Year #4, we presented a gold watch to outgoing athletic director Darrin Mathews, and in Year #5, it was retiring Superintendent Dr Mark Burnette. Year #6 called for a set of them as the staff at The Carroll News moved on in completely different ways.

David Broyles was always known as ” Plucky Side Kick ” to Boss Man 👨, Allen Worrell. David was / is a card-carrying member of the Duke University Medical Center Fab Four. It was pretty amazing to me that there could be four members of Carroll County with next level ties to the staff at Duke University.

The family of Tiff Moore, the Broyles family, Principal Thompson, and myself all bleed Duke Blue for reasons that have nothing to do with Basketball 🏀.

Broyles and his bride 👰‍♀ had a date for his retirement circled on the calendar last year, and the two love 💕 birds 🐦🐦‍⬛ were prepared to grow old together. Greg Bolen, my Super Hero, even stopped ✋️ by Cavalier Park last September 13th as we took the time to acknowledge the writing ✍️ career of Plucky !

David needed to stay on board for a couple of extra months longer when Allen Worrell announced that he would be transferring back to civilian life around the same time.

It took a hot minute for us to create a team, but once we did, it proved to be beyond enjoyable. While I had no ” official capacity ” at the newspaper ( that could be said at every where I spend time), the three of us spent a great deal of time together over a three year period. This also led to some photos 📸 that I consider prized possessions of mine.

David has a very unique take on life and, like myself, is not afraid to self-deprecate. Because if you can’t laugh at your own expense, who can you laugh at ?

David Broyles is a Class Act from a time that reminds me of Mayberry, and Allen Worrell (Whirl) is the definition of a HOMER !!! We often laughed 😅 about our partnership over the years as ” Homer’s R US “

We showed support for each other and tried our best to laugh whenever we could. We cared about each other and our families and worked together for an extended period of time in hopes that we could produce the best newspaper 📰 possible each and every week !

That’s the reason why there are three watches ⌚️instead of just two. Solidarity is the word for the relationship ! The partnership of Allen working with Seth Greer and Casey Burcham while I did my very best to provide coverage for Rick Nester, Anthony Barnes, Cindy Edwards, and Shawn Montgomery worked. We met in the middle on the others and found a balance that worked.

My hope was to create one last feel-good moment over some pizza 🍕, maybe we can still pull that off, maybe not. See, Allen’s people are not going to just clear his schedule now that he is off making the world a better place for others.

Good people who earned a living by serving others and I was proud to be associated with BOSS MAN and Plucky Side Kick ! Together, we made the Three Musketeers !!

Now the newspaper has a new Sherriff in town, and he has Ryan McCafferty as his wingman. The future of the newspaper 📰 is in solid hands ✋️and we wish them continued success.

David and Allen, Thanks for the memories !

What is different about the three pics 📸 shown above and the ones from earlier ?

Now they include the 411 on our trio of Lady Cavaliers Softball players who received a tip of the cap from the coaches  around the Three Rivers District !

If I could go door 🚪 to door 🚪 and explain my thought process in regards to the promotion of love of the sport of Softball……

Tomorrow night, I will get in the car 🚗 and drive down to Abingdon for the State Softball Quarterfinals. Why ? Because the search for ways to move our sport forward never ends. Yesterday afternoon, at the Hickory baseball game, I picked up on two things that would be GOLD at Cavalier Park.

Travis Leath has a similar LOVE ❤️ for the sport, and that makes any conversation with him an enjoyable time. Some people tolerate the game because they are related to someone who plays it, others live and die with the sport. My search is for others who feel the same way.

Just like the old school Reeces Penut Butter, where two people bump into each other, one eating chocolate 🍫 and the other eating 🥜 peanut butter. Great commercial back in the day !

https://share.google/L0Q4CO3kep7IgQsAv

   We all want to have the most successful Softball program humanly possible, and to do that, we need to all be pulling in the same direction !

Here’s just one example :

Coach Nester argued for our players in the coaches’ meeting. Thanks to my relationship with Alan Knight, I fully understand what those meetings are like.

Then Coach made sure the stats were made available for the graphics, and it turns out that person is Addies mother 👩. Then they get to me, and I can add verbiage to them so folks can appreciate our players, not just on Facebook.

We have a beautiful place to play softball, no question about that. The bigger question is, can we move forward as one in hopes of making the next season one for the ages ?

Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Thank you, Brother Osborne !

If you have a chance to be kind to someone today, please 🙏 do !

Have a Blessed Day 🙌

Laynie-Jo Leonard is a loved young Lady who has to share her Mother with the masses here on The Hill. Chris Leonard has the same burden as the husband of the Women that I’m proud to call our third daughter, Mrs Velvet Leonard.

But Chris is a grown-up, and Laynie-Jo is a teenager. If I am going to point that Bayleigh Allen is a younger version of Debbie Odum, then I will say that twice over about Velvet and Laynie-Jo. She has her mother’s smile and disposition, or she couldn’t possibly share her mother in the manner she does.

The only person that is connected to The Hill that I can truly relate to in my efforts with my site is Velvet Leonard. She has the advantage of being widely accepted by the cool kids than I ever will and by cool kids, I mean adults. But folks don’t understand why Velvet is giving of herself in regards to her time and her camera in the manner that she is. She, too, is trying hard to make the world a better place.

We are blessed to have a soul as kind as Velvet Leonard on our side of the Boulevard, and if you don’t see a younger version of that level of kindness in the eyes of Laynie-Jo Leonard, you might want to consider getting glasses.