Young and relentless Jimbo Lyons, a man of a thousand races
Relentlessly fit octogenarian - Jimbo Lyons, 81, from Onley, Va., talked to me before the Greene Turtle 5K Oct. 11 in Rehoboth. Jim graduated from high school in Greenwich, Conn., in 1952. He was in the military from 1954-56 (stationed in Alaska) and is a lifelong member of the American Legion. Jimbo retired as a government contractor at about age 60. Jim wouldn’t say what he was contracted for. I joked he was with the CIA and felt I was in the ballpark. Jim started running in June 1978 after a divorce. He has two children who are in the medical business, a daughter who is a pulmonary nurse and a son who is a tree surgeon.
Jimbo has run more than 1,000 races and said back in the '80s he ran under a 6-minute mile 10 consecutive years. He owns personal bests of 19:21 5K, 5:41 mile, 1:31 half marathon and a 3:23 marathon in 1979. Jim ran the Ocean City 10-miler in 1980 in 66:41. Jimbo is just one of those American treasures who doesn’t hesitate to drive 90 miles to run in a 3-mile race.
Fire me every day - The University of Maryland fired football coach Randy Edsall and his associate coach Lyndon Johnson after Saturday’s loss to Ohio State. Edsall was 22-33 at Maryland into his fifth season. Edsall is owed the remainder of his $2.1 million annual salary for both this season and next along with a $500,000 buyout. If you made $100,000 a year, it would take you 20 years to earn $2 million, so if you put together the Edsall buyout package, it’s more money than most honest working people will earn in a lifetime. We know a person’s passion is what they would do for nothing, and if you are lucky your work is your passion, but for that kind of buyout money you can fire me every day and call me names as well, just give me my cash. I expect Maryland to go after Temple coach Matt Rhule, who just signed a four-year contract extension. But who is going to choose College Park over North Philly?
Falling on the sword - Many football coaches from professional down through middle school have been playing the violin after big losses this season, saying “Blame me. I need to do a better job getting them ready to play football.” I would add that no coach is so bad as to take all the blame for a bad loss. If there is no I in team, then a loss is a shared event. Maybe the people most responsible are wearing a different-colored uniform.
A home run of slugging - I worked hard - 35 straight years of classroom teaching - to not feel guilty for touching them all on the second day of the baseball playoffs. Last Friday, I watched four straight playoff games, 36 consecutive innings of the MLB playoffs. I love watching playoff baseball; it's better than football and even lacrosse and field hockey, which are not TV sports anyway. What about soccer? I watch World Cup and then I’m over it. I like Houston and Texas on the American League side and the Cubs and Mets in the National League. If I had to bet your money with me reaping the winnings, I’d bet the Cardinals.
Coach and quarterback - Cape was down 28-7 at halftime Oct. 10 in Georgetown and it was Sussex Central's homecoming. And then it got worse when I noticed coach John Wells was in the line of students and parents. His son William Wells was part of the court and also the starting quarterback on the team. "We” Cape people came over the back way, Zoar Road, to ruin the moment, but it just didn’t work out. One reason I no longer coach is so I can struggle to be happy for everybody.
Replays and rules - Most NFL broadcast games are unwatchable with all the flags and replays and rules discussions. No wonder fantasy weekend gambling is so popular, the game can’t hold our interest on its own merits.
Snippets - Talk along the football fence Oct. 10 at the Sussex Central versus Cape game was about all the sports, from football to field hockey to girls' and boys' basketball. There were guys there from 40 years ago. The fence huggers virtually never sit down. I noticed Nolan Ryan sitting in the stands at the Houston Astros game. That is admirable, because even at a Temple football game - the team is now 5-0 - I’m either on the field, in the press box or hobnobbing with alumni in a catered skybox. I may try sitting in the stands one time and simply watching whatever people watch who aren’t working. Go on now, git!
