The window opens

Back in the spring of this year I wrote and told many of you the doctors at Yale felt my professional voice had been compromised due the remediation of the brain tumor I had (well still have if you want to be technical). It was unlikely the voice would return. AH! Unlikely..........lots of room there! Well my long strange trip is now taking me back to the operating room in two weeks. On November 2nd I will undergo what is called a laryngeal  medialization. Fancy words huh? What the procedure does is as follows:
My throat doc, Dr. Young will make a two-three  inch incision on the right side of my throat, will then make an incision in the right vocal chord and  start laying in Teflon strips to build up the size of the damage chord. Once he is satisfied with the size, he then will bring to chord to the mid-line, sew it in place, close up and send me to recovery. So YES! I'm getting implants.......
This should bring my voice back to a better level than it is currently. Later in November I will undergo a second procedure which will be a re-construction of my V-I-P or soft palate. That area atrophied at the same time I lost my right vocal chord creating a "perfect storm" and thus my loss of voice. I meet with the surgeon who will do the work next week. So suffice it to say it'll be a busy next 4 weeks medically.
Will these two procedures return my voice.........well, yes & no. The voice will never be what it once was, but maybe, just maybe I'll be able to do games again.
How did this all come about? Well, the damage to the cranial nerves controlling my right side are now permanently damaged, something we knew could happen but did not expect. All of which means the doctors can now preform reconstructive surgery.
Thus the window opens.

It's Time

Thank you all for your postings, text messages, emails, cards, letters and support. This morning, May 11th in the 7am-8am hour I announced, along with my good friend Tom Chute(don't know where I'd be without his support), that the time has come for me to step away from the microphone and broadcast industry. That rich baritone many of you have listened to for the past 10 years on WATR, the past 4 years on CTSN & Brid's Eye Sports, for 9 years on ESPN Radio & Television, for 7 years on WCBS-FM and The CBS Radio Networks, 10 years on local radio, has left me. My  doctor at Yale has told me it is unlikely my professional voice will return. And so, I move on.

It has been a great ride.........36 years in the broadcast industry,nearly twenty years (in two separate stints) of calling high school games, something I always wanted to do. I've worked with a most incredible array of talent while working sports starting with Steve Gesseck, what a time we've had calling some memorable (and not so memorable games) now we just get to play golf together. My friend of 33 years Chris Berman (there is no way I can ever say thanks), me pal Emmit....ah jaysus where to I start? We started ESPN Radio together, traveled the country checking out the venues, both sporting and non-sporting.....(care for a glass of '63 Fonseca?) and walked through the foggy dew! Slainte boy-0, Dan (The Duke) Davis, Denis Horgan Jr.,Beth Faber, Brent Musburger, Ron Flatter (brilliant!!),Tom Jackson, Phil Simms, Joe Theismann, Sterling Sharpe, Mike Tirico, Linda Cohn, Tony Bruno, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Rob Dibble, Music composer extraordinaire John Colby and then coming back home and working with Allie Vestro, Dave Grant, Steve Croce, Ben Talbot, John Holt, Joe Zone and all of the great folks that help me build CTSN, especially Larry Rifkin and Tony Meliso.

Then there in the beginning, the man who saw my talent, made me  work at it while in broadcast school, Ed Flynn,  later I would have the pleasure of working with Ed. Allan Todd, who hired me for my first fulltime job at WOWW... the man who opened the doors, truly developed my talent, the person I could never thank enough.....Joe (McCoy)Lenti....without his guidance, insight and mentoring there would have been nothing more than a mediocre career....maybe.  My friend and mentor for 33 of the 36 years years, John Kosinski.....always brilliant, always spot on. How could I forget another good friend and mentor.....Steve Feica...the best damn radio newsman I ever worked with. I had the honor and pleasure to work and become friends with Dennis Falcone, Billy Sabatini, Maria Martello, Al Vertucci, Ron Lundy, Bruce Morrow, Harry Harrison, Bob Shannon, Don K. Reed, Booby Jay, Max Kinkel ,Wolfman Jack, Dion DiMucci, Billy Joel. At CBS how can I ever thank Jana Polsky...she always wanted my voice on her CBS Radio Sports promos.......and then.....there is my WATR family. Words fail me, I cannot begin to tell you all of my most marvelous professional family and what they mean to me. The Gilmore brothers, Mark & Steve, Tom Chute, Barbara Davitt, Trish Torello, Paul Griffin, Kay Drysdale, Maryann Coleman, Suzy Banda (how I miss Vinnie), Allan Todd, The Costa's, Jay Crawford, Julie Fernandez, Ed Flynn, Ed Kooza, Tom Graves, Franks Marro, John Kosfsik, my buddy Larry Rifkin (thanks for the opportunity) and saving him for the last.....JB, John Bunnell........how many Royal New York Doo-op Shows did we see, how about the 1987 Dion return, that Yankee game in 1978....hahaha! Oh what a ride.

