yards on eight plays and cap the drive with a 15-yard scoring run by Emmitt Smith to give Dallas a 20-13 lead. Smith, who would earn MVP honors in a season that saw him hold out for more money until the third game, would add a 1-yard plunge and Eddie Murray kicked a 20-yard field goal to seal another Dallas title. Smith would rush for 132 yards on 30 carries and would wear down the Bills in the fourth quarter. Jim Kelly would go 31-of-50 passing for the Bills, but would not find paydirt and would end up throwing an interception in yet another frustrating loss for Bills Nation.</div>
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<b>25. Super Bowl XXXI (Green Bay 35, New England 21, January 26, 1997, The Louisiana Superdome)</b></div>
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In his first Super Bowl, Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre was having a monster night with a 54-yard TD pass to Andre Rison, an 81-yard strike to Antonio Freeman, and a 2-yard plunge. But the New England Patriots of coach Bill Parcells were making things close thanks to Drew Bledsoe TD passes to Ben Coates (4 yards) and Keith Byars (1 yard). Late in the third quarter, the Patriots cut the lead to 27-21 when Curtis Martin dashed 18 yards for a score. But on the ensuing kickoff, former Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard darted up the middle, found a hole and burst through for a 99-yard touchdown. Howard would win the MVP honor. The Packers' defense would do the rest with four interceptions and five sacks of Bledsoe in a dominant performance.</div>
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<b>24. Super Bowl XLIV (New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17, February 7, 2010, Sun Life Stadium)</b></div>
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The Colts of coach Jim Caldwell and quarterback Peyton Manning held a 10-6 halftime lead, mainly on the strength of a Manning TD pass to Pierre Garcon. But Saints coach Sean Payton had a plan to start the second half -- an onside kickoff. It worked as Jonathan Casillas took the ricochet off of Hank Baskett's arms for the recovery. The Saints drove from there and quarterback Drew Brees hit Pierre Thomas for a 16-yard score to give the Saints a 13-10 lead. The Colts would fight back as Joseph Addai would score on a 4-yard run to make it 17-13. But the Saints would take it from there the rest of the evening. After a Garrett Hartley 47-yard field goal cut the lead to a point, Brees hit Jeremy Shockey for a 2-yard TD score, then delivered the 2-point conversion pass to Lance Moore to make it 24-17 with 5:42 left in the game. Needing to move the ball quickly, Manning made his only mistake of the night ... but it wa a biggie as Tracy Porter stepped in front of a pass and returned it 74 yards for the game-clinching score. Game MVP Brees was 32-of-39 passing for 288 yards. In losing, Manning was 31-of-45 passing for 333 yards. But over four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, New Orleans was on top of the sports world.</div>
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<b>23. Super Bowl XXX (Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17, January 28, 1996, Sun Devil Stadium)</b></div>
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This was Dallas' third Super Bowl in four years, but first for former Oklahoma Sooners coach Barry Switzer. And unlike the first two Super Bowls, this one was going to be an open struggle to the end against coach Bill Cowher's Pittsburgh Steelers. In the end, a short-time hero was born in a cornerback named Larry Brown. Two Chris Boniol field goals and a Troy Aikman TD pass to tight end Jay Novacek gave the Cowboys a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. But the Steelers awakened as Neil O'Donnell fired a TD strike to Yancey Thigpen to make it 13-7 at halftime. Emmitt Smith answered with a 1-yard burst for a score to make it 20-7, two plays after Brown intercepted O'Donnell. But the Steelers were determined to make it a game. Norm Johnson delivered a 46-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10 points, then Cowher rolled the dice on an onside kick and won as Deon Figures recovered it and Bam Morris would close the drive with a 1-yard score, making it 20-17. The Steelers got another stop and took over at their 32. On second down, O'Donnell once again got a case of color-blindness and found the No. 24 uniform of Brown, who took the ball back to the Steelers' 6. Two plays after that, Smith put the game away with 3:43 left with a 4-yard score. Brown would win MVP honors as O'Donnell would finish 28-of-49 passing for 239 yards in his final game with the Steelers.</div>
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<b>22. Super Bowl XXXIX (New England 24, Philadelphia 21, February 6, 2005, Alltel Stadium)</b></div>
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OK, this is the Super Bowl that I got to cover for my newspaper. It was a dream to finally cover a Super Bowl. I enjoyed the experience in Jacksonville ... and got a fairly decent game in the process. The Patriots came in as the defending champions, the Eagles <i>finally </i>arriving at the big game with coach Andy Reid after three straight NFC Championship game losses. After a scoreless first quarter, it was the Eagles who jumped on board first when Donovan McNabb hit L.J. Smith with a 6-yard strike. But the Patriots showed why they were as good as advertised. Tom Brady hit David Givens with a 4-yard score, then took the lead with a little trickery as for the second straight Super Bowl, Brady hit linebacker Mike Vrabel with the tackle eligible TD pass of 2 yards to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead early in the third quarter. The Eagles would tie it in the third quarter as Brian Westbrook grabbed a 10-yard pass from McNabb for a score. But the Patriots would go on a nine-play, 66-yard drive and would cap it with a 2-yard scoring run by Corey Dillon to take the lead again. After a punt, a 19-yard catch by game MVP Deion Branch, which was punctuated by Corey Simon's 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty, led to an Adam Vinatieri field goal of 22 yards to make it 24-14 with 8:40 left. Two possessions left and down 10 points, McNabb unusually was taking too much time, reportedly due to the dry-heaves he was suffering. Seemingly taking forever, McNabb picked up the pace with a 30-yard scoring strike to Greg Lewis to cut the lead to three points, but only 1:48 was left. They used up their timeouts stopping Brady and forcing a punt that Josh Miller delivered to the Eagles' 4-yard line with just 46 seconds left in the game. In super-hurry mode, McNabb missed Smith and Rodney Harrison had his second interception of the game to seal the Patriots' third title in four years. Branch caught 11 passes for 133 yards. Brady was 23-of-33 passing for 236 yards. McNabb ended up 30-of-51 passing for 357 yards, but three interceptions hurt him and the Eagles in the end.</div>
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<b>21. Super Bowl IV (Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7, January 11, 1970, Tulane Stadium)</b></div>
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In 2005, the late Steve Sabol told me that even though the Jets' win over the Colts in Super Bowl III was a landmark, the American Football League could not gain legitimacy it deserved until its last game in Super Bowl IV. By now, the Kansas City Chiefs of coach Hank Stram were a more mature team, but the Minnesota Vikings, the NFL champions, were a dynamo under coach Bud Grant, going 15-1 and led by quarterback Joe Kapp and the men known as the Purple People Eaters -- defensive linemen Jim Marshall, Gary Larsen, Alan Page and Carl Eller. They were favorites in the game. That only served to motivate the Chiefs. Three Jan Stenerud field goals gave the Chiefs a 9-0 lead in the second quarter. After the third field goal, Vikings kick returner Charlie West fumbled the ball and the Chiefs' Remi Prudhomme recovered at the Viking 19. Though Marshall would sack quarterback Len Dawson on the first play, the Chiefs recovered and on the sixth play of the drive from the 5 as Stram called Dawson to run "65 Toss Power Trap." It worked to perfection as Mike Garrett burst through a hole into the end zone for a touchdown to make it 16-0 at halftime. Dave Osborn cut the lead to 16-7 with a 4-yard score, but on the ensuing drive, Dawson hit receiver Otis Taylor with a short pass in the flat. Earsell Mackbee blew the tackle and Taylor was on his way down the sideline, breaking another tackle attempt by Karl Kassulke, to finish out a 46-yard score. The Chiefs defense forced the Vikings into five turnovers, two of those being Kapp passes. They beat Kapp up enough to force Grant to bring in Gary Cuozzo late in the game. Dawson would win the MVP honor by going 12-of-17 passing for 142 yards and the Chiefs had redemption from three years earlier as the two leagues would become one by 1970.</div>
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<b>20. Super Bowl XLV (Green Bay 31, Pittsburgh 25, February 6, 2011, Cowboys Stadium)</b></div>
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The game started auspiciously as Christina Aguilera botched the national anthem. But Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers would get it back on track. He threw a touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson of 29 yards, then 24 seconds later, the Packers made it 14-0 when Nick Collins picked off Ben Roethlisberger and took it back 37 yards for the score. Sean Suisham kicked a 33-yard field goal to get the Steelers on the board, but Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for a 21-yard score to make it 21-3. Roethlisberger, though, got it close with an 8-yard strike to Hines Ward, making it 21-10 at the break. On their first drive of the second half, the Steelers cut the lead to 21-17 as Rashard Mendenhall scored on an 8-yard run. The Packers dodged a bullet late in the third quarter when they stopped the Steelers and Suisham missed on a 52-yard field goal. They took advantage and with 11:57 left in the game, Rodgers hit Jennings for his second TD of the day, an 8-yard strike, to make it 28-17. On the ensuing drive, the Steelers answered when Roethlisberger hit Mike Wallace with a 25-yard score. An Antwaan Randle El 2-point conversion run out of the Wildcat formation made it a 3-point game with 7:34 to go, but Rodgers answered again with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that took 5:27 off the clock, made the Steelers burn timeouts and ended in a 23-yard Mason Crosby field goal with 2:07 left. Roethlisberger and the Steelers had to go 87 yards, and though he got one first down, the Packers would stop him on downs and claim their fourth Super Bowl championship. Rodgers was MVP, going 24-of-39 passing for 304 yards and the three scores. Nelson had nine catches for 140 yards and established himself as Rodgers' go-to guy for years to come.</div>
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<b>19. Super Bowl XLVII (Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31, February 3, 2013, Mercedes-Benz Louisiana Superdome)</b></div>
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The first Super Bowl played in New Orleans in 11 years and first after Hurricane Katrina eventually turned into a classic ... that is, after the lights went out and came back on. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw first-half touchdowns to Anquan Boldin, Dennis Pitta and Jacoby Jones to build a 21-6 lead at the break. Then Jones made history with a 108-yard kickoff return to start the second half for a score, the longest in Super Bowl history, to make it 28-6. This was a rout. The 49ers had no hope. Then early into the 49ers' first drive after the score, the lights went out in the Superdome and would take 34 minutes to turn back on, the first delay of any kind in the game's history. That seemed to rejuvenate the team and quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He hit Michael Crabtree for a 31-yard score to cut the lead to 28-13. They got the ball back on a punt and 32-yard return by Ted Ginn Jr. to the Ravens' 20. From there, it took two plays to get the job done as Frank Gore darted 6 yards for the score that made it 28-20. The teams would swap field goals before Kaepernick struck again, this time on a 15-yard run to cut the lead 31-29. They went for two points, but failed, keeping the game where it was. Justin Tucker's 38-yard field goal made it 34-29 with 4:19 left. The 49ers had one last drive and Kaepernick had them moving, hitting Crabtree for a 24-yard pass and handing off to Gore for a 33-yard run, putting the 49ers in scoring position at the Ravens 7. A 2-yard run by LaMichael James was followed by two incompletions. It was on fourth down that Kaepernick lofted a pass into the end zone to Crabtree. Though defensive back Jimmy Smith seemed to grab onto Crabtree's jersey, no flag was thrown. The ball fell incomplete and punter Sam Koch provided the final points by running out of the end zone for a safety with four seconds to go. It was the 49ers' first Super Bowl loss in six tries. Meanwhile, it was the Ravens' second title in what would be linebacker Ray Lewis' final game. Flacco, the MVP of the game, was 22-of-33 passing for 287 yards and the three TD passes.</div>
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<b>18. Super Bowl VII (Miami 14, Washington 7, January 14, 1973, L.A. Memorial Coliseum)</b></div>
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One year after the devastation by the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl, the Miami Dolphins were back and back with a vengeance. They went 14-0 in the regular season, then defeated Cleveland and Pittsburgh to reach the Super Bowl again. This time, the opponent was the "Over The Hill Gang" of coach George Allen, who helped motivate the team to go further than maybe they thought they could go. The Dolphins were actually a one-point underdog in the game. Yes, an unbeaten team was the <i>underdog</i>! That only motivated them to do more. On the final play of the first quarter, quarterback Bob Griese hit Howard Twilley for a 28-yard touchdown pass and running back Jim Kiick scored with 18 seconds left in the half to double the lead to 14-0 at halftime. The Dolphns defense harassed quarterback Billy Kilmer into 14-of-28 passing and three interceptions. Still, Washington's defense kept the game close. And it looked as if the game was about to end when the Dolphins sent kicker Garo Yepremian in for a field goal. But Yepremian's kick was blocked by Bill Brundige. To make matters worse, Yepremian tried to pick the ball up, but fumbled it out of his own hands and into the arms of Washington's Mike Bass, who returned it 49 yards to cut the lead to 14-7. Washington had a chance. But instead of an onside kickoff with 2:07 left, Allen decided to kick off and use timeouts to save the clock deep in Miami territory. They forced a punt, but Miami's defense came to the rescue with the last heroic effort being a Vern Den Herder sack of Kilmer on fourth down to seal the deal on the one and only unbeaten team in the Super Bowl era at 17-0. Safety Jake Scott won the MVP honor with a pair of interceptions, highlighting the spirt of Miami's famous "No-Name Defense."</div>
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<b>17. Super Bowl XVII (Washington 27, Miami 17, January 30, 1983, The Rose Bowl)</b></div>
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After nine years, the Miami Dolphins were back in the Super Bowl against a Washington team that finally put it together in what was a shortened season due to a strike early on. The Dolphins' "Killer Bs" defense, led by Bob Baumhower and Kim Bokamper, helped make the team the favorite in this one. It looked good early when quarterback David Woodley hit Jimmy Cefalo with a 76-yard scoring strike. The teams traded field goals before Washington quarterback Joe Theismann hit Alvin Garrett with a 4-yard TD strike to tie it up. But before halftime, Fulton Walker took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 98 yards for the first-ever kickoff return for a touchdown, giving the Dolphins a 17-10 lead at the break. All looked good. Mark Moseley's field goal cut the lead to 17-13 and after getting the ball back, Washington was in a bind. Theismann had his pass batted by Bokamper, who was ready to catch it and fall into the end zone for the score, but Theismann knocked the ball away. It proved large for early in the fourth quarter, Washington had the ball back and on the Dolphins' 43, facing fourth down and 1. Coach Joe Gibbs called for what would be "I Right 70-Chip." Theisman pitched the ball to fullback John Riggins, who took the ball, broke free of Don McNeal's tackle attempt and was off to the races for the touchdown that gave Washington a 20-17 lead with over 10 minutes left. On the next possession, Washington moved the ball into scoring territory and right after the two-minute warning, Theismann hit Charlie Brown, one of Washington's "Smurf" wide receivers, for the 6-yard touchdown strike to put it away. Riggins won the MVP honor with 166 bruising yards on 38 carries. The franchise had its first Super Bowl.</div>
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<b>16. Super Bowl XVI (San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21, January 24, 1982, The Silverdome)</b></div>
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The Super Bowl moved north for the first time in history as it was played in the comfortable indoor confines of the Pontiac Silverdome, while it was minus-8 degrees outside. For the first time since Super Bowl III, two different teams that had never been there before were playing in the big game. But if there was one team that wasn't intimidated by the big moment it was the 49ers and quarterback Joe Montana. In the first 30 minutes of the game, the 49ers took a 20-0 lead with Montana hitting running back-turned-tight end Earl Cooper with a 13-yard TD and running for a short score, while Ray Wersching kicking two field goals, the final one coming after Archie Griffin flubbed a squib kick. But the Bengals bounced back with Ken Anderson running for a 5-yard score in the third quarter, then had a first and goal from the 1, but couldn't break through into the end zone on four tries, the last one seeing Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds, Dan Bunz and Ronnie Lott stopping Pete Johnson short of the goal line instead of taking the field goal. Anderson hit Dan Ross for a 4-yard score to make it 20-14. Wersching kicked two more field goals to give the 49ers a 26-14 lead, but the Bengals would strike again with an Anderson-to-Ross 3-yard TD strike, making it 26-21. One problem, though -- there was 16 seconds left in the game. Dwight Clark recovered the onside kickoff and the 49ers secured their first Super Bowl. Montana went 14-of-22 passing for 157 yards and earned his first MVP honor. In a losing effort, Anderson was 25-of-34 passing for 300 yards, but hurt himself with two interceptions. The Bengals actually had more TDs in the game than the winning team (3-2).</div>
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<b>15. Super Bowl XLIX (New England 28, Seattle 24, February 1, 2015, University of Phoenix Stadium)</b></div>
