PIONEER WOMAN - “That’s no lady, that’s my linesman.”
Melissa McVaugh is a member of the Delmarva Officials Association and has been a timekeeper the last two varsity seasons. This Sept. 27 at Laurel, Melissa will step onto the field as part of the officiating crew and become the first woman to officiate varsity football in the state of Delaware.
“I will be a linesman,” Melissa said working Cape’s Saturday scrimmage and drawing no special attention. But as one other veteran official responded to Cape coach Dave McDowell when he said,” See how nice I am this year,” and the ref responded with a smile, “We ain’t playing for real yet. Let’s see on Friday nights.”
Melissa plays women’s professional fullcontact football and is the owner of the Delaware Griffins, the First State’s representative in the IWFA league which just concluded its season last Aug. 11.
“Football is what I know and and love,” Melissa said. “I am ready for the season.”
PERSONAL FOULS - Say something personal to any official - when people get mad they get personal quick - and watch a yellow flag and 15-yard penalty come flying in your direction.
Pick up that flag and wipe the sweat from your brow and you will be ejected. Stuff it into your hand and do magic tricks and your team will applaud you then you will be ejected.
A personal foul penalty flag is for unnecessary physical or verbal behavior - like the time from the sidelines when I yelled to some dough boy celebrator, “Hey 78, why don’t you take your unexploded white biscuit self and go back to the adaptive phys ed class you escaped from.”
The official looked in my direction, but I just pointed to a school administrator leaning over the fence and said, “I’ll talk to him - he has a tendency to lose his mind.”
SUB DIVISION – The only time you want to hear the word “sub” before your name is when it’s yelled from behind the hoagie counter at Caspulla’s by a Polish girl.
“A large Italian sub, Fredman?”
The NCAA eliminated the easily misunderstood Division I-AA classification for college football replacing it with “NCAA Division I Football Championship Sub Division.” And so it had to happen that the two-time Sub Champion Appalachian State Mountaineers, winners of 15 games in a row, would go into the Big House of Big Blue of Michigan and lay a licking on them 34-32 that had the other Sub Division teams looking at each other like “looks like we are playing for second.”
But wait, Delaware helmets brought from Michigan by Dave Nelson - is that ominous? Omar Cuff scored seven touchdowns - tying an NCAA record - along with 244 yards - in 49-31 win over William and Mary. Was that impressive? Delaware State surprised No. 23-ranked Coastal Carolina 23-18 who lost to Appalachian State in the first round of the NCAA IAA tournament last year.
There are dots to connect, which only one game into the season could lead to an NCAA Sub Division First State showdown between the Hornets and Hens. Better turf the infield at Dover Downs.
Sixteen teams get into the post-season playoffs - I’m not saying sub division anymore and neither is Michigan - but I’m guessing the on campus Subway is fielding jokes out the wrap.
CHARLIE THE TUNA - No props for Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis! Talk to the admissions office! The national football media is chumming for Charlie. another former offensive guru discovering when genius meets raw talent in a collision sport it is time to sprint for the sanctuary of the Saturday afternoon library because the fast and furious are all at the game. Weis was born in Trenton, which explains his sideline language, and was a high school coach before hooking up with another Tuna, Giants coach Bill Parcells, who was recruited like body types for his staff.
The Irish “got their ears boxed” according to the Kalamazoo Gazette, 33-3, for the worst opening day loss for Notre Dame in 119 years.
Chan Gailey, the man fired by the Cowboys, is now the Georgia Tech head coach proving that what goes around comes around. I want to see SAT scores pasted on helmets like Florida State tomahawks before casting my ballot for Coach of the Year.
SNIPPETS - The University of Delaware field hockey team improved to 4-0 with a 3-1 win over Richmond Sep. 2. Goalie Nikkie Rhoades continued her strong season, allowing just one goal in her 55 minutes of action. For the year, she has allowed just two goals in her first four games, which includes shutouts against Ohio State and Richmond. Amanda Warrington collected another assist.
I spoke with Delaware Technical and Community College Stanton Campus Athletic Director John Coveleski last Saturday at the Cape football scrimmage. John said that it looks like he will land former Cape players Mike Shook and Bobby Hopkins for his program. A student may attend classes at Delaware Tech in Georgetown and play for the Stanton campus teams.
Stephan Fitzgerald, a freshman at West Point, has made his way past cuts on onto a developmental rugby team. Codi Smith, a freshman at Delaware, is trying out for their club side team. Both of these programs represent real deal rugby which is a sport men play into their 50s, but only because they are crazy. Sean Mock is playing club lacrosse at the Naval Academy.
The search for a new athletic director at Cape has commenced and is wide open with very little language used to include candidates. All sports fans with a degree of computer literacy should bookmark the website viewmyschedule.digitalsports.com. You type in your school and up pops the sports schedule like magic. And please don’t hesitate to contact me at davefredman@comcast.net, but I must give unfair warning that anyone calling me Mr. is going to the trash can. The name is Fredman and I will respond to all concerns, complaints and positive suggestions. I only give up my personal blogsite to real people upon request after a criminal background check that reveals a modicum of misdemeanor malfeasance.
Go on now, git!
