Time to catch up!!! Part One......

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the time lag between posts but iit has been a busy three months. First, we were wide open with Dixie Youth Baseball. It was a great season over at Collyer Park. With the untimly death of Tommy Powell earlier in the year many felt that Laurens Dixie Youth Basebakll was in trouble. Tommy had been a steady rock that the program was built on.

Thankfully, Tommy left a solid foundation that the league could build on and with the help of several individuals, the league thrived this year. First off, Albert Wilson, longtime friend and assistant to Tommy was named president of the league and he stepped up to the plate and really came through. From personal experience I know what pressure Albert felt, and he handled it all with style and grace. He worked his @$$ off to insure that the season went off without a hitch, sometimes putting in 14 t0 16 hour days at the ball park. He exceeded all anyone could ask for a person to achieve after being thrust into a difficult position to say the least. Not only did he survive the first season, he and the league thrived. The league saw an increase in the number of players for the third straight year, the fields were completely re-worked and looked great, and everyone had a great time. Couple with that the league had two highly successful district tournaments, I don't know what anyone could have asked Albert to achieve. Tommy would be proud of Albert, I can guarantee you that.

Albert's Grade...... A+

Albert didn't do all this on his own though, he had a group of folks that were behind him and did their best to help him out. First up, Eddie Broulette was there to lend his help and support to Albert whenever and wherever he was needed. Eddie and Tommy were great friends so I know this was a difficult task for him to do because he and Tommy were such great friends. Eddie came through even in the most difficult of times for the league. Thanks Eddie!!! Tommy would be proud of you!

Another person that deserves a pat on the back if Terry Grubbs. Terry stepped up, filling in for Albert when needed, helping around the office, helping out on the fields, even stepping in and umpiring some games as needed. Terry, you done good, Thanks for all your hard work,

Albert had the worlds biggest head groundskeeper in "Cuzzo" Quincy Cook. Quincy worked his butt off on those fields this season. I'd like to have a dime for every hour that Cuzzo spent working on the fields. Not only did he put a bunch of hours in working on the fields, he also found the time to be head coach of the undefeated championship team in the 9 and 10 year old age group. Good Job Cuzzo, you are a great right hand man, and a great coach.

Well folks, I didn't realize that this was going to be such a long blog, and I still have a lot I need to say so I am going to make this into a two parter.

Continued on Part Two:

Random THoughts from a random Mind...... Part 24

Hey Guys,

Hope y'all are all great! Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there. What in the world would we do without you!

Today's blog will be one of random thoughts from a random mind. Whatever comes into my head is what I am gonna write about.

The Weather. ....... It sure is nice to see the drought easing off around here and the rainfall getting back to normal. Being too dry puts a strain on man and beast as well as the plants. The only complaint I have so far is the number of tornado watches and warnings that we have had so far this year. Three days last week as I sat at the ball park and broadcasted Dixie Youth Baseball there was either a Tornado Watch or a Tornado Warning for Laurens County, and the weather at the park was just fine. Go figure!

School's Out nearly...... That's right, the school year is coming to an end and it is a bittersweet time for parents, especially for those parents who have kids that are seniors in high school. You are proud that your child is graduating, but realize that things will never be the same. Your kids are grown up and out of school. You are proud for what they have accomplished, but a little sad that they are grown up.

Gas Prices...... Yes, they are starting to ease up gradually as the summer vacation approaches. The gas folks figure that if they do it gradually we may not notice, but they are wrong. Try and save a couple of gallons of gas each week. If we all do this, the gas prices will drop like a stone again because they can't drink the stuff.

Da Braves...... How in the world does a team improve their starting pitchers like the Braves did in the off-season, and still look so bad at times? Dern if I know, but the Braves sure have sucked real bad at times so far this season.

Cruise to the Bahama's for free!!!!!! Keep listening to WLBG for details on a free Cruise to the Bahama's for two from the South Carolina Lottery and WLBG. We are gonna ask questions about the lottery and if you answer them correctly you get registered for the grand prize drawing! Who wouldn't like to cruise the Caribbean for 5 days and 4 nights on the Carnival Cruise Lines Party Ship Fascination, and all for free!!!

