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PAGE 2B BARROW JOURNAL WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008 Recalling a miracle win, monumental upset I n my opinion there are two other great sports calls that I've heard in my lifetime. If you read my column last week you will remember that I talked about some of the great sportscasters I"ve listened to and some of their most memo rable calls. I started you out with two: the great call in the 1964 Olympics of Billy Mills winning the 10,000 meter race and Howard CoselFs descrip tion of Joe Frazier being knocked down by George Foreman in their title fight in 1973. Today, let's talk about two more but, before we do that, I wanted to talk about what makes a great sportscaster. There are several classifi cations among those we call sportscasters. First, there is the difference between the commentators for TV versus the radio. The TV sportscaster needs only to call the game and to define the action on the field. Radio sportscasters must be able to paint a mental picture to the listener of exactly what is happening on the field of play. Then you have the differ ence between the play-by-play man and the color analyst. One calls down and distance or balls and strikes and the other tells why it happened the way it did. And finally, you have the difference between the com pany man and the “homer” announcer. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll focus on the play- by-play guy or gal. The company announcer is, of course, an employee of the network they work for and their job is to simply call the game. You'll hear them talk as much about the spectacle of the event as they do the game itself. The “homer” is there to highlight the team they are calling. It’s like having a fan of the team in the broadcast booth. The great announcers are those who can separate this distinction but still make you feel as if you are there in the stands. Of course, in my mind, there has never been a bet ter “homer” announcer than Larry Munson. Remind me to tell you about the day I got to spend with him doing a Georgia game some time. And that brings me to my third selection of “greatest calls.” “Run, Lindsay! Run!” I've only been to two Georgia- Florida games in my life but I was there for this one. As was my tradi tion then, I had my radio ear bud in listen ing to every word coming out of Larry’s mouth. It looked like Georgia’s destiny was sealed and that there would be no National Championship because we found ourselves deep in our own territory late in the game and trailing the hated Gators. But then a miracle hap pened. I have a picture in my office at home of Munson surrounded by all of his great calls. All I have to do is look up from my computer and relive that day. Here’s how it went: “Florida in a stand up 5, they may or may not blitz... There’s the snap. They won't. Buck back 3rd down on the 8... In trouble, gotta block behind him, gonna throw on the run. Complete to the 25, to the 30. Lindsay Scott 35, 40. Lindsay Scott 45, 50, 45, 40. Run Lindsay! Run! 25, 20, 15, 10, 5! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! ” Pandemonium then sets in and the booth is wild with cheering. A few seconds later, Larry comes back on the air and apologizes for begging Lindsay to run and explains that he has broken his metal chair. As you know, Georgia did win that game and went on to defeat Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to win the National Championship. What you may not remember is that same day we got some huge help in winning that championship from an unlike ly source- Georgia Tech. Their legendary “homer” announcer, A1 Ciraldo (“toe meets leather”) called their big upset (it actually was a 3-3 tie) of that same Notre Dame team. I have heard Larry make a lot of great calls but that one will always be the best. “Do you believe in miracles?” The 1980 Winter Olympics were being held in Lake Placid, New York and on this cold Friday night in February, the US was going against the jug gernaut Soviet team. The Soviets had already beaten the Americans in an exhibition game, 10-3 just a few weeks before and it was said that they would have been able to hold their own against most of the teams in the NHL. The Soviets totally domi nated the first two periods but somehow the Americans were still in the game, trailing only 3-2. Then, miraculously, they took the lead but there was still ten minutes left in the game. An eternity. Jim Craig, the US goalie and later a draft pick of the then Atlanta Flames, made save after save. As the clock ticked down, A1 Michaels uttered the line that has become, perhaps, the most famous line in all of sports broadcasting history when he asked the American viewing audience, “Do you believe in miracles?” The Americans celebrated on the ice, in the stands, and in homes all across the coun try- mine included. My son, who was 7 at the time, was allowed to stay up and he and I ran out into our cul-de-sac shouting our glee at the top of our lungs. The American team still had to win a game the follow ing Sunday to claim the gold medal but when they did The Miracle On Ice was official. Sports can give us great memories. I hope these have rekindled some memories for you. If you have a favorite sports call, write us here at the paper and share it with us. Until next time, thanks for letting me share my opinions with you. Winder resident Randy Blalock is a contributing columnist for the Barrow Journal. E-mail comments about this column to rblal- ock@ mindspring, com. randy blalock Rivalry continued from IB Monroe Area girls coach Stephanie Hines knows all about the rivalry between the schools. Now in her 20th season as Lady Canes head coach, Hines said she looks for an up-tempo, physical game Friday. “I know that Winder-Barrow has improved since last year and they are off to a good start,” Hines said. “However, that really does not matter when these two teams get together.” Being a coach for as long as she has been, Hines said she always stresses to her team the importance of “one game at a time.” The Monroe Area girls were set to play Cedar Shoals Tuesday. Preparations for Winder-Barrow would take place Wednesday and Thursday. Hines also said the games between Winder-Barrow and Monroe Area are “great fund raisers” for both schools since large crowds always attend. WBHS girls coach Brenda Hill said any time a school plays a rival there will be a level of excitement. “It will be a challenging game,” Hill said. “I know Monroe is rebuilding this year but I also know Coach Hines will have them ready to play. We have to go out and play disciplined basketball.” In addition to playing a rival. Hill said her team is excited to be off to such a strong start after posting just nine total wins last season. Fans will actually be able to see a full slate of games Saturday as junior varsity action begins at 4 p.m. GOING FOR TWO The Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bulldoggs, shown in action earlier this sea son, are now 4-1 following an overtime victory against Loganville High School last week. Photos by Jessica Brown BY CHRIS BRIDGES The Winder-Barrow High School varsity boys basket ball team improved to 4-1 by defeating Loganville 60-53 on the road. Jodd Maxey paced the Bulldoggs with 23 points and 11 rebounds. WBHS is now 1-1 in Region 8-AAAA cross over contests which will count in tiebreakers situations come tournament time. Also contributing to the WBHS win last week were Shun Thurmond, who finished with 15 points, and Henry Miller, who added 10. Alonzo Nelson added six points along with five boards in the win. The Bulldoggs were off this past weekend and were set to return to action Tuesday against Salem on the road. “We are trying to focus on the pace we want to play,” WBHS coach Eli Connell said. “We didn’t do a good job of that against Loganville. It is something we worked on in practice last week.” The Bulldoggs will host Monroe Area Friday (see related story on page IB). IMPRESSIVE WIN Alonzo Nelson (33) and the Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs defeated Loganville last week. WBHS teams sweep Loganville The WBHS Lady Bulldoggs also improved to 4-1 by defeating Loganville 55-47 in overtime last Tuesday. Mimi Hill scored 21 points to lead Brenda Hill’s squad while Brittany Witt and Malik Stevenson both added 10 points. Courtney Miller also played well in contributing six points. The Lady Bulldoggs out- scored LHS 9-2 in the four- minute overtime session. WIMO plans lineup of WBHS, AHS games WIMO Big Stick Radio (1300 AM) in Winder is planning a full slate of high school basketball games this season, station manager Scott Pinner said. The station has already begun broadcasting Winder-Barrow High School and Apalachee High School varsity basketball games and will continue doing so throughout the 2008-09 season. Upcoming games include: •Winder-Barrow vs. Monroe Area, Friday •Apalachee vs. Monroe Area, Tuesday •Winder-Barrow vs. Flowery Branch, Friday, Dec. 19 •Oconee County Christmas tournament, Dec. 27, 29, 30. Need Holiday Cash? Come See Santa’s Best Helper! 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