Freddie Riley will replace Morgan in the starting lineup, but Kellogg said no options are off the table when it comes to lineup combinations.

Jesse Morgan yells in pain after suffering a knee injury during Thursday's loss to Saint Louis. Associated Press  

Now that the initial sting of losing guard Jesse Morgan to a sprained right knee has worn off, University of Massachusetts basketball coach Derek Kellogg has to figure how to replace his second-leading scorer.

It won’t be easy — Morgan was averaging over 15 points per game, was the team’s best defender and provided Kellogg with lineup flexibility and the ability to play three guards.

All of that is gone indefinitely while Morgan recovers from the injury he suffered in the Thursday's loss to Saint Louis.

“It’s really kind of a triple-edged sword in a weird way of not having him available,” Kellogg said. “One is that three-guard option, and that was a group that in the second half of a lot of games was able to extend our lead or give us some good minutes. Even more importantly than that, I think we lose 15 points per game and a kid who, on the floor, was becoming a little bit of a leader and really was probably our best defender.”

Kellogg will turn to senior Freddie Riley to replace Morgan in the starting lineup. Riley isn’t a stranger to the starting five — he started the team’s first three games before Kellogg opted to go to Morgan after Riley got off to a rough start.

But Riley’s been undoubtedly better over the past five games, averaging 11.2 points and displaying a new commitment to team defense that Kellogg said wasn’t present in previous years.

“He’s making a commitment on the defensive end of the floor to being the player that we need him to be. He’s paying attention to detail, and just his energy in general on the defensive end of the floor has been much better,” Kellogg said. “He’s actually asked me to take on the challenge of taking on the other team’s best player. For instance, in the East Carolina game, he wanted to cover the kid Kemp on a couple different occasions. He’d say, ‘I got him, I can take this guy.’”

Kellogg said he will also experiment with a couple of different combinations that fans haven’t seen much of this season. One is to play freshman Trey Davis at point guard and move Chaz Williams off the ball — something Williams mentioned after the Saint Louis game that he thought could be a good option.

Freddie Riley, pictured here against Eastern Michigan on Jan. 5, will replace Morgan in the starting lineup. Michael Beswick  

“It might relieve some pressure from Chaz having to handle the ball all game with teams all over him,” Kellogg said. “I think it’s something that we’re definitely going to have to look at.”

Ultimately, Kellogg said he will consider every potential solution to replacing Morgan’s 28.7 minutes per game.

“No options are off the table at this point — from maybe moving Putney down to the two a little bit and playing Tyler some to playing Trey more either at the point or off the ball — I think every option has to be explored and looked at,” he said.

Morgan, who’s official status was deemed “day-to-day” by trainer Dave Maclutsky, will be re-evaluated when the team returns to campus, though Kellogg seemed to rule out the possibility of a return for next week’s games at the Mullins Center against Duquesne and George Washington.

“Him being ready for Sunday and probably into the next week is a moot point at this point with the way he’s moving around and also how he’s feeling,” Kellogg said. “He’ll be evaluated on Monday or Tuesday, and we’ll kind of go from there and see the severity of it. … There’s a small chance that it could be more serious than a sprain when he gets back and gets reevaluated.”

Logan Mankins earned second-team honors.

Vince Wilfork Associated Press  

Vince Wilfork was the lone New England Patriot named to the Associated Press first-unit All-Pro team.

The result of the vote, which consists of a panel of 50 voters, was announced Saturday morning. Offensive guard Logan Mankins was named to the second team despite missing six games due to injury.

It marks the first time that Wilfork has earned first-team honors after being named to the second team in 2007, 2010 and 2011. He finished the season with three sacks, 29 tackles and four fumble recoveries.

Quarterback Tom Brady, who completed 63 percent of his passes for 4,827 yards with 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions, missed earning second-team honors by one vote. Denver's Peyton Manning (43 votes) was named to the first team, while Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (four votes) came in second.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski finished behind Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez and Dallas' Jason Witten.

The Rams' record is just 5-11, but Sunday's matchup is deceivingly difficult for the Minutemen.

Fordham's Chris Gaston, pictured here defending Ole Miss' Murphy Holloway on Jan. 4, has given the Minutemen fits each time they've seen him. Associated Press  

At first glance, the University of Massachusetts’ game against the Fordham Rams appears to be a mismatch.

The Minutemen are 10-4, and are coming off of a close loss on the road against one of the Atlantic 10’s top teams in Saint Louis.

The Rams are 5-11, with their best win of the five coming Wednesday at home against a Duquesne team that was picked last in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll.

But UMass coach Derek Kellogg knows better than to overlook anyone, and although no coach would ever admit to overlooking an opponent, digging a little deeper when it comes to Fordham shows that this Rams team could give the Minutemen fits when the teams take the court at 1 p.m. Sunday at Rose Hill Gymnasium in the Bronx.

First, the Minutemen will be playing their first full game without injured guard Jesse Morgan, a challenge that has nothing to with who UMass is playing against.

Look no further than last year’s game at Mullins Center, an 80-76 UMass nail-biter, to see that Fordham has some very talented players.

Fordham’s inside-out combination hit UMass hard — forward Chris Gaston had 16 points and 18 rebounds while point guard Branden Frazier led the Rams with 19 points.

Gaston, who is averaging 14.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game thus far in his senior, has given the Minutemen problems every time they’ve seen him — going for 19 points and 14 rebounds in 2011 and 16 points and 14 rebounds as a freshman in 2010.

“Gaston, he’s always had really good games against us,” Kellogg said. “He’s kind of a double-double machine every time.”

Frazier has brought the kind of production Rams coach Tom Pecora saw last year against UMass more consistently in this, his junior year, improving his free-throw shooting and command of the floor and garnering hype as a potential all-conference selection with his 15.8 point, 4.2 rebound and 5.6 assist per game stat line.

“We all know he can score the ball and make plays, and now he’s doing that at an even higher level,” Kellogg said. “He’s rebounding the ball, he brings good size to the point guard spot, and I think they become a dangerous team with him handling the ball.”

Frazier is coming off his best performance in Fordham’s win over Duquesne, when he racked up 13 assists against just one turnover and scored 16 points.

As if the matchup between Frazier and UMass’ own all-conference point guard Chaz Williams needed any extra intrigue, Frazier — like Williams — is a Brooklyn native, and played his high school basketball at Bishop Laughlin High School, just over two miles from Williams’ alma mater, Bishop Ford High School.

Both also were recruited by Pecora, who coached Williams at Hofstra before both left Hempstead, N.Y. for greener pastures.

Fordham’s early-season struggles can be attributed to a couple of factors. First, Gaston missed six games with a knee injury, and second, of their 15 non-conference games, just three were at Rose Hill.

“They’ve won their last three at home,” Kellogg said. “I don’t think the average fan takes into account how important it is to build confidence and have some of those home games, especially for a team like Fordham that maybe hasn’t had as much success as they would have liked over the last few years.”

With Gaston and Frazier continuing to find their rhythm, and the Rams getting comfortable at home, Kellogg can see things coming together for Fordham — something he hopes doesn’t happen on Sunday.

“They’re starting to come into their own a little bit,” Kellogg said. “They’re actually a pretty talented team.”

Obituaries from The Republican.

