Overtime

When I came up with the idea at the start of the spring to have guest bloggers take us inside the world of high school sports through the season, I was optimistic but not certain where the project would go. All I know is I felt like the coach of an expansion team blessed with a great deal of promising players.

Now the results are in: this series has far exceeded my expectations. I have had people from all over the county comment on how much they have enjoyed reading the postings from my lineup of players, coach and parent.

All the credit goes to six great people who have not only taken the time but given a lot of thought into what they write — Emily Powers, Sammi Nemchek, Mike Nemchek, Bobby Horn, Steven Rivera and Fred Kelley.

Thus, I have decided to make the guest bloggers a regular series and start it up again in the fall. The only problem will be finding another group as talented. Now I know what it is like to be a high school coach who has to prepare for the following season with all his best players graduated.

When Advocate staff writer Rich DePreta returned from covering the Stamford city boys outdoor track championships, he asked me if he could borrow this space for a commentary on what he views is the FCIAC’s lack of respect for natural rivalries in the sport. Of course I agreed: it is nice to have someone other than myself accused of stirring up a little controversy.

So here is an opinion from the person affectionately known around our newsroom as The Deacon:

By Rich DePreta

Westhill High School, Stamford High and Trinity Catholic have a long tradition of competing for a Stamford city championship in both boys and girls outdoor track.

Well, a strange thing happened Tuesday at Westhill’s J. Walter Kennedy Athletic Complex as the Vikings, Black Knights and Crusaders were warming up for the meet. The Fairfield Ludlowe and Fairfield Warde boys arrived to take part in the meet.

The silliest part of all this was the FCIAC actually planned things this way. And this isn’t the first year things have been done like this.

My question is simply this: Why are city championships revered in every other FCIAC sport — fall, winter and spring — but rendered totally meaningless in boys outdoor track?

While accepting the fact that rain can play some havoc with an outdoor track schedule, why is it not possible for the FCIAC administrators who put together the schedule to designate one day for meets between intracity rivals?

Who decided that Central, Bassick and Harding don’t want to compete against each other in Bridgeport¹s Kennedy Stadium? Do Brien McMahon and Norwalk have no interest in competing mano-a-mano? How did the FCIAC come to the conclusion that a Warde vs. Ludlowe meet in Fairfield, a St. Joseph vs. Trumbull meet in Trumbull, a Ridgefield vs. Danbury or Darien vs. New Canaan suburban rivalry was of no interest to anyone?

The single city schools remaining (Staples, Wilton, Greenwich) could hold their regular FCIAC meet on that one day.

So why couldn’t this occur in the 2009 season?

The powers that crafted the schedule made sure that perennial powers Darien and Ridgefield could compete in the Loucks Games in White Plains, N.Y., on May 9. Or that Staples could go to the Hartford Public Invitational that same day.

They also made sure the royalty of Ridgefield, Danbury, Staples and Darien took part in the Dan O’Grady Relays in Danbury on April 25.

Adjustments were made to the FCIAC regular season schedule so these teams would not be overworked those weeks.

So why is a concept that would impact 16 FCIAC teams in a positive manner just tossed out the window?

It appears that some of the FCIAC girls outdoor track coaches have some ingenuity. The Westhill, Trinity and Stamford High girls were able to hold their city championship on April 13, with only Bassick there as outside witnesses. The New Canaan and Darien girls faced off by themselves that same day. The Norwalk and McMahon girls did battle with only Ludlowe there on April 27.

If the person in charge of making the boys track schedule is too busy to consider such outlandish ideas, perhaps the answer is to have someone with more time, more imagination and more interest in the welfare of ALL of the teams to fashion the schedule for 2010.

That person could start on the computer NOW to help make city championships in boys outdoor track a reality in 2010.

It’s time for the meek to inherit the schedule.

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Stamford High senior Emily Powers, a starting defender for the school’s two-time state championship field hockey team, is playing lacrosse this spring though she had never picked up a stick before and the program is still competing on the JV level. She will tell you why and document the experience.)

By Emily Powers

I stepped off the Stamford High School turf last night, walked into the locker room and took a whiff of that awful locker-room smell for the last time.