Harley Davidson Give-away....... Also, your friends from the South Carolina Education Lottery are going to give away a Harley Davidson prize pack worth over $450.00 to some lucky listener of WLBG to commemorate their new Harley Davidson scratch off game. The prize pack includes a leather Harley Davidson Cowboy Hat, clock, and all kinds of other H-D goodies. The give-away will be done live on Good Morning UpCountry from Squeaky's place on June 3rd. We will have the details on how you can register in the next day or so!

That's about it for now folks, hope y'all have a great week!!!!

God Bless,
The Big One

Ahhhhh....... Springtime!!!!!!

Hey Guys,

Don't you just love springtime. The waether is perfect for baseball at Collyer Park, a night at the race track, even cooking some burgers and spending time on the deck. This weather is wonderful.

Lets see, where to begin..... Oh, how about them Braves, pretty sad so far. When they first took all the games off of TBS I was mad because it made it hard to catch their games, but now that they are playing so bad I am kinda glad that you have to hunt them now. The Cubbies are still on WGN, I can make it watching them and the occasional game on ESPN.

The NBA is beginning the play-offs and I will start watching some of the games with the guys now that they really count. I just can't sit down and watch a whole regular season game, a few minutes here and there is about I can sit still for, but the play-offs are a different story. I am taking the Cavs, so it should be interesting to see if I am right. Who knows, the Celtics could limp through the first round against the Bulls and surprise some folks.

The high school teams are doing great and beginning to head into the play-offs or are already in them. Laurens Academy sent Jefferson Davis scurrying in their 1st round play-off series like the Confederacy was falling again, knocking them off in two games by a combined score of 32 to 1. They willbe in action for the second round of the SCISA 1-A play-offs at home Monday.

Out in Raiderland, the Raider baseball team made it three region championships in a row and start the play-offs Tomorrow (Thursday) at home against Byrnes. First pitch is set for 7:00 p. m.The Raiders will be home Saturday at 2:00 p. m. against either Gaffney or Spring Valley. We will know who they play after those two play. Both games will be on WLBG, so take those headset radios with you.

The Lady Raider softball squad has qualified for the play-offs and will be in action tomorrow (Thursday) at Hillcrest. I think this is the first time tha Ladies have made the play-offs in a couple of years. Good luck to all the teams as they start down the road to the state championships.

I have had a ball so far this season broadcasting Dixie Youth Baseball from Collyer Park. after my buddy Tommy Powell passed away, a lot of people were wondering what would happen with the program. Well, Tommy Powell left a solid program that would weather the loss, and through a lot of hard work from folks like Eddie Broulette, Terry Grubbs, Manley Patterson, new president Albert Wilson, Steve Patterson, Quincy Cook and a hundred others the program is as strong as ever. The number of players increased by about ten percent this year, and the coaches have worked hard with the players and it shows. I have seen some real good games at the park this season. The future of the raider Baseball program looks bright thanks to the players in the pipeline heading to the high school from Laurens Dixie Youth Baseball. If you get a chance take in a couple of games. It's free, and a lot of fun.

Well, that's about it for now gang, I'm the Big Un', y'all have a might fine day!!!

Friday Night....... Holy Moley Weatherman!!!!!!

Hey Guys,

Hope you all had a great Easter! I know I did! Ann served up the traditional Easter Feast of Ham, Tater Salad, Macaroni Pie, Deviled Eggs and I put on the feedbag. Man, am I stuffed.

Anyway, back to the original idea behind this blog, the weather Friday Night. That was some scary stuff. We were able to get the two games at Collyer Park completed and I was on the way to the station when the storm began to hit Laurens. Nothing like seeing intense cloud to cloud and cloud to ground lightning all at the same time. Add to that rain coming down sideways and you have a recipe for a scary weather night.

By the time I got to the station my family was there waiting for me. The guys ran the board for the ballgames and were there with Joel's girlfriend Tiffany, but as a precaution Ann and my four legged daughter Missy were there also. You see, my personal weatherman, B. Randall Stevens had advised us to be on alert and plan on being at the fallout shelter (WLBG) that evening. Boy, was he ever right.

