Bits and Pieces 37 

 June 30, 2001

Ah yes, it’s time to relax a little bit and perhaps catch up on a few simple things on the web site during the next couple of weeks.

The inaugural Diamond State Games have come to a conclusion and they were a success. Over 1900 athletes in eight sports competed and that is a good number and I don’t care if anyone were to tell you otherwise.

Overall, the event lost some money, but that would be understandable even under normal circumstances. If, however, I were to discuss all of the problems that we had raising money, one would wonder how or why we even did it to begin with.

Lack of money wasn’t really the true hurdle to leap this year. No, indeed it was lack of character that we had to overcome. There was a group of people who made decisions that cost us dearly and they were decisions that were made in bad faith.

There was even a bold-faced attempt by someone to convince the DASA (Delaware Amateur Softball Association) to not align itself with the Diamond State Games. I still wonder why that was or really even who that was (someone was protecting the culprit.) We were doing straightforward and honest business with Barbara Thornton and DASA and our alliance was a win-win for both organizations. For someone to actually try to sabotage that effort would be basically evil, flat out wrong, and typically hypocritical. That would be like if I went to a home which had just been damaged by a fire or a flood or smoke or something, and told the homeowner not to do business with the guy who was going to come over and restore their clothing because they weren’t to be trusted. Or telling that same homeowner not to deal with the guy who was coming to clean their carpets for the same reason.

Oh well, we live and learn that daily I suppose. The bottom line was that the Diamond State Games was a success, and we will press on for year two…and three…and four, even with those forces against us.

We will be looking for a new extreme event to add and promote in year two. Our triathlon was fun, but cost me personally over 4000 dollars after everything was said and done, so that might not be a part of the action for year two. Volunteers aren’t cheap ya know.

Baseball, Softball, Track and Field, Disc Golf, Flag Football, Volleyball, and Wrestling are definitely in for 2002. We will attempt to run a Field Hockey section again, but won’t be able to gauge if that is possible until the fall. We hope to add Lacrosse, Fencing, a 5 or 10 K (into the Opening Ceremonies if we can find someone to coordinate them) an Extreme event, and will be talking about adding Boxing also. Should you be someone who wishes to try and run an event for 2002, e-mail me personally or call my office.

The highlight of the 2002 DSG for me was watching the Ursuline 4x800-relay reunion of past and present state champions. After dealing with a couple of injuries, the final lineup included Kristin McGough, Katie Dougherty, Katie Orga, and Julie Taylor. Taylor, a rising sophomore, stepped up a class to substitute for her older sisters Tricia and Colleen who needed to rest some minor injuries. Katie Orga was making her first appearance on a track since high school and also since having surgery to repair an ACL injury that she suffered while playing basketball for Washington College in Maryland.

Playing doubles volleyball were Wilmington College graduates and former captains of the volleyball team, Brenda Paloni and Jessica Phipps. Paloni was the recipient of many an assist from Phipps during the years that they competed, but the doubles game was a bit new to them. They finished in fourth place. But I will go watch Brenda Paloni finish in 87^th place at any time and in any place. So, that was also fun for me.

Our Flag Football tournaments were perhaps the most fiercely fought. There were two different levels of competition, a recreational class and a competitive class. The latter division was won by Delaware AC, headed by Mr. John Thomas. This team has not lost in over 60-plus games now. They were the favorite coming in, and mowed everyone down with machine-like precision over the final weekend of activity. One particular 65-yard touchdown that Thomas helped engineer, included a blind, behind-the-back pitch to a waiting teammate that had a group in the stands shaking their heads in awe for the balance of the game.

The Orange Crush coached by Tom Joyce, who won the World Series with Stanton-Newport a couple summers ago, won the Girl’s Fast-Pitch 18-and-under tournament. This was a stacked up team that include college players and former all-staters Jaleah Brown (Glasgow), Jackie Miller and Melissa Perez (Delcastle) and Kim Camponelli (William Penn). Also on the team were members of that World Series winning team Laura Colosi, Kim Joyce, and Angie Miller.

