RUNNING ROBBINS - Heather Robbins is a senior at Polytech, she runs cross country and is pretty close to upper tier in talent, but the soccer girl just uses the sport to get in shape.
“I ran 22:30 today - good enough to win.
“Last year I ran under 21, but I don’t consider myself a runner - I’m a soccer player,” Heather said, and she meant it. Heather played summer soccer with the CDSA team of Dover and played on the same club team with Cape’s Lydia Hastings.
METAPHORIC MALAPROPS - The week one assault of professional football misuse of language by marginally educated commentators is now in the books and all I can say is “Holy cow.” Solomon Wilcox on Sirius radio commenting on the Panthers surprising win on the road over the Rams: “We’re used to the Panthers’ flopping around in the boat like a dead fish for the first couple of games.”
Mike Tirico in the Monday night booth during the Ravens game said: “Finally, the Bengals defense is starting to get their sea legs.”
Of course, dead fish don’t flop and sea legs you don’t get on land, you lose them.
Then Ron Jaworski, in the Monday night booth after endless chatter over the four Johnsons on the Bengals roster, said: “Do you know who the biggest Johnson is?” as the booth went silent. Jaworski, ironically nicknamed the Polish Rifle, went on to say that T.J. Houshmandzadeh was going to take his mother’s name of Johnson because he had never met his Iranian father.
Do I care? That’s when I turned down the sound and listened to Harry “Long Drive Outta Here” Calas on the backup television.
DELMAR FLASHBACKS - My Indian River longtime friends say that Delmar is the toughest place to play a football game in the Henlopen Conference. The last time Cape played there I was on the staff. It was 1975 and in a driving rainstorm. Donald Johnson - speaking of Johnsons - ran back the second-half kickoff for a touchdown as the Wildcats won 6-0 dropping Cape to the bottom of all teams ranked in the state of Delaware.
That is the last time Cape played Delmar.
“I played on the Delmar team the year before that,” said Wildcat head coach Dave Hearn, who has been leading the Wildcats the last 17 years. “My senior year we lost to Cape 60-6. They had a couple of backs named Henry White and Henry Brisco. Did you ever hear of them?”
Anyone planning on sitting down at the Delmar game had better get there early. The Wildcats haven’t lost at home in three years.
YELLOW TAG - I have lived a long life and now over half of it has been in Sussex County. But when I recently made a little sport of the sports of hunting and fishing I was told that my yellow tag was coming out, meaning Pennsylvania plate, I guess. And when I criticize the Eagles locals are quick to remind me that I should maintain loyalty to the team of my boyhood neighborhood.
By the way, what the heck is a golden tilefish?
I remember back in 1975, just arrived on McFee Street in Lewes, Sharon Fried from down the street asked me if I wanted some trout and I said, “Sure, ‘sea food’ as we say in Philly.” An hour later two 14 pound dead fish were lying on my front porch and my yellow tag came all the way out and I went and got Sharon and said, “Clean them or take them back. What am I supposed to do with them?”
And let’s not get started on field dressing a dead deer. I mean, how sick is that?
BAY BALL CLASSIC - Tournament directors of the Bay Ball Classic basketball tournament have met with Cape Henlopen school district officials to sign contracts and secure the building for the December basketball tournament. According to the official website bayballclassic.org, New York City powers Rice and Christ The King will compete in the National Division. Lower Marion, Cape, Pennsbury, Woodbridge, Linden, Glasgow and Saint Mary’s have committed to the First State Division. The Ferry Division has landed Putnam City, Bishop Loughin, The Bullis School, Caravel Academy, Hodgson Vo-Tech and City College High School of Maryland.
Last year’s tournament was held over four days. The unofficial rumor has this year’s tournament being cut back to three days.
SNIPPETS - Amanda Deloy is a starting midfielder for the Bloomsburg University Huskies field hockey team, the defending Division II national champion. “Dewey” is the only freshman in the starting lineup. She scored her first collegiate goal last Saturday as Bloom blitzed Millersville 10-0. Bloomsburg had won 28 straight games and outscored opponents this season 39-1. Last Tuesday the Huskies were upset by Indiana University of Pennsylvania 5-1.
I will take the Ravens over the Jets on Sunday afternoon and the Eagles over the Redskins Monday night. As badly as the Eagles played in losing to the Packers, Las Vegas oddsmakers have the birds at plus 7 for the game.
Delaware State is ranked No. 24 in the latest IAA poll. The Hornets play the Golden Flashes of Kent State this weekend. You remember the song, “Tin soldiers and Nixon coming.” Kent is in the Mid-American Conference and stocked with Ohio boys who couldn’t get to Ohio State. Kent is a I-A school that beat Iowa State, but last week lost to Kentucky 56-20. A live broadcast of the 7 p.m. game can be found on the radio in Lewes at 104.3 FM.
WGMD will continue its Friday night coverage of high school football with the 7 p.m. Stephen Decatur at Indian River game. There also will be updates from the Cape game if I can get my phone out of my pocket.
Ever since the Vick case, I’ve heard more and more the expression “I don’t have a dog in this fight.”
I know there are several highly qualified individuals interested in becoming Cape’s athletic director once George Glenn retires at the end of the month. There are several connected and disconnected individuals with dogs in the fight - I just hope the committee that interviews and recommends is supported in its decision.
There is a fundraiser, Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 5 p.m. until closing at Jakes Seaford Restaurant to benefit the Cape soccer team. Roll will be taken.
Check out the BODYVIVE class at Gold’s Gym - the new group exercise to music fitness program which includes aerobic, resistance and stretching. The program is designed for adults in their 40s, 50s and 60s. You don’t have to be a member. Call 226-GOLD and tell them Fredman sent you and they will say, “Tell him to send himself.” But you will get a free class. Shondelle from Australia is the instructor and she is awesome, smart and fun.
