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Sports
GISA North
boys outgun
South, 86-58
By Phil Clark
Hoy JtxmnAL
Augusta Christian s
James Seegars and Joey
Isaac got most of the ink in
a middle Georgia daily
paper's accounts of the
Georgia Independent
School Association boys'
all-star game, but the play
er who broke open a close
game was Piedmont Acade
my's Thomas Yancey.
Scoreless in the first
quarter. Yancey watched
Seegars and George Wal
ton’s Jeremy Pritchard
score five points each to
lead the North to a 20-15
advantage.
The South had gone
ahead at 15-13 on a basket
by Westfield's Robert
Causey, but a seven-point
run by the North to close
ihe quarter game them a
five-point lead.
Then Yancey took over.
The 6’o" guard hit three
pointers on three consecu
tive North possessions, and
Isaacs’ free throw and a
basket by Seegars complet
ed a 20-point North run
finally broken when South
land's Chuck Carson hit a
basket for the South.
Yancey answered Car
son's basket with his fourth
three-pointer of the quarter,
and the North was off and
running to a 43-22 halftime
advantage.
Will Puckett of Randolph
Southern led the South
with 12 points, with West
field's Brian Hartley scoring
11. Causey finished the
game with 6 points.
Isaac scored 24 to lead
the North, while Augusta
Christian teammate See
gars had 21 and Yancey 15.
Recreation all starts in
state softball tourney
The Perry Recreation
Department 9 and 10 year
old girls All-Star team has
won the District 6 champi
onship and will play in the
state tournament in Dublin
on July 30 and 31. Coaches
for the team are Chipper
Harrell, Linda Gordon and
Geraldine Davis. Players are
Lacy Rucker, Sheeka Ragin,
Shay Newberry. Karissa
Harrell, Sammi Mauer,
Bianca King, Tina Gordon,
Chris Whitehead, Rebecca
Gordon, Tanieda Davis, T.K.
Williams, Jessica Wright
and Ashley Grantham.
Baseball Hall of Fame now has 244 honorees
With the induction July 25 of
seven more members, the Base
ball Hall of Fame now numbers
244, including former major
league players, pioneers and
executives, managers, umpires
and Negro League players.
Nolan Ryan and George Brett
became the two top vote getters
from members of the Baseball
Writers Association of America,
but that is a little misleading.
You see, this year a total of 497
members cast votes, the most
ever, eclipsing the 465 votes cast
in 1995.
Ryan was selected, on 491 of
the 497 ballots, a percentage of
98.79. That places him second
all time to the 98.84 percent of
the votes Tom Seaver received in
1992 when he got 425 votes from
the 430 voters.
Brett became the fourth player
to garner 98 percent or more
when his 488 votes placed him
on 98.19 percent of the ballots.
Ty Cobb, in the initial year of bal
loting, 1936, is the only other
player to be named on more that
98 percent of the ballots. Hank
Aaron came close in 1987,
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Special Photo
CHAMPS These 9 and 10 year olds, coached by Len
Taylor and David Knowles, and sponsored by Coldwell
Banker, won the AAA championship in their age group in
the Ochlahatchee league. From left, first row: Jacob Par
nell, Jonathan Gentry, Jake Mitchem, Ricky Williams,
Tripp Tolleson, Adam Newman; second row: Anthony Nel
son, Matthew Warren, Robby Taylor, Steven Peake, Brad
Knowles, Paul Brannon; back row, Coaches Taylor and
Knowles.
Hospice plans golf tourney
SraciAi. to the Home Journal
Hospice of Houston Coun
ty will host its eighth annu
al Celebrity Pro-Am golf
tournament to benefit the
Hospice programs. The tour
nament will be at Houston
Lake Country Club.
According' to Art Holtz,
the event is for a good
cause.
Teams should register
soon. Deadline for entry is
Aug. 10. The tournament
format is a' five-person
scramble, with each four
person team begin accompa
nied by a celebrity or pro.
The lowest score for each
hole is tabulated for the
North GISA all stars claim 7-6 win on extra point conversion
By Phil Clark
Home Journal Sports
me Sou tli game plan was a good
one. Shut down the North's inside
running game, and keep mistakes to
a minimum. It almost worked ‘for
South head coach Ronnie Jones of
Westfield and his staff.
The hard-nosed South defense
held Tattnall’s heralded Nathan
Smith to just 24 yards in 10 carries
and Brentwood s Mitch Sheppard to
16 on four carries. But one big play
by Smith, a 20-yard touchdown run
with eight minutes left in the first half
gave the North a 7-0 lead, and they
were able to protect it when the
South scored with three minutes left
in the game and opted to go for two
points and the win on their point
Phil
Clark
Home
Journal
Sports
though, when he received 406
votes from the 415 voting mem
bers, or 97.83 percent.
