Digging my destiny of putting trophies on the bus
Embrace what you got and cherish where you at - I know it’s grammatically incorrect, but it’s how I want to say it. I have an active voice because I’m the sports columnist for the last 33 years, so I get to squawk. I had a rare moment for Grandpa Fredman Saturday on the field at Rullo Stadium, standing between my granddaughters Lizzie and Katie and holding the 2015 state championship field hockey trophy won by Cape Henlopen. Anna left Cape having been on six state title teams - four lax and two hockey - and now Lizzie has seven to date - four hockey and three lax. Katie has two hockey titles and one lacrosse title so far, and Coach Fredman won five state titles as a track coach. That gives our Fred family 21 state titles at Cape to share and savor. We left a few out there as well. I don’t like staring down 70 on my next birthday this March, but I didn’t much like 40 either. But I am digging my destiny.
The Gracious Generation - I grew up inside diversity, mixed neighborhoods and sports teams. I know so many Afro Americans of my generation through sports, schools and neighborhoods who suffered “supposed to be like this” racism and yet somehow remained centered and balanced and gracious people who loved country and family and friends and had a real sense of the greater community. Read about Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton (1922-1990), Xavier University of Louisiana, U.S. Army during World War II and fought in Europe, played for the Harlem Globetrotters then the New York Knicks, and also the Chicago American Giants in the Negro baseball league. His post-playing days were marked by charity work. The Knicks give a monthly spirit award to a community person named the Sweetwater Clifton Award. An amazing life, a difference maker, had reason to be bitter but kept a spiritual soul with a gracious nature. Thank God for Sweetwater Clifton.
Names and numbers - We at the Gazette enthusiastically cover middle school sports because it’s fun. And so a heads-up to coaches of all sports. A roster includes numbers, otherwise it’s a class list and I’m not taking attendance in homeroom. Also you can enter your results and high scorers, it takes like five minutes at websites4sports.com. And we’re always open for Athlete of the Week suggestions, that goes for all schools and kids. If you have a good story I am interested.
Saving Seaford - The Seaford football team finished the 2015 season 0-10. The Blue Jays lost the final game of the season 70-0 to Laurel, which seems so wrong. Field hockey was 0-13-2, soccer 5-9-1, volleyball was 0-15. I know Seaford has good people (coaches) in place who are trying to turn this around. In 1992, I was on a Cape athletic task force formed to find out why most of our sports teams were doing so poorly. I think I need to travel to Seaford and get people on the record to find out what’s really going on. It’s one of two things: they just don’t have athletes anymore or most of them are being poached like soft-boiled eggs in Alice’s Restaurant.
Swim practice underway - The Cape girls have won 39 straight dual meets. Thirty girls are listed on the 2015-16 swim team roster with the first meet scheduled at St. Andrew's Tuesday, Dec. 8, followed by a home meet versus Sussex Tech Thursday, Dec 10. Most of the team's studs are back from last year. Coach Bill Geppert along with assistants Pete Olson and Rick Brokaw return for another season.
Ranting Ray - Ray Didinger was a cub reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News when I played in the Philly Catholic League. He interviewed me back then. We are the same age. I met him at a banquet a few years ago and he acted like he didn’t know me - I guess because he didn’t - but he did offer to sign his book for me. That’s all cool because now he is Comcast Sportsnet guy who still never played and I’m Fredman, the guy with a cool nickname. Last Sunday, he went on a rant about Chip Kelly - it would be like me going off on a field hockey coach. I think sports and political pundits are the same; none of them ever had to show up on game day.
Snippets - I like riding the bandwagon after others have jumped or fallen off. I’m ready for the Eagles to make a move. Ready for Eagles at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. I was in Detroit for an Eagles game in 1967 after the riots. I walked around thinking, “Even scorched, it’s better than North Philly." The Eagles won the game 12-0 on four Sam Baker field goals. I got history, I’m not bailing on my team or ranting about them, I have a sense of the city with a hundred connections to the Eagles football game.
The Golden State Warriors are 16-0 and the Sixers are 0-15. The Warriors used to be in Philly and the Sixers came to Philly from Syracuse. Wilt Chamberlain came back and the Sixers won a world championship in 1966-67 with Hal Greer at point guard. Greer later spoke at the Slam Dunk banquet in Dewey. Greer, who played at Marshall, is 79 and still alive. In his hometown of Huntington W.Va., there is a section of Route 10 known as Hal Greer Boulevard. “High Gear” Greer is one of the greatest nicknames in sports history along with Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton. Go on now, git!
