The question, “Where you at?” is grammatically incorrect but succinct and digitally friendly. High school foes and forever friends Jamie Trabado and Lizzie Frederick were at the UBS Arena April 6 to experience the game where Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record. Jamie, a North Carolina grad and former Polytech Panther, works for the Islanders in internal sales. Lizzie and her fiancé Jamison had tickets, so of course the girls managed to meet up. Jamie played field hockey and lacrosse for Lynn Richardson at Poly, graduating in 2016. In Jamie’s junior year, the Panthers lost in the finals to Cape in both field hockey and lacrosse. The prime-time competitors developed a friendship that has endured a decade.   

Behind the back - Henry Keys of Fred Thomas lacrosse scored a behind-the-back goal in a win over Postlethwaite. I asked my son Jack, a Fred Thomas assistant, “Who is No. 5? That was a heck of a shot.” “That’s Henry Keys; Rachel Burris is his mom.” I promised to stop climbing family trees, but I knew there was a reason I saw Howard Burris at the game. On Friday night, Jack “Will” Frederick scored a behind-the-back goal for Milford in a win over Dover. I texted Mikey Fred, who plays for Mercer and was in Utah preparing to play the Utes.  Mikey said, “Good for Will. I never scored a behind-the-back goal in a game.” Then on Saturday, he scored a no-look, behind-the-backer, later texting me, “Did you see that?” I asked him if he had thought about wanting to join the party. He responded, “I really didn’t have time to think; I just kinda threw it.”  

Long-hair pickups - Prior to the Oy Vey 5K on the morning of April 6, a conversation evolved from ornamental horticulture as a major at Delaware Tech to landscapers bringing more expertise than the long-hair pickup truck operations. I have made a contract with myself as a person who interviews others never to ask, “Wait a minute, what?” because I heard “long hair” but what was actually said was “lawn care,” a business different from the landscaping business. I’m afraid down the  road I may be guilty of a ludicrous misquote. Back in the day, a local power lifter who had a landscaping business made Athlete of the Week. His nickname was “Shrub Snatcher.”

“Glory Days” - The song was playing at the finish line during the Oy Vey 5K Sunday morning. I told Jim Deakyne, who was there to support Ginger Shaud, “The ‘Glory Days’ baseball pitcher died last week at age 75 from cancer. I read it in The New York Times.” Joe DePugh had a chance encounter with Bruce Springsteen in the summer of 1973. He was 75 when he died from cancer. Some sports snobs and scribes think Bruce showed his lack of understanding of the sport with the lyric, “He could throw that speedball by you, make you look like a fool.” But I  like it; the lyrics are memorable. Maybe if he sang, “He could throw that screwball at you, make you look like a tool”? 

Seagulls sports - Salisbury University offers sports and academics the way they should be. Teams across the board are always good, the players are mostly local – at most a long drive away from home – and athletes graduate. The Salisbury men's lacrosse team is 13-0. On April 5, they beat Christopher Newport 12-9. CJ Fritchman had an unassisted goal late in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 9-9. Attendance was 1,297, which is good for a college lacrosse game. The baseball team is 21-5 after a 14-11 win over Christopher Newport April 5. In that game, TJ Morris (Sussex Central) hit a grand slam. Josh Reinhold (Cape) hit a home run for Christopher Newport. 

Snippets - Caesar Rodney girls’ lacrosse is 5-0 under head coach Gina Voss with big wins over Tatnall and Sussex Academy. “I’m really proud of our girls,” Gina said. The 2024 Riders were 13-4, losing to Tatnall 10-8 in the state semifinals. Gina was a goalie for Cape, graduating in 2012. The Vikings were undefeated state champions in 2011 and 2012 with Gina in goal. Cape softball, 5-0, has a big game at Indian River, 3-1, Tuesday, April 8, weather permitting. Phillies reliever Jordan Romano has taken the place of starting Taijuan Walker in the Phillies doghouse. Walker should get a start in Atlanta to see if he is back and ready for prime-time starts. Luigi “Geno” Auriemma won his 12th national championship as head coach of the UConn women's basketball team. His Wikipedia biography is worth reading. His life’s journey has been improbable. Maybe the same can be said for all of us? Go on now, git!