Being lost in the game qualifies Lilly Short as a throwback

Coaches Corner - I asked Sussex Tech soccer coach Carlos Villa, a longtime friend, to send me a quote on freshman player Lilly Short. This is what he sent. “A fun-loving soccer player that has a God-given gift. Most importantly, she has an unmatched drive to continually improve. She plays with a smile on her face … then again, who wouldn’t when most of her shots end up in the goal? She reminds me of an old throwback, sandlot player who just flat-out enjoys playing … any game. Glad she likes soccer, ha!”

Backward glance - I was leaving the field at Dover Stadium April 3 after the JV and varsity boys’ lacrosse games. I had forgotten my precious blue chair, and my dogs were barking. A middle-aged Afro-American man by the fence asked me, “Are you Cape Gazette?” “Yep, I’ll be that guy,” I said. “You wrote a story about me when I was down there coaching Dover freshman football on that new turf field. It was a long time ago. I still have the article, and I’ve used it in job interviews. Just want to say thank you and have a safe drive home.” My strength, if I have any, is to notice a seemingly ordinary moment where something extraordinary is happening. Coaching freshman football is an unsung, tough duty, so unsung that I don’t remember the coach’s name, but he remembers me as “the Cape Gazette guy.” (I’ll track it down, but not today.)

Tear-stained eyes - I am entrenched in the “I can tell it but can’t sell it” phase of my life. I’m Coach Fred Pop with endless stories. They are actually quite good, short and snappy anecdotes modified for the distracted and disinterested modern-day audience. On the track at Milford April 2, I saw Warren Perry (Sussex Tech coach) and Curtis Johnson. I wanted to say to them, “Last call mile relay 1978!” I remember us beating Dover the last race of the meet to win 71-70 to snap their 33-meet victory streak. I remember the running order – Curtis Johnson, Tracy Felton, Warren Perry, Glen Smith. Tracy and Glen have passed the baton and moved into the heavens to walk down the slower angels, but I felt their presence Tuesday. I was reflexively emotional, alone on a crowded track, on a personal blues cruise, but happy for the journey.

Early-season oddities - Saint Mark’s softball is 0-4 having given up a total of 111 runs. The Spartans lost a game to Design Thinking Academy 33-32. Years back, I remember writing in my column that Saint Mark’s won eight state titles in a single school year. Sing it, “I wonder where the Catholics are.” Dover softball is 5-0, doubly amazing, realizing they haven’t had a winning season in over a decade. Just last season they were 8-10. The Senators beat Sussex Central 25-4, scoring 23 in the first inning. Central, a perennially strong program, is off to a 1-4 start. Dover girls’ track beat Woodbridge 138-1, so write your own joke.

Snippets - The Delaware Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame banquet is set for 6 p.m., Saturday, April 20, at the Modern Maturity Center in Dover. Purnell Ayers is one of this year’s inductees. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by calling Mark Sills at 610-800-2590. Fee includes all-you-can-eat dinner and live entertainment. Last year, they had a trumpet player, because how many speeches is too many without a musical interlude? There is one thing I can do as well as any major league million-dollar closer. I can walk batters like today, tomorrow and all season long. The true Phillies season has begun after they lost 9-8 to the Nationals by walking three straight in the bottom of the ninth. The axiom that baseball is a game of failure pertains to hitters, not closers. Close at a .300 average, you’ll be collecting tokens on the Market Street El. Athletes are still “going on family vacation” during spring sports, and some are even missing travel ball to compete in Odyssey of the Mind competition. What’s next, college visitations? Whatever happened to the grandmother in North Carolina dying three times a year? At least that’s creative. I once had a track athlete who missed an Easter weekend invitational to compete in the Kite Festival, and honestly, that is where he needed to be, flying an inflated mammal over the state park parade grounds. Go on now, git!