Like It Is

WALLY HALL: Talking about softball, golf, written word

Clint and Marla Albright have always had great softball tournaments that generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for the central Arkansas area, and the 37th Busch Classic, July 1-3, will also be the most patriotic.

The Wounded Warrior Amputee softball team will play an exhibition game a week from Friday at 6:15 p.m., at the Sherwood Sports Complex.

The 30 combat veterans have played games in 41 states and three countries. They have been featured on 60 Minutes and Today, on ESPN and in Sports Illustrated.

Before that game, the Arkansas Softball Hall of Fame will induct its newest class.

This year's honorees are Rick Allred, Jim Barnard, John Cameron, Johnny Rice, Bob Wharton, Wendell Rickard, Jim Maycunich and James Marrow.

This year's Busch Classic has 130 teams in the men's and women's divisions. It is one of 20 USSSA World Series Qualifiers and provides a berth in the Women's World Series in Orlando, Fla.

Saying the tournament is both fun and competitive would be an understatement.

...

The 10th Arkansas Sportscasters/Sportswriters Hall of Fame dinner and induction will be July 9 at the Centennial Special Events Center at the Centennial Country Club in Conway.

Rex Nelson, sportscaster (longtime football voice of the Ouachita Baptist Tigers), and Donna Lampkin-Stephens, sportswriter, will be honored. Ray Rodgers, legendary boxing coach, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Service Award goes to former UCA Athletic Director Bill Stephens.

The Member of the Year is Don Campbell.

Mark Martin, winner of 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, is the keynote speaker. The doors open at 5:30 and dinner starts at 6 p.m.

...

This from Justin Acri, program director and co-host of The Zone on The Buzz, 103.7-FM, after a wild and crazy Sunday of U.S. Open golf at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh.

Jim Furyk, who finished in a three-way tie for second, has 549 career PGA Tour starts and 310 top 25 finishes, including 180 top 10s and 17 victories. He has earned more than $66 million.

Not bad for a guy you couldn't pick out of a lineup.

...

The U.S. Open was won, of course, by the wildly talented Dustin Johnson, who has had problems on and off the course. And as he surged to the lead, there was controversy hanging over his head.

He would eventually be charged a penalty stroke because the ball moved when he was lining up for a putt on the fifth green in his final round. No video showed him touching the ball. He said he didn't touch the ball. And officials, who informed him on the 12th hole that he might be penalized at the end of the round, said they would wait until his round was complete to make a decision.

Basically, the USGA was bush league in the way it acted.

First, Johnson should have known about the penalty shot in case he needed to change his strategy, and second the organization basically said he wasn't telling the truth.

PGA Tour regulars from all over the world justifiably criticized the USGA for the way it handled the whole debacle.

In the end, it didn't matter, as Johnson secured his first major victory with his clubs.

...

Tim Horton, a former Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver and an assistant coach, has written a book titled Complete Running Back.

Horton, now an assistant under Gus Malzahn with the Auburn Tigers, provides position-specific instruction for players seeking to take their game to the next level.

Among the running backs Horton has coached are Darren McFadden, Peyton Hillis and Felix Jones. All had NFL careers, and McFadden is still playing for the Dallas Cowboys.

The book is an encyclopedia of information including formations, pictures and how-to illustrations.

Sports on 06/23/2016

Upcoming Events