Talking Sports

Blog changes

2008-08-25T14:35:00.003-05:00

I wanted to give you guys an update about the changes to our staff blogs as well as our newspaper Web site in general.

Take a quick tour of the new http://www.statesville.com/, if you haven't already. Pretty sweet, huh?

The new site allows us to write our blog posts and link them directly on the Web site. You can still post comments and such after signing up as a user on the Web site. In fact, you will be able to post comments on ALL stories.

So come on over and check it out, I am in the process of posting an entry about West Iredell's football team. Here's a direct link: http://www2.statesville.com/content/list/sports/columnists/norman/

Burning questions

2008-07-29T19:51:00.002-05:00

With the first day of football practice inching closer -- three days, for those keeping count -- now is probably a good time to examine some of the biggest questions facing Iredell County teams entering the season.

Lake Norman
Who will take charge of the offense?
With what seems to be an improved, slightly bigger offensive line, the Wildcats need a few more athletes. Do-everything Tyler McRorie is gone, as is long-time quarterback Zach Connell. McRorie was an all-county wide receiver who could catch, run the jet sweep and throw -- he played QB at times. Lake Norman may rely a bit more on Eric Manser, a solid running back who hardly ever gets negative yardage. Jaquez Vanderburg can really run and should see an increased role.

Mooresville
Is this the year?
Expectations are always sky-high at Mooresville, and this season will be no different. After a few good-not-great years, the Blue Devils return a ton of players and a special senior class. The offense will miss the big-play threat of Jamel Allison and the underrated Tequilis Knox, but Jjshaun Pinkston should run the show. The Devils have enough on defense, despite losing some really good linebackers, to improve on last year's performance. After a loss in the first round of the playoffs to a tough T.C. Roberson team, Mooresville's fans (and players) are hoping for a deep playoff run.

North Iredell
How will the Raiders adjust to a new scheme?
North Iredell has run through a variety of schemes in recent years. Former coach Lee Linville brought in an I-Formation based offense three years ago. That slowly evolved into a shotgun, spread offense over two years and was whittled back down to the I-Form late last season. New coach Shannon Ashley will implement an option-based attack, which should be led by bulked up fullback Chris Knox. Both the offense and defense return some pieces, but moving the ball on the ground will determine whether or not North has a shot at the playoffs.

South Iredell
Who will lead the offense?
It's been a while since the Vikings didn't have Anthony Thwaites' blazing speed at their disposal. With offensive star Thwaites off to Lenoir-Rhyne College, South needs to find somebody to run the ball -- and a quarterback to get the ball to the outside. T.C. Rollings really stepped in and did a nice job last season after being converted from wide receiver to quarterback. I think everyone knows Rollings was a senior last year. But not everyone knows his backup, Bert Travis, was also a senior, and that's equally important. South will look at a pair of sophomores to take over at quarterback. Markevis Dalton and Tevin Ikard will be the best pair of wide receivers in the county, and Ikard may also take some carries as a running back.

Statesville
What's next?
Pretty simple here. The Greyhounds, in the midst of a big rebuilding project, surprised most of the county and finished 9-4 last season, a mark that included a trip to the second round of the playoffs. Statesville returns plenty of guys, although there's no question some of the big-time leaders are gone -- like William Marion, Trevor Greer, Adrian Sloan, Greg Samuels and Jarris Knox. I think how the Greyhounds handle these increased expectations will dictate how successful their season is.

West Iredell
How can the Warriors replace 25 seniors?
Losing 25 seniors is a blow to any program, especially when they include guys like Bobby Morrison, Patrick Moss and Jared Thompson. Head coach Mark Weycker said last year's group was the best senior class in school history, but there's still some talent left in the cupboard. No, Morrison won't be there to bail the Warriors out like he did so many times last year, but he might not have to. Wake Forest signee Quan Rucker will move from receiver to quarterback, which I think is a great move. With the best player on the team touching the ball every play, the Warriors still have playoff hopes.

Show me the money (and world)

2008-07-24T21:35:00.003-05:00

I was stunned when I read Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress, a free agent who played for the Atlanta Hawks, abruptly signed a deal to play professional hoops in Greece.

The more I really analyze this situation leads me to believe that Childress made a fantastic choice (I'm sure he finds that very comforting).

Let's start with the money. I actually think the benefits from this aren't really connected with the extra dough he'll make, but it's probably the most-discussed aspect.

Because he was a restricted free agent, the Hawks could only pay him a certain amount of dollars. On the international stage, those NBA bylaws don't apply. So when Olympiacos offered him a three-year deal worth $21 million -- after taxes -- well, that's a pretty sweet gig.

But there's so much more to this. Childress has a chance to do what so many dream about -- travel the world. I mean, he gets to live in Greece, one of the nicest, most historic places in the world. Sure beats smoggy Hot-lanta, right?

He'll get to experience other cultures, learn languages and compete in front of an entirely different fan base. The marketing and glitz of the NBA sometimes -- oftentimes, really -- gets pretty annoying. The hard-nosed European game, perhaps with better-informed fans, could be a great change of pace.

Hey, this is a tough situation for Atlanta to be in. But the pros clearly outweigh the cons here.

There are a couple of things to keep an eye on in the future. It's pretty clear that a top-flight superstar, like LeBron or Kobe, would never bolt for Europe. They just make way too much money, especially through Nike and other sponsorships. But don't be surprised if European teams start getting creative and attempt to lure over several middle-tier players. And don't be surprised if some of Europe's top pro prospects stay overseas rather than declare for the NBA draft.

The times have changed

2008-07-22T15:53:00.004-05:00

I really, really want to rip the cyclists in the Tour de France. As I'm sure most of you know -- those who follow the Tour at least, and I suspect that number is growing smaller every day -- Riccardo Ricco failed a drug test a few weeks ago. Ricco had already won two stages and was in the top-10 overall.

This is the third year the Tour has had a major rider fail a drug test mid-race. This just adds to the absolutely crippling perception of the Tour, particularly the past few years. The number of people I personally know who follow it has dropped from somewhere in the 20's to 1. Some of that also has to do with Lance Armstrong leaving the sport, and I admit that Armstrong was the only reason I followed the Tour in recent years. But there is also a growing disgust with the cyclists and the event itself simply because of the doping, and in some cases the accusations of doping.

But how different is cycling from other sports nowadays? The perception of sports and athletes is always tied to the current situations in society.

That's why when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa went on a home-run binge in 1998, no one questioned how quickly the duo bulked up, and locker room chatter of performance-enhancing drugs was never investigated by either the media or Major League Baseball. It was because, after a strike that canceled a World Series, baseball desperately needed that duo.

In the 2002 Super Bowl, just months after 9/11, everybody but the city of St. Louis cheered for the New England Patriots. It was the fact that they were an unheralded team, without any superstars, playing tough, hard-nosed football. Throw in the facts that they were a huge underdog, were introduced as a team instead of by individual names (the first time that was ever done at a Super Bowl -- it was a huge deal at the time) and simply because the team mascot was the "Patriots," America pulled for them to win. They did, and it was very healing to huge groups of people.

Yes, cycling has a drug problem. So does baseball. So does football. So does basketball. So does track & field. Certain athletes will always look for ways to cheat the system, to stay ahead of the testing and gain an edge.

And this mirrors other issues in our society: the incredible addictions we form, the incessent competitive edge, the need to cheat the system.

There's one more point I want to make, and that is the public perception of an athlete is changing, and will continuously change.

I actually read a blog about this yesterday that made a few great points. Joe Posnanski, a columnist for the Kansas City Star, wrote a great blog about Stan Musial. (And by the way, I think his blog might be the best on the Internet. I'd encourage all sports fans, especially baseball guys, to check it out).

One of his most salient points in his Musial blog was that, in the "good old days," people looked up to players like Stan Musial. Players who signed autographs, played through pain, stayed out of trouble and generally wanted to be a role model were regarded as heroes.

Today, the typical hero is Josh Hamilton -- a supremely talented athlete who somehow loses his way, fights off his demons (in this case major drug addictions) and makes a spectacular, engaging comeback.

Everybody has their own demons they fight off, their own set of problems and their own ways of fixing it. Rather than looking up to these "perfect" athletes like in the past, I think people want to relate to athletes now. And guys like Hamilton, or guys who have stories like Hamilton, are the new-breed of heroes.

And I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Settle the debate

2008-07-17T16:28:00.002-05:00

Here is one of the greatest questions of our generation: Who's ceremonial first pitch was the worst, Mariah Carey or Mark Mallory?

You be the judge.
Here is Carey's toss, and here is a link for Mallory, who is actually Cincinnati's mayor.

It has to be the mayor, right? I mean talk about losing votes. Plus, the look on Eric Davis' face at about the 0:19 mark is classic.

Second-half forecast

2008-07-16T17:38:00.003-05:00

We ran an Associated Press story a few days ago that was about baseball's crazy first half. That's definitely true.

From teams coming out of nowhere — hello, Tampa Bay Rays — to Ken Griffey Jr. and Manny Ramirez hitting milestone home runs, there's been a little something for everyone so far this year. Unless you're a Seattle fan.

The next few months of baseball should have some major story lines ahead. Here's my forecast:

The Boston Red Sox will win the AL East. I thought the Rays were one year away from being a really good team. They are in a place to contend for the division title within the next several years, but Boston's experience will be too much in 2008.

The Mets will continue their surge and win the NL East. The firing of Willie Randolph really seems to have been a good decision. Jerry Manuel will mix it up with anybody, including his own pitcher. The handling of Randolph was terrible, the overall decision was good. They'll pass the Phillies.

Which big name will get traded first? With teams now dropping out of contention, a few of the big names being tossed around are A.J. Burnett, Adrian Beltre, Adam Dunn, Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday. The least likely to move? I find it hard to believe that the Rockies would trade their absolute best player one year removed from the World Series.

The Cubs should hold on in the NL Central. I think the trade for Rich Harden will work out well — Sean Gallagher is a good prospect, but that's really the only significant piece the Cubs gave up.

