For the first time in 30 years I’m chemical free.  Aside, that is, from whatever is injected into the food I’m eating.  Nine days ago I gave up coffee.  I did this last summer for six weeks.  I did it for a diet but I continued sipping “diet” soda pop.  For the last 9 days I’ve had no coffee, cigarettes, alcohol or soft drinks.  I’ve given up many of these things individually since I graduated high school.  I’ve given up some in combination.  At no time over three decades have I sacrificed all of them.  Until 9 days ago. 

I’m guessing there are a great many coffee drinkers thinking caffeine is an easy drug to break away from.  Let me tell you something, giving up beer is easy.  You just stop.  Giving up tobacco required me to spend a couple of days ten years ago battling lightheadedness, which in some ways was kind of cool.  Soda pop is also something you just stop buying.  Caffeine is another matter.  Holy, mackerel, there were headaches last week and moments about 2:00 P.M. when I wanted to put my head on my desk and sleep.  This wouldn’t be a problem but it happened when I was preparing for a 4 hour long show set to begin at 3:00 P.M.  A show I yawned through for several days.  Thank the Lord it isn’t TV.  I let loose with a yawn Monday afternoon on a couple of occasions when I had 2 guests in-studio but those were the last on-air yawns.  Then I came home and slept for 10 hours. 

Water consumption is also at an all time high.  I’m not one for buying bottled water when I can pour a glass from the tap, however.  At Super Giant I found a raspberry-lime seltzer called “Zazz” and watching a hockey game the other night I drank a quart of seltzer.  Sunday I mowed the redhead’s lawn and when I finished there was a big glass of iced seltzer on the picnic table, which I had downed in a couple of minutes.  She discovered it was sold in cans by the case at a greatly reduced price, on the bottom shelf in the beverage aisle, where apparently I hadn’t looked. 

This morning I got out of bed straight up at 7:30 and believed I had to offer a testimonial.  I feel wonderful and I’ve lost 4 pounds over the last week and one half.  And just think, only another 76 to go! 

None of this would’ve come about until the day the redhead had a long talk with me about getting back in shape.  She saw an old photograph of me standing along a railing with the field behind me at what used to be called Rich Stadium.  She thought I had a Tom Selleck look! 

My last caffeine came one week ago this past Monday.  My employer sponsored a sports banquet at the country club next door and I sipped two cups of delicious coffee during dinner.  We were at a table with some folks from work and when the keynote speaker launched into his remarks the redhead and a coworker’s girlfriend left the room, went outside and smoked.  When they came back to the table I pointed out I had pressed for a trade.  I take up clean living and the redhead would quit tobacco, which she washes down with liberal amounts of coffee.  What was her response?  She didn’t ask me to go on a hunger strike.

Remember our prime responsibility.  Take care of self, set an example and then go out and save the world.

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If ever there was a quote from my past to carry me through difficult times it comes from Eugene Mastin. “You have to play with pain”, he would tell us. It was August and later autumn of 1977 and it was the one year I played football for the man. He drove us until we ached. He drove us until we cursed him. He drove us until we did things for him we wouldn’t even do for our fathers. We worked so hard on the field that my gut would churn and three days into practice we couldn’t walk on sore muscles. So instead he made us run. We lost just one game that year, defeated 14-7 on a long pass late in a game against our arch rivals. On the bus trip home there was nothing but silence. It followed his words before we left for home. He was so very proud we scrapped for everything we could get before the clock ran out. As I got off the bus when we got back to our school he looked at the expression on my face and gave me a hug.

There were parents believing he drove us beyond civilized behavior. They worried he was overly profane on the practice field and they worried about his volcanic temper. It only made us tighten the circle around him. Heck, he never did anything to me my parents hadn’t done. It’s probably why I flourished working for John Butler for six years from the late 1980s until he left for better pastures. He was a veteran of psychological operations in Vietnam and a Colonel at the local Air Guard Base used to see me and ask after “The General”. It was an appropriate nickname.

I had some tough times then and my dad told me to tough it out. John did the same. It taught me the value of a human being is his/her effort and production and not the paycheck.

Dad, Coach Mastin and John Butler were men of a much distant era. They watched suspiciously as the culture eroded around them. The definitions of hero and success were changing before I even tied my first shoulder pads. The new breed, the parents whining about a coach making men of us, took over the country. A feminized culture is fine for women, I suppose, but judging by the mistakes made by government and Wall Street it hasn’t been good for the men still making most of the decisions.

It’s gut check time. Dad, Mr. Mastin and John got me through every crisis in my life but I’m really worried now. I’ve been talking with merchants and builders and they tell me they’ve never seen anything quite like they’re seeing now. They’re spooked and their customers are running scared.

