Overtime

Vladimir Ducasse reacts after being selected by the Jets in the second round of April’s NFL Draft.

Now that Vladimir Ducasse has a four-year deal worth $3.25 million, don’t expect any significant changes in the spending habits of the New York Jets’ second-round draft choice.

“I don’t need anything special,” the former Stamford High School star said in his typical understated manner.

Ducasse is about to enter his first training camp working at guard instead of tackle, the position he played at the University of Massachusetts, and with an opportunity to earn the starting job vacated when the Jets cut Alan Faneca.

“It’s not a big deal where you play on the offensive line,” Ducasse said. “Your job is still to protect the quarterback and create a way for the running backs. It doesn’t matter where you are on the line. Your job is always the same.”

I’ll have much more on Ducasse in a feature in Sunday’s edition of The Advocate.

Follow Dave Ruden on Twitter

Become a fan of the new Overtime Facebook page. Click on the link to the right.

Nicole Eriksen

Dave Flower had just finished coaching his club soccer team Saturday at a tournament in Washington state when he went over to watch a game involving Nicole Eriksen, the star center back of his Westhill High School team.

“I got there at halftime and Nicole wasn’t there,” Flower said. “They told me she broke her ankle. I thought it was a joke.”

Unfortunately it was not. Eriksen, playing with her CFC team in the final game of the summer, went up for a 50-50 ball in the first five minutes, landed awkwardly and fractured her left ankle.

“It happened in a split second,” Eriksen said this afternoon. “I heard it snap. I was like, ‘Oh, no.’ “

Eriksen is scheduled to have surgery on Thursday. She will wear a full leg cast for four weeks, a smaller cast for another four weeks and then begin rehabilitation. If all goes well, Eriksen hopes to be back to help the Vikings attempt to defend their state title by late September or early October.

Given the circumstances, Eriksen has kept a positive attitude.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” Eriksen said. “I’m going to miss most of the Westhill season and it’s the last one playing with the older people. The junior year is supposed to be your most important. But I am not going to let it affect me. I can’t play. but I won’t stop going to practices and I am going to go to some of the summer camps still with the team.”

One of the players Eriksen will not get a chance to play with at the start of the season is her older sister, Kirsten, a starting midfielder.

Eriksen is coming off an outstanding sophomore season. It was her stop that led to the transition attack that resulted in the Vikings’ winning goal in the final minute of last year’s state final win over Glastonbury. Eriksen is considered the team’s best college prospect, with the chance to play for a fairly high Division I program.

Flower said the injury should not have an impact with college coaches.

“It is luckily not a more severe injury and it would have hurt her more if it happened in the spring,” he said.

Westhill will now open the fall without Eriksen and another starting defender, Clare Mahoney, who tore her ACL over the winter.

“It’s a blow, but both kids will be back,” Flower said. “You can’t worry about it. We’ll be fine.”

Eriksen, one of the most popular players with her teammates, is maintaining that same upbeat approach.

“I’m just going to work hard to get back as soon as I can,” she said. “I can’t wait to get back and play.”

Follow Dave Ruden on Twitter

Become a fan of the new Overtime Facebook page. Click on the link to the right.

Sam Stevenson, the former star at Darien High School, wrote a blog this past year for The Advocate, “Stickin’ With Sam,” chronicling her freshman season with the Richmond lacrosse team.

Sam has agreed to continue the blog for her sophomore season, and we shot this video update for it last night.

To follow the blog, click here.

Trinity Catholic’s Shawn Robinson is one of the best players in the FCIAC people have never heard of. That is because the Crusaders’ wide receiver was literally late to the game, his introduction to the sport coming in the 8th grade.

Still, Robinson’s natural ability has made him a regular on the showcase circuit, and he has received attention from a number of Division I schools, including UConn and Rutgers. At 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, he is hoping for a breakout season with the Crusaders.

I caught up with Robinson today to discuss his summer training, plans for the future and his love of animals.

Jen Joseph and Ryan Carr

Ryan Carr of the Greenwich baseball team and Jen Joseph of the Westhill softball team, the winners of the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Spring Player of the Year awards, received their trophies today.

Carr’s pitching helped carry the Cardinals to the FCIAC championship game. He finished with a 5-1 record, one save and a 1.15 earned run average. He ended up with 70 strikeouts, 20 walks and pitched an 8-inning no-hitter against St. Joseph.

Joseph pitched the Vikings to just their second CIAC Class LL title and to the FCIAC final for the third straight season. She finished with a 22-1 record, a 0.47 earned run average, 16 shutouts and 194 strikeouts. Joseph was 6-1 in the postseason and was named to the All-FCIAC and All-State teams.

The BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Player of the Week awards will resume in the fall.

Follow Dave Ruden on Twitter

Become a fan of the new Overtime Facebook page. Click on the link to the right.

I’ve been working the phones today trying to help get quotes for The Advocate’s coverage of the death of George Steinbrenner.

Bobby Valentine just called me back from Anaheim, where he is covering tonight’s All-Star game for ESPN, and had this to say:

“George was one of the great competitors, one of the great owners and one of the great personalities in the history of New York sports. I feel honored to have known him. Since I never worked for him I only have one perspective and that is of admiration. He set a standard for everybody else to keep up with. When my teams played him, whether it was the Texas Rangers or New York Mets, I got handwritten notes from him complementing me if the team looked good and wishing me well if it did not.”

Caitlin (left) and Courtney Gallagher. (Advocate photo/Kathleen O’Rourke)

Do to a production error, a photo that was supposed to run with my column today on New Canaan tennis players Caitlin and Courtney Gallagher never made it into the paper.

Here’s the photo, and click here for the column.

Former Stamford High School star Vladimir Ducasse, the New York Jets’ second round draft pick, reached an agreement this afternoon on a four-year deal worth $3.25 million, according to his agent, Joe Linta. Ducasse’s signing bonus will be for a little over $1 million.

“We just wanted to get something fair and they have been great with him so far,” Linta said. “We weren’t trying to kill them and they weren’t trying to kill us.”

Linta said Ducasse was pleased to put the negotiations behind him.

“He was very happy,” Linta said. “He’s been very happy with everything so far. He loves being there and he is very comfortable with (offensive line coach) Bill Callahan.”

I have a call into Ducasse and hopefully will have comments from him soon.

Follow Dave Ruden on Twitter

Become a fan of the new Overtime Facebook page. Click on the link to the right.