What's going on in the NL West? Several pundits believed this years San Francisco Giants teams might be one of the worst in recent memory. Their roster isn't good — but they are in third in the division, seven games behind Arizona. The division-leading Diamondbacks are 47-48 and should hold off the Dodgers.

My Olympic team

2008-06-24T18:58:00.004-05:00

There's an art to picking the perfect basketball team to represent your country. I think Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski almost got it right. Almost.

Here's the team they selected: Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade and Deron Williams.

Certainly not a bad team, but not the one I would have chosen.

Based on the players available, here is how I would pick Team USA. In order:

1. Chris Paul, G
Easily the best point guard in the NBA. Probably in the world.
2. Kobe Bryant, G
Can score from anywhere on the court and has become a better teammate.
3. LeBron James, F
A must-have for obvious reasons.
4. Deron Williams, G
Point-guard play in the Olympics is incredibly important.
5. Dwight Howard, C
Will cause mismatches against every opponent he faces.
6. Michael Redd, G
His sole purpose is to can open 3-pointers from the shorter line. An invaluable asset.
7. Tyson Chandler, F/C
Not on the team, but his rebounding and toughness may be sorely needed.
8. Carlos Boozer, F
Someone who will crash the boards and bang down low.
9. Tayshaun Prince, F
Needed for mismatches and to play defense.
10. Allen Iverson, G
Also not on the team, but he was the one guy who really stood out when no NBA players even wanted to play for the national team. Could play point or shooting guard and gets up for the international games maybe more than anybody else on the team.
11. Shane Battier, F
The ultimate "glue" guy. Unselfish player and well-respected throughout the league. Coach K would know the perfect way to use him.
12. Chris Bosh, F
A skilled forward could help in all areas.

I didn't pick Jason Kidd (too old and slow), Dwyane Wade (too injured) and Carmelo Anthony (too selfish). I also did not consider those who hinted they would not like to be selected: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups and Amare Stoudamire.

My "almost made it but not quite" was the underrated Marcus Camby.

Bobcats face critical decision

2008-06-22T16:48:00.003-05:00

The Charlotte Bobcats' brief first round draft history isn't exactly a sterling example of how to best use your picks.

With Emeka Okafor looking for big-time, long-term deal and new coach Larry Brown seeking an immediate turnaround, Thursday's first-round draft choice is a monster for the Bobcats.

Okafor's selection at No. 2 overall is probably the franchise's best move in the first round, although that won't amount to much if he bolts to another city or asks for a trade after turning down a fair offer from Charlotte last season.

I also like last year's move, trading Brandan Wright to Golden State for Jason Richardson. Richardson has really evolved as a player since he entered the league and was known primarily for his athletic ability.

The other two years have produced questionable or downright bad picks. Getting the No. 5 spot in the 2005 NBA draft was an absolute disaster for Charlotte and completely altered the direction of the franchise. Wanting a point guard, Charlotte was forced to reach for Raymond Felton after watching Deron Williams and Chris Paul go No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Williams has been a stud in Utah, and you can argue Paul deserved the NBA MVP this season. Felton hasn't been terrible, but it's tough playing in the shadows of those two players.

Adam Morrison at No. 3 overall hasn't worked out either. Morrison had an up-and-down rookie season and missed all of last year with an injury. Several scouts - and Charlotte fans - thought the Bobcats should have taken Brandon Roy. The selection of Sean May has also been a disappointment, namely due to May's injury history and refusal to get himself into serious NBA playing shape.

With that said, where should Charlotte turn this year?

There are a few options seriously worth considering:

Brook Lopez, C, Stanford
This has become the trendy pick in nearly every NBA mock draft. At 7-feet, Lopez would allow Okafor to slide into the power forward role full time, where he is more productive. Lopez may be gone but is probably the favorite if still available.

Russell Westbrook, G, UCLA
Westbrook would be a really good fit in Charlotte. He's one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the draft and could play sort of a combo, off-guard type role, spelling Felton at point and also playing some 2-guard.

D.J. Augustin, G, Texas
This would probably be a bit of a reach, but Augustin stood out big time at Texas and is already well-developed as a point guard.

Others: Most people think UCLA forward Kevin Love is going in the top-5, maybe the top-3. He reportedly canceled workouts with teams outside the top 5 ... Danilo Gallinari is a fluid Italian player who could help right away ... West Virginia's Joe Alexander would also be a great fit and bring some real toughness, but he's been shooting up the boards recently and may be gone by the time Charlotte picks.

In the soccer spirit

2008-06-16T14:42:00.003-05:00

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I never played soccer growing up. I was strictly a basketball-baseball-backyard football child.

It's weird because youth soccer was really starting to pick up steam when I was a young'un, but I never played in my life until gym class in high school. And I was really bad. I have trouble walking upright without stumbling, so adding a ball into the mix is just a disaster in dexterity.

With that said, I've been on a huge soccer kick recently. I've watched a lot of the UEFA games and enjoyed them all. International soccer is always fun to watch, and I'm a sucker for any kind of tournament. I'd probably watch an international badminton tournament if one existed (and it might, I don't know).

In addition to that thought, I'd like to add that we have some really, really good soccer players in the area. The N.C. Soccer Coaches Association recently released its all-region teams, and Iredell County had 16 total players from all six county schools chosen.

That's pretty remarkable. And from my point of view, it made selecting the 11-member R&L All County team incredibly difficult.

Here's a list of our All-Region players, with All-County selections italicized, All-State members bold and our Player of the Year in all caps (you follow?).

Taylor Branton, West Iredell
Amanda Comer, South Iredell
Brittney Dailey, Mooresville
Alicia Danenhower, Mooresville
Rachel Gibson, South Iredell
Tara Johnson, Lake Norman
Meghan Kos, Lake Norman
Ashley Lail, South Iredell
Caroline Moffett, Lake Norman
Katie Register, Statesville
Claudia Solis, South Iredell
COURTNEY SMITH, Mooresville
Sarah Tang, Lake Norman
Lauren Vawter, Lake Norman
Sarah Ann Waugh, Statesville
Tiffany Wilson, Mooresville

Vikings will improve next year

2008-05-28T18:12:00.003-05:00

If I were a betting man — and seeing as how I'm leaving for Vegas in about a week, I suppose I am — I'd expect a solid showing from South Iredell's "money sports" next season.

There's always plenty of turnover in the high school coaching ranks, but it has to be rare for a school to break in a brand new football, boys basketball, girls basketball and baseball coach in the same season.

Ed Masterton (football), Trey Ramsey (baseball), Brian Reese (boys hoops) and Gary W. Sherrill (girls hoops) were not only first-year coaches at South, it was their first-ever head coaching job in their respective sports.

It's going to take time for the athletes to get adjusted and, maybe even more so, it takes time for the coaches to get completely settled and comfortable with what they want to do in the program.

Masterton did a respectable job this year, leading a team that battled injuries all season back into the playoffs.

The other programs struggled, sometimes mightily. The boys basketball team finished with four wins, the girls basketball team won twice and the baseball squad had five victories.

All of those win totals should increase next season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see all four of those squads advance to the state playoffs.

Spring sports season ends

2008-05-22T17:53:00.002-05:00

Not a lot of updates recently as several county schools - in several different sports - kept advancing in the playoffs, leaving us pretty busy. But now that Mooresville baseball, Lake Norman tennis and Lake Norman soccer have been bounced from the playoffs, things have slowed. Here's a few observations on some of the area sports.

Mooresville baseball
In case you didn't catch this story, the Blue Devils were bounced from the 3A playoffs in the most heartbreaking of ways. Leading East Rowan, winners of 21 straight entering the game, by four runs entering the final frame, the Mustangs bolted out of the gate - my one obvious horse reference - and scored five times without registering an out.

It's tough to see any team end its season that way, but this was especially true considering how perfect Mooresville had played up to that point. Senior pitcher Aubrey Meadows, on the mound despite a tired arm, danced his way around an incredibly dangerous lineup for six weeks. Meadows was perfect through three innings and allowed six base runners the next three innings.

Matt Markofski again hit a big home run, and Dylan West's three-run bomb in the sixth inning appeared like it would seal the victory.

I think it's also important to note that Mooresville skipper Jeff Burchett coached a great game. There was one brilliant call he made that I never would have considered.

It was the fourth inning, the score 0-0 and East had a runner on second with two outs. A very fast runner. Clean-up batter Corbin Shive forced a 3-1 count. Burchett called for an intentional walk and the next batter grounded out on the first pitch. Just a great thinking-man's decision. On a 3-1 count, you have to throw a strike. Typically, it's a fastball. Rather than pitching a fastball for strike to an clean-up batter waiting to launch it out of the park , Mooresville took its chances with the next guy.

I also don't buy the notion Burchett left Meadows in too long. Meadows is the ace, senior leader and was a big reason why the Blue Devils even advanced that far in the playoffs. He wanted the ball, and he wanted to finish the seventh inning. You leave him in.

Mooresville has some key seniors to replace, namely Meadows, West, Markofski and Chris Beaver. But the Blue Devils have a lot of underclassmen who contributed on varsity this year along with the best JV program in the North Piedmont 3A. They could be back in the regional semifinals next season.

Lake Norman soccer
I'll admit that, before the 3A soccer playoffs started, I wasn't a believer in Lake Norman. In the two games I covered this year, I came away with the impression that this was a talented team, but not an elite one.

Wrong.

The Wildcats advanced to the regional finals - essentially the Final Four of the 3A soccer bracket - before losing 2-1 to T.C. Roberson, the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

I stand corrected.

Mooresville track
I think Mooresville's streak of winning state titles in the running sports will stretch to five next year. The Blue Devils won a state title in outdoor track (spring, 2007), cross country (fall, 2007), indoor track (winter, 2008) and outdoor track (spring, 2008).

But after a potential cross country title, which would be three in a row, I'm not sure. Mooresville's program has such incredible depth, but it will be a challenge to replace the talent they have graduating, particularly in the field events.

Mooresville/West Rowan observations

2008-05-13T22:29:00.004-05:00

In case you missed it, Mooresville won an absolutely insane game against West Rowan Tuesday in the state baseball playoffs.

