A neat little milestone.

You probably didn't notice it, and to be honest, neither did I. But within the last 24-36 hours, this blog went over the 15,000-reader view plateau, for which I am quite grateful.

This blog was actually born more than a decade ago as an adjunct to the one sponsored by my former newspaper, The Sun Chronicle, because I was sick and tired of having to compete for attention with some plumber that thought he was a wordsmith. 

When we created blogs, they were hosted by an outside source and simply managed by us, and the sports-related blog was not limited to members of our staff. The misguided individual that managed the blogs thought it would be a simply wonderful thing to throw it open to the general public.

That immediately defeated the purpose of having a blog representing the sports department. I and my colleagues (at least those that cared to use it) saw it as a means of providing instant updates from the games we were covering, whether high school, college or pro. The format of the blog also limited the shelf life of posts, so each successive new post would push the previous one off the display area on our web page.

During a game, one would blog furiously and frequently -- a task that has since been relegated to corporate and personal Twitter accounts. During a Patriots game, in fact, I would post more than 20-30 times depending upon the action that required reporting. I also used the blog to link to some of my earliest attempts at video, which included "The Blog Show" (20 minutes or so of video that was sort of a local-sports column), "The Hoop Report" (10-minute recaps of the previous night's MIAA basketball tournament action), and "Mark Farinella's Audio Blog" (daily reports from training camp that melded together still photos with recorded audio, because I could not shoot video during practice).

This would infuriate one particular would-be blogging essayist, who would post frequent 2,000-word ramblings about topics of which he barely had pedestrian knowledge. As the posts were not edited, they were often an embarrassment to the site because of his lack of writing skill, and on a few occasions, they bordered upon being libelous because he simply did not know that there are some things you just don't say in print unless you can back them up with fact.

Fortunately, the frequency of my posts would push his diatribes out of the public eye very quickly. And when that would happen, he'd put up posts calling me a "blog hog" and other denigrating comments. He would also go back to previous posts and throw in a few new words to push them back up onto the web page. But I'd just keep on blogging at a prodigious rate because that was part of my job, and clearly fit the model of the day for other metropolitan and regional newspapers that embraced blogging.

I would complain and complain and complain to the powers-that-be, imploring them to separate public posts from the sports department's posts -- to give those not on our staff their own forum so they would not be competing with us for space and exposure, but also to subject those posts to greater editorial oversight to prevent the possibility of the newspaper being sued for libel. It took at least a year for that line of thought to gain any traction, but when we redesigned the website in 2010, the "Southeastern Mass. Online Community" became a thing of the past and "Blogging Fearlessly" was born on The Sun Chronicle's web page.

Prior to that transition, however, I created this blog as a means of protesting the delay in implementing the changes. My initial intention was to stop posting altogether on the "Southeastern Mass. Online Community" after duplicating my posts to the cleaner and easier-to-read personal blog for a while. I also started promoting the new hosting site repeatedly -- and usually just after the plumber would have his grandiose say about something, pushing his post off the old website and pissing him off royally. It was great fun.

But with the dawn of a new year came the realization that I was finally going to get what I wanted and what the newspaper deserved -- a personal blog with prominent display on the web page. So on Jan. 13, 2010, I announced here that my personal blog would be suspended and that bigger and better things would be coming for the readers on The Sun Chronicle's web page.

Today, none of the posts from the "Southeastern Mass. Online Community" survive. Once the company allowed the domain to lapse, the hosting site wiped the slate clean. But some of my posts on the newer blog occasionally pop up on a Google search. Eventually, Twitter killed breaking-news blogging, although blogs survive nicely as hosting sites for all sorts of creativity. I managed to keep posting to the newspaper's version of "Blogging Fearlessly" right up to the end, as the accompanying photo would show -- except this screenshot shows an "updated" date stamp of Sept. 23, 2018, almost a full month after I was laid off following the ownership change. It's very puzzling, but it's even more puzzling to me that the current management hasn't purged my presence altogether.

