OK, now I know how Paul Bremmer felt, trying to put on a positive spin on the news with bombs going off in the background. On the "good news" front, it didn't rain this week, although the pitch supplied by Boston Sand and Gravel was proof that there is still plenty of digging left to be done in the city. What you love about Charles River is that you never have to play on the same ground twice. That way you don't have to get attached to any of those nice grounds they used to play on.
Of course, not many of Charles River's current team can remember any of those grounds, nor all the ass-whoppings we handed out back in the day. But that was a much simpler time, when we all knew which way was up, and all the D2 results before they happen. Well holy hell if this isn't a whole new day, and all that old bastards like me can do is sit around and complain about other team's good fortune. Well vive la bloody-fuckin'-difference!
OK, enough of that whining. Charles River fielded a well drilled and physical side, which is something I am getting tired of saying about our opponents this year. With a couple of wins under their belt, they were clearly looking to take advantage of their momentum. I'd love to tell you how many wins exactly, but the nerfu website stumbles from bad to worse. Were you of a mind to try and view the league standings, you might be surprised by the number of draws that have come up. Note to nerfu: just because the the local community college offers html programmers on the cheap, doesn't necessarily mean they know what they're doing.
Sorry, did I say I was done whining? If only. OK, where was I? Right, the first ten minutes or so were played at a frenetic pace, with both sides running and tackling hard. It seemed only a matter of time before one side made a breakthrough. Eventually Portland yielded, allowing River their first score through an overload on the weak side. They soon scored again through a hopeful (or was it gifted?) chip kick, that ended in a 50/50 ball that came down in their favor. Before the half Portland was able to claw some way back with a score of their own, although I'm not sure who got a hand on it in the end. We converted, and I think the half time score was 14-7.
The second half reflected pretty much the same dominance, and while Portland continued to make life difficult, the gap continued to widen. As usual, memory of specific detail is sketchy. I know we scored again, but River scored more. Final score was apparently something like 32-12.
Portland hit the road again this weekend, as they travel to Burlington, for a match up that usually provides an entertaining scrap. Whatever happens, let's hope that the boat that delivered a crap-load of new recruits to every team south of Portsmouth makes a stop in Portland soon.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Monday, September 27, 2004
Providence report
A light side traveled to Providence on Saturday without a good number of regulars who had other commitments. The game was a relatively good one with each side scoring a try in the first half, with the 10-5 halftime score reflecting the solid first phase defense of Portland. ScottyToHotty (playing outside center) set up Bernie for a good-looking Portland try. The second half had Portland playing into the wind and the game slipped away with the lads (in their flashy new red strip) being caught out and unable to re-organize their defense to a counter-attacking Providence back-line. Final scoreline was somewhere in the five tries to one ballpark. Kudos to Andy Nelson for making the trip with his trashed shoulder and pulling on a jersey.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
OK, scratch that stuff about the meeting at Gritty’s tonight. That’s all wrong, and will probably be held next week. Practice is ON tonight at Riverton School, under the lights at 7pm. We will be continuing practice at this location from now on. Make sure you make it. Call for directions if you are unfamiliar with Riverton – 329.3630 (me) or 751.8029 (J-Wil). I’ll try to get them posted soon.
On a field more suited to water polo than rugby, Old Gold got the better of Portland this weekend, as both sides sought to come away with bragging rights in this ongoing DII rivalry.
Old Gold, fielding a new look pack, that seemed to have spent a good deal of time at the buffet table over the summer, looked to assert their physical presence early. Using the slope of the field to their advantage, the home team employed a strategy of crash ball that was always going to be hard to defend. While the conditions made it very difficult for either side to maintain possession for very long, ultimately Old Gold were able to break through the Portland defenses and register the first points. Place kicking was not going to be anyone’s strong point on the day, and the score line stood at 5-0 in favor of the “units”.