It annoys me that I can’t even think about things like marriage or settling into a nice home because some idiot in some boardroom believed the new definition of his manhood was ripping off clients, neighbors and relatives. And his clients and neighbors weren’t any better and from what I can see must still believe in The Tooth Fairy. Lordy, over the past decade I’ve lost two jobs, rebuilt a shattered left leg, lived in five places in 3 states and financed retirement for 2 lawyers fighting an ex-wife in court. I was at the gym today and some woman told me I was an inspiration for everyone else there. The fat middle aged guy can really move on the treadmill and stair stepper. He also biked to Washington last summer, for those of you forgetting, because he long ago learned you have to play with pain. You play through it. It’s persistent and constant and it doesn’t ease with age.

On Tuesday the nation’s first androgynous President took office. Or at least he appears that way for many of you believing he’s in touch with his feelings. Those are the people that voted for Mr. Obama. Let me tell you I’ve an entirely different impression forming. I don’t agree with the man on most issues relating to government’s role in my life and I abhor his views about infanticide, however. There are some old grainy films of The President playing basketball as a teenager and we’re all familiar with so many elements of his life story. This guy is as tough as nails. Those of us on the right underestimated him until he grabbed the big prize. He knows you have to play with pain. Are you ready for what’s ahead?

The Beijing Olympics begin today.  Men & women from around the world will be competing in events from swimming to track and field.  While these well-trained athletes get ready to take their marks - in just another week or so - another group of well-trained athletes will literally be running for their lives - and ours.  They are taking part in a Team in Training half marathon in San Francisco - the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. 

What’s unique about these athletes - they are cancer survivors.   Now it’s time for the shameless plug.  Witih just a week left - Anita is still in need of some help to make her goal.  She’s about $1560 shy of her $7500 goal. 

Anita Lawson is a former resident of Rehoboth Beach and a former WGMD employee.  Please help in her Mission to wipe out blood cancer.  You can find out more about Anita and her run at - http://pages.teamintraining.org/sfl/nikesf08/alawson

UPDATED (with more audio)

If you’d like to to listen to the audio from The Sports Booster Awards, which includes Dan Gaffney, myself (Jared Morris), The President of WGMD (David Schoumacher) and interviews with the Winners (see below) you can listen to that audio here:

Sports Booster Broadcast (mp3 appox: 11 min)

Sports Booster Gaffney Introductory Remarks (mp3)

Pastor Gary Knapp’s Opening Prayer (mp3)

Sports Booster Gaffney Introduces some of the Athletes (mp3)

Keynote Speaker Larry Bauer (mp3)

Full Audio of Awards and Scholarships (mp3)

If you’d like to to listen to the audio from The Sports Booster Awards, which includes Dan Gaffney, myself (Jared Morris), The President of WGMD (David Schoumacher) and interviews with the Winners (see below) you can listen to that audio here:

Sports Booster Broadcast (mp3 appox: 11 min)

Also Special Video of the awards including Gary Knapp, The Keynote Speaker Larry Bauer and more is coming soon!

JMX

Baseball season begins tonight (that’s opposed to the two games earlier in the week between Boston & Oakland in Tokyo).  It’s going to be an interesting year - with a lot of firsts, milestones and finals.  

President Bush will throw out the first pitch tonight at the Washington National’s new home National Park (they’re playing the Atlanta Braves).  The largest baseball crowd ever (they hope) 115,300 - gathered to celebrate the LA Dodgers 50th anniversary on the left coast with the last exhibition game of their season - played at their former home - the LA Coliseum.  The folks at the Guinness World Record will determine on Monday if it’s an international world record.  

It’s been 100 years since Jack Norworth composed a song that would become known as “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” which is now a game staple during the 7th inning stretch.  And it’s been 100 years since the Chicago Cubs last won a World Series! 

Monday’s Opening Day will be the last ones for two stadiums in the same city - Yankee Stadium & Shea Stadium in New York.  This year’s All-Star game will be the 4th and last played at Yankee Stadium (2008, 1977, 1960, 1939).  

Throughout the season new milestones will be reached in batting, pitching and scoring.  New managers will get their first wins and old managers will call it a career.  Players will get their first home runs, first put outs, first strike outs, more records will fall – and likely more players will get into trouble for one thing or another.  

2008 is a fresh start for a game that’s been overshadowed by the steroid scandal and other headline-making news that has put too many black marks on what is supposed to be “America’s pastime.”  But if you’re a fan – you’ll stick it out through thick and thin – just like I root on my Mets in good years and in bad.  I just hope that September 28th takes its sweet time getting here! 

PLAY BALL!

Sussex Central Vs. Middletown (or is that Little-town) tonight!

GO CENTRAL!

A Dan Gaffney Show audio pep ralley.  Listen here (3.5 minutes).

