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Sports
BjlS Roley
*%fi Jm Sports editor
The fields of
sports have
lasting impact
I've always heard that that battle
of Waterloo was won on the play
ing fields of Wellington.
Well, if that was true, than the
battles of World War 11, particularly
Normally, were won on playing
field scattered throughout the United
States.
Take George S. Patton, for ex
ample. Patton was the man who
guided U.S. armies through North
Africa and Sicily.
In December, 1944, Patton per
formed what may be the most im
pressive maneuver in the face of an
enemy in U.S. arms. In the space
of three days, he took his Third
Army out of a full battle in the
Saar, and counter-attack the German
Army that was pouring into the Ar
dennes Forest, a feat that Mont
gomery said was impossible.
The attack was Hitler's last ditch
effort to push the Allies back. And,
it came close to succeeding. How
ever, Patton closed the Bulge, and
the war in Europe ended months
later.
What many people don't know is
that the fire that burned in Patton
was the fire of an Olympic per
former. In 1912, he finished fifth in
the Pentathlon. Another American
athlete, Jim Thrope, took four firsts
enroute to the Penthalon gold
medal.
The Pentathlon was supposed to
test the skills of a soldier, combin
ing horsemanship, fencing, swim
ming, running and pistol shooting.
It was the pistol that prevented Pat
ton from taking home a medal in
the competition.
Before Dwight D. Eisenhower
sent American and Allied troops
across the English Channel, he was
steeled on the playing fields.
"When I was a small boy in
Kansas," Eisenhower said later, "a
friend of mine and I went fishing,
and as we sat there in the warmth of
a summer afternoon on a river
bank, we talked about what we
wanted to do when we grew up.
"I told him that I wanted to be a
real major league baseball player, a
genuine professional like Honus
Wagner. My friend said that he'd
like to be President of the United
States.
"Neither of us got our wish."
Eisenhower's sports career ended
at West Point with a blown-out
knee. Although he would not ap
pear at a Major League park as a
player, he would become President.
However, before his playing
days were over, he, like Patton, got
to meet Thrope on the playing
field. This meeting was in football,
and the results were the same.
After a particularly hard hit,
Eisenhower thought he might have
injured the legendary runner. How
ever, Thrope got back to his feet,
and continued to pummel the Army
defense.
"Sports," wrote biographer
Stephen F. Ambrose, "especially
football and baseball, were the cen
ter of his life. He was a good, but
not outstanding athlete. He was
well coordinated, but slow of foot.
He weighed only 150 pounds. His
chief asset was his will to win."
As important as his will to win,
which was reinforced by sports,
was, sports also gave Eisenhower
the tools to manage a bickering
staff. As a student of military his
tory, I have often felt sympathy for
Eisenhower, knowing that he had
on his staff the world's two largest
prima donnas —Patton and Mont
gomery.
In the 1920 s and '3os, Eisen
hower remained in the peacetime
army, rising to the rank of major.
During that time, he coached foot
ball at various army camps. So
successful were his teams, that he
was offered a chance to coach at the
college level.
"Coaching brought out his best
traits—his organizational ability,
his energy and competitiveness, his
enthusiasm and optimism, his will
ingness to work hard at a task that
intrigued him, his powers of con
centration, his talent for working
with the material he had, and his
gift for drawing the best out of his
players," wrote Ambrose. And,
also, he could have added, the abil
ity to work with multiple prima
donnas. _
Please see Ike, page 9A
Pennfngton finds
niche In youth ball
By JIMMY SIMPSON
Staff Writer
An old adage says that there are
only two things that arc certain in
life. Diane Pennington appears to
have found the third with her niche
in the field of sports coaching
youth softball,
“I played recreation ball virtually
all my life, and after having my
own parents coach ith during most
of those years, 1 just wanted to be
able to give something back...,”
Pennington said.
This season marks the third year
of involvement in the girl’s junior
league at Ochlaiuitchee Park for
Pennington, the last two of which
she has held the head coaching posi
tion.
But perhaps even more meaning
ful is her dcsir to give to the par
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Perry High School started the 1994-95 season with summer basketball practice In
preparation tor two summer basketball camps.
Perry Classic scheduled for July 16-19
On July 16-19, the best golfers
in the staie oi Gcoig.a will descend
on Perry Country Club for the
1994 CB&T Bank of Middle Geor
gia Perry Golf Classic.
