Charlotte.com: Sports

Pack duo sets pace in football

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:00 EDT

It was 5:22 a.m., with a full moon still aglow in the southern sky Friday when N.C. State tight end Anthony Hill wheeled his car into the Murphy Center parking lot.

It was time to meet tailback Jamelle Eugene. Time to lift weights, sweat, work, run.

Time to be leaders.

"They're the first ones here every morning," said Todd Rice, the Wolfpack's director of strength and conditioning. "And when your best players are your hardest workers, everything else kind of falls into place."

Eugene was one of State's best players last season. Taking over as the starter at midseason after injuries to Toney Baker and Andre Brown, the redshirt junior had three 100-yard rushing games and was named the team's most valuable player for 2007.

As for Hill, he also was one of the Pack's best -- two years ago.

Last July, Hill was forlorn. Arguably the top tight end in the ACC heading into his senior year, he tore up his left knee in an informal passing drill and was facing reconstructive surgery. There would be no football.

"It was," Hill said, "a bad time."

But just look at him now. Rangy at 6 feet 6, he weighs 264 pounds. He has lowered his body fat.

"I can see my abs for the first time since my sophomore year," Hill said, flashing a smile.

He's also ready to hit, and be hit, again. Hill, his left knee in a heavy brace, was in on much of the Pack's spring work but held out of contact drills.

"But I can't wait for preseason practice," he said. "I've been waiting a long time. I can't wait to get that first hit behind me and move on to the second one.

"It's just going to be great to be 100 percent, come in and be just like the rest of the guys."

As for the Pack's opening game, Aug. 28 at South Carolina, just the mention of it can get Hill's heart rate racing.

"It may be the most emotional game I've ever played in," he said.

Most expect Hill, a redshirt senior from Houston, to be named a team captain this season. With it comes responsibility, but Hill will gladly accept it and do all he can to help, encourage -- and possibly inspire -- his teammates.

One way is setting his cell-phone alarm for 5 a.m. this summer, then ignoring the urge to smash it or toss it in another room and get in a few more winks. Eugene does the same.

"You have to set the tone," Eugene said. "We do more before 8 o'clock than most people do in a day.

"Hopefully the team will follow our lead. Eventually, they'll jump ahead of you and make you jump ahead of them. That's what it takes to win."

Once at the Murphy Center, there is little chit-chat or laughter. Not in the weight room. While defensive end Willie Young predictably has a few things to say -- "Look at Anthony's pretty smile," he teases -- it is mostly business, the floor constantly shaking as dead weights slam down.

"Jamelle was always our hardest worker and used to be a clear-cut exception," Rice said. "Now, that kind of work is more the norm for everyone.

"Last year was frustrating for Anthony. He felt like he was on the outside looking in, like he wasn't a part of it. But he battled through it to become one of our really good leaders."

On Friday, Hill and Eugene stretched, then hit the weight room. They did 300-pound power cleans, followed by squats, lateral pulls, hanging leg raises.

Next, Hill, Eugene and about 50 players -- the others work out later in the day -- took to the practice field for agility drills, running around cones. Then more running -- 60 yards up and back.

"Pretty intense," Hill said.

While Rice was in charge, Pack coach Tom O'Brien was on hand for a look. So, too, were offensive coordinator Dana Bible and defensive coordinator Mike Archer.

After one drill, Rice shouted, "Gather 'em up, Anthony."

Hill did just that, the players running to surround him.

"One, two, three, FULL SPEED," they chanted, with Hill's the loudest voice.

"I'm supposed to be the leader of the team," Hill said later. "That's the role I'm taking on now. A much bigger role."

Hill, a brutally effective blocker, was the Pack's leading receiver with 45 catches in 2006, when he was named second-team All-ACC. With 20 career starts and more than 1,000 offensive snaps, he has invaluable experience.

O'Brien didn't have Hill available in his first season with the Pack. Now, he does.

"I look at last year as it happened for the better for me," Hill said. "I'm ready. I haven't played a game yet for Coach O'Brien. I can't wait until Aug. 28. I really think this can be a special year."

Carolina Panthers: 5 keys to success this season

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:39 EDT

The opening of Carolina Panthers training camp Saturday in Spartanburg will bring – as always – a sense of anticipation, a sense of eagerness, a sense of excitement.

But for this franchise, which hasn't been to the playoffs since 2006 and has never had back-to-back winning seasons, there needs to be something else:

A sense of urgency.

Last season's Panthers were models of underachievement and disappointment. Never recovering from a season-ending elbow injury to quarterback Jake Delhomme, they limped to a 7-9 record.

Through last spring's NFL draft and free agency, coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney hope they've found the keys back to contention in the NFC South and a berth in the playoffs.

Those hopes hinge on how several situations play out during camp. Five in particular – kickoffs, kick/punt returns, right defensive end, wide receiver and right guard.

Kickoffs

John Kasay, the last remaining original Panther, continues to be a reliable field-goal kicker. But Kasay had just two kickoffs land in the end zone last season and kicked six out-of-bounds – the most in the league. Enter Rhys Lloyd, a strong-legged Englishman who was signed last spring. Fox says Lloyd will be given every opportunity to make the team – only to kick off – so the Panthers can better keep opponents pinned in their own territory to start drives. Quandary: Do the Panthers want to burn a valuable roster spot on an extra kicker?

Kick/punt returns

Although rookie Ryne Robinson showed improvement toward the end of the season, his numbers – 23-yard average on kick returns (tied for 51st in the league) and 8.7-yard average on punt returns (28th – show the team truly needs a playmaker returning kicks. The Panthers signed free agent Ricardo Colclough, and Fox has said rookie Jonathan Stewart – whom the team hopes will be a starting running back – might also get a shot at kickoff returns. Quandary: Does Fox really think he wants to use the team's top draft choice and starting running back as a kick returner?

