Newspaper Page Text
8A
♦ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2005
My cup runneth ever - new it's flat
( / *¥" your eye on
rV the b£dl ”
_L How many
times had I heard that? A
thousand? Two thousand?
From my younger days of
learning how to play and on
up, and even in my job today,
I had found ironclad truth
in those words of wisdom ...
until Friday night.
Let me set the stage by
taking you back a year or so
ago. That was the first time I
was brave enough to actually
get on a baseball or softball
field to take pictures - while
something was going on.
For years I had balked spe
cifically in the case of those
two sports, choosing instead
to shoot through the gaps of
a chain-link fence - or over
it if it wasn’t too tall.
That was with the excep
tion of youth sports. I guess
my rationale was: Even
though they’re more prone
to throw high or wide and/
or miss, at least it won’t
hurt as much as compared
to being pegged by a high
schooler.
Then one day I was doing
a preview of one of our
teams headed to the play
offs. The coach was on the
field hitting to the players.
Ordinarily my self-imposed
orders were clear: Shoot
through the peephole. Talk
to the coach after practice
and "off” the field.
This time for whatever
reason (I think I was actu
ally buckling under the
pressure of my former co
worker-now-turned-corre-
spondent Joe Sersey who
had started taking pictures
from the dugout) I decided
to go for it.
I went out on the field,
took my pictures and then
met up with the coach also
out on the field.
We moved between first
and right field on the right
side of the foul line - out of
harm's way (yeah, right) and
began to talk.
One question. That’s
how many I got out before
“whap,” a softball hit me
right on the kneecap.
I tried to feign: “Ah, it
didn’t hurt.” But the truth
is my knee was throb
bing. I made it through the
interview, hid the pain as
I walked normally off the
field, but when I reached my
car, sat down and felt it, it
was swollen well, the size of
SERSEY
From page 7A
“Comedy Central”
I think five home runs were
hit in that game.
Next ESPN showed the
girls Little League fast-pitch
World Series. Granted their
league didn’t get the cover
age that the boys did, but at
least ESPN showed the semi
finals and the championship.
They were exciting. And
the best part of it all was
that ABC didn’t get involved.
All three games were excit
ing and decided in the final
innings.
I almost missed the Big
League World Series champi
onship game, again covered
by ESPN. Girls 16-18 com
peted for the world champi
onship in fast-pitch softball,
and it was one of the most
exciting games I’ve watched,
City, police department to sponsor bike ride, run
By JOE SERSEY
HHJ Correspondent
Cyclists and runners are
invited to compete in the City
of Warner Robins and Warner
Robins Police Department
sponsored event Sept. 24.
Proceeds for the event will
go to the Memorial Park
Playground Project.
The Playground Bike Ride
Starts at 8 a.m. and offers
three routes: 20, 35 and 60
miles. The Playground Run
includes a 5K and one-mile
race and also begins at 8
a.m. Sign-in for bothe events
begins at 7 a.m.
< The cost to participate
is $25 per person with
Registration forms locat
ed at the Warner Robins
Police Department and
Don Moncrief
HHJ Sports Editor
dt mtn@evansnevvspapers.com
All I needed was a
casket and some
flowers to be
complete.
a softball.
Fortunately, it went down
after awhile, which sur
prised the heck out of me.
I honestly thought I broke
something.
The point is I violated rule
No. 1: “Keep your eye on the
ball.”
Fast-forward to Friday
night.
There I was on the side
lines covering the Perry-
Fitzgerald game. The
Panthers had just kicked a
field goal and were subse
quently kicking off.
For picture-taking pur
poses, I positioned myself
at the 20-yard line as I nor
mally do for a good kicker. I
figured Jason Sweat would
kick it to the one and by the
time the runner reached the
20, that’s when he’d run
into Perry’s coverage. Snap.
Snap. A perfect picture every
time (even with my limita
tions as a photographer).
Close, but the plan didn't
quite work. For starters, the
ball went about one yard
deep into the endzone. The
returner signaled a fair
catch and then he hobbled
it. But, he also deadened it
enough to where it fell just
in front of him.
The official also blew the
whistle, so he wasn’t bother
ing to pick it up. Only the
Panthers’ coaches saw it as
a fumble so they started yell
ing: “That’s a fumble! Get
the ball.”
And the players didn’t
hesitate to do just that.
Now I probably don't need
with the winning team com
ing from behind and clinch
ing it with a home run.
But you know what the
best part of all those games
was? I watched a bunch of
kids playing their hearts out
for their sport.
Most of those players will
never have such success in
sports again. They had noth
ing to gain by winning, but
they competed anyway.
To be that good takes hard
work, and they’re doing it for
no pay. For the rest of their
lives, the players can look
back on what they accom
plished regardless of how far
they went in their respective
tournaments.
I’ve always admired ama
teur athletes. They put
themselves on the line every
time they step between the
Warner Robins Recreation
Department. Registration
deadline is Sept. 12. For more
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to tell you, instinctively it’s
in man’s nature to start
moving away when he senses
danger is near.
And that’s what I was slow
ly doing. The problem was
my credo. I believed in “Keep
your eye on the ball,” and
that’s where I was focused.
"Wham!" I was blindsided
by a truck.
I was an armadillo try
ing to cross the road and I
was flattened. I was laid out.
