By

Ron Ingram News staff writer

Pitching should be the highlight when.Jefferson County's All-Stars line up against the North All-Stars on Saturday afternoon in the 54th Alabama Lions East-West baseball classic at UAB's Young Field. The Jeffco squad, which was trimmed frc>mapproximately 75 players who tried out for the team to 16 through a series of local games, features some of the top hurlers in the state. .

Among them are Jason Standridge of Hewitt- Trussville and Jeffery Norris of Vestavia Hills, a strong right-handerjieft-hander combination. The duo combined to pitch 12 shutout innings in the Jeffco East-West series. Dick Steed, now in his fourth year as a Jeffco all-star coach, said: "We have to figure out how we plan to use our pitchers. Do we pitch Norris Saturday, or do we throw Wm Sunday (in the next round) since a pitcher can only pitch three innings?" Steed said the overall talent in the Jeffco ]XlO1 of seniors this season is high.

"Making the cuts was difficult," Steed said. "Some of these kids have never been cut in their life. We took into account their high school career, how they performed under pressure in the Jeffco games, and how hard they ran on and off the field and ran

have the righi- co~biiJatron of pitching, offense, defense and speed." Missing from the group were two prominent Alabama signees, B.J. Green of Gardendale and Major Allred of McAdory. Allred is nursing an elbow injury and decided not to chance further injury, and Green is currently in Brazil playing on the U.S. Junior Olympic.,. team. He struck out the only batter he faced in his first outing against a team from the Dominican Republic. Green, who set a state
See Jeffco, Page3F

BU

Ps on the road
Local club hosts annual mountain bike race Sunday
By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. News staff writer

Mountain bikers at Oak Mountain practice for upc~ming race.

There are spots on the bike trail at Oak Mountain State Park where riders should be especially alert. "There are a couple of spots, two or three places on the trail that have the potential of being crash spots," cyclist Ken Heste~ said. "There's a dropoff and rocks and roots and that sort of thing. "We've had several crashes bilt never had anybody get hurt." Sunday, more than 600 riders from 25 states will negotiate the bumps and stumps as theY compete in the Birmingham Urb~ Mountain Pedalers' third annual cross country mountain bIke race at Oak Mountain. The event is part of the American !"fountain Bike Classic Series, making it one of the top 28 races m the country.
See Bikers, Page 3F

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~-:------d-a-m-~-e-an-d-w-ha-~-~-r-da-m-a-~-t-he-re--"-w-~-e-~-~-g-t-he-~-'-w-~-e-~-&-~~od~d~~~OSOCC&CO: '11 b bl b' tit ':Th ere WI pro aye a eas . h am an d th e 200 or 300 from B Irmmg " state of Alabama," said Hester, the race director. "I would expect it to be ,: tli~ biggest we've had, especially if we have good weather. If we get good \\'eather, we may push (having) 700 , racers." , ,Rain won't stop this event, which . ' w'ill include races in various skill levels that include one for first-time racers and' another for children. BUMP '!nembers developed and maintain ..this course, which is rated as one of the top 100 trails in the country by " . Mountain Bike magazine. 'The entire trail is 17 miles but we , VlOn'tuse all of it," Hester said. "It's a well-ridden, all-weather trail. If it rains, there will be minimal trail
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is, we'll fix it. "We'll race in the rain unless it's lightning," he said. "Lightning is really the only thing that wiII stop us." The children's race may be the most interesting event for spectators, the race director said. "They're little kids, under 11, and they go on a short course," he said. "Some of them are still a little shaky. In fact, some even ride with training wheels." A lap on the adult course lap is about 8112 miles. Racers will climb Oak Mountain on Pea vine Falls Road and come back down the single-track trail. The beginner racers will go one lap and the sport races, which are the intermediate races, will race two laps. The experts will race three laps. Schedule: Tile expert men's class, which will include professional, elite and expert riders, will start its race at 7 :30 a.m. The pro expert veteran men (age 35-older) begin at 7:32 and the pro elite expert women start at 7:35. \ Intermediate classes follow. The first of six sport men's groups begins at 7':40 and sport women race at 7:55. The first of five beginner men

