Sometimes I don't know why I do things, in this instance, why look for another job look for yet another job.
I mean I work full time at job number one and as you all know by now (because you are faithful readers) I have also started my UBER career and that is something I actually enjoy, mainly because you only have to be nice in short increments(which I am very good at)
But I just could not turn down the chance to be a part of the Macon Bacon.
When I saw the add on their website (which I had been waiting for) I had visions of being in the press box as a official scorer or scorekeeper or something really really important. If I couldn't do that I thought maybe getting a job as close to the players as I could get, like working in the home or visitors clubhouse, something that would be cool, you know like getting to hang around the kids.
Well I didn't quite make it into those dream jobs and I am blaming my age for that because when I interviewed, I am afraid that I was a bit too jovial and definitely a bit too old to get the glamour jobs.
No I fell into the old persons job of usher.
And guess what ? I am damn excited about it.
Now if you think about it, the usher is like the hostess at a restaurant. "Hello all welcome to the game, can I help you find your seat ? Let me wipe those chairs off for you, and if you need anything just let me know." Why yes I think the Bacon figured me out just right. I am that person at this stage of my life. I am very talkative and very helpful and want people to be happy and I want this team to stick around for a long time. This is one of my ways to make sure that Bacon baseball is a hit this summer. So if you come to a Bacon game I am working the middle parts of the field so be sure to come say hello and that you read my blog. That would make my smile even a little bigger. But hey no comments on how I look in the fireman orange colored Macon Bacon staff shirt. Okay you can say it is thinning or you can compliment my 30 pound weight loss.
Now of course when a team comes to town, I pretty much always open my house up to be a host family. I have dome it for the Macon Music, Macon Pinetoppers, Macon pro tennis tournament, and basically anything else that has come our way. I thought I would get one or two and it ends up that I have three and I am thrilled about it. Two of them are already here and the other one comes over the weekend I think. I have always had a great time being a host and I have pretty much seen it all from the guys I have had before but this year is a bit different, The Music and Pinetopper players were actually in the 22-24 age group and I got to see players like Kyle Frets and Jacob Petcak do things I didn't think anyone could do. I remember seeing them come home after a game carrying beer upstairs where they stayed and I would always go up later and talk for a minute or two. That's when I realized that two people could drink a 40 pack in the matter of three hours . Now that my friends is an amazing feat.
The Bacon players range from probably 19 to 22 and the three that I have are all 20 so that means they need different things from the last thing I hosted. They need the internet code and a good bed, an occasional shower, and lots of food. I have joked about starting a GO Fund me page to keep these guys fed. The two I have right now are very nice young men and I am sure the other one will be fine also. So when CJ Bush comes to the plate, know he is one of mine for the summer and when Jackson Jones comes to the plate, just start a steady chant of MOOOOOOSEEEEEE. That's his nickname.
Come to the ball park and see me but you better get tickets fast. If you don't come for the game, come to see the best usher experience you have ever seen. It will be worth the price of admission.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Sunday, May 27, 2018
this and that
I was looking around twitter yesterday and I saw a post that said that Mary Wilson Avant was pitching on ESPN and trying to get the Georgia Bulldogs to the college world series.
That's why we all are on twitter all the time right ?
I mean it tells us what we are missing in the world and it certainly did that yesterday.
I will be the first one to admit that I am not the biggest fan of fast pitch softball. I mean I have seen enough games to know that the girls who play it are highly skilled and great athletes but I feel like a game goes one of two ways.
If you have one good team and one bad team, the good team wins 13-1 because they hit the ball and the good team didn't hit the ball because good teams usually have dominating pitchers.
If you have two good teams the final score will be either 1-0 or 2-1 because both teams have dominating pitchers and great defenses. The runs will be scored o because one of the better hitters gets a hit, maybe even a double, and the advances a base on a sacrifice bunt. They then score on a groundout or a sacrifice fly.
Am I not telling the truth ? Okay maybe this is just a bit tongue in cheek but I don't think I am far from being accurate.
I debated about turning it over to the softball game because I was watching the Braves game, even though they were probably going to lose, because as much as they have improved they are not quite at the Red Sox level yet.
