CHEESEY - The ESPN telecast of Delaware versus Appalachian State in the Division I-AA national championship game last Friday night in high definition was so cheesy they should have moved the game to Wisconsin. There was the sideline reporter who walked with coach K.C. Keeler during the second half like he was an assistant coach.
There were the MEAC officials, whom I liked in spite of the “time out Delaware State,” miscue and several long conferences about flags.
There was one followed by “first down Delaware” as the ref held up two fingers, several unsportsmanlike flags, including a Delaware player bouncing a ball off the noggin of a security guy in the end zone as 4,000 mostly drunk students rimmed the field, several Appalachian State players doing mock sideline interviews using water bottles to simulate microphones, and my favorite - a player came up behind a 90-year-old booster white guy on the bench and said, ”He is the biggest pimp on campus, he got more girls than we do.”
I mean national stage, represent and all that, but the deterioration of decorum looked a bit lawless by the time the clock expired.
BATTLE AT THE BEACH - Last weekend, Dec. 14 and 15, 20 teams battled over two days at the third annual Battle of the Beach wrestling tournament held at Indian River High School. Howell High school was the tournament champion with Point Pleasant Borough in second. Cape Henlopen placed eighth and won the Diamond State Trophy as Delaware’s top team ahead of Indian River, Lake Forest, Laurel and Sussex Tech. Jason Flannery (215) was Cape’s top individual wrestler placing third. Kyle Kaminski was fourth while Chris Young and Rondy Osario both finished in seventh place. Andrew Westgate and Derek Gay placed eighth. The team opens the dual meet season at home Wednesday, Dec. 19, hosting defending state champion Caesar Rodney.
FOOTBALL AWARDS - Choices and options were in play last Sunday night as I received permission from Cape Henlopen football coach Dave McDowell to miss the annual awards banquet to attend my grandson Davey’s fifth family birthday party while simultaneously watching the Eagles game on television.
Major award winners from this year’s team were Isaiah Brisco, winner of the prestigious Sam Russell Award, and Max Coveleski, who received the Reds Spirit Award and was selected team MVP. This year’s Cape team finished 4-6 with the combined record of the teams that beat them 46-18, which included four tournament teams. The Vikings scored 22 points a game but gave up an average of 35.
All-state academic awards requiring a minimum 3.75 GPA went to Max Coveleski, Derek Fanto, Matt Phillips, Vincent Vasquez, Brent McDowell and Billy McLaughin. Zach Wood received the weight room award, while the hard hat award went to Steffon Mills.
Special coaches awards were presented to Derek Fanto, Stephen Hixon and Justin Lesko. Freshman Matt Millman was offensive player for the ninth grade team, while Moniere Maye was defensive player and Ryan Goodwin captured the special teams award.
GIRLS TOO WEAK - I have spotted for men trying to max out on the bench and it often just takes fingertip assistance to move from failure to success.
“Most times just another 10 pounds of pressure is all that is needed,” said fitness friend Dave Kergaard. “Why do you ask?”
Dave then returned to training his client because talking with a professional trainer is like chatting it up with a doctor - they are always on somebody’s clock that has little to do with your rambling, pointless speech.
I know that short of serious college programs most to all women are way under-trained when it comes to strength development and it is no more in evidence than on the basketball court. There are just endless tie-ups and possession arrows flicking back and forth because any third hand on the ball seems to stop it. It’s that extra pressure - just the reverse of assisting a lifter. And it’s because of relatively poor arm strength so talk to a college strength trainer who works with women’s teams and adopt their program in middle school. I know I’m right about this!
A WEIRD SUNDAY - I told Eric Street, a Cowboys fan, as we were standing on the sidelines last Sunday morning watching flag football: “I know the NFL and you can bet something weird will happen today like the Dolphins beating the Ravens, the Jets getting New England or, sorry to say, the Eagles sneaking the Cowboys.
“I don’t care about those other games, but don’t even say the Eagles over the Cowboys,” Eric said.
T.O. had his socially maladjusted personality thing going on, and that Romo smile becomes real annoying when he ain’t throwing no touchdowns.
Did I need to hear announcer Joe “Long Neck” Buck lusting after Jessica Simpson - “I know I got no chance but I want one.”
The Ravens, losers of eight in a row, just seems implausible and impossible, but I was happy for the Dolphins even though Matt Stover’s miss - he thanked God anyway - cost me my first weekly win in the Tim Clausen Mad Dog football pool.
SITTING SNIPERS - One more time to Cape fans: leave the coaches and kids alone especially at the middle school level because all it does is reveal your own game as weak.
Student-athletes I believe they are called, and it has also been established that sports are a privilege and bad behaviors are not rewarded by wearing a school uniform in front of crowds. There are talented kids in all schools at all levels and it really is sad to see talent waste away by lack of effort and civil behaviors.
I’d still like to see a varsity club at the high school that was under constant peer review with continued membership based on grades and workout ethic and a sense of social responsibility to school and community. Drunks and potheads would be unceremoniously tossed out as that is the dividing line between being an athlete versus a person who just plays games. When I was in high school, I’d have been outside a Varsity Club - just too much of clown.
Honk, honk - go on now, git!
