Here’s a few Tuesday tids and bits as summer has unofficially begun…

What did you take from the Tom Brady-Oprah sit-down? Not a whole lot, but let’s take a closer look:

The most noteworthy moment came with Brady’s slight hesitation on the Belichick question. The answer: Brady respects Belichick’s authority, understands why he pushes him so much, but obviously they disagree on the Alex Guerrero issue. All the media hype over the comment on how retirement would be sooner than later is ridiculous; the guy will turn 41 this August, of course retirement won’t be far off.

Here’s the deal: the intense, football 24/7 Tom Brady that everyone has known for years is gone. He’s in his 40s, has a family now and it’s clear that his family and time with them is more precious to him now than ever before. That’s what happens as players get older, their way of looking at things change. The thought here is that Brady made it known ahead of time to Belichick and owner Robert Kraft that he wasn’t going to be at the voluntary OTA sessions, just the mandatory minicamp, so he could spend much of that time with his wife and family. And that he would train on his own with Guerrero. Both whether they liked it or not. Belichick not so much; Kraft of course wouldn’t dare cross his star. That’s the take here; maybe it’s more complex, but we doubt it.

—The Fourth Annual Granite State Games are officially underway. The brainchild of Bishop Guertin High School girls soccer coach Patrick Mulcahy and this year baseball and softball have kicked things off and most events will take place right in the same locale — Derryfield School and Southern New Hampshire University.

Competiton is among teams from four regions: Southern, Lakes, Monadnock and Coastal. Boys and girls lacrosse, a staple of past Games, is not in the mix this year because of a numbers issue. Track and field has also been dropped this year, reportedly due to the closeness of the big state meets and school season ending decathlon-heptathlon.

New, however, is boys and girls tennis is, joining the lineup of field hockey, boys and girls hoop, girls volleyball, boys and girls soccer, and golf. Among the local coaches Peter Clarke (Southern Region girls soccer), Leah Maciejewski of Bishop Guertin (Southern girls softball) and Hollis Brookline’s Becky Balfour (Southern girls volleyball) are guiding teams. It’s a great event, certainly spread out with the Olympic round-robin/championship game format and all sorts of competition, and is a good opportunity for college scouts to get a look at young talent; reportedly some 39 schools will be scouting various events. The only sport that is taking place away from the norm is golf, as they tee off at Pembroke Pines (Saturday) and Canterbury Woods (Sunday).

The big opening ceremony parade will be Thursday at 3 p.m. at SNHU.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all the student athletes from every corner of the state participating while representing their region and school,” Mulcahy said. “It should be another spectacular year.”

For the latest up to date info, go to granitestategames.org.

— The most surprising state title of all this spring, we feel, was Bishop Guertin girls lacrosse’s win over Bedford. Not because they were any type of huge underdog, but because the Cards were 4-3 midway through the season, and lost to all the major contenders. But we should have been paying attention. They only lost to Pinkerton, Souhegan and Bedford by a goal each, and outscored the competition 43-4 in the final two games. Guertin was peaking at the right time.

—- Some key upcoming events during the next month to keep in mind as we get into the summer season:

The annual CHaD football game at the University of New Hampshire on Saturday, June 30 at 1 p.m.; the Cal Ripken New England Regional 12-and-Under tournament takes place in Nashua beginning July 14 with the championship game on July 18. Most of the key games, including the finals, are at Murray Field, the facility just outside Holman Stadium. Teams will be honored at the Silver Knights game prior to the start of the tourney on Friday, July 13.

Also, the New Hampshire Men’s State Amateur Golf Championship will take place at Hanover Country Club July 8-13. And, last but certainly not least, the Futures Collegiate League All-Star Game/Holman Stadium 80th Birthday celebration on Tuesday, July 17, an all day deal.

Summer has arrived.

Tom King can be reached at 594-1251, or@Telegraph_TomK.tking@nashuatelegraph.com

Newsletter