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THURSDAY. APRIL 15. 2004 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 1C
PHS Baseball
No spring break for Dragon Baseball
Long wait finally over
for Mickelson
End of the road
for the king
By Rick Frye
I spent last Friday afternoon
watching a 74-year-old man bring
an end to a remarkable era, and had
a tear in my eye watching him do
so. Arnold Palmer, without a doubt
the most popular
golfer to ever play
the game, finished
up his 50th and
final Masters
Tournament,
missing the cut
after a pair of
84’s. The score
didn’t matter to a
single person in the gallery or
watching on television, because all
they wanted to see was the man
who has personified The Masters
make that final stroll around the
hallowed grounds of Augusta
National.
With his grandson serving as his
caddie, Arnie was as he’s always
been: friendly, smiling, interacting
with the huge galleries that fol
lowed him around. The charisma
that he has may never be matched
by another golfer, and it was evi
dent by the standing ovations and
adoration he received as he made
his way around the course, that his
popularity is as high today as it
was when he was winning the tour
nament back in the early ’60s.
Palmer is the man who was
responsible for bringing golf to the
masses. With the hitch of his pants,
that slashing swing of his, and the
ability to make a charge. Palmer
was the favorite of the crowds who
watched golf in the early days of
television when the sport was first
broadcast. I know when I started
playing golf as a 9-year-old in
1965, there was one player who I
wanted to be like, and it was him.
Palmer grew up a blue collar
guy from Pennsylvania, and not
some snooty young man with a sil
ver spoon in his mouth. He was a
player that the working class men
of America could relate to, and was
the driving force behind the growth
of the game during the ’60s and
’70s as golf became something
more than an activity for the coun
try club set. The guys who are
playing for giant money on the
PGA tour today have one person
above everyone else that helped
make that possible, and it is Arnold
Palmer.
As Arnie ended up on 17, the
emotion of what was happening
was evident on his face, but he
pulled himself together and made
his way up 18 with a smile and a
wave to the galleries the whole
way. In spite of hitting Driver, Dri
ver, Palmer was still short of the
green after 2. He hit a superb little
pitch to about 5 feet, but misread
the putt in his attempt to go out
with a par. It didn’t matter. The
crowd around the green, about 20
or more deep, gave another huge
roar, just as Arnie’s Army had done
back in his heyday when he was
charging to a win.
The term Arnie’s Army actually
came about from one of his early
Masters. Soldiers from the nearby
base in Augusta had come out and
followed their favorite player
around, and thus the description for
the throngs that always followed
Palmer wherever he played was
coined. The people who made up
Arnie’s Army probably helped him
win a few events during his career,
keeping wayward shots from going
too far astray by stepping in front
of them, or maybe giving it a little
foot mashie to help insure that their
favorite didn’t suffer from a bad
lie.
Palmer has been a player who
hasn’t threatened to win anything
for over 15 years, and his last vic
tory at The Masters came in 1964,
but it has always been a thrill to see
him tee it up at Augusta National.
I’m sure we will still see him at the
tournament as he moves into an
elder statesmen role similar to what
Byron Nelson has done. And as
long as he is around. Palmer will
continue to be the most popular
man at The Masters.
SOCCER
Pick-Up Games
at Pickens County
Rec. Dept. Saturday at 4:00 PM
Adults/Youth
More info, call Jerry Greer 706-692-9239
By James N. Golden
As we wind up the much adored
spring break in Pickens County, let
me say that the Diamond Dragons
played through this week hiatus like
a normal school week. But before
we get to that, let me indulge in a
little sideline. There are some peo
ple around Pickens baseball that
deserve some recognition. First of
all, there is a man who has sat in
that green concrete dugout for over
15 seasons as well as many other
seasons in recreation baseball in the
Jasper area. This man has helped to
mold many young men into fine
athletes as well as fine citizens. Mr.,
or should I say Coach Jackie Voyles
has spent his adult years dedicated
to the game he loves and to the
young people he loves in this coun
ty. Thank you Coach Voyles. The
Dragons of all ages appreciate your
devotion. There are also unsung
parents who work in the concession
stand, raise funds, leave work early
and sacrifice for their children even
when that child may not cross the
foul lines during a game. Finally,
there are many fine young men who
wear the uniform but may not see
the action they dream of in a game
setting. These young men still show
up for practice, root on their bud
dies and support the program.