Being a senior is all about moving on, looking forward to leaving high school, but sometimes you forget about the sad things that come with moving on. After the field hockey season, I thought I had played my last sport in a Black Knight uniform. The lacrosse team welcomed me with open arms and gave me a whole new season to look forward to.

Now, that’s over too. I left the locker room last night not really thinking about what was going on as I juggled my stick, my sneakers and my Senior Night gifts. It took until this morning to realize that I will never walk into that locker room with the terrible odor again after a game.

Although the lacrosse season was short (especially for me because I joined late), the team finished with a winning record, and that was the goal. To go from not winning a game last season to 6-5 this year was a huge accomplishment.

And even though I didn’t get a lot of playing time, I enjoyed being able to be a part of a Stamford High sports team for one last time.

The season was filled with me getting to know a different group of girls, learning from them and growing into a lacrosse player. But the sad thing is it took for the season to be over and me to really realize I’ll never again step into that locker room before or after a game for me to really appreciate it.

The saying, “You never know what you have until it’s gone” has never felt more real.

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Mike Nemchek and his daughter Sammi, who is entering her fourth year as a starter on Trinity Catholic’s softball team, explore the topical nature of the parent-athlete dynamic.  Mike coached many of the city’s top players in youth leagues, including Sammi.)

By Mike Nemchek

A common phrase routinely heard throughout the world of sports is “there is no I in team.” Quite literally, team is not spelled using an ‘I,’ nor any of the 21 other letters for that matter.

For the purpose of this entry, I would like to focus on one of those other letters, specifically, the letter ‘O’.

If you flip through a dictionary and compare the number of words beginning with the letter ‘O’ to the majority of other letters, you should find ‘O’ is in the minority. However, that’s just in number and has nothing to do with the significance of the words. The same can be said about last names on the rosters of the three local high school softball teams. Although there is no ‘O’ in team, all three squads realize the value of having an ‘O’ on the team.

Westhill has the recipient of the 2009 Allyson Rioux Memorial Award, Julie Osipow. Julie’s speed comes in handy when asked to lay down a bunt, steal a base or track down a fly ball while roaming center field.

Stamford has, in my opinion, a future individual FCIAC award winner in Jessica Ortega. She does whatever is asked of her with a smile, even if that includes switching infield positions. I haven’t read too many game summaries this season that did not include one or two key hits by Jessica leading to an SHS victory.

Trinity Catholic has a triple threat when it comes to the ‘O’. Clare O’Leary is a three-sport athlete who brings heart and the willingness to take one for the team. Clare has been the hero on several occasions this season, coming up with clutch hits to keep rallies going. The next two O’s share the last name of Ornousky, sisters Caitlin and Eileen.

Caitlin is a freshman who plays with the confidence and maturity of an upperclassman. She also does whatever is asked of her and, in my opinion, is also a future individual FCIAC award winner.

Eileen is another three-sport athlete who approaches each game with the aggressiveness necessary to succeed. The Crusaders took three out of four games last week and, to the best of my recollection, Eileen had at least two game-winning hits. She is also contributing with her sound defensive play at third base, and her strong throws have cut down several lead runners. Eileen should be a lock for present and future individual FCIAC awards.

As you can see, all five of the O’s are significant contributors to their respective teams. I hope you don’t object to or find offensive and obnoxious my obvious obsession with the letter ‘O’ in this week’s odd but original entry. I feel obligated to use this opportunity and/or occasion to orchestrate overwhelming support and appreciation for an often underappreciated letter that some may prefer become obsolete. You have the option of opposing my opinion but please abstain from using even an ounce of obscene language as it will most likely be omitted from your official open response.

In closing, I would like to remind you that on January 20, 2009, our 44^th President of the United States was sworn into office and his name is Barack Obama. Perhaps 2009 really is the year of the ‘O’.

In all my years covering the FCIAC, I can’t think of a week that begins with more uncertainty and is likely to pack more excitement than what is going to happen over the next four days as the baseball and softball playoff races are decided.

Going into today’s games, 15 of the league’s 19 baseball teams are mathematically alive for one of the eight spots in the conference tournament. In softball, there are 10 teams still in the picture.

