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FISH TALES
(Also known as
Rich Fisher's blog)

Jan. 6, 2011
Here’s to those
who never quit
    Before getting to the headline item, I just want to wish a Happy Birthday (two days late) to my wonderful mom, Dianne Fisher. Love ya mom! Good luck in your Super Bowl pools. From what you tell me, they can’t get any worse than the regular season!
    * * *
    I have some new heroes.
     They are athletes I’ve come to respect after a couple of years covering high school swimming (which I never did before this website). You will probably never hear of them by the time they graduate.
       At least not for their swimming exploits.  
     My heroes are the boys and girls who will never be listed in the Top 3 when (if) the results are printed in the paper. Heck, even if they printed all top-five place finishers you wouldn’t see them.
     They’re the ones who finish dead last.
     By a lot.
     Believe me, I am not trying to be witty or sarcastic or smart-assy about this.
     It’s one thing for a swimmer at the top of their craft to bust a gut trying to break a record, win a race or, in some cases, win a meet. There’s plenty of adrenaline to push them and the crowd is cheering wildly, whether they can hear it or not.
      It’s an entirely different matter when the race is over where points are concerned, and there is just one swimmer still in the pool. Everyone is waiting for that person to touch out so they can get on to the next event.
      I’m talking mostly about a distance event since that’s where a swimmer can get behind by a really lot.
      And some do. It would be sooo easy for them to just say ‘Heck with this’ and climb out of the pool before their last lap. What the heck, whether they finish or not, they still get the same zero points.
    But you know what. They don’t do that. They churn and churn and churn, determined not to give up.
    They have the pride and the guts and the conviction to see it through. What doesn’t matter one iota in the grand scheme of the meet, matters to them. They’ve done all the work in practice, they’re sure not going to just give up on it when the actual meet takes place.
    To me, there’s something darn heroic about that. I admire the heck out of it. 
    So next time one of you swimmers is dragging along in last place, thinking no one is watching and that no one cares, just know it's enough that you care.
    And keep it up.
    It will serve you well later in life.
    (Feel free to re-read this during track season, as it is applicable then as well).   
                * * *
    How about Jeff Lurie saying Andy Reid isn’t arrogant?
    During his silly Tuesday press conference Lurie said the Eagles season was unacceptable. Well Jeff, nothing in the world is more unacceptable then the ludicrous comment that Reid is not arrogant.
     All that was left was for Lurie to say "And he's not overweight either, that's just your perception."
      Some day I’m gonna find out just what incriminating pictures Reid has of Lurie.
             * * *
    Of course, there’s arrogance, and then there’s arrogance.
    Tony Mack wants more money.
    Seriously? I mean. . .seriously?
     There weren’t enough LOLs, ROFLs, LMAOs or LMFAOs in the world to describe how hard I laughed when I read that.
     And there won’t be enough oceans in the world to hold Trenton residents’ tears if they actually give it to him.
    More money?
    Seriously?
           * * *
    So, the Miami (formerly Florida) Marlins got Carlos Zambrano.
    Yikes!
    As a Phillies fan, I should fear the Marlins with all the moves they have made.
    But I can’t wait to watch how that whole situation blows up down there.
    With everyone making their (pick one – bold, fearless, outrageous) predictions for 2012, I’ll give you one that I feel pretty good about. That entire Marlins scene will be the second coming of the chaotic Bronx Zoo made popular by Yankees of the late 1970s.
    Only the Marlins won’t win back-to-back titles.
        Just look at the recipe for disaster they’ve concocted.
      First you have Hanley Ramirez, who’s not the most grounded guy to begin with and who is already upset that he has to move to third base so Jose Reyes can take over.
     Ah yes, Jose Reyes. We know about him in these parts. For all we know, he may get a leadoff single on opening day then ask to be removed from the lineup that day and ask to be used only as a ninth-inning defensive replacement or pinch-runner in order to become the first guy to ever bat 1.000 while playing 162 games.
        Now they add Zambrano to the mix.  Here’s a pitcher who hits teammates with more regularity than he hits the corners. What happens when Reyes has a bad day at the plate and dogs it in the field when Zambrano is pitching?
    Ding, ding, ding! There's a right to the jaw, and Reyes is down!  
      One of Zambarno’s most recent fights with a teammate came against the White Sox, and he and Guillen went out to dinner afterward. Guillen calls Zambrano his friend and several articles state he was a major player in getting the pitcher.
      Of course, we’ve all seen how stable Ozzie has been over the years. He has had more bleeped out post-game press conferences on Sports Center than, um, well than anybody! Managerial skills aside, Guillen is about as loose a cannon as there is among managers.
