Newspaper Page Text
Phil
Clark
Times-Joumal
Sports
Real Braves fan
The Atlanta Braves have more
fans now than at any other time,
because of their recent success
and because they play on televi
sion almost every night.
But let me tell you about a
Braves’ fan who outlasted most
of them. My dad, who passed
away in 1994 at the age of 84,
was a true Braves fan. Not just
Atlanta Braves. Nor Milwaukee
Braves. His allegiance goes back
to the Boston Braves.
I think one of my dad’s proud
est days came on Easter Sunday
in 1954 when he took me, my
younger brother and a couple of
my brother’s classmates to
Atlanta to see the Milwaukee
Braves play the Atlanta Crackers
in old Ponce de Leon Park.
Some of his favorite Braves
were there. Lew Burdette, Del
Crandall, Andy Pafko, George
Crowe, and a youngster who
would later become my dad’s all
time favorite center fielder, Billy
Bruton. In his later years,my dad
sat down and made a list of his
all-time favorite Braves team. He
didn’t necessarily pick them
because of star status, but
because he liked the way they
played, the way they conducted
themselves, and their dedication
to the game.
He said today’s players are
there for the money and don’t
give a hoot about the game, or the
fans. At first base, he chose Joe
Adcock. Dad remembered
Adcock as the first player to ever
hit a home run onto the roof at
Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn. He
was big and rugged, and also a
good defensive first baseman.
Dad moved into the Atlanta
era for his second baseman.
Actually he had two. There was
Felix Millan, as slick a fielder as
you’d ever want to see, and a fan
favorite. His other second base
man was Glenn Hubbard because
“I just like him.”
At shortstop, there’s Johnny
Logan, who was so fierce and
competitive he once stormed the
mound after Don Drysdale
plunked him with a fast ball.
Logan was about half the size of
Drysdale, and fortunately cooler
heads prevailed.
At third base, dad couldn’t
decide, so he named three. He
liked Bob Elliot, who was a
mainstay at Boston. He also liked
Eddie Mathews, the favorite at
the position of most Braves fans.
And though he played in Atlanta
only briefly, dad liked Clete
Boyer.
In the outfield, Dale Murphy
was his rightfielder. I’ve seen
him agonize many a time when
Murphy would reach for a curve
ball way out of the strike zone.
And I’ve seen him rejoice at the
many Murphy home runs and
great hits.
His centerfielder was Bruton,
who was so fast in the outfield
that Hank Aaron once said “he
gives me an inferiority complex,
he covers ground so quickly.”
In left field, there’s Felipe
Alou, who was as solid and con
sistent as you’d ever expect to
find. He came to the ballpark to
go to work, and that’s what he
did.
The catcher is Del Crandall,
who handled the great
Milwaukee pitching staff of
Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette,
Bob Buhl, Gene Conley, Vem
Bickford and others. Crandall
was a great clutch hitter and an
outstanding catcher. Dad also
liked Joe Torre,so the current
Yankees manager is on his team,
too.
For pitchers, Warren Spahn
heads the list. One of the best
lefties of all time, Spahn played
first with Johnny Sain, then with
Lew Burdette to form a dreaded
lefty-righty combination. Both
Sain and Burdette are on dad’s
team. They did not play together.
In fact, Sain was traded to the
Yankees in exchange for Burdette
in 1951.
Phil Neikro is also on the
team. He won more than 300
games on a less-than-spectacular
ball club. My dad thought Spahn
was the best pitcher to ever wear
a Braves uniform, in any city.
The best clutch player was
Alou, and the best pure hitter was
Rico Carty, who once said on
himself “The beeg man can
heet.” And he sure could
My dad got to see most of his
heroes play. For that I’m proud.
■
Sports
A LEGEND IN TIIE MAKING
Houston Countian Roger Alexander helping bring new car racing class to midstate
By RICK JOHNSTONE
For the Times-Journal
year old Roger
4 Alexander of Warner Robins loves
, competition.
The Warner Robins resident raced motor
cycles in his younger days, before moving
on to fishing for the past 25 or so years, tak
ing part in numerous bass tournaments.