Thanks Mari Lou

You’ll never call me an Orioles fan – I’ll be a NY Mets fan till the day I die, but living here on Delmarva it’s hard to avoid everything orange and black during the spring, summer and fall.  But I will admit to watching a few O’s games in my day – especially when it came to some of the bigger games – like championship games and Cal’s streak, but now, the era of Orioles’ Magic is truly over.
 
While Orioles’ Magic generally refers to the team’s glory years in the 1970s and 1980s, the man who was as well known to O’s fans as Cal Ripken and Jim Palmer has given fans their last spelling lesson.  William “Wild Bill” Hagy has died at the age of 68. 
 
Hagy ruled Section 34 at the old Memorial Stadium – and with his long beard, beer belly and wearing his straw cowboy hat - led cheers spelling the Orioles team name – using his body to create the letters. 
 
In a statement on the Orioles website –

“The Orioles organization is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of “Wild Bill” Hagy. While leading cheers from “The Roar from 34″ at Memorial Stadium, Wild Bill became a Baltimore institution. He was one of the great characters of the Baltimore sports landscape and was a true die-hard Orioles fan, supporting the club year in and year out. He will be missed by everyone who knew him and by everyone for whom he led the “O-R-I-O-L-E-S” cheer. All of us in the Orioles organization extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.”

 Hagy was a cab driver until his retirement a few years ago.  He was found dead Monday morning at his home in Arbutus by his roommate – and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
 
Hagy did make the transition to Camden Yard, but didn’t lead cheers any longer as he said he was not happy with the ‘new breed’ of O’s fans who talked on their cell phones through games.  However during the playoffs – he did bring his cheering back in the mid-1990s when the O’s were contenders for a few years. 
 
Like Max Patkin, the clown prince of baseball, Hagy was one of a kind and though he’s not been around Camden Yard much, preferring to watch the games on TV, he will be missed.
 
 
 Tribute to “Wild Bill’ Hagy

 

The Cape Henlopen football team’s quest to become Henlopen Conference Champions this season is now more difficult.  Last year the Cape Vikings football team posted a 2-3 record on the road, but they have to vastly improve to become successful this season.

The Cape Vikings will not play one home game at Legends Field in Lewes until at least October 26^th .  

The stadium’s sod is being ripped up and replaced with turf. The construction quickly began after Cape’s high school graduation was held on that field in June.

And Athletic Director George Glenn believes there was a need for the turf. Glenn says that playing on turf allows games to be played on the field regardless of the weather. And the turf will be used a lot as 80 games are expected to be played on that new surface.

Since that construction is still ongoing that is why the Indian River game, and Caesar Rodney game originally for Legends Fields will now be switched from home games to away games. That will give Cape two extra home games next season. And when the Cape Vikings battle the Milford Buccaneers September 21^st the home game will be played at Wesley College in Dover. On that neutral field the Vikings will be considered the home team.

Glenn says all of the scheduling changes has been easy even though building on one site is not logistically convenient. Glenn concludes that everybody on this year’s schedule has been willing to help and everyone is acting like one big happy family.
 
When the Cape Vikings step onto the playing field against those teams things will not be easy. And when the Vikings regain the home field advantage on Home Coming night in Lewes the 2006 Henlopen Northern Division Champion Sussex Central Golden Knights will be waiting.
 
 

Are the Skateboard restrictions in Rehoboth Beach too stringent? Another season starts.. another series of violations occurs.. (see photo :below: courtesy of the henney report, http://www.henney.com/)

So basically the city ordinance states “No skateboards anywhere in, around, or near the city or Rehoboth are to be ridden, viewed, stared at, or smelt.” So, the fine isn’t wallet busting..

[Any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined for the first offense not less than $15 nor more than $25, and for a second or subsequent offense shall be fined not less than $25 and shall pay the costs of prosecution. [Amended 4-21-2003 by Ord. No. 0503-3]

But are they really that bad? Is it the danger? The Sound? The element? Do they scuff up the fancy Rehoboth sandscaping?

I think that it does make the city a little less family friendly.. but, I understand wanted to keep the city safe and sound… or safe from sound??

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to ride or operate any skateboard on and/or over any sidewalk adjoining any street, any street in the City of Rehoboth Beach from May 15 until September 15 of any year.

B. It shall be unlawful for any person to ride or operate any skateboard or scooter on and/or over the bandstand or any public structures throughout the entire year. The term “public structures” shall, in addition to its ordinary meaning, include but not be limited to the city’s benches, plaques, memorials and steps.

C. It shall be unlawful for any person to ride or operate any skateboard on, under and/or over the Boardwalk or any of the Boardwalk pavilions throughout the entire year.

Is there no way skaters and regular folk can get along? I’ve seen plenty of worse things in Rehoboth than a dirty skater kid. Although, they’re a little too full of themselves for me. (that last statement has nothing to do with the fact that I’ve never been coordinated enough to shred the pavement.)