Newspaper Page Text
12
August 22, 1996
Justice prevails
By Danielle Robinson
AUGUSTA FOCUS News Intern
Strips of chicken breast smoth
ered inatangy tomato-based sauce
along with yellow rice and black
beans is entree numero cuarentey
nueve (that's number 49 en ingles)
at a Carribean and Cuban restau
rant just north of downtown At
lanta.
It’s also David Justice’s favorite
meal. He claims he eats it every
day.
Though that may be hard to
believe, the fact that the Atlanta
Braves’ right fielder will be ready
to swing back into action by Feb
ruary isnot. In fact,itis hisswing
that allowed him to dine at his
favorite eatery with one of his
buddies early one Thursday after
noon instead of preparing to step
up to the plate in Philadelphia.
Earlier this season, Justice not
only heard the crack of the bat
while attempting one of his power
hits, he also heard — and more
memorably felt —the ligaments
being pulled away from his right
shoulder bone.
This injury marked Justice’s
second injury to his right shoul
der, theend of his 1996 season and
the longest period of inactivity for
the 30 -year-old resident of Atlan
ta. However, Justice is confident
of his playing skills and says he
will be ready for spring trainingin
February.
“It won't affect my game, be
cause I can hit,” says Justice, who
was named the 1990 Rookie of the
Year. “There’s no wear and tear
on my body so it'll be just like
startingany other spring training
— and my shoulder will be 100
percent better.”
The major league all-star adds
that he is anxious to get back into
his red, white and blue uniform
embroidered with the number 23
on the back. S
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David Justice plans to rejoin the boys of summer in February at
spring fraining. Photo: Danielle Robinson
And he will wear it with a little
more respect.
“From now on, when I put on my
uniform I'm going to have a little
more respect for it,” says Justice,
who also commented that this
period of recouperation has forced
him to think ahead to the future.
“This is how it’s going to be when
I retire, where I'm just not play
ing. It's a weird feeling because
I've been playing since I was six,
soit’s all I know.”
Since joining the major league
in 1990, David Christopher Jus
tice has astounded teammates and
fans alike with his incredible bat
ting skills. Only three former
Braves outnumber his major
league career high of 154
homeruns. The 63", 220-pound
Aries has collected seven home
runs during postseason play: one
of them clinched the 1995 World
Series Championship — a fran
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Sports Focus
chise first since 1957.
A former criminal justice and
psychology major at Thomas
Moore College in Kentucky, Jus
tice says he never considered be
coming a professional athlete.
“The only reason why I played
baseball in college was to get out of
the running drills for basketball,”
he says. “I wasjust too lazy torun
the drills.”
In fact, Justice attributes much
of his success to his mother and to
God.
“{God] has a path he’s leading
me down ... I think we all have
thingsin ourlives which lead us to
the point where we are now,” says
Justice, reflecting on the reasons
he has gotten this far in life. “I
don’t think it’s me. God doesn’t
give you more than you can han
dle, he gives it to those who can
handle it — and I can handlg it,
whatever it is” =~
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Raised in Cincinnatti as an only
child in a single-parent home,
Justice credits his mother for be
ing his biggest inspiration.
“Inever had any idols. My moth
er always taught me to treat peo
ple right, work hard and go to
school,” says Justice, who skipped
the seventh and eighth grades
and graduated from high school
at age 16.
Hedevotesmuch ofhis spare time
talking to small groupsofkids at the
Boys'Club and schools abouthow to
overcomesociety’smessageofill fate
toward black youth.
‘T always tell them, Tfyou like me
and I'm your idol, let me tell you my
story and then tell me you can't
make it,” says Justice. Other mes
sages he enjoys giving to kids in
clude “Stay in school,” “Have self
pride,” and “How to make it as a
man,” as opposed to how to make it
as an athlete.
“Youdon’t have to be an athlete to
besuccessful,sol don’tpreach that.”