Right defensive end

This spot was going to need to be filled anyway because of Mike Rucker's retirement. But Julius Peppers – poster boy for the team's 2007 disappointment – might shift from left end to the right side. Peppers, once one of the league's top defensive linemen, slumped to 2.5 sacks last season. That's one sack fewer than Indianapolis' Bob Sanders, a strong safety. Maybe a change of scenery will agree with Peppers. He played on the right side at North Carolina and said coming out of college that's his preferred spot. Peppers had lots of reps at right end during the spring's mini-camp and summer camp in June. Quandary: Who would play on the left side? Tyler Brayton, a free-agent pickup from Oakland, is a possibility.

Wide receiver

No, not Steve Smith.

Since Muhsin Muhammad left for Chicago in 2005, the Panthers have struggled to find a complement to Smith. That was especially apparent last season when four starting quarterbacks couldn't figure out how to consistently get the ball to a double-teamed Smith or other receivers such as Keary Colbert or Drew Carter. Colbert (Denver) and Carter (Oakland) are gone, but the return of Muhammad and arrival of free agent D.J. Hackett should give Delhomme some solid options. Quandary: Will Dwayne Jarrett recover from a struggling rookie year, or is he heading toward Colbert- and Carter-like disappointment?

Right guard

Four positions on a revamped offensive line are set – Jordan Gross (left tackle), Travelle Wharton (left guard), Ryan Kalil (center) and rookie Jeff Otah (right tackle). Who among a beefy batch of free agents – Keydrick Vincent (6-foot-5 and 325 pounds), Milford Brown (6-5, 330) and Toniu Fonoti (6-4, 340) – will step forward at right guard? Quandary: No matter who starts at right guard, will this new offensive line jell in time to be effective this season?

Lots of dopes in the Tour de Farce

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:54 EDT

There was a time not so long ago when none of this would have mattered, at least on this side of the pond.

The bikes ridden in the United States are mostly low riders that kids pedal to school, or cushy cruisers the parents take for a spin around the block.

Somewhere, about the time Greg LeMond rode to victory and we discovered he wasn't a Frenchman, we began paying some attention to the Tour de France. After Lance Armstrong began winning, we had to embrace the sport, if nothing other than to show those snooty French how patriotic we really are.

So we had to learn racing language, understand what a peloton was (the main body of riders in a bicycle race), and find out why they kept making such a big fuss over the rider wearing a yellow jersey (the race leader).

Even if the last time we were on a bike was to deliver the afternoon newspaper, sprinkling a few cycling terms made for good conversation over a glass of Chablis at the backyard barbecue.

“Hey, did you see what Lance did when he broke out of the peloton in that Category2 climb to sprint the final leg,” we would say, impressing the neighbors

“Sure did, and just wait until he gets to the Pyrenees and grabs the yellow jersey.”

Solid citizens began recognizing teams by their colors and matching helmets, and knew that the U.S. Postal Service was going to deliver for Armstrong. They figured out what a time trial was, why the Tour de France was sometimes in countries other than France, and why 50 riders could all be credited with the same exact time.

Some even understood why on the last day the leader could sit on his handlebars, pedal backward, and still come in first place.

What they didn't know was that it was all one gigantic fraud on spokes.

They should by now, assuming anyone still is paying attention to the race that will end next week in Paris minus at least three riders who have been booted after testing positive for EPO, the performance drug of choice for racers. The latest to go was Italy's Riccardo Ricco, who was carted away by the local gendarmes and spent a night in jail.

Actually, doping is about all anyone talks about these days in the cycling world. The sport is so crippled by dirty riders that everyone is presumed doped and whoever wins will be suspect.

That, of course, brings up a question that has bothered the French for quite some time now. How could Armstrong win not just one, but seven straight Tours if he wasn't juiced when some of his teammates and presumably most of his fellow competitors were?

Good training and great legs, if you hear Armstrong tell it. And he never tested positive in any of the wins.

Here's a better question: After all that's gone on, why should we care anymore? It is, after all, the Tour de Farce.

North Carolina's best from 00 to 99

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:45 EDT

Andy Bershak made the list, but not Arnold Palmer? Bobby Hurley made it, but not Christian Laettner? Julius Peppers by his college number, but Lawrence Taylor by his pro number?

What kind of list is this?

It's a list of the greatest athletes in North Carolina history, by uniform number.

Some were easy. Any all-time ranking in this state begins at No. 23 with Michael Jordan. David Thompson was a lock at 44.

Some choices were downright painful. How do you choose among Lennie Rosenbluth, Dick Groat and Ron Francis as the best No. 10? The group at 24 is loaded -- Dickie Hemric, Walter Davis, Tommy Burleson, Johnny Dawkins, Jamal Mashburn. We chose someone else.

At other numbers, we had to scrounge just to find a name or two. Elmore Hackney ring a bell?

We considered native Tar Heels who achieved greatness elsewhere, as well as out-of-staters who starred here. We took high school, college and professional accomplishments into account, though it helped to have all three.

Obviously, many athletes have worn more than one number. Most are listed here by the number for which they're best remembered, but you'll see a little creative accounting here and there. We plugged in a few players where we needed them most to arrive at the most talented overall list. (If we put Peppers at 90, his pro number, Mario Williams is out. If Williams goes to 9, his college number, then Sonny Jurgensen ... well, you get the idea.)

Arnie didn't make it because golfers don't wear numbers. Joan Benoit Samuelson, who ran for N.C. State, wore a different number at every marathon.

Some athletes competed before numbers came into fashion, or so long ago we couldn't verify them.

You won't find Dean Smith. He's known for his coaching career, not his athletic prowess.

You won't find Carl Yastrzemski or any other great baseball player who made a minor league stop in North Carolina. There are simply too many of them -- and too many missing records.

Now it's your turn. Let us know where you disagree or know of someone we overlooked.

Andy Bershak could use some competition.

Eagles keep it Real in 8-0 rout

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:54 EDT

Imagine what the Charlotte Eagles could have done Saturday night if they had been well-rested.

“We were coming off a week of conducting camps, so our legs were heavy,” Charlotte coach Mark Steffens said after his team routed Real Maryland 8-0 in front of 1,134 fans at Charlotte Christian. “But we ended up finishing a lot of opportunities.”

