Nothing Like a Night at the Ole Ballpark

The middle of June holds a special place in my heart. Yes, the days are longer and warmer, and there are finally leaves on the trees in Avery County. But that’s not why the time is special.
Appy League baseball has returned!

For the price of admission, I have found no local sporting event to be a bigger bargain than watching Minor League Baseball from the Appalachian League. The short-season league kicked its year off last Tuesday in stadiums across the Mountain Empire area of Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Of local interest, the Elizabethton Twins, winners of last season’s league title and two of the last three championships, hosted the Bluefield Orioles at Joe O’Brien Field in its opening series of the season. I managed to take in the second game of the three-game set, witnessing the game of baseball as it should be played. Solid defense, timely hitting, and massive home runs ruled the game, along with a couple of managerial discussions with umpires thrown in as Elizabethton took a hard-fought 5-2 victory.

The atmosphere of Appalachian League baseball is a treat that everyone should try to enjoy at least once. From the “Hillbilly Horseshoes” competition between innings in Elizabethton to the “Pizza Scream” competition at Johnson City’s Howard Johnson Field, fans get the opportunity to interact in ways not often seen in big league ballparks.

One of the most attractive facets of the local league is an opportunity to see future Major League Baseball greats as they begin their climb up the ranks to super-stardom. A number of talented and successful pros have traveled through the Appalachian ranks on their way to “The Show”. MLB Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett and current players Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer began their Twins baseball careers donning the jersey of the Elizabethton club.

Current St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was behind the plate in Johnson City just a few short seasons ago, sharing the field with teammate Rick Ankiel, whom I once helped to his pickup during a rainstorm following a game at Howard Johnson Field. Ankiel was sent to Johnson City after an erratic stretch as pitcher to begin a transition to playing the outfield, which last time I checked has worked out fairly well.

This year there should be no shortage of young talent on the field either. Once he signs, there is a chance that shortstop and number one overall draft pick Tim Beckham will debut with the Princeton Rays. Former North Henderson High School and University of North Carolina standout outfielder Seth Williams will report this week to the Kingsport Mets once the Tar Heels finish its run in the College World Series. Catcher Jason Castro, the tenth overall pick in this year’s MLB draft, will take the field for the Greeneville Astros, while former Appalachian State baseballer Jason Rook starts for the Bluefield Orioles.

With soaring gas prices and tight budgets, a short drive to a local minor league park is a great and inexpensive way to take the family out to the ballgame and have a great time.

LIttle League District Tournament play begins, Summer Camps in Full Swing

The Avery 9-10 year old boys baseball team lost a heartbreaker this evening 7-6 against Wilkes American #2 in Little League District 7 tournament play.

Jeffrey Puckett started for the Avery squad and pitched two shutout innings, while the Avery offense lit up the Wilkes starter for five runs in the two inning span. Puckett ran into trouble in the third inning as the Wilkes bats warmed up. Avery head coach Adrian Crowe called on southpaw Gabe Stanley in relief, but the Wilkes squad put up seven runs to take a 7-5 advantage.

Avery rallied in the top of the fifth for a run to cut the lead to one run. After Stanley held Wilkes scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, Avery had one final opportunity to tie or take a lead. A leadoff base hit was erased by a fine Wilkes defensive play when a runner was thrown out at third base for the first out in the frame. Wilkes retired the final two batters to hold on for the one-run win. Avery drops into the consolation bracket and will return to action on Saturday afternoon.

This week the Avery Lady Vikings held basketball camp for elementary and middle school students. The Lady Vikings JV and Varsity basketball players, with instruction from head coach Missy Lyons, have worked together to instruct the future Lady Vikings on various facets of the game of basketball. A full write-up on this week's camp can be found in next week's edition of the Journal-Times.

Also found in next week's edition will be a story on the Lady Vikings Cheerleading Camp, with sessions and performances which took place both last week and this week. Matt Laws will have a writeup on Coach Cary Dominguez and her cheerleading team's work with local youngsters.

