Moments are fleeting but the magic endures

Help me, Rona - We have reached the point in the pandemic where wearing a mask is a political statement and COVID-19 is part of a political conspiracy theory. I don’t know about all that, but I just know I don’t want to dumb myself out of the game. I look at all the sports seasons and tournaments that were canceled and conclude, “Fredman Fruity Pop Pop don’t get no redshirt.” The 65th Blue-Gold All-Star Football Game scheduled for June 19 to benefit Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens With Intellectual DisABILITIES and the hand-in-hand buddy program didn’t happen for the first time since the 1955 Chevy was new on the showroom floor. I came upon these children of god (Woodstock reference) two years ago on a hot Wednesday night in June when the Gold team was scrimmaging at Milford. The moments are fleeting, but the magic endures. 

Does your dog nip? - Darby Dog at 14 with dilated cardiomyopathy while falling in and out of AFib with allergic ears is well beyond his expiration date; nevertheless, he bounds and hounds around like a pandemic puppy. Early last week, he was startled to see Susan, his handler and traveling vet, rolling up the driveway on a bike she hasn't ridden since the Obama administration. Darby raced to greet her and gave her an exuberant nip on the thigh. We all know a nip in the wrong place hurts, mainly because it’s just so creepily weird. Pets and throw rugs – check your homeowner’s insurance because it’s just a matter of time before you are going down. 

Fruity rainbow - Speaking of sports, I used to be inside more loops than the night watchman at the Hula-Hoop factory. I was an embedded zero inside the Froot Loops box. But during the phases of the pandemic, things are happening I either don’t know about or care about. It’s just obnoxious to photograph people at play who didn’t invite you in the first place. I saw a young man punting a football on Cape’s Bermuda field 1 as his dad recorded hang time with a stopwatch. It was my kind of drive-by story. This guy was booming kicks like an NFL punter, but I hesitated to screw up their moment, plus I had Darby on board, who was panting like an obscene phone caller, so I just moved on.   

Snippets - Races2Run will host a Phase 1 5K Run/Walk at Hudson Fields Saturday, July 4. Registration opens at 6:30 a.m. The first wave starts at 7:30, with additional waves every five minutes. Go to the Races2Run website for all the details. It is strongly recommended that you not race if your age and BMI add up to more than 100, although taking photos from a blue chair falls into the “who cares anyway” category. I was just wondering if a player who made the Blue-Gold All-Star Game still gets a jersey he can wear to games for the next 50 years. A small plaque on the concourse inside Philadelphia’s historic Penn Palestra reads, “To win the game is great ... To play the game is greater ... But to love the game is the greatest of all.” It was mentioned in John Feinstein’s new book, “Back Roads to March,” which was given to me for Father’s Day by son Dave. I’m remembering Yo-Yo. Harry “Yo-Yo” Shifren, a Palestra fixture of the ’60s and ’70s. Retro stories refer to Yo-Yo as homeless, but in real time, he was affectionately known as a bum. The city took care of Yo-Yo. He sat behind the bench during Temple games. Coach Harry Litwack would give him a cigar after victories. The Big 5 went through a struggling period. Some athletic directors wanted Yo-Yo gone; they didn't think having a bum as the face of the Big 5 was a good look. I don’t remember any of those people, but I remember Yo-Yo. Where have all the sports characters gone? Cape had one in Reds, and Tony Hazzard currently qualifies for Cape basketball, with WC Clark as honorable mention across all the sports.