The 'Sunset Season' has arrived in Uncasville | Zanor column
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Just thought I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while rooting for the Boston Fleet to win the PWHL's Walter Cup.
WNBA
They’re calling it the “Sunset Season” in Uncasville.
Visit freshyourfeel.org for more information.
The Connecticut Sun arrived in the Nutmeg State in 2003, setting up shop along the banks of the Thames River on the Mohegan Indian Reservation. Playing in a 10,000 seat arena in the middle of a casino, the Sun brought professional sports back to Connecticut by competing in the WNBA. They won three regular-season conference championships and reached the WNBA finals four times.
This season is their last chance to bring a WNBA title to Uncasville. The Sun are moving to Houston in October.
The WNBA’s 30th season begins on May 8. The Sun travel to New York on that night to meet Breanna Stewart and the Liberty at the Barclay’s Center. The Sun’s home opener in their final season playing along the banks of the Thames is a Mother's Day matinee against the Seattle Storm on May 10 at 1 p.m.
Of course, the date I have circled on my calendar is Saturday, June 13 when Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull and the Indiana Fever make their only regular season appearance at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
ECC
The Norwich Free Academy softball team remained No. 10 in this week’s GameTimeCT Top 10 poll after victories over Coventry and Ledyard.
The Wildcats (9-1) began this week by capturing their eighth straight win, a 14-2 victory against Woodstock Academy on Tuesday at DePina Field. Winning pitcher Dakota Bourdon tossed all six innings. She struck out 10 and allowed just one hit. Bourdon also crushed a two-run homer while going 3-for-4 at the plate.
Also for NFA, Bella Ruta (double) and Reilly York (two RBIs) had three hits apiece, Olivia Bourdon collected two hits and three RBIs, Amelia Driscoll and Alivia Bialowas each drove in two runs, and Sophie Miner and Vivienne Przekop each had one hit, one RBI, and a stolen base.
The GameTimeCT Softball Top 10 Poll
- Cheshire (13) 9-0
- Masuk 8-0
- Foran 7-1
- Darien 6-1
- New Milford 9-0
- T6- Brookfield 8-1
- T6- Southington 8-1
- St. Paul 8-0
- North Branford 9-1
- Norwich Free Academy 8-1
Gold Key Dinner
The Connecticut Sports Media Alliance will host its 83rd Gold Key Dinner on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington at 2 p.m. The Gold Key is presented to athletes, coaches and administrators who have made noteworthy career contributions to Connecticut’s rich athletic heritage. Receiving a Gold Key is comparable to being inducted into a state hall of fame.
This year, the CSMA is honoring five distinguished Gold Key recipients: Rachele Fico - Masuk and Louisiana State softball; Nick Giaquinto - Stratford, UConn football, Washington Super Bowl champion; James Jones - head basketball coach at Yale; Dave Wallace - Sacred Heart-Waterbury graduate and pitching coach of 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox; and Kara Wolters - UConn All-American, WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist.
Tickets for the 83rd Gold Key dinner are now on sale for $80. Send your check made payable to the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance and who you are there to see to the following address: CT Sports Media Alliance, P.O. Box 3234, Enfield, CT, 06083.
For more information or to pay through Venmo, contact John Holt at [email protected] or call him at 508-740-4738.
Conditions and comments …
- I hate “Automated Balls and Strikes”. ABS is the worst thing to happen to Major League baseball since the extra-inning ghost runner, World Series games not being played during the day, no more scheduled Sunday doubleheaders, the designated hitter, timers on pitchers, steroids, Wild Card teams, the rise of analytics, and the disappearance of the 20-game winner on the mound. My son, Eddie, and I were watching a recent MLB game when a batter was called out on a third strike that looked like a great pitch that caught the corner of the plate. The hitter challenged the umpire's call and the game was stopped. We were shown an imaginary baseball heading for an imaginary box, which is the "automated" strike zone. The ball was positioned as close to the outside of the box as it could be without touching it. The difference between a ball and a strike was less than a quarter of an inch ! The umpire's call was overturned and a pitch that was a strike in 99 percent of the games since Babe Ruth played and a pitch that Hall of Fame hurlers from Warren Spahn to Tom Glavine have used to strike out numerous batters, was now a ball. Eddie turned to me and blurted, “If that was called a ball when I was playing, I would have hit .500!”
- With news that Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet has been placed on the injured reserve list, along with the recent firing of manager Alex Cora, Sox fans could be bracing for the worst season on Yawkey Way since Billy Herman’s team went 62-100 in 1965. Tony Conigliaro led the American League with 32 home runs that season, while Carl Yastrzemski batted .312 and led the AL in doubles (45) and OPS (.932).
- The greatest show on television - Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever - is back. Yup, the Fever open their season at home against Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and Villanova legend Maddie Siegrist on Sunday, May 9 at 1 p.m. on ABC. All 44 Fever games are on national television this season. You can watch Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and the rest of the Fever on ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Peacock, USA Network, Prime Video, and ION. Every game. And you thought the league forgot who the GOAT was?
STUCK IN THE 70s
On May 5, 1973, Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby in a still track record of 1:59.2 at Churchill Downs. Sham was two-and-a-half lengths back in second, while Our Native finished eight lengths behind in the show position. Secretariat was the first horse to win the Derby in under two minutes.
Secretariat went on to become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. He set speed records in all three races: Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. His 31-length victory in the Belmont is considered the greatest race ever run by a thoroughbred racehorse.
When we talk about the GOAT in sports, Secretariat needs to be in the conversation.
Jimmy Zanor is a sportswriter for the Norwich Bulletin and can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@jzanorNB.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: The 'Sunset Season' has arrived in Uncasville | Zanor column