Make mine a triple

Originally, I planned on getting to four games today, but the best laid plans ...

I did, however, get to three games today.

First, I saw the first half of the BHS-BFA-St. Albans boys lacrosse game.

A couple of observations: 1. Every school needs artificial turf. Sure, not all can afford it, but sports on turf are better than sports on grass. It's not an opinion, it's a fact. Especially in the spring where grass is sketchy at best. Burlington's facility is a great place to play, to watch and to photograph.

2. I don't know enough about lacrosse to say who's good and who isn't, but I've seen BFA play twice this year and they can possess the heck out of the ball. Not sure if that translates into wins, but they had the ball for huge huge chunks of time in both games. Of course, this might mean they are terrible. My knowledge of lacrosse is only slightly worse than my knowledge of field hockey. Although lacrosse is rapidly becoming my favorite spring sport to photograph.

A quick check of the Free Press website reveals the Bobwhites won 6-5, second one-goal win in three games this season. They lost their first game by two goals, but it was tied into the fourth quarter. They won their second game of the season in double overtime. Guess they are determined to put some grey hairs on coach Scott Cooledge this season.

After my trip to B-Town, I made a not-so-quick rush-hour trip to Milton to catch the Yellowjackets against South Burlington in softball and baseball.

How about those Rebel softballers! They beat Milton 2-1 to match their win total from the previous decade. (OK, that's a slight exaggeration - I think.) Milton coach Steph Hurley was gracious - as usual - in defeat, remarking that SBHS has some kids who can put the ball in play with authority. They also have a decent pitcher. Sure, they aren't going to knock off a BFA or an Essex anything soon (right?), they seemed headed in the right direction.

Same, too, for the Rebel baseball team. They opened with a 6-0 win over the 'Jackets. Ben Jenkins was dominant on the mound for SBHS, besting Milton ace Matt Goulet. The 'Jackets made a lot of mistakes, but they are young and coach John Geary will use this game as a teaching tool, I'm sure.

With rain in the forecast tomorrow, I'm planning on a day away from games Friday before resuming my schedule with a game at Enosburg on Saturday, weather permitting.

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.