Donald LaFlamme  

Donald LaFlamme  

Donald G. LaFlamme, 59, of Wilbraham, passed away on Thursday. He was born and raised in Springfield, and graduated from the High School of Commerce. He was employed by the United States Postal Service Bulk Mail Center in Springfield for the past 15 years. He was a U.S. Army and National Guard veteran with an honorable discharge, and was a member of the American Legion Post 420 of Springfield. He was an Elder at the Feeding Hills Calvary Assembly of God Church.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Avery, Izayiah and Elijah
  



• 
  Bach Jr., Frederick W.
  



• 
  Barry, Joseph Gerard
  



• 
  Belanger, June
  



• 
  Bennett, Anne J.
  



• 
  Chudy, Tadeusz L.
  



• 
  Churchill, Gary R.
  



• 
  Cormier, Claire P.
  



• 
  Della-Luna, Ruth E.
  



• 
  Durocher, Marie
  



• 
  Ellison, Nathaniel
  



• 
  Erb, Jean
  



• 
  Forrish, Elizabeth H.
  



• 
  Goodniss, Patricia
  



• 
  Hall, Jeffrey R.
  



• 
  Harden, Lawny
  



• 
  Jackson, Lisa
  



• 
  Jegelewicz, Julia A.
  



• 
  Joyal, Dorothy M. Pierson
  



• 
  LaFlamme, Donald G.
  



• 
  Moreau, Kenneth M.
  



• 
  Murphy, Carol S.
  



• 
  Naczas, Cecelia A.
  



• 
  Nelson, John A.
  



• 
  Normand, Ida A.
  



• 
  Perez, Norma Iris
  



• 
  Person, Edward A.
  



• 
  Salvatore, Evelyn B.
  



• 
  Swiatlowski, Walter J.
  



• 
  Winnett, Doris A.
  



• 
  Woodgett III, William Samuel
  

An official with Homes for Our Troops noted that community-based financing of Bouchard's new home also served to take another wounded veteran off the organization's waiting list.

GRANBY - Marine Sgt. Joshua Bouchard, wounded in 2009 in Afghanistan, rolls through a gauntlet of supporters at the start of a key ceremony for his new home. Staff photo by Mark Murray  

GRANBY - When U.S. Marine Sgt. Joshua Bouchard lay in a hospital bed for more than 320 days after a bomb in Afghanistan took his leg and crushed his spine in 2009, the future looked worse than bleak.

But on Saturday, Bouchard was all smiles at a key ceremony for his brand new home at 48 Chicopee St., specially adapted for a wheelchair-bound resident. Hundreds of volunteers, veterans and supporters turned out for the ceremony and ribbon-cutting for the house, provided by Homes for Our Troops, a Taunton-based nonprofit organization that builds homes across the country for severely injured veterans.

"When I was tied up in a hospital bed for all those months, I didn't think anyone cared. I didn't care," Bouchard, 30, said as he led the first public tour of his home. "The support from the community has been unreal. People really do care."

The Granby native lost his left leg and was paralyzed when a bomb exploded under his vehicle in Afghanistan on July 7, 2009. He endured multiple surgeries and years of therapy in Germany and at Walter Reed Hospital.

Bouchard arrived for the ceremony in a motorcade that included Granby police and fire vehicles and contingents from various veterans' groups, led by bagpipers and Boy Scouts.

"Welcome home, Josh!" many yelled as he rolled by a gauntlet of supporters in the driveway.

Pavers reading "Semper Fi," and "Thank You," greeted Bouchard as he made his way up the walk - first to raise an American flag and then to cut the ribbon on his new home.

The Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Western Massachusetts and A. Crane Construction built the home with the help of a throng of volunteers and donations from many local construction materials vendors.

Bouchard was moved to tears during the ceremony as he thanked all who helped on the project.

"Thanks to anyone and everyone who made this possible. Thanks from the depths of my heart," Bouchard said. "I just hope we can keep it going for the next guy."

The two-bedroom, two bath home is completely outfitted with appliances and other features to accommodate the Marine's disabilities including extendable kitchen cabinets, eye-level appliances, smooth flooring that flows from room to room and special features in his shower and bath.

"When Josh first came home he was really down. Our hallways are short, we had carpeting that slowed him down and he'd run into doorjambs. It was just really confining," said Bouchard's father, James J. Bouchard, who lives with his wife Sue just four miles away from his son's new home. "As this house got near being completed, I've seen his spirits lift."

Both father and son are Purple Heart recipients.

When asked about his favorite feature of the home, Joshua Bouchard responded: "The fact that I own it, that it's mine."

Dawn Teixeira, executive director of Homes for Our Troops, said the Granby home was the 125th donated to a wounded veteran by the organization. Forty more are under construction across the country.

Construction on this home began in April. Teixeira said the process was fairly standard but for one thing.

"This particular home was completely funded by builders and the local community, which doesn't happen very often," she said.

Teixeira also noted that the community-based financing of the home served to take another wounded veteran somewhere off the organization's waiting list for a house.

Veterans pay nothing toward the homes. During the ceremony, Teixeira said the do not consider the houses charity, but gifts for the veterans' service to their country.

Bouchard said he hoped to begin moving his things in by Saturday evening, and spend his first night there on Sunday.

Hanging over the entrance in the garage, which will house Bouchard's specially-adapted SUV, was a board with a message from his parents:

"A hero since the day you were born."

Brady can set a record for most playoff wins by a quarterback Sunday.

If you look hard enough, some type of historical significance can be attached to almost any game Tom Brady participates in.

The big one (four Super Bowl titles) is still on hold after twice coming painfully close to scratching it off the list, and Brady's ability to successfully add another accolade next to his name Sunday against the Houston Texans will be the first step in determining whether or not New England's winter hopes prematurely thaw for the seventh consecutive season.

If the Patriots keep hope alive, the win would be Brady's 17^th during the postseason, which would move him ahead of his childhood hero, Joe Montana, on the all-time list. In a career full of accolades, learning of his next potential achievement was a ho-hum moment for Brady.

"With that question," Brady said. "I guess I'm aware of it."

Long after his playing career ends, the lasting image of Brady will be the one of him standing on The Superdome turf, hat turned backward, black paint smeared beneath his eyes, with both hands perched on his head in astonishment following a 20-17 upset over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Immortality seemed certain in that moment. Super Bowl titles would be bountiful, and Brady would spend the rest of his days lining up individual awards on his shelf, smallest to largest, like cellphone bars.

The clutch kicks, probable and improbable wins, and multiple Super Bowl titles attached to Patriots with Brady on the field, and it remained that way throughout the early part of the century. There was no reason to ever think it would end. It all seemed so normal.

If he were compelled to share the thoughts running between the hands on his head that day in New Orleans -- and if not then, then after the next one --he very well may have predicted multiple titles surpassing Montana's total.

He was naïve back then. Brady knew about hard work and what it took to win – he began grinding in college and never stopped -- but had no idea how many near misses he would endure following his initial success.

"That was some kid back then," Brady said when reflecting on that famous image. "You really don't quite understand what has happened or what has been accomplished until you try so many times and you don't get to accomplish those things. It's very hard to win that final game of the year."

The disappointments may have humbled Brady over the last seven years, but those who grew up watching him only see the best postseason quarterback of this era, and nothing of his recent string of gut-wrenching playoff failures that haunt the Patriots and fans of the team.

When Houston defensive end J.J. Watt was asked about Brady's success, he scoffed as if someone just bothered him to ask why peanuts are used to make peanut butter.

