Let me Tell You...

...everything you need to know about sports in Connecticut.

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The state's major news provider, the Hartford Courant, has a section on its website for a professional team that has not existed for fourteen years.

Also, Whalers merchandise is among the top sellers on NHL.com.

I mean, c'mon! If Winnipeg can get the Jets back, at least give us a cursory glance here NHL! Looks to me like people here, just maybe, might be thinking about how much they liked that pro hockey franchise they had all those years back?

2011 Schedule Released

We have a schedule!

I'm a little torn over the late start to Hartford's home games. It'd be nice to get into Rentschler early in the season, but I cannot stand summer weather, so the late start is appreciated. Home and away games are staggered such that between weeks 3-10, Hartford will be playing at home every other week. There are three Saturdays on the schedule and one Friday. No times are given.

Lets take a look at the matchups.

Week 1
Saturday, August 13 - Hartford at Virginia

These are two very different teams this year, and we have no way of knowing if a hostile crowd might be a factor in the team's first road trip of 2011. Hartford has never won a game against the Tuskers, but the now Destroyers have lost a lot of talent on the defensive side of the field. This could be the game to turn that streak around.

Week 2
BYE - Hartford

Our biggest challenge. The team came off of their bye weeks looking very flat

Week 3 (HOME)
Saturday, August 27 - Sacramento at Hartford

Yeah, we all know what happened during last year's home opener vs Sacramento. Sactown is returning with a lot of the same offensive personnel, but this fan isn't worried. The last place Colonials gave the Molos fits last year.

Week 4
Sunday, September 4 - Hartford at Las Vegas

Last season's trip to Vegas was a heart breaker, but a close one. Sammy Boyd stadium hasn't been full enough to worry about the game environment and will not be a factor. The Colonials D was picked apart by drowsy-faced rookie QB Drew Willy.

Week 5 (HOME)
Saturday, September 10 - Las Vegas at Hartford

Ooh, back to back against Vegas, eh? This'll be interesting. Chase Clement could not handle the pressure of being a starter last year, and the Colonials capitalized on that with big plays. Whatever worked with Willy did not work with Clement. Home field advantage puts us over the edge I say.


Week 6
BYE - Hartford

Have a good rest, but for the luvva god remember to come back!

Week 7 (HOME)
Friday, September 23 - Omaha at Hartford

Poor play and a streak of bad luck broke Hartford's back in the home game against Omaha last year, but Omaha has lost the veteran presence of Jeff Garcia, who at the time of the Omaha@Hartford game in 2010 wasn't too banged up to perform. Then again, the team dropped Jeff Jagodzinski. Then again, we still have yet to see if Joe Moglia knows what he's doing. My guess is that J.M is going to have a  rough first season, and this will be a Hartford win.

Week 8
Saturday, October 1 - Hartford at Sacramento

Hey, Sacramento, remember your last home game against the Colonials? You blew it. Really though, it was a close game that could have gone either way, and I think it'll go that way again.

Week 9 (HOME)
Saturday, October 8 - Virginia at Hartford

Hartford has an easier time against the former Tuskers at home last year, but who knows what 2011 will bring? Too close to call.

Week 10
Saturday, October 15 - Hartford at Omaha

We will beat you at home, and it will be glorious. No more ridiculous 4th quarter comebacks.

Predictions
3 wins
2 losses
3 I dunno's

Tryout Pics

I'm on the right.

Who arm-wrestled Asaph Schwapp this Friday and won? Uh... not me. Funny thing, my first reaction to seeing players in street clohtes at the Black Bear Saloon this weekend was "man, they look a lot smaller." Then I asked Asaph for a pic of the two of us arm-wrestling and realized that even though the pads add bulk, this man was large enough to break my arm in half. Hilariously enough, I think we weigh about the same. I need to get in shape.

But I'm here to talk about the tryouts in Middletown this past Saturday. In fact, not so much to talk as to post pictures, so here we go.

If you wanted a rough idea of how many players were at this thing, just take a look at the field. The place was littered with backpacks, rucksacks, bags, etc.

 Right: A couple of potential players resting and/or stretching before the 40-yard dash.

