Bobbi Brooks executes a no-look scoreboard remedy

Bobbi Brooks - At a home wrestling match last week versus Seaford, Bobbi Brooks was multitasking at the scorer's table working and snacking in real time and past time and planning events in future time. Suddenly the scoreboard went dead. Athletic Director Bob Cilento crawled under the table, reinserted a plug but like a vacant Western Auto it was no dice. The engineering brains of Lyle and son Bryan Riggin assessed the situation. Cilento went to get a new control board. Bobbi Brooks, like a point guard who looks one way and passes another, said “Wait a minute” and just pushed a keypad button and everything was back and Bobbi was already gone to her iPhone scheduling a Sports at the Beach baseball bracket or working on the state wrestling tournament, who the heck knows. “This is just like basketball," she is also at the table there - "except there's no Kick'n Chicken at wrestling matches," Bobbi said. A word of caution: Never tell Bobbi Brooks what she can’t do; just ask Ricky, her husband.

Prattle and hum - My Grand Mom Rose hummed all the time, interspersed with philosophical prattling on about ordinary things as they related to universal laws. She was Larry David before he was cool. Back in the late 1980s and early '90s, I emceed several “Cape Capers” variety shows because no one else could kill all the dead time between acts. Then in 1999, when the senior class asked me to be their graduation speaker, I discovered there was a note on my personnel folder: “Never let this man near a microphone.” So here it is 2012 and people keep handing me microphones to speak to crowds who have no idea how many stories I throw overboard before launching into my act. I’m like a domesticated Third World dog; just don’t put your hand in my bowl while I’m speaking. Don’t heckle the hound!

Going Joey Bishop - Back in the way day, Joey Bishop of South Philly had a late-night talk show and spent a lot of time loving on his boys, talking about his buddies in the entertainment business and getting all teary-eyed. I could do that when speaking of most of the coaches I cover as a sportswriter. P.J. Kesmodel, Gary Montalto, Bill Collick, George Pepper, you don’t get better than those guys when it comes to success over time. Bill Geppert with swimming and Chris Mattioni with wrestling are friends, and I’m a fan. New to Cape over the last two years, Kate Windett, Matt Lindell and Stephen Re are just incredible young teachers and coaches; I’m just happy they talk to me. Poochie Hazzard took the girls' basketball team to the finals, and Carrie Evick puts up 10 wins a season in volleyball. And my Joey Bishop Pop Pop-in-Arms Dave Robinson as a one-year interim superintendent did so much for athletics from acquiring coaches to upgrading turf field two, it is just staggering.

Snippets - The Beacon girls' basketball team won at Dover Air Monday 37-1. I wasn’t there because God was looking out for me. Good gracious!

Athletes who can sling slang could also speak correctly if they had the desire. I’d like to teach a class, Talking Right,  all about translating sports slang into acceptable English. Yes, it does sound boring, and that’s the problem.

I’d like to tell all athletes not to answer any questions in post-game interviews from any person who doesn’t identify himself. When answering a question, an athlete or coach should actually use the name of the reporter. “Yes, Fredman, it did get scary near the end of the game, that’s why I had to pick up my peeps.”

My camera lens tracks like the periscope of a German U-boat, and like all writers I focus on the composition. I saw this Smyrna girl alone among the boys who all postponed their warm-up runs in the pole vault and I have every idea why.

John Keevon, the rock from Delmarva Christian who coached so many kids in the pole vault from Sussex Tech, Delmarva Christian and Cape, has retired. That clique of fearless fliers were all looking around and missing Coach Keevon. So was I; there are a limited number of coaches who actually talk to me.

The Eagles can wreck the Redskins' dream of a playoff game, which sounds like a fun Sunday afternoon in Philly. It could happen - no one in the NFC East is any good. Go on now, git!