Friday, May 21, 2010

BEEBE BADGERS WIN 5A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN BASEBALL!!!!!







Updated on May 25, 2010- I want to thank Russ Lindsey for letting me post these pics that he took last Friday at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. Russ gave me permission to use these pics. I will give a short description of each pic, starting from the bottom and going to the top:
#1- The four seniors on the 2010 team holding the trophy and the banner, signifying the state championship.
#2- Junior Griffin Glaude, who struck out 11 and also drove in two runs, holding up his MVP trophy.
#3- Glaude dropping to his knees after the final out, preparing for the ceremonial dogpile from his teammates.
#4- The traditional dogpile. Griffin is somewhere on the bottom, haha.




Badger fans, it is truly a great day to be a Badger!!!! The Beebe Badgers defeat the Monticello Billies 6-2 at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville to win the 2010 Class 5A baseball championship. Junior Griffin Glaude dominated on the mound with an 11 strikeout performance. He also drove in two runs on his way to be being named MVP. I will hopefully post pictures taken by Badger fans who attended today's historic game on here very soon! Beebe wins its first ever state championship in baseball. Congradulations to Coach Mark Crafton and the rest of the Badgers!!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

spring football practice

This afternoon, I paid a visit to Bro Erwin Stadium as the Beebe Badger football team was taking part in spring football practice. They were working on short yardage and goal line situations. There were a number of Badgers that I was very impressed with, but keep your eye on sophomore to be Jared Gilliam. He made some tackles on defense that really impressed the coaching staff. These Badgers are bigger and stronger and should make some noise as Beebe returns to the 5A East after a two year stint in the 5A Southeast. After practice, I spoke w/ former Badger Victor Howell. Victor told me that he is attending Arkansas Baptist College on a football scholarship and will also run track. His goal is to hopefully attend the University of Tulsa and maybe play football for them. I have a feeling we'll be hearing his name quite a bit over the next few years.

5A state championship game in baseball

Well Badger fans, Friday afternoon, the Beebe Badger baseball team will be trying to make history as they attempt to win their first ever state title in baseball. The Badgers, who are 24-7, will take on fellow 5A Southeast Conference mate Monticello in the championship game. The Badgers dominated Sylvan Hills, 9-1 on Monday night to advance to the title game. I spoke w/ Coach Mark Crafton via e-mail today, and he told me that these kids are pumped and are looking to make history. First pitch is scheduled for 2 PM at Baum Stadium on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. I will not be broadcasting that game, but I invite all Badger fans to make the trip up to Fayetteville. Go Badgers!!!!!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Greg Miller, President/CEO of NEARSports


That is a picture of Greg Miller, President/CEO of NEARSports, broadcasting at a game last fall. Greg passed away on Wednesday, May 5, 2010. He was 55 years old. He is survived by a son, Chris, daughter, Lindi, and his mom. I had only known Greg for a year, but I will always be indebted for what he did for me, both personally and professionally. I still remember the first conversation w/ him. It was in the late fall of 2008. As many of ya'll know, I was not broadcasting that year, and was going through many changes in my life, personally. My wife had moved out a month earlier, and I was adjusting to life as a single man. I was trying to not only find some normalcy in my life, plus, trying to make some extra money broadcasting. I had read that NEARSports had been sold and I contacted Greg to see if there were any broadcasts in north central Arkansas. Greg contacted me and we spoke for 30 minutes to an hour. I sensed the passion in his voice that he had as far as broadcasting and also for his family. Before he and I actually met, he and I had many phone conversations. We spoke a lot about high school sports, about the Badgers, about Greene County Tech, but we also spoke about life. See, one thing that Greg and I had in common was the fact that we were both/went through divorce. I learned a lot about Greg the announcer, but also learned a lot about Greg the person. No matter how many hours we worked, Greg was always, and I mean, always there for his kids. He was so proud of his son. Greg gushed with pride at the fact that Chris was attending Williams Baptist College, a school that Greg was very closely associated with. He was also very proud of Lindi. I can still remember a phone conversation in which his daughter had some of her friends over and you could hear them in the background. I still remember the day that we finally met. A two hour drive to Paragould and then trying to find NEARSports office. I still remember that voice when I walked in the front door. There was no doubt that it was indeed Greg. I can still picture all the momentos that were in his office: the posters, hats, pictures, etc. Greg Miller was just as passionate about sports and family in person as he was on the phone. I think that's what I'll always remember about him. I still remember Media Day, when he and I did a live broadcast of Media Day 2009, getting ready for football season. He was so complimentary of the facilities and the football program. You would've thought he lived in Beebe. The last contact that I had with Greg was about a month and a half ago. I told him to get ready because both the baseball and softball teams were going to be in the postseason and to get ready to get the approval from the AAA. I don't know what's going to happen with NEARSports, but I'll always remember Greg Miller. He took a chance on a temporarily retired play by play announcer and put me back in the booth. He always took the time to talk to me and to help me, whether it was trying to get my first internet broadcast going correctly, or just trying to pump me up. He did a lot for me personally and professionally and I'll never forget him. Thanks Greg!!