Meanwhile, I thought this blog had just disappeared into the ether. But on Feb. 5 of this year, a random cleaning of my browser's bookmarks turned up a link to this -- and I immediately realized it would be a great way to indulge my urge to resume writing and to promote my new podcasting ventures -- the audio "The Owner's Box," and later, the video "The Owner's Box After Dark."

With a few tweaks to the formatting and features, and the commitment to a hosting site all its own (theownersbox2020.com), "Blogging Fearlessly" has been given new life -- and judging from the comments I receive on a regular basis, folks that used to enjoy my writing in print are happy to see it once again on the internet. And the numbers for both podcasts are very encouraging. 

My thanks to all of you for showing an interest. And now, as Bill Belichick might say, "We're on to 16,000."

The Owner's Box After Dark, Ep. 23

I've truly been chatty in the last few "After Dark" episodes, and the 23rd one is no different -- except for the fact that I trimmed five minutes off the previous episode's running time.

In this one, I tackle a myriad of topics -- including seasonal sneezes, a spider invasion within the home of Fulton Pond Studios, the history of Boston newspapering and why one of the Boston Herald's sportswriters was perfectly justified in expressing his disappointment that the newspaper endorsed Donald Trump as president, why Tom Brady disappointed me so much over the final years of his career as the Patriots' quarterback and why the current Patriots are disappointing everyone.

And after the commercial break, I break down the reasons why people fear that there may not be a winter sports season for Massachusetts high schools as the COVID-19 pandemic is catching its second wind and roaring through the commonwealth again. Believe me, if that happens, the depression will be so thick, you'll be able to cut it with a properly-sanitized knife.

It's all in Episode 23 of the best video podcast around. Enjoy.

Hockomock League lists plans for postseason play.

The Hockomock League has taken the MIAA's Tournament Management Committee up on its recommendation to have postseason tournaments for its fall team sports, establishing a series of crossover competitions between the league's two divisions for the "Hockomock Cup" in soccer and field hockey.

The league announced its plans Saturday on its own blog, which can be found at https://hockomockleague.blogspot.com.

Here is the complete text of the announcement. I did fix the misspelling of the large school division, which is the Kelley-Rex Division (with the second "e").

It has been the primary goal of the Hockomock League Athletic Directors to make the Fall 1 Sports experience as normal as possible under these difficult COVID circumstances. We appreciate everyone’s efforts to give our student-athletes a competitive season within the game and spectator modifications that were issued from EEA, DESE, and MIAA. We thank our district School Committees and Superintendents for their support of these extracurricular programs. Our players, parents, coaches, officials, and media outlets have respected the rules of the game and the rules of the home venue to make this season a success.

On that note, it is with great enthusiasm that the Hockomock Athletic Directors announce that each Fall 1 sport will have a postseason championship. Golf and Cross Country will host their traditional single-event championships. In addition to awarding the league division winner based upon regular season records, Field Hockey and Soccer will, for the first time, host a seeded, crossover league tournament, called the Hockomock Cup. These championship events will provide our athletes a postseason lost by the cancellation of MIAA sectional and state tournaments. Please see the details below for the structure of each championship or tournament.

GOLF - The Hockomock Championship will be held at Franklin Country Club on Monday November 2. The championship begins with a modified shotgun start at 9:30am. The top three golfers from each high school team will participate. They will travel the course together to minimize school interaction during the course of play. Individual and team champions will be recognized.

CROSS COUNTRY - On Saturday, November 14, the Hockomock Championship will be held at Highland Park in Attleboro. Each school will enter up to ten boys and ten girls to compete at the event. Health and safety of the participants will be our primary goal as we schedule the school and team start times with the purpose of minimizing school mixing. Individual and team champions will be recognized.

