Author: James P. Hill

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Sports Sports Feature

THE SCOOP ON SPORTS

ZAB JUDAH BRINGS THE PAIN

Zab Judah (r) taking Omar Weis’s measure at Tunica

Zab Judah (28-1, 1 NC, 21 KOs), of Brooklyn, New York, and former IBF Junior Welterweight Champion returned to the ring July, 13, 2002 in Tunica, Mississippi, in front of a sellout crowd. After 10 rounds of brawling, jabbing, and several knock downs of IBF No. 6 contender Omar Weis (35-3-4 16 KOs) the final bell rang, and the judges ruled Judah as the winner of a 10-round unanimous decision (scores: 97-93, 97-92, & 96-93). With the victory, Judah a powerfully skilled, game southpaw moves closer toward a possible rematch with Kostya Tszyu ( 28-1-1, 23 Kos; WBC, WBA, IBF Junior Welterweight Champion). Fans may recall the high profile unification bout November 3, 2001 in which the fight ended in a second-round knockout. Many experts and fans of the boxing game felt the fight should not have been stopped. Judah was kind enough to sit down with the Flyer for an exclusive interview after the fight and discuss the bout, his visit to the Memphis area, and his future in the boxing game.

Flyer: Zab your record is now 28 & 1; this guy (Omar Weis) was like a pit bull, but you got the tko. Talk to me about tonight’s fight.

Zab Judah: It was a tough figh. I had a good fight with a great credible opponent. This guy was an excellent performer. You know I was game tonight. I had an excellent training camp with my father, my uncle. And the rest of my team Judah kept me focused and just let me know that all I had to do was just go out there and just use skills and don’t try to knock him out and the win would come.

Flyer: What was different about this fight, or was it just another night at the office?

Zab Judah: Tonight was the first time I ever kept my hands up for 10 solid rounds. I didn’t play and stayed all business; so you know it felt great. I like it and in the near future this is what you will see from Zab Judah.

Flyer: Was this guy any tougher than any of the other fighters in the past? He was hurt a lot.

Zab Judah: it wasn’t so much about him being tough; he was a game fighter. With me having a lay off there was a little bit of rust, but at the same time I was game, too. He was a great opponent, he was in great shape, his skills were decent, but you know his thing was he kept coming, and that was a big thing.

Flyer: Head butts: were they a problem in this fight ?

Zab Judah: He kept banging me in my face with his head all night, but, you know, I’m a veteran. This is what I do, I know how to adjust to pain. I’m from Brownsville in Brooklyn, New York. They can’t stop me baby, you know.

Flyer: What do you tell Memphis and Tunica area boxing fans who read the Memphis Flyer and they find out you were here doing your thing?

Zab Judah: I just want to tell people in Memphis I had a great time here. This morning we went to the Civil Rights Museum. I didn’t know the place was loaded with so much history and I think it’s a great city. I just want to thank all my fans out here in Memphis for coming out and supporting me. And, if i have a chance to come back I will be back.

Flyer: What do you think of the sports scene here in Memphis with big time boxing bouts like Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson, Zab Judah vs. Omar Weis, the NBA, and the fans who love college football?

Zab Judah: Memphis is popping, baby, it’s beautiful, great food, great women, great everything, it’s just a beautiful city. If I have any vacation time off to come back and relax somewhere, I might pick Memphis.

Flyer: Where do you go from here? You leave town with a record of 28 and 1. What’s next for Zab Judah?

Zab Judah: Like I said, this was a walk in the park, this was a stepping stone towards my victory. So I will be back in the gym, I will just put this under my belt as a great credible opponent to show everybody that Zab Judah is still here. I will just keep training hard. In the next fight I’ll get better, better, and better.

Flyer: It appeared Omar Weis was saved by the bell 3 or 4 times; what do you say to that?

Zab Judah: Yeah, he’s a great opponent. He was game, he was here tonight to win so you got to give this guy a lot of credit. I want everybody to understand that this guy Omar Weis is no bum, this guy is a great opponent. Any other Junior welterweights out there who fight him may have problems. I look for him to do good in the ring.

Flyer: What do you tell young kids who Look up to Zab Judah, Lennox Lewis, and Muhammad Ali?

Zab Judah: I tell kids in the game to work hard. Whether you’re in football, basketball, or boxing. Anywhere you go anything you do somebody out there is always trying to do better; so just keep your head on straight and work hard.

Flyer: Champ, do you have any closing comments?

