Come get these sports memories

We Are the Champions! I lifted the following paragraph from Jay Futcher’s obituary, which appears in total in the Cape Gazette. “A proud graduate of Rehoboth High School’s Class of 1960, Jay was a standout athlete in football, baseball and basketball. He capped off his senior year with a bang, helping lead the basketball team to a state championship, a memory he carried with pride throughout his life.” That was 65 years ago, a different time in a galaxy far away. Technically, the official DSSAA boys’ tournament later changed to DIAA began in 1967, but down here, the Seaside Seahawks did not need certification before consolidation by an anagram of athletics administrators. The Rehoboth Seahawks boys’ basketball team, coached by Ed Hurley, was undefeated 16-0 in 1960, rolling every team in their path except the Lewes Pirates, which they beat 39-38. They were crowned Henlopen Conference champions. The best local history is to talk and walk around the stories told by the players who lived it and passed it on to their families who have lived with it. It’s all part of the local fabric. 

Simply the Best - There were no GOATs except on farms back in the day, but Lewes locals – the guys who lived it who cared about such things – told me that Johnny Morris was the best three-sport athlete to ever come out of Lewes High School. Lewes had two lefties make it to the major leagues, Johnny and Chris Short, and 12 miles west, there was lefty first baseman Costen Shockley out of Georgetown. Johnny’s grandson Brock Hilligoss (Tina and Mike) was a lefty who pitched for Milford and Salisbury University. Johnny Morris' obituary is also in the Cape Gazette. Morris was a proud professional Major League Baseball player, having played for five teams during his career. “Morris played for the Seattle Pilots who became the Milwaukee Brewers. Morris pitched in the major leagues for the Phillies, Orioles, Seattle Pilots, Brewers and Giants between 1966 and 1974.” Chris Short was with the Phillies 1959-72 and also had a stint with the Brewers 1973. I was blessed to meet all three men since moving from Philly to Lewes in 1975. I would describe their personalities as gracious, and they were always appreciative that some people remembered who they were and what they did. In 2007, I met Johnny Morris at Fisherman’s Wharf on a Friday night. He was in town visiting his mates from Lewes High, who included Jack Beckett and Leonard Maull. Remember the 6-foot-9 Maull had money dropped over Anglers – now Irish Eyes – after his death. Johnny and I walked down the docks away from the wobbly table on the deck as I learned locals spin yarns and that a major league lefty would have to get in line and wait his turn.  

Dot Matrix - The dots represent connected characters in the sports world. If you ever played, coached or supported a family person or had allegiance to a team, you are connected to someone and therefore everyone. The Blue Jays clinched. I got a text from my Canadian nephew Brett who wrote, “It sucks that my brother Eric (passed away last year) is not here to see this.” Photos of Cape kid Mason Fluharty began to appear on local feeds. Locals lay claim if you hit the big time and also give support if your whack self ends up in local news for the wrong reasons. Mark Shapiro is president of the Blue Jays. His father Ron Shapiro is a super sports agent (Cal Ripken) and baseball negotiator who has a house in Bethany Beach. Ron represented Tim Stauffer, a fourth overall pick in 2003, a pitcher out of Richmond. Stauffer is Lewes lawyer Bill Schab's nephew. Football coach now sports analyst Eric Mangini aka “Mangenius” is Ron Shapiro’s son-in-law. I can keep going (Bill Belichick), but at the risk of being annoying, I will stop. 

Jersey Tim’s - Tim Gray was an unblockable nose guard on the 1979 Cape state championship football team under Jim Alderman. He was a two-time all-state player who graduated in 1981. He’s a Sam Russell Award winner and member of Delaware Afro American Sports Hall of Fame. Tim was also a major who served in Iraq. The No. 40 belongs to his legacy. A checkers table he made in Cape shop class 45 years ago sits next to my side of the bed, and I’ve never woken up and started to play checkers. The Cape football guys helped honor Tim with the gift of his No. 40 jersey.  

Snippets - Chris Short was ahead of Morris at Lewes, so they were not on the same roster. The late Bill Lofland never tired of telling the story of putting a sponge in his catcher's mitt to absorb the sting of a Chris Short fastball. In celebratory locker rooms, players dump beer on each other's heads, but fortunately they’re not passing around pints of peach schnapps like in duck blinds around Sussex County. Go on now, git!