Coaches carry themselves with confidence and class 

LaForce Be With You -  Allie LaForce is a sideline reporter for TNT Sports working the NCAA basketball tournament. She is often described as a journalist, model and beauty queen, but she is a top-of-the-line professional and always ends those little vignette interviews with “Thanks a lot, coach.” On Saturday while taking lacrosse photos of the JV girls’ lacrosse game versus Broadneck, a young woman came walking by who just had the coach look. I respectfully waved her past my lens with a greeting, “How is it going, coach?” I snapped a walk-on-by photo of Caitlin Gogoll, who replaced Katy Kelley as the Broadneck coach. Kelley stepped off after 25 years at the helm. Gogoll is a former star midfielder at James Madison, where her daughter now plays the midfield. Paul Joyce, longtime wrestling coach at Severna Park and now a lacrosse official, told me, “The new coach will have them ready. She is really good.” Coach Joyce was right, as Broadneck is a very patient and disciplined team. They don’t do dumb stuff and don’t turn the ball over, although I was hoping they would do both.   

Electric Slide to offsides - I don’t know where I was when 80% of the ambulatory population of America learned the Electric Slide. And I don’t know why I don’t spring from my chair when I hear “Wooly Bully” (1965) and start doing the Pony. And why I’m not paying attention when an entire section of lacrosse fans screams “Offsides, ref! How can you not see that?” And the thing about the hypervigilant, call it both ways, slightly paranoid and beleaguered sports fan is they are right most of the time. But where is the fun in being verifiably right 100% of the time? 

Wildcat roster - I don’t live in Arizona. I've never been there. And I have no desire to relocate anywhere if it involves leaving my kitchen through the garage door. I was motivated to check out the Arizona men’s basketball roster because some of their white players looked like villains in a James Bond movie. Plus, I understand there are lots of tall Africans looking to get discovered, then head to America for a one-and-done education that leads to a chance at the NBA. Here are countries listed for the Arizona rostered players: Netherlands, Australia, Germany, England, Lithuania, Senegal, South Sudan and France. Eight players are from the United States. There are a total of 12 coaches on head coach Tommy Lloyd’s staff. Lloyd makes $5 million a year in coaching salary. Not bad for a guy who after high school attended Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla, Wash., for two years. You know Wawa Wawa Community College would take off around here and hurt Del Tech. 

Signing days and senior nights - “Wasted days and wasted nights” - Freddy Fender (1975). About 7% of high school athletes go on to play a varsity sport in college. The odds of playing Division I are less than 2%. Perhaps the rainbows being chased are actually waterfalls. No one my age has attended and documented more signing days and senior nights related to sports, and I don’t know the accuracy of the AI-produced percentages, but I am hopeful the percentages are higher. My grandson Mikey will finish his college lacrosse career in May, and he’s only 22 years old. And that’s the way it goes for most of the 7% fortunate enough to play four years of a college sport. It’s over in a flash.     

Snippets - I was watching the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday afternoon for three reasons – the Phillies were blanked out, my Canadian nephew is a Blue Jays fan and Mason Fluharty may get a chance to pitch for the Jays. Mason has a blocky build. He looks made of mortar. He took a shot to the right thigh on a screamer hit back through the box. The next hitter hit a scorching grounder that bounced off Mason's right knee. It was later diagnosed as a contusion or bruised bone. The good news he is good to go and won’t miss any time. Salisbury women's lacrosse improved to 11-0 with a 14-10 comeback win over York College. Miranda Mears, a Cape Gazette Athlete of the Week March 27, led all scorers with five goals. Cape track will recognize its seniors Tuesday, March 31, when the Vikings host a tri-meet. Pack a sandwich. Daisy Hughes started as a defender for Atlantic Lacrosse. She was precocious and ferocious. Now she is a freshman defender on Cape’s undefeated JV team. She outgrew the growl, but she’s still a ferocious defender.    Go on now, git!