FIELD HOCKEY AND SOCCER – Beginning on/around November 12, these team sports will begin the Hockomock Cup, a seeded, crossover tournament at the Varsity level, with a JV game included between the two schools in each round. The final standings in each division, Kelley-Rex and Davenport, determine the opening round opponent in the opposite division for each school. The top four seeds in each division will compete in the Championship Bracket. Seeds 5 and 6 will play a Consolation Bracket. This guarantees each Varsity and JV squad two postseason games. The higher-seed will host the varsity game in each round of the tournament. Based upon field availability and timing, the JV game will most likely play at the opposite site. JV schedule mirrors varsity to minimize school interaction. There is no JV tournament. As the health and safety of our participants is paramount, and with the weekly published metrics guiding extracurricular decisions on a district-by-district basis, the Athletic Directors reserve the right to alter the Cup seeding and schedule as necessary.

 A. TOP 8 TEAMS COMPETE IN CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET (4 KR & 4 DAV)

Here is how the opening, quarterfinal round will look for Field Hockey, Boys and Girls Soccer.

(KR = Kelley-Rex division seed, and Dav = Davenport division seed)

Quarterfinal Round

Game 1 / KR 1 vs Dav 4 @ KR 1

Game 2 / KR 3 vs Dav 2 @ Dav 2

Game 3 / KR 2 vs Dav 3 @ KR 2

Game 4 / KR 4 vs Dav 1 @ Dav 1

Semifinal Round

Game 5 / Game 1 winner vs Game 2 winner

Game 6 / Game 3 winner vs Game 4 winner

Semi Consolation

Game 7 / Game 1 loser vs Game 2 loser

Game 8 / Game 3 loser vs Game 4 loser

Hockomock Cup Final Game

Game 9 / Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner

B. BOTTOM 4 TEAMS COMPETE IN CONSOLATION BRACKET (2 KR & 2 DAV)

Consolation Bracket Opener

Game 10 / KR 6 vs Dav 5

Game 11 / KR 5 vs Dav 6

Consolation Bracket Final

Game 12 / Game 10 winner vs Game 11 winner

Game 13 / Game 10 loser vs Game 11 loser

Both of these brackets will guarantee our Varsity and JV teams two additional games on top of their regular season, and the final two teams will vie for the right to be crowned League Champion in a true championship game.

The Athletic Directors believe each of these championships will give a positive conclusion to each of our Fall 1 seasons. We remain hopeful and optimistic that our Winter, Fall 2, and Spring programs can compete this school year as well.

The Owner's Box After Dark, Ep. 22.

We slip slightly over the one-hour mark with another jam-packed After Dark. Where else can you get such entertainment for so little?

First, in what has become our monologue of sorts, we chat about the search for disinfecting wipes in local supermarkets and my growing rage over wrong-way shoppers.

Then we tackle the disappointment of the Patriots' 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos. 

And finally, we take a deep dive into the history of the Mansfield High School athletic mascot, the Green Hornet, which celebrated its 75th anniversary as the mascot last Friday. We've got it all, from the search for a suitable mascot amid the context of the times, the amazing theme song of the radio program (and later, TV show) that inspired the selection, and some thoughts about the plights of other local schools that might face pressure to replace their Native American-themed mascots. And I even tip my cap to a rival school for its magnificent selection of a TV theme song to serve as its athletic marching music.

It's all in Episode 22 of the most popular video podcast around ... at least for a quarter-mile radius. Maybe more!

Enjoy!

 

Happy birthday to the Mansfield Green Hornet!

 

Bill Breen (right) researched the 75th anniversary of the Hornet. Yeah, that's me to the left.

Sometimes these newbies that populate my town make a big fuss over things that are just a little bit on the high side of mundane. But this week, they got it right with a proclamation making today Green Hornet Day in Mansfield.

The Mansfield Hornet.

The Mansfield Historical Society was the driving force behind the move to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the selection of the feisty insect with the nasty sting as the official mascot of Mansfield High School's athletic teams. Research done by Andrew Todesco and Kevin McNatt of the Historical Society and 1978 Mansfield High grad Bill Breen came to light this week and got good exposure in the local media. And when you consider the fact that so many schools are having to ditch longstanding nicknames for reasons of political correctness or outdated imagery, it's nice to know that Mansfield Hornets will still be buzzing proudly for some time to come (unless the Insect-American lobby raises its concerns about appropriating its culture unsympathetically).

