Thursday, April 17, 2008
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Thursday, April 17, 2008 |
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Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | Photo Gallery |
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Fielder’s Choice On the road I was on the road for about 10 and a half hours last weekend and never left Mississippi. I even got to travel one road I’d never been on before – Highway 16 from Canton to Yazoo City. Having a son involved in two sports at one time can prove to be rather hectic and sometimes just plain ole crazy. When we first saw the track and baseball (traveling team) schedules, we spotted a few possible conflicts. One was Saturday, April 12 – district track meet at Clarksdale and baseball tournament in Canton. We first thought we’d have to choose one or the other. Andy did not want to miss either. Then, when the more specific schedules were received, we decided to be adventurous. Team Extreme was scheduled to open play in the April Showdown at Canton at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. The second game was set for 12 noon. Andy’s first race in the District 1-AA Track Meet at Clarksdale was set for 1:15 p.m. One of Andy’s classmates, teammates and friends, Elgin Lafever, was in the same predicament. So he joined us for the joy ride. We left Holly Springs Friday after work to go to north Jackson and spend the night with the rest of the baseball team. We set alarms for about 6 a.m. Friday, struggled to awake, skipped breakfast and arrived at the fields about 7 a.m. When we got there, we discovered we were not actually in the tournament. There are two Extremes in the USSSA 14-year-old AA division in the state – the Mississippi Extreme (not us) and Team Extreme (us). They thought only one Extreme (Mississippi Extreme) was in the tourney field. The tournament director quickly worked that out, and we still played at 8:05 a.m. We really needed to be finished by 10 so Andy, Elgin and I could hit the road to Clarksdale, estimated to be a two hour and 15 minute drive. The game was over at 9:55. We rushed to the truck. Andy and Elgin slept most of the way. We made one stop in Indianola for food. We got to Lee Academy about 12:15 p.m. – thank goodness. They actually were running ahead of schedule. Andy and Elgin ran to the gymnasium to change from baseball uniforms to track attire. Then while they were inside, a coach locked the door and they couldn’t get out. Other athletes from the host school could not get in to get their clothes. Dwana McAlexander, one of the track coaches, started calling for Andy and Elgin. Finally, someone brought a key. Andy and Elgin ran first races at about 12:50 p.m. Of course, we missed the noon baseball game Saturday, but immediately after the track meet, we headed back south to Canton. The next baseball games were scheduled for Sunday. The track team finished second in the district meet. The baseball team went 1-3 in the tournament – losing two of the games by one run, including one that would have put us in the championship game. It put a bit of a discouraging end to a fun weekend. But the players could hold their heads high after playing so well in the last game Sunday. We got a snack and again hit the road – leaving Canton about 4:30 p.m. Andy and Elgin slept much of the way home. I told them when we reached Marshall County, “It seems like we’ve been gone a really long time.” They agreed. It was good to get some hugs from family and see Emma’s pictures from the prom (which I missed). It was good to get out from under the steering wheel for an extended period of time. The track season is over. Things should get a bit easier – schedule-wise. But then crazy me, I volunteered to help coach Erin’s 5- and 6-year-old softball team. Her first game is Thursday. Andy has a school baseball game that night. Here we go again. |
       
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