Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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JULY 17-23, 2019 UCW 19 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM The Hope Mills Nationals 8U baseball team needs business and community support for their trip to the World Series. Calvin Koonce, from Hope Mills, was a veteran bullpen pitcher for the New York Mets. Hope Mills News & Views NEWS Hope Mills baseball team needs money for trip to World Series by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Koonce remembered as Mets celebrate World Series win by EARL VAUGHAN JR. The Hope Mills Nationals 8U base- ball team will carry the North Carolina Dixie Youth Baseball state title banner to Ruston, Louisiana, in search of a championship. But to get there, they'll need a lot of financial support. Jesse Cox, one of the coaches of the Hope Mills team, said a fundraiser has been started to try and cover the numerous expenses involved with get- ting the squad of 12 players and four coaches to their destination. "We are looking at having to reuni- form our team in North Carolina attire,'' Cox said. "We'll have some expense in that.'' But that's only the tip of this expen- sive iceberg. The distance by road from Hope Mills to Ruston is just under 1,000 miles and will take just over 13 hours by car. The tournament is scheduled to run July 26-30, and the Hope Mills team is hoping to rent as many as 20 rooms for the players and coaches. Those rooms will cost from $120-$150 per night. Figuring out how to handle transpor- tation is also a challenge. Cox doesn't want to rent a full-sized bus. The team hopes to be in Louisiana for more than a couple of days, and a bus would not be a convenient way to make repeated trips to the ballpark and other places. "We want to be more mobile,'' he said, considering possibilities like pas- senger vans or carpooling in SUVs because of the large amount of baseball equipment they'll need to transport. Flying wouldn't be cost effective, he said, unless someone out there wants to offer the team use of an airplane. "They are a special team and group, and you do want to make it fun,'' Cox said. But, he also noted, "I'm going down there to win that thing, to compete. "The town and community should realize this is not only for Hope Mills but the state of North Carolina,'' he said. "It gives us the opportunity to represent this town in a broad spec- trum. We want to do everything pos- sible to get these boys down there, to get them there and enjoy themselves.'' Sponsorships are available for larger donors from $250 to $1,000. All major donors get their name or business logo on the team banner. The team is also selling 50/50 tick- ets for cash only. A date for the 50/50 drawing had not been established at press time. The GoFundMe web address for the team is www.gofundme.com/ state-championship-bound. The page was originally created to raise money for the trip to the state finals in Brunswick County. Editor's note: The Hope Mills 10U softball team came out of the losers bracket last Wednesday afternoon and defeated Lumberton 2-1 to win the 10U Dixie Softball state champion- ship. In doing so, it become the second Hope Mills team advancing to a Dixie Youth World Series. This fall will mark the 50th anniversary of the victory of the "Amazin'" New York Mets over a talented Baltimore Orioles team in the World Series. A veteran bullpen pitcher from Hope Mills named Calvin Koonce played a key role in that title, winning six games down the stretch for the Mets and earning seven saves. Late last month, friends and family of Koonce, who died in 1993 at the age of 52, traveled back to New York to take part in a 50th anniversary celebration held at the Mets' current home stadium, CitiField. Peggy Koonce, wife of the late Mets reliever, had a hard time believing it's been 50 years. It was shortly after her husband's death that she attended the 25th anniversary reunion. Many of the former Mets stars have since died, players like Tommie Agee, Don Cardwell, Don Clendenon and manager Gil Hodges. Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, the biggest pitching star for the 1969 Mets, was also absent. His family recently announced he is no longer making pub- lic appearances as he's suffering from dementia. One of Koonce's closest friends on the team, Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, was unable to attend the 50th anniversary. Mrs. Koonce said her hus- band was a mentor to the younger Ryan, helping the flamethrower deal with control issues taming his lethal fastball. Ryan ended his career with the most no-hitters in major league history: seven. The Mets treated the Koonces and the other families there for the 50th anniversary weekend first- class, putting them up at the Plaza Athenee, which has hosted guests like actress Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Diana. The ceremony held before New York's Saturday, June 29, game with the Atlanta Braves took about 30 minutes. The deceased Mets were introduced first, with their pictures individually flashed on the giant video screen, followed by a live camera shot of the family member or members there repre- senting them. The living players were driven via golf cart to a platform in the infield. Lifetime Met Ed Kranepool spoke on behalf of the entire group. "It was bittersweet because the health of so many of them has failed,'' Mrs. Koonce said. But the memories of the victory over the Orioles were still fond ones for her. "I think the thing that was so important was knowing we were playing the Orioles and they were so good,'' she said. "We were a team not chosen to win it. We were holding our own, and the young pitchers were doing their job. "When you've got Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman and a bullpen consisting of Calvin and Ron Taylor and all those guys, it looks pretty good.'' Mrs. Koonce said she felt pretty special just sit- ting in the stands for that World Series, looking around and seeing the late Jacqueline Kennedy just a couple of rows behind her, and the enter- tainer Pearl Bailey not far away. "Just seeing the look on Calvin's face after it was all over,'' she said. "It was just wonderful. The expressions of love they had for each other.'' Also along for the 50th anniversary observance was Timmy Smith, who played baseball for Koonce when Koonce was first head coach at South View High School and later at Campbell University. "Most anybody you talked with about Mr. Koonce talked about how he was a positive influ- ence (on his teammates) and took them under his wing,'' Smith said. Smith added that Koonce had a similar effect on him. "He was like my second father,'' Smith said. "He could tell you more by not saying things than he could with words. Just his looks and his motions. "One player told me (Koonce) sold him a couple of sport coats, took him under his wing and took care of him and his reputation. Another person said it was great to have (Koonce) there to talk with because he could have made a lot of wrong choices along the way. Mr. Koonce helped him make the right ones.''