FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR, THE ADMIRALS' BASEBALL TEAM HOSTED A "THROWBACK GAME" TO BENEFIT THE NATIONAL PARKINSON FOUNDATION.
FARRAGUT, FOUR-TIME DEFENDING CLASS 3-AAA STATE CHAMPIONS, PLAYED GIBBS AFTER OAK RIDGE AND KARNS BATTLED IN SPRING 2011.
DONATIONS BENEFITED THE NPF ALONG WITH MONEY RAISED BY A VARIETY OF VENDORS, SILENT AUCTIONS AND BAKE SALES. MORE THAN $2,400 WAS RAISED IN 2011 AFTER $2,000 WAS DONATED IN 2010.
THE EVENT WAS SPEARHEADED IN 2010 BY PAT DORWIN, A 1982 FHS GRADUATE WHO LED THE ADMIRALS IN A NUMBER OF OFFENSIVE CATEGORIES DURING FARRAGUT'S FIRST STATE TITLE RUN THAT YEAR, THE INITIAL OF EIGHT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WINS.
FARRAGUT WENT INTO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AT UT'S LOWER HUDSON FIELD WITH A 24-4 MARK AGAINST AN UNDEFEATED MEMPHIS CHRISTIAN BROTHERS CLUB (25-0). THE TEAMS SPLIT AN OPENING-DAY DOUBLEHEADER, SETTING UP A WINNER-TAKE-ALL FINAL ON MAY 26, 1982.
DORWIN STARTED A THREE-RUN UPRISING IN THE OPENING INNING WITH A SINGLE AND THE ADS WOULD HOLD ON FOR A 4-3 WIN, BECOMING THE FIRST KIL BASEBALL TEAM SINCE 1973 TO WIN A STATE TITLE. FARRAGUT'S SOFTBALL TEAM HAD GIVEN THE ADMIRALS THEIR FIRST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN ANY VARSITY TEAM SPORT THE DAY BEFORE WITH A DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP.
DORWIN, 49, WAS DIAGNOSED WITH YOUNG-ONSET PARKINSON'S DISEASE IN 2003, HIS YOUNGEST BROTHER, PETE, CENTERFIELDER ON THE FIRST OF FOUR ADMIRAL STATE FINAL RUNNER-UP TEAMS IN 1988, WAS DIAGNOSED IN 2009 AT THE AGE OF 39.
"PETE'S AFFECTED ON HIS RIGHT SIDE, MY PROBLEMS ARE ON MY LEFT SIDE," SAID PAT DORWIN. THE BROTHERS WERE BOTH NAMED TO THE ALL-KNOXVILLE INTERSCHOLASTIC TEAMS THEIR SENIOR YEARS - PAT DORWIN LED HIS TEAM IN HITTING WITH A .420 AVERAGE FROM THE LEADOFF SPOT, WHILE PETE DORWIN MADE JUST A SINGLE ERROR IN TWO YEARS.
"EVENTUALLY, I'D LIKE TO SEE MANY AREA HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS HOLD FUND-RAISERS OF SOME SORT," SAID PAT DORWIN, WHO IS HOLDING FOUR YOUNG-ONSET PD FUND-RAISERS IN 2012, INCLUDING THE THROWBACK DOUBLEHEADER THURSDAY, APRIL 26 AT FARRAGUT WITH 5 P.M. AND 7:3O P.M. GAME TIMES.
EARLIER FUND-RAISERS WERE SCHEDULED AT PIGEON FORGE AND SEYMOUR HIGH SCOOLS. THE LAST BENEFIT IS SATURDAY, APRIL 28 AT ANDERSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL WITH THE MAVERICKS PLAYING SCIENCE HILL AT 2 P.M.
"I'M SURE MANY FORMER BASEBALL PLAYERS COULD USE HELP OF SOME KIND," DORWIN SAID. "HOPEFULLY, THIS IS SOMETHING MANY BASEBALL TEAMS WILL TAKE PART IN - AS WELL AS FUNDRAISERS HELD IN OTHER SPORTS TO AID CURRENT AND FORMER PLAYERS."
PAT DORWIN LIVES IN SEVIERVILLE WITH HIS WIFE, ANGIE, SON, ELI, 9, AND DAUGHTER, ADDISON GRACE, 7, WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS MAY 26, THE DATE FHS WON ITS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. CONTACT DORWIN AT PATRUGB@ATT.NET OR 865-363-9014.
THE EVENTS ARE THE INITIAL PHASE OF DORWIN'S PROJECT 20/20 FOUNDATION, RAISING MONEY FOR THE AMERICAN PARKINSON'S DISEASE ASSOCIATION'S NATIONAL YOUNG-ONSET CENTER.
"I'D LIKE TO SEE 20 AREA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAMS HOLDING FUND-RAISERS BY THE YEAR 2020," HE SAID. "WE HOPE TO RAISE MONEY FOR YOUNG-ONSET PARKINSON'S, SINCE THAT'S WHAT PETE AND I HAVE."
FOR INFORMATION, SEE farragutpress.com/articles/2010/03/12167.html - AN ARTICLE DETAILING THE BROTHERS' PLIGHT OR http://www.fhs1982statechamps.blogspot.com/ -WHICH CHRONICLES THE ADMIRALS 1982 TITLE RUN.
THE WEB SITE http://www.tbca.org/ LISTS ADMIRALS WHO HAVE MADE STATE RECORD BOOKS, INCLUDING JEFF GLOVER (WHOSE 15 WINS IN 1982 WERE TIED FOR A SINGLE-SEASON STATE MARK UNTIL FARRAGUT'S PHILIP PFEIFFER WENT 16-0 IN 2010), MIKE JORDAN (WHOSE 14 SAVES IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON ARE A TENNESSEE HIGH SCHOOL SINGLE-YEAR MARK AND HIS 23 CAREER SAVES TOP THE STATE LADDER), PAT DORWIN'S THREE WALKS IN A 1982 PLAYOFF GAME TIE HIM FOR SECOND-MOST IN A SINGLE GAME (WHICH COUPLED WITH THREE STOLEN BASES AND TWO RUNS HELPED LEAD FARRAGUT PAST CLINTON 4-1 AND SET UP A REGIONAL FINAL AGAINST BEARDEN) AND DORWIN'S TWO TRIPLES IN A 1981 GAME AGAINST WILLIAM BLOUNT MAKE THE RECORD BOOK. THE PAIR OF TRIPLES, ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF DOUBLES AND FOUR RUNS DRIVEN IN AND SCORED, CAPPED OFF ONE OF HIS BEST OFFENSIVE GAMES.
