Author: Mark Maynard

Managing editor of Kentucky Today, the digital newspaper of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, since July 2017. Worked 42 years for The Daily Independent in Ashland, Kentucky, the last 12 as managing editor and editor and the previous 30 in the sports department, including 17 years as sports editor. President of Amy For Africa, a faith-based Christian ministry serving Uganda. I'm a husband to Beth and father to Stephen and Sally, grandfather to Brooks and Addy.

Tomcats thrill with Villers in first round vs. E-Town

(This is a computer simulation of the 2020 Kentucky High School Athletic Association Boys Sweet Sixteen that is not officially cancelled but not likely to happen. All game results are from the computer but the quotes are on me.)

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Undefeated Ashland came into the 2020 Boys Sweet Sixteen with a lot still to prove and a target on its collective back.

The 33-0 Tomcats are seeking to become the first unbeaten champion in 72 years. Elizabethtown, which plays the same 3-for-all style of game as Ashland, came into the tournament with a design on sending them home early.

Ashland Coach Jason Mays instructs on the sidelines.

Ashland, like it has done to every other opponent, would have none of that and defeated the Panthers 74-69 in a game where the Tomcats never trailed.

Even with freshman point guard Colin Porter in early foul trouble, the Tomcats never blinked. Hunter Gillum filled in adequately for Porter and sophomores Cole Villers and Ethan Sellars put on a show.

Villers scored 29 points and collected 11 rebounds and Sellars scored 18 to push the Tomcats into the quarterfinals, matching what they did in 2019.

Ashland assistant coach Ryan Bonner provided a strong scouting report for coach Jason Mays in keeping the high-scoring Panthers in check. The Tomcats’ interior defense was especially effective with E-Town making only 12 of 44 two-point attempts. Even though the Panthers were deadly from the perimeter as advertised, making 11 of 24 3-pointers, Ashland was able to hold them in check.

The Tomcats and Panthers gave the fans in Rupp Arena what they wanted, hitting three 3-pointers in the first minute of the game. Treys from Villers and Sellars put Ashland ahead 6-3.

Alandre Murphy scored on a putback to pull E-Town with 8-7 before the Tomcats went on a 10-1 run to make it 18-8. Ashland led 23-11 after the first quarter. The Panthers came fighting back and trailed 34-33 when Gillum lowered his head and drove in for a layup.

Sellars started the second half with a long 3-pointer for a 39-33 advantage and that swelled to 58-46 going into the fourth quarter. E-Town again came roaring back, scoring six in a row to make it 65-59, but Ethan Hudson, who scored 13, buried a corner three with three minutes to play to the delight of Ashland’s excited fans.

“That was a big bucket from Huddy,” Mays said afterward. “Our guys came out focused and ready. They found a way to win even after Colin got in foul trouble. Nobody panicked. It was next man up and that man was Hunter. But I’m not sure how much more I can take of having Colin sitting next to me. Between him and Villers, nobody else could get in a word in edge-wise during timeouts.”

Even though the Tomcats were only 11 of 29 from 3-point range, they made sure the hot hand got the ball. That was Villers, who was 7-of-16 from the field and 10 of 13 on free throws.

“They knew who to get the ball to today,” Mays said. “Give credit to coach Bonner for a great scouting report. E-Town is a great basketball team but he found a few things we could take advantage of against them. Our guys were prepared.”

Villers thanked his teammates for getting him the ball. “Today was my game, tomorrow it will be somebody else. That’s how we roll. When that first one went down, it was like the basket tripled in size,” he said. “I was begging for it and they kept finding me.”

Ashland’s Justin Bradley limited high-scoring Jaquais Franklin to 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting. Camden Williams led the Panthers with 21 points.

Madisonville-North Hopkins crushed Warren Central 75-61 in the first game and plays Ashland in the quarterfinals.

Ticket information

Ashland sold out of its ticket allotment, filling their end zone with maroon-and-white as part of 18,712 who watched the afternoon session.

Athletic director Mark Swift expected them to be hot items for the next round too, but said he’d have them on sale at the school for as long as they last. Super fan Donna Suttle was handing out Tomcat “fans” to anybody who would take them. “I LOVE THIS TEAM!” she kept saying over and over.

‘The Voice’ speaks

Dicky Martin, the longtime radio voice of the Tomcats, was strutting going into the postgame press conference. “I told you we’d win, by gawd! There’s not a better team in this tournament. We’re going to take it all! Thirty-seven-and-zero baby!”

