Sports

• The 5th Annual Brok Rogers Memorial Golf Tournament will be held,
Saturday, May 31st. The tournament will begin with a 2:00 p.m.
shotgun start, Scramble Format, at Henderson Golf Club. Entry fee is
$85 per person, and includes 1 round of golf, range balls, lunch, and
prizes. Title Sponsor for this event is Verizon Heritage. Lunch
sponsored by Sticky Fingers! All proceeds benefit the Savannah Junior
Golf Association. For more information, contact Debbie Rogers at
657-0090 or Rob Liakos at 844-4528.

• Pooler Recreation Department will begin registration for their
Youth Summer Basketball League on Monday April 28 and end on May 30.
You may sign up online at poolerrec.com or at the gym. The league is
for girls and boys ages 10U &13U. The league will run June 9 thru
August 1. If you have any questions, contact Chris by phone or email.
Phone: 748-5776 Ext.703 Email: ckirby@pooler-ga.gov

Players: Bridget Devlin, Shelby Duff, Chelsea Horne, Melissa
Kennedy, Tori May, Alexis Mercer, Kacee Page, Ansley Rushing, Rochelle Shuman, Whitney Smith, Marla Thompson, and Kendall Usher

Georgia Thunder wins the ASA Grand Slam Battle in Dublin

The 16U Georgia Thunder Softball team won the ASA Grand Slam Battle
in Dublin on April 20th. The team is composed of girls from
Effingham, Bulloch and Screven County. Thunder went undefeated in
the tournament, but the Championship game was an exciting come from
behind win for Georgia Thunder.
The go ahead run was driven in by Marla Thompson with a hard hit
line drive deep into right field in the 2nd inning of international
tie breakers play. Alexis Mercer was the tournament MVP and owned
the team’s only out of the park homerun in the tournament.
This was the 4th tournament that Thunder completed and the 4th
tournament they have won in 2008. Earlier this year, the Thunder won
the UFA Early Season Bash in Cordele on Feb. 23rd, the UFA Lucky
Leprechaun in Milledgeville on March 16th, and the WFC South GA World
Series Qualifier in Savannah on April 12th. The CAMFAST King of the
Mountain in Covington was rained out on March 30th, but not before
the Georgia Thunder girls won three straight games while out scoring
their opposition 26 to 2.
Coach Jeff and Missy Rainwater said that the win in Dublin marked
the end of the first phase of the 2008 season. Jeff said that he
viewed the first four tournaments as a warm up phase for the team’s
ultimate goal.
At the Georgia Thunder player/parent meeting in January, Jeff
Rainwater announced his grand plan for the 2008 season, which was to
take the 16U Georgia Thunder team to the USA/ASA National
Championship in Owensboro, Kentucky. It is a lofty goal which caught
most of the parents off guard. Georgia Thunder is a young 16U team
with 8 of the 12 girls still young enough to play another year in the
14 and under age group.
After a patented Rainwater pep talk, the parents and players warmed
up to the idea. The only thing standing in the way of the trip to
Kentucky is the requirement to win a USA/ASA Qualifier. The second
phase of Georgia Thunder’s season is now under way.
Georgia Thunder 16U will make a series of out-of -town weekend trips
with the focus being to win a USA/ASA Qualifier tournament and thus
qualify for the Nationals. The first chance to qualify will be in
Columbus on May 2nd-4th where Thunder will face 32 of the toughest
“Class A” 16U teams in the state. After Columbus, Thunder will play
in other USA/ASA Qualifiers held in Lakeland FL, Burlington NC,
Marietta GA, and Chattanooga TN.
The 16U Georgia Thunder team moved up from the 14U division this
year after a very successful 2007 season that featured World Series
titles in both the World Fastpitch Conference and the Independent
Softball Association. Jeff and Missy Rainwater have once again set
the bar very high for Georgia Thunder, but believe that in doing so
the girls will once again step up to the challenge. The team’s goal
is “To work hard as a group to build a team that is competitive,
respected and enjoyable to be a part of.”

