Kids of coaches learn the game is about patience and opportunity

Underwoods in the hood - Coaches’ kids are socialized like therapy dogs. They grow up around lots of different types of people who are always talking to them, asking them questions and patting them on the head. When they become athletes on a team, they mostly play smart, having absorbed the efficient and wise use of time and space. To describe a player as a “coach’s kid” is always a compliment, unlike “preacher's son,” which often comes with the irony of the worst-behaved kid in the class. Coaches’ kids learn to hang out for prolonged periods of time on the sidelines of the field of play or inside a gym or with the cheer squad, where they quickly become cute tumblers and acrobats. I caught a photo of lacrosse coach Lindsey Eichner Underwood's two boys Christopher, 4, and Luke, 5½, between clinic sessions March 14 at Champions Stadium. They look ready for mayhem or ready for a nap. 

Sunday morning track clinic - A milestone Sunday morning birthday for Fruity Pop Pop, 75, was spent taking photos of athletes born five minutes earlier learning hurdling, sprinting, high jumping, blind handoffs, shot-putting and long jumping. Tim Bamforth and Gilbert Maull and a crew of high school track girls made this all work. I attended the morning session, where I was in harmony, having the same attention span as the K through fourth-grade athletes. Tim and Gilbert drove this program with enthusiasm. I was the high school track coach for both of them. I’m taking credit for both of them, and if you feel they could do things better, don’t tell me about it because I’m blinded by the light and I will never see.       

State basketball finals - I lost interest when I couldn’t find the games livestreamed on YouTube, and hours after games were over, there were no postings on Websites4Sports and no chatter on social media. Sanford won the boys’ final 51-45 over Smyrna, while St. Elizabeth defeated Sanford 47-45 to win the girls’ title. Speaking for sports fans, I am hoping the state of Delaware eases up on fan restrictions for outside sports before even family members lose interest.

Managers and secretaries - Teams can survive boneheaded coaches and schools can function with inept administrations, but dumb managers and clueless secretaries will bring the ship down below the waterline, which is why you rarely find any. Teams and schools that run smoothly have top-shelf managers behind the scenes deflecting credit and sometimes absorbing misplaced heat. Most coaching staffs are deep with assistants who don’t want to be managers, they just want to coach, but at least give the managers responsibilities; they will make your life – and mine – a whole lot easier.  

Take me to the River - The Indian River School District will not charge for any home games this spring, and all home games are open to the general public. The mask requirement is in effect, as are social distancing guidelines, and spectators are asked to bring their own chairs. Yeah, but what if? A year ago, I survived conference and state wrestling tournaments before the world shut down, except for fat people who own their own beach, and this year, I did three days of a masked wrestling state tournament and you know what? Here I am, now fully vaxxed just looking for the ease-up. 

Snippets - Six degrees of separation: I heard from my first cousin Bobby Krupp, who informed me that his mother, my Aunt Marylyn, was bowling partners with hall of fame pitcher Orel Hershiser's mother. My family rolls deep with those types of stories. Riley Shields, a fifth-year senior pitcher for Alvernia College, broke the strikeout record for a single game, recording 13 Ks in a 9-0 win over Widener. Lefty Brock Hilligoss, former Milford Buc, combined with three other Salisbury pitchers in a one-hit 4-0 shutout victory over Virginia Wesleyan. Brock is the grandson of former Lewes and Major League lefty Johnny Morris. On March 9, Liberty University baseball defeated North Carolina 8-7, and Cape was in the game for the Flames. David Erickson was on the mound for the win, throwing three innings, while Mason Fluharty threw 1.1 innings in relief. Erickson is 3-0 on the season. Liberty swept North Alabama in a three-game series and is now 10-5 on the season. My college roommate at West Chester, Dr. Thom Park, was athletic director at Liberty University in 2005. Thom once told me, “I can never run for president as long as you are out there telling stories.” Factual fiction is my speciality. Go on now, git!