As I walked into WLBG all Hell was breaking loose! I wobbled into the studio as fast as I could and was just in time for all kinds of weather alerts to come over the Weather Radio. Severe thunderstorms were popping up all over the place, and just as I sat down at the console the Tornado Warning siren goes off. Man, was I shook up. I popped a happy pill and got on the air trying to give out warnings as best as I could. After a couple of minutes my prayers were answered as Randy and his wife came rushing in to the station and Randy came into the control room and took over. Folks, I can't tell you how relieved I was to see him. You got to give that rascal his due, he knows weather. Within a matter of a minute or so he had the radar site on the computer and was warning people of the path of the potential tornado in the Hickory Tavern / Gray Court area. As fast as I could feed them to him he was giving out warnings, and on top of it all he was as cool as a cucumber. He continued to scan the different radar sites and spotted a potential tornado and announced it over the air five minutes before the National Weather Service did. He was amazing to watch. All this he did while trying to keep me calm, deal with an excited dog, and a weather situation that could have been potentially fatal to a lot of folks if the proper warnings were issued. It was one hectic hour and a half, but he was Johnny on the spot the whole time. When it comes to weather, Randy Stevens is the man, and I salute and thank him for his efforts to keep everyone informed and safe.

I feel lucky that Randy was at the helm Friday Night. He proved again why having a viable local radio station manned during times of bad weather is so important. The TV stations might not broadcast the weather situation in the area continuously, but WLBG did, and will continue to do in the future. Why, because we are a part of this community and that is what neighbors do, they help out their neighbors during tough times.

Remember, in times of bad weather, tune WLBG in, we will be there to try our best to keep you informed and safe because that is what we do, and we do it for you.

Until next time, God Bless!
The Big "Un

Play Ball!!!!!!

Hey Guys,

Today is one of the best sports days of the year for me. My favorite sports days are the first Friday night of High School football, the first race night at the local dirt track, and the first day of Dixie Youth Baseball. Tonight the teams will begin play at Collyer Park, and I get to be a big kid again as I will be broadcasting the games live on your and my favorite radio stations, the Wobble Legged Billy Goat! The teams have been practicing for a couple of weeks, the uniforms have been given out, and Albert and Steve have the fields in great shape. It is gonna be another great season at the old ball park.

This past Saturday the Laurens Dixie Youth Baseball folks dedicated field two to the late Tommy Powell. I can close my eyes and see him sitting on the Gator under the pear tree watching the kids play ball. Any time he was parked there it immediately became a meeting place for many folks as they would stop by and shoot the breeze with Tommy. I don’t know of anyone who loved Dixie Youth Baseball as much as Tommy did. He lived to get the fields just right for the kids. You want to get on his bad side, say something bad about his kids like they were bad ball players or they had no reason being on the field. He didn’t put up with that crap. He’d tell you right quick that baseball was for all the kids, not just the good athletes. He felt this way because he realized something that a lot of folks don’t. He knew that sports were good for kids, that when they were active in sports programs they were less prone to get into trouble. He also realized that a lot of his kids came from single parent families and needed a good male role model in their lives. In fact, to a lot of the kids that came through the Laurens Dixie Youth program he was their role model.

Well, now he’s gone on to Heaven, and we are left here to see his work continues. Tommy left a solid program to build on. For years to come the kids around here will have a beautiful park to play in, in a program that believes that all kids should get to play ball, even those that can’t afford to, and solid men and women as league officials, coaches, umpires, and supporters to help his dream live on.

It’s baseball season in River City now, and somewhere a little Marine is looking down and smiling because his park is alive with the sounds of happy kids playing ball, just like he was still there.
Tommy may be gone, but as long as the umpire yells “Play Ball!” and Collyer Park comes alive with the crack of the bat and the noise of the crowd, his legacy lives on.

Come on out to the old ball park folks!!!

God Bless,
The Big One

Tommy Powell Day

Hey Guys,

In my last post I told you I would post the details on Laurens Dixie Youth Baseball's Tommy Powell Day that will take place Saturday morning beginning at 10:00 a. m., weather permitting. Here is the schedule of events.

