Wahoos Drop Second Playoff Game
September 12, 2015
Adrian Houser who threw a perfect game through six innings as 3,168 witnessed his first complete-game gem in a 6-0 victory at MGM Park. Biloxi now leads the best-of-five game series, 2-0. The series heads to Pensacola for a 6:35 p.m. Saturday game that’s a must win for the Blue Wahoos to stay alive.
Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin made sure the perfect game ended with a solid line drive single to center to start the seventh inning and extended the Blue Wahoos no-hit streak to 556 games. Despite the hit, the Shuckers fans recognized Houser with loud cheers.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly admitted Biloxi pitching has totally dominated the Blue Wahoos lineup. The team has managed just six hits in two games against Biloxi, who’s starting rotation sports a 2.38 ERA over 63 starts.
Pensacola’s top hitter Jesse Winker, Ray Chang, Alex Blandino and Ervin are all 1-7. The rest of the Pensacola hitters remain hitless. Pensacola has been out hit 22-6 by the Shuckers after two games.
“We have to tip our cap to their pitchers,” Kelly said. “We’re seeing a great staff. Houser was pinpoint tonight. He took advantage of the strike zone.”
Houser threw his first ever complete game, shutting out Pensacola on three hits and striking out 10.
Both Houser and Josh Hader, the Brewers No. 15 prospect, both came from a midseason trade with the Houston Astros.
“That’s really strengthened their staff again,” Kelly said.
Biloxi started with a pregame ceremony honoring the Americans lost in the 9/11 terrorist act with a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps” by a single horn player from the Keesler Air Force Base Honor Guard led by Master Sgt. Jim Davidson.
Cody Reed loaded the bases his first two innings on the mound but only trailed Biloxi, 1-0. Both times he struck out the final two batters of the inning. However, he threw more than 50 pitches to do it.
“Those first two innings took a lot out of him,” Kelly said.
Reed, the Cincinnati Reds No. 9 prospect who joined the Blue Wahoos pitching staff as part of a midseason trade with the Kansas City Royals for ace Johnny Cueto, allowed Biloxi second baseman Yadiel Rivera to score in the first inning on a ground out to first base.
Biloxi then hung four runs on Reed in the fifth inning with a two-run homer over the left field scoreboard by shortstop Orlando Arcia the main hit to go up, 5-0.
Thursday night, Biloxi pitcher Jorge Lopez threw a season-high 115 pitches, broke two bats, allowed three balls out of the infield, gave up one unearned run and allowed two hits in 6.2 innings. The Biloxi pitcher improved to 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA against Pensacola and has fanned 29 Blue Wahoos in 29.2 innings.
The winner of the South Division will play either the Twins Double-A affiliate Chattanooga Lookouts or the Tampa Bay Devil Rays affiliate the Montgomery Biscuits. The Lookouts won the first game, 4-3, Thursday and Friday’s game was rained out.
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos play the third game of the best-of-five Southern League South Division playoff series against the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate the Biloxi Shuckers at 6:05 p.m. Saturday at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Friday High School Football Final Scores
September 12, 2015
Here final high school scores from around the area Friday night:
FLORIDA
- Gulf Breeze 56, Northview 24 [Read more, photos...]
- Wewahitchka 41, Jay 14
- West Florida 34, Cairo, GA 14
- Pine Forest 33, Pace 14
- Milton 38, Fort Walton Beach 7
- PHS 40, Washington 3
- Escambia 35, Catholic 10
- Baker 24, West Gadsden 13
- Freeport 14, Holmes Co 6
- OPEN — Navarre, Tate
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 35, Leroy 12
- Rain 24, Escambia County (Atmore) 0
- W.S. 10, East Gadsden (FL) 6
- T.R. Miller 48, Cottage Hill Christian 0
- Escambia Academy 34, Fort Dale (Greenville) 7
9/11 Remembered At NAS Pensacola
September 11, 2015
Naval Air Station Pensacola held a 9/11 commemoration event Friday morning at the National Naval Aviation Museum aboard the base.
NAS Pensacola Commanding Officer Captain Keith Hoskins provided opening remarks for the event, which included a “Where Were You” tribute, the traditional “Two-Bell Ceremony” and the playing of “Taps” performed by the NASP Honor Guard.
