Ponderous thoughts I was pondering ...

Here is a portrait of the artist as an old man. Seventy down, more hopefully to come.

Ponderous thoughts I was pondering on the cusp of a new year, my 70th on this planet ...

** Yes, 70 is a big number. It's a scary one, too. Maybe because I don't entirely look my age when I look in the mirror (and many people confirm that), I can't equate that number to my memories of my maternal grandfather, who looked like he was 100 years old when he was in his 50s. That was probably the result of his service in the U.S. Army in World War I and the fact that he had been among the troops to be poison-gassed by the Germans.

Baby Me in 1954.

When I'm around the towns and I see people that I think to be "old," I have to understand that they are most likely to be younger than I am. It's very weird.

Perhaps my reluctance to "act my age," as it were, is because I still work part-time at jobs that keep me around young athletes. It's not as creepy as it sounds; I keep the proper distance and interact appropriately with them. Back in April, when I was hosting a TV show for Foxboro Cable Access interviewing four members of the state-championship basketball team, I just told the kids that if they felt in any way intimidated by the lights and the microphones, to just imagine that they're talking to their kindly old grandfather.

That got a laugh and broke the tension, but I'm sure the girls would have gotten over any shyness on their own. They're smart and strong.

But how can you not be affected in a positive way by youthful enthusiasm all around you? On Wednesday night, before the Mansfield girls' game against Braintree, a country song played over the loudspeakers. Immediately, several of the Hornets broke into dance in the stands, parodying a Western shindig. I had to chuckle. Just good clean fun.

How can you not be thrilled by this?

Maybe my surroundings play a role in my chronological confusion. I work in gymnasiums that were present and in use when I was in high school more than a half-century ago. I travel roads that I first remember from being seated next to my father as he drove them in our '56 Chevy -- and no, we didn't have car seats pointing in the wrong direction. Or seat belts, for that matter. I somehow survived. 

And yes, I live in my childhood home. I returned to it after a 44-year absence and made it my own, keeping it in the family name just a little longer. But I've changed enough things so it doesn't feel weird. It still feels like home, but at least it's now my home -- but with some subtle and important reminders of the wonderful parents that made it all happen for me.

I've been a lucky guy. I've never had many needs in my lifetime. My parents taught me the value of money and the hard work it took to get it (and a career as a journalist reminded me often about how hard it was to get it). 

At Lambeau Field in 2006.

I've lived elsewhere, in other towns and in other states, and traveled all over North America over the years, but home was still always where the heart was. And I still feel that way today, although thanks to my residences in other neighboring towns over the years, I've come to accept all of them as part of what tugs upon my heartstrings.

I'm still covering exciting events, trying new things and waking up every morning (or afternoon ... hey, I'm retired!) with a smile on my face and ready for what's next. I can laugh about both what's right with the world and what's wrong with it, all the while still trying to make things better, and not worse, for me and my friends.

That's what turning 70 means to me. Ask me again when I hit 80.

** I was today years old when I learned that to get paper checks out of the checkbook without making a mess of the perforated area, you first pull up to start the separation and then pull outward and away from the binding. 

Yeah, I still write paper checks. It's an old-man thing to do, I guess, but it also tells me when I can spend money and when I can't. 

** Why is it that I was able to go online and find accurate rosters for the teams played by the Foxboro High School girls' basketball team in that recent tournament in Florida, while here in Massachusetts, similar information is harder to find than the nuclear launch codes? Coaches, please put rosters on the MIAA-approved Arbiter Sports website. 

** I broke down and watched “Barbie” the other day. Didn’t think it was possible for me to not like a movie with Margot Robbie in it, but it succeeded at that. When does “Oppenheimer” hit the streaming services?

Local Santa Lisa Downs.