It was probably the best game I've attended this season. And if not the best, the most exciting.

Due to a variety of issues - game starting late, game ending late, computer problems and early deadline - I didn't have very much time to write my game story for the paper.

Here are a few more thoughts on that game:

Mooresville senior Matt Markofski had an absolutely monster night. He finished 2-for-3 with a whopping 5 RBI. His biggest hit of the night was also the most controversial. Markofski ripped a 3-2 hanging curveball over the left field fence in the first inning for a three-run homer that gave Mooresville a 5-0 lead.

Or did he? The ball was sailing toward the foul pole, and the home plate umpire ruled it fair. West Rowan's coaching staff and players vehemently protested the call, but it stood. I had a terrible angle for that home run and couldn't tell you what I think happened. The home-plate umpire had a tough call to make, too. Markofski belted the ball, and it was more of a line-drive home run than a towering blast. The sun produced a heavy glare at home plate, and I'm not sure the umpire got a clean look.

The Blue Devils started Chris Beaver on the mound, which was no surprise. The senior was expected to get the start, and he was electric for two innings. Beaver tossed 26 pitches - 17 for strikes - in the first two innings and struck out four. He lost his control in the third inning, though. I'm not sure what effect, if any, this play had, but it warrants mentioning. Beaver gave chase to a little pop-up that landed in foul territory near the Mooresville dugout. With a small chance at catching it, Beaver - who is about 6-foot-4, 235 pounds - dove with full extension and bellyflopped to the ground. It was a great hustle play, but he started missing his location after that. Beaver worked his way through a 30-pitch third inning and gave up two runs, but was pulled after one batter in the fourth inning.

Also give credit to Aubrey Meadows, who pitched 2 2-3 innings of relief on three-days rest. Meadows had just one mistake pitch, and Carlos Bautista launched it for a three-run homer. But Meadows kept his focus and struck out five of the final 10 batters he faced and picked up the win.

NCHSAA must change playoff brackets

2008-05-12T18:56:00.006-05:00

There are a lot of things the North Carolina High School Athletic Association does right. The NCHSAA is an efficient organization that, in part, provides newspapers with plenty of information on high school athletics throughout the year, so it's difficult to be too critical.

But one thing it has done terribly wrong lies in the pre-made 3A playoff brackets, specifically the matchups in the Western Regional for members of the North Piedmont 3A.

The NPC stretched from a seven-school league to one with 10 schools in the last two years. Brand-new institution Carson became a member in 2006-07, and East Rowan and South Rowan dropped from the 4A ranks into the NPC this past season.

As the new "half plus one" rule goes, the NPC received six automatic playoff berths for baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, softball and volleyball (half of the 10-team league is five, plus one is six).

Of those six teams, only the top seed gets a home game in the first round. Every other seed goes on the road.

The playoff brackets for the aforementioned seven sports are the same across the board. Each team that qualifies for the playoffs simply fills in a slot on brackets released weeks in advance. For example, the Piedmont Triad Conference's No. 1 team always hosts the Mid-Piedmont's No. 4 team in the first round; the Big South Conference's No. 2 team always hosts the Mountain Athletic Conference's No. 3 team.

Of the nine conferences that boast 3A teams and therefore have a No. 2 seed in the Western Regional, a whopping seven host a first-round game. Of those seven, five host a No. 3 seed.

The only two leagues that must send a No. 2 seed on the road to play another No. 2 seed are the NPC and Southwestern Conference. The Southwestern Conference is typically regarded as one of the weakest across the board and has only four schools.

Of the six different teams seeded No. 3 from their respective conference, four get a slightly easier draw and play a No. 2 seed while two play a No. 1 seed. Again, the NPC's third-seeded team gets a top-seeded, tougher opponent on the road.

The NCHSAA adopted the "half plus one" rule to add more teams to the playoffs - which is more money that lines the state association's collective pockets - but isn't giving teams from the NPC a fair shake. Iredell County schools should not bear the brunt of adding two new teams by a faulty set of playoff brackets.

Starting next season, the NPC's No. 2 seed should host a first-round game and the NPC's No. 3 seed should draw a No. 2 seed in the first round.

South Iredell's first inning

2008-05-06T19:26:00.003-05:00

Here is what South Iredell's first inning looked like during Tuesday's softball game against Bessemer City.

1. Kasey Kerley slap single
2. Laci Graney single (Kerley moves to second)
3. Devan Poff fly out to left field (Kerley tags up to third)
Graney steals second
4. Kathleen Pasquarella reaches first on a fielder's choice (Kerley scores, Graney moves to third)
Laci Graney scores on wild pitch, Pasquarella advances to second
5. Amber Graney single (Pasquarella scores)
6. Kayla Kerley single (Amber Graney to second)
7. Kelsey Spangler walk (Kayla Kerley to second, A. Graney to third)
8. Kayla Jones triple to right field (A. Graney, Kayla Kerley, Spangler score)
9. Kendall Honeycutt single to left field (Jones scores)
Honeycutt advances to second on wild pitch
10. Kasey Kerley slap single to center (Honeycutt to third)
11. Laci Graney to first on fielder's choice (Honeycutt out at the plate, Kerley to second)
12. Devan Poff single to center (Kerley scores, Graney to second)
13. Kathleen Pasquarella reaches second on error (Laci Graney, Poff score)
14. Amber Graney flies out to left field

I've never seen a team, in baseball or softball, send 14 batters to the plate in one inning. So many of those hits were on the first pitch, too.

The Vikings as a team found themselves in an unusual zone, and they made the most of it. If they do the same during the playoffs, they'll be an incredibly tough out.

NBA playoffs intriguing ... so far

2008-05-05T21:10:00.005-05:00

There were a lot of NBA fans and beat writers who freaked out during last year's NBA playoffs. Several writers and bloggers — most notably ESPN's John Hollinger, a stats geek (in a good way) — proposed several changes to the NBA playoffs.

My favorite one was to keep the same seeds per conference, but create one big 16-team bracket.

There hasn't been as much outcry this year, mainly because the Celtics tore through the regular season, Orlando developed into a legitimate No. 3 team and Cleveland still has that LeBron fellow.

When I did a simulated, what-if bracket last season, six of the eight teams to advance into the second round were from the West. With the East a bit stronger — and just for fun — let's take a look at what this year's playoffs would have looked like using the 16-team bracket projection, which was incredibly popular last season.

Imagine this as one giant bracket:

(1W) Los Angeles
(8E) Atlanta

(4E) Cleveland
(5W) Utah

(3W) San Antonio
(6E) Toronto

(2E) Detroit
(7W) Dallas

(1E) Boston
(8W) Denver

(4W) Houston
(5E) Washington

(3E) Orlando
(6W) Phoenix

(2W) New Orleans
(7E) Philadelphia

We again get a few fascinating first-round matchups, including Phoenix-Orlando, Cleveland-Utah and Detroit-Dallas. A quick projection give us a probable second round of Los Angeles-Utah, San Antonio-Detroit, Boston-Houston, Phoenix-New Orleans and a potential semifinals of Los Angeles-San Antonio, Boston-New Orleans.

There are still some crying for some sort of playoff change, and there are some interesting scenarios in certain new formats, but I think the NBA right now is better than it has been in many, many years.

The talent level is incredible, the historic rivalries are returning in some form and the influx of young, capable players and innovative coaches make for some great up-and-down basketball. I think this year's playoffs will serve as a sign of increased competition in the future.

Realignment goes through

2008-05-04T19:42:00.004-05:00

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association officially approved its new conference realignment, which will begin in 2009 and last through 2013. It was an expected move, but allows county teams to know for certain where they will end up for the next few years.

Here's a breakdown of the new conferences for Iredell schools (with attendance figures to the right) and a few thoughts on all three.

2A
Bandys 989
Bunker Hill 886
Draughn ----
East Burke 950
Maiden 824
Newton-Conover 771
South Iredell 991
West Caldwell 1,011

Thoughts: Rather than doing most of its traveling to Lincoln County, the Vikings will now be dispersed to the Hickory area on road trips. One of the first things that pops out to me is wrestling. South, with a great wrestling program, will get huge tests from Bandys and Newton-Conover, two state powers. Football will also be better, as will basketball, especially over at West Caldwell where Danny Anderson has the Warriors humming. Draughn has no attendance figures because it will not open until next season. Overall, this is a very tough, mostly balanced conference.

3A
Carson 1,078
East Rowan 1,246
North Iredell 1,248
South Rowan 1,103
Statesville 1,149
West Iredell 1,052
West Rowan 1,217

Thoughts: The former North Piedmont 3A will condense from 10 to seven schools, with Lake Norman, Mooresville and Northwest Cabarrus - the three largest schools - leaving. This should give the three Iredell teams more breathing room in scheduling non-conference games for all sports. West Rowan and Statesville, maybe even Carson, should be the contenders in football. Statesville's girls soccer program immediately becomes the class of the conference, and North Iredell's girls basketball team should be the favorite in 2009. Some good rivalries have emerged between Rowan and Iredell schools, and those should continue for years. West Iredell, with just a smidge over 1,000 students, is the smallest 3A school in the state and narrowly missed the cut-off of being a 2A school.

4A
Hopewell 2,757
Mallard Creek 2,000
Mooresville 1,616
Lake Norman 1,918
North Mecklenburg 2,461
Vance 2,074
West Charlotte 2,209

Thoughts: This conference is all about the attendance figures. Mooresville actually made an official request to switch conferences, citing location and overall size. The school makes a few good points. Hopewell has 70 percent more students than Mooresville, meaning it will have a much larger pool from which to pull its athletes. That's a huge disparity, and Hopewell and North Meck may grow at an even higher rate than Mooresville and Lake Norman. This conference is loaded from top to bottom, in all sports, and boasts a few of the largest schools in the state. Here's another fascinating story line to me. For the past two years, several NPC coaches have bemoaned having to play Lake Norman and Mooresville, which were easily the two biggest schools in the conference. Now it's quite the opposite as the two Iredell schools are the smallest schools and will face what so many of their opponents did over the past two years: competing against schools with more resources.

