STARKVILLE — Leave it to Danny Carlisle to turn a celebratory roast into an entertaining argument where he gets the last word in.
Like the back-and-forth conversations he’s had with umpires over the last 29 seasons as head coach of the Starkville High School baseball program, Carlisle was convinced he was in the right Tuesday night among many friends and family.
“Among all of these guys up here – about 90 percent of what they told is a lie,” Carlisle joked. “All of what I told is the truth now.”
After being employed in the Starkville school district for 35 years, former players and former coaches at SHS were given the opportunity to share stories and finally let Carlisle have it in a roast at Greensboro Auditorium. The roastmaster was SHS journalism advisor R.J. Morgan with roasters including former SHS players Chris Correro, Ryan Taylor, Kevin Randle. Also getting to the podium were former SHS coach John Patton and Tate Fischer along with Yellow Jackets athletic director Stan Miller.
“I came here in 1987 and went to go pick up a bus so (Carlisle) found out my name was Patton and then I was called General Patton the rest of the day,” said John Patton, former SHS coach from 1986-2010. “He would go on ‘General you can’t drive’ and ‘General don’t do that’.”
Carlisle is a 1971 graduate of Starkville High School before getting a degree from Mississippi State University and then clamining three Mississippi High School Activities Association state championships in 1986, 1987 and 1991.
It is also thanks to Patton that we learned Carlisle is a heavy fan of the University of Mississippi athletics programs.
“After I found out he’s a Rebel, it always mystified me because he’s grown up in Starkville his whole life, graduated from Mississippi State University, his son graduated for MSU, his daughter graduated from MSU and he took a teaching check from MSU but he’s an Ole Miss Rebel,” Patton joked. “I’ve had to deal with that for 25 years and he’s never given a dime to the University of Mississippi.”
The record book currently has Carlisle winning over 500 games as the Yellow Jackets head baseball coach but according to the story Miller told Tuesday night, the exact win total number is in question.
“I’m trying to get Danny inducted in the Mississippi Hall of Fame right and so two weeks ago they call me and tell me they’ve got two data sheets that says Danny Carlisle has 550 wins and 700 wins,” Miller joked. “I go to Coach Carlisle and he says ‘Doc I can explain it all – it really should be 700. Let’s start with 35 losses were in the state of Florida and those count as exhibition wins for both teams. 40 games were rained out and we were leading when they were rained out. 30 games we lost because that umpire made a blown call. That’s only 650 and he tells me ‘Doc I can’t explain those other 50’.”
Correro, Taylor and Randle all shared memories of their playing and even fund raising days on the Starkville High baseball team.
“Every one of these guys is special to me and they have been real good supporters of everything whether it was when I was going through cancer or with my team,” Carlisle said. “They’ve gone the extra mile to check on me and make sure everything is okay.”
Carlisle will be leading his team against New Hope this weekend in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association north state playoffs.
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