Robin Yount was also elected
by the BBWAA, and if you saw
the inauguration ceremonies at
Cooperstown, you heard him say
“with all respect to Lou Gehrig, I
consider myself the luckiest man
on the face of the earth." He
referred to Gehrig’s remarks dur
ing his retirement announce
ment before a full house at Yan
kee Stadium.
The four others who were
inducted in 1999 include former
players Orlando Cepeda, the sec
ond Puerto Rican to be so hon
ored, along writh Joe Williams,
Frank Selee and umpire Nestor
team even beginners are
encouraged to participate.
Team sponsorship for
four persons is $350; indi
viduals can also join in the
fun for S9O. Individuals will
oe teamed with other indi
vidual participants.
After a full round of golf, a
Savannah-styled country
boil, plus an auction and
entertainment will be pro
vided.
Friends and family not
participating in the tourna
ment are invited for dinner
and auction afterwards.
Cost is only $25 per person.
For more information, call
Art Holtz at 922-1777.
after try.
Mount de Sales’ Donovan Davis
and Glenn Shelby. Westwood’s Jeb
Bell and Windsor's Michael Hodge
anchored a rugged defensive line, and
linebackers Jeremy Nippier of Fulling
ton, Trevor Permission of Terrell
Academy and Tyler Akins of Bullock
Academy shut down the North run
ning game, holding the best of the
North crop to just 88 yards on the
ground in 40 snaps, including
Smith's 20-yard-touchdown scamper.
Through the air, the North didn't
fare well, either, with Southland's
Derek Fountain, Jarrett Berry of
Robert Toombs and Westwood Acade
my’s Ray Dixon and Kevin Massey of
Terrell Academy playing well in the
secondary.
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987-2423 .
Page 6A
Wed., July 28, 1999
Chylak. The latter four were cho
sen by the Hall of Fame Commit
tee on Baseball Veterans. Cepeda
played in the so called “modern
era." The others did not.
There are now 182 former
players enshrined at Cooper
stown in the total membership of
244. Sixty one of those players
are still living.
Ryan and Brett have always
been among my favorite players.
Their dedication to the game was
above reproach. Brett, in fact,
was not only dedicated to the
game itself, but to the team that
brought him to the major
leagues. He played all of his 21
years in Kansas City, a feat that
is rarely heard of today.
Cal Ripkin, a future Hall of
Famer, is an exception. There are
a few others, but very few. Brett
is the only major leaguer who fin
ished has career with over 3,000
hits, 300 home runs, 600 dou
bles, 100 triples and 200 stolen
bases. He is the only player to
ever win batting championships
in three decades!
The 52-year-old Ryan, just five
years past his playing days,
Sellers-coached South All Stars
win GISA girls basketball game
By Phil Clark
Hoy Jowm group
Georgia Independent
School Association South
all-star coach Billy Sellers
had witnessed the scene
many times from the West
fleld sidelines close games
going right down to the wire.
With his team up by 10
points after three quarters,
and clearly outplaying it's
North counterpart. Sellers
had reason to think he could
relax and enjoy the final
eight minutes.
When Paige Hencley left
the game with five fouls with
5:19 left in the game, the
North began to pull back
into the game. Hencley was
not out of the game, since
all-star rules allow each
player six personal fouls.
Randolph Southern’s Adri
enne Hixon, who led the
South team in the first half,
also nursed five fouls, so
Sellers had to keep one or
Brannen stays close in standings races in Charlotte, Adanta
Special to thi Hum JoimwAi.
Walt DeWitt and Middy Brannen had
double reason to celebrate July 22. in
Atlanta. First of all Walt Brannen got his
sixth win of the series after starting on the
outside pole.
Secondly this race marked the first year of
Brannen's Legends driving career. His sister.
Mary Margaret, and his mom. Dee Brannen.
provided a Black and White 911 Team cake
which was enjoyed by friends and several
other drivers.
Earlier in the day, Brannen started his
heat in fifthn spot, but moved to third with
in a lap, earning him a spot in the feature
event.
Forced to start in the outside spot on the
The North got an early break but
couldn’t talfie advantage of it. On a
third-and- 1C on their first posses
sion, the South was flagged for pass
interference, but the North could pick
up just two yards before they were
forced to punt.
The teams exchanged possessions
before the South got the ball with
5:17 left in the first quarter. An elec
trifying 49-yard run by Westfield's
Jared Shell set the South up at the
North 26-yard line, but a fourth down
screen pass from Trevor Jones to
Shell cqme up just short of a first
down, and the North got the ball back
with 2:22 to go in the quarter.
