State track championships are a two-day lesson in sportsmanship

Security blanket - The two-day divisional track championships held May 9-10 at Dover High School are an example of successful behavioral and event management. The athletes and coaches have always made this work without yellow security jackets and uniformed police being overly intrusive enforcing rules. Rocking bad behavior in the sport of track and field is not cool and would not be tolerated. I’ve never witnessed trash talking or showing off and showing up opponents. A wrestling tournament is pretty much the same, as it has to do with the culture of the sport.   

“I Love Lucy” syndrome - I grew up with black-and-white television and 180 half-hour episodes of “I Love Lucy.” The entire premise was based on comedic confusion, like a one-armed juggler with 15 balls in the air. The adult version of myself is annoyed by contingencies that cause complications, which is why I don’t comprehend the rules of field hockey and lacrosse or postseason sports bracketology. Just tell me where the next game is and if I still turn left where the liquor store used to be. The girls’ lacrosse tournament has expanded to 16 teams and works like this: Seeds nine through 16 play Round 1. Then seeds five though eight play the winners. Then one through four come into the fray. It’s basically a double bye, like a rejected boyfriend. This was done to avoid a No. 1 seed opening its tournament by hosting a No. 16. The higher seeds have a home game up to the semis, which ideally will be played at a neutral field if one is available. 

Updates and outtakes - Cyber updates in real time from reliable texters at games in which you have an interest are just the best, then you can bounce them to other interested persons. The remote in the month of May offers choices from NBA and NHL playoffs to Major League Baseball, along with college tournaments in men's and women's lacrosse, softball and baseball. The PGA tournament was at the Philadelphia Cricket Club/Wissahickon Golf Course last weekend. I played a round of golf there in 1965, earning one credit from Temple University, where classes were held in the basement of a building on Broad Street. The challenge for the sports fan this time of the year is to just “Walk Away Renee” and take a quiet walk down a lonely path or dodge e-bikes along the happy trails to “Destination: Anywhere.” 

Courtside celebrities - At Knicks games, we all see courtside celebrities who may be paying $3,000 per game in the regular season. In the playoffs, those tickets can cost up to $50K for a single game. But what about those unrecognizable fans? I want to write the story of just who these people are.   

Snippets - Cape’s JV boys’ lacrosse team defeated Sussex Tech May 9, to complete a 13-0 undefeated season. The closest score all season was their victory over Sallies 8-6. Malvern Prep beat the Salesianum varsity May 10 by a score of 17-11 at Abessinio Stadium. Sadie Kauffman (Stephen Decatur), a freshman lacrosse player at Division II East Stroudsburg, scored seven goals in an NCAA opening-round 18-8 win over Frostburg State. Sadie broke the single-season program record with 101 goals. Earlier this year, Sadie scored seven in a 17-14 loss to unbeaten West Chester. Sadie is from Ocean City, Md., and Atlantic lax players remember her playing for Beach Lacrosse in the Eastern Shore Youth Lacrosse League. She has always been a devastating scorer. Tuesday's weather forecast is 90% rain, which likely will impact the Padua at Cape softball game and Cape at Appoquinimink baseball game. Cape girls’ lacrosse (13-0-1) is at Caesar Rodney (13-1) Tuesday. The game is on turf, so it is likely to be played unless there is thunder and lightning. Tuition and housing for Harvard University totals $86,926 per year. The Ivy League schools do not give athletic scholarships. Harvard came close to upsetting Syracuse in men’s lacrosse May 11, losing 13-12 in overtime. A talented roster with most players coming from the private school network. Who pays how much for the privilege of playing for the Crimson is not readily obtainable information. Get through the door, then worry about the money is the way it works, but no one in this demographic is worried about the price of eggs. Go on now, git!