I look forward to the future and am quite peaceful. I have a deep, abiding faith and know that God will provide. I truly believe when a door closes a window opens. God has a new plan for me and I accept his challenge.

There is no way I have made it this far and overcome this malady without my love, Janet. I would be nowhere without her love and support(and ass-whoopin', hahahaha). I have a most awesome family..........my children Aaron and Rebecca and Lindsey, My siblings Al, Jess and Vic,they and their families all watch for me and keep me propped up.  And my closest friend, compadre and, well fill in the blank, Harry Cashin, who corrects my English, tries to correct my golf swing, tells the best irish jokes, who I can sit for hours on end with and talk about everything under God's sun.  With all of this support, how can anyone fall down.

It has been my pleasure to bring you the news, sports and all kinds of cocktail facts over the years. It has been my pleasure to be of service to my community, helping those who are less fortunate or cannot help themselves . My hope is that we all look ahead, strive to make our society and places of living better than what they are. Be of assistance to your fellow human.
And so in conclusion, if you would allow me to quote Paul Anka........"yes there were times, I'm sure you knew,when I bit off my than I can chew, but through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way..."

Thank you for listening...........so long everybody!

Thanksgiving 2010

Firstly, Happy Thanksgiving to you all...up and down the valley! And what a great two days of football we'll have!!!
Tonight, Tom Fuller & Steve Gesseck call Wilby @ Sacred Heart from Municipal Stadium. I moved to this game because of the playoff implications surrounding the Hearts.(Possibly returning to the state's for the first time since 1991).
Tomorrow morning I will be joined by Steve Gesseck, Steve Croce & Tom Fuller for what could be a classic....the 111th meeting of Naugatuck & Ansonia. It has been a long time since we've heard a buzz about this traditional match up and we're really excited about broadcasting it.
Next, my most sincere thanks to you all for your kind words and for listening! When I returned to local radio after 20 years at the network level, I wanted to bring my experiences(working with Berman,Musburger, Schaap,Deford, Simms, Jackson, Theisman, Salisbury, Golic, et al) and level of work to you all and to high school sports. I hope I've have achieved that in some measure. Both Steve and I, and now Tom, love doing these games.
Finally thank you for your patience and understanding as I continue to battle back from my health challenges. Your words and support invigorate me....I am privileged to have you as listeners, supporters, colleagues and friends.

November 24, 2010 11:52 AM

Post Script on Naugatuck - Woodland

Quite a game Friday night at veterans Field between Naugy and Woodland. 
For those who were able to listen, you heard  a football coaching "clinic" by Coach Charlie Bertero.

By mid 2nd quarter he spoke how each team needed to "decide what it wants to do, run the ball or pass the ball...". The answer became very evident....so much so that by mid third he wondered when Naugatuck was going to make up its collective mind as to what it wanted to do. He also correctly pointed out passing inside the 15 yard line when your running game brought you inside the red zone was an exercise flirting with disaster.

Here's a reminder of something I wrote after the first week of this season......"Things to think about.....who will have the best scouts out there, what coaching staff will best utilize their scouting material and develop effective game plans". Now see young Mr. DiBiase's quotes about his pick 6.

Next, in regards to the nature of the game and which is the better team. The game was  still up for grabs at 19-6.....simply because of the skill players Naugatuck has......you can argue back and forth about this point, but most coaches would agree that until the game passed the 5 minute mark remaining in the fourth, there was a chance of Naugatuck throwing some quick points up on the board.


While the Woodland defense good, it was not the squad that brought victory to the Hawks. Those who truly understand the game know it was Woodland's OFFENSE that won this game. Go back and look at the time of possession.... especially in the second half. NVLSTATMAN can correct me, but as we entered the fourth or perhaps just a short time into the fourth Naugatuck had run just 7 offensive plays ! Woodland's offense chewed and chewed clock, wearing down Naugatuck's defense and keeping that high powered offense off the field, which then leads to the impatience displayed in play calling.

Finally….in attendance at Friday’s game, two of the three coaches who brought Naugatuck football to prominence. Charlie Bertero and Craig Peters. As Charlie gave his coaching clinc to the WATR listeners, I was told Coach Peters was doing to the same to those who watched the game with him. 

