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Show I I could have been watching PGHS baseballl p.ff. blab i i By MARCELLA WALKER When I heard on the news Saturday night that Pleasant Grove High School had won the state 3A baseball championship, I about went into orbit. Then I about kicked myself around the block for not going up to the games on Saturday in Salt Lake. I could have, you know. There was nothing so pressing that it could not have waited. But the whole event did not even enter my mind. First of all, I am a devoted baseball fan. I am the only one at my house who will watch a baseball game on TV all the way through, regardless of who is playing. I am a died-in-the-wool Dodgers fan but I like the Braves because they have Dale Murphy and I like the Angeles because they have Wally Joyner, and I like the Indians because they have Cory Snyder, and on and on it goes. I would like to go to the softball games every night down at the Shannon Field because I enjoy those so much. I make my husband stop at ball games in Provo and Orem sometimes. I love baseball (and softball). sof-tball). So I feel really bad that I worked on the patio and got all those new hanging baskets when I could have been watching PGHS win the state title.. . , ., . Hoover was on sabbatical this year, assisting at BYU and furthering his education. But he was there Saturday, at Derk's Field, -when the team, coached this year by Alan Bahr and John Wardenburg, made their presence known. It is ironical, in a way, that the first fir-st time a PGHS team wins the state championship, the coach is a man who has been the assistant coach for many years. I wonder how Coach Hoover felt? Did he wish he had waited until next year to take his sabbatical? Of course, his coaching had already had an important influence on this team for the past two years: It was his victory, too, but I do wonder won-der how he felt. I have a friend who is an aunt to one of the PGHS pitchers. She said he has attracted a lot of attention from colleges and the pros this year. I am sure many of the other players have too. This championship will attract even more scouts. It is kind of neat to think about, isn't it? We already have Dane Iorg right here in Pleasant Grove. Now, maybe, we will have some other famous baseball players, too. Although the police escort apparently did not materialize when the bus with the baseball team and the entourage returned to Pleasant Grove, the bus driver, Jim Danklef, ' I believe, did drive them am, town and tooted the horn a biut everyone know that the ViW done it. Baseball is different than fafe In football there is only one fJ7 week, and when the VikiT i going to be playing at state W plenty of time to let people fe where and when. In baseball, they play every j,, This is a double elimination toe. nament. You do not have much fin to let people know the times Z places of games. There was u much time, therefore, to get a m crowd worked up and aware Hit Vikings were going to be playing the championship. However, a good crowd of fa were out to the games and we m glad of that, even though I wasi one of them. But when I heard it on the news: did cheer loud and long right then t my own family room. I let everyto know in case they had not heard: It was wonderful. We are proud of you, everyone! you players and coaches. You hav-brought hav-brought great recognition upon Ik community as well as the school. You have put us on the nu; I'll bet a lot of people in Uii Saturday night were saying, "Wte in the world is Pleasant Grove!' Now they know! Thanks for a job well done, p? ' j Pleasant Grove does not win state titles all that often. We have been quite successful in wrestling over the years. We have gone to state a lot lately in football, baseball and basketball. But this is the first time the Vikings have come home with the big one in baseball. It is great. And on top of all that, school is over for the year when the final baseball games are played in the state championships, at least in the Alpine School District. Many seniors had probably taken off for a weekend of glorious relaxation after receiving their diplomas Friday night and were not around to see their team take state. The seniors on the team were glad that their graduation celebration could be carried over to the next day, when they defeated Dixie for the championship. As most of you know, Coach Jon |