Couple of quick non-football related notes....

1. I wondered yesterday about the official term for a native of Connecticut. We know about Floridians, Vermonters, Massholes, etc. The official ruling, from a highly-placed source, is "Connecticutter". Leigh Torbin (a big fan of Keith Moon's drumming, by the way) now has a new term to use in his UConn game notes besides Nutmeggers.



2. I get on Alex Rodriguez as much as anyone, but even I think Yankee fans need to lighten up. The guy had two hits, a stolen base and a key two-run homer that sealed the opening day win over the Tampa Bay Triple-A Rays, and all anyone on the radio wants to talk about is his first inning strikeout and that the homer meant nothing. Give the guy a break. As for misplaying that pop-up in the first inning.....



3. In case you missed it, Keith Richards says in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine that the strangest thing he ever snorted was his dead father's ashes mixed in with a little of his nose candy. Richards now says he was joking. Let's all light a candle for Keith.
   

Here's the Jameson Davis story that ran in print editions of today's Register.

STORRS – If at any time over the next several months Hamden’s Jameson Davis needs a quick dose of motivation, all he has to do is flip open his cell phone.

Davis ’ screen saver is a picture of Rentschler Field, home stadium of the University of Connecticut football team.

One quick look provides Davis , a vision of where he wants to be this fall. It also conjures up a subtle reminder of where’s he’s been and how the Huskies are providing him a second chance to revive his college football career.

“I look at it every day,” Davis said. “It’s where I want to be.”

Once a highly regarded recruit at Big Ten conference power Wisconsin , Davis is spending this spring trying to prove himself to coaches as a walk-on cornerback at UConn.

The Huskies are pretty well set at the position with Darius Butler and Tyvon Branch set to begin their third seasons each as starters. Davis is making strides toward getting time in nickel packages and as a special teams player.

It’s been a slow but steady process as UConn nears the end of spring practice.

“He’s out here working hard,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said of Davis . “He still has a long way to go yet in terms of things he has to master as a cornerback. There’s still a lot for him to learn, develop and digest as we go.”

A speedy quarterback and defensive back who earned Register All-State honors in 2003 at Hamden , Davis chose Wisconsin over a bevy of offers that included UConn. But in nearly three years with the Badgers, Davis played nothing more than special teams.

He didn’t help his situation when in January 2006 he and teammate Antonio Freeman were suspended from the team after an arrest in Jefferson County , Wisc.

According to police reports, a car Davis was driving was clocked at 101 miles-per hour. The responding state trooper found marijuana in the car. Freeman was charged with marijuana possession. Davis was charged with resisting an officer and being party to the crime of marijuana possession.

Davis pled not guilty to the misdemeanors, and was granted accelerated rehabilitation by a judge. He was eventually reinstated to the football team and remained with the Badgers all through preseason practice last August, deciding to leave school on the final day of camp.

His decision to leave Wisconsin , he said, was based on what was shaping up to be another season with little action on the field.

“You can tell when your time is dwindling,” Davis said. “I love football. I have to play. That’s what I do. I needed a better chance to get out on the field and get the job done, so I decided to come here.”

UConn was the logical choice for Davis . The Huskies had recruited him out of high school, and Davis made a visit to see the inaugural game at Rentschler against Indiana back in the summer of 2003. He spoke with coaches, who promised him nothing more than an opportunity to walk on.

“I just wanted to play,” Davis said. “It didn’t matter whether I was walk-on, school or had to sit. I was going to do whatever it took to put the pads on and be part of the team.”

Davis spent the fall semester taking classes at Gateway Community Technical College and working out to remain in football shape. He enrolled in classes at UConn in January and was listed third on the depth chart at cornerback to start spring practice last month.

It’s been quite a life experience for Davis, who says he’s learned from his past transgression and plans to make the most of his second chance.

“It’s humbling,” Davis said. “Sometimes it takes an incident like that to learn from. Unfortunately, that’s what it took for me. All I can do now is put it behind me and move forward.”

And whenever Davis needs a boost, a little extra incentive is just a flip of the cell phone away.