In the first championship game the Crush had to face Caravel Academy’s back-up pitcher Nicole Shallcross playing with the Maryland Mystics. Shallcross shutout the Crush 1-0 in eight-innings forcing a second game (because of the double elimination format.) Shallcross’ coach didn’t make a pitching change for game two however and the experience of the Crush coupled with a tiring Shallcross made for a different outcome. The Crush would advance to the ASA Regionals. But the game one effort was admirable for sure. Shallcross is a rising junior who still will need to wait for one more year before the Bucs number-one starter Jackie Homiak has graduated and moved on. Steve Baker has a completely competent number two arm who would clearly be number one on a bunch of other teams.

Highlights of the DSG will begin on this coming Wednesday’s show. We’ll air highlights in chronological order beginning with Track, Men’s and Women’s Grass Volleyball, Disc Golf, and the Men’s Class D State Softball Championship. We have over 100 hours of tape to go through, so there should be some good viewing coming your way.

There are a few special people that I need to thank here in writing. These people were invaluable in helping the Diamond State Games become a success.
First there were the event coordinators, Steve Lenderman, Barbara Thornton, Chip Narvel, Jerry Grasso, Tim Kady, Bob Smith, Art Madric, Howard Johnson, Vic Leonard, Neil Semmel, and John Debenedictis. Each of them ran a quality event and we would hope that they all return for year two.
There were a few special people who volunteered their time to bail me out at the last minute when a group of volunteers bailed out on me. Rob and Keri Campell, Marla Bowens, Michelle Whalen, Alexis and Donna Klair, Erika Boal, Katie Doochack, Shannon Michelinie, April Desai, Kim Hazzard, Alice McDermott, Gary Stewart, Greg Bittner, and Bill Squires.

Thanks also to the young women of the Wilmington College Volleyball team who came out to help; Jen Pruitt, Rachael Potter, Candice Bowman, Jackie Piciotti, and Aleesa DeglioBizzi.

If I have forgotten anyone, it’s only because my brain is still mush. I hope to have total recall after some R&R and fill in the missing spaces sometime soon.

Thanks also to Lex and James Grubb for building the medal stands that became a logistical nightmare and not used after all that effort.

Special thanks are also offered to sponsors of the event, WRDX, Parcels, Brooklyn Bagels, Gatorade, Asics, Howard Johnson Inn and Suites, Ford, Dr. Ray Feehery, and Lorenzo Murdaugh.

Like most high school sports fans, I had to wait for all of the all-state and all-conference lists to come out in the News Journal. Since I was abnormally busy, I just didn’t have time to track down the few sources that I had for that information. I am working on posting the lists this week.

Did any softball fans notice that the All-Henlopen Conference has just about everyone making the team. There are four shortstops on the first team. I’m not sure if the two divisions (North and South) were accidentally mixed, but if not, that’s a lot of shortstops.

By the way, check the Flight A lists. Under honorable mention, our own Dana Anderson, a junior, made the team. There is no sophomore named Kelley Anderson who plays for Brandywine.

How do Michelle Huynh-Ba and Kerry Falgowski from the St. Marks Soccer team only make second team All-Cathlolic Conference? Just throwing that out there.

One player I was happy to see make the All-Blue Hen Flight A first team and All-State Honorable Mention squad was McKean’s Ryan Geary. Some time ago, back in the Stanton-Newport Little League, I coached a team of 8-12 year olds. Geary was my very first draft pick when he was a mere 8 years old. He was the star of my team on a squad of 14. Ten of them were older than he was.

Another favorite person of mine made the Catholic Conference Girl’s Lacrosse team. Senior Katie McGillen helped lead the Spartans to a successful season on the LAX field and also was a member of the state championship swimming team again this year. Katie is a Delaware Sports TV show fan from back in the days when we used the famous animated dancing baby to close out our show. Our use of that feature pre-dated the Ally McBeal show’s debut of it, proving early on in Delaware Sports history that we are blazing trails. Katie was a bit shy when I first met her in person at the YMCA where she worked during the summer near our homes, but became a vocal leader with an award winning smile that will take her far in a future career.

Well, it’s time to do some more resting. It sure feels good to kick back and only work one full and one part time job for a while.

That reminds me once again to ask that if anyone is looking to become a part of the 2002 DSG, just give me a call. There are all sorts of things that we need help with. If you should happen to know anyone who would like to help, have him or her give us a call. We have an immediate need for a Development Officer (fundraiser), so please have them call first!

Until later…

Marshal Manlove