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PAGE 4B THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2008 Major League Baseball Spring training always a welcome sight SAFELYHOME Banks County High School's Bill Redmon reached home during Friday's contest against Elbert County. Photo by Tony Rudeseal Baseball ... continued from page 1B A h spring! When a young man’s thoughts turn to baseball. Always irked my wife. I was thinking baseball, she was tbinking...well, you know. I couldn’t wait to hear the sounds of spring baseball come over the radio. I would pace the floor at night, daydream in school, wander off in church to thoughts of the old curve ball, hoping that time would move faster. I reserved the first afternoon of spring ball to sit by the radio in lieu of playing rounders with the gang from the neighborhood. Baseball season had begun, as my spirits went up and my grades went down. True, I couldn’t do long division like the others, but I knew who played every position for every National League team by opening day. (Remember, there were only eight teams in each league at that time.) Spring training - when players come out of hibernation. For those who did not make the Fall Classic, each had four months of rest. Four months to think about their per formance and how to be better at their trade. The history of the spring season is 138 years old. The first two teams to initiate spring training were Cincinnati and Chicago in 1870. They held spring session is New Orleans, but not before stopping in many cities in the south on their journey to The Big Easy, playing local semi-pro and local college teams. This started what was to become known as barnstorming. The benefit was two-fold: many people who could not otherwise see major league players were able to attend such a game, and the The Banks County High School Class of 1995 is establishing a scholarship in memory of classmate Shawn Smith. Smith, who was a standout athlete for the BCHS Leopards, died fol lowing a car accident last summer teams made a good profit from ticket sales along the way. The spring games are divided into two leagues: the Grapefruit League of Florida, and the Cactus League of Arizona. The first league to form was the Grapefruit League in 1914. The less-visible Cactus League was formed in 1947, but was jump-started in 1951 by a chance visit from the New York Yankees who since 1919 had called Florida their spring training home. This venture of the Yankees all began in late 1950 when team co owner and Phoenix, Arizona, resi dent Del Webb decided to take the club to Phoenix for spring training and a west coast barnstorming tour. This was not the first time the Yankees had ventured outside of Florida; the Yankees had held spring court in such places as Cuba, Bermuda, Venezuela, Panama, New Orleans, Houston and even Savannah. Webb’s man ager Casey Stengel and superhero Joe DiMaggio were both from California, which made Webb think that a west coast tour would be well-received and very profit able. The first pre-season game the Yankees played that year was in Phoenix against the Chicago Cubs. The spring season story of the Cubs is a chapter by itself. Their while attending a basketball camp in Alabama with members of the North Oconee County High School team. The annual football game between BCHS and North Oconee has been named the Shawn Smith Bowl in his honor. owner, William Wrigley, Jr. had made a fortune in the gum indus try and had bought, among other things, Catalina Island just off the cost of southern California. (Yes, you read this right—he bought Catalina.) Wrigley’s team would spend March on Catalina running over trails cut into the hilly terrain. After experiencing Phoenix in the game with the Yankees, and after 30 years on the beautiful island (1921 - 1951) Wrigley moved his club from Catalina to the Arizona city. Spring training is still a magical time for the baseball fan, and one can travel to either the Grapefruit or Cactus Leagues (I would like to point out here that in the last ten years, four teams have defected to the Cactus League) to beat out those who think they have been blessed by the Almighty for get ting tickets to the home opener. Finally, I offer some tips for those who may be interested in taking the pilgrimage to either Florida or Arizona this March. Following are some of the statisti cal data on the ballparks in spring training: Braves: Champion Stadium, Lake Buena Vista, FL Deepest center field: Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale, AZ, Giants- (430 feet) Most seats: Peoria Stadium, Phoenix, AZ, Padres and the Mariners (12,882) Oldest