It’s time for me to start writing a weekly blog again. I enjoy writing about sports while dropping the occasional EB opinions on all things happening local or national. I couldn’t help but put a question mark after the word Spring in the title because I’m not sure we can say we have had a real Spring. Have we? I went turkey hunting this morning and felt like Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining – frozen at the end of the movie in the snow. If I had seen a turkey it would have been the safest turkey in the history of hunting. Shaking too much to aim properly and apathetic to the point where I just wanted to leave my blind. By the way, those ’see through blinds’, which I now am the owner of, are pretty awesome! OK, here we go with the rest of my oft twisted opinions. And remember they are mine, you can’t have ‘em. Local first, then national.

Lyndon Institute’s baseball team is going to be one to watch this season. Featuring Wyatt Mason and Ethan Lussier as the team’s Ace 1 and Ace 1A they will be tough to beat in division two. Add in the arms of Jackson Dwyer, Raymond Powers, and Logan Wheeler and it’s a very well balanced rotation. If this team scores five runs on average per game they will almost be unbeatable. Also, if you haven’t seen Logan Wheeler play shortstop you might want to take a trip to McDonald Family Field. One of the best I’ve EVER seen at LI.

Just down the road the St. Johnsbury Academy Hilltoppers baseball team is another NEK juggernaut. They have outscored their first three opponents by a score of 34 to 1 en route to a 3 and 0 start. Led by Division 1 commit Rex Hauser this team has an odds-on chance to be playing at Centennial Field at the end of the season!

Both LI and SJA softball teams are also going to be really tough again this year as well. I’m looking forward to calling some of their games this year.

On another note concerning the two schools, I am hopeful that the rivalry game has not been put in peril by some poor decisions made by LI. I’m hopeful Lyndon will be able to field a competitive team this year and for years to come. I have heard of several 8th graders who will be attending SJA who normally would go to Lyndon had the circumstances been different. I believe SJA wants a ‘healthy’ rivalry. If it proves that it can’t be, the rivalry game will go away similar to MSJ-Rutland. If that happens the stain on the decision maker’s legacy will be unimaginable.

I haven’t been to an Academy track meet this year but I can only imagine how hollow the first home meet was without Chip Langmaid there to run the show. Jessica Thornton-Sherman was a great hire by SJA to continue on the tradition that was built. She’ll do a wonderful job in my opinion.

Danville’s hire of Kayla Matte is exciting for the Bears. She’s won as a player and knows the effort that it takes to win games and championships. Looking forward to seeing Kayla no longer with the interim tag and what she can do with that program.

A shout out to Michael Beniash at the Caledonian-Record. Oftentimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and I’m hopeful he and the newspaper are here to stay for a long long time, but I wanted to point out what a great job he does. He and Paul Hayes – who has gone from sports to news to sports reporting roles have always served local athletes well!

EB and Johnny’s ‘Ticket to the Game’ website will be launching soon. Please check it out to see how you can help us get someone to a game that they normally would not have an opportunity to do so.

Charles Barkley said that if Lebron James loses to the Timberwolves in five games he should never be considered as a Top 5 player in NBA history. I agree with Chuck. Lebron is a great player but has been his own worst enemy. Imagine if Ray Allen had missed that corner three pointer years ago. Look it up.

The NFL Draft was pretty lame this year. I just don’t think there were a lot of great players after the top 3 or 4 – perhaps I’m wrong but I don’t see it. And when the so-called experts come out and give the draft grades before someone has played a down in the league I tend to pump the brakes. It’s funny, you’ll have fan bases say, ‘oh the experts gave us an A, we nailed the draft’. Or if they are conversely given a C or D they say ‘just wait and see how it plays out’. Which way is it? Can’t have it both ways. The grades are BS!

The Shedeur Sanders thing was something to see. Some of the dumb comments I saw online supported my theory that people can simply be idiots. Racism was brought up. Um, Cam Ward was the number one pick. NFL GM’s are not looking at race or skin color when assessing talent. To think so, is idiotic. That ends that.

But, the prank caller, who turned out to be an Atlanta Falcons employee’s son, was beyond reproach. No way does a fine suffice for leaking Shedeur’s phone number to the offender; the guy should have been fired and banned from the league for a year. I do have to wonder if the Sanders family sought out Lebron James’ agent for advice in advance of the draft. The whole thing was off the rails from the start.

I think the Red Sox might have something with this team. I think the playoffs are a possibility and there’s an outside chance of winning the division. They do need to find a spot on the big league roster for Roman Anthony – somehow, someway. They have some youth in that organization that are pushing to get on the big league club.

The Yankees are boring. Boone is predictable. He’ll have his relief staff’s arms so tired by September it will be the same story for them. Their pitching will fail them in October – maybe even prior to that.

Watching the NBA makes you think of the WWE at times. The officials often do their best version of the Harlem Globetrotters/Washington Generals called games. And all of the video reviews make me sick. We’ve embraced technology too much. We’re painted into a corner now, however, if they don’t review it and get the call right there is hell to pay on social media. And I’m usually one that gets on them. Haha.

The Celtics injury scares scare me. And Porzingis doesn’t look like the same player in the playoffs as he did in the regular season. If he doesn’t come out of that funk the C’s are in trouble. I don’t understand why they don’t play Pritchard more though. When he plays more we roll.

The NHL playoffs without the Bruins while still exciting, it’s not nearly as much for me. I’m rooting for Ovi to win it all and call it a career.

I’ve embraced golf over the past two years like a child holding a teddy bear. I love it but it doesn’t always love me back. I’ve learned you can build snowmen in the summer(8), or a snowman can have a plus one(9). Those scores kill your scorecard. I’m a schizophrenic golfer. Birdie the hardest hole on the course, then quadruple bogey the “easiest” hole right after that. If you haven’t seen Robin Williams’ golf skit check it out on YouTube. Maybe I should watch it daily so I don’t take a score of 8 or 9 so seriously. I birdied the 4th hole at Orleans Country Club the other day and was ecstatic. That hole is the bane of my existence. It’s a par 5 but I play it like it’s a par 8. Every freaking time – except Tuesday!

I can’t wait for the Kentucky Derby. I’ll bet on a horse and it will come in second. I need to seek out the bet for second place. I know, it’s called ‘win, place, or show’.

Have a good week everyone!

The opinions expressed by EB are solely his and are not a reflection of those of NSN. If you’d like to reach out to EB please contact him at eberry@nsnsports.net