Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1977)
SIX I lie (ia.ette-Tlmes, lleppner. Ore.. Thursday. May 5, 1U77 fll thintiS SI Fillys fa . around : third atPR Happy trails I woke up this morning and the sun was gone. I turned on some music to start my day. Accosted myself an opportune song. 1 closed my eyes and I slip away. It's more than a reeling. Ky Boston, a rock-and-roll band. Good song, good meaning. Very appropriate, too. See, I'm leaving lleppner. And for some strange reason, I think I'll be back here someday. For 1 1 months now, I have tried to give readers some sort of sports coverage. The old adage that 'you can please part of the people all of the time, all of the people part of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time' has got to be true for all sports editors. Despite rumors to the con trary, the Gazette-Times was indeed represented at the Little League opener Satur day, by yours truly. And if I have failed to educate some of the people some of the time during my stint here, then maybe the following interpretation of Little League scorebooks will suffice. Absurd is the only word that can describe the scorebooks for Willow Creek Little League's twinbill opener Saturday. Because the scorebooks were completely uninterpretahle, you will find no stories concerning the Dodgers or the Giants or the Indians or the Braves, except for what you read here. I'm sure that won't please enough of the people, because the little kids like to see their names in the paper. I know; I've been writing sports for six years now and a lot of my friends are in the Little League age group. A short course in scorekeeping is in line for Willow Creek coaches. According to scorebooks. the Braves beat the Giants in the second game, 12-!). But one of the coaches later reported that the scorers didn't finish out the bottom of the sixth inning and in fact, the Giants rallied to win, CI-12. There were no hits in the game, scorebooks said, despite 25 runs being scored. B. Way pitched for the (Hants and Put Parker and Bussell Uranium hurled for the Braves. Justin Lowe had three hits, a coach said. In the first half of the twinbill. the Indians heat the Dodgers, ."-4. There were 22 hits in 22 trips to the plate, according to the book. That means both teams have started the year with a perfect I. lino butting average. Not bad for a season opener. Keep that up and they'll be playing against Tiawan in Williamsport. Penn. Along with the hitting powers, there were 10 walks and 27 batters hit by pitches, according, again, to the confounded books. Cole pitched for the Dodgers, then was relieved by Connor, not according to the book, but a coach. Hayes had three hits for the Dodgers. Scorebooks had no rhyme or reason in most cases and that could be easily remedied if storekeepers, whether they be coaches, mothers or first basemen, would read the first page of the scorebook, which details play-by-play scoring. From this week's garble, we have the Dodgers playing in both games, the Giants not even listed, and Indians from lone connected with players from lleppner. The first game. .V4. has to be a nominee for Guiness' Book of World Hecords. It is hard to fathom a 5-1 contest in which 27 hatters reached first from being hit by a pitch. It's even harder to fathom the pitchers from both teams going the six inning distance after bouncing hardhalls off that many pals. It doesn't take a sixth grade arithmetic course to figure out that 27 batters could not have reached first base and still only ield nine runs. Funny thing about the books, though, every one of the batters who were hit by pitches also were marked in the books as outs. Leaves a person to wonder. I would like to point out that "IIP" in the scorebook means hit by pitch. It is one of seven abbreviated terms on the right hand side of every scoring box in the book. We believe the scorers in the Indian-Dodger fiasco mean a strikeout, not "III." since the list of situations does not list a "K" or "SO," terms used for a strikeout. Gels pretty confusing, doesn't it? But I still don't figure out where in the world "IIP" can be likened to a strikeout. In the second game, scorers listed a pair of no-hitters In pitchers, despite the 13-12 score in the book. Where in the first name, every player hit the same amount of times he got to bat. in the second, no one got a hit. Coaches are asked to please mark the appropriate boxes from now on. The use of pencil instead of ink is also iiih isable. in the rare case of an error. Speaking of errors, both games from the scorebook were perfect defensively. No doubt the little guys tried, but while I was on I he first base line taking pictures, I had to count at leas! iast one hand in errors. Not a single error was marked in the books, despite the ;nl season and despite a total of more than lit) runs in the two sanies. Ten minutes of reading the first page of instructions in the scorebook will not only do wonders for the next fella who has to try and decipher stats for a story, but it could make a lot of kids happier to see their names in the local paper. As near as I can tell, the Giants and Indians are in first place with 1-0 records. The Dodgers and Braves are tied at 0-1. If I'd had to rely on scorebooks for the standings, who knows who'd be leading. Wild, isn't it? Hey, I have enjoyed writing news and features and sports for the Gazette-Times. My short term selling advertising was rewarding. I think I probably will return to lleppner someday on a more permanent basis. What is it called? Itchy feet? I guess I must travel on. Future endeavors beckon. Till we meet again, happy trails and good luck. ML PHINNEY Heppner's Filly thintiads came away from a Pilot Rock relay meet with third place last week, behind Grant Union and Union. Grant Union of John Day won going away with 67 points, followed by Union 31, Heppner 24, Pine Eagle 15 'a, Cove 13, Weston-McEwen 12?, Pilot Hock 12'-, Joseph 9' 2, River side 7. Heppner earned no first places, but garnered three seconds. The Fillies were second in the long jump at 43-2. with the threesome of Jackie Molla han. Tammy Lucas, Lorie