Tunnel to Towers is a time to look, listen and learn

General assessment - The Tunnel to Towers 3.43-mile run at Fort Miles inside Cape Henlopen State Park was held Sept. 18. I spotted a tough guy. I did not read his hat or shirt. I didn’t pull out a notebook for a formal interview. I simply said, “You look the part.” He said, “That’s the only part I got left.” Kevin Molloy is a service officer at American Legion Post 17 in Lewes. He talked about running well in his younger days. I mentioned that running takes a toll on the body. He said, “So does having a mortar explode near you, like what happened to me in Vietnam.” Kevin, 73, had a career in health services. He also worked a triage location 1.5 miles from Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001. “We got a lot of walking wounded early and were ready for a second wave which never came,” he said. We all have 9-11 memories of where we were and people we know who lost someone. But there are moments like Sunday to be quietly respectful and just listen and learn something through the eyes and memories of someone who was there.  

Stocked Pond - There are 110 Cape rostered field hockey players in 2022 between grades 6 and 12. I thought that was pretty unbelievable, bordering on crazy. There are 12 state championship signs displayed at Legends Stadium. Hockey puts more players on college teams than any other sport. Women on the 1979 team are now grandmothers pushing or reaching 60 years old. 

Old Yeller - Sports fans belong in the stands or outside the fence where they can cheer and criticize all they want within the limits of acceptable language that doesn’t include vulgarities or personal attacks on players. But in the press box and along the sidelines, from photographers to the chain gang crew, the unwritten rule is to keep your mouth shut. And instead of making 10 announcements during a game, “No reentry,” why not a hand stamp? When did that cease to be a good idea?

Getting home - A full weekend of watching high school, college and pro football can wear a brother out. It's become like watching the Weather Channel where they tell you everything – what's an occluded front? – but you retain none of that information and you still don’t know how to dress when you walk out the door. Pro football is so crazy. The athletes are so good, but so many games are decided in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Teams don’t practice situation football or how to close out games. Teams give up leads like a dieter gives up half a sandwich. Whatever happened to late-game prevent defenses or red-dogging a questionable quarterback? Joe Flacco, former Delaware quarterback, now 37, led the Jets on two late scoring drives. He finished 26-for-44, passing for 307 yards and four touchdowns as the Jets strafed Cleveland 31-30. Remember, Flacco transferred out of Pitt and came to Delaware only because he couldn't beat out Tyler Palko. 

Bookoo Money - LeBron James has suddenly shown up with Lily in AT&T commercials as they recruit consumers that are having a good time and have a $1,400 iPhone vibrating in their pocket. High-dollar athletes make more off endorsements and commercials than they do from playing. That only works if consumers are chumps and buy stuff because famous athletes are selling it. I discovered there’s a website called wealthygorilla.com and that Milana Vayntrub, 35, has earned $3 million playing Lily in commercials selling phone plans to Matthew Stafford and LeBron James.    

Snippets - Offensive linemen labor in anonymity most of their careers, which leaves more time to prattle on about the quarterbacks. Watching the Chicago versus Green Bay game Sunday night, I couldn't take any more closeups of Aaron Rodgers’ helmet and his cry-for-help haircut, so I switched to the CNN special on the Jan. 6 throwdown, which had more cumulative contact minutes than the Sunday Red Zone channel. Hampton University (3-0) plays at Delaware (3-0) at 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24. Hampton has embarked on a schedule upgrade and Delaware is stacked; they just need to play and beat better people if they want to put fans in the stands. Lake Forest football and field hockey are both 3-0. Look for those teams to make some noise in the postseason. Allen Jackson, 54, of Station 85 ran another race in full fire gear while carrying the American flag. I’d like to send Allen back to Cape in a time machine and put him on the wrestling team. He would have been the truth in the lighter weights. I’d also like to bring back Ryan Betins, now a Cape senior, as a heavyweight wrestler. He wrestled at Beacon. All he has to do is drop to 285. See state champ Lucas Ruppert for his descent plan. Go on now, git!