ASHLAND, Ky. – It has been a long wait for the Ashland baseball CP-1 Hall of Fame class of 2020.

Last year’s ceremony was postponed because of COVID-19, but it’s back on for Saturday beside the big diamond at Central Park.

For those wanting to make a weekend of it, the Ashland Tomcats open defense of their 2020 state football championship on Friday against Raceland in Putnam Stadium.

On Saturday at 1 p.m., the inductees will have the stage in a ceremony that begins at 1 p.m. The class has memorable players and incredible coaches who have given much to Ashland baseball.

It promises to be an emotional ceremony for the inductees and their families. Sadly, one of the inductees, Wilson Barrow, passed away last fall. He was considered one of the best athletes to ever play on the park field. His nephew, Charlie Johnson, will represent him.

The 10-member class will bring the total in the CP-1 Hall of Fame to 70.

Here is a look at the inductees:

-Wilson Barrow, who played in Ashland’s inaugural Little League season in 1955, could make the mitt pop like few others who ever played in the park. Barrow’s fastball was compared to how Bill Lynch and Don Gullett threw later in the decade.

-Scott Crank was one of Ashland’s best three-sport athletes. He starred in football (quarterback), basketball (point guard) and baseball (shortstop) for the Tomcats in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a clutch hitter and slick-fielding shortstop for the Tomcats and Post 76.

-Mike Delaney is going in for his longtime coaching role with Post 76, basically keeping the program alive, but he was an outstanding player in his own rights as a middle infielder in the mid-1970s for the Ashland Tomcats and Post 76.

-Bryan Finkbone was the consummate leadoff hitter and the sparkplug for the Tomcats in the mid-1970s. His speed made him a pest for opposing pitchers who had a hard time keeping him off the bases. His all-out style made him a favorite with teammates.

-Bill Hammond has coached at CP-1 for many summers and continues as a co-coach with Delaney for Post 76. He was also a standout pitcher for the Tomcats and Post 76 in the mid-1970s and became an outstanding teacher of the pitching craft.

-French Harmon was a solid contributor as a player for the Tomcats in the late 1970s, but it was his coaching skills that make him a CP-1 Hall of Famer. He was a Tomcat assistant coach led a Connie Mack League resurgence in the late 1980s and early 1990s and taught baseball and life lessons to his players.

-Jon Hart’s smooth swing made him a feared hitter for the Tomcats, Post 76, Stan Musial and Marshall University. If he didn’t beat you with his bat, he’d do it with the glove. Hart was one of the top all-around players wherever he played in his career.

-Cabot Keesey spanned the late 1970s and early 1980s and was a pure hitter who swung the bat as well as anyone along with being a strong defensive player who played nearly everywhere during his playing career with the Tomcats, Post 76 and Stan Musial.

-Mark Moore played for the Tomcats and Post 76 and then another 10 years on the Stan Musial level, making him one of the all-time veterans of the park. He hit for power and played flawlessly at shortstop, making every team he played for better.

-Mike Tussey, who coached youth league baseball for 22 years and won a state championship in 1988 with the Stan Musial adult league where he won more than 200 games in 10 seasons, was also a cable television broadcaster who was in the booth for countless high school and American Legion games in the 1970s and 1980s.

ASHLAND, Ky. – Scott Busch and Zach Greene have been playing in the Amy For Africa Wiffleball since before they were teenagers.

They both carried Home Run Derby champion titles but until Saturday had never taken home the big team trophy despite playing nearly every summer since the tournament started in 2013.

Now they own that too.

Busch’s Greene Beans defeated Viller’s Victors, 9-2, in a championship game that lacked some drama – even with one controversial call – but was still sweet for the Beans who jumped ahead 6-0 in the first inning. The four-man team also included Evan Dickison and Cameron Marushi, who may have well been the tournament MVP.

Zach Greene said it was a matter of “getting rid of some dead weight” that was holding down the team. It was a Smooth answer from the veteran player.

Viller’s Victors included Cole Villers and Colin Porter, the dynamic duo for Ashland Tomcat basketball the past two years, and former Tomcat Chase Villers (Cole’s big brother) and Greenup County standout Zane Carter. Viller’s Victors may well have been the most athletic of the 32 teams participating, running down wiffleballs all day long.

They were told before the first game from tournament organizers they were not allowed to dive for any wiffleballs. “Please don’t take any chance that may injure you,” said organizer Mark Maynard. “We want to keep the reputation of the AFA Wiffleball Tournament unstained. If either of you get hurt playing wiffleball, our name will be mud around Ashland.”

Fortunately, neither was injured although they played 100 percent (what else would you expect?) and celebrated each win like it was a Sweet 16 game.

