Soundman was asleep at the wheel

“The thing coach [John] Harbaugh likes about his rookie quarterback [Joe] Flacco is that he’s never inconsiderate with the football.”

- Moose Johnson on Fox Sports

On the surface that seems to be about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard about the personal relationship of a quarterback with his football. But a secondary definition of the word states, “Not well considered or carefully thought out; ill-advised.”

Sports do at times basically celebrate dumb stuff like congratulating a quarterback for throwing the ball out of bounds when no one is open or taking a sack when surrounded by 1,000 pounds of enemy flesh. I can do all those things, although I have been known to call a football names when my passes don’t spiral.

C MAC ON THE MAT - Connor McDonald (Rehoboth, Sussex Central), a red shirt freshman for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, won his wrestle off 12-5 recording five takedowns against sophomore Mitch Burger in the 125-pound weight class in front of 1,200 fans inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.  The annual wrestle offs are an attraction on the campus of this storied Division I wrestling program as 1,300 students attended. The Mountain Hawks will open 2008-09 next Sunday when No. 17 Maryland visits Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.

UTLEY UTTERANCE - The longest sustained applause line at Citizens Bank Park during last Friday’s Phillies celebration came from second baseman Chase Utley who stepped to the mic and dropped the F Bomb yelling, “World Freaking Champions.” It was so inappropriate because he didn’t use Yo at the beginning or end of the sentence.
Anyone who has watched Chase play knows he doesn’t think before acting which is why he is so cool. The play Chase made in the eighth inning to cut down the go ahead run at the plate in the clinching game was just an example of letting the game come to you. Utley did crack the window of locker room guy speak giving us a rare look over the wall of political correctness.

This Tuesday, election day, the Supreme Court is hearing a case which may change the laws of vulgar language on FCC airwaves. The law, as written, is 30 years old and only applies to the major networks not those exclusively cable channels. The F drop is an offense punishable by fine – say, usually in the range of $5,000 - payable by the station, CBS affiliate Channel 10 in Philly, because the guy on the five second delay button, his only job of the day on the live broadcast - was slow on the draw unlike Utley.

FLASH DANCE - Last Saturday night, inside the eerily and inadequately lit gymnasium of Dover High School, Cape was playing Ursuline in the first round of the state volleyball tournament. There were six officials because I counted them before the game. Midway during game two a time out was called as Gazette photographer Dan Cook was told by officials, who evidently never drive at night, that his flash was distracting the players.

The officials always have final say to secure the sight to protect the integrity of the game and I asked Kevin Charles, the DIAA executive director who was at the game blinking like everyone else, if the issue of lights in gyms for indoor sports shouldn’t be settled before the season begins as media photographs reach thousand of people not among the 150 at the game. Kevin is a good and reasonable guy, which is why photojournalism took a big loss Saturday night.

PAT THE BAT - No question Pat Burrell is the most nonathletic, high-priced athlete in sports and is most certainly “outta here” as the Phillies leftfielder. Pat brought his bulldog to the victory parade last Friday, an ironic choice of dog for a pretty boy, then stepped to the mic and said, “To borrow a line from Lou Gerhig - today I feel like the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

Lou made that statement when he knew of his illness - that’s what made the moment so powerful - and for Burrell to use it was just dumb, almost like Pat really does believe the moment is about him. Hey, pay me $20 million a year and see how quickly it becomes about me.

OFF BEAT SPORTS - When I was playing football for Temple we all envied the scholarship athletes who didn’t have to get their heads kicked in to cover the cost of tuition. There was Oscar the Shot Putter and Allen the Golfer, Paul of the Pommel Horse and Kenny the Kegler.

Delaware State has a bowling team and to make the starting lineup you have to average about 210, although you can weigh more. The Hornets placed fourth out of 12 teams last weekend at the season opening, three-day tournament held at Farleigh Dickinson University. Sophomore Angela Reynolds rolled a 237 while Michelle Turnbell went down the alley way for a 230.

Yes, I did make the assumption that a college bowling team would be men, but I forgot about Title 9 equalization legislation.

SNIPPETS - Cape field hockeys host Delmar at Legends Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6. Check later for that elusive start time.

Mischief Night is not a right - simply a stupid tradition - and I hope that whoever soaped the images of the Legends Stadium coaches does not get caught because I’m sure you guys are more stupid than evil. But I also know if the detectives want to find you consider yourself found.

“You soaped whose face?”

You may have to move out of your own house and, speaking of soap, listen to your own mother call you a dirt bag. Yes, let’s just hope you don’t get caught - just be afraid.