Copper Division Championship

Well, come Friday evening at venerable Veterans Field in Naugatuck we'll have a championship game! Woodland comes to the borough to face the Greyhounds in what should be a terrific match-up! This game is our WATR game of the week and we're very excited about the broadcast. The broad brush of this game says it'll be Woodland's defense challenging Naugatuck's offense........but I can't tell you how many times over the course of my 36 years of covering local, regional, national and international sports, what should be rarely turns out to be what goes down. SOMETHING always alters or changes the "what should be". This week, as of this writing, the weather may have something to do with how this contest turns out. Rain and cold are in the forecast, and many of you know what that means to the condition of the playing surface at Veterans Field. It bears watching.

Now, one reason for my personal excitement about our Friday night broadcast is that we will be joined in the booth by legendary football coach Charlie Bertero. Coach Bertero served as phys ed instructor, football coach, basketball coach and mentor at Naugatuck High in the 1960's til early 70's when he left to go on to be an assistant coach at UCONN, then as athletic director in various schools. He also was one of the driving forces in my life and how I ended up following my career path.


As a middle school student, my goal was to play football (wide receiver) for Naugatuck and then for an Ivy league College. I was fast, had soft hands, fearless, good height and loved to play the game. But God had another plan and in October of 1967, while running a crossing route, leaping in the air for a catch, my legs were swept out from under me.......after flipping over, I landed on the back of my head and neck....my 5th cervical vertebrae was shattered......a broken neck. My football career over. 


A year later, enter Coach Bertero, He was my PE teacher at NHS and knew of my great love of football, knew of my injury. Instead of just treating me as another student, Coach Bertero put me to work with his staff. For the four years I was a student at Naugatuck I was the film guy. Nearly every game I shot 8mm movie film  for the coaches. There were some games where I would shoot still photographs of specific formations or specific situations. His staff  of the late Ron Sobeleski, the late Ralph DeSantis, Lou Farrar and my good friend Bob Aquavia also embraced me, taught me the inner workings of football.... the why's & hows.......how to think a game through why to approach a game in a certain way. I was in high school, but in many respects I was in college taking  grad courses in football.  As I said earlier this lead me down my career path. And so, Friday evening I am honored that Coach Bertero has agreed to join Steve and me in the booth. I hope you too will join us by listening online at watr.com or over the airways...1320AM-WATR.

Schedule Strengths

A lot of talk has been made of the strength of schedules, or lack of strength, some teams in the NVL have faced to date. Here are some numbers to consider. For each team I have listed their opponent record to date; record of remaining opponents; overall combined record of entire schedule; and opponents' records subtracting the record against the school in question:

School to-date; remaining; combined; net
Ansonia 10-15; 11-14; 21-29; 21-24;
Crosby 16-9; 9-16; 25-25; 21-24;
Derby 13-12; 13-12; 26-24; 23-22;
Holy Cross 13-12; 16-9; 29-21; 26-19;
Kennedy 14-11; 13-12; 27-23; 24-21;
Naugatuck 7-18; 16-9; 23-27; 23-22;
St. Paul 16-9; 15-10; 31-19; 27-18;
Sacred Heart 10-15; 14-11; 24-26; 23-22;
Seymour 20-5; 13-12; 33-17; 28-17;
Torrington 11-14; 11-14; 22-28; 21-24;
Watertown 8-17; 14-11; 22-28; 20-25;
Wilby 14-11; 13-12; 27-23; 22-23;
Wolcott 9-16; 9-16; 18-32; 17-28;
Woodland 16-9; 19-11; 35-20; 33-17;

By those numbers, the team with the easiest overall schedule this year would be Wolcott (17) with Watertown (20), Ansonia and Crosby (21)and Torrington (22)next. Have to see where those numbers are at year end.

What have we here?

As we venture into week four of the 2010 NVL season ya just have to ask.....what do we have in the league this year as far as very good teams, good teams, fair teams and the...oh by the way teams.

Has anyone established themselves as THE front runner? Well, clearly after Monday evening's showing by Ansonia, The Chargers made a statement. The Naugatuck faithful will certainly tell you the 'Hounds are the top team, Watertown  needs our attention and Wolcott is right there and not going away.
As for Holy Cross. Well, time will tell. Was that an anomaly against Ansonia? Or was the 62 points against St.Paul?  The others? Status Quo...although someone may emerge. I don't think Woodland is too far off.

Again, a reminder from an earlier post............let's see what scouting staff and coaching staff does the most effective job now. Who can make the adjustments....who WILL make those adjustments. What staff can keep the the season going in the right direction. You can talk all you want about talent, but talent is just one part of having a good team......talent needs to be developed & directed.

