‘Cats Win Again!

Monday, May 12, 2008 10:30 PM CDT

By Quinton Bagley

The Daily Citizen

One year after losing in the semifinals of the Class AAA state baseball tournament, Harding Academy had a chance to exercise some demons Monday the Wildcats faced Corning with a trip to the Class AAA state championship game on the line.

Harding Academy wasted little time in putting runs on the board against the Bobcats, and behind a stingy Wildcat defense and Matt Lincoln on the mound, Harding Academy punched its ticket to the title game with a 10-4 win over Corning.

The Wildcats scored three runs in the second inning to take the early lead. Lance Carr led off the bottom of the inning with a triple. Carr scored on an error by the Bobcat short stop, who was trying to field Josh Spears’ ground ball, to give Harding Academy a 1-0 lead. T.J. Thompson reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and then scored on J.T. Fisher’s single to increase the Wildcat lead. Fisher would score Harding Academy’s final run in the inning off a base hit by Braxton Bennett and a Corning error.

After the Bobcats scored their first run in the top of the third, the Wildcats scored in the bottom of the third to keep their lead at three. Matt Calhoun reached on an error by Corning and then scored on a passed ball during Spears’ at bat to make the score 4-1 in favor of Harding Academy.

In the fourth, the flood gate would open as the Wildcats scored five runs to increase their lead to 9-1. Thompson led off the inning with a double, then advance to third on James Dillard’s bunt single. Fisher was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Wildcats with no outs in the inning. Bennett’s pop up to second fell to the ground advancing all runners and scoring Thompson. The Corning second baseman was charged with the error.

Lincoln singled to score Dillard, bringing Calhoun back to the plate. Calhoun found the gap in right center field for a triple. Fisher and Lincoln both came around to score giving the Wildcats an 8-1 lead. Calhoun would also score on a fielder’s choice by Ty Finley to give Harding Academy a commanding 9-1 lead.

The Bobcats did not go away quietly as they scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning, but the Wildcats added another run of their own when Spears drove in the final run for the ‘Cats with a triple to the wall in center to make the score 10-4 entering the seventh, where it would end as Corning could get nothing going offensively.

Harding University places third in both Men’s and Women’s Gulf South Conference All-Sports Races

Harding University placed third in both the men’s and women’s Gulf South Conference All-Sports Trophy races. Combining both the men’s and women’s programs, Harding had more total All-Sports points than any other GSC school.

It was the first time since joining the GSC in 2000-01 that Harding was in the top three in both races.

Harding totaled 50.5 points in the men’s all-sports standings, its highest total since scoring 55.0 points in 2002-03. The Lady Bisons scored 54 points for its second straight top-three finish.

Harding Academy Stops Gurdon 6-4

Coming in to pitch in the top of the 6th with two on and no outs, freshman Josh Spears recorded a save when he got the Wildcats out of a jam, allowing only one of the runners to score. Spears pitched the 7th, shutting down the Go-Devils as J.T. Fisher ended the game with a great sliding catch in center field. Braxton Bennett was the winning pitcher for the ‘Cats, giving up 4 runs over five innings.

At the plate, Spears was 2-for-3 with two singles, a run scored and an RBI. Fisher was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and two RBI. Lance Carr was 1-for-3 with a single. Thompson was 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored. Dillard was 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored. Bennett was 1-for-2 with an RBI single. Calhoun was 1-for-2 with a single, a walk and a run scored. Ty Finley was 0-for-2 with a walk.

The Wildcats will return to action at 6:30 p.m. Monday when they face Corning in the semifinals at Harding University’s Jerry Moore Field. The Bobcats defeated Shiloh Christian 3-2 on Saturday.

The final game of the 3A state tournament is scheduled for 12:30 Saturday the 17th in Fayetteville at Baum Stadium, home field of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Harding Academy Dominates Lamar, 13-3

Friday, May 9, 2008 11:11 PM CDT

Harding Academy’s Josh Spears makes a throw to first base for the third out of the fifth inning Friday in the first-round game of the Class AAA state baseball tournament at Wiggins’ Field.

By Quinton Bagley - The Daily Citizen

Harding Academy opened the Class AAA state baseball tournament Friday with a 13-3 win over Lamar in six innings at Wiggins’ Field in Searcy.

“We did what we needed to do to move on,” Wildcat head coach Dennis Rine said. “The guys came out focused and ready to play.”

Harding Academy’s Matt Lincoln (10-1) went the distance on the mound for the Wildcats as he struck out eight and allowed no walks in the contest.

From the plate, Braxton Bennett was 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Matt Calhoun was 1-for-2 with a double and three runs scored. Ty Finley was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Lance Carr was 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI.

With the win, the Wildcats (26-3) move on to face Gurdon at noon in today’s quarterfinals at Jerry Moore Field. The Go-Devils defeated Manila 1-0 on Friday to advance.

“eggheads and African-Americans”

Clinton Touts White Support

By Kate Phillips at The New York Times

As if the divisions between race and gender in the Democratic Party hadn’t been further exposed through Tuesday night’s exit polls — and by a very heated exchange on CNN between Donna Brazile and Paul Begala, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s interview with USA Today on Wednesday is further mining those tense depths.

“I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on,” she said in the interview, citing an article by The Associated Press.

It “found how Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.”

“There’s a pattern emerging here,” she said.