"He's one of the best," Watt said. "I think you know plenty of the reasons why."

The Texans came to know many of those reasons in their last meeting with the Patriots, a 42-14 New England win on Dec. 10. Brady passed for four touchdowns in that contest, and some have suggested that the rematch is a "gimmie" for New England.

The Patriots, however, disagree.

"We know they're going to have a chip," linebacker Brandon Spikes said. "We know the intensity is going to be there, and we're expecting the unexpected."

The Texans are expecting the expected, which is for Brady to come out and give himself a good chance to win his 17^th playoff game.

If Brady accomplishes that task and keeps it going throughout the winter and the season ends the way his career started – standing on a platform at The Superdome with his hands on his head – the astonishment will be for different reasons this time.

He won't be some kid who found a bag of riches. He'll be a man who fought his whole adult life to reclaim it.

Hollywood is looking to the past at Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association will honor the best in film and television. The movie awards are often seen as indicator of the upcoming Academy Awards. The top film nominees share an interest in history. Steven Spielberg’s Civil War epic “Lincoln“ lead the Golden Globes pack with...

THE GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS -- 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards -- Pictured: (l-r) Hosts, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey -- (Photo by: Gavin Bond/NBC) NUP_153516 double retouched AP  

Hollywood is looking to the past at Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association will honor the best in film and television. The movie awards are often seen as indicator of the upcoming Academy Awards.

The top film nominees share an interest in history.

Steven Spielberg’s Civil War epic “Lincoln“ lead the Golden Globes pack with seven nominations, among them best drama, best director for Spielberg and acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones.

Tied for second-place with five nominations each, including best drama are Ben Affleck’s 1979 Iran hostage-crisis thriller “Argo“ and Quentin Tarantino’s homage to blacksploitation flicks and spaghetti Westerns, “Django Unchained.“

In the television field, cable channel offerings and broadcast networks split the 10 nominations for best drama and comedy.

The 70th annual Golden Globe Awards, televised live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., will air on NBC beginning at 8 p.m. Former “Saturday Night Live” cast members Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will co-host the proceedings.

The following is a complete list of nominees:

Best Motion Picture, Comedy
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
“Les Miserables”
“Moonrise Kingdom”
“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
“Silver Linings Playbook”

Best Motion Picture, Drama
“Argo”
“Django Unchained”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Zero Dark Thirty”

Best Director, Motion Picture
Ben Affleck, “Argo”
Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Ang Lee, “Life of Pi”
Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”
Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Richard Gere, “Arbitrage”
John Hawkes, “The Sessions”
Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”
Denzel Washington, “Flight”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marion Cotillard, “Rust and Bone”
Helen Mirren, “Hitchcock”
Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”
Rachel Weisz, “The Deep Blue Sea”

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Jack Black, “Bernie”
Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Hugh Jackman, “Les Miserables”
Ewen McGregor, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
Bill Murray, “Hyde Park on Hudson”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Emily Blunt, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
Judy Dench, “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Maggie Smith, “Quartet”
Meryl Streep, “Hope Springs”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Amour” (Austria)
“A Royal Affair” (Denmark)
“The Intouchables” (France)
“Kon-Tiki” (Norway/UK/Demark)
“Rust and Bone” (France)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, “The Master”
Sally Field, “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”
Nicole Kidman, “The Paperboy”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Alan Arkin, “Argo”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Django Unchained”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”

Best TV Series, Comedy
“Big Bang Theory”
“Episodes”
“Girls”
“Modern Family”
“Smash”

Best TV Series, Drama
“Breaking Bad”
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Downton Abbey”
“Homeland”
“The Newsroom”

Best Performance by an actress in a TV series, Drama
Connie Britton, “Nashville”
Glenn Close, “Damages”
Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Michelle Dockery, “Downton Abbey”
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”
Jeff Daniels, “The Newsroom”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Damian Lewis, “Homeland”

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Zooey Deschanel, “New Girl”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Lena Dunham, “Girls”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation”

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Comedy
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”
Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”
Louie C.K., “Louie”
Jim Parsons, “Big Bang Theory”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Kevin Costner, “Hatfields and McCoys”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock”
Woody Harrelson, “Game Change”
Toby Jones, “The Girl”
Clive Owen, “Hemingway and Gellhorn”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Nicole Kidman, “Hemingway and Gellhorn”
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”
Sienna Miller, “The Girl”
Julianne Moore, “Game Change”
Sigourney Weaver, “Political Animals”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or TV Movie
Hayden Panettiere, “Nashville”
Archie Punjabi, “The Good Wife”
Sarah Paulson, “Game Change”
Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey”
Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or TV Movie
Max Greenfield, “New Girl”
Ed Harris, “Game Change”
Danny Huston, “Magic City”
Mandy Patinkin, “Homeland”
Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”

Best TV Movie or Miniseries
“Game Change”
“The Girl”
“Hatfields and McCoys”
“The Hour”
“Political Animals”

Best Animated Film
“Brave”
“Frankenweenie”
“Hotel Transylvania”
“Rise of the Guardians”
“Wreck it Ralph”

Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture
“Zero Dark Thirty” (Mark Boal)
“Lincoln” (Tony Kushner)
“Silver Linings Playbook” (David O. Russell)
“Django Unchained” (Quentin Tarantino)
“Argo” (Chris Terrio)

Best Score for a Motion Picture
“Life of Pi” (Mychael Danna)
“Argo” (Alexandre Desplat)
“Anna Karenina” (Dario Marianelli)
“Cloud Atlas” (Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil)
“Lincoln” (John Williams)

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“For You” – Act of Valor”
“Not Running Anymore” – Stand Up Guys”
“Safe & Sound” by Taylor Swift – The Hunger Games”
“Skyfall” – Skyfall”
“Suddenly” – Les Miserables”

The proposed work to the water system will be paid for with a 20-year bond and translates into a cost of $50,000 in one year for a $1 million project.

 

WESTFIELD – Residents can expect to pay an increase in water rates of 50 to70 percent over the next five years to fund an estimated $10 million in repair and replacement projects to the city’s water delivery system.

Water Resources Department Superintendent David Billips gave a presentation updating the public on current and future significant water projects throughout the city that will result in an increase in rates.

Westfield, Billips said, has two water sources, one being the underground Barnes Aquifer that at its deepest point reaches down 300 feet, and the other being the Granville Reservoir which includes seven dams that require regular inspection.

Projects currently under way include the Granville spillway, which collapsed during Tropical Storm Irene, for $1.9 million; repair to the Granville dam for $1 million; the replacement of Westfield’s raw water pipeline for $2.8 million; repair of the East Mountain Road water tank for $750,000; water meter replacements for customers throughout the city for $3.3 million; water treatment plant upgrade for $800,000; and $1.5 million for the gaslight main replacement for a total of $12,157,000.

Some of those costs, Billips said, are reimbursable under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and are already budgeted.

Upcoming projects that still need to be funded include the repair and replacement of Westfield’s water mains for $6.6 million; dam repair for $570,000; water tank repair for $1 million; and $890,000 for the repair and construction of the city’s well for a total of about $10 million.

The proposed work, Billips said, will be paid for with a 20-year bond and translates into a cost of $50,000 in one year for a $1 million project.

“The water rates will increase over a five to six years by 50 to 70 percent in tiers,” Billips said. “The rates haven’t gone up in years. At one point, they hadn’t gone up in 10 years. The only way to get these projects done is to raise rates.”