N.C. 3A tennis poll

2008-05-02T14:54:00.003-05:00

Voters in the N.C. Coaches Association 3A tennis poll must have slept through the tennis season. That's about the only reason I can think of as to why someone is still voting Statesville No. 10 in the poll, but not Mooresville.

The Greyhounds won the 3A state championship last season and started the year ranked No. 2 in the state. I don't have a problem with that - they returned two of the best players in the area and deserved some respect as defending champs.

But it really makes no sense that Statesville is even getting a vote - or that it took so long for someone to actually vote for the Blue Devils.

Mooresville finished 8-1 in the North Piedmont 3A, its only loss coming to state champion contender Lake Norman. The Blue Devils also looked good in tough out-of-conference games. Statesville finished 7-2 in the NPC, which included an 8-1 loss to the Blue Devils. 8-1! Statesville played that match without one of its best players, Luke Gillis, but it wouldn't have mattered. Even if you plug in two victories if Gillis was there - which isn't guaranteed - it's still a 6-3 Mooresville win.

That match came April 14, and Statesville got multiple votes in the next two polls. This is the first week Mooresville got any votes at all.

Someone needs to wake up.

Knee series

2008-04-22T19:39:00.003-05:00

As promised in an earlier blog, here's the completed version of my series on ACL injuries. Make sure to check out the video and interactive components, too.

We spent nearly six weeks from start to finish on this series, and my hope is county leaders began to take some serious proactive solutions to help curb this disturbing trend.

I'd also like to thank the athletes, coaches and doctors I talked to for being incredibly helpful.

Speedy Statesville

2008-04-21T21:25:00.003-05:00

Monday's soccer match between Statesville and Mooresville may have been the most entertaining game I have covered during the spring season.

The Greyhounds - who start six sophomores and three freshmen - defeated Mooresville, the No. 8 ranked team in the state, 3-2 by using some incredible team speed.

That's what made the game so entertaining. Statesville's girls were flying all over the field, tracking down loose balls and ripping shot after shot. While the Blue Devils couldn't match that speed, they were the more technically sound squad, so those two dynamics really played out over the course of the game.

Statesville will either be the No. 3 or No. 4 team from the North Piedmont 3A to make the playoffs and they'll play on the road against one of the top teams from another conference. The Greyhounds will be underdogs, but like the team showed Monday, they can pull an upset by running the other team ragged.

Wanted: More bulk

2008-04-16T20:32:00.003-05:00

The NFL draft is nearly a week away, and I just realized I haven't made a post on it yet. I'm the ultimate NFL draft nerd - buy preview magazines, get the day off work, load up on cheese dip and Diet Mountain Dew (although the cheese dip kind of defeats the purpose of diet soda, no?).

I haven't gotten into draft news and rumors as much as I have in the past. A lot of that has to do with being busy at work, and I also got really into the NCAA tournament this year.

But it's time to address some of the issues the hometown Carolina Panthers face this draft. This certainly could be a make-or-break year for general manager Marty Hurney and head coach John Fox, so it's important they make prudent decision and get no less than three players who will somehow contribute right away, either as a starter or key reserve.

The biggest needs are on the offensive and defensive lines. I'm a big believer in "winning the battle in the trenches," or whatever else you want to call it. If you look at recent teams that advanced to the Super Bowl, they all had good lines. The last - and only - time Carolina advanced to the Super Bowl, it had perhaps the best defensive line in football and a top-10 offensive line.

After a tremendously disappointing year from DE Julius Peppers and an unclear picture on the offensive line, that's where the Panthers should go in the draft.

I think the best pick for them is Boise State tackle Ryan Clady. He's a natural left tackle, which means Jordan Gross stays at right tackle. That would push Travelle Wharton back inside to guard and create some healthy competition for the offensive line's interior. Chris Williams from Vanderbilt or Jeff Otah from Pittsburgh wouldn't be bad picks, but ideally Carolina would like to trade down and get them.

Another intriguing prospect is Derrick Harvey, the defensive end from Florida. He's had a few phenomenal workouts - save for a pretty slow 40 time - and a solid career at Florida. Harvey, combined with Charles Johnson, Stanley McClover and Tyler Braton, would give the Panthers plenty of options for the second defensive end. Harvey, though, is one of those workout wonders, and that sometimes doesn't translate to on-the-field production.

Then there's the dark horse pick, someone like RB Rashard Mendenhall or even RB Jonathan Stewart. I wouldn't have a problem with those picks, as either one would likely get significant carries next season.

County thoughts

2008-04-14T20:01:00.003-05:00

Thanks for hanging in there, folks. My two weeks working on the ACL-tear series turned into a solid month of work. I'm OK with that, though, because it's a huge subject with tons of different angles, and I think it's important to document everything correctly.

That series of stories will run April 20 and 21, and I'll make sure to post links here. In the meantime, I've gotten out of the office a little bit recently to check out some spring sports.

Mooresville baseball
Hands down the best baseball team in the county. The Blue Devils have supplemented their fantastic pitching with timely hits and are dangerous throughout the lineup. Ten wins in a row is no fluke, but Mooresville has a humongous week ahead with games against East Rowan (unbeaten in conference) and Northwest Cabarrus (beat Blue Devils in first meeting).

North Iredell soccer
Some good talent, as always, but a little thin this year. Head coach Tim Watson has 22 total players in the program, which means - like this year's boys season - he can't field a JV team. Injuries have hit the Raiders hard, though. Midfielder Jana Bell, perhaps the best player on the team, is out for the season with a torn ACL and North also has a few injuries on defense. Goalkeeper Kawoni Revels has been superb at times, and North should still contend for a playoff spot.

Mooresville soccer
Fantastic team, especially offensively. Freshmen Courtney Smith and Hannah Mack can flat-out play, but it's the senior leadership of girls like Anna Dwiggins, Brittney Dailey, Emmie Tyson and Tiffany Wilson that has the Blue Devils ranked No. 4 in the state among 3A teams.

South Iredell baseball
Slowly improving, but must learn how to win close games. Sophomore Chris Dula hurled a no-hitter in his starting pitching debut at the varsity level, so let's see how that translates into potential wins.

THE WEEK AHEAD
I'm looking forward to going to the county track meet Tuesday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate - I can tolerate being a bit chilly so long as the sun is out. Mooresville's boys, the defending 3A state champions, are certainly the favorite and it might take an act of God for them to lose.

The girls' side should be a bit more balanced out, but the Blue Devils and Statesville have to be the favorites. Don't sleep on North Iredell, though. The Raiders are small, but have great athletes. South Iredell's girls team isn't big enough to seriously challenge for the meet title, I don't think, but they could win at least four events.

The next few weeks

2008-03-18T10:30:00.003-05:00

Just a heads-up on what I'll be doing the next few weeks.

I am undertaking a project that will take a solid two or two-and-a-half weeks to complete. I'm doing a story highlighting several female athletes in the county who have torn their Anterior Cruciate Ligaments recently, and examining why female athletes are much more at risk than their male counterparts.

My stories in the newspaper and my blog posts will be down a bit, but we think it's worth it to spend most of my time on this project.

Stats from M/LN baseball

2008-03-14T20:46:00.004-05:00

For some reason, I really like quirky, obscure stats. So here's some that stand out from Friday's game between Mooresville and Lake Norman, a contest the Blue Devils won 3-2.

Lake Norman belted eight hits and scored two runs, a 4:1 hit-to-run ration. Mooresville scored three runs on three hits, an almost unheard of 1:1 ratio. Those three hits were: an Aubrey Meadows single, a Johnny McElhany infield single and a Jon Crucitti two-run homer. And of those three hits, only Crucitti scored.

Check out Mooresville pitcher Aubrey Meadows' fourth inning. Garrett Braun smacked a double on the first pitch of the inning. Jordan Farell grounded out on a 1-0 count. Jacob Finkbiner grounded out on the first pitch. Joe Faist hit a single on the first pitch. Ross Whitley hit a single on the second pitch. Faist was picked off at third base by catcher Aaron Meadows after two pitches to Nick Lomascolo.

To recap: one inning, six batters faced, three hits, one run on only NINE pitches.

The Wildcats put a ton of first-pitch balls into play, which turned out to be a good thing. Five of their eight hits came on the first pitch of the at-bat. As a team, Lake Norman was 5-for-7 on the first pitch with four singles and a double.

LN/M soccer thoughts

2008-03-10T21:31:00.002-05:00

Some general thoughts on Lake Norman's 1-0 win over Mooresville on Monday:

Both the Wildcats (No, 4) and Blue Devils (No. 9) were ranked in the top-10 in the state among 3A teams in the state coaches poll. Both deserve that accolade. There was some serious skill on the pitch. I know it's just a handful of games into the season, but I could see both teams making it to at least the third round of the playoffs.

Top to bottom, the Wildcats are still incredibly talented, but they're missing some of the departed seniors right now. The midfield played well, but didn't attack as much without Kelly King, who's at Alabama. The defense was stout for the most part, but the Blue Devils got off a few shots that Rachel Steeb wouldn't have allowed. They'll get there, though.

One thing I like about Mooresville is its mix. This group plays well together, and they have members of every class - including two freshmen - starting. Courtney Smith (freshman) is fast and skilled. She nearly gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead, but just missed the goal on a pretty cross from Emmie Tyson. Hannah Mack, the other starting freshman, also has good speed and is a tough player. She took some big shots against the Wildcats in what was a physical game.

Line changes a bad idea

2008-03-04T20:38:00.003-05:00

Here's an interesting story from Steve Reed at the Gaston Gazette.

http://www.carolinagrowl.com/Read.aspx?Story=523

It's a good read, but the Cliffs Notes version is that the Panthers may have different starters at all five offensive line positions next season.

Apparently, Carolina's brass is interested in Boise State tackle Ryan Clady. The suggestion in this story is that a rookie first-round draft pick would play right tackle, which would move Jordan Gross back to left tackle. Again.