While watching television a couple of
years ago, however, Alexander saw some
thing that brought him out of the boat and
back into racing.
“They were showing some little cars and
I thought that looked fun,” he said during a
May 30 interview at his home. “I called the
guy in Atlanta and asked him how to get
started.”
From that phone call, Alexander became
the south Georgia distributor for the “leg
ends’” cars. He then added a partner in the
effort, Marvin Wade.
Those are vehicles built to five-eights
scale to the regular cars, with 1200 cc
Yamaha motorcycle engines used to power
them.
Alexander, who purchased a copy of a
1934 Ford Sedan, said the whole concept of
the series is based on affordability.
He said the cost to purchase the classic
car is $12,250, with a maximum of $1,200-
$1,300 more allowed on the car.
“The concept is to develop durable, safe,
low maintenance cars,” he said. “You can’t
spent a lot of money.”
Perry area youth and adult scores and standings
Standings for Minor Boys
9 and 10 Years Old
May 13
Utility Service -1, M and M - 4
W.P. - Michael Roberts; Leading
hitters - U.S. - G. Robinson 2-3,
D. Brannen 2-3, M. Roberts 1-2;
M and M- J. Barfield 2-3
Rotary - 24, Cox - 5
W.P. - Mitchell Fowler; Leading
hitters - Rotary - M. Fowler 2-2,
S. Ashley 2-2; R. Grisenwaite 2-2,
Grand slam Home Run; Cox - G.
Brantley 2-2
May 15
Utility Service -6, Exchange - 7
W.P. - Stephen James; Leading
hitters - U.S. - B. Duckworth 1-3,
D. Simpson 1-3; Exchange - S.
James 2-2, D. Peake 2-2
Beckham -5, Cox - 6
W.P. - William Gray; Leading
Hitters - Beckham - M. Waller 1-3,
J. Stokes 2-3; Cox - G. Brantley 3-
3, W. Gray 1-3
May 17
Rotary - 18, M and M - 7
W.P. - Shane Ashley; Leading hit
ters - Rotary - M. Patterson 3-3, S.
O’Neal 2-2; M. Fowler 1-2, S.
Ashley 1-1; M and M - J. Barfield
1- P. Rice 2-2, J. O’Neil 1-2
May 19
Rotary -8, Utility Service -3
W.P. - Mitchell Fowler; Leading
hitters - Rotary - S. O’Neal 2-3, D.
Clay 2-3, M. Fowler 2-3, S.
Ashley 2-2; U.S. - B. Vance 2-3,
G. Robinson 1-3
May 21
Beckham - 12, M and M - 8
W.P. - Timmy Mccoy; Leading
hitters - Beckham - J. Stokes 2-3,
M. Waller 1-3, J. Greathouse 1-3;
M and M - J. O’Neil 3-3, P. Rice
2-
Exchange- 12, Cox - 8
W.P. - Stephen James; Leading
hitters - Exchange - J. Roeder 3-3,
D. Peake 3-3, D. Denton 3-3, S.
James 2-3; Cox - G. Brantley 1-2,
R. Crum 2-2
May 23
Utility Service -9, Beckham -3
W.P. - Michael Roberts
Leading Hitters - U.S. - M.
Roberts 2-2, J. O’Cain 1-3, D.
Brannen 1-3; Beckham-J. Stokes
2-2, M. Waller 1-2, T. McCoy 1-2
M and M -6, Cox -10
W.P. - Michael Diebert; Leading
hitters - M and M-B. Collins 1-2,
P. Rice 1-3, J. O’Neil 1-3; Cox - T.
Rainwater 3-3, G. Brantley 3-3,
H. Loggins 2-2
May 28
Rotary -6, Exchange -3
W.P. - Shane Ashley; Leading hit
ters: Rotary - M. Fowler 2-3, S.
Ashley 2-3; Exchange - J. Haye 1-
2, D. Peake 1-2
M and M -7, Utility Service - 8
W.P. - Michael Roberts; Leading
hitters: U.S. - B. Duckworth 2-3,
B. James 1-2, J. O’Cain 2-2; M
Page 6A
As for speed, Alexander said his car,
which is a replica of the first cars used in the
early days of NASCAR racing, can generate
speeds of up to 120 or more miles per hour,
but has attained a speed of up to 90 mph on
dirt tracks such as the one in Cordele, where
the legends will have a race June 7.
