Athletics in the heat of action can sometimes just make you laugh

Kolbi is a different cat - I taught his father Kevin Wright in high school and if you ask anyone - I asked my wife - “Do you remember Kevin Wright?” the first word you hear is “smart." The first time I saw his son Kolbi Wright walk onto the basketball court as a Beacon eighth-grader I asked Dwayne Sheppard “Where did Muhammad Ali come from?” Last Friday night, Kolbi got his first start at fullback as Mike Williams rested a tender ankle. “We have got to get Kolbi Wright going,” said coach Bill Collick before the game. Kolbi got it going alright, breaking tackles scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 150 yards. But he was slowing in the third period and assistant coach Damon Ayers gave Kolbi some advice. "You have to continue to 'hit it hard' up in there." Kolbi, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound fullback with 150 yards rushing and counting, answered, “Coach, I don't think you see what I see in there." "What do you see?" "I see the blocking skills of my line quickly diminishing." That was the funniest football line I ever heard outside a Burt Reynolds movie. Now don’t go thinking Kolbi is cocky or unappreciative, it’s just that funny and smart people like to keep it real. He made my night.

Profiled - I’m tired getting hassled by “the man” those in striped shirts or in official capacity like the dreaded site managers. I know it has to do with my gray hair turning silver like “let’s bogart gramps who is so old his camera has a cane.” First, it was the sideline offsides flag guy at the Poly soccer game. “Stand back on the track and give me all the green," he told me. “You need an 8-yard swatch of turf for your navigation,” I said. "What are you a human Zamboni?” But I moved back because it’s his world and if he tossed me it could be traumatic for my granddaughters in the stands but more likely just really funny. I know when it comes to sports “I am the person in Delaware who knows the most people who don’t know him back.” The difference between downstate and upstate is up there they don’t care who we are, but down here we want to know who everybody are or is or whatever. And so Saturday at the University of Delaware's oh-so-precious Rullo Field I was heading across the field to the team side to take photos of Cape versus Severna Park. I was stopped by site manager guy hanging over the fence with his athletic buddies who said, "you have to stay on this side behind the blueline. I responded, "why are you picking on me? There have been photographers over there all morning, but it’s your call.” I looked across the field and there was Eric Gooch and I was going to throw down the Gramps Card. “How come you don’t say something or anything or nothing to him? It's always got to be the old guy.” Now I’m done, at least I got 300 words out of being profiled.

Irapaul Xavier Turner - Xavier is a big old rascal from New York who started running in 2011 after breaking his leg jumping off the back of a truck. “I got so fat, not only could I barely walk but I could barely breathe,” he said. “My friends Roxy [Castillo] and Joey [Kwit] got me into running. Ira ran the Corn Run 5K on Saturday and Dogfish Dash 8K on Sunday. He started out in 2011, weighing 385 pounds and is now down 100 pounds to 285. He’s still a “biggin” when it comes to runners, but it’s why I love covering the sport, it’s just packed with people with great stories to tell.

Pope Francis of Chip Kelly - My granddaughter Anna Frederick and Taylor Gooch of Temple lacrosse got in a team photo with Eagles coach Chip Kelly at Monmouth University last Saturday. It was Play Day for Temple and the Eagles who whupped up on the Jets the next day. Temple Lax was on Spring Garden Street in Philly the next day along with a few hundred thousand others to hear Pope Francis say Mass. Chip or Pope, whose hand would you rather shake?

Snippets - Cape hockey at Delmar on Thursday is one of the big games of the regular season. The weather looks uncooperative, but we need the rain, it’s so dry ... who am I, a farmer? Jacki Coveleski is off the injured list and had the only goal for the Delaware Blue Hen hockey team in a 5-1 loss at Duke. Jacki came back with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win at Richmond. Delaware is 9-1 on the season. Go on now, git!