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jenkinscountytimes.com
The Jenkins County Times
Wednesday, May 8, 2024- Page 9
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Under the
Bleachers
from a nice warm afternoon to the realization that hot
days are upon us! With the hot weather upon us, just a friendly reminder to hide
under the bleachers on those hot days ana enjoy the shade while watching sports!
This past Saturday was supposed to be Closing Ceremonies for the Jenkins
County Recreation Department. Opening Day which was scheduled back in March
was rained out. The decision was made to host a closing ceremony to conclude the
season. The rain came again, and fans and players alike were left with a rain delay.
The weather did not play into the Recreation season very much except for the
opening and closing ceremonies. Maybe this was just the way to bookend a great
season. From the sports editor, thank you to the parents, families, friends, players,
and coaches who made this year’s season possible. Thank you to the Jenkins
County Recreation Department staff who made it possible for boys and girls to
explore their interest in baseball and softball. Who knows, one of the little sluggers
on the field may be the player that leads our War Eagles or Lady War Eagles to a
championship in the future.
Now, the Jenkins County Recreation Department will begin to transition from
the recreation department playing each other to all-stars that will be played around
the district. Teams will be selected if they have not already, and they will begin
working their way towards the end goal of the state tournament.
Speaking of baseball, the Atlanta Braves have hit a slump, and some fans are
acting like it is the end of the season. Thankfully, baseball is 162 games long;
therefore, there are still a lot of games to get back on track. Over the weekend, the
Braves entered the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with the best record in
baseball. The Braves were swept by the Dodgers and suddenly they have the third-
best record in the National League. The bats are dead for the Braves right now, or
so it appears.
Speaking of dead and baseball, there are a lot of questions wondering if the balls
have been deadened this season. So far, according to some statistics, there is a 4%
reduction in runs scored. There are no concrete answers if MLB has truly altered
the balls that are played with, but for some reason, the home runs are not coming
as often, especially for the Braves. Superstar hitter Matt Olson has had some of the
hardest-hit Dalis of the season, yet the balls continually die in the outfield. Maybe
there is something to the dead balls, maybe it is just a slump.
Caitlin Clark, the women’s basketball player who has been discussed all over the
sports world for the last few years continues making waves. She began her WNBA
career this past week during preseason play. She scored 21 points in her debut for
the Indiana Fever. The next season will De interesting to see her, and the other top
WNBA draft picks perform on the court. I would predict that the sports world wilt
see a resurgence in interest in the WNBA, or maybe a large amount of interest for
the first time.
Mv thought for the week is very simple, it was given in a message to a group of
youfh this week. The question was asked, “Does God care if I play sports?” For the
non-sports players, “Does God care if I watch sports?” The answer is very simple,
“Of course, God does.” God cares about everything we do, and how we show forth
His glory when we are in those places. We are to be the light of the world watching
sports, playing sports, or just simply walking down the road. In short, be the light
of the world and show forth the fruit of being a believer.
150th Kentucky Derby
The first Saturday of May is designated as one of the year's biggest sporting
events. The Kentucky Derby, also known as the fastest two minutes in sports, just
completed its 150th race this past Saturday. This year more than 120,000 people
were in attendance and this was the most-watched Derby since 1989. Those tuning
in and those at the track had the opportunity to watch one of the most exciting
Kentucky Derby in history. The winner of this year’s Derby was Mystix Dan..
Three horses finished in what will be known as one of the tightest finishes in
Derby history. Mystix Dan, Sierra Leone, and Forever Young all finished within
a nose of each other. The race required a photo review to declare a winner, as no
winner was known for the first 3-4 minutes. At 20-1 odds, Mystix Dan was far from
the favorite. The favorite, Fierceness who had 3-iodds to win, finished in 15th
place.
This year was the first time in 28 years that a nose won the Kentucky Derby and
just the 10th time in the history of the Derby. Another interesting fact of this year’s
Derby was the jockey, Brian Hernandez, won the prestigious Oaks race on the
Friday before the Derby. This was the first time a jockey had won both the Oaks
and the Derby in the same year.