Dustin Swinehart, Robert Ssjjemba and Joseph Kabwe each scored a pair of goals and Jorge Herrera assisted on five to lead the Eagles, who extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games. But what has impressed Steffense even more about his team lately is the defense.

“From the front all the way through, we're playing pretty good defensively,” he said. “We don't make it easy for anybody.”

The win leaves Charlotte (11-1-4, 37 points) at least five points ahead of second-place Richmond on top of the USL-2 standings. Four matches remain on the Eagles' regular-season season schedule, including one with fourth-place Crystal Palace Baltimore at 7 p.m. Saturday at Charlotte Christian. The top four teams make the playoffs.

“That one will be a good challenge for us,” Steffens said. “We're getting to the home stretch now.”

The Eagles dominated Saturday night's game from the start, outshooting Real Maryland (3-12-1, 10 points) 19-9.

But they held only a slight 1-0 advantage for most of the first half on Swinehart's goal from 10 yards out off a pass from Herrera. Swinehart scored again in extra time at the end of the half and after Joseph Kabwe's unassisted goal in the first minute of the second half, the rout was on.

No. 2 spot would be no silver lining for U.S. women's hoops coach

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:36 EDT

For Anne Donovan in these Olympics, there is No.1.

There is really nothing else.

An unhealthy attitude? In most cases, yes. You wouldn't want your kids to think that way. But Donovan – a Charlotte resident since 2001 and now the coach of the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team – believes it is a realistic attitude given her current job. And I'd agree.

“It's funny,” Donovan said as we sat over coffee at a south Charlotte Starbucks. “When I see some athlete get a silver medal and say he won't even wear it because it's not gold, I think, ‘That's sad.' But we've got a history in U.S. women's basketball. Anything less than gold will be looked at as a failure by a lot of people, including myself.”

Donovan, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1995, is 6-foot-8 and a giant of the women's game. She was once the best coach the WNBA's Charlotte Sting ever had. Before that, she was a three-time U.S. Olympian as a player and one of the best college basketball players ever while at Old Dominion.

And before that, she was a very tall girl, enduring the teasing to which all tall girls sometimes are subjected. Growing up in New Jersey, she was the eighth of eight Donovan children, and when the family gets together these days, the ceiling fans better brace themselves. The “short” Donovan sister is 5-10. She has a brother who is 7-1.

“It's not easy to be comfortable with your height when you're 6-8,” said Donovan, who comes across as gracious and honest in person. “Not even today, at age 46. But I've been blessed with seven older brothers and sisters who went through everything I was going to go through. I had role models. Catholic school helped. And of course basketball helped. Those three gave me a niche.”

Donovan's personal history has threaded through various U.S. women's basketball teams for 30 years.

She started her USA basketball career as a 15-year-old in 1977. She's been a player, an assistant coach in 2004 and now the head coach. Which was the most fun?

“Oh, as a player, definitely,” Donovan laughed. “You're so carefree. Someone else plans the practices. You just play. My first year that I coached – now that was a real education.”

Single and very driven, Donovan has carved a career out of coaching. She got her first WNBA head-coaching job in Charlotte in 2001 when the Sting hired her. Her first team in Charlotte rebounded from a 1-10 start to make the WNBA finals that season and then the playoffs in 2002.

Then Donovan took another job. She hated to, because she loved Charlotte. “But the writing was on the wall,” she said. The Sting was sinking and there was some question whether it would even exist in 2003 (the franchise ultimately would fold in 2007). Donovan had a chance to take the head-coaching job with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, where she would win the WNBA championship in 2004.

The funny thing is that Donovan officially kept Charlotte as her permanent home during her five seasons in Seattle. She spent every offseason here with her neighbors, family and her cat Romeo.

Now she's back in Charlotte, semi-permanently. She resigned in November in Seattle, intending to devote all her work time in this Olympic year to the team. But after August, she'll be without a job again.

“That will be a peculiar time for me,” Donovan said. “I don't know what will be next. I'll look at college jobs and WNBA jobs, but who knows?”

For now, though, the Games stare her in the face. Donovan said her team's main rivals will be Australia and Russia in Beijing. She worries most about her squad's suspect defense and the players' limited training time together.

And she worries about the team being perceived as a failure.

“It used to be we just showed up and picked up a gold medal,” Donovan said. “Not anymore.”

Donovan won't coach the Olympic team in 2012 – she already knows that and is fine with it.

So this is Donovan's one shot. Even at 6-foot-8, she knows it's far from a tip-in.

Evans maintains lead heading into the Alps

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:54 EDT

Having rested his injured shoulder during the flat stages of the Tour de France, leader Cadel Evans is expecting some fierce competition when the race hits the Alps today for the first of three daunting days of climbing.

The Australian rider has overcome a crash, intense heat and the distraction of doping scandals and held a one-second lead over Luxembourg's Frank Schleck after Saturday's 14th stage. That means he has no margin for error.

Other rivals such as Denis Menchov of Russia, Carlos Sastre of Spain and Christian Vande Velde of the United States are poised to strike in the famed Alpine summits.

Vande Velde is 38 seconds behind Evans, Bernhard Kohl of Austria is 46 seconds down and Menchov is 57 seconds back. Sastre trails by 1minutes, 28seconds, but he's is an exceptional climber.

“We would rather have the jersey with one second rather than have somebody take it over,” said Hendrik Reddant, Evans' sporting director at the Silence Lotto team. “They still have to take it.”

Team CSC riders Schleck and Sastre pose a big threat to Evans, who expects “attacks from CSC everywhere.”

“I'm surprised to hold this jersey this far to be honest, with the strength of CSC,” Evans said.

Today's stage will take the race from Embrun to Prato Nevoso, with a 12.7-mile ascent up the Angel pass, a swift descent into a valley, and a final climb for 7miles to finish at the Italian ski resort.

Team CSC director and 1996 Tour winner Bjarne Riis – one of cycling's best tacticians – can use Schleck, his brother Andy Schleck, German powerhouse Jens Voigt, and Sastre as a relay team to take turns attacking Evans' teammates.

“We don't have the strongest team for the mountains. I'm aware of that and I'm sure our competitors are as well,” Evans said. “I think (today) depends on what happens over the first climb.”

