[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16261]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF NORTH CAROLINIANS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RICHARD BURR

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 4, 2002

  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
accomplishments of some fellow North Carolinians who, during the recent 
District Work Period, brought great honor to our State.
  Shortly after we returned to our respective Districts, North Carolina 
lost one of its most famous athletes, Enos ``Country'' Slaughter. Born 
in Roxboro, just south of the Virginia State line, Country went on to 
star for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team during their hey day's 
of the 1940's. Known as one of the ``Gashouse Gang,'' Country batted 
.300 for his career and had almost as many triples (148) as he had home 
runs (169). His most memorable moment came in the 1946 World Series, 
when he rounded the bases from first on a routine single to score the 
Series winning run. The ``Mad Dash''--as it came to be known--may have 
been his finest moment on the field, but often forgotten and much more 
appreciated by his fellow Americans was his service to our country in 
World War II during the height of his career. Country was inducted into 
the Hall of Fame in 1985 and returned annually for the induction 
ceremonies until his health prevented his attendance this year. Former 
teammate Marty Marion called Slaughter, ``. . . a good old country boy 
who just loved to play baseball.'' Country will be sorely missed.
  About the same time Enos was called home, a new generation of North 
Carolina baseball players were reaching the pinnacle of youth sports--
The Little League World Series.
  During the months of July and August, a talented group of 11 and 12 
year olds from the Southwest Forsyth County Little League swept through 
the North Carolina Little League Tournament, defeating Greenville to 
become State Champions. Then, at the Southeast Regional Championship, 
the All-Stars ran their winning streak to 13 by tearing through the 
competition in Florida and defeating the Virginia State Champions to 
earn their tickets to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. They are only the 
third team in North Carolina to reach the World Series in the event's 
fifty-six year history.
  Upon reaching Williamsport, Southwest was thrust into the 
international spotlight, living side-by-side with Venezuelans, Saudi's, 
and Russians, as well as Californians and Texans. In the pool play 
competition, Southwest put up a valiant effort in each of its three 
games, the third of which was a loss to eventual world champions 
Louisville, Kentucky. Even though the won-loss record does not reflect 
it, the talent and effort put forth by these young men far exceeded the 
expectations of coaches and parents and in the category of 
sportsmanship, Southwest is an undisputed champion. These 13 ``Boys of 
Summer'' now share a bond that will be with them for the rest of their 
lives--and stories of their on-field heroics from the Summer of 2002 
will grow with each passing year into legends like those of Country 
Slaughter's ``Mad Dash.''
  Of course the success of Southwest would not be possible without the 
unwavering support of parents, who sacrificed hours of family and work 
time to shuttle the players to and from practices and tournaments; of 
coaches, who also sacrificed time away from their families and jobs to 
teach these young men about baseball, and more importantly, the things 
the game teaches us about life and our responsibility to others, be 
they teammates, classmates, family members or society as a whole. Also, 
league organizers and sponsors, who for the past three decades have 
given the children of Southwest Forsyth county a place to spend their 
Springs and Summers in a competitive, safe and constructive atmosphere 
to learn our Nation's pastime. Each of these young men, have, at one 
time during this memorable ride, given the people of Forsyth County and 
North Carolina something to cheer about, so it would be only fitting to 
recognize all of them:
  Chad Gentry, Robbie Scott, Daniel Genung, Austin Dillon, Christopher 
Sanders, Alex Robertson, Scott Riggsbee, David Morgan, Michael DeLuca, 
Sammy Lucas, David McConnell II, Taylor Russell, and Peyton Covington. 
Manager: John Scott, Coach: Chuck DeLuca, Coach: Mark Wylam.
  Mr. Speaker, August saw the passing of the baseball torch in North 
Carolina: from one who made the sport what it is to those who will make 
it what it will be. I join all North Carolinians in mourning the 
passing of Enos Slaughter, but celebrating the accomplishments of the 
Southwest Forsyth County Little League. It thrilled us all to see the 
ideals of sportsmanship and team camaraderie Enos believed in being 
carried forward by North Carolina's new Boys of Summer. We caught a 
glimpse of the potential each of these boys possesses, both as athletes 
and ambassadors of our State. We thank them for a Summer full of 
memories and look forward to watching them grow and prosper as 
productive citizens of our community.

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