Over 110 golf professionals
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Donation to Perry Community Center
Alltel's Perry area manager G.R. "Skip" Dawkins (center-left) gives a check to
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall for the Perry Community Center at ftozar Park. Watching
are parks and recreation manager Ben Hamrick and city manager Marlon Hay.
ticipants the same opportunities she
was afforded at a young age.
“My mom and dad (Miriam and
Duncan Feeney of Warner Robins)
were always coaching us,” Penning
ton said in reference to teams that
she used to frequent the recreation
fields with as a youth.
“Some kids didn’t have parental
involvement,” she stated. “It
seemed like I was always the lucky
one, in a sense.”
Her upbringing has not only
taught the Houston County native
about good sportsmanship, but also
about the importance of family.
“There’s no doubt about it, my
parents were very influential,” Pen
nington said. “It makes all the dif
ference in the world when you’re
raised in that type of atmosphere.”
Please see Pennington, page 9A
from throughout the state, and 50
top amateurs will challenge the
fairways of Perry Country Club.
For the fifth year, proceeds from
the Perry Classic will go to support
the D.A.R.E. program at local
Houston Tlmes-Joumol
P. }t.- 1 ■] 888
CB&Tmakes donation to Perry Classic
CB&T vice president Gary Bishop (right) presents a $4,500 check to Perry Country
Club head golf professional Bill Hobbs for the CB&T Bank of Middle Georgia Perry
Golf Classic.
schools.
The event will start on July 16
with a Member-Sponsor Scramble.
On July 17, there will be a Mem
ber-Sponsor pro-am, with the 36
Please see Classic, page 9A
Wednesday, June 8,1994
Panthers start summer ball
By VETO F. ROLEY
Sports Editor
Perry Panther head basketball
coach Carl Thomas hopes that
1994-95 is a reloading year, rather
than a rebuilding year.
While Thomas returns eight
players who dressed for the varsity
in 1993-94, only two of those
players return with any experience,
sixth man Stan Gann and Garriet
Curry.
Gone from a team that won the
region championship and that was
ranked at one time as the second
best AAA school in the state are
five starters, including Keith Wim
berly, who was selected as the Mid
dle Georgia Player of the Year.
Thomas must find players who can
step in a fill the void left by Tarvis
Felton, Boris King, Eric Richard
son, Stacey Francis and Wimberly.
"I don’t think those kids (the five
starters the Panthers are losing) will
Westfield looks for depth
By VETO F. ROLEY
Sport* Editor
Westfield lost only two starters
from last year's region runner-up
team.
Even though the Hornets return
three starters, graduation decimated
the bench. Overall, Westfield head
basketball coach Jim Massey loses
seven seniors. "Last year we
brought three seniors off the bench
immediately," he said.
"We are asking a lot of kids who
didn't get playing time to provide
depth," said Massey. And, depth is
what his team needs.
"Depth is really important," said
Massey. "Playing pressure defense,
ever now and then you get into foul
trouble. When you are playing
pressure offense, you have to have
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The Westfield Hornets go Into the summer looking for
better depth. Seven seniors leave the 1993-94 team
which went to the state quarterfinal round.
Page 7A
be replaced," said Thomas. "It
wouldn't be fair to them (his current
players) to expect them to do so."
Inexperience and lack of height
will be two major problems faced
by the Panthers going into next
year's season. "We have some kids
who can handle the ball, and we
have some kids who can shoot the
ball," said Thomas. "I honestly be
lieve that we can be a good ball
club.
"The kids have potential, they
have the individual skills," said
Thomas.
Thomas said that he was encour
aged by the play of the "B" team
last year, a group that lost only one
game on the season.
Also.. Thomas indicated that
Gann and Curry would provide a
good nucleu to build a team
around. "They pia/ed significant
roles last season,” said Thoin&s,
Please see Perry, page 9A
fresh legs. We need to go at least
eight deep, preferably 10."
Last year's team finished the sea
son with a 17-12 mark. The Hor
nets did not bow out of the season
until the quarterfinal round of the
state playoffs.
Both starters, Lon Talton and
Jeff Dortch, played the wings for
Westfield. Talton won the Eric Sta
ples Award for the Hornets last
year.
Massey said that replacing Tal
ton's shooting would be fairly easy
to do. "A lot of kids are willing to
shoot the ball," he said. "His lead
ership will be difficult to replace.
Everybody had so much confidence
in him to get the job done."
Please see Westfield, page 9A
