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Notes, quotes and a song or two . . .


Posted on: April 06,2013

Notes, quotes and an opinion or two. . .
Billy Hamilton, the Taylorsville flash, has started fast for the Class AAA Louisville Bats. He’s hit safely three times in his first seven at bats, with two doubles and three stolen bases. That’s after a mostly poor spring with the parent Cincinnati Reds . . . .
Zack Cozart isn’t exactly known for his power but the ex-Rebel hit two home runs and drove in five for the Reds in a 15-0 shellacking of Washington Friday. Those were his first two hits of the season after a slow start. . . .Ex-USMer Brian Dozer is 3 for 11 with a triple and three RBI for the Minnesota Twins, playing both shortstop and second base. . . . Lance Lynn got a no decision in his first start with the Cardinals, giving up four runs in four innings. . . . Seth Smith hit .280 for the A’s this spring and is off to a 2 for 6 start in the regular season. . . Jon Papelbon got his first save for the Phillies in the Braves’ only defeat.
Happy 76th birthday to Merle Haggard, and did you know Willie Nelson turns 80 later this month? They teamed up to make this one of my all-time favorite songs, Pancho and Lefty, written by the great Townes Van Zandt. . . You can listen to it here.
Happy to report that our April 22 Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Tournament at Reunion is filled to capacity. Great job by Margaret Ferriss White. We’ll have us some fun. . . .
You read it here first: Louisville over Wichita State and Syracuse over Michigan. Then Louisville over Syracuse… Cardinals have been my pick from the get-go. . .
Mark on your calendar: May 20, the C Spire Ferriss Trophy awards luncheon. We’ll have five finalists this year instead of the previous three. . . . Too many really good college baseball players in this state to just have three finalists . . . .
See where Wrigley Field is about to get a $500 million overhaul. Part of the deal, apparently, is more night games. Hate that. Here’s hoping they don’t mess with the charm, but anything is better than moving the Cubs to the suburbs. . . .
This Evan Gattis/Atlanta Braves story just keeps getting better and better. Out of baseball for four years and having never played only 39 games above the Class AA level (here last year), Gattis has hit safely four times in eight at bats for the big Braves. He’s slugged one home run and fanned only once. As a catcher, he’s been perfect: no passed balls and one for one in throwing out would-be stealers. I keep remembering what Bobby Cox said when the Braves played their final exhibition game here: “I keep looking for a hole in his game but I can’t find one.” Gattis’s swing is so compact and so powerful. Fredi Gonzalez is going to have to find a way to get him at bats. . . .
Stat of the day: The A-Braves have struck out a league high 40 times in just 125 at bats. That’s a lot of whiffing. But they are also 3-1. . . .
OK, so God, Jesus and John the Baptist are playing golf in heaven. John leads off and hits great drive, 260 yards down the heart of the fairway. Next up: Jesus scorches one, 300 yards right down the gut. God’s turn: He hits a wild hook, into the trees. But just then, a bolt of lightning splits an oak tree into the path of the golf ball, sending it back into the fairway. A huge red squirrel sees this and runs to get the ball and then takes it down the fairway. And then a hungry eagle swoops down, picks up the squirrel, golf ball and all, and flies toward the green. Wouldn’t you know it, then comes a freakish hail storm, which knocks the squirrel from the eagle and onto the green. The stunned squirrel spits out the ball out and it rolls just to the edge of the cup. Just then, a huge gust of wind topples the ball into the cup: A hole in one! God smiles. John the Baptist stares in disbelief. And then Jesus turns to God: “Dad, are we gonna play golf or are you just gonna mess around?”
One more from Merle, to us, on his 76th birthday: Sing Me Back Home.
 
 
 

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