Category Archives: Uncategorized

Portland 6 New Hampshire 2

(Portland ME) They came to see Trevor Story.

You could tell the crowd awareness when Trevor’s name was announced.

And they saw six innings of him.

He looked good.

Trevor is rehabbing his right wrist.  That wrist got mixed up with a pitched ball late in the 2022 season.  It didn’t appear to be healing right so surgery was performed on the wrist in January of this year. 

The rehabbing process is underway.  This coming week Trevor will be in AAA Worcester.

Trevor made a play today that would suggest that the wrist is coming along fine.  A New Hampshire batter hit the ball to deep short to Trevor’s right.  Trevor got there and then elevated and made an accurate, in time, throw to first.  Great play for any shortstop but for one on a rehab assignment it must have felt especially good.

I was near the Portland dugout, so I was able to see Trevor in the dugout as well.  For his six innings there he was seldom in the same place. 

Something important (I think) happened in the sixth inning.  In that inning, Trevor had walked and eventually gotten to third base.  At third, he was replaced, and you knew that his day was done and that he would probably be heading for the exits.  Not so fast. 

Once in the dugout, Trevor picked up his glove and went over and sat down beside Marcelo Mayer.  Marcelo is Boston’s #1 prospect and a 20-year-old shortstop.  Trevor sat with Marcelo during what turned out to be a long inning and engaged in a lengthy conversation.

Marcelo, wisely, did a lot of listening to someone who already is a major league shortstop and one who will likely have that position with the Red Sox when his rehab is over.

I thought it was a neat gesture by Trevor and certainly helpful to Marcelo.

Today’s game started out to be all about Trevor but when it ended it was also about the no-hitter that three Sea Dogs’ pitchers (Wikelman Gonzalez, Brendan Cellucci, Luis Guerrero) had put together.

It was a little hard to realize that today’s pitching would be eventful because Portland’s pitchers allowed seven walks and two runs were scored by the Fisher Cats.

But it ended up a no-hitter.

Interesting, to me, was that pitcher CJ Liu was the player signing pregame.  CJ pitched a seven-inning no-hitter in Akron on May fifth for Portland. 

Trevor’s play from deep short saved a hit but it was third baseman Blaze Jordan’s snare of a line drive that was the defensive play of the game in my opinion.  Blaze’s grab saved a run and turned into a double play as he finished the play picking off the NH baserunner at second base.

Speaking of finishing, Slugger continues not to be able to finish.  He gets around first base with a win in sight and just runs dry.  Granted he’s big but he does have long legs.  He always puts on a good show but it’s never on the bases!

Plenty of sun on this afternoon. 

I chose to bring only my Sigma F2.8 – 70-200 today.  Last time I went strictly with the 600.  I was hoping for some Trevor Story closeups with the 200 which I couldn’t get with the 600 because of its length and high F-Stop.  The 200 was a good choice. That F2.8 was good for raising the speed to 1/2000 on some action shots.  I could also adjust it to get some nice closeups. 

I have been collecting 8×10 pictures when CVS offers free ones.  One of the Trevor Story pictures will certainly be the next one I get done.

The sun at Hadlock is in the “targets” faces but it is what it is.  Close shots take care of that issue.

Thanks, as always, to Chris Cameron for giving me the opportunity to “get close” at Hadlock Field.

More Document Information

When I create an entry in Word, I need to realize that the first line of the entry will be the title of the entry when I paste it into WordPress.

When I’m done preparing a Word document, I need to select it and copy it.

Using WordPress.com/log-in will include a saved email address and a password.

Now into the RIGHT blog, I will click on “posts” and click on “add new post.”

That will get the document in front of me with the title (first line) in place.

IMAGES

Click below a sentence and a “+” will appear. Click on it and on “image.”  Then click on “media library.”  Then on the image I want and click “insert.”  Into the document goes that image.

Above the image there are icons that, when clicked on, will enable me to edit the image. 

“insert link” is important because if I do that, then a reader will be able to click on the picture to see it full sized.

“alignment” is important because if I leave it at “none” a large box appears to the right of the image.  That box will prevent text from wrapping around the picture.  I almost always want to be able to wrap text around a picture.

