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Rutherfordton LL Visits Michigan; Tragedy Strikes At Track

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Kevin Carver

For the first time in 34 years, a North Carolina Little League team won the Southeast Junior Baseball title. Last week, Rutherfordton was the North Carolina team who accomplished the feat, going undefeated in Regional play in Greenville, South Carolina.

Rutherfordton is in Taylor, Michigan this week trying to win the National Title and would play for the World Title if they can become best in the U.S. first.

So far, they lost game one to Manhattan Beach, California in a 8-7 contest. Cameron Snethen, J.C. Crowe and Josh Searcy each had two hits in the loss. Rutherfordton is scheduled to play for at least Tuesday and Wednesday, but that could go all the way until Saturday, August 16.

While baseball is a passion among people in this area, racing is also synonymous in North Carolina as Charlotte is the NASCAR hub. That brings us to the Tony Stewart saga which ensued last Saturday night at a dirt track in New York.

Stewart ran fellow competitor Kevin Ward Jr. out of the groove in that sprint car race and caused him to crash his vehicle. Following the crash, a very angry Ward Jr. got out of his smashed up car, ran down the track and waited for Stewart to come by so that he could display his displeasure about the incident which just took place.

Ward Jr. was so far down the track that another car had to slow to avoid him, but Stewart wasn’t so fortunate as his right rear tire struck, carried and then ran over Ward Jr. in just an instant. Stewart stopped his car directly after that part happened. Ward Jr. died at the scene. Rightfully so, Stewart withdrew from Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen.

For me, two wrongs don’t make a right. Both were guilty, although I don’t believe what happened was intentional at all by any means.

I can’t speak for Stewart, but I do have an opinion. It looks like Tony punched the gas pedal when Ward Jr. came after him on foot to avoid confrontation and maybe even playfully throw a little dirt on him as Stewart bypassed. Sadly, Stewart’s car slid ever so slightly and caught Ward Jr. who was too close to the moving machine. It is possible that Stewart didn’t see him at all until last second because the car in front of him had to avoid Ward Jr. who was in the track groove.

If Stewart doesn’t hit the throttle and just rolls through, then we’re not talking about this situation.

What Ward Jr. did was commonplace in racing. However, he was a too far down the track. You stand at a distance and do that sort of thing. Throwing helmets, throwing up your hands as to why a driver took another driver out is okay, but from 15 yards away or so. That particular element shouldn’t change because that’s the emotional and passionate side of racing. For a driver and crew to work so hard, spend so much time, give so much effort and money to race and then to be taken out, that’s why you see that sort of reaction out of a driver. Racing is not a cheap venture either. Most do it for the love. Very few are able to race professionally and make money at it.

Also, I want to mention that ESPN doesn’t know or understand every sport, although they try to cover them all.

ESPN Sunday analyst for Mike and Mike named “The Coach” claimed that Stewart probably shouldn’t be racing sprint cars because he doesn’t race them often enough in one year and is not use to them.

This guy has no idea about racing or Tony Stewart. The Coach should only provide facts about the situation and then have guests who actually understand the sport to talk about it.

Stewart is very capable of driving a sprint car and for him, it’s like riding a bicycle. Stewart owns his own dirt track and races in 30-plus dirt track races a year. 

Nonetheless, a 20-year old has tragically died as a result of those events. May God Bless Kevin Ward Jr.’s family at this terrible time in their lives.

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