PREPS
PREPS
Harding writerthanks Youngstown
Fanfare:
My heart was warmed by the show of support from the Youngstown City Schools for our Warren G. Harding football team as it advanced to the state championship game Nov. 30.
The educational ad placed by the Youngstown City Schools in the Nov. 30 edition of The Vindicator was both inspiring and encouraging and their excellent sportsmanship has not gone unnoticed.
Although the ultimate outcome of the championship game was disappointing, we are proud of our Raiders and appreciate the support from out Mahoning County neighbors. You are truly a class act.
On behalf of the Warren Football Association, I would like to wish the entire staff and student body of the Youngstown City Schools a happy and safe holiday season and again, thank you for your encouragement.
Thomas W. Klingeman, Sr.
Warren
XThe writer is secretary of the Warren Football Association.
BASEBALL
Tribe fansto miss Thome
Fanfare:
Going, going, gone. Like Manny Ramirez before him, Jim Thome has left the building. I think we all thought it woudn't happen. Not if the Indians offered him a fair deal at least, which hasn't always been the case of late, particularly with Sandy Alomar. But the Indians DID make a fair offer. $60 Mil over 5 years with an option for a sixth, versus the Phillies $87 Mil over 6 years. I don't know the numbers exactly, but if Thome had stayed in Cleveland at that rate ($12 Mil per year) for his sixth year, and got a $1 - 3 Mil signing bonus, the difference would have only been in the neighborhood of $15 Mil. And let's face it, fifteen million dollars is an okay neighborhood to be living in.
Jim Thome was more than just a player in baseball, which is more than just a game, especially in Cleveland. When life is cold and sometimes cruel, the baseball field is a place where the rules are followed and the word & quot;fair & quot; can still mean something. Baseball reminds us as a people of who we once were, and who we can strive to be. Baseball reminds us of the best parts of our childhood, and allows us to keep that childlike wonder from time to time as an adult. Baseball reminds us that many different people of many different cultures, ethnicities, and races can work together for a common goal, that teamwork can make all the difference, that dedication and perseverance still mean something. Baseball reminds us that an individual man can still change the world.
Baseball is the Great American Pastime for a reason.
Jim Thome could have been a new light shining on baseball in an old way. Maybe other players would have followed his lead. By staying in Cleveland, he would have said that it's not just about the money. It's about loving your team, and loving the city, and loving the fans, once again. It's about staying with one team for a whole career, once more, and not jumping ship because you have a better chance at getting a World Series ring.
Jim Thome could have been Cleveland's Babe Ruth. For the rest of his career, he could have done half as well as he had up till now, and still been a hero in Cleveland long, long after he was gone.
Jim Thome seemed to be a throwback to a long lost era, perhaps a better one; one I never saw, but glimpsed in Thome. He seemed to play because he loved this town and loved these fans; because he loved baseball. It's sad to see that - like Manny before him - it's all about the money in the end. And that's sad, because baseball is more than just a game.
Especially in Cleveland.
Patrick Michael Bradshaw
Columbus