By By Austin Bishop / EMG regional sports director
July 6, 2003
Writing words of wisdom on a Sunday while wondering whatever happened to Don Strock …
The last time I saw or spoke to Jamie Brown he was walking off the Lamar High School baseball field after getting in one last off-season workout.
The next day, the former Meridian Community College and West Lauderdale pitching star, was headed to Florida for Spring Training.
He was hoping this would be the season he would impress the Cleveland Indians enough to make the jump to AAA baseball and perhaps get a sniff at playing in the Major Leagues.
Well, he may just get that chance, but it probably won't be in a Cleveland uniform.
Just over a week ago the Indians traded the rights to Brown to the Boston Red Sox for a player-to-be-named later.
In 13 games with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League Cleveland's Triple-A team Brown went 4-4 with a 3.52 ERA.
Brown, who has had arm problems at times, had become a dependable starter with good control, but his opportunities with the Cleveland farm system were getting fewer so a change of scenery is probably a good thing.
He is now working out of the bullpen for the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston's Triple-A International League affiliate.
In three games he has pitched 6.1 innings and picked up a save, while striking out six and not allowing a walk.
Boston is certainly in need of quality pitching, so perhaps this will bolster Brown's chances of pitching in the Major Leagues.
Fans can keep up with Brown by checking out the Pawtucket website at www. pawsox.com.
Nashville Superspeedway
great place to enjoy racing
While a NASCAR Winston Cup race may never be held at the Nashville Superspeedway, that doesn't mean it's not a great place to watch some quality racing.
While I enjoy Cup racing as much as anyone, well maybe not as much as the lady in Meridian who drives around in a No. 88 car complete with Dale Jarrett's UPS paint scheme, I also get a kick out of the Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA/REMAX, IRL and anything else that goes fast around a race track.
Nashville Superspeedway hosts four big weekends through the year, including this coming weekend when the Indy Racing League comes to Tennessee.
The Busch Series has already come to Nashville twice this season and the Craftsman Trucks will be rolling onto the 1.33 mile concrete track on Aug. 8 for a Friday night race. The ARCA/REMAX series will race the following afternoon.
The stands seat just over 30,000, and the facility and track layout is outstanding. What impresses me is the way the parking is handled and the cleanliness of the surrounding area.
The track is easy to get to, the tickets are reasonably priced, and the folks at Nashville Superspeedway are pleasant to work with.
A photo of the main grandstands is on Page D3 of today's newspaper.
If you are interested in finding out more about the track, check out the website at www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com.
Still seeking brackets
for youth league baseball tourneys
It is all-star tournament time, but we still haven't received the information on most of the teams in the area.
We would love to know about all of the area Dixie Youth, Dizzy Dean, Babe Ruth, Little League of America, girls softball and any other youth baseball and softball teams.
Just fax in the information and a contact name and number to me at 485-1207 or e-mail me at abishop@themeridianstar.com.
I can be reached Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 938-2471 or you can leave a voice mail any time at 485-1203.
Those interested in reporting the scores for the tournaments can come by the office and pick up a reporting form, or just leave a number where one can be faxed to you. A mailing address will also be fine.
Please let us know about your events as soon as possible before it begins, so we can prepared to organize coverage.