Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 7, 1993 TAG: 9305070472
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-11 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Rubber checks and pain-inflicting bugs hold no appeal for us, either, but the sign did bring to mind the agonies baseball people have been having lately with one Michael "Whitey" Blankenship.
Blankenship, the Narrows High slugger, has been conducting a stirring assault on the Timesland triple crown. If accomplished, it will be the first time in memory somebody has done so.
People just can't seem to get the guy out. With the end of the regular season in sight, Blankenship has driven in 22 runs (tied for first in Timesland), hit four home runs (tied for second) and is batting .656, which leads in a runaway.
The question is, when are his enemies going to get with the program? This isn't some fly-by-nighter here. A 5-foot-10, 160-pound junior, this dude has credentials as long as some of the dingers he's donged.
A year ago, he batted .570. Now, the fact that a 10th-grader is hitting the ball hard in 57 percent of his at-bats ought to get your attention. If not, then clearly all the Copenhagen juice you've swallowed over the years has your brain awash.
So people keep pitching to him and Whitey keeps whomping 'em. What is it with these guys? A death wish? Foolhardy macho posturing? Baseball brain lock?
At some point you have to cut your losses and concede defeat. Or face the consequences.
In other words, cash only and forget playing with bumblebees.
Meanwhile, Whitey just keeps going about his business. When it comes to athletics, business is good, as far as he is concerned. During football season, Blankenship probably was the team's most versatile player. Certainly, he was the most athletic.
But there seems no question that baseball is his sport.
"It's more relaxing than football, not as tense," he said. "It's not like football, where you have to react to everything. Baseball is more instinctive."
Blankenship has spent hours upon hours honing his instincts in the batting cage and against live pitching. Check him out in the gym taking on the mechanical pitcher - it's machine vs. machine.
In center field, he's almost as good.
"He's been great," said Green Wave coach Rick Franklin. "I've been really spoiled, having Rodney Perdue there the last three years, then having Whitey. The only comparison between them is foot speed [fast]. Rodney went and got everything. Whitey lets the right fielder and the left fielder make some plays, although he hustles over to back them up."
Blankenship also has put his fancy feet to work on the base paths. This week, he'd swiped 11 bases, which tied him for fourth. Who knows where his six doubles and two triples in 32 at-bats stack up? Or his 21 hits.
Blankenship was so hot at one point that he had eight hits and a walk in consecutive at-bats.
When it comes to swinging that aluminum wand, nobody's had the magic Blankenship has at Narrows, at least not in Franklin's recall.
"He's got the quickest hands I've ever seen in my life," Franklin said. "This is going to sound ludicrous, but I'd be disappointed if he hit .450. If he strikes out [seven times this year including three in the season opener], I go crazy. I know it isn't fair to him, but that's the way it is.
"And his defense is just the same as his offense. If he makes a mistake, I can't stand it."
Some people would be saying at this point, heaven help us, he's just a kid, give him a break.
But the kid in question doesn't seem to be too put out by it all.
"I like for him to put pressure on me," Blankenship said. "I wouldn't get better unless somebody like him puts pressure on me."
Makes you wonder how much better he's going to get.
\ SHORT CHANGE: Blacksburg girls' track coach Cecile Newcombe doesn't think the 5 feet, 8 inches Katie Ollendick topped in the high jump this year is her limit. "She'll hit 6 feet. I'm not saying when, but she'll do it." . . . To put Blankenship's four homers in 21 at bats in better perspective, Giles has only three as a team.
Ray Cox covers New River Valley sports for the Roanoke Times & World-News
by CNB