LET'S PLAY THREE!


May 23, 2015

BASEBALL EVENT RAISES MORE THAN $900


FARRAGUT - ERNIE BANKS WASN'T AT THE BALL PARK AT FARRAGUT HIGH SCHOOL THURSDAY NIGHT, BUT HIS FAMOUS BASEBALL BATTLE CRY "LET'S PLAY TWO!" WAS.

SORT OF.

FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, IT WAS "LET'S PLAY THREE!" AT THE THROWBACK DOUBLEHEADER TO RAISE MONEY IN THE FIGHT TO CURE PARKINSON'S DISEASE.

A TRIPLEHEADER OF GAMES SAW BEARDEN SHUT OUT OAK RIDGE 10-0, CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF KNOXVILLE BEAT GATLINBURG-PITTMAN 10-3 AND THE HOST ADMIRALS DISPATCH GIBBS 5-1.

A SHADE MORE THAN $900 WAS RAISED FOR THE KIME FUND (kimecnd.org),  A KNOXVILLE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON FINDING A CURE FOR PARKINSON'S AND OTHER MOVEMENT DISORDERS.

THE EVENT WAS FACILITATED BY PAT DORWIN'S PROJECT 2020 (pdproject2020.blogspot.com), WHOSE GOAL IS TO HAVE 20 VARSITY OR CLUB HIGH SCHOOL PARKINSON'S FUND-RAISING EVENTS BY THE YEAR 2020.

BANKS, THE LATE HALL OF FAME SHORTSTOP-FIRST BASEMAN, MAY HAVE PLAYED THREE GAMES IN A DAY SOME TIME IN THE MINORS OR DURING HIS LONG CAREER IN CHICAGO AS "MR. CUB."

"I'M SURE MR. BANKS WOULD HAVE ENJOYED THE WINNING ATMOSPHERE AT 'THE BALL PARK,'" SAID DORWIN, A FORMER ADMIRAL WHO STARTED THE EVENT IN 2009.

"I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THIS WRETCHED DISEASE WHEN I WAS 38 YEARS OLD," HE SAID. "I'M 50 NOW,SO I HAVE LIVED WITH IT FOR ALMOST A QUARTER OF MY LIFE. I WOULDN'T WISH IT ON ANYONE."

DONATIONS AT THE GATE TO HUNT FOR A PARKINSON'S CURE ARE TAKEN IN LIEU OF AN ADMISSION CHARGE AND THERE ARE LOW-COST FOOD AND BEVERAGES AVAILABLE,

"WE NEED MORE COACHES LIKE FARRAGUT'S MATT BUCKNER TO HELP," DORWIN SAID. "WHEN I FIRST PHONED HIM YEARS AGO AND MENTIONED THE IDEA OF A PARKINSON'S FUND-RAISER, HE HAD NO IDEA WHO I WAS, HE JUST SAID I WAS PART OF THE ADMIRAL FAMILY, SO IT WAS NO PROBLEM TO HOLD AN EVENT."

DORWIN WAS ABLE TO SIT WITH HIS COACH AT FARRAGUT, JOHN HEATHERLY, THURSDAY NIGHT.

"WE TALKED ABOUT OUR RUN TO THE STATE TITLE (FARRAGUT'S FIRST IN 1982, WHICH BROKE A NINE-YEAR DROUGHT OFBASEBALL  CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE KNOXVILLE INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE), HOW WE BEAT A TEAM  (CHATTANOOGA BAYLOR) IN THE QUARTERFINALS THAT WAS COMING OFF AN 18-2 WIN, HOW WE WON TWO OF THREE FROM A PREVIOUSLY UNBEATEN MEMPHIS CHRISTIAN BROTHERS TEAM THAT CAME INTO THE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 25-0 AND HOW WE FACED SEVEN ELIMINATION GAMES OVERALL - AND WON THEM ALL," DORWIN SAID.

ALTHOUGH THE ADS DIDN'T WIN ANOTHER STATE TITLE UNDER HEATHERLY, DORWIN'S YOUNGEST BROTHER, PETE, WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSON'S AT AGE 39 IN 2009, PLAYED UNDER THE COACH ON FARRAGUT'S FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER-UP TEAM IN 1988. THE BROTHERS WERE BOTH ALL-KIL OUTFIELDERS.

"CLASS PROGRAMS LIKE FARRAGUT NEED CLASS COACHES LIKE MATT AND JOHN, AS WELL AS FORMER COACHES TOMMY PHARR AND HERKY PAYNE," DORWIN SAID.

DORWIN ALSO SAT WITH HIS FORMER KNOXVILLE RUGBY CLUB TEAMMATE BRIAN NIEKERK, WHO ALONG WITH HIS WIFE MARIE HAVE ATTENDED THE EVENT FAITHFULLY.

"I TOLD BRIAN WHEN I WAS A SENIOR, I PLAYED A BIT OF SOCCER, JUST BECAUSE I HAD FRIENDS WHO PLAYED AND IT WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPORT," DORWIN SAID. "ONE DAY COACH HEATHERLY AND I PASSED EACH OTHER IN THE HALLWAY AND HE LOOKS ME AND SAYS, "'SOCCER, HUH.;"

"LATER I TOLD HIM I PLAYED BECAUSE IT HELPED KEEP MY HAMSTRINGS LOOSE BEFORE BASEBALL PRACTICE."

