remember the time

The GPS is set for Memory Lane. The Atlanta Braves are coming to Trustmark Park in Pearl on Saturday and déjà vu, not just pollen, is in the air. First stop on this trip is 1986, when the New York Mets came to Jackson to play their Double-A affiliate. An overflow crowd of 7,061 showed up at Smith-Wills Stadium to watch as a New York team that would go on to win the World Series beat Our Jackson Mets 6-0. Former Jackson Mets star Lenny Dykstra went 3-for-4 for New York and another OJM alum, Rick Aguilera, struck out nine batters in seven innings. The New York club also included Darryl Strawberry and Kevin Mitchell, both ex-JaxMets, as well as Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Howard Johnson and Ray Knight. The Jackson team, which seemed a bit overwhelmed, featured future big leaguers Kevin Elster, Greg Olson, Shawn Abner and Jeff McKnight. Managed by Mike Cubbage, the ’86 JaxMets made it to the Texas League Championship Series. Moving on to the next stop … it’s 1997, when the Houston Astros trekked to Smith-Wills to play the Double-A Generals. Another overflow crowd — 6,196 officially — turned out to see the big league team, which would win the National League Central that year, beat the Gens 7-2. The game was played on what was a scheduled off-day in the regular season for both teams. The Astros were on their way to Atlanta. The Generals left afterward for Shreveport. And the game was played with a sense of urgency: The 7-inning affair lasted just 88 minutes. Astros stars Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio batted in the first inning and were then removed from the lineup. Derek Bell and Bill Spiers hit home runs for Houston, but the lasting memory of the game was the monster shot into the pines in right-center field launched by the Gens’ Daryle Ward. “That looked like one of (John) Daly’s zero irons,” Generals manager Gary Allenson said after the game. Ward was one of several future big leaguers on the ’97 Jackson team that also included Carlos Guillen, Mitch Meluskey and Scott Elarton. Now it’s back to the future … and Atlanta’s game against the Future Stars. The TeePee is sold out; the tally could hit 8,000. The Braves’ big league roster is packed with star power, including many former Mississippi Braves. It’s a playoff contender, to be sure. There are prospects aplenty on the minor league team that will be managed by Bobby Cox. It should be fun. It should be memorable – a future stop on Memory Lane.