By Staff
Star Tracking …
May 30, 2001
WASHINGTON Disabled golfer Casey Martin may use a cart to ride in tournaments, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, saying federal law requires a leveling of the playing field for the handicapped, even in pro sports. The decision means the PGA Tour must make allowances for Martin, whose degenerative leg ailment make it almost impossible to walk an 18-hole course. The PGA Tour fought Martin for years, saying all pro golfers must walk because uniform rules are essential for the integrity of the sport. Accommodating Martin with a golf cart will not fundamentally change the game, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for a 7-2 majority.
GADSDEN, Ala. Former Florida football coach Charley Pell, who helped lay the program's foundation for success before his career was derailed by NCAA sanctions, died Tuesday, according to a spokesman for the company where he worked. He was 60. Pell, who had been battling cancer since last fall, died at Gadsden hospital, spokesman John Marshall said. A former Alabama player, Pell coached the Gators from 1979 through 1984, leaving after the NCAA levied 59 sanctions against the program. He confessed to the violations and resigned, accepting all responsibility.
May 30, 1997
Meridian Community College shortstop Jason Smith is turning pro after signing with the Chicago Cubs recently. Smith, who helped the Eagles to a 50-8 record in 1997 and a No. 1 ranking most of the season, bypassed a chance to play with the University of Alabama by signing with the Cubs. The Demopolis, Ala., native says the Cubs just made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Smith was picked in the 23rd round of last year's draft by the Cubs. He was also drafted coming out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Smith will leave for the Chicago Cubs spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz., June 8. After a week in Arizona, Smith will be headed to Williamsport, Penn.
After going 20-14 during the 1997 Mississippi Private School Association prep baseball season, it was just a matter of time before Ronnie Key's Lamar High Raiders started to reap the spoils of their successful season. Lee Rogers, Parker Harris, Robert Daggett, Jamie Taylor, Josh Thompson, Chris Knight and Neil Davis were named to the All-District team, while Keith Covington, Joseph Gray and Will Jones earned Honorable Mention All-District honors.
May 30, 1992
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. Minnesota's Herschel Walker era, the result of an old-fashioned swampland-in-Florida deal that ranks among the worst in football, is over. Unable to win the Super Bowl or even a playoff game since giving Dallas five players and eight draft choices for Walker in October 1989, the Vikings on Friday cut the unhappy running back rather than re-sign him for his 1991 salary of $1.7 million. This is what the Vikings have to show for the megadeal third string tight end Mike Jones and fifth-string receiver Jake Reed.
Ryan Satcher
Sports Faces …
John Iverson
John Iverson is one of three area players selected to play in the Mississippi High School Baseball 4A-5A All-Star Game. The recent Meridian High graduate wrapped up a standout senior season for coach Vince McLemore's Wildcats.
Iverson batted .363 with three home runs, eight doubles and 24 RBI while playing center field when he wasn't pitching. On the mound, Iverson started all three of the Wildcats' playoff series deciding game threes. He went 1-1 with a no decision.
For the year, he was 6-3 with a 2.50 earned run average with 60 strike outs in 41 1/3 innings for the Wildcats who finished 34-8 and in the top four in Class 5A.
Jeff Byrd