From the Blogotype, Aug. 5, 2005: Make your appointments

It’s always a fun day when the schedule comes out. Clean sheet in front of you, a whole year to fill in the blanks.

Some early thoughts on… well, let’s call it an interesting schedule, beyond what appeared in print this morning.


Noticeable from the start: the start. Two whole weeks off in October? Remember last October, when Greg Cronin was dying to get his players a consistent run of practices, because they were playing so often? Diametric opposite this time. Dave Baseggio and Pat Bingham (and, it sure sounds like, Lane Lambert) have all the practice time in the world.

Year October games October home games Opening night Home opener
2001-02 11 6 Oct. 5 Oct. 10
2002-03 8 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 12
2003-04 9 5 Oct. 10 Oct. 11
2004-05 9 5 Oct. 16 Oct. 16
2005-06 7 2 Oct. 5 Oct. 22

October home crowds are often remarkably small, so this might be a boon to the Sound Tigers. They pick up the most games, nine, in December (including the morning kiddie game — which should be either “Cool Fun 103” or “Cool Fun 201” by now, shouldn’t it? — and a New Year’s Eve matinee — the 1:05 start might even make the paper the next morning!). There’s seven more in January and eight in February.

They pay for it down the stretch. March is mostly away, thanks to the NCAA women’s basketball regional at Harbor Yard; only four out of 12 games are at home. And then there are only three April home games out of seven overall. Hay must be made early.

The other half of the payback comes in extended weekends. Bridgeport will play three games in three nights 13 times. That’s more than any other season; they played 10 in the first year, 11 in the next two and nine last year. Those are grinds for the writers, let alone the players.

Some other thoughts, not counting the unspoken wish for more variety of teams on the schedule (Peoria, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Chicago and Des Moines being in easy driving distance from my brother’s new residence…):

  • At Wilkes-Barre/Day off/At Norfolk/At Norfolk is a trippy start, literally. Some long bus rides. They’ll need the week off.
  • Portland for the home opener, well, at least it doesn’t waste a big Hartford crowd or something like that. But the future Mighty Ducks doesn’t exactly make for an inspiring opening opponent.
  • No Thanksgiving game at Binghamton? I know two people happy about that: Sean and Gino at the paper. I smell Barlow-Weston in my future…
  • Trips I’m not looking forward to: Nov. 25 at Syracuse-Nov. 26 at Philadelphia (Pa. Tpke. Ext., baby!); Nov. 30 at Hershey-Dec. 2 at Lowell (at least I can sleep at home); Dec. 9 at Norfolk-Dec. 10 at Hershey-Dec. 11 at Hershey (at least I can sleep at Hershey).
  • Jan. 21 at Wilkes-Barre-Jan. 25 at Wilkes-Barre. Sooo… Does everybody stay out there for four nights, or what? (It’s back-to-back games for the Pens, with no one in between, also.)
  • Add to the trips I’m not looking forward to, actually: April 7 at Binghamton-April 8 vs. Hartford-April 9 at Portland (afternoon). Two long trips around a home game, when the trip between the two road cities directly is shorter.
  • On the other hand, trip I am looking forward to: March 17 at Providence-March 18 at Portland. It’s an excuse ((ahem)Roadgeek(ahem)) to go through Boston and see the Central Artery Tunnel. Last time I was in Boston in 2002, I wound up accidentally on the old elevated I-93 after missing the exit on Storrow Drive for the New GardenShawmutFleet CenterDerek Jeter TD Banknorth Garden. I can’t wait to see the Big Dig in a semi-completed state.
Michael Fornabaio