Tony Talks Sports

March 27, 2008

Pascarella Merits Statue, Not Boot

By Tony Mentone

HOW DO WE SELECT A COACH?

Several people have inquired about the selection process for coaches at Hamden High. The job is posted internally. If no qualified candidates apply, the job is posted outside the system.

Interviews are then set up. In the case of assistant coaches, they are usually interviewed by the athletic director and a head coach. Then the interviewers make a recommendation to the Board of Education, which makes the final appointment.

Of course, being Hamden it doesn't work this way all the time. Although it should be consistent, it is not! It depends on the sport, the applicant, when the sun is in the sky and what whim is in effect today.

For the selection of the recent varsity football coach, the process followed the general guidelines but there were some exceptions. No. 1, the interview committee consisted of seven people and only a couple of them had any idea what attributes a football coach should possess.

No. 2, the recommendation was hired before his name went to the Board of Education to be confirmed.

TIFF MAKES US PROUD

Tiffany DeRosa (HHS '04), a senior at Western New England College, has been named The Commonwealth Coast Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year.

DeRosa, a captain of Western New England women's basketball team, was also named to the Second Team All-Conference. She is a psychology/elementary education major and has a 3.73 GPA. She finished first on her team in assists and steals and was second in scoring.

ALL AREA TRACK

Two Green Dragon track stars were recently named to the New Haven Register girls indoor track team.

Chelsea Harris (HHS '10) was named in the 600-yard run. Harris is an honor student who broke the school record at CIAC Class LL championships with a time of 1.36.77.

Harris was third in the State Open and second in the SCC championships.

Courtney Dinnan (HHS '08) has made the team for the fourth straight year. Dinnan won the 1600 at the state LL open and the SCC championship. She was runner-up at the SCC and broke the school record at 5.02.

Dinnan is a highest honor student and is looking at Quinnipiac, Maryland or the University of Connecticut.

NEW SOFTBALL COACH

Jacqueline Mastracchio (HHS '06) has been named the JV softball coach at her alma mater, Hamden High.

Mastracchio is a former Hamden catcher and captain of the team. She was named All- District and given the Team Dedication Award.

She has spent several years coaching in Hamden Fathers’ Softball and attends Gateway Community College.

ONLY IN HAMDEN

In last week's Monday morning football massacre, Councilman James Pascarella was relieved of his duties as statistician and volunteer coach. Pascarella, a North Haven grad, has been an inspiration to the Hamden sports community.

Pascarella has worked many hours as a volunteer and has been a generous financial backer. He was one of the founders of the Hamden Education Foundation as well as its first chairman. He was also one of the organizers of the first Sports Hall of Fame dinner and continues serving on this committee.

Instead of pushing him out the door, we should be building a statue in his honor. Only in Hamden.

FOOTBALL COACH -- PRO AND CON

We now know that a Steinbrenner-esque committee of seven people made the final decision for Hamden's new head football coach. Although I don’t necessarily believe in the process used, new coach Scott Benoit has very good credentials.

Benoit played football under deceased coach Tom Hunt at West Haven High and legendary coach Paul Pasqualoni at Western Connecticut. Pasqualoni went on to become one of the leading coaches in college football at Syracuse University.

Benoit’s résumé includes coaching on six different staffs which went to the CIAC Final Four. While head coach at Guilford High, he took a sub-par program and was starting to turn it around.

On the negative side, I think is better for a coach to be a teacher at the high school at which he is coaching. After the Dragons beat Guilford last year, Benoit told the press his offense "stunk,” without giving some of the reason for the odor to the Hamden defense. Benoit is being given free reign to bring in some of his assistants who should do well for the Hamden program in the future.

Tony Mentone is the former faculty manager and game assistant at Hamden High School. Tony is currently an assigning commissioner for the Greater New Haven Umpires Association and the assistant district administrator of Connecticut District 4 Little League. He also sits on the town's Parks & Recreation Commission. Please send info and announcements about youth sports or Hamden High sports to tonymentone@yahoo.com.

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March 13, 2008

Help Cheerleaders Raise $$ for Cancer Center

By Tony Mentone

AHREN FIFTH

Alexa Ahrem (HHS ’08) finished fifth overall in the CIAC State Gymnastics Open held at Pomperaug High in Southbury.

Ahrem has had higher scores; the judging at the state tournament was much harder than during the regular season.

