Cape football ‘live scrimmage’ set at Easton this Friday

Live thud - First State Military, coached by Jeff Braxton, showed up to Cape for an Aug. 12 scrimmage with just 20 players. The coaches huddled beforehand and decided on a joint practice, like some pro teams do. There was some 7-on-7 skill stuff at one end of the field, while bigger guys did what they do, which is crash into one another. Cape will scrimmage at Easton High School of Maryland at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 18. The Easton Warriors are coming off a 7-3 season. Coach Mike Frederick: “We had a decent first week of practice. The attitude has been terrific, and there have been some pleasant surprises. Depth across certain position groups has improved.” 

Hijinx - The Phillies’ broadcast team, including all those back in the studio, has lost all objectivity and professional decorum. I am a lifelong fan, yet I am uncomfortable with all the boosterism. After the Michael Lorenzen no-hitter, followed by a pummeling of the Twins, the Phillies went belly up and lost two straight home games to the Twins by a combined score of 11-1. The Sunday broadcast with guests, snacks and drinks (a Yuengling spotted) didn’t provide insider insight; it was just stupid. A jinx is defined as a superstition, a curse attracting bad or negative luck. Hijinks is mischief or merrymaking that is often disruptive or rowdy.  

Should be a law - All turf fields should have retractable awnings. My ideas may be half-baked, but not my carcass. I’d rather say “peace out” than pass out. I'm not sure what convection heat is, but I know you get cooked from top to bottom and sideways from the inside out. I sat for an hour Saturday morning at the top of Bellevue Street in Dewey, a curve I call Fredman Bend, with the bay as a backdrop. I snapped photos of runners for an hour before heading to Legends Stadium for a football scrimmage at 11 a.m. Bright sun, no clouds and a scrimmage with no tackling. It was a photo challenge – just too bright for good light – and a physical nightmare with the turf temps somewhere between 130 and 170. 

Wrestler rock - Josh Wright placed first in the men’s and semi-pro divisions at the World Championships of Skimboarding in Dewey. It's expected he will now go pro and draw some beachside attention away from Zack Gelof. Josh missed a weekend of wrestling during the season because he was skimming in Mexico. What’s next? Lucas Ruppert, Cape state champ at 285, missing a match for the slopes of Colorado, competing at the Olympic trials in the giant slalom? The Alpine Avalanche! I can market the activewear.

Anna and Axel - at 4 a.m., Tuesday, Spain will play Sweden. I hope Sweden wins because I coached Axel Sjoblad in track in 1983, and he went on to win a silver medal for Sweden in team handball in 1992. Axel makes frequent trips back to Sussex County to visit his good friend Don Lockwood. And there’s Anna Ericksson Nordstrom, an exchange student at Cape and state champion tennis player at second singles in 1995, who maintains a close friendship with my daughter-in-law Suzannah and Heidi Lowe. Plus the Swedish Chef is one of the all-time best muppets. Australia plays England Wednesday, Aug. 16. I’ll go with the Aussies just because wallabies live there. 

Snippets - Jordan Magee, out of Dover High, is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker for Temple University. He is a graduate student. Magee played quarterback and safety for coach Rudy Siminotti at Dover, went 9-2 his senior year and made second-team all-state and first-team all-conference. He threw for 1,208 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior. Jordan also lettered in basketball for three years. He wears No. 6 for Temple – only the very best players get to wear single-digit numbers. Toyota is bringing back the Land Cruiser with an old-school size and style; the baseline model is selling for $55,000. Maybe it’s time for my travel adventure book “Land Cruiser: The Car and the Man.” But if I do that, I have to give up covering road races and field hockey. Did you know that in many places around the world, people don’t drive at night because of bandits? Cape football is about to move into two-a-day practices for the next two weeks. During my playing days, no one ever used the word “hydrate,” as the need for water was a sign of weakness, and sometimes big old boys would just crash then crawl to the water bucket. Zack Gelof had two home runs in a Sunday game versus the Nationals. He has had eight since being called up. He carries the mojo of the blue chair. I had him sit in it once for a postgame interview after he scored four goals in a soccer game. Hans Billger scored five goals in a soccer game in fall 1986, then in spring 1987 was state champion in tennis at second singles. Go on now, git!