An estimated 300 home runs were blasted out of the two replica fields – the Fenway Park field and the Camden Yard field – on a perfect day for wiffleball.

Viller’s Victors outlasted the Kona Krushers, 11-8, in the semifinals while Busch’s Green Beans needed a big last inning to defeat the One-Hit Wonders, 10-9.

During the pulsating semifinal game, with a good crowd watching, Cole Villers was heard before batting in the last inning, “I’ve never been more nervous during a sporting event.”

AFA Wiffleball will do that to you.

Busch captured his second AFA Home Run Derby crown, edging Marushi in the championship round by blasting five home runs on six pitches. Marushi had four home runs.

The biggest winner was Amy For Africa, which brought in more than $2,000 in donations from the tournament. PRAISE GOD!!!

Next year’s tournament will be July 30. Please mark your calendars now!

AFA TOURNAMENT AWARDS

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR: (tie) Viller’s Victors, All the King’s Men and Lawrence County Long Knockers. (We hope they all come back next year!)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: (tie) Shane Marushi, a home run masher who pounded some monster shots. Not even our own Green Monstah could hold him, and teammate Evan Dickison who abused the short right field fence on the Camden Yard field.

ESPN TOP DEFENSIVE PLAY: Rex Trimble, who laid out for a catch for the Big Blue Bombers that had the place buzzing.

BEST PARTICIPATING CHURCH: New Faith Fellowship which sponsored three Muzungu teams.

BEST CROWD: Faith Baptist Church brought about 25 people in matching jerseys to cheer on the Faith Fury.

OLD-TIMERS AWARD: (tie) Greg Jackson of the Jackson Four, Duane Porter of Get A Wiff of This and Rex Trimble of Big Blue Bombers.

ROOKIE PLAYER AWARD: (tie) Brooks Wyatt of Mark’s Mighty Men and Griffin Brammell of Griffin’s Greats

WELP AWARD: (tie) Chase Villers of Viller’s Victors and Syndey Whitt of Get A Wiff of This after taking line shots that left a mark on them.

HUMAN MEGAPHONE AWARD: Chuck Williams, whose voice could be heard over the music blaring across both fields. He was “instructing” New Faith Fellowship teams and others from a comfortable chair on the sidelines. Williams was heard more than seen.

ASHLAND, Ky. – Dicky Martin hasn’t missed broadcasting any football games for the Ashland Tomcats since taking the main mic from his father in 1976, a streak of 533 games.

He’s missed only two basketball games – one when his father, DIck, died and another when he was sick with the flu. That’s all over 45 years of calling games.

So putting his name and that of his father, who started the broadcasting tradition in 1953, on the front of the Putnam Stadium press box was even more than fitting. It’s a natural.

Dicky Martin was emotional after being told the news on Wednesday in front of the stadium press box. He’s called games in that structure since 2014 when the “new” Putnam Stadium was built. But he logged games from 1976 to 2013 in the old press box that was razed during renovations.

School board chairman David Latherow, vice chairman Patsy Lindsey, Putnam Stadium restoration chairman Greg Jackson and committee members Donna Suttle (and me) and Putnam Stadium groundskeeper Steve Conley shared in giving Martin the news that left him literally speechless.

“That hasn’t happened to me too many times,” he said.

How true. Coaches, referees, fans, band directors and the players themselves have come under criticism from Dicky Martin, who has frankly mellowed some with age.

His father moved the family from Huntington to Ashland in 1952 and he started doing Tomcat sports over the air on WCMI a year later and thus the tradition was born. Dick Martin was a brilliant businessman who was ahead of his time and he made radio important to the community. He knew sports needed to be part of that outreach.

Both father and son always “told it like it was” over the air and their styles were similar in other ways, too. They would always let you know if the Tomcats weren’t playing up to par or if the officials weren’t playing fair (through their maroon-colored eyes). Dicky would always say the radio has an on and off switch if you don’t like what you’re hearing. While Dicky could be critical of the Tomcats, nobody else better be. It was like taking on his family.

Both father and son are radio icons and were must-listens to anyone who followed the Tomcats.

Dicky Martin was quick to say that it was indeed an honor but not because of him but his father. “This is for him,” he said. “Not for me. He was the best. He set the bar high. I’ll never reach his level.”

“This is for both of you,” Lindsey quickly said.

Football and Putnam Stadium have always been special for Martin, who admits it’s his favorite sport to call and watch – “I love this place,” he said – although admitting the undefeated 33-0 basketball season from two years ago would be hard to ever top.

Last year was a mammoth highlight in getting to call the Tomcats’ 11-0 state championship season – the first title since 1990. It was Ashland’s first undefeated and untied season since 1942.

But he said the memories of Putnam Stadium are too numerous for him to count.

“What a place, what a place,” he said looking over the landscape.