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The defending champion Seattle Seahawks were back in the big game, but matched up this time with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Brady threw TD passes to Brandon LaFell and Rob Gronkowski, while Seattle matched that with a Marshawn Lynch TD run and a Russell Wilson-to-Chris Matthews TD pass to go to halftime tied at 14-all. Seattle went ahead 24-14 in the third quarter on a Steve Hauschka field goal and a Wilson 3-yard TD pass to Doug Baldwin. Then Brady, who would earn his third game MVP, would engineer two long drives leading to fourth-quarter TDs, the first a 4-yard score to Danny Amendola, the second a 3-yard TD pass to Julian Edelman with 2:02 to play. That left the Seahawks that much time to win it. And Wilson made big plays in the drive, the final one a 33-yard circus catch by Jermaine Kearse to the Patriots' 5 with 1:05 to play. The Seahawks handed the ball on first down to Lynch, who got to the 1. Seattle called timeout with 24 seconds left. Most everyone acknowledged that they were anticipating Lynch would get the ball. But the Seahawks surprised everyone -- Wilson dropped back and looked for Ricardo Lockette just inside the end zone, but Malcolm Butler read the play, stepped inside of the passing lane and stunned the football world at large with the interception. It left many a jaw dropped and people began demanding the firings of both head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell for even calling the play when Lynch was nearly unstoppable with 102 yards on 24 carries. To this day, it is considered the single worst play call in Super Bowl history. Though he threwtwo interceptions, Brady ended up 37-of-50 passing with the four scores for 328 yards and tied himself with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as a four-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.</div>
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<b>14. Super Bowl X (Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17, January 18, 1976, The Orange Bowl)</b></div>
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Under South Florida's sunny skies, the defending champion Steelers and the wild card-winning Cowboys swapped first-quarter scores, Dallas striking on a Roger Staubach-to-Drew Pearson 29-yard TD pass and Pittsburgh answering with a 7-yard TD pass by Terry Bradshaw to Randy Grossman. Toni Fritsch's 36-yard field goal gave the Cowboys a 10-7 halftime lead, but the Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense began to unleash its fury. Reggie Harrison blocked Mitch Hoopes' punt out of the end zone for a safety, then Roy Gerela added a pair of field goals, the second one coming off of a Mike Wagner interception of Staubach to the 7-yard line. After a Dallas punt, the Steelers took over at their own 36. Bradshaw dropped back and was blitzed by both Harris and D.D. Lewis. Both nailed Bradshaw as he got rid of the pass, but it was a perfect strike to game MVP Lynn Swann, who made the catch and scampered to the end zone for the touchdown that made it 21-10. Gerela, though, missed the extra-point kick with 3:02 left in the game. Staubach furiously brought the Cowboys back on an 80-yard drive in five plays, finishing it off with a 34-yard TD pass to Percy Howard, which, would be the only reception in Howard's entire NFL career. And it wasn't over there -- Gerry Mullins recovered the onside kick for the Steelers, but the Cowboys called what timeouts they had left. On fourth down, Steelers coach Chuck Noll, not liking his shaky kicking game, elected to go for it on fourth down and is stopped short at the Dallas 39-yard line. The Cowboys had one more life. Staubach brought the Cowboys down to the Steelers' 38. Two incompletions led to one final play and a Hail Mary that Glen Edwards came up with in the end zone for an interception to seal the victory. Swann caught four passes for 161 yards to earn his MVP honors. The Steeler defense also had a starring role by collecting three turnovers and sacking Staubach seven times.</div>
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<b>13. Super Bowl XIV (Pittsburgh 31, L.A. Rams 19, January 20, 1980, The Rose Bowl)</b></div>
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Three Super Bowls in five seasons made the Pittsburgh Steelers a dynasty. And now they had a chance to put the capper on Hall of Fame careers against a surprise competitor from the NFC as the Los Angeles Rams stunned the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to reach the big game. And if the Steelers were taking the Rams of backup quarterback Vince Ferragamo as an afterthought, they were clearly mistaken. Matt Bahr gave the Steelers an early 3-0 lead on a 41-yard field goal, but the Rams gave their fans with a short jaunt from Los Angeles to Pasadena some joy when fullback Cullen Bryant ended an eight-play, 59-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge to make it 7-3 after the first quarter. Pittsburgh responded with a 1-yard Franco Harris score, but kicker Frank Corral delivered a 31-yard field goal to tie it, then a 45-yarder with 14 seconds left before halftime to give the underdog Rams a surprising 13-10 lead. But quarterback Terry Bradshaw had some big plays he was ready to unleash on the Rams' secondary in the final 30 minutes. The first came as he found Lynn Swann for a 47-yard score to make it 17-13. But coach Ray Malavasi and his offensive coaches had a play up their sleeves -- and on the possession after the TD, bounced right back as running back Lawrence McCutcheon took a handoff from Ferragamo, went right, then zipped a 24-yard scoring strike to Ron Smith, making it 19-17 after Corral missed the extra point. The Rams' defense, anchored by legendary lineman Jack Youngblood, playing on a broken ankle the entire postseason, kept pushing the Steelers back, and had one more quarter to go. Early in the fourth quarter, two plays generate two yards for the Steelers, leaving them with third-and-8 from their 27. On the play, Bradshaw fakes a handoff, then sees receiver John Stallworth in one-on-one coverage with Rod Perry as safety Eddie Brown does not react to the one-on-one coverage. Bradshaw fires down the middle and Stallworth catches the pass -- over the wrong shoulder, no less -- to finish a 73-yard TD to give the Steelers a 24-19 lead with 12:04 left to play. Ferragamo takes the Rams down the field on two possessions later, but from the Steelers' 32, he looks for Smith in the open, except the great linebacker Jack Lambert steps in front to pick the pass off. The Steelers would drive 70 yards from there to put the finishing touches on their fourth Super Bowl as Harris races to the outside, then cuts in for a 1-yard score with 3:35 to go. Ferragamo would have a decent day, going 15-of-25 for 212 yards, but the costly pick. Meanwhile, Bradshaw would earn his third MVP honor in spite of three interceptions, going 14-of-21 passing for 309 yards and the two TD strikes.<br />
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<b>12. Super Bowl XLVI (N.Y. Giants 21, New England 17, February 5, 2012, Lucas Oil Stadium)</b></div>
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These two famous dance partners of four years earlier were once again teamed up for the biggest prize in the league on the line at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium. And once again, neither team disappointed on the big stage. Lineman Justin Tuck set the tone of the day by flustering quarterback Tom Brady into a throw to no receiver down the middle while being rushed in his own end zone. A flag for intentional grounding was thrown on Brady and the Giants had an early 2-0 lead. After the safety, Giants quarterback Eli Manning took his team 78 yards on nine plays and capped the drive with a 2-yard scoring strike to Victor Cruz to make it 9-0 after one quarter. But the Patriots owned the second quarter. Their defense tightened up on Manning and on offense, they got a 29-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski and with eight seconds to go before the break, Brady hit Danny Woodhead for a 4-yard scoring strike to give the Patriots a 10-9 lead. Knowing they had the ball to start the second half, the Patriots and Brady went 79 yards on eight plays and finish the drive with a Brady-to-Aaron Hernandez 12-yard score to make it 17-9. But that would be all the Patriots would get the rest of the night. Two Lawrence Tynes field goals of 38 and 33 yards make it a 17-15 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Patriots defense had held firm throughout the final quarter, but with 3:46 to go, the Giants had one more drive, but had to start from their own 12. The big play early in the drive was a Manning pass to receiver Mario Manningham, who caught the sideline pass just over his shoulder for 38 yards and a first down at the 50. Two more passes to Manningham and one more to Cruz got the ball to the Patriots' 18 at the two-minute warning. The Giants got another first down and Patriots coach Bill Belichick was forced to use all his timeouts. Knowing Tynes had not missed a field goal within 30 yards the last four years, Belichick had his defense open up to allow Ahmad Bradshaw to score on a 6-yard run with 57 seconds to go -- even though Bradshaw tried to stop at the 1, realizing what the Patriots were doing -- making it 21-17. The Patriots got the ball back and reached their own 49, leaving one last desperate Hail Mary try. Brady looked for Hernandez in the end zone on the final play, but it was the other tight end, a gimpy-kneed Rob Gronkowski, who made a valiant diving attempt at the batted pass, but came up short. In winning his second MVP honor, Manning was 30-of-40 passing for 296 yards and the one TD pass. Brady finished 27-of-41 for 276 yards and two TDs, but one interception. And Tom Coughlin had his second Super Bowl title as Giants head coach.<br />
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<b>11. Super Bowl XXXVIII (New England 32, Carolina 29, February 1, 2004, Reliant Stadium)</b></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>From a halftime entertainment standpoint, this is the Super Bowl of the infamous and accidental exposure of Janet Jackson's nipple by Justin Timberlake during their performance. But the game was just as memorable, featuring the Super Bowl champions of two years earlier, the New England Patriots, going up against the surprising Carolina Panthers, who made it to the big game under head coach John Fox in their ninth season as a franchise. Most of the first half is a defensive struggle between the teams with the Panthers making big plays, one by Will Witherspoon on a 10-yard loss off an end around by Troy Brown, the other a blocked field goal attempt by Shane Burton. The Patriots get the first big break of the game, though, as Mike Vrabel sacks quarterback Jake Delhomme and forces a fumble that Richard Seymour recovers at the Panthers' 20. Four plays later, quarterback Tom Brady finds receiver Deion Branch for a 5-yard score to make it 7-0 with 3:05 left before halftime. But Delhomme and the Panthers respond with a 95-yard drive in under two minutes, capped by a 39-yard strike from Delhomme to Steve Smith to tie it up. Not to be outdone, the Patriots go 78 yards on six plays on the very next possession and Brady hits David Givens with a 5-yard scoring strike with 18 seconds left before the break to make it 14-7 Patriots. But the Pats decide to squib-kick the kickoff and Kris Mangum picks it up and goes 12 yards to his 47. With a timeout still in hand, Stephen Davis goes 21 yards up the middle with a run to the Patriots' 32. They call timeout and John Kasay delivers a 50-yard field goal to take the game to 14-10 at the half -- after there had been no scoring in the first 26:55, a Super Bowl record for longest wait for a first score. Neither side budged in the third quarter, but it was late in the period the Patriots went on an 79-yard, eight-play drive that culminated in an Antowain Smith 2-yard score to make it 21-10. Delhomme and the Panthers respond with an 81-yard, six-play drive the next time they touch the ball and DeShaun Foster goes 33 yards for the score that makes it 21-16 as they failed on the two-point conversion try to cut the lead to a field goal. It won't matter anyway as the Panthers stop Brady and the Patriots on the next drive as Reggie Howard intercepts Brady in the end zone and brings the ball back out to the 10. On the third play of the ensuing possession, Delhomme delivers an 85-yard scoring strike to Muhsin Muhammad, the longest scoring play from scrimmage in the game's history, to give Carolina 22-21 lead with 6:53 to go. The Patriots didn't back off, though. Brady took the team 68 yards on 11 plays, capping it off when he threw a 1-yard strike to linebacker Mike Vrabel, who had reported in as the team's tight end on the play. Kevin Faulk's two-point conversion run gave the Patriots the 29-22 lead with 2:51 to go. Still, Delhomme, who finished the game 16-of-33 with 323 yards, would show his resiliency. In 103 seconds, he took the Panthers 80 yards on seven plays and finished the drive with a 12-yard scoring strike to reliable receiver Ricky Proehl, tying it at 29-all. However, any momentum the Panthers would take into the next drive all but got wiped out when Kasay delivered his kick out of bounds for a penalty that gave the Patriots the ball on their 40. Though an offensive pass interference stymies the drive momentarily, Brady is able to get two first downs in the final 1:08 he has remaining, the last being a 17-yard strike to Branch at the Panthers' 24. Coach Bill Belichick summons Adam Vinatieri in to kick the game-winning, 41-yard field goal, which he does with four seconds left to secure the team's second Super Bowl title. Brady finishes 32-of-48 passing for 354 yards and three TDs and wins his second MVP honor in three years.</div>
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<b>10. Super Bowl XXXII (Denver 31, Green Bay 24, January 25, 1998, Qualcomm Stadium)</b></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Though quarterback John Elway was older and more mature, the thoughts of three blowout Super Bowl losses still had to linger in his head. And the Denver Broncos were facing a Green Bay Packers team that were defending champions and, in many circles, believed to be<i> better</i> than the previous season's team. So when the Packers took the opening kickoff and drove 76 yards on eight plays and finished the drive with a Brett Favre-to-Antonio Freeman 22-yard scoring strike, many thought this would more of the same for the Broncos, who had made it to this game as a wild card. Those that thought that were definitely mistaken -- Terrell Davis scored on a 1-yard run to tie it up on the Broncos' first possession. The Broncos took the lead at 14-7 on an Elway 1-yard run in which he faked the handoff to Davis, suffering through migraine headaches in the first half, and went into the end zone untouched. Favre would fumble after being sacked by Steve Atwater and Neil Smith would recover at the Green Bay 33. Jason Elam, who had kicked a 63-yard field goal earlier in the season, delivered a 51-yarder to make it 17-7. After trading punts, the Packers go 95 yards on 17 plays as Favre finishes it off with a 6-yard scoring strike to tight end Mark Chmura with 12 seconds left before halftime, making it 17-14. Ryan Longwell's third-quarter field goal of 27 yards ties it at 17-all, but Davis scores his second 1-yard run with 34 seconds left in the quarter to give the Broncos the lead again at 24-17 with one quarter left. The touchdown is set up the previous play by the now-famous Elway run in which he "helicopters" to the 1 after being hit by Packers defenders LeRoy Butler and Mike Prior. The Broncos recover a fumble on the kickoff and look to add to the lead, but Elway gets picked off by Eugene Robinson, who returns the ball to the Packers' 15. From there, Favre takes the Packers just four plays to tie it up, his third connection with Freeman being a 13-yard score to tie it up at 24-all with 13:32 to go. Both defenses hold tight, but with the ball at the Packers' 49 after a punt with 3:27 left in the game, Elway can make history. A facemask penalty against Darius Holland costs the Packers 15 yards and Elway hits fullback Howard Griffith for a 23-yard pass and Davis delivers a 17-yard run after a Broncos holding penalty to get the ball to the Green Bay 1 with 1:45 to go. Wanting to maximize what time he had on the clock, Packers coach Mike Holmgren has his defense part a path for Davis to score a 1-yard run to make it a 31-24 lead. They would get the ball back with plenty of time and Favre takes the Packers to the Broncos 35 after two key completions to Dorsey Levens. A 4-yard pass to Levens is followed by two incompletions, leaving fourth and 6 at the 31 with 32 seconds to go and needing a touchdown. Favre dropped back and looked for Chmura over the middle. However, linebacker John Mobley was there to knock the ball away and secure the Broncos' first Super Bowl victory, prompting owner Pat Bowlen to famously say as he got the Lombardi Trophy, <i>"This one's for John."</i><br />
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<b>9. Super Bowl XIII (Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31, January 21, 1979, Orange Bowl)</b></div>
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Three years after delivering an absolute classic at the Orange Bowl in Super Bowl X, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys were back in the Orange Bowl and delivered an even greater game. Superstar quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach traded first-quarter TD passes, Bradshaw to John Stallworth for 28 yards, Staubach to Tony Hill for 39 yards. Then on the Steelers' first possession of the second quarter, Bradshaw collides with running back Franco Harris and fumbles the ball. He recovers, but gets immediately harassed by Cowboys defenders Mike Hegman and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Henderson holds up Bradshaw and Hegman strips him of the ball, returning the fumble 37 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. But the lead didn't last long. On the third play of the next possession, Bradshaw hit Stallworth with a simple 10-yard pass. However, Cowboys defender Aaron Kyle failed to make the tackle and Stallworth got blocks from receiver Lynn Swann and other teammates, who led him on a convoy to the end zone for a 75-yard score to tie it at 14-14. Pittsburgh would take the lead late in the first half as Bradshaw finished a 56-yard, five-play drive with an acrobatic 7-yard TD pass to running back Rocky Bleier, giving the Steelers a 21-14 lead at the half. Midway through the third quarter, Staubach had the Cowboys on the move to a tying score. On third down from the Steelers' 10, Staubach drops back and sees a wide-open Jackie Smith, a veteran tight end who played most of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, for what is the tying touchdown pass. But Smith surprisingly drops the pass and a disgusted coach Tom Landry has to send Rafael Septien in for the 27-yard field goal that cuts the lead to 21-17 going to the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter is simply a show-stopper. Harris caps an 85-yard, eight-play drive with a 22-yard burst up the middle that may have been aided by the umpire inadvertently being in Cowboys safety Charlie Waters' way. This came after Cowboys defender Benny Barnes is detected for pass interference on Swann on a pass play that Swann ran into Barnes instead of Barnes interfering with the receiver. Then to make matters worse, kicker Roy Gerela slips on the kickoff, delivering a groundball that linebacker Randy White picks up. White, though, is wearing a heavy cast on his hand and can't grip the ball firmly. Steelers defender Tony Dungy knocks the ball loose and teammate Dennis Winston jumps on the ball at the Cowboys' 18. One play later, Bradshaw delivers a high pass to Swann, who goes acrobatically up for the ball and pulls it in the end zone to make it 35-17. Game over, right? No! Staubach showed why he was an original gun-slinger. He takes the Cowboys 89 yards on eight plays after the Swann score and finishes it off with a 7-yard TD pass to tight end Billy Joe Dupree, making it 35-24 with 2:27 left. Dennis Thurman recovers the onside kick and Staubach goes back at it. From his 48 and with the two-minute warning to stop the clock, he and the Cowboys are a machine, going nine plays and finishes the drive with a 4-yard TD pass to Butch Johnson with 22 seconds to go. They try the onside kick again, but Bleier wraps the ball under him and the Steelers have another Super Bowl title. Bradshaw, who was accused earlier in the week by Henderson of not being able to spell the word "cat" if you spotted him the "c" and "a," is once again smart enough to win the Super Bowl MVP, going 17-of-30 with four TDs and 318 yards passing. Staubach, too, is 17-of-30 passing for 228 yards and three scores. Tony Dorsett nearly has a 100-yard rushing game, taking the ball 16 times for 96 yards.</div>
