I’m soap boxing here, but I owe a certain loyalty to the coaches I cover

Bob Paulen, a Dewey Beach retiree, won two gold medals earlier this month in the long hurdles and triple jump, silver in the short hurdles and a bronze in the long jump at the USATF National Championships. Bob competes in the 70-74 age group. Bob will be representing the USA at the World Masters Games in October. According to Bob, after the meet he will be stopping in Vietnam, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Morocco and Brazil.

ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER - Cape baseball coach Joe Roberts was blindsided this summer by the jackals who prowl outside the fences of competition ready to blame any and all mistakes on the coach.

Joe, a science teacher and football coach, had a rough first year as head of the baseball program – and, by the way, “hardball” in Delaware is the toughest place to make a living in all the spring sports. Anyway, Joe went through the exit interview process with athletic director Bob Cilento and was recommended for reappointment. Principal John Yore signed off on it.

And then the real hiring/ firing committee of Cape sports got into it behind the scenes and that includes booster club members and other special-interest persons, some of whom can actually cast a vote in a dark room.

The last baseball game of the regular season at Polytech, I was talking to Wesley assistant football coach Steve Azzanesi along the fence. I asked him what he was doing at a Cape baseball game.

“I’m here to support my buddy Joe Roberts,” Steve said.

If you know Steve you know he is the greatest guy and supporting a friend is a noble and admirable trait. This lack of adherence to a process in place and the inconsiderate treatment of a coach and teacher were just wrong! Sure, I’m soap boxing here, but I owe a certain loyalty to the coaches I cover; it is my personal code of conduct.

ALL-STAR FLASHBACK - The Rehoboth Major League 11-12 All-Stars advanced to the district finals for the first time in its 40-year history. Rehoboth lost to Seaford 5-4 in the championship game. The team went 4-2 in the tournament winning three games in three nights to make it back to the championship round. Griffin Kammerer was a star in the tournament going 2-0 on the mound, allowed no runs and three hits in eight innings, batted .670 with two triples and three doubles in six games and collected 12 RBIs. He is an honor roll student member of the National Honor Society Academic Challenge for math and English and takes after his mother Lisa. He also plays the saxophone in the band and I’m willing to overlook that.

Alec McCoy of Rehoboth was 1-0 on the mound gave up two hits and one run in eight innings and batted .400 with a home run. Alec plays basketball and football and is an honor roll student at Beacon. I would have had these guys as athletes of the week, but I was too busy having the head of my femur sawed off.

ROLL ON YOUR SIDE - I was flat on my back last Tuesday morning in the trusted hands of physical trainer John Knarr of Elite Fitness. John trains heavyweight champion of the world, Wladimir Klitschko, which to a sports guy like me means I am but a long jab away from the heavyweight championship. John told me to “roll on my side,” but I was already living on the edge and told John I didn’t want to startle the two Mexicans throwing rugs in Stuart Kingston’s in the room below.

My left leg has more bruises than a Michael Vick pet, and the cocoa butter message felt awesome but I knew that pain was coming. A left leg lift with a pelvic tilt and I became big baby Freddie. And my abductor and adductor muscles are shot so in the gym I’ll be “the guy” on that machine.

Seriously, now two weeks out of surgery I have surgical staples out and I’m walking a half mile twice a day and I’m on a self-imposed restrictive diet of healthy choices - mayonnaise or oil but not both!

SNIPPETS - August for the high school athlete means “get your freaking physical.” The Cape Wellness Center will schedule physicals in early August; just call 645-6668 and when a secretary answers say, ”I ain’t got no physical.” You also need parent permission and proof of insurance.

My friend, James Botti of the Sussex Family YMCA, scared me a bit with the following information: Beginning in September, the Sussex Family YMCA will be offering a new program, tumbling and aerial (Spanish Web and Static Trapeze). Static Trapeze is a circus art performed on the trapeze. Unlike the swinging trapeze the aerial skills are done while the bar and ropes mainly stay in place. The skills develop strength, flexibility, grace and control. Spanish Web involves a long, cloth-covered rope with a loop attached near the top that a performer climbs and inserts either his/her foot or wrist into the loop. A spinner, or web sitter, at the bottom spins the rope, and centrifugal force holds the performers mostly horizontal as they move their bodies in relation to the rope. They can release the spinning rope and spin separately at the same speed as the rope. Some people also spin at a different speed to the rope going around, on their own axis as well as the rope’s. For more information on these new and exciting classes, contact the Sussex Family YMCA at 302-296-9622!

Static Trapeze? Is that anything like frozen shoulder?