He added that “only $3 million in revenue comes from user fees.”

Billips warned that there will likely be water shortages this summer because the Granville reservoir will be offline for six months during construction to repair the collapsed dam there, an unexpected $2 million expense.

“That will lead to possible water shortages this summer,” he said.

Future plans also include the replacement of old water valves in homes, as well as new pipe installation and the addition of computerized water meters that automatically send reports to the water department’s Sackett Street facility every night at midnight and will result in a 20 to 25 percent savings.

“The old meters are at least 20 years old and are not accurate,” Billips said. “I’m very excited about this system. The information is collected wirelessly.”

Some water pipes throughout Westfield, Billips said, date as far back as the 1800s and have accumulated a build-up that has reduced the opening from four inches to one inch in some cases.

In his explanation of the water delivery system, Billips described the Barnes Aquifer as “fascinating and a great resource” and said that source provides water for Westfield, Southampton and Easthampton.

At $2.95 per 1,000 gallons of water, the annual cost for the resource to most customers amounts to about $300 or 1.25 percent of residents’ median income.

Free parking will be available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the North Station garage Sunday.

View full size The Boston Bruins will split their training camp between TD Garden and Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington. AP Elise Amendola  

The Boston Bruins will open training camp on Sunday, Jan. 13. All sessions unless noted are open to the public.

Doors will open at noon, with free parking available in the North Station garage from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The day will also feature a Bruins Fan Zone with interactive games and appearances from the Bruins Ice Girls and Blades, the Bruins mascot, in addition to free select concession items.

Camp will be split between TD Garden and Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington for the week.

Here's a look at the full schedule and roster:

For the Bruins' 48-game regular season schedule click here.

Sunday, Jan. 13 (Boston)
-Full camp opens
-Practice, TD Garden, 1 p.m.
-The on-ice session is open to the public. Fans can enter through the main escalators.

Monday, Jan. 14 (Wilmington)
-Practice, Ristuccia Memorial Arena, 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 15 (Boston)
-Practice, TD Garden, 10 a.m. This session is closed to the public.
-Black & Gold intersquad scrimmage, TD Garden, 7 p.m.
Admission is free, but tickets are needed. For more information visit bostonbruins.com

Wednesday, Jan. 16 (Wilmington)
-Practice, Ristuccia Memorial Arena, 10 a.m.

Thursday, Jan. 17 (Wilmington)
-Practice, Ristuccia Memorial Arena, 10 a.m.

Friday, Jan. 18 (Wilmington)
-Practice, Ristuccia Memorial Arena, 10 a.m.

TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

Forwards: Patrice Bergeron, Chris Bourque, Gregory Campbell, Nathan
Horton, Chris Kelly, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Lane MacDermid, Brad
Marchand, Daniel Paille, Jay Pandolfo*, Rich Peverley, Tyler Seguin,
Ryan Spooner, Jamie Tardif, Shawn Thornton

Defensemen: Matt Bartkowski, Johnny Boychuk, Zdeno Chara, Andrew
Ference, Dougie Hamilton, Aaron Johnson, Adam McQuaid, Dennis
Seidenberg, David Warsofsky

Goalies: Anton Khudobin, Tuukka Rask

*Pandolfo is attending camp on a Professional Tryout Agreement with the
Bruins.

Follow Amanda Bruno on Twitter

Cathedral High School has remained at a temporary school leased in Wilbraham since its building was seriously damaged in the tornado that struck June 1, 2011.

SPRINGFIELD – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield has asked parents to remain committed to Cathedral High School as the diocese continues to fight for a higher insurance settlement to rebuild the tornado-damaged school.

Diocese Superintendent of Schools Sister M. Andrea Ciszewski, in a letter to parents of students at Cathedral and St. Michael’s Academy, dated Friday, said an arbitration process is not expected to end until April, months later than expected. A decision will not occur “for some time after that conclusion,” she said.

Last year, the diocese had estimated that arbitration would be completed by November 2012.

Cathedral and St. Michael’s had shared the school on Surrey Road prior to a tornado on June 1, 2011, which forced them to move to other temporary sites.

“In the interim, I ask for your continued prayers and that you remain committed to Cathedral High School,” Ciszewski said. “I share your frustration concerning the time involved for this process, but as we have stated from the onset the diocese intends to make a full and complete presentation of the facts in order that our dispute may have a fair hearing.”

School enrollment has steadily declined at Cathedral over the years, with the high school now numbering just 279 students at its temporary location in Wilbraham, said Mark E. Dupont, diocese spokesman.

The diocese and its insurance company, Catholic Mutual Group, based in Nebraska, are $55 million apart in the settlement.

Cathedral students are now housed at the Memorial School in Wilbraham with a lease through June 2014, Dupont said. The diocese has asked the town to consider additional extensions through 2016, if needed, he said.

The current high school enrollment of 279 students compares to 345 last year, Dupont said.

“Understandably the uncertainty has led to concerns, but at the same time, like many of our Catholic schools, Cathedral has experienced a steady decline going back years before the tornado,” Dupont said. “The school leadership has been actively looking at these systemic concerns and possible efforts which could address the enrollment issue.”

St. Michael’s moved to the Holy Cross school campus on Eddywood Street, owned by the diocese.

Dupont praised the assistance and cooperation by the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District and the town of Wilbraham. The diocese pays an annual lease of $360,000 at Memorial School.

Diocesan consultants have calculated that it will cost approximately $70 million to build a new school for Cathedral and St. Michael’s. Catholic Mutual, citing its own consultants, estimated the structure, built in 1959, could be repaired for $15 million.

Now in arbitration, the diocesan experts are expected to complete their testimony this coming week, Ciszewski said. Catholic Mutual’s experts will follow, and will be allowed the same number of days to present their arguments, she said.

In April, the diocese announced that the insurance dispute was headed to arbitration, and estimated that arbitration would last at least six months.

The Massachusetts Republican Party may have never been as big or popular as the commonwealth's Democratic Party, but as it prepares to elect a new leader, the task ahead is daunting.

The Massachusetts Republican Party has never been as big or popular as the commonwealth's Democratic Party, but as it prepares to elect a new leader, the task ahead is daunting as ever.

Its top politician, former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, lost to the newly sworn-in U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren by a seven-point margin. Brown is currently unemployed, with much of his staff still seeking jobs elsewhere.

The group's chair, Robert Maginn, is stepping down after one year on the job, following sweeping losses in 2012 and a lawsuit filed by his company's ex-chief financial officer alleging that Maginn spent corporate money on campaigning, "creating a breach of fiduciary duties for shareholders."

And, to top it off, the Massachusetts Republican Party is in the middle of liberal New England, which national GOP leaders decided to almost entirely exclude from its map of state Republican delegations. The initial 2013 map didn't even bother to label the six states in the region, while a subsequent draft included the state abbreviations but lacked links to the respective pages.

 

With these great and diverse challenges, a myriad of opinions exist about what went wrong with the 2012 elections, and how to turn the party back into a relevant organization. On Jan. 31, at least three challengers will square off to take over the chairmanship of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Kirsten Hughes of Quincy, Rick Green of Pepperell, and the team of Dean Cavaretta and David D'Arcangelo, from Stow and Malden, respectively, are the primary competitors to be party chair.

Their platforms all mention engaging new groups to grow membership and build up Republican numbers, an idea supported by other Bay State Republicans.

