A slice of life sports offer improbable images and results

Slice of life - There is a premise in psychology that if the mind sees something that is against the natural order of nature the first reaction is denial. “No freaking way!” Like last Saturday on a cool, crisp, windy morning when a slice of pizza ran by my camera later followed by a burly dude in a Nicola Pizza shirt who looked like a replacement player for Eagles center Jason Kelce. Half the country is in an unsettled state of mental angst through the election cycles while other people are pounding the pavement as pizza slices. How do you get a Cape grad off your front porch? Pay him for the pizza. Old joke, not funny. Are you laughing?   

Confuse a cat - I’m digitally dumbfounded. We live in an era when you can look up anything and find out nothing. Sports is my wheelhouse. I know why Marvin Gaye sang “What’s Going On?” because I sure don’t. On Oct. 9, the NCAA approved the immediate elimination of the national letter of intent program. This fall, there are signing dates and scenarios across all divisions. What it all means I’m sure I don’t know. It’s like an episode of Antiques Roadshow minus the monetary value. Who cares about antiques? I don’t ask about money because that is personal. Pittance and a paltry sum of free money comes to mind when weighed against the actual cost of attending the college. College admissions offices are like CIA situation rooms. No one seems to know or won’t reveal who gets accepted before the paperwork kicks over to the financial aid office and whatever happens there. As soon as the term test optional was applied to admissions, all bets were off, even on Draft Kings. If athletes are playing but not paying, you can bet somebody's student is picking up the tab. Let’s talk about venture capital. Why offer scholarships to foreign players in low-profile, non-revenue-generating sports that attract fewer than 200 students per game? I really don’t know.

Shut-down injuries - Strengthening and stretching are a hedge against hamstring tearing, but strong and fast people who change direction at full speed or stop and go like an elusive retriever are susceptible to shut-down injuries where the best remedy is rest. We are seeing a lot of these injuries on the football field; it makes you wonder if management has insurance policies on player contracts. Dak Prescott comes to mind. Also Christian McCaffrey and a host of others. It’s another backdrop of sports where we really don’t know what’s going on other than fans are indirectly paying for it. 

Venues and vistas - Sports venues are looking like flea markets, with the field rimmed with advertising banners, a few trash cans and perhaps a row of port-a-potties, what Keystoners call job johnnies. Every venue provides its own unique challenges for the sports photographer. I call it reverse paranoia. I’m not worried about what may be behind me; I'm more concerned about what's in focus behind you.  

Snippets - Luke Bender (Cape) is a sophomore 157-pounder on the Franklin & Marshall wrestling roster. Andrew Schaen (Cape) is a 141-pounder on the Ursinus College wrestling roster. Corey Messick (Milford) is a senior 133-pounder on the Roanoke College wrestling roster. Gabe Giampietro (Smyrna) is a 125-pounder redshirt sophomore wrestling for Drexel University. Justin Griffith (Sanford) is a sophomore 184-pounder wrestling for Drexel. Jackson Dean (Caesar Rodney) is a senior 157-pound wrestler for the University of Pennsylvania. Anthony Caruso (Cape) is a graduate student wrestling for Midway University. Anthony is going for his MBA in sports management. JT Davis (197) listed as a fifth-year junior wrestling for Lehigh University. JT’s major is supply chain management. Max Agresti (Salesianum) is a sophomore wrestling 197 pounds for Harvard University. Jack Thode (Milford) is a junior at Centenary University wrestling in the 125-pound weight class. Champions Stadium is now three state title signs behind. Bury the hatchet and go grab a ratchet. Cape hockey won a state title in 2012, going 18-1 and graduated five front-line starters in Sara Young, Izzy Delario, Alex Coverdale, Emily Baptiste and Anna Frederick. The first game in 2013, Cape beat Laurel 4-0. Afterwards Coach Kate Austin said, “I think this team may be better than last year’s.” I wasn’t seeing it. The team went on to an 18-0-1 record and another state championship. But in 2024, no one saw coming what the hockey team did; although, I'm on the record saying “sometimes when you least expect it magic happens.” Go on now, git!