Ie
1g
Kings Mountain's Mountaineers
will open their 1993 baseball sca-
son next Monday at 5 p.m. at East
Gaston.
The Mountaineers are defending
Southwestern 3-A Conference
champions and arc looking for
their fourth trip to the state playolts
in five years under Coach Bruce
Clark.
opponent. The Warriors, like Kings
Mountain, have most of their play-
ers back from last year's state play-
off team and have their top four
pitchers back.
Mountaineer fans can get a
sncak preview of the team
Thursday afternoon at home when
they host Fred T. Foard in a scrim-
mage. The scrimmage was post-
Clark has [8 players back from
last year's 20-4 cam which won
the SWC and went three rounds in
the state playoffs before falling to
cventual state champion West
Henderson.
Returning players are pitchers
Stephen Fisher, David R. Jenkins,
David C. Jenkins, Shanc Webb,
Benji Ingle and Robert Wingo;
East Gaston will be a formidable
poned from Tuesday alternoon.
catchers Kevin Melton and Chris
The 'Greengrass' of summer
Spring training is here again and all is right with the
world.
I've been waiting on baseball season since the last
World Series game in October. It's time for an
American team to give those Canadians their come-up-
pance.
The only thing I dread about baseball season is all
those so-called baseball writers and broadcasters
telling us that Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hitting streak is
the one that will probably never be broken. They may
be right, but I can tell you about one record that will
definitely never be approached: Cy Young's record of
career wins.
Young, who started his career with the old
Cleveland team of the National League, won 511 ma-
jor league games, and he didn't throw his first pitch un-
til age 23.
Cy Young was a major league pitcher for 22 years
and compiled double-digit win seasons in all but four,
his first year when went 9-6, and his last three years
* when he pitched very little.
During the 14 year stretch between 1891 and 1904,
Young won 393 ball games. That's. an average of 28
victories per season. At age 41 he won 21 games for
the Boston Red Sox. Cy pitched 76 shutouts placing
him fourth on the all-time list. He pitched in 906 major
league games, sixth all-time and started in 815, first on
the list, 59 ahead of Braves broadcaster Don Sutton.
Young accumulated a couple of other records that
will never be topped. He tossed 749 complete games
in 815 starts and pitched 7357 innings. His career
earned run average for all those games stands at 2.63.
Pitchers today are lifted from games after throwing
100 pitches. That alone assures Young's records will
stand forever, unless someone invents a robot with a
decent slider.
Does anybody remember Jim Greengrass. I don't
know how it would be possible for anybody to have a
better baseball name. Anyway, Jim Greengrass set a
record that can never be broken, only tied.
Greengrass, a native of Addison, New York, came
up to the Cincinnati Reds from the farm system in
September of 1952. Teams are allowed to expand their
rosters after September 1, and most of them bring up
minor league prospects to look them over at the major
league level.
The Brooklyn Dodgers had a lock on the National
FREE
ESTIMATES
OVER
50
YEARS
EXPERIENCE
JIM
HEFFNER
Columnist
League pennant in 1952, so many of the other teams
inserted their rookies right away. Such was the case
with the Reds.
Greengrass, on this particular day, was making his
debut against those same Dodgers, who would go on
to win the pennant, then lose the World Series once
again to the New York Yankees.
Somehow the Reds had managed to load the bases
and Greengrass, the raw rookie stepped to the plate,
nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking
chairs. Greengrass, as are most sluggers, was a fast
ball hitter. I. don't know who was pitching for the
Dodgers, but he grooved a burner and Greengrass
crushed the pitch into the upper deck at old Crosley
Field, becoming the only man in history to hit a grand
slam homerun in his first major league at bat.
The following year, Greengrass compiled a good
first full season with 173 hits, 22 doubles, 7 triples, 20
homeruns and 100 RBI's. His batting average was
285.
In addition to his offensive performance, Greengrass
was a good outfielder with a strong arm.
Unfortunately, injuries shortened his career and he was
able to log just five years in the big leagues.
He was the last Cincinnati Red to knock in 100 runs
as a rookie, but nobody can better his record of hitting
a bases-loaded homerun in his first time at bat as a ma-
jor leaguer. They can only tie him.
That little Greengrass tale is one you'll never hear
the broadcasters mention. Chances are they don't even
know about it. They like to talk about Joe D's hitting
streak and Reggie Jackson's three homers in a World
Series game.
I've yet to hear one of them mention Cy Young's un-
beatable records, and they never talk about the obscure
little stories that make baseball history so fascinating.
I could write a book about it, and maybe I will some
day.
