Einstein the Dirty Dog at Freeze the Day 5K

Dirty dogging - A collie named Einstein was one of several canines at Sandhill Fields in Georgetown Feb. 21 for the Freeze the Day 5K. Can you name me a sport besides ultimate Frisbee where your dog can compete alongside you? I guess hunting and ducking are sports, but they are breed specific. I don't know if Lassie ever chilled in a blind waiting for a mallard to drop from the sky. I congratulated Einstein's human companions Gosia Magathan and Carrie Magathan for allowing Einstein to go dirty dogging with no bandana on a soggy Sunday and reminded them I shared a birthday with Einstein on March 14. We also share the theory of relativity in that our German relatives don’t talk to us.

Sunrise photos - The rising and setting sun and waxing moon over coastal waters are popular captures for local photographers who need to look up and focus without tripping over the dog at their feet. I can’t hang with the skill set of these creatures of the night and twilight, but once in a while with a coffee mug in my left hand and an iPhone in my right I manage to squeeze off a shot that had not reversed and photobombed my own Jupiter head. It’s a flora and fauna why we live at the beach. I never heard an uncle say when I was growing up, “Did you see that sunrise over the Schuylkill River this morning?”

Ivy League cancels spring sports - The Ivy League Council of Presidents decided to cancel all spring sports. This was first published in the Wall Street Journal, which makes as much sense as all other conferences hacking their way through the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed a half-million Americans. We all know a couple people who were lost to COVID. The Ivies are Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Cornell, Princeton and Yale. Most college conferences and non-aligned independents are up and running with their spring schedules, but there is little pattern; everything is disjointed. I check on college sports a school at a time as needed, and when I see a schedule with five competition dates in a row listed as postponed, I know the culprit is a COVID contact, and it doesn’t take much to shut down an entire sport for two weeks. Most of the Ivy League schools have an acceptance rate of 5 percent or less and a graduation rate of 95 percent. That tells me it's nearly impossible to flunk out, or smart people ain’t trying to flunk out. Princeton has the best overall sports programs, yet all the Ivies are solid in squash. Richie Ashburn was a great squash player. He worked out at various Philadelphia Cricket Clubs around the city. That is a Fredman writing progression: from the Ivy League to the cricket club. 

Wrestling brackets are set - If you care, you can find the 14 weight-class brackets for the upcoming DIAA Individual Open Wrestling Tournament to be contested at Cape Henlopen High School. Trackwrestling.com is the place to go and figure it out. It’s intuitive and easy; just ask any child living in your house. On Saturday, Feb. 27, the first seven weight classes will be cut down to the top eight wrestlers. Cape has Arthur Bennett at 106, Rony Perez at 113, Josh Wright at 120, Grant Barczak at 126, Bryan Garcia at 132, Mikey Frederick at 138 and Luke Bender at 145. On Sunday, Feb. 28, the remaining seven weight classes will be contested. Cape wrestlers are C.J. Fricthman at 152, Carson Kammerer at 160, Mike Elphick at 170, Dalton Deevey at 182, Jackson Handlin at 195, Alex Taylor at 220 and Lucas Ruppert at 285. The top seeds in each bracket include Chris Gandolfo (Salesianum) at 106, Gabe Giampietro (Smyrna) at 113, Luke Poore (Caravel) at 120, Jack Thode (Milford) at 126, Trent Grant (Milford) at 132, Ethan Gray (Caravel) at 138, Luke Bender (Cape Henlopen) at 145, Alex Poore (Caravel) at 152, Joe Natarcola (Smyrna) at 160, Justin Griffith (Sanford) at 170, Josh Negron (Sussex Central) at 182, Danny Stradley (Caravel) at 195, Nasir Dreuitt (William Penn) at 220, and Kevin Hudson (Caesar Rodney) at 285. Cape coach Chris Mattioni commented on the open tournament: “There are 196 wrestlers on Saturday and 182 on Sunday. Each day should take about seven hours to roll through three championship rounds and four wrestlebacks. This year, the top eight are considered state placers.” 

Snippets - On Saturday, Feb. 27, the Winthrop University women’s lacrosse team with Sawyer Walker (Cape) will host Mercer with Chloe Schaeffer, Cailey Thornburg and Izzy Cryne of Cape. That’s four Division I-rostered Cape players at the same game, proof Cape graduates players to the next level. Former Cape pitcher David Erickson of Liberty University picked up the win over the Campbell Camels Feb. 19, as the Flames won 4-1. David struck out five over two innings of relief. Lefty Mason Fluharty (Cape) was tagged with the loss in a 3-2 defeat to Campbell Feb. 21. Two Cape guys, a righty and a lefty, throwing for a Division I team, are absolutely laudable. Go on now, git!