Human stampede coming right at you

Stampede of Striders - I have taken thousands of photos of hundreds of road runners running straight into my telephoto lens. I often joke that I will die in a stampede under the flying feet of skinny fit people. My other concern is some 8-year-old will trip and be trampled by a fat white guy in a black shirt. But the most dangerous place is the sideline of a football game. I am bailing earlier and earlier, like a coached up chicken. Flow my way, run away. It may be time for me to return to the Friday night press box, but the players will miss out on all the free Facebook photos.   

Thanks for all you do - The flip side of that coin is “no, thanks for all you don’t do.” People on my beat are great, almost always appreciative for all and anything you do for them in terms of sports coverage. But there are a few who can never be satisfied because “you” just can’t do enough for them or their teams, towns, kids and grandkids. I find that all so incredibly weird when it happens, but I don’t take it personally, even if it’s directed at me, because I know the sports people in my realm have enjoyed great exposure over the course of their careers and lifetimes.   

300-pound amoeba - I was watching the Houston Cougars shut down Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon when the announcer said of a 300-pound linebacker who made a tackle on a sweep play, “The guy’s like an amoeba – he’s everywhere.” I wasn’t sure if the observation was profound or totally dumb, and where to find an amoeba if I wanted one? I do know they can kill you if you swallow the wrong amoeba because they are nasty members of protozoa, fungi and algae families. There is a giant amoeba and brain-eating amoeba and a slime mold amoeba. I don’t want to be tackled by no brain-eating giant amoeba, but I think it would be a great nickname for a nasty linebacker, just call him GA so he doesn’t scare people at parties.

Bit of an upset -  Sammy Mohr left Wesley as a student-athlete but he worked his way back to Delaware Valley University. He and his mom negotiated the financial aid form morass of documents and tax returns, which ain’t easy. Last Friday night, Sammy started at defensive corner for the Aggies in a 21-14 upset victory over the Wolverines. Sammy had five solo and two assisted tackles. Shawn Miller out of Laurel High School was the star of the game with eight solo tackles, six assisted and three interceptions for 42 yards. According to Collegedate.com, the cost of attendance for tuition and expenses for one year at Delaware Valley University is $50,674.

Weirdly ironic - Colin Kaepernick made the 49ers’ 53-man roster, but is a backup to Blaine Gabbert, who was named the starter. And so Colin sits during the national anthem, but the rest of the game he has to stand with a clipboard because that’s his job description. That isn’t symmetry, it’s asymmetry. I am a civil libertarian, a defender of individual freedoms, remember at Cape the issue was team prayer after games, and what happened? Everyone ran away from the center of the spiritual circle not wanting to be sued.   

Snippets - Delaware beat Delaware State 56-14 in front of 17,000, which is nothing to get giddy about. The Blue Hens are on the road four of the next five games, all Saturday games, beginning at Lafayette, then Wake Forest and James Madison. They are then home against Maine before heading back on the road at William and Mary. The Lafayette Leopards beat Central Connecticut 24-10 in their opener. Lafayette has a rich football tradition and will give Delaware all they want. One year at Delaware against a Tubby Raymond team, the Leopards had 400 yards passing. In the press conference afterward, Tubby said, “Four hundred yards with invisible receivers, that’s not so hard.” “Coach, what do you mean invisible receivers?” “Well, they must have been invisible, our guys never saw them.” Tess Bernheimer had her first collegiate goal on a penalty corner as Drexel lost to UConn 7-2. The Dragons fell to 1-2 on the season. The Cape field hockey team will travel to Temple Sunday, Sept. 11, to watch the Dragons play the Owls. Erin Coverdale scored a goal for Franklin and Marshall field hockey, as the Diplomats beat Rowan 3-2 in overtime. Go on now, git!