I have become comfortably numb watching 48 basketball games
Comfortably numb - “I just dropped in to see what condition my high definition was in.” Four days and 48 basketball games later, my bracket is so busted up I don’t even bother looking at it. I’m not sure if I should go out and buy a Buick or share a bowl of Frosted Flakes with a middle school kid. Yes I am, I will do neither and I won’t call DirecTV or have lunch at Burger King or change my phone provider. The commercials with Charles Barkley, Spike Lee and Samuel Jackson or the ones with Julius Erving, Clyde Drexler, Christian Laettner and Shaquille O'Neal are are supposed to be hilarious, but I had friends in college funnier than those guys - except Shaq - and I had to Google their names to see what they were selling. The Barkley commercial was Capital One - what’s in your wallet? A flashlight. And the four NBA legends were pushing AT&T. Now I already have a County Bank debit card that works for me and I’m Verizon guy at Atlantic Cellular because coach Mark D’Ambrogi works there and if I have a problem I don’t have to call Bombay to get it fixed. And I think that commercial time is at least half as long as actual game time. I am weary and bleary and can’t wait for Thursday in the meantime there’s the women’s tournament and the NIT to check out.
Whoever wants it more - Games aren’t won by “whoever wants it more,” they are won by the team that scores the most points. I could play Russell Westbrook one on one, best of three for $10 million and I believe I may want it more than him but it would make no difference; I would be crushed like a jelly doughnut at a Jenny Craig convention. Let’s assume two teams take the field and assume they both want to win really badly. So who wins? Well, there are hundreds of happenings that dictate attitudes as the game progresses and some teams may crack under the pressure or the official may crack like the guy who called goaltending on a three-point shot against SMU, handing the game to UCLA. The athletes are so freakishly good in the NCAA tournament, it’s hard to say what is going to happen. Kentucky could get derailed like I could beat Westbrook one on one; anything is possible, depends on who wants it more.
Travel plans - The Denver women’s lacrosse team flew from 2,000 miles away into Philly for a scheduled game at Temple March 20. A spring snow and ice storm made the field unplayable so the game was cancelled and the Pioneers (5-2) flew back to Denver Friday night because their flight was scheduled and booked. Hard to believe a 4,000-mile round trip for nothing, but that’s what happened.
Snippets - Diaz Nardo is the leading RBI guy for the University of Delaware baseball team while starting at third base, and Tiara Duffy is playing for the 21-12 Gamecocks of South Carolina. Sweet T has played in 22 games and started seven and is batting .370. Nardo has started all 13 games for the 9-5 Hens with 13 RBIs and three home runs. Good to know great baseball and softball players can get to the show going through Cape Henlopen. Cape baseball and softball will open the season at home Tuesday, March 24, hosting Dover at 4:15. Dover baseball was 14-4 last season, advancing to the state semifinals and losing to eventual state champion Caravel 5-3. Dover has a lot coming back so this will be a good early season test for the Vikings. Dover softball was 2-15 last season and for some reason has been notoriously bad.
The Vikings beat the Senators last year 11-1. The Vikings boys' lacrosse team, the 2014 state champion, graduated 17 players. Cape opens at Sussex Tech Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m..
The Ravens were 11-3 last season, including an 18-3 loss to Cape, and graduated 10 seniors. Cape’s girls' lacrosse team opens at home March 25 hosting Parkside at 5:30 p.m. Cape girls' soccer under first-year head coach Jay Ashby opened at Delmarva Christian Academy March 23 then plays at Milford Thursday, March 26.
The Royals of DCA finished 10-5 last season and are capable of biting Cape on opening day. Sussex Tech girls' soccer coached by Carlos Villa and Tim Lee beat Appoquinimink 3-1 March 21 to open the season. Leslie Fazio in goal got the win and recorded 3 saves.
Griffin Kammerer (Cape) has a 1.59 ERA for the 10-2 Swarthmore College Garnet over 5.2 innings pitched including nine strikeouts and only one walk. And by the way I don’t hate Salesianum, although a reader wrote and I quote, “Dave Frederick you are garbage.” Did he mean recyclable white trash? Go on now, git!
