Brady, the Beanpot and a few other thoughts

Just thought I’d empty put my reporter’s notebook while searching for a 60-and-older men’s basketball league where I can just fire up some 3-pointers and play minimal defense … just like the NBA.

*While celebrating a big birthday yesterday I was overcome with nostalgia and all of those lessons in Sportswriting 101 that I devoured from reading the Boston Globe in the late 1970s.

Every morning I picked up a Globe on the way to high school. The commute from my hometown (Everett, Mass.) to Boston College High School in Dorchester wasn't always easy, especially during some harsh Boston winters. While riding the bus and the MBTA's orange and red line trains, the Globe became my trusty companion. I relished those classic game stories, columns and features written by Bob Ryan, Leigh Montville, Will McDonough, Ray Fitzgerald, Bud Collins and Peter Gammons.

All legends of the keyboard. Every morning.

*Hey, you win three World Championships with the Boston Red Sox and smash one clutch hit after another against the evil empire New York Yankees you deserve your rightful place among baseball’s all-time greats.

Really enjoyed seeing David Ortiz became the 58th first-ballot Hall of Famer in baseball history. Ortiz will join era committee selections Buck O'Neil, Bud Fowler, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Gil Hodges and Minnie Miñoso in Cooperstown, New York for the induction ceremony on July 24.

The folks at the Otesaga Resort Hotel better ‘batten down the hatches.’ Red Sox Nation is coming this summer to celebrate Big Papi.

*Is it ludicrous to think that maybe … just maybe … we haven’t seen Tom Brady throw his last touchdown pass? CBS broadcaster Tony Romo’s theory isn’t so far-fetched. Brady isn’t hurt. He’s still in terrific shape. He’s coming off one of his best seasons ever. Maybe after a year away from the game, he decides it’s time to get out of the house for a little bit. Old boxers come out of retirement all the time.

When the Trey Lance experiment goes sour in San Francisco, I can easily see Brady buckling up his chinstrap one more time and winning ring No. 8 with the 49ers in 2023.

Yup, I’m not ready for an NFL that doesn’t have Tom Brady in it.

*It’s great that our state’s four Division I hockey schools – Quinnipiac, Yale, UConn and Sacred Heart – are emulating the Boston Beanpot Tournament with an annual two-day affair. After edging Sacred Heart in overtime, Quinnipiac, which is ranked No. 2 in the country, defeated UConn, 2-0, to win the Connecticut Ice tourney last Sunday at Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Arena.

The Connecticut Ice tournament began two years ago and after a rough start it will be fun to see how it grows these next few years.

*Speaking of the Beanpot … the world’s greatest hockey tournament rolls into Boston’s TD Garden on Monday night. It’s Boston University versus Harvard and Boston College versus Northeastern, with the winners meeting next Monday (February 14) for Boston bragging rights and the glorious Beanpot Trophy.

*Shootah update … our favorite ‘shootah’, St. Thomas More guard Kyle Carlesimo, scored 18 points in the Chancellors recent 70-69 win against Loomis Chaffee. Earlier in the week, Carlesimo poured in 29 points with the Chancellors missing three starters in a 98-84 loss against Northfield Mount Hermon, Carlesimo, the son of former college and NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo (and fellow Fordham alumnus), also netted 25 points against South Kent but the Chancellors fell short, 67-65.

*Wishing all of our scholastic indoor track and field athletes the best of luck at the Eastern Connecticut Conference championships today at the Coast Guard Academy.

Norwich Free Academy, East Lyme, Fitch, New London, Waterford, and Woodstock Academy compete for the Division I championship at 10 a.m. Griswold, Killingly, Plainfield, Ledyard, Lyman Memorial, Montville, St. Bernard, Bacon Academy, Stonington, Tourtellotte, and Windham compete for the Division II championship at 4 p.m.

All passengers in vehicles will be required to show Identification at the gate. All vehicles must park in designated spots only. Any cars not parked in a designated parking space will be towed by campus police.

COVID protocols will be in effect. All ticket holders will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative result from a 72 hour PCR or 24 hour Antigen test. (Home test is accepted). Masks must be worn and no food or beverages are allowed in the facility.

*STUCK IN THE ‘70s: On this day - Feb. 6, 1974 - the Boston Celtics edged the Milwaukee Bucks, 105-104. Dave Cowens had 28 points, 17 rebounds and six assists, while John Havlicek added 26 points and four assists. The Bucks were led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32 points, 13 rebounds), Lucius Allen (27 points) and Oscar Robertson (18 points). A few months later the teams would meet in the NBA Finals with the Celtics winning an epic seven-game series.

Jimmy Zanor can be reached at jzanor@norwichbulletin.com.

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