sibon tthi~yea~1and"Htheirt cour:'de~lT'lIhbe 11d1'an Springs' veteran soccer a u SIXml es es er sal ey dB' . tain !ch Ray Woodard was name Jr. won 't h ave to c I~ 1mb th e b'Ig moun h f th Th ey '11 c I' . ~ghamh'Metro soccer e 1mb a sma IIer moun ta'm.; . the coac Metro0 prep We want them to have fun." 'tr by IS peers m AI t t . t d f th ;cer league. . ~rge urnou IS expec e or e:;Voodard, who is recuperating f~n first-timer event. '! aneurysm he suffered followmg "So many of them are road ridersj team's Metro tournament setbac~ and road racers," the race director\Chelsea, heads the ~etro coaches said. "They've raced on the road and'l-Metro selections this year. j~st haven't rac~d on a mountain)Shades Mountain Christian w.as bIke. lmed the team sportsmanship wm"For somebody who has had a bikefr. : a year or two and feels like theY'relJohn Carroll, which won the Class getting into pretty good shape, jump-~/ 1A state championship with a ing into beginner is a pretty rudeh_1 record and was ranked as high awakening," he said. "They'll just go}.second nationally in the USA Tooff and leave you..In first-timers, youl~y Top 25, placed fo~r players on can go out and nde hard on a good\e coaches' All-Metro fIrst team. course and not just get left." ! The coaches' All-Metro team in......,-

---,ludes:

First Team Al V Forwards: Jeremiah corn, Thompson', Nick Cammara t a, J 0hn h Carroll; G.B. Cazes, John ClIP arro . Midfielders: Kevin Helton, John Carroll; Mike Johnson~ Jo~ Carroll; Graeme Rein, VestavIa Hllls; Housk ton Smith, Mount'am Broo. Defenders: Nii-Amar Amamoo, Altamont; Eric Hudgens, Shades V,alley; Doug Sandlin, Homewood; MIke Winstead, Hoover. . I Goalkeeper: Scott Stachelski, Hoover . Second Team Forwards: Ben Harvey, Indian Springs; Justin Ivins, Homewood; John Maniscalco, Chelsea. ; Midfielders: Kevin Bevis, Shad~s Valley; David McLeod, Mountam Brook; Chris Muro, HQOver;Edwardc Tognetti, Thompson,

Where: The start/finish area Will be at the base of Peavine Falls Road at Oak Mountain State Park. Cost: The adult registration 'fee is $27 and the fee for children younger than 12 is $2. Admission for spectators is free with $1 park admission.

classes will begin at 10: 15 and others will follow every two or three minutes. They will be followed by the junior men . :rom Page iF classes, for males ages 12-15 'ecord with 455 career stri~eouts, and 16-18, two beginner women llso had a grow1d-rule double m that classes and a beginner junior ~ame, . I . th women's class for ages "B.J. reaIly wanted to p ay m e 18-younger. East-West" his father, Ben Green, First-time mountain bike racers said. "But'the opp?rt~ty to .play for will compete at noon. Youth the Junior OlympICS m BrazIl was a chance he couldn't p~ss up." . . (ages II-younger) will race at I The Jeffco pitchmg staff IS still p.m.

Jeffco---.....:...------strong anchored by Norris. He We 12-2 a'nd helped Vestavia, Hill~ w the Class 6A state champlOns.hlp f the fourth year in a row earlJer it month. His control was m.aster! with only 22 walks in 85 innmgs. ' had 128 strikeouts and an 0.66 ERA Standridge was 9-1. wit? ~ 2 ERA and 72 strikeouts m 51 mrung: McAdory's Shane Weeks, 3-1 on

'YOUTH BASEBALL