Page 12 Thursday, September 11, 2014 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION Devil’s Den WHS Graduate Pens Book on ‘Super’ Bills By BRUCE JOHNSON Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times Joe Valerio became interested in including Larry Merchant, Paul (Dr. that joined the NFL following their writing while he was in high school. Z) Zimmerman, Maury Allen and Vic merger in 1970. But it wasn’t in one of Walt Clarkson’s Ziegel. He did some rewrites and Ironically, another upstart NFL ri- journalism classes, which he never eventually got a tryout. He was hired val league, the United States Football took. and soon found himself sitting next to League, existed from 1983 to 1985 The 1967 WHS graduate was Schaap, Jimmy, Smith and Merchant playing its games in the spring and heavily influenced by the writers in at Shea Stadium, covering a pennant summer. When it folded, the Bills the sports pages of the New York Her- race. That’s pretty heady stuff for picked up coach Marv Levy (Chi- ald Tribune. The Trib had a reputa- someone who six years earlier was cago Blitz), quarterback Jim Kelly tion as a “writer’s newspaper” in that watching Frank Tokash pitch to Bob (Houston Gamblers), center Kent Hull it allowed them to write longer, more Brewster for Norm Koury behind (New York Generals) and linebacker in-depth serious features. When your Edison Junior High. Now he was get- Ray Bentley (Oakland Invaders) for staff includes legends like Jimmy ting paid to watch Tom Seaver pitch the 1986 season. By 1988 they had Breslin, Dick Schaap, Tom Wolfe and to Jerry Grote. added receiver Andre Reed, defen- Red Smith, that’s a very wise move. That writing career lasted a little sive end Bruce Smith and running “These men were giants of their over four years before it evolved into back Thurman Thomas, and they were craft,” Valerio said recently. “This just about ready to go in the history was the era of the new journalism, books. and I found it fascinating. I also In 1990, they won the AFC and remember reading Gay Talese’s lost to the New York Giants, 20-19, David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The Times long profiles of Joe DiMaggio and in the Super Bowl, famous for BLUE DEVIL VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY CAPTAINS...Pictured, left to right, are: Cami Sullivan, Emily Forcht, Valeria Bouchoueva and Sophie Bass. Frank Sinatra in Esquire magazine. kicker Scott Norwood’s “wide That’s how I became interested in right” last-second field goal at- one day becoming a writer.” tempt. The following year they lost Lady Blue Devils Have Found Success Long story short, at 23 Valerio to the Washington Redskins, 37- joined the staff of the New York 24, and then fell to Dallas, 52-17 Post, covering the New York Mets’ and 30-13, in 1992 and ’93. They In Field Hockey Scrimmages, Look Ahead 1973 World Series championship, didn’t make the playoffs in 1994. and now, 40 years later, after a While they had many great play- By DAVID B. CORBIN to our offense last season and have tremendous potential to keep us in career that’s included covering ers, Kelly was the team’s leader, Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times proven to be major influencing fac- games.” pretty much every major event in the go-to guy in their no-huddle The Westfield High School field tors again this year,” said Blue Devil The Blue Devils opened their regu- the NFL, NBA, MLB, college hoops “K-gun” offense. And he is also the hockey team had a successful pre- Head Coach Caitlin MacDonald, who lar season at Randolph on September and tennis, and the last 25 years focus of Valerio’s book. season winning two of its three scrim- added, “Some other returners who 5 and lost, 1-0. Next, they were to producing “The Sports Reporters” “Never has a team’s heart been mage games and is eager to carry that have been playing really well are host Union on September 9 then they for ESPN, he is the author of his more abundantly clear than in the momentum into the regular season. Emily Forcht [senior defender], Paige will face AL Johnson in Clark today, first book – “Second to None: The way Kelly has battled cancer this In their first scrimmage against Old Carlin [senior defender] and Leah September 11, at 4 p.m. Relentless Drive and Impossible past year,” Valerio said. “To see Bridge, the Lady Blue Devils won 3- Iosif [senior Forward]. Dream of the Super Bowl Bills – him at the Hall of Fame induction 0. The second scrimmage against The Blue Devils also have a few Reading is Good For You which came out on Sept. 1 and is for Reed, having lost 50- pounds Monroe was a 3-1 victory. The final