February 14th, 2011:

People + Soccer = Friends

Feb 14th, 2011
by Lisa Hemmerle.
5 comments

New to Boston/sick of your friends/looking for something new to do?

Well, you’re not alone. Back in ye olde tymes when I was ONEin3 manager, a steady stream of young people would email or call me asking what was the best way to break into Boston and/or make some new friends.

I always told them there are at least three excellent things to do: Volunteer, take a class, play sports.

We’ll explore each of these on the blog, but this post will focus on the one closest to my heart.

When I was a kid, I played sports all day every day. I loved it. And then I went to college and did other stuff (wholesome stuff, I swear!).

When I graduated and started sitting in a cube all day, I really missed it…aaaaand I got really out of shape. One of my co-workers asked me if I had any interest in playing soccer on Wednesday nights and I jumped at the chance even though I hadn’t played organized soccer since 6th grade.

I loved it. Like Garth, I like to play.

I was terrible, but so was pretty much everyone else, and we went out to Irish Village for a couple pints after our games. It was a great way to get to know some people outside my social circle.

Over the years, the cast of characters on our team has changed quite a bit, but these teammates are now good friends. Team sports has a way of building strong bonds from thin air.

For those interested in getting started, here are 3 good organizations that manage lots of sports leagues (from soccer to ultimate frisbee, flag football and a lot more) and other athletic social activities. All 3 take individuals, place them on teams and have leagues for every level.

  • Social Boston Sports is a long-time partner of ONEin3 and a cool organization. In addition to leagues (soccer, dodgeball, kickball, bowling etc.), they run ski trips, throw parties, host game nights and much more.
  • FSSG Boston runs the soccer league I play in in Revere as well as leagues in softball and soccer in lots of other places.
  • Boston Ski and Sports Club is a behemoth. As you can probably guess from their name, they do a lot of ski trips. I hear they even go to Europe. They also cover pretty much any sport you can think of playing.

So there ya go. Get out there, run around and have fun!

PS. I can’t end this blog without a little bragging. My team, the LVPs (named for a teammate/friend who disappeared for months when he got a girlfriend ((what’s that about??) happy Valentine’s Day!)) is straight up championship material.

Here we are after we won our first FSSG Sunday Morning Indoor Championship, effectively proving that we could be professionals if we wanted to:

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Just Another 3 Pointer for Ray, But a Record for All of Us

Feb 14th, 2011
by NathanRothstein.
1 comment

With a few minutes left in the first quarter last Thursday, Rondo led the ball down the court, as he usually does, except this time he fed the ball to Ray Allen, who proceeded to break the all-time three point record. A few possessions later, during a dead ball, Ray went over to Reggie Miller, the man who he surpassed, and gave him one of the all time greatest man-hugs. And just like that, history was made. Ray Allen, a true professional, became the greatest long distance shooter of all time, and it could not have happened to a better person.


For those who have not watched Ray drain three-pointers since the mid 90s, go get Spike Lee’s “He Got Game,” and watch a work of art. In scene after scene, Ray elevates, and then with perfect form knocks down one jumper after the other, complemented by Aaron Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Lee took a chance to cast Ray Allen as the star basketball player from Lincoln High School, Jesus Shuttlesworth, but it paid off. One of the reasons he performed so well on screen was he fit the role to a tee. Jesus is the best basketball player in all the land, and he must navigate the temptations of being a celebrity at too young of an age, while staying level headed, and taking care of his younger sister. For Jesus Shuttlesworth, becoming the best basketball player in the country is second to making sure his sister is happy and does well in school.


Ray Allen is someone that Boston can admire. He works hard, cares about his family, and stays humble. When he came to Boston in the summer of 2007, he had just averaged a career-high in points, and people were unsure how he would mesh with Pierce and Garnett. Who would take the shots down the stretch? Would there be chemistry problems? The answers: anyone who was free and no. Boston cruised through the regular season, struggled through the Eastern Conference playoffs, and then beat L.A, and brought back the championship to Boston. The first since 1986.


While other NBA players can’t seem to stay out of trouble ( Gilbert Arenas), force coaches into retirement (Deron Williams), and/or ride their motorcycles down the highway with 3 guns in a guitar case like El Mariachi (Delonte West), Ray Allen plays and acts well. One of the great parts of this Celtics team is you can see how hard they work, and can sense their determination. They want another championship, and the hours and hours that Allen spends before each game shooting jumpers is just another example of someone who deserves to be the champ. Reggie Miller was great, but he played like a little rascal. He would kick his leg out to draw the foul and would constantly tell the other team how great he was. It was clear he was good, but it was hard to like him. Ray makes a picture-perfect jumper, and then runs back and plays defense. Sometimes he will even smile, but most of the times it is all just part of the process to achieve his goal-bring back the banner to Boston.
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In Your Voting Booth… You!

Feb 14th, 2011
by MegReilly.
1 comment

So, maybe actual “booths” are a thing of the past in elections.  When I voted in November, I didn’t get a curtain to pull closed but I had some high walls around my secret ballot at my little Hill House voting spot.  But I digress.

Tomorrow is Preliminary Election Day in District 7!

That’s right… we’re going to downsize from 6 candidates to 2 candidates.  Then there’s one month til the March 15 final election, and then *boom!*  New City Councilor!

So if Twitter is accurate, which I assume it is, it looks like while I’ve been watching basketball games and heckling the Grammys, our District 7 candidates have been out meeting with voters all weekend.  So, I guess I can feel a little bit unproductive, huh?

Fortunately, I contributed a small amount of time and effort to the cause, getting some responses to our surveys!  Check out Natalie Carithers, Roy Owens, Tito Jackson, and Cornell Mills!  Also on the ballot are Danielle Renee Williams and Althea Garrison.

And if you’re in District 7, confirm your voting location here and set aside a few minutes tomorrow to get out and vote!   If you haven’t registered to vote, maybe you should.  Okay, definitely you should.  If you’re in District 7, you have until February 23 to register for the final.  If you aren’t in District 7, you might as well just do it right now.  Otherwise, I’ll probably judge you.  And you wouldn’t want that.

So don’t forget!  Tuesday, February 15, from 7am til 8pm: you gotta vote!

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