1989 Eastern District Tournament Champions. The first Mississippi JUCO to do it. Headed to Grand Junction, Colorado and the JUCO World Series. (#130) I'm hanging out in the lobby of the Doubletree in Hattiesburg, living the life, reminiscing about post-season JUCO baseball. Game time for the second round game is 3:30. We're off to a … Continue reading Savvy Baseball Observations, Volume 13
Category: Stories 121-130
Magnolia Academy Reunion – 2022
(#129) It might not look like it, (it was 43 years or so ago), but some of these guys played on Magnolia Academy teams that won 168 games in 6 seasons, won 26 championships, including three consecutive state championships and probably should have been four (1978), won 31 games in 1979 and became the first … Continue reading Magnolia Academy Reunion – 2022
Remembering the Region 23 Tournaments of Olden Days
Terry Gray, Jeff Long, Matt Fouchard holding the 1989 Eastern District Tournament Championship Plaque. The next week we were flying to Denver, Colorado and then busing to Grand Junction as the first Mississippi team to play in the JUCO World Series. (#128) This week, the 2022 Hinds Eagles will play in the Region 23 Tournament … Continue reading Remembering the Region 23 Tournaments of Olden Days
Savvy Baseball Observations, Volume 12
(#127) Justin Williams hit a two-out, 410 foot, walk-off 2-run bomb in the bottom of the 9th to put Hinds into the Region 23 Tournament! The key to winning games, especially big games, is to throw strikes. Sometimes you can overcome not throwing strikes, but you usually won't. The data says they can't get hits … Continue reading Savvy Baseball Observations, Volume 12
Tournament Time: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
(#126) Dub Herring Field, the site of the 2022 Region 23 Tournament, May 16-20 The Region 23 tournament is set. It's the most wonderful time of the year for Mississippi JUCO baseball. Everyone is dreaming about a Region 23 title and a national crown. Six teams have qualified for the double-elimination tournament set for March … Continue reading Tournament Time: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
JUCO Post-Season Baseball is Here
(#125) The 1989 Hinds Eagles were the first Mississippi team to play in a World Series; the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Eagles were also the first Mississippi team to play in the Division II World Series in Millington, Tennessee in 1994 and also returned in 1995 and 1999. And finally, the … Continue reading JUCO Post-Season Baseball is Here
Call a Strike!
(#124) I saw the great MLB umpire Lance Barksdale at Fried Chicken Day at 303 Jefferson in Clinton. He was on vacation and recovering from a broken hand he received on a foul ball by the Marlins Jesus (pronounced Hey-zues, not Gee-sus) Aguilar. Veteran MLB Umpire Lance Barksdale When he walked by my table, I … Continue reading Call a Strike!
Name a Sandwich for your Favorite Coach
(#123) I was looking for the “Coach Bill Marchant Sloppy Joe” sandwich on the menu at the Warehouse in Cleveland. What would your favorite Coach sandwich be called? Describe the fixin’s. On the menu: The Coach Powe Chicken and Spinach Sandwich (Sank Powe), the "Boo" Ferriss Reuben Sandwich, the Coach Kinnison Honey Turkey Sandwich. How … Continue reading Name a Sandwich for your Favorite Coach
Flashback 2005 – Jeff McClaskey: Hard Work, Fire in the Belly
(#122) Northwest Rankin, coached by K.K. Aldridge, is in the hunt for the 2022 6A State Championship. The Cougars, 28-2, play round three of the playoffs beginning Thursday, May 5th at Wesley Scarborough Field at Jeff McClaskey Stadium in Brandon against the winner of the Gulfport-Petal series. Northwest, runner-up to Madison Central in last year's … Continue reading Flashback 2005 – Jeff McClaskey: Hard Work, Fire in the Belly
Pearl’s Byrd Takes Flight
(#121) Stephen Byrd and his nasty slider, 2006. Got to love that Purdue "P" on the cap. Adapted from a story by Rod Walker, The Clarion-Ledger, April 2, 2006 Standing just 5-foot-7 and weighing just over 135 pounds, Pearl's Stephen Byrd doesn't come across as the most intimidating pitcher. But the sophomore right-hander's size -- … Continue reading Pearl’s Byrd Takes Flight
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 