The arrogance of excellence

The arrogance of excellence: A little EPO and a drop of testosterone on the tongue, perhaps an occasional transfusion of your own highly oxygenated blood. If that’s all it takes, I’m joining the Tour de France next summer. Whatever the ruse, at least try to fool somebody. Grandmom Rose said, “If things appear to be what they’re not, it’s because they ain’t.” I saw a pair of unnaturally large, older, professional wrestler-looking dudes last Sunday drinking power shakes from unmarked plastic jugs and I thought again, “At least try to fool somebody.” Trickle-down testosterone has made its way to amateur sports, and if the deleterious side effects of steroid supplements are not sold to the public, then the public will do what it always does, which is to cheat and risk its own health. Lance Armstrong is about to join Marion Jones among the list of disgraced athletes, but his situation is more precarious legally because the federal government itself sponsored the U.S. Postal team, and now fraud and illegal trafficking charges are lurking about.

Pelotoned - Beau Warrington of Sussex Tech runs the 800 meters without strategy. He sprints to the front and stays out there as long as he can. The elite, world-class guys who run sub-1:45 know there is no time to dillydally in the 800. It has become a two-lap sprint. Warrington, only a sophomore, looks like a Marine and no doubt would make a great one. He took off at the gun in the Delaware scholastic Division One 800 meters and came through the 400 in 54 seconds. He was still in front at 650 meters, but the peloton began to pull him back as the track bear started to paw at Warrington’s muscles. Beau ran 2:03.6 the hard way, a personal best, and placed ninth in the race won by Brandon Barnes of Dover in 1:59.1. Trust me, runners, don’t let him go next year because in all likelihood he ain’t coming back.

Noise pollution - I stopped by a back porch retirement late last Friday after covering day one of the state track meet at Caesar Rodney. The honoree’s neighbor thought that was the perfect time to crank up his riding mower and cut the grass; otherwise, people at the party would actually have been able to hear themselves ramble. The next day back at Caesar Rodney a house next to the track had a tree service in the backyard cutting down limbs and feeding them through a shredder. Now to me that seemed to border on the inconsiderate. What is wrong with people? Have we become that selfishly insensitive?

Bunch of crooks - The price of gas matters a lot to me, just like it does to most people. I’m not mileage allowance guy, but for the first time I take into consideration where a sporting event is being held, then I decide if I want to cover it. These prices rise and fall based on speculation and gouging of consumers. Just how stupid are we? We are giddy because prices are coming down and yet somehow you know we are being set up.

Pageantry - If I see three young women wearing banners with crowns on top of their heads, I’m taking a picture because I guess I’m just that guy. Last Sunday morning, 600 runners and walkers showed up for the DE-Feet Breast Cancer 5K Race/Walk. The staggering numbers and level of participation reveal the incidence of people who are afflicted and affected by this illness. It is exhilarating to see the push back and sense of community, because no doubt we have all been affected in some way.

Snippets - This is championship week for high school lacrosse as both the Cape boys' and girls' teams have made the semifinal round. Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms: It must be Memorial Day weekend. I have no word or knowledge of a lead dog for the open Cape boys' basketball job. A construction trailer is now on site adjacent to Cape’s turf field two, and in just a couple months we’re talking stadium, press box, lights and scoreboard. This fall, Cape will be able to host two turf field night games simultaneously. Turf field two is crying for a better name; let’s not forget that women’s teams at Cape have been unrelentingly successful for the last 42 years. Go on now, git!