Well I want to start off with a couple of reminders that really are time sensitive:

•  Registration for Laurens Little League Baseball and Softball is now underway is underway… Cost is $40 -It’s open to all residents of Laurens County. .Ages 3/4 Wee Ball, 5/6 Tee Ball., 7/8 Coaches Pitch, 9/10 Minors, 11/12 Majors.. Register Daily at the Little River Park on Main St. in Laurens from 3-6pm, Saturdays from 10am-6pm and Sundays 1pm-6pm… Deadline to register is February 25th…  Skills Evaluations will be held February 27 and 28.. For more information please call 681-7275 or email LaurensPRD@yahoo.com 
• Registration is now open for Dixie Youth Baseball and Tee Ball at the Laurens YMCA. Dixie Youth Baseball registration is currently open for ages 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. The registration deadline is February 26. Registration fee is $40.Skill evaluations will be held February 28 (9-10 age groups) and March 1 (11-12 age groups).  For more information, call (864) 984-2626 or visit www.laurensymca.org
• I talked to Dr. David Barnes early yesterday and he still had some tickets for the CHS – Wade Hampton girls’ basketball game at the Bi-Lo Center at 5 this Saturday. The tickets are $10 each and will let you see all the games on Saturday. They are sold on a first come, first serve basis and they will NOT hold tickets for you.. When they are gone, they are gone.. So avoid the line at the Bi-Lo Center and go by CHS and get your tickets.

 Now catching up on a couple of odds and ends.

• The Laurens Academy boys basketball team had their season end on Tuesday with a 55-26 loss to Coastal Christian.. Congratulations to the Crusaders on having a winning record this year.
• Yesterday I did some “catching up” on LDHS baseball players who were up at North Greenville University and I happened to mention they would be playing later in the day.. Bad news, they lost 5-1 to #23 Tusculum College.. The Crusaders only had 2 hit in the loss and none of our Laurens Alumni had a hit.
• The PC baseball team started their season last weekend down in Athens taking on the 11^th ranked Georgia Bulldogs in a 3 game series.. Unfortunately for Coach Elton Pollock and his charges they lost all 3 games to the Bulldogs…  They scores were 6-1, 5-4 & 11-0.. PC traveled to Furman on Tuesday night and dropped a 7-5 decision to the Paladins… PC will be on the road this weekend taking on Mercer down in Macon, Ga. for what is scheduled to be a 3 game series starting tomorrow at 4 pm

 The local sports schedule for today includes the following:

• The Laurens Academy Crusader Baseball team will be on the road as they take on Robert E. Lee.
• PC’s men’s basketball team is on the road to Radford tonight for their next-to-last game of the season.. Tune in at 6:30 for the pre-game show with John Avery and then the tip-off at 7.. You can hear all the action right here on Real Radio 860 WLBG and on the internet at GoBlueHose.com

 If you have any comments, suggestions, or want to reports scores, please contact me via email at: sports@wlbg.com or text me at 864-981-3470.

9. In Pensacola Florida, an electric cigarette blew up in a man’s face. He had been using it for the last two years to help him quit smoking.

8. Another Pennsylvania man turned himself into police after reading a story about a robbery at a Chinese restaurant. He said he remembered being there and getting mad when his order took more than ten minutes and the next thing he knew he was at home with a bunch of money.

7. Valentine’s day wasn’t happy for a Wisconsin man after he sent his ex-wife flowers. Police arrested him. He had a no contact order on him.

6. A 15 year old girl broke her father’s rules by using Facebook and posting disrespectful remarks about him. He shot the laptop 8 times.

5. At the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas, a man suffered a heart attack after eating a “Triple By-Pass Burger”.

4. Brooklyn New York gave tours of its sewage treatment plant for valentines. Each guest received a Hershey Kiss at the beginning of the tour.

3. Nine police cars responded to a call about a naked woman tied up in the back of a car and her mouth covered with duct tape. It turns out they were just roll playing, the popo let them play the role of jail bird.

