CONNECTICUT GREY
RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

~ est. 1979 ~

Mountain Mist Outdoor Center
Meriden, Connecticut

The Hourglass

June 21, 2000

A Publication of the Connecticut Grey Rugby Football Club
Dick Splooge, Editor

"Fun Things to Do at Wal-Mart" No. 12
Look right into the security camera, and use it as a mirror while you pick your nose.

FRANCONIA UPDATE

The Grey made the annual trip to Franconia, New Hampshire over the weekend of June 3rd for the Old Men of the Mountain Rugby Festival. I think this is the 16th OMOM fest. The weekend was another mass murder of the brain cells while at the same time being a very rewarding event, game-wise, for the Grey. As usual, many of the Grey traveled on Friday to attend what has become a ritual cookout at the Inn. Under the direction of Seeger, the food was cooked to perfection (for those of us with indiscriminate tastes) and for some reason was consumed to exhaustion. John Kerr added that special touch with the roadside steamers. But, for many, the picnic was just a brief delay to the marathon drink-up which for some began in the early hours of that morning. Later that evening the troupe departed for the Village House with the anticipation of finding out once again that our two opponents would be Boston (with ample substitutes from the Eastern Regional Select Sides) and Worcester. Thanks to Bill Good, we came away with neither, as the Grey drew Ottawa for the first game (late morning kickoff – thank God) and Portland (late afternoon kickoff – oh no!!!) for the second. Now we knew Ottawa would be a good match but there was some concern over the Portland match. Portland is always strong and it is well remembered that a few years ago a strong Hartford Hobos side eked out a victory in a very hard-fought match. Oh well, you take 'em as you get 'em. Onto the games:

GREY BLITZ OTTAWA

The day began somewhat cold and overcast with a strong breeze that brought game-time temperatures to the mid-50's. As kickoff drew closer, the sun came out but the wind and cold continued – typical New Hampshire weather? Usually it's sunny on game day and the temps generally reach all-time record highs. Although that would obviously not happen this day, the cooler temps did offset the hangovers and blurred vision brought on by the previous night's consumption. The game began with a little apprehension as John Kerr played very cautiously due the lame ankle, and several Grey were playing either out of position or with a different person for support. This didn't really matter much as the Grey soon overcame the few cobwebs and haze and forced the Senators to play defensively most of the opening minutes. The Grey scored first as Tony Johnson took a floater over a defender from Trunksie to tally the first try and, with no conversion, led 5 - 0. This was followed by another score by Ed Carr who swept out from a loose and wove through several defenders to score untouched under the posts for the score. Another successfully missed conversion left the score a close 10 - 0 at the half. The Grey had several substitutions and, with a little momentum, began the second half much like the first – but with a little more intensity. This is where it gets a little confusing as the Grey began a five try onslaught that just drowned the Canadians with a wave of offensive movements. Scores were tallied by Chicky, Larry Larocque, Tony Johnson, Steve Tenenbaum and Seeger as well as two conversions that brought the score a full 39 points over the scoreless Senators. Now with two games slated for the day you would have thought that maybe the Grey would have let off the gas a little to try to conserve some energy for the real test against Portland later that day. Well that didn't happen. I guess things were going so well that there was no thought of letting up. Great offensive as well as defensive play from the entire team. Man-of-the-Match was awarded to Lou Petruzzello for the forwards and Bob (Boo-Boo) Casey for the backs.

GREY COME FROM BEHIND TO TRIUMPH OVER PORTLAND

It was no secret that the second match of the day against Portland was going to be a whole lot different than the first game against Ottawa. There were no misconceptions about that. In fact, the Grey actually took the time to sit down and devise a game strategy. With Kerr still a little limp (and this can be taken two ways) it was decided that Lou Petruzzello would play at scrum half. Now the idea for the second game was that since our forwards were probably stronger than Portland's and since our backs were probably a little weaker than Portland's we should focus on keeping the ball in the forwards. Great game plan but when you consider the fact the Lou P. was going to be scrum half, you can bet the ranch that the backs aren't ever going to see the ball anyway. Surprisingly, the backs actually saw plenty of ball as the day went on. The game began with pretty good play from both sides except for the fact that the Grey seemed to be trying to make that extra pass and this was resulting in turnovers to Portland. Support was a little late or the pass was not the right idea at the time and this hurt us in more ways than one. Halfway through the half one of the "oops" situations occurred as a Grey in tackle, tried to pass the ball back to support but the ball instead traveled many, many meters back (I think ending up somewhere just south of Leominster, Massachusetts). Oncoming Mariners were able to boot the ball into goal and touch down for the score even thought there was agreement amongst most that the ball had traveled beyond the dead ball line and should have been no score and a twenty-two drop to the Grey. And, of course this was hotly contested for the next 30 minutes by Tenenbaum. This was also a little upsetting and the Grey now had to claw their way back while all the while knowing that offensive control had to be sustained by the forwards. We just couldn't take the gamble of having one of our backs caught way out without support and having Portland score tries as a result (we've seen that happen too many times already). At the break the Grey were down 7 - 0 and the situation was starting to become critical if the Grey were going to win. This seemed to spark the Grey as the majority of the early play had the ball firmly in the Portland half of the field and only turnovers or stupid penalties prevented the try. Halfway through the period the Grey pounded the ball deep with the ball either staying in the forwards or, if spun out to the backs, quickly brought back in, which allowed the Grey to inch their way down field toward the Portland line. With a good weakside move, the Grey passed the ball through the hands to Jim Farrell (yep, that is the original Jim Farrell) who dove in for the score at the corner. Again the conversion was successfully missed and the Grey were not only back in the game, down 7 - 5, but had a little more enthusiasm and momentum. The Grey continued with the same plan which proved very effective and kept up the pressure on the Portland forwards. Rucks were followed by mauls, followed by rucks as the Grey moved the ball closer and closer the to try line. Finally, it broke and Steve Tenenbaum was able to spin through a couple of Mariners and dive into another two to touch down for the go-ahead score. What was even more amazing was that the conversion after the try by Seeger was good – sort of an omen. With two minutes left in the game, the Grey just kept the ball in the pack and as time expired, relished one of the most satisfying victories in years. Man-of-the-Match was awarded to the entire team for a game well played – a very well disciplined game I might add. And, after such a rewarding day on the pitch, the beer that followed couldn't taste any better – if it only came out of the keg!!!