Below: Only a few lucky participants would be picked Saturday (three, rumor has it), but some wouldn't even get the chance to finish competing. This poor kid walked off the field with his left leg taped from crotch to toe. At the very least, he did walk off.

Further Below: The 40-yard dash took up nearly half the time allotted for the tryout. Which is impressive given that many of the attendees were coming in under the 5.0 mark. Gives you an idea of how many were competing that day. IIRC the final turnout was 231.

Not a competitor; this guy stole Jerry Glanville's wallet and ran like hell.

These two were a little too young to compete, so they just stayed on the sidelines and cheered for their dad.

Running backs and their agility drills.

Linemen gettin' angry.

Goin' deep! (and breaking tables)

Are you ready for some football (related activities)!?

I'll be heading on down to Hartford tomorrow for the Black Bear get-together and the tryouts on Saturday. Should be a good time.

It's 53 degrees out right now, and there's a scent of wood fires and vegetation wafting in through our windows. It's like an autumn night out there. Perfect weather for football.

Hockey Teams Moving North for the Summer

Looks like the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers have had enough of Georgia and are moving to Canada for the 2011-12 season. The team will be ditching their Atlanta moniker and going with something new. Apparently the Jets are leading in the polls, due to the team of the same name that played there until 1996.

Could a Hartford relocation be far behind? I wouldn't get my hopes up, but it's not unfeasible. Hockey has never been a staple of the south and, personally, I think two NHL teams in Florida is at least one too many. Sounds like the Winnipeg probablyJets will be playing in a venue even smaller than the XL Center.

Come on NHL. No excuses. With the threat of an NFL lockout I'm ready to sell myself to the Bruins if I have to, but I'd rather root for Hartford's home team.

It Ain't Football Season Yet

So have I mentioned the New Britain Rock Cats?

Go Red So... uh, I mean Rock Cats!

Like it or not, the proper football season isn't kicking off until mid-August, and something has to fill the void. I wouldn't suggest baseball on TV, which tends to be boring. But what about at the park?

It's amazing what a difference your actual physical presence at a game makes. When you're actually in the park there's something real about the crack of the bat, the dust that gets kicked up by a slide into home plate, and the cheer of a crowd you're smack in the middle of. Baseball on TV has a dreary dreamlike quality to it: you see the game, but it's almost like it isn't really happening. Just a lot of pictures on the screen. No smells of dirt and hot dogs (hopefully not in the same place) and beer and that slight metallic tinge you get from the bleachers. Sounds are muted. There's just no energy to it.

Which is why I find it funny that I'm not sure that I like football in the stadium more than I like watching it at home. The level of passion at an in-person game is intense--even an only partly full Rentschler Field has a gigawatt of spark to it. But foobaw is a tremendously complex game, with multiple camera angles that help viewers understand what just happened in the middle of the clouds of dust and heaps of players, and pauses in the action that are perfect for instant replay. It's more of mental experience at home, and a heady, emotional one on the field. Both are great.

"But coach, they have sharp corners!"

Hmm, did I just fall back into football chat in a post about baseball in a football blog?

In any case, I have fond memories of attending New Britain Red Sox games with my parents and aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents back in the day. And also attending Rock Cats games. I'm not bitter about the 1994 switch to being a Twins affiliate, though I think young me was a little disappointed in it. But this isn't Minnesota's team or Boston's team, it's New Britain's team, and there's a certain pride in supporting the local guys, even if the glamor isn't there.

Check em' out this year. The team is currently sitting at 27-17 and looks like a winner. Meaning they have talent you could be seeing in a different, much more expensive uniform next year.

Anything else good about going to see a ballgame in person? Beer and nachos. Yeah yeah, you could have those at home, but there's a charming, picnic quality to Bud in a plastic cup.

Saying Goodbye to One of the Greats

Macho Man Randy Savage died today in a car accident in Tampa, Florida. he was 58.

This really sucks. Randy was the only wrestler awesome enough to play heel to Hulk Hogan, and even thought he's been out of the wrestling biz for years now, he's always been remembered for his iconic voice. I used to love pro wrestling when I was a kid. He's a piece of my childhood that I'm very sad to say goodbye to.

Godspeed man. I hope you're elbow-dropping angels in heaven.