From the Student Section....Summer Break!

I hope everyone is have a wonderful Midsummer night (I know, bad Shakespere reference), and all is well. Here are a few things going on:

• Not much is going on in Avery Sports land. We have some little league games going on, and I understand we will have some information on those in the next few weeks. Jamie has the MMA going on this week also.


• Our next major thing will be our Football Preview. We are actually currently working on it already, and everything is coming together quite nicel. It will be something to keep all season long, and have loads of information on the upcoming season.

Ok, now that we had the Journal update here are two stories I thought was just weird:

• You know you have a horrible football team when a judge says it in a ruling. Duke recently, if you can call it winning, won a case where the University of Louisville was suing Duke for backing out of a 3-game series. The Judge ruled that any team, and by any team he means any NCAA BCS or FCS team, can replace Duke.

(The link: (http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080619/SPORTS02/80619051/1002/SPORTS)

• Wimbledon Tennis Trouble: Dive Bombing Pigeons. Do I need to say more? It looks like Wimbledon had to hire sharpshooters to get rid of two pigeons. For more check out the story at ESPN.com

(The Link http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon08/news/story?id=3458900

Sorry for the short story and lack of information on the Blog. Keep checking back for more!

Mayhem Cage Fights Coming to Area on Saturday Night

This Saturday evening at the Mulberry Street Recreation Center in Lenoir, Hines Promotions, Inc. presents the Mayhem Cage Fights “Fight in the Foothills” mixed martial arts event. A total of 14 matches will be contested, featuring fighters in a wide gamut of weight classes.

The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA, for short) has skyrocketed in popularity in recent months. In MMA, two fighters enter an octagon-shaped padded cage or a ring and battle for a number of rounds until either a fighter submits by “tapping out”, a referee or doctor stops the bout, a fighter can no longer continue, or the scheduled number of rounds is completed. If the fight reaches its round completion, a panel of judges scores each individual round with cumulative scores determining the fight’s victor.

Although the sport of MMA has been around for nearly two decades, many viewed the sport as barbaric in its early years, prompting most states to deem the sport illegal. MMA was banned in the state of North Carolina in 1994. In recent years, however, the sport has made a concerted effort to become more organized and clean up its product, designating weight classes, setting a fundamental basis of rules, and emphasizing a number of various fighting skills.

A new breed of mixed martial artist evolved as a result of the changes, one well versed and highly trained in a number of fighting disciplines that range from collegiate Greco-Roman wrestling to Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, kickboxing, and Muay Thai fighting.

After the sport’s revision, North Carolina legalized mixed martial arts this past March, and Hines Promotions, Inc. has led the way in bringing the excitement of MMA to the mountains and foothills of North Carolina through “Mayhem in the Cage” MMA Cage Fights.

“We’ve promoted a wide range of events in the area from car shows to the Toughest and Baddest Brawl to Gospel concerts,” said promoter James Hines. “We promote events from as far north as Ohio to events in Alabama, and North Carolina is a favorite area of ours which we call home.”

Mayhem in the Cage held its most recent event on May 31 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Annex in Winston-Salem, where a crowd of over 2,000 gathered to watch a night of mixed martial arts bouts and received a special treat with a guest appearance from Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk.

“Many people at the event told us it would definitely be an event they would come again and again to see, so it has been well received,” Hines said. “In the state of North Carolina since live fighting has only recently been legalized, we have spent a lot of time educating people on what the sport is and what it is not, and the response we have received has been very positive.”
Mayhem in the Cage provides added incentive for fighters to bring their “A” game to the cage. This weekend’s event in Lenoir is one of a series of events in which fighters can accumulate points toward a championship later in the year.

“Champions will be determined by both success and participation during the year. Winning fighters receive five points each time they compete and win, with losing fighters receiving two points,” Hines explained.

