Archive - 2012 - Sports Article
December 16th
For those in the sports’ media business, there’s no beating around the bush – reporting Rhode Island high school hockey is always a game of catch-up.
Translation: Game takes place late Friday night; game doesn’t hit the newspaper pages until Sunday. Such a cycle repeats Saturday with Monday’s edition representing the earliest chance to get something on the record.
NORTH SMITHFIELD — The name has changed, but the mission remains the same for the North Smithfield Athletic Association.
Formerly known as the Northmen Athletic Club, and back on the scene after a year’s hiatus, the NSAA, which is headed by former longtime girls’ hockey coach Bill Nangle, is looking to not only again support the town’s middle and high school sports teams, but also the community’s recreational programs.
December 14th
It’s no secret that the art of communication is key to managing the Pawtucket Red Sox. Naturally the interaction with the players is a high priority, yet there’s also touching base with the major-league coaching staff or the front office, or with someone from the player development sector or even the Double-A manager.
No wonder why several of Gary DiSarcina’s predecessors made sure to have their cell phones close by while batting practice took place. It’s a 24/7 lifestyle wherein the PawSox manager must be on standby at all times and ready to field inquires from all walks of baseball life.
PAWTUCKET – On the same day Gary DiSarcina was formally introduced as the 15th manager in Pawtucket Red Sox history, we thought it would be appropriate to engage in an “getting to know you better” exercise – an opportunity to view through the lens of those who have engaged in past dealings with the new skipper in town.
December 13th
WOONSOCKET — It wasn’t pretty, not by any means, but Cumberland High head coach Deb Engels didn’t care.
For the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, the Clippers had manufactured a regular-season triumph, this one a sloppy 38-22 affair against Division I-North rival Woonsocket on Thursday night.
EAST PROVIDENCE - After sweating out back-to-back nailbiters that weren’t decided until the final seconds, East Providence was able to relax a bit on Thursday night and enjoy a blowout victory.
Sparked by a game-high 17 points from Mary Monagle and 14 points and as many rebounds by Taylor Wiggins, the Townies, who are back in Division II after a two-year stint in Division I, ran their young league record to 2-0 by rolling to a 58-38 crossover victory over Burrillville on their home floor.
December 11th
PAWTUCKET – The next manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox is a familiar face to New England baseball fans.
A baseball source confirmed Tuesday that former big-league infielder Gary DiSarcina will be formally introduced as the PawSox’ skipper at a press conference scheduled for Friday at McCoy Stadium. The 45-year-old DiSarcina replaces Arnie Beyeler, who was named Boston’s first-base coach last month.
December 9th
PAWTUCKET — Professional catchers are part of a select fraternity and understand the physical grind which stems from crouching for nine innings a night multiplied by six or seventh months. Compound that with the never-ending pursuit of processing and distributing data regarding his team’s pitching staff, it’s easy to see that these men play the sport’s most demanding position.
December 8th
Typically, placing 38th out of 39 participants isn’t cause for much rejoicing – unless you’re taking into account that you’re competing against the very elite in the country.
WOONSOCKET — It was nearly 40 years ago, back in 1973, that Richard Lawrence founded the Mount St. Charles' boys tennis program, and he well recalls how primitive the playing conditions were.
“We had two old concrete courts over by the third-base line (of the current baseball diamond, located on the upper-campus field),” smiled Lawrence, now the school's athletic director. “We also had two courts inside the (Adelard hockey) arena. Those outdoor courts were in terrible shape, and the ones inside, the kids had very little room to maneuver.”