Tommy Powell Memorial Opening Day Ceremonies for Laurens Dixie Youth Baseball.
March 28, 2009

1. Welcoming Remarks by WLBG personality and former
Laurens Dixie Youth Baseball player Randy Stevens.
2. Invocation: King Dixon, National Director, Dixie Youth
Baseball.
3. Presentation of Colors by the Laurens District 55 High
School Junior ROTC.
4. The National Anthem performed by Wyatt Mattison.
5. Remarks by: King Dixon.
6. Remarks by: Ric Polson, Dixie Youth Baseball District
Director.
7. Presentation of Plaque from the Patriot Guard to the
Powell Family by Randy Stevens, Senior Ride Captain.
8. Presentation of Laurens Dixie Youth Baseball jersey by
Eddie Brouillette, Laurens Dixie Youth Baseball Official.
9. Unveiling of Scoreboard by Laurens Dixie Youth Baseball
President Albert Wilson and the Powell Family.
10. Singing of “Take Me out to the Ball Game.” ******
11. First Pitch: Members of the Tommy Powell Family.
12. Senior Dixie Youth Baseball Umpire Euell Boland opens
the 2009 Dixie Youth Baseball season with that timeless
baseball tradition: “Play Ball!”

******Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take Me Out to the Crowd
Buy Me Some Peanuts and CrackerJacks
I Don’t Care If I Never Get Back
So It’s Root, Root, Root For the Home Team
If They Don’t Win it’s a Shame
For It’s One, Two, Three Strikes You’re Out
At the Old Ball Game!

Hope you can be there to help us honor a guy who gave so much to the young people of Laurens County.

God Bless,
The Big One

Baseball season is here......

Hey Guys,

The opening sentence of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens is “It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times.”

This sentence best describes what is going to take place at the opening ceremonies of the 2009 Dixie Youth Baseball season at Collyer Park Saturday Morning.

It will be the best of times. It is springtime in the south. It is a time of renewal. It’s time to play America’s game. It’s baseball season. The grass will be green. The fields will be in tip top shape thanks to the hard work of Albert Wilson and Steve Patterson. The kids and parents will be excited about the start of another season of baseball at the ol’ ball park. It is indeed the best of times!

It will be the worst of times also. You see, my buddy Tommy Powell will not be there, well, maybe not in body but certainly in spirit. Tommy lived for this time of year. He worked long and hard on the fields, making sure they looked as close to miniature major league fields as he could. Just look around the park and you will see what I mean. He had major league style foul poles put in place. He worked hours upon hours for nothing making sure the grass was cut; the bathrooms were clean, that no trash or paper was lying around on the ground. He wanted the kids to love coming to the park and play baseball because he knew that if a kid got involved in playing baseball then there was a pretty good chance that that kid would not be involved in too much mischief. No matter how bad it might be at home for them, he wanted it to be a special time for them when they came to the ball park where they could forget their troubles and just be kids playing baseball. You see, my buddy Tommy loved baseball, and he also loved the kids who came through the Dixie Youth program, and the kids loved him.

He had a heart of gold. On the outside he might have looked like a tough little marine, but when it came to his kids at the ball park, and if you played Dixie Youth Baseball you were one of his kids, and if you were one of his baseball kids, he was a big ol’ softy. Time and time again I have seen a kid come in the office that had lost their hat, or socks, of glove and asked Tommy to help them. He might grunt a little about them needing to be more careful, but then he would get whatever they needed and send them on their way. You see, that was what he saw as his duty, he was to serve his kids and make sure they had whatever they needed so they could play baseball.

Well, Last month God must have decided that he needed a guy up in Heaven with Tommy’s talent to serve even the least of us as Jesus called the children, and someone who showed unconditional love to his beloved kids, so he called Tommy home. I like to think that Tommy is organizing a baseball league for the kids in Heaven, where all the kids have a glove, and nice uniforms, and everybody gets to play on fields as nice as Tommy made Collyer Park. That may not exactly be the way that the Preacher says that Heaven is, but I figure that God might just like to see a good baseball game once in a while, and who best to organize one but my buddy Tommy.