** The local paper recently did a nice series on "Local Santas," one of whom was Foxboro High girls' hoop coach Lisa Downs for her role as the long-time director of the Foxboro Discretionary Fund. If you've heard my podcast, "The Owner's Box" -- it's back to full strength and streaming on all of the most popular podcasting platforms, and links are available on this site -- you know that Lisa and I have talked in detail about why she took over the service upon the tragic death of her parents in an automobile accident many years ago. Her mom was the director of the Foxboro Discretionary Fund at the time of her passing.

The fund is similar to other programs in the area that help out needy families during the holidays, although Foxboro's is a year-round service. But of course, it's during the holidays when things really get cranked up -- and if Lisa's not already busy enough with her basketball duties or her daily job at the Sage School, she and other volunteers set enthusiastically about the task of trying to bring some holiday cheer to the less fortunate of Foxboro. I can't think of a better tribute to her mother's memory than the good work Lisa has done on behalf of the fund all these years.

The Sun Chronicle story mentioned that Lisa is considering stepping back from the Discretionary Fund work a little. She's definitely earned a break for all she's done and continues to do -- especially for the young people in Foxboro. Clearly, it's been a job well done.

** I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but I do have a few things I'd like to be able to do over the next 12 months, and here are a few.

👉I'd like to be a little less nasty in my Twitter (or X) responses to the brainless Trumpers that believe that our former President was sent by God to lead our nation in the proper (i.e., white supremacist) direction. More like he was sent by Satan to completely fuck up our country and deliver it to hell on a golden platter.

Well, I guess I already broke that one. C'est la vie. By the way, I guess you know that means that I won't be voting for that fat, smelly asshole in the next election. 💩

👉I'd also like to resolve that my next car-buying experience is going to be my last. I just don't enjoy the search, nor the 60-mile drives to dealerships that advertise the perfect car for me -- only to have a salesman tell me, "Oh, that one went yesterday," when I get there. 

👉I want to let all of my friends know how much I love them and cherish their places in my lives. So many have had difficult times of late, either personally or befalling their closest loved ones. Even if it doesn't seem so at times, I'm still there for them. Always.

My inspiration for travel, "Route 66"

👉I still want to travel. Maybe to see some friends in other parts of the country that I might never see again, given the passage of time. I'd like to do it by car if I can, but I don't know if I have the driving stamina I once had. Plus, I'm not going to sleep in the front seat, and nor will I be willing to not change my clothes for three days in a row, nor stay at local fleabag motels. Could be expensive. And I have to admit, with so much road rage out there -- not to mention how Massachusetts license plates might be accepted in the Red States these days amid all this talk by blowhard mom's-basement militia groups about armed intervention in the 2024 election to get Smelly Don back in office -- I'm not sure it would be safe for me to drive through the back roads of Georgia or Alabama.

Time to get a wheel fixed?

👉Failing that, maybe I should break down and get at least one knee replaced. Younger friends that have had knees done tell me I shouldn't hesitate. I just wonder about how my replacement teeth and knees will someday be dug up by archeologists that will marvel at how well they survived my natural and mortal remains.

👉I'm going to stop spending so much money on online newspaper paywalls that don't deliver the product I need. The former GateHouse newspapers, now part of the Gannett chain, are at the forefront of this. Because their newspapers' print editions now have so little new content and such ridiculously early deadlines that it makes it impossible for them to cover high school sports at night, I'm not finding the results or information I need in the online versions.

But they are also running one hell of a scam. I tried today to cancel three subscriptions (over $30 a month) on their subscription websites, only to be told each time that "this service is not available at this time." Angry phone calls will be made on Jan. 2.

Yes, I want to support the survival of local newspapers. But how do you support something in good conscience if they don't deliver the goods? By the way, I'm not including The Sun Chronicle in that blanket condemnation. My former newspaper is still trying, against all odds, to get the job done. 

