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(EJje^mrnral
OUR
SANPLOT
ON DECK
Today
Major League Baseball
■ New York Mets at Atlanta,
1:05 p.m., TBS
BRAVES CORNER
Yankees 4, Braves 3
NEW YORK (AP) - Alex
Rodriguez reversed a tumul
tuous month of jeering with a
two-run homer in the 12th inning
Wednesday, rallying the New York
Yankees to a 4-3 victory over the
Atlanta Braves.
After Marcus Giles put Atlanta
ahead with a solo shot in the
top half, Rodriguez finally deliv
ered the big hit those demanding
Yankees fans have been clamor
ing for all month.
Ron Villone (1-1) escaped a
bases-loaded jam in the top of the
12th to keep New York within one.
Giambi homered earlier for the
Yankees, and Rodriguez finished
with three RBIs.
Giambi tied the game for New
York in the eighth with his 23rd
homer on the first pitch he saw
from reliever Ken Ray. It was the
sixth time the Braves' bullpen has
blown a lead in games started by
John Smoltz.
Giles hit his fifth home run on
a 3-2 pitch from Scott Proctor,
but the struggling Braves dropped
two of three in the series to fall to
5-21 in June.
Smoltz allowed six hits, struck
out five and walked two, throwing
73 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
He retired 10 of 11 batters during
one stretch.
IN BRIEF
Youth center sets registration
The Robins Air Force Base
Youth Center’s sports registration
will be held July 15. Parents may
resister from 1-6 p.m. on that day
and from 3-6 p.m. the following
Monday-Fnday.
Youth may register for cheer
leading ages 5-12, NFL flag foot
ball ages 5-10, tackle football
ages 11-12 and fall soccer ages
5-16.
Registration will continue until
teams are full.
Also, the center is currently
accepting applications for volun
teer cheerleading/football/soccer
coaches.
No experience is required.
Training will be provided though
the youth center. Apply in person
at Robins Youth Center or call
Ron Hayes at 926-2110.
Cross country series dates set
Warner Robins High School
head cross country coach David
Erpelding is prepanng to host
the Sixth Annual Middle Georgia
Cross Country Summer Series
at Pearl Stephens Elementary
School in Warner Robins.
The races are open to every
one and the following races are
planned:
■ July 6:4000 meters
■ July 20: 5000 Meters
Each race is slated to start at
7:30 p.m. on the Thursdays listed
above. Awards will be given for
the top five in each age group
male and female. 14-and-under,
15-19 and 20 and over. The entry
fee is $5.
HLCC to host clinic, more
Houston Lake Country Club will
be holding a Junior Golf Clinic
July 11-13, 9:30-11 a.m. all three
days. Each clinic is limited to the
first 50 golfers to sign up. The cost
is SIOO for members and $l2O for
nonmentbers. The dub will also
have a Junior Club Championship
July 27. Call the Pro Shop at
218-5252 to sign up or for more
information. In addition, the 25th
Annual Ron Stafford Invitational
Two-man Best Ball tournament
sponsored by Coca-Cola will be
held July 22 and 23 at the course.
Sign up is in the pro shop.
WR Rec to hold registrations
The Warner Robins Recreation
Department win begin football and
cheerleading registration July 15
from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Registration
will be held at the WRRD located
at 800 Watson Boulevard.
The fees are as follows:
Cheerleading - City of Warner
Robins, $75; county, $100; out of
county, $l2O. Football: City, SSO;
county, $103; out of county $177.
Cal! 929-1916 for more.
FRIDAY,
JUNE 30, 2006
JSj K
■ Hk
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Casey Pauc of the Warner Robins Recreation Department Senior All-Stars puts the tag
on a Baldwin player at second base during their matchup Wednesday at Perkins Field
in Warner Robins.
Senior All-Stars denied
Baldwin, Wilkinson County win state tune-up matches
By MATTHEW BROWN
HHJ Sports Writer
The Warner Robins
Recreation Department
senior (15-17) baseball
All-Stars are already set
to represent District VI in
the Georgia Recreation and
Parks Association Class
A state tournament next
month in Augusta.
