careers are described and told that warms the heart and excites the spirit and this old fan reflects upon the late 1940s, 50s, and early 60s.

The 1950 season is the heart of the book for me. Claude Stamey, Harold’s father, bought the first TV set I had ever seen. WAGA-TV televised every Cracker home game. The picture was in black and white and the coverage wasn’t anything close what it is today. Reception was iffy and the big question at work concerned the reception one got the night before. The TV episodes were not enough; Mr. Stamey loaded Harold, me and others in his car and headed to Atlanta so often. It was a treat for a high school student and an experience to capture my heart for a lifetime.

Time has passed. The memories have not. I will always cherish that 1950 season when an 18year-old Eddie Matthews appeared on the scene to begin his journey to the major leagues and a Hall-of-Fame career. Incidentally, Matthews was the only player to play for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta.

Lady Softball Again

Region tournaments will be well underway by the time you read this column. The Calhoun Lady Jackets and the Sonoraville Lady Phoenix represented our area in the Region 6-AAA tournament being played in Dalton this week.

It isn’t so much the teams and their status I want to speak about. As I watch teams at every level and age I come away awed at the quality of skill demonstrated by the young ladies. Whether it is a long throw from the outfield or a remarkable play on the infield, each game I see skills universally demonstrated that was true of only a handful of players in the past. The strength and accuracy of the throws from the outfield with runners on the bases serves to impress anyone and demonstrate how far the game has come.

Let me commend the teams, coaches and players for producing a fine product to entertain and thrill loyal fans from every school.

The Playoff Atmosphere

For various reasons I did not see a live football game until last Friday night when I saw Adairsville and Calhoun meet at Phil Reeve Stadium.

The game has already been well reported. My comments are about the size of the crowd. Calhoun’s attendance has been good for years and has grown immensely since Coach Hal Lamb and his staff arrived on the scene. It was a packed house in Calhoun and with in-county rivals Sonoraville and Gordon Central playing at Ratner Stadium it was probably a packed house there.

The atmosphere at the Jacket-Tiger game was one of the biggest stories of the game. Both teams were undefeated and there has always been an intensity about this game true of few others on either team’s schedule.

David Dawson, former writer and then Sports Editor of the Rome NewsTribune, before joining the athletic coverage for Vanderbilt, covered the story for the local papers. A statement he made in his article said the game had the atmosphere of a state championship game. As one reflected on that statement it was obvious it was true. The excitement and noise level was of an immense level and both sides expressed their level of approval and disapproval of play — and of the officials.