Sticks & Stones
By Rick Danis
Hello bowlers and welcome back to Sticks and Stones. I would like to
get some scores so we can start posting some bowler recognition
again. You can email that information to either
thebowlingtruck@yahoo.com or info@funcitybowl.com and put bowling
scores for the subject line.
This month’s bowling lesson will deal with 2 subjects. One with ball
speed control and the other is a home practice technique for hooking
a bowling ball.
1 - If you want to learn to slow your ball speed, going back to the
basics is one of the best ways. You will start by having a 1-step
approach and then release the ball. Once you get comfy with this, you
then increase that to 2 steps and so on. Just remember that sometimes
speed can kill, so this will just add a "B" game to your arsenal.
2 - a football!! That's right, a football can help you learn to hook
a bowling ball. If you have ever thrown a football underhanded with a
spiral...guess what? that is a basic hook release with a bowling
ball. So, next time you want to work on that hook, just imagine that
football coming off your fingers. The best thing about that football
trick is that you can see it.... and when you see it, you can repeat
it. Thats all for today... have a good day and see you on the lanes,
thebowlingtruck

High School Sports
By C. Edward Wilson

Playoff Results
Soccer
The Richmond Hill boy’s soccer team thought it had an edge by
playing at home against a formidable challenger like LaGrange.
Apparently, the Grangers didn’t get the message and took charge of a
contest won easily by the visitors, 3-1.
The Wildcats hit the scoreboard first by grabbing a 1-0 lead behind
and the rest was history as LaGrange took command and never looked back.
The Grangers came into the contest with a dominating season record
of 14-4-2 and played a game typical of the style developed in the
Atlanta area.
The Wildcats finished the season with an overall record of 9-8-3

Goals-LHS, Harry Hinson, Jose Amillio, Matt Davison; RH, Sam Vernon.
Assists-LHS, Amillio 2; RH, Nic Harris. Saves-LHS, Donnie Palmer 8;
RH, Zach Alltop 7. Records-LG, 14-4-2; RH 9-7-3.
LG, 14-4-2; RH 9-7-3.
Baseball
Harlem 10, South Effingham 5
For a while, the City of Guyton was off the chain with the prospect
of winning a Region 3-AAAA championship game pitting South Effingham
vs. Harlem High.
The game started with the Mustangs getting two runs early out of the
gate before falling behind 7-2. The lead of the Bulldogs dwindled
behind a towering homerun off the bat of John Roberts.
South Effingham still has a chance to host a first-round state
playoff game early in May against an unnamed opponent at this point.

HHS0700012-10101
SE2000300-584
L-Jesse Osborne. W-Steven Waters. Leading hitters-HHS, Pat Gamblin
3-4, HR, 4 RBIs; Derek Beasley 2-4, 2 RBIs; Carlos Beard 1-2, 2B, 2
RBIs; SE, John Roberts 2-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Colby May 2-4, Zach Anderson
1-3, 2B. Records-HHS 19-4; SE 18-6.

OUTDOOR TRUTHS
(Editor’s Note: Outdoor Truths is a weekly sportsman's article that
appears in newspapers and regional magazines across 17 states in the
South, and Midwest. It is a blend of observations and experiences
that have come over time from being in God's great outdoors. We’re
proud to offer this column for the outdoor sportsmen in our area.)

There’s no doubt that our economy is on the downside. Fuel and food
are causing us all to reevaluate everything we do. And unfortunately,
sometimes the first thing to go is our hunting or fishing trip.
Out of state license fees are going up each year, which is leaving
many to hunt at home; Couple that with the aforementioned food and
fuel, and only the elite can travel very far away to pursue their
passion.
I have mixed feelings about these fees. I know that our overworked
and undermanned wildlife officers need the funds, but I also know
that fewer hunters are buying licenses because of the escalating
cost. And we NEED more hunters if we’re going to stem the tide of
those who want to take away this right of passage.
It also seems that more and more fishermen are limiting their trips
and doing less spot surfing, leaving the big motor shut down. And
some of my friends are considering leaving the big, heavy, gas
guzzling, fiberglass models and going back to the aluminum, more
efficient ones. At any rate, belts are being tightened.
I still wonder why we can’t just tell Kuwait and Iraq to thank us
for liberating them by selling us some oil for about $30 a barrel.
But I’m no foreign policy expert. I just believe that the strongest
and most powerful nation in the world might have a little “pull” with
someone.
And did you know that there are parts of Alaska that man has never
stepped foot upon? This is truly a vast wilderness. Now, I used to
drill for a coal company, and at times we drilled a nine inch hole;
most of the time it was much smaller.
I would assume that it wouldn’t take a very large hole to extract
some oil from that wilderness. And even though I’m sure some snail
darter may have to give his life for that hole; it’s better than
another young man giving his for the same thing.
It seems that man, in all of his gaining, has lost in the process,
his common sense. Our leaders today are supposed to be skilled in
diplomacy, but I wonder how many could go out tomorrow and plant a
garden or go out to the woods or the lake and bring home the evening
meal.
Negotiation infers that both parties have something the other needs.
If one of those parties has no need of what the other has, he is
considered no longer a negotiator, but an owner.
God never meant for his people to be in slavery to another people.
He promised to provide all they needed. That provision would come
from His resources.
I believe, when it was determined that America would be a Christian
nation; God gave us a land that held within it everything we would
ever need to survive and flourish. We would not need to look to
another people or place for anything else.
Somewhere along the way, a “leader” led us away from God and into
the hands of a foreign god. Now we are begging bread.
What we need today is not a politician, be they Democrat or
Republican. We don’t need another plan. What we need is a leader who
will call us to repentance and who will turn us back to God.
Just as God brought the children of Israel out of the land of not
enough and through the land of just enough and into the land of more
than enough, He wants to do the same for us.
Gary Miller
www.outdoortruths.org

