Judd's Morning Madness

Touchdown at the Ball Field!!!

   I'll say it right off the bat, no pun intended, I hate it when the weather cancels a sports event.   I love coaching my son and daughter in baseball and softball and I know they always look forward to game day.   So when some rain or the threat of severe weather keeps us at home, I'm always wishing we could have squeezed our game in before it got ugly.  

    Now imagine this situation.  It's not just you, and your kids, and your team, but a ball park full of kids and parents waiting to see what mother nature will do.   It happened April 17, 2009 at the Thompson Ball Park off Ray Thorington Road.    This is where the Montgomery American League plays.  The night started off fine with the games at 6 pm well underway, but when the radar indicated a line of storms moving our way, league officials started to get concerned.   There was a brief rain delay when the league sent everyone home.

    So I'm driving in my car on the way back from a different ball park when I get a call that all games on Saturday were canceled.   I'm thinking... man.. it rained a lot but we can surely get the fields ready for a sunny Saturday.   The person on the other end of the line said, "I'm not worried about the rain, it's the bleachers that were launched on top of the backstop, we were hit by a tornado."   It was an E-F 1 tornado.

     Just 10 minutes before part of the park was ripped up, there were more than 800 kids leaving the facility.   A few minutes saved hundreds of lives.    The city and the park picked up the pieces and now the kids are back out at the park.    Never again will I be disappointed in a rain delay or a canceled game.    We can always reschedule but could never live with ourselves if we gambled and got some kids or parents hurt or even worse.    My sincere appreciation goes out to the league officials (I'm on the board too but was not there that night) who made the decision to play it safe!!!

     When I see those tiny cleats, the cute girls with the pink gloves, and the boys walking around with that tough eye glare on, I'm just thankful, for once, the games were called off.

Miss Tallassee

What a night.   For the second year in a row I had the chance to host the Miss Tallassee Pageant.   It may by a small rural town outside Montgomery, but these folks know how to throw a party.  This pageant is a first class event run by the Athene Women's group and they have a lot of fun.

Here's a look at this years winners, although they're all winners in my book for being brave enough to take the stage and lay it all on the line.   Next to me from left to right is Rhiannon Strearns (Freshman Miss Tallassee), Hannah Bush (Junior Miss Tallassee), and Miss Tallassee Kristyn Stone.    They all deserved it.    All night long they showed their skills in sports wear, evening wear, some did talent, and they had to answer a tough question.   This pageant does so much for these young ladies whether they wear the crown or not.  They're learning all about self confidence, how to shine in front of a crowd, and they make some good friends along the way.

Thanks again to the ladies Heather, Jewell, Jennifer, Paige, Tiffany and crew for a great night.

Miss CCA 2009

    I've almost been at WSFA 12 News for 5 years now and I love the opportunities we get.   This year I emceed the Miss Crenshaw Christian Academy pageant for the 5th year in a row.    It was one of the first events I emceed here when I started and I'm so happy they have me back every year.   It's a lot of fun and I have roots in Crenshaw County.   My grandpa, who passed away this year, lived in Luverne for years and my grandma Julia still lives there.

     The pageant is packed with talented young ladies who all have a bright future.  By the time they leave this school they're all off to college, many of them with scholarships.   This year's winner, Sadie Jones is incredible.   I've watched her perform for 5 years but last year was the first year she was old enough to compete.   She's just one of the many amazing young people we have in our viewing area.  To be honest I'd never been to any kind of pageant before.   I was missing out.   Make sure to get out and support these girls at your local events when you get a chance.  They work so hard and put so much time into their routines and their outfits.   All these young ladies deserve to wear the crown.