Mystix Dan finished with a time of 2:03.34. Secretariat, the greatest horse in
derby history finished the race with a time of 1:59.40. Will Secretariat’s record
ever be broken? Maybe someday another horse with the greatness of Secretariat
will come along, but for now, we will have to wait until the first Saturday of May to
come around again.
This year, across all betting sites, a total of 446.6 million dollars was spent.
Those attending the Kentucky Derby paid $135 to be in the infield, long known as
the place for a party. In the infield there are no seats, it is standing room! Reserved
tickets throughout Churchill Downs were recently sold on Ticketmaster, ranging
from $750-$4000. It is estimated that the Derby will bring in 405 million dollars
for the host city, Louisville, KY.
The Preakness is next up in the horse racing world, the “second jewel” in the
triple crown. The triple crown is the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness (May 18),
and the Belmont Stakes (June 8). As of writing, an announcement was made that
Mystic Dan, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, may not be available to run in the
Preakness. An announcement will be made soon. Horse racing fans hope all three
horses in the close finish will run in the next two Triple Crown races. The last horse
to win the Triple Crown was Justify in 2018.
This year’s Derby was one of the closest finishes in Kentucky Derby history. The
horse closest to the rail was Mystix Dan who finished as this year’s winner. Second
place was Sierra Leone and the third-place finish was Forever Young. Photo by
CBS Sports.
Season Ends for
the War Eagles
The Jenkins County War Eagles baseball season ended in Wilcox County this past
week. The War Eagles had two hard-fought battles but came up short to the number
two-ranked team in baseball. The War Eagles fought hard against the Patriots and
kept the games close throughout.
The War Eagles, in game one, held the Patriots scoreless through four innings
while Wilcox was also scoreless during this time. With a 0-0 tie, in the bottom of
the 4th, Wilcox County got on the board scoring 2 runs. They would add two more
runs in the 6th and the War Eagles were unable to get any runs on the board. The
Patriots were held to four hits while the War Eagles only had two hits. James Allen
E itched 3.2 innings allowing 4 hits and two runs, JC Dailey had 2 runs scored on
im while pitching two innings and giving up no hits. Tyler Williams and Jake
Bazemore got on base with one hit each.
The second game was not as close but remained scoreless in the first two innings.
Wilcox would score six in the third inning and one in the fourth and seventh
innings. The War Eagles were able to get four hits but were not able to get a run
and the final score was 8-0 in favor of the Patriots. James Allen led the team with
two hits, Ian Proctor, and Tyler Williams each added a hit. Candler Berry, Grey
Amerson, and JC Dailey were on the mound for the War Eagles.
The War Eagles finished the season with a final record of 11-14. As been discussed
several times in the paper, this is the War Eagle team that began the season 0-11
and it appeared their season would end and the War Eagles would miss the playoffs.
Yet, a turnaround as the War Eagles had nine games left, propelled them to the
playoffs. The nine-game winning streak left them as regional runner-up and home-
field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The War Eagles played a top-10-
ranked opponent in round one and won in a three-game series.
To say the War Eagles had a great season would be an understatement, as a
rebuilding year turned into a great season. I am not sure that many expected
the War Eagles to finish where they did, but the strong finish left this team
something to be proud of. Maybe this year’s team could be renamed “The
Underdogs,” but whatever you would call them the town is proud of all our War
Eagle Athletics.
Assistant Coach Rusty Kea meets
with pitcher Reid Weathersby and
catcher Gray Amerson. The War
Eagles season ended on Monday
in Wilcox County as they dropped
two by final scores of 4-o ; 8-0.
Photo by Danielle M Davis.
From lett to
Ian Proctor,
each other read for the starl
an inning at a recent game.
War Eagles’ season may have
ended on Monday, but the season
was nothing to hang their heads
about. They advanced to the
Sweet 16 of the GHSA Playoffs
after a rough start to the season.
Photo by Danielle M. Davis.
This vear’s Kentucky Derby crowd was estimated to be well over 120,000 fans.
In addition to the number of fans at the derby, it is estimated to be the most-
watched derby since 1989. Photo by Kentucky Derby.
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