I came home Tuesday evening this week and, as I always do, I picked up my Neosho Daily News and began to read what all was happening.

Then, as usual, I turned to the sports section.

That was when I decided to write about Neosho’s own Superman… Sports Editor Cody Thorn!

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Although I do not personally know Cody very well, I have to marvel at the day-to-day unfailing dedication to duty of this guy.

He never seems to be in one place very long, but yet he seems to be everywhere, covering games and taking pictures for the newspaper. Is he another Clark Kent who has superhuman powers and strength?

To illustrate what I mean, Tuesday’s paper had the results of a mere 23 youth ball games.

Not only were the scores listed but you could find out how many hits each player had in each game!

By my count, that added up to 182 kids who had their hits duly recorded in the newspaper! In ONE issue!

 And this was all in addition to extensive coverage of the Neosho Nighthawks games (what a great name for a baseball team), Mac County’s games, and the Carthage 5K run.

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How big a thing is it for a young team and a young player to see their names in the paper when they do something good?

Well, I am almost 80 now and after a lifetime in athletics, I can still vividly recall my name being in a basketball box score for the first time! I was a seventh grader at Arkansas City (Kansas) junior high school. We were the Puppies who would eventually become the ACHS Bulldogs and take second place in the state tournament.

The box score, of course, went into my scrapbook and is quite yellow now.

I made one free throw, with knees knocking, in that game and we won the game by one point. And my name was in the newspaper! 

I cannot believe that times have changed so much that our youngsters (and adults) don’t still love to see their names in the newspaper when something good happens to them.

And I KNOW their proud coaches, fans, friends, parents and grandparents love to see that Kennie got two hits, or that Madison got a hit, and that Amanda slugged two doubles.

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For Cody, there IS no off season. He covers every sport from the ground up through college and beyond, boys and girls, from the entire area, year around!

Having done a bit of sports reporting myself, I well know how it sometimes goes in that task.

When teams win, game and tournament results roll in.

When teams lose, it is a bit harder to reach the phone by deadline time.

Having helped a brand new college start an athletic program, I know how vital publicity is in building a fan base and community support.

But mainly, it is what it does for the kids themselves.

It may not seem like much, but everyone knows how important confidence and self-esteem are in the development of successful citizens.

And who knows but what a little positive publicity might help make a kid want to take the right and wholesome path?

More than 200 young people received that boost in Tuesday’s sports section alone, thanks to the diligence of our super sports editor, Cody Thorn.

Bob Sneller is a columnist for the Neosho Daily News. You can send e-mails to him via managing editor John Ford at jford@neoshodailynews.com.