I have no desire to shoot cannons or Punkin Chunkin machines

The organized fitness activity numbers are up but the level of fitness is way off. Maybe there is a good reason like people have real jobs and families and spend time at both instead of obsessing on their own addiction to appearance. That is the fitness trap.

Success breeds more behaviors that produced success in the first place, so the person goes off some deep end and no one related wants to follow because “let’s talk about me “ is never fun unless it is you.

CANNON FODDER - Richard Perez and Dan Baldwin just had to fire one last unauthorized double blast at the ocean last Saturday morning on Bethany Beach after starting five flights of swimmers turned to runners with a shock and awe that rattled spines for miles around.

The scene was the annual Make-A-Wish Sea Colony Triathlon, and Perez and Baldwin were supposed to be joined by a Make-A-Wish child but the kid didn’t show; I think perhaps he was hiding. Two cannons 180 pounds each and the question is what turns a man into the cannon guy?

“I think there’s no question we are compensating for something,” Perez said, as both he and Baldwin began to laugh.

I’ll tell you what I’ve known for a long time and that is I have no desire to shoot cannons or Punkin Chunkin machines or to make block buster firecrackers just to watch them blow up in the snow. Not to mention that I have no talent in those areas.

DOGFISH DASH - Six hundred people of all ages milled about the parking lot of Dogfish Head last Sunday morning getting ready to race a 5K or 10K the purpose of which I know not why but it varies with each person.

The Rehoboth Beach police are used to absorbing big events and I give them major credit for pulling off such a huge undertaking staged on the avenue on a crowded Sunday morning.

And like the crosswalks of our community, it is truly amazing how many people step in front of traffic assuming it is their world. But when worlds collide it’s the big bang and the pedestrian always loses. Always play defense!

GIRLS FALL LACROSSE - Coach Kathleen Fluharty is offering a fall lacrosse league for girls in grades 2 through 8 beginning Sunday, Oct. 19 at Rehoboth Elementary School. The time is 3 to 5 p.m. and the Sunday dates are Oct. 19, 26 and Nov. 2, 9 and 16. The cost is $65. Contact Coach KK at 745-5676 or email her at kk@aol.com. I know I have two players for her right now.

PRICE AIN’T RIGHT, - Jamie Price, just a sophomore cross country runner at Sussex Tech, ran 17:22 in the Dogfish 5K to place fourth overall in the race. He is the Raven’s No. 1 man and just loaded with untapped potential. I spoke to him Saturday after his race as he stood next to his father, Mike, a longtime soccer official and enthusiast in the local area.

I asked Jamie, “Do you know who I am?” and he of course didn’t so I had to call out dad. “I was your dad’s high school track coach through an 18-2 record, a state championship and numerous invitational championships. Your dad led off the two-mile relay always good for a two flat. Didn’t he ever mention the good days and times with Coach Fred or Fredman?”

Give credit to Mike whose older brother, Delphos, ran for coach Tom Hickman at Cape for keeping the focus on the present and future. But Jamie had no idea - where’s the continuity?

I also told a perfect stranger that race director Tim Bamforth ran on my track team when he was in high school. The stranger replied “that is moderately interesting.”

SIR SEEDY - What can only be described as a dirty drunk butt, young white boy showed up in the fourth quarter and sat next to me in the Eagles pressbox last Sunday. He was wearing a Jake’s Bar West Chester shirt and I told him, “I know that bar,” and then he started a series of relentless questions all prefaced by sir - I hate that - and began dropping F bombs after each play. I didn’t want to dime him out - “Excuse me, security! There’s a crasher over here!”

The scary thing is that “Drunk Boy” with ADHD left on his own and ventured into the private box reserved for families of the players. You just know some lineman’s Momma - I’ve seen Runyan’s mom -gave him the 411 which landed him in stadium court to swim in the aquarium of drunken fishes whose goal of the day is to spell Eagles correctly one letter at a time in bilingual sound and sign language.

COACH DEBBIE WYNDETTE - Last week coach Debbie, a former Sussex Central and Caesar Rodney field hockey head coach now the coach at Thomas More, notched victory number 300. And most of those wins occurred at Sussex Central where her teams were always in contention for the Henlopen Crown.

Last Thursday the Cape junior varsity beat Central 12-0 putting 40 shots on goal. I must be delicate here but - “What?”

Cape was paced by Jenna Steele (4), Brittney Betts (2), Alexa Hendrickson (2), Taylor Trimmer (2), Sammy Hurley (1) and Leah Smyk (1). The Cape girls are undefeated with varsity level talent at every position but 12 goals and 40 shots?

TWO-TIMING LUSCAN - There is a line in the Spike Lee movie classic “Do The Right Thing” where a character named “Buggin Out” with bulging eyes behind thick glasses tells a neighbor, “I will mess you up two times”!

Local triathlete Dave Luscan won the Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon and Sea Colony Make-A-Wish Tri last Saturday each time besting a field of 1,000 competitors. Luscan is a heavy duty, three phase wire in a two phase world and he is well grounded. Dave is a member of the local Tri Delaware Club and obviously his strength is consistency over the three phases of the race. The swim phase was changed to a soft sand mile run last Saturday because the ocean was treacherous, but trust me, it wouldn’t have mattered all one thousand would have braved the brine but not all would have made it. Where is that zone where intelligence and reason are thrown overboard?

SNIPPETS - Forget football! Go Phillies! Six home games to go then hopefully a berth in the playoffs. Go on now, git!