Small Town News

How can you not recognize a gold-medal winner?

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PEOPLE IN SPORTS

The Phillies were on ESPN Wednesday night versus the Giants with the broadcast being handled by announcers Karl Ravech, Aaron Boone and Chris Singletoa. There was some footage of Ryan Howard taking batting practice, and as the announcer talked about Howard's rehab from an ankle injury the only guy in the stands behind him and clearly in focus was the 50-year-old, gray-haired, single-earring-wearing Carl Lewis. Lewis, from Willingboro, N.J., won nine Olympic gold medals in his career.

Lewis won gold in the 100 and 200 meters and had a streak of 65 consecutive victories in the long jump spanning 10 years. Here's the funny part, the announcers didn't recognize him and neither did the engineers in the truck because they never came back and said, "There's Carl Lewis." Lewis may be more famous for the 1993 worst rendition of the national anthem this side of Roseanne. And to say Lewis threw out the first pitch like a girl would be an insult to * any woman who ever threw a ball overhand and had it land in the glove of the person they were looking at.

But how are you a sports announcer and don't recognize Carl Lewis?

Kai on the fly - Kai Maull, a former AAU national champion and Penn Relays champion in the long jump soaring over 25 feet and a 49-foot triple jump, declined a job at Cape Henlopen and moved on to Saint George's Tech where he will coach football with his cousin J.D. Maull and be the head coach of winter track.

Kai is a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in business. He was an assistant with the girls track team at Cape last spring. Kai was caught up in the reduction in force of paraprofessionals and when called back elected to lift off for a new challenge.

Legends of the fall - Father Joseph Beattie, former Salesianum cross country and track coach, died last Sunday, Aug. 15. He was 73. Coach Beattie won 13 state titles in a 15-year span and also won four Division 1 track titles.

I remember coaching a Cape team in a meet against Sallies and on the anchor of the 4-by-200 Hiram "Humpty" Carter dropped the baton.

He ran back and got it, then "humped down" the Sallies runner and we won the race. Coach Beattie looked at me and said, "He's well coached!"

That year, 1975, my first at Cape taking over from Tom

Hickman, other coaches of Delaware boys included Spencer Henry, Bob King, Rod Lambert, Ernie Anderson, Bill Crowther, Bob Behr, Bob Neylan, Bill Degnan and Jim Blades.

Here's the funny part - all 10 coaches mentioned are in the Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame, but not me in spite of a record of 85-13 over 10 years which included five state titles. I think that's funny like when I was inducted into my high school's football Hall of Fame and then they dropped the hall for lack of interest.

Snippets - An internet media relations press release from the University of Maryland women's soccer team says, "Junior Lydia Hastings made the transition from forward to midfield last season and had a solid sophomore season despite seeing her point total drop from 14 to five. "The Rehoboth Beach, Del., native gives the Terps a scoring threat on the left side of the field as well as a capable playmaker.

"Hastings' experience as a forward also gives head coach Brian Pensky a lot of flexibility with his lineup."

Hard-hitting Matt Millman will not be playing football this senior season because he only has one concussion left on his punch card and has decided to save it for lacrosse.

As I've written before, every player thinks he can hit but then there is that special player who unloads and explodes into opposite-color jerseys.

I always hoped those guys were color-blind. I played with two such guys at Temple, and once at Cape back in 19871 saw and heard Jeremy Pollard rack and wreck Teddy "Shortbed" Robinson in a one-on-one drill.

I told Teddy to get his transmission checked after practice and asked Jeremy where the heart of his hostility came from and to save those hits for Friday night. It also reminds me of the first contact practice back in 1986 when sophomore William Lewis at linebacker lifted and planted 1,000-yard rusher Eddie "No Pain" Gains.

Coach Rob Schroeder stopped practice and said, "Eddie Gaines, please shake hands with Mr. Lewis."

Eddie just smiled, reached out and said, "Hi. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lewis."

Eddie also had the great quote one practice after Schroeder chewed out the team.

We were walking off the field and Gaines said to me, "Schroeder don't scare me. I can read him like a book and I can't even read." Go on now, git!





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