Courtesy photos by NASP for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Sentenced In $17K Tool Burglary Case
September 11, 2015
A Cantonment man has been sentenced in case where he was accused of burglarizing his former employer the day after he was fired.
Judge E.P. Nickinson withheld adjudication in sentencing Wesley Shane Wallis to 48 months probation and ordered restitution. He was originally charged with two counts burglary of an unoccupied structure, grand theft and criminal mischief with property damage.
The owner of a cabinet company on Interstate Circle in Escambia County reported that tools worth $17,697.25 were stolen from his business overnight on April 26, 2014, which was the night after Wallis was terminated. Deputies attempted to contact Wallis to question him, but they were unsuccessful until November 13, 2014, at which time Wallis denied any connection to the burglary.
During December 8, 2014, two large plastic bins filled with tools engraved with the cabinet company’s name were found on undeveloped property in Santa Rosa County. Deputies discovered the property belonged to Wallis, and they later found fingerprints belonging to Wallis on tape inside the bins. A warrant for his arrest was issued in February 2015.
Santa Rosa Increases Gas Tax
September 11, 2015
Filling up your tank in Santa Rosa County will cost more in taxes next year.
The Santa Rosa County Commiss2.ion voted Thursday to increase the gas tax levied by the county from 6 to 12 cents, effective January 1. The increase is expected to earn the county almost $3.6 million per year that will be used for road and transportation projects.
The current gas tax is 11 cents per gallon in Escambia County.
Our View: Where Were You That September Morning?
September 11, 2015
We publish this piece on an annual basis, and we encourage you to comment below, answering the question ‘Where Were You That September Morning?
September 11, 2001. It’s been 14 years.
Life, at least when that morning began, seemed good. I’ve always been a work at home dad, so I was home with my two girls. The youngest was almost four months old, and the oldest was approaching her fourth birthday. It was a normal morning. The little one was asleep, “fat and happy” as we used to say, after a morning bottle. The oldest was in the living room just a few feet from my office watching PBS Kids on the TV as I worked on a project for a client.
Then this arrived in my inbox:
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 08:52am– World trade center damaged; unconfirmed reports say a plane has
crashed into tower. Details to come.
I got up, walked to the living room and flipped the TV to CNN. They were talking about how a pilot could make such an error, hitting such a large building. They were speculating that it was just a small plane. But then as the TV news helicopters zoomed their cameras in closer, the anchors were beginning to notice what I had already thought….those holes the tower were to big to have been a small plane.
(continues below photo)
I called my wife at work in Atmore. She had seen the breaking news email, and had tried to visit the CNN website to see the story. If you remember trying to use the internet that morning, it was near impossible to get a news website to load; they were all overloaded. She was unable to see the pictures. I was describing what I saw on the TV to her.
I managed to grab a picture from CNN via my web server and then download and email it to her. We were speculating about how it could happen when the second one hit.
I remember saying “wait, hold on, wait…”. I told her what I just watched on the TV. The second plane had hit the other tower. We quickly decided that we were at war as the anchors on TV speculated again that perhaps there was a problem with some navigational system, causing jetliners on a beautiful, clear morning in New York to fly into some of the tallest structures in the world.
Another breaking news email arrived:
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:21am– Second plane crashes into World Trade Center.
She and I began to speculate ourselves that we were at war. What would we do? What should we do? What about the kids? It was not panic, understand, but just that protective momma and daddy instinct, I suppose. Prayer. That was a good idea. Maybe go to the bank and get out a little cash. That seemed like a good idea. How would you prep for a war on American soil? We were not sure.
I continued to relay information about what I was seeing on TV to my wife at work, who, in turn, would relay the information to her coworkers. They had a TV, but no cable service or antenna. They ended up fashioning a homemade antenna to see a fuzzy picture.
Meanwhile, the breaking news emails kept arriving…
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:32am– Sources tell CNN one of two planes that crashed into World Trade
Center was an American Airlines 767.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:42am– President Bush calls plane crashes at World Trade Center a
terrorist act.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:45am– Significant fire at the Pentagon. Details to come.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:46am– White House evactuated. Details to come.