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<b>8. Super Bowl III (N.Y. Jets 16, Baltimore 7, January 12, 1969, Orange Bowl)</b></div>
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Two times before, the AFL representative had failed against the mighty Green Bay Packers of the NFL. And though this time, the team representing the NFL is Don Shula's Baltimore Colts, the NFL is favored to continue its dominance in the big game. Odds makers have staked the Colts as a 17-point favorite against the young New York Jets, coached by former Colts mentor Weeb Ewbank and led by quarterback Joe Namath. Sick and tired of hearing about the dominant Colts and how much better they are compared to his Jets, Namath finally pipes up and tells the media surrounding him at the Miami Touchdown Club that the Jets "will win the game." Though Ewbank was reportedly upset by Namath's offering, Namath assured his coach they were confident enough to go in and take on the big, bad Colts and starting quarterback Earl Morrall, who won the league's Most Valuable Player honor stepping n for an injured Johnny Unitas. The game's tone is set on the Colts' first possession of the battle as they get the ball down the field methodically, but kicker Lou Michaels misses a 27-yard field goal wide left. Later in the first quarter, the Colts are on the move again, but deep in Jets territory, Morrall throws a pass that bounces off the hands of Jets linebacker Al Atkinson, off the hands of Colts tight end Tom Mitchell and into the waiting arms of Jets cornerback Randy Beverly in the end zone for an interception. From there, Namath would take the Jets on their most famous drive in franchise history -- 12 plays, 80 yards -- running the ball behind lineman Winston Hill for most of the drive. The drive ends with Namath handing off to running back Matt Snell, who dashes left and crashes into the end zone for a 4-yard score, giving the Jets a 7-0 lead. The Colts would come back on the next drive, but Michaels misses another field goal try, this time from 46 yards out. Jets kicker Jim Turner misses a 41-yard field goal on the next Jets drive. From there, Morrall took the Colts down to the Jets' 15, on the verge of tying the game up. But Morrall is picked off by Johnny Sample at the 2, thwarting that drive. After a Jets punt, the Colts get one more chance. From the Jets' 41, the Colts try a flea-flicker on the final play of the half and receiver Jimmy Orr is wide open in the end zone. However, Morrall never sees him and his pass to running back Jerry Hill is intercepted by linebacker Jim Hudson. As Orr would say later of the failed play, "Earl said he just didn't seem me. I was open from here to Tampa." The Jets had the ball for all but three minutes in the third quarter and got Turner field goals of 32 and 30 yards to make it 13-0. A third drive late in the third quarter would end in another Colts stop deep in their territory and Turner came on to squib through a 9-yard field goal to make it 16-7. By now, Shula had seen enough of the ineffective Morrall and brought in Unitas late in the third quarter, gimpy arm and all. He takes the Colts down the field, but he, too, is picked off deep in Jets territory as Beverly gets his second interception of the day. After Turner misses a 42-yard field goal, the Colts go 80 yards behind Unitas and finally punch in a drive for a touchdown as Hill scores from a yard out with 3:19 left. The Colts gain the onside kick and move the ball to the Jets' 19 on three straight Unitas completions. But he misses on his next three attempts and the Colts are looking at fourth down. Knowing Michaels had been shaky all day on attempts, Shula opts to go for it on fourth down, but another Unitas attempt is incomplete. The Jets run all but eight seconds off the clock to secure the biggest upset in Super Bowl history at that time. Though he never throws a touchdown pass in the game, Namath is named the game's MVP, going 17-of-28 passing for 206 yards against the sturdy Colts defense. Snell has a big game with 121 yards rushing on 30 carries and the TD. Colts running back Tom Matte runs for 116 yards on 11 carries in the loss.</div>
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<b>7. Super Bowl XXXVI (New England 20, St. Louis 17, February 3, 2002, The Louisiana Superdome)</b></div>
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Like the Jets in Super Bowl III, no one gave the upstart New England Patriots much of a chance in Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams and "The Greatest Show on Turf." No one! The Rams were 14-point favorites and had not one, but<i> two</i> MVPs on their team in quarterback Kurt Warner and running back Marshall Faulk. And its defense was better than the one that had won Super Bowl XXXIV under previous coach Dick Vermeil. Under coach Mike Martz, these Rams seemingly looked unstoppable. But no one told the Patriots of second-year coach Bill Belichick this. Playing all season with a backup quarterback with a hot hand named Tom Brady, the Patriots, a unified team who came out together instead of individually either offense or defense before this Super Bowl were supposedly "just happy to be there." Given a 3-0 lead by kicker Jeff Wilkins, who delivered a 50-yard field goal in the first quarter, Warner and the Rams went for more in the second quarter, but a 52-yard field goal try by Wilkins was no good. That's when the game shifted. On the Rams' next possession, Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel blitzed his way through, forcing Warner into an errant pass that cornerback Ty Law picked off and returned 47 yards for a touchdown, making it 7-3. Late in the first half, Warner completed a pass to reliable wide receiver Ricky Proehl, but Antwan Harris forced a fumble that Terrell Buckley recovered at the St. Louis 40 with 1:20 to go. It takes Brady 49 seconds to go five plays and the 40 yards, finishing the drive with an 8-yard strike in the back of the end zone to David Patten, making it 14-3 and stunning Rams fans in the crowd. Kicker Adam Vinatieri delivers a 37-yard field goal to make it 17-3 as the Patriots defense swallows up Warner, Faulk and company. But that will be severely tested in the fourth quarter as the Rams start warming up. They go 77 yards on 12 plays and chew up nearly seven minutes of time before Warner runs it in the end zone himself for a 2-yard score to make it 17-10. The Rams had gotten a break just before the score when Tebucky Jones recovers a Warner fumble and goes 97 yards for the score, but the TD is wiped out on a Willie McGinest penalty on the play. McGinest, though, atones for his mistake by making a big 16-yard sack on Warner on the next Rams' drive, forcing a punt. The Rams get the ball back one more time with 1:51 left. Warner wastes little time (21 seconds) to get three completions, the last being a 26-yarder to Proehl that ties the game at 17-all. With 1:30 to go and no timeouts, the first overtime Super Bowl is becoming evident. But Belichick and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis have other ideas. They give Brady the go-ahead to win the Super Bowl right here and now. From his 17, Brady hits J.R. Redmond with three dump-off passes to get to the 41 with 33 seconds left. Then Brady delivers a 23-yard strike to Troy Brown, who gets out of bounds. Brady then hits Jermaine Wiggins with a 6-yard pass to the 30 and then he spikes the ball with seven seconds left. That brings in Vinatieri, who delivers the 48-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Patriots their unthinkable victory and their first Super Bowl championship. Brady wins MVP honors by going 16-of-27 passing for 145 yards, while Smith goes for 96 yards on the ground and Law makes eight tackles and has the interception for the touchdown. Warner finishes 28-of-44 passing for 365 yards with one TD, but his two interceptions hurt in the end. And a dynasty is born.</div>
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<b>6. Super Bowl XXV (N.Y. Giants 20, Buffalo 19, January 27, 1991, Tampa Stadium)</b></div>
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Seemingly, nothing could stop the Buffalo Bills on their way to the Super Bowl. They had flattened the Los Angeles Raiders in the AFC Championship, 51-3, and had offensive weapons most teams envied, starting with quarterback Jim Kelly and continuing with running back Thurman Thomas and wide receivers Andre Reed and James Lofton. Their defense was anchored by the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Bruce Smith, who had 19 sacks. There seemed to be nothing stopping these Bills from a date with destiny. Well ... <i>almost</i> nothing. New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells and offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt had the perfect remedy for the Bills' high-flying offense -- keep them off the field. They played ball-control offense with Jeff Hostetler, who became the team's starting quarterback after Phil Simms broke his foot, making passes when needed and running back Ottis Anderson handling the running duties. Looked good, too, on the first possession, one that chewed up 6:15 off the clock and led to Matt Bahr delivering a 28-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead. But while the Giants were looking to make the game shorter, the Bills were looking to make the game more open. They marched six plays for 66 yards, but when they did get stopped by the Giants' defense, Scott Norwood came on to kick 23-yard field goal to even things up at 3-all. Early in the second quarter, the Bills looked to take command with Kelly driving the team 80 yards on 12 plays, ending it with a 1-yard scoring run by Don Smith, a former Mississippi State quarterback turned running back in the NFL. Two Giants possessions later, Hostetler got into trouble and was sacked in the end zone by Smith for a safety, making it 12-3. But just when it looked like the Bills would take over, Hostetler recovered and took the Giants on a 10-play, 87-yard drive late in the first half, finishing it out with a 14-yard TD pass to Stephen Baker with 25 seconds left, taking it to 12-10 in favor of the Bills at the half. This was big because the Giants got the ball to start the second half and kept Kelly and Co. on the sideline, driving 75 yards on 14 plays, mostly runs, and taking 9:29 off the clock before Anderson scored on a 1-yard plunge to give the Giants a 17-12 lead. The Bills would recover a couple of drives later and were back in the end zone when Thomas took a handoff from Kelly and dashed right, picked up some blocks and went into the end zone on a 31-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter, making it 19-17. Once again, though, the Giants had a "long-winded" answer for the Bills. In a game that saw them have the ball for just over 40 minutes, they took 7:32 off the clock, going 14 plays and 74 yards, half those yards passes by Hostetler to tight end Mark Bavaro. The Giants got to the Bills' 3, but when Cornelius Bennett broke up a third-down pass for the end zone, Parcells sent Bahr in to kick a 21-yard field go to take the lead back at 20-19. After the teams punted, the Bills had one last chance, starting from their 10 with 2:16 to go. It was Kelly at this best with short passes, while Thomas continued to gain yards on the ground, finishing the night with 135 yards on 15 carries. They got to the 29 with eight seconds to go, allowing Norwood to win the game for them. But Norwood pushed his kick wide right of the post and the Giants had their second Super Bowl in five seasons. Anderson was named MVP with 102 yards rushing on 21 carries and Hostetler finished 20-of-32 passing for 222 yards as a so-called "game manager." In an emotionally charged game at Tampa Stadium under the duress of the Persian Gulf War raging and an amazing rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Whitney Houston before the game, the emotion culminated with Parcells resigning as Giants coach after eight seasons. Two Giants assists on staff -- Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin -- would go on to win a combined seven Super Bowl titles starting in 2001.</div>
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<b>5. Super Bowl XXIII (San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16, January 22, 1989, Joe Robbie Stadium)</b></div>
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The San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals had given football fans a show seven years earlier in Detroit. This time around in much more tropical conditions, the teams heated up for a night to remember at Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium. San Francisco still had Joe Montana playing quarterback, but now had a receiving corps of Jerry Rice and John Taylor that had matured. A lot of the players from the Super Bowl wins in Detroit and Palo Alto, Calif., four years earlier against Miami, were still with the team. The Cincinnati Bengals had turned things around from 4-11 the year before to this game, led by 3,500-yard left-handed passer Boomer Esiason and running backs Ickey Woods and James Brooks. But they got a setback the night before when third-leading rusher and fullback Stanley Wilson was caught using cocaine in his hotel room and made inactive for the game. The Bengals also suffered another blow when rookie defensive standout lineman Tim Krumrie broke two bones in his ankle and was taken off the field in stretcher. The 49ers suffered a big blow when offensive lineman Steve Wallace broke his ankle. For nearly three quarters, this was a defensive struggle as 49ers kicker Mike Cofer (41 and 32 yards) and Bengals' kicker Jim Breech (34 and 43 yards) swapped field goals. But it was after Cofer's 32-yarder that things started heating up. Stanford Jennings took the kickoff and dashed 93 yards for the touchdown to give the Bengals a 13-6 lead with 34 seconds left before the end of the quarter. Kept under wraps by the stingy Bengals defense, Montana finally got untracked and took the 49ers 85 yards in four plays, finishing the drive with a 14-yard scoring strike to Rice to tie it at 13-all with 14:03 left in the game, moments after Bengals cornerback Lewis Billups dropped a sure interception in the end zone. Two Bengals possessions later, they took the lead back as Esiason, who failed to get the ball in the end zone the entire night, marched Cincinnati 46 yards on 11 plays as Breech kicked his third field goal, giving the Bengals a 16-13 lead with 3:20 to go. Things looked disastrous for the 49ers when on the ensuing kickoff, they could return it to the 16 and had it go back to the 8 on an illegal blocking penalty. Coming out to the huddle with his team, Montana looked up and thought he saw actor John Candy on the sideline, remarking to his teammates, <i>"Hey, isn't that John Candy?"</i> The tactic of distraction seemed to work and the 49ers began to march down the field. Mixing a pair of Roger Craig runs in with passes to Rice and tight end John Frank, Montana then threw a 13-yard pass to Craig to get to the Bengals' 35. An incompletion was followed by lineman Randy Cross penalty for being illegally down field put the 49ers at second and 20 from the 45. It was here where Montana connected with Rice and Rice evaded three tacklers to get to the Bengals' 18. An 8-yard pass to Craig got the ball to the Bengals' 10 with 39 seconds left. As Bengals coach Sam Wyche began to have a sinking feeling about what was to happen next, it was the wrong receiver who burned his defense in the end. Montana dropped straight back, then found Taylor on a slant-in play for the go-ahead touchdown with 34 seconds left. The Bengals had one final shot, but Esiason's pass to receiver Chris Collinsworth, playing his final game, fell incomplete. The 49ers had their third Super Bowl title of the decade as Montana finished 23-of-36 passing against the stingy Bengals defense for 357 yards and two TDs and teammate Rice earned MVP honors by hauling in 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. Esiason had a long day, going 11-of-25 passing for 144 yards and an interception by Bill Romanowski. After the game, longtime 49ers coach Bill Walsh all but confirmed he was retiring after breaking down in tears after being asked that question of stepping away from the 49ers.</div>
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<b>4. Super Bowl XXXIV (St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16, January 30, 2000, The Georgia Dome)</b></div>
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If you had picked the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans to play in this particular Super Bowl, you would have made a lot of money off of it. The Rams, coached by third-year mentor Dick Vermeil, were the darlings of the 1999 season, especially after starting quarterback Trent Green had broken his ankle in a preseason game with the San Diego Chargers and Vermeil turned to former Arena Football League quarterback and former grocery store stock guy Kurt Warner to take over the reins of the team. Picked by many to be one of the worst teams in the league to start the season, the Rams got off to a 6-0 start before losing to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, 24-21. Warner teamed up with receivers Isaac Bruce, Az-Zahir Hakim and Torry Holt, along with new running back Marshall Faulk, to form "The Greatest Show on Turf." The Titans, meanwhile, were maturing under quarterback Steve McNair and running back Eddie George. The Titans were a wild card team from the AFC Central and managed to make it to the AFC Championship, where they stunned the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team they beat three times that season to hand Jacksonville its only losses, 33-14, to make it to this game. For a game, though, that had so many offensive weapons, the only points put up in the first half were by Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins on field goals of 27, 29 and 28 yards. The Titans got going to start the second half, driving to St. Louis' 29, but Todd Lyght blocked Al Del Greco's 47-yard field goal to keep the Titans off the board. The Rams took the ball from there, marching 68 yards and finishing the drive with a 9-yard scoring strike by Warner to rookie Holt for a 16-0 lead. Still, after gaining some confidence from the drive before, McNair got the ball back and marched the Titans back the other way and ended a methodic 12-play, 66-yard drive with a George 1-yard run. A two-point pass attempt failed, keeping it 16-6. They kept the momentum going on the next drive, a 13-play, 79-yard drive that ended in a George 2-yard scoring run, making it 16-13 after the Del Greco extra-point kick. After stopping the Rams again, the Titans took over from their 47 after a punt and marched to the Rams' 25. Del Greco booted a 42-yard field goal with 2:12 left in the game to tie it up at 16-16. The possibility of the first-ever overtime Super Bowl loomed. Warner and Vermeil weren't thinking that way, though. On the first play after the kickoff at the Rams' 27, Warner dropped back and heaved a long pass toward Bruce, who hauled in the pass, then beat a couple of defenders to the inside then weaved outside to give the Rams the lead back at 23-16. The Titans, though, would get the ball back with 1:54 to go, but had to start at their own 12. McNair hit on a couple of completions for a first down, then after he scrambled for 12 yards, 15 more yards were tacked on when McNair's face mask was grabbed by Dre' Bly, putting the ball at the Rams 45. They'd get another first down, then on third and 5 from the 26, McNair scrambled out of trouble from two Rams pursuers. He was able to get a 16-yard pass to Kevin Dyson at the 10. Still in bounds, the Titans called their final timeout with six seconds left. For the final play, Titans coach Jeff Fisher called a slant-in for Dyson, trying to get in behind the Rams' linebacking crew. However, as McNair hit Dyson with the perfectly placed pass, linebacker Mike Jones stayed home and close to the play. He wrapped up Dyson and stopped him at the 1- yard line -- one yard short of paydirt and tying the game. The clock expired and te Rams had their first (and only) Super Bowl title. In winning game MVP honors, Warner was 24-of-45 passing for a then-record 414 yards and two TDs. McNair finished 22-of-36 for 214 yards and George rushed for 95 yards and two TDs. Vermeil retired from coaching the Rams and offensive coordinator Mike Martz would take over the team.</div>
