ON THE AIR.

Connecticut Sports Network (CSN) is now on the air. The network features high school sports in the area. Right now it is airing CIAC semi- finals and finals of the fall sports – football, field hockey, soccer and volleyball.

CSN is number 185 on your video dial.

COACHES.

In the last several months I've had occasion to attend several athletic awards banquets. Almost every recipient credits their coaches for their success. Okay so who was your favorite coach at any level of sports?

My own top three are as follows: 1. Larry. "Geronimo" Amendola was my basketball coach at St. Michael's School and CYO. Amendola (I am not sure where he got that nickname “Geronimo") was not your typical basketball coach. He stands about 5'8" tall, but boy did he know his X’s and O’s. He was a splendid coach because he loved the game and loved the kids.

As I've always espoused, “it is a lot more fun to win than to lose.” Amendola always found a way to win.

2. Ray Tellier. "T." as many of his players referred to him was a baseball and football coach at Wilbur Cross and Notre Dame High Schools. Tellier was a no-nonsense kind of guy. One day Tellier’s centerfielder was out of his position. He turned to a little used substitute on the bench and said. "You beat him to his position and you play the rest of the game." The sub beat the centerfielder out there and he played the rest of the game. Tellier taught sports, but he taught "life" as well.

Tellier’s strength was as a football coach. At practice he often got into the line with no equipment and knocked people on their butts. His offense was simple – run right 40 yards; run right 10 yards; run right, no gain. Run left 10 yards. He wasn’t into trick football, he just wanted you to execute better than the other team In the early 60’s he came up with the monster defense. Tellier took his most athletic player and made him a rover. He attacked the offense from various points and was almost impossible to handle. Tellier was also one of the first coaches to use film in game preparation.

Tellier also had a number of his players become coaches in the area.

3. Philip "Lefty Burke" Scarpellino played in the minor leagues when there were only 16 teams in the majors. Scarpellino used the name Lefty Burke, because he thought it was difficult to play in the South with an Italian last name.

Lefty said he was never really abused, but it was just an attitude about Italian-Americans in that era.

Later Scarpellino became a major league scout, and he never lost his passion for the game. I met him late in life, but he could sit and talk baseball for hours. When I met him, I was a "swinger". I swung at anything near the plate and hoped I made contact. Scarpellino taught me to be a hitter, how to hit the ball to the opposite field and how to hit where the ball was pitched and not to try to pull everything. He would sit with his young players and talk to them about the philosophy of the game, reaction time at the plate and so on and so on.

With apologies to other coaches I may have had, these were my favorite three. Send me your favorite coaches who have ever coached you to tonymentone@yahoo.com.

RUMOR.

There is an unconfirmed rumor, I repeat UNCONFIRMED, floating around that former Notre Dame High School football coach and present A.D. at the West Haven high school, Tom Marcucci, will return as coach to replace retiring John DiCaprio.

SCORERS TABLE.

Hamden High School basketball has the best trio of scorers’ table personnel around. Rich Altieri is a former basketball official and never misses a beat despite the fact he's usually reading a newspaper during the stoppage in play.

Jay Midolo is a baseball umpire and passes the cold weather months by keeping score and running the clock. He is a high school sports fan and can often be found at many of the top games.

Mike Raccio is "the Stat Man of New Haven". It is rumored that the CIAC calls him if there is a question on stats.

These three keep things very professional. I am tired of watching students and teachers at some schools who don't know what they are doing