The Pentagon on fire? The White House evacuated? Notice that in CNN’s email they were in such a hurry that they misspelled “evacuated”. One sentence at a time, the situation became more grave.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:55am– CNN confirms a plane hit the Pentagon
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 10:03am– One of World Trade Center towers collapses; fire forces
evacuation of State Department
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 10:30am– Second World Trade Center tower collapses in Manhattan
Over and over, we watched those towers collapse on TV, and we watched our Pentagon burn.
Our almost four year old asked a lot of questions. “Were people hurt? Did they need a Band-aid?” The magnitude of the event was lost on a four year old. Looking back at those first few hours, I think the magnitude of the event was lost on all of us.
Like many Americans, I sat glued to the TV that day, continuing to watch the video of the towers falling. Our almost four year old asked if another building fell down or if it was the same one. It was time to change the channel on the TV.
You might remember that many of the entertainment TV stations ran network news feeds. Others just simply ran screens about the day’s events. There was no USA network, no ESPN, no MTV. But on PBS, we found children’s programming at a time it was not normally on. For a little while, sitting in the living room floor holding my kids, the world stopped turning that September day, as we watched Big Bird and the Cookie Monster.
Country artist Alan Jackson later wrote a song “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?”.
Some of those lyrics:
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cryDid you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don’t know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left belowBut I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
Where where you when the world stopped turning that September day? Your comments are welcome below.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Bethany Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Man Gets 330 Years For Abusing Girl
September 11, 2015
A Santa Rosa County man has been sentenced to over three hundred years in state prison for abusing a young girl.
Circuit Judge John F. Miller sentenced David Craig Colville, 36, to 330 years in prison.
On July 16, 2015, a Santa Rosa County jury found Colville guilty of 10 counts of sexual battery upon a child by a person in familial or custodial authority, one count of lewd or lascivious molestation, and one count of lewd or lascivious conduct.
Colville committed the crimes between April 1, 2011, and December 31, 2013. Colville began to engage in sexual acts with the victim when she was in the 8th grade. The child reported the sexual abuse in September 2014 and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation which led to Colville’s arrest on October 11, 2014.
Prep Sports: Jay Over NHS Volleyball; EWMS Tops Neal
September 11, 2015
In high school volleyball action Thursday, the Jay Royals topped the Northview Chiefs.
JV
25-23, 21-25, 10-15
Jay wins
Varsity
11-25, 11-25, 16-25
Jay wins
In middle school football, Ernest Ward Middle School beat W.S. Neal 46-12.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Amerson, click to enlarge.
Strength Team To Appear In Molino
September 11, 2015
With feats like ripping a phone book in half, crushing walls of concrete with a blow from an arm or head, breaking handcuffs and running through 2×4 boards, the Strength Team will bring their inspirational message to a Molino church Saturday and Sunday nights.
The Strength Team will perform their amazing feats of strength Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. at Highland Baptist Church. Admission is free; an offering will be received.
The leader and founder of The Strength Team, Mike Hagen, has dedicated over 20 years of his life to this kind of work. He has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people and performed at thousands of school and church assemblies. He has been featured on CNN, ESPN, and the popular television show “Walker Texas Ranger” with Chuck Norris.
Pictured: A previous Strength Team appearance at Highland Baptist Church and Molino Park Elementary School. NorthEscambia.com file photos. click to enlarge.
9/11 In His Own Words: Inside The Pentagon – Come September Morning
September 11, 2015
Steve Vanderwerff, who served as public affairs action officer for Naval Education and Training Command in Pensacola, was inside the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 — less than 100 yards around the corner from the crash site in his new office. Less than a week before, his office had been located in the strike zone.
Vanderwerff describes, in his own words, that September morning….
My decision to join the Navy was solely based on my sense of adventure. The Navy’s ad from my childhood, “It’s not just a job it’s an adventure,” truly struck home. I envisioned myself a bell-bottomed, Dixie-cup wearing sailor right out of the movie “Mr. Roberts.” Ah the sweet pleasure of sailing the seven seas doing the hula-hula, late night pub crawls in Hong Kong, collecting an armful of tattoos and chasing after Thai girls and beer while being paid. So I enlisted. It was 1988. All has come true except for the tattoos.
