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Are spring training camps really that necessary From the unabashed writers book of completely makebelieve quotes we unabashedly offer this overheard conversation between an elderly man and his wife as they were somewhere In either southern Florida or Arizona What was that asked the wife A Cardinal replied the husband And that she queried A Blue Jay hubby answered And what about that one she continued to insist Its only an Oriole the husband testily replied ending the conversation What have we here an tin discovered bird watching haven No Martha you can put away the travel folders The birds the lady was seeing were not of the feathered kind although some might argue otherwise they were major league baseballs version of the fowl foul returning to the training nest Until a short while ago not only spring training entire major league baseball season was in jeopardy because of the dispute between major league owners and the players Not wanting to prematurely kill off the fatted calf both sides came to some sort of an agreement and waddled away from the negotia Hon table heavily laden with over burdened wallets This meant that the Grapefruit League season could get under way Somewhat shortened this year because of the dispute bet ween the owners and the players it might best be termed baseball s version of the grapefruit diet with only half a portion being served Baseball is truly an amazing sport has survived down through the decades virtually changed Yet its attraction remains strong In fact over the last few years it has continued to amaze by attracting even more supporters Rumors gossip and comic relief provide the meat of news emanating from baseball spring training camps But this is as it should be It allows the fan to get himself to shape without too much mental exercise in time for the grinding rigors of the game regular AS I SEE IT But is spring training really all that necessary for the players The annual baseball spring so journ to southern climes is reported to have begun In 1886 when legendary Cap Anson took his Chicago White Stockings to Hot Springs Arkansas to work off the beer the players drank over the winter months As more and more teams migrated south spring training became accepted as an integral part of the baseball season But does success in Grapefruit League play or lack thereof translate into an actual barometer of how teams will do once regular season play begins Methinks not But don tell that to the family of Chick Stahl A rookie manager with the Boston Red Sox m he committed suicide after his team got off to a rocky 513 start in Grapefruit League play The Toronto Blue Jays are look ing more like bird droppings than baseball players thus far 1990 Grapefruit League play but nobody is suggesting that manager Cito Gaston get the axe Last year the Blue Jays topped all teams in the Grapefruit League then nosedived once regular season play began leading to the firing of Jimy Williams Go figure But might be having some niggling thoughts In 1954 Phil Cavarretta of the Chicago Cubs became the only manager fired during spnng training Since teams have finish ed in first place during spnng training but only 17 however went on to win their divisions ing regular season play Cobb and Tim Raines are the only players to hold out for the en tire duration of spring training In Cobb stayed away from camp over a contract dispute then went on to bat during the regular season In 1987 Raines then a free agent didn t find any takers and re signed with Montreal Expos on May He went on to lead the league in runs scored 123 and hit figure The Georgetown Baseball Association will be holding a late registration session Thursday April 19 from 7 to p m at Centen School on Delrex Boulevard The association is hoping to attract more bantam and midget a players to form house leagues in those divisions Further information on the Georgetown Baseball Association can be obtained by contacting Don na Blight Former Stewarttown Public School teacher Jim Ridley also moonlights with the Toronto Blue Jays and scouts Southern Ontario for the major league club Ridley who now teaches at Sam Sherratt Public School in Milton saw the Blue Jays Ontario scouting staff increase by one recently Ron Roncetti formerly associated with the New York Mets joins the Blue Jays scouting teams Other scouts include Ron Cabot Mlssissauga Walt Jeffries Lon don Greg Darichuck Oakville and John Gill Niagara Falls Now that Wrestlemania VI has been flushed down the toilet here a bit of info on Randy Macho Man Savage He was a switch hitting cat in the early s who never made it past the minor professional level And believe it or not his real name is Randy He is the brother of motor mouth Lanny Poffo I can see why he changed his name Somehow Randy Macho Man doesn exactly instill dread Similarly he is married to the beautiful Miss Elizabeth and can you imagine Randy introducing his children as the little Poffo s This he can refer to his brood as the little Savages and who is going to argue with him As I see it anyway Georgetown Day of Champs Georgetown Minor Hockey Association is holding its final spr registration day today Satur day in the lobby of the Gordon Alcott Memorial Arena Registration is scheduled to run from m until With spring rep team tryouts running through until April 14 with the exception of minor and major bantam it should be noted that players wishing to for a Rep team must first be registered with the GMHA The final spnng registra tion day also coincides with the GMHA House League Day of Champions at Gordon Alcott Memorial Arena today day Young gymnast captures gold Halton Hills Gymnastics Club member Jennifer Stocks earned the local club s banner high at a re cent interclub meet in Oakville The 10yearold gymnast won the gold medal in the floor exercises discipline with a score of 65 topping a field of com petitors from other clubs Jennifer is the only competitive gymnast at the Hills Gym nasties Club and this is her first season in interclub competition On April 28 the Halton Hills Gymnastics Club will send a 21 member team to Guelph to com pete in a precompetitive club competition On April 29 The Halton Hills Gymnastic Club will send its competitive team to Milton for a competition Both the Guelph and Milton meets are recognized by the Cen Ontario Section of the Ontario Gymnastics Federation From May 510 the Halton Hills Gymnastic Club team will be competing in Toronto at the Toronto Gymnastics Inter national Club against teams from all over Ontario The Halton Hilts Gymnastics Club trains nightly in the Rose Room on the top floor of Georgetown Memorial Arena on Mill St Jennifer Stocks COMPUTER SAMS SERVICE IBM COMPATIBLE 386 MHZ 2 meg of memory One or 1 meg floppy meg ms hard disk Monochrome Monitor Hercules BOO 4161734325 WIS Georgetown resident Maurice Mac McLean realized a lifelong dream when he and his wife Betty were able to vacation In Florida recently courtesy of boo Doug during major league baseball spring training A Detroit Tiger fan for roughly years Mac and Betty took In a game between the Tigers and the St Louis Cardinals at the Cardinals spring train Ing camp in St Petersburg Florida Photo by Mac McLean KATIE KITTY UTTER NO MORE MESS NO MORE LINERS NO MORE CHANGING DIRTY LITTER BOXES LASTS 10 TIMES LONGER MOORE PARK PLAZA MAIN STREET NORTH GEORGETOWN 8732666 100 OFF BRING THIS COUPON IN TO PET CENTRE AND RECEIVE 1 00 OFF THE REGULAR PRICE OF ANY KB SIZE JUG OF KATIE KITTY LITTER OFFER GOOD ONLY WHILE QUANTITY LASTS ONE COUPON PER CUSTOMER VALID UNTIL JUNE 1 PET CENTRES BRINGING PETS AND PEOPLE TOGETHER