Brent McClanahan Goes for a HS State Title

[Captain Kangaroo]

Seems like a pretty special athlete?

[Captain Kangaroo]

He's a Champ! Story HereIf the link doesn't work --Wildcat player says credit coaches, tooState Baseball Tournament notebook by Derek TaylorDaily Mail sportswriterBrett McClanahan should be used to getting asked to leave the field at Appalachian Power Park. Only now, the Nitro senior outfielder doesn't mind it so much.McClanahan went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a triple in Nitro's Class AAA championship-clinching win over Fairmont Senior on Saturday.After scoring the final run of the five-inning game, the first-year player was among the throng who were asked politely but firmly by Appalachian Power Park staff and Charleston police to clear the field following the victory.A year ago, McClanahan also got the boot, only under vastly different circumstances.Then a junior, McClanahan had worked his way into the crushed rock surrounding the field to lead cheers for the Wildcats during their semifinal loss to Beckley. His presence there didn't last long as he was asked/told to return to his seat."I'll tell you one thing," a beaming McClanahan said Saturday."It feels a lot better being told to leave the field today than it did last year."McClanahan had the only RBI for Nitro on Saturday that wasn't claimed by senior Chase Pickering or sophomore brother Andrew Pickering. The younger Pickering hit two home runs in the win, the second of which wound up on the awning of the former Charmo warehouse on the opposite side of Morris Street."Those guys are two of a kind," McClanahan said. "There's nobody like them anywhere."On a team loaded with talent, the University of Akron basketball recruit said it was the Nitro coaching staff that deserves the most credit for the end result it produced in 2008."I think our coaching staff is really underrated," he said. "They underwent a big task this year and have to deal with egos over here and egos over there. It's hard to manage that when you've got a team that has a lot of talent."We all get along so it's not that big of a deal, but it takes something special in a person to be able to balance all that."THOSE MONITORING the big school/small-big school scoreboard for the purpose of judging the need for four competitive classes in the state will be interested to know Nitro and Fairmont Senior are both among the eight smallest Class AAA schools. Although the current proposal being considered by the state Board of Education that would split state Secondary School Activities Commission members into four divisions would do so just for football and basketball, the AAA baseball final made it four title-game appearances in the three major boys sports by schools that fall in the lower half of the class in enrollment.Following the order the schools rank when new classifications take effect in the fall, St. Albans (football) is the 27th-largest AAA school (among 40 schools) and South Charleston (boys basketball) is the 26th-largest.* * *THE LOGAN Wildcats, who will join Class AAA in the fall, slammed the door on both their Class AA existence and the Point Pleasant Black Knights with their 13-3 drubbing in the State Tournament finale.The Wildcats overcame a 28-minute rain delay without missing a step.Senior pitcher Josh Motto, who spent much of the season with an injured shoulder after transferring from Chapmanville, threw four solid innings before giving way to submarine-style relief pitcher Robbie Abbott.The win gave Logan its sixth overall baseball championship. The Wildcats won Class AAA titles in 1984, 1994, 2000 and 2001 before winning the 2005 Class AA title by beating Weir.* * *THE COMBINED 27 runs separating championship winners and runners-up in the three classes were the most since the state went to a three-class championship format in 1984.The previous high was 26 runs in 2005.That year, Jefferson beat Fairmont Senior 11-2 in AAA, Logan beat Weir 12-4 in AA and Wheeling Central beat Notre Dame 15-6 in A.The smallest run differential since 1984 is five runs.That total has been achieved three times - in 1992 (Jefferson over South Charleston 6-5, Wayne over Bridgeport 2-1 and Van over Bishop Donahue 5-2), 2001 (Logan over Jefferson 4-1, Winfield over Frankfort 3-2 and Gilmer County over Fayetteville 4-3) and 2003 (Cabell Midland over Fairmont Senior 2-1, Lincoln over Magnolia 7-5 and Matewan over Greenbrier West 9-7).

[Zipmeister]

Seems like a pretty special athlete?

He's a word smith.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Seems like a pretty special athlete?

He's a word smith.

And this is Will Smith:BTW - it's wordsmith.You going to the Wisconsin game, 'meister?

[Zip Watcher]

And isn't it BRETT?

[GoZips]

And this is Will Smith:Are you sure this is Will Smith? Sure looks like Akron men's basketball coach Lamont Paris to me.