Parade story only mildly amusing

Last Saturday morning I was the guy taking pictures at a Little League parade even though my grandmother always told me, “Don’t be that guy!” But it was cool and fun and I’m all about community and nonstaged photos. I don’t like yelling, “Hey, look at me,” figuring a natural photo where only half the people look at you is more authentic - reminds me of my teaching days.

And so the floats are rolling out of Wally Townsend Park and I’m snapping and flashing saying hello to people when suddenly, if not abruptly, my left arm is ripped away from the camera because the undefeated Iron Birds from the summer of 2008 had an airplane theme going on. I just wasn’t expecting a winged Dodge pickup, but in the words of my friend, Doc Pepper, “Just because you don’t expect one doesn’t mean they don’t make them.”

I have an ugly-looking bruised and scraped forearm but it doesn’t hurt and I found in retelling the story that is was only mildly amusing.

SENIOR MOMENT - Jacki Warren cracked a home run in her final collegiate at bat on Senior Day Saturday, April 25, propelling Kennesaw State of Georgia to a 4-2 win over East Tennessee State in game two of a doubleheader at Bailey Park. The home run was her first of the year and was hit in front of her parents, Wayne and Marylou, who went down to the game. Talk about your walk off homer. According to Jen, her roving press agent and sister, Jacki will next attend graduate school.

PLEASE RELEASE ME - You can’t identify a person out in public in a local paper by citing some handicapping condition. Like, “Here’s Fredman drinking coffee at Wawa, a friendly, albeit passive-aggressive insubordinate personality type with oppositional defiant disorder who walks like an Egyptian carrying a bucket of and. Labels are loaded with the possibilities to misuse them. Schools tried to get rid of all labels 40 years ago and came up with the term “special,” but now special has been around too long and should be replaced by “not so special.”

There are organizations that help kids who need our help and they use labels for identification purposes, but you can’t identify a kid with a label without signed parent permission. Last Friday there was a walk and later a mile race at Blockhouse Pond organized by Tom Coveleski, and it was all about families and teachers helping kids. Then on Sunday was a half marathon with lots of families and kids with steeper challenges to face than anyone reading this column can comprehend. Personally, I have no need to label anyone as no two people are close to being the same and we are all pretty much unexplainable.

JUST US KIDS – Just gathered these local girls after they ran a 5K last Sunday with Tanya Karl, longtime Girl Scout leader and teacher at Delaware Tech who is married to Ralph, who played defensive end on Cape’s 1979 state championship football team.

But don’t get me started. Pictured left to right are: Lexi Gooch, Sydney Ostroski, Karl, Alyssa Houghtling, Cassie Stevens and Payton Medd.

SNIPPETS - Cape lacrosse sophomore Andrew Scrutchfield broke his shoulder in the first quarter of Cape’s game at St. Mark’s and is out for the season. “Scrutch” has his arm in a sling but won’t be needing surgery. I am bound by the Hippo oath from saying anything further.

I’m thinking short bus shuttle for Cape sports in the fall going back and forth between a satellite parking behind the artist formerly known as the Ninth Grade Campus and the high school.

How come people are tan already? Remember, young people tan, old people weather.