THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606060217
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 41 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Comment
LENGTH: 57 lines
When you think back to great teams, teams that won championships, are came back as underdogs to play in championships, there always seems to be a ``turning point'' somewhere in their season.
There are also teams that look great on paper but don't live up to their potential.
Perhaps emotion plays a bigger part in winning than does actual raw talent.
The 1978 New York Yankees first come to mind when you think of team that had it all on paper. They had hitting and pitching, but by mid season, they trailed the Boston Red Sox by 10 games.
George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, and Reggie Jackson were bickering amongst themselves and it looked like a season lost. Then, in late July, Martin turned in an emotional resignation.
After Bob Lemon took over, the Yankees suddenly turned it around and eventually won the American League East, the league pennant, and the World Series.
The Perquimans County High School softball team and the Manteo boys baseball team were both good looking squads on paper when the season began. Both were expected to go deep into the playoffs. Yet, there were points in the season where both teams played without emotion. But both teams had turning points.
Perquimans had played well enough to win the Albemarle Conference and coasted into the 1A playoffs with home field advantage.
``Coast'' is a good word to use to describe the Lady Pirates first playoff win over Mattamuskeet, who by all rights didn't deserve to be on the same field as Perquimans. The Lady Pirates won the game 6-0, but did not hit well and showed a general lack of hustle.
Head coach Karen Booker went ballistic. After the game she said Perquimans would not go far in the playoffs the way they had played against the Lakers. Booker tore into the team for a good 20 minutes.
At the time, I wondered what all the hubbub was about, especially since Mattamuskeet didn't have a baserunner after the second inning. But Booker's tirade apparently did the job. Perquimans followed with a big 8-2 win over archrival Camden County and a 7-0 win over Williamston to gain final four status.
Numerous people talked to me before the season started about how good Manteo was going to be. The team was loaded with talent from top to bottom. Three good pitchers, powerful hitting, and great defense all wrapped into one neat package. As the season started, there was only one problem - the team lacked emotion.
The Redskins found that out the hard way in the local Easter Tournament when Currituck County knocked off Manteo 3-0.
The next time the two teams played, the Redskins turned the tables, scoring nine runs in the sixth inning for a come-from-behind 10-4 victory.
Manteo head coach Kenny Meekins keeps pointing back to that game as the key to the season.
The Redskins have not lost a game since.
The moral of the story is, no team is too good to learn an occasional lesson. by CNB