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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020
The future of Sports
Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is going to be different under new
ownership, and while I suppose that is to be expected,
I am not excited about what the magazine is likely to
become.
First of all, we will get less of it — publishing few
er issues, they say, with more in-depth pieces. I like the
sound of that, but whom are they kidding? Who out there
can write like Dan Jenkins, John Underwood, Tex Maule
and Jack Olsen? Those iconic and classic essayists?
My introduction to the magazine came about in the late
‘50s, when the Dean of Men at the University of Geor
gia, William Tate, an unforgettable
character, who was a devoted SI
subscriber, gave me a subscription
to the magazine. He kept all the
copies of the magazine for years
and later gave them to me. a trea
sure that was overwhelming. Most
them are in bound copies, resting
inconspicuously in book shelves
in my basement.
A sidebar to where this treatise
is going is that if the grand old
dean was here today and wanted
to give something of journalist
value to an enterprising student,
he would have to gift him a piece of technology which
in most cases would be as literarily redeeming as a re
capped tire.
From the early sixties to yesterday, I have been a de
voted advocate of SI, mainly because of the extraordi
nary writing and photography that led to sensational and
classic presentations. I was fond of the magazine’s elo
quent essays and avant-garde photography long before
the swimsuit issues came about.
If you read one of those outdoor essays by Jack Olsen,
for example, it made you want to go shopping at L. L
Bean, head off into the Adirondacks, accompanied by
nature and its uninhibited influence; immerse yourself in
field and stream and “gather ye rosebuds while you may.”
Time was never of the essence with those long narratives
which the magazine referred to as bonus pieces.
Two of the vaunted SI writers became close friends
and provided enlightenment that resonates today — John
Underwood and Dan Jenkins, a Conch from the Keys
and a caustic Texan. I have spent time in their homes and
they have spent time in mine.
I never took the lead in any conversation. To talk with
them about journalism would have been tantamount
to talking football with Bear Bryant or Bill Belichick.
I was. however, a steadfast and doting listener. The re
wards of conversational osmosis with these two journal
istic icons brings about joyful noises in my head today.
SI writers were well paid, well-traveled and well-
dressed. They were the beneficiaries of one of the best
retirements in the business. I learned that from David
Halberstam in his classic book, “The Powers that Be.”
SI founder Henry Luce was a remarkable man when it
came to vision and an appreciation for making the best
writers the best paid for all Time-Life publications.
There was more than enviable compensation, fringe
benefits and the best retirement system in the publica
tions industry. SI writers were allowed to write books.
Then the magazine promoted their staffer’s books with
unimpeachable urgency.
Underwood enhanced his income significantly with
biographies of sports legends such as Ted Williams and
Bear Bryant. Underwood also spoke to the conscience
of sports. His book. “Death of an American Game,” was
published in 1979 and some of his fears about football’s
issues are manifesting themselves today.
Jenkins became the premier sports novelist of our time.
He could make readers laugh uncontrollably with his wit
and humor. He never took himself seriously. Three of
his novels — “Semi-Tough”, “Dead, Solid, Perfect” and
“Baja, Oklahoma” — were turned into movies.
I will always be indebted to Underwood who took me
to dinner one night, with Ted Williams, following a Red
Sox spring training game. I didn’t need a bucket list after
that. When Jenkins hosted me for dinner at Club 21 in
New York, he advised, “order anything you like.” After
he ordered a hamburger, I followed suit.
Because of such friendships, my affection for Sports
Illustrated has endured for years, but not only is the mag
azine not what it used to be, it will be hard pressed to
equal the lineup of the magazine’s heyday when sports
fans couldn’t get enough of writers like Underwood and
Jenkins.
Loran Smith is a columnistfor Mainstreet Newspapers
and a University of Georgia sports radio announcer.
Year
continLied from IB
Photos by Scott Thompson
The Apalachee softball team celebrates a walk-off win against Harrison in Game 3
of the first round of the state playoffs on Oct. 9.
Apalachee head volleyball coach Joey Alfonso led his team to a second consecutive
area title and fifth in program history, all under his leadership.
GARREN RETIRES
After wrestling with the
decision following the end
of his team’s season, Wind
er-Barrow High School head
boys’ basketball coach Ron
Garren officially announced
his retirement Feb. 21, bring
ing to a close a 40-year career
in coaching.
Garren spent 32 seasons as
a head coach at four different
schools, amassing a record
of 401-397. He led his teams
to three region titles, 13 state
playoff appearances, five
Sweet Sixteens, three Elite
Eights and one Final Four. In
19 seasons at Winder-Barrow,
spread across two separate
stints, Garren was 243-217.
The Bulldoggs finished the
winter 8-18 and were eliminat
ed from state playoff conten
tion in the region tournament
by Apalachee for a second
consecutive year. The high
light of the year came on Jan.
22, when the Bulldoggs beat
Apalachee at home to give
Garren his 400th win.
Discovery assistant Travis
McDaniel was hired to replace
Garren.
AD CHANGES
AT BCA, WBHS
In February, Bethlehem
Christian Academy fired its
head varsity football coach
and athletic director Lance
Fendley, as school officials
announced they wanted to take
the programs in a different di
rection.
In April. Gus Felder, a long
time college assistant coach
and a former offensive line
man at Penn State, was hired
as the school’s new athletic di
rector and head football coach.
