Good morning!
It was just another school day in Buckland when Mike Ryan sat down in Meg Garafalo’s office. The Mohawk guidance counselor reached in a drawer and slid a pamphlet across her desk. “Ever thought about this?” she asked.
Ryan leaned over and read the title: Careers in Athletic Training. Eureka! he thought, being a trainer was a way to parlay his athletic talent into a livelihood.
“I remember running home and telling my mom I was going to be a trainer in the NFL,” he said. Uh-huh, and I was going to be Kookie on 77 Sunset Strip. Except Ryan did become an NFL trainer — six years with the Giants and 18 with the Jaguars — and in June he’ll be inducted into the Professional Football Trainers Athletic Hall of Fame with two others, Lions trainer Kent Falb and the late Bills trainer Abe Abramoski.
Educated at Central Conn. State and UConn, Ryan was in the right place at the right time in 1980, interning for the Giants when trainer Ronnie Barnes turned and said, “Jim just resigned. You want the job?”
Taking the assistant trainer’s job was the start of a 34-year career on the NFL gridiron, “Getting 48 players ready for a Sunday afternoon and keeping them out of pain.”
More than half were knee injuries, the oddest of which happened in the Jaguars locker room. “Our coach, Jack del Rio, put a log and a few axes in the middle of the locker room. That was our motto — “Keep chopping.” One day our punter Chris Hanson took a swing and the blade glanced off the wood and went right into his shin — flayed it to the bone. Luckily it was his plant leg, but he was out for the season.”
A video announcement of the three latest inductees was produced by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and narrated by NBC’s Melissa Stark. Whoever wrote the copy emphasized the importance of what’s often an overlooked and unheralded profession: “Their work lives behind the highlights, unseen, uncelebrated, but absolutely essential. They don’t chase the spotlight, they sustain it.”
Now 63, Ryan said growing up in Ashfield and Shelburne Falls helped him persevere. “The blue collar toughness of that whole area has been a hallmark of my success, of being tough. It was a great way to grow up. It’s a badge of pride to have come from such a hard-working area.”
He left the Jags in 2014 to be an analyst on NBC’s Sunday and Thursday Night Football, breaking down injury reports for Stark on the sideline. He’s also at NHL, NASCAR and Olympic events, which in turn has led to a lucrative gig on the speaker circuit.
Last week he was at the Andrews Foundation in Miramar, Florida, discussing lower back rehab and Achilles injuries; this weekend he’s in Charlotte speaking on injury management and managing pain without medication.
A six-time Ironman finisher, Ryan practices what he preaches — “Ice is your best friend… Motion is lotion… That which you measure improves…”
The PFTA’s Hall of Fame is a separate wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the trio’s enshrinement on June 25, will swell the ranks to 17. “That’s been my ultimate goal, to be the youngest,” said Ryan, who lives near TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
Will he be getting a yellow jacket like the players and coaches receive? “I don’t know if the jackets are involved,” said Ryan. “I’ll soon find out.”
Indeed he’s waiting for the call from Mr. Sid.
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After the Mets failed to make the playoffs in 2025, first-year GM David Stearns fired two veteran coaches, Jeremy Hefner and Antoan Richardson. Less than a week later the Braves hired Hefner to be the pitching coach and Richardson to coach first base.
This year during the Mets’ 12-game losing streak, Eduardo Perez criticized Stearns on MLB Radio for replacing Hefner and Richardson with a pair of analytics geeks. When times get rough, said Perez, “I need a guy that’s been there, done that. Veteran coaches that have been there before can put a hand on your shoulder and say, “Do this” instead of saying, ‘Well the analytics numbers say if you do this…’
Perez hasn’t been the only media person to dump on Stearns. On WFAN, Joe Benigno opened his Saturday show by singing “Meet the Mets” — the entire song by heart.
“His idea was run — prevention— and his idea of run prevention was getting rid of Pete Alonso and his 38 home runs and 126 RBIs, Brandon Nimo and his 92 RBIs, Jeff McNeil who could play every day. He meant getting rid of anyone on the team who produces runs. That’s his idea of run prevention.”
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SQUIBBERS: At Castleton State in Vermont, Alex McClelland has picked up where he left off last year when he helped Pioneer win the D-5 state baseball title. At this writing McClelland led the Spartans in runs (25) and walks (31) and was second in hitting (.317). … Better late than never to report that MacKenzie Paulin pitched a complete game two-hitter for Merrimack against Canisius last month. The Greenfield native’s first collegiate win earned her MAAC rookie of the week honors. … WFAN’s Jerry Recco played a clip of Atlanta Hawks forward CJ McCollum’s response to being painted as the villain in the Hawks-Knicks series: “I ain’t no villain. I’m a nice guy with two kids and a wife.” … Where once it was a privilege and honor to throw out a first pitch, now anyone can do it thanks to the Mets who are auctioning the opportunity to the highest bidder which at last look was $3,525. … Don’t hold your breath if you’re waiting to see the resurgent Mike Trout at Fenway Park, the Angels aren’t in town till Sept. 7-9. …. Congrats to Robbie Cohn on his alma mater’s Frozen Four championship. Given Denver’s proclivity to win titles Cohn probably grew up rooting for the Yankees. … Tickets nosedived for Sunday’s game after it was moved three hours back to 4:35 p.m. On StubHub a ticket 10 rows up from third base cost $36 and a seat five rows behind home plate was $62. … Lookalikes: NHL analyst and former NY Ranger captain Mark Messier and UMass basketball coach Frank Martin. … Terry Cushman of the Bastards of Boston Baseball on why he doesn’t want Jason Varitek to replace Alex Cora: “I don’t think he’s stern enough. The year where we had the laundry cart celebration for home runs? He’d be the one pushing the cart. He was the Little League dad in the dugout.” … ESPN’s Leah Hextall reported the average price for a ticket to the Sabres’ first home playoff game in 15 years was $457. … Kyle Teele for Garrett Crochet is beginning to look like Sparky Lyle for Danny Cater. … Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler told TBS on Tuesday that his favorite Red Sox player when he was growing up in Walpole was Clay Buchholz. … Morning drinkers are problem drinkers on Patriots’ Day at Fenway Park where a Sam Adams cost $15.50. … On the same topic, Crosby Hunt quotes Ball Four the way religious scholars quote the Bible, and found this quote by Red Sox catcher Jim Pagliaroni regarding the 11 a.m. starting time: “I’m not even done throwing up by 11 a.m.” Those were the days when baseball players were night owls and the Cubs never won because they played day games.
Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for decades in the Pioneer Valley. He can be reached at chipjet715@gmail.com.