When I left Hartford Sunday after covering the UConn Women Huskies victory parade and rally, I was thinking what great "presence" Coach Gino Auriemma and Gov. M. Jodi Rell possess. They know how to turn on a crowd; they're naturals at it.
People usually hate to hear from politicians at sports events. Often the politicos are booed. But the crowd Sunday loved their governor. This is bad news for any Democrat who wants to unseat her.
Rell was down-to-earth and almost folksy as she confessed that watching the Huskies play ball in her home over the past few months was great therapy for the state's budget troubles. (We can all relate.) She talked about having to leave the room when a game got close (I know, it didn't happen often). She would be saying to herself, "Oh, please! Oh, please!" Then, she noted with a smile, she would return to her TV room and find the Huskies up by 10 points.
Rell praised the team for representing the state so well, for being poised and prepared. She noted they showed respect for the game and respect for their opponents.
The final speaker at the rally was Auriemma and he scored a slam dunk. First he just stood at the podium and laughed at a sign in the crowd which said "Geno Is God." Then he said playfully, "Come on, put that sign down!"
He reminded us the Huskies aren't perfect, despite their 39-0 record and winning the national championship. But he said the people at the parade and rally had made the day perfect "for these kids."
"Whether you're 5 or 75," he said, "these players represent something you all can appreciate. They're the kids next door, the kids you saw in the playground."
He also reminded us how hard these players have to work, day after day, to make a championship possible.
And he finished with a beautiful sentiment, that it is so meaningful for these young women "to have this in their memory banks, to be able to (some day) tell their kids that on a sunny afternoon in April in Connecticut, they felt what it really means to be a Connecticut basketball player."
Geez, this guy could run for office too, and he could waltz in -- as long as he didn't try to be governor.

Here now, finally, is our reward for suffering through winter: baseball is back, mixed with the college finales of basketball and hockey. This is the best time of the year for sports fans.
No, I didn't go to Opening Day for the Yanks. I used to do so, back when you could phone a live person and just buy a ticket and you could afford a ticket and I was foolish enough to imagine that I wouldn't need my winter coat. I even froze through a couple of Opening Days at Fenway in the early 1970s, when I was a student at Boston University (more on that in a moment).
Have you noticed the weather since the new season began? Fun times, yes? I got caught in a sudden snow squall this week in Hamden. Thus, it is best to watch baseball on TV this time of the year.
Meanwhile, yes, we had the Huskies. The men gave us hope for a few weeks but were awful last Saturday when they needed to do the job. I was at the Playwright in Hamden with my wife and some of our pals, watching the disaster. In the early going, when the teams were trading baskets, a friend of mine said with his great air of authority that the Huskies would win easily, that Michigan State couldn't possibly keep up. Beware people with airs of authority.
So yes, the women. It's not their fault they were so much better than anybody else. It's not their fault the games were blow-outs. Even though the outcomes were never in doubt, it was good to see them win a national championship. I watched that happen with my teenage daughters, at home.
So what's "wrong" with the Yankees? Everybody was asking me that question after they lost two games. Well, as J. Damon said last night after the second loss, "Tomorrow is another day." Brilliant cliche, but true. And today, which is that "tomorrow," the Bombers woke up and bombed the Birds, 11-2.
Now everybody can relax. I even had a judge come up to me today in the courtroom in New Haven, before the Yanks won their first game of the season, to ask me what was "wrong" with the Yankees. He's a fan of the team, too. I tried to hose him down. It's only the third game of the season!
Oh yes, B.U. My alma mater's hockey team plays tonight in the semi-final for the national championship, vs. Vermont. (B.U. can avenge Vermont beating Yale in the lead-up tournament in Bridgeport).
I saw the Terriers win national titles when I was a student, and I want to re-live that experience. And it's on ESPN. Perfect. So what if nobody in my family cares? I'm there.
Best time of the year for sports fans.