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WORKOUTS LEADING TO THE 1999 PERRY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SEASON HAVE BEGUN AT THE PANTHER PIT
The First Game OJ The Season Pits Perry Against Vidalia At The Panther Pit Sept. 3
Perry High Panthers preparing for 1999 football season
By ALLINE KENT
Home Journal Sports
It has been said that there is
nothing like being at the Panther
Pit on a Friday evening.
To that end. Perry High School
Football Coach George Collins, his
staff and his players have been
nard at work this summer.
It’s almost like no one has had a
summer vacation. Players and
coaches both have been hard at it
all summer in preparation for
another season of Panther football.
NEW SIGNS Perry Middle School
Principal Tom Gupton and Athletic Direc
Signs raise funds for middle school athletic needs
By ALLINE KENT
Home Jourwal Sports
£oach Leslie Belcher has spent his sum
mer in an unlikely vocation for a three
sport coach. He has spent many hours
since school got out in June painting signs
and and hanging them on the fence at the
new facilities of Perry Middle School.
The signs, which advertise local busi
ness in the Perry area, are a big financial
boost for the school. Each sign has an ini
tial cost of S2OO and a year to year cost ol
$75. Some 28 signs have been sold so far,
with the hopes of many more being sold.
The money raised will help provide funds
for several major expenses at the middle
Top rookies don’t always become longtime baseball stars
Just how tough is it to make it
to the major leagues? Expansion
has made it easier to get ther£,
obviously, but it isn't that easy to
stay.
Baseball Digest selects the
magazine’s All-rookie team each
season, combining both leagues
and selecting one player at each of
the eight everyday positions, plus
four starting pitchers and one
relief pitcher.
Let s look at the team of 1989.
Just 10 seasons ago, the select
group of up and comers included
such names as Carlos Martinez of
the Chicago White Sox at first
base. Martinez played for a few
seasons, and for a few teams, but
I can t find his name on a major
league roster today.
.At second base, the choice was
the Mets’ Gregg Jefferies. Jefferies
could play a lot of positions, includ
ing first base and the outfield,
which prolonged his major league
career. He was also injure prone,
and that has kept him out of every
day lineups in recent seasons.
The shortstop on the 1989 team
was Omar Visquel, who came up
with the Seattle Mariners, but
Perry High School went 7-3 last
year, barely missing the playoffs.
This was one of their most success
ful seasons in several years.
Practice for the team began two
weeks ago, as the Panthers started
working on conditioning and fun
damentals. Work outs in full pads
began last week.
Seventy young men have come
out for the team, and Collins expect
to pick up a few more after school
starts Aug. 12.
"We always pick up a few more
tor Danny Shelton inspect new signs
placed at the PMS athletic fields.
school. First on the priority list is at least
one set of bleachers at the football field and
a press box with a public address system.
School leaders would also like to have
concession stands with rest room facilities
outside. Eventually, a separate press box for
the softball and baseball fields will be fund
ed. Perry Middle is expected to provide 100
percent of the funding for these projects.
During the summer months, the signs
will be moved to the fence which runs by
the Perry Parkway, giving the advertisers
the bonus of year-round exposure.
Persons interested in a sign can contact
Belcher or Coach Danny Shelton at 988-
6291.
Phil
Clark
Home
Journal
Sports
who is one of the top shortstops in
the game today, as a member of
the Cleveland Indians.
Baltimore's Craig Worthington
was the third baseman. Anybody
know his whereabouts?
The Chicago Cubs had two
rookie outfielders on the team.
One was Jerome Walton of New
nan, who had a reasonable suc
cessful major league career, but
injuries cut it short. He even had
a stint in Atlanta a couple of sea
sons ago.
The other Cub in the outfield on
the 1989 team was Dwight Smith,
who also enjoyed a few productive
seasons in the majors.
Not much doubt that the other
outfielder belonged on the team.
Home Journal Photo by Alline Kent
Page 6A
Wed., Aug. 11, 1999
when school starts,” he said. “Kids
move into the area and 9th graders
are more familiar with starting foot
ball when school starts."
While their hard work during the
hot summer months comes without
much glory or praise, it is consid
ered necessary for a successful
football program.
Collins spoke highly of his team's
effort during the off season.
“Their dedication says a lot about
the group of kids, we’ve got. They
have been lifting weights all year,
Fellow by the name of Ken Griffey
Jr.! He is by far the most success
ful rookie on the 1989 team.
The catcher was Joe Giradi,
who was the third Chicago Cub to
make the team that season. Gira
di has been with several teams,
and is now playing with the New
York Yankees.
Tom Gordon was one of the
starting pitchers on the team, but
he was converted to relief , and is
one of the top closers in the major
leagues. He came up with the
Kansas City Royals though his
success came with the Boston
Red Sox.
