Well maybe in some areas, but certainly not the northern half of the state where for the third week in a row the state has been blanketed with snow. While this week's 2 inches wasn't as much as last weeks 3-5 inches, it was enough to keep the opening day's round of games on the Presidents Day school holiday from playing in the northern half of the state. Tarps went down early on Saturday in many places hoping to save opening day, but it wasn't enough. For the first time that this writer can remember they are not playing ball on President's Day in Hartselle, Alabama where baseball rules and legidary Coach William Booth almost always finds a way to get games in. According to Coach Booth this morning "there was just too much ice and snow on the tarps to get it off". Believe me when I say, if it could be done it would have been done at Hartselle to get games in. Hartselle is a small city in north Alabama that lives baseball. Today's games could likely have been a showcase of the next 5A state champion with Cullman High and Southside High coming into Hartselle to take on the defending 5A state champion Tigers, as well as 6A foe Thompson High. Many feel the north 5A representative will likely be Southside High or Cullman High who both return a solid, tallented group of players. Hartselle could challenge, but with only two starters returning from last year's squad a lot of young players are going to have to step up fast.
In the south end of the state the 13th annual Hank Aaron Classic tournament is schedule to begin today with several of the southern half of the state's tallent competing in the prestigious tournament. One of those teams is 6A Fairhope High who returns most of last year's squad including two Mississippi State signees - Garrett Pitts (MIF) and Dayle Norris (RHP/1B) and a talented junior class. They could likely make a strong run at the south's representative in Montgomery in May. For a copy of the tournament bracket click on the link below.
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