The arrows help me to position the picture where I want it.

There are also editing possibilities to the right.  One of those possibilities is changing the size of the picture (25/50/75/100).

A brand new one for me was the “featured image” option.  I clicked there, was led into the Gallery, chose a picture, and it became the Header. Of course, if the chosen picture isn’t 770 or less it will be substantially cropped.  But if it is the right size then it is a quick way to bring on a new header.

(I started working on putting text on pictures but that is a work-in-progress at this point.)

Yesterday I took care of getting into my blog and sizing images so that they could be used as headers.

Today I worked to locate and set up a document to put an entry on.

I took a document already labeled on my desktop and changed the label to “Blog Document Location.”  I clicked in there and clicked on “New” to get a blank page.

I had to remember that the first sentence is going to be the title.  I don’t doubt that I could fix the title within the blog if I had to.

I copied the document I created and went into the blog with it.  I located “Post” and went to “New.”  At the cursor I clicked Control V and the document was inserted with the title (first line) highlighted.

I could immediately publish the post if I chose to as I did yesterday.

Almost always, however, pictures must be included.

This would be the work-in-progress area for me. 

It is “interesting” to have blogs and be unable to even get into them!

That was my situation at the start of yesterday.

Now, I’ve “graduated!”

I can get into my blogs…..wordpress.com/log-in

Good, now I’m in.  What else could I get up-to-speed on?

My blogs have headers.  I know that I set up new ones.  How do I do that? 

I remembered how to import images and I already had some stored up.  I tried to make an image into a header and couldn’t do it consistently.

The header instructions told me every time that a specific size was required.  It took me a while to realize that the request was a requirement!

When I saved images “for the web” I was given a place where I could set the size to 770.  That was the header’s required size. 

When I set an image to 770 and imported it into my blog gallery I could then transfer it to the header. 

So, there are two things I couldn’t do yesterday.  Who knows what today might bring!

It has been long enough.

I decided that I would resume some postings but, alas, the whole blogging process is no longer familiar to me.

Old age? Could be part of it.

I am very active currently with photography. I take. I process. I send out………with hardly a glitch. But that is currently. Get away from it for a while and who knows what I’ll be able to do!

It behooves me to write out procedures for photography. I didn’t do that with blogging, and I have struggled just to get back into my blog to post something! Imagine if I try to add a picture.

My normal blog entries had pictures and commentary from a sporting event. It has been nearly a year since I’ve done that.

Let me set two goals for myself: (1) return to posting commentary/pictures, and (2) thoroughly write out the WHOLE blogging procedure so that I can go away from it and “easily” come back to it.

(Newburyport) The (20-3) Clippers have reached the MIAA Division 3 volleyball Final Four.

Newburyport accomplished this by overwhelming Ashland 3-0 on Friday afternoon.

The Clippers have now won six straight matches including three in the tournament.

The #6 Clockers (13-10) struggled in the first two sets before coming to life in the final set to lead for part of it. 

However, in that last set, the #3 Clippers fought back to tie the score at 10-10 and sailed home from there.

The set totals were 25-16, 25-13, and 25-12.

Newburyport has gotten better as the tournament has progressed.  Maybe they were “scared straight” after nearly losing to #30 Bishop Fenwick in their tourney opener.

“I think that this is the best I’ve seen us play this season,” said junior Zoey Calitri after today’s win.

“Our defense was strong,” she added.  “When it’s strong, we can run a quick offense.  Then we get to run our middles and that’s an automatic kill.”

Receiving serves successfully was important.

“The key to this win was serve-receive,” said Coach Lori Solazzo.  “We knew that they were good servers.”

The Clippers had seen Ashland’s win over Greater New Bedford.

“We watched it,” said senior Viive Godtfredsen, “looking for places we could score.  We were prepared for everything.”

“We practiced a lot, so we were ready to play today,” added senior Bea Cortecci.

Senior Sophie Messina paced the Clippers with eleven kills and five blocks that converted into points.

“Sophie has been a force in the middle,” said Coach Solazzo.  “People haven’t been able to stop her.”

