Kissed by a cop at the Father’s Day 5K

Kissed by a cop - Kim Geyer is a fast friend from the running scene. She has been a Millersville, Pa., law enforcement officer for 29 years and will retire next year after putting in her 30. Near the finish line at the Father’s Day 5K Sunday, Kim jumped to celebrate and I caught her photo. I call it the “Jumpy Gathers” (Redskins’ lineman). Those runners about to jump in celebration first gather themselves before going airborne. Kim always comes back to the blue chair, gives me a kiss on the cheek and says, “Thanks for being here, Fredman.”  And thanks for running down the bad guys, Kim. 

Talking trash - Three trash trucks and a walk-behind Billy Goat vacuum were emptying dumpsters and sucking up Boardwalk refuse early Sunday morning off Wilmington Avenue in downtown Rehoboth as The Sun Also Rises. Papa Hemingway, the writer, never ingested such a glorious scene prior to the running of a Father’s Day 5K. The race, in its 31st year, attracted 237 runners, and as I looked through their ages, I discovered a disconcerting fact. I was older than every single runner in that race, sitting in my blue chair just 50 feet from where I was a Rehoboth Beach Patrol rookie lifeguard in the summer of 1976. And this was a summer solstice Sunday, the longest day of the year, so stop the world, I want to get off. Actually, throw it in reverse so we can all catch up on lost time.  

Post Toasties - There’s an old expression: “the greatest thing since Post Toasties.” I’m thinking of the rule where head coaching positions held by non-teachers must have their jobs posted once a year, but there is no rule that requires the school to grant an interview to any applicant, including a certified teacher and highly qualified coach with a deep resume. I call it Post and Toast, which makes no sense to me. I know how I would feel if I wasn’t even granted an interview for a posted coaching position. I’d feel grateful, like, “Ain’t nobody want your dumb old job in the first place.” 

Happy campers - Multiple-sport athletes can fill up their summers with camps, travel tournaments, open gyms and fields. Each sport has its own culture outside the lines, but I believe that DNA is the No. 1 determiner of athletic success followed by those who have a bit of the dog in them. Skills and drills certainly help, and if all three come together, you have a serious ball player.     

Strange selections - A next-level Delaware athlete who is also a decent student starts with four great choices of Delaware Tech, Delaware State, Wilmington University and the University of Delaware. And then there are the family visitations – to me, sort of like visiting shopping malls. And listen, you got $70K for a year of education? There is a good chance you're getting accepted. I must admit every year I hear where some kid is going and have to look it up because I never heard of the place. I always ask the question, “Without the sports connection, is there any chance in the world you would go to that school?” If the answer is no, then don’t go there. 

Mobile Muppets - Baseball coach guys Ben Evick and Mike Fleming are in Omaha, Neb., to follow the University of Virginia and Zack and Jake Gelof at the NCAA College World Series. The Hoos beat favored Tennessee in the opening of pool play Sunday and will deal with the Bulldogs of Mississippi State in a Tuesday night winner’s bracket game at 7 p.m. Zack went 3-for-4 versus Tennessee and Jake laid down a perfect bunt that led to the first run of the game. Virginia is a contender in the World Series. Note: NCAA Division I baseball programs are allowed to offer a maximum of 11.7 athletic scholarships, which can be divided up among a maximum of 27 players. A D1 player on scholarship must receive a minimum scholarship of 25 percent of the total cost of attendance. Virginia and Mississippi State each have 38 players listed on the roster. 

Snippets - “Travelocity” would be a good title for a weekly sports column with just one designated writer tracking all the travel athletes across the pantheon of sports. And if it were such a great idea, I wouldn’t be sharing – instead, I’d be doing it. Are fat cats hungry? Does big money spoil professional athletes? What do they have to lose except the game? The Sixers went belly-up like a carp on a wet dock, losing three at home only adding to the angst of the Philly sports fan. I’m out like a water spout. Go on now, git!