The Kings Mountain Herald
Thursday, June 24, 2004
No easy answers
to some questions
I sat on the bench waiting
for a friend. We were having
lunch in Shelby and I was
early. A
mented on
the book I
was read-
- h
Andie Brymer .,d asked
Staff Writer me for
oney for a
Coke. As I dug through my
purse for change he
explained that he had not
eaten for eight days. The
man then said he going to
Oteen for help ih prob-
lems I assumed to be alco-
hol related by the smell of
his breath.
I knew the odds of his
buying something as mild
as a soda with my change
were slim but I wanted to
show concern. I know that
many will argue I was mis-
guided and merely feeding
is addiction. That may be
correct however my refus-
ing a few quarters will not
slow down his drinking.
I suggested he visit one of
the soup kitchens operated
by churches. He died up a
pant leg revealing an infect-
ed sore. Not being a médical
professional, my only
advice was a free clinic or
the emergency department.
My advice giving took
plage as I continue to search
or spare change. The man,
he never gave me his name,
noticed a $5 bill in m
purse. He suggested Yost
give it to him and forgo the
unt for coins. I explained
that needed my money to
pay for my lunch and was
not giving it up. After a few
more pleas, he realized I
wasn’t budging on the $5.
. = A few minutes later my
friend and I were catching
up over chips and salsa. I
enjoyed the meal that fol-
lowed but felt guilt.
I know that the man has a
choice. He can stop drink-
ing, get a 5 and be a
responsible member of soci-
ety. Twelve step programs
abound. Limited space is
available in shelters.
Churches and other faith
communities can offer a
spiritual refuge.
However I don’t know
the inner demons he fights.
I don’t know what situation
he was born into and what
blows life has dealt him
since then.
I wish there was a way to
make people get their lives
together but at the same
time I have to question the
ethics of forced change. To
complicate matters more,
does the social cost of a
homeless alcoholic justify
forced attempts at change?
Someone must pay the
eventual medical bill when
this man does end up at the
hospital. Assuming he
makes it to the soup
kitchen, the money to run
that program comes from
somewhere.
I’ have no answers. Let's
ponder the questions
together.
%
anticipating its 90th
LOOKING BACK
wn
game.
FC 2
Kings Mountain players work hard to get drenched Lancaster Field ready to play 1989 Sta
iin . i
te Baseball Championship
1989 Mountaineer baseball champs
one of state’s Notable Ninety teams
Kings Mountain High's 1989 state
championship baseball team has
been named one of the Ninety
Notable teams in the history of the
North Carolina High School
Athletic Association.
The baseball and spring sports
teams were announced late last
week. Basketball and football teams
had been
announced the pre-
vious week.
The NCHSAA,
anniversary, sent
out nomination
forms late last year.
I nominated the ‘89 |
team, not because I LL
felt like it was better Gary Stewart
than any of the Editor
other KMHS teams ** :
that have won state championships,
but because its team and individual
accomplishments were very
notable.
The “89 team was the most power-
ful hitting team in KMHS history,
and one of the most powerful in
NCHSAA history.
The Mountaineers compiled a
team batting average of .337 and hit
a state-record 51 home runs.
Their slugging first baseman, Paul
Brannon, set school and state
records for most home runs in a
season (20) and most home runs in
a career (41).
He hit .474 and drove in 43 runs
and had at least one home run in
each of the last seven games.
Even in this modern day of alu-
minum bats and short fences, hit-
ting over .400 and blasting home
runs at that pace is very unusual.
But Brannon was just one of four
400 hitters on that ‘89 team. Third
baseman Dale Greene hit .435 with
four home runs and 19 RBI, Chad
Plonk hit .438 with 11 home runs
and 30 RBI, and Toby Deaton hit
451 with two home runs and 19
RBI
Second baseman Chris Henson hit
.355 and pitchers Keith Allen and
Todd McDaniel each hit .333.
Although this team will go down
as one of the best teams in school
and state history, it did not win its
conference championship. The
Mountaineers finished second in the
regular season to South Point.
When the Red Raiders were upset
by St. Stephens in the first round of
the state playoffs, it seemed to give
the Mountaineers some life and
they hammered all but one of their
opponents in the playoffs.
Their only real close shave in the
playoffs was in the Western
Regional championship game
against Statesville at Lancaster
Field.
Statesville, which had a strong
right-hand pitcher named Gary
Davis, carried a 1-0 lead into the
bottom of the seventh inning.
As I recall Coach Bruce Clark had
been encouraging his Mountaineers
to jump on the first pitch the entire
game, but for some reason Davis’
moving fast ball seemed to freeze
KM'’s bats on their shoulders.