GREATER HAMDEN BASEBALL REGISTRATION

Final registration for Greater Hamden Baseball Association will be held on Saturday, March 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the foyer of Miller Library.

All players aged 6-14 must attend an evaluation on Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at O’Keefe’s Baseball/Softball Academy at 104 Sanford St. For more information, call 230.2402.

TRIVIA ANSWER

Unassisted triple play without a defensive player touching the ball:

 Runners on first and second, no outs. Batter lifts a high popup near the second base bag -- out number one, infield fly rule. The runner on first thinks he got a steal sign, takes off for second and passes the runner on second. Out number two. The runner on second gets confused and comes off the base and the ball comes down and hits him in the shoulder. Out number three

Boy, is that a rally killer!

GIRLS’ HOCKEY FINISHES ON SOUR NOTE

As I reported last week, the Hamden girls’ hockey team finished the season by getting beaten in the first round of the state playoff with only 11 players. Nobody is talking but obviously there was some kind of "mutiny" by several players. It was a sad end to a team that had such promise.

Since the details are unclear to me, I don't have much to say. I do feel strongly that administrators administrate, coaches coach, players play and parents give support.

CHEERLEADERS PLAN FUNDRAISER

“Hamden Lights for Life” will benefit the Hospital of St. Raphael's satellite Cancer Center planned for Whitney Avenue adjacent to the surgery center.

The cheerleaders will be selling luminaries at $5 each and are asking area groups to join them in this effort.

The first planning meeting will be held on Monday, March 24, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Atria Larson Place, Quinnipiac Room, 1450 Whitney Ave. Anyone interested is invited.

For more information, call Chris Wilson at 288.0755 or Henry Candido at 641.2877. The Hamden Lights event will be held on Sunday, Sept. 28, at Meadow Brook Park. Save the date.

SAY IT AIN'T SO

There is an old axiom in sports that it is very difficult to beat the same team three times in a season.

The Hamden High Green Dragons boys’ hockey team found this to be very true when they were knocked out of the CIAC LL tournament by Notre Dame of Fairfield, whom they had beaten twice during the year.

Hamden had a magnificent season, holding onto the top spot in the coaches’ poll for several weeks in a row. Pick up your heads and be proud! The Green Dragons had an impressive win against undefeated South Windsor at midseason. At the end of the season, the Dragons tied Mount St. Charles, the No. 1 team in Rhode Island, 2-2.

NEIGHBORS

Congratulations to our neighbors down the road -- the New Haven Career girls’ basketball team, which won the CIAC LL championship. There are at least four players on the team from Hamden and we extend our best to them.

NEW FOOTBALL COACH NAMED

A week or so ago I ran into Assistant Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez. Mr. Hernandez assured me that there were no restrictions against applicants outside the Hamden system for coaching positions, despite the fact that a few years ago a coach received a labor board award of two years coaching salary for not getting work and was put back into his previous coaching position. Mr. Hernandez tells me the coach was awarded for another reason.

Just three or four years ago, several assistant coaches lost their jobs because people in the system applied for their jobs.

Several years ago I sat on a panel to interview for a head football coach. There were five applicants and I was told by the principal, although we had interviewed all five, only three were eligible because the other two were not in the system.

I guess things have changed because Tuesday the assistant superintendent named Scott Benoit, Guilford High’s head football coach, the new Hamden coach. More about Benoit later but let me clarify something.

I was not on the interview panel for the coach. There is somebody at the high school with a name very similar to mine and it was probably that person who was on the interview committee. I received several calls of recommendation and several people were convinced that I knew who was being selected. I did not.

Benoit certainly has impressive credentials. He has coached at the high school level for more than 20 years. During his college tenure he has been to the CIAC playoffs six times. Three years ago he took over the Guilford program that was floundering and put it back on track.

Benoit played at West Haven High School for Tom Hunt and played college ball at WCSU where he played for Coach Paul Pasqualoni, who went on to have a stellar career coaching at Syracuse University. Benoit has coached at several area schools and knows the SCC very well.

Tony Mentone is the former faculty manager and game assistant at Hamden High School. Tony is currently an assigning commissioner for the Greater New Haven Umpires Association and the assistant district administrator of Connecticut District 4 Little League. He also sits on the town's Parks & Recreation Commission. Please send info and announcements about youth sports or Hamden High sports to tonymentone@yahoo.com.

