NATCHEZ &045; Funny how word travels sometimes. Cathedral standout Chris Norris knew midway through the season he was selected to Crossroads Diamond Club Mississippi All-Star game.

The longtime Green Wave head coach got a phone call just recently to notify him he’s been voted into the club’s Hall of Fame.

Beesley will be honored between the two all-star games Saturday at Pete Taylor Park on the Southern Miss campus. Norris will play for the South squad in a 1A-2A-3A all-star game at 1 p.m. with the 4A-5A game to follow at 6 p.m.

&uot;I had one of their coaches call me and tell me I was going to be honored,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;I don’t know everything about it. I just got a call one day, and I called Porky (Smith) about it. I coached in one game several years ago. It’s a great honor. I’ll definitely be there.&uot;

Beesley is one of three inductees for this year’s event. He’ll go in along with coach Charlie Butts and umpire Terry Magee into the Hall of Fame that includes longtime high school and college coaches Dave &uot;Boo&uot; Ferris, Hill Denson, Harry Breland, Mack Fanning, Ron Polk, Bob Braddy and Jerry Boatner.

&uot;I really haven’t sat back and thought about the years I’ve coached,&uot; said Beesley, who stepped down prior to the 2003 season to serve as assistant coach. &uot;Mac coached at Hickory before they consolidated, and we used to meet up every year. Whoever would win out of them and us would win state. . I guess you can say it’s kind of a reward for the years I put in and the things I’ve accomplished. It’s a great honor.&uot;

The day will also be a big day for Norris, who is the first Cathedral player since Jeff Gamberi in 1992 to play in the all-star game. Norris, who has no concrete plans for college baseball right now but is entertaining three options, hopes to use the game to catch someone’s eye as well as have fun.

&uot;You don’t want to press too much to the point where you might stumble and not perform as well as you’d like,&uot; said Norris, who hit .373 with four homers and 18 RBI this past season. &uot;In the same sense you’re trying to catch the eye (of scouts) and not be the same old Joe out there. Everybody will be in constant competition with each other.

&uot;But it goes both ways. Because you can’t do as well as you want without someone stepping up for the team.&uot;

Norris earned the honor following a standout 2002 season as a junior for the Green Wave after it advanced to the South State championship. He’ll be joined by Mize standout Adam McAlpin, Brookhaven’s Jody Britt and others on a team that’s filled with baseball talent.

&uot;I feel like he’s going over there to play the outfield,&uot; said CHS head coach Craig Beesley, who won the game’s Randy Makamson Award in the 1989 game. &uot;Chris has a really good year (in 2002), and that’s how he made it. I’m proud of him and glad to see that he made it. He has been a big part of our success the last couple of years.&uot;

The honor finishes off a bittersweet year of sorts for Norris, who never regained his 2002 form on the mound thanks to a sore shoulder back in February. He went 10-3 that year while striking out 93 in 82 1/3 innings but pitched sparingly this past season while either playing the outfield or DH.

&uot;Talk about being bummed out,&uot; Norris said. &uot;It killed me not being out there on the field to do what I love to do. As of now I’m not 100 percent, but I’m a lot closer than where I was at the end of the season. I’ve been throwing every day for the last month and a half. I’ve played all my life. That’s all I pretty much do from January to August.&uot;

Norris said he’s received interest from Belhaven College, Hinds Community College and Meridian Community College and estimates he’s 90 percent sure he’ll play at the next level somewhere. The shoulder &045; and the sheer number of pitchers on the roster &045; will likely keep him from pitching Saturday, but the shoulder is getting better.

&uot;It’s gotten a little better,&uot; Craig Beesley said. &uot;It’s better than it was earlier in the year, but he’s still not at full strength. I hope he goes over there Saturday and has a good game and gets a college coach to look at him.&uot;