The Forsyth County news. (Cumming, Ga.) 19??-current, April 09, 1997, Image 14

The Forsyth County news., April 09, 1997, Page PAGE 2B, Image 14

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Newspaper Page TextPAGE 2B i FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Wednesday, April 9,1997 Upon Further Review... Great experience awaits fans at new Home of the Braves at Tamer Field Wow. If life is a carnival, Turner Field is life. Amid all the sideshows and attractions, it was hard to remem ber that you were at the new ball park. Stir the pomp and circumstance of Opening Night into the mix, and it was hard to imagine that a baseball game might break out at any moment. The Braves’ new teepee comes jam-packed with thrills galore. The only thing missing is a pitch man in a striped jacket and top hat hollering, “Step right up! Come one, come all! You’ll have a ball!” But come early. You can easily spend a day at the ballpark and never see the field. The myriad amusements are mind-boggling. Visit the Braves Museum And Hall of Fame. See the 1995 World Series Trophy. Marvel at an old Pullman railroad car, a relic from the days when teams traveled on the ground. Ogle at all the Braves memorabilia. Grow reflective over the mural of old Ponce de Leon Park. Then dash to Scouts Alley. Look at the original scouting reports on Hank Aaron (“this kid could be the answer”) and 200 other play- YOUTH from IB Volunteers and employees of the City of Cumming and county rec departments worked booths for speed pitching, giant inflatable jumping areas, rides on a mini-fire engine and several others. Food and drink was also avail able for those who found them selves with a thirst from standing in the sun all morning. The biggest attraction may have been the Forsyth County Sheriff’s office’s new motorcycles. Parade-goers, young and old, stood in line for the opportunity to Sit on the bikes and play “cops” for a few minutes. Several parents commented that this parade was the best they have seen in a long while. “This was a lot more organized than it has been in the past,” said Wayne Lively, coach of the 9-and -10-year-old Cumming Mariners. In fact, the only thing Lively didn’t like was the fact that it took so long for the parents to make it to the fairgrounds to pick up their kids. “There are sure a lot of people out here,” he said. Clay Bennett, a soon-to-be standout for the Chestatee Braves, was also having a great time with his teammates and the crowds. “It was fun,” was the only thing he had time to say. County Park and Rec Dept. Youth Supervisor Wayne Maddox was very pleased with the turnout, but is thankful it wasn’t any big ger. RIDE from IB added “or less.” Zach Salzinger, a 13-year-old, started out his biking career with a try at the 50 mile loop. Everyone who participated was treated to drinks and fruit at The Firm prior to the race, and a com plimentary meal at Buffalo’s Case afterwards. In addition, they all received a bag of biking and run ning necessities. Regardless of the distance trav eled, or the mode of transporta tion getting there, all 170 partici pants knew they were in it for charity. The sls advance-entry fee (S2O on the day of the ride) went to benefit the Scottish Rite Children’s hospital. Dutch Strawbridge, general manager of The Firm and co founder of the charity ride and run, didn’t know how much had been raised on Saturday, but knew it would be good considering par ticipation was almost triple that of 1996. “We have really good weather and a lot of good people,” said Strawbridge. “This is a great way for people to do something.” Strawbridge came up with the idea for the day with Stan Kernett, affiliated with Buffalo’s ers. Play interactive games that let you hit, pitch and field against big-leaguers. Need to burn off some excess energy? Take the kiddies to Tooner Field, where they can play with Cartoon Network characters. Arrive real early and grab a spot overlooking the field at the Chop House patio. The view and fare are so good that most fans never make it to their assigned seats. And save a few bucks for the Braves Clubhouse Store, conve niently located just inside the northwest gate. While you wait on lines, savor every major league game in progress on the dozen televisions inside. The baseball purists left among us will be pleased to know that the folks who designed this com plex did remember the baseball field. All malarkey aside, Turner Field is a great place to watch a ball game. Every seat faces second base. The sight lines are excellent. Best of all, foul territory is minimal; combined with the stadium design, fans are much closer to the action than in the late stadium. The scoreboard and huge, clear video screen are tops. Out-of town scores are constantly updat- — , *. . Mrs J K*-I* EE. >JilWwI 8?m ■ *sl 'Mb J3MMr Ojßfc wwJ* 2 ■* # hwJfcSZ-- 5 2ZSEi ■■ J .'J^ibskssl^S® B^- * , Photo/Tom Brooks Nice day Youth league families enjoy the post-parade at the Fairgrounds. “If another two or three teams showed up, we wouldn’t have had room to start at the schools,” said Maddux. “I don’t know what we’ll do next year.” The crowds were no surprise— considering their are over 2900 kids in the league this year, a five percent increase over 1996. The league has been split into 242 teams, 76 for girls softball and 166 for baseball. Both leagues play in age groups 5-and-6, 7-and-8, 9-and-10, 11- Case several years ago. Kernett had worked with the Scottish Rite in the past and want ed to find a new way to help out. Three years later, the two have 170 people showing up. And Strawbridge sees the numbers growing. “We’ve tripled in just a year,” he said. “This could turn out to be a really big event.” Strawbridge plans on holding the event again next year. t Cumming Rrrt UMlted Methodist 770 Canton Highway, Cumming, GA SUNDAY SERVICES EARLY SERVICE 8:45 AM COFFEE AND ...9:15 AM CHURCH SCHOOL (all ages) 9:45 AM MORNING WORSHIP 11:00 AM SUNDAY NIGHT FELLOWSHIP SUPPER AT 530 PM PROGRAMS 6:30 PM NURSERT PROVIDED Dr. W. Hugh Cauthen, Minister For more information please call 887-2900 ed. Aisles are wide, seats are comfortable, concessions übiqui tous. What more could a fan want? Baseball, perhaps. And that woutd