Here are the scores from the first round:

VIRTUAL SWEET 16

Afternoon session

Madisonville-North Hopkins 75, Warren Central 61

Ashland 74, Elizabethtown 69

Scott County 77, Knox Central 54

George Rogers Clark 86, McCracken County 70

Night session

Fern Creek 89, Hazard 66

Owensboro Catholic 61, Martin County 52

Male 75, Collins 56

Covington Catholic 62, West Jessamine 50

QUARTERFINALS

Madisonville-North Hopkins vs. Ashland

Scott County vs. George Rogers Clark

Fern Creek vs. Owensboro Catholic

Male vs. Covington Catholic

 

ASHLAND (74) – Porter 2-5 0-1 4, Hudson 4-10 2-2 13, Sellars 6-10 4-4 18, Bradley 1-5 1-2 4, Villers 7-16 10-13 29, Gillum 3-3 0-0 6, Phillips  0-1 0-0 0, Adkins 0-0 0-0 0, Atkins 0-0 0-0 0, Conway 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 23-54. FT: 17-23 74. 3-pointers: 11-29 (Porter 0-3, Hudson 3-7, Sellars 2-4, Bradley 1-2, Villers 5-11, Gillum 0-2). Rebounds: 35 (Porter 5, Hudson 4, Sellars 7, Bradley 4, Villers 11, Gillum 2, Atkins 1, Conway 1). PF: 16. Turnovers: 13. Assists: 10 (Porter 2, Hudson 3, Sellars 3, Villers 1, Phillips 1).

ELIZABETHTOWN (69) – Franklin 3-10 6-6 12, Williams 6-17 3-4 21, Kh. Sherrard 3-10 0-0 9, Fields 3-6 1-2 8, Murphy 2-7 1-1  5, Moberly 3-9 0-0 7, Ka. Sherrard 2-6 0-0 4, Pinkham 0-1 0-0 0, Bowen 1-1 1-2 3, Fiepke 0-1 0-0 0. FG: 23-68. FT: 12-15. 3-pointers: 11-24 (Williams 6-11, Kh. Sherrard 3-8, Fields 1-1, Moberly 1-4). Rebounds: 36 (Franklin 4, Williams 8, Kh. Sherrard 3, Fields 10, Murphy 1, Moberly 2, Ka. Sherrard 2, Pinkham 3, Bowen 3). PF: 19. Turnovers: 8. Assists: 13 (Williams 3, Kh. Sherrard 2, Fields 3, Moberly 2, Ka. Sherrard 1, Pinkham 1, Bowen 1).

ASHLAND           23         13         24         14         –              74

E-TOWN             11         22         13         23         –              69

Blessed to hit the in-law jackpot

When you get married, you get the whole package.

That can be good or bad.

In my case, it was neither.

It was great.

My in-laws are anything but outlaws. I know everybody can’t say that. I’ve heard the horror stories. But I’m here to tell you, there’s another side of the story, too.

Living in the same town as your in-laws can be hard on a marriage. But for the past 39 years, that’s not been the case with me. Actually, it has been quite the opposite.

Fred and Alva Boggs, two of the finest people on God’s green earth.

My father-in-law turned 90 years young Saturday. It’s hard for me to believe because he has the engine of somebody quite younger, and the strength of somebody much, much younger. Ask anybody who knows him. He doesn’t just do for me — he does for everybody.

He’s been my plumber, my electrician, my carpenter, my mechanic, my jack-of-all trades, my handyman, my gardener, my bat-chaser, my dog-sitter, my rescuer when the battery is dead, when the tire goes flat, when the car won’t start, when the commode doesn’t flush, when the water line needs repairing. You get the picture.

Consider that in the last five years he has participated with the Marine Corps League at funerals and parades and projects, including carry 50-pound bags of cement for the Gold Star Families monument, and recorded his first hole-in-one. That’s all happened since he turned 85. Can anybody top that?

His wife is much like him. She would rather be doing than sitting. She does for everybody, too, and cooks like nobody else (a trait she has passed along to her three daughters and grown granddaughters quite well, I might add). And everybody counts on them. Both of them. For everything. We do, church friends do, family does, our pastor does, everybody does. I’m not kidding. Their plate is always full, yet they’ll make room for more.

