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Skip Caray was a Legend

Back in October 2007, I posted this blog after the Atlanta Braves’ run on the SuperStation WTBS came to an end:

“Growing up in Southwest Virginia, there were two options for Major League Baseball when I was a youngster. You had the Chicago Cubs on WGN and the Atlanta Braves on TBS. The Cubs usually came on after I got home from school and interfered with the cartoons I watched, so I only caught their games occasionally.

I am sure many of the folks in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee share these memories as well and were sad to see Atlanta’s run on the SuperStation come to an end.”

Yesterday was an emotional day as well. Skip Caray passed away at his Atlanta home at the age of 68. Skip was the voice of Braves baseball for more than 30 years and a bonafide legend. When the Braves were terrible in the 1980s and losing 90-100 hundred games a year with a lineup that included the likes of Ozzie Virgil, Bruce Benedict and Obdie McDowell, Skip (along with Dale Murphy) may have been the biggest star Atlanta had. And then the 1990s, things turned around. There was Worst to First miracle in 1991, Bream’s slide in ‘92 and Marquis Grissom recording the final out of the ‘95 World Series. Skip was there through it all and provided an excellent soundtrack.

It was Skip and Ernie Johnson, Sr. Skip and Sutton. Skip and a host of others whose names I have forgotten. But the best combination was Skip and Pete Van Wieren. Two of the best.

When I was in Atlanta in 2003 to cover Bristol native Jimmy Gobble making a start for the Kansas City Royals in an interleague game at Turner Field, Van Wieren happened to step on the same media elevator that I was in. I was in awe, but at the same time I felt like I had known the guy all my life. But the more I thought about it, I had been listening to Skip and Pete provided the voices for the games I had watched all my life.

Throughout my life, Skip was always there, calling Braves games. It became a routine as I got older. On a Saturday, it was WCW Saturday night at 6:05 and the Braves at 7:05 on Ted Turner’s cable network. Great talking by Ric Flair, followed by great announcing by Skip Caray.

Those were good times.

Thanks for the memories, Skip.

Posted by Tim Hayes

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By now, even the most casual sports fan has heard about the ugly drama that unfolded Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Drivers were universal in their disgust after the high-stakes blowout at the Brickyard.

By now, even the most casual sports fan has heard about the ugly drama that unfolded Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Drivers were universal in their disgust after the high-stakes blowout at the Brickyard.

Consider that 52 of the 160 laps ran under caution and the longest green flag period was 13 laps. Sound like $100 worth of fun?

If anything good comes out of this mess, it’s that drivers, fans and media types were so open in their criticism of NASCAR and Goodyear.

Earlier this season, NASCAR officials actually called a closed-door meeting to chastise drivers for being so open in their complaints about the generic Car of Tomorrow. Dictatorship?

With inconsistent rulings and lackluster racing with the COT, ripping NASCAR is about as easy as shooting a cow.

There’s a huge difference between throwing out insults and actually offering constructive suggestions, however.
Yes, this sport has problems but it’s still a compelling and popular spectacle on most weekends.

For some reason, many fans blindly and passionately defend anything related to the top levels of NASCAR. They will accept and defend cornball commentators, bratty drivers, crude fan behavior and boring events.

To these true believers, it’s fine to offer blanket attacks on stick-and-ball sports without facts. However, don’t you dare say anything about their sport, team or man. It’s all about being part of a community or family.

And yes, that colorful family of followers includes some members of the media who do nothing praise the sport and its stars. Objectivity anyone?

The fans who have built this once-regional game deserve so much better. It was refreshing on Tuesday to hear a NASCAR official issue an apology for Sunday’s debacle at the most hallowed ground in motorsports.

Goodyear and NASCAR should clearly share the blame for failing to predict how the current car would react to the unique conditions at Indy.
Instead of moaning and hand wringing, how about we do something to reward the earnest folks who actually fuel this billion-dollar sport.

While crowds have been down at some tracks this season, fans are still making expensive sacrifices to worship at the stock car altar.

Here’s a suggestion. Let’s honor those disciples with reduced ticket prices, reasonable concessions and free souvenirs.

Whatever the gesture, NASCAR officials and track operators need to reach out to fans who endure bore-a-thons like Sunday’s Allstate 400 yet keep coming back for more.
With gas and grocery prices slicing the family budget, the time for accountability is now.

Posted by Allen Gregory
NASCAR
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“I believe that you have to crawl before you can walk and I just felt it was the smartest place for me to start in this sport.”

