Googlers gonna get you; you have run out the boogie man

Googlelopolis - Rhymes with Snuffleupagus, an imaginary muppet we could all see. Years ago, there was a Cape teacher who had a bit of a hooked nose and that was his nickname, except he never knew it. I considered weighing in on the Angel Reese of LSU gesture toward Caitlin Clark of Iowa after the national championship game won by the Tigers. But those of us in the extra wide slip-on Skechers/joint replacement demographic all responded the same, “Wait a minute, what?” A description on the CNN website reads: “Near the end of LSU’s victory over Iowa in the NCAA women’s basketball national championship game on Sunday, Reese could be seen approaching Clark before moving her open hand in front of her face – popularized by WWE star John Cena to mean ‘You can’t see me’ – before pointing to her ring finger in a gesture some interpreted as a reference to the place her newly acquired championship ring might sit. Clark made a similar gesture to another player earlier in the tournament.” Who the heck is John Cena? My personal position is I really don’t have one. I just hope trash talk and gesturing aren’t elevated to include post-game rituals because if that trickles down to high school, you can just call in the dogs right now. Speaking of Google, I don’t want to mention Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark and have my Cape Gazette column pop up on their desktop. ZZ Top sang: “I’m bad, I’m  nationwide.’’ I prefer to waddle in plain sight like an imaginary Snuffleupagus on the Rehoboth Boardwalk, sharing opinions with other old guys who can't remember what I said as soon as I said it.   

Bob Paulen - Bob, a doctor of divinity from Yale, is a retired minister who lives in Dewey. He is 85 years old and a relentless track competitor. He said, “The World Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships were contested in Torun, Poland, the last week in March. There were 2,847 participants from 89 countries, with the largest contingent being from the host country. The USA finished among the top three teams. I scored points for America with a second place in the 60-meter hurdles, fourth place in the pentathlon (hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot put, 1,000 meters) and fifth place in the triple jump. The competition was very good, as was the camaraderie. The motto of masters events is, ‘to participate is to win.’” Indoor and outdoor championships are held in alternate years. The 2024 outdoor meet will be held in Sweden in July.

Fredpop - I was at a middle school girls’ lacrosse game Monday featuring Sussex Academy at Mariner. I was there to give granddaughter Meredith Fred a ride home, and because I own a camera and sports lenses, I decided to get some photos. Retired ‘Lectric Company collector and shutdown man Eric Gooch was also there doing his artistic renderings of the afternoon. Ground balls and close passes were tough on the grass field. Sussex Academy had no numbers on their online roster; mostly, I can’t identify them for photos. Sussex Academy had no eighth-graders on the middle school team, but there are five total on the JV and varsity rosters. Mariner has 11 players in eighth grade, while Beacon has 10 players in eighth grade. Mariner won the game 14-6, but it was 10-6 midway through the second half. And on the family side of the field, everyone seemed to know one another. 

Just say yo! I will be taking photos at the Bunny Palooza 5K Saturday morning in Bethany Beach because Doug Purcell of Quiet Resorts asked me, and I may be limping and lame, but I never offer lame excuses. My late brother Tom was bewildered at all my running photos, asking, “What do those people do down there in Delaware when they're not running?” “Many of the ones I know drink,” I'd joke. “They’re just trying to stay in neutral with the engine running.”

Snippets - Former Cape track girl from the late ’70s Shelrita Bowden passed away, and it seems most people remember her the same way. Shelrita was a person who could just make people laugh in about 10 seconds. Just a great person. Godspeed, Shelrita. Go on now, git!