Photographing faces floating in the spaces of sports

Faces and voices - I like photographing faces and listening to beautiful voices, and the occasional sideways snap of a dog or even cat. After Cape’s hockey game Nov. 7, I walked across the field upon seeing veteran reporters Brad Myers and Andy Walter ready to do their professional jobs, figuring “Why not do the same?” Ball girl Rylie Cathcart, a Cape freshman and rising star of the JV team, caught my attention. Somehow to me she looked like a free-floating tree ornament in a tropical rainforest. “Hey, Rylie, just stay where you are so I can grab your photo. I just have to, and do you know why?” Silence settled over the celebration, as players all wanted to know. “I have no idea,” I said. “It’s just something I have to do.” I have taken several million photos over the last not too many years. I’m not at the level where I make the Gallo Christmas Calendar; my working model is “free and overpriced.” Speaking of field hockey ball girls, four of my granddaughters were Cape ball girls as freshmen, but Anna said, “I never rose to the level of state championship game-day ball girl, but I did some regular-season games.” I chatted up the Milford ball girl Tuesday night. She was locked in with a job to do and correctly saw me as a hazardous abutment, like a speed bump to the danger zone. “Hey, Milford ball girl, what's your name?” I asked, adding, “You are doing a great job.” She was freshman Scarlett Fitzgerald, just a super nice kid. She skipped away before I completed the interview, which was  basically, “Do you know who I know?” My grandson Will is also a Milford freshman. Good players let the game come to them. I'm good at letting the stories come to me. 

Gimme three refs - I showed up early to snap the JV football game between Dover and Cape Monday afternoon, which is more than I can say for the three officials who showed up a half-hour late. Many fans on both sides of the stadium wished they hadn't shown up at all. Cape lost 30-24  in a game they were winning 24-18 after a Mikey Thompson-to-Navin Duffy pass. Then with four minutes remaining and in possession of the football, a shanked punt gave Dover great field position. The word rude applies to some of the fans’ behavior, and, by the way, the officials answered the call. It was not on their schedules, and their reward was cackles from the jackals from jeering fans who had cleared their Monday afternoon calendar, which is easy when you ain’t got no job. Cape entered the game undefeated, while the always-mysterious Dover squad showed up with a jacked-up and talented team. Dover scored with about 1:10 remaining to knot the score at 24-24. The two-point conversion run failed. Cape drove deep, then quarterback Mikey Thompson, who had a great game, was intercepted at the 10-yard line with 14 seconds left in the game. The Senators ran the ball, then came back with an 80-yards-after-catch run on the final play, popping the balloon on Cape’s undefeated season. The players immediately lined up to shake hands, while the officials stole away to wherever they were before being so rudely awakened.    

Golden Made List - Public schools have been prevented by the courts from publishing lame cut lists with names of students who tried out for a team but were axed. “Don’t axe, don’t tell.” A made list may be posted, which is better. The same goes for sudden-death sports that are now decided by golden goals labeled sudden-victory moments. Wrestling provides the toughest emotional moment from pins to overtime matches decided by winning takedowns and escapes.

Snippets - Field hockey state championship games will be held Saturday, Nov. 11, at the University of Delaware. Cape plays Smyrna at 2 p.m. in the Division I final following  Delmar versus Newark Charter for the Division II championship at 12 p.m. The Sixers are now 6-1 and winners of six in a row after beating Boston 106-103, but more importantly, they are fun to watch with great chemistry. An amazing stat: The Celtics lead the Sixers in the all-time series 267-197, but most importantly, the Sixers beat them Wednesday and the Beard is gone like a PTC trolley car. Pick and roll, James, but don’t eat the roll. Go on now, git!