5A state softball tournament in Wynne

Well Badger fans, the Lady Badger season has sadly come to an end at the hands of the Vilonia Lady Eagles, a team that Beebe defeated earlier in the season. As of this writing, I do not have a final score, but the game was called at the top of the 7th inning because of lightning with Vilonia leading 3-0. Beebe ends their season at 17-9.

5A state baseball tournament in Monticello

Well Badger fans, Coach Mark Crafton and his Beebe Badger baseball team are one win away from playing in their first state championship game as the Badgers will take on 5A Southeast foe in one semifinal on Monday evening. On Friday afternoon, in a game that was moved up because of graduation ceremonies for both Beebe and Greenbrier, the Badgers eeked out a 3-2 win over the 5A West Panthers. On Saturday, the Badger offense exploded as they defeated the #4 seed from the 5A East, Forrest City, 11-3. The 5A tournament has seen two #1 seeds going down in the 1st round, which included Magnolia, the team that Forrest City defeated in the 1st round. This is the first time EVER that a BHS baseball team has played in the state semifinals. It should be an exciting game. I will post an update as soon as I find out a score. I won't be broadcasting this game(See post on NEARSports), but I'll be following the Badger Express as they will hopefully play for a state championship next weekend. Go Badgers!!!!

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Track update

Also, just a note to congradulate both track teams as they finished runners up in the conference meet down at Monticello. The boys only finished 13 points behind the 1st place team. Both teams will be sending plenty of athletes to the 5A state meet, which will be held next week. Good luck to the Badger/Lady Badger track teams.

Baseball/Softball update

Hi there friends! Hard to believe that high school baseball and softball is drawing to a close and for some teams, it means jockeying for position for postseason tournaments. For the Beebe High teams, it also means competing for conference championships.

For the Beebe Lady Badger softball team, this week was a bit of a letdown as the Crossett Lady Eagles pulled off an upset in game #1 of their doubleheader on Thursday afternoon. The Lady Eagles won game #1 3-2, but lost game #2, 5-3. At the very worst, Beebe is one game behind conference leader White Hall, as their showdown for the conference championship looms on Tuesday. The good news, as far as Lady Badger softball goes, is that junior pitcher Megan Harris was able to come back from what was thought to be a season ending knee injury. With the rotation of pitching that Coach Eric Chambers has, Beebe has a good chance against White Hall on Tuesday.

For the Beebe Badger baseball team, their dream of an undefeated conference season ended in game #1 against White Hall on Thursday, as the Bulldogs won a pitchers duel, 1-0. However, the Badgers got their revenge in game #2, winning 14-5. The Badgers and Monticello Billies are now in a 1st place tie, with the two teams playing on Tuesday at Monticello which should decide the 5A Southeast Conference championship.