Sophie was on the scoring end of some terrific setups by Emma Foley.

“Our service-receive was great,” said Sophie.  “We’ve been working on that.”

Junior Lily LeDuc finished with ten kills.  “Lily had a heck of a game,” said Coach Solazzo.

The Clippers serving was outstanding as their sixteen aces reflects.

“We started the first set strong with a serving run by Viive (Godtfredsen),” explained Lily.  “We limited our errors.”

Four of the top five seeds are in the D3 Final Four.  Newburyport will face #2 Tewksbury at a neutral site this week.

Viive knows a little bit about (19-4) Tewksbury. “I play club with a few girls who are on the Tewksbury team.”

Can the Clippers advance?

“I knew at the start that our team was talented,” said Coach Solazzo.  “I wasn’t anticipating that we were going to go this far but we’ve shown that we belong here.”

The Newburyport captains (Emma Foley, Viive Godtfredsen, Sophie Messina) received the Final Four trophy from an MIAA representative after the Ashland win.

“We’ve got a trophy now,” said Sophie afterwards.  “It’s the first time.”

Viive was pleased with the Final Four trophy but added, “we want the next trophy.”  That would be the one given next weekend to the Division Three champion.

Coach Solazzo: “We have been focused on our next opponent.  We keep saying, ‘One point, one set, one match at a time, together.”

(Newburyport) “It looked as if our season was going to be over a little earlier than we thought,” was how Newburyport senior Sophie Messina explained their tight tussle with Bishop Fenwick on Friday night.

The #3 seed Clippers (18-3) had their hands full and then some against the #30 seed Crusaders (8-14).

The home team was down 2-1 after three sets but rallied to escape a shocking upset in the MIAA Division 3 Round of 32.

Newburyport had twice defeated BF 3-0 going into this one.

“It was easy to see an easy win based on where we were in the bracket,” explained Fenwick coach Sam Kelly afterwards.  “Our goal was to make it challenging for them.”

Mission accomplished on that!

“Bishop Fenwick definitely took it to us tonight,” said NHS coach Lori Solazzo afterwards.  “I’m proud of the win but Bishop Fenwick played great.”

The set results were 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-16, and 15-8.

The Clippers will return to action on Tuesday.

The keys to the early success for BF were limiting unforced errors and attacking the Clippers.

“We knew they would be running a tall front row with an aggressive attack,” said Coach Kelly.  “We brought up Kylie Murphy from the JVs to start for us in her first varsity game.  She played fantastic.”

Kylie is tall like her teammate sister Lacey and between them they made it difficult for Newburyport to find open shots at the net.

Both teams struggled to run points together.

“We were going point to point instead of getting some runs,” said Coach Solazzo.

Newburyport’s inability to put point together kept BF in each of the first three sets and after the Crusaders won two of them the pressure was squarely on the Clippers.

“Being down 2-1 was a little nerve wracking,” said Newburyport senior Viive Godtfredsen.  “It was a matter of who was mentally tough at the end.”

Coach Solazzo credited senior Bea Cortecci with swinging things in the Clippers favor in the fourth set.

“Bea pulled us through in that 4^th set with her aces and kills,” Coach Sollazzo said.  “It was the turning point for the team for sure.”

Once the Clippers were back even after four sets the momentum switched completely in the 15-point final set.  Several miscues gave Newburyport a quick 4-0 lead.  Then it was 8-3 and 10-3.  The final was 15-8.

“Passing was a struggle the first couple of sets,” said Sophie Messina afterwards.  “Setter Emma Foley was running all over the place.  In the 4^th and 5^th sets we were able to get passes closer to the net and score off of that.  A win is a win.  We’ll take it.”

“We’re excited to keep going and get as far as we can,” said Vive Godtfredsen.

Sophie Messina had 17 kills.  Bea Cortecci had 16 kills and 10 aces.  Viive Godtfredsen had 15 kills while Lily LeDuc added 14 kills.

(Fryeburg) “It’s a mystery to us why we can’t score,” said Greely field hockey coach Burgess LaPage.