The excitement of MMA and the technical skill of fighters has become a combination that is appealing to many fans that are hungry for real action and competition. “The reason the sport is so popular is because people know they will see action,” Hines added. “They will see full contact action and they know that there will be a winner in the fight. People don’t like to see sports where a winner is not determined, but in MMA there is a definite winner.”

Doors open for Mayhem Cage Fights in the Foothills at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, with fights beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at the Mayhem Cage Fights website (www.mayhemcagefights.com) or can be purchased at the following locations: Kelly Sports (Hudson), Flex Fitness Authority (Morganton), Prime Time Video and Tanning (Hickory), and Crossroads Harley-Davidson (Buell).

Advance ticket prices are $45 for VIP front row, $30 for cage-side, and $20 for general admission, but tickets may also be purchased at the door Saturday night.

Vikings Travel to Gardner-Webb for FCA Team Camp

The 2008 edition of the Avery Vikings football team ventured off the mountain last week to Boiling Springs, NC for Team Camp, sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. A total contingent of 22 players strapped on their helmets on the campus of Gardner-Webb University and joined seven other teams from across the region for three grueling days of workouts, drills, and passing league contests.

Avery head football coach Darrell Brewer said the camps are an important part of the Vikings’ football program as preparations continue for this fall’s campaign.

“We hope the camp will bring us together as a football team,” he said. “Being able to stay in the dorm together, eat meals together, and work out as a team is a good thing that we will reap benefits from.”

Unlike many of the summer events in recent years, last week’s camp provided the opportunity for linemen to join skill players in working to better themselves for the upcoming season. Tabbed by teammates as the “Wild Hogs”, the offensive and defensive linemen received intense training targeted at developing their skills offering specialized instruction.

“In the summer there are all kinds of passing tournaments and passing leagues, but the linemen kind of get left out, which I guess to an extent has been my fault,” Coach Brewer said. “The passing league group gets in 12 games and linemen are working during that same time on footwork and steps which will only help them and our entire team be ahead of the curve come July.”

Avery had the opportunity to face a number of teams with varying degrees of skill level. The Vikings met a team with blazing speed in Asheville High School, while in another contest faced a school in Central Academy of Monroe who is only in its second year of existence.

As for the Vikings, a number of players made the most of the camp and impressed a number of coaches and observers. “We had a bunch of kids who looked good. Adam Pate threw the ball extremely well. Dylan Aldridge caught the football well despite a hurt foot. Chris Childress came out and joined us for the first time since his accident. We didn’t expect to have him until August and we’re blessed that he has been able to work with us,” the coach stated. “One player particularly who impressed me has been Taylor Potter. He has shown a lot of toughness on the field. He’s just a sophomore but he’s out there working hard and doing a good job. I could just go on, but as a whole all our kids have worked hard and had a good attitude.”

Last week’s camp was the first team camp the Big Red has attended since Brewer became the Avery head coach back in 2004, but he felt this year’s squad had the maturity and unity to gain from such an experience.“This was a good group that I felt like we could really take off with and have a little fun with as a team,” the coach added. “We used to go to Western Carolina when I was an assistant, and a camp like this really focuses a team. If you can get a group focused in June and carry that momentum into July and August, it will really pay dividends for them as players and for us as a team.”

The camp, organized by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, placed great emphasis on sportsmanship, individual and team character, and positive attitudes both on the field and off. Camp instructors taught the importance of being passionate players on the gridiron and productive individuals in the classroom and in life.

“One of the big reasons I wanted to come here was the ethical emphasis and positive messages of what the camp represents,” Coach Brewer stressed. “We get wrapped up in the game and I guess I’m the world’s worst. But anyone who believes in God or is a Christian believes there are things much more important than football. If the kids who attend camp can get something positive from the experience, what better way is there to spend your time?”

Avery will take some time off from team on-field activities, but will return to the field later in July for 7-on-7 events and the official beginning of football season on July 28th.