Football all-star games are struggling for players and fans

Father’s Day 5K - The 32nd annual Father’s Day 5K was run in Rehoboth Sunday morning with 252 finishers. Dylan Smiley blew the field away like a porpoise in a no-wake zone with a blistering time of 15:49. Alyssa Brinsky, 20, of Middletown was the first woman in 19:31. Bennett Brumbley, 14, ran 19:23, then went back out onto the course to escort his father Kevin, 43, to the finish line  in 40:19, then went back out again to escort Magic Jack Noel, 83, who finished in 53:50. Bennett later followed me to my car to see if I needed help carrying my blue chair. 

Don’t blame fans - Years ago, I decided to never give an excuse for where I wasn’t at a particular time, only offering, “I must have been someplace else.” And if I wasn’t where someone else thought I should have been, it doesn’t mean I didn’t want to be there. None of it runs that deep for the sports fan or sports writer. The Blue-Gold All-Star Football Game June 17 wasn’t sparsely attended; that would be inflating the word sparse. “The Tub” looked empty. No attendance figures were forthcoming; the rosters were not deep, as plenty of chosen players opted out of the game. The Pennsylvania Big 33 game was played May 30 and many of the first chosen opted out of the game, many saying, “My college coach advised me against playing.” Cape’s Lucas Ruppert playing for the Gold Squad was voted Outstanding Lineman for the game. Lucas, a 285-pound wrestling state champion, is heading to Hobart College in upstate New York to play football for the Statesmen. Hobart has been a powerhouse in men’s lacrosse, having won 15 NCAA titles in D2 and D3. Jerry Schmidt coached Hobart for 10 years from 1968 to 1978 and won three NCAA national titles. Jerry later retired to Ocean Pines, Md., and became the head lacrosse coach of the Worcester Prep Fighting Mallards, retiring in 1994. Jerry, a Hopkins All-American, is the only lacrosse player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Jerry died in 2004 at the age of 64 from complications related to diabetes. 

Imagination and innovation - Kevin Smith, Cape’s athletic director, was a four-year starter at quarterback for Towson University. The Cape school board approved Kevin as an assistant football coach who will work on the staff of newly hired Mike Frederick. Kevin will be the passing game coordinator, among other duties. Look for Cape to run a more spread offense this upcoming season, which in my day was called shotgun, and later under Bobby Bowden at Florida State with Charlie Ward at quarterback was called fast break.

Legends of the fall - Joe Biden toppled off his bike while stationary in front of cameras and videographers, and many detractors became satirists and comedians. All that reveals to me is when I fall in front of witnesses, those same people will have jokes. Falling is like being dropped from a helicopter; the force field would shatter the shell of a box turtle. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among people 65 and older. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (unless you don’t believe them), 680,000 Americans die from falls each year. A receptionist from an orthopaedist office (walks into a bar) told me the leading causes of bone and tendon injuries are throw rugs and pets. Walking down wooden stairs in slippery socks often results in a bumpy ride. Flip-flops are going to mess you up; it's just a matter of when. Note: Don’t ever try to shoulder block the back of your house while carrying a bird feeder. 

Camps, clinics, showcases and tournaments - There is no end to the options competing for your sports dollars in the summertime, but best to leave a month of downtime before jumping back on the hamster wheel on the habitrail to nowhere. The Beach Blast girls’ lacrosse tournament at Cape is Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26. 

Snippets - Nomination for inclusion into the Legends Stadium Ring of Honor has been closed, but the selection process has been pushed back a month because other issues have been more pressing. I know because I’ve written letters. All nominations would be great choices, but the process only allows two every other year. The Nationals walked the bases loaded against the Phillies with 12 straight balls. The Phillies looked those gift horses straight in the mouth and struck out three straight times, all looking. The Phillies will take you on a perilous journey. Go on now, git!