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<b>3. Super Bowl XLIII (Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23, February 1, 2009, Raymond James Stadium)</b></div>
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One franchise had been here numerous times before, most recently three years earlier. The other franchise was a laughingstock until the 2008 season. Then that franchise, the Arizona Cardinals, once a team based in Chicago, then St. Louis, then finally in Phoenix, put everything together to win the NFC title behind veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, now guiding the Cardinals at 37 years old and with an array of wide receivers that were as favorable as in his days with the St. Louis Rams, led by Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. The Pittsburgh Steelers, five times a champion and most recently in 2006, were back in the big game under their third different coach (Mike Tomlin) and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had matured in his five seasons with the team. He, too, had big-time targets with receivers Hines Ward, Nate Washington, Heath Miller and Santonio Holmes. But their defense was the trademark, led by safety Troy Polamalu, linebacker James Farrior and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, linebacker James Harrison. The Steelers looked to have gotten the first touchdown of the game, but replay overturned Roethlisberger's 1-yard run, so the Steelers settled for an 18-yard field goal by Jeff Reed for a 3-0 lead. After getting the ball back from the Cardinals, the Steelers drove again, but this time finished the drive with a Gary Russell 1-yard scoring run to make it 10-0. Finally, Warner and the Cardinals offense got going. They drove the ball 83 yards on nine plays and ended the drive with a Warner TD pass to tight end Ben Patrick, cutting the lead to 10-7. Then two drives later, the Cardinals seemed to have a break when a Roethlisberger pass was tipped and intercepted by Karlos Dansby at the Steelers' 34. Warner got the Cardinals to the 1-yard line with 18 seconds left. On his next play, though, Warner looked for Boldin, but Harrison slipped in ahead of Boldin and picked the pass off. From there, Harrison darted and weaved his way through a maze of players on both teams to complete a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, then the longest play in Super Bowl history, giving the Steelers a 17-7 lead at the break. Reed would add a 21-yard field goal, moving the Steelers up to 20-7 and one quarter away from the trophy. But with 7:33 left in the game, the Cardinals started their way toward making history. Warner finished an 87-yard drive by throwing a perfect fade pass to Fitzgerald over defender Ike Taylor to make it 20-14. Late in the game, Cardinals punter Ben Graham delivered a perfect punt to the Steelers' 1-yard line. On the first play after the punt, Roethlisberger dropped into his end zone and delivered a 20-yard pass to Holmes to get them out of danger. But center Justin Hartwig was detected of holding in the end zone and that meant an automatic safety to make it 20-16 and give the ball back to the Cardinals. They got the ball back on their 33, and two plays later, Warner called for a slant-in pass to Fitzgerald. He hit Fitzgerald in stride and the All-Pro receiver never broke stride in going 64 yards for the touchdown that gave the Cardinals a 23-20 lead and stunned Steelers fans. Still, with 2:37 to go, Roethlisberger had one more chance to at least tie the game with a field goal. From his 12 after a holding call against his team, Roethlisberger hit Holmes for two receptions and Washington for 11 yards. Eventually getting to the Cardinals' 46, Roethlisberger hit Holmes with a pass. When defender Aaron Francisco fell, Holmes went untouched until finally getting taken down at the 6 with 52 seconds to go. Two plays later, Roethlisberger dropped back to pass, but saw receiver Mewelde Moore and Ward both covered well. He found his third option, Holmes, in the corner of the end zone. It was there he found Holmes on a leaping catch. Holmes got both feet down in play for the touchdown with 35 seconds left. Warner, though, had one more shot left. He completed a 20-yard pass to Fitzgerald and a 13-yarder to J.J. Arrington, getting the ball to the Steelers' 44. But with 15 seconds left, Warner's arm was hit by linebacker LaMarr Woodley, causing a fumble that Brett Keisel recovered to finish it out. Holmes earned MVP honors with nine catches for 131 yards and the game-winner. Roethlisberger finished 21-of-30 passing for 256 yards and a TD and interception. Warner had another big game in the Super Bowl, throwing for 377 yards on 31-of-43 passing and the three TDs as well as the interception returned for a touchdown. The Steelers became the first franchise to win six Super Bowls.</div>
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2<b>. Super Bowl XLII (N.Y. Giants 17, New England 14, February 3, 2008, University of Phoenix Stadium)</b></div>
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The 2007 New England Patriots were being anointed as the greatest team ever assembled. They did little wrong that season in amassing a perfect regular season, then playoff wins against Jacksonville and San Diego. With Tom Brady throwing for 50 touchdowns this season and a record-breaking 23 of them caught by Randy Moss, while the other receiver, Wes Welker, had 112 receptions and eight TDs, who was going to stop these Patriots from their date with destiny? Turns out the New York Giants, who gave the Patriots fits in the final game of the regular season before the Patriots won, 38-35, were the answer. Led by quarterback Eli Manning and defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan, the Giants were back in the big game under fourth-year coach Tom Coughlin. Unlike the Patriots, the Giants had to stun their way through the playoffs as a wild card, beating Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay to make it to this game. And to show the Patriots they meant business on this Arizona evening, they drove the ball down the field on the longest Super Bowl drive in history -- nine minutes and 59 seconds, going 63 yards on 16 plays and featuring the conversion of four third-down plays. Kicker Lawrence Tynes ended the drive with a 32-yard field goal. The Patriots answered with a 12-play, 56-yard drive of their own and got help from linebacker Aaron Pierce on a third-down pass play when he interfered with tight end Benjamin Watson in the end zone, giving New England a first and goal from the 1. They cashed in as Lawrence Mahoney scored to give the Patriots a 7-3 lead. The Giants tried to answer in the second quarter, driving down to the Patriots' 19-yard line, but Manning was picked off by Ellis Hobbs. Late in the first half, Brady had the Patriots in Giants territory, but he was sacked on a pass attempt by Justin Tuck and Umenyiora recovered to end that threat. In the third quarter, the Patriots were faced with a fourth-and-13 call at the Giants 31. Instead of sending kicker Stephen Gostkowski to kick a 48-yard attempt, Patriots coach Bill Belichick went for it and came up short as Brady could not hit receiver Jabar Gaffney. With the ball to start the fourth quarter, Manning took to the Giants 80 yards on six plays, the big play in the drive a 45-yard hookup by Manning to rookie tight end Kevin Boss. Manning ended the drive by hitting little-known wide receiver David Tyree for a 5-yard strike to give the Giants a 10-7 lead with 11:05 to go. The Patriots got the ball back for a second time after the Giants' score with 7:54 left in the game at their 20. Passes to Moss and Welker got Brady a first down. A 9-yard run by Maroney got the ball to the 44. Then Brady hit Welker for another first-down pass and passes to Kevin Faulk and Welker had the ball to the Giants' 29-yard line. This would be followed by an 11-yard strike to Moss and a 12-yarder to Faulk, moving the ball to the Giants' 6. Two incompletions later, Brady took advantage of Giants defender Cory Webster slipping, allowing Moss to catch the touchdown uncontested that gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead with 2:42 to go. Ballgame over, right? Unbeaten season in the books, right? No one told Eli Manning to roll over, though. With 2:39 left and starting at his own 17, Manning began the drive with a pair of completions to Amani Toomer to the 37. The Giants were stuck at fourth and 1 at the 46. Brandon Jacobs took the handoff and got the first down to keep the drive going. Two plays later, Manning tried to find Tyree, but was nearly picked off by Asante Samuel. On the next play, Manning looked like he was in trouble and ready to go down for the sack. Somehow, though, he escaped attempts by Adalius Thomas, Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green and fired the ball down the field toward Tyree. Tyree went up against defender Rodney Harrison and caught the ball against his helmet for a first down at the Patriots' 24, a 32-yard reception. On third and 11, Manning hit rookie Steve Smith for a 12-yard gain at the 13 as he stepped out of bounds. From there, Manning dropped back and saw receiver Plaxico Burress badly beat Hobbs on a slant-and-go route and hit Burress in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds to go, finishing an 83-yard, 12-play drive. The Giants stopped Brady on downs the next time he touched the ball and the 18-0 season became 18-1 as Miami Dolphins players from the memorable 1972 unbeaten Super Bowl championship team began to uncork champagne bottles in honor of remaining the lone unbeaten team. Manning earned MVP honors with 255 yards on 19-of-34 passing and two TDs. Brady was 29-of-48 for 266 yards and a TD, while Welker caught 11 passes for 103 yards.</div>
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<b>1. Super Bowl LI (New England 34, Atlanta 28, OT, February 5, 2017, NRG Stadium)</b></div>
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Admit it -- midway through the third quarter, you thought this game was over. The Atlanta Falcons, the NFC champions, had thoroughly frustrated the New England Patriots and were now leading 28-3 with a quarter and a half to go. No one believed what was happening to the Patriots on the biggest of stages. By the end, though, no one would believe what happened to the Falcons after they got their big lead. Let's start with the first part of the game -- the one where the Falcons took the big lead. After Deion Jones stripped Patriots running back LaGarrette Blount of the ball and Robert Alford recovered on the Atlanta 29, quarterback Matt Ryan went to work, hitting Julio Jones for completions of 19 and 23 yards for first downs, then handing off to running back Devonta Freeman three times for the final 29 yards, the last run five yards for the touchdown that gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead. After a Patriots punt, Ryan pushed the Falcons toward the end zone again on a five-play, 62-yard drive with the last play a 19-yard strike to tight end Austin Hooper to make it 14-0. Three defensive holding calls against the Falcons allowed Brady to move the ball on the next drive. But on a third-down call, Brady was picked off by Alford, who brought the ball back 82 yards for the touchdown that made it 21-0 with 2:21 to go before halftime. Trying to get some dignity back before halftime, Brady and the Patriots marched 52 yards on 11 plays and got a Stephen Gostkowski 41-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-3 at the half. But if there was any though the Patriots were on their way back, it wasn't right after halftime. They punted to the Falcons and Ryan led the offense on an eight-play, 85-yard march that saw Ryan hit running back Tevin Coleman for a 6-yard scoring strike. With the extra point good by kicker Matt Bryant, the Falcons led the Patriots, 28-3 with 8:31 left in the game.<br />
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Yes ... 28-3. That's when the<i> second</i> half of this game began.<br />
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It took Brady 6:25 to get his team down the field, but finally, the Patriots hit paydirt when Brady hit running back James White with a 5-yard TD pass. But even with the good, the bad lingered -- Gostkowski's extra-point kick hit the right upright and bounced away no good. But it was a start. The Patriots went for an onside kick, but failed in the attempt as LaRoy Reynolds recovered for the Falcons. In good shape to add to the lead, the Falcons went backward when a holding call against Jake Matthews was followed by a sack of Ryan by Trey Flowers and Kyle Van Roy, forcing Atlanta to punt. From his 13, Brady hit on four passes and ultimately landed at the Falcons' 7. However, two Grady Jarrett sacks of Brady forced coach Bill Belichick to send Gostkowski in to kick a 33-yard field goal, which he did, cutting the lead to 28-12. On the next Falcons possession, Dont'a Hightower got to Ryan and sacked him, forcing him to fumble. Alan Branch recovered the fumble for New England at the Falcons' 25. Five plays later, Brady hit receiver Danny Amendola for a 6-yard scoring strike. White took the two-point conversion from center and ran it in to cut the lead to 28-20 with 5:56 left to play. The Falcons started hot against the Patriots on the next possession -- a 39-yard pass by Ryan to Freeman was followed by a 27-yard strike from Ryan to Jones, putting the ball at the Patriots 22 with 4:40 left in the game and in perfect placement of a Bryant field goal that would all but clinch the win. But a 1-yard loss by Freeman was complicated further when the Falcons decided to pass and Ryan was sacked by Flowers for a 12-yard loss. The Falcons thought they'd get the yards back when Ryan hooked up with Mohamed Sanu for a 9-yard gain, but a holding call against Matthews ruined that idea and on third and 33, Ryan threw an incompletion, forcing the Falcons into a punt instead of what looked like a sure field goal. Matt Bosher delivered a punt that was <br />
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downed at the 9-yard line. Starting there with 3:30 left in the game, Brady hit receiver Chris Hogan with a 15-yard pass on a third-down play to give the Patriots a first down. After an 11-yard strike to Malcolm Mitchell, Brady looked like he would be intercepted by Alford again. But the ball went off his hands and Julian Edelman dove to catch the ball in one of the all-time great Super Bowl catches for a 23-yard gain to the Atlanta 42. Brady hit on passes to Amendola and White, getting the Patriots to the Falcons' 1. From there, White took a handoff and pounded the ball in to make it 28-26. Brady hit Amendola with the two-point conversion and the game was amazingly tied at 28-all. The Falcons opted to let the clock run out and force the first-ever overtime in Super Bowl history. The Patriots won the coin toss and opted to receive. After a touchback, Brady hit Amendola, White and Hogan to get the ball to the Falcons' 37. After White lost three yards on the next run, Brady hit Edelman for a 15-yard gain to the 25. White took a Brady pitch and ran to the 15, then after De'Vondre Campbell was detected for pass interference on tight end Martellus Bennett, the Patriots were set up at the Falcons 2 with first and goal. On the second play after Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley broke up a pass for Bennett, White took a handoff from Brady, got stopped at the 1, but managed to stretch out into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. In earning a fifth MVP honor, Brady was a mind-blowing 43 of 62 passing for 466 yards, all records for the game, and two TDs. Ryan finished 17-of-23 passing for 284 yards and two TDs.<br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">When teams leading by 17 or more points going to the fourth quarter, they were 133-0 in previous playoff games. The Patriots were the first team to break through and win.</span><b></b><br />
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markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-61929392200538463972017-11-11T14:26:00.001-08:002017-11-11T14:26:26.999-08:00The stunner in MedfordNo one I knew of journalistically was more well-versed in the Shawnee-Toms River North field hockey rivalry than I was.<br />
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Starting with Kim Bush's 'Penalty Corner Shot Heard 'Round Ocean County' in 1987 that gave the Mariners their memorable NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV championship in overtime, a North-Shawnee field hockey game was a well-anticipated matchup to watch on a New Jersey high school sports level. The skill that went into one of those matchups was incredible. And it was always a matching of wits between the two head coaches, Shawnee's Bobbie Schultz and North's Becky Miller, two longtime coaches who respected one another.<br />
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But it may have been Miller who said it best about the rivalry, stating, "Bobbie and I have similar coaching styles, so in a way, it doesn't come down to style. It comes down to determination."<br />
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That determination, I wasn't sure, was there on North's side. Just 14 days earlier in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals, the Mariners had their lunches and dinners handed to them by eventual tourney champion Allentown, 6-1. It was as big a bashing I've ever seen a Miller-coached field hockey team take. From that standpoint, I figured North would go through the motions when it came to the state tournament.<br />
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But they won their opener as a third seed at home on November 7, 1997, against Washington Township. Now the Mariners had another matchup, but Shawnee, the second seed, was standing in the way. It was another typical Schultz-coached team, though this particular year, her team wasn't headlined by a superstar player or two. The Renegades, though, had a star defense, one that had given up less than 10 goals for the season. So if North was going to win this one, its defense needed to be at its absolute best.<br />
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And this team's makeup was a little different. It was a mix of senior veterans such as forward Lauren Skripko, midfielder Teresa Andreani and defender Meghan Clarey, but the heart of their defense was anchored by a freshman goalie, Nancy Velez, who had just been brought up to the varsity after a successful freshman team season that saw North give up just one goal at that level and win the county championship.<br />
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Still, freshman level and varsity level are two completely different types of ball. How success on the freshman level translated to the varsity level was a whole different matter. And to be honest, I wasn't all that sure I felt good about this particular game this Veterans Day Tuesday afternoon, November 11, 1997, as I headed to Medford, three years to the day I saw North and Shawnee play last for the NJSIAA SJ IV championship, North losing a heartbreaker, 1-0, after upsetting unbeaten Eastern Regional in the semifinal matchup.<br />
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I wasn't all that sure how well this page of the North-Shawnee story would write itself out. That '94 game was a great one, just like the other two I had witnessed in back-to-back years in 1987-88, the first one being the Bush goal that sent North to the SJ IV championship and, ultimately, its first state championship. The second one was bittersweet -- it had been exactly nine years earlier at North that the Mariners held a 1-0 lead with less than a minute to go when Shawnee forced the issue and beat North goalie Linda Kurtyka on a loose ball for a score with 18 seconds to go to tie the game, then win it in a penalty one-on-one shootout to grab the SJ IV title and ultimately win the Group IV title itself.<br />