While she said her remarks weren’t meant to be divisive, they’re already whipping around the Internet. “These are the people you have to win if you’re a Democrat in sufficient numbers to actually win the election. Everybody knows that,” she said in the interview. (Hint, hint, message to the superdelegates still undeclared.)

In Indiana alone, six in 10 white voters went for Mrs. Clinton, where she narrowly won the primary.

Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, told the newspaper that Mr. Obama had made inroads in Tuesday’s contests. And he added that her comments “are not true and frankly disappointing.”

Lord’s Supper Meditations

Communion Commentary Concerns

William Penn (1644-171 once wrote, “Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood.” Let’s be honest with ourselves — too frequently those who assume for themselves the right and privilege of addressing others are doing little more than engaging in pompous, pretentious pontification. In a word, they are simply showing off. Such a spectacle may very well gain the attention of an audience, at least for a time, but it is hardly designed to inspire them to action (except perhaps to boot the buffoon from the podium). Shakespeare (1564-1616) wisely observed, in his classic work Henry V, “The empty vessel makes the greatest sound,” which is somewhat reminiscent of the famous English saying, “The noisiest streams are the shallowest.” But, perhaps Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) summed it up most fittingly — “Every ass loves to hear himself bray!” Enough said!!

Speaking of public speaking, within our local assemblies and fellowships there are a great many opportunities for the Lord’s people, young and old, male and female, to share with their spiritual family what is on their hearts and minds. Preachers, obviously, have occasion to do this rather frequently, but so also do others within these local gatherings. There are classes, devotional talks, speakers at retreats and seminars and workshops, and, of course, there are the traditional, almost obligatory, or so it seems, “Communion meditations” one finds in many a faith-heritage within Christendom. Oftentimes, these fairly brief reflective talks are quite moving and inspiring, and they truly help to focus our thoughts upon the purpose and meaning of the memorial meal of which we are preparing to partake. At other times, however, the focus sadly shifts from the table of our Lord to the speaker at the pulpit. On some occasions these speakers have become so self-absorbed that I’ve seen them ramble on for 10-15 minutes, giving personal anecdotes and telling jokes. I can actually remember one or two times over the past 30+ years of my public ministry where I came very, very close to rising up and putting an immediate stop to the whole spectacle (and, indeed, I fault myself now for not having done so). In my view, and you are all free to disagree, I do not feel this to be the appropriate setting for joking and the promotion of self. It’s a time to call the people of God, and any non-believing visitors present, to focus their thoughts upon the selfless, loving act of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yes, the Lord’s Supper can be a time of joy (when properly perceived), as well as a time of sober reflection, and a time of hopeful longing, but it is not a fitting time for foolishness.

Thoughts from Al Maxey at Reflections

Unintended consequences?

Fair Play for False Prophets

By E. J. Dionne Jr.

washingtonpost.com

Friday, May 2, 2008; Page A21

NEW YORK — Do white right-wing preachers have it easier than black left-wing preachers? Is there a double standard?

The political explosion around the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was inevitable, given Wright’s personal closeness to Barack Obama and the outrageous rubbish the pastor has offered about AIDS, Sept. 11 and Louis Farrakhan.

After Wright’s bizarre and narcissistic performance at the National Press Club on Monday, Obama would have looked weak and irresolute had he not denounced him. But if there was a moment of courage in this drama, it was not Obama’s condemnation of Wright but his earlier and now much-criticized effort to avoid a complete break with his unapologetic pastor.

In March, Obama tried to explain the anger in the black community and insisted that “to condemn it without understanding its roots only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.”

In light of this racial gap, it’s worth pondering why white, right-wing preachers who make ridiculous and sometimes shameful statements usually emerge with their influence intact.

The catalogue goes back to Bailey Smith, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Speaking at a 1980 religious convention that was also addressed by Ronald Reagan, Smith declared that “God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew.”

Reagan later asserted that he thought Jewish prayers were answered, but he was less than definitive. “Everyone can make his own interpretation of the Bible,” the Gipper said, “and many individuals have been making differing interpretations for a long time.”

Two days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Jerry Falwell, appearing on Pat Robertson’s “700 Club,” declared: “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way — all of them who have tried to secularize America — I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen.’ “

Robertson replied: “Well, I totally concur, and the problem is we have adopted that agenda at the highest levels of our government. And so we’re responsible as a free society for what the top people do. And the top people, of course, is the court system.”

To their credit, many conservatives condemned Falwell and Robertson. The ministers backed away from their words, but Falwell’s retraction was, at best, partial. “When a nation deserts God and expels God from the culture,” Falwell insisted, “the result is not good.”

What’s telling is that neither preacher lost sway in Republican circles. Before Falwell’s death last year, John McCain actively courted his support, and Rudy Giuliani, one of the heroes of Sept. 11, welcomed Robertson’s endorsement of his own candidacy. “His advice is invaluable,” Giuliani said.

And, of course, there is the endorsement of McCain by the Rev. John Hagee, founder of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, who has called the Catholic Church “the great whore of Babylon” and “the anti-Christ.”

Blah, blah, blah blah, blah.

Would be funny if it were not so true!!!

My father-in-law had prostate surgery. We brought him to the hospital at 7:30a.m., and he was operated on at eight. We were amazed when the hospital called at noon to tell us he could go home.

Two months later our beagle, Bo, also had prostate surgery. When I brought him in, I asked theveterinarian what time I should pick him up. The vet told me Bo would remain overnight.

“Overnight?” I said “My father-in-law came home the same day.”

The vet looked at me and said,

“Bo’s not on Medicare!”