This was 105 years ago, before metal bats, before luxury suites and before any pitch was known as a split-fingered fastball or a circle change. This was even before Mississippi State was Mississippi State. Willie Mitchell was a 19-year old Mississippi A & M senior from the tiny Panola County community of Pleasant Grove (near […]
At halftime Friday, Victoria Vivians had scored just seven points, had made just 3 of 12 shots and seemed flustered by Coahoma County’s double- and triple-teaming defensive tactics. She had taken a couple hard spills to the floor, at least one elbow to the mouth. She had missed some shots she normally makes in her […]
Despite this recent Arctic blast, spring is about to have sprung. I see a few blooms around the neighborhood. That means baseball, and, in particular, little league baseball. Depending on how it’s handled, little league baseball and softball can be one of the most treasured memories of lifetime. Unfortunately, due to overzealous coaches and parents, […]
My column, syndicated through the Mississippi Press Association, which ran about in two dozen newspapers this week follows: Get the score in the first paragraph. Spell folks’ names correctly. Write in short direct sentences. The sooner you finish, the better. When I started writing sports for newspapers almost half a century ago now, those were […]
(Note from Rick Cleveland: We had nearly 400 folks here Wednesday afternoon for the Orley Hood Memorial. Not sure we could have shoe-horned anyone else in the Hall. I made sure Orley had his say-so, reading excerpts from several of his memorable columns. The one that follows, written on Sept. 18, 1982, more than 31 […]
This was my last week’s newspaper column, which is syndicated through the Mississippi Press Association. Since this was written, Victoria Vivians has led Scott Central to a district championship and broken (unofficially, unfortunately) the national high school scoring record. We all know: She scored the points! Something interesting happened last month when Scott Central’s Victoria […]
(Note from Rick Cleveland: The late Orley Hood was a huge Bailey Howell fan. And, I know for a fact, Bailey Howell was a huge Orley Hood fan. The column that follows, written by Orley on the occasion of Bailey’s induction into the Naismith (international basketball) Hall of Fame is one of the best sports […]
Orley Hood, a masterful writer, running buddy, storyteller, husband and father, died this morning shortly after midnight. He was 65. He fought acute leukemia to his last breath. Orley leaves behind many friends and thousands of fans, many of whom grew up reading his columns, often laughing and sometimes crying, but always enjoying the way […]