So, I turned the channel and watched the last four innings of a softball game. and yes I must admit, I enjoyed it.
I mean my wife even watched it.
We cheered out loud when we saw Mary Wilson was working on a no no after five innings. We groaned when Tennessee got that first hit. We cheered again when the Dawgs got the lead, and we groaned yet again when Tennessee finally scored on the bloopiest of hits.
The screams of joy that came when UGA took the lead in the 8th was only matched by the scream we both gave when the center fielder made one of the best catches I have ever seen. She saved Mary Wilson in the eighth for sure, but hey that's what teammates do right ?
I was almost mad when Mary Wilson was not the player of the game and didn't get interviewed on the telecast after the game.
Lets face it, she was the player of the game yesterday.
I have been watching Mary Wilson Avant pitch since she was in the 8th grade I believe. I could be wrong about that but I think Stratford was still in the GISA and I watched her pitch in a state championship game. I watched her pitch when she was injured and I watched her pitch when she was healthy. I watched her score 20 points in a basketball game and lead her team to the state championship . The girl is just an athlete who obviously loves any game she is playing or not playing.
I remember seeing her at all the Stratford baseball games and teasing her about waiting for the baseball coaches to actually let her play baseball . She smiled and laughed it off but somewhere deep down I believe she had no doubt that she could have played on the baseball team.
I don't have any doubt about that either.
So now a local girl will be throwing in the college world series in a few days and Macon should be proud. I know Stratford is proud because this young women is all about Stratford.
Don't be surprised if she has a great performance next week because she is, well she is Mary Wilson.
By the way, my wife is not a huge sports fan but she does know enough to enjoy a game. Her first remark about Mary Wilson was, "Wow cute earrings.
See some things are just more important than a complete game win that puts your team in the college world series.
That's why we all are on twitter all the time right ?
I mean it tells us what we are missing in the world and it certainly did that yesterday.
I will be the first one to admit that I am not the biggest fan of fast pitch softball. I mean I have seen enough games to know that the girls who play it are highly skilled and great athletes but I feel like a game goes one of two ways.
If you have one good team and one bad team, the good team wins 13-1 because they hit the ball and the good team didn't hit the ball because good teams usually have dominating pitchers.
If you have two good teams the final score will be either 1-0 or 2-1 because both teams have dominating pitchers and great defenses. The runs will be scored o because one of the better hitters gets a hit, maybe even a double, and the advances a base on a sacrifice bunt. They then score on a groundout or a sacrifice fly.
Am I not telling the truth ? Okay maybe this is just a bit tongue in cheek but I don't think I am far from being accurate.
I debated about turning it over to the softball game because I was watching the Braves game, even though they were probably going to lose, because as much as they have improved they are not quite at the Red Sox level yet.
So, I turned the channel and watched the last four innings of a softball game. and yes I must admit, I enjoyed it.
I mean my wife even watched it.
We cheered out loud when we saw Mary Wilson was working on a no no after five innings. We groaned when Tennessee got that first hit. We cheered again when the Dawgs got the lead, and we groaned yet again when Tennessee finally scored on the bloopiest of hits.
The screams of joy that came when UGA took the lead in the 8th was only matched by the scream we both gave when the center fielder made one of the best catches I have ever seen. She saved Mary Wilson in the eighth for sure, but hey that's what teammates do right ?
I was almost mad when Mary Wilson was not the player of the game and didn't get interviewed on the telecast after the game.
Lets face it, she was the player of the game yesterday.
I have been watching Mary Wilson Avant pitch since she was in the 8th grade I believe. I could be wrong about that but I think Stratford was still in the GISA and I watched her pitch in a state championship game. I watched her pitch when she was injured and I watched her pitch when she was healthy. I watched her score 20 points in a basketball game and lead her team to the state championship . The girl is just an athlete who obviously loves any game she is playing or not playing.
I remember seeing her at all the Stratford baseball games and teasing her about waiting for the baseball coaches to actually let her play baseball . She smiled and laughed it off but somewhere deep down I believe she had no doubt that she could have played on the baseball team.
I don't have any doubt about that either.
So now a local girl will be throwing in the college world series in a few days and Macon should be proud. I know Stratford is proud because this young women is all about Stratford.
