Nantucket, MA

PDF of print edition Of the Whalers, Red Sox and Ireland, too Some thoughts while riding out the post-tryptophan haze and anticipating the start of winter sports Independent Sports Editor       So the football season has ended for Nantucket, with West Bridgewater and its 9-1 regular season record poised to represent the Mayflower Small in the Super Bowl for the second straight year - depending how they performed in yesterday's playoff against Pope John of Everett, of course. How times h... More ... Everybody in the pool Swim team readies for new season BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS ESDITOR       P ractices began Monday for Whalers swimming and diving, and coach Jim Pignato looks to the experience of his upperclassmen to lead both the girls and boys teams this year. "We have 12 girls returning; we didn't lose anyone to graduation," he said. More ... BIRDS OF NANTUCKET "NO SEE-UM" BIRDS GRADUATE-LEVEL BIRDING by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw       In late September 2006 I returned from a "birder's trip of a lifetime" to Attu Island at the western end of the Aleutian Island Chain, almost in Russia. As I reflected on bird species that are found both on that island and Nantucket, one that surprised me was this week's bird. More ... From the sidelines       HOLIDAY SKATE Nantucket Ice will host a holiday skating exhibition and skate party this Sunday, Dec. 2, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Christopher Nugent Bovers Community Rink on Backus Lane. The exhibition will feature performances by the Island Waves, Learn to Skate students and students of the s... More ... STROLLING ALONG       I bought a bed a while back. That in and of itself wasn't that major a deal - it's a pretty mundane action when you really think about it - but it was, to say the least, not a cheap expenditure. Beds, it turns out, are quite the racket if you're selling them. More ...