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Bailey's
Take on Pirate Sports
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From the Anchor Desk
Wednesday, May 8, 2002
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By Brian Bailey
Sports Anchor of WNCT-TV 9 |
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Baseball rituals can come from
unusual places
©2002 Bonesville.net
Herrion
influences slugger
Baseball is an athletic
endeavor in which traditions, customs and rituals make up a bigger swath of
the fabric of the game than perhaps any other sport. Even the minor rituals
have meaning and were born out of an inspiration of one sort or another.
East Carolina is no
exception.
I hope you had the
chance to see Brian Meador’s story on WNCT-TV about the Pirate “Home Run
Celebrations” that aired on Monday night.
We had planned to
produce the story, and then air it after a three game-sweep over St. Louis.
Unfortunately, the Pirates lost two out of three, so we had to change our
focus.
We decided to air the
story anyway to try and lift the fans' spirits after a disappointing
weekend.
I think it worked. I
heard several comments after the piece aired. It was a fun piece, and went
into detail about what several players did while crossing home plate after
hitting a home run.
Darryl Lawhorn was
probably the most interesting. Lawhorn comes across the plate with a couple
of mock six-shooters, and you won’t believe where his inspiration for the
ritual comes from.
“I saw Coach Bill
Herrion on the sideline one time this season,” Lawhorn explained. “He was
really into the game and he looked at the crowd and he came from his hips
with his ‘guns’ and said, ‘Let’s get it up in here.’ I just thought it was
cool, and so that’s what I do.”
Coach Herrion said that
he didn’t even realize that he had ever gone to the “guns” during a game.
“He got that from me?” Herrion asked. “I never really paid any attention,
but we did have some great crowds, didn’t we!”
The piece featured
several different players and a variety of celebrations at home plate. The
story even included Steve Salargo, who is currently serving an internship at
WNCT-TV in our sports department.
It was a fun story, one
that hopefully got everybody thinking on a positive note after a
disappointing weekend.
Tournament fans in for treat in K-Town
If you are planning on
attending the Conference USA baseball tournament in Kinston you are in for a
real treat.
Grainger Stadium has
never looked better. The stadium has gone through a major facelift, and the
fans are the primary beneficiaries.
I can remember my first
impression of the old ballpark when I first came to Eastern North Carolina
back in 1984. The neighborhood in front of the park was in shambles. The
stadium looked like it could cave in at any minute.
There was no way a can
of paint would make a difference in that park. But years of hard work have
turned Grainger Stadium into a first class, minor league facility.
“A lot of people have
come together through the years to make this possible,” said Kinston Indian
President and General Manager North Johnson. “We have taken one step at a
time, and the park sure does look good.”
This latest step was to
replace all of the main seating in the bowl of the stadium. The small wooden
seats were replaced with bigger, vinyl type seats, making for a much more
enjoyable experience.
 If
you get the chance, check out the new look Grainger Stadium at a Kinston
Indians game. North might even direct you to your seat.
“We are really looking
forward to hosting the Conference USA tournament,” he said. “We should be in
for some great baseball, and we are all rooting for East Carolina to go a
long way in the tournament!”
There is still plenty
of baseball to be played, but the C-USA tournament is just around the
corner.
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Brian Bailey.
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archives.
02/23/2007 01:22:45 AM
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