Don't be surprised if she has a great performance next week because she is, well she is Mary Wilson.
By the way, my wife is not a huge sports fan but she does know enough to enjoy a game. Her first remark about Mary Wilson was, "Wow cute earrings.
See some things are just more important than a complete game win that puts your team in the college world series.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
my pick
OK so now it has been asked of me if I am just picking Tattnall to lose for the heck of it or am I really serious that I think they would lose to FPD and be down a game against Price Avenue ? and he will
The answer to that question is this is a for real pick and I have very little doubt that Tattnall will have issues today in the first game.
That is if Cain Tatum is the first game starter for Prince Avenue.
Let me talk for a minute about Cain Tatum.
He has an awesome name for a star baseball player, and he grew into the name. He is a junior, he is a lean 6'8 and his fastball is in the 92-93 range. He has already committed to UGA and he has been dominant for most of the year.
But something happened in his last start against Savannah Christian.
Cain got ripped and Prince lost the game he started by a final of 12-0.
That's what made this decision easy.
If Cain Tatum pitches the first game, he will beat Tattnall because great high school pitchers don't get beat twice in a row.
Yes, my friends it is that simple.
Cain Tatum will handle it, weather it be the first game or the second.
Luke Laskey will probably start for Tattnall and he has been brilliant this year after barely throwing since he has been at Tattnall. That's how things work at the Hiller school of baseball. You see, the best coach in this area can get kids to wait until their senior year to get playing time. Sure Luke is a big time hitter for the Trojans, but his mound time has been very limited.
So back to the series.
I have no doubt Tattnall bounces back in the second game behind Brooks Gorman to tie the series at one game a piece. Gorman is a sophomore and has improved greatly as the season has gone by. He is dominant and he will handle the pressure. He has also turned into a perfect two hitter in the lineup.
So Tattnall wins the second game.
So that brings it to game number three and that will be Logan Fink , a senior who has signed with Kennesaw State, pitching. Logan is not a pitcher but he has had a good year pitching. He is a very good athlete who transferred in from Westfield a few years back. He transferred to win state championships and he will get a chance to bring one home for the Trojans.
Will he do it ?
I don't know yet :)
The answer to that question is this is a for real pick and I have very little doubt that Tattnall will have issues today in the first game.
That is if Cain Tatum is the first game starter for Prince Avenue.
Let me talk for a minute about Cain Tatum.
He has an awesome name for a star baseball player, and he grew into the name. He is a junior, he is a lean 6'8 and his fastball is in the 92-93 range. He has already committed to UGA and he has been dominant for most of the year.
But something happened in his last start against Savannah Christian.
Cain got ripped and Prince lost the game he started by a final of 12-0.
That's what made this decision easy.
If Cain Tatum pitches the first game, he will beat Tattnall because great high school pitchers don't get beat twice in a row.
Yes, my friends it is that simple.
Cain Tatum will handle it, weather it be the first game or the second.
Luke Laskey will probably start for Tattnall and he has been brilliant this year after barely throwing since he has been at Tattnall. That's how things work at the Hiller school of baseball. You see, the best coach in this area can get kids to wait until their senior year to get playing time. Sure Luke is a big time hitter for the Trojans, but his mound time has been very limited.
So back to the series.
I have no doubt Tattnall bounces back in the second game behind Brooks Gorman to tie the series at one game a piece. Gorman is a sophomore and has improved greatly as the season has gone by. He is dominant and he will handle the pressure. He has also turned into a perfect two hitter in the lineup.
So Tattnall wins the second game.
So that brings it to game number three and that will be Logan Fink , a senior who has signed with Kennesaw State, pitching. Logan is not a pitcher but he has had a good year pitching. He is a very good athlete who transferred in from Westfield a few years back. He transferred to win state championships and he will get a chance to bring one home for the Trojans.
Will he do it ?
I don't know yet :)
Monday, May 21, 2018
can tattnall win state
Ok Ok I missed the last series pick and I missed by a lot.
FPD (as usual) let me down in a big game and they let me down hard.
I mean I was floored at the way how bad FPD was but was also very surprised about how well Tattnall played.
Luke Laskey dominated, Brooks Gorman dominated, and Dawson Brown, well he dominated.
