Arthur Lodge great choice for Chris Short Award

Nicknames - Years ago at the awards presentation following the Rehoboth Avenue Mile, the 19-and-under champion was announced and many people couldn’t help but notice the winner was more like 25 years old. And so he earned the nickname Product 19 and I won’t out him here because Product 19 is now about 40 years old, give or take six years - doesn’t matter, but like an empty cereal box he will never shake the nickname. I coached two different track guys, both nicknamed Bullet. One’s name was earned because he ran faster than a speeding bullet. And so did the other, who was also fast, but whose head was shaped like a bullet; hence, the nickname. One of the best Cape nicknames was bestowed by Drew Ostroski on a classmate who became Carrier Dome, not to be confused with just plain Dome, Shane Jensen, and his father, Daddy Dome. Then there was a tall and slow-talking teacher with an admittedly prominent proboscis whom students called Mr. Snuffleupagus (Drew was also behind this one). Fredman could go on, but I have bigger fish to fry. Yes, I know at least two former athletes named Fish. Perhaps a summer special Nickname of the Week feature should appear in this column. I am open to suggestions other than Take off, hoser!

A great choice - A week after the baseball banquet to which I was invited but could not attend, assistant coach Jeff Jablon told me that senior Arthur Lodge received the Chris Short Award. I spontaneously shouted, “Great choice! How and when did you guys get so smart?” Pat Short, wife of Chris Short, was there to give out the award. Arthur is a baseball athlete. I watched him in Little League and saw him do his job at Cape as an infielder, sometimes starting, most times not, saw him deliver a game-winning hit his junior year and saw him repeatedly make tough plays at second base look routine. He is just one of those young men who hang tough in a game that requires lots of skill and athleticism at every position. Chris Short is the biggest name in sports ever to come out of these parts, and Arthur Lodge getting that award is just the best.

Blame Barack - Sales at supermarkets are down, but birds got to fly and fish have to swim - so don’t people have to eat lunchmeat? Summer sports camps have surged over the last decade, and now some camps that are usually teeming with big numbers are feeling the economic captain crunch. Many would-be happy campers are now somewhere on a beach exclaiming, “Camp, schmamp! Life is tough, but somebody has to body surf!” Krispy Kreme stock has doubled over the last year, which is a portly portent that our nation is willing to recenter what is considered ideal body weight, so perhaps Newt Gingrich or Chris Christie can win the Republican nomination and we can finally have a fat guy versus skinny guy election -something to get excited about. Christie graduated from Delaware in 1984 and after Blue Hen Biden as vice president, do you really think the nation is ready for a rotisserie chicken? Gingrich grew up in Hummelstown, Pa., and has a PhD in history from Tulane but is never called Dr. Newt. His dissertation was “Belgian Educational Policy in the Congo.” Really?

Snippets - There is a joke, “How can you be two places at once when you’re nowhere at all?” Summertime sports for scholastic athletes often involve a forced choice on a given night or camp selection. These are not easy decisions, and some coaches do not always understand, so be prepared for that and stand your ground. I tried to quit football the summer before my senior year in high school to just play basketball. Coach Dick Bedesem, later the head coach at Villanova, talked me out of it: “Like hell you’re quitting!” And so I played. We were Catholic league champions; I was the most valuable player in the entire league, but to tell you the truth, I just couldn’t wait for basketball to start. And what if you’re best at the thing you like the least? Pursue passion or push your talents - it is always a tough call. Go on now, git!