The prevailing thought as to why Warren defeated Brown by such a margin is that the Democrats, led by state party chair John Walsh, ran a fierce ground game with which the Republicans didn't, or perhaps couldn't, keep up.

Paul Santaniello  

"You had the Obama campaign open an office in Agawam that served as a staging area for New Hampshire. The Massachusetts (GOP) Victory offices were glorified phone banks, not campaign offices," says Paul Santaniello, a Republican strategist and chair of the Longmeadow Select Board. "They were poorly run and could have been so much more.

"You can make calls from anywhere, and you don't need an office for that," Santaniello added. "You need them to be tasked with going out into the communities and bringing people into the fold to score a win."

Santaniello feels the campaign of Republican presidential candidate and former Gov. Mitt Romney made the decision to be largely absent from campaigning in the Bay State, at least in part due to the lack of infrastructure maintained by the state party.

"The state party couldn't carry his campaign, so they didn't bother. You couldn't even get a Romney lawn sign without some finagling," Santaniello said. "But, if they had the numbers to go out on behalf of Romney, that could have trickled down to benefit Scott Brown and some of the state legislature races. But you don't build a party from the top of the ticket down. It has to be from the bottom up."

State Rep. Don Humason, R-Westfield, said he also wants to see the state GOP grow and he feels the way to do that and achieve more wins at the same time is to be better stewards of their message.

"We have to work to engage the voters and explain what it is we really stand for. As someone who's been in the trenches for years, I don't think our message is incorrect. But sometimes, we just don't explain it in a right way," Humason said. "We also need good candidates to run and a good figurehead to be the face and voice of our ideals by leading the party. In that lies our opportunity to win the hearts and minds of the voters."

Massachusetts delegate Rachel Kemp from Boston cries during the Pledge of Allegiance at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)  

Rachel Kemp, the Republican state committeewoman for the 2nd Suffolk District in Boston, was once a candidate for party chair but has since withdrawn. When asked what made her want to jump into the running in the first place, she said it was the opportunity to grow the party's base.

"Instead of looking at the 11 percent of the electorate enrolled in the party and hoping for participation from independents, I see an opportunity to grow the base by engaging voters in the urban core areas," Kemp said, adding that bringing blacks, Latinos, more women, urban whites and new Americans into the political fold is "crucial" to the GOP moving forward.

"This expansion of the voter base can be achieved without changing our message one iota. We have an opportunity now to re-brand ourselves on the ground and shake up the political discourse," Kemp said. "There are a lot of people out there who are Republicans and don't even know it. It's a matter of getting out there and making that emotional connection with voters."

Kirsten Hughes  

Hughes, the deputy financial director for Brown's failed reelection campaign, has racked up dozens of endorsements, including nods of support from Brown and former gubernatorial candidate Charles Baker.

Hughes, who is also a city councilor in Quincy, has pledged to increase party enrollment by utilizing voter registration drives and engaging the various groups within the party that are often "ostracized" and excluded from the dialogue.

"A lot of people talk about grassroots efforts, but I want to actually want to use it to build our party," Hughes said. "You have to get out there, go door-to-door, and have people in every community across the commonwealth engaging their neighbors. That's where (the Democrats) won in 2012 and where we could win in the future."

Hughes also said that she plans to focus more heavily on local races to build the ranks of the party district by district with the goal of doubling the number of Republican committees in cities and towns across the state.

"You have to build the farm team at the bottom of the ticket and be prepared to help candidates win tough elections," Hughes said. "I won my city-council seat in a district with only 10 percent registered Republicans with 60-something percent of the vote. I'm no stranger to hard work."

Rick Green  

Green, a recently elected state committeeman and founder of the fiscally conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance watchdog group, says that his online auto parts business has grown over recent years to net more than $50 million in annual revenue and employ more than 100 people. It's an accomplishment he believes would translate to helping the state party boost fund-raising efforts.

State Rep. Ryan Fattman, R-18th Worcester District, is serving as Green's campaign manager. Fattman said Green is inspired by the way Brown started his political career as a town assessor and ascended to the U.S. Senate. That same inspiration would equate to a renewed focus on local Republican candidates by the state party, according to Fattman.

"We call him 'grassroots Green' because he truly believes that by spending time rebuilding the town committees after years of neglect, we can build a new generation of Republicans in the state. He feels there are a lot of people out there who want to get involved, but don't know how," Fattman said. "He will engage them and help bring them into the fold."

When asked if Green would be politically active across the state, much like Walsh is for the Democrats, Fattman said, "He certainly would.

"When you're in competition, there is respect for your opponent when they do something that is effective," Fattman said. "That is the case with Mr. Walsh. His approach works, and Rick has taken note of that."

The Republican State Committee meeting to elect the new party chair is scheduled to take place on Jan. 31 at the Verve Crowne Plaza in Natick at 7 p.m.

A drizzly, gray Sunday; cold front heads for us tomorrow to sweep out the moisture.

A Dense Fog Advisory is in effect for all of western Massachusetts through 9 a.m.

Fog dominated all day and night Saturday, and will continue to do so this morning. Moist, mild air is moving into New England on top of the cold snow pack, which is creating the fog. Careful driving tonight as the fog may be dense at times. Dense Fog Advisories have been extended through all of southern New England.

Similar conditions are expected for Sunday, drizzly and gray, but at least it should be warmer. Highs will reach the upper-40s across the Springfield area. A cold front will move through tomorrow, which will help get rid of the stubborn fog and cloud cover (although may produce some scattered rain or snow showers as the front moves through).

Quiet weather takes control for the second-half of the week, but it will gradually become cooler by next weekend.

Today: Cloudy, areas of fog/drizzle, mild, high 49.

Tonight: Areas of fog, drizzle, low 42.

Monday: A morning shower, decreasing afternoon clouds, high 52.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, cooler, high 38.

Radar | 5 Day Forecast

Letter writer: If I were the NFL commissioner, I’d break with tradition and move Super Sunday to Super Saturday.

Riverfront access key to city revitalization

Part of Springfield's riverfront includes the current and former Basketball Hall of Fame, seen here. The Republican file / Michael S. Gordon  

This is a response to a Dec. 28 letter to the editor in The Republican and Masslive.com questioning the city’s ability to get access to riverfront property from Amtrak at the west end of Union Street. The writer stated, “But an even greater barrier is that it would be up to the city to get access to riverfront property from Amtrak.”

I would like to respond to her letter with reference to the information I presented at the Park Department Commission meeting on Dec. 19, showing that a railroad crossing sign exists at the west end of Union Street and a map of Springfield shows that a right of way exists over the railroad tracks to the riverfront. I presented photographs of the crossing sign at the meeting.

I personally attended to hear what MGM had to offer in the way of improving the riverfront. Overall I was very pleased. We cannot let the railroad to continue to deny residents access to the riverfront. The city has a strong history of boating and crew teams utilizing the Connecticut River. The recent announcement of the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club initiating programs on the river only gives more evidence for the need to activate this crossing.

We, the residents of the city must work hand and hand with the private developers and dream big for our riverfront and not let past practices dictate the future of our riverfront. The railroad will have to concede to the desires of our city and cooperate in the long run in giving us the access to the river once again.

– JAMES A. LANGONE, Riverfront Development Commissioner, Springfield

Lawmakers must learn to cooperate

There is a big problem in America and everyone knows what it is. Dysfunction in our federal government is starting to seriously threaten our economic competitiveness and our future as a nation.