Todesco and McNatt aren't among the aforementioned newbies, and they've done a great job of preserving Mansfield's past. If you want to know anything about Mansfield's transformation from a colonial-era farming village as part of Norton, to a growing industrial center upon the development of the Boston-Providence railroad line, to the current-day mini-metropolis of 25,000 souls at the intersection of two major Interstate highways, they've got it all in the Jennie Copeland House on Rumford Avenue, so named for Mansfield's official historian of the early 20th century.

But I was also glad to see Bill Breen (pictured above, microphone in hand, announcing a football game at Memorial Park in the late 1970s -- and yes, that's me to the left, covering it for the local daily while embarrassing myself for wearing a high school letter jacket into adulthood) participating in the effort. Bill was a bright young talent that became part of my stable of part-time correspondents at The Sun Chronicle before he graduated and went on to Vanderbilt University, later entering the teaching profession. He taught at Middleboro High for many years and even invited me to speak to one of his journalism classes. I hope those kids weren't scarred for life.

Back to the Hornet, though. In the days when my father went to Mansfield High, the teams were known by their colors. His graduating class of 1937 proudly carried the green and white into battle, but any nicknames they had -- including "Chocolate Towners," from the Lowney Chocolate factory on Oakland Street that often blanketed the town with the magnificent scent of chocolate -- were unofficial.

But in August 1945, with the town about to emerge from the weariness and tragedy of World War II, it was determined the time was ripe for Mansfield High to adopt a nickname. As an aside, it was about at this time when Attleboro and North Attleboro adopted Bombardiers and Rocketeers respectively, and you're right if you think they had a militaristic tone to them. After all, the country had been waging a costly war against tyranny since Dec. 7, 1941, and our soldiers, sailors and airmen were rightfully regarded as heroes.

A contest was held, and when the returns came in, "Green Devils" and "Green Marauders" finished tied. Neither really set well with the organizers, so they tried again. And this time, pop culture may have played a big role in the outcome.

At the time, one of the most popular radio serials was "The Green Hornet," which aired on the NBC networks and then ABC Radio from 1939 to 1950. It was the story of crusading newspaper publisher Britt Reid, who traded his business suit after dark for a deep green hat, mask and overcoat and became a mysterious crimefighter, with his trusty Asian sidekick Kato, skilled in the martial arts, at his side.

Yes, you probably recall the campy ABC television series in the 1960s that introduced Bruce Lee to the world. And let's all forget the really bad 2011 movie starring Seth Rogan.

Anyway, it's believed that "The Green Hornet" was the actual inspiration for the second quest to give Mansfield High's teams a colorful and unique nickname. The Mansfield News proclaimed that all other nicknames were no longer recognized in a front-page story, and the Class of 1946 (25 years before my own graduation) was the first to embrace the Green Hornet as its own. One way or another, the nickname has stood the test of time well. And it's why old-timers like me want to call Mansfield teams "Green Hornets" instead of just "Hornets," although the latter is just fine for second reference.

1975's "Bucky Hornet." Ugh.

Visually, there have been many representations of the Hornet over the years. Not all of them were the sort that evoked fear in the hearts of opponents; many were bad attempts at anthropomorphic representations, adding scowling faces or muscled arms to scrawny insect bodies. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone from another Hockomock League town implored their teams to "squash the Hornets."

The worst of those came in 1975, when then-athletic director Vincent Messina sketched his own representation of the Hornet, which suddenly became "Bucky Hornet" and appeared to be overdosing on steroids. Fortunately, poor Bucky met his demise on the windshield of public disdain.

The original Hulk in the MHS gym.

