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P10 The Panther
February 20,1995
Sports
basketl>iill • football • track micl field - volleyball • soccer
Athlete Of The Month
(University Photo)
Tina Epps, CAU's Athlete of the Month , has been
described as a great asset to the team and shows the
Panthers ares number one.
CAU Point Guard Proves
To Be More Than
“Just Another Player”
Negro Baseball
League: One
Of America’s
Best Kept Secrets
By Kristie White
Editorials Editor
The Negro Baseball League is
one of the best hidden secrets of
sports history, which is a reminder
of the black experience in the
United States.
According to John B. Holway’s
Blackball Stars,” America had not
one, but four major leagues, two
white and two black.
For every Babe Ruth there was a
Josh Gibson or Mule Suttles. For
every Walter Johnson there was a
Smokey Joe Williams or Bullet
Joe Rogan.”
Although in American sports
history the impact of the Negro
Baseball League is so readily
omitted, its impact upon the entire
concept of baseball and sports was
indelible.
According to the book, “Black
baseball gave us shin guards (Bill
Monroe), the batting helmet
(Willie Wells), night games (J.L.
Wilinison) and the hit-and-run
bunt (Rube Foster).” It also gave
us pride and uplifted spirit as a
black people.
“Could Ruth,” Holway asks,
“have hit 60 home-runs if Paige
had been pitching in 1927,” a little
food for thought.
In terms of the league’s history,
Rube Foster (1887-1947) is
named its “father.”
“He organized the first time,
assuming black players a regular
pay check and urged blacks to
maintain a high level of play so
that when the white doors were
open at last, they would be ready,”
according to Blackball Stars.
It was not until 1945 that those
white doors were cracked as
Jackie Robinson was signed with
the Brooklyn Dodgers. It is impor
tant to note, though, that without
the pioneering dreams and actions
of Rube Foster and the athletic
excellence of Negro League Stars,
there may have been no open door
accessible to the (later) Mike
Schmidt, Reggie Jackson, Roger
Clemense, Luis Tiant, Darryl
Strawberry, David Justice and so
on.
Thus, while integration into
white leagues ended the Negro
League era, the greatness of the
League’s members remains-forev
er a bright spot in black and sports
history.
By Krystal Hunter
Sports Editor
Tina Epps, point guard for the Lady
Panther basketball team, has been named
athlete of the month by Clark Atlanta
University’s Athletic Department.
She is a sophomore transfer student
from Chicago. She started her basketball
career in Wendell High School and went
on to Logan College in Carterville, Ill.
before coming to CAU.
“During my freshman year, 1 sat on the
bench,” Epps said. She explained how she
had to develop her skills to accomplish
her goal of being on the starting line up in
her sophomore year.
One of the many people who helped her
development was her high school coach
who she refers to as “Coach Holmes.”
Epps said, “He and many others con
vinced me that I could do a lot with bas
ketball if I kept a strong mind.”
While in Illinois, Epps experienced a
rough transition from being the star of a
high school team to “just another player”
on the college team.
“I was used to starting every game for
three years in high school so when I got
to college, it was tough sitting on the
bench and once again having to prove
myself,” she said.
Epps said a friend told her about CAU
when she was at Logan. “She said CAU
was a good school that had a basketball
team with a new coach, so I decided to
give Clark Atlanta a try.”
That is one decision that Epps nor the
Lady Panthers have regretted.
Lady Panthers’ Coach, Angelyn Brown,
said Epps has contributed a lot to the
team.
“She is an exciting player to watch.
She is a true point guard because she is
constantly passing the ball so that her
teammates can have the opportunity to
score, and she is constantly doing what
she is told.”
As a computer science major, Epps has
a rigorous schedule and has to juggle her
time. When asked how she maintains the
the important balance between athletics
and academics, Epps said that time man
agement is important.
“The mandatory study halls help a lot.
Also, when going on long road trips, we
are required to study for the first hour on
the bus. It is very important that I main
tain good grades so that I can continue
playing sports”
CAU Batters Up
For A Grand
Slam Season!
By Krystal Hunter
Sports Editor
The Clark Atlanta University
Panthers baseball team has made new
strides in preparation for its 1995 sea
son.
Several veterans have returned to
the team including Alaric Evans,
Khari Dickson and Antwan Pinckney.
Also many new arrivals have joined
the team, including two Morehouse
College transfers, David Mercer and
Stacy Little.
Other changes for the baseball team,
involve upgrades in status from the
club level to the varsity conference
level.
When asked whether it will be a
hard transition from the club to the
varsity level, the main response was
that although there are more games on
the schedule, the competition will be
the same.
Veteran Khari Dickson said, “No
one cares about the fact that they are
on the varsity level until you start
proving yourself as a true contender
by winning games.”
Despite last year’s season, which
left the Panthers with only one win,
the team members feels they have an
edge over their competition.
According to Mercer, “The other
teams will underestimate us.” The
team believes there is more talent and
desire to win among the teammates.
Assistant Coach Leroy Smith,
agreed with his players. “The team
has the ability, talent, eagerness to
learn and a willingness to work hard.
They are diamonds in the rough who
didn’t come into the season with big
egos.”
Smith said Panthers will improve
from game to game and will definitely
be contenders in the conference.
One thing that the baseball team
requests of the student body is sup
port. The tentative home site for the
CAU Panthers is the newly renovated
Bill Evans Baseball Field in College
Park. Currently, the field is not ready
for playing so the actual locations for
the Panthers home games is still
uncertain.
The team will be playing at Albany,
Feb. 13, at Savannah, Ga. and in
Atlanta Feb. 15 and for the SI AC pre
season regionals on the 20th.