THREE AMIGOS - Frank Sekscinski, William Lewis and Andy Simpler smile and laugh at recollections of their playing days at Cape 20 years ago in the fall of 1987. That team went 7-3 under head coach Rob Schroeder and I was defensive coordinator for that team which, in my prejudiced opinion, was the best Cape team ever.
Early that season, while ranked first in the state by everyone paying attention, Cape beat Newark at Newark 32-0. Late in the game the band began to play “Surfing USA” as the beach culture was in full bloom in Newark. Coach Schroeder came down the sideline, stopped and looked down on the ground at Jeremy Pollard who was flat on his back.
“Pollard, get up! What are you doing?”
Jeremy was land surfing and the entire night was “off the hook!”
William Lewis will be coaching at Sussex Tech this season while his son plays for Mariner. Marquis Lewis, the Polytech quarterback, is his nephew. Frank Sekscinski, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound center in high school who could run a six-minute mile, is a contractor and the father of four girls. Andy works at Atlantic Cellular and can be found at all Delaware home games at the Mitchell/Marvel/Layfield tailgate extravaganza.
THE BEST 10 MINUTES - “Reach out and touch somebody’s hand” was playing through the loudspeakers as buddies found their athletes and posed for pictures just before the start of last Saturday night’s Blue-Gold All-Star football game. It is the best 10 minutes in Delaware sports for the entire year. I just cruise and take pictures and there is something inspirational about the experience. Anyone who is the parent of a special needs child knows all about the rules of inclusion; however, I find that schools don’t do a good job making sure that inclusion happens with a certain ease of spontaneity. Kids who are in the mainstream with no identifiable “special needs” want to step across and help others but they don’t know how. It is up to the adults to show the way, but in reality inclusion often gets all balled up with confidentiality and the two groups don’t interact.
That’s what I learned at the Blue-Gold game - the importance and power of spontaneous interaction and that young people are awesome but need guidance. By the way, this has nothing to do with certifiable community service hours for privileged groups, but don’t get me started.
DUSTY’S ROAD - A few summers ago while managing the Cubs through a particularly hot summer spell, Dusty Baker said in response to a reporters question, “This kind of heat is especially tough on my people.”
Everyone in the room was ready to pounce on the manager’s politically incorrect statement.
“What do you mean, your people?” and Dusty snapped back, “Black people, what do you think Hook
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I mean?”
And that was the end of that. Last Sunday night on “Baseball Tonight,” Dusty was on a four-person panel and they asked him to comment on the sudden of mysterious passing of retired reliever Rod Beck, just 38 years old. Beck had a 13-year career and in his first season in Chicago saved 51 games.
“I didn’t know how well I knew him, but talking with Rod two years ago I realized I knew his girlfriend, his wife and all kinds of people.”
Baker revealed that Beck told him he almost died from a staph infection two years ago. Those with weakened auto immune systems are more susceptible to staph infections. Beck battled demons and had been to rehab twice, which all points to a story we’ve all heard before.
BEAUTIFUL SWIMMERS - Last Thursday I took my camera to the Lewes Yacht Club to take some pictures of a meet between LYC and Sea Colony. There appeared to be around 150 kids on two teams beginning with 25-meter races for the six and under swimmers.
These races go up and down age groups with relays thrown in and I know it takes all kind of timers and recorders, a starter and judges, and I often leave not knowing what happened and rarely knowing whose picture I took because most shots are just faces half submerged.
And if I had to guess the number of parents with digital devices I’d say 30. I believe if my sources are correct that LYC defeated the YMCA last week while losing to Sea Colony. I have a picture here of Madison Buchwald, 8 and under, and Allie Yeager, 10 and under, doing the backstroke.
PROFESSOR LINDSAY - I told 22-year-old Salisbury University Professor Lindsay Hovermale on her way to Florida to work on her Ph.D. to look left then right and to realize the pirates who bracketed her - speaking of hovering males - represented everything her mother told her to be afraid of while she was growing up. Pirate Pete Hartsock said he was a Romper Room dropout, pretty modest for a Mensa Man with a Ph.D., while Mark “Woody” Marderwald is also considered brilliant as he and Pete are the only ones capable of fully comprehending each other. Lindsay won her age group at the Crabbers Cove 4-miler running 27:55.
SNIPPETS - Little League 9- and 10-year-old softball and baseball all-stars begin play this week.
Lifting weights is the best way to lose weight because muscles need energy so they get it by burning fat, but if you lift weights and don’t eat the body will store fat and eat your own muscle because it thinks you are suicidal.
And if you take steroids and ephedrine products than you are most certainly suicidal, but as my grandmother said “one body one mind” and can all those things really be going on at the same time?
Have you all seen the latest McDonald’s commercial of the anorexic model eating a Big Mac looking all frisky and perky and slightly guilt-ridden? What is that message? Too many messages, just live, love, laugh and be happy you Bobbin Robin! Go on now, git!