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More importantly, Shawnee was looking to play in what would have been a 12th straight SJ IV championship. North was the semifinal hurdle Schultz and the Renegades needed to leap to get there.<br />
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Honestly, I wasn't sure what was in North's tank that brisk, cool fall afternoon. But I knew one thing from watching North break the huddle with Miller -- they were excited to play. They rightfully took that "we have nothing to lose" attitude.<br />
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And for the first 30 minutes of the game, I can see it was going to be a "first to attack the net relentlessly and scores wins" game. Neither team's defense was giving to the other. But for as good as North was playing after that slaughter by Allentown, I was wondering if this was nothing more than living off of borrowed time.<br />
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The teams reached halftime scoreless. I looked at my sheet to see the shots on net -- "not a lot to very little" was how I described it. I kept getting that stronger feeling the first one to one was going to take this battle. But all I kept doing during halftime was looking over at North's huddle in the corner of the field. Something told me if they could just find an alley way to the net, they'd have a strong shot. Andreani, Clarey and their defensive mates were fairly strong in the first half and being veterans, I just had a feeling they could hold Shawnee down for a long time.<br />
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The second half began with Shawnee bringing the ball down on North's defense. And it seemed like the Renegades were there for a long, long time. They were biding their time. They had one shot on net in which Velez made a pad save. Less than a minute later, they had another shot on net that Velez kicked aside.<br />
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That test early in the second half gave me reason to believe North may have a shot in this one after all. Trouble was the Mariners were having a hard time mounting an attack in Shawnee's end. By the end of the game, the Mariners mustered just five shots on net against Shawnee and goalie Brooke Peterson. So North bided its time. Something, you'd think, would open up. It was a matter of being patient. And when your record is 16-3 going into the game, you figure patience has held up for you somewhere during the season.<br />
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But how long was this going to keep going on? North got down to the final 10 minutes of regulation, not able to push the issue much in the first 20 minutes of the half. Thank goodness that defense was playing stellar.<br />
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Finally, passes clicked for North and the ball at long last found its way into the Shawnee circle. The ball banged off a Shawnee leg, and that was an automatic penalty corner. So everyone took their places for what might be a golden opportunity for the yellow-and-blue clad Mariners. Another freshman -- Lauren Shern -- maneuvered the ball to the baseline to get the play started. I had literally watched her grown up in front of me because her father, Mike, was Lacey High's longtime field hockey coach and mentor of the NJSIAA Group III championship Lions team of 1994 that stunned West Essex in the championship at Trenton State College, ending West Essex's 86-game unbeaten streak, to take home the title.<br />
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So from her standpoint, Shern pushed a perfect pass to the left side of the circle where Katie Facciponti had it on her stick. She dodged one defender, still maintaining the ball. Thought she was living dangerously, especially against this defensive attack of the Renegades. But she was able to make her way to the center of the circle, still with ball in tow. To her left side, she saw Skripko. From there, Skripko got the ball and banged away until it found the back of the net behind Peterson.<br />
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Mariners players screamed loud as soon as the ball crossed the goal line, making it 1-0. There was 7:03 left in the match. Was this going to hold up? After all, I had been here before on North's field exactly nine years earlier. The Mariners had spent all afternoon trying to get away from Shawnee players. Now they had the golden opportunity to attack and cashed in on it.<br />
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Just seven minutes left from a championship date on my birthday two days later.<br />
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As expected, Shawnee had the ball back in North territory. Trouble was, the Renegades could not thread the needle of a perfect pass that would put Velez and her teammates in danger. Either the ball got deflected or miss the target. And the time was running down on the Renegades.<br />
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With each ball going out of bounds, the Mariners kept letting more time go by. There was nothing the Renegades could do -- they had all game to make some noise and couldn't. And so as the timekeeper got out of her chair to follow the main official down the field in the final 90 seconds, I suspected that the Ghost of '88 was not coming back to haunt North. And as 18 seconds left arrived, then went away, that part of history wasn't repeating.<br />
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"Five ... four ... three ... two ... one" followed by a whistle to end the match.<br />
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North players on the bench stormed the field to hug their teammates. They had gotten the job done, 1-0, and the Mariners would have one more SJ IV opportunity to bring home another title. Shawnee players walked slowly toward North's players to give the congratulatory handshakes at the end of the game.<br />
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But North was more than excited. And to top off the win, just as I was about to talk to Miller about this latest milestone in a Hall of Fame career, I can see Clarey from behind with a water bucket.<br />
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Yup, I got out of the way in time from enduring a Gatorade bath that Miller was getting. This was Miller's fourth win in her career against Shawnee, but first since the Bush goal and the '87 SJ IV championship.<br />
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"We all felt confident," she told me afterward. "We came into the game that way. But the kids did the rest with desire and determination."<br />
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That, they did. They were outshot for the game, 8-5, but yet, endured and were determined to send Shawnee home earlier than normal. For the first time since 1985, Shawnee, whose season ended at 17-2-1, was not playing for an SJ IV title. It was time to celebrate on North's side.<br />
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So I found both Skripko and Andreani, good friends who I covered in sports they were better at than field hockey, Skripko, an all-everything point guard who I watched take North to the state Group IV title as a sophomore in 1996, and Andreani, a star catcher for North's softball team who would earn her way to all-state first-team honors in this, her senior year.<br />
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"We don't get intimidated," Skripko said smiling, green eyes gleaming among the backdrop of the pretty colors surrounding Shawnee's field. "We know we're the underdog, so we go out there with nothing to lose."<br />
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"We pretty much stayed positive throughout," Andreani said. "We wanted to win, and to do that, we had to stay aggressive. Shawnee moves the ball around really well. We haven't faced a team quite like that."<br />
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On this nippy day, these Mariners were on fire and picked the right time to burn a talented bunch of Renegades. But if this were a championship game instead of a semifinal, this would be an awesome story. As I arrived back at the <i>Observer </i>building to write the story, I thought of the big hit of the time, "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba.<br />
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So the lead read like this:<br />
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<i>"MEDFORD -- They got knocked down. But they got up again. Now it seems no one may keep the Toms River High School North field hockey team down."</i><br />
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These Mariners had been knocked down, but battled back.<br />
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But they still had one more obstacle in the way -- Thursday, November 13 against top-seeded Cherokee, which had dusted off Eastern Regional in the other semifinal. North once again went out west, this time to Medford Lakes, to play for the championship. And though North had a great outing against Cherokee's Chiefs, it didn't resonate quite as much as it had two days earlier. Kelly Rose scored 13:05 into the game and the Chiefs' defense made it hold up, outshooting North, 9-3, in a 1-0 win that saw North's Velez hold her own with seven saves.<br />
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Unfortunately, that would be the last bit of glory I would see covering field hockey in Ocean County. With girls soccer moving from the spring to the fall starting in the 1996-97 school season in the Shore Conference to compete against the rest of the state, a lot of talented soccer players who played field hockey remained in soccer and the talent level wasn't quite as strong as it once was.<br />
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My last season of covering field hockey at the <i>Ocean County Observer </i>was 1998. It was a meh year. Good teams, but not great enough to challenge for a sectional title. The wave of no longer having soccer players play field hockey had already washed up on the county shores.<br />
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So that '97 North-Shawnee game was the last "stand" of county field hockey greatness I saw in covering the sport for 14 seasons. Of all the teams I've covered over the years, I'll always treasure the games played by Becky Miller's Mariners. They were in some epics.<br />
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And it always seemed like Shawnee brought the best out of the Mariners.<br />
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The 1997 SJ IV semifinal was no different.<br />
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<br />markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-70624289420476628692017-10-31T17:23:00.002-07:002017-10-31T17:24:16.353-07:00The War at the Shore delivered everything, but one important thingThe end result was inevitable.<br />
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The two top field hockey programs in the entire state of New Jersey were about to play for top honors at the Jersey Shore in the Shore Conference Tournament championship.<br />
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There was a lot of anticipation the Halloween morning of Saturday, October 31, 1987. The site was Toms River High School North and the two combatants -- No. 1 seed Shore Regional and No. 2 Toms River North -- came in with unbeaten records, the Blue Devils sporting an 18-0-1 record, the Mariners with a 16-0-2 record. In my mind and those who were going to be there to witness this 10 a.m. battle, something had to give.<br />
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So I left my parents' home at 8:55 in the morning to get there very early on this mid-50 degree morning under beautiful blue skies and sun. By the time I arrived at Toms River North 10 minutes later, I drove along the road the field hockey field was located right next to the school. Shore Regional had already been there warming up.<br />
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I got out of my car and walked onto the field to say hi to their long-time successful coach, Nancy Williams. We did a couple of minutes of pleasantries since I had known her for a couple of years now just talking about field hockey and her own team and her emotion going in.<br />
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Then I ask her, <i>"How long have you been here for? This game isn't for another 50 minutes?"</i><br />
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<i>"We got here about 20 minutes ago," </i>she said. <i>"Our bus driver is really fast."</i></div>
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Then, as if it was on cue, behind where we were standing, the school bus that brought the Blue Devils and Williams to the game came zooming behind us on that same road I came up moments earlier, hitting a speed bump pretty hard.</div>
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<i>"See." </i>she said.</div>
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Williams' Blue Devils could do no wrong throughout the entire 1980s decade. Their best team may have been the 1986 squad that won the state Group II title, led by two of the best players the program ever saw, Andrea Begel and Missy Paolantonio. But they had other great players on that team and they were back in this 1987 season. One of those players was Chris Tormey, who was the main distributor of the ball to the Blue Devils' attack. And their best player was senior Chris Wajda, a tall and powerful player from the point who could deliver a penalty corner shot and you'd know it was going to inflict harm with how hard she took it.</div>
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The Blue Devils were continuing to be dominant.</div>
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And that was what Toms River North was shooting for in this '87 season. The pieces were in place for what many close to field hockey and the program thought was a special year. There were plenty of seniors who provided leadership for the Mariners this particular season. That started with the program's heart and soul, four-year starting forward Kim Bush. She was on her way to an amazing final season with the Mariners, back to her scoring ways from the 1985 season when she put home 34 goals.</div>
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But Bush had some help on this team from a very strong senior class that included senior defenders Mary Bendel, Vicki Trotman and Sue Gerbino and two-way player Krista Saponara. Behind the seniors was an amazing group of juniors that included scorers Katie Vignevic, Christie Emmert and Lori Garrabrant, two-way standout Dawn Ostrowski and the final obstacle for the other team, dominant goalie Linda Kurtyka.</div>
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North's coach was Becky Miller, who like Williams, was a dominant winner herself in the sport's history. But unlike Williams, the one thing that eluded Miller was a state championship. Seven years earlier, North made it to the state Group IV final before losing the championship. This team had all the earmarks for a special season.</div>
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From in close, you can see the admiration between the two coaches. But when you put them both on the same field with their teams, you can see the fiery competitiveness of the two of them.</div>
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For the next 45 minutes before the game as I'm inside the gate of the field, people were lining up alongside the fences and in the small set of bleachers set up for those to sit down on this amazing day weather-wise ... and player-wise.</div>
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And from the moment the whistle was blown to start the game, the fans started getting into it. It was nonstop the entire first half, even if both teams looked like they were going through the motions because defense was dominating the day.</div>
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But the threats came from Shore Regional. They tested Kurtyka on a couple of occasions. The first came as Tormey came down the right side, weaving her way through Mariner defensive traffic. She threaded the needle to forward Barbara Krautheim for what might have been a perfect goal, but as Krautheim went to shoot, Kurtyka was there for the pad save. Later in the first half, Shore's Emily Bahrs had a good shot at the net, but she, too, was stopped on a pad save by Kurtyka. No one I ever saw used those blocker pads better than she did on a field hockey field.</div>
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Meanwhile, Shore's defense limited North to very few opportunities in the first half, keeping their distance from the high-powered North attack.</div>
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And so after 30 minutes, defense reigned and the game went scoreless. I remember sitting on Shore's bench where they were situated as coach Williams began talking to her players at the far end goal area. I looked at my notes -- very few scribbled down -- and figured that someone was going to make their mark in this game, but it may not be either Bush or Wajda, who had already beaten Bush's Shore area record for goals in a season by already scoring 36 times this season. It could be someone I least suspected who might deliver the goods at the right moment.</div>
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So both teams came away from their opposite ends after halftime talks and began the second half. North had a new strategy -- attack with more players. They were having a lot more ease playing on their thicker grass field than the Blue Devils were, Shoe used to playing on a lower-grass cut field. It was something Williams said later her players had a hard time adjusting to.</div>
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Finally, only 4:09 into the second half, we had our first score. Vignevic had the ball and no defenders in front of her after a Shore player tried to tap the ball away. That was bad news for goalie Caryn Goldman, who had the unenviable task of stopping Vignevic by herself. She came out second best as Vignevic fired a shot to the goalie's left side and into the net from close range, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead.</div>
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The ripples could be felt -- it was only the second goal the Blue Devils had allowed all season. But there was still 25:51 left in the game. That was plenty of time for the Blue Devils to adjust to what was not working and make some kind of a run.</div>
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North, however, wasn't having any of it. The defense that players like Bendel, Gerbino and Ostrowski provided was proving too much to Tormey, who had 24 assists going into the game, and Wajda, who was continually being frustrated by the Mariners.</div>
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With 22:24 left in regulation time, Williams called a timeout. She was getting on her players to get going, but was also encouraging them that if they can put some passes together and continue to put what pressure they could on North, good things would come out of it. So back after the timeout, the Blue Devils began to take over play, playing in North's territory. When a North defender was detected for a foul, a penalty corner was called.</div>
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This time, Tormey set up a beautiful pass to Wajda, who had the talent to stop the hard charging ball on a slightly bumpy North field and fire a shot to Kurtyka's right side to tie it up at 1-all.</div>
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All morning long, whatever penalty corners the Blue Devils were getting, Gerbino, whose nickname was "Turbo" for her all-out speed on those corners and stopping them, was putting a kibosh on. Not this one, though. The sound of the ball pounding the wooden bottom part of the goal resonated throughout the North complex.</div>