If the kids weren’t fans before
meeting Justice and hearing his
message, they are now. His South
ern accent and warm personality
(with two dimples to match) have
won the hearts of thousands. But
one statement and the ink of a
journalist’s pen almost sent the
entire gang running.
The day of game six of the World
Series against Cleveland was one
ofthe worst days Justice has ever
had as all eyes of condescention
were on him.
“All T said about the fans was
that they weren’t showing enthu
siasm like I'd seen them show in
the past—that doesn’t mean they
weren’t showing any!”
Justice says the statement was
true, but it came in the midst of
dealing with verbal bashes from
Cleveland Indians’ Oral Hershiser
and Omar Vizquel. Heblames the
media for trying to “bury” him.
“The headline should have been
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Omar Visquel’s comment: ‘The
Braves can’t win a World Series.
They've lost two already,” says a
disgruntled Justice. “Instead[the
media] chose to pit me against my
own fans.”
Laterthat evening, the opinion
ated ballplayer reached first base
in as many times as he stepped up
to the plate. ‘And a sixth inning
home runboosted him from World
Series sellout to World Series hero.
“When I started the game, I put
a smile on my face and thought of
all the good things the Lord has
done for me,” Justice says, smil
ing. “I knew something good was
going to come out of this.”
In recent months, the laid-back
member of Omega Psi Phi frater
nity has added golf to his list of
“Sports I Can Play ... Well!” which
already includes basketball, foot
ball, billiards, and bowling. How
ever, while trying to break 100, he
remains an avid movie-goer and
enjoys listening to R&B vocalist
Keith Sweat andrap artists EPMD
and Tupac.
Justice’s talent reaches far be
yond the walls of the baseball sta
dium. He has been spotted surf
ingthe airwavesby way of several
television talk shows and has a
special “skill” for dancing to the
throbbing beats of the Miami bass
sound. However, his club-hop
ping days are over.
- “It’s gotten kind of old,” says
Justice, who admits he may be
found at one particular club in
Atlanta. “I can’t get on the dance
floor, though, becauselcan’tstand
a thousand eyes looking at me,
and the fact that I can dance —
that’s even more eyes on me.”
Atthestartofnextseason,Justice
won’t need to dance orbein aclub to
capture the stare of hundreds of
thousands of eyes. Everyone will be
gazing at the new and improved
Dave Justice, waiting to behold his
next major-league milestone.
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Garrison to
=
Falcons?
Kordell should be
Steeler starter
By Timothy Cox
AUGUSTA FOCUS Sports Writer
With the release of Garrison
Hearst from the Arizona Cardi
nals this week, perhaps it’s time
for the Atlanta Falcons to give the
former Georgia star a chance to
perform at the Georgia Dome.
After rushing for over a 1,000
yards last year, the former
Lincolnton High Red Devil star
apparently didn’t fit well in the
Cardinals’ offensive scheme.
If he doesn’t go to the Falcons,
I'm sure the Pittsburgh Steelers
wouldn’t mind having a
breakaway, quick scat-back of
Garrison’s abilities.
Speaking of Steelers ...
KORDELL STEWART
SHOULD BE STARTER:
Steeler fans everywhere should
write letters requesting that
former Colorado U. star Kordell
Stewart get the starting @B nod.
Inhisrecentstartingdebutagainst
Green Bay, the youngster threw
well, ran well and used good judge
ment as playmaker. Importantly,
he threw a “Hail Mary” TD passin
that game, further proving that
he is a winner. Still, head coach
Bill Cowher selected three-year
player Jim Miller as his starting
QB. Even veteran Mike Tomzcak
felt he had a legitimate chance to
be the starter, but Cowher felt
otherwise.
With the ghost of “Jefferson
Street” Joe Gilliam still haunting
Three Rivers Stadium, maybe it’s
really time toright past wrongs and
start Kordell. Had Stewart selected
thestarterinlastyear’s Super Bowl,
there’s a chance the Steelers could
have upset the Cowboys. Hopefully,
Cowher will realize that Stewart is
abonafide QB, along with being the
Slashkinda playerhe’salready prov
en to be.
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