I want to start by thanking everyone for the calls, emails, prayers and support you’ve given me and my family.  These past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind and a new normal is finally starting to show itself.   I am truly grateful to be part of the Grey family.  Thank you.

And now for something completely different…A man with two buttocks…seriously though, it is that time of year again.  The Dirty Boulevard Five tourney in New Haven is this coming Sunday.  Here’s the message from the organizer:

 WELCOMING ALL RUGGER’S TO THE 2012

 Dirty Boulevard 5′s!!!!

YOU REALLY NEED TO ASK YOURSELF CAN YOU GET DOWN AND DIRTY????
 
 *2012 is is going to be bigger than ever! Former 5′s Wizard Bart Messina will Announce the Opening Pre-Draft Ceremony on Skype from Korea!!!

*New Haven Choir Sensation Randy Hill will be singing the National Anthem be for Kick Off!!!!

*The Winning Team will be Magically Whisked Away to Sports Haven for an Evening With the Finest Horse & Dog tracks in the Country!!!!
 
 *Cash Prizes
 
 *After Party at Anna Liffey’s
 
 Let’s get dirty!

SUNDAY FEB. 26TH…@ The BLVD…..Rain, Snow or Shine

 HIGH NOON!

 $3.99  entry Fee

 2012 DB 5′s

 Rules:
 1) Must be there by 12pm to enter the draft. (Don’t Be Late Reynolds!!!)

 2) All off-sides, Kickoffs and passing rules apply same as 7′s (kickoffs
 are live)
 
 3) 5 tags per side, the 5th results in a turn over, you have the
 option to kick on your 4th possession, that kick must go 10 meters or
 be touched by an opposing player before it is recovered by the kicking
 team. ( the first touch on a kick off does not count as #1)
 
 4) After a tag has been made the defending team must retreat 5 meters
 from the mark. ( this is strictly enforced.) this will be a
 professional foul, excessive accounts of this will result in a 45
 second sin bin 

5) After a tag has been made the attacking player must return to the
 mark he was tagged at. I don’t want to see any run & gun over ever mark. this will be a
professional foul, Excessive accounts of this will result in a 45 second sin bin.
 
 6) No fighting
 
7) RESPECT THE REF!!!!!  ( referee’s, they are very sensitive people)

 8) You must play to win!!!

 9) You Must have FUN!!!

 -Commissioner Pereira
Pete Pereira
203 843 2993

Thanks, Meyer

Sadly, David Kirk’s mother passed away within the last 24-48 hours.  David went up to Canada to be with her and is traveling back now.  We do not have any information on services at the moment but will keep everyone posted.  David’s email is wdkirk@gmail.com

Thanks, Meyer

Hello everyone, it was a great success this weekend at our first Annual CT Rugby Blood Drive sponsored by the CT Grey.  It was great to see representatives from the CT Grey (we had every generation of player on our team show up from James Ackman- a rookie on the club to Bill Aman- a founder of our club), the Jammers (Hoppy gave blood for the first time), Old Black (Sparkles and a few others came up to support the event), as well as a few Hartford players that came down with Jeff Vencus.  It was also great to see so many college rugby players show up to the event.  Mitchell College Rugby brought down 10 players (8 were giving for the first time) to help us hit our quota for the day. 
 
There was a lot of laughing and a great sense of community at the event.  Special thanks go out to Burt Hale and Kevin Mac for providing the pastries, to Ronco and Kosilla for volunteering at the front desk, and to all the Hale kids (both Burt’s and Mike’s) for handing out juices and volunteering.  Also special thanks to all the Red Cross staff for giving us the ability to give back and save lives and for putting up with our silly antics (Bubba trying to probe people while they were giving blood, the verbal exchanges between Bud Harvey and Hoppy, Big Steve from Mitchell showing us exciting new apps for our Iphones, and for several un-named players for trying to smear jelly mustaches on one-another from the pastries).
 
Thank you again to everyone that gave and volunteered at the blood drive.

Meyer

On November 16, we were informed of a wounded warrior coming home from Afghanastan with ties to our club (http://cgrfc.org/a-wounded-warrior-needs-our-help).  Many of you reached out and made some great suggestions on how we could help.  One way we can help, is to join in on the Wounded Warrior Pub Crawl in Hartford ( http://www.facebook.com/GregCaronFamilyFund#!/events/215965778493297/).  The festivities are tomorrow night, February 4th and kicks off at 5:00 PM at the Russian Lady in Hartford.  The cost to join is $20, which goes to the Semper FI Fund which has directly contributed to our friend’s need.  There will be raffles and discounted drink specials at the various establishments, so if you drink enough, you may make back your $20 bucks. 

More information can be found at:  http://www.facebook.com/GregCaronFamilyFund

Regards,

Mac and the Cheese

PS Get your arses to the blood drive tomorrow, we need your pints!

The University of Hartford is looking for some coaching help.  Please see the email exchange below for reference.  If you don’t want to read that many words and you know of anyone or if you are interested in lending a hand please let Bill McMinn or Jay Rubino know.

Thanks!

Hi Mac
 
Great to see ya at dinner. As always a nice job by you and the cast of characters!
 
