Your sports mom’s a proton, always positive in an electric atmosphere

Your mom’s a proton - Let’s split the atom of sports and only write about the positive aspects of the 2024 sports culture. An incredibly high percentage of young people elect to be on a team, which involves commitment and working toward a common goal with other athletes who will become lifelong friends. The athlete learns to push and challenge themselves body and soul to heights never before attainable. Young people learn to win and lose with dignity and class. Athletes learn the philosophy of dualism, that the mind and body are separate yet interconnected. They learn that hard work can compensate for less talent, and those with the most talent don’t always work the hardest. They learn there is no downside to unified sports. They learn that college opens the door to opportunity. They  learn that people use sports and fitness to fight back against physical and mental problems, and that many compassionate caregivers are fellow athletes and coaches they bump up against everyday. They learn teammates listen to leaders, which has little to do with being a designated captain. Nik Fair, Sussex Central football coach: “One thing I appreciated about the past year(s) is the return of multi-sport athletes. In an era of early specialization and year-round focus on one sport, the number of multi-sport athletes is on the rise, at least from what I’ve seen in central Sussex.”

Two clocks - Cape wrestling crowned champions Austin Guerrieri, 121 pounds, and Patrick Donahue, 215, at last weekend's Governor Mifflin tournament. Patrick received two clocks, one for Outstanding Wrestler and the other for shortest time cumulative pins. Nick Walker placed third after he was disqualified in a semifinal match when controlling his guy with an arm bar and half nelson – the kid tried to concuss himself into the new year. Nick was allowed to continue, as there was no malicious intent, and he battled back for third place. Sixth-place finishes were Blake Walker at 114, Cale Baker at 127 and Colin Poulis at 144. Tripp Gannon placed seventh at 133, and Jacob Goodsell was eighth at 171.

A day late and a dollar short - I watched the Beyonce halftime show and saw BYU football bulldoze Colorado, and I didn’t know what to think, so I waited a day. A day later, thousands weighed in with opinions all over the place, but most were polar opposite positions. My high school teammate Johnny Kerr could spin a basketball on his finger all day long, the Spalding sphere looking like a cowhide planet. Sports and halftime shows are all about spin and weighing in. I read once that multiple head piercings were a sign of low self-esteem; not sure if that is a hard and fast rule, but if one of my sons walked into the kitchen looking like Post Malone, I'd be on his head with mineral spirits and pliers. Speaking of spinning, I am seeing Deion and Stephen A spinoffs saturating the sea of sports culture, but pretty sure they are unique. The pretenders are like Rolex knockoffs being sold on the sidewalks of Times Square.  Tom Brady was asked if he thought today’s college football player could relate to Bill Belichick. Brady smiled and said, “No!”

Oxidation - The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association will hold its 120th dinner Jan. 16 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cherry Hill, N.J. Award recipients include Charlie Manuel, Most Courageous; Bob Kelly of the Flyers, 50 years since his Stanley Cup-clinching goal; Michael Barkann, Bill Campbell Award; and Saint Joseph’s field hockey, Team of the Year. I was at that banquet in 1964 and received the Outstanding Athlete Award for basketball in the Philadelphia Catholic League. I still have a plaque but the letters have oxidized, making it unreadable, so grandkids just have to take my word for it. Davey said, “Yeah, sure, buddy.”

Snippets - With timeouts added to change of field for quarters and a halftime break, then add in another 45 minutes for TV timeouts and clock stoppages for incomplete passes, runners going out of bounds and booth reviews, and at least an hour of an NFL telecast of a single game involves waiting for something to happen. The Eagles will host Washington or Green Bay in the first round of the playoffs. Coastal Sussex County has five pockets of NFL fans: Eagles, Commanders, Ravens, Steelers and Cowboys. Playoff is two weeks away, so let the chirping begin. Go on now, git!