After either wiping or licking hotdog relish off your shirt,watermelon juice and homemade ice cream from your chin and sweatfrom your brow during yesterday’s Fourth of July celebration, getready for an all-star weekend of baseball. Dixie Youth and DixieBoys Baseball subdistrict and district tournaments crank up today,giving the sports fan a variety of games to choose from.

Brookhaven hosts the Dixie Youth AAA North Subdistrict SixTournament at Keystone Park, starting tonight. The Dixie Boys 14stournament starts tonight at Windsor Gay Youth Sports Complex inSummit. The Dixie Boys 13s start Saturday night at Exchange ClubPark’s American Legion Field.

The Brookhaven Brakemen are in town Sunday afternoon for a 2:30twinbill with the Jackson Senators on Brookhaven Academy’s diamond.They play two games Saturday against the Clinton Lumberjacks, onMississippi College’s Frierson Field.

Members of the Cotton State League, the Brakemen finished thefirst half of their season with an 8-11 mark. They are 2-0 in thesecond half after sweeping the Pearl Patriots.

Looking at the CSL for a moment, it is a wooden bat league andthat means a major adjustment for the players. They have beenspoiled by the aluminum bats which send would-be, wooden batsingles over the outfield fence.

Call it a taste of the major leagues via the minors. As Brakemenfield manager Pete Young pointed out, the CSLgives players a preview of the typical professional career. There’slots of afternoon, summertime heat to contend with and countlesshours spent on the road traveling from one town to another.

You must love the game of baseball.

Offensively, the Brakemen are learning the hard way. They have a.197 team batting average according to Brookhaven statisticianJim Waycaster. Topping the list of averages is outfielderJoey Sullivan of Mize who has a .400 mark, including 4 doubles.Sullivan will be a freshman at Co-Lin this fall and help answersome of coach Keith Case’s questions regarding outfield positionson his 2003 Co-Lin squad.

Josh Thoms, a rising sophomore at Mississippi State,leads the Brakemen in home runs with 3. The second baseman isbatting .230 and leads the team with 12 RBIs. He has a .426slugging percentage.

First baseman Seth Lofton is playing his second year ofCSL ball after a 1-year hiatus. The Loyd Star product is batting.276 and has 11 RBIs to his credit. Lofton is set to sign ascholarship with the University of West Alabama. Much of hissophomore campaign at Co-Lin was canceled by wrist and shoulderinjuries.

Jacob Blakeney, a rising senior at Mississippi State byway of Co-Lin and Mendenhall, is batting .333. He has seen someduty at third base and the outfield but his forte is pitching wherehe has a 1.1 record and 1.33 ERA. He has struck out 28 batters andwalked 7 in 21 innings.

Outfielder Anthony McLin has posted a .225 average haddoubled twice. McLin, from McLaurin, is still weighing hisscholarship options, mainly out-of-state. Hinds Community Collegerefuses to release him from its protected list.

Shortstop Cayce Wallace hasn’t missed a step inhis year away from baseball. He’s batting .214 and has 6 RBIs. He’sa freshman in eligibility at Co-Lin.

Brakemen pitching has been strong. They have a team ERA of2.69.

Incoming freshman Jacob Leggett of Bogue Chittoand Co-Lin sophomore Mitch Mangum of SimpsonCounty are both 2-1 on the season. Belhaven College rising seniorJosh Garrett and Co-Lin freshman Lance Deville of FranklinCounty by way of Louisiana are 1-0.

The First Half Hard Luck Award goes to rising Co-Linsophomore Michael Edwards of Lawrence County. He is 0-2 with a 2.58ERA. Edwards has given up 19 hits, 7 earned runs, struck out 14 andwalked 5 in 19 innings.

Wesson High School has filled two coaching positions.Philip Knight has assumed control of the Cobra baseballteam and Jemmye Ann Helms has been named girls varsity and juniorhigh basketball coach. Helms coached at Ackerman for five years.She was a standout player at Mississippi State during her collegecareer.

Knight, former head baseball coach at Wesson, inherits astrong team from Jerry Brewer who left after two years to become anassistant at McComb. Knight has eight seniors coming back and theyhave lots of potential.

Wesson had four players on the District Seven squad whichcompeted in the State Games of Mississippi. The Cobras includedpitchers Justin Smith and Joseph Langham,infielder Kyle Smith and outfielder Ryan Williams.

Representing Brookhaven was pitcher Reggie Smith.Catcher Matthew Delaughter represented Loyd Star. Pitcher ColbyBeach represented Franklin County and infielder Patrick Williamsrepresented Copiah Academy. Pitcher Dusty Davis carried the colorsfor North Pike.

Despite the high talent level, District Seven lost twoclose games and came home. Maybe next year.

Write to Tom Goetz by e-mail, sports@dailyleader.comor P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602.