Speaking of Sports Column Archive

Speaking
of
Sports

by
Bernie
Fratto

Novi-Northville?
So what else is new?

To me, hockey is like ballet, except there’s no music, there’s no choreography, and the dancers hit each other’
~ Jack Handy

12/20/2004
These two schools aren’t even in the same league… And other than geography, some common neighbors, classmates, and friends, there is nothing that really binds Novi and Northville as rivals. But, every time these teams step onto the court, the field, or the ice, you can throw out all the records, all the memories and all the history and start over. It seems to always come down to, can you top this?

When Novi’s Mark Eberline punched in the game winning goal with 10 seconds to give the Wildcats a thrilling 3-2 victory, it was just another, oh, ho-hum Novi-Northville contest! Remember, just sixty seconds earlier, Novi led 2-1 before the Mustangs tied it up.

How about Novi’s thrilling double-overtime win last March as Pat Schluter’s Varsity basketball team garnered their 3rd straight District Championship, with the last two decisive victories over, you guessed it…Northville. And, believe me Northville could’ve easily won both of them.

Meanwhile, Coach Bill Kelps lady Wildcats won their first District Playoff game under the new regime against… Northville.

Props to Northville and Coach Mickey Newman as his baseball team has managed to defeat Novi two of the last three District championships, but Novi got them during the regular season.

And who can forget football? The annual Baseline Jug game brings one of the largest crowds in the state. Let’s face it, in every sport, fall, winter and spring, indoor and outdoor, involving girls or boys, once it’s Novi/Northville, it’s game time, and it’s definitely on!

Happy Holidays to all Mustang and Wildcat faithful… We’ll see you in 2005.

We’ll get together for some more fun and games. What will these two teams do for an encore next year?

We’ll just have to wait and see.

We might not believe our eyes!

Ho! Ho! Ho! ……… Hum

___________________________________
Bernie Fratto is a freelance writer, radio personality, and motivational speaker. His passion for sports comes in part from his experience as a former Cincinnati Red farm- hand. "Behind every sports story lies the hearts and minds of real human beings" said Fratto. "These athletic endeavors often serve as a metaphor for the game we call life."

Bernie is also on the broadcast team at Live 97.1FM talk-radio, and is a frequent co-host on the popular "Parker & The Man Show," a nightly sportstalk show which airs Monday-Friday from 7-11pm.