👉If there's any way at all this can happen, I want to watch the fourth and final season of "Babylon Berlin" on Netflix. The German TV series is an amazing look at the ending days of the Weimar Republic of Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, before the Nazis gained a controlling foothold and changed the course of history. It's seen through the eyes of a police detective with a moral compass that's occasionally skewed by his own troubles, and his occasional partner/girlfriend, a former "escort" in the wild entertainment district of Berlin that somehow manages to fulfill a dream of becoming a detective herself, something unheard of at the time. The first three seasons have already been shown on Netflix and the fourth has completed its run on European TV networks, but for some reason, Netflix is waffling about whether it will finally arrive on these shores. 

👉And finally, I resolve to be available to write another such column on December 31, 2024. Cheers to you all in the meantime.

Foxboro claims third place in Fla. tournament

The Foxboro Warriors earned third place at the KSA Events Holiday Classic. 

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Foxboro High girls' basketball team will return to Massachusetts with the third-place trophy from the first out-of-state tournament in the program's storied history.

The Warriors overcame a late surge Friday by the Redhounds of Corbin (Ky.) High School, winning 60-57 in the last minute of play on a clutch three-point basket by senior guard Erin Foley and two clinching free throws by junior guard Kailey Sullivan. 

Erin Foley: Clutch three.

The tournament was conducted by KSA Sports Events and was played at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center just outside Orlando.

Corbin, playing without 2,000-point career scorer Kallie Housley for undisclosed reasons, battled back from an early six-point deficit to tie the game at 65-65 with 56 seconds remaining. The Redhounds then took a brief lead, but Foley's three put the Warriors up by a point, and then Sullivan was sent to the foul line in the waning seconds and drained both shots.

Foxboro senior Cam Collins led all scorers with 27 points, and Sullivan was close behind with 24. Both scored their 900th career points, continuing their quest to become the first Warriors since 1988 to be 1,000-point scorers on the same team. Collins now has 915 career points and Sullivan 911.

The last Warriors to accomplish that feat were Sarah Behn and Holly Grinnell. Grinnell reached the milestone in her next-to-last game at Foxboro High, and both had more than 1,000 points entering their MIAA state semifinal against Wakefield at the original Boston Garden. Behn played at Foxboro for one more season and became the state's leading all-time scorer.

Foley also reached double figures in Friday's game, finishing with a season-high 10 points. Senior Izzy Chamberlin and junior Ava Hill combined for 11 rebounds.

The Warriors raced to a 22-16 lead in the opening quarter as Sullivan and Collins combined for 17 of the points. But Corbin responded with a 23-21 second quarter and began a methodical effort to chip away at the Foxboro lead. The Redhounds' 16-13 third quarter, led by six points from junior guard Kylie Clem, reduced the deficit to one point (56-55) entering the last eight minutes.

Clem and senior guard Bailey Stewart both finished with 18 points for the Redhounds (9-5). Senior guard Darcie Anderson added 14.

In the Orange Bracket championship game Friday, Glen Rose (Texas) defeated Cathedral Prep of Erie, Pa., the team that eliminated Foxboro from title consideration on Thursday, by a 59-30 score.

The Warriors, now 5-1 overall, return to Hockomock League play on Jan. 5 at home against winless Sharon.

Box score:

FOXBORO (70)

Cam Collins 10 4-4 27, Izzy Chamberlin 0 0-2 0, Alaysia Drummonds 3 0-0 7, Kailey Sullivan 9 2-2 24, Brynn Allen 0 0-0 0, Erin Foley 4 1-2 10, Adrianna Porazzo 1 0-0 2, Reese Hassman 0 0-0 0, Kylie Sampson 0 0-0 0, Ava Hill 0 0-0 0, totals 27 7-10 70.

CORBIN (67)

Darcie Anderson 5 4-4 14, Kylie Clem 8 1-2 18, Raegan Walker 2 1-2 5, Bailey Stewart 8 1-1 18, Addy Wilson 3 0-0 7, Izzy Walker 1 0-0 2, Lydia King 1 0-0 3, totals 28 7-9 67.