The plan is to leave Evans to work alone on the Angel pass, thus exhausting him.

The Angel pass is so tough that it is beyond classification.

Tour de France Notes | Saturday's Stage

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:38 EDT

A brief look at Saturday's 14th stage of the Tour de France, a 120.9-mile, mildly hilly ride from Nimes to Digne-Les-Bains.

WINNER: Oscar Freire of Spain won a sprint finish. Leonardo Duque of Colombia was second. Both clocked 4hours, 13minutes, 8 seconds.

YELLOW JERSEY: Cadel Evans of Australia kept the yellow jersey and remains one second ahead of Frank Schleck of Luxembourg.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I have to play a smart race. I have to use my head.”– Evans, looking ahead to the Alps.

LONG GONE: Riccardo Ricco returned home after testing positive for EPO.

Ricco was thrown out of the race Thursday, spent a night at a French jail and was fired by his Saunier Duval team Friday.

The head of France's anti-doping agency, Pierre Bordry, said Friday that Ricco tested positive for CERA, or continuous erythropoietin receptor activator.

CAVENDISH TO QUIT? Team Columbia manager Bob Stapleton thinks Mark Cavendish might quit this year's Tour de France before riders reach the Alps today.

The British sprint ace, struggled in hot conditions Saturday, having already complained of tiredness.

NOT MY COURSE: Spanish rider Oscar Freire is not looking forward to the Olympic Games road race next month, and thinks it is better suited to his rivals.

“It is not really the type of course for me,” the three-time world champion said. OBSERVER NEWS SERVICES

Benson takes trucks victory, points lead

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:54 EDT

Kyle Busch came up five spots short in his bid to make NASCAR history Saturday night, and Johnny Benson took advantage, holding off Michael Annett to win the Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

Busch was attempting to become the first driver to win in the Nextel Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Truck Series in successive starts. He won the Nationwide Series' Dollar General 300 on July11 and the Nextel Cup's LifeLock.com 400 the following night.

The early portion of the race featured a number of yellow flags, and nine of the first 24 laps were run under caution. There were eight cautions overall, plus 10-minute, 34-second stoppage for track repairs.

Benson grabbed the lead in the series points race by one over third-place finisher Matt Crafton. Previous points leader Ron Hornaday finished 10th, dropping him to third in the standings.

The race did boast a historical milestone for Roush Racing, which eclipsed Spears Motorsports to become the team with the most starts in the series.

Elsewhere

The day belonged to Penske Racing, with Helio Castroneves and teammate Ryan Briscoe taking the top two spots in qualifying for today's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. It is the first front-row sweep for Penske since Castroneves won the pole and then-teammate Sam Hornish Jr. took the outside spot at Kentucky Speedway in 2006.

Scott Dixon, who has a series-leading four wins and the IndyCar Series points lead, will start sixth.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton edged Felipe Massa on the final lap to take the pole for today's German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. Hamilton went around in 1minute, 15.666seconds on his last lap to beat the Ferrari driver by 0.193 seconds.

Terry Gibson, a 46-year-old driver from LaRue, Ohio, died in a four-vehicle accident Friday night at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway after the rear of his car slammed into a wall at about 110 mph. Gibson died at the scene, according to the Lucas County coroner's office. It is the first death at that track since 2000.

Defending world champion Casey Stoner won his fifth straight pole in qualifying for the U.S. Grand Prix in Monterey, Calif. The Australian, who has won his past three motorcycle races, broke his lap record with a time of 1:21.700 at 100.07 mph. If Stoner continues his winning streak from the pole and sets the fastest lap of today's race, he'll be the first rider in 35 years to win four straight events while setting the fastest laps.

Keith Jones, the fueler for De Ferran Motorsports, was injured in a pit fire during the American Le Mans Series race in Lexington, Ohio. He was transported by helicopter to a Columbus, Ohio, hospital after being treated for unspecified burns. OBSERVER NEWS SERVICES

A one-ring circus?

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:58 EDT

A grand quirk in Charlotte's professional sports history is that the one entity famous for putting on circuses and blowing up stuff – Lowe's Motor Speedway – always has seemed far more stable and more capably managed than the town's stick-and-ball sports teams.

But over the past few months, some of that veneer has been stripped away.

In May, during its two weeks of high-profile NASCAR events, track president and general manager Humpy Wheeler called a news conference and said he was leaving the company. And, he said, it wasn't totally his idea.

Bruton Smith, the track's owner and one of its founders in 1960, said he and Wheeler had been discussing Wheeler's retirement for some time. Wheeler never said they hadn't talked about it, just that he and Smith had never agreed on the timing before it was presented to him as a done deal that he was out after the Coca-Cola 600.

As this all played out, it became clear that the widely held notion that Smith and Wheeler were peas in the old-race promoting pod was off base. While every team that works together as long as they had – more than 30 years – is bound to have differences of opinion, this apparently went way beyond that.

It has been reported that Wheeler first found out Smith planned to build a drag strip at Lowe's Motor Speedway when Wheeler read about it in the newspaper. Wheeler, at the time, had the title of chief operating officer of Speedway Motorsports Inc., the company that owns the Concord facility, so if that's true, you would think that qualifies as a significant breakdown in internal communication.

There's also a story going around about the shabby manner in which one long-time employee was treated when she was told her services no longer were required after Wheeler's departure. Even if 75percent of that is complete exaggeration, the people responsible for the portions that are true should be ashamed.

Then came another piece of news last week: Roger Slack, the vice president for events at LMS, is leaving as well, effective early next month.

Slack, a Wheeler protégé in his 11 years here, supervised events at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway and would have been one of the point men to help run the inaugural Carolina Nationals at the zMAX Dragway @ Concord in September. But he'll be gone by then.

“I haven't been a very good grandson, uncle or son for a while,” Slack said when I talked to him Friday. “I have a 5-year-old nephew who I've seen three times. All four of my grandparents are still alive, and I don't see them as much as I should.”

Slack said he'll take six months to figure out what's next. When he's ready, he won't have trouble finding opportunities. He's one of the bright, younger minds in the business. That he's leaving, too, is disquieting.