Ryan Kalil is penciled in at center, with Travelle Wharton at left guard and Justin Hartwig/Geoff Hangartner/Keydrick Vincent at right guard.

I don't understand this thought process. Marty Hurney and John Fox were both adamant about the offensive line needing some stability to thrive. So why is - again, potentially - mixing up the entire line a good idea? That's the opposite of stability.

State wrestling thoughts

2008-02-25T21:10:00.005-05:00

This was the second year in a row I've covered Iredell County athletes at the state wrestling championships in Winston-Salem, and the event is one of my favorites to cover. The state tournament had 672 wrestlers and 1,218 matches in three different classifications, which always makes for plenty of storylines.

My story that ran Sunday is here, and my follow-up notebook of information I didn't have room for the previous day is here.

I never wrestled growing up - unless you count the occasional trampoline match with my buddies - and wasn't too familiar with the sport until I began writing for newspapers out of college.

The one thing I like about wrestling is that a match is never over - unless, of course, someone gets pinned or the match is stopped due to a technical fall. But I've seen kids losing 13-0 get a pin out of nowhere and win the match with 10 seconds remaining. That's not possible in other sports. In basketball, if you're down 80-65 with 20 seconds remaining, you aren't going to win.

The athletes are incredibly invested in their matches as well. If you lose a match, most of the time it's because you got outworked, you did something you shouldn't have done or you didn't do something you should have. And it's all on you.

True story: In the depths of the LJVM Coliseum, the warm-up area consists of several mats put together.

This is one of my favorite areas to observe. Kids warm up with others they've never met, talk with teammates and curl up and sleep. I stepped over three sleeping heavyweights to get back upstairs, and I can't say I blame them. The tournament is a grueling two-day event, so some of those guys asleep had been at the Coliseum for at least 12 hours.

When I got over the mat to go upstairs, I noticed one wrestler as far away as possible from the crowd, singlet pulled down and absolutely bawling over what must have been a tough loss. \\

So I went to the concourse, ate some pizza (surprising, I know) and walked back down about 20 minutes later.

The same wrestler, still crying, hadn't moved an inch.

Don't expect Wharton to play guard

2008-02-17T15:56:00.002-05:00

The popular theory around the Carolinas is that the Panthers resigned Travelle Wharton, who played left tackle last season, with the intent of moving him inside to a guard position. Carolina would then spend a high draft pick - or a lot of money in free agency - on a left tackle.

To me, logic seems to dictate Wharton will remain at left tackle next year and in the future.

Think about it this way: Carolina just cut Mike Wahle, an effective yet injury-plagued guard, to save about $4 million toward its salary cap. Wharton signed a six-year deal with $36 million. I'm not sure if that contract is backloaded or carries incentive clauses (I assume it does), but it doesn't make much financial sense to give someone $6 million a year to play guard, especially when you just cut someone making $4 million.

Compare Wharton's contract to some of the best guards in the league: Steve Hutchinson, who signed a mammoth deal with Minnesota, has a cap figure of $6.7 million. Buffalo's Derrick Dockery has a cap figure of $6.8 million a year. Pittsburgh's Alan Faneca, one of the best offensive linemen in the league, will probably leave Pittsburgh because the Steelers - who currently pay him about $6 million a year - can't afford, or don't want, to resign him.

Wharton played left tackle last year, and struggled at times. But he underwent a major knee operation the year prior, and offensive linemen usually do much better the second year after a surgery. Especially with right tackle Jordan Gross unsigned, I don't think the Panthers have the luxury to pay a guard that much money.

Panthers cut two

2008-02-11T18:55:00.000-05:00

The Carolina Panthers cut MLB Dan Morgan and OG Mike Wahle yesterday in an effort to clear up some cap space.

Morgan's departure saves the Panthers about $2 million, while releasing Wahle will save around $4 million.

Cutting Morgan makes sense both on the field and in the salary cap. There was always a slim chance Carolina could move Morgan to the outside and keep Jon Beason in the middle, but this felt like the right time for the player and organization to part ways.

I did expect an offensive lineman to be cut, but was surprised it was Wahle. He's been one of the most reliable and consistent linemen, but with Carolina looking to make a splash in free agency and the draft, this was a cost-cutting move.

How could the offensive line look next season? There are a bunch of different scenarios, and most revolve around whether or not the Panthers draft or sign an offensive tackle.

With the roster now, my best guess to the starting offensive line right now would be (from left tackle to right tackle): Travelle Wharton, Justin Hartwig, Ryan Kalil, Jeremy Bridges, Jordan Gross.

Keep in mind, though, that both Wharton and Gross need to be resigned, and general manager Marty Hurney suggested there may be more moves along the offensive line.

I'd expect Carolina to sign a tackle or draft one in the first round, with the intent of playing him on the left side. Then they'd resign Gross to play right tackle. I think Ryan Kalil will be the opening-day center, and I'd expect either Wharton or Bridges - perhaps both - to be gone next season.

Oh Snap!

2008-02-08T16:21:00.000-05:00

Attention coaches, parents and athletes in Iredell County.

We've added a new feature to our Around Iredell Web site, a user-submitted photo system called Snap!

You can access it from www.aroundiredell.com/sports, or simply click the link below.

http://aisnap.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/index.aspx

You can submit a variety of sports photos - signings, banquets and shots from the game. We already have some really good photos of South Iredell softball games, and one of South running back Anthony Thwaites' signing his letter of intent.

I knew the Giants had a real shot to win when ...

2008-02-04T19:29:00.000-05:00

So the New York Giants are world champions, and Eli Manning is the Super Bowl MVP (did I really just type that?).

They deserve it, though. They weathered through some bad losses - like 41-17 to Minnesota - played hard throughout games and, most importantly, got hot late in the season when it matters most.

I was at work on the desk at the R&L, but watched the game through the magic of TiVo today.

Here's the first point in my mind when I really thought the Giants had a very good chance to win. It's kind of out there, so bear with me.

On New England's first play of the game, Tom Brady faked a hand-off to Laurence Maroney, then faked an end around. He kept the ball with the intent of throwing a screen pass back to Maroney. He was hit hard, and the pass fluttered incomplete.

Seriously, that's the play New England drew up to start the game? That's either really, really arrogant or really, really stupid. Or both.

Let me explain.

For that play to work properly, there are a couple of things that needed to be in place. First, the Patriots needed to have already established a running game up the middle. Secondly, New England needed to show the ability to run a reverse or end around with its dangerously fast receivers. And the Giants would have needed to overpursue tackles throughout the game. All those things happen and it's the perfect play.

That's why it made no sense to call that on the first play of the game. New York was playing its gaps, and didn't bite on either play-action because nothing was established. It was an easy blitz to the quarterback, an easy incompletion.

New England's coaching staff and players were off the entire game, and that first call sort of set the tone for the rest of the night.

This week's videos

2008-01-31T22:09:00.000-05:00

We have three videos up on aroundiredell.com/sports this week.

For the weekly installment of The Sports Show, click here.

We also continued our weekly installment of player profiles, this time from North Iredell. Here are the links to North Iredell girls player Kandace Hoots and boys player Marlon "Poppy" Staton.

We'll be at South Iredell next week.

A little self promotion

2008-01-29T16:09:00.000-05:00

Readers - you can click here to see a video story on free throw shooting in Iredell County. Our Web producer, Jess Norman, and I went to different high schools to talk to players about their free throw form.

We'll do more video stories in the future. Make sure you give the video time to load.

I'm going to start posting a weekly link to The Sports Show as well.

It's down to two

2008-01-21T19:40:00.000-05:00

Depending on which conference you look at, my Super Bowl predictions were either outstanding or abysmal.

Way back in September on this blog, I projected New England to make the Super Bowl after beating San Diego in the AFC Championship game. Perfect.

The NFC was a different story. I had New Orleans beating St. Louis. The same St. Louis team that will have the No. 2 pick in next year's NFL draft. I know the Rams were without Orlando Pace for the entire season, and Steven Jackson was banged up, but that's still an embarrassing pick.

Who do you like in the Super Bowl? It has to be the Patriots, right?

My All-Underrated team

2008-01-13T15:47:00.000-05:00

Here at the R&L, we do our all county teams in every varsity sport. For basketball specifically, there's also the Holiday Classic all tournament team, selected by the coaches.

What I'd like to do is present my completely unofficial "All-Underrated team," two five-player teams compromised of good, solid basketball players that perhaps aren't as well-known as say: Keyrra Gillespie, Kasey Haynes, Paul Larsen, Santana Morrison, Tyrece Scott or Quan Rucker.

Again, this is completely my opinion and is based off what I have observed this season from the games I've seen and conversations throughout the year with coaches.

BOYS
A.J. Barringer (South Iredell): Barringer is young, but has developed nicely this season. He has a great jump shot, is a hard worker and is clutch at the free throw line. He's come off the bench to hit some big shots for the Vikings, and his 17 points were the lone bright spot in a 99-55 loss to Cherryville.

Spencer Cook (Lake Norman): First of all, it must be noted that Cook looks a bit like Kurt Rambis with his goggles. Not the clean-shaven Rambis as a coach, but this Rambis in his playing days. He plays like him too, which is a good thing. Cook's very valuable to Lake Norman in coming off the bench to spell starters Nathan Bowers and Paul Larsen. He has a very good understanding of post play, and likes to bang inside for the rebounds.

Chris Patterson (Mooresville): Patterson has only played basketball for a few years, but he has earned a starting spot for the Blue Devils as a junior. Despite his clumsy-looking shot, Patterson is one of the deadliest outside shooters in the county. But he also isn't afraid to take it to the hoop, and has emerged as a legitimate scoring option this season.

Ryan Sharpe (North Iredell): His scoring fluctuates between four and 12 points a game, but Sharpe is a rebounding machine. A lanky post player, he uses his freakishly long arms to control rebounds most players couldn't get. He also gets good position underneath and knows how to box out.

Adrian Sloan (Statesville): Sloan has improved more than any player I've seen this season. He's an unselfish, big forward with decent range and can make teams pay when they play a 3-2 zone to stop Statesville's shooters.