SARANAC LAKE WEEKEND NEXT EVENT

The annual foray to Saranac Lake for the CanAm is slated for the weekend of August 5th and 6th. The Grey will be sending a team, or some semblance thereof, for the tournament. Coordinating this year's event is, well, we're not sure right now. It is safe to say that contacting Dean "Flipper" Jorgensen or Tom Flynn if you plan to go is the best way to ensure that your plans to attend will be noted. Two words of advice for those making the trip: the keg beer will give you serious hangovers and the helicopter flights are not really smooth to Burlington, Vermont.

AROUND THE FIELD

There are only two occasions where this section gets pretty thick with print, those times after hosting distant teams with lavish reception parties after, and Franconia weekend. This year shall be no exception.

The trek to New Hampshire brings the hope of seeing different wildlife in its natural setting and this was exactly what Ed Carr saw on I-91 while driving through Vermont. While overtaking a car with Connecticut plates, Ed took a quick glance to the side to check out the driver only to see Bud and Roncaioli, each with a tub of ice cream in his paws, chowing down. That's right. What else would you expect the Apple Dumpling Duo to do on those long trips away from the fridge? Which also answers the question, what do our own Ben and Jerry have on their training table diet?

After a full meal of burgers and dogs and prior to getting totally blitzed on Friday night beer, there isn't much else that beats a nice game of croquet to help the digestive juices flow. Or so one might think. I guess that isn't the way Guzzio sees it based on his summary of the game (while falling back quite a distance form the other competitors) which he explained, "And I though my razor was dull!" Guzzio also proceeded to exclaim that all those in the lead were definitely "gay." As if bocci has a lot going for it, too?

While waiting for more hors d'oeuvres at the champagne social on Saturday night one couldn't help but notice the abundance of dog hair on the dark blue blazer of Sandy Woodard. Leading one Grey to note, "There's so much dog hair that I don't know whether to shake his hand or pet him."

The Blackwell Award for the best dressed Grey at the champagne party goes to Jim Farrell. Nice attire, green pants and a flashy lemon yellow blazer – just like to ones most octogenarians wear in Florida. Sort of reminded me of my Grandpa and definitely the look that lands you as a guest crooner on the Lawrence Welk show. The outfit would have been just grand if he had on his patent white leather loafers!

"Things I Have Recently Learned in Life" No. 116: When inviting Chick and Meg to a tea party, hide the silverware.

"Unbelievable Things I Have Recently Heard in Life No. 52: The sweetness and carbonation of just one wine cooler will make you toss your lunch like nothing you've ever seen before.

And, even though the weekend was generally without flaw, the most disappointing occurrence was discovered upon returning to the bar at the Inn after the dance party, only to find it closed. I find this rationally acceptable that the one weekend of the year outside of ski season where the Inn is filled to capacity and with lodgers who are half-tanked and ready to spend lots of money on more beer and booze the bar should be closed – just so they don't have to worry about making too much money! The rationale that a planned wake the next day with about 400 people was going to take it's toll on poor Dick so that he had to retire early to rest up for the next day is plausible. Well, you are in New Hampshire and this is an acceptable train of thought – unlike other areas where they might have just considered hiring a second bartender for the next day's party instead. We just have to make sure that next year there are no more than six couples scheduled for Sunday brunch – don't want the see Dick have to leave early Saturday so that he can handle the rush. Guess Dick got a little upset over the questioning of the bar tabs from the ladies. Still, it's hard to imagine six rounds of drinks costing six people $42.00 EACH! Let's see, that's a total of $252.00 for the lot or just about $7.00 a shot. Thank God Dick closed the bar Saturday – think of what the guys would have paid!

All in all it was a good season - now time for some golf.

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What's the frequency, Kenny?