Sorting out the best, worst from the spring

A little belated perhaps, but here is the best and worst of the spring season. The golf tournament got in the way, but what a golf tourney it was. So we’ll start off with the golf, then move on to the meat of the piece — the scholastic sports season.

There were lots of bests, but there were some worsts and some other categories that we’ll create as we go along. Enjoy. THE BEST OF ALL: The Travelers Championship. Jordan Spieth’s shot on 18 in the playoff will be remembered for a long, long time. I was right on 18, on the hill, even with the cup. Thrilling. Now the high schools. BEST AREA BASEBALL TEAM: Haddam-Killingworth Regional. Runner-up was Cromwell.

BEST SOFTBALL TEAM: Middletown High. Hale-Ray was the runner-up.

BEST AREA BASEBALL PLAYER: 1. Austin White, Portland. 2. Luke Garofalo, Xavier. 3. Tyler Popp, H-K. 4. Noah Budzik, Cromwell 5. Ben Alonzo, H-K.

BEST AREA SOFTBALL PLAYER: 1. Kelsey White, Middletown. 2. Alex Giardina, Middletown 3. Dominique Highsmith, Middletown 4. Michelle Theil-gard, Mercy 5. Kayla Pieta, Middletown.

BEST TEAMS: In no special order, Xavier golf, Middletown High boys track, Middletown High Ultimate Frisbee. All were state champions.

Honorable mention to the Vinal Tech baseball team, the only baseball team in the city with a winning record.

MOST DEDICATED COACH : Deb Petruzzello, MHS girls track. She tried to retire, they wouldn’t let her, so she came back and led her team to the CCC-South championship.

THE JOHN GRECO BEST HOT DOG AWARD:* 1. The Famous Palmer Field Dog 2. MHS 3. H-K.

* — From here on, this award will be given each season in honor of John Greco, whose Greco Dog (special order) at MHS was won--

derful. Greco retired from the Booster Club this spring after serving up his specialties at Greco’s Grill for about a million years.

BEST COACHING JOB: 1. Lew Pappariella, Cromwell baseball. Team started 0-3 and won the Shoreline title. 2. Mike Kohs, Xavier golf. 3 Jenn Price, MHS boys track 4. Trevor Charles, MHS Ultimate Frisbee. 5. Sal Morello, MHS softball.

Note: Special award to Alex Tucci, the MHS track assistant who does a tremendous job with the MHS sprinters.

MOST DISGRACEFUL ATHLETIC PROGRAM: Capital Prep for admitting that all the propaganda about its kids chosen at random in a lottery was, as many thought, nonsense.

MIRACLE AT PALMER FIELD: Foran High, at 7-13, winning the Class L state baseball championship. Amazing.

TEAM THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN TOURNEY: Foran. At 7-13, ya don’t belong.

BEST BASEBALL LEAGUE: Southern Connecticut Conference.

TOUGHEST POLL: This year’s baseball poll. Yup, Staples ended up being No. 1, but it was what they call in the fight game, a split decision. I voted for Waterford. I thought it was the best team I saw championship weekend.

BEST FANS: The Lewis Mills fans. They were so happy their team was in the Class M title game and they so appreciated their kids.

WORST TOURNEY GAME: The Wethersfield at Middletown Class LL softball game. As letter-writer Tom Witt said, Wethersfield didn’t belong.

MOST DISAPPOINTED COACH : Middletown’s softball Sal Morello after his team lost to E.O. Smith in the second round. “I feel like Marty Schottenheimer,” he said. Schottenheimer, an NFL coach, had a lot of good teams but had a devil of a time winning playoff games.

In 22 seasons Schottenheimer was 5-13 in the postseason.

BIGGEST NEED: A Mercy Rule in high school baseball. Too many onesided games. It is pointless to play out an 18-0 baseball game. No one benefits.

BEST TRACK MEET: The Middletown Invitational. Craig Lundell does a masterful job running this premier event every year.

BEST FAN: Raye Brookes, H-K coach’s wife. If you’ve been to an H-K game, you’ve heard her.

BEST INTERVIEW: Almost all area coaches are helpful, patient and accommodating. But for out of the area, Sal Coppola of Amity baseball is really good.

TRACK STAR WITH BRIGHT COLLEGIATE FUTURES: Female, Brigid Selfors, Mercy. Male, Laurenzo Thompkins, Middletown High.

HIGH SCHOOL TEAM WITH CHANCE TO REPEAT: Xavier golf. Almost everyone is back.

MOST IMPROVED TEAM: Middletown High baseball. A 6-14 record might not sound like much, but the Blue Dragons were 0-20 last year and MHS played a bunch of sophomores this spring.

PUZZLING SEASON: Xavier baseball. The SCC is tough, but to miss the postseason was a disappointment.

BEST UMPIRE: (Baseball) Middletown’s Steve LaRosa. I’d take him anytime. (Softball) Dave Powers. No question who’s in charge when Powers is on the job.

SAFETY NEED: Fences in front of dugouts. They are needed at Palmer Field — maybe they can be included in the upcoming upgrade — and at Middletown High. If the Major Leagues have them ....

MOST ANNOYING MUSIC (BUT THEY LOVE IT!): The country music played at every Cromwell High baseball game. Oh, it’s really fine, just not my taste.

BEST NATIONAL ANTHEM: The rendition of the Middletown High Chamber Choir played at baseball games at Palmer Field and all events in which the band doesn’t perform/live singer at Middletown High. Terrific.

Get out to some Legion baseball games this summer. Middletown is vastly improved and locked in a tight race with Meriden and Cheshire for the Zone 3 title. And RCP is, well, being RCP which is to say the team is terrific. RCP didn’t win two state titles in a row with mirrors. They just might make it a three-peat.