Foxboro            22   21   13   14 -- 70

Corbin              16   23   16   12 -- 67

3-point goals -- Foxboro 9 (Collins 3, Drummonds 1, Sullivan 4, Foley 1), Corbin 4 (Clem 1, B. Stewart 1, Wilson 1, King 1).

Foxboro's win streak snapped in loss to Pa. team.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Foxboro High School girls' basketball team did not go down without a fight Thursday in the semifinal round of the KSA Holiday Classic.

Cam Collins: Career-high 33 points.

The Warriors' 24-game winning streak -- dating back to their last loss exactly 364 days ago -- was snapped by Cathedral Prep of Erie, Pa., 60-47, despite a career-high 33-point effort by senior guard Cam Collins.

Collins scored 15 of her points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors (4-1) tried desperately to rally from a 15-point deficit entering the final eight minutes of play.

"I am extremely proud of the game the team played," Foxboro coach Lisa Downs said. "To face up against a team of that caliber will be something that we can use and learn from going forward."

Collins, who will attend Rider University next season, was the only Foxboro player scoring in double figures against a top-tier Pennsylvania squad that has three NCAA Division 1 recruits in its starting lineup, two committed to St. Bonaventure and one to Georgetown. 

The Ramblers (6-1) were led by junior forward Addie Biel's 24 points and 17 from senior guard Jayden McBride. Foxboro was held without a three-point basket in the game.

McBride banged home four three-pointers in the opening quarter as Cathedral Prep raced to a 22-10 lead over the Warriors. Collins tried to counter with three baskets of her own, but good perimeter defense by the Ramblers shut down the outside scoring threat of Foxboro junior Kailey Sullivan, who had scored 30 points in the tournament opener against Blacksburg, S.C., on Wednesday. Sullivan finished with six points, but also had a team-high five assists.

The Ramblers increased the lead to 34-19 at the half, outscoring Foxboro 12-9 in the period. 

Collins had 11 points at intermission, but only she and Sullivan were able to find the net in the second half. Collins had 22 in the second half and Sullivan four. Both, however, are making a beeline to become Foxboro's next 1,000-point scorers; Collins took the lead in the individual race with 888 career points after Thursday's game, while Sullivan has 887.

Downs offered high praise to senior forward Izzy Chamberlin, who had to guard a 6-foot-2 center throughout the game. 

"(She) had a substantial size advantage, and Izzy made her work for every point and rebound she had," Downs said.

The Warriors' last defeat prior to Thursday came on Dec. 29, 2022, a non-league 61-52 loss to Wachusett Regional High School.

Foxboro will next play in the third-place game Friday morning (8:30 a.m. start) against 9-4 Corbin (Ky.) High School, a 67-48 loser to Glen Rose (Texas) High in Thursday's other Orange Bracket semifinal. Glen Rose, now 19-2, will take on Cathedral Prep for the bracket title Friday morning.

Box score:

FOXBORO (47)

Cam Collins 11 11-16 33, Izzy Chamberlin 2 0-0 4, Alaysia Drummonds 1 0-0 2, Kailey Sullivan 2 2-2 6, Brynn Allen 0 0-0 0, Erin Foley 0 0-0 0, Adrianna Porazzo 0 2-2 2, Kylie Sampson 0 0-0 0, Ava Hill 0 0-2 0, totals 16 15-22 47.

CATHEDRAL PREP (60)

Lena Walz 1 0-0 3, McKenna Valone 2 0-0 6, Ava Lucarotti 2 3-4 8, Cecelia Morgan 0 0-0 0, Jayden McBride 6 1-2 17, Natalie Spano 1 0-0 2, Addie Biel 8 7-10 24, totals 20 11-16 60.

Foxboro                10     9   11   17 -- 47

Cathedral Prep    22   12   11   15 -- 60

3-point goals: Foxboro -- none. CP -- McBride 4, Valone 2, Walz 1, Lucarotti 1, Biel 1. 

