by Marshal Manlove
Publisher

Were you beginning to think that there would never be another article in here ever again? HA, fat chance of that.

Although I don’t always feel the need to write things just for the sake of it, I can’t be quiet forever, even if it seem that way since its been a couple months now.

Thanks to Dave Gertler, Bob Fleming and Val Whiting for pointing me to a website that archives historical versions of websites. I have been able to recover some information from there that was lost during the crash of 05. In a couple of months that site should catch up with the rest of the information that I lost. Hopefully over the summer I can reconstruct the remaining pieces.

I know what you’re thinking out there, "why didn’t you have back-ups for all of that, you fool?" Well, for a lot of it I did. You might remember that I changed the look of the site to something "more professional" in August of 03. Unfortunately, it had a completely different way of storing information and displaying it than I had here from the Mother PC. Even though there was information stored in a database that I was able to backup, most of that information needed reformation.
The real trouble was that the lousy hosting service, which was paid to backup all of that information, had a series of trouble. They lost the main site, the backup information, AND the databases all at the same time.
My only recourse was to file a Better Business Bureau complaint, which I did, but ultimately there is no financial recourse.

I didn’t really feel much like writing for a while after that since it definitely deflated my sails.

We last talked about a little contest where all the faithful readers of the site would look around and try to find the press releases that I have sent regarding the Diamond State Games. There have been three "sightings".
The News Journal did print a paragraph mentioning the opening of registration. Joe Backer from WILM had a couple of us on his community show to discuss the event and I just made an appearance on the Tim Qualls show, which reaches 2 million homes throughout NJ, DE, and PA.
That is it as far as I know, although I am certain that something was out there that has been missed in the "mainstream" media.

The DSG has taken a lot of my time and Ill talk more about that in a minute, but let me try to switch back to what you really come here to read, thoughts about local sports and athletes.

As far as I see there are very few standouts in high school sports this spring. The first one that comes to mind is Meredith Nelles, the senior pitcher on the Brandywine softball team. This week’s Sports Illustrated has a softball pitcher who had a week where she threw two consecutive no-hitters. She also has an ERA of about 1.00 with 188 strikeouts so far this year. Nelles, had a week where she threw two consecutive PERFECT games, has an ERA of about 0.08, has over 200 strikeouts this year, and has a total of six no-hitters. She is a face that sticks out in the crowd now.

Nelles season has unfortunately overshadowed the fine year of McKean’s Kim Lawrence who has thrown four no-hitters of her own this year. Kim is 13-2 with 176 strikeouts in 96 innings with a 0.29 ERA to date.

We don’t read or hear much about tennis, and yes that includes me, but be mindful that Tower Hill’s Leigh Finnegan is one of the best we haven’t read or seen too much about here in Delaware at the high school level.

That wraps up the tennis report.

Wow I really wish I had a heck of a lot more to say about high school sports. The truth is that with the TV show and the radio show on the shelf, I haven’t been to as many events as in the past.

On that note there will be no Golf report today.

But think about it, who has stood out for you so far, besides your own little wonder child that you see every day, that you can think of?
The other standout would have to be Glasgow’s Jernail Hayes, who set a new state record on the track this spring. But I can’t tell you that any boy has had a spring season for which it was worth jumping up and down.

I suppose you could mention that Charter’s Joe Trinsey is having a nice year on the volleyball court, and you would be right. But there are only 6 volleyball teams now and that is the real story, as far as that sport is concerned.

So lets instead talk a little about some sports philosophy.

