Sports columns are quirky observations reflecting back on the author

Jumping the shark - Most coaches are cautious and don’t want to be bitten by arrogance or overconfidence. “We play them one at a time and don’t want to look past anyone on the way to a big game, which may not be such a big game when we get there if we get knocked off” is a common refrain. In my Oct. 1 column referencing Cape's field hockey team, I wrote, “Cape is likely to be the Northern Division champion” even though the Vikings have Northern Division games left with Dover, Sussex Tech and Sussex Central. Coach “Windy” – Kate Austin – called me on it after I gave her a hug on the field for being 10-0 after a great game, beating Sussex Academy 3-1. “Fred Pop doesn’t play them one at a time. I look past teams, jump over several at a time like Evil Knievel over abandoned cars.” “Do you remember when it was 12th of September” in 2017 (Earth, Wind and Fire reference) and Dover hockey upset Cape 2- 1? I waded into their celebration. I wanted to get slapped around. I can name all 10 seniors on that 2017 Cape roster including two managers who went on to win the state championship, and in 2024, they are all college graduates. 

Zen master - PJ Kesmodel turned the tables on me when I covered his teams, which always had a Fred girl on the squad. Once after a 18-9 win at Tower Hill to go 14-0 on the season, he said to me, “We will go undefeated, then it's time to make parents mad and some kids will get less playing time as we go on and win this state tournament.” PJ never shied away from telling me what he really thought and was never worried about what I might write because he just incorporated my foolishness into his strength – it’s a Zen thing. 

Hump Day - A bright Cape Wednesday afternoon on Bermuda Field 1, a middle school monster mash matchup featuring unbeaten and unscored upon Selbyville (6-0) and Fred Thomas (5-0). Selbyville had slow-rolled all foes, posting a 56-0 scoring differential. Fred Thomas entered the game having outscored opponents 29-0. The game was as good as middle school hockey has to offer. The Freds scored first in the second quarter on a goal by Delainey Smith off an assist from Brynn Evick. Selbyville scored in the third quarter on a goal by sixth-grader Haley Arndt. The game ended in a tie – no overtime in middle school – as the B teams were rocking to the Black Eyed Peas. Fred Thomas won the B game 2-0 with both goals coming from Zoe May, while Harper Serman had an assist. I was just another grandparent supporting a granddaughter (Meredith) at the afternoon game. The only difference is I own a big old camera and have had my own column for the last 42 years.

Mister Smile - Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor is a gamer. He always seems happy. He signed a 10-year contract extension with the Mets in 2020 for $341 million. Francisco is money in the bank. The Mets eliminated the Phillies from the postseason with a 4-1 series-deciding win, all runs coming on a Lindor grand slam. Brandon Marsh is the happy warrior for the Phillies, but sadly he can’t hit.  

Central time - On Friday night, the Golden Knights football team will be favored to win at Cape, but the game that for decades was a Game 10 rivalry has lost much of the emotional craziness and raucousness. There are players on either side of the 50-year-old waterline that can tell you all about it. Last season, Oct. 13, Cape lost at Central 35-16 then came back in the postseason to sting Central 46-14. Both those games were whack city as the score is no indication of how most it went down. 

Snippets - Last October, Tanya Karaman won the female masters’ title at the Darby Dash 5K, receiving a custom-made award from Half Stockley. Tonya accepted her award then gave it to me, saying, “Darby was your dog, you should have this.” Ironically, the award hangs in my home office under the Gallo calendar Darby narrowly missed making. Speaking of my sports beat, “It’s hard to take a step back when you have a bad knee.” The NCAA approved the immediate elimination of the National Letter of Intent Program. What does that mean for all of us who have commitment issues? Honestly, I never understood what any of it meant. Go on now, git!