Children circle us like a galaxy of stars

Heroes and friends - Our heroes form a galaxy of stars, and our stars are children. July 31 was Allie Yeager’s 23rd birthday. I remember back when she was in high school at Cape, an all-state field hockey and lacrosse player. There were so many big moments. I was waiting for her after a hockey game her senior year and presented Allie with a Hat Trick Cape Gazette Cap, which I signed and dated, just because I felt like doing it. Mark Ostroski, always the detective, walked over and said, “I saw what you just did. That was really nice. Allie will always remember that." And now, it’s me who also remembers. I think when kids are star players and get all kinds of recognition and positive feedback, it's easy to forget they are as close to 11 as they are to 23. It’s always OK to say “Good game,” because kids just remember those moments. Happy 23rd birthday to Allie. Thanks for sharing great memories. Allie now works in marketing and sales for the Miami Dolphins. I have a Dolphins shirt I bought in Miami. I have been mistaken for Larry Csonka, but spell check changed it to Lazy Csonka. 

Nick Buoniconti - This All-Pro linebacker and lawyer was on the 1972 Miami Dolphins team that went undefeated and won the Super Bowl. He was a member of the famed “No Name” defense. He died July 31 at the age of 78. The Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champs in 1973. Buoniconti is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He founded the Cure Paralysis Fund after his son Marc was paralyzed in 1985 while playing football for The Citadel. Nick was diagnosed with dementia the last three years of his life and is part of the CTE project showing the relationship of football to brain trauma. 

Edgewise - Jeff Savage, retired from too many jobs to list them all, former Cape, CR and DSU softball coach, took the midnight Dodge Ram up from Georgia last week and organized a coaches reunion at someone else’s house. Wednesday morning, “Friends of Dave Robinson” dropped in like Gilligan’s Island for a quick three-hour tour. I was honored to make the cut, which also included Bill Collick, Herky Billings, Brian Donahue and Bob Cilento. There was no edgewise for getting a word in, you just had to cannonball into the middle of a theme to make it change direction, “Enough about the Delaware State experience, let’s talk about something else.” One topic batted around like a pickleball was reconciling increased Cape student enrollment with the cost of real estate in the school district. That brought out Coach D, who’s now Coach L & F (Long & Foster), who could give a complete multi-listing of every property in the Cape district not under contract.  

Keep your shirt on - I’m on a mission to acquire an NFL polo/golf shirt, whatever they’re called, for every team in the NFL, but one shirt at a time. I wear the shirt, then more people pay attention to me, sort of like a man with a dog on the streets of Dewey. People see a shirt and make assumptions like you are a fan, or in my case, given gray hair and stiff gait, it’s possible I’m a former lineman who played in a leather helmet with no face mask. And you know what is weird? Back when there was less of a shell protecting your melon, there were fewer concussions; your bell didn’t get rung. Hits were more like a dull thud, like a pineapple falling from a tree. I’m waiting for my Cardinals shirt so I can alternate impersonations between Conrad Dobler and Dan Dierdorf. Note: Dobler is a physical wreck, having had nine knee operations. His wife became a paraplegic in 2001 after falling out of a hammock. The family was destitute, then golfer Phil Mickleson stepped up and paid for the college education of Dobler’s two children.  

Snippets - Aisha Hollomon, daughter of the late Poochie Hollomon, God rest her soul, played softball at Cape then at Delaware State for coach Savage. Back in 2008, Aisha had the winning hit in the Hornets’ MEAC championship win over Norfolk State, then she smacked a home run in an NCAA tournament loss to Texas. I asked Jeff if he could remember another Cape Henlopen player to hit a homer in the NCAA tournament game and he could not, but neither of us is a stat cat, so maybe it happened. I know Alia Marshall and Annie Judge are heading off to college hockey practice this week – Alia to Northwestern and Annie back for her second year at Temple. “The first four days are team building. We don’t even pick up a stick,” Alia said after last week’s Cape alumni lacrosse game, where she racked her stick for the final time. Yes, I know there are other hockey players, but I’m not some compulsive list keeper. I’ll get to them all during the season. I’m guessing the sport of field hockey has the most next-level players during the fall season. Practices for fall sports begin Monday, Aug. 12. Let’s get physicals, prima donnas! Go on now, git!