These are some of the people who
make this program what it is. Thank
you and congratulations. Now on
with the report.
The Dragons took their new
found confidence to North Hall Sta
dium on Monday afternoon and
played a very strong, capable team
of Trojans. We stayed with this
group of big dudes (and I mean
“big”) throughout the contest. Jere
my Carver provided his usual blue-
collar pitching performance that
kept our boys close and we turned
in some fine defense. Offensively,
Alex Williams continued his output
with a two for four day and Josh
Green went two for three in the
match-up. But in the end North Hall
was tough and we simply did not
win. We didn’t aim our guns at our
feet or give the game away, but
took it on the chin 5-3.
Wednesday night was a totally
different situation. What a crazy
night! Chestatee High ventured to
town and the War Eagles came to
play. It was an explosion of offense
By Rick Frye
With spring break taking place
last week, teams at Pickens High
got some time off and are now
ready for the home stretch in their
seasons. The track team, which has
had several strong showings in
recent meets, will have their final
tests over the next few weeks. A
meet at Gilmer Tuesday got things
started, then Pickens hosts Dawson
and Forsyth Central Friday, and has
a 4-way at home with Chestatee,
Fannin and White next Tuesday to
as the two teams combined for 24
hits and 29 runs. Not exactly a
pitching duel, huh? Justin Lester
did not have his best stuff this
game, but held Hall County to three
runs through three innings. Mean
while, the guys in green scored
three in the first inning highlighted
by a double by Jason Johnson and
four more in the bottom of the third.
That barrage was punctuated by hits
by Johnson and Williams and a
triple by Tony Popadics. So far, so
good, right? Well, it wasn’t over.
The fourth inning saw seven War
Eagles cross the plate on the
strength of five hits, three walks
and a Dragon miscue. So now
we’re down 10-7. But remember
that feeling I wrote of earlier. These
Dragons had reached a new plateau
as a team. Chestatee even scored
three more in the fifth and we only
added one in our half of the frame.
But, the stage was set, the climax is
coming.
These Dragons understand car
diac baseball. The bottom of the
seventh arrives with the home team
down 14-8. Chestatee is feeling
pretty good and the post-game meal
is being ordered, right? Wrong! Our
guys are not even hungry except for
victory. We mount a last inning
surge with hits by Andy Golden
(three for four) and Johnson (three
for four), doubles by Popadics (two
for four) and Green, and a clutch
two-out hit by Williams scoring two
runners. Then on that same play,
Chestatee was so flustered that they
made an additional throwing error
that allowed the winning seventh
run in the inning to cross the plate
to complete the comeback victory
15-14. Incredible? Unbelievable?
Wonderful? All of the above for
sure. Not our prettiest game from
the coaches perspective, but satisfy
ing.
Last, but not least, in our spring
break week was anything but a
break as we battled our biggest
rival, Gilmer, at home on Friday.
The crowd was boisterous and large
as our local television channel,
ETC, was broadcasting live. It was
a party atmosphere as the rivals met
again. And the afternoon started out
on a great note as the JV squad
handed the visiting Bobcats a 4-0
shutout. Coach Moore’s crew
wrap up the regular season. The
region meet will take place at John
son on April 23 and 24 for the
girls, while the boys region will be
May 1 and May 3 at Flowery
Branch and North Hall.
The tennis teams will need to
turn it up a notch if they are going
to finish the season off strong. They
had matches this week on Tuesday
at Fannin, Wednesday at Cherokee
and Thursday at Johnson. With ten
nis being a team sport, the whole
team has to be victorious in match-
played a fine game to get back on
the winning track.
Coach Nunn handed the pitching
duty to Jeremy Carver and the game
was away. Gilmer put a four on the
scoreboard in the second inning on
four hits including a home run.
Meanwhile, the Dragon bats were
sluggish and we could not cross the
plate. The Bobcats then lit up the
board with six runs in the fifth.