GIRLS
Jordan Daywalt (Statesville): Daywalt may play harder than any other girl in the county. She does a great job playing back in Statesville's full-court press, and is usually the first one to hit the floor going after a loose ball. She also consistently pulls down tough rebounds against bigger opponents.

Shakira McLaughlin (Mooresville): It's almost cheating to put McLaughlin on an underrated list because she's so talented. But she's underrated because not too many people know about the freshman guard on the southern end of the county. McLaughlin is a big reason why the Blue Devils have played much better basketball this season, and there have been multiple games where she's recorded double-digit points and at least five assists, rebounds and steals.

Caroline Moffett (Lake Norman): Moffett doesn't score a ton of points, but she more than makes up for it with smart play and great defense. She's one of the best in the county when it comes to using both her left and right hand properly, and she's a fearless one-on-one perimeter defender.

Elizabeth Walden (West Iredell): Granted, I've only seen West Iredell play twice, but Walden stood out both times. West's post players fill up the stat sheet, but Walden plays a big role in getting them the ball and hitting open jumpers when the posts are double-teamed.

JoBeth Wright (Lake Norman): Wright would start for any other team in the county, but is typically a reserve on the incredibly deep Lake Norman squad. Wright, a post, does everything well. She has good range, but also rebounds well and plays tough defense. She's also an emotional player, and carried the Wildcats back into the game when they trailed Statesville in the Holiday Classic finals.

Things to keep an eye on

2008-01-07T20:13:00.001-05:00

Tuesday's basketball games mark the exact halfway point through the North Piedmont 3A schedule.

Here are a couple of things to watch for during the second half of the winter sports season.

Who emerges from the pack in the NPC?
This goes for both the girls and the boys. And keep in mind, the NPC sends six teams to the playoffs.

The boys side has East Rowan on top with an 8-0 record. The Mustangs are really, really good, and play a fun style of basketball - lots of pressing and fast-break points. It's also safe to consider Northwest Cabarrus (7-1 NPC) as a lock to make the playoffs.

After that, nothing is permanent, although the next three spots should be pretty secure. West Rowan (6-2), Mooresville (6-2) and Lake Norman (5-3) have all looked anywhere from solid to very, very good this season. They should be OK.

The last spot is a bit of a toss-up. Right now, it's Statesville (3-5) holding down the fort. The Greyhounds have been inconsistent this year, but have shown they can compete with the top teams. Statesville took Mooresville to the buzzer, and competed well with Lake Norman in the Holiday Classic championship. Carson (2-6) along with West and North Iredell (1-7) are technically still in the mix. The Warriors have Quan Rucker and the Raiders have Tyrece Scott, which means you can't count either one out.

Predicted order of finish, for playoff purposes: East Rowan, Northwest Cabarrus, West Rowan, Lake Norman, Mooresville, Statesville.

The girls side is even more congested.

Statesville and East Rowan are both 8-0 (and they play Jan. 8). Slightly below them is Lake Norman (6-2). North Iredell and South Rowan are tied for third (5-3).

Lake Norman still has an outside chance to win the conference, although it's a long shot. The Wildcats must go unbeaten the rest of the way and will need East Rowan and Statesville to split their season series.

The more interesting storyline, I think, is who ends up where. It looks nearly certain that Statesville or East Rowan will finish first. But then what? Lake Norman, Statesville/East Rowan and North Iredell could all finish anywhere from second to fourth. That's huge as far as playoff seedings go. And if South Rowan or Northwest Cabarrus make a run, it could get even cloudier.

Predicted order of finish, for playoff purposes: Statesville, East Rowan, Lake Norman, North Iredell, Northwest Cabarrus, South Rowan.

Can South Iredell maintain?
Forget about the 99-55 shellacking to Cherryville for a second. South Iredell is 3-9, but holds a 2-1 clip early in conference play. The Southern Piedmont 1A-2A sends four of its six 2A teams to the playoffs, and the Vikings still have a shot. The wins came over North and West Lincoln (combined 0-6 in SPC), so the stretch of games against Bessemer City, East Lincoln and Lincolnton will be telling.

Predicted order of finish, for 2A playoff purposes: Bessemer City, East Lincoln, Lincolnton, South Iredell.

Who will emerge on the mats?
With Lake Norman developing into a wrestling power, the entire NPC has been shaken up. Typically, it was Mooresville, North Iredell and either West Rowan or Northwest Cabarrus fighting for two playoff spots, with a wild-card entry also up for grabs.

This year, I think it's going to come down to Lake Norman and Mooresville on Jan. 29 for the conference title, with the loser getting the conference's No. 2 seed.

The MVP selection process

2007-12-30T19:25:00.001-05:00

Have you ever watched some sort of sporting event, like the Super Bowl or an all-star game, and then wondered who got to select the game's MVP? And why, exactly, did those voters select who they did?

I'll fill you in on our thought process for the R&L Holiday Classic, specifically the boys game. And I'll be honest, I think our job of selecting a tournament-wide MVP is much tougher than selecting one for a single game. We have multiple games to consider, and in some cases, teams play a different number of total games, which skews stats.

Before the boys championship game between Lake Norman and Statesville, fellow sports writer Brian Meadows and I compiled a list of players who had done well and deserved MVP consideration. Anybody is eligible for MVP but, like in most instances, it typically goes to a member of the winning team.

Once the game was final - Lake Norman 68, Statesville 58 - there was only time for a brief consultation of stats and discussion before presenting our selection.

It's pretty demanding, actually. We're already there to cover the game, look for interesting story lines and keep our own stats, in addition to constantly thinking about the MVP selection.

It came down to two people, both from Lake Norman - sophomore Paul Larsen and senior Nathan Bowers (if Statesville won, it probably would have been either T.J. McCombs or William Marion).

Let's take a quick look at the numbers: Nathan Bowers finished with 37 points and 24 rebounds in two games. He played great defense and picked up timely rebounds and blocked shots. Paul Larsen finished with 39 points and 22 rebounds in two games. He also played great defense and picked up timely blocked shots and rebounds.

Talk about a doozy - nearly identical numbers and impact.

Here's a few other things we considered: Bowers' best game was against North Iredell in the semifinals. He had 24 points, was 9-of-16 from the field and pulled down 11 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. There's no way Lake Norman would have won without him.

Larsen's best game was in the championship, when he scored 26 points and had 14 rebounds. He scored 11 points in the final six minutes of the game, including eight in a row at one point. In the semifinals against North Iredell, he made two game-winning free throws with 0.7 seconds left.

Taking all of that into consideration, Paul Larsen won the MVP. The biggest reason behind that was his clutch play in the championship game. That doesn't take anything away from Bowers, because he had an outstanding tournament as well. It was about as close as you could get.

Thanks for reading, and have a happy New Year.

Red, white and ... rainbow?

2007-12-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

I was puttering along the road yesterday when a very old white van passed me.

When it passed me, I noticed a gigantic bumper sticker on the back window. It was one of those "Power of Pride" stickers, but it was a bit different. This thing was HUGE. It nearly stretched all the way across the entire back window.

But then something else jumped out at me.

Halfway across the sticker, between the "r" and the "i" in Pride, it appeared another bumper sticker was slapped on. A gigantic picture of Jeff Gordon's head came into view, with the phrase "Rainbow Warrior" and a picture of his No. 24 car.

So the person in this van, after purchasing this Jeff Gordon sticker, was so intent on people seeing it, he completely covered up his American sticker.

Yes, it's true. People in Statesville love Jeff Gordon more than their country.

Football thoughts

2007-12-03T12:51:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite times of the year as it relates to sports. In fact, it's right up there with March Madness.

All of the college football bowl games are set. Intriguing matches dot the landscape, and conversations will take place about who got snubbed, the biggest Cinderella and the best matchups.

In the NFL, there are only four games left in the regular season and the playoffs are beginning to take shape.

Here's what I'm thinking heading into what should be a very exciting next few months.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
I really don't mind the BCS national championship game of Ohio State vs. LSU. I think both teams are very good, and there's a ton of story lines. But I think the best team in the nation is Oklahoma. I know the Sooners lost to Colorado, which was a long time ago. More recently, they lost to Texas Tech, but keep in mind that was without Sam Bradford. They just smashed the No. 1 team in the nation in a game everybody was watching. I would have liked to see them get a shot at the title. But LSU also lost twice, and it took six total overtimes for them to lose. They deserve it as well. Plus-one, anybody?

I'm also pretty intrigued by most of the BCS matchups this year. Oklahoma and West Virginia is a great pairing. The traditional power team versus the up-and-coming Mountaineers and their speed and spread offense. Georgia and Hawaii should also be a lot of fun, and I think Hawaii will make this an interesting game.

The biggest snub - easily - has to go to Missouri. Missouri lost twice this year, both times to Oklahoma. They defeated Kansas fairly easily, and they also beat Illinois to open the season. Somehow, Kansas and Illinois (with three losses, but a marquee win) are in the BCS and Missouri is going to the Cotton Bowl.

Other intriguing bowl games I like are:

Gator Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Virginia
Two completely different styles here. Virginia's running game and strong defense against air-it-out Texas Tech.

Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California
Cal was once ranked No. 2 in the country and on pace to play for the BCS title. Since then, the Bears have lost six of seven, including last week's defeat against Stanford. Air Force is a great story this year, and they have a very good team. It's a team stoked to be in a bowl against a team which had BCS aspirations.

Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida
So many reasons to love this one. Michigan's senior class trying to win its first bowl game. Michigan's coaching situation. Florida's spread offense. Keep in mind Michigan's defense was overwhelmed by Appalachian State's and Oregon's spread offense. Florida runs a spread better than anybody in the country. With a month to prepare, can the Wolverines finally shut down a fast, dynamic offense?

NFL
I can't remember a season where, with four games remaining, every division race was essentially over, but the playoff picture still has a bunch of scenarios. New England has clinched its division and Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and San Diego all have a two-game lead. The gap is even wider in the NFC. Green Bay has a whopping four-game lead while Dallas and Tampa Bay are ahead three games and Seattle is ahead two. But check out the wild-card scenarios in both leagues.