Warriors open with big win over Blacksburg.

KISSIMMEE, Fla.-- Kailey Sullivan netted 30 points, just one off her career high, to lead the Foxboro High School girls' basketball team to a 74-37 win over Blacksburg, S.C., Wednesday in the opening round of the KSA Holiday Tournament.

Kailey Sullivan: 30 points.

Sullivan, a junior guard, now has 881 career points. She and the Warriors (4-0) will take on 5-1 Cathedral Prep of Erie, Pa., in the semifinal round of play at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Games are played at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center just outside Orlando.

Foxboro senior guard Cam Collins added 15 points to bring her career total to 855. Senior guard Shyrique Parker paced Blacksburg (3-6) with 23 points.

Foxboro started fast off Sullivan's red-hot shooting, taking a 23-15 lead at the first stop. She sank six baskets in the opening quarter (including four threes) for 16 points, offsetting Parker's 10-point effort. 

The Warriors spread the scoring around in the second quarter as Sullivan, Collins and Adrianna Porazzo combined for five treys, boosting the Warriors' lead to 41-25 at the half.

Foxboro took full command in the third quarter, limiting the Wildcats to just one basket and three points total. Foley, the senior co-captain, scored all nine of her points in the quarter as Foxboro increased the lead to 33 points entering the final eight minutes. Coach Lisa Downs was able to empty her bench in the final quarter and coast to the win, Foxboro's 24th in a row.

Ava Hill had seven rebounds and Collins and Izzy Chamberlin six apiece for Foxboro. Foley and freshman Alaysia Drummonds both added nine points to the winning effort.

Foxboro's next opponent, Cathedral Prep, subdued Wasilla (Alaska) High School and its 6-foot-5 center, Layla Hays, 50-45, in the other game on the Warriors' side of the tournament's Orange Bracket. In the other Wednesday games, Glen Rose (Texas) defeated Medina (Ohio), 64-37, and Corbin (Ky.) defeated Sequoyah High of Canton, Ga., 65-54.

The championship game will be played at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.

Box score:

FOXBORO (74)

Cam Collins 6 0-0 15, Izzy Chamberlin 0 0-0 0, Alaysia Drummonds 3 2-2 9, Kailey Sullivan 12 0-0 30, Brynn Allen 1 0-0 2, Erin Foley 4 0-0 9, Camilla Burton 0 1-2 1, Adrianna Porazzo 1 0-0 3, Reese Hassman 0 0-0 0, Keagan Maguire 0 0-0 0, Kylie Sampson 1 1-2 3, Ava Hill 1 0-0 2, totals 29 4-6 74.

BLACKSBURG (37)

KK Dawkins 1 0-2 2, Jess Ham 1 0-0 2, Annabella Foster 2 0-0 4, Danica Henderson 0 3-4 3, Saniya Rodgers 0 0-0 0, Paris Mayes 1 0-0 3, Shyrique Parker 6 7-8 23, Payton Vance 0 0-0 0, totals 11 10-14 37.

Foxboro           23   18   22   11-- 74

Blacksburg      15   10      3    9-- 37

3-point goals -- Foxboro 12 (Sullivan 6, Collins 3, Drummonds 1, Foley 1, Porazzo 1), Blacksburg 5 (Parker 4, Mayes 1).

Warriors are on their way!

The Foxboro Warriors await boarding their plane at T.F. Green Airport (Kate Hill photo).

The Foxboro High School girls' basketball team is on the ground -- and most likely on the court when you read this -- at the KSA Events Holiday Basketball Tournament, held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., which is just minutes away from Disney World and all the other tourist attractions in the greater Orlando area.

The Warriors' first game today is scheduled for 1 p.m. against a team from Blacksburg (S.C.) High School, a school of about 500 students. Yes, they found a school actually smaller than Foxboro for the opening contest. Foxboro is unbeaten at 3-0 while Blacksburg checks in at 3-5.