While Portland began to muster some offense of their own, the lack of predictable possession from the set piece, combined with the early departure of their fly-half, Joey D’Andria, meant it was difficult for them to muster much of a cohesive effort. As a result, Old Gold were soon banging the ball down the slope again, and the laws of physics prevailed, giving them their second score of the half. Unconverted again, the score stood at 10-0 “units”.
Late in the first half though, Portland found themselves at the “dry” end of the pitch and were able to secure clean ball from a line out, which they then drove menacingly towards the Old Gold line. Sensing trouble, the Old Gold forwards did what they know best, and set out to pull the maul down. Although they were unsuccessful, they were able to bring the maul to standstill, resulting in a scrum in their favor. Fortunately the ball managed to squirt out the of the back under pressure from Jerry Alves, and the vigilant Jeff Keating was able to jump on the ball in the try zone. Score one for the good guys. Jason Willey was able to defy the odds and make the conversion, leaving the half-time score at 10-7.
The second half began with Portland applying some gravitational pressure of their own, although they were unable to wade through and cross the Old Gold line. Eventually a kickable penalty opportunity presented itself, but Jason’s attempt to punch a four iron out of the water hazard drifted right, and did not trouble the scorers.
Although it seems as though Portland had much of the second half possession, they were able to do little with it, handling the ball sideways, and making little forward momentum. In the end Old Gold were able to put the game realistically out of reach with their final score, which is sketchy in my memory, but certainly left the final score at 15-7.
No excuses about the final result. Despite a one sided encounter at Attitash in the Spring, Portland have choked against Old Gold in the league for two years running. Time to get a little self belief, and git ‘er done.
In lieu of practice tonight there will be a team meeting at Gritty’s tonight, in the basement at 6pm. All should attend, or at least let J-Wil know why you can’t make it.
Old Gold, fielding a new look pack, that seemed to have spent a good deal of time at the buffet table over the summer, looked to assert their physical presence early. Using the slope of the field to their advantage, the home team employed a strategy of crash ball that was always going to be hard to defend. While the conditions made it very difficult for either side to maintain possession for very long, ultimately Old Gold were able to break through the Portland defenses and register the first points. Place kicking was not going to be anyone’s strong point on the day, and the score line stood at 5-0 in favor of the “units”.
While Portland began to muster some offense of their own, the lack of predictable possession from the set piece, combined with the early departure of their fly-half, Joey D’Andria, meant it was difficult for them to muster much of a cohesive effort. As a result, Old Gold were soon banging the ball down the slope again, and the laws of physics prevailed, giving them their second score of the half. Unconverted again, the score stood at 10-0 “units”.
Late in the first half though, Portland found themselves at the “dry” end of the pitch and were able to secure clean ball from a line out, which they then drove menacingly towards the Old Gold line. Sensing trouble, the Old Gold forwards did what they know best, and set out to pull the maul down. Although they were unsuccessful, they were able to bring the maul to standstill, resulting in a scrum in their favor. Fortunately the ball managed to squirt out the of the back under pressure from Jerry Alves, and the vigilant Jeff Keating was able to jump on the ball in the try zone. Score one for the good guys. Jason Willey was able to defy the odds and make the conversion, leaving the half-time score at 10-7.
The second half began with Portland applying some gravitational pressure of their own, although they were unable to wade through and cross the Old Gold line. Eventually a kickable penalty opportunity presented itself, but Jason’s attempt to punch a four iron out of the water hazard drifted right, and did not trouble the scorers.
Although it seems as though Portland had much of the second half possession, they were able to do little with it, handling the ball sideways, and making little forward momentum. In the end Old Gold were able to put the game realistically out of reach with their final score, which is sketchy in my memory, but certainly left the final score at 15-7.
No excuses about the final result. Despite a one sided encounter at Attitash in the Spring, Portland have choked against Old Gold in the league for two years running. Time to get a little self belief, and git ‘er done.
In lieu of practice tonight there will be a team meeting at Gritty’s tonight, in the basement at 6pm. All should attend, or at least let J-Wil know why you can’t make it.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Meet at the park and ride tomorrow @ 9 am, ready for the game at Old Gold. If you have any questions/problems or would just like to chat, you can call Jason Willey on 207 751 8029. He thinks he's getting lucky tonight, so call and interrupt anyway.
