As Sam Sees It

The Conners’ vacation is over and things will, hopefully, return to normal in the near future.

The good part of July my wife, my brother and I spent visiting relatives in Mississippi, Alabama and Iowa and friends in Texas and Tennessee provided us with lots of good times, good food and great memories.

As is always the case, part of my concern was directed back to Arizona and Winslow in specific. We came home to some changes here, too.

Sandy Wilson did a great job of filling in for me during my absence. She is an excellent reporter and a real friend. It will be great to get back to working with her. She has expressed the desire to have me back on the job of reporting on sports in Winslow.

One of the happenings that I would have loved to have kept up with was the quest of Winslow Little League teams for a state title. If the reports I finally found are correct, one of them won that illusive crown.

The 11-year-old girls deserve the congratulations of this entire community. State championships at any level are not easy to come by. This is the second year in a row that Winslow has had a Little League champion.

Again, if memory is correct, it had been a long dry spell before the 2003 team won state.

The high school football team and its campaign for a state crown will be one of the first items to be covered next week. The Bulldogs promise to be one of the best 3A teams in Arizona.

Word has it that Blue Ridge is loaded this season and no one has a better football tradition. Show Low will not surrender its title without a fight.

My first reading says that the winner of a Blue Ridge-Winslow game, no matter when in the tournament they meet, will be the champion.

Another item of concern was the trade rumors surrounding Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson. It came down to Saturday’s 1 p.m. deadline, but Johnson will remain a D-Back. That probably won’t really please Johnson, the D-Backs or the teams that coveted him. Arizona is not likely to be a contender next season with or without Johnson.

If they could have gotten some really talented prospects, they probably should have done so.

Centerfielder Steve Finley did not survive the trade rumors. The best player on the team is now a Los Angeles Dodger. Finley has a better than even chance or returning to the play-offs this season as a Dodger.

He will be a free agent at the end of the season, but so will the injured player Arizona spent so much for earlier this season, first baseman Richie Sexton.

It is great to be back in Winslow and I am looking forward to the beginning of the high school sports season.

It should be an interesting year with plenty of talent returning in football, volleyball, basketball (girls and boys), wrestling, track, baseball and softball.

Let’s give our kids the support they need.

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