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♦ SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 2007
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Contributed
Ragin Jr., stands with his Hall of Fame plaque.
HALL
From page iB
After five years, he moved
to Northside and went to
work as secondary coach (his
primary job) and help out
some on offense for head
coach Conrad Nix, who he
points out: “Finally fulfilled
his dream this year.”
That would have been
around ’7B, he said - a year
in which the Eagles went
10-1.
From there, a year later,
he went to grad school at
Colorado State University.
Following graduation there,
he got “back into the school
system,” by becoming Fort
Collins High School’s (still in
Colorado) quarterbacks and
defensive secondary coach.
He moved over to the other
side and became the school's
offensive coordinator after
that, a position he kept until
retiring four years ago.
At some point during this
time - a relationship that’s
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Contributed
Malone sizes up his next ride.
COMPETES
From page iB
in Unadilla, Pinehurst
Tractor Supply,
Siendowners Trailers in
Perry, Dr. Michael Kinsley,
First Planters Bank in
Stella
performer
Tyler Stella, 5,
recently earned the
distinction of Tiny
Tiger of the Year
for ATA Karate in
Warner Robins.
Contributed
lasted 26 years - Triple
Crown Softball came into
play.
He began working for the
organization to “supplement
my income,” but what he
gained was much more than
that.
Working as an event direc
tor, he traveled the world. He
put on softball tournaments
from Colorado to Georgia
to California to Hawaii and
even in Europe to places
such as London.
It wasn’t long, he said,
before the organization ven
tured into other sports such
as hockey, basketball, base
ball and soccer.
That in turn led to him
putting on events in such
places as Chicago and New
York and for such ven
ues as Women’s National
Invitational Tournaments at
colleges “most people only
dream about getting a chance
to see,” he said, mentioning
Rice and Bowling Green as
just two.
And, if that wasn't
Perry, Progressive Real
Estate, The Bank of Perry,
Terry Todd - Outdoor
Adventure Magazine, Ace
Hardware in Perry, Watson
Funeral Home, Mr. and
Mrs, Bill Bennett of Perry,
Ace Hardware in Bonaire,
Smith Animal Hospital,
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enough, in addition to his
high school coaching duties,
for the past 17 years he’s
helped the University of
Colorado with its football
camp - working with quar
terbacks - and tries to also
help out at UCLA’s camp
each year.
For Ragin Jr., the act of
being named to the 2006
Triple Crown Colorado Hall
of Fame brought out at least
two feelings. One was he
was definitely honored. The
other was he isn’t resigned
to be finished. There’s still
much more left to do.
If his current pace is any
indication then, there are
literally no bounds for what
he might do from here or
where he might turn up.
(Note: You may even see his
name on the list of athletic
director candidates for the
soon-to-be-built Veterans
High School.)
In fact, playing golf with
his father might be the only
thing that, can slow him
down.
Lorna Cabasares, Betty
Hovattes, Grant Myers
Feed Store, Joella Wilder,
Jennifer Hueberger, Perry
Piano, McDonalds Horse
Supply in Bonaire, Mick
Peyton, Barry Siniard, Jena
Bevery, Tammy Duckworth
and family members.
SPORTS
Start new year with new line
Fishing experiences can range from
both the pleasure that comes from
catching a fish to the pain and
frustration that comes when “the big one”
gets away. For every successful fish story
you might hear at the boat ramp, there are
probably many more tales anglers left in
disbelief as the fish of their dreams breaks
their line - never to be seen again.
For those of you fishing for fun, the
heartbreak is usually temporary. For those
of us who fish for a living, that same heart
break can also break the bank. One missed
fish can be the difference between cashing
a paycheck and going broke. That’s why
professionals - myself included - make
every effort to minimize the chances of this
happening to us. First and foremost, we
start with our fishing line.
Your fishing line is the only connection
between you and the fish. Fishing line, as it
ages, comes into contact with many things
that all work to break it down and make
it weaker. The repeated stress and strain
of fighting big fish, rubbing on rocks and
timber, sunlight, water, even a fish’s teeth
can cause your line to become weak and
more likely to break the next time you’re
fighting that big fish.
Maybe your fishing gear spent the winter
confined to a lonely corner of the garage
or locked away in the rod locker of your
boat. If you are lucky, maybe you fish
all through the winter while others stay
hunkered down in front of the fire trying
to keep warm. Either way, your fishing
line has now been exposed to repeated
temperature changes - from the sub-freez
ing cold on winter’s frostiest days to the
sometimes 60- and 70-degree highs that
BROWN
From page iB
Raise your hand if you
are excited about the pros
pect of Bonds getting No.
755 and No. 756 during the
2007 season. Gee, not a lot
of Sure people out there.
Put aside any convic
tions about what Bonds
has injected into his biceps
or rubbed into his knees.
Several have had Bonds on
the ‘Most Hated’ list going
back to the Pittsburgh
Pirates days.
