Columns
Surviving the dog days of August
This may sound strange coming from a sports writer, but I wasn’t always a sports fan. Actually, I was introduced to sports as sort of a punishment for crawling out my aunt’s bathroom window when I was eight years old. I was banished from playing with the rest of the kids that day and... »
Remembering PJF legend Tom Doran
Every little League needs a Tom Doran. A volunteer who will take any work title for the betterment of the organization — coach, groundskeeper, concession stand clerk, umpire, advocate, or leader. If something needed to be done for the league, Tom did it. No questions asked. That’s why eight years after his death, Peter J.... »
In search of history behind enemy lines
I make no bones about it. I’m a Red Sox fan through and through. But how could I pass up an opportunity to see history in the making? Our good Naugatuck friends Mary and Armand Boncal invited me and my wife JoAnn to Yankee Stadium on Saturday, July 24, where we hoped to see... »
A look into “The Decision”
LeBron owed Cleveland one thing he didn’t give them, a more classy and appropriate way of saying goodbye. That’s it. LeBron didn’t owe anything more to the city, the team, or the organization. He played in Cleveland for six years. Contrary to what some believe, Lebron never quit on the team, he never called... »
Overtime: Big problem in Beacon Falls sports
A couple weeks ago, CN’s Kenny Morse wrote a superb column on the decline of fun in youth sports (which you can read here if you haven’t yet). Kenny hit the nail in the head in that article when he suggested a reason for the drop-off: Look at some of the adults involved in... »
Some things never change
Damn, it feels good to beat Manny. Ramirez’s return to Beantown marked last weekend’s Red Sox-Dodgers series, and it meant different things to different fans — a fact made clear by a seemingly divided Fenway crowd. For me, the series presented an opportunity to see my Sox spank Manny—and Joe Torre—for three games. Which... »
Morse: Fun in youth sports on the decline
What happened to the fun in sports, and especially youth sports? I realize in the field of athletic competition, the desire to compete is fueled by the conquest of victory at all costs. No one plays these games to lose. But every day across America, someone is experiencing the thrill of victory while others... »
VFTM: Wearing excitement under my sleeve
“Fifteen more minutes,” Al Pistarelli assures me as he passes for the fourth time in 10 minutes. He’s been huffing back and forth between a group of emergency services workers, who are assembled on the small street between our office and Beacon Brook Health Center, and the center itself, where he works as a... »
CLISE: Jurzynski to swim channel again
He’s at it again. Peter Jurzynski this summer will once more attempt to swim across the English Channel. The borough man, who turns 59 June 7, is an International Marathon Swimming Hall of Famer and already the American record holder for successful channel crossings, 14. Five other tries, including his most recent, last Aug.... »
VFTM: Power savings would be negligible
View From the Middle will be a semi-regular news column written by Brendan Cox, Citizen’s News staff writer. Brendan can be reached at bcox@mycitizensnews.com. When the Board of Education held its public budget hearing last month, most taxpayers who turned out worried about the impact of increased class sizes, spoke out against the closing... »


