#10 Hinds was playing in the winner's bracket game in the 1999 NJCAA Region 23, Division 2 Tournament in Senatobia, Mississippi, coming off our 10-2 opening round win over the Number 1 team in the nation, the Northwest Mississippi Rangers on their home field. We were playing our south division arch-rival from Copiah-Lincoln and were … Continue reading Cronin Breaks the Fortenberry Curse
Category: Stories 1-10
Observations from My Final Season in Coaching (2013)
(#9) Of all the great times I've had coaching baseball, my last season was not one of them. I only got back into coaching because I wanted to coach with my son Josh after he graduated from Belhaven. I thought it would be great. It wasn't. I've been apologizing to him for a decade. They … Continue reading Observations from My Final Season in Coaching (2013)
Remembering Magnolia Academy Baseball – 40+ years later
(#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 – 40+ years later
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, Andy Lee. It was a special day for those … Continue reading The Spaceman Lands in Raymond
Lightning Strikes
(#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 Lightning Strikes
Moose and Stew (Stu)
(#4) My high school baseball coach was the legendary Bill "Moose" Perry. He was a clone of another Mississippi high school baseball coaching legend, D.M. Howie. They were two of a kind. Coach Perry's Forest Hill Rebels went 29-1 and won the state championship in 1974. His coaching strategy for that season? Pitch Stewart Cliburn … Continue reading Moose and Stew (Stu)
Higgy
(#3) Here's an old baseball adage: Hitting is timing and timing means getting the barrel of the bat in the right place at the right time. Pitching, on the other hand, is screwing up (disrupting, or other colorful, descriptive terms, which I must admit I used occasionally when promoting this adage) the hitter's timing, thus … Continue reading Higgy
The Big Cajones
(#2) Warren Guerriero, a right-hander from Monroe, Louisiana was one of the top big game pitchers in the history of Hinds Junior/Community College baseball. He played a crucial role in the classic Mississippi Delta-Hinds state championship series played in Raymond during the 1987 season. I believe it is still the best MACJC state championship series … Continue reading The Big Cajones
The Poetry of Ron Miller
(#1) Ron Miller was a staple around Clinton High School baseball for years. The fountain of wisdom. The tree of knowledge. A great friend and mentor to all the coaches and players at CHS, past and present. And, he’s a poet. "A great poet is greater than any king.” (Robert E. Howard) Here’s a sampling … Continue reading The Poetry of Ron Miller
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 