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Column
By
Adam Fouche
The Jackson Herald
May 9, 2001
 Time to bring in the bullpen
For as long as I can remember, baseball has pretty much been
my favorite sport.
Mainly, I can play baseball. I can catch the ball. I can throw
the ball. And I can hit the ball.
And unlike football, you don't have to know a three-ring binder
full of offensive and defensive schemes. Now, that's not to say
there's no strategy to baseball. I think baseball is one of the
smartest played sports and a good coach is a necessity for a
successful program.
Baseball is just one of those sports that anybody can get going
in the back yard. You just make the old bush first base, the
oak tree second, the property marker third and scratch a mark
in the grass for home plate and you're ready to play.
A key component of the sport is pitching. A good pitcher can
win ball games for you and bad pitcher can-well-a bad pitcher
is just a bad pitcher.
But sometimes, even the good pitchers get tired. They throw too
many pitches. They pitch too many games too close together. They
throw too hard. Eventually, a pitcher's arm gets tired and he's
got to ice it down and take a break for a few days. He can't
keep pitching and pitching and pitching.
As a columnist, I guess I'm kind of like a pitcher. I've thrown
out some columns that have been well received. I've thrown out
others that have not gone over too well. But I always threw out
what I thought-and still think-were the right columns.
Well, I guess I'm in need of a little ice and a few days on the
bench. So this summer, you probably won't see me on the editorial
page. In fact, you probably won't see me at all.
I'm going down to Augusta in a few days to do a management internship
at a newspaper company. I'll be there until August, so Banks,
Jackson and Madison counties will get a break from me for a little
while-a much-deserved break.
By the time you read my column, I'll be relaxing on a beach in
Florida, taking a little pre-summer vacation. But in August,
I'll be back. And I'll be ready to shake up and stir this editorial
page once again.
Until then, y'all calm down a little bit. And don't take me so
seriously all the time. You keep doing that and you're liable
to give yourself high blood pressure.
Adam Fouche is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers. His email
address is fouche@nbank.net.
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Column
By
Tim Thomas
The Jackson Herald
May 9, 2001
 The
coaching shuffle, Part 2
Okay, okay, wait a minute. Just when I think last week's error-fraught
column on coaching changes couldn't get any worse, Kevin Jacobs
goes and really makes me look like an idiot.
Thanks a bundle, pal!
Jefferson principal Pat Blenke had already given me the evil
eye after last week's column named Brandi Corbett the front-runner
for Jacobs' former now current post. Evidently that
possibility put a scare into whomever the front-runner really
was. Wonder what this latest news will do to that person?
You can be sure Jacobs has heard a hundred references to former
Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins since his decision to stay at
Jefferson (as in, he pulled a Cremins), and rightfully so. What
a riot.
Jacobs apparently didn't want to leave to begin with, but was
made one of those offers that he couldn't refuse, so he didn't.
Now he has.
At any rate, now we must go back a couple of weeks to the "Don't
blame Jacobs" column that appeared in this space and retract
most if not all of what was said.
Here goes:
"A void that won't be easy to fill"
Guess I really missed that one, huh?
"Most anyone in his right mind would accept the Buford post"
This one was already qualified with the statement that soon followed
it: "Jacobs has often been accused . . . of not being in
his right mind."
"It's no secret that Dragon coaches aren't exactly the highest-paid
around"
Stay tuned; we may just find out that's changed.
"Let's all wish Jacobs good fortune"
Looks like that wish may have come been granted, though not in
the way we would have expected.
"Except on those nights when the Lady Wolves and Lady Dragons
meet"
Of course, now we've got to rescind that phrase.
Just one more last poke at you coach, and I must thank one of
your fellow employees for this one. I had made the statement
that you knew what you were doing when you decided to go to Buford.
Well . . .
Seriously, though, welcome back, Coach J. It's certainly going
to be an interesting season next year.
The latest word from Jackson County is that
the BOE (which I incorrectly said was meeting last week) will
likely consider a recommendation for Ron Garren's replacement
at its work session Thursday and monthly meeting Monday. Whomever
they pick, best of luck to you. But don't sell your house just
yet.
If readers will indulge me, I'd like to take
the last few lines to say so long to coaches Rusty Hendricks,
Ron Garren, Al Darby and Bill Roberts, and anyone else I may
have left out. All four of these guys have made this job much
easier, and it's been a pleasure to know each of them.
Tim Thomas is a reporter for The Jackson
Herald. He may be reached at the sports desk at 367-2348, or
via email at SpeckCh@aol.com.
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