Friday, June 18 & Monday, June 21, 2010

Monday, June 21, 2010

The Summer Solstice arrives this morning which means today is the longest day of the year in terms of daylight. It’s also the start of what is the final week of school for most and considering the expected temperatures and the fact that many schools don’t have air conditioning the final day can’t come soon enough.

Of course if not for the snow-filled winter we had schools would have finished up last week and summer vacation would have already started. It looks like those schools with outside graduations this week will be dealing with plenty of heat and the possibility of thunderstorms which sort of comes with the territory.

Those attending Central Regional High School’s graduation on Friday night will notice something new when they step onto Joseph J. Boyd Memorial Field.

After more than 40 years the original bleachers have finally been replaced and the graduation ceremony will mark their official unveiling. The old ones were worn, weathered and frankly in sad shape and after several years school officials were finally able to replace them. It’s not easy to do things in these tough financial times but this was something that needed to be done and Superintendent Tommy Parliapanedes should be congratulated for leading the effort.

Well at least I went to the game the Mets won. The latest edition of the Subway Series saw the Yankees win 2-of-3 this weekend but I was in the Bronx Friday when the Mets prevailed. It was actually the first Mets-Yankees game I’ve watched in person and I was surprised to find that rooting for the visiting team
was not all that intimidating. The Subway Series is not nearly as hostile now as it was when the teams first started playing because so many of the visiting fans make their way into the ballpark. As a Mets fan its much worse rooting for them in Philadelphia where you can expect to be hazed and hated.

For the first time in franchise history the Lakewood BlueClaws have qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The defending South Atlantic League Champions are the Northern Division first-half champions after beating Kannapolis Sunday at FirstEnergy Park. 18-year old Jonathan Singleton belted two home runs and drove in five runs as the BlueClaws end the first half with a 42-28 record.


Friday, June 18, 2010

Southern Regional High School will have to replace its longtime athletic director while the Shore Conference is losing one of its most respected leaders and the individual responsible for putting together the football schedule for the state’s largest conference. Those are not three people but one as Kim DeGraw-Cole reportedly was hired this week as an assistant director at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

DeGraw-Cole’s resignation as the Southern AD was accepted on Tuesday and she’ll begin her new job with the NJSIAA in early August as the replacement for Carol Parson, who retires later this summer. DeGraw-Cole has been at Southern since 1976 and became the school’s athletic director in 1984. She told me earlier this month that the position with the NJSIAA is one she felt was perfect for her at this time in her career. She is expected to spend much of her time working on women’s sports, including soccer, field hockey and tennis.

Southern has also named a new boys basketball coach to replace Jeff Reilly, who stepped down last month. Eric Fierro, who has been the freshman coach, was named head coach of the Rams. Fierro takes over a team that won the Class A South title this past winter.

Many of the shore’s top senior baseball players will be in action Monday night at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood. The Monmouth-Ocean Senior All Star Game is scheduled for 7pm at the home of the BlueClaws.

Speaking of the BlueClaws they are closing in on clinching a playoff spot as the first half of the South Atlantic League schedule comes to an end. Lakewood has a one-game lead on Hickory in the Northern Division standings with the first half of the season to end Sunday. If the BlueClaws maintain that advantage then they secure a playoff spot in September which is the route they took last year when they won the SAL Championship.

It appears the final official weekend of spring is going to be very summer-like and I’m really looking forward to spending the day at the beach tomorrow. Tonight I’m going to make my first trip to the new Yankee Stadium to see the Mets and Yankees with my son, daughter and brother.