FILL THE BOWL.

As I was listening to the Princeton versus Yale football game at Yale Bowl, I thought I heard the announcer say that the attendance was 5000. I knew that had to be a mistake. Yale, Princeton and Harvard are called the Big Three and they alternate sites every year If Yale plays Princeton at the Bowl this year then they play Harvard at home next year. The games usually draw 45,000 to better than 60,000 depending on the importance of the game.

When I got the newspaper the next day, I checked the attendance. Sure enough it was only 5000. Where the hell did everybody go?

One of the highlights of my years of my young life was Saturday at Yale Bowl with my father and my uncles. The day used to go something like this: we would leave the house for a 2 PM game at about 10:30 AM. Didn't want to miss anything. The traffic was usually already starting to back up. We parked on a side street off the Boulevard. We would walk across the marshes to Yale Bowl. I would run through the falling fall leaves with my father and my uncles, who would warn me to be careful. I always wondered whether there was a prehistoric monster under the leaves that was going to attack. I wasn't sure about it but as I got older I realized they were cautious with everything when it came to their kids.

When we got to the bowl we would watch the soccer match on a field adjacent to Coxe Cage. Now that field is surrounded by evergreens and there is an admission to get in. But at that time it was wide open. We would then walk over to Gate B to wait for our "contact". The talk was only sports -- football, baseball, Yale hockey and boxing. I learned more about sports on Saturday afternoons that I learned in my whole life.

Our "contact" would show up and we would all enter the bowl without tickets. Later I found out we were supposed to be door guards, but we never did any guard duty, but I also found out that our contact was putting the door guard money in his pocket. We didn't care as long as we saw the game.

Where did those 40,000 people go? I do admit that it was pouring rain for most of the game. Hell, I literally sat in a hurricane wrapped in industrial plastic that one of my uncles got at work and then there was the snowstorm when the "Yale Precision Marching Band" released pigs on the field and nobody could catch them.

Where are the Townies who considered Yale to be their own team? They’re home watching television or on the computer etc. On any given Saturday you could watch 10 - 20 different games.

Where are the busses and open trolleys going from New Haven Green to Yale Bowl? Where are the cars, which flooded the streets and tailgated in the parking lots around the Bowl? Where are all the kids who used to show up for Youth Day? Yale used to be New Haven’s team. Times have changed. Despite numerous youth programs, you won't find too many kids in this area, saying Yale is their favorite team.

200 WINS.

Hamden high girls basketball coach John Ceneri got his 200th career win in Hamden's opening game against Foran of Milford,. 54-34. Cara Deroy led Hamden with 10 points, followed by Takerra Williams with nine.

SCC HONORS.

The following Hamden High School athletes earned Southern Connecticut Conference honors: In Girls’ Cross country named to the All- Conference team was Carolyn Williams, and she was also selected to the All-Quinnipiac Team along with Lindsey Leach.

In Football, named on offense was wide receiver Josh Smart. On defense was Carmine Baldino.

In Boys soccer, the Quinnipiac division named Stephen Zapata and Chris Fitzsimons.

Girls’ soccer included Janie Jannitto and Gabby Benitez.

In the 200 IM swimming Madeline Froehlich was named. She was also named in the backstroke.