Prayers Needed: Back when Sonny played American Legion Baseball, Post 147 had an Athletic Director by the name of Bill Williams. Back then, if you’d told me to guess his age I would have gone with 80. He was still the Athletic Director years later when I played. He still looked like he was in his 80s. In 2003 when I came back to Post 147 as an assistant coach, he was still the AD. I’d guess he was in his early 90s. He turned 80 while I was coaching for him. Anyway, that’s not really important. What’s important is that his house burned down today. He and his daughter were taken to the Burn Unit in Augusta, GA. His health has been bad for the past few years now. He’s a great man who called every guy who ever played for him one of “his boys”… and those weren’t just words to him. He loved all of us and would do anything he could for any of us. If you don’t mind, I have a story I like to tell about Mr. Williams (as a bonus, it’s a true story). I played one year (1997) of American Legion baseball and then I joined the coaching staff for a season (1998). After that, I spent my summers in Rock Hill and didn’t see or talk to anyone from Post 147 (remember, Facebook wasn’t around and not everyone had email addresses). Anyway, around late December 2002/Early January 2003 I run into Coach Cadden in a B&N. He calls me Kevin (no big deal… it happens). To speed this story up, we talk and I agree to help him coach. Around March/April of 2003 Dad and I decide to go to a James Island baseball game. As we’re walking up, I see Mr. Williams. I tell Dad that I’m going to go say hello and let him know I’m going to be helping out this season. So I’m walking up and I’m going over in my head what I’m going to say (“Hi, Mr. Williams. I’m Greg Horres and I’m going to be helping Coach Cadden with the team this season”). I felt it was important to say my name because I didn’t want him to be in the awkward position of having me talk to him with him not remembering who I am. I get close and right as I’m about to start talking he practically jumps at me and grabs my hand with both of his hands and says, “Greg, Tony tells me you’re going to be helping us with the team this year. I’m happy you’re back with us”. It caught me so off guard that I came thisclose to saying “Hi, Mr. Williams. I’m Greg Horres and I’m going to be helping Coach Cadden with the team this season”. Luckily, I was able to recover and give him a hug and tell him I was happy to be back. So, say a prayer for Mr. Williams. He’s a great man and I hope he can recover from this.
I feel I need to backtrack just a minute to tell you something about Lucy that I forgot to mention before. Before we got Lucy, she had been used as a bait dog. Since she didn’t have the temperament to be a “fight” dog, the people who had her would tie her up and wire her mouth shut and then let the fighting dogs attack her (to get the taste of blood in them). The physical scars from this part of her life stayed with her until the day she died. I hope I was able to show her over the years that not all humans act like that towards dogs.
Life with just the three of us was great... but The Wife wasn’t real happy. Over time, Lucy had gone from being “our” dog, to being “my” dog. The Wife wasn’t real happy that Lucy’s loyalty was with me and not her. And we were having trouble getting pregnant... and, we thought, when we did have children it would be nice for Lucy to have a friend (we didn’t ask Lucy... looking back I think if we had asked her she would have said she didn’t need any friends). Anyway, today we’re going to look back on her time with Maverick (who we got in June/July of 2004).
Before we brought Maverick home, we took Lucy to the SPCA to meet him. We wanted to make sure they would get along. They sniffed each other and Lucy wagged her tail and it looked like she thought this was a nice little doggy she was meeting.
We brought Maverick home and when she realized he was here to stay, she was not very happy. I think this is why she was never kind to a new dog ever again. She was scared that if she was nice, we’d keep the dog.
Lucy and Maverick had a funny love/hate relationship. She acted like she didn’t like him and he did things just to annoy her... but deep down I think she liked him and I know he liked her. The poor guy hasn’t been the same since she died.
Before we got Maverick, we didn’t have any holes in our backyard. But once he came along, the holes started showing up. Lucy would sit and watch Maverick dig and once he got the hole big enough, she would go lay down in it.
One time The Wife left the house and (before she got out of the driveway) remembered she had forgotten something. So she went back in. Lucy let out a quick bark when The Wife opened the door but it was too late... The Wife walked in and there on the table, standing as still as a statue, was Maverick. The Wife was in a hurry so she went to get what she needed and when she came back out Maverick was on the floor acting like nothing had happened.
I don’t know what it was, but Maverick LOVED to lick Lucy’s ears. She either liked it, or she didn’t notice it, because she let it happen. And it could go on for hours. There were times I’d go to pet her and her ears would be soggy because Maverick had been licking them for so long.
One area Lucy loved Maverick was in his ability to catch rats. I remember one night when they were both outside Maverick started chasing (and then caught) a rat. I went outside and there was Lucy up on the rail of our deck watching Maverick kill the rat. It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. This “big, bad” pit bull up on this little rail trying to get as far away from the rat as she could.
Oops! With all the talk about Lucy, I forgot to post my results from this past weekend. So, here they are...
The I’m just sayin... Playoff Football Predictions Results
Saturday
Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore – I picked the Steelers and I was RIGHT! Really, I was right about everything I said about this game. Look it up.
Atlanta vs. Green Bay – I picked Atlanta and I was WRONG.
Sunday
Chicago vs. Seattle – What was I thinking? I picked Seattle and I was WRONG.
New York Jets vs. New England – I picked New England and I was WRONG.
Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:
Sergeant Daniel Bishop (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on March 25, 1873 at Turret Mountain, Arizona. His citation reads:
Gallantry in engagements.
Private Francis A. Bishop (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania, Virginia. His citation reads:
Capture of flag.
First Lieutenant Arnold L. Bjorklund (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 13, 1943 near Altavilla, Italy. His citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy near Altavilla, Italy, 13 September 1943. When his company attacked a German position on Hill 424, the first platoon, led by 1st Lt. Bjorklund, moved forward on the right flank to the slope of the hill where it was pinned down by a heavy concentration of machinegun and rifle fire. Ordering his men to give covering fire, with only 3 hand grenades, he crept and crawled forward to a German machinegun position located on a terrace along the forward slope. Approaching within a few yards of the position, and while continuously exposed to enemy fire, he hurled 1 grenade into the nest, destroyed the gun and killed 3 Germans. Discovering a second machinegun 20 yards to the right on a higher terrace, he moved under intense enemy fire to a point within a few yards and threw a second grenade into this position, destroying it and killing 2 more Germans. The first platoon was then able to advance 150 yards further up the slope to the crest of the hill, but was again stopped by the fire from a heavy enemy mortar on the reverse slope. 1st Lt. Bjorklund located the mortar and worked his way under little cover to within 10 yards of its position and threw his third grenade, destroying the mortar, killing 2 of the Germans, and forcing the remaining 3 to flee. His actions permitted the platoon to take its objective.
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