Is a meaningful Ansonia - Naugatuck game on Thanksgiving on tap? Could be, who knows? Lots of time and lots of minutes to play yet. Too much time, too many variables to say. I know a lot of people are planning Turkey morning at Jarvis...the tailgate menus sound pretty good from what I've heard. Just remember.........we're still 7 weeks away and the weather is just starting to change............

WHS-SEYMOUR

In a pre-game chat, I asked Waterown High School football coach Mike Veronneau whether, from his viewing of the game film, Naugatuck had been that good or Seymour had been that bad in the opening game betwen the teams.
"Neither," was his reply. "it just looked like one of those nights, because Seymour has some good players, so we can't think we're going to roll over them...that would be a mistake."
After Seymour's first drive of the game between Brass Division rivals at the Mills Athletic Complex, Veronneau had to be wondering whether it might be one of those nights for his Indians.
It wasn't, as the Indians, led by Curtis Pomeroy's 203 rushing yards, took control of the game in the second half and won going away, 26-7 to improve to 2-0 on the season.
"We made the defensive adjustments we had to make at halftime," said Veronneau, and by tasking away the middele from them, we forced them to do some things they may not have wanted to, we forced some mistakes and created turnovers which we converted."
The Indians, did indeed create points off turnovers, and withe their air game grounded, it was left to quarterback Matt Quatrano and Pomeroy to ground out the yards needed to put points on the board.
After Seymour quarterback Luke Grabowski led a masterful drive which would have brought tears to the face of Bill Parcells, a 17-play, 75-yard march which consumed 7:02 and put the 'Cat on top, Quatrano went to work.
After a 23-yard Pomeroy carry on the Indianb's first play, the senior caled his own number and took off on a scintillating 52-yard run through the Seymour defense to bring the Indians to within 7-6 after a missed PAT, which has been a problem for WHS in the early going.
Costly penalties hurt both teams in the second quarter, but the Indians got a break when, on the 16th play of another looooong Seymour drive, Jon Wilson's fumble at the WHS 5 with 1:34 remaining kept them within one point.
The turning point of the game came with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter when Quatrano's bone-jarring hit on Seymour's Michael Fraser shook the ball loose after a completion at the Watertown 40.
Cornerback Carlos Arvelo alertly scooped the ball up and went the other way, 60 yards into the end zone to put the Indians on top to stay.
From my observation point, it did not appear that Fraser had the ball long enough for the play to be ruled a completion, but not hearing a whistle, Arvelo was savvy enough to pick the ball up and run.
"Heads-up there, and a big hit by Matt," said Veronneau.
There was no quit in Tom Lennon's Wildcats; they immediately stalked their way downfield again, this time mixing the quick pass for small but significant chunks of yardage along with the run, al the way to the WHS 9.
That's where disaster struck - again, as Watertown's Joe Cianciolo recovered a fumble to help preserve the lead.
Despite a silly taunting penalty, one of several unnecessary flags which had veteran observers shaking their heads, Watertown, with Quatrano and Pomeroy running through monstrous holes opened up by o-linemen Cianciolo, Jeremy Plourde, Albion Lumani, Dan Delgado and Kyle Cave, simply wore down the Seymour defense, charging 91 yards in eight plays, ending with Quatrano's 20-yard fourth quarter run that put WHS in a commanding poition at 20-7.
"I also have to give credit to the lead blocks of our fullbacks Ryan Milo and Brett Boll, said Veronneau. "They made the big gaps that Curtis and Matt exploited."
The Indians put the icing on their victory cake on Arvelo's 14-yard run with 7:34 left; from there it was matter of getting Pomeroy his 200-yard game, which the Indians did, as he carried on nine of the Indians' last 11 plays.
Did it feel like a 26-7 win, coach?
"Not really, not when you're down 7-6 at halftime," laughed Veronneau, who then got real serious.
"We still have a lot of work to do, and we'll have our hands full with St. Paul's next week," he said.
No doubt the Falcons (1-1, 0-1 in NVL Copper) will come in to the MAC with a bit of a chip on their shoulders after yielding 62 points to Holy Cross in September 24.

NVL week two

Summer 2010 is officially history, despite the temperatures, leaving us to wonder two things:

1.) Where the heck did it go; because yesterday, I was staring out our timeshare towards Newport Harbor, and;

2.) Is week two of the NVL football season the first to feature divisional contests?

Answering question one is difficult, because every year, I keep asking myself: Where did it go...no really, I do that waaaay too much.

Ah, but the second inquiry is easy to reply to.