Briefly, it appeared that the Hornet's days were numbered when, in 1978, student Tom Palanza painted a ceiling-to-floor mural of Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk on one of the walls of the James Albertini Gymnasium. The Hulk, depicted as crashing through the walls of the gymnasium below an identifying ribbon that said "MHS Green Machine," was an immediate hit and spawned scores of copycat murals of mascots across the Hockomock. 

Palanza's original stood proudly until 2014, when repairs to the wall required replacement of cinder blocks and repainting. MHS student Harrison Bateman accepted the challenge of recreating Palanza's original version on the opposite wall, and the Hulk was preserved.

But, fortunately, the "Green Machine" suggestion never gained traction. By 2005, the athletic department selected the current caricature -- which is actually the logo of Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets, but available for use by high school programs across the land. Just change the color to green, and the Mansfield Hornet has new life with a fresh (and easy to reproduce) representation that should last for several more years.

Georgia Tech's logo.

Lately, there has been a flurry of nickname changes in Massachusetts, many of them spurred by protest by Native American groups over what they believe to be offensive uses of their culture and history. In some cases, I would agree. In others, I'm not so sure. I think it's a truly rare occasion when a nickname such as "Redskins" can meet universal agreement for its need to be replaced. 

I've also heard that there has been some talk about eliminating "Bombardiers" at Attleboro High because some folks believe it's outdated, or too militaristic, or just too hard to spell. But I really hope they don't. "Bombardiers" is part of local lore. Maybe if there was still a healthy jewelry industry in Attleboro, I might think a return to "Jewelers" would be worthwhile, but Balfour and Josten's are long gone. I don't even like it when they shorten it to "Bombers" for expedience.

But Hornets? We're still flying proudly. And the town can take great pride in the fact that most of its athletic teams are flying at new heights and have been since the turn of the century.

Fly on, Hornet. And happy birthday to you.

The Owner's Box After Dark, Ep. 21.

Another jam-packed episode of everyone's favorite guilty after-dark pleasure!

First, I teach everyone how to preserve a big-jar candle that has been delivered with the glass jar shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Nothing like an arts-and-crafts lesson!

Then I display my new haircut, which looks pretty much like every other haircut I've had since 1965 -- save for my college years and a brief time in 2006, when I decided that haircuts were not necessary. On the whole, though, change terrifies me.

Then I discuss the mess that the New England Patriots were in last week, which resulted in their game against Denver being twice rescheduled (now this coming Sunday at 1).

Up next was a self-critique of my 2020-21 season's debut of high school sports telecasts. In a nutshell, I was awful at calling a field hockey game on TV, but better the next day doing a soccer game. Six more to go before the start of the basketball season.

After the second commercial break (and you really can't miss this 20-year-old gem), I recommend some of my favorite podcasts, including a sample from the brand new podcast by comedian Sarah Silverman, one of my all-time favorite celebrity-types. Highly recommended. Someone once asked me what celebrities I wanted to meet (forgetting that I had been around pro football stars for 41 years of my life), and I said Tom Hanks for the male, and a tie between Naomi Watts and Sarah Silverman for the female. (I would have said Flipper if asked for an animal.)

And finally, I talk about the viral sensation that is singer Lanie Gardner, whose social-media cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" is taking the country by storm.

Just another varied wandering of my brain over a week's time, compressed into 47 minutes. And I even added a reminder to go vote! I already have!

Enjoy!

Another positive test, and another postponement.

 

There will be no football at dusk Monday night at Gillette Stadium.

Gillette Stadium will be silent Monday evening, as another positive COVID-19 test for a member of the Patriots has forced the NFL to postpone their game against the Denver Broncos for a second time, now to next Sunday at 1 p.m.

The game was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. today, then moved to 5 p.m. Monday upon the positive COVID test for  cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Then, earlier today, defensive tackle Byron Cowart tested positive (according to a report by Jeff Howe of The Athletic), the fourth Patriot to do so, forcing the NFL’s hand before the Broncos boarded their team plane.

