The Eagle-Tribune covers the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. Reporters/editors tweet from newsrooms in North Andover and Derry, or from the field.
Teen w/ austism gets part-time job at pizza shop, folding boxes. First day on job, he folds one in 3 hrs. Today? Maybe 200. Check out our Pg. 1 feel-good story on North Andover teen who found his niche. And oh yeah, he finished 4th in national competition.
A gem from sports on Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun, who after 5 years of retirement he took the task of starting a new men's hoop program at tiny D3 school in Hartford, Conn. Guess what? Less than 2 years on job, his team has won 22 straight.
After 703 games and 2,600 at bats, Mike Yastrzemski called up to majors. Huge story for Andover native headed to San Francisco for game against Arizona.
Dom Keegan's career at
@VandyBoys
baseball has had its bumps in road. But what happened in Nov., a health scare related to blood clots, threatened his career. Methuen native and ex-Central Catholic star is healthy and ready to blossom for defending champs.
Joe Marinaro was born and bred in the Merrimack Valley -- dad, Mike, played at BC and uncle Joe, played at Michigan -- and he walked on at BC two seasons ago before earning a scholarship last month. Check out
@BurtTalksSports
story.
Must read in Sports today. While we often highlight best of the best. The story about North Andover’s Brody McGratty going from no-name to legit player with a little help from his stepdad is inspirational for all.
David Fazio has taken the unlikely path from Lawrence projects to Andover and for the past 33 years has made his mark and made it his second home. A great Pg. 1 story here on Fazio's incredible impact on Andover as another state tourney run begins tonight.
This is a huge story!
Lowell Spinners could be returning. Our baseball guy
@MacCerullo
has been all over this story, getting feelers
@RedSox
are interested in bringing baseball back to Lowell, w/ possible High-A team. Great reporting here by Mac.
Mike Muldoon spent 35 years at The Eagle-Tribune and the outpouring of support after his passing has been incredible. Our
@EagleTribJill
got some incredible stories about Mike's influence in their lives.
Andover High boys coach David Fazio suffered a tough loss in last night's state tourney semifinal. But our
@BurtTalksSports
says there is no bigger winner, on and off the court, than Fazio.
Online retail giant Amazon will build a distribution center at 1600 Osgood St., North Andover that could employ up to 1,500 people, a state official confirmed Tuesday evening.
NORTH ANDOVER — Rick Gorman is the first and only director that the North Andover Youth Center has had. His 35-year anniversary is coming up early in 2023.
Why did Paul Tanglis decide to stay at North Andover High after being suspended wrongly nearly four years ago? Check out why the boys hoop coach fought to save his name and lead the Knights to greatness again.
Must read
@BurtTalksSports
Pg 1 story, on former Merrimack coach Bert Hammel and Shawn Brown, who look different, w/ different resumes. Turns out they made for each other. Touching tribute to Hammel, who passed away this weekend, and his affect on others.
Patriots stars Devin and Jason McCourty (
@McCourtyTwins
) donate $10,000 to Lawrence Pop Warner as they play today for right to play in national championships next week.
‘When you grow up in Lawrence, you have this belief that if one of us succeeds, we all succeed,’ said Gabriela Taveras, the first black Miss Massachusetts and a
#LawrenceMA
native
Brooks School baseball just got better, some 4 months after its last game. School hired Matt Antonelli as program's new coach. Former college star/1st RD pick has become top flight coach since retiring a decade ago and says HS baseball is his thing.
Our Eagle-Tribune Student-Athlete Award winner from last year, North Andover's Jake Wolinski, is leaving for Naval Academy this week, prepping for seven-week "boot camp." Says this has been his dream, the military lifestyle and he's ready to go.
Oops he did it again.
@TylerNelson14
played in a basketball tournament -- The Portsmouth Invitational -- in front of NBA and international pro scouts, and he walked away with another All-Tournament Award. Congrats!
LAWRENCE — Face masks for health care workers will now be produced at the city's New Balance factory as the footwear maker shifts to making protective equipment to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Dom Keegan and
@VandyBoys
was nine innings away from a national title in Omaha, but fell just short.
@BurtTalksSports
says the Methuen native (via Central Catholic) had a season to remember. Check out our story in sports.
Lawrence High is the only MVC that isn't playing winter sports due to highest-in-the-state virus test numbers.
@BurtTalksSports
pens a gem on one LHS athlete who represents the collateral damage. Great column.
Central Catholic’s Xavier McKenzie ended his basketball career as an all-time great.
@BurtTalksSports
pens a gem on his impact on this team, his coach, the program and most importantly the school.
Ex-Central Cath. baseball greats Steven Hajjar and Dom Keegan were special together. Since both went separate ways, nothing has changed, both are elite players for national powerhouses. Great story by
@BurtTalksSports
on two best buds navigating greatness.
Nick Shumski had 'All-American' start to season as D1 for
@MerrimackBSB
before rug was pulled out under him and many other spring student-athletes. NCAA ruling Monday allows for possibility he can return for his senior season next yr. Excited? You bet.
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock didn't know anything about Merrimack College five-plus years ago. Now, he's its biggest booster. Check out
@BurtTalksSports
story on Babcock, whose son played four years and captained Warriors.