Please see the below note. I am trying to help Bill McMinn who’s son I coached in Madison. Putting in touch with Harford Wanderers and put a note out to our guys for his request below at the Univ. of Harford. Do you have any of the Wanderers emails like Dan Dione the coach etc. Also let put out a note to the Grey as well.
 
Thanks in advance, Jay

Good Morning Peter [Brink of UHart]
 
My name is Bill McMinn and I am Spencer McMinn’s Dad.  It was great watching the team this past fall.  My good friend Jay Rubino is our high school coach and has lots of connections with the rugby community.  He has been playing and coaching ruby for many years.   I have asked him to contact the Hartford Rugby Community and see if we can find you some help with coaching.   I look forward to helping the team with what ever I can and I know Jay will help with his contacts to the rugby community.  Please feel free to contact myself or Jay.  We will get back to you with more information.
 
Thanks Bill McMinn
203-245-6486 office
203-410-1317 cell
mcminnwh@madisonct.org

Hello everyone, on Feb 4th (Saturday) from 8:30am -1:30 pm we will be doing a blood drive in Saint Sebastian’s Church at 155 Washington Street, Middletown, Connecticut – 06457.  As we announced at the banquet we are short by about 15 or so donors to hit the number we told the Red Cross we would be able to provide.  I have not heard back from many of you and we are asking if you can make it this Saturday that would be a great help for a great cause.  Our goal is to make this a yearly event for the whole Rugby community in Connecticut.  So please email me at mmeyer63@yahoo.com and let me know when you can attend.

Fellow Grey,
 
If you missed our Annual Banquet at the Pond House Cafe in West Hartford you missed a great night of food, music, Awards presentations and many laughs.
 
In a 45 minute Awards Presentation, we had Sandy Woodard, ( a founding member of the Greys) provide us with some ” Grey ” history and presented the Founders Award [during which we learned, the award is not necessarily for the best, nor the smartest player...]. In the true spirit of Tony Johnson and John Kerr, Mike Meyer and Jim Burke, gave new nicknames to the 5 rookies present. But the highlight of the night belonged to Tom “Ronco” Roncaioli who in presenting the Mace Coman 16th Man Award managed to insult old people, not so good players, and nearly everyone present as he forgot the last name of the person he was giving the award to, ( He had the plaque in his hand with the name on it ) [His presentation style was made for TV too.  It was cliff hanger after cliff hanger]…..the only regret of the night was not video taping Ronco’s speech for the ages.
 
Thank you to all who had a hand in making this night happen and congratulations to this years Award Winners;
 
MVP Forwards…..Kevin O’Sullivan
MVP Backs…..Charlie Mattison
Rugger Hugger…..Linda Donahue
John Falatyn Freight Train Award….Matt Leonard
Founders Award….Mike Meyer
Captains Award….Burt Hale, Mike Hale
Mace Coman 16th Man Award….Jon Castaldo
Youth Leadership Award….Bill Bishop
Rookie Award….Jeff Vencus
Presidents Award….Lou Petruzzello
 
cheers,
Mac

 Why We Play The  Game
By Rupert McCall

When the battle scars have  faded
And the truth becomes a lie
And the weekend smell of  liniment
Could almost make you cry.

When the last rucks well behind  you
And the man that ran now walks
It doesn’t matter who you are
The  mirror sometimes talks

Have a good hard look old son!
The melons not  that great
The snoz that takes a sharp turn sideways
Used to be dead  straight

You’re an advert for arthritis
You’re a thoroughbred gone  lame
Then you ask yourself the question
Why the hell you played the  game?

Was there logic in the head knocks?
In the corks and in the  cuts?
Did common sense get pushed aside?
By manliness and guts?

Do  you sometimes sit and wonder
Why your time would often pass
In a tangled  mess of bodies
With your head up someones arse?

With a thumb hooked up  your nostril
Scratching gently on your brain
And an overgrown  Neanderthal
Rejoicing in your pain!

Mate – you must recall the  jersey
That was shredded into rags
Then the soothing sting of Dettol
On  a back engraved with tags!

It’s almost worth admitting
Though with  some degree of shame
That your wife was right in asking
Why the hell you  played the game?

Why you’d always rock home legless
Like a cow on  roller skates
After drinking at the clubhouse
With your low down drunken  mates

Then you’d wake up – check your wallet
Not a solitary  coin
Drink Berocca by the bucket
Throw an ice pack on your  groin

Copping Sunday morning sermons
About boozers being  losers
While you limped like Quazimoto
With a half a thousand  bruises!

Yes – an urge to hug the porcelain
And curse sambuccas  name
Would always pose the question
Why the hell you played the  game!

And yet with every wound re-opened
As you grimly reminisce  it
Comes the most compelling feeling yet
God, you bloody miss  it!

From the first time that you laced a boot
And tightened every  stud
That virus known as rugby
Has been living in your blood

When  you dreamt it when you played it
All the rest took second fiddle
Now  you’re standing on the sideline
But your hearts still in the  middle

And no matter where you travel
You can take it as  expected
There will always be a breed of people
Hopelessly  infected

If there’s a teammate, then you’ll find him
Like a  gravitating force
With a common understanding
And a beer or three, of  course

And as you stand there telling lies
Like it was yesterday old  friend
You’ll know that if you had the chance
You’d do it all  again

You see – that’s the thing with rugby
It will always be the  same
And that, I guarantee
Is why the hell you played the  game!!