The reason for their success in life is they have their priorities in order: God, family, friends. Always. Never failing. God, family, friends. They would rather do for others than themselves and that’s a quality you don’t see from the me-world very often.

They have both been world travelers, serving as missionaries in Uganda with the late Harold Cathey and his wife Beverly. They once stayed with them for seven months as they did for others, just like they have done for a lifetime, only this time it was on the other side of the world. They are role models for missionaries of today like Amy Compston, who looks up to them like few others in her life. I’m in a discipleship group with my father-in-law at church and the other men are beyond honored – they’re humbled really – to have him with us. That’s the impact he makes even though he doesn’t even know it.

The impact also rubs off on the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who all love and admire their Papaw and Mamaw so much. They have been role models to them as well, always loving and, most importantly of all, always praying.

My father-in-law has taken on projects for me that would have cost a fortune with professionals doing it. He’s like MacGyver when it comes to fixing things. If there’s a way for something to be fixed without really having the right stuff to fix it, he could do it. I’ve never seen anybody know so much about everything.

He’s a logical thinker (like his middle daughter). He’ll study it, then solve it. The Rubik Cube wouldn’t have had a chance with him. Eventually anyway.

My in-laws are also dependable. They are like clockwork. They would be your first lifeline. They are both fountains of wisdom. Compassion runs through them.

I know they’d do anything for me as I would them. They’re more than in-laws to me. They’re family. I didn’t know it at the time, but I hit the in-law jackpot 39 years ago.

If you know Fred Boggs, wish him a happy 90th birthday this week. While you’re at it, give Alva a virtual hug, too. They are two of the most special people on God’s green earth.

It is, indeed, well with their soul.

Miranda ‘knew talent’ as pioneer coach in Ashland Little League

Bill Miranda was the last of the “Great Eight,” the founding head coaches of the Ashland Little League. He passed away last weekend at the age of 96 with complications from the coronavirus.

Handpicked by Ellis Johnson back in 1955, the first eight coaches (managers) in the Ashland Little League were George Conley, Bill Selbee, Bob Yancey Sr., Windy Kazee, Ellis Childers, John Wellman, Carl “Potts” Wheeler and Miranda.

Johnson, who was one of Ashland’s most celebrated athletes and a progressive leader in the city, was highly respected. He got the ball rolling on bringing Little League to Ashland. He knew it was critical to have the right coaches, so he chose men who were not only knowledgeable in baseball but who cared for the community’s children.

1957 Ashland Little League Yanks

Miranda, who was a World War II hero who was on the Omaha Beach landing on D-Day and was awarded a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars, was a perfect selection as one of the first coaches. He was invested in the community, content on raising his family in Ashland and making baseball even better than it already was here.

Roger Robinson played in the inaugural season as a 10-year-old and then for the next two seasons for the Yankees, who was Miranda’s team. He also lived next door to him later in life for many years on Hackworth Street.

“As a baseball coach, he was very knowledgeable,” Robinson said. “He was a very aggressive coach but very kind to kids. If you made a mistake, he’d kind of laugh and tell you how to correct it. He would never berate you.”

Bill Miranda died at the age of 96 last weekend.

Miranda’s players were devoted to him and played hard. It didn’t matter to him the social status of his players either. “Names” didn’t matter to him, but talent did.

“He knew talent,” Robinson said. “When I played for him, we had some of the best players in the city. He would always look for underprivileged kids that spent a lot of time outside on the sandlots. He knew they were the ones really interested in playing.”

Most of the first managers had semi-professional baseball playing experience but not Miranda, who once told me he “tagged around with the other guys” but wasn’t sure why they chose him to be one of the first to manage. But he proved to be an outstanding choice.

Miranda’s wife, Marie, was part of the package. She was the official scorekeeper for the Ashland Little League in the first season and was involved in some of the coaching, Robinson said.

“They were a team,” Robinson said. Marie and Bill were married for 32 years before she passed away in 1978. He later remarried.

The first draft in the Ashland Little League happened in June 1955. Tryouts had been held so the coaches were able to get a good look at what was available. The city had a dividing line for drafting purposes between the National League and American League with four teams in each league.

Instead of a draft with each team taking turns at selecting players, the managers were given 3,500 points to bid on players. Miranda called it “false money” when I interviewed him in 1995.