Full transcript of an e-mail interview between the Bristol Herald Courier and Randy Moss, New England Patriots wide receiver and half-owner of Morgan-Dollar Racing’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team. Moss’ No. 81 Kobalt Tools Chevrolet truck will be driven by NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson in tonight’s O’Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

1.) Why did you decide to pick Bristol for Jimmie Johnson to race your truck?

It really just all happened this way as all of the pieces fell into place.  Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet came to us awhile back expressing their interest in putting Jimmie in the truck at Bristol as it was something they were looking to do to help him get some more seat time. It is an honor to have a champion like Jimmie driving the No. 81 truck and hopefully we will be able to have a lot of success together this week.

2.) Why get into trucks and not NASCAR Sprint Cup or Nationwide?

I believe that you have to crawl before you can walk and I just felt it was the smartest place for me to start in this sport.  I have seen many others come into NASCAR and want to go to Cup right away and their success has not necessarily been the best.  I wanted to give myself the best avenue for success and I think this is it.

3.) How long have you wanted to participate in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series?

This is something that I have wanted to do for quite a while.  I have been a big fan of the sport for a long time and have been involved in a few other racing opportunities. I’ve sponsored a local dirt track in West Virginia and am also a Goodwill Ambassador for the Urban Youth Racing School. Supporting and being involved in the youth programs is always something that I enjoy doing and it is a major component of Randy Moss Motorsports.

4.) What do you think so far about how everything has gone in terms of being involved in Truck Series racing?

So far, racing in the Truck Series has been great. The racing that happens every week is always action-filled and it has been cool to see that 81 truck going around the track. We have had a couple of good solid runs, but we are hoping to improve our finishes and break into the top-five here soon.

5.) A lot of people don’t know that you’re from the South. Do you take pride in coming from the South and staying involved in the world of Southern sports, such as auto racing?

I take a huge amount of pride coming from West Virginia. I’m just a good Southern boy from West Virginia, who enjoys some good cooking and is proud of where he came from. Growing up, I would be outside playing football and one of our neighbors had a racecar. He would rev his engine and we would always listen to it. This was my first interaction with racing.

6.) Will trucks be enough for you or do you want to get involved in bigger things in terms of racing?

I would like to make it up to the Sprint Cup Series at some point but we will just play this thing out and see where we end up. I definitely want to work my way up the ladder and be successful, competing for wins at every level. I think this week with Jimmie is going to give us a great opportunity to get the No. 81 truck in Victory Lane.

7.) Have you been to Bristol Motor Speedway before? If so, what’s your opinion of it. If not, do you think you’ll attend the August races?

I have never been to Bristol and unfortunately I am busy in preseason training and games with the New England Patriots and I will not be attending this race.  Maybe I can get to the track at some point in the future.

8.) Is it hard to balance your NFL life with racing, or does it work well because of the NFL’s offseason?

Well, first and foremost playing in the NFL is my job. I love playing football and it has given me the opportunity to do things like own a race team in the Truck Series.  During the NFL season, football is my main priority, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be paying attention to the action on the track. I will be watching every race and be in communication with the team. You probably won’t see me around the track during football season and hopefully I am playing football until February, but when the season is over, you will definitely see me around more.

Posted by Brian T. Smith
NASCAR
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Local Legends in the Pros

Thanks to the readers out there for the feedback I’ve received on my “Local Legends in the Pros” series. I am still trying to track down information on certain players and have had trouble contacting some former players and their family members and tracking down pictures of some of the stars from past eras.

So once again, if you know any relatives, have any photos or any other information on the following players, please e-mail me at

Deacon Phillippe: Rural Retreat native starred for the Pittsburgh Pirates and started the first game of the inaugural World Series in 1903. He moved from Rural Retreat at an early age and I’m not sure he has any relatives still in the area.

Scotty Barr: Bristol, Tennessee native played two seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908-09. Spent the final years of his life in Texas.

Jim Pankovits: Played for the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox from 1984-1990. Was born in Pennington Gap (Lee County) and moved away in his youth.

Limb McKenry: Born in Piney Flats, Tenn. and pitched in the major leagues in 1915 and 1916. Spent the later years of his life in California.

Johnny Watson and Billy Baldwin: Both were born in Tazewell and both eventually reached the big leagues. Watson played briefly for the Detroit Tigers in 1930, while Baldwin played in the majors in the mid-1970s. This duo has been tough finding information on, so hopefully someone in Tazewell County can fill me in.

Walker Cress: Born in Ben Hur community of Lee County and played with the Cincinnati Reds in 1948 and 1849. I know a few athletes with that last name have participated at Lee High the last few years, so hopefully his family is still in Southwest Virginia. He lived in Baton Rouge after his playing career was over.

