You need not go any further in looking for scientific proof that global warming is a farce. I have absolute scientific proof that there is no truth what so ever in this hypothesis. I know that Al Gore and his gang have been flying all around the world with their power point presentations demonstrating that global warming is for real. And yes I know that some folks have ditched the global warming title and come up with “climate change.” Whatever.
Without any further ado, I’ll tell you how I have concluded global warming is a hoax. With the conclusion of basketball season I have now been attending area high school baseball and softball games. If anybody believes in global warming, they sure haven’t been to any ball games lately. I haven’t seen any evidence of global warming at the games I’ve been attending. All I’ve seen are folks wrapped up in warm coats and blankets.
Apparently when all the high school administrators and coaches got together many years ago to decide where the best place to put their baseball and softball fields, they all decided to put them in the coldest places in Jackson County. Half of the fields are in some type of depression or sunken area. This ensures that the temperature is a good five degrees colder than the surrounding area and that the cold air will hover like a space craft over the field. The other half are out in wide open spaces where a good 40 mile an hour breeze always reminds me that I should have left the windbreaker at home and brought the heavy parka.
Something has happened in my lifetime that I can’t figure out. When we used to play baseball it was always hot. I must confess I didn’t play baseball in high school, but I used to go to their games and I don’t remember it being cold. Regardless, I am thoroughly convinced that when Alexander Cartwright invented the game of baseball back in 1845, he meant for it to be played in warm weather.
When me and my good buddy Russell Register decided to try broadcasting Marianna baseball back in the early 90’s we envisioned sitting outdoors with our short britches and flip flops calling a game. That’s how we recalled listening to Skip Carey and the gang call the Atlanta Braves games back in the 80’s. We’d sit out by my trailer in our summer attire, fire up the grill and listen to the Braves on the radio.
We could not have been anymore wrong. There were no short britches and flip flops for Bulldog baseball. We ended up in the shivering in the back of my pick up truck, wrapped up in blankets as we announced the games.
But alas, they say spring time is coming. Simply Put, it can’t get here to soon for me. I’m ready for some warm weather baseball.
From the Front Porch: Coach said time is the one thing you can never get back.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Hughes Carries On
An ole Marianna boy was back in town this week as Bobby Hughes, Head Baseball Coach at Coosa Valley High School, brought his Rebels to town during their spring break to take on some of our local teams (See related article on this page). Seeing Bobby patrol the dugout and third base box got me to thinking, and you know when I get to thinking a column is usually soon to follow.
Bobby is just one in a long line of Hughes that have excelled while wearing the purple and gold of the Marianna High School Bulldogs. If my calculations are right, there has been at least one Hughes that has been involved in Marianna athletics in every decade since the 1950’s. That’s at least 60 years of the Hughes family in Bulldog sports.
Bobby was an excellent football player. As a wide receiver he hooked up with QB Tim Daniels to form one of the best passing combos in Bulldog football history. He knew what to do on the defensive side as well at his safety position, picking off 4 passes in one game which tied a state record.
Of course being a Hughes he was a fine baseball player as well. And after high school he played at Chipola and University of Auburn Montgomery. Since graduating from college he has been in the coaching profession. This is his first year at Coosa Valley, which is southeast of Birmingham.
This is not the first time he has brought his teams through this area on their spring break, but this year’s trip was different from any of his previous trips. During the past year Bobby’s mother Peggy passed away. Add to that, his aunt June Hughes also passed away during the same time span. He has dedicated this season to his mom and no doubt still grieves her passing.
As I watched him coach Monday night I recalled the times I enjoyed watching him haul in a pass reception or stroke a hit on the baseball diamond. He seemed to be a typical carefree teenager who loved playing sports. He is now a 36 year old man, who’s learning to deal with the death of a parent. As many of us know, losing a parent is one of the most difficult things we will ever face. Life is just never quite the same after you lose a parent.
But I am of the opinion that sports can help us through the tough times. We learn through sports that we will have some bad times. And in the bad times we can do one of two things. We can give up and quit, or we can get back up and carry on. But by all appearances he is carrying on and doing what he loves, and that is coaching baseball. And Simply Put, I suspect that is just what his mother would want him to do.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob said baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand.
Bobby is just one in a long line of Hughes that have excelled while wearing the purple and gold of the Marianna High School Bulldogs. If my calculations are right, there has been at least one Hughes that has been involved in Marianna athletics in every decade since the 1950’s. That’s at least 60 years of the Hughes family in Bulldog sports.
