I can bust a move myself, but only when no one is looking

Red Lion Christian beat the Ferris School for Boys 68-56 Tuesday night, Jan. 13, to go 10-1 on the season while Ferris dropped to 0-2. Ferris provided no public box score because negative notoriety is not viewed as positive publicity.

Years ago I was the head football coach at a school for emotionally disturbed adolescents. One afternoon we traveled to play Glenn Mills Reform School and I told my guys to expect a big crowd because it was their homecoming. I also told them that Glenn Mills dressed 80 guys, but the biggest ones all wanted to play quarterback and that no one blocked for anyone because they couldn’t see the sense in being an offensive lineman. My big tackle named Manny asked me, “Coach, what is the sense in getting your bell rung so somebody else can score a touchdown?”

I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders because the required teamwork speech is just basically stupid.

COASTAL DANCE ACADEMY - Throw those old resolutions off the shelf and come to Applebee’s Saturday morning, Jan. 17, as the Coastal Dance Academy is hosting a pancake breakfast from 8-10 a.m. For a paltry and poultry $5 it is all the pancakes and sausage you can eat, and remember, “it is for the kids,” who are raising money for an upcoming national competition.

Coastal Dance just won seven trophies at a regional competition. Dancing is cool and athletic, and if you are a daddy like me, you have been down the dance recital road and I can bust a move myself, but only when no one is watching.

RACQUETBALL DAN - How does one get to be The Man known as Racquetball Dan? Dan, from Dewey, known to most locals with a pass to leave the house, recently came off a self-imposed, three-year retirement to capture the Delaware State open doubles championship (Jan. 10-11) with some other guy we don’t care about.

Major racquetball tournaments take place at the Kirkwood Fitness Club. Dan will compete at the national doubles in Phoenix from Feb. 11-15 in his bid to make the United States National Team. But can he dance?

PASS THE WRESTLING WORD - Cape will host the first-ever Wrestling Homecoming Match Saturday, Jan. 31, grappling the Tigers of A.I. Dupont. Coach Chris Mattioni is inviting all former state champions to attend and be honored. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of former champions Willie Vann, Tyrone Gibbs, Randy Johnson, Perry Walls, Charlie Turner and Matt Graviet, please feel free to invite them.

DELAWARE WOMEN’S CONFERENCE - The 25th annual Delaware Women’s Conference will take place Saturday, March 7, all day long at Dover Downs. Information can be found at delawarewomen.org. There are more than 30 workshops, including one I’d like to attend called The Rhythm of the Earth or Meditative Drumming.

“I don’t want to work just want to bang on the drum all day.”

I just downloaded the ring tones to that Todd Rundgren classic to my cell phone. Seriously, check out the site and plan to attend.

SNIPPETS - The 10th annual Jeff Fest reunion to honor the life of Jeff Cannon will be 6:30-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Que Pasa Restaurant in the Ruddertowne complex in Dewey Beach. All friends of Jeff are required to be there!

Tyler Townsend, now a junior at Florida International, was the leading hitter last summer in the prestigious wooden bat Valley League in the Shenandoah Valley. Playing 42 games, Townsend had 55 hits, 12 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs, 36 RBIs, an even 29/29 BB/K ratio and an additional 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts. He finished in the top six in almost every single category: first in batting average, runs, total bases and on-base percentage; second in home runs and slugging percentage; tied for third in RBIs and walks; tied for fifth in hits; and tied for sixth in doubles. By the way, a .500 on-base percentage means that Townsend reached base on exactly half of his plate appearances - an incredible rate!

Sunday, Jan. 18, is like a Halley’s Comet Day – rock around the clock once every 75 years - for local football fans with both the Eagles and Ravens playing in opposite championship games with the winners moving on to the Super Bowl. I don’t get the Cardinals at all - hard to know who to hate in that state - but the Eagles have to beat those jokers or they deserve to go home. I think the Steelers will beat the Ravens if Big Ben is on his game because he didn’t take all those sacks this year just to go belly up in the championship game at home in what looks to be frigid conditions.

I did the Anthony Joseph sports radio show at WGMD last Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Anybody hear me? Can you hear me now?