Lew “Noisy” Flick: Bristol native played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943 and 1944.

Frank Walker: Spent the latter part of his life in Bristol and was a teammate of Ty Cobb’s with the Detroit Tigers in 1917 and 1918.

Dave Hillman: Born in Scott County and later played in the majors from 1955-1962.

Charlie Caldwell: Bristol native earned later fame as the football coach at Princeton University and is in the College Football Hall of Fame. Two-sport star also spent time with the 1925 New York Yankees.

Bernie Creger: Born in Wytheville and played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1947. Passed away in 1997 in Lynchburg. I know the Creger name is common in Wythe County, so hopefully his family is out there and can help me out.

Clarence Fletcher “Lefty” Thomas: Glade Spring native pitched in the majors in mid-1920s.

Clarence “Tilly” Walker: Born in Telford, Tenn. and later lived in Unicoi County. Power hitter during the infancy of MLB. Thanks for the commenter on the previous blog for pointing out Mr. Walker’s career to me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks again for your feedback.

Posted by Tim Hayes

Local Legends in the Pros

Sometimes I feel like I was born about five decades too late. All my life, the 1950s and 1960s have always been intriguing to me and I can’t seem to get enough of the time period.

While playing high school football, I wore No. 19 and sported a flat-top in honor of Johnny Unitas. I know and think it’s cool that April 6 is not only my birthday, but that of Merle Haggard as well. My iPod includes selections from Chuck Berry.

But the biggest reason I love the 50s and 60s was not for the music, the great television shows or just because I’m a nostalgia nerd. No, it’s for the baseball. It was the glory era of the sport and was the focal point of Ken Burns’ phenomenal, nine-part Baseball documentary.

It also led me to a summer project.

In Wednesday’s edition of the Bristol Herald Courier, a story appeared on Dante, Va. native Harry Perkowski. The left-hander pitched eight seasons in the major leagues, mainly with the Cincinnati Reds.

The story is the first in a series of stories scheduled this summer on ex-big leaguers from Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. Profiles of Abingdon’s Gail Harris and Wythe County’s Jim Archer will appear in the BHC in the coming days.

I also need your help. If you have any information, know any family members or how I could contact them, have pictures or just want to share some stories, please feel free to e-mail me at

Here are some players that I am particularly interested in:

Deacon Phillippe: He was born in Rural Retreat but moved to the Midwest a short time later. Biggest claim to fame was starting the first World Series game in history, 105 years ago.

Bernie Creger: Wytheville native appeared in 15 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1947.

Tracy Stallard: Right-hander from Coeburn compiled a 30-57 record in his big league career. Is best known for allowing Roger Maris’ 61st home run in 1961. What isn’t well known is Stallard lost that game 1-0. Or that Maris hit home runs off two Southwest Virginia players that summer – Jim Archer from the Max Meadows community of Wythe County and Stallard.

Dave Hillman: Born in Dungannon, Va. and last I heard, was living in Kingsport. Played in the majors from 1955-1962

Charlie Caldwell: Born in Bristol, but moved to New Jersey in his youth. His lone appearance in the big leagues came in three games in 1925. Better known for his football accomplishments at Princeton University.

Billy Baldwin: Born in 1951 in Tazewell and later played in the big leagues in the mid-1970s.

Johnny Watson: Like Baldwin, was born in Tazewell. Appeared in four games for the Detroit Tigers in 1930.

Limb McKenry: Right-handed pitcher spent two seasons in the majors (1915-16) and was born in Piney Flats.

Lew Flick: One of the few players born in Bristol, Tenn. to reach the majors. Played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943 and 1944 and is buried in Weber City, Va.

Scotty Barr: Another Bristolian, who also played for the Philadelphia Athletics as a utility player. His big league time included a brief stint in 1908-09.

Walker Cress: Born in the Ben Hur community of Lee County, but spent most of his life in Louisiana and passed away in Baton Rouge in 1996. Played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1948 and 1949.

Nick Cullop: Chilhowie native pitched in the majors from 1913-1921, including a stint with the New York Yankees. Buried in Smyth County.

Lefty Thomas: Born in Glade Spring and pitched for the Washington Senators sparingly in 1925 and 1926. It’s pretty neat that the Washington County native was in the same pitching rotation as the legendary Walter Johnson. According to several Web Sites, buried at Knollkreg Memorial Park in Abingdon.

That’s a long list. Hopefully, some baseball historians reading this can help me gather information and get in touch with the players still with us or their families.

Posted by Tim Hayes