    This, my friends, is gonna be a wild scene.
               * * *
     Sticking with Fish’s Hot Stove Blog for a moment,  I’m going to set an over-under number for local baseball announcers.
    The number is the same for all three of them – 200. What that means is, I think they are going to do/say the following things once each game, and more than once in at least 38 others.  
    Here we go:
    --John Sterling will make non-Yankee fans puke.
    --A bad play will be made by either the Mets or their opponent, and Keith Hernandez will groan and say “You just can’t do that” and be sincerely offended when the game isn’t played correctly. He will do that a lot, cuz the game’s not played correctly a lot.
    --Chris Wheeler will note that it was very important that the eighth hitter in the lineup got on base with two outs, assuring that the pitcher won’t have to lead off the next inning. I’ve also set the over-under at 300 that Wheels will discuss the importance of two-out hits; the benefits of getting them and the emotional distress of allowing them.
    I’ll take the over on all of them.
    Moving onto the national scene, I’ll set the over-under at 3 for FOX’s crack team that no one seems to like:
    --Joe Buck will make an exciting call.
    --Tim McCarver will make an observation without trying to make it sound like it is the most important thing ever uttered in baseball history.
    I’ll take the under on both of them. By a lot.
    * * *.
    NFL playoffs baby. Love ‘em!

    The next two weekends are awesome. Championship Sunday is good too, but it’s cool to know you have two playoff games on Saturday and Sunday the next two weeks.       And besides, Championship Sunday is starting to bug me with the lavish halftime shows that stretch the game out forever, but not quite as long as the Super Bowl.
    I'm sure that now I've made my grievance public, the NFL will quickly move to change things.
              * * *
    Must have been a wild night in Morgantown Wednesday. About 90 minutes after West Virginia’s basketball team torched Rutgers for 85 points, the Mountaineers football team scored a bowl record 70 against Clemson.
    Having been to Morgantown before, I’m willing to bet there were more than a few guys (and girls) doing a shot for every point scored by each . . .and nobody passed out.
          I actually covered that basketball game and had to laugh at coach Mike Rice, who I think is doing a nice job and will turn things around if given the chance.
       Someone asked Rice how far away the win over No. 10 Florida felt after two straight losses. Rice looked at him and said "That's a good question."
     Then he had an expression as if he were going to give a well thought out answer, and he just kind of muttered on word: "Far."  Sometimes less is better. That pretty much told the tale.
Dec. 31, 2011
Happy OLD Year!
Also: What to watch
for this winter season
    OK, here it is, New Year’s Eve, and I’m supposed to wish everyone a happy New Year.
    Well, I’m not.
    The old year isn’t over yet. It has worked hard for us. It is still here. It is gasping out its last breath, saying “Do not forsake me yet, I’m still 2011.”
    And yet, all we are doing is saying Happy New year.
    Well not me, dammit!
    I have sympathy for the Old Year, which gets cut short with all these new year’s greetings. The poor guy (girl? I dunno. What gender is a year?) is trying to hang around for all it’s worth. It’s got nothing after this. There will never be 2011 yet. This is it.
    And yet we’re shoving the poor guy (girl?) out the door before he’s (she’s?) even used up.
    Well forget that!  
    I’m here to stand up for the Old Year!
    To all you faithful Fish4Scores readers, I wish you a very Happy Old Year!
    See me tomorrow, and you’ll get a Happy New Year. But not until then. I hate pushy years that want to be wished before their time. 
              * * *
    Anyway, with that out of the way, I guess this is where people like myself are supposed to write about the year in review, everything that happened in Hamilton Township sports over the past year, blah blah blah.
    Well, I’m not doing that either.
    You all know what happened this past year. It’s not like its three decades ago where I have to remind you what occurred (not that I could). It’s one lousy year. If you can’t remember what happened between last January and this January, well then, there’s no sense me even writing it down cuz you won’t remember that either.
    So no, there is no year in review.
    What I will do, is thank everyone who continues to make this possible.
    I am happy to report that Fish4Scores is booming as far as visits. We continue to set records each and every month for new people coming to this site, and are starting to be considered the main source of legitimate information for people who follow Hamilton sports.
    More and more coaches have realized that this is a good space to promote their teams and are sending in results. People are actually complaining about some things, which is a sure-fire way to realize you’ve arrived!
     So, I really have to thank all of you that come to this site and who continue to encourage me that it is worth doing.
    Secondly, I have to thank the sponsors, who provide financial support so I can dole out small cash tokens to the photographers and writers who help me out. I can’t tell you how much the support has meant as we are now in our third year. You are to be commended as true supporters of Hamilton sports and I hope the people who come to this site support your businesses.  