Copies of Gary’s Book, Outdoor Truths, Hunting and Fishing For
Answers, are just $10, and are available at Spirit Newspapers’ office.

Bean Spouts

Rivals.com had a write up about the ten worst number one picks in
NFL Draft history last week and Michael Vick was listed as the tenth
worst pick at the top spot.
     David Carr- the main reason the Falcons didn’t have Matt Schaub
last year to help ease the pain- was number nine and Courtney Brown
was number eight. Tom Cousineau was tabbed seventh and Aundray Bruce
number six (yee-haw, the Falcons have two on the list).
     The “top” five worst draft picks- according to Rivals- are:
Kenneth Sims, Tim Couch, Steve Emtman, Ki-Jana Carter and Walt Patulski.
     What? I can’t believe Art Art Schlichter didn‘t make this list.
Two Falcon pick did, though. Got to be proud- or something…

     MLB umpire Kerwin Danley was released from an LA hospital late
Sunday afternoon, one day after taking a 96 mph fastball to the head.
     Dodgers’ right hander Brad Penny unleashed the pitch, which
catcher Russell Martin said he missed because of “miscommunication.”
Martin added that he apologized to Danley numerous times, but “didn’t
know if he heard me.” Danley was unconscious briefly after the incident.
     The Rockies-Dodgers game was stopped for nearly 20 minutes while
Danley was put into an ambulance and taken to Good Samaritan
Hospital. He will be out of action for an undetermined amount of time
while recovering.
     I certainly don’t wish Danley any physical harm, but the longer
he’s out of action, the better. He is one of the worst ball and
strike umpires around…

     The New York Daily News reported online Sunday that Roger
Clemens had a decade long relationship with country singer Mindy
McCready.
     Oddly enough, the worst part isn’t that Clemens was married at
the time of the relationship- but that McCready was 15 years old when
the relationship began.
     McCready’s lawyer had no comment on the story, while Clemens’
lawyer confirmed the report of the relationship, but told the paper
it was not sexual. I’m sure I believe that. And monkeys might fly out
of my butt.
     The more I hear about Clemens now that his career has ended, the
less I like him- and I was never a fan in the first place. Once you
stack child molestation on top of the drug use, you have a guy that
would be right at home in the sleaziest of trailer parks.
     Seriously, if Clemens makes it into the Hall of Fame after all
of this, Barroid should go in with him. They belong in the same
class, that’s for sure. In fact, why don’t they vote Pete Rose in on
the same ticket…

     Friday night, Shelby and I headed over to Philips to see Bruce
Springsteen & The E-Street Band. I’d heard for years that they put on
a whale of a show, and here was my chance to find out for myself.
     First and foremost, I think I’ll thank Rob Thomas and Matchbox
20- again- for being polite enough to apologize for coming on
something like 30 minutes late. That said, shame on Springsteen and
company for making the crowd wait nearly an hour before deigning to
take the stage. And was there an apology? What do you think? I heard
someone after the show say “well, he is ‘the Boss.’” What a crock.
Paul McCartney started MAYBE 15 minutes late. I can handle that- he
was a freaking Beatle.
     That aggravation aside, though, it was a good show. It wasn’t
the fantastic production that I’d hoped for. In fact, I don’t think
there was really any way possible that the show was going to live up
to the expectations I’d set in my mind- and I was surprised at some
of the omissions in the set list, along with the fact that the show
lasted just slightly over two hours. Another thing I’d always heard
was that Springsteen shows were marathon examples of music. Not so on
this night.
     I’m going to assume that the band was still mourning from the
recent death of their original keyboard player, Danny Federici. I’ll
let them slide on that one. Maybe, someday, Springsteen will come
through again. Depending on the ticket price (which was lower for
this show than this week’s Bon Jovi show), I’ll see him again. Maybe
they’ll be more impressive now that my expectations aren’t so high…

