sad news

Sad to hear about the death of Jeff McKnight, who played for the Double-A Jackson Mets in 1986 and ’87. McKnight, who spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues, lost a 10-year battle with leukemia on Sunday, according to reports. He was 52. The Arkansas native hit .252 with four home runs, 55 RBIs and 71 runs in 132 games for the ’86 JaxMets, who reached the Texas League Championship Series under manager Mike Cubbage. McKnight played five positions, mostly second base, and even pitched a little. He spent part of the ’87 season in Jackson before going to Triple-A Tidewater. He made his big league debut in 1989 with the New York Mets. P.S. On a brighter subject, Anthony Alford, the former Mr. Baseball from Petal, got in as a pinch runner today in Toronto’s spring training game and scored a run. Also showing up in the box scores from the first true Grapefruit and Cactus League games of 2015: Mississippi State product Jacob Lindgren (2/3 inning, two hits, two runs, both unearned, one strikeout) with the New York Yankees; Starkville native Julio Borbon (1-for-1 with an RBI and a run) with Baltimore; and Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton (1-for-3 with a run) and ex-Ole Miss standout Zack Cozart (1-for-2 with an RBI) with Cincinnati.