A star was in our midst yesterday at Cedardale Athletic Club and our
@burttalkssports
was there to document it. L.A. Clippers Terance Mann, of Lowell, stopped by to do some shooting work with area shooting instructor Jeff Nelson, and his son Tyler.
@BurtTalksSports
says the most explosive receiver in New England isn't a Patriot. He's a college kid, on Boston College, and you better know his name because he might be one of the best country.
It's been a tough two years for Brian Pinho due to injuries, but last year was even tougher when he lost his No. 1 supporter, his dad, Jim, to cancer at only 60 years old. With a new team, NA's Pinho is hoping his time is now.
Long-time area baseball/softball guru Dave Bettencourt's heart stopped before a softball practice. Had to be revived. The coaching legend reflects on getting a second chance.
There's MVP candidate out of North Andover High that nobody saw coming. Not even his coach. Check out our story in sports on the incredible start for hoopster Jake Wolinski.
'The chance to lead this school system is not only an honor of my life it's very humbling, too,' said North Andover's next Superintendent, Gregg Gilligan
Long-time area coach Dave Bettencourt, whose teams have won several state championships, made his mark in baseball. But recently, he's been a part of some great softball teams, following his daughter's lead. Check out great feature story
@Wrestlerwriter
.
North Andover High announces it will allow senior parents only to attend a Senior Day/Night game before season ends in mid-February. It is the first MVC school to make announcement.
In golf, breaking 100, 90, 80, 70 etc. are huge milestones. Bradford's Nick Maccario bettered them all, breaking the incredible '60' barrier. But he didn't just break it, he shattered it w/ a 56. Yes, 56!
@BurtTalksSports
lets 4 guys in group tell story.
As Merrimack College hockey heads to its first NCAA tourney game in 12 yrs, this team has seen a resurgence in so many areas. Ben Brar represents old guard, a four-year player who has been through tough times.
@burttalkssports
on Brar's importance.
Ana Villavizar named Lawrence's first Latina detective. "Being female and Latino, she is a reflection of the community and that's important," said Mayor
@danrivera01843
North Andover High senior Jake Saalfrank's time has come, according to our Hector Longo (
@MVcreature
). And he will get his chance in football and basketball. Check out our story on the Scarlet Knights' two-sport star.
A couple of great MLB Draft related stories in sports today:
Methuen's Dom Keegan, Hajjar's former teammate, is drafted by Yanks but has decided to return to Vandy. A column by
@BurtTalksSports
on why he decided to put off pro career by a year.
The next Steph Curry? In our midst? Maybe. Bradford's Dallion Johnson is turning a lot of heads at Phillips Andover, including Curry's alma mater, Davidson University. Check out our story
@DWillisET
.
Dan Halloran, like most kids in his day, bought a class ring from Lawrence High in 1982. And he lost it. Well, somebody from school dept. found it behind some old, beat-up gym lockers at old LHS. He got it back on his birthday last week. A nice story.
The biggest dude in the Merrimack Valley hoop scene, Aidan Cammann has a more impressive quality than his height and playing ability. He is loyal ... to Andover. Check out
@MVcreature
story on the area's biggest of big men.
Another congratulations to Eagle-Tribune Student-Athlete of the Year Meredith Budds of
@havschools
.
“It’s the best way to cap off my high school career," she said.
@mbudds5
If you want to know about the toll of the virus on our high school sports, read our Pg 1 piece on how COVID-19 has steamrolled one of our greatest, local traditions -- Thanksgiving Day football. Story by
@BurtTalksSports
.
Undrafted, but never unwavered, Methuen's
@GeorgesNiang20
shows off his talents as 3-point shooting threat with record night for NBA's best team. Check out
@BurtTalksSports
column on Georges' epic night (7-for-7 from 3 pt. arc) and how it happened.
Meet our 2021 Eagle-Tribune Sportsman of the Year: Dave Dyer, long-time sportswriter who has more than made his impact on the Merrimack Valley community through his passion for people and sports.
@TylerNelson14
's NBA dreams were stalled a bit with COVID-19 and his G-League team cancelling the 2020-21 season. But the former Central Catholic hoops sensation caught a break and has caught on with a German team and leaves today. Great stuff.
Must read in sports on
@Merrimack_FB
, which lost on Friday night, but according to
@BurtTalksSports
continues to win by bringing energy/excitement to campus, w/ huge crowds the rule instead of exception. Reason is football, under coach Dan Curran, is good!
Another North Andover native in the pros. This time it's Joey Daccord, who made 2021 NHL debut on Tuesday night in Montreal. He was outstanding in loss and got emotional talking about the incredible experience.
@Senators_Army
@the_sensfan
#ottawasenators
@BurtTalksSports
pens a letter to the MVC Superintendents asking if they could do the right thing and let parents attend their sons' and daughters' games. It's a hot button subject in all our area towns and cities. Check it out.
Must read from sports: Today is 16th anniversary of Dave Roberts steal in Gm 4 of ALCS against Yankees. It sparked the greatest run in playoff history.
@BurtTalksSports
talked to Roberts few months later and got the entire story. It's amazing.
North Andover’s Leyla Kvaternik and the Massachusetts (indoor) Mile. Check out
@DWillisET
story on this and other big stories heading into state track meet weekend.
A gem from sports today. Our
@BurtTalksSports
wrote a piece on
@James_Develin
retirement, who not only played fullback, but left a legacy that his coach ranks up there with some greats the last two decades.