Cape Gazette's Fredman the Great

ON THE WAGON - I had a friend, God rest his soul, and alcohol was a demon for him. So his only road to salvation was complete sobriety or to stay on the wagon. And he stayed on for a long time, but when he fell off he literally rolled off a farm wagon float in the middle of a parade, and it was kind of funny for a moment. But the addiction joke book is rather thin last time I checked.

I don’t run into drinkers at high school sporting events like I used to back in the 1970s. At Delaware State last Saturday, I didn’t see any alcohol-crazy tailgating, and it has throttled back considerably at Delaware games, although you can still get dizzy passing the student section. Even NFL fans are more sober than inebriated because real drunks find the cost of tickets distracting. If you get tossed from a stadium for being a drunken idiot, they confiscate your season ticket and put you on waivers back to your driveway.

BANDWAGON - I don’t jump on bandwagons because I don’t play an instrument, so before you accuse me take a look at yourself.

I am currently tracking the quest of the Sussex Tech field hockey team simply because that is what I want to do. “One Team! One Dream!” is their motto and family, fans and sportswriters get to come along. Saturday it will be coach Nancy Tribbett of Tech and Robin Adair of Tower Hill, two friends I have known for 25 years.

And there is nothing like the youthful energy surrounding a state championship game. I know for Robin, who will be there for the 12th time, there is a sense of seize the moment because there is no guarantee you will ever get back. And forget that “it’s just an honor to get there” rationalization. Save that for the post-season banquet.

If you aging athletes like me ever played and lost in a championship game, or worse - tied - you know one thing for certain - it was your fault!

DUNKEL INDEX - The Dunkel Power Ratings for football have been around since 1929. They are not responsive to sportswriter and coaching polls or gay USA Today and ESPN ratings systems.

Here are the latest ratings in IAA football. The University of Delaware is ranked No. 6, sandwiched between Richmond and James Madison. The undefeated Deadbolts of Yale, with illustrious alumni like Jeff McPike and Peter Tracey, are ranked No. 13 but must get past archrival Harvard 7-2, ranked 34th. In their final game, Villanova is ranked No. 16 so no easy pass for Delaware this Saturday. Delaware State (9-1) is ranked in 44th position. The Hornets host Howard, ranked 98th among 1AA schools.

What does it all project in the almost-certain upcoming collision of Delaware State and Delaware? Most experts subject the rating differential - Delaware by 38 - while others subtract the power difference -Delaware by 18 - but the real prognosticators then split the difference, Delaware by 28. But didn’t Richmond hang 62 on the Blue Hens and Navy 52. William and Mary scored 31, New Hampshire 35 and James Madison 34. I’ll go with Delaware being a favorite in this game, but the 9-1 Hornets can play a little bit and they have that “higher power” belief in themselves thing going on. If the game gets played, I truly hope it is a good one.

SNIPPETS - Derek Savage, the all-time Dr Dunkenstein of Cape basketball, is the captain of the Goldey Beacon basketball team for the third year in a row. Derek was also a track star at Cape, and it wasn’t until his junior year that his father let him play because the emphasis on the home front is on things other than sports.

I watch Jim Rome on ESPN at 4:30 every day when I can, and last Wednesday Rome closed with commentary on the Dolphins telling them to not ruin his dream of seeing the Fins run the table in reverse.

Mike Evick, a diehard Eagles fan, and his brother, Ben Evick, forever a Dolphins fan, will be in the Philly house on Sunday and you know what I think? I think Miami has a chance in this game against a Philly team coming off a win that should have been a loss. The Birds are 10-point favorites. Take the Dolphins and the points and, by the way, I define an addiction as anything another person can’t stop doing that I have no problem controlling.

I never played a sport where the referee called time and held up a yellow or red card in my face. Imagine flashing a card in the face of NBA player Ron Artest. “Look here, Ron, this yellow is for you and the next time you menace underneath the basket you’re getting a red one. Hey, let go of my wrist!”

I’ll tell you what else I don’t like: holding flags in football. Think of the collisions, then think of the penalty, which should be two yards from where the runner fell down - not 10 yards from the spot of the foul. Try holding a 300-pound end who benches 400 pounds 17 times. That’s right, he just keeps moving to where he wants to go.

Local powerlifter Bill Lewis was at the recent World Powerlifting championships in Atlanta last Sunday where he set four world records, including a 507 bench raw - meaning no bench shirt - 551 bench with the shirt, 212 power curl and repetition benched his weight of 292 pounds 26 times. Bill received the Champion of Champions award at the meet because who is going to take it away from him? Tony Summer of Plantations Fitness center placed first in the master’s raw super heavyweight class with a bench press of 325 pounds.

What does it mean if the Under Armour logo on my workout shirt is on the right? I think it means irregular rather than nontraditional.