The debt ceiling debacle of 2011 and now the fiscal cliff fiasco of 2012 are troubling signs of America’s future if our government continues on its current course.

We need our elected representatives to find a way to work together now, and the only way it will happen is for more of us – even those who do not usually pay attention to politics – to demand it. The only way our leaders in Washington will change is with pressure from a focused, organized and strategic movement demanding that they work together to solve our nation’s most pressing problems.

This is the movement that No Labels is leading. We are exerting grassroots pressure and building a Capitol Hill coalition that can fix our government and secure a more prosperous future for America.

No Labels believes that common sense solutions exist for our national challenges. And we believe that our government should be capable of finding them. Most importantly, we know the vast majority of Americans agree with us. No Labels believes our leaders will listen if we make our voices heard. We have released two comprehensive action plans that are as straightforward as their titles: Make Congress Work! and Make the Presidency Work!

With pressure from our grassroots, these plans are gaining traction on Capitol Hill and beyond, with one of our proposals, No Budget, No Pay, already turned into a bill with significant numbers of cosponsors in the House and the Senate.

Finally, we have a third action plan, Make America Work!, which offers a blueprint for a new kind of leadership that can restore the American people’s confidence in the future of our country. No Labels, does not expect anyone to shed their identity when they join our movement. Our members are proud liberals, proud conservatives and everything in between. But we are united by the conviction that people with different beliefs really can set aside the labels and come together to solve problems. It has happened before and it can happen again. You can join us at www.NoLabels.org.

– BOB O’HARA, Coordinator. No Labels Massachusetts

An e-cigarette ban counterproductive

Last month the West Springfield Board of Health held a public hearing on a regulation that would ban the sale of smoke-free electronic cigarettes to minors. Predictably, this common sense measure was not met with any opposition.

However, since the public hearing, it has emerged that the Board of Health is considering revising the regulation to ban the sale of e-cigarettes throughout the city, including to adults. If enacted, this would be the first and only ban on sales to adults in the entire U.S.

Since their emergence in the U.S. market in 2008, e-cigarettes have helped hundreds of thousands quit smoking, and many others to dramatically reduce their smoking habit. Moreover, numerous tests have been performed on e-cigarette liquid and vapor, and all these tests confirm that e-cigarettes are about as non-hazardous as the nicotine gum or patch.

The West Springfield Board of Health should reject this unnecessary and counterproductive ban.

– KAREN CAREY, Wilbraham

Super Bowl should be played on Saturday

Now that the holiday season is over and the cold winter setting in, there’s not a lot to look forward to, that is except watching the Super Bowl.

Watching the Super Bowl with family and friends is always a tradition in my home and it’s a fun annual event that takes place in homes all over the United States. If I were the NFL commissioner, I’d break with tradition and move Super Sunday to Super Saturday. If the Super Bowl game would take place on a Saturday, it would allow family and friends to travel and be together throughout the weekend, rather than having to go to bed late on a Sunday and wake up early for either school or work the next morning.

In these difficult times for many, such as national tragedies and personal challenges, we should strive to do anything that would bring family, friends, and neighbors together for an uplifting event – at a time when we can all enjoy it and not worry about waking up early the next morning.

Not only would Super Bowl Saturday benefit family and friends, it would also benefit the NFL and its sponsors. Come on, Commissioner Goodell, can’t you move the game to Saturday night?

- BO A. SJOBERG, Longmeadow

The U.S. debt rising at alarming rates

Responsible borrowing can enhance living standards and stability. But as we now see, beyond a certain point, spending via debt versus savings or equity becomes addictive, excessive and dangerous. Especially with the Medicare elephant we refused to acknowledge entering the room, continually raising the debt ceiling will only make the inevitable withdrawal longer and more difficult.

– MILTON REACH, Longmeadow

Name schools after places, not people

Why do we name schools or other buildings after people? I agree that those who had that honor were outstanding and did good for their fellow man.

If we were to ask any school child from Duggan, Kiley, Lynch, Van Sickle, Dryden, Freedman, etc., who was your school named for? They would not have a clue. I like names like Liberty School, Central, Freedom High and Sandy Hook.

All generations can relate to those names!

– JAMES SHEREMETA, Springfield

Temporary lights will eventually be replaced with permanent ones, according to plans being pursued by the state.

 

Send us your questions!

Have a question you'd like answered? Email justask@repub.com or send it to the address below, and we'll try to get you a response.

Just Ask, The Republican
P.O. Box 1329
Springfield, MA 01102
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Question: I was wondering if you could find out if the city of Chicopee is going to have two police officers daily directing traffic from Center Street (Route 116) to the on- and off-ramps for interstates 391 and 91 for a long duration.

I understand why the police officers are there: With two bridges being out due to repair, more travelers are using alternate routes through Chicopee Center, but it seems that some people do not wait for the police officers and just try to make their own driving rules.

I guess my real question is, is Chicopee eventually going to install traffic lights there?

– A.B.

Answer: By the time you read this, the police officers should be long gone and temporary traffic lights should have been installed at that intersection to improve the flow of traffic. The police officers were hired as an extra duty, paid for by the state, so their work directing traffic never cut into the work done by the Chicopee Police Department.

The bridge that you are talking about, which connects Granby Road to Front Street, the Davitt Bridge, was named for Rev. William F. Davitt, a World War I lieutenant who was killed in action 90 minutes before the Armistice on Nov. 11, 1918. It was closed in May when the $8.1 million project began to rebuild the bridge. The only part that remains open is a temporary pedestrian bridge.

The reconstruction project is being funded and run by the state Department of Transportation, not the city’s Department of Public Works, and it is the state that funded the police officers and the temporary traffic lights. The contractor is Northern Construction Service, LLC.

The bridge is expected to reopen in August 2014. So far, construction is two months ahead of schedule. The company’s ability to remain on schedule will depend in part on this winter’s weather.

When the bridge closed, there were concerns from downtown businesses about people failing to patronize their stores because they couldn’t reach them conveniently. The merchants pooled their money and worked with the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce to run an “It’s easy to get to Chicopee Center” campaign to remind people of alternate routes. So far there have been few complaints about people avoiding Chicopee Center because of the closed bridge.

Adding to the traffic woes is the $19.2 million reconstruction of the Willimansett Bridge, which connects Cabot Street in Holyoke to Chicopee Street.

That project, also run by the Department of Transportation, started in August 2011 with the closing of the bridge. The Willimansett Bridge is expected to be completed and opened in 2014.

You want to hunt? You want to target-shoot or shoot with a law enforcement team? Buy a weapon that can be used for that, but let’s look at ridding our civil society of the types of weapons that serve no purpose except for use in war.

By RONALD I. GROSS

I arrived home on the evening of Dec. 14, hours after the Newtown tragedy, after a tearful drive from work, knowing that I was going to have to pull myself together so we could celebrate our granddaughter’s sixth birthday. All I could think about along the way was our daughter, who teaches fifth grade in my home town of East Haddam, Conn., and our granddaughter, a first-grader in South Windsor.

Ronald I. Gross  

As chief of tauma and acute care surgery at a level 1 trauma center, and a combat veteran, the emotional pain of sudden tragedy is something with which I’m very familiar. I struggled, then and in the days that followed, to understand why Newtown left me not just deeply saddened, but in despair.