Bobby was an excellent football player. As a wide receiver he hooked up with QB Tim Daniels to form one of the best passing combos in Bulldog football history. He knew what to do on the defensive side as well at his safety position, picking off 4 passes in one game which tied a state record.
Of course being a Hughes he was a fine baseball player as well. And after high school he played at Chipola and University of Auburn Montgomery. Since graduating from college he has been in the coaching profession. This is his first year at Coosa Valley, which is southeast of Birmingham.
This is not the first time he has brought his teams through this area on their spring break, but this year’s trip was different from any of his previous trips. During the past year Bobby’s mother Peggy passed away. Add to that, his aunt June Hughes also passed away during the same time span. He has dedicated this season to his mom and no doubt still grieves her passing.
As I watched him coach Monday night I recalled the times I enjoyed watching him haul in a pass reception or stroke a hit on the baseball diamond. He seemed to be a typical carefree teenager who loved playing sports. He is now a 36 year old man, who’s learning to deal with the death of a parent. As many of us know, losing a parent is one of the most difficult things we will ever face. Life is just never quite the same after you lose a parent.
But I am of the opinion that sports can help us through the tough times. We learn through sports that we will have some bad times. And in the bad times we can do one of two things. We can give up and quit, or we can get back up and carry on. But by all appearances he is carrying on and doing what he loves, and that is coaching baseball. And Simply Put, I suspect that is just what his mother would want him to do.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob said baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand.
Friday, March 12, 2010
“Good Job Chipola”
We all know that winning is no problem and that it is easier to show some class when you win as opposed to showing that same amount of class when you lose. And we all know that folks in the community are eager to lend you a hand when you are winning but sometimes not so eager when their squad is on the losing side.
This past weekend Chipola College played host to the FCCAA / NJCAA Region 8 Basketball Tournament. The folks from Chipola have been doing this for more than 10 years now and it has become old hat for them. Not that there is any less work to be done,but they’ve got it down now and know how to run a first class tournament.
But this year’s tournament had a different twist. For the first time in eight years there was no Chipola squad in the tournament. The men and women’s squads have been regular attendees the past 8 years and have won their fare share of the tournaments. But no one stays on top forever and this year saw both the men and women’s squads finding the going rough in conference play.
So it would have been real easy for the hundreds of local folks that are needed to pull off a tournament of this magnitude to just say no thanks or I’ll pass. It would only be human nature to be less enthused about spending 12 hour days at a four day tournament when your local team’s uniforms are all tucked away and waiting for next season.
But that is not at all what happened as our community turned out in full force. Oh to be sure there was a tinge of disappointment that surfaced periodically. But that did not seem to damper folks willingness to put in the long hours to make this tournament another great success. I heard one of the athletic directors from one of our conference rivals make the comment that it is a tribute to the folks of Chipola and this community to work just as hard to put on a first class tournament, even though their teams weren’t playing.
Now some folks might not give a hoot about a basketball tournament of this nature being in our community. Well just ask the folks that run our local restaurants, convenience stores, lodging facilities and etc. They’ll let you know right quickly that we need these types of events, especially in these economic hard times.
I’ve often written about different times and events that make me proud to say that I was born and raised in this community and am proud to be living out my days right here in little ole Jackson County. So, Simply Put, good job Chipola and Jackson County for putting on another outstanding tournament. And I suspect Coach J would be right proud.
From the front porch: Coach said that happy is the one who learns to bear that which they can not change.
This past weekend Chipola College played host to the FCCAA / NJCAA Region 8 Basketball Tournament. The folks from Chipola have been doing this for more than 10 years now and it has become old hat for them. Not that there is any less work to be done,but they’ve got it down now and know how to run a first class tournament.
But this year’s tournament had a different twist. For the first time in eight years there was no Chipola squad in the tournament. The men and women’s squads have been regular attendees the past 8 years and have won their fare share of the tournaments. But no one stays on top forever and this year saw both the men and women’s squads finding the going rough in conference play.
So it would have been real easy for the hundreds of local folks that are needed to pull off a tournament of this magnitude to just say no thanks or I’ll pass. It would only be human nature to be less enthused about spending 12 hour days at a four day tournament when your local team’s uniforms are all tucked away and waiting for next season.
But that is not at all what happened as our community turned out in full force. Oh to be sure there was a tinge of disappointment that surfaced periodically. But that did not seem to damper folks willingness to put in the long hours to make this tournament another great success. I heard one of the athletic directors from one of our conference rivals make the comment that it is a tribute to the folks of Chipola and this community to work just as hard to put on a first class tournament, even though their teams weren’t playing.