ON THURSDAY NIGHT, HEATHERLY ASKED DORWIN IF HE KNEW SOCCER WAS INTRODUCED TO AMERICA BY COMMUNISTS, WHO HOPED TO USE THE SPORT TO FURTHER THEIR INTERESTS.

"I PLAYED ALONG WITH HIM AND SAID I DIDN'T KNOW THAT," DORWIN SAID. "LATER ON, HE CONFIDED HE HAD PLAYED THE SPORT AT CENTRAL HIGH IN THE LATE 1960s,"

DORWIN ALSO ALSO THANKED THE PLAYERS, THEIR PARENTS, FANS WHO ATTENDED AND THE FHS DUGOUT CLUB AND ITS OUTGOING PRESIDENT, MATT HAGENOW.

SIDE NOTE: DORWIN AND HEATHERLY ALSO DISCUSSED THE ADMIRALS' 4-1 WIN OVER CLINTON IN THE 1982 REGIONAL SEMIFINALS IN WHICH DORWIN STOLE THREE BASES AND SCORED TWO RUNS.

"I HAD BEEN WAITING TWO YEARS TO GET THE 'DELAYED STEAL' SIGN FROM COACH HEATHERLY. EARLY ON, HE FLASHES IT TO ME WHEN I'M ON FIRST BASE," DORWIN SAID. "I DIDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES, SO I STAYED NEAR FIRST WHEN THE CATCHER TOSSED THE BALL BACK TO THE PITCHER.

"HE GIVES THE SIGN AGAIN AND I STEAL SECOND. I ASKED HIM THURSDAY WHY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GIVE ME THAT SIGN."

"I HAD TO WAIT FOR THE RIGHT TIME," HEATHERLY DEADPANNED.

ADS ROLL TO STATE TITLE TOURNAMENT: FARRAGUT, DEFENDING CLASS AAA TITLISTS, CAUGHT FIRE TO REACH THE EIGHT-TEAM, DOUBLE-ELIMINATION SHOOTOUT.

FHS DROPPED KARNS 10-3 IN A REGIONAL SEMIFINAL, THEN EDGED NEIGHBORHOOD RIVAL HARDIN VALLEY 4-2 IN A REGION TITLE MATCH. A 3-2 SECTIONAL WIN OVER JOHNSON CITY SCIENCE HILL SENT THE ADS BACK TO MURFREESBORO AND A CHANCE TO REGAIN THEIR TITLE.

HARDIN VALLEY ALSO ADVANCED TO THE TOURNEY, WITH A 7-2 WIN AT KINGSPORT DOBYNS-BENNETT.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: WITH THE ADS IN THE UPPER BRACKET AND HARDIN VALLEY IN THE LOWER GROUP, THERE WAS A CHANCE THE EAST TENNESSEE POWERS COULD MEET FOR THE TITLE GAME.

WITH EVERYBODY GUNNING FOR FARRAGUT, THE HAWKS SNUCK UNDER THE RADAR, TAKING THREE STRAIGHT GAMES TO ADVANCE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

FARRAGUT ADVANCED TO 38-6 WITH A 2-0 OPENING ROUND WIN OVER EAST HAMILTON BEFORE FALLING TO HOUSTON 5-1 THE FOLLOWING DAY.

THE ADS CAME TO LIFE WITH THREE STRAIGHT WINS (11-1 OVER RAVENWOOD, FOLLOWED BY 7-2 AND 4-3 VICTORIES OVER HOUSTON) TO SET UP A TITLE MATCH AGAINST THE HAWKS.

HARDIN VALLEY FINISHED ITS PITCHING-RICH TITLE RUN WITH A 10-2 DEFEAT OF FARRAGUT IN THE TITLE MATCH-UP. THE HAWKS ALLOWED JUST FIVE RUNS IN THEIR FOUR TOURNEY WINS.

IT WAS THE ADMIRALS' FIFTH RUNNER-UP FINISH, FALLING JUST SHORT IN 2013, 2002, 2001 AND 1988.

FARRAGUT HAS NINE STATE TITLES INCLUDING ITS FIRST IN 1982 - 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 AND 2014.

OVER THE PAST 33 YEARS, THE ADMIRALS HAVE WON OR FINISHED SECOND FOR STATE TITLES 14 TIMES.



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PURPOSE

THE PURPOSE OF PROJECT 20/20 IS TO RAISE MONEY TO FIND A CURE FOR YOUNG-ONSET PARKINSON'S DISEASE.

OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE 20 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTING EVENTS THROUGHOUT TENNESSEE HOLDING FUND-RAISING EVENTS BY THE YEAR 2020.

WE STARTED WELL A FEW YEARS AGO, WITH DONATIONS FROM THE GATE AT A RUGBY FESTIVAL AND FOUR BASEBALL GAMES IN THE FIRST YEAR.

PROJECT 20/20 IS NOW UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE THE KNOXVILLE-BASED KiMe FUND (http://www.kimecnd.org/) AS THEY FOCUS ON MOVEMENT DISORDERS, RAISING FUNDS PRIMARILY FOR PD.

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SUCCESSFUL NIGHT

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5th Annual Throwback Doubleheader at Farragut High to raise money for the KiMe Fund was held Thursday, April 24 and featured a featured a tripleheader. Bearden vs.Gibbs, CAK vs. McMinn Central and and the Admirals against Oak Ridge helped raise more than $950 through donations at the gate.

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IN FOUR PREVIOUS EVENTS HOSTED BY THE ADMIRALS, MORE THAN $5,000 HAS BEEN RAISED TO HELP FIND A CURE FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE.