Posts Tagged ‘baseball’

29 Dec

Here are the Best in Sports in El Paso in 2014

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , .

chihuahuaslogoby Ray Sanchez 12.28.14

SPORTS FIGURE OF THE YEAR – Usually it’s a person. This year, it’s a little dog. The Chihuahua. There was much consternation and befuddlement when El Paso’s Triple A team officials announced the little mutt was going to be the team’s nickname. The selection was so unusual, so unique that it rattled people’s brains. Many complained. But the lovable little pup quickly won the hearts of El Pasoans, as well as those of others around the country. Items with his logo sold in bunches and now folks are strolling around with caps and shirts and other clothes showing his image happily, even proudly. In short, he has become a symbol of one of the greatest additions ever to the El Paso sports scene: A Triple A baseball team.

 

(Note: The above selection was made by El Paso Inc. The following selections were made with the help of Steve Kaplowitz of KROD, Ruben Ramirez of the El Paso Times, Beau Bagley of KTSM-TV, Wayne Thornton of the Parks and Recreation Department, sports media executive Bob Nitzburg and El Paso historian C.H. Hill).

 

College Male Coach of the Year – Sean Kugler, who, to the surprise of many folks, turned the UTEP football team from a loser to a winner. He won seven games and earned a bid to the Gildan New Mexico Bow.

 

College Female Coach of the Year – Keitha Adams, who coached UTEP to the finals of the NIT tournament last season, something many fans of the women’s team never thought would happen.

 

High School Male Coach of the Year – Scott Brooks, who took Canutillo High School to the semifinals of the state playoffs, the furthest any 11-man high school football team from El Paso Country had gone before.

 

High School Female Coach of the Year — Cynthia Hernandez, Burges High girls basketball coach who dominated District 1-4A with a sparkling 14-0 record.

 

College Male Athlete of the Year – Araron Jones, UTEP football back who helped the Miners to their sterling season, and Anthony Rotich, UTEP cross country runner who earned national accolades throughout the country (tie).

 

College Female Athlete of the Year – Kayla Thornton, UTEP basketball star, who led the Miners to the finals of the NIT last season.

 

High School Male Athlete of the Year — KeAndre Bates, Burges High triple jump State champ and football player.

 

High School Females Athlete of the Year — Adrienne Holguin and Daniela Flores of Hanks High School, both state wrestling champions.

 

HONORABLE MENTION – Other vote getters were UTEP cross country coach Paul Ereng, El Paso High swimmer Victoria Garcia, Andress High basketball coach James Forbes, Hanks High wrestling coach Tony Carter, Cathedral High basketball coach Tony Harper and swimming coach Jack White, Del Valle High quarterback Steven Montes, Eastwood High swimmer Leonardo Sanchez, Parkland High track star Anthony Dudley, Franklin High pole vaulter Paulo Benavidez, San Elizario cross country runner Michael Johnson, Cathedral High swimmer Roberto Pinedo, El Dorado High runner Olamide Olowe.

 

Note: The following selections were made by El Paso Inc

Sports Writer of the Year – Bill Knight of the El Paso Times, who ventured all the way to Massachusetts to bring El Paso coverage of Nolan Richardson’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His vivid stories added much to the event.

 

Sports Photographer of the Year — Ruben Ramirez of the El Paso Times, who accompanied Knight to Massachusetts to cover Nolan Richardson’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Their combined efforts resulted in a spectacular section in Times.

 

Sportscaster of the Year – Tim Hagerty, the voice of the El Paso Chihuahuas, who provided El Pasoans not only with play by play broadcasts of the team’s games but delighted folks with his deep knowledge of what was going on with other teams in the Pacific Coast League. What a great addition he is to El Paso’s sports scene.

10 Jul

Yankees Have Yogi-isms — and so does El Paso

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , .

yogi07.07.13 by Ray Sanchez
Yogi Berra, who has been mentioned in this column recently, has always been one of my favorite New York Yankees. No, it’s not just because of his exceptional ability but because of his sense of humor. In fact, he became famous almost as much for his sayings as his greatness as a catcher.
When the Yankees played in El Paso in 1951, he hit a ball so far over the Dudley Field fence some swear the ball landed where the El Paso Zoo is now, and folks, that’s a long, long way.

OKAY, SO YOGI wasn’t among the prettiest of faces in baseball when he was playing. When someone pointed that out to him, he replied, “Nobody ever hit a baseball with his face.”
Some time ago, reader Tom Hussmann sent me a list of some of Yogi’s funniest comments. I’m still laughing and I thought I’d share some of them with you.
Oh, and I want to add some of the comments I’ve heard on radio and television here in El Paso. We have our own Yogis.

FIRST, HERE are some of my favorite Yogi-isms:
On something happening again: “It’s like deja vu all over again.”
On why the Yankees lost a game: “We made too many wrong mistakes.”
On the economy: “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”
On the world as a whole: “If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.”
On getting lost: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up some place else.”
On being quoted: “I really didn’t say everything I said.”
On things to come: “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
On the opera and one of his most quoted sayings: “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.”

AND A FEW more:
On a restaurant he used to frequent: “Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.”
On the Yankees: “We have deep depth.”
On fan mail: “Never answer anonymous letters.”
On baseball: “90 percent of the game is half mental.”
On daylight saving time: “It gets late early out there.”
And his most famous line about games: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

STILL LAUGHING over Yogi’s sayings? Following are some of the comments I’ve collected, with the help of some other listeners, through the years from callers to talk shows in El Paso:
On complimenting an athlete: “He’s heads and tails above the rest.”
On a controversy: “He added fire to the fuel.”
On complaining about an athlete: “Not to pour rain on his parade.”
On college football: “Lou Holtz doesn’t walk on air.”
On being quoted: “I didn’t say half the things I said.”

AND MORE:
On what baseball is all about: “Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.”
On a developing story: “The cover is coming off the lid.”
On a developing athlete: “He has quietly made some noise.”
On a controversy: “That’s the whole side of both stories.”
On being wrong: “I was remiss if I missed it early.”
On a controversy: “Coronado has the situation underhand.”

I’M SURE we all misspeak at one time or another. We’re all human. But hey, it’s good to laugh at ourselves every now and then.