Of the 10 baseball games on today’s schedule, eight have postseason implications; in softball, it is seven of the 10. And that includes Danbury’s two teams playing non-league games.

Five baseball teams currently have six losses in league play — St. Joseph is the only one on the outside right now due to tiebreakers. Four more schools have seven losses.

In softball. three teams have four losses and another three have five.

If there is a poster child for the way this season has played out, it is the Staples softball team. With a young roster, the Wreckers opened with a 1-3 mark. They are currently riding a six-game winning streak heading into today’s game with Trinity Catholic. They have handed St. Joseph its only loss.

Right now it is impossible to handicap the races, other then to say that teams that right now appear to be sitting comfortably could be knocked out by the end of Thursday, and schools on the outside could play themselves in.

All of which should make for one of the most compelling final weeks of a season in FCIAC history.

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Returning captains Bobby Horn and Steve Rivera, who played a key role during the Westhill High School baseball team’s magical run to the CIAC Class LL championship last year, will take you along for the ride as the Vikings deal with the pressures of attempting to repeat.)

By Bobby Horn

I will remember May 11, 2009, as the day of one of the greatest games I was ever involved in. It was an exciting and most definitely nerve-wracking contest against Stamford High that came down to the wire in a close pitching duel, with us winning, 2-1.

My adrenaline was pumping all day before the game, just thinking about playing our big rival under the lights at the beautiful Cubeta Stadium. All I wanted to do was get to the field and start the game as soon as possible, and it definitely showed.

We came out of the gates at 110 percent and didn’t let up. The first inning was definitely the best of the game for me. I was able to get the first RBI to give us the early 1-0 lead.

This, however, wasn’t the high point of the inning for me. I was more anxious and excited to see how Steve Rivera would do in his first inning in his first game back after being out of the pitching rotation with a shoulder problem.

It seemed as if Steve did not take a break from pitching at all. He was doing what he usually does, which was throwing strikes and keeping the batters off balance. He began with a 1-2-3 first inning, with two strikeouts.

I knew immediately that he was back and that Stamford High was going to need a lot of help to get runs off Steve. The game was getting more exciting inning by inning, a great pitching duel between Steve and Stamford’s Mitch O’Meara.

Both pitchers worked out of big jams to keep their team in it, but none was bigger than Steve getting himself out of trouble in the fifth inning. After giving up the first hit and the first run of the game, Steve found himself in a huge jam. We were up by one run with the tying run on third and no outs.

My heart was racing, but I had complete confidence in Steve, especially since he had the same face and attitude in this situation as the rest of the game. He came out firing with a huge strikeout to get the first out.

This was soon followed by an outstanding and unbelievable diving catch by our first baseman, Matt Lubowitz. When the ball was hit, I immediately got scared because our infield was in and the kid got a nice solid piece of the ball. I honestly thought it was going to tie the game until I saw Matt make the biggest play of the game.

This immediately pumped me up, and especially Steve. I remember Steve nodding his head, and this immediately showed me that he was going to get us out of this jam. He blew away the next kid with another huge strikeout. We were able to hold on to the lead and get the 2-1 win.

It was one of the most exciting games of my life. I would much rather win our games by blowing out teams, but I will take a win no matter how it comes. It is always exciting to be in these games if you come out on top. If you are on the losing end, it’s a real bummer.

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Sammi Nemchek is in her fourth-year as a starter on Trinity Catholic’s softball team. Her father, Mike, coached many of the city’s top players in youth leagues, including his daughter. Sammi and Mike explore the topical nature of the parent-athlete dynamic.)

By Sammi Nemchek

After almost a full week of rainouts, it was nice to finally get back out on the field again. When the weather’s poor and games are cancelled its hard to do much at indoor practices. The gym is a tight space to have softballs flying around in and sometimes I even believe it is a disadvantage.

I see it as a setback because it throws off our routine and the spring weather is half the reason softball is so enjoyable to play.

However, this past week we fit all of our games in and made up some that were previously postponed. We did not allow the weather to throw us off and we came out and played four consecutive strong games.

