A close encounter with a Manatee

Sometimes amazing things just happen. The sports connection here is a bit tenuous, but hey, swimming is a sport, right? Last Monday I was in the Gulf of Mexico on Clearwater Beach. I was in the 89 degree water — with a Manatee. He — or she, I mean, who can tell without, ahem, inspecting? — was about seven feet long and was just a few feet from shore.

He attracted a crowd and seemed genuinely curious about all these two-legged creatures milling about. He nuzzled some legs, rolled over a bit, struck his head out of the water to take a look at all the folks taking pictures while meandering north some 10 to 20 feet off shore.

The lifeguards kept close watch as Manatees are federally protected and humans are not, as I was told, to even touch these supremely docile creatures.

The guards said this is their mating season and their amorous intent brings them into the shallows as they search for Mr./ Miss Right.

As he approached the Clearwater Beach pier — known as Pier 60 hereabouts — ahead were five women, unaware of the approaching Manatee. The nearest had her back to the slowly moving sea creature. He swam to her and gently nuzzled her, umm, wallet.

Remember the scene from the movie Jaws, when Chief Brody blows his whistle and yells for folks to get out of the water? Like that. We yelled to the galloping women that it was a thoroughly harmless Manatee, but they were too busy yelling and screaming and splashing. The poor Manatee must have been confused.

I think I understood. The nuzzled woman, whose backside was to the poor creature, was wearing a black bathing suit. And — how to say this delicately?— the woman gave the appearance of not having

FROM PAGE 1 missed too many meals. Maybe to our Manatee, with romance on his mind, she looked like a prospect. So he gave her a little smooch. Poor guy. He slowly continued his search along the beach.

Here’s hoping he handled rejection well.

CPTV rumors

Multiple sources have told me that Connecticut Public Television will no longer be broadcasting high school football games. I first heard this during the American Legion state tournament, then have heard it again lately from other sources. (Francesco Graziano, CPTV’s sports director, did not return two telephone calls placed Thursday of last week.)

CPTV is in a tough spot. There is no advertising money and it solicits donations. High school football is a tough sell. First, this isn’t a big football state. Second, any one game has little appeal outside of the two schools playing that night.

I can’t imagine very many folks tuning in to see Glastonbury play Southington outside of people in those two towns. And, most who would be interested would likely go to the game.

We in Middletown are spoiled. We are used to seeing good-sized crowds turn out to see MHS and Xavier games. It’s not like that in many places. I suspect CPTV audiences are often not very big.

I also hear that the station may still cover the basketball finals. Hey, this is a basketball state.

Rays ... no one cares

I took in the Red Sox at Tampa Bay game last Monday at Tropicana Field, the place where Major League Baseball goes to die. The Rays are last in the AL East and last in attendance. The crowd this night was 13,500, and that number appeared to be generous. Many were Sox fans and they were rewarded with a vintage David Price 6-2 win. This was the night Andrew Benintendi made that stupendous catch in left field you’ve all seen on Sportscenter and every other TV outlet in the galaxy.

What was funny, and embarrassing, was the folks in charge of the scoreboard animation assumed home run and started the home run celebration on the board. A ‘Dewey defeats Truman’ moment.

My seat was in the second row, section 146, right field, right behind Mookie Betts. Fans yelled things to Betts. He could hear every word. Heck I could hear beer vendors halfway across the joint.

My ticket was $33 which is about the same as Fenway bleachers but much more expensive than Yankee Stadium seats in the same location. Beer prices are also big league at $11 a pop in the Rays’ restaurant/bar hard by the main entrance.

Parking is cheap at $15 and they give away field box seats at $78. Given all, I like the place. Oh, the catwalks and all are hideous, but the sight lines are good and there aren’t enough people to annoy or create traffic jams.

A new stadium is imperative and it has to be in Tampa. That’s because I-4 and I-275 are together the most congested, awful roads in America. Add to that the maniacs known as Florida drivers and the place screams for mass transit of which there is none.

Florida is growing like crazy — Seminole County north of Orlando expects 5,000 more kids in its schools next year, for example — but none of the newbies go to the Trop.

President Obama or President Clinton — one can only hope — should declare the Trop a disaster and be done with it. Rays, they’ll hardly miss ye.

Here and there

Middletown High AD Elisha De Jesus announced that the fall season Meet the Coaches Night will be Tuesday, tomorrow, at the high school at 6:30 p.m . ... fall athletes, parents, guardians are expected to attend, she said.

The city is looking to buy a new scoreboard to replace the lemon currently at Palmer Field ... Thank goodness, the other was a nightmare ... when it worked it was terrific, which was not very often.

I took in a Clearwater Threshers game ... it’s a Class A Florida State League team which plays in Brighthouse Field, the spring training home of the Phillies ... there were maybe 500 people there and during Smile Cam my picture was on the board ... children were frightened ... prices were really cheap ... $6 for a field box seat, $3 to park, $2 for a lemonade, hot dog and chips, $5.50 ... and the baseball is pretty good.

Nick Neumann, the MHS, Middletown Legion and CCSU grad remains on the disabled list for the Bradenton Marauders of the Florida State League ... the Pittsburgh Pirate minor leaguer hasn’t pitched since July 10.

Evan Augeri, a Middletown High alumnus Class of 2016 and who was a tennis player and drum major for the acclaimed Blue Dragon Marching Band, is now a freshman at Northwestern University ... he has joined to Northwestern U band, a.k.a. the big time of college bands ... the NU band will perform at the Chicago Bears’ game on Sept. 19 ... last year, the band followed Northwestern’s football team to the Outback Bowl in Tampa on Jan. 1 ... Augeri is hoping for another bowl game.

Time of year for moms and dads to say good-bye to their sons and daughters going off to college ... To all the athletes it was my pleasure to cover, good luck. And to the moms and dads, I know it’s tough ...

I remember taking our son to college in the fall of 1997... after attending a variety of functions and assorted things, he looked at us and said: “Could you and mom go now so I could meet some people?”

It was the perfect thing to say. But it was still a long and quiet ride home.