Game off, game on

It's hard to believe considering Franklin County is the hotbed of Vermont softball, but at least two Vermont schools - Montpelier and Mount St. Joseph of Rutland - have cancelled their seasons due to lack of participants.

Here's a link to an article on the Barre Times Argus website explaining the Montpelier situation in detail.

http://timesargus.com/article/20090402/SPORTS/904020383/1004/SPORTS

MVU catcher Ashton Hubbard is one of the many outstanding softball players in Franklin County. Also pictured is umpire Pat Meunier.

If you read the article by Jamie Biggam you'll note he reports that participation in lacrosse and tennis has robbed the softball program of numbers. Not surprising, I'm sad to say. Patience isn't something most kids have and softball is a game where patience is at a premium. That said, it's my favorite sport to cover as a reporter. Of course, I was spoiled by the luxury of covering Franklin County softball for over a decade. Up north, the games are routinely under 90 minutes long - I think the fastest game I've covered was a 54-minute affair at The Pit at MVU between the T-Birds and Spaulding, I think.

That was back when Meggan Roberge was dominating the circle before moving on to see practically every pitching record at St. Michael's College.

UVM HOCKEY COVERAGE

While I handing out links, the Burlington Free Press is all over the UVM men's hockey team's quest for a national title.

Check out this link to see the coverage to date and their plans moving forward, including a blog by OTL fav John A. Fantino and voluminous insight and analysis from long-time Catamount hockey aficionado Ted Ryan.

Full disclosure: I work part time at the Freeps as a copy editor, but even if I didn't I would still recommend the Freeps as the premier source for information on the Catamounts' Frozen Four exploits.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com

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SHAWN CORROW, when he's not wishing every day could be like yesterday, i.e. warm and sunny, is a freelance photojournalist based in Franklin, Vermont and the owner of Cold Hollow Photography.

Foolin'

I love April Fool's jokes. Except when they are pulled on me.

This morning, I was surprised with a chicken in my bed - not a chick, mind you. A chicken.

My wife can be very funny. But this wasn't one of those times. Of course, had I done it ...

My most memorable April Fools' joke was back in 1986. I was working my first journalism job at the defunct Sports Express in Hardwick, Vt. (We were the first all-sports publication in Vermont. We covered 14 schools in four counties. We lasted about two years before running out of steam. Still, start-ups like Northeast Sports Network, MaxPreps, etc ... have followed in our footsteps. And to my knowledge, none of us have ever turned a profit.)

But I digress.

Yaz in 1975

Back in 1986, owner Pat Hussey and I cooked up a plan to publish that Carl Yazstremski, who had recently retired, was moving to Greensboro, Vermont. Why Yaz? Simple. He was the only plausible person we had a photo of kicking around (Pat, a former Rutland Herald sports writer had absconded with some AP photos upon his departure - hopefully, the statute of limitations on that theft has expired!).

At any rate, we wrote the story, went to press and mailed the paper around to the local media.

No one was fooled except Don Fillion, then sports editor at the Free Press.

Much to our delight, Fillion wrote about Yaz coming to Vermont in his weekly who's who column.

We set him straight and apologized. He was not amused.

Later, I saw him at the Spring Green at defunct Catamount Speedway and he proceeded to profanely (and appropriately) ream me out in front of the press corps. I deserved it.

I was 18 at the time. Nearly two decades later, Fillion retired, moved to Montgomery and began to work for me at the S-A Messenger as a stringer. One night I asked if he remembered the joke and bawling me out when I was a pup.

He said he didn't. Not surprising, I guess. It was a small story and I was a small-time hack. But still, ever April Fools Day I remember the story and smile.

As I was figuring out my response to my wife's chicken gag I went searching for ideas on the internet and found this diversion for the top 100 April Fools hoaxes of all time.

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/

Enjoy!

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SHAWN CORROW, when he's not trying really hard to figure out a way to prank his wife and daughter, is a freelance photojournalist based in Franklin, Vermont and the owner of Cold Hollow Photography.

Opening day is coming

... and to celebrate here's a favorite video from last season.

I don't want to spoil the fun, but suffice to say this isn't a highlight reel of great plays - although the guy chucking the pizza shows nice form ... before he's escorted from the park.

The best part is the case of the giggles Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo get trying to recreate 'the crime.'

Enjoy!

In case you were wondering, yes I'm an avid Sox fan and will include my take on the Olde Town Team from time to time. Cheers!

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SHAWN CORROW, when he's not getting all giddy about the Red Sox, is a freelance photojournalist based in Franklin, Vermont and the owner of Cold Hollow Photography (www.coldhollowphoto.com).

A great place to start

This is my first blog post and I can think of no better way to set to the approriate tone for this blog than this video. I watch it anytime I need a smile and to feel a little better about my skills as a journalist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W45DRy7M1no

Honestly, you have to feel for the guy - apparently (actually OBVIOUSLY) - it was his first time on camera and the teleprompter was going WAAAY too fast for him.

It reminds me of my first day working at the St. Albans Messenger. After lying shamlessly about my experience to get the job, my first task was to write a cutline for a photo. After staring at my computer for five minutes, nervous sweat oozing from every pore, I had to ask what a cutline was. It's what the industry calls a caption. Who knew? Not me.

Fortunately, I was able to overcome that faux pas - and thousands more like it - to start a 11-year run at the paper affectionately (and at times appropriately) called 'The Mess.'

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SHAWN CORROW, when he's not coming up with new ways of wasting time while not making any money, is a freelance photojournalist from Franklin, Vermont and the owner of Cold Hollow Photography (www.coldhollowphoto.com).