Why? Because the only
foreign substance Bonds
ever needed wasn’t for per
formance enhancement, but
personality enhancement.
Stop me if you’ve heard this
before, but Bonds just isn’t
likeab ....
Let’s move our attention
now over to Bob Knight,
who now has one more
coaching win than Smith.
Knight is never one to be
accused of cheating. There
has never been an investi
gation into his programs,
but plenty into his behav
ior.
When it comes to teach
ing basketball and making
sure college students do
what college students are
supposed to do, there’s no
greater example to follow
than Knight. By-the-book,
you bet. When it comes to
manners, though, Knight
tends to write his own
book.
Knight’s No. 1 image
problem is that he just
doesn’t like me or anyone
else who dares enter the
profession of sports media.
According to him, only the
media says this new record
of his is a big deal. He’ll
grant an interview, but has
no problem walking out on
it or downright ’ browbeat
ing the one asking the ques
tions.
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UNDERWATER TACTICS
By champion fisherman Ken Cook
can still be had during winter in some parts
of the country. Those extreme temperature
changes weaken your line. So before you
begin your new year on the water in search
of big bass or any other species of fish, take
advantage of any off-season tackle sales
that might be going on or cash in those gift
cards you got for the holidays and stock up
on fresh fishing line.
The best approach is a proactive approach.
For those of you who aren’t fishing every
day, the best thing to do is carefully exam
ine your line before each trip, look for cuts
and abrasions. Whenever your reels have
been sitting in the garage for a long time
or if they spend a lot of time in the sun,
take the time to respool them. If you use
colored line, check the colorfastness. If the
color has faded, chances are that it is time
to respool.
Today’s technology means has brought
us superior fluorocarbon line like Berkley
Vanish and superlines like Berkley Fireline,
tools that give anglers the strong, manage
able line they need to land big fish. But
even the best line can wear down after
prolonged use. Whether you fish for fun or
for a paycheck, it’s better to be safe than
sorry.
Ken Cook is the 1991 Bassmaster Classic
champion and a 14-time Classic qualifier.
A former fisheries biologist, Cook lives on
his ranch in Meers, Okla.
Knight isn’t at Indiana
anymore because some
folks there decided he was
just a basketball coach and
not bigger than the whole
university.
He felt the people at
Texas Tech would get excit
ed over the fact that indi
vidual names would not be
on their jerseys anymore.
Knight may never win a
national title with the Red
Raiders, but it will be hard
to come up with a bigger
moment for this program
unless somebody does take
them all the way.
But I will give the man
some due. He does have
more championships than
Smith (who was nothing
but a class act to everyone),
and he is the last U.S.A.
coach to win Olympic gold
just using amateur players.
You can decide if Knight is
deserving of such a record,
much like many are already
trying to delete Bonds’
name from the baseball
record books. The gambler
mentioned at the beginning
is of course the all-time
leader in hits, Pete Rose.
Even as next Tuesday’s
voting goes down, Rose
still won’t be a member
of the Hall of Fame, even
though there is plenty of
mention about his career in
Cooper stown.
He may be banned from
the game, but not one hit
was ever taken away from
his records. If you do take
some away, you realize that
leaves you with Ty Cobb,
whose actions weren’t
exactly role-model material
either.
Oh my goodness, must
have blinked at the wrong
time. The National Football
League season is already
over. Spmebody must have
been playing practical jokes
with the ESPN bottom-line
ticker. Those can’t be the
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1 (c) 2007 1
THE HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
playoff teams.
Where are the Denver
Broncos, the Cincinnati
Bengals? My obviously
boneheaded Super Bowl
pick for 2007 when the
2006 game ended was the
Carolina Panthers and the
Jacksonville Jaguars. The
New York Giants made it?
The Philadelphia Eagles
made it without Donavon
McNabb?
And please don’t tease
those people in the Big
Easy by saying the New
Orleans Saints went 10-
6. That’s the division the
Atlanta Falcons, Jim Mora
and Michael Vick were sup
posed to dominate. But I’m
sure Arthur Blank was cool
with that.
Seriously, about those who
are gunning for that Super
Bowl crown, does anybody
deserve to finally get to
the top more than Marty
Schottenheimer? Who has
been able to survive the
hot seat more? Before Tony
Dungy catches up with him,
who has coached more great
teams that never made it to
the Super Bowl?
This could be a similar
scene people in Kansas
City and Cleveland are all
too familiar with. But if
Schottenheimer is going to
win it this time with the San
Diego Chargers, he has the
sure Most Valuable Player
in LaDainian Tomlinson to
lead the way.
The biggest obstacle
in the American Football
Conference? Baltimore and
Steve McNair have the
other playoff bye, but it’s
those New England Patriots
who have all the postseason
savvy on their side.
The NFC? Let the Saints
go marching down to
Miami, then Reggie Bush
can dangle a Super Bowl
sideline pass or two in front
of old USC buddies and go,
“Psyche.”