Connecting the dot matrix of sports histories

Yell it and spell - My cellphone rang at the end of the Houston Texans’ victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The screen flashed a single word – “Pink.” I answered knowing it was Pink Lloyd Mears. Lloyd is a basketball official, landscaper and member of the Delaware Track & Field Hall of Fame. “I know how you like to connect the dots. Did you know that Bobby Slowik, the offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, is the grandson of Bill and Anne Thomson?” “Bobby who? Spell that so I can track it down after we’re done talking.” Bill and Anne Thomson are in the Delaware Track & Field Hall of Fame. Their daughter Carol was an NCAA champion in the 100-meter hurdles in 1976 and held the world record in the 60-meter hurdles. Bill ran and coached at UD, and Carol hurdled for Newark High and later Delaware. Go to the Texans’ team page and read the coaching bio on Bobby Slowik. He's the guy the cameras kept showing during Houston scoring drives. He looks like he’s 17 years old. Lloyd Mears and his relay mates in the mile relay were inducted into the Delaware Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2008. From the website: “The 1972 University of Delaware mile relay team set the school record with a time of 3:14.2, finishing fourth in the Penn Relays IC4A race, a time that still stands as the school record and also converts to a 3:13.0 for the 4-by-400 meters.The team consisted of four local athletes who were non-scholarship athletes. Running leadoff was Lloyd Mears (Georgetown/Sussex Central) with a time of 48.9y (48.6m). Running second leg was Peter Sukalo (Christiana) whose split was 49.2y (48.9m). Third leg was turned in by John Flickinger (Christiana) with a split of 48.2y (47.9m) who handed off to Ed Mongan (Tower Hill), a track hall of fame inductee with a split of 47.9y (47.6m), bringing the team home in fourth place.” 

Eight years old - A person doesn’t go from 8 years old to 80 years young; that just doesn’t sound right. “How’s it going, big guy?” is code for “fat guy,” so be careful not to tread on thin ice. 

Burger King sociology - Have it both ways, all ways, most importantly, have it your way, when it comes to racial identities as it relates to sports. Years ago, a sophomore student in my classroom asked, “Fredman, did you notice I'm the only Black person in this class?” I answered, “No, am I supposed to notice?” The student put me in a box and sealed it with packing tape. He didn’t want to be denied who he was, yet he identified by color. The sports world is dotted with mixed-race messages, but it’s not my job to connect the dots. I don’t know about coaches Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame) and James Franklin (Penn State) or the hiring of DeSean Jackson at DSU and Michael Vick at Norfolk State. Race composition as it relates to sports is not nothing, we all know that, and there are cultural components underlying all sports individually and collectively, but this old, white walrus prefers to stay beached before diving into turbulent waters. Is a walrus a seal or sea lion? And here we go again. Yes, there are many hybrids in the sea, but it's hard to find a charging station. 

Bundlrewski - You watch NFL and college football and you will be red-dogged by insurance commercials, none of which tell you anything about coverage but all suggesting you “bundle” and throw all your required insurances under one provider, ditching any loyalties to agents you actually know on a first-name basis. What you won’t  see are suggestions about how residents of Palisades, Calif., can get recompense for losing the entire bundle of their net worth. 

Snippets - The Woodbridge Blue Raiders, wrestling in the Henlopen South, are currently 14-1. They are coached by Brandon Dooley, Taeshaun Jackson and Dom Trotta. Indian River (5-0) will wrestle at Woodbridge Wednesday, Jan. 22. The Indians are coached by Jeff Windish, Steve Wilkinson, Vinny Colombo, Philip Townsend, Rashad Stratton and Rusty Wallace. Sesame Street by the Sea is the equilateral triangle of pro football fandom, including Eagles, Ravens and Commanders. All three advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs and the best news is they don’t play each other. Go on now, git!