Degraded retrograded Fredpop - I am a walking throwback living in modern times. I wear New Balance sneakers, which the young crowd accepts as cool, short of fashionable. I am from the Converse Chuck Taylor-wearing basketball players of the ‘60s. There were no Hokas and no Crocs then, and my generation was 10 years ahead of maypops, which were knockoffs sold at Ames and Roses. I took James Fred for a dentist appointment Tuesday and noticed a 12-year-old girl wearing a dress and Chuck Taylor sneakers. I asked AI if that was fashionable. The answer: “The shoes are popular due to their timelessness, adaptable design, cultural impact, affordability and versatility.” Kids wearing Chucks are always cool; it is an immutable law of subcultures. This is from a 2018 Facebook post. “Paige Ludwicki is a soccer player at Cape. That is how I know her. Last week, I visited the actual classroom building looking for an Athlete of the Week, not an artist when I saw a piece of Paige’s artwork being taped to a wall by the office. I was impressed. Young people have a diverse array of talents and skills that should all be celebrated by us and them. Paige’s rendering of a kooky-kick-about young skateboarder kid was so cool. I've had it with lighthouses, sunsets, the canal and boats; there are other things to paint.

Lehigh Invitational - Ryan Baker (Cape) was the No. 1 runner for Lehigh University cross country, improving his best time by 21 seconds, running 18:19, a 4:54 mile pace, for the 6K to place fifth out of 96 runners. The order of finish was St. Joe’s, Bucknell, Villanova, Lehigh, Moravian and DeSales. Bucknell won the women's race followed by West Virginia, Lehigh, St. Joe’s, Moravian, DeSales and Muhlenberg. 

Champ to Chump Continuum - Speaking of sports over time, it’s best for a career to slide all the way right and retire a champ then to backslide left and tossed out like household trash through the window at the chump dump. Bill Belichick, in his first year as head football coach at North Carolina, bombed badly in the home opener against TCU, losing 48-14. Bill, wearing a hoodie with cutoff sleeves, looked hapless. But seriously, how else is he supposed to look? Lost in all the beat down Bill fervor is the fact that Bill is making $10 million per season over five seasons to be the head coach at North Carolina. Next chump up is Arch Manning – call him Archie and get it over with – who bombed badly in an opening loss at Oho State. Manning's NIL money is $6.8 million, which earns him “richest chump who ain’t done nothing yet” honors. But when he electric slides to the right fulfilling his destiny, the Hoodie and the Blowfish who negotiated his contract will be left behind.

Numbers game - I like numbers to stay in the game and not be retired. I think it's the best way to honor a person. The Fred family was given a No. 5 jersey after son Tom, a quarterback, passed away in October 2017. James Fred, soon to be 13 years old, is seen in a photo wearing jersey No. 5. Also pictured is Lizzie Fred’s Temple letter jacket No. 5. It's a cool connection. Cape players Marcus Hall, Johnny Howard, Kyle McCoy, JeVon Curry, Joe Coveleski and Wilson Ingerski all wore No. 5. In 2025, Amari Jackson wears No. 5, and he caught a long touchdown pass on opening night. It was nice to see No. 5 roll across the goal line. Perhaps the most storied number worn by Cape football players is No. 22. Sammy Leggins (1977) wore that number, and at his funeral, his son Vincent was given a Cape No. 22. Elijah Worthy wore the number, as did Justin Lopez, Jerome Johnson, Erik Stancofski, Curtis Purnell, Jordan Baines, Nick Campbell, Jackson Cunningham and Tyrone Handy. This season, starting running back Ozmeer Batson wears it. Nos. 5 and 22 stay in the game and continue to honor the past while making memories for the future. 

Snippets - Wilson Ingerski is a sophomore kicker/punter for Shippensburg University. Ship opens the season Saturday, Sept. 6, hosting Bowie State. Brenn Scott is a redshirt freshman playing linebacker for the West Chester Golden Rams. The Rams open the season Sept. 6 at Bentley University. Former Delmar players Laura Rodgers and Ella Shockey are on the field hockey roster at West Chester, which opens the season Friday, Sept. 5, at Assumption University. Ella is the granddaughter of the late Costen Shockley, a baseball player who made a brief appearance with the Phillies. Jordyn Hollamon (Delmar) was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Jordyn scored her first two career goals against Villanova. She tied for first on the team in points (five) this weekend, with two goals and her first career assist. Maryland plays Boston College and Duke this weekend in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge played at North Carolina. Go on now, git!