Draw Dogg and Draw Kat face off at Vikings Lacrosse Camp

Draw Dogg and Draw Kat - Both Meg Bartley and later Kat Judge were centerpieces on state championship lacrosse teams at Cape. Both athletes were Players of the Year and All-Americans, and both excelled at draw controls, the crucial possession restart after every goal scored. Meg and Kat took their skills to Division I lacrosse – Meg is now a Virginia Tech graduate, while Kat is entering her junior season at Winthrop University. Bartley is the Virginia Tech all-time career leader in draw controls with 285, including 90 won her junior season, while being ranked first in the ACC. Not bad for a walk-on. Judge is an All-Big South performer with 81 draw controls won and 65 ground balls last season.

Chasing the fake bunny - An overheard dialogue between two rescued greyhounds. “You know why they call me the gray ghost? Because you blink and I’m gone. But listen, Saluki wannabe, would you rather burst from the gates at the dog track chasing the uncatchable stuffed bunny or walk morosely down the Boardwalk on the end of a leash?” Most athletic travelers prefer chasing the fake bunny disguised as a scholarship, praying to lock up that precious verbal commitment during their sophomore season. Reminds me of when someone walks up and says, “Hey Fredman, are you losing weight?” “No, I’m just not as fat as you remember me,” I fire back. And some college freshmen athletes show up not as good as the coach remembers when the kid was recruited at 15 years old. Read the words below stolen from Meg Bartley’s Facebook page: “I’m a huge advocate for the change of the recruiting process. As a former walk-on, without the push and belief from my high school coach that I could play in college, I may have given up on one of the best things I have ever done. Keep the game fun, challenge yourself as a player to push limits, be creative and learn as much as you can about the game. If you truly want to be a college player, it will happen with hard work. Don't rely too much on the recruiting process to define the talent you can/will have three years from when you're being looked at. A lot of positive change can happen in three years. I gave up on the recruiting process and it led me to the school of my dreams.”

Keep your shirt on - Really? No shirt and plenty of tattoos, a stogie and a dumb hat and so much bling that Mr. T thinks you’re overboard, you are not appreciative, you are showing off, what my grandmother’s generation called “acting like a smacked behind.” Cool went out the window like a Sears air conditioner. I watched two minutes of the Cleveland Cavaliers midday parade through championship-starved Cleveland (The Mistake on the Lake) and I found it offensive. So I switched to dueling speeches from Clinton and Trump, which were offensive by design, then later the Democrats shouting down Paul Ryan – no bill, no break - so I searched for the Phillies because no one cares what they are doing.

Turn Two Baseball - “Let’s get one, but it sure would be nice to get two.” Turn Two Baseball will be offering a day camp for baseball players ages 8-12, Monday, July 25 to Thursday, July 28. The camp is held at the Lewes Little League complex from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Boston Red Sox scouting supervisor Chris Calciano directs the camp, and he is assisted by Cape Henlopen High School varsity baseball coach Ben Evick as well as other coaches from the region. Fundamentals are stressed and developed in the morning rotations while the afternoons are filled with a few more drills and a daily scrimmage game. Most importantly to the staff, the participants will leave having had plenty of fun while learning a great deal. Price for this four-day instructional camp is $210 and some spots still remain. For more information, contact Chris at 617-519-6120 or chriscalciano@yahoo.com.

Snarl and growl - Expect Lewes to be snarled with traffic this weekend, beginning with the Beach Blast girls’ lacrosse tournament from Thursday through Sunday between Cape and Lewes - 134 teams on 10 fields - laid overtop all the other stuff that’s going on downtown. I react happily as “teaming with activity” is energizing but many late to the dance “local” grumps don’t like it. It’s better for them to stay home and work on their compost pile. “Is that a gopher in your pocket or are you happy to be on your way to the Sea Glass Festival?”

Snippets - Little League tournaments are about to lift off, so send a heads-up my way so I know where I’m supposed to be when I ain’t there. Go on now, git!