KFDM COOP

[Hidden Content]

If there's any Thursday games that get postponed due to wet fields post here along with new game day and time.

Anniversary golden for Yellow Jackets' state hoops champs Dave Rogers’ column for Thursday, March 15 The Port Arthur News As if having three Southeast Texas teams reach the state finals in the same year for the first time wasn't enough, there was something else special about last week's Texas high school boys' state tournament from the Port Arthur standpoint. It was the 50th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's state championship basketball season. The 1957 Yellow Jackets, coached by Pete Pense and anchored by future Texas A&M All-American Carroll Broussard, defeated Pampa 67-51 for the Class 4A title, which was then the state's largest classification. Seniors James Sharp, Jerry Franklin, Gene Best and James Woollen combined with Broussard, a 6-foot-5 junior center, to post a 34-4 record that season. The Jackets swept their District 11-4A competition, then beat Houston Milby, Galena Park and Highland Park in playoff games leading up to the state championship match. Broussard, a future Southwest Conference most valuable player, was joined by four new starters in 1958 and the Jackets went back to the title game. This time they lost to the West Texans from Pampa by a point, 48-47, to wrap up a 35-4 season. "There was a period of about five years in there that we were just as tough as a boot," Pense told me in 2000. TJ had been to the state tournament in 1949 under Fred Mahler and in 1951 under Bud Tomlin, finishing fourth and tied for fifth, respectively. Under Pense, who coached the Jackets from 1952 to 1963, TJ won the 1956 district championship before losing to Milby in the playoffs. Don Coleman, who had played for Tomlin in 1951, was Pense's assistant coach. He helped nurture Broussard as the Jackets' junior varsity coach. He left TJ in 1958 to start a 35-year head coaching career, mostly at Houston Memorial, that saw him rack up 892 career wins. Spring Branch's coliseum is named after him. James Sharp, a guard on the 1957 state champs, returned to TJ as a coach and led the 1970 Yellow Jackets to a district championship, the first since Pense's final playoff squad of 1962. It turned out to be the last district basketball title for TJ, which was consolidated with Port Arthur's other high schools to form Memorial after the 2002 season. After 1970, the Jackets' had a 30-year playoff drought, which was broken by a 2000 squad led by coach James Knowles and center Brannon Hayes. That same 2000 team provided TJ its fifth and final state tourney appearance, ending a 43-year absence in Austin. Under Knowles, the Jackets appeared in the playoffs each of the school's final three seasons as a district runnerup.

Thanks.

Question? When does HS Tennis season begin and end?

Mid 60's near the shore.

Lady Titans top Baytown Sterling, 2-1 HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER BAYTOWN -- Goalkeeper Jessica Cuellar saved 17 shots and Port Arthur Memorial upheld its two first-half goals in capturing a 2-1 victory over Baytown Sterling on Wednesday night at Stallworth Stadium. Memorial improved to 8-11 and 3-10 and owned a slim 20-17 advantage in shots on goal. The game was played on the artificial prescription turf at the Lady Rangers' home venue. Norma Pulido scored the night's first goal with an assist from Evelyn Torres. Then a Vanessa Flores assist enabled Torres to fire home a shot to give the Lady Titans a 2-0 advantage at halftime. Baytown Sterling (8-9-1 and 7-5-1) sliced the deficit to 2-1 with 10 minutes to play. "I thought our defense played one great game," Memorial head coach Phil Mattingly said. "There were really bad conditions around us but I thought the girls did a great job in those weather conditions." The Lady Titans will complete their season on Tuesday night at the PAISD auxiliary field against Humble at 6 p.m.

Hard-core porn interrupts news show

Double OT [Hidden Content]

Blasts by Burke, Berkman boost Astros by Braves 4-2 KISSIMMEE, Fla - Chris Burke and Lance Berkman each homered as the Astros downed Atlanta, 4-2, in Grapefruit League action. Jason Jennings allowed one run on five hits in four innings of work to pick up the win for the Astros. Scott Thorman and Tony Pena each drove in a run for the Braves in a losing cause. Chuck James surrendered three runs on five hits in four innings en route to the loss for Atlanta.