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• Special Photo
MINIATURE RACER This is the car which Roger Alexander will drive at the Cordele
Speedway when anew racing class forms this weekend.
and M- J. Barfield 1-2, P. Cooper
1-2
May 31
Rotary -13, Cox - 8
W.P. - Mitchell Fowler; Leading
hitters: Rotary - M. Fowler 4-4, S.
Ashley 1-1, M. Patterson 2-2;
Cox - G. Brantley 1-3
Beckham -8, Exchange - 4
W.P. - Matthew Waller; Leading
Hitters: Beckham-C. Franklin 1-3,
T. Browning
Team W L
Rotary 9 1
Beckham 8 2
Exchange 7 5
Utility service 6 9
Cox 4 9
M and M 1 1
Ponytails Girls Junior League
May 12
Crossroads 10, Barristers 5
All State 6, Wayne Morris 2
May 13
Barristers 16, Wayne Morris 4
Crossroads 8, Hamby 7
May 15
Crossroads 6, Wayne Morris 5
Barristers 22, Hamby 15
May 20
All State 9, Crossroads 6
May 22
Barristers 7, All State 6
Crossroads 8, Hamby 4
May 27
All State 9, Crossroads 7
Wayne Morris 7, Hamby 6
May 29
Barristers 7, Wayne Morris 6
Standings through May 29
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Team Won Lost
Allstate 8 2
Barristers 6 4
Crossroads 5 6
W. Morris 4 6
Hamby 2 7
Standings for Major Boys
11 and 12 Years Old
May 20
Brantley 9, Northrop 6
Winning pitcher J. Liipfert, 13
strikeouts. Losing pitcher H.
Sexton. Brantley: M. Phillips 2,
Yelton 3-3, R. Hall, J. Liipfert
(HR) 2-3, T. Williams 1-2, C.
Clay, R. Philblad 1-3; Northrop:
M. Hunt, B. Johnson, B.
Robinson, M. Denton, 1-2.
Crossroads 4, Baxter 3
Winning pitcher B. Blalock, 3
strikeouts, Losing pitcher B.
Woodard. Crossroads: L. Flournoy
3-3, K. McCarty, A. Barron 1-2, B.
Blalock 1-3; Baxter: J. Clay 1-3.
May 22
Kiwanis 3, Tolleson 2
Winning pitcher D. Peake.
Kiwanis: R. Crum 2-4, J. Moss 2-
3, J. Holt 1-2, N. Shelton 1-3;
Tolleson: T. Hudgens 1-2, T.
Lawhom, J. Chandler, B. Martin,
1-3.
Baxter 12, Brantley 8
Winning pitcher B. Girard, losing
pitcher L. Wilson. Baxter: B.
Girard, E. Booker 3-5, J. Clay 2-4,
N. Campbell 1-2, C. Van Horn, B.
Woodard 1-3; Brantley: L. Wilson
3-3, C. Clay, B. Jones 2-4, Z.
Yelton, T. Williams 1-3.
May 24
Crossroads 13, Kiwanis 6
Winning pitcher B. Blalock, losing
pitcher D. Peake. Crossroads: R.
Grisenwaite 3-3, K. McCarty 3-5,
A. Barron 1-3, L. Flournoy 2-4, B.
Houston rmws-Jomial
The 6-3, 210-pound Alexander said there
is ample room behind the wheel for some
one his size.
“I feel very safe in it, with a harness, roll
cage, fire suit, and race helmet used, ”he
said.
Once he gets strapped into the car.
Blalock 2-5, C. Barrow 1-1;
Kiwanis: A. Hurst 2-3, J. Moss 1-
2, R. Crum, J. Holt, J. Mason 1-3.
Northrop 9, Tolleson 3.
Winning pitcher M. Hunt, Losing
pitcher T. Lawhom. Northrop: H.
Sexton 2-4, D. Rowland 1-1, C.
padgett 1-3, M. Hunt (HR), B.