The Rangers (0-5-1) were shut out, 3-0, by Fryeburg Academy on Thursday afternoon.

While the visitors have only two goals for the season the Raiders (5-2) have scored thirteen times.

The issue for FA was recovering from an 8-0 loss last game (Tuesday) versus Freeport.

“We had a good comeback today,” said FA senior captain Grace Murley afterwards.  “We had all our defense for this one.”

Grace had a goal for Fryeburg as did teammates Greta Hermanson and Sharis Santos.

“We certainly played better today than we did for sure on Tuesday,” conceded FA coach Dede Frost post-game.

The Raiders had goals in each of the first three periods this afternoon.

I asked Grace Murley about her goal in the first period.  “That goal was on a corner,” she recalled.  “It was off a rebound.  I just tapped it in.”

Sophomore Greta Hermanson was given an assist on Grace’s goal.

Greta had her own score in the second period.

“It was a cross from Eliza Thorne,” explained Coach Frost.

Eliza came very close to scoring later in that second period, but Greely GK Kate Parkinson made a big stop.

“Kate has been playing incredibly,” said Coach LaPage.

Senior Eliza Thorne was no stranger to Greely.  Eliza had three goals during FA’s 3-0 win at Greely earlier in the season.

“We had to adjust for her,” said Coach LaPage. “She moves around a lot.”

Several times Eliza showed speed and dribbling skills to carry the ball for long distances.  The Portland Press Herald has Eliza on their list of “Twenty-five Players to Watch.”

Coach Frost described the Raiders final goal as, “super cool.” 

“We had a junior (Grace Porcaro) who is new to our team set up a freshman (Sharis Santos) for a goal,” added Coach Frost. 

The Rangers had chances, but the FA defense led by Haley Littlefield and GK Rayna Wales kept Greely scoreless.

“We showed up a little flat in the first half,” said Coach LaPage, “but in the second half we were much better.  We were stronger and mentally tough.”

“I love playing Fryeburg,” she said. “They’re very intense.”

Coach Frost talking about Eliza Thorne: “She had a hat trick at Greely. They marked her man-to-man in the second half which is exactly what I would have done.  Eliza is tough and tenacious.”

Grace Murley: “I am hoping to play field hockey in college somewhere in Massachusetts.  I really like Bentley and Babson.  I am visiting Bentley next weekend.  My captain here when I was a freshman went there and we play the same position.”

Today’s weather was bizarre.  It had rained steadily all day and the chance to play this 4PM game seemed small.  But Greely was short on makeup-game options, so they headed over from Cumberland.  Suddenly at 3:30PM the rain stopped, and the sun showed up.  It was as nice as could be for the entire game! 

(Portland) It was a fall-apart inning of immense proportions.

The Portland Sea Dogs suffered through the disastrous frame, and it cost them as the Somerset Patriots took Game 1 of the Eastern League Playoffs, 9-4, on Tuesday night at Hadlock Field.

The Sea Dogs giddy-stepped into the top of the fourth inning with an impressive 3-0 lead. 

Consecutive homers by Niko Kavalas (two-run) and Hudson Potts (solo) in the bottom of the second inning had the Hadlock faithful feeling good about the team’s chances.

But then came the top of the fourth inning.

One reporter said that it lasted thirty-five minutes! 

We saw three Portland pitchers.  We also saw four walks and eleven straight Somerset batters reach base. An error and an unturned double play were also on display.

It was indeed a regrettable/forgetable inning.

Somerset starter Randy Vasquez was about to make an early exit after Portland’s three-run second inning but found new life after his teammates raised the eight-spot on the scoreboard in the fourth inning.  Randy retired eleven Sea Dogs in a row to keep the home team from getting any comeback ideas. 

When the Sea Dogs did get a runner in scoring position, a call to the Somerset bullpen brought in the relief required.

Certainly, a different atmosphere at Hadlock tonight.  The usual crowd comes to be entertained.  Tonight’s crowd was there to actively support the Sea Dogs, a team that hadn’t been in the EL Playoffs since 2014.

Devern Hansack from the 2006 Sea Dogs EL Championship team threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The two-out-of-three series moves to Somerset on Thursday and possibly Friday night. 

