20
THE GUILFORD lAN
A slice of life from the Butcher
When discouraged, take another look
But as for you, be strong and do not give
up, for your work will be rewarded.
—2 Chronicles 15:7
Thank goodness a young Michael Jordan
did not quit hoops after his coach cut him
from the team as a freshman in high school.
He just wasn't right for the program, he
was told. In fact, Jordan was encouraged to
pursue the Navy, rather than a novelty like
basketball. Still, he pressed on with the
sport
Now dubbed by some as the greatest
roundball player ever, Michael's efforts paid
off. Jordan persevered through these times
to reach the goal he desired.
College basketball coach Lefty Driesell
didn't give up when his world seemed to
collapse around him in 1986.
Len Bias, Driesell's star player at Mary
land, had died of a cocaine overdose two
days after signing with the Boston Celtics.
An investigation into the Maryland program
forced Driesell to leave his position at the
school.
But five years later, Driesell is head coach
of James Madison. He has led the Dukes to
a respectable record of 55-35 in his four
years there.
Lefty didn't quit when the tough got go
ing. Sure, he had to get out of town, but he
made the most of his situation and moved
on.
* * *
Seniors
>* continued from page 15
•Barry Murry, second team All-ODAC.
Started 30 consecutive games on the offen
sive line to close
out his career. He
played center as I
a sophomore and I
then switched to I Bf t|
guard for his last HE* . u ,;B
two seasons. -***
Murry caught a
deflected pass for
a six-yard gain I ~
last season. Murry
•Greg Nichols. Limited to only six games
this year due to injury, Nichols totaled 15
tackles this year and deflected one pass. For
his career, Nichols recorded 38 solo and 77
total tackles, 7 interceptions and 1 sack.
Sports Quote of the Week
"What else do I have to do? / hitfor a high average, hit the home runs, drove
in runs, stole bases and played well in the field. / guess J have to go 30/50
every year."
—Pittsburgh Pirate leftfielder Barry Bonds, after learning that he finished a close
second to Terry Pendleton in the National League MVP voting.
It was a cool May evening when that red
headed kid with the freckles served me up a
pitch. I don't even think I was keeping my
eye on the ball. I just swung, as if I knew
exactly where the pitch was.
The contact seemed so natural —alumi-
num met rawhide and there was no stinging
in my hands. It was as if I had just hit a blob
of whip cream and it exploded, without any
resistance.
The ball rolled to the left-centerfield fence
and I slid into second with a double —my
first ever hit in Little League. And there was
nobody to see it.
After the game I walked home alone.
Two-plus years later, I sat on a dugout
bench at the West Virginia State Little
League All-Start Tournament in Nitro. My
team, Charleston Central, had won our first
six games in the tournament before a loss the
previous night. Now, we faced elimination
in the sixth inning, down 5-1 to Cereda-
Kenova.
Coach Ed Edmonds replaced Donald Bur
ton, one of our best players, to allow Sam
Drennan —another All-Star, but not as good
as Donald —an at-bat in the tournament.
The Burtons and Edmonds' were two pretty
close families, but this move set off Donald's
dad.
In frustration, Mr. Burton began yelling at
Mr. Edmonds, accusing him of being every
thing except a good coach. Then the two
began taunting each other and the dispute
•Cam Pridgen. Pridgen transferred to Guil
ford from East Carolina. He also switched
from defensive end to tackle this year and
was in on 28 tackles. For his career, Pridgen
recorded 58 tackles in his two seasons, had
one sack, one tackle for a loss, and 1 fumble
recovery.
•Andy Ragan,
second team All- J
ODAC. A three- I
yearstarteratline- I Wk* ?£? M
b k R
was second on the .
team in tackles
with 65. Ragan led Ragan
the team in tack
les as a junior with 77. He made 10 solo
tackles in the victory over Emory & Henry
despite the fact that he had a badly sprained
ankle. For his career, Ragan was in on 196
tackles, recorded five sacks, hadfour
fumblerecoveries.andoneinterception.
Sports Comm
nearly ended in
blows.
While this was
going on and every
one including me
was sobbing on the
bench, I had to invite the other guys to a
swimming party at my house.
Boy, did that ever look tactless in such a
tense situation! But we had reason to cel
ebrate. Though we had not won the state
title, the team had come a long way in the
tournament.
I had come a long way as well. No longer
a skinny back-up outfielder, I was an All-
Star. Sure, no one was there to cheer for me
as I stood on second base after my first hit off
the red-headed kid. But that did not stop me
from pushing forward and continuing with
my dream. I hadn't given up. . .and that's
what mattered.
* * *
In Roger Schuller's book Life Changers,
he writes about how to look at situations
differently. One passage talks of a little boy
overheard talking to himself in his back
yard. It goes something like this:
With bat in hand, the boy proclaimed,
"Here is the greatest baseball player in the
world!" With that, he tossed a baseball in the
air, swung hard with his bat and missed.
Undaunted, he shouted out, "Here is the
greatest basebal 1 player to ever 1 i ve!" Again,
he tossed the ball in front of him, swung hard
rf;*, / v ..,1[ v ii
~ ...I ~ • V ... 1 :
file photo
Senior Rodney Alexander, shown here causing a fumble, was one of four
Quakers named to the first-team All-ODAC squad in 1991.
Butch Maier
and missed.
Adjusting his cap, the boy yelled even
louder, "This is the best ballplayer the world
has ever seen!" A third time, he lobbed the
ball in the air, swung the bat around and
missed.
Pausing for a second, he then exclaimed,
"Wow! What a pitcher!"
The boy hadn't kicked himself for not
hitting the ball, but focused on his assets —
his abilities. He saw what he was able to do,
not what he wasn't able to do.
Michael Jordan thought he could play
basketball. Sure, it looks silly to say that
now. . .but what if he had given up? And
Lefty wouldn't have helped to turn around
the James Madison program if he had gone
into hiding. And just because no one else
really believed in my athletic ability didn't
mean that I had to quit.
And you don't either.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to
have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, I press on toward the
goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
—Phillippians 3:13-14
November 25, 1991
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