By Lee DavisWhen a baseball team starts its season with a 23-3 record, most coaches like to talk about pitching, hitting and defense. That’s understandable, because those fundamentals are keys to success in the sport at any level.But they aren’t the first thing Mountain Brook coach Lee Gann mentions when discussing his Spartans, who are 23-3 and hold a No. 1 ranking … [Read more...]
Barons GM Sees Another Big Year for Baseball
By Lee DavisThree years ago, some people didn’t think moving the Birmingham Barons baseball franchise back to the downtown Birmingham area was such a good idea.They admitted that the new stadium would be nice and might draw people to the games for a short time. But the skeptics contended that eventually the threat of crime and the relative inconvenience of parking would … [Read more...]
Doug Wedge Co-authors Book with Former MLB Catcher
Here’s a quick quiz for baseball fans. Note: Those whose arms are in tomahawk-chop mode this time of year might have a little edge.The Atlanta Braves’ trade for what player was a key component to their 1995 World Series title?Spending time with what well-known pitcher was like hanging out with John Wayne?What did Chipper Jones’ teammates sometimes call him? (And no, … [Read more...]
Barber’s Court: Youthful Patriots Lead 2014-15 All-OTM Girls’ Team
By Lee DavisMaybe there was a method in Homewood girls’ basketball coach JoVanka Ward’s apparent madness in starting four freshmen and a sophomore against some of the toughest competition in Alabama.Maybe Ward’s team was so young it didn’t know teams that start five girls not old enough to have driver’s licenses couldn’t possibly win a state championship.If that was … [Read more...]
Golden State: Great Area Season Reflected by All-Over the Mountain Team
By Lee Davis It’s always risky to use superlatives when describing anything, but it’s also easy to make the case that 2014-15 was the greatest season in the history of Over the Mountain boys’ basketball.Hoover won the Class 7A state championship by defeating a Mountain Brook team that was going for its third consecutive title. In Class 6A, Homewood reached the Final Four … [Read more...]