I like the Sea Dogs’ chances. That bad inning is over with.  The team has won 17 of their last 21 games.  Last week they won 4 of 6 games at Somerset.

If Portland can get by the Patriots, there will be one and possibly two EL Championship games played at Hadlock starting next Tuesday.

No question the Somerset roster is loaded with New York Yankees’ prospects.  Six of their top nine prospects are on the team.

Nineteen-year-old Jasson Dominguez tops the group as their second-best prospect.  #1 prospect Anthony Volpe was with Somerset for part of the season but has moved up to AAA.

Ceddone Rafaela is Boston’s #3 prospect and he is the only one of their top-ten prospects to be at Portland.  I see the exciting fielder/hitter starting at AAA Worcester next season.

Very disappointed with Slugger tonight.  It had been ten days since he had raced at Hadlock.  I assumed he would have trained during those days off.  Severely doubt he did that after watch tonight’s race.  He started the race almost on third base and looked good until he crossed first.  His eyes told him that he could win (and he had a good lead) but his body said otherwise, and he went down in a heap as his two opponents ran home winners.

It’s not pretty to watch when you see your hero disintegrating into a season-long loser. 

September brings earlier darkness and despite the 6PM start the artificial lights of Hadlock had to be relied on for any of the game pictures.  Trust me, it’s a challenge.

Continued thanks to Chris Cameron for enabling me to be on hand for an EL Playoff game.  I hope to return next week when the stakes will be even higher.

(Poland) Yarmouth boys’ soccer if very good.

They have been Class B champs the last two seasons.

They were ranked #2 in New England in a preseason poll this year.

The Clippers had that quality on display today as they defeated Poland, 6-0, on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Yarmouth is now 5-0-1 and it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see them making noise later in the season.

The Clippers have won ten state titles in the last eighteen years.

Yarmouth scored three times in each half.

Matt Gautreau paced the Clippers with two goals and an assist. 

“Our goal was to compete against them, and we did,” said Poland coach Josh Kennison afterwards.  “I think we played as well as we could.”

The busiest player on the field was Knights’ goalkeeper Sam Paladino.  Yarmouth had at least ten corner kicks by my unofficial count.

Stevie Walsh scored the first Yarmouth goal at 28:46 out of a scramble near the goal.

Truman Peters and Adam McLaughlin added first-half scores within a minute of each other.  Both players had good looks from further out.  Truman found the right corner while Adam’s shot went just under the crossbar.

“Most of them can take a shot from anywhere,” said Coach Kennison.  “They have multiple ways to attack you.”

“We moved the ball pretty well,” recalled Yarmouth coach Mike Hagerty post-game.  “We have a lot of talented upperclassmen.”

Matt Gautreau’s two goals came in the second half.

Matt’s first goal was set up by a long-distance pass from Liam Hickey down the right sidelines.  Matt ran under it and was off on a clean look that led to a goal.

“I have been working on those long balls all year,” said Liam Hickey afterwards.  “We practice it a lot.  Matt made a good play.  He’s very fast.”

Matt’s next goal was set up by Zach Kelly. 

Luis Cardoso had a great look from in close after a pass from Truman Peters.

Ian O’Connor recorded the shutout for the Clippers.

Coach Hagerty limited his starters’ playing time and had his team in a possession approach late in the game.

“They showed good sportsmanship and I appreciated that,” said Coach Kennison.

“Their one touch is what makes Yarmouth special,” added Coach Kennison.  “Their first touch is just unbelievable.”

“I just happen to have some players who have played a lot more soccer than Poland does,” said Coach Hagerty.  “Poland (1-4) is making strides.  They’re positive and they work hard.”

“We’ve had a good start to the season,” said Liam Hickey, “but we have a long way to go.  We have to keep working in practice.”

Liam told me that he wasn’t sure if he would be playing soccer next year in college. 

The weather is the weather!  Temps in the low 40’s at 7AM give way to temps in the 70’s at the 11:15AM start time. 

(I made a picture gallery for MaxPreps from this game with fifty-five pictures.)