see you at the stadium

It's almost 4 in the morning, and I just got back from the gym. I recently joined a 24 hour gym (Cardio Express in Wethersfield if anybody's wondering) to suit my nocturnal lifestyle, and so far it's working out well. But that's not the point of this post.
I'll be covering my first game of the spring in less than 12 hours, and I'm very excited about it. I was stuck in the office most of the winter due to drastically early deadlines and our desire as a staff to continue to get results from as many games as possible in the paper. That meant I was on phone duty most nights. Now with games in the afternoon, I get to go back out in the field most days.
I'll be at the Berlin-New Britain border war baseball game at Beehive, and with a pair of good teams (one looking to be among the elite in the state) it should be exciting.
I figured now is a good time to share some of my "preseason" thoughts (the season is actually two days old) on the spring sports in the area.
Predicted top team: Berlin baseball
If anybody is going to win a state title this season, put your fake money on the Redcoats. They return a team loaded with talent. In fact, when contacted about previews, two opposing coaches had the same comment. "They're [expletive] loaded."
Think about it. Last summer both the Berlin Legion team and Jaycee-TD Banknorth League team made it to their championship, the latter winning. The teams both had players from the current high school squad, though the Legion team had more. This team returned most of its key parts, including a pitching staff coach Leo Veleas says is deeper in talent than he's ever coached. That's saying a lot.
Team on the rise: Newington softball
I have a feeling this could be a very special year for the Indians. They went 13-7 last year, losing a number of close games that they should have won. Experience is the greatest teacher, and with all six players back in front of the outfield grass (and in softball that's what matters most) the talent is there to be among the best in the CCC and possibly the state. Now, Masuk looks extremely tough to beat for a state title (and it's way to early to talk about that for this team), but the Indians held them scoreless in a 0-0 scrimmage. Keep an eye on this team.
Bounce-back year: Rocky Hill softball
The Terriers have had a few bad years and are looking back at the golden days when they had pitchers like Natalie Tine and Ashlee Teraila leading them deep in the state tournament. Well, look out for Megan Ruonavaara, a player who will terrify hitters in the coming years as much as her name terrifies sports writers. Rocky Hill is back.
Most likely to defend a title: Berlin boys golf
The Redcoats golfers will try to steal some attention away from the baseball team, and with Ryan Lee, Kevin Jud, Mike Scheyd and others back, this team has a very good shot to defend its Division II state title. Scheyd, typically their No. 3 guy, shot even par in his first round of the season. Not a bad way to start.
Best local athletes you've never watched: Farmington tennis players Mark Kahan and Monica Szwed
Kahan lost the state open final last year, but bounced back by winning the New England title instead. Szwed, as a sophomore, went deep in the girls tournament, and with a little added muscle to her precision shots should go further. These two are fun to watch, no punchers here. Of course, I speak as a varsity letter earner in tennis, so maybe I'm biased.
Best rivalry: It may be more media driven than anything (guilty as charged), or maybe not, but the three-way rivalry between golfers Sarah Sideranko (New Britain), Kirsten LaPointe (Newington) and Erica Barnes (Berlin) is always fun. Sideranko and LaPointe have been dueling it out in the spotlight since being named all-state players their freshman season. They have such contrasting styles of play on the course, it's fascinating to watch them head to head. Sideranko will invariably outdrive LaPointe, but the latter seems to know exactly where to hit it with the strength she has to make an approach shot possible.
Meanwhile, Barnes spent two years just trying to get noticed and did so in a big way by finishing tied for second at last year's state open, on a day when the other two weren't quite as sharp.
They all face off against each other, and to add to the fun, Sideranko and LaPointe will be college teammates at Hartford next season.
Some upperclassmen to watch (in no particular order): Spencer Parker, Newington volleyball; D.J. Voisine, Plainville baseball; Matt Carasiti, Berlin baseball; Chris Linares, New Britain baseball; Amanda Palmieri, Southington softball; Kelly Paterson, Southington softball; Felicia Leone, New Britain softball; Josh Edelson, Farmington golf; Chris Kelly, Southington track; Jackie English, Wethersfield softball
One other storyline: baseball dominance
I predict, for the second year in a row, that area baseball teams will finish much better than local softball teams. Looking around the towns, it's hard to find a bad baseball squad. Rocky Hill might be the weakest, but I have a feeling the Terriers will challenge people. Southington and Newington don't look as strong as they've been, but there's always talent at those two schools. I wouldn't be shocked if all these teams make the postseason, with Farmington appearing ready to bounce back this season, and teams like New Britain, Berlin, Plainville and Wethersfield possibly among the best.

That's about it for now. Come out to the Hive Friday at 3.

some general guidelines

When I was in high school, I'm proud to say I managed to earn a varsity letter as a tennis player, competing at first doubles for our team my senior year.
Perhaps the most notable thing about high school tennis, the first thing that most first-time observers point out, is that there are no officials at a match, not even typically at state championship matches. Players make their own calls, and must be trusted to be honest about them.
There are times, however, when officials might seem like a good idea. But I fully believe the players should be honest enough, and respectful enough of their opponents, to render them unnecessary.
Controversy brewed at the Farmington-Berlin girls match on Thursday, a critical one between probably the two best teams in the conference, and a growing rivalry. It is understandable that there would be some tension.
But there was what I felt in my experience to be an excessive amount of complaining from both sides about calls. Players and fans on both sides were quick to point out plays which they thought were called incorrectly against them by the other team, and even after some of the matches ended, the complaints carried on.
In particular, I overheard several parents pointing out to their children the calls that the other team had made wrong, and how good it was that they had played the match honestly.
My problem is this. If the complaints are coming from both sides, while both sides simultaneously are claiming honesty on their own part, something must be wrong. The fact is, making a split-second call with your naked eyes, while simultaneously trying to play the game, running around, preparing to hit the ball should it land in, is extremely difficult. Mistakes will be made and there will be times that a call is missed, or a player is positive they saw something that did not actually happen.
But the fact remains that there is a lot to be gained from the sportsmanlike approach required of players policing themselves.
My first bit of advice to players is this: When in doubt, always call the play in favor of your opponent. This was the way I made calls as a player, even when I suspected that the point should go my way.
Yes, there will be times when you make the wrong call and hurt yourself. But chances are, there will be other times in which you are sure you made the correct call in your own favor, when in fact you saw it wrong. Furthermore, your opponent may see you make a call in their favor that they believe was actually wrong. In that case, you will have gained their trust and respect as an honest player, and should you later make a call that goes against them, will be more inclined to believe you.
And fans, my message is this: understand that mistakes happen. Just because people make a bad call, even if from your vantage point it was an obviously wrong call, does not mean they are being dishonest or cheating. They simply might not have seen it from their point of view. Of course, there will always be some players who look to gain a small advantage from time to time by making a call in their own favor. But, I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of high school players take their dual role as match official very seriously, and would never intentionally make a bad call.
And coaches, your position as role model may be most important of all. Stress to your players the importance of making the right calls. Is winning worth so much that you would have them consider cheating to get there? Keep an eye out for bad calls, and be prepared to question a player should anything suspicious happen. You are the ones with the ability to teach.
But, please, don't let the values that can be learned from this tradition be lost by looking for outside line judges. It is far more important than the score.