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With 20:15 left, the game now came down to who would blink first. Both sides had their moments of taking the ball into the other team's territory, but the last 20:15 would become a defensive game. No matter what any player did once they got into the other team's defensive side, the ball would be poked away by a defender or the goalie or would slice out of bounds. For all her greatness in the '87 season, Bush was having a hard time getting anything that looked like a possible score. It may have been the most frustrating game she played all year. Shore's defense was on point.</div>
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And so the clock got counted down to zero. Now it would be sudden death overtime deciding the championship. There would be two 10-minute overtime periods. Both sides would switch fields after the first 10-minute period.</div>
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Immediately, North was on the attack on Shore's defense and Goldman. The ball found its way to Saponara, who fired a shot that went wide of the mark. Minutes later, Saponara had another chance to finish the deal and give North the huge victory, but again, her shot went wide of the mark.</div>
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Nothing after 10 minutes. The teams switched sides.</div>
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North's defense continue to throttle Shore, which could only muster five shots on net the entire afternoon. Meanwhile, North had one last chance at Shore's net. This time it was Garrabrant who had the chance to play hero. She was on the side of the net, looking to stuff a loose ball behind Goldman, but the Shore goalkeeper put a blocker on her shot and the ball went out of the box.</div>
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That would be it. The last true opportunity for someone to play hero.</div>
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As the clock operator counted down the final seconds, it became inevitable this championship gave us everything, but one important element.</div>
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A winner.</div>
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The teams walked off the North field exhausted and disappointed. Eighty minutes of field hockey, some great skill and fantastic shot taking shown, and nothing came out of it other than both teams would be crowned as co-champions.</div>
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Just two years earlier on this same North field, both Shore and North battled it out for 80 minutes in a scoreless SCT final, but on that day, they had a one-on-one shotout and North prevailed, 3-2, in the shootout for the title. A year later, the Shore Conference voted to end that finish to a game since state championships are not decided in that manner.</div>
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So because of that ruling, neither team felt satisfied with the final outcome.</div>
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But the coaches were saying the right things at the end of the game to me.</div>
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"I think everyone played a great game and got some nice shots," Miller said. "I have nothing negative to say at all."</div>
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"I think if we played each other 10 times, we'd win five and they'd win five times," Williams said. "Both teams deserved to win the title. (North) moved the ball very well. They're a well-coached team."</div>
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North outshot Shore, 10-5, as Goldman made five saves and Kurtyka three. And though Shore did not win the title, the Blue Devils made it 44 straight games without a loss, breaking the Shore area mark they had from 1979-81.</div>
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And like that, it was over. The pomp and circumstance was nothing more than a sister-kissing exercise. I wanted more! Any fan of the sport, especially that year, wanted more. We paid our ticket for the rollercoaster ride and got nothing more than an occasional small up-and-down moment.</div>
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But you appreciated how great these two teams really were, especially at the defensive end. And both teams ultimately reached their state championship at Trenton State College on a bitterly cold Sunday, November 22. However, for Shore, it ended in an NJSIAA Group II loss to Delaware Valley High, ending that unbeaten streak at 47.</div>
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For North, it was the culmination of an amazing season. The Mariners held back Morristown, 2-1, to win the NJSIAA Group IV championship, the first in program history and the great payoff in the career of Miller, who started the program in 1969.</div>
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The Shore area was better for having Nancy Williams and Becky Miller coaching field hockey successfully every year during their tenures at their schools. They helped enhance the sport and put the Jersey Shore on the map. You really couldn't have one without the other.</div>
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In one of the most exciting field hockey seasons I ever witnessed, it was an honor to watch these two titans clash at their very best.</div>
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If only there had been a winner, though.</div>
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markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-48374174079993063452017-10-29T04:03:00.001-07:002017-10-29T06:03:26.000-07:00The worst call ... everRecently, I saw Rick Breed at a state tournament volleyball match at Union County High School. When I first met him, he was an assistant softball coach at Palatka High School, then became the head coach for two different stints with the Panthers, winning a district championship with them in 2009.<br />
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These days, Breed is working as a volleyball official, and had grown to being the head official from the first time I saw him working volleyball matches. We talked about various things before the match I was there to cover between Crescent City and Union County that night. We talked PHS softball and how he got to this point as a volleyball official.<br />
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Then I reminded him about the last time I covered a match involving him when he was a linesman and the two combatants and how long ago it was. This short look of pain came across his face.<br />
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He remembered. I let him know that in 33 years of covering sports, that match still involved the absolute worst judgment call and ending to an event I have ever covered. Let's say he wasn't in a defending mood.<br />
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The night was Thursday, October 28, 2010. The site was Interlachen High School. The volleyball match was for the right to play for the District 6-3A championship one night later. The combatants were coach Holly Pickens' Crescent City Junior-Senior High Raiders and Keystone Heights High School, always a tough team in the sport, whose coach, Belinda Phillips, was in her fourth year with the program after she replaced Scott Conkling in the job as he went off to become St. Johns River State College's coach.<br />
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That day was a long one for me personally. Not more than two miles away, I was at the West Putnam Recreation Center that afternoon covering the All-Putnam County cross country championship as Palatka's Matt Hurst and Crescent City's Lona Roberts repeated their championships in the event, his third straight, her second.<br />
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The event wrapped up sometime before 6 p.m., the volleyball match starting at 7. I certainly wasn't making a 15-mile trip back to Palatka to write this story up and then head back to Interlachen, so I went to the one place I can unwind between events -- and order a Black Forest ham and cheese sandwich at Subway. Hey, it was either Subway or McDonald's since Interlachen doesn't offer a whole heck of a lot of options.<br />
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I arrived at Interlachen High, ran into athletic director Ron Whitehurst to say hello, then he hit me with the stunner going into the match.<br />
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<i>"Baker County beat Bradford in the first semifinal."</i><br />
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That was a major upset. Bradford was the No. 2 seed and Baker County was the sixth seed of the event. It automatically qualified Baker County for the state tournament regardless of what would happen in Friday night's district final back in the Interlachen High gym.</div>
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It also meant -- at least in my head -- that the winner of the match I was there to cover between the Raiders and Indians was most likely going to win the district championship since both teams had beaten Baker County twice during the season.</div>
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The Indians were the No. 1 seed of the tournament and had beaten Crescent City twice during the season, but both times in tough four-set matches. The Raiders were primed for an upset with those results on this mid-fall evening.</div>
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Keystone Heights' main players on a team that was 23-2 going in were hitters Chelsea Harvin, Meghan Zinkel and Dakota Thacker. Their top servers were Harvin, Madyson Maxwell and Mackenzie Dicks. They were a solid team and understandably the favorites, their only losses in the regular season to a really good Gainesville Eastside High team.</div>
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Pickens, in her 28th year as head coach, had a young team that was ready to bust out and make big moves beyond Putnam County's and District 6-3A's borders. Distribution of the ball came from players like libero Steffanie Sheffield, and Karen Leavenworth, while top front-line players were Breanna Stevens and Vicktoria Williams.</div>
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But there was no question as to who the best player on the court was that night going in -- it was 6-foot junior sensation Kayshia Brady, a front-line hitter who if you set her up for the kill, she was knocking it down without much doubt. She was our newspaper's player of the year the previous year and was well on her way to repeating that honor.</div>
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At the net, Brady looked imposing to the other team, who had some tall players, too. Sometimes, it's just the presence and swag that mean a lot.</div>
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The first set showed the Raiders, who came into the match with a 16-8 record, were not intimidated by the Indians. They got out to a 9-5 lead, but a kill by Taylor Semione gave the Indians the ball back at 9-6. Three unforced Raider errors, a kill by Thacker and an ace by Dicks reversed the course of the set and gave the Indians an 11-9 lead.</div>
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Stevens put down a kill to stop the run, but the Indians got the ball back off another unforced error and with the help of a Zinkel kill and an ace by Thacker, the Indians built a 15-10 lead. But another momentum shift came upon the set as a Keystone Heights hit out of bounds and gave the Raiders the ball. Leavenworth delivered the next four points on her serve, helped out by Keystone errors and a block by Alexis Sepulveda to tie it at 15-15.</div>
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From there, it was just two teams going point for point. Keystone built up a 20-17 lead, but the Raiders didn't go away. Another Indians unforced error made it 20-18 and two more of those unforced errors off Williams serves tied it at 20-20 before a resounding Brady kill gave the Raiders a 21-20 lead. </div>
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Already, this first set was worth the price of admission going in. A Crescent City miss-hit gave the Indians the ball back at 21-all, and another error made it 22-21 in Keystone Heights' favor.</div>
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But like a lot of rallies for the Raiders, it all got started with a huge hit for a kill by Brady that other teams couldn't handle. And so after she nailed a kill, the Raiders were back at 22-all with Brady getting the serve. An unforced error, followed by a Stevens kill made it 24-22, one point away from the set.</div>
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Still, Keystone Heights had one last chance after Chelsea Cravey put a kill down to cut it to a point. But off a Dicks serve, the Raiders set up and it would be Stevens nailing the kill to end it with a 25-23 victory.</div>
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This was a great starting point for the Raiders. They had momentum, but they were doing all they can to contain the excitement. They knew the other team on the side of the net all too well.</div>
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And so when the Indians jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the second set, it was just a matter of time before they put it away. Crescent City had its moments in the set, including four straight service points by Brady, including an ace, but this was Keystone's set without question. The Indians took the second set handily, 25-12, locking the match at 1-1.</div>
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The third set was definitely more challenging. The difference was three or four points in Keystone Heights' favor, then it got to five points at 18-13. It was at that point the Indians made an error and the Raiders took over at 18-14. It was Brady with the ball in her possession, and she knocked the lead down to nothing thanks to Indian unforced errors (there were a lot of those in this match as it got sloppy at times) and a pair of Stevens kills.</div>
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Suddenly, the Raiders were leading 19-18. Cravey stopped the run with a kill to tie it up, but once again, Stevens came up huge with another kill to make it 20-19. Now who was going to step up and string points together for the Raiders from the service line?</div>
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It was Brittney Guerrero, one of the younger Raiders. An unforced error was followed by an ace off of miscommunication by Indians players that made it 22-19.</div>
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Thacker ended the mini-run with a kill, but Sepulveda responded with a kill of her own to make it 23-20. When Dani Munoz delivered the only ace of the match she recorded, it looked as if this was another Raider win. But back-to-back kills by Zinkel got it back to 24-22. That nervous anticipation was clouding the moment. Could the Raiders hold on and get to within one set of advancing to the final?</div>
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The teams got into a short rally on the next point, but while the Indians were anticipating Brady to put the ball down on a kill attempt, it would turn out to be Sepulveda again nailing the kill to give the Raiders the hard-fought 25-22 victory.</div>
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Now they were a little more animated, but not quite there yet. They smelled the victory. It was within grasp. But the Raiders needed one more huge effort to get them over the hump. The Indians were looking at each other for answers. I could still see the blank looks on Keystone players. They knew they needed to find the winning mojo again.</div>
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The fourth set started with Keystone Heights ahead 6-2. But the bottom was about to fall out again.</div>
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This was when Brady started to get stronger. She put down an unchallenged kill to make it 6-3. Then she delivered two more kills off of Williams' services, followed by a Williams ace. Two more Brady kills and two more unforced errors suddenly had the Raiders in the lead at 10-6.</div>
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Keystone finally stopped the run with a pair of kills by Cravey and an unforced error that made it 10-9. The teams would trade points. Then at 12-10 in Crescent City's favor, the Indians had an opening. With Chelsea Velazquez on serve (the Indians had <i>three </i>Chelseas on the team), she was getting her serves in, while two kills from Zinkel, one more from Dicks and two more Raiders unforced errors made the score 16-12. Though the Raiders would cut the lead to 16-14, they would never get closer than that. And at 24-19, Zinkel delivered the final kill -- one of 13 she had on the night -- to finish out the Keystone victory.</div>
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It was now down to a race to 15 points. Whoever got there first or won by two points was moving on to the final and to a berth in the state tournament. For Keystone Heights, reaching the state tournament was old hat to them. But for the Raiders, a win would have meant something. The Raiders had not been to the state tournament since 1993. Seventeen years is a long time between trips. Now, they were within reach.</div>
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Two teams. Fifteen points. The race was on.</div>
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Sheffield delivered a service error to start the match and an unforced error -- one of 48 the Raiders had on the evening -- got the Indians out to a 2-0 lead. That would prove to be short-lived as Brady pounded down a kill, then another off of Gabi Martinez's service to tie it up. It didn't stop there. Two more unforced errors by the Indians (they had 41 for the match) and the second kill of the night by Williams gave the Raiders a 5-2 lead.</div>
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One-third of the way there. Though Martinez served up an errant serve on the next point, the Raiders got the ball back on another unforced error. Another unforced error made it 7-3.</div>
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The moments in this deciding set were fraying the nerves for the players on both sides of the net. Someone had to steady those nerves in a hurry.</div>
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The Indians got the ball back on -- you guessed it! -- another unforced error by Crescent City, and Maxwell went on a roll with four points, highlighted by her third service ace of the match and the fourth kill of the night by Semione as the Indians went ahead, 8-7.</div>
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But another mistake by the Indians gave the Raiders the ball back tied at 8-all. However, yet another kill by Cravey, her seventh of the night, broke the tie. Worse, the Raiders had a hard time communicating on the court with one another, players shooting stunned looks at one another as if to say, "I thought you had it" on two more unforced errors and Pickens called her last timeout of the night. She had to get this team back on course or all the effort they exerted in over two hours would go to waste.</div>
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To the rescue came Brady, who got set up for a picture-perfect spike to cut the lead to 11-9.</div>
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But as easily as it was to get the serve back, it was Keystone Heights batting it around before Harvin delivered her third kill of the night. Worse, Raiders players could not return Thacker's fourth service ace. The Indians were two points away from putting it in the books.</div>
