Lopsided scores; Great moments in sports; Bobby Morrow
Baseball and lopsided scores
At first glimpse many will conclude that this old writer is about to take off on the recent news of the Gordon Central Warriors one-sided defeats in baseball. That conclusion would be premature. Further reading will prove there is no pleasure in this heart about those defeats. So please read on.
One observation made to Coach Diane Smith concerning any of her Lady Jackets softball games is that every game is a world of its own. The point is a defeat or victory does not write the story of a whole season. All defeats leave a disappointment for the players of the losing team. Time usually indicates there are many opportunities to reverse that disappointment. Later victories reinstall feelings of confidence and thrills in the hearts of players.
A young lady I worked near in an office a few years ago once remarked, “Coach Smith, you say more about games you lost when you talk to others Edwards took us ( The American Legion Team) to Marietta to play the defending state champions in the first game of the season. We had barely been formed as a team and having experiencing only one practice. As an added distraction our uniforms had not arrived. Our players were from various parts of Calhoun and Gordon County. When the dust had cleared Marietta had defeated Calhoun 33-2.
That loss did not tell the story of the Calhoun American Legion team. We developed into a decent team and won our share of games. Coach Edwards refused to let us hang our heads in shame and in the District Tournament in Dalton, very respectable games were played. It seems that Lindale, with a powerful team defeated Calhoun in a close score.
That first game does not color the whole story. These words are to encourage the Warrior players and coach to hang in there and look to brighter days ahead. I remind readers of one other game referred to in the past. Calhoun High went to Ringgold to play in the spring of 1949. After the Jackets batted in the top of the 1st inning Ringgold came to bat. In a little while the most merciful deluge came from the sky. With no outs and the bases loaded the rain came. The game was called. Our team did not become as respectful as Coach Hoyt Edwards Legion team of the previous years. Still, a few games were won and the nightmare disappeared.
Great scenes from the past in sports
Some of the richest moments in sports can be experienced by searching and reading or watching reports from the past. I will leave it up to readers to find the source of some this writer has recently watched or read about.
Two remarkable plays from the SEC 1959 season: First, Fran Tarkenton’s TD pass to Bill Herron in the final minutes of Georgia’s game against Auburn. When Durwood Pennington kicked the extra point the Bulldogs had earned a 14-13 victory and captured the 1959 SEC championship. A story within itself is the comment made by Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal in assigning to a person who had died in the stands as the game ended when he referred to the Bulldogs as “The greatest team in Heaven.”
Second, LSU’s Billy Cannon’s 89-yard punt return against Ole Miss on Halloween night. That play is played on the big screen at every LSU home game. It has been referred to many as the greatest play in history.
Incidentally, the atmosphere at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night in Baton Rouge is reported as unique in so many ways. Someone termed Tiger Stadium as “the place teams come to have dreams shattered.”
Bobby Morrow — A remarkable athlete
One has to go back in decades to read about the accomplishments of Bobby Morrow. Morrow won three gold medals in the 1956 Olympics and was termed the fastest man in the world. I have never met the man but I feel like I know him on a personal basis.
In 1963 I was in his college stadium at Abilene Christian University at a track meet where he had performed a few years before. And then I have heard closely older college professors who knew Morrow and his family speak well of him.
Many of his accomplishments and awards came about by reason of competition. Many were honors bestowed upon him by organizations such as the United States Chamber of Commerce. His picture appeared on the cover of Life Magazine and one other popular publication (I don’t remember which).
Worth mentioning here is Morrow’s speech before the joint session of the Texas Legislature when he spoke on “My Greatest Race.” The speech was not about an athletic event.