Staying on the ground, the North
pounded out two first downs to move
the ball to midfield, then Augusta
Houston Home Journal
the other of his two top scor
ers on the bench. When
Hixon fouled out at the 2:04
mark, the South led by just
four points, 53-49. Brittney
Rogers of Tattall, who was
fouled by Hixon, made one
of two to cut the lead to
three points.
Monroe’s Katy Peters, who
scored six points in the
fourth quarter for the North,
hit a basket with 1:08 left to
cut the lead to one and the
South immediately turned
the ball over.
Before the North could get
off a shot, they also turned
the ball over. Then strange
things happened. Over the
next 30 seconds, Hencley
and Lindsay Balkcom. two of
the best players in the GISA,
each missed the front end of
one-if-one situations.
Great defense by the
South preserved the win.
After Hencley missed from
the line for the second time.
logged a record 27 years in the
major leagues. His 5,714 career
strikeouts and seven no-hitters
are a couple of records which will
last forever. No pitcher will log
enough years to eclipse the
strikeout mark, ahd few pitchers
go nine innings anymore, so no
hitters are rare.
Ryan struck out 15 or more
batters in a game 26 times, and
his single season mark of 383
strikeouts appears safe,
although pitchers like Pedro
Martinez of Boston and Curt
Schilling of Philadelphia could
have a shot at it. Randy Johnson
is another.
Ryan, too, is the only pitcher
to ever strike out 16 batters in a
game after the age of 40, and he
did it an amazing three times! In
fact, during his 27 major league
seasons, Ryan averaged 9.55
strikeouts per nine innings
pitched more than a strikeout
an Inning for 27 years!
Some 34 Hall of Fame
inductees were on hand for this
year’s ceremonies, 15 of them
had been Ryan strikeout victims!
Brett, Yount and Cepeda were
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the North rebounded, but
could not get the ball across
midcourt under the South’s
backcourt pressure. Molly
McWilliams of Crisp Acade
my finally nailed two free
throws to ice the game for
the South 57-54.
Sellers said after the game
“We had the GISA's fran
chise player at the foul line,
but Paige couldn't convert.
But if we were in the same
situation again. I'd still want
Paige on the line for me. It
was Just one of those things
that happen in the game of
basketball. I’m proud of the
way our girls played togeth
er. It was definitely a team
effort."
Hencley led all scorers
with 18 points in her final
high school appearance
before reporting to Georgia
Southwestern State Univer
sity. Hixon, who scored 13
for the South, wtll play at
Andrew College in Cuthbert.
third row, Brannen quickly fell back into the
pack. Following a caution flag. Brannen
made a quick run for the lead before anoth
er caution flag slowed racers.
With one lap to go, the caution flag was
removed, Brannen shot for the inside and
managed to finish sixth in the race. This
kept him in second place in the Charlotte
standings.
The celebratiojn over, Brannen was
scheduled to be in Charlotte July 27 for
another race in the Wendy's Tuesday Night
Shootout Series. Brannen remains in sec
ond place in the semi-pro division at Char
lotte.
He is in first place in the Young Lions divi
sion at the Atlanta speedway.
Christian’s Nathan Duffle hit Briar
wood’s Macy Thigpen for 22 yards,
one of just two pass completions for
the North in the game.
After Athens Christian’s Wesley
Morris picked up six yards and
Brentwood’s Mitch Sheppard one.
Smith broke free for his 20-yard
touchdown run. First Presbyterian's
Shae Hinson tacked on what proved
to be the whining point after touch
down, with eight minutes left in the
half.
The second half started much the
same as the first. A South penalty on
a pass play wras critical. This time, it
was a holding call against the South
on what would have been a good gain
See FOOTBALL, Page 7A
among Ryan’s victims. Brett,
with his .305 career batting aver
age. had a fair amount of success
against Ryan, collecting 29 hits
in 101 appearances, an average
of .287. But he hit no home runs,
end struck out 18 times.
Ryan said after the ceremonies
that he had expressed his opin
ion on Pete Rose to Commission
er Bud Selig. Ryan told the Com
missioner he believes Rose
should be in the Hall of Fame,
that he should be judged on his
merits as a player.
Selig has said he will not rein
state Rose to baseball, a prereq
uisite to election to the Hall of
Fame.
First time candidates who will
be eligible next year include
pitchers Jack Morris and Goose
Gossage and first baseman Kent
Hrbek. Tony Perez and Carlton
Fisk will again appear on the bal
lots of the BBWAA, who, by the
way, have elected just 91 of the
244 Hall qf Fame members.
If you 'ever get the urge to
explore the Hall, log on to
www.baseballhalloffame.org.
You'll find it very interesting.