———————]
UP TO 101
UNITED
aes
CUSTOM MADE
FOR YOUR
HOME
|
11
Up to example:
36" wide, 65" tall
SOLID VINYL
REPLACEMENT
WINDOWS
White-Beige-Brown
ONLY
$189
PER WINDOW
INSTALLED
hor
393-7275
Rider; inficlders Damon Putnam,
Lewis Nantz, Mike Smith, Todd
Ware and Rick Marr; and outficld-
crs Robbic Ruff, Doran Moore,
Johnny Bunch, TG Goforth and
Caja Ormand. :
Five of those players - David R.
Jenkins, Fisher, Smith, Ware and
Ormand - were All-Conference last
year. Fisher led the mound staff
with a perfect 12-0 record and
Jenkins, a designated hitter, led the
hitting with a .479 mark.
All of the players have worked
out on their on during the off-sca-
son, and Clark expects the tcam 10
be much improved.
"I think this group will surprise a
lot of people with their offense this
year," he said. "This is as strong a
bunch as we've had here."
Everybody around the SWC is
picking the Mountaineers as the
team to beat, and rightly so. With
Fisher leading the way, the
Mountaineers have as strong a
mound staff as anyone in the area.
"The pitching's as good as it's
been since I've been here," said
Clark. "The mystery of the whole
thing is if David R. Jenkins is go-
ing to be able to return from his
shoulder problems. If he does, we
really strengthen our pitching staff.
If he can become a starter again we
can relieve with people like David
TarPack, Naggers
lead in duckpins
The TarPack and Naggers con-
tinued to run 1-2 in Mixed
Duckpin Bowling League action
Thursday night at Dilling Heating.
The Pack sept four games from
the Flufs to run their record to 23-
13. The Naggers won four from the
Alley Cats to improve to 18-14.
The Cats hold third place with a
15-17 mark and the Flufs are last
with a 12-24 figure.
R.W. Hullender and Tommy
Barrett both flirted with 400 sets to
lead the Pack. Hullender had a 145
line and 383 series and Barrett had
a 146 line and 382 set. John
Caveny led the Flufs with a 118-
312.
Jack Barrett rolled a 132 line
and 359 set and Bill Myers added a
123-341 to lead the Naggers over
the Cats. Bob Rathbone led the
losers with a 110-295.
SPECIAL - SPECIAL
JEU eeI ek
$189
WAREHOUSE
SALE
ON ALL SIDING
AND WINDOWS
LIFETIME MANUFACTURER WARRANTY
ON SIDING AND WINDOWS
100% financing available on approved credit.
No payment due for 90 days after the work is finished
CHARLOTTE, NC
00
INSTALLED
Thursday, March 11, 1993 -THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Page-5B
KMHS baseball team opens Monday
C. Jenkins and Robert Wingo, and
have Shanc Webb as a closer-type
pitcher."
Clark will likely play all of his
players during the non-conference
games. The conference opener is
March 23 against R-S Central.
Clark expects to sec a tough race
in the SWC as most tcams arc im-
proved and all will be gunning for
the Mountainecrs. He says his
players will have to play to the best
of their ability in every game be-
cause they will likely always face
the opposing team's best pitcher.
THE GROOM'S CORNER
I \
Look your best in a quality tuxedo from
The Groom's Corner!
* Designer tuxedo rentals & sales
Expert alterations & tailoring
* Open Mon.-Fri. 10-8; Sat 10-5
Gaston Mall ¢ 866-0889
CR XXX XXX NX.X.
of “afliines’ Safin’ “fini Naf’ Si Yu
pe’ elit “iii lie Neil’ “uy
SALE ¢ SALE ¢ SALE « SALE « SALE
20%"
FRAMES
WITH
PURCHASE
OF LENS
Eye Examinations Arranged
Sale Good Thru March 20th
If You Are Green With Envy...Come See US
CLEVELAND
MALL
487-4099
SALE * SALE « SALE * SALE « SALE
eI J
BEST SIDING and WINDOWS
We will not be under"sold" on same quality work and material!
CONTACT THE REST ... THEN CALL THE BEST!
8 DECORATIVE COLORS TO CHOOSE FROM
nt
FREE
ESTIMATES
OVER
15,000
SATISFIED
CUSTOMERS
SOLID VINYL |}
SIDING 5
FREE P-38
INSULATION BOARD
WITH COMPLETE
COVER-ALL
ONLY
$189...
PER 100 SQ. FT. INSTALLED
MT. HOLLY, NC
or 827-9302
a
REYNOLDS
FOR BETTER
BUILDING
PRODUCTS