After the events at Perkins
Park on Wednesday, howev
er, the Warner Robins team
found itself with a lot of
work ahead of it to keep the
District championship of all
classes home.
The Baldwin Bulldogs
of Milledgeville (Class B)
scored eight times in the
top of the first inning and
cruised to an 11-2 win in five
innings.
Baldwin was coming off
a win Tuesday at Perkins
against Wilkinson County
of Class C. Warner Robins
played and lost 15-1 to
Wilkinson that same day in
an elimination game.
Baldwin returns to Perkins
at 5 p.m. today for the
championship game against
Wednesday’s late winner.
In the first inning erup
tion, the Bulldogs had seven
hits, drew two walks and
took advantage of three
home-team errors.
The game started with an
error and a single, but pitch
er Josh Pisani, with both
runners in scoring position,
struck the next Baldwin hit
ter out after a long battle.
Davidson tied for third at Top 60
Other local players remain
in the hunt at Barnsley
Special to the HHJ
Things weren’t looking too shabby for
local contenders after the first day of com
petition Wednesday at the Georgia State
Golf Association’s Georgia Top 60 Women’s
Classic, taking place at Barnsley Gardens in
Adairsville through Thursday (results pend
ing from day two).
For starters, Katie Davidson from
Kathleen was tied for third in the overall
top 10. She was five strokes back of the
Sports
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■RjfljHflpt
ENI/Gary Harmon
A Warner Robins All-Star gets tagged out at first.
But the ensuing batter
singled for two RBI. This
batter, though, was thrown
out trying to stretch his sin
gle to a double.
The rally wouldn’t end so
soon as a double, walk and
single made it a 3-0 game.
With the bases loaded on
a walk, Baldwin had three
straight hits for five more
runs.
The Bulldogs scored two
in the third on an error and
two two-out doubles.
leader Kyu Ri Ban of Duluth after shooting
a 78. That score also put Davidson third in
the Championship Flight, which is the flight
Mary Riley of Perry is contending out of as
well.
Riley shot an 85 her first day and was tied
for 10th. Once again, Ban led with a 73.
Other local contenders include Patricia
Smith from Bonaire. She was competing in
the second flight and shot a 105 the first
day. That put her in 11th. The leader in that
bracket was Susan Svensson with an 82.
Sissi Gann from Kathleen was in the third
flight. She shot an 85 emd was fifth, only
See TOP, page ZB
Warner Robins had just
four hits, two from lead
off hitter and catcher Corey
Stinson. The home team’s
scoring was done in the
fourth as Bryce Chatfield
led off with a double and
scored on Matt Stoner’s
double. With a runner on
third, John Cater executed
the suicide squeeze.
William Braswell gave
Warner Robins two scoreless
innings of relief with only
one baserunner on a walk.
Aquanauts compete
in California meet
Special to the HHJ
The Warner Robins
Aquanauts sent 15 of
their best swimmers to
San Diego, Claif., this past
week to participate in the
La Jolla A-B Long Course
Qualifier Long Course
meet.
The two day meet - the
trip itself took all week
- featured more than 10
teams and 500 swimmers,
said Aquanauts head coach
James Parker.
Leading the Aquanauts
was one of Georgia’s and
the Aquanauts best swim
mers, Anne Culpepper.
“Anne swam to an impres
sive win in the Senior 200
meter backstroke followed
up with a second place fin
ish in the Senior 800 meter
free and the Senior 400
meter individual medley,”
Parker said. In all she fin
ished in the top six in five
out of five events.
Taylor Parker, swimming
in the girls 13-14-year-olds
division, turned in a “very
strong performance,”
Parker said, by winning
the 200 meter freestyle.