Another of the starting pitchers
was a member of the California
Angels, former Michigan star Jim
Abbott, who made it to the major
leagues despite having been born
without a right hand.
Kevin Brown was another of
the starters. Like Griffey Jr.,
there's no doubt that Brown
belonged on the team. He is one of
the most dominant right handed
pitchers in the game today, as a
member of the Los Angeles
Dodgers.
Baltimore's Bob Milacki was the
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Alltel, Applebee’s buy cups for Perry
Middle athletic department use
By ALLINE KENT
Home Journal Sports
Alltel and Applebee's continue their ded
ication to the Perry community and they
joined together this year to provide cups for
the Perry Middle School athletic program.
Each organization has paid for 300 plastic
bottles to be used by the athletes.
The bottles, which have their own plastic
straw attached, will be used by the various
teams during the season. Each will be
BHPHF H
K«- «jpr BHB I3HPT 4
GIVING THE PANTHERS PLASTIC Panthers by Mark Yarborough of Apple-
Perry Middle School Principal Tom Gup- bee's (secondfrom left) and Skip Dawkins
ton (left) and Athletic Director Danny of Alltel.
Shelton (right) inspect cups given the
Houston Home Journal
Hump Journal Photos by Allinr Kent
started as soon as the season was
over last year. We have had high
attendance in the weight room all
summer long.
“We are going to be the strongest
team around. And many of our kids
competed in a passing league this
summer. This will help us be ready
on offensive and defensive," Collins
added.
The Panthers open at home Sept.
3 against non-region foe Vidalia.
The first region game is Sept. 10
against Lamar County.
fourth starter. He. too, was a suc
cessful major leaguer.
The relief pitcher was. too.
Another Oriole, Gregg Olson was
one Of the dominant closers in the
game until arm trouble slowed
him down. Still in the majors,
Olson is not the dominant pitcher
he once was. He, like Walton, had
a short stint as an Atlanta Brave.
It’s, interesting that both the
Chicago Cubs and the Baltimore
Orioles had three members of the
All-rookie team in 1989. None of
the players are with their original
teams, and both teams are in
next-to last place in their respec
tive divisions.
The Cubs occupy fifth in the
National League central while the
Orioles are in fourth in the Amer
ican League east.
Griffey Jr. is the only member of
that All-rookie team who still
plays with the team that brought
him to the majors!
Although Baseball Digest
selected its All-rookie team from
teams in both leagues, they did
select a Rookie of the Year in each
league. That would be Olson of
Baltimore in the American and
Middle School
coaches set open
house event
By ALLINE KENT
HOUBjIOigWAL^SPOKTS^ _____
Parents ana other Middle
School Panther fans will
soon have a chance to get
up close and personal with
the athletic department
staff at Perry Middle
School.
The PMS Athletic
Department will host “Meet
The Coaches and Staff"
night Aug. 17. The program
begins at 7:30 p.m. in the
Middle School Gymnasium.
The evening will give par
ents and interested com
munity members an oppor
tunity to hear about the
upcoming football and soft
ball seasons while meeting
the coaches who lead the
middle school in these
sports.
During the evening. Ath
letic Director at Perry Mid
dle School Danny Shelton,
will discuss items concerns
the 1999-2000 athletic sea
son.
Among many things,
Shelton will discuss the
overall athletic program
and the discipline program
at Perry Middle and how it
affects the athletes.
"Our discipline program
at Perry Middle is having a
great effect on all our kids,“
said Shelton. “It really
affects our athletes by giv
ing them something to
work for," he said.
marked writh a players’ name and number.
"It wall cut down on a lot of waste." said
Perry Middle Athletic Director Danny Shel
ton.
“Up to now, we have had to use paper
cups. It made for a mess that had to be
clean up after every game and every prac
tice. This will be much more sanitary for
our kids."
The Perry Athletic Staff wall be responsi
ble for washing the cups after every use.
Walton of Chicago in the National.
Current Atlanta players Walt
Weiss and Ozzie Guillen were both
member of the team. Weiss with
Oakland in 1988 and Guillen with
the White Sox in 1985. Brett
Boone, who came to the majors
with the Mariners in 1991, didn’t
make the team his rookie season.
The honor went to Chuck
Knoblauch of Minnesota, now
with the Yankees. Boone is also a
member of the Braves.
Atlanta has benefited from the
modern style of play in the major
leagues. That is. a player doesn't
stay put with one team for long.
The 1987 American League
Rookie of the Year, Mark McGwire,
recently hit his 500th career home
run. He reached the plateau in
5,487 at-bats. The previous
record holder, Babe Ruth, took
5,801 at-bats. t
The others in the top five aren’t
even close. Jimmy Foxx got there
in 7,074. Mickey Mantle in 7,300
and Mike Schmidt in 7,331. The
major league home run record
holder. Hank Aaron, is not among
the top five in reaching the 500
mark.
Home Journal Photo by Alline Kent