Tough athletes play through the fray whether up or down
Bang! Bang! I am the Warrior - Kaeley Allison, an Indian River sophomore basketball and lacrosse player who also plays Eastern Shore Lacrosse, was coached in ESL by my son Dave, who was at the IR bench after the game, where Kaeley sat with an ice bag on her knee. She was “for real” hurt, no one knew how badly, but there was sadness to see a great player go down in the final moments of the game.
Kaeley played astronomically well going into the teeth of the Cape juggernaut that keeps sending good players flying to the goal or the ball if you happen to have it. Kaeley is an Indian River girl all the way, and some day she will be looked upon as running point and helping lift a program off the ground.
The Big Lebowski - A long stick face-off specialist wearing No. 40 on his jersey and 20 on his helmet, “Leo” was digging, rooting, beating and banging for balls against Archmere April 2 at Legends Stadium. I finally turned to the experts and outcasts along the fence and asked, “Who is Leo?” Scott Kammerer answered, “That’s Liam Zolper. He’s the guy with lots of nicknames.” I like Big Lebowksi. In the film, the character played by Jeff Bridges just calls himself “The Dude.” Liam is coming all the way back from a torn labrum in his shoulder, and it’s great to see him playing into his character and talent. Add coach Jack Lingo channeling his face-off past into Liam’s body, and we have a beast of the beach in progress.
Shake and shiver - Shivering is an autonomic response mechanism by the body to create warmth and to remind a person to get inside and turn on a heat source. I was along the left-field fence at Sussex Central April 5 frozen in place like an arctic explorer who didn’t make it, watching an interminable baseball game where no one could hit the ball. Cape struck out 16 times, and Central struck out 11. That’s 27 Ks of the 42 outs recorded in the game. And there was at least one runner on each team caught wandering off third base, apparently disoriented along with their base coach. (“I have no idea why he did that.”) I attribute it all to distractibility - I’d rather be warm than win any day, but I am pretty soft when it comes to weather extremes.
Bullpen catcher - I watched opening-game ceremonies from Baltimore, and they introduce everyone on the field. I honestly didn’t know teams employed bullpen catchers who travel with the team and receive the same per diem allowance, but I’m sure their salary is chump change. I caught for a major league prospect at Temple named Harold Werntz; it took him five minutes to almost kill me with a fastball that buzzed and changed planes, and a curveball that found the sweet spot of my inner thigh, which went from a blue bruise to a purple hematoma. Catching guys with crazy stuff is not for those who blink at incoming ordnance.
Snippets - A letter writer to the Gazette suggested I be suspended for comparing a Catholic High Mass to a tuna trip and just being glad when each is over. I’d rather be excommunicated if that is an option. When I hear Catholic bashing I duck because over 12 years of education, the worst hits I saw I caught with my face. With the proliferation of blue screen devices and “the cloud,” I operate with more balls in the air than a lottery machine with the lid off, so I make really dumb mistakes. Last week I wrote that Tower Hill girls defeated Worcester 12-7, which was like totally backward, but the Mallards didn’t get mad, they were just grateful I took photos of their game. Matt Kane (Cape) is playing at the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. He is pictured with Dino Mattessich, the assistant athletic director at Hofstra and former head coach of men’s lacrosse at Maryland and the University of Baltimore. Dino is Cape coach Mark D’Ambrogi’s uncle, married to Mark’s dad’s sister. The major league season just started and the Phillies have already killed me twice, letting both games with the Reds slip away, but at least I don’t live in Cincinnati. Sussex Tech boys’ lacrosse is off to a 3-0 start and will play at Caesar Rodney Friday night. Hard to swing a dead cat without hitting someone with a Villanova story. I never knew I had so many.
Go on now, git!