An outstanding player would go for 1,000 points, but managers had to manage their points carefully because each team would carry a 15-player roster. Sons still played with fathers and brothers with brothers – at least most of the time.

Miranda made the highest bid for “Long” John Barrow, but, as fate would have it, didn’t get his brother, Wilson Barrow, because Wilson’s name was put down as Barrow Wilson on the roster sheet.

Childers, the Red Sox manager, got “Barrow Wilson” who turned out to be one of the league’s better pitchers and players.

The Barrows were two of the first black players in Ashland Little League.

“He should have been on my team but wasn’t,” Miranda told me in that interview 25 years ago. “I should have got him free (because his brother was on the Yankees). I always did say that Ellis put that name down that way. Wilson beat me many a time. If I’d had Wilson, nobody would have beaten me.”

Robinson, who was a star pitcher, was 12-0 during his last year of Little League and had several showdowns with Barrow on the mound for the Red Sox.

Miranda had a good eye for talent and many of his players went on to be stars for the Ashland Tomcats including Ernie Daniels and Ray Hoak.

“Bill was a real influence in the neighborhood with the kids,” Robinson said. “Gary Wright, Robert Wright, Carolyn and Tony all lived across the street from Bill. When I was growing up on Hackworth Street, we had 35 kids on this street. We always had a ballgame going on someplace and Bill was right in the middle of it.”

Miranda was also able to coach his three sons, Richard, Billy and Carl, who were all good athletes.

Robinson said Miranda, who worked 44 years at the Armco steel mill, was fair to everyone. It didn’t matter social standing or race to him.

“If he saw a boy being done wrong by somebody, you better watch out because you had Bill to fight,” Robinson said.

Ashland Little League was lucky to have men like Miranda and the rest of the “Great Eight” leading the early charge that would eventually lead the Tomcats to three consecutive high school state championships from 1966-68.

Reds off to 13-17 start in 2020 MLB (Mark League Baseball) season

Major League Baseball is contemplating starting the 2020 baseball season in May with games played in Arizona in front of no fans with 7-inning doubleheaders, computer umpires and players returning to hotel rooms immediately after games until the next day.

Sound like fun?

Jesse Winker slides into third base. (Getty Images)

I’ve already got a head start on them by simulating the first month of the 2020 MLB (Mark League Baseball) season through a computer game, Dave Koch Sports. I’ve taken control of the Cincinnati Reds (of course) and the new players that came over this winter are on my roster (thanks for the 2020 Projected season DK Sports).

While I’m the manager of the Reds, the computer controls every other team. I’m beginning to know how manager David Bell feels. Joey Votto is hitting .170 after another typically horrid April. Our team batting average is .234 and team ERA is 3.83. We’ve suffered through a 9-game losing streak but stand a respectable 13-17 entering the month of May, five games behind the division-leading Cubs and Cardinals.

Glad April is behind us.

Some highlights included the play of newcomer Nicholas Castellanos, who is hitting .316 with 10 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 15 RBI.

Mike Moustakas is showing some good power with six homers but is hitting only .211. The other offensive newcomer, Shogo Akiyma, is hitting .262 and lefty Wade Miley is 1-1 with a 2.75 ERA while being a solid fifth starter. Trevor Bauer is 0-4 with a 6.18 ERA.

Overall, though, the pitching has been the highlight. Sonny Gray is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA and the bullpen, which includes newcomer Pedro Strop, has been above average. Closer Raisel Iglesisas has three wins and seven saves.

The Reds were 8-4 before the 9-game losing streak but then won four of six against Arizona and Atlanta to close the month. The Reds are 7-7 in one-run games and 2-2 in extra innings.

Votto has walked a team-high 18 times but also struck out 27 times – many of those in clutch situations during the losing skid. Aquino has four home runs and Suarez has bombed out six but is hitting only .218. The middle of the order has been atrocious.

Tucker Barnhart is playing out of his mind with a .342 average that’s sure to start falling soon. Jesse Winker carried the offense for a time but finished the month a respectable .273 with three home runs. Aristides Aquino is hitting .268 with four home runs.

The division leaders are the Dodgers, Cubs and Cardinals (tied in the Central), and Braves in the National League. The Yankees, Astros and the White Sox and Indians (tied in the Central) are the AL division leaders.

It looks like an exciting season – if the Reds could only get a better manager. I’ll report back at the end of May, hopefully with better news and a better record.