Within the past year Lowe's Motor Speedway also lost Jerry Gappens. He's still with SMI, running New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but the experience and expertise he had in running the track here also have been subtracted from the LMS pool of institutional knowledge.

Let's be clear. Many capable people still work at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I have no doubt the $60million drag strip will be completed in plenty of time for the inaugural National Hot Rod Association event. The October NASCAR races and big events at The Dirt Track will come off, too. The job will get done.

But Marcus Smith, Bruton's son and the man named to take Wheeler's place as the leader of a track that's about to celebrate its 50th season, doesn't have the kind of net under him he could have had if Wheeler's departure had been handled differently.

That might make for a more entertaining circus, but is it a good way to run the show?

Sunday's TV and Radio Highlights

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:56 EDT

Today's TV

All times p.m. unless noted. Schedules subject to change.

Major League Baseball

Oakland at New York TBS 1

$ New York at Cincinnati FOXSS 1

@ Washington at Atlanta SS 1:30

Chicago at Houston WGN 2

Boston at L.A. Angels ESPN 6

Cycling

Tour de France VS 6:30 a.m.

Tour de France Ch.3 4

Extreme Sports

Maloof Money Cup Ch.3 3

AST Dew Tour Ch.36 4

Golf

British Open TNT 6 a.m.

British Open Ch.9 8 a.m.

3M Championship GOLF 1:30

State Farm Classic ESPN2 3

U.S. Bank Championship GOLF 4

Miscellaneous

ESPY Awards ESPN 9

Motorsports

American Le Mans Series Ch.36 Noon

German Grand Prix Ch.18 1

FIM World Superbike SPEED 1

IndyCar Mid-Ohio GP Ch.9 1:30

FIM World Superbike SPEED 2

Rolex Sports Car Series SPEED 3

U.S. MotoGP Championship Ch.3 5

NHRA Schuck's Nationals ESPN2 9

AMA Superbike SPEED 10

Tennis

Indianapolis Championships ESPN2 1

Bank of the West Classic ESPN2 5

AVP Volleyball

Crocs Slam Brooklyn Ch.36 2:30

NOTES: @ Available in South Carolina and the N.C. counties of Anson, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Lincoln, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Moore, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Union, Watauga, Wilkes.

$ Available in the N.C. counties of Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Lincoln, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Moore, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Watauga, Wilkes.

Radio highlights

Major League Baseball

Washington at Atlanta 1:30

WGNC-AM (1450, Gastonia); WLON-AM (1050, Lincolnton); WSTP-AM (1490, Salisbury); WADA-AM (1390, Shelby)

Boston at L.A. Angels 6

WFNZ-AM (610, Charlotte)

Minor-League Baseball

Delmarva at Hickory 5

WMNC-FM (92.1, Morganton)

Charlotte at Louisville 6:15

WFNA-AM (1660, Charlotte)

Pack recruit a potential star

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:47 EDT

Ryan Harrow, an N.C. State basketball commitment, is a good example of a couple of truisms in the world of college basketball recruiting.

Much of the recruiting is done in the summer, and if prospects don't play during those months it is harder to get noticed.

Harrow missed summer play in the summer of 2006 because of a slipped disk and in 2007 because of a broken right wrist.

He has been out of the recruiting mainstream to the extent that Dave Telep, the director of recruiting for Scout.com, has not yet evaluated him.

"I need to see him more," Telep said. "I honestly haven't seen him enough yet to say much about him accurately."

But Harrow also illustrates that if you can play, somebody is going to find you.

Harrow is a 5-foot-11 guard who will begin his junior year at Marietta (Ga.) Walton this fall.

He had lived with his sister until last spring and had attended Concord (N.C.) Cannon School, where he had played varsity basketball since the eighth grade.

Harrow helped the Cougars win the NCISAA 2-A championship as an eighth grader and led the team to the semifinals as a ninth grader.

He played at Cannon for most of last season, but left in February to join his mother in Georgia after the death of his grandmother.

Wolfpack assistant Monte Towe visited Cannon, which is about 25 miles northeast of Charlotte, during Harrow's freshman season to look at 6-6 Jarell Eddie. Harrow caught Towe's eye.

State coaches have watched him ever since, and when other schools lost contact with Harrow last spring after he transferred, the Pack stayed in touch.

State invited him to its summer camp and after watching him play, offered him a scholarship.

He quickly accepted.

"I'm going to State," he said. "That's my school."

Since his commitment to State, several schools, including Clemson, Florida, Tennessee, have called.

"But I'm going to State," he said. "I like Coach [Sidney] Lowe and the atmosphere there a lot."

Walton coach Joe Goydish said Harrow's early commitment was the result of a school doing a great job of recruiting.

"State got him and won him, before a lot of people knew about him," Goydish said.

Harrow isn't impressive physically -- he weighs just 150 pounds. But he wears a size 13 shoe and he has long arms. Doctors have told him that he may grow to the 6-2 or 6-3 range.

"If he does that, he is going to be one of the top 25 players in the country before he is done," Goydish said.

"He does everything great now except play defense. He is a good defender, but not a great one.

"But as far as quickness, skills, shooting, passing, he is great. And he'd just as soon make a great pass as score himself."

Goydish said Kevin Kruger, who played at Arizona State and UNLV, is the best high school point guard he has seen, but that Harrow could be better.

Playing at Walton will be a big jump in competition for Harrow. Cannon, an N.C. Independent School Athletic Association small school power in basketball, has about 150 students in grades 9 through 12. Walton has 2,600 students and is ranked among the top academic schools in the country by Newsweek magazine.

The Atlanta-area school will face teams loaded with Division I prospects. Harrow will be playing alongside 6-4 Glen Rice Jr., a top Georgia Tech target who averaged 27 points per game as a junior at Walton.

Rice's father played in the NBA for 15 years and led Michigan to the 1989 NCAA championship.

"Ryan and Glen play together very well," Goydish said. "Ryan is so unselfish and Glen is, too."

Harrow said his biggest objective in games is making his teammates better.

