A coach can become dog meat for every complaining citizen

The Cape boy’s basketball team lost to Dover at home 76-43 on opening night of the season Dec. 4, prompting a young mother, Cape graduate and longtime fan to say to me, ”I can deal with them losing, Fredman. But they gave up and let Dover take their heart.”

Cape has been fighting back since game one and entered Jan. 12 matchup at Dover (4-4) and just a game behind Dover and Milford. “We can go to Dover and beat them and get right back into this thing,” Cape coach Dwight Tingle said Jan. 5 after the Vikings beat Caesar Rodney 63-57 on the heels of Dover being upset at Milford.

Cape was back at Dover Jan. 12 and took the Senators to the wire before losing 66-64. Cape was paced by Paris White with 15 points, Andrew Merlo with 14, Jonathon Dukes with 13 and Trent Batson with 11. Cape is now 4-5 on the season and has away games at Indian River on Jan. 19 and Woodbridge Jan. 22.

LIGHTEN UP - A typed letter was dropped on my Gazette sports desk earlier this week by a longtime Cape basketball fan and, because it falls into the category of general commentary and is signed by concerned fans, it doesn’t get personal but has more of a “if the shoe fits, wear it” approach.  

“All Cape fans need to read this. Cape fans and Cape haters: Let’s start by talking about the players. Stop dogging the players. friends, cousins, uncles, aunts, moms and dads. Let the coaches coach these kids. If you don’t like the way your kid is being coached send them to another school. When they go to college you won’t be coaching there - everybody makes mistakes. Fans are making mistakes by downing their own team and the players. No one player loses a game - a team loses a game. Players, listen to your coach. They got you this far. Fans need to let the coaches do their job. They do a lot more with the players than you think or know. You don’t see other fans acting like our fans. It looks bad on the team and the school. Act like adults and set an example for these young people.”

CUT ADRIFT - Woodbridge first year basketball coach Greg Smock left a place he wasn’t wanted or appreciated and rowed back to Rehoboth. Greg is my friend and after listening to his story I quickly concurred that I would have done the same thing. I never understood coaches who stayed in a job where parents and certain players turned on them. And if the administrators employed by the institution don’t stand in to protect the coach, the coach becomes instant dog meat for every complaining citizen who thinks losses require blaming someone other than the athletes who can’t bury the open J or break the press without throwing the ball to their grandmother in the fourth row.

One job of athletic directors and principals is to keep the dogs at bay and to take the heat and protect the coach. Smock faced a group of parents alone in the cozy confines of the Cave and they ripped and shredded “my boy.” I wish the Blue Raiders all the luck in the world - let’s see how the rest of the season works out for them.

TAG THE DOG - The nightmare interaction of government and private dog documentation is upon us.

You, the dog owner, must figure out the new 2010 dog licensing law and procedures in Sussex County then articulate, as they say in the soft bite business, your proof of rabies vaccination, staple it to an application you can’t download, then bring the nonretrievable application, along with a check or money order and a copy of your dog’s current Rabies Vaccination Certificate to the Constable’s Office (office 249) at 2 The Circle, Georgetown, DE 19947.

If you lose your proof of vaccination most desk people at the veterinarian’s office will treat you with complete bewilderment before refusing to give you a copy. Google “Delaware Dog” then run before you get bitten.

SNIPPETS - Brandon Hazzard, son of former Cape All-State linebacker Noland Hazzard who played on the Cape 1979 state championship team then at Virginia Tech, has signed a full grant-in-aid with Kent State of the Mid-American Conference. Hazzard starred for Virginia’s Pulaski County High School in 2008 leading his team to a 13-1 record, then did a year of post graduate school at Hargrave Military Academy Prep School. Brandon is expected to play strong side linebacker or defensive end for the Golden Flashes.

The Penn State women’s golf team signed highly-touted recruit Christina Vosters (Bethany Beach) as a member of its 2010 recruiting class. Vosters will continue her golf career as a Nittany Lion in the fall of 2010. Christina took home the first place crown at the 2009 Delaware Junior Girls Championship and finished as the runnerup in the 2008 Delaware Women’s Amateur, shooting a 69 in the final round while setting a new course record. She represented Delaware at the 2009 USGA National Team Championship where she finished in 27th place out of a field of 118.