AFC: Jacksonville (8-4), Cleveland (7-5), Tennessee (7-5), Buffalo (6-6) and a host of a 5-7 teams are still alive. The Jaguars have played a great season and should be in, but the race for that last spot will be intense.

It's even wackier in the NFC wild card race: the New York Giants, at 8-4, should be in. But there are EIGHT teams within one game of each other for the final spot. Arizona, Detroit and Minnesota are 6-6, and Carolina, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Washington are 5-7. The Panthers have an absolutely brutal schedule remaining and I think they won't make it. I also think the fading Lions will be eliminated from contention, as will the Redskins and Eagles. I'd look for the surging Vikings, behind a suddenly explosive offense, to clinch the No. 6 seed.

Where to go from here

2007-11-27T15:37:00.000-05:00

I had a couple of comments from people on my last post asking about the Panthers, and it's probably better to address all of the Panthers woes in a separate post. It may get a little lengthy.

My initial thought of Carolina looking like a 7-9 team seems very generous right now, seeing the Panthers would have to go 3-2 to get there.

The remaining schedule is as follows, with games where the Panthers will not be favored in bold:

Dec. 2: vs San Francisco
Dec. 9: at Jacksonville
Dec. 16: vs Seattle
Dec. 22: vs Dallas
Dec. 30: at Tampa Bay

The Panthers better win against the 49ers this week, because the schedule is brutal the rest of the way.

The game at Jacksonville and the home game against Dallas are practically guaranteed losses. My best guess now it Carolina will find a way to beat the Niners, then spring an upset on either Seattle or Tampa and finish 6-10. But I wouldn't be surprised if the team finished 4-12 either.

A couple of other thoughts:

I've heard from a bunch of people that this season cannot be necessarily blamed on coach John Fox or general manager Marty Hurney because the Panthers have been beset by a rash of injuries. I don't buy that for a second. It's the responsibility of the general manager - and coach, too - to put together a team that is capable of overcoming big injuries. Jake Delhomme has gone down with a major elbow injury, and might never be the same again. The Panthers brass hand-picked David Carr as the much-needed backup, and it was a bad signing. Thinking back to when it happened, more teams were interested in Trent Dilfer than Carr, who got serious consideration from only two teams.

The team also relied way too much on Dan Morgan, who will almost certainly be forced to retire now, and tries to skirt through positions with little to no depth.

Carolina essentially has three defensive ends - Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker and Stanley McClover. Charles Johnson has been inactive this year. At linebacker, the story is the same. Beason is a monster player, and Thomas Davis and Na'il Diggs are quite serviceable, but the lone backup who could actually produce is James Anderson. The secondary is patchwork. Richard Marshall is a solid option at No. 3 cornerback, but Panthers management stubbornly refused to get a big safety. Then they tried to sell Deke Cooper as a viable option, even though he's been cut by several teams throughout the league.

Offensively, it's not a lot better. DeShaun Foster got a a fistful of money for having produced very little as a Panther, and the zone blocking schemes have been mediocre to this point.

I'm not trying to blast this team, but if you take a long, honest look at evaluating this roster from the top down, it's not very good.

The big question is where does that leave Fox and Hurney at the end of the season? The team needs to show at least some signs, or both will be gone. Both may be gone regardless. But if the Panthers show some life in these last few weeks and finish on a high note - say 7-9 - that could be enough.

Panthers' season slipping away

2007-11-05T16:48:00.000-05:00

It looks like the Carolina Panthers are destined for third place in the NFC South.

Tampa Bay has played consistent football all season (and already owns a win over Carolina), and the surging Saints appear to have their offense in top form. The Panthers, meanwhile, have shown no ability to get the ball to Steve Smith in the crunch (or at all) and may start Matt Moore at quarterback next week.

Let's get this straight. Jake Delhomme goes out with a season-ending elbow injury, David Carr gets his back messed up, Vinny Testaverde's improbable return gives the Panthers a win, but then he gets injured, and Carr suffers a concussion against the Titans.

Yes, there are lots of things Carolina could and should be doing better, but this might be the most injured team in the league overall. Remember, in addition to the quarterbacks, Dan Morgan has missed lots of time (shock), Mike Rucker is coming off a major knee injury and several other players have been nursing minor-but-nagging injuries throughout the season.

It's been a weird year for Carolina. I thought the win against St. Louis in the opening week would set the tone for an 11-5 season. When the Panthers lost the next week to Houston, I was sure they were a 6-10 team. Therein lies another problem. The team is so inconsistent week to week.

This week? It looks like a 7-9 team.

Can the Patriots go undefeated?

2007-11-01T20:08:00.000-05:00

I've always maintained that, in this era in the NFL, no team is able to go undefeated. Looks like the New England Patriots are testing that theory.

The Pats, 8-0 heading into this week's game against the also undefeated Indianapolis Colts, are simply toying with teams right now. The defense is as dominant as ever, Tom Brady is in the zone of a lifetime and head coach Bill Belichick is not holding anything back in coaching ... and running up the score.

So will the Patriots go undefeated? I'm going to stick with my guns and say no, although this is the best NFL team I've ever seen. It also helps that they play in an incredibly weak conference, and are all but assured of a 6-0 conference record.

With that said, here's a breakdown of their remaining schedule with some thoughts at the end.

Nov. 3: New England at Indianapolis
Nov. 10: Bye
Nov. 18: New England at Buffalo
Nov. 25: Philadelphia at New England
Dec. 3: New England at Baltimore
Dec. 9: Pittsburgh at New England
Dec. 16: New York Jets at New England
Dec. 23: Miami at New England
Dec. 29: New England at New York Giants

The games in bold are, in my opinion, mortal locks that the Pats will win. And yes, I included the bye week.

I think New England will win at Indianapolis this week. So the biggest test remaining?

Actually, there are two. Dec. 3 at Baltimore and Dec. 9 at home against Pittsburgh.

The game against Baltimore stands out because the Ravens are one of the few teams in the league as physical as New England. That's a big Monday night game, too. If New England wins that game, then it has a short week to prepare for the Steelers, another physical team.

If New England somehow makes it to 15-0, which is certainly possible, what will Belichick do in Week 17? Will he play his starters the entire game, or will he rest them for the playoffs? With Dallas having a pretty good year, too, this game might decide the NFC East for the Giants, so they'll play their top guys all game.

There's just too many different scenarios for the Patriots to go undefeated. I don't think they'll do it. They will win the Super Bowl, though, and easily.

Random thoughts

2007-10-26T20:25:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of my quick-hit thoughts on a rainy Friday night.

The Colorado Rockies are down 2-0 to Boston. Was it the long layoff that hurt? Or are the Red Sox just a better team? I say a little bit of both. Colorado had a magical end to its season, but there's no way it can come back in this series.

Watched the Boston College/Virginia Tech game on Thursday. I Tivo'd it and, for a while, was certain I wouldn't finish it. Boy am I glad I stayed awake to watch the whole thing. Keep giving Matt Ryan all the credit, he deserves it, but man Virginia Tech sure blew it. The Hokies shut down the Eagles all game, but allowed two late touchdowns and failed to recover an onside kick.

So what happens if Ohio State loses to Penn State or Michigan and Boston College loses one of its final four games remaining? (And let's be honest, Kansas and Arizona State will not go undefeated). That could potentially leave college football with the following one-loss teams: Ohio State, Boston College, LSU, USC/Oregon/Arizona State, Oklahoma, West Virginia, South Florida and Missouri. Theoretically, that could happen. All of those teams probably won't finish with just one loss, and conference championship games will clear off some off the riff-raff, but who gets the nod into the BCS Title game? A lot of times, whoever lost earliest in the season gets a get out of jail free card. People tend to forget about losses in Week 2 or 3 while losses in Week 10 knock you out of the national title picture.

No way should Hawaii play in a BCS bowl. This team struggled to beat Louisiana Tech on the road and has one of the softest schedules in college football history.

I think four area teams will make the football playoffs: Statesville, West Iredell, South Iiredell and Mooresville. I don't know who will advance the furthest, but I think out of that group, Statesville will be the toughest out. They have a ton of speed.

The NBA season will start soon. Anyone else care?

Rockies playing incredible baseball

2007-10-17T14:41:00.000-05:00

I think it's great the Colorado Rockies are in the World Series. It's always an interesting angle when some unknown team sneaks into the playoffs and suddenly makes the championships game.

What makes this team even more remarkable is that they are 7-0 in the postseason and 21-1 in its last 22 games. 21-1! That's inconceivable, especially in baseball, the game of inches.

Here's a couple of things on my mind regarding Colorado.

Will this long layoff hurt? The World Series begins Oct. 24, which means Colorado players will have more than a week without playing a game. I'd think not, but momentum and layoffs can be a funny thing.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, how will the Rockies respond to a loss? It looks like Cleveland is the best team in the league, and Boston's second. Both are more talented than Colorado. Let's face it, the Rockies will not sweep the World Series (at least I don't think they will). What would a loss in Game 1 do to them?

Carolina's new quarterback

2007-10-10T13:45:00.000-05:00

I only have one thing to say about the Carolina Panthers signing Vinny Testaverde (43 years old) to be their backup quarterback.

At least it's not Aaron Brooks.

Why Lou Piniella was wrong

2007-10-04T18:14:00.000-05:00

I hate to question Lou Piniella.

I thought the Cubs hired the wrong guy before the season (Joe Girardi would have been my choice), but he proved to be the right person for the job by leading the Cubs to the Central Division title.

Piniella made timely, key decisions during the season, kept his players motivated and orchestrated a tirade at an umpire that energized the team and swept it into the playoffs.

All that said, he was wrong to pull Carlos Zambrano after six innings last night against Arizona.

Look, I understand the logic behind it. Zambrano will pitch again on Sunday in Game 4 (if the series gets that far). Piniella wants to be sure he’s rested, and relied on a bullpen that had been steady the last two weeks.

But if you are Chicago and tied with Arizona 1-1 in Arizona with Brandon Webb pitching, that’s almost a must-win game.

