Officials are atop the totem of controlling sports venues

Get off my lawn - Milford graciously agreed to host the semifinal girls’ lacrosse game between Cape and Sussex Academy May 21. The smaller stadium is a great venue; in fact, Cape won two field hockey state titles there in 2012 and 2013. It is cozy, yet comfortable. The lacrosse officials association assessed the venue prior to the game and mandated that no media be allowed on the sidelines – there just wasn’t the required space surrounding the field – so photographers were told to shoot from outside the fence or from the stands. The in-place Milford people were apologetic; even DIAA on-site administrators were like, “The officials make the call,” and that is the hierarchy. I was cool with all of it, and got some good shots from the bleachers. I just thought it was a bit rude to ask Milford to host the game then move the school administrators and their hospitality aside when it came to the actual face-to-face interactions.   

Wap! Splat! - I photographed a state tournament soccer game at Dover 10 years ago. I was right up on the sidelines happily taking photos. And then Fredbaby was rattled, as the sideline ref carrying his offside flag and following the ball ran full speed into me and went straight down, almost level with the ground. I remained upright and turned to see a jockey-sized guy in a brightly colored shirt popping back up. He looked at me and said sorry and caught up to the ball, because his DNA programming dictated that was his mission. I have a hundred sideline stories. It can be a dangerous place to camp with a camera. 

Ratings and rankings - USA Lacrosse magazine’s latest rankings of the top 25 teams in the country had Salesianum (13-2) ranked No. 6. Malvern Prep of Pennsylvania is No. 3. Cape lacrosse is on the opposite side of the bracket from Sallies and can only play them in the finals. There was talk along the sideline fence prior to Cape’s opening-round 24-0 win over Sussex Tech about how anyone is beatable in one game. “Tell that to Sussex Tech,” I thought. A really good Cape team lost at home to Sallies 18-4 May 14. Tournament lacrosse from all levels of college down through youth leagues is 100% unpredictably wacky. And yet the expression, “You just never know,” is uttered because most times you do know. 

Tuition condition - “She never mentions the word tuition in a certain company – she talks to angels who call her out by her name” (Black Crows paraphrase). I have covered lots of college signings and letters-of-commitment ceremonies, and have never asked an athlete's family, “So how much are you paying?” I covered the DIAA state track meet a week ago. Lots of private schools competed, and the teams looked different because the world of private schools has become more colorized, which is a good thing. The Division I boys’ champion was Salesianum, Division II boys’ champion was Saint Mark’s, Division I girls’ champion was Padua, and Division II girls’ champion was Tatnall. These schools are not free, but what any individual pays is nobody’s business except for the trustees who run the business. I read that Malvern Prep costs $43K per year for its upper school. Salesianum is listed as $20K per year. Plus all private schools have academic requirements just to earn the privilege to pay. The landscape gets quickly complicated. 

Snippets - Drew Mulcahy, Cape’s three-sport athlete (soccer, basketball, baseball) from the Class of 2016, a lefty, just graduated from Widener Law School. Drew was the quintessential three-sport guy – very athletic – and, man, could he compete. A bunch of young athletes I know just had a successful tuna trip to Baltimore Canyon. And, yes, offshore fishing is definitely a sport. Once you’ve seen blue water, the world just never looks the same. The Masser 5-Miler is a running tradition unlike any other. This Sunday, the 31st edition will start at 7:30 a.m. at Cape’s Legends Stadium. An Atlanta Braves broadcaster from his perch of six games back lamented the fact that the Phillies have played a weak schedule, but like a lost cat, it all comes out in the wash. Go on now, git!