However, in that inning, the only
decent hit was a huge home run by
pitcher Mickey Weaver. The other
runners were from walks, hit bats
men and two infield hits. And, in
that same fifth inning, the Dragons
made two fine defensive plays. My
point is, it could have been much
worse. However, in the bottom of
the inning we got some return good
fortune. Three walks to load the
bases and guess what happens? The
lights go out. No, not the game. The
lights in the stadium. And as we
waited for the obligatory 20 min
utes for those high energy lights to
come back, you sensed that Gilmer
had this one already in the W col
umn. Well, not quite. After the
delay, who should step up but Mr.
Clutch himself, Alex Williams. He
proceeds to rap a two-run hit that
ignites the crowd and we remember
Wednesday night. Golden hits, Sean
McDonald gets a hit and before the
Dragons are done for the frame,
five good guys come on home. In
the sixth, we plate two more on
doubles by Kevin Buchanan and
Jeremy Helmuth. However, I would
be remiss if I did not mention the
Gilmer half of the sixth.
Brandon Ridings came in to
relieve Carter and pitched like a
man possessed. Ridings has had dif
ficulty at times this season, but this
night he held his own. He mowed
down the Bobcat batters in the sixth
to continue the attempted replay
from Wednesday. But in the end, it
was not to be. Gilmer added two
more in the seventh on a big hit and
the magic was used up for the
Dragons. Final score - Gilmer 13,
Pickens 7. But, as they say, wait
until next time. We play them again
in May, again in front of the cam
eras. So for now, we’re 7-8, but 5-4
in our region. So lots of baseball to
be played. Thanks for your support.
es at region to keep advancing and
have a chance to go to state. I really
don’t think that’s fair, but that’s the
way the Georgia High School Asso
ciation does it. Maybe they ought to
conduct tennis like they do
wrestling, and have a team state
tournament and an individual one,
to give competitors who have a
chance to compete at the highest
level but maybe aren’t on a strong
team that opportunity. The Region
7-AAA tournament will take place
at West Hall on April 21.
By Rick Frye
There have been a lot of great
tournaments take place at The Mas
ters, the biggest sporting event in
Georgia and the most popular golf
event in the world. Maybe it’s the
time of year it takes place, or the
spectacular setting of Augusta
National, or the fact that the course
can yield low scores on the back
nine to make for great drama, but
whatever it is, the popularity and
mystique that surround the tourna
ment is unmatched.
Some of the greatest moments in
the history of the event include
Gene Sarazen’s double eagle back
in one of the first tournaments held
that allowed him to go on to victo
ry, Arnold Palmer’s birdie putt on
the last hole to win in 1960, Jack
Nicklaus” victory at age 46 in 1986
with a back nine score of 30 and
Larry Mize’s chip-in from well off
the green in his playoff with Greg
Norman to win.
I would have to say that the
drama that unfolded in the 2004
Masters was the best ever, and cer
tainly would rate as one of the most
popular wins of all time. Phil Mick
elson finally got the monkey off his
back by winning his first major
tournament after winning 21 other
events during his career on the
PGA tour. The majors, which
include the Masters, US Open,
British Open and PGA Champi
onship, had eluded Phil for 46
attempts, four as an amateur and 42
as a pro. He had been oh so close
on several occasions, finishing in
the top three eight different times.
Sports writers and sportscasters,
ever quick to find fault, questioned
Phil’s dedication, his thinking
process, his heart and everything
else they could come up with to
explain why he hadn’t captured one
of the big ones. Clearly one of the
greatest players of his era, Mickel
son had been toiling under the “best
player to never win a major” label
for many years, and had to put up
with being put under a microscope
every time one came around.
It didn’t come easy. Starting the
day in the final pairing with Chris
DiMarco at -6 and in the lead, Phil
had his struggles early on and
turned in 38 to go back to -4. By
then the South African Ernie Els
had forged into the lead, using a
brilliant second shot at #8 to get
within 5 feet for an eagle, which he
canned to go to -5. Playing two
groups ahead of Mickelson, Els
then hit another great shot at the Par
5 13th, to leave himself with anoth
er short putt for eagle. After making
that he went to -7, and Mickelson
heard the roar as he lined up a 15
footer for birdie on the treacherous
Par 3 12th. Phil calmly knocked it
center cup and the battle was on as
he went to -5.
