Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Daily Pooch Punt: 4/10/08
You can start counting down now if you just happen to be a fan of Southern Valley District baseball. The magic number is five, that’s how many days are left until Stuart Draft brings Cameron Cook to the KC where the Cougars will take on the Little Giants.
So, why make such a big deal about a game this early in the season? Well, for starters, this isn’t your big brother’s (or sister’s, for that matter) old Valley District. This is the five-team Southern Valley, where every game puts you a step closer to that coveted regular-season title and automatic bid to Region III. And, from what we’ve seen so far, these two teams (heck, let’s toss Fort Defiance in the mix as well) should be tops in the district. A win Tuesday puts a team in the proverbial driver’s seat. A loss, well, let’s just say it’s not fun being the passenger in a scorching hot playoff race.
Of course, we’re just taking an educated guess when we say that Cook will be tossing from the bump for Josh Podgorski’s Cougars. With a team ERA that was floating somewhere around the 7.00 mark last week (there’s nothing lucky about that No. 7, folks. But you know that) Cook will have to be throwing if the Cougars want to gain the early advantage.
Zac Marion getting a hold of a few shots wouldn’t hurt either.
Who’s Jim Critzer gonna throw? He’s got his pick of Jeremy Hahn (the Giants’ big arm that, after giving up three runs in the first Tuesday against Harrisonburg, calmed down to scatter three hits over the other six for the 10-3 win) or Joseph Lucas. You know Lucas, the kid who pitched the team to a 1-0 win over Fort Defiance and is no longer known as James’ Little Brother.
Terrell Thompson, sure your table is ready. But you got to set your teammates’ first, you know, since you’re Waynesboro’s leadoff man and all. (Oh, and your batting average is hovering around .600 which, let’s be honest here, is exactly what you’re looking for from a leadoff hitter.)
While we can all talk about Tuesday’s big game at the KC, the Little Giants have a tall task ahead of them come Friday when they head up to Bridgewater to take on Those Big Bad Knights From Turner Ashby. (Yep, initial caps for a reason, folks.) It don’t matter how much malarkey you e-mail my way about Turner Ashby, how this game doesn’t mean anything and all that jazz. The bottom line is, and you can print this in black or blue ink (not pencil, folks), if you want the world to take you seriously as a state baseball contender (and you gotta believe that, after their Final Four trip last season, the Little Giants think they can head back) you have to beat Turner Ashby. Lock. The. Thread. Next. Question. Please.
Remember when the Giants almost did that last year? Turning a 4-0 deficit to a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning? With Jake Peeling on the mound? In front a home crowd? Then the bottom fell out, Turner Ashby went all Turner Ashby on Waynesboro and the next thing you know it’s the 12th inning, Waynesboro is down by one at 7-6, and can’t push the game-tying run across. Remember all that?
“What else can you ask for?” said Critzer after that loss. “They threw the kitchen sink, didn’t they?”
Or how about what TA coach Richie Anderson said? “Like everyone thought it would be, it was classic high school baseball game.”
He’s right. It was. That’s why we still write about it, you still talk about it and the Giants still remember it.
Note to Waynesboro fans: Sure, the game Friday is at Turner Ashby, but if you go, you might want to think twice about putting on the same post-game show you did last year at the KC. You know, when you were so upset at a couple of questionable interference calls, the police had to escort the umpires away from the field. Please, don’t turn a classy baseball game between kids into a classless post-game cage match featuring “adults.” Hey, I’m just saying.
And another thing: Wilson Memorial runner Michael Barnes and his Riverheads counterpart Jonathan Pendleton can win you over in a heartbeat and it doesn’t matter what you think of the track. (And judging by the amount of people who go to track meets, we’re pretty sure we know what you think of it). The two battled it out in the 1,600-meter run Wednesday in Fishersville. Pendleton managed to snag a 10-second lead over Barnes. Then all he did was find Barnes right after finishing the race to thank him for the fun challenge.
“Barnes is a great kid to run against,” Pendleton said. “He pushes you real hard.”
Maybe you should like track a little more.