The Naval Academy has 40 cheerleaders; who knew?
Season of the goat - Running back Marion Barber of the Bears went double goat in the final minutes of the overtime loss to the Broncos, all ironically necessary in this season of store-bought mangers if the Chosen One, Tim Tebow, is to keep the halo around his flattop. Barber forgot not to run out of bounds late in the game, giving the Broncos' kicker Matt Prater a chance at a game-tying 59-yard field goal; then he fumbled away field position, the game and the season in the overtime, setting up a 51-yard game-winning field goal by Prater. I have picked against Denver every week in my football pool and have come to realize that Tebow was sent by God to test the millions of sports nonbelievers like me.
Goofy Eli - My brother and I always refer to him as “that goofy Eli Manning.” He just doesn't seem to fit the part of the gritty fourth-quarter comeback quarterback. Last Sunday late night I fought to stay awake and so did the Dallas Cowboys, giving up two long touchdown drives to Manning and the Giants in the final six minutes to lose 37-34. The Cowboys have now snatched defeat from the jaws of victory two weeks in a row, but at least it's fun watching Jerry Jones and his wife suffer crushing disappointment.
Navy cheerleaders - The United States Naval Academy has 40 cheerleaders, all hues of color and ethnicity, mostly women but about 10 men built like gymnasts who anchor the bottoms of pyramids, I guess. The scene at Annapolis always surprises me, like how they elevate tailgating to a sophisticated level of white linen or Rubbermaid tables and country music blaring from iPod dock stations. But I think of the cadets as straight ahead, focused math and engineering types with fat SAT scores who need congressional appointments to get in the place. I don't think of cheerleaders and tumblers. I'm not saying they're not athletic high-performance people, but if someone told me, “Jane is majoring in sonar, radar, global positioning nuclear submarine non-detection technology, is a member of the sophomore SEAL team and captain of the football cheerleaders," I'd be like, ”Really? Shut up! Really?”
Warren's three - Steve Brown of Pilottown Road sent me this priceless 1990 photo taken by LeAnn Reinere of all three War ren Beidmans cleaning up the family boat, cleverly named "Warrens Three" at Pillottown Marina. That is “Coach B” on the left, his son Warren III in the middle and Warren "Pop" Beideman on the right. Please continue to send cards to Coach Warren Beideman in care of his son at 109 Woodbridge Court, Sellerville, PA 18060. Coach B just turned 80 and is battling ALS; he is the most spirited person any of us have ever met and yet it is we who can brighten up his day, just like always.
Go to next game - Sanford boys' basketball is 55-3 over the last two seasons with two straight Delaware state championships. Put them on the schedule, travel 90 miles north for a Saturday afternoon game into the alien culture of a private school and a small gym and you are even money to get run out of the house. Sanford only scored 64 against visiting Cape, but the Vikings could only manage 31 points - I'll wait while you subtract - a 33-point loss. Cape, 0-2, is at 0-2 Sussex Tech Tuesday, Dec. 13, an early season must-win game for both squads.
Snippets - McDaniel freshman point guard Andrew Merlo got his second start Dec. 10 at Washington College and scored 10 for the second straight game, but the Green Terror lost 81-63. Hilary Merlo ran a 1:53 in the Rehoboth Half Marathon, wrapped herself in an aluminum foil cape, then headed to Chestertown, Md., with her parents Joanne and Mark to watch Andrew play. Eric Bofinger won the Rehoboth Marathon while his former teammate Patrick Hager was second and Brian Hager was seventh. All three guys ran at Messiah College. The first woman, Carol Jefferson, ran at Liberty College. Definitely a good day for the Christians. Great beards by the Brothers Hagar. My joke: “Rep like Jesus, run like Judas.” Not sure what Christians find funny as I grew up Catholic. Philly Latin: “I can beat you at dominoes." "No, you can't.” Go on now, git!