Yup!

Some good games going on tonight!

111-111 in OT

8) 8) Congrats Rockets!

[Hidden Content]

Bracket being updated as we speak.

LCM at Central Thursday 7 PM.

This is an excerpt from a recent LA Times article. Former Texas A&M star Antoine Wright, now a reserve with the New Jersey Nets, tells Bob Costas on tonight's edition of HBO's "Costas Now" that he received a better education in high school than in college. "Once I got to college, I kind of let my hair down a little bit," Wright says. "I don't have to write term papers any more — I just have to get a grade now and play basketball." Costas: "Tell me what it was like in these agriculture classes [at A&M]." Wright: "In certain classes you see, you know, a quarterback, me, a running back, and then a farmer. So, it definitely was a little bizarre. But, we're all in poultry science for a reason. We're in this class because we need to get this grade. We're not really trying to learn about chickens." Costas: "You took one course in floral design. What was that like?" Wright: "It's not as easy as it sounds, to be honest with you. But they put me in there with a couple of athletes. You're gonna ask me a question about floral design — I can't answer it because I needed a grade."

Both Coaches are suppose to call me early Thursday.

NYC Council Votes To Ban Metal Bats From High Schools NEW YORK -- The City Council voted 40-6 Wednesday to ban metal baseball bats for high school teams citywide, a law that supporters say would make the game slower and safer. The measure was not certain to become law, though, because Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was not sure whether he would veto or sign it. The bill's sponsors say non-wood bats produce faster and harder hits and that can be dangerous for young players. Opponents, including Little League Baseball and sporting goods makers, say there is no scientific evidence proving metal bats pose more of a risk than wooden bats. They say the anti-metal movement relies on emotional anecdotes over concrete data, and some have indicated they will take the matter to court. Similar measures have been proposed by youth leagues and lawmakers in other states, including New Jersey, where a batted ball struck a 12-year-old boy in the chest, sending him into cardiac arrest. He was revived by spectators but was in a coma for months. Councilman Lewis Fidler, one of the bill's co-sponsors, said Wednesday that by passing this law, "we'll never know whose child was saved from a coma, or from worse." "For those who have doubt about it -- if you're going to have doubts, you err on the side of kids," he said. In 2005, an American Legion Baseball study found no substantial scientific proof to support the argument that wooden bats are safer than metal bats, which have been in use since the early 1970s. Among the no voters was Councilman Tony Avella, who said he had not seen any evidence that metal bats are not as safe. "Sometimes you do have to have the facts to back up the argument, and the statistics are simply not there," he said. Easton Sports vice president Jim Darby said the company, which makes sporting goods including bats, was disappointed. "We are hopeful that Mayor Bloomberg will also recognize that this ban will neither enhance safety nor improve the game of baseball and veto this bill." With the vote, it appears the council could have enough support for the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. Professional baseball players also have been lobbying the mayor. Former New York Mets reliever John Franco testified in support of the ban and put in a call to Bloomberg to argue its merits. Franco, who now coaches children, said he hopes the ban in New York high schools inspires similar measures elsewhere. "I'm speaking from someone who was standing on the mound for 22 years, and I can see the difference," Franco told a council committee on Monday. "And while I'm standing in the stands watching my son play, or some of the other Little Leaguers, I can see the difference." New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina has said metal bats are no more dangerous than wooden bats. "I don't think it matters whether it's aluminum or wood or whatever the material is," Mussina said last fall. "I've been hit in the face. It's just part of it. I can understand they're emotional about it. But I don't see there's any more danger playing with aluminum or some other material." Years ago, some council members tried to pass a similar but stricter measure that also applied to younger children and leagues. It was so broad that it did not have enough support, and it eventually died.

[Hidden Content]

A HUGE CONGRATS!!

Player Of The Week... LCM's Adam Leggett 10 for 16 in five games (7 of the 10 for extra bases) 4 home runs (2 grand slams, 1 three run, 1 solo) 1 triple 2 doubles 3 bases on balls 7 runs scored 16 RBI's Pitcher of the week Aaron Treece, HJ Throws No Hitter against HF.

I AGREE!

Congrats!