    And then there is the wave of parent photographers who contribute out of the goodness of your heart. You are the best! I’m afraid to start naming everyone because the last time I did that, I left people out. But you all know who you are and believe me you are as important to this site as anyone.
    I could write the next Gettysburg Address but no one would even come here to read it if it weren’t for the photos that attract people here. (actually, I could never write the next Gettysburg Address. . .I don’t have the beard for it. But you get the idea).
    And of course, I have to thank my main guys who have been indispensable – Ken Weingartner, John Blaine, Mike Dill and Dennis Symons Jr. You guys are simply the best.
    Finally, I have to thank my good buddy Jim “Jules” Giglio, who lets me bust his chops unmercifully on this site, all with a laugh. Love ya brotha!
    So Happy Old Year everybody! Enjoy!
                * * *
    Here’s hoping Steinert and Hamilton are allowed to go to a different holiday tournament other than the ESCIT next year. And yes, I do mean “allowed” since their hand has been played for them the past two years in typical township fashion.
                * * *        
    Things to watch for this coming winter:
    *The Swamp Rats!
    *Steinert girls’ basketball. Bryan Rogers’ teams always improve.
    *Jared Staub.
    *Steinert swimming, especially the boys’ team.
    *Nottingham boys’ basketball, which has some of the best young talent in the CVC.
    *Steinert wrestling. Don’t be fooled by an 0-3 start.
    *Joe Michel.
    *Mike “The Voice of the Spartans” Hastings returning behind the mike after a scary bout with tonsillitis. Get well Stinger!
    *Rob Nosari suffering an extreme identity crisis as he teaches/coaches at Nottingham but fills in for Hastings as Steinert’s “Voice”  
    *Lisa Mazukewicz.  
    *More people asking Brian Giallella why he’s called “The Chef.”
    *Griffin Hutton.
    *Tom Hoglen gnashing his teeth during a tense NFC final between the Saints and Packers.
    *Mike Papero filling in flawlessly for a wilted Hoges as “Voice of the Hornets” if the Pack goes down.
    *Ryan “Roll Tide” Larkin backing out of her commitment to Alabama and heading to Bridgeport after LSU wins BCS Bowl. Ryan vows to become the first Larkin to ever set foot in Bridgeport library.
    *Rick Taylor providing an intimidating security presence at Nottingham events, while Wes “The Media Mogul” Kirkpatrick takes his picture and Joe Demyon takes Wes’s picture.
    *Steinert grad Rob Riley reffing a big time college basketball game on TV.
    *Jack DeStefano running Hamilton Little Lads Basketball for the zillionth straight year. We need more like him.   
    *Dan Caruso picking out patterns for his wedding. Congratulations Dan and Nicole!
    *Jim “Jules” Giglio maintaining the same hairstyle for the 44th straight year.
     *Lots of JV and freshman basketball results. OK, that’s not a definite. But if you are a supporter of those teams, make sure results are submitted!         *Dr. Joe Tobias, a former Steinert JV baseball legend, landing a plumb role as a cartoon voice in “The Family Guy”
    *A bunch of other stuff that I can’t really think of right now. But look for it!
             * * *
    Who won the 5 Points/East State Street Extension/Whitehorse Circle/Nottingham Fire Co. Bowl? Oh wait, that’s not being added 'til next year, sorry.
             * * *
    Apologies to all my friends (about 6 of which read this blog) for not sending Christmas cards out for a second straight year. But Fish4Scores chores have kept me so busy that I just wasn’t able to do it the way I like.
    And by that, I mean I don’t want to send the same family picture to everyone with no signature, or a card that just has my signature.
    I like to personalize each card to let everyone know I’m thinking specifically of them during the season. If I can’t do that, than it ain’t worth sending.
               * * *     
    Well, I’m happy to report that Rich Giallella paid off his bet to Vince Ardery after Steinert beat Neptune in the CJ III football game. Ardery and his lovely wife Barb enjoyed a JoJo’s pizza, courtesy of Richie G.
    “Vince wanted to pay since his team won,” Giallella said. “But I said no, a bet is a bet.”
    Rumor has it, however, that when Ardery tried to order the pie with sausage and mushrooms, that got nixed.
                    * * *
    Giants-Dallas? Who to pick? Going by Tony Romo’s track record in big games, the Giants. Going by the fact that nothing in the NFL ever plays out like it’s supposed to, Dallas. Or the Giants. Or Dallas.
              * * *
    John Giordano where were you!?!?!?