Family, friends and kids follow Cape sports teams
End game - I was leaving the field at Caravel on a hot and humid Wednesday night following the Cape boys’ lacrosse 9-8 win over CR when I saw Lindsay D’Ambrogi and her dad coach Mark. I backpedaled, lining up my giant lens and hoping for focus. I saw Lindsay the night before at the girls’ game and she asked me, “Are you going to the boys’ game tomorrow?” She’s in third grade, another Corrigan-connected kid heading for the lacrosse pitch.
Chillbillies - Three Cape sports teams over two days made major statewide news with dramatic and emphatic program-defining wins. The baseball team upset favored Salesianum 9-4 at Frawley Stadium in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, with the victory secured at low-light to twilight Tuesday afternoon. Later at Dover’s Too Little Stadium, the Cape girls’ lacrosse team defeated Polytech 16-8 for its seventh straight state championship. And Wednesday, the Cape boys’ lacrosse team battled Caesar Rodney at Caravel in the semifinal of the state tournament, winning 9-8 in front of a large crowd. Baseball moved on to play Caravel Thursday, May 28 (too late for print) while the championship game for boys’ lacrosse is Saturday, May 30, at Caravel at a time to be announced. Each program is on its own journey; there is no linkage and no mom-always-liked-you-best preferential approach. Somehow a story got wheels that when the baseball bus broke down after Tuesday’s game, a decision was made to send Tyrone in an empty rescue bus from Milford rather than pulling the Cape lacrosse bus out of Dover because driver Fred Harvey was the team’s good luck charm and he needed to stay on site. Ironically, if not symmetrically and diametrically oppositional, Cape’s Director of Transportation Lenny Richardson is the husband of Polytech head coach Lynn Richardson, and his daughter Kathryn Richardson was playing in the game. Lenny allegedly joked, “I’d rather deal with the superintendent and school board than Sam Broadhurst,” Cape’s goalie. Lenny and Cape Athletic Director Bob Cilento are veteran guys who actually like all kids and would only make a decision on what’s best for all of them. Like sports, some unsettled situations in life are easily second guessed, but to jump to the ulterior motives subterfuge theory is not trusting your own people who are out there supporting you every day.
The lust for too much - Grandmom Rose: “Success breeds greed.” I am guilty of being caught up inside the programs of Cape field hockey and girls’ lacrosse which have combined for 11 state championships over the last seven years. During the post-game celebration with smiling girls diving on piles, I’m the guy who looks like his dog just got run over by a truck. It was the mother of Titans quarterback Steve McNair who immediately after a 2000 Super Bowl loss in Atlanta stopped praying and said to me, “It is wrong to pray for too much in life.” “Amen” was all I could say back. I want this Cape streak to keep going because it will never happen again, not like this. I want it for the little girls along the fence. Dynasties are only appreciated from the distance of time. Athletes simply live in the moment, and the next game up is always the most important game of their lives. And that goes quadruple bypass for grandfathers.
A friend and fan - I was smart enough two years ago to get Eric Gooch a DIAA sideline pass. Eric loved shooting field hockey, girls’ lacrosse and most recently boys’ lacrosse and baseball. When Dan Cook, Eric and I show up, I am third best and I’m pretty good. Eric is always saying, “I just love these kids and how hard they play and just keep playing.” The players always know he is there, it is important to them, not sure if he had a bus driver’s license.
Caught up in celebration - No team should get swarmed by fans storming the field in the throes of championship rapture. I get that, but at Dover it became the be-all and end-all. Kat Judge and Allie Yeager broke through, but were tossed back like undersized flounder. That’s when I went to get my grandson Davey (Down syndrome) who has been part of 11 state championship celebrations. I was hoping someone would try to throw him off. Another granddaughter, Lina, in second grade followed us wanting a photo op with her cousins Katie and Lizzie. We were party crashers. Sometimes you just have to go for it.
Snippets - Mike Dmiterchik is the graduation speaker selected by the class of 2015. Best of luck to “Demo” for the ultimate honor and the quite scary moment, at least it was for me in 1999. My wife was also a speaker. Now we have to learn to talk to each other.
Go on now, git!