Zab Judah: Just tell everybody in Memphis I had a great time here. I love you guys, and hopefully I can come back here and do it again. Also, check out the hot web site and message board at www.zabjudah.com. Thank you, Memphis!

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Sports Sports Feature

THE SCOOP ON SPORTS

YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN!

Les Walrond, Memphis Redbirds pitcher, is living proof that hard work can pay off in the form of achievement, success, and even getting to throw sliders with family and friends looking on. Walrond attended Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he developed his baseball passion. Then it was off to the University of Kansas, where the outfielder changed his position from retrieving fly balls to the pitching mound. The St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the June 1998 free-agent draft selected him. After pitching stints with minor league teams in New Jersey, Peoria, Potomac, New Haven, and Memphis his arm is his ticket back home for the Triple-A All-Star Game being played at Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark. Les Walrond, who leads the Redbirds with 74 strikeouts, has a 6-4 record with a 4.35 ERA recently sat down with the Flyer to discuss how he feels about going home to live his dream and play in the Triple-A All-Star game.

Flyer: Tell me how it feels to represent the Memphis Redbirds in your home state of Oklahoma while playing in the Triple-A All-Star Game?

Les Walrond: It feels pretty good. I made an all star team when I was in Peoria (Chiefs) single A ball. I can’t imagine what Triple-A All Stars is going to be like. I’m just real excited to be down there.

Flyer: What will it be like to live your dream in Oklahoma City in front of family and friends?

Les Walrond: I’m going to have a lot of friends and family coming down. I called my friends and said you guys are going to have to make a trip up to Oklahoma City because I’m going to be playing in an All-Star Game. Everybody is really happy and everybody has been so supportive.

Flyer: Tell me about when you were at the University of Kansas where you were an outfielder and a scout told you your arm had big-league potential?

Les Walrond: I grew up hitting; my dad had hitting books and hitting tapes. I always thought of myself as a hitter and an outfielder. Daryl Monroe, a great outfielder who got drafted before me, told me I was a left-handed pitcher. And I have a chance if I work at it and become a pitcher and not a thrower. I decided to change my mind frame toward pitching.

Flyer: What do you tell young people about hard work paying off and leading to success and all-star appearances?

Les Walrond: I try to tell young kids to stay positive and focus on what you’re trying to do. And I’ve always said that it’s one of those things where you can do anything if you put your mind to it. When I was in college and I converted over to pitching I struggled pretty badly I had like an a 7 era. I had doubts but I kept my mind on it and I focused and here I am today.

Flyer: How is it to be in Memphis playing for the Redbirds?

Les Walrond: When I first got here and walked into the locker room I felt like I was in the big leagues right away. It’s just a first class system, everybody that works here they treat you with class, and it’s just all around a great place to play.

Flyer: What does your success mean to your family when they get to come out and see you play in the All-Star Game?

Les Walrond: It means a lot for my mom. I called her and told her I made the team at like 2 o’clock in the morning, and she didn’t go to sleep until 6 o’clock that morning. She showed more excitement than I have, because I’m trying to keep it in perspective. I’ve made an All-Star team, and I’m going to have to throw strikes.

Flyer: Has the All-Star dream set in yet? You will be going home to Oklahoma and suiting up for the game in your home state

Les Walrond: It hasn’t set in yet until some of my family high school buddies come up and they’re going to see me in my uniform. It’s going to be a pretty nice feeling because my friends and family have always been really supportive of me. I think it’‘ going to set in once I get out there that first day.

Flyer: What would you like to tell Memphis Flyer readers and Redbirds fans?

Les Walrond: I just want to thank the fans for being supportive and for my opportunity to come up here and pitch. I’ve had a couple of games where I have struggled out there, but every time we come off the field fans give us a strong ovation whether we do good or bad. Ffans have been real supportive, and I just want to tell then thank you very much.

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

THE SCOOP ON SPORTS

HIGH MAINTENANCE

It’s about 4 a.m. You’re at home in bed, enjoying some REMs and dreaming. For Steve Horne, Memphis Redbirds director of field operations, this is one of his favorite times. “I have dreams,” he says, “and when I wake up, I put field patterns on paper and then talk to the guys on the grounds crew. After the pattern is mowed on the field, we get satisfaction from fans’ feedback.”

The three-man full-time crew works long hours through the Mid-South summer heat and winter cold all year round. “In July and August, it’s pretty hot,” says grounds crew worker Ed Collins. Just as the Redbirds have a strategy to win baseball games, the grounds crew has its own system to work through the extremes of Mother Nature. “You gotta come out in 20-minute shifts and drink a lot of water,” says Jeff Vincent, another crew member.

