Fishing and flying both safe, but losing can be big

I have seen that look in the eyes of people who fish for real with gold-plated reels. It’s all about the acquisition of fish; the only rational thought remaining is for rationing beer and sandwiches. The 20-foot unsinkable anchored boat, 30 miles out in the big seas of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Clearwater, Fla., with four strong young men aboard fishing, flipped over and the game was on. Four strong athletes in life vests can turn that boat right side up, so the theory goes. But few theories hold up when the seas begin to play back. Anchoring a small boat in a valley of ocean swells seems like a low percentage use of leisure time to me. And what about GPS handheld devices and waterproof pouches for fully charged cell phones? How about flare guns and survival suits and may as well strap on a bang stick in case of shark attack. I always thought that having confidence in some local deep sea Six Pack captain racing to the canyon in bad water getting worse by the minute was like crop dusting with a nearsighted adrenaline junkie with foggy goggles. Flying is safe and so is fishing, but when you lose you lose big!

MOVEMENT SCIENCE - Let’s say you don’t have a college degree in movement science and then you do. Is your life enhanced? Are job prospects increased? How about sports management? Maybe exercise physiology is your career path? Here are some other popular majors chosen by athletes: T.V. production, broadcast journalism, psychology, history, religion and black American studies. I checked out the Harvard basketball roster which didn’t list majors but what struck me was one 6-foot 7-inch player where it said, “National Honor Society president ... National French Honor Society member ... First team academic all-state ... Earned the Dartmouth Book Award ... Member of the Connect and Commit Community Service Club ... president of freshman and sophomore classes ... Also an avid musician and sat first chair for trumpets in jazz band ... Both of his parents, John and Joan, were members of MIT’s rowing teams ... Older brother, John, played basketball and rowed at MIT as well ... Sister, Mary, is a freshman on the crew team ... Enjoys music and playing the trumpet as well as skiing.” Do you see what’s happening here? Elitism yo, the legacy symptom is a rigged game; the United States supports a social system including a caste system as rigid as India. We are all Slum Dogs but I can only speak for myself. Get an education or get played!

CROSSROADS - Fresh legs are best for sports and all this overemphasis on young competition has not proven that those kids have anything more than a political advantage in some programs when they get older. I watch high school games and I know who plays a sport all year round, but if I didn’t know I wouldn’t know because the overriding, most important ingredient is natural talent and speed. But there is a place for hard work and commitment because if those with the most talent also worked the hardest no one else would have a chance. Fit, strong and fast along with smart and inquisitive is what I like to see in a young person. And smart is not always reflected in good grades or placement in the cool courses.

WHERE’S THE BALL - A few years ago - maybe 10 - my wife said to me: “Do you think we could go out somewhere that didn’t involve a ball?” I said, “You mean like a wrestling match?” Last Friday I was Poppa Fred at the “Annie Junior” play in Rehoboth as granddaughter Lizzie split the lead role with her friend Molly Smith while Katie played Little Orphan Fred Girl. Lizzie “killed it” singing “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” and it made me cry, I know not why. Drexel Davidson as Daddy Warbucks was spectacular and Kristin Gray as director. All the kids and adults - it was just overwhelming and better than sports. It’s just amazing what people can do with enthusiasm and cooperation.

DAWK LET GO! - “Did you hear about Dawk man? They let him go. That was wrong man! Dawk was the heart of that defense for 13 seasons. What are we going to do without Dawk?” Good question: “Who is Dawk and what are you talking about?” I know Brian Dawkins is the 35-year old former Eagles safety, two years past acceptable leg speed, so Philly allowed this free agent to sign with Denver for $17 million over five years with $7.2 million in guaranteed money. Am I supposed to feel sorry for somebody here? We are all free agents including the fans. Go Steelers!

SNIPPETS - If Pat Burrell is “Pat the Bat” then Manny Ramirez is “Fat the Bat” and yes he can hit, but $45 million for two years of baseball? The sticking point of the contract is he didn’t want it spread out over five years. And Kurt Warner, who everybody loves, just re-signed with the Cardinals for a $15 million bonus and $4 million a season. Then we had to listen to what an unselfish player Kurt is for offering $1 million off his bonus if the club can re-sign Anquan Boldin. How much of this stuff can the average fan take?