Let's make it the best year ever

Happy New Year!

Are you College Bowled out yet? Here is the theory to all the College Bowl games. There were a lot of 6-6 teams playing each other, especially from mid-December and on to next week.

Remember when undefeated teams or teams with one loss played on New Year’s day? New Year’s day was college bowl day. A tradition. The bowl line up was the Cotton, Rose, Sugar, and Orange Bowl. Those days are long gone.

By the way, whatever happened to the Cotton and Sugar Bowl? The Gator Bowl was added and now we have the Belk Bowl, the Military Bowl, and the Pinstripe Bowl. College coaches who are cutting their teeth and want to energize their programs are in favor to playing these meaningless bowl games. The reason? Because they get to put it on their resume and practice an extra 45 days. That’s a big factor when you are trying to improve your football program.

Think about it. You could end the season in November and by the time you play in the Car Wash Bowl, you could have an entire new starting line up. All the ineligible players from the fall are now elegible to play in the winter. It’s really a two season sport now that everybody goes to a Bowl game. I like when they suspend five starters from the fall team because they violated team rules only to make room for the five ineligible players from the fall who violated the same rules to take their place. It’s so oversaturated with bowl games now, and they are running out of warm climate venues. The bowl games are making their way up the eastern seaboard and are playing the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium in December. What’s next, the New England Clam Chowder Bowl at Fenway Park?

The response on last week’s article regarding the first ever Bartlett-Shepherd Hill game drew a lot of attention.Shepherd Hill fans were quick to note that Shepherd Hill won all three games that winter season in 1974-75. The teams also met in the Clark Tournament.

Yours truly left a big name off the Shepherd Hill starting line up in Dave Burke. Sorry Dave, everybody knows you were the catalyst on that team that got the ball to Eddie Jarosz and Marty Paglione. Burke was the left handed point guard with great court vision. A true set up man who got the Rams into their offense. He was coach Jim Ferdella’s thinking cap on the court. Burke went on to play at Norwich University. The Bartlett faithful responded by saying it didn’t take long for the Indians to even up the series and actually move ahead of the Rams. Bartlett won the state championship in 1979 under Coach Bob Paranto and the Clark Tournament. Bartlett fans also pointed out that their Indians had a three year run on the gridiron after losing to Shepherd Hill in football in the first game in 1974. Remember, both schools competed in the Border Conference along with Auburn, Bay Path, Southbridge, and Tantasqua.

Here are a few more Bartlett-Shepherd Hill athletic tidbits.The best football game between the the two school was in 1987 in Webster where Shepherd Hill won in overtime 16-10. Did you know there was a time in the early 90’s when both schools played each other twice in the same football season? Halftimes in football between the schools took 45 minutes because of the band competition.

The baseball rivalry never took off like the football and basketball showdowns.

Last Friday night’s game at Bartlett was the largest adult crowd in over 5 years and largest overall crowd in a long time. Bartlett won 69-64 in a great game for the fans.Referee Bill Dugan, a Shepherd Hill grad, worked Friday night’s game and the longtime ref was his usual steady self. Dugan is a longtime official who has worked many big games in the past. He is mainly a collegiate official and does work the "big" high school games when the opportunity arises. Bartlett is 5-1 while Shepherd Hill fell to 2-3.

Let’s make 2013 the best year ever.

• Wednesday, 02 January 2013
• Posted in Categories: : Peter Coyle, Columns