The years flew by, a tour on USS Carl Vinson – the Navy’s Golden Eagle, two tours with Pacific Fleet Combat Camera, surviving SERE School, graduating from Syracuse University’s DoD film school, a science expedition to the North Pole; and a tour with the Blue Angels as their backseat aerial photographer pulling a lot of G’s. I was operating on maximum overdrive, high on adrenaline. The ad had come true. It wasn’t just a job it was indeed an adventure. Little did I know that I had yet to experience the adventure of a lifetime, one that was life altering, made me grow-up and come to fully realize what it means to serve my country in the United States Navy.
After my tour with the Blue Angels I was detailed to the Pentagon. I had heatedly disagreed with my detailer’s decision. Taking a Secretary of Defense staff assignment at the Joint Combat Camera Center (JCCC) didn’t exactly register very high on my fun meter. Driving a desk, supporting Com Cam policy and supervising the reception of imagery from forward deployed combat camera teams isn’t exactly how I had ever envisioned myself. Damn it, I was an operator! The likelihood or remote possibility of me running into something fun and adventurous like arm-wrestling Bolivian Blow Dart Peddlers or fire walking with Tahitian Mai Tai Jugglers while stationed in DC was slim-to-none. Didn’t he have something for me, like pulling G’s in a fast-mover (I could fill volumes about how to prevent power puking inside the cockpit)? Or what about breaking through the Arctic’s polar cap in a nuclear powered fast attack submarine and standing guard against polar bear attack as I had in the past? I’m not exactly sure if a polar bear attack on a US Submariner constitutes an act of war, if so who owns the polar cap? If he wouldn’t send me to any of the above, how about something a bit more cerebral like me hitting a foreign beach armed to the teeth with Kevlar wearing Marines or maybe photographing Navy SEAL’s in revved up low-altitude fast moving helos moving in and out of hostile territory? I had always been a big fan of that sort of action. He said no to all. It was time for me to take a seat at a desk and help others do what I wanted to do.
And so on a hot muggy day I checked in. It was August 2001. The Pentagon buzzed like a beehive. I was impressed by all of military’s, “Heavy Hitters” that walked the halls. There was a lot to learn, especially working with the other service branches. What was there not to like? The world appeared to be at peace. I was stationed in our nation’s capitol. I had a large cubicle, and my own computer with super fast T-line connections. A Starbucks was conveniently located one floor below. Best of all, I would be home every night for the next three years to annoy my wife and kids. My first month flew by moving JCCC into the Pentagon’s newly renovated wing.
On a sunny, Tuesday morning I arrived at work. It was September 11, 2001. It was a little after nine a.m. when I got to work. My wife Dayle, was flying back home that day from attending a funeral in the mid-west. I was getting in late because I had to drop my kids off at school; playing the role of soccer mom somewhat new to me. My officer in charge was attending a conference in Norfolk, Va. and my operations chief was at a meeting down the road in Alexandria. When I got to the office everybody was huddled around the TV. The news was reporting that a plane had crashed into one of New York’s Twin Towers.
I stood flabbergasted as the tragedy unfolded. To my disbelief a second jet slammed into the Twin Towers. My memory is a bit fuzzy of what happened next, but as I recall, soon afterwards the Pentagon shuddered and shook. My co-workers and I looked at each other not sure of what had just happened. That sure seemed like one helluva sonic-boom I thought to myself. Having come from the “Blues” my mind still operated in the aviation world of thinking. The phone rang. I answered it. It was one of my guys who, was off for the day at home just across the Anacostia River at Bolling Air Force Base. He asked me if we had just been attacked. I said “is that what that was?” I said I wasn’t sure, there were no alarms going off. He said he thought so because looking from his back yard black smoke was pouring out of the Pentagon. Someone went out to investigate. They quickly came back. All they said was, “We gotta go.”