I do read most of the posts on the message board and reply to some and add some opinions from time to time and I’ll wax philosophic about a subject that was mentioned a few times so far this season.
Recently in PA a softball coach was suspended from his position because his team won a game 55-0. This caught my eye because we have had a couple of games like that in DE this year.
One school of thought is that it is un-sportsmanlike to "run-up" a score to this extreme. On the surface it might be hard to argue with that, but I think an analysis of each game needs to be made before that conclusion can be reached.
In softball in Delaware, there is already in place a mercy rule that calls for a game to finish early if a team is behind by ten runs after the completion of five innings of offensive attempts by the trailing team.
Brandywine won a game this year against Glasgow 40-0 at home. Glasgow had their five at bats and Brandywine had four winning after the Dragons failed to come up with a 30-run rally in the fifth to keep the game moving along.
In that game Brandywine had one extra base hit of the 20 that they had in the game. Obviously that meant that the Dragons rebuilding pitching staff walked at least 20 Bulldogs in four innings and coupled that with about 9 errors. Just looking at the one extra base hit suggests that the Bulldogs did not do things to run up a score like take extra bases on the base paths after they got their hits.
In softball, running up a score after having a comfortable lead, which is subjective to begin with, would include taking extra bases, stealing bases, not allowing bench players to play, etc.
I believe, in a game like this, that as long as the bench players get a chance to play, then all is fair. The bench players then get a chance to show the coach what they can do and they should go out there and play hard and take advantage of their opportunity to do so.
There is a school of thought that says that the winning team should do things like make outs on purpose so as not to "offend" the other team, or so that everyone could get home to dinner. Just writing that makes me. What is offensive to the other team IS making outs on purpose because it is very condescending and arrogant.
When I was a kid and playing sandlot ball, or even as an adult playing sandlot ball, I can never remember anyone I ever played with suggesting that the other team should take it easy on us. And if the other team did do that, there was going to be trouble because that was really rubbing it in our faces.
One year I played modified softball for a team of scrubs that went 1-29 in Oxford, PA. Teams that played against us later in the year would do things like have players play different positions, maybe practice hitting lefty if they were righty, give another pitcher a chance to get in some innings, but NEVER would they then not give 100%. We were always very conscious of that because we had a very wild pitcher of our own who could hit a head much easier than a strike zone at any given time.
But it is the responsibility of the LOSING team to make the move to suggest that the game is out of reach and make the appropriate moves to concede, without quitting. It is the responsibility of the team LOSING to remove the starting players one by one to signify "yes, we know you have beaten us and while we recognize that you are superior today, we will not quit, but we will lay down our arms...today" Then, the winning team should make the move to remove starters, practice new plays, or whatever.
I can not figure out the mentality that suggests anything otherwise. My philosophy, and any real competitor’s philosophy, is to go out and play 100% at all times and we expect the other team to do so also.
I also wonder how fair it is to kids who are talented and work real hard to have to come out of games just because they are winning. What kind of lesson is that to learn? Take Elena DelleDonne, for example. We know she is the top rated freshman basketball player in the country. But why does she have to get penalized for scoring too many points and have to come out of a game just because she is doing what she is supposed to do – helping her team win a game? Why is it that it’s only ok for her, or for any such athlete, to play a full game only if its close? It’s that sickening mentality of "leveling the playing field" that makes us weak competitors in this country these days. As a fan of sports, if I am paying money to see a game, I want to see the best players on each team out there on the field. I want them to have chances to break records and do amazing things, because their window of opportunity to do these things in life is very, very small. I want to see Elena average 50 points a game and I don’t care if it’s against the Archmere’s of the world (sorry Archmere) or anyone else.
My only caveat is that if Archmere lays down its arms – puts the subs into the game signifying that they know they are beaten – then Elena makes way for the second string player of the day.

Clear enough?

Some of the same people who write that teams shouldn’t run up scores then use scores from teams that aren’t posting high scoring games as a measure of their ability. HUH???
In girl’s soccer we are seeing that now as St. Marks wins some close games 1-0, 2-0. Then Padua, for example, wins games against some of the same teams 5-0, 6-1, and doesn’t get accused of running up scores, but instead it’s suggested that they are really the number one team in the state. Baffling stuff to read and hear out there people, really it is.
Just one more thought about this subject. As a coach of a weak team, I want the opposing team to play as hard as they can all of the time. If they decide to put their bench players into a game, then that is on them. If they do that, then their bench players better play hard too, because my players are going to do whatever they can to come back and win. If the other teams tries to make outs on purpose I will use that to motivate my players even more. I will use those types of games as learning tools for my players. They will learn never to quit, they will learn to lose gracefully, they will learn what they will need to practice harder to make sure that they are not going to feel that type of loss again, and they will learn to keep their heads held high for doing all of the above.

Back to the website.
In about a week or so I will post the ballots for the Delaware Sports Athlete of the Year award. My dilemma this year is that I am not producing the TV show. In years past I would surprise the winner with the video camera in tow to use for material. I think that I might just post the video on the website this year instead.
In the past I’ve posted polls throughout the year for athletes in each sport that would help qualify them for the final balloting. There is no particular reason why I did not do so this year, other than laziness, but the same names that would have won anyway will still end up on this year’s final ballot.
This is the 8^th year for the DSAOY. Please don’t think that your nomination or your vote doesn’t matter either. I know how the people who have won this award in the past think about it. I know how the kids who were nominated followed the polling and how they hoped they would get the surprise visit. So if you know of someone who should get a nomination, send one in to the site.

