Milton gym a sacred shrine to the legends of basketball

Sacred shrine - I was taking photos at Milton Elementary School late Wednesday morning. The theme was Winter Olympics, and it was part of the Positive Behavior Support program. Each building in the Cape district has a PBS program in place. Teacher Lindsey Eichner organized a quite clever Winter Olympics simulation, with competitions by grade levels, which included opening ceremonies with flashlights for torches, speed skating in socks, bobsled races, a mogul course and a biathlon. Kids taking tight corners at full speed on a wooden floor while wearing socks is also a science lesson in centrifugal force. A homemade battery-powered zamboni was greeted with cheers “Zamboni! Zamboni!” The safety deposit memory bank inside my skull started to hear voices. The Cape state championship teams of 1975 and 1976 played home games in the Milton gym. Uncle Jesse (Millman) was keeping score and Ralph Baird was the master coach of having control while letting his talent flow freely: Ayers, Bishop, Burton, Snoop Allen, Jimmy Allen, Johnny Allen, Batson, Sumlin, Hood. And go back to 1966, when Bill Cordrey scored 57 in a game. That gym was talking to me. This Saturday, I will attend the Delaware Basketball Hall of Fame luncheon, where Purnell Ayers will be inducted. I was “Gramps Man” selling my gym story Jan. 24, but as 2018 kindergartners ran laps in socks and kids chanted “Zamboni,” I knew I was from a different planet and time zone. Is Norma’s Sub Shop still open?

Alien universe - I watched a great basketball game inside the Milton gym in December of 1975. The PS Dupont Dynamiters versus Cape Henlopen. The crowd was raucous, and they couldn’t even spell it. Cape won the game, and afterward I cracked the inner circle of Cape basketball, as I was invited back to Tom Markle’s house on Cave Neck Road for some beers with the boys. Coach Ralph Baird was there and so were Don Lockwood, Bud Hitchens, Jim Reed – the beer and basketball days – I wanted to shout like Cagney in the movie “White Heat,” “Look, Ma, made it to the top of the world!” And somewhere in a casual comment Markle said, “I remember when Mom sang with the Gene Autry Band.” I jumped up and called “Timeout! You remember when mom sang with Gene Autry?” “Well, I remember when Uncle Tony rode with the Cisco Kid.” Where the heck am I? You have to admit Sussex County has always been a lot of fun.   

Game Day Guy - Wrestler Eduardo Saez brings energy and hype to the wrestling mat – that is his style and his strength. His family is up and cheering; the community crowd becomes his family. It’s a Sly Stone – everyday people – rock ‘n’ roll band brought to the stage by Eduardo’s enthusiasm. We all know the story of him losing both parents in a traffic accident in June 2013. Young Eduardo looks like his dad Mikey and shares that game-day enthusiasm, which is contagious for his teammates and the Cape fans in the stands. I saw Eduardo go off in JV football games after a big play. “Game Day Guy” makes us laugh. We all wish we could embrace life like young Eduardo.

Walk of life - Respect the game and the rest falls into place. I walked into the Cape gym Wednesday night prior to the Sussex Tech at Cape wrestling match, and immediately coaches Scott Layfield and Jack Roach came over and shook my hand and gave me a hug offering condolences on the passing of my son Tom. No surprise that kids love Layfield and Roach, and so do I. The sportsmanship learned through sports should run that deep, where people compete but have genuine feeling for one another. If you miss that, the entire journey isn’t worth the sweat and tears. 

Snippets - I’m reading how so many people “can’t stand” Tom Brady, and that “he’s not that good anyway.” Inflated or deflated, Brady throws footballs that receivers on the other end can’t help but catch. I’m an Eagles fan, but I have self-control, so don’t Crisco no pole, I’ll deal win or lose, and I don’t need to hate the best quarterback of all time. The interview committee for Cape’s new football coach is not yet in place, but it’s getting closer. The number of candidates is currently unknown. Grandmom Rose: “If you want to be successful, you have to see yourself being successful. You don’t see it, then don’t do it.” Coaches know what I’m talking about. Go on now, git!