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March 7, 2008

Let's Play Some Ball

By Tony Mentone

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

All Hamden High spring sports open up on March 17. Spring sports include baseball, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys’ and girls’ track, boys’ and girls’ tennis and softball.

TRYOUTS SLATED

Hamden Fathers’ Baseball/Softball tryouts are slated for Yale's Coxe Cage located adjacent to Yale Bowl on Route 34. Players must be at least 9 to try out.

Below is the schedule for Saturday, March 8, and Sunday, March 9.

BASEBALL, AGES 9-12
8 a.m. -- all 12-year-olds
9 a.m. -- all 11-year-olds
10:30 a.m. – 10-year-olds, last names A-H
12 p.m. -- 10-year-olds, last names I-Z
1 p.m. -- all 9-year-olds

SOFTBALL
8:30 a.m. --11- to 13-year-olds
11 a.m. -- high school division

BABE RUTH BASEBALL, AGES 13-15
8 a.m. -- 13-year-olds, last names A-H
9:30 a.m. -- 13-year-olds, last names 1-Z
11 a.m. -- all 14- and 15-year-olds

The regular monthly meeting will be held on March 11 at 7 p.m. at the Bassett Fieldhouse.

NEW BOYS’ LACROSSE COACH

Hamden High’s new varsity lacrosse coach is Frank DeRubeis, who was born in Newton, Mass. He graduated from Quinnipiac College in 1996 with a bachelor’s in occupational therapy. He lives in Beacon Falls with his wife and three children. He plans to move back to Hamden soon.

At QC, DeRubreis played lacrosse for four years and was named to the all-conference team twice. He has coached in various youth programs and was an assistant coach at Amity from 2003-2006.

He says he's very excited about the upcoming season.

HOW DID THEY DO IT?

A baseball team in the Colorado A ball league got a triple play without a defensive player touching the barrel. How did it happen? Answer next week.

CATCHERS THANK PIONEERS

In April 1877, James Tyng became the first player to wear a facemask in a professional game. Fred Thayer designed and patented the mask. The mask was long and narrow but served its purpose.

Claude Berry of the Chicago White Sox was the first professional player to wear a protective cup.

Needless to say, today’s catchers should be thankful that these men came before them to protect their lives and limbs.

TRAVEL TEAM TRYOUTS

Tryouts for the Babe Ruth travel teams will be held at Coxe Cage at Yale Bowl on Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m., and again on March 29 at noon at Legion Field.

HOCKEY NO. 1

Hamden High boys’ hockey team, under recently selected Connecticut Coaches Hockey Coach of the year Billy Verneris, finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the state.

As I meet my deadline tonight, they are playing Greenwich at the Astorino Rink in the first round of the CIAC state tournament.

GUNS AND HOSES

The Hamden police and fire departments will sponsor a hockey event on April 4 at the Lou Astorino rink from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Morgan Jamie Roche Scholarship Fund. Morgan is a young lady whose father and uncle both died tragically within a year of each other.

Tickets are $5 each or $15 per family of five or less.

ONLY IN HAMDEN

Two weeks ago, the then-ranked No. 2 Hamden hockey team played South Windsor, ranked No. 1. No tickets were sold at the door.

On Wednesday Hamden played in the state tournament and no tickets were sold in advance. They were all sold at the door starting at 5:30 p.m. for a 6 p.m. game.

GIRLS’ HOCKEY OUSTED

The Hamden girls’ hockey team lost the championship of the CCGHL in Guilford 4-1.
On Monday night the girls were knocked out of the state tournament by West Hartford 4-1. In the last game, Hamden was down some players. In fact in the state tournament game, there were only 11 players available and some of the leading players were absent.

TRAINERS

If you believe as I do that the Hamden High Athletic Department needs more trainers, call your Legislative Council or Board of Ed members now.

In a $70 million-plus budget, we should be able to find money to improve our athletes’ physical condition.

Tony Mentone is the former faculty manager and game assistant at Hamden High School. Tony is currently an assigning commissioner for the Greater New Haven Umpires Association and the assistant district administrator of Connecticut District 4 Little League. He also sits on the town's Parks & Recreation Commission. Please send info and announcements about youth sports or Hamden High sports to tonymentone@yahoo.com.

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March 1, 2008