Last Sunday, May 10, Keystone defeated Neumann College 12-1 to win the Colonial States Athletics Conference and an automatic big to the Division III national tournament. Jackson was a second team All-Conference selection. Keystone is located in Scranton, Pa,. and boasts baseball great Christy Mathewson who attended Keystone from 1895-98. Jackson is battling .363 for the season and leads the conference with 26 stolen bases.
KRISTINA LINGO - Kristina Lingo, who plays softball for Fairfield University, made first team All-Conference for Metro Athletic Conference for outfield. Kristina was also captain this year as a sophomore. Fairfield came out season champs and is ranked first going into the MAAC tournament beginning May 12. The Stags were eliminated from the tournament losing to Manhattan College 6-3 in a 16-inning marathon game.
GOALS AND GOALIES - I am aware when writing lacrosse stories that first I look for goals and then to the goalie to check out saves. Lost in this style of reporting are all the unsung players who specialize in defense and just run the field doing their jobs. I hesitate to start mentioning them because I know I will forget somebody. I do know that there is immediate reinforcement after scoring a goal, but if a player scoops a ground ball that leads to a goal three passes later no one except the coach and teammates are offering credit.
Down low at the younger levels athletes need to learn the value of team play but it’s hard when the first question a player is asked is, “Did you win?” followed by, “How many goals did you score?”
LACK OF COMITTMENT - Back in 1984 I coached a Cape track team that won the Dover Relays back when every team in the state was there. The next day I read in the paper about our heroic effort - guys reaching down, tripling in events and leaving it all on the track. The next Monday afternoon only three of those heroes showed up for practice. I felt like a glorified field day director. All coaches like to win but no coach enjoys compromising a commitment to excellence. I have news for lots of parents: many kids are not totally committed to being the best they can be.
You’re right, that is not news to anyone. I saw the Cape boys track team score only 13 points last Saturday and noticed that several kids who coach Charlie Pollard worked hard to motivate and help simply didn’t make the bus. That is disappointing and just wrong, but trust me, those decisions come back to bite a person over and over again.
SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS – Tuesday, May 12, all residents over 18 can vote in the school board election and why is that of interest to anyone reading a sports column? I think you know why so get out there and vote and my personal endorsement in simply, “Support sanity!”
BODY PARTS - I had a track athlete once grab the back of his leg and say, ”I don’t think I can run the mile relay because I pulled a groin.” Another pointed to his groin and said, “I think my appendix just burst.”
Last Friday I was at the hospital waiting for a hip injection and the X-ray tech pointed to his leg and said to me, “The doctor is running late. He is upstairs fixing someone’s humerus.
“The humerus is in your arm,” I said.
“I know,” he answered. “I don’t know why I said that.”
SNIPPETS - Looks like Manny Ramirez has set steroid use back 20 years. He may have done the sport a favor by maintaining the sloppy fat guy physique while juicing and hitting home runs. An $8 million chemical addiction - talk about a role model. Baseball should discard A Rod too.
These people are sending out a dangerous message.
How can basketball commentators expect anyone to take their words seriously when they call a player “Big Baby” instead of Glen.
“Big Baby is coming up huge in the playoffs.”
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Sports Editor Emeritus
Email Fredman at fredman@capegazette.com
