College volleyball is a head count sport, all 12 scholarships are full

AVCA women’s volleyball rankings - There is an NCAA Top 25 led by Southern California (think Beach Boys song) followed by Texas, Penn State, Nebraska and Arizona State. Penn State is the only school in the top 25 east of Michigan. Speaking of East of Maui, Hawaii is ranked No. 9. How amazing would it be to be recruited by Hawaii to play volleyball? Penn State has 10 players over 6 feet tall with only two players from Pennsylvania; everyone else is from far away, including a 6-foot-2 Serbian who went to Tourism High School. Hawaii has 10 players over 6 feet, many in the 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-5 range and most from Hawaii and California. And here’s the kicker, the NCAA limit in total scholarships is 12, but volleyball is a head count sport, meaning all 12 scholarships are full. Only basketball, gymnastics, tennis and volleyball are head count sports in NCAA women’s athletics. All the others are equivalency sports, meaning the limits are similar (12) but monies can be broken up between two or more student athletes. And don’t sit there shaking your head, “I know, I know,” because I’m guessing you didn’t.

Real money - I talk to parents of young athletes about monies and scholarships and they usually look right through me. As a 35-year teaching veteran of the classroom, I know the look of blankness, it’s either, “I don’t get it” or more likely “I’m not trying to hear it.” Parents, it is your job to know what’s up and not to trip when it comes to free money in exchange for athletics.

Sub primates - I honestly thought the recent subprime crisis in banking had to do with the prime interest rate. It never dawned on me it was about borrowers who were subprime hominids wandering the planet with inadequate income to support a mortgage they had no chance of paying back. College borrowing can be a sub-primate experience as well. A college financial officer looks at you with a straight face and says, “Here is your free money and here is your borrowed money and the bottom line is your financial contribution.” But that bottom line says $30,000. If I have $30,000, I certainly don’t know where it is. “It’s an indication of your ability to borrow, you proud momma and poppa.” “Really, how about an indication of how I’m going to pay it back?” “Dude, does the word default mean anything to you?” “What?”

Evil Empire - The Yankees are a part of American history with 27 World Series Championships and 40 pennants won. The postseason is more interesting when the Yankees are alive, but few tears were shed when the Astros knocked them out in the wild card one and done game Oct. 6 because the Yankees have grown old and uninteresting, and there's the whole Alex Rodriguez morality play, culminating in his postseason ineptness. The Bronx Bombers need to start buying younger everyday superstar players, but maybe that formula doesn’t work any longer.

Snippets - Tiara Duffy (Cape-South Carolina) was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association scholar-athlete list for earning a 3.5 grade point average during the 2014-15 school year. A total of 13 Gamecocks made the list, which proves what we all know, that young women with D1 athletic talent know how to budget time and get the job done in the classroom. The women of D1 athletics are unlikely to play the fool in the academic arena. Jenna Steele, a senior who couldn’t see the offensive end of the field when she played hockey and lacrosse at Cape, was named CAC Offensive Player of the Week for the 7-3 Eagles of Mary Washington College. Jenna now holds the Mary Washington record with 60 career goals (get out of town). She is sixth all-time in the Colonial Athletic Conference. Why are Americans being deluged with fantasy football online gambling site commercials? I know, it’s not gambling if you can afford to lose the money, it’s entertainment. This potential devastating addiction will find its way into teenage culture, so a note of caution to parents, change the password on all your credit cards - don’t use dead pet names - because you will never recoup your losses. There are 100 rules relating to players and the football in the end zone and no one seems to know them all including NFL officials. Cape plays Sussex Central at noon, Saturday, Oct. 10, and it is homecoming for the Golden Knights. Cape beat Central in 2013, 43-28, breaking a streak of 14 straight losses. Last year, Central won 35-21. This year is just too close to call. Go on now, git!