Felder had been director of
strength and conditioning at
Miami under Mark Richt for
the previous three seasons
prior to Richt’s retirement.
He was also Richt’s assistant
strength and conditioning di
rector at Georgia from 2014-
2015.
Felder also brought in sev
eral assistants with college
coaching experience. The
rebuilding Knights struggled
in Felder’s first season, going
1-10, but the coach said he
was encouraged by the team’s
progress throughout the sea
son. The highlight of the year
was a 65-0 rout of Augusta
Prep on Oct. 4.
Meanwhile, Winder-Barrow
also underwent its own change
at athletic director. At the end
of the 2018-19 school year,
Rob McFerrin announced he
was stepping down after six
years to take an assistant prin
cipal position at Jefferson.
In June, Hillgrove High
School assistant principal Jar
ed Noblet was hired to the po
sition. He had previously been
an athletic director for three
years at North Cobb and also
had football coaching experi
ence.
AHSSOFTBALL
ADVANCES TO
COLUMBUS
The Apalachee softball team
defeated Effingham County
7-2 in the third game of a best-
of-three series on Oct. 17 to
advance to the double-elimina
tion Elite Eight tournament in
Columbus for the second time
in program history and the first
time since 2007.
After Apalachee took Game
1 of the series 4-1 on Oct. 16,
the Rebels bounced back to
win 5-2 in game 2 to force a
third game Oct. 17. But Game
3 belonged to the Wildcats
and junior pitcher Emily Hod-
nett, who went the distance,
allowing just one earned ran
on three hits while striking out
nine batters without any walks.
Apalachee eventually
dropped a pair of one-run
contests in the Elite Eight, fin
ishing the year at 19-12-1 and
as Region 8-AAAAAA run
ners-up under first-year head
coach Allan Bailey.
Bailey, also the school’s
head baseball coach had been
tapped in the spring to take
over the softball program after
his predecessor. Jessica Sin
clair, took the head coaching
job at Parkview.
WBHS BASEBALL WINS
ANOTHER REGION
CROWN, MAKES ELITE
EIGHT
The Winder-Barrow base
ball team went 15-0 in GHSA
Region 8-AAAAAA play to
win its third straight region
championship.
The Bulldoggs ran then-
region record over three sea
sons to 41-4 and went 28-5
overall on the year before
losing to Effingham County
in two straight games in the
Elite Eight. Winder-Barrow
advanced to the quarterfinals
after sweeping River Ridge in
the second round, avenging a
two-game sweep at the hands
of the Knights the previous
year.
AHS VOLLEYBALL
WINS SECOND
STRAIGHT AREA TITLE
Hosting the GHSA Area
8-AAAAAA tournament on
Saturday, Oct. 12. top-seeded
Apalachee came back through
the losers’ bracket and rallied
past Gainesville in four sets
in the championship match
to win its second consecutive
area title after losing to the Red
Elephants earlier in the day.
It was the fifth area title
for the program, all under the
leadership of head coach Joey
Alfonso.
The Wildcats finished the
year at 44-7 after losing a
tough first-round match to
River Ridge in five sets. It
was the third straight year
Apalachee had a 2-0 lead in a
playoff match, only to lose the
final three sets.
WBHS RECLAIMS
BATTLE OF BARROW
TROPHY
Winder-Barrow senior
Harlin Brown’s three field
goals made the difference as
the Bulldoggs held off rival
Apalachee 24-19 in the 16th
Battle of Barrow at W. Clair
Harris Stadium on Oct. 4.
The Bulldoggs avenged a
7-6 loss to the Wildcats the
previous year and extended
their lead in the all-time se
ries to 9-7. They also used the
win to help catapult them to a
return to the state playoffs af
ter missing the postseason in
2018.
The Bulldoggs grabbed
control of a back-and-forth
contest in the second half but
had to sweat it out at the end.
AJ Forbing’s 34-yard touch
down pass to Hayden Goss
brought Apalachee to within
24-19 following Adrian Lo
pez’s extra point with 1:54 re
maining in the game, and the
Wildcats got even more life
when Tyson Wilson recovered
Brody Ham’s perfectly-exe
cuted onside kick at the Wind
er-Barrow 47.
But the Bulldogg defense
stiffened. After they stopped
Apalachee running back
Shaan Cook for a two-yard
loss, James Albury sacked
Forbing, and a pair of incom
plete passes turned the ball
back over to the Bulldoggs,
who were able to take one
knee to run out the clock.
Considering
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Barrow Gounty Leisure Services
SPRlNtf 2-02-0 REGISTRATION
December I'p'th -January 31st
barrowlei^ure^ervice^.or^
FASTPITGH softball
AGES 5 16 $85 $120
Age control date-. December 31 2-019
AGES 4 16
$55 $130
Age control date-. April 30 2-02-0
For more in-Po please contact
Athletic Supervisor Misty Gray 770-307-302-4
or mgay<2-barrowga.org
BARROW COUNTY
LEISURE SERVICES
GIRLS >
VOLLEYBALL
REGISTRATION
ONLINE AT
www.barrowleisureservices.org
DEC 15TH - JAN 31ST
Girls Ages 9-16
$80
For more info.,
please contact
Misty Gay at:
mgay@barrowga.org or
770-307-3024
Farrow County
Lelsurr
2020
TRACK & HELD
REGISTRATION
$105.00
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For more info contact Dan Magee at dmagee@barrowga.org