Els got one more birdie, with a
tap in on #15 to get it to -8. Mickel-
The PHS Diamond Club will be
holding a sports banquet and auc
tion on Saturday, May 1 at the PHS
Lunchroom. While enjoying steak
dinners, you will have the opportu
nity to win door prizes. An auction
will be held for sports memorabilia
Summer Camp Registration
We are taking registration for
summer camp at this time. You may
register Monday-Friday between 8
a.m.-5 p.m. Camp begins the week
of May 24, it will be closed the
week of July 5, and the week of
July 26 will be the last week of
camp. The cost is $75. Each camper
will need to bring daily lunch,
snacks, drinks, swim suit, and a
towel. For further information on
our summer camp, please call 253-
8862.
Opening Day Ceremonies
The Pickens Co. Recreation
Dept. T-Ball, Baseball and Softball
Opening Day Ceremonies is sched
uled for this Saturday, April 17 at 1.
son followed his birdie at 12 with
another at 13, then almost knocked
in his second shot on 14 for his
third birdie in a row. He let one get
away by not making birdie at the
easy 15th, but drained a clutch 20
footer for yet another birdie on 16
to tie it up. After Els missed
attempts at 17 and 18 to finish at -8,
it was up to Phil. Facing a slick
down-hiller on 17, he just missed
his birdie attempt and made par,
setting up the dramatic finale.
A perfect tee shot was followed
by an approach to 15 feet above the
hole. Playing partner DiMarco was
in the bunker in front of the green,
and after he left his first one in the
sand, his second effort rolled past
the hole and ended up 2 inches
behind Mickelson’s spot on the
green, giving Phil a perfect read for
his winning putt. DiMarco’s effort
broke left at the end and just caught
the edge of the hole as it slid out.
Mickelson’s effort looked like it
was going to do the same thing, but
instead of lipping out it barely hung
on and dropped in the back of the
cup, giving him the win at -9 after a
back nine 31.
The battle between Els and
Mickelson was not the only drama
on the day. There were back to back
holes in one by consecutive groups
on the 16th with Padraig Harrington
and Kirk Triplett doing the honors.
K.J. Choi, who set a tournament
record with a front nine 30 on
Thursday, knocked in his second
shot on the Par 4 11th for an eagle,
then made birdie at 13, 14 and 16 to
shoot 31 on the back as well and
finish at -6.
We had the best finish by an
amateur since 1962 in this tourna
ment which places more emphasis
on the amateurs than any other pro
fessional event. Casey Wittenberg,
a freshman at Oklahoma State, also
fired the popular number of 31 on
the back nine and finished in the
top 12, earning a return to next
year’s event.
Top all that off by it being
Arnold Palmer’s last time in the
tournament in his 50th appearance,
the death of Tom Watson’s long
time caddie Bruce Edwards on the
first day of the tournament, and I
don’t think there is any doubt that
more drama took place in the 2004
Masters than any before it. I’ve
been pulling for Mickelson for
years, and I almost jumped up as
high as he did when that final putt
went in, giving him the much
deserved win. My guess is about 90
percent of the patrons in attendance
at Augusta National felt the same
way by the sound of the roar when
that last putt went in. If there’s a
player who has the ability to come
close to being as popular as Palmer,
it is Mickelson, and I’m sure he
will be a crowd favorite for years to
come.
items. A raffle will be held for
$2,000 in cash prizes. For informa
tion or to purchase banquet and/or
raffle tickets, please contact Barry
Cheshire at 692-6373. Tickets may
also be purchased at the PHS base
ball home games.
ETC will have their booths in place
again this year with games for the
children to play, giveaways and
door prizes. We ask that all teams
meet on field #2 at 12:30 to line up
for the parade of teams. While their
team name, coaches and players
names are announced, they will
parade onto field # 3. After all
teams have entered field #3 we will
have the singing of the National
Anthem, the first pitches, and
declare the season open. After the
ceremonies is over, we invite all
coaches, men and women to the
Home Run Derby. The pitching
machine will be turned all the way
up and ready for the first batter.
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PHS Update
High school teams ready for home stretch
Sports Banquet & Auction
Rec. Dept. Update