The Schenewark Star
Number 1 Sunday April 19, 2009 Volume 3

In a Nutshell
In this number of the widely acclaimed, politically correct private publication, a select few will read about:
Ø The Schenewark’s week in sports
Ø Dad’s view for this week
Ø The Doolittle Raid
Ø Redneck Jokes
In school Hunter has been challenged to write without using dead verbs; but we will save that for next week. I hope you enjoy.


This Week in Sports
It is spring in Appalachia and many sports are starting. Hunter has been playing golf for the Fairland Middle School Golf Team. After shooting a 41, he has been selected to play at the District Golf Tournament. Hunter also has a question for all you golfers. He starts baseball after the High School baseball season ends.
Tanner is starting his High School baseball season; glad his arm is finally feeling better.
Porter has started his baseball games also. On Saturday he walked from the nearby Kroger’s to the heralded Little League. The parade is an annual event but especially significant as this was the 50th anniversary of Proctorville/ Rome Little League. After weeks of tough practices, he finely was rewarded as he came through in the clutch, pitching one inning with three strikeouts. He also played 1st base. He batted 1 for 2 with 1 double and one strikeout. During the course of the game he was walked twice and was hit with a pitch for a .800 on base percentage.
Cooper did not march in the parade. Everyone had stayed up too late for him to be woken up at 7:00 a.m. He is on Sawyers team; it is coached by Dad. He played 2nd base and catcher. He went 2 for 2 with 2 singles.
Sawyer did not participate in the opening ceremonies for the same reason as Cooper. He later was woken up and shook off his urge to sleep longer and ended up playing center field and second. He batted .667 with 2 singles and 1 strikeout.
Miller was privileged to be on the sidelines clapping with his parents.

April 18, 1942

On April 18, 1942 the world was changed for the better. That was the day that Colonel Jimmy Doolittle dropped bombs on Tokyo. It was the first success that the U.S. had had in the war against Japan. Every year the survivors still living celebrate and remember their comrades. Of the 80, only 9 are still living. They had silver goblets made and turn one over every time one of their crew members die. When it gets down to two, they will open a bottle of brandy they have been saving. Without them the world might not have ended up the way it is. We might not be enjoying the freedoms that we have.
On Saturday their reunion is being held in South Carolina. Here is a clip about the mission http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHnwxRfzR2A .




Letter from Dad

Welcome from the shores of the Ohio River,

Not a lot to say. The semester is almost over and then I am hoping to teach the first session of the summer and then the last session.

I see Hunter has talked about, what went on sports wise for the boys. Some of the highlights included Cooper catching. He really did a good job. For the league that Cooper and Sawyer are playing in a pitching machine is being use. Cooper is the only catcher I saw that sat behind the plate and caught the balls coming in to him. However, he did not like playing catcher. I think it was because it was too hot and/or he now has glasses that do not fit well with the catcher’s helmet. Both Porter and Sawyer had good first games. I took a short film of Porter, and I am sure it will be posted on the blog.

Tanner is having a rough time and is in a bit of a slump. He is playing outfield and starts for the JV team. However, I know you like to be pitching and had we stayed in Hutto, most likely would have been playing varsity for a team that went to the state championship last year. He is currently 0-6, having flied out (once), and struck out five times. However he did say his last at-bat (on Friday) he walked, got to second base and on an infield hit to the second baseman, flew from its second to home and scored. He thinks getting on base, finally will help break him out of his slump.

Hunter has continued to play golf, which has been great, because it has given him something to do while he waits for baseball to begin. I have enjoyed golf with Hunter. The school is unable to have a bus for transporting the golfers to and from the tournaments. So they asked for the parents to drive. So I get to drive Hunter, and then I am able to sit in the clubhouse and do work. Usually I have about four hours of quiet, and then I'm able to have an enjoyable ride with Hunter home. This week, the golf course was 45 minutes away at Carter Caves State Park in Kentucky. Hunter finished middle of the pack. We were informed by his coach on Saturday that he is taking six golfers to the district tournament. Out of the 14 golfers on the team he has chosen Hunter to be one of them. Hunter has a long ways to go in golf. I have heard on two separate occasions, Tanner state to others that Hunter is probably better than him in golf (and Hunter was in his presence when these statements were made). Whatever the case, Hunter has been reading quite a bit and improved his knowledge of the game.

Another thing I should comment on is the joy that the boys have had collecting coins. I was never a real coin collector when I was a child. I like baseball cards (and still do to, most likely for the happy memories I have associated with them). But the great benefit of coins is when the boys go to the bank and get (for example) $20 worth of nickels they can spend hours looking through them. If they do not obtain a coin to add to their collection, they have lost no money and are able to roll the coins up and take them back to the bank, where they are exchanged for more coins. In this way there is no value lost and they need not wait to obtain more money to purchase further coins to add to their collection. This is unlike baseball cards, where a pack is opened, and if you did not get a card you wanted you are then stuck with unwanted cards.

Speaking of baseball cards and memories, I was saddened to hear that Mark Fidrych passed away this past week. When I was nine years old he was awarded the rookie of the year award (1976). I remember him on the cover of magazines, and the excitement which he brought to the game. When I was nine I did not know of any other player on the Detroit Tigers (Al Kaline retired 1974). I had seen interviews with Fidrych and he was just a normal guy who was happy about life. A good interview to watch is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm_jU0b5Hgw&NR=1 .
I did not know he was from Northborough until we moved back there in 1999. I know that Pops knew him and so that makes the tie a little closer.

Well I think that will be it for the night.





JOKES
Jokes for the day: I am living in redneck country. So redneck jokes have taken on a whole new sense of appreciation. Now, I do not want to make unjust fun of the local population and therefore will only include jokes told to me by local West Virginians.

1. What are the typical last words of a redneck?
a. Here, hold my beer.

Or

b. Watch this!

2. How do you know that the toothbrush was invented in West Virginia?If it was invented anywhere else they would have called it a teethbrush