Mississippi Today

Doug Shanks loved, lived baseball, and his contributions will live on

Published

2 years ago

September 7, 2023

Former Jackson City Commissioner and Mississippi Valley State baseball coach Doug Shanks coached the Hartfield Academy pitcher last spring. He was a baseball man to the end. Credit: Shanks family

News of the death of baseball’s Doug Shanks earlier this week brought back several vivid memories, including the one that follows.

This was a bluebird Delta day, in February in 2010. The previous day’s rainstorm had passed. The ground was soggy, but the sky was cloudless and a deep blue. The bright sun brought warmth, but the air was crisp and cool. It was a splendid day to be alive. Opening Day always is. And, as opening days go, this one was extra special.

Shanks and his Mississippi Valley State baseball assistant coaches were busy, helping their one-man “grounds crew” prepare the soaked field for the season opener. The Delta Devils, who called themselves the Ragamuffins, were scheduled to play Notre Dame. Yes, that Notre Dame, the one that spent more money on its slick baseball media guide than Shanks had in his entire MVSU baseball budget. Notre Dame had spent $60 million on football the previous fall. Valley’s entire athletic budget was $3 million.

The one-man Valley grounds crew wore a green and white striped uniform, but it wasn’t because green and white are two of the MVSU school colors. No, he was on loan from a nearby prison.

“Hardest worker you ever saw,” Shanks told me. “But we have to have him back at the farm by 4.”

Shanks and his coaches had worked through the night and all morning to make Magnolia Field playable. They stopped only to watch Notre Dame’s luxury bus pull up, and the strapping Fighting Irish players step off in their navy blue jerseys, with gold lettering and green shamrocks on the sleeves. Some wore those bright gold batting helmets.

Yes, Shanks brought Notre Dame to Itta Bena. I remember telling Shanks it could go on his tombstone.

Notre Dame won that day, 12-4, but there were no losers.

I remember asking Irish coach Dave Shrage why he would bring his proud program to Itta Bena and a baseball field that guaranteed standing room only crowds because there was almost no place to sit. Shrage said that before he took the Notre Dame job he had been at Evansville and had made a trip down south to play games in Memphis. Rain spoiled that so he called Shanks at MVSU looking for a place to play. Long story short: The two team buses met in Grenada and headed south on I-55 with Shanks promising that he knew every baseball field in Mississippi and would find a dry one.

They wound up playing a double-header at Smith-Wills. Shrage never forgot the effort or the hospitality. That had been the real reason for Notre Dame coming to Itta Bena. Shrage was replaying a favor.

Interesting – isn’t it? –those Valley-Evansville games were played at Smith-Wills Stadium. Shanks, himself, was largely responsible for the stadium being built. As a young Jackson CIty Commissioner, Shanks had spearheaded the plan to build the stadium and bring a minor league franchise to Jackson, which led to the Jackson Mets coming to Jackson in 1975. What’s more it was Shanks’ idea to bring all Dizzy Dean’s memorabilia to Jackson and create the Dizzy Dean Museum adjacent to Smith-Wills.

Many long-time readers will know the rest of that story: The Dean Museum was a huge part of the genesis of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Museum being built across the parking lot from Smith-Wills. The Dizzy Dean wing of the MSHOF on the second floor remains the highlight of any visit to the shrine.

Shanks was a huge part of all that. Selling Dizzy Dean on the idea of moving his stuff from Wiggins to Jackson was not hard, Shanks once told me. But Pat Dean, Diz’s wife, ran the show. Shanks convinced them both that so many more people would see Diz’s treasures in the state’s biggest city. And they have.

He was a baseball man, Doug Shanks was. His daddy, Fred Shanks, had been the great Boo Ferriss’s catcher at Mississippi State. Doug Shanks was active in youth baseball before and after his successful 15-year stint at Valley as the SWAC’s first White baseball coach. He began the Jackson 96ers, a summer, high school-aged travel team, that became a national powerhouse.

“Doug loved baseball and he lived it,” was the way Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame baseball coach Hill Denson put it, “Mississippi baseball is a whole lot better because of Doug Shanks.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

22 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

23 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

24 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.