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The teams swapped unforced errors and at 14-10, the ball was in the hands of Harvin to take care of matters. The Indians set up for the winning kill -- except into the net for yet another unforced error.</div>
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This gave the Raiders one last hope to keep it going. </div>
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And Sheffield was dealing. First, Sepulveda put down a kill to make it 14-12. Then the Indians couldn't get the ball over the net in three tries for another unforced errors. It was 14-13. Another serve and the ball got back on the Raiders' side of the net. The ball got set up to Brady.</div>
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BOOM! No one was returning this back as it landed inside the line to make it 14-14. It would take at least 16 to finish this match out.</div>
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Fans on both sides were excited. The IHS gym was loud. That I will always remember. This great back-and-forth match was coming down to the nail-biting end. Sheffield got the ball back for yet another serve and to give the Raiders the lead.</div>
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She hit the ball, but perfectly hit the Raiders' side of the net. The biggest point of her season and Sheffield did not deliver.</div>
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The Indians breathed a sigh of relief. They had the ball at 15-14, knowing one point was going to finish this. Maxwell now had the ball in her hands to serve out the match. She delivered the ball over the net to a waiting Sepulveda, who double-fisted the ball to Sheffield. Sheffield had one target and one target in mind -- Kayshia Brady, who with one mighty stroke of her right arm could save the game and keep it going.</div>
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To this day, I can still see the set Sheffield put to Brady -- perfectly high and within line of nailing a kill. Brady had frustrated Keystone's front line players all evening, so as she went up to get the ball and put it hard down on Keystone's side of the court to tie it at 15-15, it was understandable that Indians players had that "I guess it's time to play defense" look on their faces.</div>
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Fate, however, intervened in the worst way possible. As soon as Indians players rolled the ball under the net to hand back to the Raiders for serve, game official Jack Wetherington delivered the call that would still resonate with the Raider program to this very day.</div>
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He called "carrying" on what would have been Brady's 24th kill of the night. What he basically said was when she went up for the kill, she momentarily "grabbed" the ball and put it down that way. His explanation was, "She (caught) the ball in the (web) of her hand and put it down."</div>
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Instead of 15-all, the match was suddenly over. The Indians had the 16-14 fifth-set win and advanced to the district final against Baker County and had the automatic berth to the state tournament.</div>
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I wish I could tell you that Crescent City fans who made the trip to Interlachen were understanding and sympathetic after it ended.</div>
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I would be lying to you. Instead, Raiders fans angrily hurled their uncensored vitriol (they were very clean about it) at the officials, who, like they normally would do, thank the teams' coaches and head off either out the door of the gym or into their locker room to change afterward.</div>
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Keystone Heights players and Phillips were just stunned. There were no words to describe how they looked other than stunned. The tears began to flow freely on Crescent City's side. I can still see the tears ruining the mascara on Sheffield's face, like she'd been crying for hours and didn't bother to fix herself up.</div>
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When everything was finished, I talked to Pickens. Normally stoic after a win or loss, she holds her emotions in. Not this night. She left the gym in tears, saying, "To have our girls fight as hard as they could and have it taken away, it's not right." Just as I was about to ask a follow-up question, she respectfully said she couldn't talk anymore and she and her team left IHS feeling like they just got robbed by an unqualified robber.</div>
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I turned my attention to Phillips to talk to her after the match. She was a lot more blunt about the last play.</div>
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"I don't like the way this ended," she said. "I hate that it ended this way." She later added that, "Crescent City came to play and we took them for granted."</div>
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I walked out of IHS' gym back to my car, feeling the way <i>both </i>coaches felt -- that this ending was not the way it was supposed to be. And so I drove back to Palatka to the <i>Daily News </i>office after this long day in western Putnam County was over. I wrote the volleyball match story first because all the events and moments from that were still fresh in my mind. And it was easier to write the cross country story as long as I had notes and quotes to refer to when reporting on it.</div>
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It was after deadline that I finally had a chance to go on to my Facebook page, and something told me to go to Kayshia Brady's page to see what kind of reaction she had to what was considered a "mistake" on her part. What I found was eye-opening.</div>
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Her amazing mom had taped the final points of the match and from where she was sitting, it was behind Crescent City's team on the court. Thanks to the video, I had the chance to relive those final moments. And then at 15-14, I could still see the camera pointed toward her daughter as she went up to get the ball and slam it down for what should've been a kill and a 15-15 tie.</div>
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I watched that video 25 to 30 times in a row. I even watched it a few days later. What Wetherington described to me was <i>nowhere </i>close to what actually happened. There is absolutely, unequivocally, without doubt no way a "carry." She didn't grab the ball for even one millisecond. There was no doubt in my mind that Kayshia Brady had the sights on her ball and smashed a perfect kill down on a helpless Indians team to tie it up. Even Keystone players reacted as if they knew it was Crescent City's point!</div>
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I had video proof -- Kayshia Brady got jobbed. Holly Pickens was robbed. And that entire Crescent City team and fans were screwed royally.</div>
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In 33 years of witnessing and covering sports on all levels, that was undoubtedly the worst call I have ever seen ... period. Still holds true to this very day. Crescent City had a match taken from its grasp because of a call that was so bad, even I found it unbelievable.</div>
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The very next morning, I was looking in my email folder and had one waiting for me from the other official working the match. He was the other game official there.</div>
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I opened it up and got to read his take on what happened at the end of the match. I only shared portions the very next day with coach Pickens. Here's what that email read:</div>
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"<i>Mr. Blumenthal: Just to clarify what happened in the final match, which is incorrect in the call made. The initial call, prior to ball being hit back across the net, was a lift by the young lady from Crescent City. The whistle was blown and a lift was indicated by the R1, Mr. Wetherington. Due to the crowd noise the whistle was not heard and the ball was hit back across the net. No call was reversed, since when the whistle was blown the play was dead. Though no one wants a game to finish on this type of call, it was the correct call to make and would have been made by any official working this match. I congratulate both teams for the manner in which they played and the level of play by both. I was the R2 on this match, the down official, and had to tell the coach the play was dead and a lift was called. Thank you."</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Except it was the <i>wrong </i>call -- an absolutely horrible call at that. That's why I went back to the video Mrs. Brady shot of the end. I was looking for a carry or a "lift." Once I got confirmation from Pickens what the definition of a "lift" was, I was focusing in on Brady's right arm. Nope, never saw a "lift" either.</span></span></div>
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Any of these officials could explain away what happened. But it was not satisfactory. They screwed the call up. End of conversation. And that one call only cost the Raiders a possible district championship finale and a trip to the state tournament, which may have been for good use to get acclimated to the state tournament atmosphere.</div>
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On the same day I got that email, I got one from Alexis Sepulveda, whose sisters I covered and whose oldest sister worked at the newspaper for a short time as a clerk. Like her sisters, Alexis is a delightful young lady. But you could feel the pain and hurt in her email.</div>
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<i>"Mark, </i><br />
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<i> I just read the article about last night's game, and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate your honest take on the match. I too was upset about the point reversal and feel as though a possible win was taken away from us. </i></div>
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<i>A few minutes ago, Mrs. Pickens sent a text message to the team. It read, "Just to let all of you know we sent the video to the FHSAA. They cannot by rule change the call but they will review it and talk with the official." She also wrote, "We didn't lose, we may not have won, but we didn't lose." I agree with my coach. Last night's game was the best game all season, and unfortunately, our seniors will remember their last game ending in disappointment. </i></div>
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<i>I wanted to inform you of Mrs. Pickens' communication with FHSAA in case you wanted to follow up. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me." </i></div>
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The few seniors who were on this team had to leave with that bitter taste in their mouths forever, like Stevens, who was unbelievable with nine kills and three blocks, Sheffield and Leavenworth. This was not how it was supposed to end. Play it out until there was no doubt of the ending. For them, there will forever be doubt. And for the record, Keystone Heights would go on to take down Baker County and win the district title, just as I thought the Indians would do the next night.</div>
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But for Brady, who was spectacular that night with 23 kills, four blocks, 14 service points and one ace, Sepulveda, Williams and the Raiders that came back the next year, it only served as motivation. The Raiders moved from the bigger District 6-3A to the newly revised and rural District 8-1A, playing schools their own size. Other than one setback in the gym of Pierson Taylor High, the Raiders stormed through the district regular season, then beat Taylor in the district championship on their own home gym for that elusive first district championship in 18 years.</div>
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It didn't end there, though. The Raiders beat Chiefland in four sets in the Region 4-1A semifinal at home, then went to Union County's gym to beat the host Tigers in straight sets to advance to the state 1A Final Four in Kissimmee, the program's second trip there and first trip to a state Final Four in 25 years. They lost to eventual state 1A champion Mayo Lafayette in four sets, the last one a gut-wrencher with Crescent City holding a late lead in the fourth set and on the verge of forcing a fifth and deciding set, only to see the Hornets bounce back and win.</div>
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To this day, I still believe had the Raiders had the opportunity to play in the 2010 postseason, they may have had the important experience to get through the fourth set and maybe win that Lafayette state semifinal match.</div>
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We'll never know. That's the sad reality.</div>
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Crescent City got robbed of a possible 2010 state tournament run.</div>
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So when I reminded Rick Breed of that time in 2010 when Keystone and Crescent City played, I didn't have to remind him of the outcome.</div>
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It was that memorable for all the wrong reasons.</div>
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<i></i><br />markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493447185562109344.post-45949343743381290172017-06-05T04:28:00.002-07:002023-08-20T02:42:50.307-07:00The OCT softball final that was as good as promised<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The 17th annual Ocean County Softball Tournament championship game promised to be an entertaining final.<br />
<br />
And maybe the most intense final in its history.<br />
<br />
Though Toms River High School East was given the top seed, the Raiders were not the hottest team even in town by the end of the season. Crosstown rival Toms River North was the team riding the hot hand going into the tournament. In the semifinal matchup on East's field on May 31, 1997, the fourth-seeded Mariners hit the Raiders in dribs and drabs to score a methodical 10-2 win to advance to their first final in four years.<br />
<br />
The day itself was yucky, grey and cool, far from good softball weather. That Saturday was part of a semifinal doubleheader with the other game featuring second-seeded Central Regional and third seed and defending champion Jackson Memorial. The first game took two hours and 28 minutes to plod through, so the second game wasn't going to go off at 7:30 like I hoped it would. Instead, it got off the ground at 8 p.m.<br />
<br />
And with a surging four-run top of the seventh, Jackson Memorial had taken a 9-5 lead and needed just three outs to clinch the win and a chance to do something no team had ever done in the history of the event -- repeat as a champion. But the Jaguars had a hard time putting away the Golden Eagles in the bottom of the seventh. A couple of errors and some walks helped to cut the lead to 9-8. And with two outs, the only obstacle in the way of the Jaguars finishing out business was junior shortstop and cleanup hitter Toni Penniman. On an 0-1 pitch, Penniman drilled a shot to left field that Cheryl Fossati, who went to the outfield after she could not finish what she started in the circle, did not spot. The ball went over her head, pinch-runner Meghan Barrett scored and Penniman ended up at third base with a triple.<br />
<br />
But before anyone thought about extra innings, Kristy Tice, who had the indignity of being relieved in the circle in the top of the seventh when the Jaguars scored four runs, made up for the mess in the seventh by drilling a first-pitch offering from reliever Dara DeVincenzo to left-center field to win, 10-9, and send the Golden Eagles into the championship.<br />
<br />
And so for the first time since April 30, the two teams would be back on a softball field, but this time deciding who was best in the county for the year. It was on that afternoon at Toms River North that the Mariners powered past the Golden Eagles, 6-2, behind the one-hit pitching of North hard-throwing right-hander Lauren Anderson, who had nine strikeouts in the game.<br />
<br />
Anderson was only a sophomore, but she was already building a huge reputation around New Jersey as a strikeout ace and dominant hurler. She had already rolled up 251 strikeouts for the year going into this championship. The problem, though, was that her teammates couldn't get a clutch hit when needed. And it wasn't from a lack of trying -- scratching out a run or two in games was tougher than solving the Rubik's cube. There were some threats on the team, but stringing hits together was a problem.<br />
<br />
North's top hitters would be their battery, Anderson and all-around standout junior catcher Teresa Andreani, who, too, had built a strong reputation as a standout catcher in the state. The Mariners were coached by the venerable Becky Miller, the only head coach in the program's history and now in her 27th year as the team's leader. Her Mariners were winners of 13 of the last 15 games they played, losing only in the state tournament, 1-0, to Shawnee even though Anderson threw a no-hitter in the loss, and to Allentown in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals when Allentown forced North to play on the day of its prom, meaning some key Mariners did not make the trip to play.<br />
<br />
North had not won anything during the season -- its inconsistent play allowed East to win the Shore Conference Class A South title and with the state and SCT gone, the only thing left to go after was the OCT.<br />
<br />
And with a win over Central just over a month earlier, it seemed as if Anderson and the Mariners were going to roll to this championship.<br />
<br />
But there was a reason why for years I called the Golden Eagles' program "Big Game Central." Most of the time, the Golden Eagles, whether under former coach Norm Selby or its current coach at the time, Joe Winkelried, found a way under the most flappable of situations to win a game it didn't have a chance to win. In 1994, the Golden Eagles rallied in the bottom of the seventh to beat Ocean Township and win an SCT semifinal game, eventually going on to the championship in what would be Selby's final game as coach. In 1996, against those same Ocean Township High Spartans, this time in the NJSIAA Group III semifinals, Ocean Township scored in the ninth inning to take a 4-3 lead, only to have the Golden Eagles rally for two runs in the bottom of the inning to advance to the title game ... which they would win against Paramus, 1-0, for Ocean County's state softball championship.<br />
<br />
And, of course, there was the Houdini-like escape against Jackson Memorial in the previous OCT game. These Golden Eagles were proven gamers when needed, but they needed a title to make their season complete a year after a state championship. They didn't win the divisional title, and were eliminated by Lower Cape May in the state tournament and lost a heartbreaker in the SCT to St. John Vianney. The OCT was left.<br />
<br />
Leading the way was their All-State center fielder, senior Cheryl Zellman, who was again having a great year and on her way to North Carolina-Pembroke on scholarship. But she had plenty of company who had been there, done that in three or four years as varsity players. There was catcher Kelly Honecker, the steady force behind the plate and, like Andreani, one of the best in the county. Jill Homage was a solid first baseman who can hit for average and anchor the base defensively. And there was Tice, the steady hand in the circle who had a lot to prove in the championship after Winkelried removed her in that game against Jackson Memorial when she didn't have her best in the seventh inning.<br />
<br />
But there were other key players on the younger level -- like Penniman, best known for the RBI single that knocked in Zellman the year before leading Central to that 1-0 win over Paramus, and like Becky Barrett, a veteran left fielder with a good arm and a nice bat. For at least the first six hitters in the Golden Eagles' lineup, they were solid.<br />