Congrats to the Trojans for getting it done against a very solid FPD team that just , well they just didn't show up.
I was told before the Tattnall-FPD series started that the winner of that series would without a doubt win the state championship. Then I saw that Savannah Christian got knocked out by Prince Avenue and I went to study that series. I mean Savannah Christian had a four year record of 100-26 and that's pretty solid. Prince has a 6'8 UGA committed pitcher and Savannah beat him 12-0, but Prince came back and won the final two games ON THE ROAD
So maybe, just maybe, Prince Avenue is not too bad of a baseball team.
I still have questions about Tattnall. I know they are 31-4 but I think that most of the year they played down to their competition. They lost to Strong Rock this year and they lost to Stratford this year so they can be had. However they have won 19 out of the last 20. That's hard to beat.
I had a coach tell me that they were very beatable this year and that Tattnall didn't play with much emotion. They were going through the motions. HMMM thats kind of like they did in last years state championship series against Savannah Christian. Tattnall showed up and thought they would be walking out with a state championship because they had beat a very good Holy Innocents team in the semis but they laid the same egg the FPD just laid in the last series.
If the Trojans come out and jump early, this may turn into another laugher.
But I just don't think they can match that emotion against a non Macon rival.
Prince Avenue is a big time Athens school and they wont be scared of a baseball powerhouse. Tattnall is the team with the target on its back, no doubt about that.
With that being said, I don't honestly know who to pick. I think Prince will bring the A game and that Cain Tatum, the 6'8 pitcher for them, will deliver in a big way but Laskey has answered all year for Tattnall. Can Tattnall hit like they hit against FPD ?
I don't think so.
Prince wins the first game 3-2.
the rest comes tomorrow
congrats to Joey Hiller and his coaching staff for working magic yet again and congrats to FPD head coach Denny Bryant, who has that program playing great baseball.
FPD (as usual) let me down in a big game and they let me down hard.
I mean I was floored at the way how bad FPD was but was also very surprised about how well Tattnall played.
Luke Laskey dominated, Brooks Gorman dominated, and Dawson Brown, well he dominated.
Congrats to the Trojans for getting it done against a very solid FPD team that just , well they just didn't show up.
I was told before the Tattnall-FPD series started that the winner of that series would without a doubt win the state championship. Then I saw that Savannah Christian got knocked out by Prince Avenue and I went to study that series. I mean Savannah Christian had a four year record of 100-26 and that's pretty solid. Prince has a 6'8 UGA committed pitcher and Savannah beat him 12-0, but Prince came back and won the final two games ON THE ROAD
So maybe, just maybe, Prince Avenue is not too bad of a baseball team.
I still have questions about Tattnall. I know they are 31-4 but I think that most of the year they played down to their competition. They lost to Strong Rock this year and they lost to Stratford this year so they can be had. However they have won 19 out of the last 20. That's hard to beat.
I had a coach tell me that they were very beatable this year and that Tattnall didn't play with much emotion. They were going through the motions. HMMM thats kind of like they did in last years state championship series against Savannah Christian. Tattnall showed up and thought they would be walking out with a state championship because they had beat a very good Holy Innocents team in the semis but they laid the same egg the FPD just laid in the last series.
If the Trojans come out and jump early, this may turn into another laugher.
But I just don't think they can match that emotion against a non Macon rival.
Prince Avenue is a big time Athens school and they wont be scared of a baseball powerhouse. Tattnall is the team with the target on its back, no doubt about that.
With that being said, I don't honestly know who to pick. I think Prince will bring the A game and that Cain Tatum, the 6'8 pitcher for them, will deliver in a big way but Laskey has answered all year for Tattnall. Can Tattnall hit like they hit against FPD ?
I don't think so.
Prince wins the first game 3-2.
the rest comes tomorrow
congrats to Joey Hiller and his coaching staff for working magic yet again and congrats to FPD head coach Denny Bryant, who has that program playing great baseball.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Tattnall and FPD baseball and who will win
Not only have I forgotten more sports than most of you will ever know, I have the ability to pick who will win particular sporting events with amazing accuracy. I have decided to show my talents on a high school best two out of three series between Tattnall and FPD.
I usually don't waste my time with such stuff at the high school level, but these games deserve a write-up somewhere and we surely wont see it in a newspaper.
This is a match-up to see who makes it to the championship series and this will probably be the match-up for the state championship. I have been told that by more than one expert that these are the best two teams in Class A private.
First we have the legend Joey Hiller leading his Tattnall Square team into yet another final four. The Trojans have the best baseball program in Middle Georgia and they will be hard to catch because not only do they have the facilities, they have the coaching staff and the players. It is never just a this year thing for them because they basically graduated their entire pitching staff from a year ago and have come back to have an amazing year.
FPD has Denny Bryant, who had the task of taking over for the legendary Jimmy Turner. I will admit that before this year I wasn't sure about this guy but he has proved this year that he is a very good coach. The Vikings lost their go too pitcher this year in Gavin Bloodworth, who still rips but cant pitch, and they have still managed to get the job done. Props to Coach Bryant for putting together a quality season.
These teams have played each other three times this year and Tattnall has won all three games. Two of those were one run games and the other was 4-0 so all have been close. I don't think FPD fears Tattnall but they definitely have a little hump to get over.
Now the question is, how good is Tattnall this year ? They had some ups and downs early in the season and Hiller himself told me that they just were not very good, but look where they are now.
They rely on Luke Laskey who barely pitched last year, and Brooks Gorman who is only a sophomore. After that it's Logan Fink who is heading to Kennesaw State but not as a pitcher.
Tattnall can swing the bats led by Laskey , Austin Marchman, Logan Simmons, Fink, and Trey Ham, but in the three games against FPD they scored a total of 12 runs in 23 innings.
FPD is led by Bloodwoth and his 440 average, followed by Ryan Jones at 392, but they managed only 6 runs in the three games against Tattnall. That puts a lot of pressure on a pitching staff that is not that deep. They will run out Noah Takac and his 12 wins in the first game and to be honest, the first game is a must win for FPD.
So you want my sure fire prediction for this series ? Some readers will hate and a few readers will love but that's how it works.
I believe this is a three game battle so the first game is the most important one. Takac is a Davidson signee who is ready to shine, but that doesn't mean that Laskey wont shine too.
Takac will be just a bit better and FPD wins game one by a score of 3-2.
Tattnall wins the second game 5-3 to even things up, setting up that final game, which I believe goes to
hMM HMMM HMMMM HMMM
Vikings 3-2
Let the complaining begin
Mr. Takac, I didn't know who you were before this year and you have obviously came a long way, so please don't let me down now , :)
I usually don't waste my time with such stuff at the high school level, but these games deserve a write-up somewhere and we surely wont see it in a newspaper.
This is a match-up to see who makes it to the championship series and this will probably be the match-up for the state championship. I have been told that by more than one expert that these are the best two teams in Class A private.
First we have the legend Joey Hiller leading his Tattnall Square team into yet another final four. The Trojans have the best baseball program in Middle Georgia and they will be hard to catch because not only do they have the facilities, they have the coaching staff and the players. It is never just a this year thing for them because they basically graduated their entire pitching staff from a year ago and have come back to have an amazing year.
FPD has Denny Bryant, who had the task of taking over for the legendary Jimmy Turner. I will admit that before this year I wasn't sure about this guy but he has proved this year that he is a very good coach. The Vikings lost their go too pitcher this year in Gavin Bloodworth, who still rips but cant pitch, and they have still managed to get the job done. Props to Coach Bryant for putting together a quality season.
These teams have played each other three times this year and Tattnall has won all three games. Two of those were one run games and the other was 4-0 so all have been close. I don't think FPD fears Tattnall but they definitely have a little hump to get over.
Now the question is, how good is Tattnall this year ? They had some ups and downs early in the season and Hiller himself told me that they just were not very good, but look where they are now.
They rely on Luke Laskey who barely pitched last year, and Brooks Gorman who is only a sophomore. After that it's Logan Fink who is heading to Kennesaw State but not as a pitcher.
Tattnall can swing the bats led by Laskey , Austin Marchman, Logan Simmons, Fink, and Trey Ham, but in the three games against FPD they scored a total of 12 runs in 23 innings.