Yes, week two of the NVL season will feature division rivals, with the exception of Sacred Heart/Derby, but that's what you get when you have two seven-school divisions; there will never be a week when it's all divisional...unless you have byes (yech).

Campare it to MLB; if they went to a pair of 15-team leagues, you'd have to have an inter-league game every night (double-yech).

Oh, well, let's look a little deeper into things, shall we?

The game I'll be at will be the second of a two-sport double-header at the Mills Complex.

At 3:30, the undefeated Watertown High School boys' soccer team will face Wolcott; as soon as the final horn blows, down will come the nets and out will come the ten-yard sideline markers for the Indians' Brass Division game against Seymour, scheduled for a 7 p.m. start, but if everyone is in their seats, perhaps they'll kick off at 6:55 as the Indians' opener against Kennedy did last week.

Arrive early, in other words and not just because the traffic situation should be interesting.

The Indians are feeling pretty, pretty good about things after their 32-6 win over the Eagles, but they know full well that a proud and wounded group of Wildcats will be after them from the get-go.

"We know we have to prepare our hardest for every game," Indians' quarterback/defensive back Matt Quatrano told me. "We have to work hard and not take anything for granted."

Indeed, they do, but the Indians appear to have good balance on both sides of the ball.

Have the 'Cats recovered from the 54-6 bomb dropped on them by Naugatuck last week?

If they have, most but not all will be forgiven, because while a 48-point is never forgiven totally, a 1-0 divisional record represents a fresh start where it matters most, and a big credit to head coach Tom Lennon.

The odds of it happening are small; I like the Indians.

Wolcott, Crosby, Torrington and Sacred Heart are all playing their first league games of the season; last week, all except the Bulldogs emerged with a crooked number under the left side of the W-L-T line.

Crosby is not likely to do so this week; they'll have the unenvious task of hosting Ansonia; if Montrell Dobbs, who torched Woodland for 213 yards last week misses the bus, that would help.

Torrington, which squeaked out a 20-14 win at East Lyme last week, must have had a fun breaking down the Naugy game film, trying to figure out whom to key on: Reuben Berger, Marquan Williams, Shawn Freeney or quarterback Erich Broaderick, who spread the ball out to seven different receivers in the pasting of Seymour.

Have fun with that.

Wolcott hosts Wilby, which yielded 45 points to Holy Cross in their opening 25-point loss; the Eagles should soar.

Kennedy, which gave it everything, and I do mean everything they had and still was no match for Watertown, visits Woodland, which should come out on top.

Holy Cross hosts St. Paul, both easy winners last week, although the Falcons cut it a little closer than they might have liked against Derby.

DeVonte Gardner comes off a 174-yard effort against DHS; the Crusaders gave up over 130 yards against Wilby, so this could be interesting, because I love watching Jude Kelly-coached teams.

Sacred Heart, one of the speediest teams I've seen in awhile, is still a desperately undermanned program, but they play hard for new coach Chris Ortiz and they'll battle Derby.

When the action is all said and done, the Wolcott-Watertown-Ansonia axis should be atop the Brass, with Naugatuck, Holy Cross and Woodland emerging as the top three in the Copper as we head towards next week and the first games of October, leaving us all to wonder:

Hey, where in heck did the summer go, anyway?

Get out and enjoy a game!

WHS week one

Of course the outcome of Watertown- Kennedy wasn't a surprise; the game kicked off at 6:55 and for all intents and purposes was over by 7:15 p.m., by which time the Indians had jumped out to a 13-0 lead.

That does not mean however, that the game didn't serve it's purposes; for one, there was a new coach on the WHS sidelines, and of course there were going to be the comparisons to how "Roger would have called it," so it was good to see Mike Veronneau in game conditions, regardless of the opponent.

You play who the schedule says you play; when you're confronted by a weak team you should beat by a serious margin, you're placed under the microscope by the nit-pickers who'll wonder why you won by only two touchdowns instead of four.

QB/DB Matt Quatrano and OL/DL Joe Cianciolo were beasts on both sides of the ball, with Quatrano rushing and passing for over 100 yards as well as picking off a pair of passes.

Cianciolo, who is rapidly becoming a favorite of the new coach, blocked ferociously, led several WHS gang-tackles and recovered a fumble which he nearly took into the end zone.

The team didn't let up against a quick but out-manned opponent, but was far from perfect; in his post-game comments, Verroneau told me, "We played well and while it's nice to get that first win, we're going to work tomorrow and see how we can get better.

"We can't ever be satisfied."

The Indians came out the Kennedy game in good shape, injury-wise, and it will be all hands on deck when they face a humbled Seymour team on Friday night in their 7 p.m. home opener at the Mills Athletic Complex.