time trippin’

Greg Olson, who is being feted by the Mississippi Braves on Monday, is remembered by the Braves fans among us as the light-hitting, defensive-minded catcher on Atlanta’s 1991 and ’92 World Series clubs. Who can forget the Sports Illustrated cover of Oct. 28, 1991, depicting an upside-down Olson and a sliding Dan Gladden, the Minnesota outfielder who upended Olson at the plate? Of course, the Mets fans among us — and there are still some out there — will remember Olson as a key player on the Texas League champion Jackson Mets of 1984 and ’85. Those were two great teams, managed by Sam Perlozzo (now the Philadelphia Phillies’ third-base coach) and featuring a slew of future big leaguers. Olson, who also played part of the 1986 season at Smith-Wills Stadium, never made it to the big leagues with the Mets; he broke through with Minnesota in 1989. He played the next four years with the Braves, making the All-Star Game in 1990. But his big league career was short, only 414 games all told, and he finished his playing days in independent ball in his native Minnesota. Still, Olson made his mark on the game, with two groups of fans.
P.S. Hinds Community College will play LSU-Eunice today for the NJCAA Division II Region 23 title. Play starts at 2 p.m. at Raymond. LSU-E has to beat the Eagles twice to claim the crown. Hinds is seeking its first trip to the Juco World Series since 1989, when the Rick Clarke-coached Eagles became the first Mississippi juco to reach the national finals.