By By Ryan Satcher / staff writer
Oct. 6, 2002
Star Tracking…
October 6, 2001
SAN FRANCISCO Barry Bonds wasted no time. He claimed home run history for himself Friday by hitting No. 71 ending Mark McGwire's reign just one night after he tied baseball's most glamorous record. At press time, the Giants were leading 9-8 in the top of the fifth. Then in the third inning, he hit No. 72. Bond record-breaker came at Pacific Bell Park in the first inning on a tailing fastball from Los Angeles' Chan Ho Park and landed in right center. The San Francisco star connected on a 1-0 pitch to break the mark that McGwire set in 1998. It came on his first swing since hitting No. 70 in Houston's Enron Field off rookie Wilfredo Rodriguez. Both homers went in the same direction.
For all intents and purposes, the Meridian High Wildcats beat the No. 1 team in Mississippi. But the final scoreboard said otherwise. Top ranked Brandon escaped Ray Stadium with a 16-14 win when Andrew Gambrell's 41-yard kick was blocked with 17 seconds left. Gambrell had just a play earlier knuckle-balled a 46-yard kick through the uprights that should've put Meridian up 17-16. But Brandon was called for an illegal substitution penalty which negated the good kick. Brandon was able to get its kick-block team on the field following the five-yard mark-off. It paid off because the second kick never got off the ground.
October 6, 1997
CHICAGO He wanted you to believe it was nothing personal. but one look at Mike Ditka's rage-reddened face and it was clear Da Coach was consumed with beating the team he once led to a Super Bowl victory. Ditka was. . . Well, he was Ditka. He prowled the sidelines, ranting, pumping his fists, screaming at players and officials and stomping on the turf of Soldier Field. And when Heath Shuler and Randal Hill connected on an 89-yard touchdown pass with just under six minutes left, Ditka had a most satisfying victory as his New Orleans Saints beat the Chicago Bears 20-17 Sunday night.
RICHLAND, Texas Calvin Murray and Brad Cannon scored two goals each to lead Meridian Community College to a 5-1 win over Phoenix (Ariz.) College Sunday afternoon in the Richland Invitational. The win pushed MCC, ranked No. 5 in the country, to 11-1 on the year. Next up for MCC is a Region 23 match against rival Hinds Community College on Wednesday.
Ryan Satcher
Sport Faces…
Anna Covington
Eighth grader Anna Covington is in her second season as a member of the Lamar School Lady Raider cross country team.
Covington, 13, ran in the Raider Invitation last Monday at the Stubbs Farms across from Lamar School.
"It was hot out here," said Covington who came in 20th place in the girls' 2.1 mile race.
Covington ran cross country in sixth grade but took last year off.
"I ran two years ago in sixth grade. My mom wanted to come back and do it this year," she said.
Jeff Byrd