GREAT WHITE DOPE - Jerry Quarry was once dubbed by Muhammed Ali as the Great White Dope who had the “complexion to make the connection.” Later, Gentleman Gerry Cooney was labeled the Great White Nope before being wasted by Larry Holmes in a title fight. There was Tommy Morrison, who appeared in “Rocky V,” but in 1996, a tune-up fight away from a title bout with Mike Tyson, Morrison tested positive for HIV. How poetic would it have been if Tyson had bitten into Tommy Gunn’s ear?
A bronze Rocky statute, moved from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Spectrum, is now back at the art museum amid some controversy about a heavyweight champion represented as white when most are black. The counter argument has been “it was a freaking movie” and subsequent argument “Stallone is from New York” was countered with “not anymore he ain’t” because Philly adopted Rocky and everyone knows Stallone was in the house at the first Monday night game at The Link wearing a Duce Staley No. 22 shirt.
And now on Feb. 23, Wladimir Klitschko, a 6-foot-6 Ukranian with a PhD in sports science, will fight undefeated knockout artist Sultan Ibragomov, a Russian, for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
Hey, how come the Rocky guy is Italian? Rocky Marciano retired 49-0 with 43 knockouts. And Rambo ain’t real either, but Stallone has been mentioned as celebrity Steroid Guy which is better than collagen facial injections when you turn 60.
JUST SAY NO - Back when I was 16 I worked a summer construction job in North Philly and every day I was alongside Willie Reddish, a 46-year-old retired heavyweight who was the boxing trainer for The Black Bear with the Baleful Stare, Sonny Liston. This is right when Liston became heavyweight champion of the world by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round. Then, in a rematch, Liston knocked him out in the first round again.
Reddish wanted me in the North Philly gym and said I could spar with Liston and tell my grandchildren about it - dah-dah-dah - but I was quick to say no to sparring with a menacing guy who was nicknamed Bonebreaker when he was 13 years old.
Funny, I look at Klitschko and don’t feel the same fear, although his athletic trainer John Knarr (see related story) told me the sound of one punch snapping is enough to scare most mortal men.
UP YOUR STANDARDS - The Lake Forest Board of Education increased eligibility standards beyond the DIAA state minimums to require a grade point average of 75 while passing all subjects. That’s seems reasonable enough whatever the demographics of Felton to Harrington and over to Milford entail.
And now 350 students are below that standard and the sports programs are in shambles and the image of the school has taken a direct hit of dumb. I don’t know if Lake Forest students are any different in academic talents than the other schools on their schedule.
Could Cape go spread sheet on a single computer run and spit out every student who is below a 75 GPA and/or one class failed? No, that would be a practical application of data and schools aren’t set up for that and, anyway, even if they could do you think it would be in the district’s best public image interest to release that information? Remember high-stakes tests and No Child Left Behind and how so many children would be left back and sentenced to summer school? Whatever happened to all that?
Now it’s all about image not application with schools worried that test results may negatively impact their image; beyond that, no one cares in any real sense.
SNIPPETS - The Feb. 23 Henlopen Conference boys basketball championship between the Northern and Southern division champions will be held at Cape’s Little Big House beginning at 7 p.m. The game will feature Woodbridge and either Sussex Central or Sussex Tech.
The sentiment for the Super Bowl has shifted to the Giants as much as sentiment in politics has shifted to Obama. However, if your money is green bet on the Patriots on Super Sunday and Hillary on Super Tuesday.
Contact my man James Botti, sports director at the YMCA and CEO of his own world at 296-9622 or email him at jbotti@ymcade.org. Basically, Feb. 1 begins signups for spring flag football, co-ed volleyball and softball and women’s league volleyball and softball for real athletes who don’t want fat guys dragging down their game.
The Polar Plunge for Special Olympics is 1 p.m., Feb. 3 centered on the Boardwalk at Rehoboth Avenue. The weather is predicted to be sunny and 50 and anyone who says “where’s the challenge in that” has never fully submerged themselves in a 40- degree ocean. Same-day registration is cool, or go to the website sode.org and download a pledge form and go right to the Girl Scout’s house up the street and tell them you want your money back.
The 10th annual Jeff Fest, a reunion of friends of the late Jeff Cannon, former Rehoboth Beach Patrol captain and University of Delaware football All-American, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at Crabbers Cove in Dewey Beach. Preregistration for the Polar Plunge is right next door.
A plunge tip from Papa Bear: Stay alive! Don’t dive! Run to chest-high then turn and sit. This water is deep!
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Sports Editor Emeritus
Email Fredman at fredman@capegazette.com