Parker followed up her
victory in the 200 free with
a second place finish in the
400 meter free, and the
100 meter butterfly. She
Rivalries - or better put:
'Why it's OK to hate Florida'
Today’s topic of dis
cussion is rivalries.
More specifically,
let’s delve into the human
side of sports rivalries.
Welcome back to
the Matthew Sports
Laboratory.
What emotions flow
through the mind and body
when two great rivals get
ready to compete on the
playing field? Intensity for
sure, competitiveness nat-
urally,
and a
whole lot
of deep
seeded
hatred.
It’s no
secret
to loyal
read
ers that
there’s
one
sports
team
near and
dear to
V
■ S mKKKBf
Matthew Brown
HHJ Sports Writer
me, the Georgia Bulldogs.
To love UGA also means
to hate the big rivals
like Auburn, Florida and
Tennessee.
Let’s take one little sen
tence based on that revela
tion, analyze it to the core
and comprehend its true
meaning.
I hate Florida. That
doesn’t mean I hate the
whole state of Florida.
There were some words
left out, because it real
ly should say I hate the
University of Florida.
But I’ve never been to
this campus in Gainesville,
so I don’t really hate the
school as an academic insti
tution. So there’s another
word left out that would
make a more accurate rep
resentation of my feelings.
I hate the University of
Florida Gators.
Now we’re getting some
where. I hate the ath
letes that represent this
school, especially during a
game against the Georgia
Bulldogs.
No, come to think of it,
it’s not quite that simple.
It’s also a case where I
don’t know them personal
ly enough to dislike them.
SECTION
B
also picked up a third place
finish in the 400 Individual
medley.
Her time in the 100 meter
fly was also good enough to
qualify for the California
State Junior Olympics,
said Parker. Rounding out
the top performances for
the Aquanauts were Rachel
Sundry who won the Senior
200 Individual Medley, and
Kaylie Hamborg who won
the Senior 200 meter but
terfly.
Parker added that
“notable performances”
were turned in by Abigail
Cunningham who finished
third in the 100 meter back
stroke and Katie Carpenter
who finished third in the
senior 50 meter free.
In all, the Aquanauts
finished in the top six 30
times, Parker said. “This
was a great meet for our
kids aside from the outside
of the (normal) competi
tion activities our kids par
ticipate in,” he said. “This
was a great team building
trip, which we will use to
continue the growth and
success of the program.
“As usual the Aquanauts
represented their team and
the City of Warner Robins
with tremendous success
and commitment.”
What is it, though, that
stirs up so much negative
energy?
I got it. It’s not the loca
tion, or the people, but the
symbols, the uniforms, the
colors. That orange foot
ball helmet with the word
“Gators” in script is totally
disgusting. The mascots,
the chants, and the music,
no matter which of these
schools you’re talking
about, it’s all unbearable
when placed against the
artistry of Georgia Red &
Black.
“Rocky Top” (Tennessee)
against “Glory, Glory?” No
contest. “War Eagle” ver
sus “Go Dawgs?” Get real.
Of course the faithful of
the Tigers and Vols wear
these uniforms and cheer
for the other side with as
much passion as all mem
bers of the Bulldog Nation
give to the silver britches.
Every day you probably
have to deal with somebody
on the opposite side of the
rivalry fence, and not one
of those days can go by
without some kind of incit
ing comment meant to put
them in their proper place.
But games are games. In
any other aspect of life,
these people are comrades,
colleagues or friendly
neighbors.
There may be that one
bad apple who takes it all
way too seriously, even
those who root for the
same team you do. You try
to have as little association
with those types as pos
sible.
Here’s an example from
my own past, taken from
the newspaper I worked
for in 1997. It’s about a
preacher I knew who was
also involved in print jour
nalism.
“Brother Sam and I have
had quite an interesting
rapport over the last four
years. He also holds the
distinction of being one
of the few Florida Gator
people whom I actually get
along with.
“Over the years we have
traded our Georgia-Florida
jabs ... But when news
came of Brother Sam’s
See HATE, page 2B