Then, it hit me: How can I ever consider my daughter and granddaughter to be safe, and how can we as a society give them something so basic as the promise that they will be safe as they teach and learn? I came to the conclusion that we – ALL of us – must dedicate our efforts toward finding a solution to the senseless loss of life in our country.

I firmly feel that the time for political discourse must patiently allow the mourning process to take its course, but cannot wait so long as to allow for yet more apathy and further inaction. So I offer some reflections, and perhaps the beginning of a course forward to a better future.

The Second Amendment will be debated ferociously in the coming weeks and months. The bottom line is simple, in my eyes: We have been granted the right to bear arms. But no one in our great nation needs an assault weapon. No one.

You want to hunt? You want to target-shoot or shoot with a law enforcement team? Buy a weapon that can be used for that, but let’s look at ridding our civil society of the types of weapons that serve no purpose except for use in war. As a veteran of both Gulf Wars, I know well the difference between weapons meant for hunting for food or sport-shooting and those meant solely for the mass-killing of human beings. As a trauma surgeon, I see the toll that violence and murder takes every day. Let’s not make these acts easier by moral apathy or ignorance of the responsibilities that come with that Second Amendment.

It also strikes me that so many of our mass murderers wear black or camouflage. Where does this delusional commando mentality come from? Watch one or two episodes of our most popular TV shows. Look at the video games that kids are playing these days. It can’t be pure coincidence that the episodes that play out on TV and video screens are being closely duplicated in real life, with horrific results. In our “entertainment,” we devalue human life and we teach our kids terribly misguided lessons about how people should interact with one another. We need to put pressure on the entertainment and media worlds to make significant changes in what is and what is not considered to be acceptable.

We have to find a way to identify those at risk for committing atrocities such as the Newtown tragedy, to distinguish between those who are just “strange,” “quiet” or “withdrawn” and those who could hurt or kill innocent people. We need to figure out who are the people that have the potential to devolve into a rage that costs more lives and brings more grief. We need to help them, before they hurt others. Finally, we can’t continue to drain resources from behavioral health services and expect there won’t be consequences.

This is our task, our responsibility, as a society. We also need to help our friends, our families and our communities deal with the horrors we have seen yet again, and we need to assure our children and grandchildren that we will do whatever we need to do to make their world a better and safer place to live - a place where they can grow up and be without fear.

We, as a nation of diverse peoples and even more diverse ideas and ideals, may not always agree, but on this we can all agree. We all need to find a solution to the devaluation of the human life, we need to come to a rational solution to the debate about the ownership of firearms, and we need to figure out how to find and help those who are struggling to cope with their anger or discontent before any more lives are lost.

Now, go and hug your children and your grandchildren, like I did that Friday night.

Dr. Ronald I. Gross is chief of the division of trauma, acute care surgery and surgical critical care at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

Here are six things to watch – three for each of Sunday's divisional playoff matchups – as four teams battle to get one step closer to the Super Bowl.

Here are six things to watch – three for each of Sunday's divisional playoff matchups – as four teams battle to get one step closer to the Super Bowl:

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. EST

1. White and Jones vs. Sherman and Browner

Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones (11) gets a hug from teammate Roddy White (84) following Jones' touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011. (AP File Photo/Bob Leverone)





 

The one-on-one battles between the Falcons' dynamic wide receivers and the Seahawks' physical cornerbacks are going to be incredibly fun to watch and may play a big part in deciding which team advances to the NFC Championship Game.

This is a classic strength vs. strength matchup. Roddy White (92 receptions for 1,351 yards) and Julio Jones (79 for 1,198) are the top receiving duo in the NFL, headlining a Falcons passing attack that ranked sixth in the league this season. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner have combined for 11 interceptions this year, playing a very physical style that fuels the Seahawks' sixth-ranked pass defense.

White and Jones have scored 17 receiving touchdowns between them, while Seattle surrendered only 15 scores through the air all season.

Something's got to give.

2. Big-play Asante

For all their regular-season success in the last five seasons, the Falcons have yet to figure out how to win in the postseason. Atlanta has come up short in three consecutive playoff appearances with Matt Ryan at quarterback, including blowout losses in each of the last two years.

When they traded for cornerback Asante Samuel in the offseason, they added a player who knows how to win in the playoffs and does his best work when the Super Bowl hunt is on. Of his 50 career interceptions, Samuel has returned six for touchdowns. But he's on another level in the playoffs, picking off opposing quarterbacks seven times and taking four of those interceptions to the house.

The Falcons have lacked swagger in their recent playoff appearances - something Samuel has in spades. The only thing he likes more than running his mouth is jumping routes. He's among the best in the NFL at baiting quarterbacks, especially young quarterbacks like Seattle's Russell Wilson, and could provide the game-changing turnover that will break Atlanta's playoff hex.

3. Beware "Beast Mode"

While Samuel may be one of the premier ball hawks in the NFL, he's certainly among the most horrendous tacklers. That's not an asset for a team going up against Seattle's punishing running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch runs like a 215-pound wrecking ball, typically leaving a trail of battered bodies and bruised egos in his wake.

Lynch averaged 5.0 yards per carry and piled up 1,590 yards rushing this season. He's topped the 100-yard mark in five consecutive games, including a 132-yard performance in last week's 24-14 Wild Card victory over the Redskins. If Lynch goes full-on "beast mode" early in Saturday's game, it could be a very long day for a Falcons defense that finished the year ranked 21st in the NFL against the run.

• Watch statistician Nate Silver explain why he's picking Seattle to make it to the Super Bowl:

Houston Texans at New England Patriots, 4:30 p.m. EST

1. Full strength in Foxboro

When these teams met in Foxboro back on December 10, it turned into a 42-14 blowout victory for the Patriots. Several Houston defenders, including cornerback Johnathan Joseph, were nicked-up for that game, and the Texans expect to be better equipped to combat the high-octane New England offense this time around.

But the Texans aren't the only team that's healthy again. The Patriots are also back at full strength, and they're coming off a bye week to boot. Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, two of quarterback Tom Brady's favorite targets, are close to 100 percent after a season in which both were hit hard by the injury bug. Gronkowski, who sat out with a broken forearm when these teams met in December, returned to the field two weeks ago and caught a touchdown pass in the Patriots' season finale. Hernandez, who lost six games to an ankle injury this season, caught eight passes and scored a pair of touchdowns against the Texans in the regular season.

Wide receiver Wes Welker was also absent from New England's injury report this week – a rarity this season. With his full complement of receivers available, Brady could make even a healthy Texans defense look hobbled.

2. Faith in Foster

Houston Texans' Arian Foster runs for a 13-yard touchdown run against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP File Photo/Michael Conroy)





 

The Patriots ranked 25th in total defense this season. So, how did the Houston offense – which scores an average of 26 points per game – manage only two touchdowns in that December loss to New England? Simple. The Texans fell behind 21-0 early in the second quarter and were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way, all but abandoning their potent running game.

Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster caught eight passes for 95 yards as the Texans took to the air, but was held to 46 rushing yards on just 15 carries. The Houston offense is most effective when Foster is carrying the load, setting up play-action opportunities for quarterback Matt Schaub to take shots down the field.

Houston is 8-0 this season when Foster runs for more than 100 yards, including last week's Wild Card victory over the Bengals in which Foster finished with 140 yards on the ground. If the Texans can avoid falling into another early hole and stay committed to running the ball with Foster, it will allow Schaub to go to work with play action against the Pats' highly suspect secondary.

