Finally Back in good old Luray ! Quick Notes on Covington
It's 5:54 a.m. and I am happy to say that I have made it home safely and my daughter has done the same thanks to Mr.Bruce Alger. I was sad to see that Strasburg lost 5-1 @ Essex but I don't think it takes anything away from what Coach Jeff Smoot and those kids have accomplished the past two seasons.
The other thing I was surprised to see was the storm pictures on the cover of the local papers and the fact that I was at the only game that was completed last night. When we arrived in Covington we were warned about a tornado watch but we were fortunate to avoid the bad weather.
Let us get to the highlights of Day 5 of the Around The Valley in 60 Days Tour. I will stay true to form and use a top ten format:
#10.- We had a two hour stop on the way down to Covington and while we were there we had a chance to grab some pictures and share a couple of laughs with a handful of Waynesboro Generals. Once again Rebecca was ready with our camera and she snapped off some shots of the guys. Two of the group were returning players and the rest were 1st timers. When I asked about any early thoughts most of them centered on the teams need for a new bus.
Maybe if we send a memo to the league about their request someone can tap into the budget and take care of that for them! I spoke to Sabrena down in Liberty and she was hoping to have the remainder of the photos from our offical visit to Kate Collins posted soon.
#9.- Also why we were at Kate Collins today : As we were leaving so where the Waynesboro Little Giants. The coaching staff had just finished putting the team thru a workout as Critzer and company prepare for a 10:00 a.m. semi-final match-up on Friday morning against Powhatan down in Pulaski. The team has reached the Final Four of Class A play and it is a big game coming up but you should be able to tell by some of Rebecca's pictures that they are keeping it all in perspective.
WHS is one of three high school teams that are still alive in the playoffs with ties to the VBL. Luray (Class A) and Alleghany(Class AA) will both be in action on Friday as well. Luray will play in Radford while Alleghany will join the Little Giants down in Pulaski. The group was more than willing to pose for a handful of shots and it gave us the time to wish them luck in the next round.
#8.- The crowd remaining at the end of the 11 inning game between New Market & Covington impressed me. The game started at 7:30 and did not end until 11:15 but I would guess that 90% of the fan base stayed for the entire contest. The league has a large number of fans in all 11 parks and they all have varied level of interest. I think it would be safe to call the Lumberjack fans dedicated. The contest was entertaining but I will still tip my cap to those whose remained for all 3:45:00.
#7.-Watching Katie Getz (and visiting) of New Market- I have spent part of many evenings over the past few years at Rebel Park. On each of these nights Katie was always staying busy in a very behind the scenes way. Bruce will be quick to tell you how much he and the organization depend on Ms.Getz. Last night was the first time I was at a Rebel road game in which Katie had the responsibility of the team. Her official title this year is Team Liaison which stands for stays really really busy doing a lot of things that as they say "don't show up in the box score". When you visit Rebel Park and enjoy your stay you can bet she had a role in the evening. A big part of my goal/mission is to bring a spotlight down on as many of the people that fill the role of "behind the scenes".
#6.-Adam Critzer (Waynesboro)- The reason for the stop over in Waynesboro was for Rebecca to sit down with Adam (Jim's son) and try to upgrade the Generals web page/site. We had met Adam during on stay on Sunday but he was pretty busy as were we so we didn't get to visit a great deal. That was not the case yesterday. Some of the neat things we found out about Adam were he recently graduated from Shenandoah University in Winchester and he once had a room mate break his refrigerator (you would of had to have been there).
He talked about how long he has been working at and around the Generals and all of the different tasks/jobs he held during that time. He is returning to cover the gate for a fifth season in 2008 and then help Dad and Shirley take care of all of the other things that pop-up during a night at the park.The only time he seemed less than chipper was when I told him that his Dad's team was playing at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.
Adam is very bright so it didn't take long for him to do the math on how early he would have to get started to make the first pitch. When you stop in to visit the Generals add Adam to the list of people to say hello to.