Later this week I will blog you the schedule for the opening of the 2009 Dixie Youth Baseball season and the ceremonies honoring the little Marine who loved his players and baseball so much. If you are a former player, coach, parent, or fan please make plans to be there Saturday Morning. It is going to be a very special time for all.

It’s indeed will be …… The best of times, and the worst of times.

God Bless!
The Big One

Spring has Sprung!!!

Hey Guys,

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!! I got to watch one of my favorite movies tonight, "The Quiet Man", with John Wayne. What a great movie! I love the fight scene at the end.

Sorry about the delay in posting a new blog. For Some reason I forgot the password, and could not get signed on until my feeble mind remembered it. Oh well, they say your mind is the second think to go on a man. On me, it may be the first.

How about this great weather! Don't you just love spring. The pear trees are blooming, the butterflies are out, the baseball fields are green and everybody seems to be in a good mood. I just love spring, well except for the occasional Cyphoons that come along. Don't like them cyphoons, not a bit! Hopefully the bad weather will avoid us this year.

Baseball season is cranking up and so is dirt track racing, two of my favorite sports. I hope the Mileback Speedway will get to run this season without a couple of folks trying to ruin the season for the rest of us. It's amazing to me that they could stop a racetrack from running in a county that has no zoning! What a load of bull $#!).

Things are going good for the Band my sons are in, Days Off Screen. They signed a management contract a few weeks ago, and their new manager already has a couple of labels looking at them. Man, to be young and a rock and roller! Hopefully they will have some real good news in late spring or the early summer. Don't know where my sons got their musical talent from. Certainly wasn't me, I can just barely play the radio.

Anyway guys, enjoy the spring weather, spend some time outside before the pollen gets real bad. The fresh air will do you a lot of good!

Til next time, God Bless!
The Big One

Snow..... Finally!

Hey guys,

How about the snow! After a couple of teases Mother Nature finally gave us a pretty good dose of snow. At our house we got about four and a half inches, which seems about what everybody in the area got. Just think how much we would have on the ground if it had not rained so much Friday and Saturday, making the ground wet and not so cold.

This was the good kind of snow. Not a lot of sleet or ice in it to make things really slick and dangerous. We have not had a snowfall like this in a few years. I really enjoyed watching it snow Sunday, but I am glad it is melting because lets face it, it's March 2nd, it's time to start thinking about baseball.

I for one am ready for some baseball. It's funny, when basketball season starts I am all gung ho for basketball but as spring approaches basketball turns to drudgery and baseball seems like it is almost heaven on earth. I don't care what you do, gyms all smell a little bit like sweaty feet and are stuffy. Baseball is played outside in a park, with the gentle breezes carrying the smell of fresh cut grass blowing. Baseball means spring!

Although, there was that one time that Ben Dukes and myself had to broadcast a Thornwell softball game in a wind storm. There was a front coming through and the winds were blowing 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, and did I forget to mention that the high that day was 44? We very nearly froze to death. I had two sweat shirts and a coat on and was cold. Ben was dressed like an Eskimo and I swear I looked over there at him once and he looked blue! I had an extra coat in my truck and wrapped him up in it like a big ol blanket and he still shivered. It's hard to do play by play when you are shivering. I sure was glad when that game was over!

Oh well, that was a time. Anyway enjoy the snow!

Til next time, God Bless!
The Big One

Where did the 20 years go!?!?!?!?!?!?

Hey guys,

This week is a milestone of sorts for Ann and I. Our twin sons, Joel and Justin, turn 20 years old Thursday February 26th. Where did the twenty years go? It seems like it was only yesterday that late one night we were headed over to Self Memorial Hospital to have them. It has been a wild topsy - turvy fun filled twenty years, and boy does it make me feel old when I think about it.