"That's my job," he said.

And he is solidly committed to State, he said.

"State has been my No. 1 school for a while. It found me," he said.

Enshrinees overcome obstacles en route to hall

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:59 EDT

Doug Flutie, John Randle and Reggie Williams all faced a similar obstacle en route to being enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night: All three were told they weren't good enough to play.

Williams was told by Michigan coach Bo Schembechler he couldn't cut it with the Wolverines and by a guidance counselor he wasn't smart enough to go to Dartmouth. The Dartmouth grad said such statements provided him with inspiration.

"That becomes a lifestyle reaction," said Williams, who went on to play with the Cincinnati Bengals.

John Randle, who played defensive end at Texas A&I, because major college coaches said he wasn't big enough, said all he wanted was a chance.

"I was a guy everyone overlooked. No one thought I could put the weight on," said Randle, who later gained fame playing for the Minnesota Vikings. "Getting to Texas A&I gave me a chance to do it."

Flutie, who won the 1984 Heisman Trophy, had been told repeatedly that he wasn't good enough to play at the major college level. He said before the banquet he text messaged Barry Gallup, who recruited him to Boston College with a simple message: "Thanks for giving me the opportunity."

Penn State coach Joe Paterno talked about what a great game college football is.

"I think we're all very privileged to belong to something that is as meaningful to young people as college football," he said.

Earlier Saturday, Paterno admitted to reporters that it was a bit odd that he was being enshrined while still an active coach.

"I'd rather do it now than when I'm dead," he quipped.

Paterno, whose 372-125-3 career record places him one victory behind Bobby Bowden, the major college leader, said he was flattered by the honor.

"I appreciate the fact that people have said, 'Hey, you've been an asset to college football and we want to acknowledge that,'" he said.

Paterno said his goal throughout his career has been to do what's best for the game and Penn State.

"I've tried to be good for college football. I'm not saying I've been the best coach. But I've worked hard to be good because I really love college football," he said.

Also enshrined were Mount Union quarterback Jim Ballard; Oklahoma center Tom Brahaney; Michigan defensive back Dave Brown; Clemson linebacker Jeff Davis; Texas defensive back Johnnie Johnson; Ohio State quarterback Rex Kern; North Alabama linebacker Ronald McKinnon; Oregon running back Ahmad Rashad; McMurry halfback Brad Rowland; Indiana running back Anthony Thompson; Houston defensive tackle Wilson Whitley; Southern California linebacker Richard Wood and Notre Dame nose tackle Chris Zorich.

Coaches being enshrined along with Paterno are Central Michigan coach Herb Deromedi, Jackson State coach W.C. Gorden, and Doug Porter, who coached at Mississippi Valley State, Howard and Fort Valley State.

Zorich said hanging out with fellow honorees is like being a fan who sneaked into the locker room of his favorite team.

"It's really a mind-blowing experience," he said.

No number for 'Moonlight'

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:40 EDT

Before the Petty racing clan, Charlie Justice, David Thompson and Michael Jordan, there was an athlete from North Carolina whose name very well may be known by more folks than any of those famous performers.

The catch is that Archibald “Moonlight” Graham apparently never had a uniform number, at least not one that is officially listed anywhere in Major League Baseball lore.

Not only that, it’s difficult to dig up specific information on Graham, a central figure in the famous sports movie “Field of Dreams,” a character who represents the zeal of baseball.

But Graham did exist and he did play Major League Baseball. According to The Baseball Encyclopedia, he was indeed nicknamed “Moonlight.”

He did, according to the same source, go to bat once in the bigs — in 1905 for the New York Giants. He went 0-for-1 in the game, his only known batting appearance in the majors, although that particular game is really difficult to determine. Some sources suggest that the appearance was against the Brooklyn Superbas.

Moonlight died on Aug. 25, 1965, in the hard-scrabble town of Chisholm, Minn. He was a medical doctor. And yes, most records reveal that he was born Nov. 9, 1879, in Fayetteville. Others report that his place of birth was Apex in Wake County and put the date in August of 1877.

What seems to be indisputably clear, however, is that Graham was a near-saint — and he was portrayed that way in the movie and book “Shoeless Joe” that was written by W.P. Kinsella.

So profound was his impact in the Minnesota hinderlands that there is still a scholarship fund honoring his name. Deserving recipients get money from the “Doc Graham Grants.”

The rest of the story, for North Carolinians, is that Moonlight was the brother in what once was known as the first family of Tar Heel education.

His brother, Frank Porter Graham, went on to become a United States senator and president of the University of North Carolina for almost 20 years. It was an era in which the state began to place unprecedented emphasis on higher and secondary education, a time in which the state finally began to look past the residue of the Civil War and to a future that embraced progress and economic development.

In the movie, it’s not clear that Moonlight, played by Burt Lancaster, had a number on his vintage Giants jersey. But if there was a number back there, we can only hope that it was 2008. A person like that should be ageless.

Q&A with Jon Beason

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:04 EDT

The Carolina Panthers will open training camp Saturday. To get you ready, Observer staff writers David Scott and Stan Olson have asked some of the players to answer a few fun questions. Today's subject is linebacker Jon Beason:

Q. Who was a key mentor or motivator in your life?

My mother for strength and motivation. Jerry Rice for his desire to be the best and his work ethic.

Q. What's your favorite hobby away from football?

Just relaxing to a suspense or drama on Blu-ray.

Q. What are you afraid of?

Failure.

Q. What television show won't you miss or always record?

“America's Best Dance Crew.”

Q. What's your guilty pleasure?

Procrastination.

Q. What's your favorite vacation spot?

Las Vegas.

Q. What other position would you love to play?

Safety or running back.

Q. What's your ideal post-football career?

Mentor or motivational speaker.

Q. Who was your sports hero growing up?

Jerry Rice, considered the greatest.

Q. What did you buy with your first NFL paycheck?

A KitKat bar.

High fuel costs drag down action at tracks

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:59 EDT

You think your SUV is taking a hit by increasing fuel pri-ces? Try paying $8 a gallon.

That's what racing fuel costs at Concord Motorsport Park.

