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Friends along the fence are quick to smile just for a little while

April 13, 2018

Family on the fence - “I can tell it, but I can’t sell it,” is my silent message to myself for sparing others from the memoirs of my life, which I can tell accurately and entertainingly, but really who has time for all that? I ran into some Cape throwers along the fence at a track meet in Milford, and I have never said “smile” in my life, but they know my photos have a cyber life of their own, so they self-compose and smile easily. Shown (l-r) are Janay Cox, Ronikia Brittingham, Mackenzie Parker and Jonasia Woods. I coached their uncles, aunts, cousins, parents and a grandfather or two. And I know all the relatives by nickname. It has something to do with me being a sports writer with a degree in anthropology.

Sara Smile - “Oh, won’t you smile awhile for me, Sara.” Sara Perrotta is a ninth-grade manager for the Cape track team. She went to Beacon, so she knows my family and has become my friend. I give her a hug when I see her, and we talk about stuff. That is why I keep "working" my beat. My life has been magical getting to make new friends like Sara. The high school social network has always been expansive, and student managers are always just the coolest of kids. By the way, Daryl Hall and John Oates who wrote “Sara Smile” are my age and we were at Temple together. Philly is a big neighborhood, and down here in Sussex, we are also tight.

Major League Baseball - How about the Phillies (6-5) coming back from a 1-4 start and now having a better record than Baltimore (5-8) and Washington (6-6)? The amazing Mets are 10-1 and are the best team in New York, as the Yankees are 6-6. Finding TV coverage for Phillies games has been tough, so I often settle for Nationals telecasts. The Nats are going to win the National League East, I believe. We all notice the lack of fans in the stands, and, evidently, Major League Baseball doesn’t need butts in seats to make money. Every night should be Bark in the Park; you can always count on the dog people. I never bring Darby Dog to road races because he’s an idiot. 

Three Ducks - Donald Taylor ran track for Cape, and his nickname is Duck. Lakendra Harpe is a Sussex Tech sprinter. Her dad Stanford Harpe went to Cape, and his nickname is Duck. I played basketball at Temple with Dick Davidson. He was 6-foot-5 with a long neck, hence he was nicknamed Duck. There was a social club in Milton called the Blue Goose; then it was painted brown, so the name was changed to Brown Duck. I once had Duck and Pluck on the same track team, so good luck with all that.

Snippets - It’s getting “cray cray” on the scholastic sports landscape. We are getting into the nucleus of the schedules where the pretenders and contenders get separation. It’s amazing how average teams beat up on bad teams; then really good teams beat up on them, and along comes a great team that simply beats up on everybody. An easy part of coaching is simply talking and extolling life lessons. Entering postgame data like results and who scored, which is correlated to a numbered roster next to names, is the responsibility of the athletic program and head coach. Lighten up on the “boys to men” and “sports reveal character” speeches, and do your job. Blake Mann of Mariner, Cape and Bridgewater College lacrosse was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division III National Team of the Week. Mann has led Bridgewater to a school-record eight victories, and he is the first in program history to receive that honor. Little Big Mann is 5-foot-7, 215 pounds, and scored five goals in Cape’s 9-7 upset of Sallies in the state championship game on Memorial Day 2014. Kat Judge scored five goals, picked up five ground balls, snagged six draw controls and forced three turnovers in Winthrop’s 16-9 win over the Campbell Camels. Campbell Camels, is that one hump or two? A dromedary or just ordinary? Virginia Tech women’s lacrosse had a huge 15-14 double-overtime upset win over Syracuse. Leigh Lingo (Worcester) used her fleetness and quickness to pick up five ground balls in the contest. Local athletes are out there doing good stuff all over the place. Go on now, git!

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