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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2008
Braves provide many memories for fans
SEASON OF PERFECTION
Last week the Apalachee Gold 11-12-year-old team won the Barrow County Leisure
Services championship. The team capped a perfect season with an 11-0 record,
defeating teams from Madison County, Jackson County as well as opponents from
Barrow County. Apalachee Gold outscored its opponents 349-85. Coaches, from
left, include, assistant head coach Craig Bentley, coach Mike Janco, coach Jason
Fragapane, head coach Mike Baldwin and coach Raymond Fowler. Players include
Dakota Cunningham, Hunter Baldwin, Randy Fowler, Tyler Fragapane, Joey White,
Tyler Clark, Justine Skinner, Ryan Janco, Tyler Starnes, Dylan Jones, Nathan Bolen,
Jonathan Doman, Dylan Staples, Chandler Elliot, CJ McLocklin and Antonio Trimble.
Hunter Fragapane is the team’s water boy.
APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
New season brings new coach for AHS
T he Atlanta Braves
have provided us
with many exciting
moments over the past forty
years.
I grew up being a Braves
fan long before they moved
to Atlanta from Milwaukee.
I followed the Braves as
a kid because my favorite
player played for them.
His name was Eddie
Mathews and one of my most
prized possessions is an offi
cial Braves jersey with his
name and number (41) on it.
My second greatest Mathews
possession is a signed birth
day card that my wife went
to great lengths to obtain for
me when I turned 50.
I had the opportunity to
meet Eddie in person a cou
ple of times at baseball card
signings and also when he
was inducted into the Braves
Hall of Fame and I still
remember the thrill of shak
ing his hand as if it were
yesterday.
Cindy went with me to
one of them and I remember
her commenting on the fact
that he was somewhat pudgy
and smoked like a factory
chimney.
Truth is, Eddie was known
to drink a little, too, but none
of that mattered to me. He
had been my hero since
he played with the Atlanta
Crackers back in 1952.
You see, the Crackers were
a minor league farm team
of the Braves back then and
when my dad would take
me to see the Crackers play
I would always cheer extra
loudly for Eddie for some
reason.
No less a hitting expert
than Ty Cobb once said that
Eddie had the best swing of
any left-hander who had ever
played.
Eddie finished his career
with 512 home runs, long
before steroids, when home
runs meant something. He
died in 2001.
One more bit of trivia
about Eddie before I move
on. He appeared on the first
cover on Sports Illustrated
back in 1954.
We’ve seen a lot of great
players don the Braves uni
form over the years and there
are a lot of games that stand
out as exciting but I think
there are three events in the
history of the Atlanta Braves
that take precedence over all
others.
Perhaps, you have other
memories and would cite
other examples but these are
my top three.
Here are my three nomi
nees as the most exciting
games in Atlanta Braves his
tory:
October 14, 1992
It was the seventh game
of the National League
Championship Series against
the Pittsburgh Pirates. The
winner would play in the
World Series against the
Toronto Blue Jays.
The
Pirates
were on
a roll
having
won the
last two
games
to tie the
series
sending
it into
this deci
sive sev
enth game. Atlanta-Fulton
County Stadium was in a
state of shock as the Braves
took their final bats in the
bottom of the ninth because
the Pirates had built up a 2-0
lead over John Smoltz. But
then the miracles began hap
pening.
The Braves loaded the
bases against Doug Drabek
who had pitched brilliantly.
The Pirates reliever gave up
the first run on a sac fly by
Ron Gant.
Now, the score was 2-1.
Once again, the bases
became loaded but now there
were two outs. Bobby Cox
(yes, the same Bobby Cox
that manages them now) sent
up a pinch hitter with only
ten at-bats the entire season-
Francisco Cabrera.
After hitting a long fly that
barely curled foul at the last
minute, the crowd was on
edge. Cabrera then did what
no one thought he could. He
delivered a single to left eas
ily scoring David Justice.
But what will always be
remembered about this game
is the slow-footed Sid Bream
charging around third and
sliding safely under the throw
of Barry Bonds to score the
winning run.
I can still hear Skip Carey
(God rest his soul) screaming,
“BRAVES WIN! BRAVES
WIN! BRAVES WIN!’’
October 28, 1995
The Braves had not won
a World Series since 1957
when they still played in
Milwaukee.
