Rules of decorum for pledges, prayers and anthems not consistent

Pledge of Allegiance - Every American and their grandmothers know that prayer and public schools are to be kept separate by First Amendment statute, but the daily Pledge of Allegiance to start the school day - “one nation under God” - is required for first-period teachers to lead or risk losing their job. A teacher or coach leading a post-game prayer for the football team is not allowed. Sitting during the national anthem is not disallowed, but rarely happens on the field - you have to look into the stands for that. Everyone is weighing in on what patriotism actually means, but the issue for protesting pros has been focused on a president many black players perceive as racist. Insulting a player by using the vulgarity SOB is a shot at the player’s mom, and once you go down that road, you ain’t never getting back.

Therapy works - Jessica Sander, a doctor of physical therapy, is my go-to person at Elite Physical Therapy on the Boardwalk in Rehoboth. She is astute and analytical and knows how to bring the pain by kneading little muscles I have been neglecting and stretching me like a frozen Gumby. X-rays of my hip replacement were negative, which is actually positive, so I’m happy to report I am doing better. I’m trying to drive this Lionel train a few more laps around the Christmas tree. “Show up and get beaten up” is my personal mantra. All those years of no stretching has made me a wobbling weeble, a planet out of balance. Elite also had a NASA-inspired Alter G treadmill that had me walking at 75 percent of my body weight; that’s the most mass I’ve lost in a single day since I skipped church on Sunday. 

Don’t play in the ocean alone - I watched a wind surfer way out in the ocean off the Rehoboth Boardwalk last week when the water was whipped up. The guy was really athletic and adventurous, like those Yamaha riders doing 100 mph in traffic. I don’t know what precautions he was taking, but I’d suggest a lightweight vest for flotation and a waterproof GPS on the wrist that sends out a distress signal. The ocean is calm as a dish all summer, but in the fall, the autumnal tides pushed by offshore storms create some serious swells along the Delaware coast. Surfers don’t have much sense - it’s a requirement - but “Yo, dude,” when getting on top of an 8-footer. It may result in a problematic dismount.    

GTO Judge - Aaron Judge is a muscle car without STP or other additives. By good fortune, I was watching the Yankees play Kansas City Monday afternoon and saw Judge hit home run No. 49 to tie Mark McGwire's rookie record, then later hit No. 50 to break the record and become the fifth Yankee to hit 50 home runs, joining Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and Alex Rodriguez. By the way, Judge was adopted by Patty and Wayne Judge the day after he was born. Judge is 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds. An amazing story, and he’s just 25 years old.   

Snippets - Cape basketball standout Cory Barnes, a sophomore, has transferred to Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C. Barnes was also a standout for Mariner Middle School and the Cape Crusaders. Isaiah Dadzie, a senior, has transferred to St. Thomas More. Transfer rules are now more liberal, but what remains in place is that you can’t play for two different teams in the same season with a change in residence. Cape football will play at Smyrna Friday night. It is the first Henlopen Conference game for both teams. Cape is 2-1, while the Eagles are a surprising 1-2 with losses to Middletown and Franklin High School of Maryland. A point to ponder: there is more academic money out there than athletic money, plus in the classroom, everyone gets equal playing time. Go on now, git!