By Rubin E. Grant As a child, Breona Humphrey didn’t realize her dad was famous, but her friends certainly did. “He was never one to brag,” Breona said of her dad, football star Bobby Humphrey. “We saw the pictures, but we never considered the magnitude of how great he was and that he was a celebrity. “When our friends came over and saw him, they would go crazy, and we were … [Read more...]
Halls’ Move to Homewood Turned out Splendidly for Father and Son
By Rubin E. Grant A year ago, Lee Hall had his doubts about accepting the Homewood baseball coaching job. It wasn’t because he didn’t think it was a good opportunity, but because of his son Josh. Lee Hall had been the head coach at Randolph High in Huntsville and Josh had been a standout center fielder on the team for three seasons. “I had my reservations about uprooting … [Read more...]
Relaxed Approach Enabled Hoover’s DiChiara to Reach His Potential
By Rubin E. Grant Sonny DiChiara’s senior baseball season didn’t end with another state championship, but it was satisfying, nonetheless. “It was really a more relaxed year, coming off a state championship,” DiChiara said. “I played loose and was having fun with it.” For DiChiara, having fun equaled a productive season as a first baseman and pitcher. At the plate, He … [Read more...]
Hardball in the Heart of Dixie: New Book Hits on Alabama’s Rich Baseball History and Players
By Rubin E. Grant When author and baseball historian Doug Wedge was trying to get his first book published, he sought out a publisher in Charleston, South Carolina. But The History Press informed him that it wasn’t interested because the book wasn’t regional enough. So, Wedge turned to Texas A&M University Press to get his book “Cy Young Catcher,” co-authored by former … [Read more...]
Let it Reign: John Carroll Ends Brief Title Drought With Another Soccer Championship
By Rubin E. Grant Even though it had been only two years since they had won a soccer championship, the John Carroll Catholic Cavaliers felt the wait had been a lot longer. John Carroll ended their somewhat brief absence without the state championship blue trophy last Saturday when they beat Gardendale 2-0 to claim the girls Class 6A crown in the 28th Alabama High School … [Read more...]