Who gets giddy about DCAS? Not Friday night football fans!
Knock knock!" “Who’s there?” “Boo.” “Boo who?” The cities of New York and Philadelphia lead all professional sports fans in quick-squawking crybabies. I listen to The Fan on 660 and WIP 610 on the AM radio and Mad Dog Chris Russo on Sirius Satellite. Recent chatter was mostly laments about who’s not performing - except for Raul Ibanez, who has become a New York Yankees legend while Philly gives him favorite son status. I understand the Philadelphia psyche, but I had no idea that most Yankees fans were on the verge of a nervous collapse. Yankees have 27 world championships but lost 13, while the Eagles have won none unless you count the 1960 win over the Green Bay Packers. Both sets of fans are quick to boo their own stars, which begs the question “What good are fair-weather fans?”
Fantasy team - Someone recently asked me if I had a fantasy team, and I told them, “Not since eighth grade.” The person responded, “What do you mean?” and I answered, “You don’t want to know.”
DCAS, the lame game - The letters stand for Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System, and I am one sports fan who doesn’t want a state testing pep rally to interfere with my Friday night football game. That’s what happened at Dover Friday night, and if students are getting giddy over scores on state tests, then I’m moving to a Third World country or back to North Philly. Have a Friday night DCAS rally without the football game and see who shows up, but leave us sports people out of it. I’m just being stupid - reminds me of my own high school days when anything I did that was creative landed me in detention.
Championship challenge - The Cape volleyball team won eight straight matches in dominating fashion before losing at Caesar Rodney last Thursday in three straight games, all close. The team is 8-3 on the season, which is great, but I’ll go out on a weak limb and say, “I think they are better than that,” because that’s what I think. The Vikings are athletically talented and experienced and mostly own the net. I’ve seen incredibly athletically talented Cape field hockey and boys' lacrosse teams lose in championship games and sometimes in basketball as well. This is not a knock on coaching at all; it's more about athletes seeing themselves as winners. Sports psychologists tell athletes, “When you envision yourself, always see success.” Then there’s adrenaline and meeting the moment. "Refuse to lose” has become an empty cliché; I prefer “Step up and snap.”
Snippets - Ben Evick will return as Cape’s head baseball coach this spring. Evick was coach of the Henlopen Conference championship team of Tyler Townsend, Sean Tappan, Jimmy Gill, Billy Cunningham and Ray Jackson. Jenna Steele scored the tying goal as the Mary Washington field hockey team came back from 2-0 to upset No. 1 Salisbury University 3-2 Oct. 13. Jenna has 12 goals and 25 points on the season for the 14-1 Eagles. Jim Alderman, coach of Cape’s 1979 state championship football team, turned 70 Oct. 13, and if he looks any different since he was punting the football 60 yards left-legged after practice, I can't see it. I posted that information on “Get out of my Facebook” last week and soon discovered that Dylan Alderman, a highly recruited lacrosse player at Bishop Shanahan in West Chester, Pa., is Jim's cousin’s son, also known as his first cousin once removed; Ryan Alderman, junior wideout at Temple, who caught 77 balls and 18 touchdowns his senior year at Bishop Shanahan, is another cousin. Ryan carries a 3.5 average at Temple (this is where I’m supposed to drop a joke like Jim had to add his GPA from two semesters to get 3.5). But Uncle Jim has the state football title and a house in the Bahamas, and we’d all like to think football coaches are dumb but they ain’t. Temple (yes, I played there), now 3-2 with two straight Big East wins, will host 6-0 Rutgers Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Linc in Philadephia. Jim Alderman and his wife Kathy are going to the game. Cape’s Diaz Nardo, a quarterback and pitcher, has major potential as a punter if he chooses to do that. Ozzie lifted some space shots in the Dover game. I would have signaled fair catch and run to the bench so I didn’t get hit. Tuesday, Oct. 16 is Senior Night for the field hockey game, moved to 7 p.m., while the soccer team hosts Sussex Tech, also at 7 p.m. And the volleyball team hosts Smyrna. Think we need a hairy hand stamper? Three games, one price. Go on now, git!
