(#16) We were in the Superdome in New Orleans years ago, watching an exhibition game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. My friends, George McQuitter and Richard Kelly, were having a friendly argument about whether or not Bo Jackson could hit the video screen on the wall in the third deck … Continue reading Bo and Sam
Category: Short Stories
Carrying the Torch
(#15) In our opening game in the 1994 NJCAA Division II World Series at USA Stadium in Millington, Tennessee, Hinds catcher Curtis Jones from Brandon High School, hit a home run to right center field that landed in the Olympic Torch behind the outfield wall. What are the odds of doing that? Olympic Torch in … Continue reading Carrying the Torch
The Longest Home Run
(#14) Hinds was playing national powerhouse Middle Georgia in the Delgado Community College Invitational Tournament in February of 1999 at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium, an old city park with a pulse in New Orleans. This was before the field was named in honor of long-time coaching legend Louis "Rags" Scheuermann. It is now "Rags" Scheuermann Field at … Continue reading The Longest Home Run
Yodel-ay-hee-hoo!
(#13) It was the comeback that made the yodeling stop! During the Spring Break of 2006, about a month before I would be suspended and stripped of my coaching duties, an ambush by the Pearl High School athletic director, principal and board, officially for insubordination, but really because I was the new guy who got … Continue reading Yodel-ay-hee-hoo!
Baseball Lessons from the Great Joe McCaskill
(#11) Joe McCaskill pitched for Willis Steenhuis at Jackson Central in the early 1970s. He also was a star two-way player at Belhaven College, a Mississippi Semi-Pro Baseball legend, a born again believer in Jesus Christ, a loving husband and father, a successful businessman and an awesome person. He was my favorite player to watch … Continue reading Baseball Lessons from the Great Joe McCaskill
Observations from My Final Season Coaching Baseball (2013)
(#9) Of all the great times I've had coaching baseball, my last season was not one of them. I got back into coaching after only because I wanted to coach with my son Josh after he graduated from Belhaven University in the spring of 2012. I even dragged my eighth grade baseball player son , … Continue reading Observations from My Final Season Coaching Baseball (2013)
Remembering Magnolia Academy Baseball – (1977-1982)
(#8) In a six season period from 1977-1982, the Magnolia Academy Raiders won 168 games, an unprecedented 26 championships, including 3 consecutive MPSA AA state championships in 1979 (31-3), 1980 (27-4), and 1981 (40-5), and probably everyone believes we should have won our first state championship in 1978 (26-7), making it four in a row. … Continue reading Remembering Magnolia Academy Baseball – (1977-1982)
The Trifecta
(#7) Stacey Williams, a speedy outfielder from St. Aloysius High School in Vicksburg, Mississippi hit three home runs and drove in 9 runs in Hinds CC's 20-13 win over Northwest Mississippi in the opening round of the 1998 Region 23, Division 2 Tournament at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson. He hit one home run to … Continue reading The Trifecta
The Spaceman Lands in Raymond
(#6) In the spring of 2004, former major league pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee spent the day at Joe G. Moss Field in Raymond, telling tall tales and sharing his expertise with anyone who would listen. Lee is the father of former Eagle player and pitching coach, and JUCO softball coaching legend, Andy Lee. It was … Continue reading The Spaceman Lands in Raymond
Struck by Lightning
(#5) I used to tell my players at Hinds that they had a better chance of being struck by lightning than to play in the big leagues. Just help us win a game every now and then, I pleaded. On April 3, 1996, I got a call from Steven James Bourgeois and with his deep … Continue reading Struck by Lightning
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 