HISTORY WORTH REPEATING

BY PAT DORWIN

CAN HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF ALMOST 30 YEARS TO THE DAY?

IT CAN IN A FEW WEEKS FOR THE FARRAGUT BASEBALL TEAM.

THE CLASS 3-A PLAYOFFS ARE SLATED TO END MAY 25.

IF THE ADS WIN THE TITLE, IT WOULD BE THEIR NINTH, SOME 10,957 DAYS AFTER ITS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP WIN IN 1982.

THAT MEANS ANOTHER DEEP PLAYOFF RUN IN THE LAST 29 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AND 29 DAYS.

BUT WHO'S COUNTING? WE'LL ROUND UP AND SAY A TITLE OR RUNNER-UP FINISH WOULD BE FARRAGUT'S 13TH IN THE PAST 30 YEARS.

MIGHTY IMPRESSIVE FOR "BASEBALL DOMINATION NATION."

WHAT'S CHANGED IN 30 YEARS?

WHAT HASN'T?

WE WORE SHORTER PANTS AND HAD LONGER HAIR. WE RELIED ON PITCHING AND DEFENSE, TWO KEYS TO THE 2012 TEAM.

"Honestly, I believe we are just as good as some of the best teams to come through the program," said FHS catcher Brett Hagenow. "We may not be as big or athletic as past teams, but our bond and chemistry together makes up for that. We know how each other plays and we will sacrifice anything for each other."

DITTO FOR 1982. WE ALSO HAD AN UNDERESTIMATED INGREDIENT SEEN ON SOME CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS: WE HATED TO LOSE.

AT ANYTHING.

I SEE THAT IN THIS TEAM AS WELL AS A QUIET CONFIDENCE AND A RELAXED MANNER THAT EMANATES DOWN  FROM COACH MATT BUCKNER, ALLOWING PRESSURE TO ROLL OFF HIS PLAYERS' SHOULDERS.

WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT - BECAUSE WE HAD NO PRESSURE ON US. THE KIL HADN'T WON A STATE BASEBALL TITLE IN NINE YEARS BEFORE WE TOOK OUR SHOT. KNOXVILLE WAS A TWO-NEWSPAPER TOWN THEN BUT IT WOULD BE YEARS LATER BEFORE I WOULD READ OUR SEMIFINAL OPPONENT (CHATTANOOGA BAYLOR) WAS COMING OFF AN 18-2 WIN OR THAT OUR BEST-OF-THREE TITLE SERIES AGAINST MEMPHIS CHRISTIAN BROTHERS WAS VERSUS A 25-0 PURPLE WAVE TEAM.

BESIDES, WE HAD JUNIOR PITCHER JEFF GLOVER, WHOSE GAME ONE WIN WOULD PUSH HIS RECORD TO 15-1. WE HAD MIKE JORDAN, WHOSE 14 SAVES THAT YEAR IS STILL A STATE SINGLE-SEASON RECORD.

THE 2012 ADS HAVE PITCHERS APLENTY AS WELL AS A SUPER CLOSER IN JORDAN NEWBY, A SIDEARMER WHO GETS BY MORE ON GUILE THAN VELOCITY.

"Newby is a monster closer," says Hagenow. "He may not have much v-lo but his confidence, endurance, and dedication makes him a force to be reckoned with. He is able to close a game every day if we need him too. He can throw how ever many innings are needed of him. He knows how his pitches work and what he needs to do to be the most effective."

SOUNDS LIKE ANOTHER JORDAN, 1982'S MIKE, A FOUR-YEAR VARSITY PLAYER, A RARITY BACK IN THE DAY.

"Eric (Big Red) Freeman has been a work horse for us all year," says Hagenow. "He really comes up big in big situations when we need him. Patrick Raby is also a big part of our program. He is just a freshman and in the next few years he is going to be fierce. Chase Chambers is our sophomore lefty. He throws a lot of strikes and is also a very defensively sound and knowledgeable pitcher. Recently returned Kyle Serrano (back and elbow injury) is a junior with outstanding movement and v-lo. He is going to be a big part of our play off run."

WE HAD TWO JUNIOR LEFTIES IN 1982, GREG SCHWARTZ AND TODD DUNNING, WHO HELD THEIR OWN ON THE FEW DAYS GLOVER DIDN'T START. SHORTSTOP BOB GAYLOR AND CENTERFIELDER DAVID MOWERY EACH STARTED A SINGLE REGULAR-SEASON GAME, AND EACH POSTED ONE-RUN WINS.

AFTER  A VERY EARLY 17-7 DRUBBING IN JEFFERSON CITY, WE MET THE PATRIOTS AT HOME AND MOWERY'S KNUCKLEBALL WAS THE DIFFERENCE.

WE ALSO LOST TO HALLS, KARNS AND BEARDEN IN THE REGULAR SEASON BEFORE EXACTING PLAYOFF REVENGE, STAVING OFF DISTRICT ELIMINATION ON THE SAME NIGHT VS. KARNS, THEN HALLS. WE THEN HAD TO BEAT THE RED DEVILS TWICE TO WIN THE DISTRICT TOURNEY.

WE DID.

WE TOOK ON A TOUGH CLINTON SQUAD IN A SUB-REGIONAL. COACH JOHN HEATHERLY CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE, GIVING THE DELAYED STEAL SIGN (APPARENTLY, SIGNS NOW COME VERBALLY, BY THREE-DIGIT NUMBERS).

SURPRISED ME ENOUGH TO THINK I MISREAD IT, BUT HE FLASHED IT AGAIN, LEADING TO MY THIRD STOLEN BASE AND SECOND RUN IN A 4-1 WIN.

UP NEXT WAS THE EVIL EMPIRE, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS BEARDEN. THEY HAD 6-FOOT-5 MARK SNYDER AND HIS 95-MPH HEATER. HE THREE-HIT US WITH 16 STRIKEOUTS EARLIER AT AN OAK RIDGE TOURNEY GAME THAT RESEMBLED A SPEED-GUN CONVENTION.

WE HAD A PACKED HOUSE AT UT's LOWER HUDSON FIELD IN WHAT ONE PAPER CALLED A BATTLE OF "WEST KNOXVILLE SUPERPOWERS."

WE ALSO HAD CRAIGG SCHNUPP, OUR 5-FOOT-4 THIRD BASEMEN. THE PAPER CALLED HIM "DIMINUTIVE," BUT THERE WAS NOTHING SMALL ABOUT HIS TWO-RUN SHOT OFF SNYDER OVER THE 370-FOOT SIGN THAT TIED IT AT 2-2.

THE BULLDOGS THEN SELF-DESTRUCTED IN THE FIELD.

WE WERE OUT OF KNOXVILLE, WHICH COACH HEATHERLY RIGHTLY CALLED THE TOUGHEST PART OF WINNING THE STATE.

Getting out of town for the Ads starts today in the district tournament at Farragut.

"Honestly if we stay together as a team and execute the tiny things I feel we can make a run for state," says Hagenow. "People have underestimated us all season because we lost big name guys last year. But key guys have stepped up to the plate and our bond with one another will carry us a long way."

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.