Kurtz’s Korner 7/21/14

HELPING ONE OF OUR OWN

There’s plenty of sports coverage coming up later in this column, so keep reading and you’ll get your fix. Sometimes there are more important things to discuss, however, and today just feels like one of those times.

I’m a graduate of Jackson High School, and I am very proud to boast about having Stark County roots.  Stark County and the surrounding area is a great place to grow up because unlike a lot of places in the world, people there actually care about their neighbors and their community.  You can drive down the street and wave at a somebody you don’t even know, and they smile and wave back instead of looking at you as though you’re crazy. Stark County certainly isn’t a modern day Mayberry and it’s far from perfect, but there’s just something about it that few places can match.

By now you probably know the story of Sharon Budd, who teaches Language Arts at Edison Middle School in the Perry district.  While driving home from a tip to New York City with her family, Budd was critically injured when four hoodlums threw an eight pound rock through the windshield of the family vehicle from a Pennsylvania overpass.

Family and friends have raised over $28,000 to benefit Budd’s family.  If you’re reading this and want to help, here is one of the two links through which you can donate.     http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/our-turn-to-support-sharon/203890     Cards and letters may be sent to the  Budd family in care of  Geisinger Health System, 100 North Academy Avenue, Danville, PA 17822-4910.

PAUL WACKERLY TO HEAD GLENOAK GIRLS BASKETBALL PROGRAM

When he resigned as Perry’s boys basketball coach in the spring of 2013, Paul Wackerly wasn’t sure exactly where the coaching trail would take him next.  That question has now been answered, because Wackerly is now the head girls coach at Glenoak.  Former coach Krista Ross had the Golden Eagles program moving in the right direction, so Athletic Director Scott Garcia wasn’t anticipating an opening.  Ross, who recently earned administrative credentials, left Glenoak to become an assistant principal at Green.

Wackerly happens to live in the Glenoak district, and his desire to coach along with an impressive resume made Garcia’s choice fairly simple.  Wackerly posted a 43-24 record in three seasons at Perry, and the Panthers won a share of the 2011-12 Federal League title.

Wackerly has 319 wins to his credit as a girls coach, and that total includes a 252-74 record in 14 seasons at Hoover.  During Wackerly’s tenure, the Vikings won eight Federal League crowns and five district championships. Wackerly’s greatest achievement came in 2002, when he guided Hoover to a 58-40 victory over Cincinnati St Ursula in the Division I state championship game.  Abbey Allerding, who coached the Vikings to a state runner up finish in 2014, was the point guard for Wackerly in 2002.

Kurtz’s Korner 7/13/14

CHARLES BARKLEY ON GORDON AND MANZIEL

Charles Barkley is good for a lot of laughs, but most of the time he makes a lot of sense. In a radio interview with Canton native Dustin Fox during the LeBron watch earlier this week, Barkley was asked to weigh in on Johnny Manziel.  Prior to answering that question, the entertaining and outspoken TNT analyst offered a genuine show of support for receiver Josh Gordon.

” I don’t know Josh Gordon, but I’m wishing him the best,” Barkley said. “I have a brother who died (from addiction) a few years ago. Drugs and alcohol, they’re undefeated. When you get involved with drugs and alcohol, it’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when it’s going to get you, and I hope the Browns don’t just throw him away. At some point you might have to kick him out, but he’s still a young kid. Put him in rehab for an extended period of time, and give him at least one more chance after sitting out a year.”

Barkley also has some advice for Manziel, who has made quite a splash with tabloids and newspapers before hitting the field in his rookie season.

“Johnny has to understand that everybody in this generation has a cell phone, and you’ve got to be careful when you’re out in public,” Barkley said. “The only problem I have with Johnny Manziel is that he and his friends are always taking pictures. Somebody might get (a picture of) me, but it won’t be one of my friends because I don’t allow my friends to take pictures when they’re with me.

“The two guys I always have with me, they’re watching everybody around me in case something happens. He’s got to watch himself, because everybody’s out to get you now.  Every nitwit has a cell phone, but you should never take pictures of yourself doing anything that could be considered stupid. Most of his pictures are selfies, and that tells me he’s just too immature to handle this fame thing right now.”

FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES CHAMPIONS BREAKFAST

Malone University’s Johnson Center is the site for this year’s annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Champions Breakfast, which takes place on Sunday, August 3rd at 7:30 a.m.  The featured speakers for the 2014 event are NFL Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Lem Barney.

Born in Middletown, Carter was a Hall of Fame inductee in 2013 after a solid 16 year career with the Eagles, Vikings and Dolphins. Carter, now an ESPN analyst, caught 1,101 passes for 13,899 yards during 16 professional seasons, which was good for an astonishing 12.1 yards per catch along with 130 career touchdowns.

Barney, who is now an associate minister at Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield, Michigan, played 11 seasons with the Detroit Lions as a defensive back who also excelled on special teams.  Barney intercepted 56 passes with 1077 return yards, and seven of those went for touchdowns.  Barney intercepted 10 passes during his rookie season in 1967, which earned him defensive rookie of the year honors. 1967 also marked the first of Barney’s seven all pro selections.

A native of Gulfport, Mississippi, Barney, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992, is best known for the speed he displayed on punt and kickoff returns. Barney amassed 1,312 yards on 143 punt returns and 1,243 yards on 50 kickoff returns.

Tickets for the event are $30 each or $200 for a table of eight. Contact Hanna Calhoun (HCalhoun@FCA.org) for more details.

Kurtz’s Korner 6/25/14

JEFF HITE REINSTATED AS HOOVER BASEBALL COACH

Hoover Superintend Michael Hartenstein announced earlier today that after his abrupt firing last week, veteran baseball coach Jeff Hite will return to the Viking dugout next spring. In 10 years at the helm, Hite has guided the Hoover baseball program to a 180-103 record and a district title in 2013. That total includes a 19-9 record in 2014, which was good for a second place Federal League finish behind Division I state champion Jackson. Hite, a Hoover graduate, also spent 14 season in charge of the Viking softball program. Hite compiles an astonishing 341-64 record and guided Hoover to the first two of the program’s eight state championships.
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Kurtz’s Korner 6/15/14

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

I don’t refer to myself very often in the writing of this column, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t wish Happy Father’s Day to my dad and all of the dads in the Big Time Sports audience. I can honestly say that my dad has given me countless gifts for which I will never be able to repay him, and among the most precious of those is a healthy appreciation for the beauty of sport and all of its contributions to the world in which we live.
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