If you are going directly to the ground, directions are here, but call and let us know you're on the way.
If you are going directly to the ground, directions are here, but call and let us know you're on the way.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Gents, I have a couple of things to update you on.
Firstly, it seems that Old Gold are getting in the trash talk (of sorts) early, in this post which still highlights their dislike for spiders. I guess that one win back in 1987 makes up for all the ass-whoopings since then.
Ever since NERFU "improved" their web site it is now impossible to find out the scores from other matches in our division, other than to troll around the other club websites. Well, unfortunately it seems as if many of the other clubs have not been blessed with a johhny-on-the-spot secretary like me, so nobody bloody updates their scores. One exception though is the aforementioned Old Gold, who still manage to find good things is their 42 point shut-out by Newport, bless them. Nedless to say they will be eager to score some points this coming weekend, and we will need to be on our mettle to prevent that. So make sure you are at practice this Thursday, 6pm, Fox Street.
Another good reason to make it to practice is that we have been approached by an aspiring journalist from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies who wants to write a piece about the club and its players. This will involve him showing up at practice and games and getting to know us all, and writing down his obesrvations, hopefully for publication in their annual magazine. I encourage all of you to welcome him into the club for the season, and to be as candid with him as possible. And for the record, if you think you might have concealed your own neuroses/mental disorder/addictions to this point, and are afraid of having them exposed, you're only fooling youself, and we call that "denial".
Lastly, for those of you looking for employment, LL Bean is experiencing a seasonal shortfall of employees, and have a lot of positions to fill. If you are looking for some short term (3-4 months) work, with a great discount, make sure you attend their Job Fair this coming Monday, from 3 to 7pm. It is being held in the Stonewood Building, which is on Route 1, south of Freeport, on the right, heading north, not far past the Big Indian. Best of all, if you mention my name, and can hold down a job there for 45 days, I get a $25 Gift Certificate. Isn't that cool? But don't let that be your only motivation for applying. It really is a good place to work, and could lead to something permanent if you're interested.
Firstly, it seems that Old Gold are getting in the trash talk (of sorts) early, in this post which still highlights their dislike for spiders. I guess that one win back in 1987 makes up for all the ass-whoopings since then.
Ever since NERFU "improved" their web site it is now impossible to find out the scores from other matches in our division, other than to troll around the other club websites. Well, unfortunately it seems as if many of the other clubs have not been blessed with a johhny-on-the-spot secretary like me, so nobody bloody updates their scores. One exception though is the aforementioned Old Gold, who still manage to find good things is their 42 point shut-out by Newport, bless them. Nedless to say they will be eager to score some points this coming weekend, and we will need to be on our mettle to prevent that. So make sure you are at practice this Thursday, 6pm, Fox Street.
Another good reason to make it to practice is that we have been approached by an aspiring journalist from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies who wants to write a piece about the club and its players. This will involve him showing up at practice and games and getting to know us all, and writing down his obesrvations, hopefully for publication in their annual magazine. I encourage all of you to welcome him into the club for the season, and to be as candid with him as possible. And for the record, if you think you might have concealed your own neuroses/mental disorder/addictions to this point, and are afraid of having them exposed, you're only fooling youself, and we call that "denial".
Lastly, for those of you looking for employment, LL Bean is experiencing a seasonal shortfall of employees, and have a lot of positions to fill. If you are looking for some short term (3-4 months) work, with a great discount, make sure you attend their Job Fair this coming Monday, from 3 to 7pm. It is being held in the Stonewood Building, which is on Route 1, south of Freeport, on the right, heading north, not far past the Big Indian. Best of all, if you mention my name, and can hold down a job there for 45 days, I get a $25 Gift Certificate. Isn't that cool? But don't let that be your only motivation for applying. It really is a good place to work, and could lead to something permanent if you're interested.
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