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Saturday With Maury

Maury Wills, the 1962 National League Most Valuable Player, came to Jackson June 6, 2003, 44 years to the day after he was called up to the major leagues. He was here to meet 47 inner-city elementary and middle-school kids—all wannabe pro ball players—at Battlefield Park for a baseball clinic. None of the kids knew who he was. In fact, very few of the Jackson Senators who helped Maury with the clinic had heard of him. They soon learned.

Senators Blast Off

The Jackson Senators (your CBL East Division first-half champs) return home on Saturday, July 5, to play the team with the ugliest uniforms in baseball, the Springfield/Ozark Mountain Ducks at 7:05 p.m. It's the first game of an 8-game homestand. And there will be postgame fireworks, always worth the price of admission. Dr. S rates the Sens a must-see.

Watermelon Classic

The 20th running of one of Mississippi's oldest road races takes place at 7:30 a.m. on Friday July 4, 2003 in front of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum at 1152 Lakeland Drive in Jackson, MS. Registration forms are currently available at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, Fleet Feet stores and all Baptist Fitness Centers for The Baptist Health Systems Watermelon Classic 5K Run & Walk. Entry fees for the race are $15 for pre-registration, $20 on race day. Entry fees for the fun run are $10 in advance, $12 on race day. Advance team and family entries are welcome.

Out in Left Field

Last week, Mississippi sent three baseball teams to NCAA Regional tournaments and was fortunate enough to host two of them. I had the opportunity to attend the Starkville Regional at Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field. Usually I sit above the third-base dugout, but this trip I had an invitation to the Left Field Lounge. On occasion I had walked through the outfield, but I had not hung out there since my college days. As I sat in the outfield on some sort of constructed contraption, I observed the ingenuity and creativity of the evolved fan and how they have contributed to the evolution of the Left Field Lounge.

Senators in town!

Jackson Senators Baseball Now - July 23. Game times Tues.-Sat. 7:05 p.m., Sun., 6:05 p.m. Gates open 1 hour before start time. Tues. - 2 for $1 drinks. Wed. - .50 cent drinks. Thurs. - $1 drinks. Fri.- Kids run bases after the game. 362-2294. http://jacksonsenators.com

A Pioneer Passes

Larry Doby, the second black player in modern Major League Baseball, died Wednesday. He was 79. Jackie Robinson crossed the color barrier in 1947 with the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers. Eleven weeks later, Doby became the first black player in the American League when he joined the Cleveland Indians. But in many ways, Doby had a tougher, lonelier fight than Robinson.

Demoting Colonel Rebel

Ole Miss has banned its Colonel Rebel mascot, just in time for Eli Manning's Heisman Trophy campaign. Some Ole Miss fans see this as a long overdue update of the school's image. More reactionary UM fans see this as another stripping away of the school's traditions and another step toward getting rid of the Rebels nickname completely. (Check out the terrific column by Rick Cleveland in Thursday's Clarion-Ledger.) Since the Oxford Eagle broke this story on Tuesday, athletic director Pete Boone hasn't been returning phone calls. And UM chancellor Robert Khayat refused to talk about Colonel Reb's ouster at a state college board meeting on Wednesday. Dr. S predicts the firestorm is just beginning.

Slick Rick

The Slate sports columnist Jonathan Chait offers an interesting take on the dismissal of Washington football coach Rick Neuheisel: Neuheisel deserved to be fired, but not for the reason the U of W is giving for letting him go.

State Games, Olympics Style

State Games of Mississippi June 20 - 22, June 26 -29. Two full weekends of Olympic-style games feature more than 4,500 amateur athletes from across the state, competing in over 28 sports. Opening ceremonies offer top-name entertainment, parade of athletes, lighting of the torch and fireworks. 800-482-0205. http://www.stategamesofms.org

Shagadelic Senators Back at Home

Jackson Senators Baseball Tues., June 17 - Tues., June 24. Game times Tues.-Sat. 7:05 p.m., Sun., 6:05 p.m. Gates open 1 hour before start time. Tues. - 2 for $1 drinks. Wed. - .50 cent drinks. Thurs. - $1 drinks. Fri.- Kids run bases after the game. Shagadelic Saturdays with Austin Powers. 362-2294. http://jacksonsenators.com

Get Your Tickets Early

Warm up for this fall's Women's World Cup (moved from China to the USA due to the SARS epidemic in Asia) by watching the American women play Brazil in a friendly in New Orleans on Sunday, July 13. Like you need an excuse to go to New Orleans.

Senators Vs. Bad Sports

Dr. S needs to change medication, obviously, because he's running behind. The Senators are back in town for a series with their new archrival, the Shreveport Sports. The Clarion-Ledger's Mike Christensen offers the lowdown on the Jackson-Shreveport baseball rivalry through the years.

Corky Appeals Suspension

Chicago Cubs cheater Sammy Sosa was suspended for eight games Friday for using a corked bat in a game on Tuesday. Sosa appealed, so he will be able to play in this weekend's series with the New York Yankees. What a surprise. Meanwhile, amid all the craziness surrounding Scammin' Sammy's antics, here's one sure bet.

NBA Whitewash?

Dan McGraw writes in the Village Voice: "[T]he NBA is changing, on the court and off, getting whiter and more foreign, and many African-American fans and players think there is more going on here than international meritocracy. The perception—and perception is always important in matters of race—is that the NBA is acing out the black man because of corporate (read: white) fans and international marketing money. High-scoring white guys equals big bucks."

Put A Cork In It

Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy "Corky" Sosa was ejected in the first inning of the Cubs' game with Tampa Bay on Tuesday night after his bat shattered and umpires discovered that it was corked. Dr. S always thought that Cheatin' Sammy was corked, not his bat. Scammin' Sammy admitted he used a corked bat, but insists he accidentally picked up a bat he uses for batting practice. Uh huh. Expect Major League Baseball to suspend Corky for seven games and fine him $1,000. The damage to Sosa's image and legacy figures to be far more severe. Corky's apologists are already saying that he showed he's a stand-up guy by admitting that he used a corked bat. What the hell was Scammin' Sammy supposed to say, the evidence was irrefutable. Besides, Dr. S doesn't believe a person should get extra points for telling the truth. No matter how rarely it occurs.

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