3 - 1/2 naps over the last 24 hours = time to take another one but I promise to be back later to finish the REST OF THE STORY !
The other thing I was surprised to see was the storm pictures on the cover of the local papers and the fact that I was at the only game that was completed last night. When we arrived in Covington we were warned about a tornado watch but we were fortunate to avoid the bad weather.
Let us get to the highlights of Day 5 of the Around The Valley in 60 Days Tour. I will stay true to form and use a top ten format:
#10.- We had a two hour stop on the way down to Covington and while we were there we had a chance to grab some pictures and share a couple of laughs with a handful of Waynesboro Generals. Once again Rebecca was ready with our camera and she snapped off some shots of the guys. Two of the group were returning players and the rest were 1st timers. When I asked about any early thoughts most of them centered on the teams need for a new bus.
Maybe if we send a memo to the league about their request someone can tap into the budget and take care of that for them! I spoke to Sabrena down in Liberty and she was hoping to have the remainder of the photos from our offical visit to Kate Collins posted soon.
#9.- Also why we were at Kate Collins today : As we were leaving so where the Waynesboro Little Giants. The coaching staff had just finished putting the team thru a workout as Critzer and company prepare for a 10:00 a.m. semi-final match-up on Friday morning against Powhatan down in Pulaski. The team has reached the Final Four of Class A play and it is a big game coming up but you should be able to tell by some of Rebecca's pictures that they are keeping it all in perspective.
WHS is one of three high school teams that are still alive in the playoffs with ties to the VBL. Luray (Class A) and Alleghany(Class AA) will both be in action on Friday as well. Luray will play in Radford while Alleghany will join the Little Giants down in Pulaski. The group was more than willing to pose for a handful of shots and it gave us the time to wish them luck in the next round.
#8.- The crowd remaining at the end of the 11 inning game between New Market & Covington impressed me. The game started at 7:30 and did not end until 11:15 but I would guess that 90% of the fan base stayed for the entire contest. The league has a large number of fans in all 11 parks and they all have varied level of interest. I think it would be safe to call the Lumberjack fans dedicated. The contest was entertaining but I will still tip my cap to those whose remained for all 3:45:00.
#7.-Watching Katie Getz (and visiting) of New Market- I have spent part of many evenings over the past few years at Rebel Park. On each of these nights Katie was always staying busy in a very behind the scenes way. Bruce will be quick to tell you how much he and the organization depend on Ms.Getz. Last night was the first time I was at a Rebel road game in which Katie had the responsibility of the team. Her official title this year is Team Liaison which stands for stays really really busy doing a lot of things that as they say "don't show up in the box score". When you visit Rebel Park and enjoy your stay you can bet she had a role in the evening. A big part of my goal/mission is to bring a spotlight down on as many of the people that fill the role of "behind the scenes".
#6.-Adam Critzer (Waynesboro)- The reason for the stop over in Waynesboro was for Rebecca to sit down with Adam (Jim's son) and try to upgrade the Generals web page/site. We had met Adam during on stay on Sunday but he was pretty busy as were we so we didn't get to visit a great deal. That was not the case yesterday. Some of the neat things we found out about Adam were he recently graduated from Shenandoah University in Winchester and he once had a room mate break his refrigerator (you would of had to have been there).
He talked about how long he has been working at and around the Generals and all of the different tasks/jobs he held during that time. He is returning to cover the gate for a fifth season in 2008 and then help Dad and Shirley take care of all of the other things that pop-up during a night at the park.The only time he seemed less than chipper was when I told him that his Dad's team was playing at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.
Adam is very bright so it didn't take long for him to do the math on how early he would have to get started to make the first pitch. When you stop in to visit the Generals add Adam to the list of people to say hello to.
3 - 1/2 naps over the last 24 hours = time to take another one but I promise to be back later to finish the REST OF THE STORY !
