The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Sox take another misstep with Orsillo
Cris Carter’s advice to NFL rookies is a bit misguided, but we all have “fall guys.” Obviously, we’re not asking anyone to go to jail for us. But whenever my wife gets in the car and detects the lingering scent of McDonalds, my fall guy unknowingly takes the blame.
• The Red Sox have apparently designated their own fall guy. Beloved TV broadcaster Don Orsillo, one of the best in the business, is being let go at the end of the season. It’s a baffling decision further frustrated by the organization’s lack of explanation for not renewing his contract after 15 years.
Are ratings down? Surely, that has little to do with the awful on-field product. Just like it’s not Hanley Ramirez’s fault that he doesn’t appear even remotely interested in playing the outfield.
The fact that people are tuning in at all to watch an otherwise unwatchable team is a testament to the brilliance of Orsillo and partner Jerry Remy. So too is the unilateral outrage over the move from Red Sox fans.
Chad Finn, writing in the Boston Globe, summarized it best. “Orsillo isn’t just familiar and comfortable to Red Sox fans. It’s more than that. So many laughs have been shared through the years that it feels personal, as if you’re saying goodbye to a friend you wish would stay a little longer.”
Orsillo will land on his feet. He’s too good. But in a Red Sox season defined by incompetence and mismanagement, this may be the front office’s crowning achievement.
• At least the Dodgers know enough not to mess with a good thing. Vin Scully, a living baseball treasure, will be back for a 67th season in the broadcast booth.
• Thank goodness we have the Yankees to be judge and jury of baseball’s unwritten rules.
• It’s one thing for an NFL player to be injured in practice. But, justified or not, suffering a season-ending injury in a preseason game radiates a whole other level of heartbreak. Football players aren’t made of glass (Danny Amendola aside), but losing a superstar in a meaningless exhibition just comes off like an unnecessary disaster.
• The recent Dow Jones slide makes me relieved that I’ve invested all of my money in RGIII rookie cards and the Washington Generals. Don’t mean to brag, but retirement is gonna be sweet.
• The most enjoyable two minutes of television I’ve seen this year, hands down, was WTNH-8 sports guys John Pierson and Erik Dobratz attempting to return 140 mile-an-hour serves from Andy Roddick while James Blake provided color commentary. Blake’s best line came when Pierson stepped up to the line. “That’s definitely good tennis attire. Khakis. You see that at Wimbledon a lot.”
The video is well worth your time. Google it.
• And the most entertaining 10 minutes of live sports I’ve seen this year was the tennis session between John McEnroe and Geno Auriemma, which turned from friendly doubles match to blood-thirsty competition in a hurry. It had everything you’d hope, from bickering over points to accusations of faking injury to steely glances across the net. Mac and Geno may not have hit it off on the tennis court, but they could easily become an instant hit as a cable TV reality show.
• Cassius Chaney’s fourth professional fight is on Sept. 18 in Providence. The next day he leaves for England, where he’ll spend four weeks as a sparring partner for European and WBO champ Tyson Fury in advance of Fury’s Oct. 24 world heavyweight championship bout with Wladimir Klitschko in Germany. It’s a tremendous opportunity for Chaney, the former New Haven basketball star turned promising heavyweight boxing contender.
• Memo to Anne Worcester: you have to mic up the men’s legends at the Connecticut Open. James Blake and Andy Roddick are a laugh riot; a tennis version of Martin and Lewis if you will. But it’s difficult to hear most of their exchanges beyond the first few rows. Definitely worth the investment.
• Not surprisingly, McEnroe didn’t need a microphone to entertain during his match with Jim Courier. Aside from the fact that he’s still a darn good tennis player at 56, his most impressive feat came with a mic. During a break in play to fix a broken net strap, McEnroe held an impromptu auction, raising $7,000 for the Smilow Cancer Hospital in less than five minutes. After the match, he sold the shirt off his back for another $750 donation. That, my friends, is star power.
• The 1960 scholastic football season will be briefly revived Sept. 16 when the New Haven Gridiron Club inducts William “Derky” McCoy of Hillhouse and Bob Deobil of Hamden into its hall of fame.
McCoy was a backfield mate of Floyd Little, now a college and pro hall of famer, and scored nine touchdowns (Little had 20) as Hillhouse won eight, lost one. Deobil, in an era of smash-mouth football, led the state in scoring passes caught (eight TDs, five conversions) as Hamden went 5-2-1.
When their teams met, Hillhouse won 38-16.
The Register Top 10 Poll didn’t exist then. The Waskowitz Trophy, emblem of the state championship, went to Fairfield Prep (100). Prep had beaten Notre Dame-West Haven, which handed Hillhouse its only loss, 18-16.
Dinner tickets, at $50 each, can be reserved by sending checks to New Haven Gridiron Club, PO Box 32, New Haven, 06501, by Sept. 9. The dinner starts at 7 p.m. at the Cascade on Sherman Avenue in Hamden.
• Can’t help but wonder if one of his old buddies just now realized why Cris Carter hung out with him so much back in the day. Chip Malafronte, the Register sports columnist, can be reached at cmalafronte@nhregister. com. Follow Chip on Twitter @ChipMalafronte.