Starting out big!

Yesterday I doubled the number of baseball games I had called play-by-play for.

I called four state championship baseball games in a span of 12 hours.

It was one of the longest days in my career so far, but also one of the most rewarding.

Big thanks to my friend Taylor Burck who got my name out there in the mix for the job opportunity.

We broadcast the 1A AHSAA State Championship games 2 & 3, St. Luke's v. Shoals Christian, in the morning, then the 4A games 2 & 3, Beauregard v. Guntersville, in the afternoon and evening.

In the 1A series, Shoals Christian carried a 25 game playoff win streak into the finals, but lost game one to the Wildcats from St. Luke's.

However, one loss did not make or break their season. They came back strong in game 2 with a 14-4 victory and forced a decisive game three.

Game three was no different than game two as the Flame were dominant yet again, winning on a throwing error. After a double to left center brought home two runs, St. Luke's shortstop, Hunter Kirksey, threw the ball over the catcher's head and the winning run (due to the mercy rule) came home.

While the celebration was going on, there was still heartbreak.

Not only on the side of St. Luke's, but for Shoals Christian as well.

The Flame had dedicated their season to a little boy named Noah Crowe who was diagnosed with a brain tumor last November.

Noah lost his battle with cancer Friday morning.

The fans of the Flame had been wearing shirts saying "Pray for Noah" throughout the season, and there were fans at the game Friday with their shirts on in support of Noah,

In the 4A series, Guntersville beat Beauregard in the first game of the series, knocking off the top ranked team in 4A.

The Hornets weren't going down without a fight as they rallied in game two and destroyed the Wildcats 13-0.

It set up the perfect scenario for a suspenseful game three, and that's exactly what fans saw.

The Wildcats took the lead first, but it was a back and forth battle throughout.

The Hornets were up 4-1, but heading into the seventh inning everything was knotted up at 4.

In the top of the seventh, the Wildcats took the lead for good after a single scored a run, then Robert Smith hit a three run bomb over the left field railing.

The Hornets swarmed back in the bottom of the seventh, down by four and cut the lead to two, but the final out was recorded and the Wildcats got their names in the record books.

For Guntersville, it was their first baseball state championship.

For me, it was my first chance to call championship baseball, and it was a thrill.

There's nothing like the moments when the championship is about to be decided, and the moments after when the words coming out of your mouth are nothing but excitement and energy, and you honestly have no clue what you're saying.

I can't wait to watch the replay's of the games and hear the calls I made at the end of the games.

When the videos are done being processed and are available for access online, I'll post a link.

I'm not sure whether to be anxious or nervous.

All I know is, this is the time of my life, and I'm enjoying every second of it.

Me & my partner Taylor Burck

Hard at work!

 Guntersville hoisting the championship trophy

How honest is too honest?

How much do you really want to know about the sports profession?

Fans say they want to know the in's and out's, but when you learn the cold, hard truth do you have the same respect for the game?

Two recent incidents brought this to my mind.

Cole Hamels admitting to beaming Bryce Harper on purpose and Cris Carter coming out with details about his own bounty system in the NFL.

Sure, pitchers plunk hitters all the time. There's retaliation for good hits, previously hit batters on a pitcher's own team, any number of reasons why a pitcher may purposely hit a batter.

Hamels owned up to it, and got a longer suspension because of it.

Does it hurt him in the long run? No. He doesn't even miss a scheduled start.

Does it accomplish anything? Probably not.

In the end, the Hamels thing is pretty common.

This bounty situation is a bit deeper and murkier than the Hamels deal.

Pitchers hitting batters is one thing.

Players setting bounties on other players, for any reason, is a bit more questionable.

Cris Carter came out and said he put bounties on opposing players who were looking to take cheap shots at him.

It was about protection.

But it carried a financial incentive.

He later said the word bounty may not have been the best word choice with the Saints "pay for play" situation at hand, but did not back down from the claims he made.

Carter did say the point was always protection, never about causing harm to another player, but where do you draw the line?

Do you really want to know what else is lurking out there?

Sure, there's the side of getting everything out in the open. There's also the side of maintaining the image sports professions have worked to establish and keeping a blind eye to the mishaps and truth of the situation.

What's the solution? I don't have one.

What's right? I'm not sure there's an easy answer to that either.

Until something is figured out, there are two truths.

There will still be problems, and there will still be fans watching.