Now some folks might not give a hoot about a basketball tournament of this nature being in our community. Well just ask the folks that run our local restaurants, convenience stores, lodging facilities and etc. They’ll let you know right quickly that we need these types of events, especially in these economic hard times.
I’ve often written about different times and events that make me proud to say that I was born and raised in this community and am proud to be living out my days right here in little ole Jackson County. So, Simply Put, good job Chipola and Jackson County for putting on another outstanding tournament. And I suspect Coach J would be right proud.
From the front porch: Coach said that happy is the one who learns to bear that which they can not change.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
“Protecting The Ole Chipola”
Last Thursday night I attended a meeting held by the County Parks Administrator Chuck Hatcher about the Chipola River Greenway Trails. (See related article on this page). The whole plan sounded great to me and of course got me to thinking. And you know that is always dangerous.
There has been a series on PBS recently about our national parks system. The series is really interesting and documents the efforts of some of the early innovators in regards to setting aside land for preservation and public use. There are two early names that stood out, John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt. I’d heard of Roosevelt but not of Muir. They had this crazy idea to preserve areas like Yosemite Valley and Yellowstone as national parks. For those of us who have grown up with state and national parks abounding, that idea doesn’t sound crazy. But more than 100 years ago it was a radical idea and there were many who opposed such a notion. They said all land should belong to private citizens or corporations and be used as the land owners see fit.
Fortunately the folks like Muir and Roosevelt won out and thus we have the National Parks System that preserves many pristine areas of our country. From that concept came the State Parks systems that went even further to preserve our natural wonders. Just image what would have happened to these areas if left to private citizens or corporations to develop.
My good friend and Times Editor Sid Riley likes to jam the government folks for interfering too much in our daily lives. And there are plenty of times when he is “Getting It Right”. But there are times where government needs to step in and protect us and/or the environment. Private citizens and corporations are too often motivated by how much money can be made and the havoc they reek through over development can be devastating.
What’s that got to do with the Ole Chipola? Well we are fortunate that we have some folks in our city and county governments with the foresight to protect this little jewel right here in our back yard. Most folks may not realize this but in the first 10 miles or so of the Chipola, there is not a single house on the river. On the next 8 miles or so there are only two houses. That’s about 18 miles of river and just 2 houses. In this day and time that is almost unheard of. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to folks having houses on the river. In fact I wouldn’t mind one myself. But if we don’t set aside some areas of the river for preservation, our future generations will not be able to see the Ole Chipola in her true beauty. So, Simply Put, keep up the good work city and county administrators. You’re getting’ it right.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob said that he is in excellent shape…given that round is a shape.
There has been a series on PBS recently about our national parks system. The series is really interesting and documents the efforts of some of the early innovators in regards to setting aside land for preservation and public use. There are two early names that stood out, John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt. I’d heard of Roosevelt but not of Muir. They had this crazy idea to preserve areas like Yosemite Valley and Yellowstone as national parks. For those of us who have grown up with state and national parks abounding, that idea doesn’t sound crazy. But more than 100 years ago it was a radical idea and there were many who opposed such a notion. They said all land should belong to private citizens or corporations and be used as the land owners see fit.
Fortunately the folks like Muir and Roosevelt won out and thus we have the National Parks System that preserves many pristine areas of our country. From that concept came the State Parks systems that went even further to preserve our natural wonders. Just image what would have happened to these areas if left to private citizens or corporations to develop.
My good friend and Times Editor Sid Riley likes to jam the government folks for interfering too much in our daily lives. And there are plenty of times when he is “Getting It Right”. But there are times where government needs to step in and protect us and/or the environment. Private citizens and corporations are too often motivated by how much money can be made and the havoc they reek through over development can be devastating.
What’s that got to do with the Ole Chipola? Well we are fortunate that we have some folks in our city and county governments with the foresight to protect this little jewel right here in our back yard. Most folks may not realize this but in the first 10 miles or so of the Chipola, there is not a single house on the river. On the next 8 miles or so there are only two houses. That’s about 18 miles of river and just 2 houses. In this day and time that is almost unheard of. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to folks having houses on the river. In fact I wouldn’t mind one myself. But if we don’t set aside some areas of the river for preservation, our future generations will not be able to see the Ole Chipola in her true beauty. So, Simply Put, keep up the good work city and county administrators. You’re getting’ it right.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob said that he is in excellent shape…given that round is a shape.
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