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Thuney smiling all way to the bank, plus few other thoughts

By Tom King - Staff Writer | Aug 6, 2020

Here are few things to ponder as we approach what will be a big sports weekend with the Silver Knights returning home, the Nashua Defenders of the NHCBL entering post season play, the Holman Stadium Legends induction, and Nashua businessman Jon Goode’s dream of a New Hampshire High School Girls Hockey All-Star Game comes true:

—- No one is likely wearing a bigger smile down in the New England Patriots indoor facility these days as the players are now there than guard Joe Thuney. Thuney was about to hit the free agent market in March when the Patriots suddenly franchised him. Unable to reach a long term agreement, Thuney will be paid nearly $14.8 million this year. Jackpot.

He certainly wore a big smile on Wednesday during a virtual press conference.

“I love being here, I love the Patriots organization, my teammates, everyone,” Thuney said when asked if he had considered holding out rather than play for the franchise tag. “I’m glad to be here. … It’s a whole business aspect to it. It kind of is what it is. I’m really fortunate to play here, and excited to be back with my teammates.”

Of course he’s glad to play in Foxborough, and wasn’t going to hold out. What NFL guard will spit at $14.8 million? Thuney was smart and grabbed the money when he could.

“It was a new experience for me,” Thuney said of free agency. “I’m happy to keep playing football.”

There’s some talk that Thuney could move to right tackle after Marcus Cannon opted out; he played eight snaps there in the season opener vs. Pittsburgh last year.

Thuney was certainly smiling the entire time yesterday. He liked the start of things at the facility Monday like “the first day of school.” Wouldn’t you go back to school if they paid you nearly $15 million to do so?

—- It’s great the NHCBL is having two out of three series for all its playoffs. The idea is to give the eight teams competing a different dynamic and is going to produce some interesting strategy. It’s more or less the same theme as a double elimination tourney, but you’re going to need even more depth – especially with pitching. Nashua’s first game, by the way, is at Concord’s Memorial Field on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

—- There’s an interesting panel discussion that can be viewed virtually tonight on youth mental health from 7-8:30 p.m. on Bishop Guertin’s YouTube channel. It’s formally being presented by Dartmouth Hitchcock Health and is entitled “Community Conversation: Stress, Anxiety and Mental Health in Young People Amid COVID-19”.

It will have somewhat of a sports ingredient as two of the panelists are coaches – Ohio State University head coach Ryan Day, the former Manchester Central and UNH standout, and former Campbell and current Central boys basketball coach Sudi Lett. Bishop Guertin principal Jason Strniste. It should be extremely interesting. Check it out at www.youtube.com/bishopguertin.

—– It was a wise decision once again – yes, yours truly had a vote – to postpone the Nashua Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony to May. Who would have envisioned when the committee met in early March to go over a couple of details that it would be the last in-person meeting and that after that the high school winter tournaments, spring season, first scheduled Fame induction, and life as we know it be cancelled?

Nashua Athletic Director Lisa Gingras, who put countless hours into resurrecting the Hall of Fame, wants the even to be special and meaningful for the inductees, and so did the committee – as it should be. Let’s hope by then life will be safer with some return to normalcy, even if it is a new normal.

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

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