Robinson 1-4; Tolleson: C. Frye
(HR) 2-3, J. Weekly 2-3, T.
Hudgens, J. Chandler 1-3.
May 29
Kiwanis 2, Northrop 1
Winning pitcher J. Holt, Losing
pitcher M. Hunt. Kiwanis: N.
Shelton, D. Peake 1-2, R. Crum, J.
Holt, A. Hurst 1-3; Northrop: J.
taylor 1 -1, D. Rowland, C. padgett
1-2, H. Sexton, B. Robinson 1-3.
Crossroads 7, Tolleson 5
Winning pitcher B. Blalock, losing
pitcher C. Frye. Crossroads: B.
Blalock 4-4, K. McCarty 3-4, A.
Barron, C. Barron, R. Grisenwaite
1-3, L. Flournoy, J. Goodman 1-4;
Tolleson: J. Chandler 2-3, T.
Lawhom, C. Frye 2-4; J. Weekly
1-2, B. Warren, R. Walker 1-3.
May 30
Kiwanis 10, Brantley 0
Winning pitcher R. Crum, losing
pitcher L. Wilson. Kiwanis: H.
Holt, F. Herring 2-2, N. Shelton,
R. Crum, 2-3, J. mason, Z. harper,
1-2; Brantley: P. Philblad 1-1, J.
Liipfert, B. Jones 1-2.
Team Won Lost
Crossroads 9 3
Kiwanis 9. 4
Baxters 7 4
Brantley 5 7
Northrop 3 7
Tolleson 3 8
Perry Recreation Department
league play
Perry High SfiktilfL
CHEERLEjJpR
camp”
WHERE? /TIME?
Perry High Gym grfn/- 12:00 Noon
WHEN? jSm S (WHO?
j- through
Pre-Rejgistration oii Tnuu June 12
Pick up applications at PjMOjH^chool,
Tucker Elementary, & CM^^B^Rsurers
SSO for 2 participan^^^^^P^mily
Call Chris Williamson for details at 9d* W
Alexander wants to end up in the winner’s
circle, “if you didn’t want to win you prob
ably wouldn’t be there,” he said.
“Our main focus is to circle the track,
though, and it’s great family entertainment,”
he said.
His daughter, Kelly, has also been bitten
by the racing bug. She even experienced the
thrill of “spinning out” while running some
laps recently at the Cordele track.
“It happened so fast I really didn’t realize
it,” she said.
Alexander said there are several classes
of competition, from chargers to pros.
He explained that chargers have little or
no experience, with the scale moving all the
way up to the pro division, in which Albany
resident Scott Tanner, one of the competi
tors in the June 7 race, will compete. Tanner
has been in pro races in the past, according
to Alexander.
One other Houston County driver, jewel
er Rick Staylor. an Elko area resident, is
expected to participate in the race.
Alexander said there will be some 6-8 lap
heat races, with a 15-20 lap main event on
the three-eights mile track.
Other legends cars available from
Alexander and Wade include copies of
the ‘37 Chevrolet Sedan and ‘4O Ford
Coupe.
For more information on the sport and
the vehicles, Alexander can be contacted at
912-929-1376. To reach Wade, call 912-
535-4254.
Mighty Boys
Athletics 2 5
Braves 6 1
Reds 4 3
White Sox 2 5
Mite Boys
Braves 4 1
Giants 0 6
Mariners 33
Rockies 4 2
Rangers 4 2
Mid Boys
Braves 2 1 3
Bombers 3 1
Expos 3 2
Pirates 2 3
Red Sox 2 3
Junior Boys
White Sox 3 0
Rockies 1 2
Mighty Girls
Cubs 5 0
Rockets 2 2
Mite Girls
Strikers 3 1
Mid Girls
Bandits 2 0
Junior Girls
Indians 4 1
Men’s Softball
Dr. Christie 7 0
Dr. Vance 5 3
Spirits 4 3
Northrop 3 4
Perry Police 0 7
Women’s Softball
South’n Comfort 6 1
Final Score 6 1
Lady J’s 4 3
Dr. Vance 3 4
Bullets 2 5
Houston Cos. 9110 7