Ann and I having twins just shows to everyone that there is a God, and he has a sense of humor. Neither Ann or I liked kids much when we were married. Kids seemed like they were an endledd production facility for bodily waste, loud noises, a constant drain on your finances, a boat anchor for a social life and generally a pain in the butt. We had no desire for any kids, and didn't even enjoy being around them. Early in our marrage Ann went for a check-up and exam, and the doctor told her that we would never have children. We threw a party that night to celebrate our good fortune!

Well twelve years of marrage passed and no kids. We lived our lives to the fullest, traveled, spent money like a drunken sailor on ourselves and our home, and generally had a great time. Then that fateful night in our swimming pool occured ( It was that hard water's fault) and about two or three weeks later Ann began to feel sick in the morning. After a couple of days of this, Ann decided to get a home pregnency test and geuss what, it turned blue, much to our shock!

Our families were thrilled, and we were in deep shock. What in the world were we gonna do. Neither of us had any idea what to do with a child. We were in trouble with a capital "T" when it came to natural child rearing skills.

Well, two months later just when we thought we were getting control of the situation life threw us another curve. Ann and here sister Tina went to the doctor for Ann's first ultrasound and we got our second shock. The tec nurse ran the ball over Ann's stomach, stopped and did it again. Then she said that she would be right back and left the room without another word. It scared Ann and Tina to death. All sorts of bad thoughts went through their minds. After a minute or so Dr. Beaudreau came in and repeated the test, looked at Ann and said, "Guess what, you are going to have twins!"

You know, when she told me that later that day I felt like life as we knew it was over, life was really gonna suck with kids. Well, I was wrong. I wouldn't take a billion dollars to change anything. Ann and I have been blessed with two great young men who have been very little trouble. Sure there has been a few rough spots, chicken pops, broken bones, occasional bad grades, and the first broken hearts when a teenage love affair ends. All in all though it has been good though. I love being a Dad, and realize that God blessed Ann and I when he gave us Justin and Joel. Yes we spoiled them, but what the heck, they are ours, why not.

Now that they are turning twenty I realize that our lives are entering into a new stage. Our boys are grown men now, and are no longer those little guys who took up so much of our time and efforts. Who knows what the future brings, but I do know that if it is half as exciting as the past twenty years have been it's gonna be a blast!

Happy Birthday Joel and Justin!!!
Love, Mom and Dad

My buddy Tommy......

Hey guys,

Ever so often something happens that you feel just isn't fair. I feel this way now. This week has been a tough one for me as I am having to say goodbye to a good friend. My buddy Tommy was the kind of guy that everyone wants to have as a friend. He was a straight up good guy. Over the past six or seven years I have spent a lot of time with Tommy. You see every man needs a "Men's Crisis Center" where he can go to get awy from things for a while. Tommy's office at Collyer Park was mine. Two or three times a week I would swing by and shoot the breeze with him. I will always remember these times with much fondness. It didn't matter what season it was or what was going on, a visit to the "Crisis Center" always seemed to smooth things out. Who know's what the topic of the day might be. I have spent hours talking to him and other attendees at the center about everything from sports to politics to music and everything in between. I already miss those times.

One subject that he delighted in talking about was his Granddaughter Autumn. In Tommy Powell's eyes the sun rose and set on her. He loved her and whenever there was a school activity, he was there. Whenever she needed something, he did his best to get it for her. She was the sunshine in his life. Of course He loved Jamie and Wendy also, but there was just something about his Autumn.

Tommy was what you saw. There was no phonyness to him. He was a Marine even though he had been out of the service for 35 plus years, and he was proud that he had been a Marine. One subject that he and I didn't discuss a lot was his time in Viet Nam. Over the years when I would ask him about his time over there he would just say "Well it was a tough time or we lost a lot of good guys there." Never a lot about what he had done. I have found out some amazing things about his service over there. He spent a while as a door gunner but after the chopper but after being shot down he decided it he would rather be a ground pounder. He was wounded when another member of a squad stepped on a mine. Even after he was severely wounded he was still trying to help out the more seriously wounded guys.

He showed his Marine training by being cool while in stressful situations. Once or twice a year over at the ballpark some parent or coach would forget that baseball was a kids game being played by kids and would start showing their ass. Tommy would calmly listen to them and then t handle the problem. Usually this meant he would tell them to calm down or they would have to leave the park. When he did this the tough little Marine would come out a little and the folks would know that he meant business. That would usually be the end of the problem.