Smoke filled halls were filled with people making their way towards exits. The murmur of voices and shuffling feet was all that could be heard. No one had a clue to what had just happened. The idea of a passenger plane hijacked by terrorists and crashing into the Pentagon was as remote a possibility as Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming the governor of California. Not exactly knowing what to think I made my way outside. Once outside I saw thick black smoke rising from the building. I thought that maybe construction workers working on the renovation might have hit a gas main. All sorts of thoughts ran through my head as hordes of dazed and confused people continued to pour into the daylight. Seeking information I went to my car and turned on the radio to listen to the news. I sat stunned not believing what I was hearing. Holy-moley I thought. We’ve been attacked by terrorists, same as the Twin Towers. My God there are people in the wreckage. I spend my entire career trying to get into the action and when I think that I’m away in the rear the action comes looking for me. I heard approaching sirens in the distance. Then it dawned on me. My wife was flying home that day. My mind raced with morbid fear. Is she safe? Has she got on the plane yet? In a fog I made my way to the pre-determined rally point. Once there I set my personal emotions aside. I had people to muster and account for. The rest of JCCC showed up. All were accounted for. Then security officers were yelling for everybody to leave the area because another attack was imminent. Mass hysteria hit the crowd. What the heck was going on? Like cockroaches scattering when the lights come on, civilians, military personnel, politicians and bungling bureaucrats ran for cover. Somehow we all ended up on the other side of Highway 395. I knew I wouldn’t be seeing my car for a long time. More worries filled my mind, thinking of how would I get home and who would pick-up and care for my kids? The second attack turned out to be a false alarm. I set aside my worries, I focused on the positive. My wife would be ok and I would figure out how to get home and take care of my children, but first I had my duty to fulfill. Once again I accounted for my personnel.
Fortunately several members had grabbed their cell phones. The airways were jammed, but after repeated attempts we were able to get a hold of my boss. He instructed us to get to the American Forces Information Services (AFIS) in Alexandria, where he currently was and where we would set up shop. There was imagery to get out to the world. The story needed to be told. Because none of us had access to our cars we made our way to the nearest metro station. I tried repeatedly, but couldn’t reach my wife. I was scared. Fortunately I was able to contact a neighbor who would pick my kids up from school. Once at AFIS we went into action setting up a temporary JCCC – still and video imagery started to come in. Sec Def wanted his imagery. Hours later after repeated attempts I finally was able to get a hold of my wife. She was safe. Her plane had been delayed because of the tragedy. She had spent her time desperately trying to get a hold of me, fearing for the worst – widow hood. I assured that her I was un-harmed and that the kids were safe with a neighbor. We cried for our good fortune and the mis-fortune of others. I thanked God for watching over me and my family. I had been less than a hundred yards around the corner from the crash site. Late that night in the safety of my home with my kids snug in bed I realized that a week earlier before moving into the newly renovated wing, JCCC had been located in the area of impact and that a few of my office mates and I would have been in the old office that morning to make sure we had moved everything, but had not because we had been watching the Twin Towers tragedy on TV. I sighed with relief. It had been a close call.
Years later, thinking about that bleak morning in September when all of America held its breath and our enemies cheered I give pause to reflect. Understanding, that on that day something awoke in me that had been missing in me, if not many others – service and sacrifice. I had spent my time in the Navy up until then thinking of what I could take or get out of the deal. My training, my many deployments, my wanting fun and adventure had always been about me. Sure, I had always been a good Sailor, but I had been driven by hubris and selfish desire. Not giving much thought to what it meant to serve my country. I was happy as long as I was able to collect a paycheck.
It didn’t happen overnight, but over the course of my tour at the Pentagon and supporting the “Global War on Terror” I found a new sense of purpose and energy. I worked long hours, determined to support the cause and give meaning to my duty. Gone were my days of thinking that being a Sailor meant being a sea going pirate, swashbuckling across the globe, with tales to spin and tell. People had died and would continue to do so without mine and every American’s full support to stop our enemies.
So when it was time for me to talk to my detailer about orders, I didn’t hesitate to ask for orders at the “tip of the spear” aboard a ship because that was where I was needed. My days of asking for fun and adventurous jobs seeking personal reward and glamour were over.
And so whenever I found myself on long arduous extended deployments while sailing in harms-way wondering why I had to be there and for what purpose I would think of all those who had gone before me and of their sacrifice and dedication to service.
I continued to serve with that sense of pride and purpose at follow-on duty stations, and continue to do so as a retired chief and civilian employee at Naval Education and Training Command, which develops the Navy’s workforce through education and training that builds personal, professional, and leadership skills.
When my time in the Navy, active duty and as a civilian, comes to a close I will be proud to say as President Kennedy so eloquently put,
“I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction:
“I served in the United States Navy”