Whether it's feeling the pinch at the race track pump or paying more to transport race cars to distant tracks, fuel pri-ces are forcing drivers and race teams at local short tracks to take a closer look at how they approach their sport.

Toting a car from point A to point B is not the same as running to the grocery store. The weight of the equipment obviously adds up, but the trailers and haulers used for transportation also are less fuel-efficient than the average vehicle.

In an e-mail discussing the issue, Larry Thomas, CMP's events and public relations coordinator, said he had spoken with several racers from the eastern part of the state who have stopped traveling to Concord's races because they could no longer afford the cost of fuel to transport their racecars.

“Gas has gone up like a dollar and a half from last year, so some people have decided to just run local (races),” said Mount Pleasant Legends Car driver Clay Hair, who races in Lowe's Summer Shootout Series. “But there have been good friends of mine that have even quit racing altogether.”

Roger Slack, vice president of events at Lowe's Motor Speedway, said it costs an average of $1 a mile to use the tractor-trailer-size haulers and trailers that transport the series' Legends Cars and Bandoleros. The Summer Shootout Series attracts drivers from 23 states and Canada, so you can imagine the cost of travel.

Harrisburg resident Bobby Measimer Jr., 23, used to race primarily at Concord Motorsport Park. After winning the points championship in the track's Limited Late Model division last season, Measimer was up for the next challenge.

This year, he upgraded to a Late Model Stock car and wanted to compete at other short tracks besides CMP. Measimer said just the travel costs him about $175 in fuel per weekend.

Once drivers get to the track, CMP and Lowe's require them to use the race fuel sanctioned by the track. It's convenient for most drivers, who wouldn't have access to racing fuel otherwise, and track officials say it helps them maintain a level playing field.

Thomas said the 110-octane leaded racing-formula fuel that CMP makes available was selling at $8 a gallon on June 28, the last time it had races. And that is “subject to change with the next delivery,” he said.

Harrisburg's David Snell, whose 15-year-old son Christian Pahud races a Legends car in the Summer Shootout Series, said he has seen the cost of racing fuel vary from $6 to $12 per gallon at various tracks. Cars usually use three to five gallons in a race.

CMP continues to promote its Fast and Furious Fours division, which it bills as a novice workingman's division. This may seem hard to believe to a commuter, but among the division's cost-cutting features is the use of ordinary “pump” gasoline.

Drivers are offsetting the increased costs of racing by tailoring them to what they can sacrifice. Measimer, for example, said he's had to alter his personal budget to offset increased expenses.

While his race team, R&W Motorsports, bankrolls the car, Measimer said, he has paid for rising fuel costs by cutting back on household utilities and driving a fuel-efficient compact car (away from the track) instead of the diesel pickup he used to drive.

Slack of Lowe's speculated some drivers may cut corners on the racecar's setup, such as bypassing the purchase of a higher-quality part.

Thomas said he thinks the staggering economy has contributed to fewer competitors and spectators at CMP. But Slack said the numbers of drivers and fans at Lowe's are slightly up from last year.

Slack, however, added he expects some drivers who believe they are out of the points race may bow out of the season a little sooner than usual, because they may think racing is no longer worth the expense.

Round 3: Shark steady as the wind rages

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:54 EDT

Gusts that approached 50mph required Greg Norman to manufacture shots from his 53-year-old memory Saturday during the British Open, which he called among the toughest tests he has ever faced in golf.

It only got harder after he finished another chapter in this incredible script at Royal Birkdale.

Norman played the perfect pitch shot over a pot bunker to within a foot of the cup for par, giving him a 2-over 72 and a two-shot lead over defending champion Padraig Harrington and K.J. Choi.

With so much baggage behind him in the majors, Norman did all he could not to look too far ahead. He is 18 holes from becoming golf's oldest major champion, but Norman wouldn't bite when asked what it would feel like to win.

“Ask me that question (Sunday) night if that happens, OK?” he said.

Norman is 1-6 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead in the majors, his victory coming at Turnberry in Scotland in 1986. His career is defined as much by the majors he lost as the two British Open titles he won. How would be reply to those who said he couldn't possible win?

“I didn't hear any of that,” Norman said.

All he would acknowledge was that he was at 2-over 212, in the lead at a major with an opportunity no one saw coming.

“I've got to go out there and play my game,” Norman said. “I'll answer a lot of different questions (Sunday) night if I have to.”

The facts in what seems like fiction are that Norman played the final eight holes without a bogey and emerged from a four-way logjam at the turn to leave himself one round away from a feat that might top Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open on one leg.

The rest of the details are hard to believe.

This is no longer the thrill-seeking Great White Shark who used to routinely beat up on the best players in every major until it was time to award the trophy. This is a part-time golfer who had not played in a major for three years. The only reason he entered this British Open was to practice for a couple of senior majors during the coming weeks.

“It is different, no question,” Norman said. “The players are probably saying, ‘My God, what's he doing up there?'”

He will be in the last group today with Harrington, who doesn't see Norman as anything but a two-time British Open champion.

“When he's interested, Greg Norman can really play,” said Harrington, who overcame his wind-blown mistakes with four birdies for a 72. “He's well capable of putting it together, as he's shown in the first three rounds, and I don't think anybody should expect anything but good play from him” today.

Norman and Harrington were the only players among the final 11 groups to break 75.

No one broke par. Nine players failed to break 80, including David Duval, who was three shots behind until a triple-bogey on the opening hole. His 83 matched his worst score in a British Open.

Former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk was tied for the lead until he took two double-bogeys and shot 43 on the back nine on his way to a 77. Choi lost the lead for good with a three-putt bogey on the 15th and wound up with a 75.

The wind raged before dawn and was relentless, measuring 30mph when the first player teed off at breakfast and holding steady at close to 40mph during the heart of the third round – making it hard to appreciate what Norman was doing.

