Hello boys and girls. We want to start by congratulating the Class of 2026 as seniors will be opening the doors to their next chapters.
I don’t remember much about my graduation except that we were fortunate to have a cool front move through. I remember Superintendent McClain welcoming everyone to our new air conditioned facility. Robert Montagne was our Asst. Supt. Our school board members were Beth Rach, Jerry McNeil, Ron Hutchison, Marvin Nance, Richard Moore, Delroy Armstrong and Mr. Hickingbottom. Mike Gentry was our principal and Charles Donnaud was Asst. Principal.
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There will be a new business coming into the former KOGT Studios on Meeks Drive and honestly it’s been more emotional than our last day on the air because the way the inside has looked since I worked there in the 1980’s is going to change.
I’ve been pouring through the memories and I look forward to sharing many of them with you Juicers. Fortunately/unfortunately I didn’t throw much away. Much of it I haven’t seen since before Hurricane Harvey which was nine years ago. I had to do some research for a visit with the Historical Society last week and I think I realized more than ever that of all the reasons we stopped broadcasting, if Harvey wasn’t number 1, it was 1A. The hours we put in at KOGT, doubled by the rebuild of my home and KOGT and the many problems we encountered on the way, just did me in.
My first little nugget to share with you is this NEC bag phone. And there were people who looked at it and said, “What is it?” Can you imagine?
This piece of equipment changed the way we broadcast games and I really wished we still had them available. Before the bag phone we would have to have access to a phone line in the press box or we’d have to buy a temporary line to be put in the box. So we would have to call Southwestern Bell/AT&T, pay approximately $150, and then drive to Houston or where ever, hoping that the line was installed. Sometimes we would get a call from the installer from the line, assuring us that it was “live.” But many times we didn’t and would have to sweat the two hour drive to arrive to no phone line. Then the chances of getting someone up there on a Friday afternoon to do their job that was supposed to be done earlier were slim.
But the bag phone, at least this one, was a beast. And we could broadcast from anywhere as long as we had a signal. Not only was it stronger, 3 watts compared to one, but it was analog, and we miss analog! If a signal got weak you might hear a little fuzz in the background instead of the call completely dropping like we have with digital.
And the battery would sometimes get so hot you couldn’t touch it so I would cover it in a damp wash cloth and hope it would survive. It definitely deserves to be in the Cellphone Hall of Fame.
For the few of you left that may not know what you see in the picture below, you are looking at a Coike bait (pronounced Coy-Kay) and it’s the hottest thing going in bass fishing. It was invented in Japan and means “thick hair.”
There are a lot of gimmicks in fishing but last week at least four of the top 10 Bassmaster Elites on Santee Cooper, including the winner, were using the urchin baits.
Really haven’t seen anything like this since Chris Lane won on Toledo Bend in 2016 using the Whopper Plopper. It was in such demand stores were putting them under lock and key. And then before that, and maybe even bigger than the Plopper, was the Alabama rig.
Considering the price ($10+) I assume it’s a matter of time before someone claims to have caught’em using a Sweetgum Ball.
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Hated to see Denny’s have a fire the other night. I don’t know what Randy Hebert is going to do without his morning coffee and special chair. Somebody better check on him.
There’s more damage than you think because you can’t see it from the outside. I spoke to the manager who said there was no timeline on reopening. They’re at the mercy of the contractors. But they were already working on it the next day.
We’re told the 100+ acre land clearing off of West Bluff is a timber grab. No construction expected.
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I want to thank Coach Al Barbre for joining me on the Behind the Mic podcast. I hope you’ll give it a listen because his memory is incredible and we definitely learn a few things we didn’t know. Appreciate your feedback at the email address below.
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Our boys that are pitching professionally are all out there doing their thang. Continued success and health!
Chase Shugart, 29, is having a solid season in Philly. He’s 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA and a .91 WHIP. He’s pitched 17.2 innings with 18 strikeouts and only four walks. You can click on this link for a recent story on Chase.
Grant Anderson is a relief pitcher with the Milwaukee Brewers carrying a 1-2 record with a 3.20 ERA. The 28 year old has seen action in 20 big league games this season. He’s struck out 17 and walked 7 in 19.2 IP.
Grants twin brother Aidan is at AAA Round Rock. He is 0-1 with 6K’s in 12 innings. He carries a 6.00 ERA and a WHIP of 1.83
Chad Dallas, 25, is in AAA Buffalo and has been mentioned as a possible big league call up. He’s 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP with 34K’s in 32 IP.
27 year old Jack Dallas is with the Phillies AA affiliate. He’s 1-0 with a 5.51 ERA. He’s struck out 13 in 16.1 innings with a nice WHIP of 1.16
Peyton Havard is with the Phillies single A club in Florida. He’s 1-0 with a 6.64 ERA and a WHIP of 1.87. In 20 innings he has 20 strikeouts.
If I missed someone, please email me. Have a great weekend and stay dry!
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-Gary Stelly-
gstelly66@gmail.com
Volume 2 No. 6
The Juice is a column where Gary Stelly discusses things that’s happened in the area and mixes it with 40 years of being involved in the Orange County community. (If we think of a better way to explain it we’ll change it) You can also check out his podcast by clicking on the Behind the Mic banner on the KOGT.com front page.
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