Bits & Pieces

By KIM HARMON

Published: Jul 29, 2005 12:00 am

Bits & Pieces

By Kim J. Harmon

American Youth Football pre-season practice opens next week (yeah â already!) and although the turnout has been terrific, players are still welcome to sign up for any one of the five age levels â 89ers, Junior Pee Wees, Pee Wees, Junior Midgets and Midgets.

There was enough turnout that the younger age levels have been split into two teams, which leaves plenty of room for new additions. Spots are also open on each of the older levels, as well, and anyone interesting in playing football can contact Mike McNamara at 364-1690.

Registration fee is $225. The 2005 season opens in late August.

âFootball is an incredible game. Sometimes itâs so incredible, itâs unbelievable.â â Tom Landry

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Last Thursday was a nice day for football â¦ a nice day for a few dozen kids to bang helmets and shoulder pads together one last time in the annual Nighthawk Football Camp at Hawley School (well, one last time until American Youth Football pre-season camp opens next week).

It was fun, too. I hadnât seen that kind of enthusiasm for football (and never mind the kids â the assistant coaches were having great time!) since my brothers and I played tackle football in the snow one Thanksgiving morning about 30 years ago.

âBaseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field.â â Jim Bouton

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The annual Nutmeg State Games begin Friday at 12 noon with the Cycling Street Sprints in downtown Bridgeport. More than 60 riders in four heats will compete on a 150-meter course and the winner of each heat (vying for $2,500 in cash prizes) will advance to the next round.

The Games are being held in Bridgeport and Fairfield counties for the first time in 17 years and will run July 31 through August 7, with the opening ceremonies on Sunday, July 31 at the Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard.

The Fan Jam will begin at 3:30 pm and opening ceremonies will begin at 6 pm.

Better than two dozen sports will be represented in the 2005 games, which includes individual and team sport competitions. The Nutmeg State Games is an Olympic-style competition for Connecticut amateur athletes, primarily between the ages of 8 and 18.

More than 6,000 athletes, 1,500 volunteers and 30,000 spectators are anticipated for the week-long event. Any Newtown athletes among the 6,000 or so competing are invited to send info and pictures to sports@thebee.com.

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Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball is accepting registrations for Fall Ball.

If you have registered a player in the past and all birth certificate issues have been settled, then download a form from www.eteamz.com/newtownbaseball and send it through the mail to NBRL, P.O. Box 133, Newtown, 06470.

New players need to submit a copy of their birth certificate (it must have the raised seal and be verified by an officer of the board) for approval (not to worry â the original will be returned immediately) before sending it along with the registration form.

For the parents of a Little Leaguer, a baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into innings.â â Earl Wilson

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Teachers in Britain want the educational system to stop using the word FAIL and instead use the phrase DEFERRED SUCCESS.

Political correct phraseology has already gotten way out of hand (differently abled? chair person? plus-sized person? undocumented worker?) but this is getting ridiculous. I understand that some PC language is necessary, but do we have to soften the edges of everything?

Deferred success? How will that let struggling kids understand that they have to work harder in order to succeed. Itâs another insidious example of the pervasive philosophy (so prevalent in youth sports these days) that NO ONE LOSES and, even worse, EVERYONE IS A WINNER.

I can see it now. Come next fall, Iâll ask my daughter (a sophomore in high school), âHow did the exam do?â

âGreat!â she will say. âI deferred my success until the makeup exam and my teacher says if I defer my success one more time I going to be able to defer my promotion another year!â

âIt didnât bother me that I ranked 234th in my high school graduating class of 273 â¦ until I heard the principal say that it was a stupid class.â â Lou Holtz

The People Of Newtown Deserve Facts, Not Speculation

Bruce Walczak On Leadership

Community Input Needed On Proposed Metal Detectors At NHS

Elections Have Consequences XIII

Discusses Smog

I have to say, I don’t understand how this project could be considered “morally wrong.” That kind of language feels more like obstruction than constructive dialogue. What is morally wrong is leaving seniors in our community without enough housing options. Right now, Newtown does not have adequate senior housing, and the few developments that exist, like Naunawag Meadows, already have waiting lists. As for the comment that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” that simply isn’t accurate. The system is broken when residents who’ve lived here their whole lives cannot find an affordable and appropriate place to age in town. Responsible development that balances environmental concerns, safety improvements (such as traffic calming measures and sidewalks), and the needs of our seniors is exactly the kind of planning Newtown should be doing. This isn’t about wanting or not wanting something in one’s backyard—it’s about building a community that takes care of its people. Please don't get scared away by the nimby mob.

Planning & Zoning Continues Discussion Of 12 Cold Spring Road

It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

Borough Board of Burgesses Continues Traffic Safety Discussion

John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

Late Night Prank Gone Wrong

First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

It’s About Dialogue Amongst Neighbors — Not Regulation

A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

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