Date: Fri 18-Aug-1995

By KIM HARMON

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Column-Kim-Mantle-Field-Hock

Full Text:

Kim Harmon/On Sports

Thoughts On Sobriety And Futility And Not Giving Up

I can, like every other two-bit pundit in America, wax nostalgic and emotional

over the passing of one of our greatest baseball heroes, Mickey Mantle, but

what I'm ready to do right now is express pure, unadulterated amazement.

Mickey Mantle was perhaps the greatest outfielder in the history of the game

(start a line here if you want to argue the merits of Mays, DiMaggio, or

Ruth), amassing 536 home runs and 1,509 RBI over an 18-year career. In 1956 he

won the Triple Crown, hitting .353 with 52 homers and 130 RBI.

He did all that while abusing his body with alcohol.

And that is what amazes me and what not many people have talked about.

I know the abuse of alcohol corrodes the mind and body. I have seen it first

hand. What I can't understand, what truly befuddles me, is how Mantle could

have done that to himself and yet continue to turn in the numbers he did year

in and year out.

He batted as high as .365 in 1957. He hit as many as 54 homers in 1961.

What could he have accomplished had he not lived so fast and so hard? What

could he have accomplished had he prepared himself for the game of baseball

like a Frank Thomas or a Ken Griffey Jr. or a Cal Ripken?

It staggers the mind. It really does.

Field Hockey Futility

Passing through the archives this past week, preparing myself for a special

sports supplement coming out next month, I immersed myself in the history of

the Newtown High School field hockey team.

Immersed? More like mired, I think.

Anyhow, the troubles the Lady Indians' program has had through the last 14

years are of no secret, although the depth of their despair can no doubt be

unfathomable by most.

The last time a Newtown High School field hockey team had a winning season,

Ronald Reagan was only in the second year of his first term as President of

the United States. It was 1981 and under coach Cindy Van Clief the Lady

Indians went 6-5-2, qualifying, but quickly losing, in the CIAC state

tournament. Since then, well . . .

Since then, in 14 years, the field hockey program has amassed just 19

victories and 26 draws while accumulating (or suffering through) a staggering

140 losses.

Six times the Lady Indians failed to win a game in an entire season and over

the course of three seasons, the program was mired (there's that word again)

in a winless streak that eclipsed the 40-game level.

All of that brings to mind the story of Sisyphus and the rock. Throughout

eternity he had to keep pushing this huge rock up a hill and always, whenever

he was about to crest the hill, the rock would roll all the way down to the

bottom and Sisyphus would have to start all over again.

Futile.

Either the girls who try out for the team do not know the history or choose

not to remember, but I think it's amazing that there are athletes who continue

to plug away under the crushing weight of all that has gone before.

The 1994 team was one of those which failed to win a game, but going 0-12-3

surely is not going to keep many athletes away. In fact, many of those

returning to the team this fall spent much of the winter competing in an

indoor field hockey league.

I once saw a team do that, play indoors over the winter, and the change was

utterly dramatic - from a three-win season to the CIAC Class L state

tournament quarter-finals.

It may be that the 1995 version of the Newtown High School field hockey team

is ready to put that old history book away and start writing a new - and

better - one for the future.

Next HRRA Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Event Scheduled In Newtown

Genealogy Club's Next Program To Dig Into 'Dissecting A Civil War Pension Record'

Choral Society Planning ‘Voices Of America’ Performance

Newtown Earth Day Festival Was A Success

Local Fourth Grader To Host ‘Gaming For Change’ On May 16

The editorial took no position on the budget going up or down so you're reading things into the editorial that simply aren't there. The turnout is tied to the lack of passage, in that people who came out to vote last time did not this time, indicating a lack of support on their part. Perhaps it wasn't spelled out clearly enough, but that's what the editorial was driving at, people showing lack of support by not casting a vote. The editorial did address likely concerns among voters that may have led to lack of support and lack of turnout. This lower turnout also follows increasing turnout over the past four referendums in three years (meaning it is an aberration from that), and increased turnout is something that I do push for regularly in editorials. Any disappointment you might be seeing is at the break in that trend, not at whether the budget passed or not. I'd rather see more people come out and vote "no" then not vote at all.