park: Al Lang Field, Rays, St. Petersburg, FL (1916) Banks County resident John Rieken is an avid baseball fan. E-mail comments about this col umn to jrieken@alltel.net. Those wishing to make dona tions or obtain additional informa tion can contact Nicole Blalock at 706-658-7014 or Heather Cotton at 706-654-7683. A fund has been established at Freedom Bank. At the plate, senior Alex Gailey was 3-for-4 with three doubles and three runs scored. Zack Dale was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Justin Gibbs and Tyler Husley both added doubles. Kyle Smith, Chris Porter, Jeff Smith and Bill Redmon also helped led the Leopard offense. “Alex is seeing the baseball really well at the plate with four doubles in the first two games,” Lord said. “Our The speed and quickness of Bennett, Evans and Heu up front has helped bolster the BCHS attack. “I’ve simply tried to put people in the right place and to let the girls have fun,” Boomer said. “I have also put an emphasis on being in pitching has been good and we just have to lock in a little more in the strike zone. We haven’t given up an earned run in the first two games and that’s a pretty big accomplishment.” The BCHS coach credited Aaron Wagoner and Redmon for playing solid defense up the middle during the early part of the season and said Dale is doing a standout job of han dling the pitching staff from behind the plate. shape. We have a positive attitdue and things seem to be going right for us.” BCHS is scheduled to host Oglethorpe County Friday at 5 p.m. in the first area match of the season. “This week will tell us a lot about “We have some areas that we need to shore up before we begin region,” Lord said. The Diamond Leopards are sched uled to play at Elbert County today (Wednesday) in a rematch at 5:30 p.m. and will travel to Commerce Thursday at 5 p.m. The region schedule begins Monday against Dawson County at home at 5:30 p.m. where we stand,” Boomer said. The BCHS junior varsity girls soccer team recorded a 3-0 win against Clarke Central this season on goals by Randi Seabolt, Evans and Emmanuel Yang. Brittany Andrews had two assists in the JV win. N. Neelagaru, MD, FACC BCHS Class of 1995 establishing memorial scholarship john w. rieken Season Opener ... continued from page 1B Gailey was 2-for-3 at the plate with a single, double, walk, stolen base and three runs scored. Zack Dale was 1-for-3 with a double and RBI. Redmond, Justin Gibbs, Chris Porter, Kyle Smith, Aaron Wagoner and Ben Thacker also helped lead the offense against Commerce last week. It was the first time this season the Leopards were able to take the field for a game. A preseason scrimmage against Flowery Branch on Feb. 22 was rained out and the opener with Commerce was pushed back a day due to the cold temperature last Wednesday. Girls soccer ... continued from page 1B ATHENS DERMATOLOGY GROUR RC. 1050 Thomas Avenue, Watkinsville, Georgia 30677 706-769-1550 Karen E. Maffei, MD Board Certified by American Bowl of Dermatology, American Society for Mohi Surgery Tracy Crockett, PA-C We welcome new patients. Mo referral required. We accept most insurance. r L«died uii HIE, 3 mites ta Lamptin BuslMuPk-k [ttNAhtipast Ha:eTniE|. Turn riql'l jl mil: nishter 12 L j~jJ ID Timothf fort Spartlrt Lani Limpiri Riuintit Pjrk Medical & Surq ca 1 Treatment Df Skin Diseases A Skin Cancer Mnhs Surgery New Growth Jumnrs & Cjst RistiK.Eciertii £ Psoriasis Auie&WartTreatmEiit Laser lor Facial B ood Visiels BpIdk Irij-E-ctip-n-s - Misnjdsrmabrasing * 8th ANNUAL NWTF HUNTING HERITAGE BANQUET PIEDMONT SHARPSPURS CHAPTER MARCH 13, 2008 Opening: 6:00 P. M. • Dinner: 7:30 P. M. Commerce Civic Center State & Cherry Streets • Commerce, GA 30529 Verbal Auction • Silent Auction • Door Prizes • Gun Raffles For more information call: 706-757-8807. Dr. Neel is offering the $1,500 Commerce Cardiology Health Education Scholarship for a year to an eligible high school graduate from Banks or Jackson counties Applications may be submitted directly to: Commerce Cardiology Clinic P. O. Box 359 • Commerce, Georgia 30529 or to your school counselor. Applications are available through your school counselor or at our office (706) 335-2000. Deadline for Applications is March 31, 2008. Saturday, March 8 National Vintage Racing Plus • Outlaw Late Models • Super Trucks • Sportsman • Mini Stocks • Bandits Gates Open at 12:00 p.m. • Race Starts at 2:00 p.m. General Admission: $10 • Senior Citizens: $8 • Children 12 & Under Free OPENING DAY For more information, call 706-387-7490 www.peachstspeedway.com Located at I-85 North Exit 140 and follow the signs. 388 Lyle Field Rd. • Jefferson, Ga