3. Watt's the difference

The NFL's No. 1 offense starts with Tom Brady, and that's where the Texans defense needs to focus its efforts. When Brady gets comfortable in the pocket, few NFL quarterbacks can carve up a secondary as effectively. Luckily for the Texans, no defensive lineman in the league is more adept at making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable than J.J. Watt.

Watt has been a one-man demolition crew for Houston all season, often single-handedly imploding enemy offensive lines. After threatening to break the single-season sack record, Watt settled for an NFL-best 20.5 and has turned batting down passes at the line of scrimmage into an art form.

Watt was credited with three hits on Brady in their earlier meeting but failed to record a sack as Brady exploded for 296 yards passing and four touchdowns. Houston needs much more from Watt in the rematch if the Texans hope to knock Brady off his game.

• Watch Fox Sports analyst Curtis Conway break down the Texans-Patriots matchup:

Now if it were me, I’d spend my birthday romping in the woods, futilely chasing squirrels and following my nose wherever it led me. And if that doesn’t sound like a special way to spend your birthday, you are missing the point that for a dog every day is a special day, which I might add is a pretty good philosophy to live by, birthday or not.

Read all of Theo Chipkin's columns

The sheer visual impact of five percussion arrays splayed across the apron of Symphony Hall stage was unique to begin with.

Kevin Rhodes with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra SSO  

SPRINGFIELD – Orchestral color was on display more than ever before at the Springfield Symphony Orchestra on Saturday evening.

Grieg’s “Peer Gynt” Suite and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherezade” are two fine examples of top-notch orchestration and exploitation of timbre, and Maestro Kevin Rhodes and his SSO colleagues played both skillfully and beautifully before a crowd of approximatley 1,800. It was American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Rituals for 5 Percussionists and Orchestra” that pushed the timbral explorations over the top.

Written in 2003 for the NEXUS percussion ensemble and the IRIS orchestra, “Rituals’” four movements dealt with the cultural connotations of a horde of percussion instruments, celebrating their ceremonial roles and identities. “Invocation” evoked the spiritual nature of the instruments. “Ambulation” conjured marches, dances, and other ritual movement heightened by music. “Remembrance” alluded to memorializing traditions, and “Contests” escalated into a drumming contest punctuated by repetitive orchestral chords.

The sheer visual impact of five percussion arrays splayed across the apron of Symphony Hall stage was unique to begin with. The setups included instruments from South America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East. Bass drums, bongos, congas, gongs, bells, and cymbals of all shapes and sizes – everything in the percussion closet was in use, and every drum shop and curio store for miles around was probably sold out.

Percussionists Nicola Cannizzaro, Jeffrey Irving, David West, Nathan Lassell, and Rob McEwan plied their trade with a will, beating, shaking, scraping, and bowing (Zwilich calls for the eerie sound of the bowed cymbal) their instruments in a joyous yet orderly cacophony of tinkles, booms, pops, clicks, and boings. Rhodes and the orchestra sandwiched their way into the interstices between percussion outbreaks, creating and sharing atmospheres of meditation, festivity, melancholy, and aggression over the course of the piece.

The imagination and mental acuity expended in fashioning a coherent composition that employed all those instrument groups was astonishing.

The memorable aspects of Zwilich’s four movements were the unique sound worlds she created, melding the exotic voices of world percussion with the familiar tones of a European-style symphony orchestra, and the vision of five drummers doing what they do best, counting and playing. The performance was so interesting to watch that it was easy to forget to listen.

Rimsky Korsakov’s “Scheherezade” also presented a unique sound world, this one populated by memorable melodies (It takes days to get that solo violin riff out of one’s head) and piquant, powerful harmonic progressions projecting clear, strong tonal relationships, in effect, telling a story with clearly defined characters and a plot. Some music does that – some music doesn’t, and it’s enlightening to experience both kinds side by side.

While “Rituals” spotlit the percussionists, “Scheherezade” featured numerous soloists from the other orchestral families. Concertmaster Masako Yanagita delivered the title character’s sinuous, wheedling phrases with elegant aplomb. Principal flutist Albert Brouwer, assistant principal cellist Jing Li, and principal oboist Nancy Dimock contributed beautiful lines as well.

Both “Rituals” and “Scheherezade” earned standing ovations from the 1971 in attendance. A greater number of young concert-goers than usual was in evidence, and SSO staff reported that teachers from Brookings Elementary School in Springfield, Doering Middle School in Agawam, and Williams Elementary School in Pittsfield had brought their students to the concert in response to SSO educational outreach efforts.

The third standing ovation of the evening went to retiring SSO Executive Director Michael Jonnes after President of the Orchestra Kristina Houghton read a proclamation from Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, declaring Jan. 12 to be “Michael Jonnes Day in the City of Springfield.”

Michael Jonnes, recently retired executive director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. SSO


 

Warm-hearted laudatory remarks from board members, musicians, and Rhodes made it abundantly clear that Jonnes has been deeply appreciated and will be much missed by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra – his “second family.”

Scattered showers again tomorrow, drier and cooler by mid-week.

Gray, drizzly conditions will dominate once again this afternoon. Moist, mild air is moving into New England on top of the cold snow pack, which continues to keep some fog over the region as well. While it will not be quite as dense as this morning, still be careful driving as the fog could be dense in spots.

At least it should be warmer, as highs will reach the upper-40s across the Springfield area this afternoon. A cold front will move through tomorrow, which will help get rid of the stubborn fog and cloud cover (although may produce some scattered rain showers as the front moves through).

Quiet weather takes control for the second-half of the week, but it will gradually become cooler by next weekend.

Today: Cloudy, areas of fog/drizzle, mild, high 49.

Tonight: Areas of fog, drizzle, low 42.

Monday: A morning shower, decreasing afternoon clouds, high 52.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, cooler, high 38.

Radar | 5 Day Forecast

Obituaries from The Republican.

June Belanger  

June Belanger  

June (Pistel) Belanger, 63, of South Hadley, died on Thursday. She was born in Springfield, and graduated from High School of Commerce as class salutatorian. She worked as a administrative assistant for Baystate Medical Center for over 30 years. She was a past member of the Pioneer Valley Ski Club. She enjoyed boating and spending time with friends at Brunelle's Marina, taking cruises and reading a good mystery.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Avery, Izayiah and Elijah
  



• 
  Barroso, Ana
  



• 
  Belanger, June
  



• 
  Borland, Mary
  



• 
  Chmura, Anna S.
  



• 
  Churchill, Gary R.
  



• 
  Cintron, German
  



• 
  DeLabruere, Brenda S.
  



• 
  Durocher, Marie
  



• 
  Erb, Jean
  



• 
  Garrigan, Ann H.
  



• 
  Hall, Jeffrey R.
  



• 
  Harvey, Frederick H.
  



• 
  Kennedy, Kerri A.
  



• 
  Kerigan, Barbara M.
  



• 
  Naczas, Cecelia A.
  



• 
  Nelson, John A.
  



• 
  Paul, Joan M.
  



• 
  Reardon, Raymond
  



• 
  Richards, Arlene R.
  



• 
  Salvatore, Evelyn B.
  



• 
  Smith, Douglas M.
  



• 
  Sowers, Vittoria E.
  



• 
  Woodgett III, William Samuel