At the end of our last game, Coach Kriz said, “We go into next week knowing these are our seniors’ last regular season games….” The season flew by just like everyone said it would.

I am so thrilled we qualified for states and I want to succeed in them as long as possible. It was a relief we made them early enough so I didn’t have to worry about whether or not next week really would be my last or not.

Surprisingly enough, I hope our first game is an away game. Bus rides are definitely eventful; you can ask any bus driver who has ever had to deal with 20-plus girls singing on one bus.

Qualifying for FCIACs would also be quite an accomplishment to make, but right now that is uncertain. The way this season has been going, it seems like every team is pretty evenly matched and in any game anything can happen. We’ve lately had a lot of close games decided in seventh inning, and it has been really nervy knowing the game could go either way.

What I’m afraid I’ll miss most about Trinity softball is the team itself and the many different people it has brought together. It’s really nice the way we are all completely different and not best friends outside of softball, yet we all share one common interest that creates such strong friendships.

When I was younger all I can remember coaches talking about was how they did not like the “cliques” that formed on teams and how they continuously tried to break them apart. What coaches never understood was that it was impossible to break little girls up. However, this team I feel perfectly exemplifies how a team is supposed to work when there is none of the extra drama.

It is a lot easier when everyone is focusing on one goal and shares the same attitude when it comes to achieving it. It has been a pleasure to play with players who understand the meaning of “there is no I in team.”

I also again as a senior appreciate the support of our fans and especially my family. For parents and friends these last couple games are important so don’t miss them.

History has demonstrated that Stamford rallies around a big sporting event, especially an intracity battle. Just think back two months to when Trinity Catholic and Stamford High met for the FCIAC basketball title and hundreds of people had to be turned away from the packed Fairfield Warde gymnasium.

Last spring we almost had what would have been one of the biggest games ever: Stamford and Westhill playing for the CIAC Class LL baseball championship. However, the Black Knights were knocked off in the semifinals as the Vikings went on to win the title.

While not of the same magnitude, last night we got the next best thing: the two teams playing a night game at Cubeta Stadium before a large crowd. Stamford likes a big game, but it likes a big baseball game best of all. Even legendary umpire Nick Koules, who is 92 and recovering from a fall, was on hand to throw out the first pitch.

Credit Stamford athletic director Pete Samperi for coming up with the idea and using his home game to make it happen.

And the cotest lived up to the hype, as Westhill’s Steven Rivera and Stamford’s Mitch O’Meara locked up in a classic pitchers’ duel, with the Vikings scoring single runs in the first two innings and holding on for a 2-1 win.

Westhill has been one of the highest-scoring states. It came into last night having put up double-figures in seven of 13 games. And the potent lineup seemed ready to light up the scoreboard again after striking for five hits, including two doubles and a triple, in the first 11 batters.

But O’Meara has a history of pitching his best games at Cubeta during Babe Ruth All-Star play, and he settled down and shut the Vikings down the rest of the way.

On another night, against a different pitcher, O’Meara would have had a better fate. Rivera, the winning pitcher in last year’s state final, who has been limited on the mound because of a strained shoulder, was even more dominant, allowing one hit, retiring the first 11 batters and working out of a two-out, two-on situation in the sixth.

Rivera was backed by a strong defense that included run-saving plays by first baseman Matt Lubowitz and third baseman Morgan WIlliams in the fifth and sixth innings.

One of the best storylines came from Stanley Paul, the Vikings’ left fielder, who has spent more time the last six years on the bench than on the field with a hip injury. He has been healthy this year and is one of the FCIAC’s hottest hitters. Last night he had a double, triple and scored the team’s first run.

If Rivera’s arm holds up, the combination of his pitching and the team’s offense will make the Vikings even more formidable. And with O’Meara on the mound, the Black Knights can beat anyone.

Someone suggested last night that each city team should play a night game at Cubeta each week. That is not realistic because of field availability and the likelihood that coaches would not want to play in the evening that often. Plus each team’s field provides for a nice home advantage.

But the idea of perhaps holding all three city games at Cubeta would be interesting and more realistic.

Because as last night proved, magical things happen at the city’s most venerable sports facility.