     We were supposed to be going to see Elvis Costello Monday, but
that show has been postponed until they can put a roof back on the
Tabernacle, which was hit by last month’s tornado. My list of bands/
performers that I want to see is shrinking. I’ve crossed off
Fleetwood Mac, McCartney and Springsteen. Next up is Duran Duran.
Yes, I am a fan of the 80’s. After Duran Duran comes the Eagles. I’ll
also be checking out Sheryl Crow this weekend, but she’s not really
high on my list…

     I broke my self-imposed boycott on Turner Field to take in John
Smoltz’ eclipsing the 3,000 strike out mark last Tuesday. It was a
nice night out at the ballpark, but I was surprised by the number of
empty seats. At least, at first I was. After that, I remembered why I
was boycotting them in the first place- higher prices all over the
stadium- and I figured that was exactly what the team (if not John
Smoltz) deserved.
     Anyway, it was hard to believe I was looking at a guy with a bum
shoulder as Smoltz blew through the Nationals’ line up.
Unfortunately, it was Smoltz’ own error that set up the run that put
Washington out front for good- and lost the game on a night that
should have been a lot more enjoyable for him.
     Still, with only 15 other pitchers out of the 8,066 that have
played the game, Smoltz is in rare- and storied-company. Not even Cy
Young hit the 3,000 strike out plateau. Of course, Smoltz has a ways
to go before he catches up to all time strike out leader Nolan Ryan-
who notched 5,714 K’s in his career.
     If there ever was any doubt about whether Smoltz should be in
the Hall of Fame- one swing and a miss by Felipe Lopez erased it…

     And think of this- Tom Glavine (2,576) and Andy Pettite (2,673)
are the next two active pitchers who could conceivably reach 3,000
strike outs- and only if they stick around for another five years or
so. After them, the next closest active pitcher is David Wells
(2,201). After Wells is Jamie Moyer (2,136). After that, it’s Hideo
Nomo (1,918).
     I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here when I say the 3,000
strike out plateau is going to be one we don’t see surmounted for a
long time- if ever again…

     I also noticed that the 755 Club was lacking in business, to say
the least. Granted, it was a Tuesday night, but it was pretty empty
in there. And a little bird told me it had been like that all year.
Seems I’m not the only one who was less than thrilled by the team’s
monkeying around with the club’s pricing and membership requirements…

     Here’s a personal appeal for support- point you web browser to
http://race.komenatlanta.org/site/TR?
pg=personal&fr_id=1000&px=1063583 and make a donation to support
Shelby as she does the 5K Komen Atlanta Race for the Cure.
     The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation raises money to fund
breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs for women
and supports the national search for a cure. The Atlanta race comes
up next weekend (May 10). You already missed the Savannah fundraising
effort for this year, so give her a hand…

     A guy from Macon came up to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago to
take in the Braves-Pirates match up at Turner Field and ended up with
a broken jaw for his troubles, all because he was wearing Pirates’ gear.
     The man said he attends at least one game a year at Turner Field
when his Pirates hit town, and this year a drunk (go figure) stirred
up trouble because of the man’s choice of headgear. According to the
victim’s friend, a group of college aged men seated in front of them
were giving the man grief during the game, and one of them sucker
punched the victim as fans left the stadium.
     We can be so proud of that kind of behavior, huh???

     Then there was the Indianapolis man who wrestled a burglar into
submission and held the guy at knife point until police came to
arrest him. The really good part? The crime buster is blind.
     The man had taken a day off last week and realized there was
someone in his house after his dog started barking. He wrestled the
would be burglar into submission, then drug him into the home’s
kitchen and held the suspect at knifepoint…

     Did you catch the picture of Mike Tyson that was recently making
the rounds? Man, Evander Holyfield better watch out in case Tyson
gets hungry. As fat as Tyson is, he’d probably go after more than
just an ear…

     And finally, happy birthday Dawn…

     So that’s about all for this week, boys and girls. I have to go
so I can find the thug who’s been parked outside for the last half
hour with their thumpy-thumpy noise going and convince them that
their health would be better served by their leaving. Here's wishing
you a joyful, peaceful Christmas. As always, send your questions,
praises, or gripes to BeanSpouts@gmail.com, or via snail mail to:
     Bean Spouts
     c/o Spirit Newspapers
     P.O. Box 33
     Pooler, GA 31322.

God, bless America.