newcomers, who have been playing available at Barnes and Noble stores and most of his hair, all but disap- scrimmage on September 3, the Lady well and are expected to be an impor- and at amazon.com. pearing in his gold Hall of Fame Blue Devils wound up on the short tant part of the lineup in the begin- It’s quite an amazing tale, both blazer, and then tossing one more end of a 5-2 decision to West Morris- ning of the season. Valerio’s and the Bills’. Let’s take pass to Andre on the stage was a Mendham. According to Coach MacDonald, them one at a time. moment that people everywhere Junior Cami Sullivan and seniors “Zoe Rader [sophomore] has been After WHS, Valerio graduated from television sports, where he produced will long remember. Kelly is deter- Emily Forcht, Valeria Bouchoueva moving between offense and de- Fairfield University, where he’d been events for ABC (1977-82), CBS mined to make a full recovery from and Sophie Bass have been selected fense and has been playing both sports editor of the school newspa- (1982-89) and eventually ESPN’s sinus cancer. team captains. Sullivan will patrol very well. Christina Seery [sopho- per. With his beloved Trib having beloved “The Sports Reporters.” “We make way the midfield, as will Bouchoueva. Bass more goalie] will be one of the big- closed in 1966, Valerio got a job as a “One of the great joys of my career too much in this returns at the forward position. gest game changers for us this year. goleader.com/subscribe copy boy at the New York Post, which was working with Dick Schaap, who country about “These three players were central She is incredibly talented and has had its own staff of top-notch writers, was the host of ‘The Sports Report- winning the big ers’ for the first 12 years of the show,” one. Kelly and Valerio said. “Dick was a boyhood his teammates hero of mine, and we became close won something friends until his untimely death in bigger than the 2001. John Saunders now hosts the big one. They show and has done an outstanding won the hearts of job carrying on our tradition as the fans wherever EXPERIENCE IS THE DIFFERENCE COLDWELLBANKERPREVIEWS.COM leading sports talk show on televi- games are sion. Over the years, Mike Lupica, Joe Valerio * played. ‘Second Mitch Albon, Bob Ryan, Tony to None’ is their story.” Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, John Joe, who grew up behind Edison Feinstein, Jackie MacMullen, Lesley Junior High on Dartmoor, currently Visser, Jemele Hill, Bill Rhoden and lives in Norwalk, Conn., with his Israel Gutierrez, and the list goes on wife Debbie. They have three grown and on, have regularly graced our children. His older brother John, who set.” did some major weightlifting at the Most of those people have also “Y” back in the day, coaches track taken to writing books, either novels and field at St. Benedict’s Prep in or non-fiction, and Valerio got the Newark, where he went to school. bug. His hero, Schaap, had written * WHS graduate Joe Valerio has books about Jerry Kramer and the written “Second to None,” a book Green Bay Packers (“Instant Re- about the four-time Super Bowl play”), Joe Namath (“I Can’t Wait Til runnerup Buffalo Bills. Tomorrow, Cause I Get Better-Look- THIS AND THAT COLTS NECK, NEW JERSEY MIDDLETOWN, NEW JERSEY COLTS NECK, NEW JERSEY ing Every Day”), Bobby Kennedy, WHS opens its 2014 football sea- For Connoisseurs of Fine Design, this Exquisite “Riverwind”, magnificent waterfront estate Custom stone estate features 6 bedrooms, 8 full Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz, son Saturday when Montgomery Equestrian Estate sits on 127 acres & is on 17 acres with dock, pool, tennis court, and 4 half baths with oval & octagonal shaped the Olympics Games, long jumper comes to Kehler Stadium for a 2 brimming with extravagance & state-of-the-art 5 stalls, 4 guest houses and more! rooms, private elevator & indoor endless lap Bob Beamon, tennis coach Nick p.m. kickoff. The teams have only amenities. Located near Allaire Airport, NYC & $10,000,000 pool with spa. $7,000,000 Bolletieri, Yankees owner George met one time, a 38-0 win by the Blue Philadelphia. $34,999,000 Steinbrenner and Bo Jackson (“Bo Devils in 2009. The Cougars feature Knows Bo”). He also wrote an excel- a four-year starter at quarterback in Pamela Molloy, Sales Associate Mara Browndorf & Sara Pomphrey, Sales Associates Lois Cohen, Sales Associate lent autobiography, “Dick Schaap As Chris Chugunov, who is supposed to 732-946-9600 732-842-3200 732-946-9600 Told to Dick Schaap: 50 Years of be the best thing in Montgomery Headlines, Deadlines and since the cheddarburgers at the Punchlines.” Tiger’s Tail.