Tommy was not the type person that sought the limelight. Over the years he was awarded many different honors. He received the Davy O'bryan award,

Tommy was the type of person who saw something good in nearly everyone. If you ever did enough to get on his bad side you had to be a real sum-bitch; and there were a couple of folks over the years that he banned from the ball park. And yes, I know who you were you sum-bitches, and will make sure that Albert and the other Dixie Youth officials know who you are and what you did, so stay away from the park. If Tommy thought you were so sorry you didn't need to be at the park and around the kids there then you still are not welcome. Stay away.

The last time I talked to Tommy was the day before he went in for surgery. I had come down with the creeping crud and had not been by the park for a couple of weeks because I did not want to give it to him. We talked about his surgery for a minute but he really did not want to discuss it that much. He wanted to talk about how quick that he could get back on his feet and back to the park. The doctors told him that he couldn't drive for at least a month and he was plotting ways to get to the ball park. He was worried about whether the landscapping company would get through re-doing the infields on all four fields in time for the grass to grow back out and blend in with the old turf. He was worried about having someone to man the office some everyday so his kids could get signed up for the upcoming season. He was worried about getting baseballs ordered, and walls painted, and a hundred other things, all of them related to Dixie Youth baseball's upcoming season. He was too busy to waste time worrying about himself. When we got ready to hang up I told him that I would be glad to come get him whenever he needed a ride. I also told him that my family would be praying for him and that I loved him. He ended the conversation in typical Tommy Powell fashion, "See You Big Un!" the same way he always did.

Well, yesterday I went over to Collyer Park and saw his handiwork all over the place. The infield work was finished, the chores that needed to be done were done, the office was manned by Albert Wilson, who had worked at the ballpark with Tommy. There were several coaches in the office, several Moms came in to register their kids to play ball, and the phone rang off the hook like it always did with people asking about Tommy, and what could they do to help out. Tommy would be proud that his friends were stepping up to carry on the work that he had done for thirty years. He would be proud that the preperations for the upcoming season were well underway. Course, it is taking several folks to get done what it took one little crippled Marine named Tommy to get done.

In a couple of months the park will resound with the happy yells from kids and fans alike as the umpire yells, "Play Ball!" and another season of Dixie Youth Baseball will get underway. As I get ready to broadcast the first pitch I will probably get a tear or two in my eye as I think about my buddy Tommy. I will miss him, but as long as kids play Dixie Youth baseball at Collyer Park his legacy will live on. Tommy Powell dedicated his life to the kids of Laurens County, and for that we all owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

The Marine motto is Semper Fi, which translates to Always Faithful. My friend Tommy lived his life by the Marine Motto. He was always faithful to his family, his friends, and to Dixie Youth Baseball.

God Bless,
The Big 'Un

Snow? What Snow !?!?!?

Hey Guys,

Was it me or did we have a snow event earlier this week? Have you ever seen a snow fall melt so fast? Up here on Tornado Alley,(Raider Road) when I left for work a little before 8:00 a. m. Tuesday there was about two inches of the fluffiest snow you ever saw. After we wrapped up Good Morning UpCountry right at 10:00 a. m. I looked out and it was gone! Never saw a snow fall melt so fast.

Well, what do you think about our new president. It looks like President Obama hit the ground running and has a busy first week. The one thing that really impresses me tremendously about our new president is the way he has given renewed hope to so many. It has been a while since so many Americans felt hopefull about how the state of our country was. I hope that this infusion of hopefulness will carry over and we as a collective group roll up our sleeves and get about the job of getting our economy back in order.

