Date: Sunday, January 24 2010

Parker's '87 home run was inspiring

By JIM STEELE, Editor pressbox1.com

When Dresden battled Johnson City University High for the 1987 Class A state baseball championship,a Lion victory wasn't just a done deal. Sure, the Lions had defeated Upperman 3-0 behind a brilliant pitching effort by Peanut Winn. The next day, McKenzie's Jason Baucum struck out 14 Dresden batters, but junior pitcher Popeye Jones had a good effort, too, and helped lead his team to a 6-2 victory over the Rebels. In the championship round, there was a serious question of who would pitch for the Lions. Dresden coach Jeff Kelley kept his decision a secret. I can remember Paul Tinkle asking me, on the air, in the pre-game show, who was getting the ball. I didn't know until I went down to the photo well. David Jones climbed the hill and pitched well, for not having pitched in almost a month. The championship game was close. All Dresden needed to do was win. If it lost, the two teams would return the next morning to finish it off. This was back in the days when only four teams took part at state and everything was double elimination. There were big plays. David Jones picked off a runner at first. There were big hits. If I remember, it seemed Brian Jackson had a big hit in that game. But one thing in that ballgame at Nashville's Hershel Greer Stadium, home of the Nashville Sounds, I will always remember was Dresden junior catcher John Parker...and his 380-foot home run. It was in the fifth, if I recall, and Parker went to the plate and took the pitch out over the right field wall, about eight rows up in the bleachers that used to be just over that wall. That homer took the wind out of Johnson City's sails. Kelley, after the game, was awed by the blast. "John took that pitch out of a Major League-sized ballpark," Kelley said. Said Parker: "Man, I knew that night, when I picked up the bat, I was going to go off." And he did. The Lions won the state title. Winn came into relieve David Jones and shut JC down. It was the first state baseball championship for a rural West Tennessee team since the modern tournament format was implemented. Because of that blast, Parker earned the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association Class A state player of the year award. He was winning those statewide honors before Popeye Jones made it fashionable a year later, when he won Class A Mr. Basketball. John was a good football and competent basketball player, too. If it required wearing a black and gold uniform, John was probably participating. He was part of that great class that took part in every state tournament Dresden could play in over a three-year span. The football team made it to the state quarterfinals. The basketball team reached the Class A semifinals, the baseball team reached state three straight years, the girls' basketball team made it to the state tournament as did the softball team. It was a magical time at Dresden and a dynasty that we won't soon forget. Parker had big league dreams and perhaps some talent to match. But like so many of us who played in high school and college, it didn't work out for him. The thing I remember about Parker is that he always smiles. You could tell him he was about to get sprayed by a skunk, he'd grin. He likes hearing and telling a good joke. He has an infectious and friendly personality. But he was a fierce competitor in his day. Sadly, John is battling one of the toughest opponents he'll ever face. He has struggled with Crohn's Disease for awhile now and it has really hit him hard lately. I'll spare the details because it's something perhaps someone in his family or inner circle should disclose. But, like the combatant that he is, he's fighting it, though he has a long road to go. The sad thing about severe cases of Crohn's is that the treatment is often harder on a person than the disease itself. I wish they could figure out a slicker way of treating it. Perhaps in the future. I am happy to call John a friend, though I haven't seen him in a while. He was always great to be around. I'm all to honored that he called me his friend. His family tells me he's slowly on the mend. I wouldn't be surprised if he knocked this setback out of the park and sooner rather than later.