The winner of that game will face the winner of a game between 4-1 Cathedral Prep of Erie, Pa., and 2-1 Wasilla High School of Wasilla, Alaska, in the second round on Thursday. That is likely to be a much greater challenge for the Warriors if they get there, because Cathedral Prep has three high-Division 1 recruits in the starting lineup and Wasilla has 6-foot-5 center Layla Hays, who is attracting considerable attention from a lot of top D1 programs in the lower 48.

That could set up a championship game in the Orange Bracket among the survivor of the other portion of the eight-team bracket, which includes Glen Rose (Texas) at 17-2, Medina (Ohio) at 8-2, Corbin (Ky.) at 8-2 and Sequoyah High School of Canton, Ga., at 9-2.

Glen Rose's home "gym".

You may be wondering why so many schools have played so many more games than Foxboro. It's because unlike backward states in the Northeast that still believe that neither boys' nor girls' basketball can start their seasons before the football season ends, many other states in the Union start up on the hardcourt at the beginning of November.

You should check out Glen Rose's website, too. Their home court is not a gym, it's an arena. It looks very similar to the Hart Center at Holy Cross, just awash in red. That's pretty close to the level of basketball being played in half of that bracket. 

And lest the Warriors fall to defeat in a game, they will be placed in a consolation bracket with a three-game guarantee. Overall, not bad -- even if the weather isn't cooperating. It's supposed to be 70 and cloudy today in Kissimmee. Not exactly poolside weather, but I'm sure there will be plenty to do at all of the attractions nearby.

Anyway, best of luck to the Warriors, who go into this tournament with a 23-game winning streak dating to last year. I'll do my best to get some results up on the blog -- with a little help from my friends in the Foxboro basketball community, of course.

The Owner's Box, Ep. 52.

Can the Foxboro Warriors win another state championship? The quest starts next week.

We got ambitious with the 52nd episode of The Owner's Box, and I'm glad we did.

Starting on Saturday of last week, I set out to record interviews with the five high school basketball coaches whose games I will be announcing this year for the local cable TV systems for which I work. Yesterday evening, it was "mission accomplished" for the task -- four coaches interviewed after scrimmages in their home gyms and one by telephone.

Somehow, it all came together in a 66-minute production (maybe 12 minutes longer than my usual goal), but when you consider that these were all original material and not canned, that's not bad.

I spoke to the following coaches: Mansfield High boys' coach Mike Vaughan and girls' coach Heather McPherson, Foxboro girls' coach Lisa Downs, and King Philip girls' coach Jeff Miszkiewicz and boys' coach Dave DeStefano. All of them got their teams into the MIAA tournament last year; Downs won the Division 2 state title and Vaughan was the D2 runner-up, so we have a very good cross-section of winning basketball from this part of the state.

We talked about expectations for this year, which vary. Downs and her Warriors have targets on their backs because the top eight players from that championship team return for another try at a title this year (although in Division 3 following an MIAA realignment). Vaughan lost one of his top returning players to a knee injury, and graduation losses have opened the door for new talent. Graduation losses have also impacted the Mansfield girls and both KP teams, but all three have reasons for optimism with talented athletes returning hopeful of stepping up their games.

It's worth the slightly-supersized listening time -- and with the season getting underway tonight and Tuesday, there's no better time for it. Alex Salachi (birthday boy on Dec. 9, as he will get to 70 before I do!) and I will kick off our season of telecasts with a doubleheader between the Mansfield boys and girls and Attleboro on Tuesday, a 5:30 start, live on Mansfield Cable Access. I'll be joining Kate Hill for the call of the Mansfield girls at Foxboro on Friday for Foxboro Cable Access, and our series of KP boys' and girls' games on North TV's Community Channel will start early in January.

Hoop is life, and you'll get plenty of it from me over the next three-plus months -- starting with this very informative podcast. Enjoy.