Bus driver Fred Harvey enjoys private lacrosse ring ceremony after hockey game

Ring ceremony - After the Senior Night field hockey game versus Caesar Rodney Oct. 25, the Cape lacrosse girls, who also play field hockey, presented bus driver Fred Harvey with his state championship ring from spring 2022, when Cape beat Tatnall in the finals for its 13th state title. Harvey has also driven the bus for 11 state championship field hockey teams. “Mr. Harvey is the best!” said coach Debbie Windett. “The kids love him, and every field hockey senior mentioned him as a favorite memory.” Tommy Isaacs, the Cape custodian with connections, said, “Fred's a huge part of the lacrosse and hockey programs. He loves all the kids and they love him back.” Ceremonies are great, but the less formal seems more lovingly personal. 

Broke-down bus - On May 26, 2015, the Cape baseball team played a late-afternoon game at Frawley Stadium, where they beat Salesianum 9-4. But the bus broke down, so Cape Transportation Director Lenny Richardson had to arrange a rescue bus. Lenny was in Dover at the state championship field hockey game. Cape was playing Polytech, coached by Lynn Richardson. I remember it like it was yesterday, but yesterday I don’t remember so well. Lenny said to me in 2015: “it was suggested I send Fred Harvey to Frawley to pick up the baseball team and have the rescue bus just come here to Dover. There is no way I’m pulling Fred Harvey away from this game. I’m a sports guy, and I understand traditions and superstitions, and that Fred Harvey is more important to this game than me.” I added, “And me ... I may take the team photo, but I ain’t gettin in the team photo. That is Fred Harvey time.”   

B game beatdown - Blood in the game makes it personal. The score of the field hockey B game Tuesday night in the Beacon over Mariner match swelled to 10-0. I looked at the face of my sixth-grade granddaughter Meredith, a first-year player, and she was bouncing around, happy to be on the field with her teammates. I looked to the  left at Mariner coaches Hannah and Rebecca Pepper, my friends, who were just happily coaching. I looked to my right at coaches Sam Purple and Lynn Richardson, who are also my friends, and coach Lynn was encouraging players on both teams. Field hockey players are always on the hunt for goals; there's just nothing else to do out there on the screaming green pitch. But dang, yo! I walked over to the scoring table and started talking to volunteers Ashley Diehl, Kathy Pepper and Jay Conn. “Something’s really wrong with the beatdown culture of this sport,” I said. “I see it at the varsity level. Delmar and Cape just be waxing people like a 100-horsepower Grand Rental high-speed floor burnisher.” The three parents gave me exclusive rights to the crazy grandpop lane. It was like a Snickers bar commercial. Beacon A and B teams this season outscored opponents a combined 137-0. Delmar has outscored opponents this season 137-3. Cape, less prolific offensively, owns an 83-3 season advantage. Cape will play Delmar at Lake Forest Saturday, Nov. 5. The showdown about to go down is always a great game. 

Wile E. Coyote - A Philly sports fan is like the coyote in the Roadrunner cartoon holding a long-stemmed lit bomb that reads Acme. A Tuesday night 7-0 win powered by five home runs was followed by a combined no-hitter in a 5-0 loss. All the energy in the home stadium sometimes counts for something followed by nothing on consecutive nights. The Eagles lost consecutive NFC Championship games at home with a trip to the Super Bowl as the prize. In 2002-03, the last game at The Vet, Tampa Bay beat the Eagles 27-10, then the following year, the first game at The Linc was a 14-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Those home crowds of crazy fans counted for absolutely nothing. Dan Cook and I were credentialed to cover both games. I told Dan: “Don’t make eye contact with any of the thousand-miles-from-nowhere stares. Let’s just get outta here.” Meep! Meep!

Snippets - The Thunder Wolves Football Club, a semi-pro team based in Dover, continues to look for young guys (18+) to fill out its roster. The team will play in the NEAF. “We have needs for guys who play any position and have a 55-man roster, and we expect solid competition for playing time. But like most every semi-pro team, we expect to search long and hard for linemen,” said coach Charlie Darling. Email thunderwolvesfootballclub@yahoo.com for signup information. I took photos at Cape’s Halloween hockey practice. I took a photo of two grandmoms (Lina Fred and Abby Marsh) and honestly didn’t recognize my own granddaughter as a grandmother. Cape will honor 10 seniors before the Friday night home game versus St. Georges. St. Georges is 2-6, but the Hawks can play; they gave Sussex Central all they wanted before losing 33-28. “Hey, batter batter. Swing, batter!” Go on now, git!