<br />
This title game on Toms River East's field, though, was much more than a second seed against a fourth seed. North felt like it was wronged in getting the fourth seed compared to the second seed Central got, considering it was that week of North's win over Central that the tournament was being seeded. And North wanted to take away whatever swagger Central had from all the years it dominated the county softball scene. The Mariners had something to prove on this night and Anderson was going to be the unstoppable force facing Central's immovable object.<br />
<br />
In other words, something had to give.<br />
<br />
The night of Thursday, June 5, 1997, started as a cool one in the upper 50s under bright, but sinking sunny skies. Before we got the game off the ground, I, as a co-director of the tournament along with East coach Debbie Schwartz, had put together a ceremony honoring the 1987 improbable Lacey High championship team as a 10th and last seed. The problem was that only three young ladies from that team along with coach Mike Shern showed up -- and Kathleen Hanlon threw out the first pitch, though it was suggested to me by one of the other young ladies that the number of people there that night from Lacey's team was so small that <i>everyone </i>should have thrown a first pitch.<br />
<br />
It was on to the game at long last. I was working the public address system and official scorekeeping duties on one end of a table, while Brian Bender, a fantastic young man with a lot of potential in the communications business, got to work the scoreboard for me on the other end. From near behind the plate, the game was being taped and broadcast for a showing a week later by Adelphia-8 cable with Tripp Rogers and Sue Shilling, a former Lakewood High outfielder, doing the call.<br />
<br />
The first inning for both pitchers were routine -- Tice got a groundout, line drive and foulout for a 1-2-3 inning, while Anderson got two comebackers and a strikeout for her bottom of the first.<br />
<br />
In the top of the second, Anderson delivered a single to center field. Junior second baseman Nicolette Schellato bunted her up to second, putting Anderson in scoring position and giving North the first threat of the night. But back-to-back popouts to Penniman by Alyson Barnett and Kathy Acosta ended the threat.<br />
<br />
The bottom of the second began with Penniman delivering an opposite-field single to right field. Then came the first key play of the night. Tice dropped down a bunt that third baseman Lisa Miller fielded and threw to Schellato covering first for the out. But no one was available to cover third and seeing that, Penniman didn't stop running until she got to third without a throw.<br />
<br />
A big play for Central. A big mistake for North.<br />
<br />
That brought up Honecker. She fell behind 0-2 in the count. Then defending herself at the plate, she barely got bat on ball. It trickled up the right side of the infield. It couldn't have been more than 12 feet. But Andreani wasn't coming out to get it and Anderson and Barnett weren't getting there fast enough to make a play at the plate. Penniman slid home easily with the run to give the Golden Eagles the 1-0 lead.<br />
<br />
To this day, when I bring that hit up to Honecker, I've said it was the most effective 12-15 foot grounder hit by anyone in OCT history. She gets a laugh out of that.<br />
<br />
Anderson would get strikeouts of Robin Pepper and Dawn Wilson to end the inning, but the Golden Eagles had a 1-0 lead.<br />
<br />
And it was up to Tice to make it hold up. Robin Rusin would bloop a single to left field, but she would be forced out on a grounder by No. 9 hitter Tonilynn Trombino. Tice would get a strikeout of leadoff hitter Megan Clarey and a foulout by Lisa Miller.<br />
<br />
Tice, a 20-game winner in back-to-back seasons as a junior and senior, wanted a defining game for her career. Though she was the Most Valuable Pitcher in the 1995 OCT title win over Jackson Memorial, it was an unmemorable 11-4 Golden Eagles win in which the Jaguars stumbled and fumbled their way to nine errors. And as a junior, she was the starting pitcher in the Group III championship on North's field against Paramus when a freak accident off a riseball foul that she deflected into her own mouth ripped her lip open in the top of the first inning and forced her out of the game. It was backup pitcher Pepper to the rescue in that one, throwing a two-hit shutout in that dramatic 1-0 win over Paramus.<br />
<br />
This time, Tice was front and center ... and having to make amends for what happened in that previous game against Jackson Memorial. Her teammates got her off the hook and she delivered the game-winning hit in that one. Now she wanted to be the star in what was her last game.<br />
<br />
After Rusin had reached in the third, Tice put the Mariners down by retiring 12 straight batters, including striking out the side in the top of the sixth inning.<br />
<br />
But Anderson was matching Tice zero for zero, though the bottom of the third got interesting when the Golden Eagles got runners on second and third and two out. She struck out Penniman looking to end the frame. Two innings later, Zellman had reached on an error by Schellato at second and after stealing second and third, was left stranded there when Anderson reached back to strike out Homage and Becky Barrett. In the sixth, the Golden Eagles had gotten Penniman aboard on a walk. She stole second and one out later, was sacrificed to third by Honecker. But Pepper hit a comebacker to Anderson to end the inning.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, Central had held service after that second-inning run. Tice was unbelievable and was three outs away from finishing up Central Regional's record sixth county title. By this point, I can feel the anticipation of a huge celebration since the Golden Eagles fans were next to me on the first base side of the East field.<br />
<br />
But for the Golden Eagles to finish things out, it had to start with getting out the dangerous, left-handed hitting Andreani, who I would come to find out was playing from the fifth inning on in the game with a broken finger after a Zellman foul ball. She has always been a part of my "all-tough team."<br />
<br />
Tice got to 0-2 on Andreani by hitting the corners or where her good buddy Honecker was putting the glove down. But as she went to find another corner on North's No. 3 hitter, Tice missed her mark. Honecker knew it. And Andreani made her pay.<br />
<br />
Andreani drilled a shot over new right fielder Meghan Barrett's head and on a field without a fence, Andreani could run all day. But Barrett was a faster runner than previous right fielder Pepper and that was what kept Andreani from an inside-the-park home run. Andreani was held up at third by Miller.<br />
<br />
The table was set for North to tie this game and send it into the bottom of the seventh. Tice and Honecker needed to regroup. They had to get past Anderson first. Ticee worked the count to 2-2, then threw an outside fastball that was a borderline strike. Nevertheless, home plate umpire Rich Coleman called it a strike.<br />
<br />
One out. Two to go.<br />
<br />
Next up was Schellato, who was having a difficult night in the field. With an 0-2 count, Tice went to the corner on the outside part of the plate again. Coleman banged Schellato. Becky Miller was none too pleased and she came almost storming down from the third base box giving Coleman an ear full. Most umpires may have ejected her, but Coleman had an understanding ear and an even more giving demeanor. He let her have her say before she went back to her coaching box.<br />
<br />
Two out. One to go.<br />
<br />
By this point, Miller pointed to the bench and called on Kim McTamney to pinch-hit. Only a sophomore, she was now being asked to keep the game alive and get Andreani home from third to tie things up. Problem was Tice wasn't having anything of it.<br />
<br />
First pitch, outside corner, strike one. Second pitch, outside corner, strike two. Central fans were fired up. You can almost feel that explosion and that the sixth title was in the Golden Eagles' grasp.<br />
<br />
But on 0-2, Tice got too much of the plate. She knew it.<br />
<br />
McTamney poked the ball just over Penniman's head and into left field for a base hit. Andreani scampered home. The euphoria was gone on Central's side. We were tied at 1-all. And though Acosta grounded out to second baseman Wilson, it was a new game.<br />
<br />
But Central had the last at-bat. Get a run and go home with the title. Pretty simple.<br />
<br />
Sure! This was Lauren Anderson we're talking about. You think this stuff's easy?<br />
<br />
Wilson tried to bunt her way on, but Anderson pounced on the bunt and threw a strike to Schellato covering the base for the first out. However, Tricia Friedman, the No. 9 hitter, was about to get on when her harmless grounder could not be swallowed up by Schellato -- her third error of the game -- giving the Golden Eagles the runner they needed to win the title.<br />
<br />
Back to the top and the dangerous Zellman. She made hard contact with a first-pitch fastball and laced it into center field for a base hit, putting runners on first and second. That sent Homage up. She bunted. Andreani got the ball, but her throw to Miller at third base was too late to get Friedman.<br />
<br />
Bases loaded, one out. And with No. 3 hitter Becky Barrett at the plate, it wasn't looking good for North. The Mariners would have to bring the infield in. Meanwhile, Winkelried was putting a much faster runner in at third base in freshman Amanda Smith to help force the issue with a play at the plate.<br />
<br />
The count got to 1-1 on Barrett. Anderson threw the next pitch letter-high. Barrett made contact and hit a grounder to Schellato. She fielded the ball cleanly, then fired to Andreani at the plate.<br />
<br />
It was a bang-bang play. Coleman had a difficult call to make.<br />
<br />
He held his fist up and called Smith out at the plate. The broadcast of the game is something I still have to this day and I can tell you first-hand, it was so close, I wound up breaking that play down frame by frame. In the end -- and Coleman couldn't really see it because of how close it was -- Smith beat the throw home.<br />
<br />
Well, Winkelried thought Smith beat the play at the plate and started celebrating like she was safe for a few seconds. Then he realized she was out and had the tough task of getting the other runners on the basepaths to get back to their bases.<br />
<br />
And here's next why Andreani is one of the best catchers I've ever seen play the sport. The play at the plate was over -- but the play itself wasn't. Trying to find an advantage somewhere with the other runners, Andreani saw Zellman and chased her back to third (in all honesty, Andreani was not going to win a foot race with the speedy Zellman). But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Homage well off the bases. She reached out and touched Homage and North coaches and players went bananas claiming that Homage was out as well.<br />
<br />
Once play finally stopped, Coleman grabbed his wife, Nancy, who was umpiring at third base, and Karen Hughes, who was at first base, and asked what they thought of the play and what they saw. When it was finally finished discussing, it was decided that not only was Smith out at the plate, but Homage was out, too, since no one had called timeout.<br />
<br />
North had pulled off an unimaginable double play all because their studious catcher was thinking beyond the initial play.<br />
<br />
Central fans were livid. I can still hear them to this day yelling at the umpires for the call. But there was nothing they could do. Turns out in the end, Homage was reacting to Winkelried's reaction of thinking Smith was safe at the plate. But no matter what Central may have argued, for the first time in the history of the OCT, the title game was going into extra innings at 1-all.<br />
<br />
The seventh inning alone was exhausting. The teams had previously played an OCT game in 1993 -- and that game went a record 13 innings before North beat the defending champion Golden Eagles that night at Point Pleasant Boro High School, 7-4. <i>That </i>thought started creeping into my head as 9:30 p.m. rolled around.<br />
<br />
Remember, immovable object versus the unstoppable force?<br />
<br />
Tice, though, didn't have any troubles in the eighth inning, unlike the seventh. She got a groundout, popup and a flyout for a 1-2-3 inning.<br />
<br />
Anderson struck out Penniman for the second time in the game to begin the bottom of the eighth. But Tice hit a popup that should've been the second out. And to make a bad night worse, Schellato had difficulty with a little bit of a swirling wind and dropped the ball for an error.<br />
<br />
It was her OCT finals-record fourth error of the night, tying a mark first set by another North second baseman, Lesley Gertner, in the 1991 final against Brick. And by now, Central's fans, who were over by the first base side -- well, mainly the students -- were giving Schellato a hard time. And someone must have said something because from the corner of my eye, I can see Schellato giving the "We're No. 1" sign to the fans with a different finger. Hughes had to call timeout and tell the fans to knock it off, reminding them there's still sportsmanship involved in this event.<br />
<br />
After getting Honecker to strike out, Anderson uncorked a wild pitch, moving Tice to second. On a 1-1 pitch, Meghan Barrett bunted beautifully away from any North fielders and beat it out, putting runners on first and third with two outs. Barrett advanced to second on the first pitch to Wilson. But there was no thought of putting Wilson on base to load the bases for Friedman ... Anderson was coming after her. She got the count to 2-2, then got one to the outside part of the plate that Wilson laid off of that Coleman called a strike, the third time Wilson got caught looking on a strikeout, giving Anderson 13 Ks for the night and moving the game along to the ninth.<br />
<br />
Tice got Miller out to start the ninth, once again bringing up Andreani. And let's just say Honecker wasn't going to allow Andreani to play a role in a possible North title. Four straight balls, none even close to the plate.<br />
<br />
Andreani was on base on the unintentional intentional walk. Anderson hit a comebacker to Tice that got Andreani to second with two outs. But Schellato, already having a rough game, popped out to Penniman to end the frame.<br />
<br />
It was at that time, I started looking at who was coming up. Friedman was to start the inning. Then it was Zellman, then Homage and Barrett. I felt like if Central was to try to win the game, this was the opportunity to do so. And on top of things, it was getting a bit colder as temperatures that started in the upper 50s had gone down into the upper 40s on this early June night. I think anyone who was there, even in light coats or jackets, was feeling the chill at this point.<br />
<br />
But for as cold as the weather got, Anderson was still bringing the heat. She delivered a heat-blower that Friedman barely got a bat on, hitting a grounder to Schellato, who cleanly fielded it and threw to Barnett for the first out of the inning.<br />
<br />
And now it was Zellman's turn at the plate. Like Tice with Andreani, Anderson wasn't going to give Zellman any cookies to spray throughout the field. She went low on the first three pitches, one even clanging off the backstop, to get the count to 3-0. On the next pitch, a borderline outside delivery, Coleman called a strike. I can hear the Central parents at that point complaining about that pitch and that it should've been a ball. But nothing was automatic.<br />
<br />
Still, a 3-1 pitch is a great hitter's pitch. And it was on this pitch that years later, Zellman told me that the ball was "a little bit up and a little bit inside ... and just right."<br />
<br />
The left-handed hitting Zellman clocked it like no one had all night against Anderson. The moment Zellman rocked Anderson's offering, all I can see was center fielder Trombino having to turn her back and race after the ball. She gave a valiant effort into chasing the ball down on the fenceless field. But Zellman was a bit faster than most of Central's hitters. She got to second, then to third.<br />
<br />
And Winkelried wasn't slowing her down. He was sending her home, not wanting this game to go any further than it already had.<br />
<br />
Trombino put a perfect relay throw to Acosta. Acosta in turn, threw a one-hopper to the plate as Zellman came sliding in to Andreani. The ball bounced past Andreani and to the backstop as Zellman slid in.<br />
<br />
And it was over. In the most dramatic way you can imagine, Zellman's inside-the-park home run had given the Golden Eagles the 2-1 victory and their sixth OCT title. And I will forever hear Tripp Rogers' voice on that play for as long as I live:<br />
<br />
<i>"Three-one pitch <crack> ... BELTED! Center field, over the head of Trombino! Zellman, rounding first on her way to second. Zellman, rounding third on her way home. Cheryl Zellman! Play at the plate! She's in! With a home run! And Central has won the OCT in 1997! And look at the players surrounding Cheryl Zellman!"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Twenty years later, it is still the most dramatic play in OCT championship game history in what is still the greatest final ever played. Central players celebrated jumping on top of each other. North players came off the field like it was the slowest version of the Bataan death march ever. I can still see Trombino balling her eyes out with Anderson trying to console her.<br />
<br />
The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat -- it's always what makes sports great. At 9:51 p.m., it was over. Now it was time to give out the awards for the tournament. I was given Rogers' other mike along with the one I used for the tournament to make the announcements for both the fans and the Adelphia-8 broadcast. First came North's second-place individual trophies and team award. Then came Central Regional's individual and team first-place honors.<br />
<br />
And then came the individual honors for the tournament. All of them went to Central Regional: Zellman was the top hitter of the event at .533 (8-for-15), Honecker had no errors in earning defensive player of the tournament honors, Tice, who had something to prove that night and did, won the Most Valuable Pitcher honor, though North fans -- including assistant coach Mary Ellen Tutzauer -- had a right to protest since Anderson had struck out 41 batters in her three tournament games and brought up Tice's less-than-stellar effort in that Jackson Memorial game.<br />
<br />
But there was no doubt on the OCT Most Valuable Player honor -- how many players say they ended their careers by hitting a home run in their final at-bat? Cheryl Zellman could and she walked away with yet another piece of hardware for the tournament.<br />
<br />
It was 10:20 p.m. and I still had to get back to the office and write this amazing game up. I did it in just about an hour and we got out before the 12:30 a.m. deadline like we normally did.<br />
<br />
This game is 20 years old, and to me, it still stands the test of time among great games. The sights and sounds I won't ever forget. Nor will I forget that wacky but amazing double play that sent the game to extra innings or that 12-foot RBI single or that RBI single on 0-2 with the game on the line.<br />
<br />
Or that home run that decided the championship. I still have a copy of the video somewhere that one day I want to make into a DVD. I just can't find anyone that can do it for me.<br />
<br />
I want people to see that amazing game. It really does stand the test of time.<br />
<br />
The Central-North championship was entertaining and memorable, everything it promised it would be.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i><br />markybee66http://www.blogger.com/profile/01180489155765211561noreply@blogger.com0