The decision to move the game was a relatively simple shift for the Patriots, who were originally to have their bye week next week. But it forced a ripple effect throughout the league’s schedule to avoid the addition of an 18th week of the regular season. The other games affected were Chiefs-Bills to next Monday, Dolphins-Jets to Week 6, Jets-Chargers to Week 11, Chargers-Jaguars to Week 7, Chargers-Broncos to Week 8, Chargers-Dolphins to Week 10 and Dolphins-Broncos to Week 11.

All this happens amid growing COVID numbers elsewhere in the NFL — the Tennessee Titans just had another assistant coach test positive — and increasing discontent among players over how the coronavirus testing protocols are being administered across the league.

League officials are taking every step possible not to extend the regular season any further, but it’s looking that there’s a sense of inevitability about a potential postponement of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, especially if the nationwide rise in COVID cases continues to filter into the NFL’s rosters.

Another Monday game. Enjoy them while you can!

Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots' third COVID positive.

In case you haven't heard, the Patriots' game against Denver has been moved to Monday at 5 p.m. because of the three positive COVID-19 tests on the team -- Cam Newton, Stephon Gilmore and practice-squadder Bill Murray. There will be no fans allowed inside Gillette Stadium, but ESPN will send a crew to Foxboro to televise the game, which should be over by the time the regularly-scheduled game (Chargers at Saints) is to begin.

Also on the COVID postponement list is the Buffalo Bills' game at Tennessee, now scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday on CBS.

And the big news today is that the 0-4 Jets have closed their practice facility upon hearing that they will have a positive COVID test result come to light. No word yet about whether their game against the Cardinals (Sunday at 1) will go forward as scheduled.

This could be just the tip of the iceberg for the NFL, leading to fears that the decision to hold a season amid a pandemic might have been ill-advised. In the meantime, home viewers can prepare themselves for Every Night Football if the NFL continues to try to drop rescheduled games in the midst of an otherwise rigid schedule.

The Owner's Box After Dark, Ep. 20.

 

As CNN's Dana Bash said, "What a shitshow!" And that applies to the weekend and last few days as well, and we chronicle most of it in Episode 20 of the After Dark series.

First, we talk about the COVID positive test for Patriots' QB Cam Newton and the impact it had on the Patriots' surprisingly-close 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. Then we mention the fear of a hot spot erupting in Foxboro -- and this was before everyone learned today that cornerback Stephon Gilmore had tested positive.

I also offer more details about my plans to resume play-by-play duties for King Philip Regional High School sports, I briefly discuss the impact of Donald Trump's coronavirus infection upon seemingly the entire White House staff, and I make note of the Biden/Harris campaign's choice of "The Change," a song by pop star and Foxboro native Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, as a campaign anthem.

What's the big deal, you ask? Well, I like to think I have a special connection with JoJo -- and I explain it all in the final segment. It's better than the Six Degrees of Separation game you play with Kevin Bacon.

Enjoy!

Guesting on Ed Berliner's "The Man in the Arena."

 

Monday was a good day for podcasting, so I joined my old friend, Ed Berliner, and NFL writer Larry Weisman for a video session of something that closely approximates "The Sports Reporters."

We chatted about LeBron James, Cam Newton's positive COVID test, where the pro leagues will go from here as the pandemic drags on and on and on, and it was good stuff. And technology allowed me to use my "awards wall" from my former apartment in Foxboro as my backdrop, instead of an open closet.

It's all on YouTube and can be seen here:

The Owner's Box After Dark, Ep. 19.

 Another supersized edition with a lot to say and a lot to be heard.

I take a look back at the Patriots' win over the Raiders and also explain why Chiefs' coach Andy Reid failed geography when he labeled fullback Anthony Sherman (a North Attleboro native) "Cape Cod tough."

I also look back at the presidential debate, and what fun that was. I make another plea for mask-usage in the 31st week of the coronavirus pandemic, reveal that North TV is returning to its coverage of King Philip high school sports, and I delve deeply into the runaway craze that is "pickleball." Yeah, something like that, anyway.

All packaged for your viewing pleasure with two entertaining Japanese commercials!

Enjoy!