come, too, but only after the gala Opening Ceremonies. Billy Payne was on hand to liter ally hand over the keys to the sta dium. If ever a standing ovation was well-deserved, this one was. Payne and our Olympic venture left us with a beautiful baseball palace. And no debt service. All that remained was for Henry Aaron to stroll in from Centerfield carrying home plate from the late stadium. Tom Glavine assisted in ceremoniously placing the plate at its new location. And yes, then they did play some baseball. Denny Neagle threw the first pitch; Chipper Jones garnered the first hit. Michael Tucker, the “guy we got for Dye”, hit the first homer, a long drive easily reaching the seats in right. About this time, fans began to notice the only irritating feature of the new park. Every time a foul ball reached the seats, the PA sys tem blared the sound of glass breaking. Now, this isn’t a pleasant sound and-12, and 13-and-14. The baseball teams also have a 15-17-year old team, while soft ball has a 15 team. Because of the huge numbers, field time has become a valuable commodity. Maddux said all the county fields are being used whenever possible for practice, and several teams have found themselves at schools, churches, and any other facility with an open field. 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Seminar free of K | HEALTH CONSCIOUS tA I tK. inis charge. |E ■ program eliminates the need, the desire, I THIS PROGRAM WILL WORK! I Lu™.hh I , NoSS')us?wejEK m "“ t I GUARANTEED | ■ * —— ■ ■ Denton Ashway j to begin with. When played at high-decibel level, it causes the same spine-tingling chill as fin gernails on a blackboard. This hideous activity must stop; it cuts against the grain of everything else in the entire complex. The Braves would fall behind before rallying in the eighth inning. They scored twice to take a 5-4 lead, thanks in part to a Shawon Dunston error. This was the hapless Cubs after all. Still winless on the season. Mark Wohlers came on in the ninth for the save. The more things change... And so it was. A Braves win. A beautiful new ballpark. A grand opening. Wow. Denton Ashway is a partner in the law firm of Lipscomb, Johnson, Ashway and Sleister. His phone number is 887-7761. teams will no longer have the lux ury of practicing two or three times a week. About 150 games will be played each week Monday through Saturday, making practice nearly impossible. “We will have about 1400 games this season,” said Maddux. “Most teams will play twice a week and practice once.” But once actioft begins, it will all be worth it. Games begin this Saturday at all local parks. -1 • fPI ■ *•■ ' < • *v> . Photo/Tom Brooks Stand up •i, ■ 1 Nathan Samples of South comes into second, moved up, by a wild pitch, as Scott VanderHoff of Central watches. GAME from IB er’s choice that put Lea on first. But Steven Robertson drilled a single just over a leaping VanderHoff to score pinch-runner Dusty Tate and tie the game. Jason Payne’s nice bunt was negated because he stepped on the plate, but Robertson had stolen second, prodding Central to walk Nathan Samples to load the bases. Smith stepped to the plate and worked the count to 3-2 before the climactic final pitch. Despite a mid-game storm that sent fans scurrying for cover, the entire battle was wildly entertain ing for fans. A single by Pendley, a two-run double by Lea and six Bulldog walks gave the hosts a 5- 0 first-inning lead. But run-scoring hits by Pritchett (double) and Corey Evans, a wild pitch and a big error helped Central fight back within one in the third. Kenneth Wallace then followed Alan Slaughter’s double with an RBI single, moved to third on Ron Riddle’s double, and Top Lady Eagle eagers are honored at banquet By Stephen Underwood Sports Editor A number of players from the South Forsyth girls basketball team were honored for their con tributions during the season al the recent SFHS basketball banquet. The Lady Eagles, coached by Bill Meyer, finished 5-17. Being in arguably the state’s toughest AA region, and with a non-region schedule littered with AAAA and other outstanding schools, South surely had one of the toughest slates of any AA team. Sophomore point guard Katie Vaughan, who courageously over came injuries all season, was named Best Offensive Player. Vaughan averaged 13.3 points a game—and also led the team in assists and was second in rebounding. She was also named Second Team All-Region in the tough 7- AA. Sophomore post Lisa Sibenaller was given the Top Rebounder award with an average of about 13 a game, one of the best in the later scored on a balk to give the ■ Dogs a 7-6 edge in the fifth. ' South tied it, however, in the bottom of the frame on a Pendley single that scored Scott Hudgins. J While pitching may have' seemed the scourge of both teams, it was a key as well. Payne got the win despite the run in the ninth, getting the last two out. He followed David Brooks, Jay- Ritter and Robertson —the latter going 2-1/3 scoreless innings late, to keep his team alive. Most telling was the sixth, where Robertson got out of a no-out sit uation with runners on second and third. Though he surrendered some key walks in the first inning, Central’s Keith Long did well to limit South to two runs over the next five innings. : *' i ' The freshman Richards retired the Eagles in the seventh, but walks did him in during tlj»4 eighth. region. She was also second in scoring at 11 ppg. p The Most Improved Award went to senior Kristi Wright, a post player who usually came off the bench to spark the squad. Sophomore wing Jacquelyn Evans, a strong all-around player, improved a lot during the season and took the Best Defensive Player award. Sophomore guard Kristy Geisler took the Academic award for her combination of outstanding woik in the classroom and play on the court. Junior post Heidi Mullinax was given the Coaches’ award. “She’s a great role model,” said Meyer. Another player who improved greatly during the season was Jennifer Thompson a sophomore post who averaged 9.5 ppg. and was a deadly 3-point threat. / Senior guard Lanicia Hall was also recognized for her contribpr tions. She and Wright are the only graduating players. “They made great strides this year,” said Meyer.