OK, call me a shameless self-promoter, but March is easily the best time to follow me on social media. This is counterintuitive, of course, because there is absolutely nothing happening in terms of high school sports, now or in the foreseeable future. Maybe that’s part of the appeal. I’m cantankerous, cooped-up and a little punchy. […]
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The Hot Corner: Hockey’s perfect punctuation for high school winter sports
The Maine Principals’ Association and the high school sports establishment preserve the best for last, every year. Ten winters ago, when the sanctioning body restructured the basketball tournament due to changing needs and moved the Class A showcase from the first two weeks of March to February vacation, hockey took over as the terminus of […]
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The Hot Corner: Final progress report from Tourney ’15
Another year of tournament basketball is in the books. Deep sigh. Now what do I do? Every student-athlete knows that each semester ends with a progress report. Of course, I bet a few of them wish their performance on that 94-foot-long rectangle were the only measuring stick! Today, then, is their lucky day. What follows […]
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The Hot Corner: Dirigo wins habitually, and does it the right way
The hollering from Locker Room No. 3 at the north end of Augusta Civic Center prompted an exchange of quizzical looks, followed by doubled-over laughs, among every coach and reporter within earshot Saturday night. Dirigo boys’ basketball players were, ahem, enjoying a moment. They’ve shared enough of them for our enjoyment over the years. All […]
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The Hot Corner: No title, but one special journey for Devils
Deftly fielding a reporter’s late-afternoon Sunday phone call that probably interrupted a New England Patriots game, Lewiston boys’ basketball coach Tim Farrar forecast in November that his team had “a chance to do something special.” Well, he slam-dunked that prediction. Poster quality, too, even if “special” stopped two wins shy of every team’s dare-to-dream aspiration. […]
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The Hot Corner: And now, for the airing of grievances
I will never be King of the World. Heck, when you choose this profession, with the requisite hours and pay, you’re lucky to maintain a figurehead’s grip over your home, your health, and your bank account. If I’m ever named benevolent dictator of Maine high school basketball, however, you’d better believe some things are going […]
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The Hot Corner: Auburn surgeon makes big Bang in non-traditional environment
Have you heard the one about the bariatric surgeon, the devout Mormon and the triathlete who walked into a mixed martial arts fight? They’re the same guy, and if you didn’t see that coming, allow Dr. Steve Bang of Auburn to change your perception of an increasingly popular but still widely misunderstood sport. “At some […]
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The Hot Corner: Four-time champs has nice ring, but Brady, Belichick didn’t need it
The debate is over. With four Super Bowl championships in an era designed to prevent sustained excellence, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the greatest coach and quarterback in NFL history. Now, the equally indisputable truth: Such debates are stupid. Professional football is the ultimate team game. Apologies to baseball, but in a universe where […]
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The Hot Corner: Evidence, common sense outweigh noise in Patriots’ debacle
What an embarrassing week to be a fan of … Western civilization. Seriously, when considering the events of the past eight days, the New England Patriots couldn’t be any farther down the list of violators in relationship to the social contract. Imagine President Bill Clinton, a decade-and-a-half after the Monica Lewinsky foolishness (a sign that […]
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The Hot Corner: Gifts and good tidings for all
It’s the holiday season, so whoop-dee-doo, and dickory-dock, and don’t forget that you’re probably in hock. Yes, I refer to this profession as a labor of love for many reasons, not the least of which is that it doesn’t bestow upon me the riches to buy lavish Christmas gifts. Check that. I don’t have two […]