Despite an ever-changing and sometimes unpredictable schedule due to rain, the grounds-crew staff is passionate about the results of their collective work. “It’s a lot harder than I thought. It all pays off when you see how good the field looks at the end of the day,” says Vincent.

The normal routine for the crew includes pre-game field preparation mowing, applying fresh chalk lines and post-game care, such as raking and filling holes. Some people compare grounds-crew work to

gardening, but that’s like comparing redbirds to bluejays. “The difference between gardening and yard-building is I have about 25 guys who come out and attempt to tear

everything up that I do,” Horne says. “They’re out there to play a game. That’s their business. It’s our job to make it where they’re as comfortable as possible doing that.”

Most of the grounds work at AutoZone Park is unglamorous, to say the least. There are no fans in the stands, no hot dogs, no apple pies, and no excitement in the air. This ballpark scene is all about preparing the field of dreams.

Redbirds catcher Alex Andreopoulos says he admires and respects the job the grounds crew does. Andreopoulos also understands how hard work behind the scenes can often be overlooked. “The fans don’t see what they’re doing before the game, what they do after the game especially, and then in between innings,” says Andreopoulos. “You don’t see the guys doing their job, but it makes it easier for us to go out there and play.”

The grounds work is not just for show.

Maintaining a quality playing surface can help prevent injuries. The coaching staff and players can tell a good field from a bad one. “Say the field is too soft,” says Redbirds manager Gaylen Pitts. “You’re gonna have guys slipping and sliding out there. They’ll have a tendency to pull a muscle or whatever. If it’s too hard when they slide, they can hurt themselves. Or if the grass has some bad spots, if it’s loose, they can catch their spikes. A good playing surface is worth its weight in gold.”

Or diamonds. n

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

THE SCOOP ON SPORTS

HIGH MAINTENANCE

It’s about 4 a.m. You’re at home in bed, enjoying some REMs and dreaming. For Steve Horne, Memphis Redbirds director of field operations, this is one of his favorite times. “I have dreams,” he says, “and when I wake up, I put field patterns on paper and then talk to the guys on the grounds crew. After the pattern is mowed on the field, we get satisfaction from fans’ feedback.”

The three-man full-time crew works long hours through the Mid-South summer heat and winter cold all year round. “In July and August, it’s pretty hot,” says grounds crew worker Ed Collins. Just as the Redbirds have a strategy to win baseball games, the grounds crew has its own system to work through the extremes of Mother Nature. “You gotta come out in 20-minute shifts and drink a lot of water,” says Jeff Vincent, another crew member.

Despite an ever-changing and sometimes unpredictable schedule due to rain, the grounds-crew staff is passionate about the results of their collective work. “It’s a lot harder than I thought. It all pays off when you see how good the field looks at the end of the day,” says Vincent.

The normal routine for the crew includes pre-game field preparation mowing, applying fresh chalk lines and post-game care, such as raking and filling holes. Some people compare grounds-crew work to

gardening, but that’s like comparing redbirds to bluejays. “The difference between gardening and yard-building is I have about 25 guys who come out and attempt to tear

everything up that I do,” Horne says. “They’re out there to play a game. That’s their business. It’s our job to make it where they’re as comfortable as possible doing that.”

Most of the grounds work at AutoZone Park is unglamorous, to say the least. There are no fans in the stands, no hot dogs, no apple pies, and no excitement in the air. This ballpark scene is all about preparing the field of dreams.

Redbirds catcher Alex Andreopoulos says he admires and respects the job the grounds crew does. Andreopoulos also understands how hard work behind the scenes can often be overlooked. “The fans don’t see what they’re doing before the game, what they do after the game especially, and then in between innings,” says Andreopoulos. “You don’t see the guys doing their job, but it makes it easier for us to go out there and play.”

The grounds work is not just for show.

Maintaining a quality playing surface can help prevent injuries. The coaching staff and players can tell a good field from a bad one. “Say the field is too soft,” says Redbirds manager Gaylen Pitts. “You’re gonna have guys slipping and sliding out there. They’ll have a tendency to pull a

muscle or whatever. If it’s too hard when they slide, they can hurt themselves. Or if the grass has some bad spots, if it’s loose, they can catch their spikes. A good playing surface is worth its weight in gold.”

Or diamonds. n