There are 16 weekends beginning with Memorial Day and ending with Labor Day Weekend and this is the 8th one so we’re at the unofficial half-way point of the unofficial summer season. 

Captain Christie Rampone (R) holds the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy as she walks to the bus with teammate Becky Sauerbrunn after they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport
Captain Christie Rampone (R) holds the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy as she walks to the bus with teammate Becky Sauerbrunn after they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
loading...

I don’t know why I started with that but it’s Friday and frankly there’s some incredibly special on my not very special mind.  With that said:

All 23 members of the U.S. Women’s Soccer team are expected to be on hand for a parade down Broadway in New York City today which will end with them being honored by Mayor Bill de Blasio at City Hall Plaza.  Nobody seems to know how many spectators will line the route for the first parade down the “Canyon of Heroes” since the Giants won the Super Bowl in February of 2012.

This will also be the first time a sports team has been honored that did not represent New York and obviously the first all-female team.  By the way while they call it a ticker-tape parade they actually no longer use the strips of paper ripped from a stock tipper.  It’s more like shredded blank newsprint which is described as ink-less confetti.

Steven Matz #32 of the New York Mets
Steven Matz #32 of the New York Mets (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
loading...

Calling the Mets snake-bit is like calling the beach and important part of the Jersey Shore. Pretty obvious.  The latest in a long-line of “are you kidding me” moments for Mets fans has to do with pitcher Steven Matz, who was very impressive in winning his first two major league starts.  Now comes word that the 24-year old lefty has a partially torn “lat” muscle (upper back) and will likely miss at least a month and maybe longer.  Cursed, simply cursed.

The Ocean and Monmouth County teams begin preparations today for the 38th annual U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic which will be played next Thursday night at Long Branch High School.  Head coaches for the longest-running All-Star football game in New Jersey are Jackson Memorial’s Walt Krystopik and Shore’s Mark Costantino and those schools will be the sight of practice sessions for the game.

The Shore Football Coaches Foundation will induct three new members into its Hall of Fame at halftime of next week’s game: Costantino, former Jackson and Wall coach Chris Barnes and longtime sportswriter Chris Christopher.  Rosters for the game are available at shoresportsnetwork.com although several changes are being made leading into the start of practice.

More From Beach Radio