Jackson and the restoration committee took the naming proposal to the Ashland Independent School Board meeting on Monday where it received unanimous approval. Then they had to keep it a secret from Martin, who said he had no idea the honor was coming when he was invited to the stadium “to talk about the season.”

Jackson had asked him to come to the stadium to talk over some ideas for the season.

“When Dicky starts this season, he and his father will be in their 69^th continuous season of calling Tomcat sports,” Jackson said. “Nobody will come close to that accomplishment in our lifetimes. They are such a large part of Tomcat Nation and we felt like the Martin family needed to be recognized.”

The Tomcats will celebrate the 2020 state championship in the season opener and the press box ceremony will take place in the second home game, Jackson said.

Martin begins season No. 46 on Aug. 21 when the Tomcats open at Putnam Stadium.

ASHLAND, Ky. – Saturday is a day of redemption and celebration for northeastern Kentucky as it relates to state achievements. The spotlight is shining brightly.

Five  of the 12-member class of 2020 will be inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame in Lexington have direct ties to northeastern Kentucky. Two of them made the mark right here in the Ashland area and are overdue for the recognition. Neither could have done anymore than they did. But let’s not go there because it’s a time to celebrate our Bobs – Ashland’s Bob Lynch and Boyd County’s Bob Stacey – and Paintsville coaching great Charlie Adkins and football-basketball star Joey Couch and Meade Memorial’s Donnis Butcher.

Lynch played for the Tomcats 50 years ago during the golden era of Ashland sports in the 1960s. He is arguably the most dominant pitcher to ever take the mound in Central Park since he never lost a game on that field. Not in Babe Ruth League, not in high school or American Legion. He was undefeated at CP-1. While he would be quick to credit his teammates – and he had some great ones – Bobby Lynch was that dominant of a pitcher.

He was 5-0 in the state tournament when the Tomcats won three championships in a row from 1966-68. He was unflappable and unhittable. Calm under pressure even as a sophomore pitching in a state championship game where the Tomcats defeated Shelby County 2-1 to begin that championship streak that has only been matched one time in Kentucky history.

Lynch was 27-2 with an 0.42 ERA in his Ashland career. He was also a 1,000-point scorer in basketball and a regional track champion despite running hardly any regular season meets because of baseball.

Bob Lynch is in the conversation as the greatest athlete in Ashland Tomcat history. I’ve said before he’s on my Mount Rushmore of Tomcats.

If your choosing up teams, you wanted Bob Lynch in whatever sport it happened to be. His competitiveness drove him like few others and maybe that’s a credit to growing up the younger brother of Bill Lynch, a fireballing lefty who had an equaling amazing 27-2 record during his Tomcat career and signed a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians (not the Guardians). He went into the KHSAA Hall of Fame a few years ago – another long overdue honor. It’s a shame the Lynch brothers didn’t go in together.

During their days of growing up and competing, they pushed each other to greatness and took us along on the ride with them. They were both generational athletes during a day when there was a lot of those in the area (think Don Gullett, Larry Conley and many others).

I can say this about the Lynch brothers too: There are none better as people. They are more than friends to me but that doesn’t bias me about their athletic abilities. Ask anybody who competed with or against them about those attributes.

A competitive streak was also motivational for Bob Stacey, who I came to know closely while he was building an incredible track and field program at Boyd County. Bob was always pushing me to do more for those athletes at the newspaper. It was because of him that we started an All-Area track and field team and that those athletes were given the same kind of space normally reserved for basketball and football.

Bob made me aware of the sport and was the greatest advocate for the running community that this area has ever known. I respect him so much for his passion and desire for what he taught so well. It was never about him but it was because of him that track and field and cross country became an important part of the coverage of sports in The Daily Independent.

Bob made a difference for decades and his daughter has carried on that legacy.

He coached track and field and cross country at Boyd County from 1975 to 2000 and I’ll never forget the girls state championship team in 1980. He made the most of four or five incredible athletes to bring home the title. It was amazing and something I’ll never forget watching. I never knew track and field could be so exciting but Bob showed me differently.

He won 25 regional titles, two cross country state runner-up finishes and the state title. He also coached track and field at Fairview.

Bob Stacey, like Bob Lynch, was relentless in his pursuit of greatness. Maybe it was something in the neighborhood since they lived on the same street.

The two inductees from Paintsville High School are deserving of this honor as well as Donnis Butcher. Adkins was a fierce competitor on the coaching sidelines and Couch and Butcher were also generational athletes that could do anything.

But I’m especially excited for our Bobs and their families. The wait has been so long, including an extra year because of COVID, but the day has finally come.

A big congratulations to Bob Lynch and Bob Stacey. Your footprints in northeastern Kentucky cannot be filled. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to write about both of you.