Good morning!
The UMass football program got its Welcome-to-the-MAC moment last month when a Western Michigan alum and social media freak named Garrett, aka @GfedGoCrazy, visited McGuirk Alumni Stadium, home of the Minutemen.

Garrett’s hook is the Walk-On Challenge: “You know the rules. You drive by a Division I stadium, you try to walk on the field.”

During this quest he takes viewers on mini tours past the statues of Bo Jackson, Pat Sullivan and Cam Newton at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, points to autographed NFL jerseys hanging inside Jack Trice Stadium that were signed by former Iowa State players, and compares the outside of Kansas State’s Bill Snyder Family Stadium to a castle — “All it needs is a moat.”

Somehow in this Lewis & Clark expedition of college stadiums he was able to find Amherst, the place Playboy Magazine called “No Place to be Nobody.” The 17,000-seat stadium turns 59 in September and is a testament to the durability of poured concrete. Otherwise, said Garrett, “Check out the outside and how much nothingness is going on out here.”

He’s right. It is a testament to school apathy. The past is all UMass has since it joined the FBS, but there are no tribute to the halcyon days when UMass was a team to be feared, no statues of coaches Vic Fusia or Dick MacPherson, no busts of tight end Milt Morin or quarterback Greg Landry. It’s inexcusable but give athletic director Ryan Bamford time, he’s only been here what, a decade?

“I’ve been to about 120 college football fields and I genuinely feel this is the worst,” said Garrett. “The rolling hills provide a nice backdrop, but the stadium doesn’t do it justice at all. Two sides of straight bleacher seating and a scoreboard, and that’s about it. I’m not even seeing a real concourse here, just these rows of stairs that go straight up to the seats.”

If Bamford had known Garrett was coming he would’ve surrounded the perimeter with cop cars and helicopters and drones would’ve hovered over the campus, just like it is on game day when nobody can get in for free at halftime to watch the marching band.

McGuirk sits on an old parking lot covered in pebbles. “It feels like a junkyard in the middle of nowhere,” said Garrett. Not really a junkyard, more like a DPW garage with empty school buses and other vehicles. In previous years I’ve seen hundreds of tires stacked under the grandstand and dozens of porta potties lined side-by-side.

Garrett’s critique might not have gotten much notice if he’d visited McGuirk earlier, but it was near the end of his tour and garnered over 3.5 million views.

“UMass just recently signed up to be in the MAC and as a MAC alum, a MAC ambassador, someone who’s been to every MAC stadium, I’m kind of embarrassed it took 25 years for the MAC to add anybody, and this is who they chose,” he said. “I can’t believe we broke up the solidarity of the MAC to let these guys in. When the day comes, give me Western Michigan minus 48.”

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Tim Hanley recently invited a few of his lifelong hockey buddies down to his lake house in Danbury to reminisce about playing for the Sweeney Ford Mustangs at the Collins-Moylan Arena. The group included John Richardson, Brock Hines, Doug Weiss, Dan Akey, John Organ, Ted Hanley and their coach Bob Weiss.

“Bobby’s a first ballot Hall of Famer in the Franklin County Hockey Association for what he’s done for hockey in this area,” said Hines.

Weiss, who turns 85 next month, was part of the original group of coaches and refs that included Juice Moore, Rabbit Graves, Ralph and Patsy Collins, Ted Croteau, Doug Stotz and many, many others.

“They were good kids,” said Weiss, “and they had good parents,”

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The Newport (R.I.) Gulls took two of three from the Sanford Mainers to win a second straight New England Collegiate Baseball League title last weekend. The Valley Blue Sox of Holyoke and the Keene Swampbats both had winning records and strong fan support. The Blue Sox out-drew the ’Bats by 216 fans, or 27,422 to 27,206.

In a thank you note to the fans, Swampbats president Kevin Watterson recapped the season: “We had over 625 volunteer slots filled. We sold 4,223 orders of fries, 5,740 fans showed up on Independence Eve, and our players traveled 4,684 miles on the bus.”

I hate to say it, but Keene’s community involvement puts Greenfield to shame.

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SQUIBBERS: Kudos to Greenfield native Josh Hillman and his son Jacob for winning the Western Mass. Pro Junior at Taconic and the Pro Junior at the Country Club of Greenfield. “Jake carried him,” joked Josh’s mother Sandy. … Red Sox infielder Nick Sogard has roots in Orange. His cousin Eric Sogard played for the A’s and uncle “Rudy” played for Vic Colo at Mahar. … While he was in the radio booth with Joe Castiglione and Sean McDonough on Sunday, former Red Sox skipper Joe Morgan blasted his alma mater BC for not winning the Frozen Four against Denver. “We lost the puck coming out of our zone something like 15 times,” said 93-year-old Walpole Joe. “That’s 15 times we didn’t shoot at the goalie with all our good scorers.” …. Quick fact: Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett played at Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens for coach Jack Daniels. … To paraphrase Vito Corleone, we thought Alex Verdugo was the knucklehead, but it was Jarren Duran all along. Red Sox Nation being Woke Nation, Duran was lucky to get off with only a two-game suspension in this era where words hurt more than sticks and stones. …. Harrison Bader got a standing O when the Mets were at Busch Stadium two weeks ago. Bader was solid when he played for St. Louis and Cards fans stick up for their own. Say anything bad about Mark McGwire at spring training in Jupiter and to this day they’ll take your head off. … Pittsburgh phenom Paul Skenes wears a suit to the ballpark on days he pitches. … So Rahsool Diggins is getting a “luxury” car for promising to stay at UMass? If that’s OK, then where does Marcus Camby go to get his reputation back? … The recent Sunday night game between the Red Sox and Yankees was delayed between innings while Buster Olney interviewed Alex Cora. Next thing you know, camera crews will be following players straight into the bathroom. Those nine innings are supposed to be sacred. Stay in the press box where you belong.

Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for decades in the Pioneer Valley. He can be reached at chipjet715@icloud.com