While I am at it I would like to ask, no implore you to pray for my friend Tommy Powell. You may not know Tommy, but if you have had a child or grandchild play Dixie Youth Baseball he has played a part in their life. He has not seeked the spotlight but without him there may not be a Dixie Youth Baseball program in Laurens. He worked for free over at Collyer Park for years, keeping the fields in shape, ordering equipment, lining up coaches and umpires, the list goes on and on. Sometimes during the summer, Tommy would get to the park before 8:00 a. m. and not leave until midnight. Thousands and thousands of kids have come through the program, and a lot of the credit for it belongs to Tommy Powell. How many folks can you name that are that dedicated to the kids around here. Oh, and I forgot to add, he did all this even though he is disabled because a mine nearly blew his legs off when he served in the Marines over in Viet Nam. Tommy had surgery the week before last and has had some major setbacks. He needs our prayers. My friend Tommy is a good man, and we have a big shortage of good men. Please pray for my buddy Tommy. Laurens needs him!

God Bless,
Big Gene

Random thoughts from a random mind......

Hey Guys,

I have no idea where this blog is headed. I will just type up what comes to mind and we will see what happens.

Even though the economy seems to be tanking it had not really effected me that much personally until a close relative of mine was laid off from his job after 13 years. Now it's personal.

Whether you voted for him or not, Baraak Obama is our president. We better all pray that he is granted wisdom to lead our nation out of these turmultious times.

I am ready for baseball. Being the Cub fan I am each season brings eternial optimism that this may be the year the Cubbies win the World Series, and each fall the realization that once again it is not.

I hope that we get a good snow this winter. It would be nice to see one start on a Friday morning and be gone by Monday. Just a day or so of seeing snow on the ground, but no Ice, we do not need any ice storm.

A Friday Night basketball game sure makes the weekend seem short.

A good dog is worth their weight in gold. They sure are good company when you are beginning to enter the empty nest syndrome period of parenthood.

Glenn Beck worries me! He sees the worst in everything and seems to think that our country is going to implode in the next few months. I hope he is wrong, either way he still worries me.

The Daytona 500 should be interesting this year because of the economic issues that the series is dealing with. No testing in the off-season, sponsorship deals falling through, teams merging, massive lay-offs, reduced factory support, all sorts of things going on in the off-season that will have a profound effect on the sport.

My favorite TV shows are NCIS, Criminal Minds, Numbers, and CSI. I guess this means that either I am a fan of police stories that revolve around solving strange cases, or I am a dormat psychopath.

I am glad that we are having some global warming...... C an you imagine how much colder this past weekend if there was no global warming going on.

Sometimes truth is stranger that fiction. 99% of the country is thankful that we saw a miracle last week when the plane went down in the Hudson River and everybody survived. The folks with PETA are mad about them Damn Geese being killed that brought the plane down. Get a life and try a cheeseburger.

God wants us to eat meat, if he hadn't then why did he make so many tasty animals for us to enjoy?

I love watching football being played on a snow covered field. It makes for some interesting play calls.

For the first time in a month I am feeling about normal. That Creeping Crud was rough!!!!!!

I guess that's about it for now gang, Hope you have a great week!!!
God Bless,
The Big One

The crud that keeps on giving!!!!!

Hey Guys,

As y'all know and have heard the crud has been going around WLBG. Randy and Emil got it first and despite my efforts to aviod it by taking massive amounts of vitamin C and trying to avoid the desease carriers I still got it around December 15th, and am still trying to get over it. This stuff is ROUGH. It clogs your lungs up and generally makes it hard to breath. Them there is the coughing fits that come with it. I declare, sometimes after a fit I think that I should be in a TB ward. Plus, you nearly lose your voice, and even though I have a terrible voice, I still need it each day for GMUC and other duties here at WLBG. I tried all the home remedies, loads and loads of Rock and Rye, more vitamin C, all types of cough syrups and expectorants, nothing seemed to work. Finally I gave up and headed to my doctor and he loaded me up with antiobiotics, steriods, and cough pills and after a week I am finally feeling like I may shake this stuff in the next few days.

I hope that you avoid this crud, but if you don't please go on to the doctor, don't delay going like I did. Three weeks plus of feeling terrible is enough to get anyone down, even the Big One.

Here's to your good health!!!
God Bless,
The Big One

P. S. Please remember my buddy Tommy Powell in your prayers. He is in the hospital recooperating from surgery and could use your prayers!!!