That is a good segue to my next point. This site was never supposed to be for me to express my stupid opinions. It was designed as a place where everyone could contribute in someway or another. How many more times do I have to hear complaints about local sports coverage? Here was supposed to be a solution, but its rare that people will step up to the plate and do something about it themselves.
Here is a prime example too. I get at least one letter a week from a parent or a family member of an athlete regarding information about the athlete. It usually includes a suggestion that I do a story or make a mention of the accomplishments somewhere. Well, there is a section on the website called PROFILES where a parent, a friend, or even the athlete him/herself can use to post this type of information. Its FREE too. Take a look at it because the concept is particularly great because we get 25,000 readers every month. That’s FREE exposure for the athlete. It will just take some work on YOUR part to fill in the blanks and send me a picture. I will do the work to post it on the website, but don’t have the time to come do an in-depth interview with everyone who deserves the notice or attention.
Likewise with the Athlete of the Week. Send in nominations. It just takes a minute to do it. You see games too so after you see someone who had a great game or a great week, just send me a note to make a quick nomination. It is a very selfless thing to do. Don’t rely on anyone else to do what you can do right now – make a nomination.
Same thing for the All-Heart Awards. I still don’t see why there aren’t nominations for this pouring in here daily for this one. It is popular but there should be more. I am still waiting to get to a certain amount and then will make the next set of awards, but I want to reach that number first.

There have been a few people who have "gotten it" over the years at Delaware Sports. Anyone who has contributed with a column is an example. 
We are about to lose someone else who gets it on August 1 as McKean volleyball coach Trevor Hewitt leaves Delaware to take an assistant coaching position at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. 
Hewitt lead the girls team to a 27-13 record over the past two years reaching the state tournament in both years. He is also a coach in the Brandywine Volleyball Club program.
When I was looking to add a season statistical compilation for volleyball on the website, he not only submitted his stats, he did the compiling himself and chased everyone in the state down for theirs as well. He did so without asking anything in return and finding those type of people around is tough to do and I imagine that the stat section of the girls volleyball section won't exist next year.
Hewitt is already part of the recruiting process at Guilford and is bringing two players he has coached down with him. McKean's Brittani Leathern and Wilmington Friend's Kaci Loeffler have made commitments to head south for the fall.

I am looking for a few investors who are looking for a new project…or four…on which to work with me. The only one I’ll mention here is regarding this website. The others are, of course, sports related and aren’t really secrets but involve much more preparation, dedication, and work than I’ve ever suggested here before. My number is 302-731-1676 if you’d perhaps like to hear what I am proposing.

Back to the Diamond State Games now.
It is still early to say what type of participation we will get in some of our events this year. We know field hockey will be strong and very competitive. The Maine state champion is coming here to play as well as last years winners from the Lanco Premier club, Tower Hill, a team from New Hampshire, and other notables. We know that wrestling will likely double its total of competitors from last year.
Girl’s Volleyball will be fine also as team’s return from last year and we add a few new ones.
But it’s not like every event has taken off like gangbusters. We actually had to cancel track and field last year, which was very painful for me to do. It was particularly painful for me because I think Delaware Sports treated the track community pretty well over the past 9 years and then we couldn’t get enough Delawareans here to hold the event. We did two major things to increase our chances for success this year though. First, Kelly Parsley is the new event coordinator. He stepped up in response to our advertisement looking for a new coordinator and since he is actively involved on a day-to-day basis in the track community, he can only help our grass roots marketing efforts. The second change was to move the event from Baynard Stadium to Caravel Academy. The staff at Caravel is very accommodating, as are the staff as Baynard, but the facility fee is more affordable for us at Caravel.
Cross-Country is new for us also and the strong efforts of Michael Kennedy, the Smyrna Cross-Country coach, are sure to make the event at Providence Creek Charter School in Clayton a successful one even for a new event.
We have added Paul Bernardo, former high school softball coach, as our Men's Softball Coordinator. That was an event that did not run last year either because of a lack of participation. He is out there nearly every day handing out information so if it does not succeed this year it just doesn’t have a chance to in our event at all.
Sheila DiNardo from Ursuline Academy is running our 3x3 Basketball at Pike Creek’s District 1 courts. Who knows who might show up to play there as she gets out in her basketball community to coax people into playing?
Nearly 1500 high schools from NJ, MD, PA, and of course DE get information regarding the Diamond State Games but this event was primarily designed for the middle-aged athlete who doesn’t have as many opportunities to compete against competition from out of state as do the younger and older competitors. It was designed to give us middle-agers physical fitness goals to reach while out pounding the paving trying to shed a few pounds.
This is year four for the DSG and without doubt it is something that will keep me busy for years to come. It will only grow from here even without the support of local media. More athletes know about us, more businesses are starting to contact us without us going to them and as we run more of them we get better at running them. A winter version is now in the planning stages (investment opportunity that I suggested) along with some other similar events that I won’t jinx by mentioning now.
Now we are concert promoters by accident also. June 24^th at Blue Diamond Park from 630 to 930 is the place to be so that we can party and raise money for the Philip Cameron DeMesse Memorial Fund. Six local bands are donating their time to entertain us. A growing list of local celebrities is coming too and the entry fee buys access to the park and it’s midway as well. Cool stuff for sure.