Lower Turnout Results In Two Budget Defeats

Clearly, property owners no longer want to bear the burden of expenses while the state does not meet it’s responsibilities. Rising costs must be addressed by actions that do not include yearly increases of property owners’ taxes. The state of CT must meet its share of the educational costs, and other costs.

Town And School Budgets Fail At Referendum

This feels like an oddly misleading headline and narrative, particularly coming from the Editorial Board. The headline "Lower Turnout Results in Two Budget Defeats" pushes a misleading narrative regarding voter turnout, and then seeks to tie the outcome of the referendum to that misleading narrative. Sure, voter turn out for this year's referendum, 18%, was lower than last year's. However, last year's turnout, 25.4%, represented the highest turnout in the most recent 10 budget referendums. If you take the time to examine turnout percentages between 2017 and 2026 (2017: 19.9, 2018: 15.7, 2019: 17, 2020: 0, 2021: 8.98, 2022: 7.7, 2023: 8.8, 2024: 15.1/17.49, 2025: 25.4, 2026: 18), this year's turnout was actually the third highest in the past 10 cycles. Perhaps the headline of this article should say "Lower Voter Turnout Than Last Year", which is more accurate, rather than creating an impression that this year's turnout is some type of aberration - a narrative that the turnout numbers, in all their binary glory, simply do not support. Further, the headline of this article appears to tie the "lower turnout" to the defeated budgets. Sure, that could be true. But, perhaps, its more likely that Newtown residents are feeling the squeeze of multiple economic influences. In Newtown, we've experienced property revaluations and increased municipal spending. Eversource continues to raise rates. The state legislature gives PURA the authority to impose Public Benefit charges that benefit a tiny percentage of the public (and subsequently burdening the rest of us). At the national level, inflation has run rampant for years and many of those costs remain high to this day. In short, the data tells a far less dramatic—and far more honest—story than the headline suggests. This wasn’t an electorate vanishing in apathy; it was a fairly typical turnout delivering an verdict that, perhaps, some at the Editorial Board didn't like. At some point, it’s worth considering that residents aren’t confused, disengaged, or misled by turnout; they’re simply doing math at their kitchen tables and concluding that “no” is the only responsible answer left.

Enjoyed the forum which only confirmed my support for Brandon Moore as the Democratic candidate to run for the state representative position. Brandon Moore did not waiver about his duty to all the people, if elected, when an issue presents itself that requires that he voice a difference of opinion for the wellbeing of Newtown residents. If Michelle Ku’s 16 years have led to her loyalty being to other elected officials, as she implied, then Newtown is going to continue to witness actions that do not protect its residents. She could not unseat republican, Mitch Bolinsky, during a Blue Wave, and once again, will not do it now. Winning that seat is critical for all. That explains why her previous campaign committee now campaigns for Brandon Moore. It explains all the endorsements he has received from local elected democratic officials. It’s why we need Brandon Moore to be the democratic candidate to run for state representative.

Second Newtown DTC, League Of Women Voters Candidates Event Planned

Appreciated the opportunity to hear from both candidates as we were present for the College Dems forum but only heard from Brandon Moore. It was an opportunity to see who can unseat the Republican incumbent and there is no doubt that Brandon Moore should be the Democratic candidate. One concerned parent posed a question about discrimination unaddressed by the school district and interestingly enough, Michelle Ku, who proudly speaks of her Board membership years, said little, while Brandon Moore passionately addressed the issue along with his experience as an Apache Helicopter Commander. This family is supporting Brandon Moore. We need change and someone who is not afraid to disagree, especially about the rising costs of living in Newtown.

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Date: Fri 18-Aug-1995

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