Saturday morning YBA basketball is community good stuff
Beyond the demographic - NBC has shown "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno the early exit door because even though he hosts the top-rated show among all the late-night programs, his demographic (age group) doesn’t appeal to advertisers, so Jimmy Fallon is taking his place. The message was not lost on Grandpa Fredman. I’ll tell you that I’m older than Leno; it’s a felony just to take a swing at me, show me the door and I’ll be through it faster than you can say “JV volleyball.” But seriously, if not disingenuously, I don’t want to be the guy who stayed too long unless it involves potato salad.
YBA - I was slum dog pensioner last Saturday morning, catching a little “Y ask Y” youth basketball at Beacon Academy. I was specifically there to support my 10-year-old grandson Mikey, but I brought my big rig camera to capture action for column material. The advantage to being the old guy with lots of history is you know most families in the gym. I looked over by the door at a boys' team next up to play and it was only mothers standing behind them. Trust me when I tell you it’s a cultural change: Moms In Gyms. I’m not sure what it means, whether it makes boys softer or stronger and most likely it makes no difference. It's not my call, and I’m way too smart to have an opinion on the topic.
Power to the people - You know what would be cool? No one watches the Super Bowl, and no high rollers with tickets show up to watch the game. The power always rests with the consumer. A 30-second commercial cost $4.5 million, and we consumers are enticed to watch these funny pitches of products, but I know lots of funny people who perform for free. The trick is to shut them down. But seriously, we are all being played in a major way; that’s what I’m feeling and I won’t say “Can you feel me?” because I know you don’t want to.
Cutting the fat - Many wrestling zealots are miffed that, as the popularity of this tough sport grows at the high school level, colleges and universities continue to cut programs. Last spring, Boston University with a fully funded program of 10 scholarships announced that in 2014 it was cutting the sport in spite of the highest team GPA on campus and a 100 percent graduation rate. Boston University cited “strategic vision” as the reason for the cut. It’s a wildly empty feeling when the thing you’re most passionate about is ripped away and some suit cites “strategic vision” as a reason.
Snippets - Big week for Cape boys' basketball. The Vikings play at Sussex Central at 6:15 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 28, then host Caesar Rodney Friday, Jan. 31. The Golden Knights of Central are losing games but playing people tough; it is a trap game for sure. Cape’s makeup game with Sanford is Saturday, Feb. 8.
The Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics Delaware is 1 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 2, on the Rehoboth Boardwalk. Check out sode.org for all the information on an activity-filled weekend. The 5K Run to the Plunge begins at 1 p.m , Saturday, Feb. 1, at Rehoboth Avenue and the Boardwalk.
Charles Barkley was an afternoon guest on CNN talking to Brooke Baldwin; she showed him a clip of his crazy hesitation golf swing and asked him what he thought when he looked at it. Barkley said, “I think, man, I was really fat.” Barkley is now a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. An ESPN "30 for 30" program showed a clip of Roberto Duran after he won the welterweight championship over Sugar Ray Leonard. Duran went into New York, ate and drank for three days and put on 10 pounds. “Balloon up” is a term reserved for men; you can’t be talking about no woman ballooning up. Go on now, git!
