Just thought I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while excited that the NHL season is right around the corner. The Boston Bruins open on the road against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 5. The Caps’ Alex Ovechkin is just 41 goals from Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.
Killingly, Ledyard earn Michaels Cup Award
Kudos to Killingly athletic director James Lackner, Ledyard athletic director Jim Buonocore, their coaching staffs, school administrations, and their student-athletes for being honored with a 2023-2024 Michaels Jewelers Achievement Cup Award.
The CIAC proudly announced the list of 28 Connecticut high schools being honored with this prestigious award. Schools that are part of the CIAC’s Class Act program can be considered for the award.
The Michaels Jewelers Cup Committee recognized the Killingly and Ledyard athletic programs for their willingness to subscribe to the Class Act Sportsmanship standards, empowering students to take an active role in their school climate, and their continued support for community service.
Joining Killingly and Ledyard as Michaels Cup Award winners this year are Academy of Aerospace & Engineering, Academy of Computer Science & Engineering, Academy of International Studies, Academy of Science & Innovation, Amity, Bethel, Bloomfield, Brookfield, Canton, Cheshire, Danbury, Daniel Hand, Derby, East Catholic, Joel Barlow, Lyme-Old Lyme, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Norwalk, Simsbury, St. Paul Catholic, Stamford, Valley Regional, Westbrook and Weston.
These 28 schools have made sportsmanship a priority in their district. They will be formally recognized during the CIAC’s 18th Annual Sportsmanship Conference on Oct. 7.
Clark Mania
Wow. The first five minutes of Wednesday’s night’s Connecticut Sun-Indiana Fever contest looked like an early 1980s playoff clash between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. At any moment I expected to see the Fever’s Katie Lou Samuleson riling up the crowd by waving a white towel on the bench like the Celtics’ M.L. Carr, or Caitlin Clark and DeWanna Bonner grabbing each other by the neck like the heated moment between Larry Bird and Julius Erving.
There was even a fan escorted from his courtside seat early in the first quarter. I mean, has that ever happened before during a WNBA game at The Sun?
I’ll tell you what also has never happened. On Sunday at 3 p.m., my television was tuned into Game 1 of the Fever-Sun instead of the NFL Red Zone.
Yup, the WNBA has arrived. Thank you, Caitlin Clark!
As for the GOAT … well, can you imagine what Clark’s game is going to look like during her third or fourth year in the league when her extraordinary skills improve and become more polished?
September Swoon
Looking at the MLB standings on Friday afternoon I am reminded once again of former Patriots coach Bill Parcells saying, “You are what your record says you are.”
My two favorite teams - the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins - fell out of the American League Wild Card race in September. The teams simply stopped hitting, especially with runners in scoring position.
The Red Sox (80-79) finish their season this weekend at Fenway against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are two games behind the Sox in the battle for third place in the AL East.
The Twins (82-77) are mathematically still alive for a Wild Card spot. They are three games behind the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers but hold the tiebreakers over both teams.
The Twins need to sweep the top Wild Card team, the Baltimore Orioles, in Minnesota this weekend and hope either the Royals, who are in Atlanta, or the Tigers, who host the 120-loss Chicago White Sox, lose three straight.
More: From Big Leaguers to a World War II veteran: NFA names 13 to its Athletics Hall of Fame
Griswold’s major leaguer!
A big thanks to loyal reader Michael Minski, of the Griswold Sports Network. Last week when I wrote about some of the local Connecticut baseball players who went on and made it to the major leagues, I didn’t mention one William Chester Dawley.
After helping the Griswold Wolverines win back-to-back state championships in 1974 and 1975, Bill Dawley, a right-handed pitcher, was selected by the world champion Cincinnati Reds in the seventh round of the 1976 MLB Draft.
After spending time in the minors, Dawley was traded to Houston in 1983 and made a sparkling debut in The Show for the Astros. Dawley went 5-2 with a 1.88 earned-run average before the All-Star break and was named to the National League All-Star team.
Dawley came into the 1983 All-Star Game at Comiskey Park in Chicago after Fred Lynn hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history. Dawley’s impressive outing included getting Jim Rice on a pop fly to end the third inning. In the fourth, he got George Brett to fly out and struck out Lance Parrish. He then gave up a single to Dave Winfield before retiring Manny Trillo to end the inning.
Dawlkey spent seven seasons in the majors with the Astros, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics.
Yankee Conference
The battle for the mythical 2024 Yankee Football Conference championship is heating up: Here are my updated Yankee Football Conference standings:
Delaware 3-0
New Hampshire 3-1
Rhode Island 3-1
Maine 2-2
UConn 2-2
UMass 1-3
More: Wooten's hat trick lifts Griswold past Killingly-Tourtellotte
Stuck in the '70s
On Oct. 1, 1978, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-0, on a warm Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park. It was the final game of the regular season and the Red Sox, who had won seven straight, needed another victory and a New York Yankees loss to forge a tie atop the American League East Division.
The legendary Luis Tiant pitched a masterful two-hit shutout, Rick Burleson homered, and Jim Rice smacked his league-leading 46th home run to power the Sox.
Meanwhile, in the Bronx, the Yankees were throttled by pitcher Rick Waits and the Cleveland Indians, 9-2.
The stage was set for a Red Sox-Yankees winner-take all playoff game at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon. I was a junior at Boston College High School already making plans to forge a fake doctor's note for an early dismissal from school that day.
Jimmy Zanor is a sportswriter for the Norwich Bulletin and can be reached at jzanor@norwichbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @jzanorNB .
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Zanor column: Killingly, Ledyard earn Michaels Cup awards
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