Sit back, have friends over, watch from a safe distance; it’s better than soccer

Tim Cisco is from upper central Pennsylvania and most days locally you will find him up a tree with a chain saw and ropes tied around him and a few limbs. Kylie, a true character and former Cape soccer player is his daughter, and Zack, a top-of-the-line skateboarder is his son. Tim is a former football player and English major who went to East Stroudsburg and Lock Haven and when in college did sports radio and knows Jack Fisher, a former Lock Haven football coach who lives locally and was a great friend of the late Tom Marshall. I have fans of my column in Lock Haven, so says Jack Fisher, but I think he just wants a free subscription. That’s how it works in sports; it’s a matter of how we’re all tied together, just like Tim to an oak tree. Tim is a ripped, fit and athletic surfer-looking dude who certainly ain’t no poser. He climbed two big oak trees growing up through my decks at my house, and watching him, all I could think was, “That is one bad joker!” Tim can be reached at 339-6161, but I warn you he is busy, so just get on the schedule, sit back and relax and on game day invite the friends over and watch from a safe distance; it’s better than soccer.

Set pieces - Why is it when talking academics everyone talks about setting the bar high and raising the level of expectations? How many times have we heard, “These kids can do more than we’re asking of them.” And yet in sports played on a pitch, field, court or whatever, there is talk about playing them one at a time and improving to the next level. How about raising those expectations? How about produce orstep off! I want to call out the Cape soccer team with all the good athletes funneling into that program to make the tournament and not to settle for anything less.

Find the best kids, regardless of grade, and play them and make sure they are personalities and they consider every game of World Cup magnitude.

Play with a sense of urgency that begins with the first practice. Last year Cape was 9-6-1, which is nicely done, as the expression goes, and had three losses by the score of 1-0. Win those games and the 1-1 tie game and the record is 13-3 and it’s tournament time.

Soccer can lull a person to sleep, but that shouldn’t include the players. I write this out of respect for the talent I see, and I believe Cape soccer should set the bar high because sportswriter dude has just called you out!

Cape baseball - The position of head baseball coach at Cape has been posted as coach and teacher Joe Roberts was cut from the science department as low point person in the reduction of force policy and may be rehired; however, the head baseball job is wide open. Parents of emerging baseball players, there are loads of talent about to pass through, so they should pay close attention to this process as this is a great opportunity to put baseball on a level with lacrosse.

Liniment and ligaments - They didn’t have ligaments back when I played, just wrenched knees and twisted ankles. But the evidence is overwhelming that athletic girls in the development stage of sports who play too many games are susceptible to serious ligament damage and that routine preventative stretching and strengthening exercises are the way to go. Running stadium steps or hopping on hard surfaces, especially after weight training, is inviting serious injury.

Snippets - Young athletic types who read this column and think getting drunk at the beach is a federal entitlement program should employ a simple safeguard to protect athletic eligibility and job security. A two-beer minimum definitely cancels out driving as an option.

Getting a DUI and losing a license could be the least of your problems. And all you real guys who place such a high priority on your buddies, take the responsibility of taking care of your boneheaded friends. DUI patrols have been advertised as being ramped up this weekend. Get snared in the checkpoint one-way funnel and you’re a moron. Go, Germany!