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We have received news of two of our own who
have been serving us faithfully in our armed forces in Iraq.
Touched by sacrifice
First, our condolences to the Gresham family in
the loss of Daniel. Twenty-three-year-old Daniel was born and raised
here. He was wholeheartedly serving his country in Iraq when he lost
his life in an explosion on Thursday. Our sympathies to his parents,
Robert Gresham, of West Plains, Mo., and Esther Choe Yu Chin Gresham
of Chicago, his siblings and his many relatives in and around
Lincoln.
We dedicate today's column to you.
Welcome home, Billy Barmes
We also must celebrate when one of our own
returns home safely. That's just a bigger story to me than anything
that could possibly be happening around here.
I'm one of those people who try (and I'm sure I fail miserably at
this at times) to never take these situations for granted.
Whether
it's prayer for the troops, packing and sending and financing gift
goody boxes, or sending cards and e-mails, I want to do my part…
even though I realize that my part might be the smallest part on the
planet. At any rate, before one letter on the keyboard was struck
devoted to sports this week, I just wanted to say welcome home,
Billy, and this week's "FANdamonium" is
dedicated to you!
Railers
and Illini claim outright titles
If you were a basketball fan trying to
pick a part of the country to live in, I'd have to suggest to you
for your consideration, central Illinois.
First, you've got one of the most
overachieving high school squads in the form of the Lincoln
Railsplitters. Though they have little size or height, they play
tenacious defense, execute the heck out of their offensive sets,
shoot the eyes out of it (that statement is a tribute to former
Illini coach Lou Henson), and get up at 7-7:30 in the morning to
practice free throws in case they're needed in a big game.
Oh, and by the way, Friday night at
Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin they were called on to make a few
free throws in the final seconds of the game to salt away the
outright CS8 championship. Their response? They casually tossed in
only 18 of 19 to secure the title. Nice going, guys!
Or you could slide over to
Champaign, home of the Illinois Fighting Illini. These guys haven't
done all that much the last few years. Unless, you consider five
titles in eight years not much. I don't think we had won five in the
last 50-75 years previous to that. The Illini also won a Big Ten
tourney title Brian Cook's senior year, just for some frosting on
the cake. This year they have yet to lose a BT game, or ANY game for
that matter. And when Michigan State absorbed a bad loss at Indiana
yesterday, Illinois had claimed another championship! This was their
second outright title in as many seasons, and it marked the first
time they had done that in over 50 years. But I digress…
Redbirds also having a good year…
So, I would mention them as further
evidence to live here for good hoops. Though ISU has struggled of
late, they are a very dangerous team. A win tonight and or a couple
of wins in the MVC tourney could go a long way toward determining
their postseason fate. At the least, they deserve to host an NIT
game and see what happens from there. Lincoln's Gregg Alexander will
be honored tonight as ISU entertains the always-tough Creighton
Bluejays on senior night.
I laughed when some people asked why
Gregg is going there. I think they were implying that he might not
fare all that well there. He only managed to score 1,000 points,
become the all-time leader in 3-point field goals and will walk away
ranked in the top five of many other categories. They were wrong.
I never doubted him, because he is
the toughest-minded kid and one of the smartest athletes I have ever
been around in any sport. If my son decides to play ball, I hope he
plays a lot like Gregg. The LDN salutes Gregg Alexander on an
outstanding ISU career.
It also marks the last of six
straight years Lincoln has had a representative in D-I basketball…
and it might even make seven, counting Alexander, Brian Cook and
Stephanie Reichle. But, I want to pose a question: Who will be next?
[to top of second column in
this article] |
Don't forget, your chance to see
Brian comes Friday, March 18, at Indianapolis. There are several
ways to get your tickets. Call the Pacers at (317) 239-5151 or
toll-free (800) 4NBATIX or you can log on at Ticketmaster.com.
Don't forget, your chance to see
Brian comes Friday, March 18, at Indianapolis. There are several
ways to get your tickets. Call the Pacers at (317) 239-5151 or
toll-free (800) 4NBATIX or you can log on at Ticketmaster.com! Lady Railers almost extend their
season
It took two overtimes to decide the
outcome. However, in the end Champaign Central eked out a 69-58
victory over one of the gutsiest Lady Railer squads we've seen in a
long time.
Though neither the girls nor their
coaches are offering up any excuses, when you consider how far this
team came, you might even wonder what might have been. I'm speaking
of injuries, bad bounces and breaks and how things might have
transpired for them. In spite of all that, they went out there and
fashioned a 17-11 season together. A lesser team might have folded
their tent content with a .500 season. But not these Lady Railers.
They continued to perform right up to the final seconds of their
season. That is a tribute to these players and to this coaching
staff. The LDN salutes you in every way!
Road trip…
I have an interesting one for you to
try if you like maple syrup. This is the time of year the sap/sugar
water is running, and people are cooking up that sweet stuff all
over the Midwest.
You may want to check out the Sugar
Shack just outside of Marshall, Ind. (Turkey Run, Ind.). Go east on
Interstate 74 through Illinois and on into Indiana. Go south (turn
right -- I think it's Exit 15) on 41. You'll go 20 or more miles
(this is quite a scenic route) until you get to 236. Turn left
(east) on 236 and you'll go through the picturesque town of
Marshall, and then you'll go through Guion. A couple miles and a few
hills later you'll come down a hill before it comes to a huge
hairpin curve, and you'll turn right (south) on a dirt road and
follow it toward Baird's Lumber/Saw Mill. After you go a little
ways, you'll see the mill on the hill to your right. Turn left
(toward Baird's Sugar Shack) and follow the rock road all the way
down to the Sugar Shack, situated right on the Little Raccoon Creek.
It is quite a process to watch them
cook up the syrup, and talk about delicious… I could go for some
right now.
This is a great scenic little place.
There is a huge eagle's nest right across the creek, and if you're
lucky you'll see the eagles flying around or sitting in the nest.
If you like this place, thank me; if
not, you can blame my wife because her cousin is running the place.
And yes, I know there are places around here that do the same thing,
and I support them wholeheartedly. This is just for the many readers
who have cabin fever, like to throw the family in the minivan and
take a little day trip.
The Sugar Shack is open Saturday and
Sunday, March 5-6 from sunup to sundown. Tell 'em you know us and
they may give you a discount on maple syrup and sorghum… On the
other hand, they may not!
Area colleges enter the postseason
Still awaiting results, but this is
what we know…
LCC men's team lost to Marantha, and
their season is over. LCC's women also lost, but rumor on the
streets of Lincoln early this morning was that the Angels received
an at-large bid to the national tourney, which I think is being
played in Clearwater, Fla. At this point I have not heard anything
about Lincoln College's teams as to seeds, opponents and so on. But
stay tuned, and we'll try to bring you that info as we get it! And,
good luck, Angels!!!
Local high school hoops teams
complete successful campaigns
Though I'm sure their respective
seasons ended sooner than they hoped, Hartsburg-Emden, Illini
Central and Mount Pulaski all completed stellar seasons. The LDN
salutes the players and coaches of these tradition-rich programs! We
also extend best wishes to Warrensburg-Latham as they march on in
Class A play.
There is probably a lot more that I
am missing, but that's it for now. Have a great week, everybody!
[Jeff Mayfield] |
