Lucky Leprechaun 5K a majestic small-town showcase

Squall and squawk - A total of 500 runners endured a 20-minute dark cloud, but there was no whining during the spritzer as Emily Groll sang the national anthem followed by the town bugler calling runners to the starting line. An eagle flew high overhead. The scene was a majestic small-town showcase delivered by Station 85 of the 684 and Irish Eyes. The annual Lucky Leprechaun 5K attracted racers and runners, and hundreds of walkers and talkers. The event is a run-up, the undercard to the St. Patrick’s Day parade later in the day. The top four finishers were teenagers from Cape not old enough to vote. Jason Baker, 16, won in 17:19. He was followed by Brayden Redd, 15, 17:49; Andrew Radka, 16, 18:23; and Max Gillen, 17, 18:59. Melissa Wiley, 38, of Ocean City, Md. was the first woman finisher in 21:21. Baker’s win marked the third year in a row the Lucky Leprechaun was won by a Baker, as older brother Ryan, now running at Lehigh, won the previous two years.   

Riding the Redden Road - As I was heading to Bridgeville from Lewes the back way, an eagle arose from a fallow field and crossed my flight path – he looked right at me. The 4Runner cab was quiet. I yelled, “A freaking iggle!” Then I laughed at myself for such spontaneous poetic eloquence. A lyric surfaced from my storage tank of memories: “You know he’d be a poor man if he never saw an eagle fly.” Po No Mo. It’s from John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High.” A brilliant lyricist but a wild man when drinking. He died early when his plane fell out of the sky. Only then did I ask myself, “Why exactly are you going to Bridgeville, the back way or any way?” Answer: Income tax delivery … if you know, you know. 

BoBo Brazil - Push came to shove. A chippy SEC championship women’s game between LSU and South Carolina got crazy with two minutes to go when a steal followed by an intentional foul brought the big house to the party as 6-foot-7-inch Kamilla Cardosa of South Carolina bulldozed LSU’s Flau’jae to the deck. I was watching it in real time then replayed countless times. The announcers did their best to describe what happened and whatever penalties were forthcoming. I’ve read headlines of what I watched described as everything from a brawl to a fight to a skirmish. I do know that in all competitive sports, absolute control doesn’t exist. Things can go off the rails in an instant. 

Sound up sight down - I often watch games with the sound turned down, but Saturday afternoon I listened to Dover beat Salesianum 56-53 in the state championship game on WDEL radio with my buddy Sean Greene on the play-by-play. It was old-school great. Sean is a pro in a business that seldom looks for one. I saw the Dover team of 1975-76 beat Cape and stop coach Ralph Baird’s Vikings from winning 50 straight games. Cape won the state championship in 1975 and 1976, then in 1977 Dover lost in the finals to Brandywine. I didn’t realize Dover had lost five times in the finals and hadn’t won a state title in its 58-year history. Cape’s state title drought in boys’ basketball has reached 48 years. 

Snippets - Luke Burton (Cape), a freshman laxer at Flagler, had three goals in a 12-10 loss to St. Leo's. I introduced my deluxe Fredman booster chair to the race finish line Sunday. I still carry the beloved blue chair and green barstool onboard in case I have to hear confessions before an event. Cape girls’ lacrosse has a varsity roster of 25 players comprising 13 seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen. The 2024 spring season is front-loaded with home games versus Broadneck Saturday, March 23, and Queen Anne’s County Tuesday, March 26, followed by games at Kent County Friday, April 5, and Marriotts Ridge at Kent County Saturday, April 6. During a Saturday, March 16 play day at Cape, the Vikings will play Manchester Valley, Glenelg and Bishop Shanahan. I watched a spring training baseball game – scary enough – in which the Blue Jays and Phillies were tied at 5-5 after eight innings. The Blue Jays erupted for eight runs in the top of the ninth. I hope it’s not a harbinger for the upcoming season, but experiencing the Eagles, Sixers and Flyers on the heels of a Phillies flop to the Diamondbacks in the NLCS, I get a peaceful, uneasy feeling. Go on now, git!