Newspaper Page Text
8B
I ♦ SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2006
Sapp camp •
The Robert Sapp base
ball camp - designed to
teach fundamentals of
the game - was held at
Rozar Park in Perry this
week.
Photo* by Ciary Harmon
RIGHT: Campers warm
up before getting start
ed.
BELOW: Ben Bailey
helps participants with
their follow through.
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From page 1B
He probably would have
had all the national media
join him at a dumpster as
he tosses the real trophy in
and unveils his own custom
made statuette. And more
than likely this would show
Stern in some compromising
position.
Why can’t all professional
sports owners be like what’s
his name down in Miami? A
lot of them are content with
merely signing the paychecks
and letting the players get
all of the attention. Others
can’t help but become that
personality that commands
the presence of every cam
era and microphone within a
nationwide radius.
There’s a generation out
there that will want to bring
up Charley O. Finley, who,
as owner of the Oakland A’s,
wanted to be the reincar
nation of PT. Barnum with
his orange baseballs and red,
white and blue bases.
In my time growing up in
Georgia, I could follow the
legend of Ted Turner, for
mer owner of the Braves and
Hawks who has his name on
four cable networks now plus
the Braves’ current home.
You heard about the one
game when he decided to run
things as field manager. Then
there was his yacht racing,
his marriage to Jane Fonda
and his eventual departure
from his media empire.
Basketball hasn’t seen
anything like Cuban, he of
the $1.6 million in fines and
counting since Game 5 of this
year’s Finals.
In football, Jerry Jones of
the Dallas Cowboys doesn’t
quite have the spotlight on
him since his team doesn’t
win as much. But when he’s
winning Super Bowls, he’s
then firing the winning coach
and making deals outside
NFL specifications.
But the king of all “watch
me, hear me” owners is “The
Boss.” George Steinbrenner
of the New York Yankees
must feel that he is entitled to
each and every World Series
championship. “I spent $250
million in payroll and we
didn’t win? Well, I guess I’ll
have to spend $260 million
next year.”
I am not saying that it’s
wrong to try to put together
WARRIORS
From page ?jg
communication. The quarter
back will do a lot of calls.”
That quarterback is likely
to be a former member of
the Macon Knights, Shedrick
Respert of Upson-Lee High
School. There’s another
Respert, Shedrick’s brother
Prentice, on the International
the best team you can espe
cially if you have the means.
Steinbrenner has said he
owes it to the people of New
York to put the best club out
there. Great. There are some
owners who don’t mind see
ing their franchise flounder
ing in mediocrity or worse.
It’s true that the Mavericks
were absolutely horrible
before Cuban became the
owner. Jones had to go
through some lean times in
his early days as Cowboys
owner before being able to
secure top-notch talent for
another dynasty run of cham
pionships.
But their outspoken
approach isn’t the only way
to be successful in the sports
world.
Dr. Jerry Buss has been
able to keep the Lakers a
contender without always
being in the headlines.
Jerry Reinsdorf has cham
pionships as both owner of
the Chicago Bulls and White
Sox. Other than that, he’s
most famous for not keep
ing the winning Bulls team
together after title No. 6.
Wayne Huizinga. Now
there’s a Miami owner I’ve
heard of. Remember, he spent
just enough to get the Florida
Marlins a World Series in
1997 ... then decided he
couldn’t pay them anymore.
Jeffrey Lorie seems to be
following in his footsteps.
Yes, the Marlins squeeze out
a second title six years later,
and boom, just about all those
people are gone. If your not,
don’t worry, your time will
come. Man, those titles are
expensive.
Right here I have probably
named off all the pro owners
you could list if asked to off
the top of your head.
Only, Turner doesn’t count
because he doesn’t own a
team anymore. But if you
turned to the person sitting
next to you and asked casu
ally “Who owns the Braves?”
I would bet 90 percent would
give Ted as the response.
(Got to end this with anoth
er little Heat story: As a col
lege student in 1989, I had
a black Miami Heat T-shirt.
One of my fellow students
apparently hadn't heard of
this team. “Miami Heat?”
he asks. “Yes, it’s a new
NBA team. ” “Plays down in
Miami?” And before “Here’s
Your Sign ” becomes popular,
I say, “No, in Hazlehurst. ”)
City team playing receiver.
Johnson’s main focus as
a coach is on the defensive
side, which he said is com
ing together faster since
that’s where a lot of the for
mer Stallions play. The base
defense is 4-3, and he likes
the young secondary talent
that will enable him to use
man coverage. But he said he
could call anything from a 3-
4 to a 5-2 to a nickel package
and the players will adjust.
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Collector's
Bonus!
Purchase 10 o' nore ore or
1121 Ball St. • DOWNTOWN PERRY • Next To Badcock Furniture
SPORTS
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Northside pitching coach Mark Estes, helps Adam
Minyard from Byron with his pitching motion.
■■
UUMdIM.
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Rusty
Harris
works
with
Adam
Parker
from
Perry on
the cor
rect way
to bring
his arm
back
when
pitching.