Prone. All I needed was a
casket and some flowers to
be complete.
“He never knew what hit
him,” my obit would say.
Eventually the little bird
ies stopped flying around my
head and I quickly picked
myself up.
"Hope nobody saw that," I
thought.
Not a chance. The commo
tion of the kickoff had long
subsided and yet I could hear
this wave of activity - muted
conversations - behind me.
(And by the way, Antonio
Hubbard did stop to see if I
was OK on his way back.)
Even in a concussion state
I knew what - who - the
topic was about.
Sure enough as I made my
way to the pressbox after the
first quarter - traditionally
I shoot pictures the first 12
minutes and go up and write
the rest of the game - it was
Q&A time from the first row
all the way to the top.
First row: "Are you
alright?"
Middle: "Did that hurt?"
And finally on the top rung
where Perry Middle School
athletic director Randy Moss
offered this: "What's a matter
Moncrief? Moving to safer
ground?"
No. OK, maybe. Alright,
yes. Is there a point to all of
this?
Well, if I'm like Joe, who
I'm going to blame this on
anyway - he made me care
less -1 would probably quote
Shakespeare. "My head doth
hurt and so doth my fanny."
Instead I've found a bet
_ ter way. The best advice just
might be a paraphrase from
the movie Major League II:
"If you're standing on the
tracks when the train comes
through ... you're going to
get run over."
Translated that means:
Trains have balls (forgive me
for being crass). Keep an eye
out for them.
lines. They open themselves
up for criticism from people
who aren’t making the same
sacrifices.
Few athletes get as far as
a championship playoff, but
they’re out there day in and
day out, playing a sport they
love.
My hope is that the boys
and girls who competed in
those championships have
not reached their plateau. I
hope they have many more
successes in their personal
lives, their jobs and, possibly,
their sport.
I would hate for them to
be bald, 53, and still living
a past glory from when they
were 11 or 12. Let their glory
continue.
The past is the past, what
you do today is what mat
ters.
information, call Lisa Angell
at 929-6901 or e-mail her at
langell@warner-robins.org.
956-4550
SPORTS
Local videographer, hunter team up
to win Campbell Outdoor Challenge
Special to the HHJ
Freelance outdoor vid
eographer Jed Dickens of
Warner Robins and Dave
Camp, life-long bow hunt
er and guide for Black
River Plantation in South
Carolina, teamed up to win
the inaugural Campbell
Outdoor Challenge of the
2005 deer season recently.
There were nine teams
involved in the competition
and two of those consisted
of a host and cameraman
from nationally syndicated
hunting TV shows.
Although other teams
did harvest animals during
the three-day competition,
Dickens' and Camp's com
bined effort in harvesting
a seven-point mature buck
received the highest score.
They are now qualified
for the championship to be
held later this year.
The challenge was a
nationally broadcasted
reality television series air
ing on the Men’s Channel,
Sportsman Channel, Fox
Sports Network and vari
ous local networks and fea
tured the sport of filming
hunts.
All challenge events were
for wild, free-ranging game,
Division reminds hunters they need new license
Special to the HHJ
The Georgia Department
of Natural Resources,
Wildlife Resources Division
reminds deer hunters who
purchased a big game license
between Sept. 11, 2004 and
Jan. 9 that they need a new
deer harvest record prior to
the 2005-2006 deer hunting
season.
Landowners, honorary
and lifetime license hold
ers also must obtain a deer
harvest record and complete
deer harvest information.
Hunters may obtain new
deer harvest records free of
charge at www.gohuntgeor
gia.com or from any license
agent.
“A deer harvest record is
good for one hunting season
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Donation Locations
• 2209 Moody Road
■ 115 Margie Drive
■ 1355 Sam Nunn Blvd.
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submitted
Freelance outdoor videographer Jed Dickens of Warner
Robins and Dave Camp, life-long bow hunter and guide
for Black River Plantation in South Carolina, teamed up
to win the inaugural Campbell Outdoor Challenge of
the 2005 deer season.
hunted under fair chase
conditions.
The hunter received a
score, his cameraman part
only because the bag limit
is a seasonal limit,” said
Bill Fletcher, chief of WRD
Game Management.
“Once hunters get the
2006 harvest record, they
should discard old harvest
records.”
Hunters must complete a
deer harvest record before
moving a deer from the
site of a kill, except when
participating in a Wildlife
Management Area or
National Wildlife Refuge
hunt that requires hunters
to check out their harvested
deer.
Hunters may not possess
or use multiple big game
licenses or deer harvest
records and should keep
harvest records with their
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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
ner received a score, those
scores were combined, and
the team with the highest
score won the challenge.
hunting licenses.
Season dates for the vari
ous types of deer hunting
are as follows:
■ Archery (either sex):
Sept. 10 - Oct. 14 (state
wide)
■ Extended Archery
(either sex): Jan. 2-31,
2006 (only in Clayton, Cobb,
DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton,
Gwinnett and Rockdale
counties)
■ Primitive weapons
(either sex): Oct. 15-21
■ Firearms (Northern
Zone): Oct. 22-Jan. 1, 2006
■ Firearms (Southern
Zone): Oct. 22-Jan. 15,
2006
Fof more information,
visit www.gohuntgeorgia.
com or call (770)918-6416.
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