2. Sometimes burglars are good. A burglar in South Bend Indiana broke in a woman’s home, folded her clothes and cooked her supper. Police said it appeared he was a good cook.

1. A Laurens County man thinks so highly of himself that he has begun calling himself MC Stud. Wanna bet it ain’t true?

   In another community-improvement matter last night, Laurens City Council approved a resolution of support for a not-for-profit company’s attempts to construct low-income subsidizes homes in the Laurens Mill neighborhood. 

  This makes the second year that Council has voted in support of Genesis Homes of Greenville. Jim Childress of that company told Council last night that HUD Grants for these projects are much more competitive than in years past, due to federal funds for these programs being reduced. He said he has learned that had there been funds in the state for one more program last year, the Laurens project would have been funded. He said he’s optimistic of getting the grant for Laurens this year.

   Childress said Genesis has purchased property for three energy-efficient homes it wants to build, provided funding is available.

   These would be on one lot they’ve acquired on Jackson Street, another on Holmes Street near Second BaptistChurch, and a third at the corner of Marion and Davis Streets. Jim Childress said plans are to rent these two and three bedroom homes for low-income senior citizens. Because of the use of HUD grants for construction, they will be able to rent these new homes for between $350 to $460 a month, much below the market rate for homes of their size.

   Childress estimated there is a 50-50 chance of obtaining the HUD grant needed for these homes this year.

    City Council last night also approved an audit report for the Fiscal year that ended last June 30^th.

  Tracy Southerland was also charged with the Theft of a controlled Substance for allegedly taking a quantity of Lortabs on February 18^th. She was also charged with Simple Possession of Marijuana. Ms. Southerland remained in theJohnsonDetentionCenter earlier this morning, awaiting a bond hearing.

First as you know the CHS girls team will take on Wade Hampton this Sat. at 5pm up at the Bi-Lo Center for the upper state championship… Well if you want to get your tickets early, you need to drop by CHS as they have 200 tickets for sale on a first come, first serve basis.. The tickets are $10 each which is the price set by the SC High School League… 200 is all they have and they will NOT hold tickets for you.. Of course, tickets will be available at the Bi-Lo Center on Sat. 

Now a quick follow-up to last Friday night’s game where the CHS boys’ team fell to defending state champion Wade Hampton by 1 point. At this time I’d like to recognize those seniors on this years’ team.. They are: Devaris Burton, Keenan Caldwell, Keshon Ferguson, Chris Gary, Neil Lee, Van Nibert and Jerome Wimphrie… also as a reminder, Burton was named the Region 3 Player of the Year and was named to the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association 2011-2012 All-State Team for the 3-A squad. These seniors had a great year as they went undefeated in the region this year.. Congratulations to these fine young men. 

Well there is not a whole lot going on in local sports other than the CHS girls still being in the layoffs as we are in a “between season “period where basketball is winding down and the numerous spring sports are in their pre-season mode so I thought I’d spend some time catching up on the catching up on the college baseball & softball season that has already started and I just have not had time to mention today and the rest of the week: 

First let’s catch up with what some folks refer to as Laurens High North due to several former LDHS baseball players being on the baseball team.. Of course I am talking about the Crusaders of North Greenville University up in Tigerville, SC (No not the same town Clemson is in.. Thanks God). A quick look at their baseball roster shows 3 LDHS alumni on it.. They are Junior Adam Taylor and Freshmen Allen Staton and Ethan Adair. Another player with local ties is Freshman Josh Caviness formerly of Laurens Academy.. The Crusaders are 7-2 at this point in the season.. Right fielder Adam Taylor has a .400 batting average and has played in all 9 games batting in the 3^rd spot in the batting order.. He has 16 hits in 39 at-bats and has scored 11 runs while driving in 10..  5 of his hits were for extra bases and include 2 homeruns..  Allen Staton has been playing 2^nd base and started in 8 of the games..  Allen is batting .379 going 11 of 29 from the plate.. He has scored 5 runs and driven in 6.. 3 of his hits have been for extra bases..Allen has also made 2 relieve appearances on the mound and has an ERA of 3.00 in a total of 3 innings pitched..  Ethan Adair has appeared in only 1 game and went 1 for 2 in it. It was a double that scored 2 runs and he later scored himself..  The Crusaders are in action at 2 today as they host Tusculum in a 2 pm start… You can keep up with the Crusaders at their website www.ngcrusaders.com and it looks like they do stream some of their games live on the internet. 