But, finally in the bottom of the
seventh, they heeded Clark’s
advice.
Chris Plonk hit the first pitch in
the bottom of the seventh over the
right-center field fence to tie the
game at 1-all..
Davis buckled down to strike out
the next two batters. Brannon was
on the on-deck circle and there
seemed to be a feeling throughout
the ball park that if he could get to
the plate he would end the game
with one his monstrous home runs.
Chris Henson had to get on base
some way.
Davis got ahead of him quickly
with a one ball, two strike count.
Henson fouled off several pitches
and then laced a single to center.
Brannon came to the plate and
with one quick flip of his wrists
sent a Davis fast ball towering over
the center field fence for a 3-1 victo-
ry.
The state championship series
with Rockingham County was also
a memorable one. Rockingham
County came into the series as a
third place team from its conference
that had also caught fire late in the
season.
The visitors jumped on KM quick-
ly in the opening game, 6-1, but the
Mountaineers scored seven runs in
the fourth inning to take command
and won 8-6.
The championship day of the
best-of-three series was indeed
notable, and memorable. It rained
for most of the day and Lancaster
Field was flooded. I really believe
Rockingham County felt like the
game would not be played. But
after the rain ended in the late after-
noon Kings Mountain players,
coaches and fans worked for several
hours burning off the infield and
digging drainage holes in an
attempt to get the field playable.
They finally got it in playing
shape and it was 8:35 p.m. before
the first pitch was thrown in a game
that was supposed to begin at 7.
With sophomore lefty Keith Allen
on the mound, the Mountaineers
were in control all the way and
cruised to the state crown with a 10-
0 victory.
That was Kings Mountain's first
state championship since the old
Western N.C. High Schools
Activities Association and the
NCHSAA merged in the early sev-
enties.
The 1956 KMHS football team had
shared the WNCHSAA crown and
the 1969 baseball team won it.
Since ‘89 the Mountaineers have
won state championships in swim-
ming, golf, women’s volleyball, and
another in baseball.
But the ‘89 season was quite
notable, and the team very deserv-
ing to be chosen as one of the most
notable teams in NCHSAA history.
Don’t take
any prisoners
Everybody thought
Smarty Jones was going to
win the Belmont Stakes
and become the first triple-
crown ;
winner
| since
Affirmed
: 27 years
earlier.
. Bird-
_ stone's
| owner,
. trainer
. and jock-
ey may
Jim Heffner
have been Columnist
. the only
. people not
. rooting for Smarty Jones.
~ At any rate, at 36-1 odds,
. Birdstone flashed across
_ the finish line to win and
spoil the triple-crown once
again.
The Belmont Stakes is a
little longer than the other
two jewels in the crown,
and sometimes horses lose
_ a little stamina toward the
end, but mostly, it proba-
bly has to do with overcon-
fidence.
Remember the Super
© Bowl in 1969? The lowly
N.Y. Jets were playing the
all powerful Baltimore
. Colts and absolutely
. nobody gave the Jets a
chance of even staying
. close in that game.
. Joe Namath, however,
told everybody who would
listen that his team would
win, and they did. Another
case of overconfidence.
The lesson to be learned
by these incidents is that
_ it’s just fine to be confi-
. dent, even supremely con-
~ fident, but everything
. should be taken with a
. dose of reality.
. Overconfidence has been
© known to topple giants.
Goliath is a perfect exam-
ple. Who would have ever
thought that little David
would win that battle? It
was truly shocking, but
. overconfidence was the
© great equalizer, along with
a helping hand from the
: almighty.
© When Thomas Dewey
. ran for president against °
the little haberdasher from
Independence, Missouri,
Harry S. Truman, all the
polls predicted Dewey in a
landslide.
After all, he was a cru-
. sading NYC district attor-
© ney who had been tough
on organized crime for a
number of years.
Back then, in 1948, com-
munication was a little
slower than today’s fast-
paced telecommunications
networks and doo-dads. A
. Chicago newspaper pub-
lished a huge headline, the
. morning after the election
~ which screamed: “Dewey
¢ Wins.”
The next day, as he cele-
i brated his triumph over
the NYC lawyer after all
. votes were counted,
See Heffner Page 5A
SIDEWALK
SURVEY
By ANDIE BRYMER
HERALD
“ Have higher
gas prices
affected your
summer trav-
el plans?
Yes. You don’t drive as
Yea. I try to watch how Not really.
much I drive. much as you usually do. Katie Dowd
Bill Ware Forrest Turner
Kings Mountain
Kings Mountain Kings Mountain
Yes. It puts a damper on it.
Roxanne Bell
Kings Mountain
I'm getting married. We're
staying local with the
wedding.
Amy Huggins
Kings Mountain