Norman is believed to be the oldest player to lead after 54 holes in a major. Julius Boros was 53years, 3months when he was tied for the lead in the 1973 U.S. Open, won by Johnny Miller at Oakmont (Pa.). Boros is the oldest major champion, 48 when he captured the 1968 PGA Championship in San Antonio.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but Jack Nicklaus was in town Friday. He was 46 and seemingly out to pasture when he shot 30 on the back nine at Augusta National in 1986 to win the Masters for a sixth time. Norman was a runner-up that year, naturally.

Nicklaus saw a few similarities with Norman's bid at the British Open.

“He'll remember how to play when and if he gets in a position to win a golf tournament,” Nicklaus said.

That's just what Norman was doing Saturday. After two bogeys through three holes, leaving him three shots behind, he was 120 yards from the green at No.5 when he asked for a 5-iron before asking for the yardage.

“The yardage was mentioned to me, but I didn't even pay attention,” Norman said. “I already saw the shot. I knew that was the shot I had to play to get the ball close to the hole. And I did that probably three or four, maybe five times today.”

He also showed some flair, each hole giving him confidence, peeling away time.

Norman hit driver over the corner of some mounding on the eighth hole, leaving him a short pitch to the green where he made a 10-foot birdie putt to get back in the game.

These records are rock solid

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:18 EDT

People always are debating the toughest baseball record to break, but because of the changes in the game over more than a century, I think we can safely call a number of marks unbreakable.

Joe Sewell, believe it or not, struck out three times in all of 1932 (503 at-bats). Think anyone in this free-swinging generation will have fewer than that?

The flipside is that early home run totals appear insignificant compared with today's; guys once led leagues with 10 or 11.

And pitching records have changed just as dramatically. Starting pitchers used to complete games as a point of honor. In a recent game, the Mets' Johan Santana, generally considered the game's best in recent years, didn't come out for the ninth despite having thrown just 95 pitches.

Want some records that will still stand a century or two from now? Try these:

THE TOUGHEST RECORDS

TO BREAK:

Many marks, such as Barry Bonds' sleazy career home-run total of 762, will fall eventually. But these 10 are unbreakable, so put them in any order you like.

10MOST PITCHES THROWN IN A GAME: In 1974, young Nolan Ryan threw 259 pitches for California while completing a 12-inning game. That's the highest total I can find; publishing pitch counts is a fairly recent development. The effort didn't seem to affect Ryan, who would pitch another couple of decades, but can you imagine a manager allowing a pitcher to throw even 150 pitches now?

9STOLEN BASES IN A SEASON: In 1982, Oakland's Rickey Henderson stole 130, one of three times he reached triple figures. The steal has been somewhat de-emphasized in recent years, and no one has reached 100 since Vince Coleman swiped 109 in 1987.

8 LONGEST HITTING STREAK: Joe DiMaggio's string of 56 straight in 1941 is theoretically breakable, but these days, the media attention becomes overwhelming when a streak reaches the 30s. No one has come remotely close since Pete Rose reached 44 in 1978.

7 SEASON BATTING AVERAGE: We count only marks set during the modern era, which I believe began in 1903, when the National and American leagues first met in the World Series. The best since then is Rogers Hornsby's .424, in 1924.

6 MOST SHUTOUTS IN A SEASON: Grover Cleveland Alexander threw 16 – complete games, or you don't get credit – in 1916. Besides, it's fun to write Grover Cleveland Alexander.

5 FEWEST STRIKEOUTS IN A SEASON: Joe Sewell of the Yankees struck out thrice in 1932. Today guys whiff five times in a game. Think that one might be safe?

4 LIFETIME BATTING AVERAGE: Ty Cobb's mark used to be listed as .367, but modern research and recalculation lowered it to .366. So what? No one ever will come close.

3 CAREER COMPLETE GAMES: Cy Young had 749. Just think about that; to pass him, a pitcher would have to average 30 for 25 years. The league leaders these days usually don't reach double figures – the last to do so was Randy Johnson (12 in 1999).

2 VICTORIES IN A SEASON: In 1904, the New York Highlanders' Jack Chesbro won 41 games and also compiled the current record of 48 complete games. It's been decades since anyone even got 41 starts. Pitchers today – working in five-man rotations – usually get from 32 to 35.

1 CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED: I wrote about Cal Ripken Jr.'s mark of 2,632 games played fairly recently. In these days of sitting at the slightest injury or slump, I doubt we'll see 1,000 straight again.

Favre returns to Lambeau Field

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:54 EDT

Brett Favre stuck to the script, declining to address his public rift with the Green Bay Packers during an appearance at Lambeau Field on Saturday.

In town to present former teammate Frank Winters for induction into the Packers' Hall of Fame at a banquet Saturday night, Favre briefly spoke with reporters about his former center's career before abruptly stepping off the stage and ducking out a side door.

But Favre did pause to praise the place where he used to play – and now is trying to play his way out of.

“That's the thing about Green Bay,” said Favre, who spoke for about three minutes. “It's a special place. There's a lot of tradition. You think of the Packers, you think of all these great names, and to be a part of that – and I know Frank feels honored – is a special thing. I'm thankful that he asked me to be here”

PHILADELPHIA: Brian Westbrook is in the third season of a five-year deal he signed in 2005. He is scheduled to make a $3million base salary and receive a $1.5million roster bonus this season. He will be paid $3.5million in 2009 and $4.5million in 2010.

A new contract, accompanied by a lucrative signing bonus, is what Westbrook said he and his former agent sought from the Eagles this entire offseason.

“I tried to get this thing done in the middle of last year,” he said. “I tried to get it done from January until now. It still hasn't gotten done.”

The Eagles said they made a fair offer to Westbrook , and according to a source, agreed they would attempt to rework the running back's current contract.

Knights give up early runs to Bats on road

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:56 EDT

Four runs in the first three innings gave the Bats an early lead and helped Louisville earn a 5-2 victory against the Charlotte Knights at Louisville Slugger Field.

The teams will finish the series at 6:15 p.m. today. Louisville will send LHP Ben Jukich (w/ Double-A: 8-4, 3.57) to the mound, while the Knights will start RHP Lance Broadway (8-5, 4.21).

South Atlantic

CHARLESTON 3, KANNAPOLIS 1: The visiting RiverDogs were led by DH Jesus Montero, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI.