Grandparents’ pride; Catching a souvenir; New softball rule

Parents, Grandparents and pride in children’s athletic accomplishments

Words in this column have often called attention to parents and their over-evaluations of their children’s athletic talent and accomplishments. This estimation of young people’s talents and performance is not to be confused with pride felt when children do manifest ability and do perform in an outstanding manner.

The observation of one granddad’s pride in his grandson’s track performance this track season has been with pleasure and reward. For many years my admiration for those who participate in track and field has been reported in my column. So it has been with pleasure I have listened to a grandfather, Bo Jordan, tell me after church services about his grandson who performs for Coach John Rainwater’s track team at Gordon Central.

Anyone reading the sports reports this spring have read about Bo Jordan’s grandson Race Lee Hudson and his outstanding accomplishments for the Warriors. Race Lee will be heading for Albany this weekend to compete in the State Track Meet in the 300 Meter Hurdles. The young man carries with him outstanding credentials in his specialty.

I use the pride manifested by Race Lee’s Granddad to commend all parents and grandparents of athletes of all our schools as they support and manifest pride in their children. Sonoraville, Gordon Central and Calhoun will be sending boys and girls to the state event in Albany.

The opportunity is again taken to use an expression I first used back in 1962 when I referred to young people in an event where a winner was chosen. It was observed that no matter who was named winner that each contestant was a winner – it was explained each was a winner by reason of preparation and by participation.

Track and field competition is very individual in nature. Each participant is a winner because they prepared, and that preparation involves sacrifice in time and effort. Each is a winner by reason of participating. They accepted the challenge and joined the contest. I wish all our young people the best.

Parents, grandparents and coaches can all be proud. I will enjoy hearing Bo Jordan report to me. Bo is a veteran of armed warfare. With pride he reflects upon our country and the privilege he had of serving.

The Home Run: “Extra Painful” but Exciting

Anyone attending or watching a Major League Baseball game on television is aware of the frenzy demonstrated by fans in their effort to capture a ball hit into the stands by way of a foul ball or home run.

I did not see the event but in Sunday’s 14-inning Braves’ loss to the Car- dinals in Atlanta the home run hit by St. Louis’s Tommy Pham in the final inning is a matter of interest for me to report. Coach Diane Smith’s daughter Jaime Ralston Garrett and her husband Dan were at the game and had tickets in the Hank Aaron Alley portion of the new SunTrust Park.

Pham’s long fly ball sailed into that section. According to reports the ball hit and destroyed one of the seats. That fact is of little interest. What is of interest is the ball bounced into the air and came straight to a nearby Jaime Garrett for her to simply reach up and catch.

Capturing balls at the stadiums since the Braves arrived in Atlanta has been a fairly regular occurrence. Most balls caught or collected were foul balls or balls hit in batting practice. Never have I or anyone in my party been the recipient of a home run ball. Jaime can go to school and her duties as assistant principal of Calhoun High School with a true collector’s item.

In reference to the home run one daily paper’s headline declared in bold type “Extra Painful.” Yes it was. But to Jaime and Dan, who have both become passionate Braves fans, it had to also be exciting. It excited me just holding the ball when they got back to Calhoun.

The New Softball Rule and challenge of Title IX

A lot has changed in sports during the past decades. It will not be the design of this column to discuss many of those changes. One change for all of us who have played or observed softball for the decades since we were quite young is the tiebreaker rule.

It used to be that teams simply played extra innings until one captured the game. A few years ago the International Tiebreaker Rule was installed. Simply, if teams were tied at the end of the seventh inning, the eighth inning began with the last batter of the visiting team being placed on second base with no outs registered. The home team began with the same set up. The object was to keep the game from lasting for a long period. The concept of a team’s scoring with a runner on second base with no one out seemed far easier than starting with no one on base.

Now that procedure has changed beginning this Fall. Now the teams will play an eighth and ninth inning without the Tiebreaker rule before it being put into play at the beginning of the 10th inning. That means nearly one-third of a game might be played before the tiebreaker being used.

All the above is said with a consideration for Coach Chad Hayes and his Sonoraville Lady Phoenix team. While a lit field is not that prevailing in girls softball, the fact is dark can come early and lights after often needed.

Coach Hayes’ home field does not have lights. I say in support of Coach Hayes and his team if I were a parent of a Lady Phoenix player, I would not wait until next week to use the expression “Title IX.”

I would be crying it every day. For all those uninformed, Title IX is the law that guarantees equal facilities and provisions for female athletes as those of male athletes. Just the mention of “Title IX” has accomplished wonders for female athletes all over the country.