Harrison. In the high jump, the girls were second with jumps from Maureen Healy 5-1' 2, Mollahan 4-8 and Janice Healy 4-4. The other second came in the 880 relay, where Lucas, Sally Sumner, and the Healy sisters combined for a 1:49.71 for second. Other team places included a third in the shot, 440 relay, shuttle hurdles and mile relay. HHS dusts Chances brightened Friday in Heppner when the Mus tangs used a pair of early inning rallies to dust back rival Condon, 7-2, and balance their league record at 1-1. The Mustangs dropped their opening Columbia Basin Con ference game to Wasco Coun ty last week. Heppner scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the second, tearing into Blue Devil hurler Shaffer for six of their nine base hits. A triple play in the fifth inning thwarted any late game ral lies Condon had in mind. While the Mustang clubs were at work at the plate. Randy Worden was working the mound. Worden allowed seven hits in the contest, spreading them over four dif ferent innings. He struck out six and was tagged with giving up two earned runs. The first two batters to face Shaffer reached the first sack via a walk and a hit pitch. Jim Kenny and Dale Holland toured the bases when Dennis Peck cleared them with a Stookey leads JV's Mike Stookey's two for three hitting was the only bright spot in a dismal day Saturday, when Heppner's Mustang jun ior varsity dropped a twinbill to Pilot Rock. Heppner was shut out in the second game, 7-0, on a Pilot Rock no-hitter, after a 15-1 route in the opener. Stookey went two for two in the first game, but didn't score the Mustangs' lone run. It came from Schwarz, who walked and went home on two more walks and a fielder's choice shot. Pilot Rock scored 15 runs on nine hits and nine Heppner errors. Of the nine hits, two were homers, and three more went for extra bases. Tim Hedman pitched in the opener. The only other base hit came from Jody Marlatt, a single in the third, following a Stookey single. The rally was cut short by three straight strikeouts. Pilot Rock pitcher Post had nine strikeouts. In the second game, Hep pner went dormant, scoring no runs on no hits and com mitting three errors. Pilot Rock got four hits off Dale Holland. Three Mustang batters got on base, but none reached past second base. Pilot Rock's hits came in flurries, the best rally in the third inning. The Rocket JVs scored five runs on three hits, three walks and nn error. Allstott clears 6-4, sets Mustangs thump CBC jr f Vf ' " 1 111,1, . 1 l,.(L.ii -S if -r S :"' t 1 . " , , , , '. , : t 1 J t - : Dave triple to deep right center. Peck chugged home a few minutes later on a Bruce Young single. In the second inning, Hep pner produced three more tallies on four hits. Curtis Sweek singled, Kenny sacri ficed, Holland singled, Peck , singled and Allstott singled. The four one baggers, coupled with three wild pitches, did the trick. Shaffer settled down in the third and put the Mustangs away, one-two-three in the third, fourth, sixth and seventh. GBGDTOEOTG BEST DREEM INTERIOR LATEX FLAT High Hiding, Velvet Flat Finish REG. '12.95 2nd Gal. 1 some colors higher VI-ICO EXTERIOR LATEX FLAT Weather Resistant, Flat Finish REG. '13.95 2nd Gal. 1 some colors higher Lexington Lumber Yard Lexington 989-8586 Allstott cleared ti-4'2 for meet record. Condon, 7-2 In the fifth, two base hits, singles by Holland and Young, yielded a run. For Condon, one run came in the second when Shaffer singled and Monty Mcintosh singled. In the fourth, Harris slashed a homer for the only other run. At the plate, Holland and Young went two for three and Peck and Allstott were two for four. Sweek went one for three. Peck scored three times for Heppner, and along with Young, garnered two runs-batted-in. 1 mm OMFM lTt I W n .- . s Worden allowed only seven Blue Devils to reach base. A big defensive opportunity presented itself to Heppner in the fifth inning when Condon was threatening. Scott Groshens, Mustang second sacker, snagged a line drive, ., went to short-stop Sweek with a force at second and Sweek fired to Allstott on first for a legitimate triple play. HEPPNER 330 010 07 9 0 Condon 010 100 02 7 2 From fashion to flowers.... Let Cole's House Fashion and the Posy Patch help you choose the right gift for Mom. From the Posy Patch, you'll find everything from cut flowers choose from gowns, robes, purses and more All under one Main St. 676-9426 2 meet marks; opponents Tliey did it again. And more and more convincingly, Hep pner's Mustangs are eyeing a district title in track and field. This week, the Mustangs bettered a Columbia Basin Conference field of six teams in the Umatilla-Riverside In vitational Track Meet Satur day. Dave Allstott cracked two meet records on his way to a high point day, leading Hep pner to a 161 team total. Umatilla was second in the meet held in Boardman, with 139 points. Weston-McEwen followed at 92, then Riverside 59, Oregon Trail 56 and Pilot Rock 6. Allstott was lauded by Heppner mentor Dale Conklin for an outstanding contribu tion. The senior, who is doubling up with baseball, cleared the bar at 6-4 to crack the old high jump standard of 6-3. The old mark was set by Frank Halvorsen of lone in 1968. For Mom Mother's Washable Dearfoams-flat or wedge sizes 5-10'2....$3.50-$7 Heppner 676 - to potted plants. At Cole's, roof Allstott went 40 feet for the first time, edging the tape at 40-3 for a first place and a meet mark in the triple jump. The old record, held by Rick Emerick of Helix, was 37-8 and set last year. Allstott also had a second place finish behind Bryan Marlin in the long jump. Both men went 19-1 Mj, but second best leaps determined the winner. Allstott had "6-6 made" according to Conklin, but tick ed the bar when his arch fell short. Heppner scored in every event but two. In the pole vault, Carl Christman had a knee injury that plagued him there. And, the Mustang sprint relay squad was disqualified. Dan Nix, a freshman un known until this season, among distance men, con tinued to baffle distance run ners in the CBC Saturday, with an 11:04.8 clocking in the (continued on page 7) Day, May 8 5241 Main St. of Jt; J-'