We will look at other college baseball tomorrow as time allows. 

Now I have a few “reminders” I want to leave you with today
LAURENS- Registration for Laurens Little League Baseball and Softball are now underway is underway… Cost is $40 -open to all residents of Laurens County. .Ages 3/4 Wee Ball, 5/6 Tee Ball., 7/8 Coaches Pitch, 9/10 Minors, 11/12 Majors.. Register Daily at the Little River Park on Main St. in Laurens from 3-6pm, Saturdays from 10am-6pm and Sundays 1pm-6pm… Deadline to register is February 25th…  Skills Evaluations will be held February 27 and 28.. For more information please call 681-7275 or email LaurensPRD@yahoo.com 

Registration is now open for Dixie Youth Baseball and Tee Ball at the Laurens YMCA. Dixie Youth Baseball registration is currently open for ages 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. The registration deadline is February 26. Registration fee is $40.Skill evaluations will be held February 28 (9-10 age groups) and March 1 (11-12 age groups).  For more information, call (864) 984-2626 or visit www.laurensymca.org 

Also the YMCA is registering youth for the Register now for Spring Soccer.. Registration Deadline is February 28.. Registration Fee:  Members-$50.00, Non-members-$60.00.. For more information call 984-2626..  Spring Soccer is sponsored by Joe Kirby State Farm 

The local sports schedule for today includes the following:

• From CHS has the following preseason match-ups
• JV baseball team will be at Woodruff at 4:30
• Soccer team will host 96 at 5:30
• For LDHS the following preseason items are on the schedule
• The JV softball team will host Woodruff at 5 pm
• The girls soccer teams will travel to BHP for matches starting at 5:30 

If you have any comments, suggestions, or want to reports scores, please contact me via email at: sports@wlbg.com or text me at 864-981-3470.

9. Do the donuts while driving a big ugly old Buick with a temporary spare on the right rear.

8. Refuse to stop for the Police when all you have done is a traffic violation. The Police don’t like car chases you know.

7. Drive like a fool all over the county, leaving plenty of black marks where you fishtail around all the corners, nearly losing it.

6. Drive just fast enough , about 60-70 to keep the police from getting in front of you. That really aggravates them.

5. Make sure you slowdown in the school zone at Gray Court to the correct speed while the lights are flashing.

4. Continue driving like a nut until you get to mama’s house and run inside. Maybe she can protect you.

3. Run real fast thru the house to the bedroom, slam the door and try to hide in the bed.

2. When the popo finds you, tell them “I ain’t going to jail”. They would rather hear that than see the Hot & Now sign on at Krispy Kreme.

1. If this allegedly had occurred in our listening area, I bet he messed his drawers when he got tazed. That electricity hurts so good.

   One apparently involved discovery of a Meth Lab. Narcotics Officer Sgt. Matt Veal was shown the site of a suspected methamphetamine lab. He was joined by Sgt. Wilkie, then by Lt. Shelton. The suspected meth lab site was cleaned up. The matter remained under investigation of the Narcotics Squad at the Sheriff’s Office.

   The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office was also dispatched to Mill Pond Rd,Clinton yesterday afternoon on another matter. The victim in this case stated that there were two trespassers on his property and that the subjects may have also stolen some scrap metal. Upon arrival in the vicinity, officers reportedly initiated a traffic stop on Pine Street and contacted the subjects who had reportedly left Mill Pond Road in a Red Dodge pick-up. The subjects reportedly had to go by to the incident location and verify they had permission to take the scrap metal. Sheriff’s Sgts Franklin and Martin talked with the subjects and issued Trespass Notices to them, then released them.