FPD is led by Bloodwoth and his 440 average, followed by Ryan Jones at 392, but they managed only 6 runs in the three games against Tattnall. That puts a lot of pressure on a pitching staff that is not that deep. They will run out Noah Takac and his 12 wins in the first game and to be honest, the first game is a must win for FPD.
So you want my sure fire prediction for this series ? Some readers will hate and a few readers will love but that's how it works.
I believe this is a three game battle so the first game is the most important one. Takac is a Davidson signee who is ready to shine, but that doesn't mean that Laskey wont shine too.
Takac will be just a bit better and FPD wins game one by a score of 3-2.
Tattnall wins the second game 5-3 to even things up, setting up that final game, which I believe goes to
hMM HMMM HMMMM HMMM
Vikings 3-2
Let the complaining begin
Mr. Takac, I didn't know who you were before this year and you have obviously came a long way, so please don't let me down now , :)
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
reality
I guess it took me long enough to figure out the obvious
I no longer will get stories from the Macon Telegraph because the Macon Telegraph does not cover local sports anymore.
And that my friends, is a crying shame.
I never did work for the Telegraph and I was just a stringer, or freelancer or whatever you wanted to call me. But for the better parts of 10 years I was in the newspaper with stories about everything from running to racquetball and I enjoyed every minute of it. I knew the load would be lighter as it has been for the last few months but I was still floating a story or three or four every month.
That has come to an end . I was scheduled to cover the Peach Blossom Golf Tournament at Idle Hour last weekend and that got scratched at the last minute. That's when I knew it was over.
So now I look for other ways to use my creativity and keep me busy and out of trouble.
Anyone have any ideas ? lol
I have thought about writing a book about UBER customers but that really isn't sports. I have thought about covering individual sporting events going on and just writing it up like I was covering a game for more than just a blog, but that seems like I would be doing that just to pretend that I was still a sportswriter.
I could retire from writing . I have retired once from my normal job and I stayed gone for a week before I was right back at the same desk doing the same job with not quite as many hours. I don't want to hear the "So you get a retirement check and a paycheck now."
Why yes I do thank you.
That is really the only advantage I have found for being 55 years old.
I have been sick over all the sports I have missed and all the locals doing so well in tennis, baseball, track and soccer. I figure if Daniel Shirley was still around, I would have been working about 3 to 4 times a week over the last month.
Instead I sit and try to figure out how to solve my inner writing turmoil.
God bless Daniel Shirley and all the other wonderful people who gave the people of Middle Georgia a great outlet for so many years to read about sports in this area.
The Macon Telegraph needs to fix what they have broken
I no longer will get stories from the Macon Telegraph because the Macon Telegraph does not cover local sports anymore.
And that my friends, is a crying shame.
I never did work for the Telegraph and I was just a stringer, or freelancer or whatever you wanted to call me. But for the better parts of 10 years I was in the newspaper with stories about everything from running to racquetball and I enjoyed every minute of it. I knew the load would be lighter as it has been for the last few months but I was still floating a story or three or four every month.
That has come to an end . I was scheduled to cover the Peach Blossom Golf Tournament at Idle Hour last weekend and that got scratched at the last minute. That's when I knew it was over.
So now I look for other ways to use my creativity and keep me busy and out of trouble.
Anyone have any ideas ? lol
I have thought about writing a book about UBER customers but that really isn't sports. I have thought about covering individual sporting events going on and just writing it up like I was covering a game for more than just a blog, but that seems like I would be doing that just to pretend that I was still a sportswriter.
I could retire from writing . I have retired once from my normal job and I stayed gone for a week before I was right back at the same desk doing the same job with not quite as many hours. I don't want to hear the "So you get a retirement check and a paycheck now."
Why yes I do thank you.
That is really the only advantage I have found for being 55 years old.
I have been sick over all the sports I have missed and all the locals doing so well in tennis, baseball, track and soccer. I figure if Daniel Shirley was still around, I would have been working about 3 to 4 times a week over the last month.
Instead I sit and try to figure out how to solve my inner writing turmoil.
God bless Daniel Shirley and all the other wonderful people who gave the people of Middle Georgia a great outlet for so many years to read about sports in this area.
The Macon Telegraph needs to fix what they have broken
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