They had come close in
1991 and 1992 but had fallen
short to the Twins and the
Blue Jays.
Now, they were playing
a power-hitting juggernaut
from Cleveland.
But surprisingly, the
Braves, on the strength of
their dynamic pitching trio of
Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine,
and John Smoltz had taken a
3-2 game lead heading into
game #6 of the series.
The Braves sent out Tom
Glavine who had already
won game #2 and he pitched
the game of his life.
There was no score until
the Braves half of the 6th
when David Justice came to
the plate.
Justice had been booed
earlier in the game for some
comments he had made
regarding the lackluster fan
support the Braves got com
pared to the Indians. He
quickly silenced all of those
boos with a long drive over
the fence for a home run
giving the Braves a 1-0 lead
they would not relinquish.
Mark Wohlers retired the
Indians in the 9th to seal
the victory giving the Atlanta
Braves their first and, to date,
only World Series triumph.
April 8,1974
Any true Braves fan knows
this date by heart. It was the
night Hank Aaron hit home
run #715 breaking the record
of the legendary Babe Ruth.
I was there. I know that
there are about 200,000 oth
ers who make this claim and
the stadium only sat about
50,000 but I have the Super 8
home movies to prove it.
The Braves played the
hated Dodgers that night and
they faced a good left-hand
ed pitcher by the name of A1
Downing.
He had walked Aaron in the
second inning on four straight
balls much to the displeasure
of the fans. Aaron eventu
ally came around to score
the Braves first run. That run
was historic itself because it
broke the National League
record of Willie Mays for
most career runs scored.
Aaron came up again in
the 4th with a runner on first.
The first pitch was another
ball. Downing was booed
again.
The next pitch, however,
was right down the middle
and Aaron wasted no time in
blasting it over the left field
fence.
Milo Hamilton said it best,
“There’s a new home run
champion of all time and it’s
Henry Aaron!”
You’ve seen the replay
with the two kids running
on the field many times but
what you haven’t seen is the
excited face of a 26 year-old
kid holding a camera real
izing he had just witnessed
baseball history.
Like I said, maybe you’ve
got some other memorable
games. Write in and tell me
your nominees. That’s what
makes sports great.
It gives everyone a chance
to have great memories.
Randy Blalock is a Barrow
County resident and a con
tributing columnist for the
Barrow Journal. E-mail com
ments about this column to
rblalock@ mindspring, com.
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
In any high school sport,
numbers are always a key first
step.
New Apalachee High
School wrestling coach Jim
Stoudenmire certainly has
numbers as he begins guiding
the Mat Wildcats. Stoudenmire
has approximately 30 wres
tlers in his program as the
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The magical season came to
an end for Shorter College last
Saturday but not before the
Hawks posted nine wins and a
trip to the NAIA playoffs.
Led by former Winder-
Barrow High School coach
Phil Jones, Shorter qualified
for the postseason in just its
fourth season of existence.
Jones started the program
from scratch at the Rome
school and has now guided
the Hawks to the playoffs in
just four seasons.
Shorter traveled to
Kentucky this past weekend
for a first-round matchup with
Cumberland. The Hawks fell
31-7 in the contest.
“Any time you put as much
into a game like this, it’s a
hurtful feeling to end with
these results,” said Jones.
2008-09 season begins.
“We have a large number
of young and first-time wres
tlers we will be looking to get
experience,” the coach said.
“Due to the football team’s
success, we have just recently
been able to fill out the upper
weight classes, but we are
looking for great things from
our team.”
“There is always lots at stake
in the playoffs and I’m tre
mendously proud of our team.
In life, like now, you have to
overcome adversity, and learn
to get back on your feet after
a tough loss.”
While some of the roster is
comprised of new competi
tors, Stoudenmire is not with
out experienced wrestlers.
“We have an incredible core
of experienced wrestlers whc
have taken on a strong leader
ship role,” the coach said. “We
hope to have steady improve
ment be a real threat when the
area and state meets begin.”
Winder-Barrow High School
graduates Robert Brown
and Jesse McGee are cur
rent members of the Shorter
College football team. Brown
is a defensive linemen while
McGee is a kicker/punter.
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blalock
Season ends for Shorter, Jones in round one
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