Dumbing down - sports broadcasts are a race to remedial
Grammar is gone - Don’t talk to me about state test scores in English and writing, because out in the real world of witless tweets and garbled grammar, it just doesn’t seem to matter. In fact we are sinking to lower standards, and a lot of it is explained away by short attention spans but I think stupid is the new smart. Prime time on-air jobs are given to many former players with checkered pasts whose main asset is they are loud and obnoxious. I saw a halftime interview with Brent Musberger and Eminem, who is writing a rap for Saturday night college football, and I rest my case. Then on Sunday, Terry Bradshaw was interviewing some band I never heard of that is doing the Super Bowl halftime show. That was also low class and embarrassing. Am I grouchy guy? Perhaps. But the rest of the sports nation is getting pump faked and jumping the out route.
Mass media - I went Nikon medium lens and trekked over to Laurel last Thursday night to catch the DFRC opening of the high school football season between host Laurel and visiting St. Georges Tech. DFRC is the organization that sponsors the Hand in Hand Blue-Gold All-Star Game, but you can’t say the “R” word; but you also can’t throw call letters overboard so it became the Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens…with disabilities. “The game is to raise awareness not funds," said Tony Glenn. I was there because coach J.D. Maull called me and asked me to come. I don’t know who called the rest of the media, but it was way overkill as the Hawks jumped out to a 27-7 first-quarter lead that saw a kickoff return by both teams and ended up 56-22. I heard Coach Maull, with his team leading 41-14 at halftime, walking and talking to his players on the way to the locker room. “That was sloppy, just too sloppy; we can’t play like that and beat good teams.”
Quincy Duckworth - I received a text from Anthony Joseph who was streaming the Cape at Milford game Friday night on Catch it Live.com and broadcasting on 107.7 Hot Country. “Who is No. 15?” The number was not in the program, so I asked some sideline sentries and got "Quincy Duckworth, backup snapper” from someone. I texted Anthony: "Backup snapper he’ll be in game 10 minutes after I get in.” Then I start seeing Quincy on special teams making tackles and coming up on defense and making more tackles. After the postgame midfield Fellowship of Christian Athletes optional prayer of perspective and thanks, teams broke for their end zones. Milford coach Mike Tkach chased down Duckworth, shook his hand and told No. 15 what a great game he played. It was just Duckworth and no one else. I just happened to see it. I emailed Coach Tkach and told him of all the players on the field who deserved and needed that moment, it was Quincy Duckworth. I got a response back from Tkach, “I don't know why but I felt drawn to him and I noticed how he played hard and came downhill. I just wanted to tell him that. I guess the man upstairs works in mysterious ways.”
Snippets - The Cape volleyball team opened the season Friday night by beating Delmarva Christian in straight games 26-24, 25-18, 25-9. That’s the first win over the Royals since 2012. Cape will host Seaford Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 5 p.m.
Caroline Judge had a winning goal for the Northeastern Huskies as they won at Providence 2-1 Sept. 8 in college field hockey action.
Kadijah Doughty is playing volleyball for the Hawks of Delaware Tech in Dover and if their website wasn’t so lame I’d have more information.
Ronnie “Mongo” Allen was inducted into the Milford football Hall of Fame at halftime of the Cape game. Ronnie was also a power forward on the 1971 Milford state championship football team, a 25-year veteran of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol and has coached just about everything everywhere over the last 33 years.
Severna Park field hockey (beat Cape last year 1-0) is 2-0 to start season with a pair of shutouts. The Falcons graduated 13 seniors. Delmar has wins over Washington and Pocomoke by a combined 13-0. Polytech has a pair of wins over the same teams with a combined 10-0 goals scored. There should be two conferences for field hockey in Delaware: one for the teams that can actually play the sport and another for the ones who can’t. Go on now, git!