Despite giving up a solo home run, Zambrano was absolutely filthy. Why take him out for essentially a rookie? Carlos Marmol had a great regular season, but he’s still young and without playoff experience.

I think you have to leave in your horse and ride him through about eight innings. Hey, Zambrano is a big-game pitcher too. Even on three-days rest, he’s be ready to go on Sunday.

A 1-0 lead in a best-of-five series is crucial — almost essential. When you have a real chance to get that done, you stick with your best players.

Breaking down the North Piedmont 3A

2007-10-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

Coaches around Iredell County said all throughout the offseason that winning the 10-team North Piedmont 3A would be no easy task.

Turns out that was exactly right.

Here we are four games into the nine-game schedule, the time where usually one or two teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Not so in this league.

East Rowan, Mooresville, Northwest Cabarrus, Statesville, West Iredell and West Rowan are all 3-1 in conference play.

Obviously, any of the six teams has the talent and ability to win the conference, but let's take a look at which team is in the best shape and the big matches each week.

Easiest schedule remaining: West Rowan
The Falcons' remaining five opponents currently have an 8-12 record, and they have three nearly gimmies against Carson (0-4), Lake Norman (1-3) and South Rowan (1-3).

Easiest schedule remaining out of county schools: West Iredell
The Warriors still have North Iredell and Carson (0-8 in NPC) on the schedule. They’ll play three teams currently at 3-1, but get two of them at home.

Hardest schedule remaining: Statesville
The Greyhounds’ remaining five opponents are 12-8, although Statesville does have a few key games at home. All of Statesville's conference wins have come against sub-.500 teams.

County school in the best position: West Iredell
By defeating defending conference champion West Rowan last week, the Warriors should have a leg up on the other two county schools. West Rowan might still be the best team in the conference, and I think the Falcons have a good chance to win the rest of their games. If the Warriors win out, they’ll be tied with West Rowan and will hold the tiebreaker.

Biggest games (by week) the rest of the year
October 5: Northwest Cabarrus at Statesville
This is the only conference game between two teams with winning records during this week. After losing a heartbreaker at home to West Rowan two weeks ago, Statesville gets another shot with a big home game.

October 12: Mooresville at Statesville/West Iredell at Northwest Cabarrus (tie)
Huge week in the NPC –East Rowan will also play at West Rowan. These games could be elimination games in the NPC race for the Greyhounds and Mooresville (who will still have West Rowan left).

October 19: Statesville at West Iredell
This will conclude a brutal three-game stretch for the Hounds.

October 26: Mooresville at West Iredell
Should be a good one when Mooresville's run-it-right-at-you offense takes on West's spread-out-the-field squad.

November 3: West Rowan at Mooresville
If West Rowan and Mooresville both go undefeated until this point, this game will decide the conference champion. Even if one team has lost again, they’ll have a great shot to play the spoiler role and perhaps still clinch a share of the conference crown.

Appalachian's response?

2007-09-24T20:16:00.000-05:00

Now, we'll find out of this Appalachian State team is a true champion.

After 17 consecutive wins, the Mountaineers dropped a 42-31 decision to Wofford over the weekend.

I had a gut feeling Wofford would present a huge challenge to the Mountaineers, which turned out to be the case. The Terriers won the battle up front, controlled the clock, played smarter, played hungrier and just flat out played better.

It's tough to prepare for an offense that you'll see only once a year - like Wofford's Wingbone. It's also tough to beat a team who plays like its the Super Bowl. That's the way Wofford approached the game, and it worked.

Give all the credit to the Terriers, they played an outstanding game.

Now, let's see how the Mountaineers respond.

Appalachian has not played a good, solid, game since the season-opening win over Michigan. The team sleep-walked (slept-walked? What's the official term here?) to an easy win over Lenoir-Rhyne and showed up in spurts in a win over Northern Arizona.

The defensive line has been suspect, the defense has a whole has not created turnovers and the running game has been grounded. The players still hear about the Michigan game daily.

Perhaps this loss, ultimately, was the best thing that could have happened.

Panthers get out-Fox-ed

2007-09-17T15:16:00.000-05:00

Was at the Carolina Panthers game on Sunday and was one of the many who bolted for the exits in the fourth quarter.

I did manage to beat some of the traffic, but also missed Steve Smith's 74-yard touchdown in person.

Call it an even trade.

I think the biggest thing to take from this is that Houston completely outcoached Carolina's staff. From playcalling to schemes to in-game adjustments, John Fox and Co. were handled by Gary Kubiak. The Texans exploited the middle the field the entire game, taking advantage of sub par Carolina safeties (deemed a non "impact" position earlier in the year). And for some reason, the Panthers went away from Steve Smith in the second and third quarters.

Houston got pressure up front with its defensive line, and Julius Peppers was a non-factor. For some reason, Carolina stuck Dan Morgan on wide receiver Andre Johnson when he lined up in the slot, resulting in two big plays and a touchdown. I don't care how fast a linebacker is, he can't cover Andre Johnson.

The other thing to take is that Carolina again lost all the momentum of a big win. It seems like whenever the Panthers get momentum on their side, they lose it very quickly by losing games big or losing games they ought to win.

Fox will face considerable pressure if a team this talented continues this hot-and-cold routine the rest of the season.

Official NFL predictions

2007-09-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

It's that time, the annual make-your-NFL-predictions week.

I'm getting mine in just before the unofficial deadline, which is before the NFL's first games.

Here are my predictions - also, please don't e-mail me and tell me my wins and losses don't add up. I'm just guessing, not going through the schedule and predicting every game.

AFC
East
New England 12-4
Buffalo 7-9
Miami 7-9
New York 6-10

North
Baltimore 11-5
Pittsburgh 9-7
Cincinnati 9-7
Cleveland 5-11

South
Indianapolis 11-5
Tennessee 8-8
Jacksonville 8-8
Houston 6-10

West
San Diego 11-5
Denver 10-6
Kansas City 6-10
Oakland 4-12

NFC
East
Philadelphia 10-6
Dallas 9-7
Washington 8-8
New York 6-10

North
Chicago 12-4
Green Bay 7-9
Detroit 7-9
Minnesota 5-11

South
New Orleans 12-4
Carolina 9-7
Tampa Bay 7-9
Atlanta 5-11

West
St. Louis 10-6
Seattle 9-7
San Francisco 8-8
Arizona 7-9

Playoffs
AFC: New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis, San Diego, Denver, Pittsburgh
NFC: Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, Seattle, Carolina

Title games
AFC: New England over San Diego
NFC: New Orleans over St. Louis

New England wins the Super Bowl (shocker). By the way, I had St. Louis in the Super Bowl for about six hours before I came to my senses and edited this post.

What it all means

2007-09-02T19:27:00.000-05:00

Appalachian State 34, No. 5 Michigan 32.

Holy smokes.

Appalachian State, my alma mater, was the focus of all the Web pages and college football shows yesterday. It was THE story of the day, and will be THE story of the season. What does it mean to be an ASU grad right now? I'll try to sum up some thoughts (this might get long, so just bear with me).

Appalachian's two consecutive FCS (formerly Division I-AA) national championships are instantly justified in a world of big-time college football. In an ACC-minded state, there was teasing and trash talk about the implied level of competition ASU faced the last two seasons. Some was just good-natured ribbing, some was just ignorance. Any future prodding of Appalachian's "junior varsity championship" can be quickly rebuked with one simple phrase: 34-32.

Some national columnists were quick to rip apart Michigan. "Congrats to Appalachian, but Michigan ....." I watched the entire game, and the reason Appalachian won was because it completely outplayed (and outcoached) Michigan. That's not only my opinion - Michigan players Mike Hart and Jake Long said the exact same thing. Michigan, one of the most heralded football programs in the country, could not contain Appalachian's speed. This game was not given to the Mountaineers. They went into the Big House and took it.

When Michigan took the lead late in the game, most people - myself included - figured that was the end of the Mountaineers. But, as corny as this may sound, if Appalachian has proven anything over the past two years it's that the team knows how to win football games.

From now on, whenever a big upset in any sport appears like it has a chance of happening, Appalachian State will somehow be mentioned. When football teams all over the country - from middle school to high school to college - take the field against a much bigger, favored opponent, head coaches will use ASU as a motivational too. "If Appalachian can beat Michigan, then we can win, too."

Big-time programs will also use this game as a motivational tool to get players ready against a perceived weaker team. "If Appalachian State can beat Michigan, then this team can beat us, too."

A few more final thoughts:

One of the coolest things about the win was how many people were cheering for ASU. I've read comments by Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State and Iowa fans all congratulating Appalachian.

I sent and received more than 150 text messages in a four-hour span.

One thing a lot of people don't remember - or know - was that ASU was undermanned in that game. Starting safety Titus Howard was suspended for a violation of team rules, and All-American center Scott Suttle sat out with an injury.

So many plays that had to be made, and so many players that made them. T.J. Courman making a nifty move on the sideline and gaining an extra 10 yards before going out of bounds on that last drive ... converted quarterback CoCo Hillary having the presence to NOT throw downfield on a called WR-pass on the last drive ... offensive guard Kerry Brown's three monster blocks that sent bigger linemen tumbling ... Brian Quick, dropping a sure touchdown pass, and then blocking a field goal moments later ... Leonard Love's interception ... Kevin Richardson gutting out 90 yards against a monster defensive line ...

I think most ASU alumni would not trade those two FCS national championships for anything. But there's no question the exposure the university will receive for this win dwarfs everything else.

Finally, out of every video I've seen, this one is by far my favorite.

The Vick's

2007-08-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

Here's something my sports editor and I were talking about yesterday.

Remember how everybody thought Marcus Vick, Michael Vick's younger brother, was the degenerate in the family?

The Cliffs Notes version of Marcus Vick's collegiate career: he was arrested for allegedly supplying alcohol to underage girls, was charged with reckless driving and possession of marijuana, caught driving with a suspended license and maliciously stomped on the calf of Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil during the 2006 Gator Bowl, which eventually got him kicked off Virginia Tech's football team.

Who would have ever thought that Marcus Vick was the "good" brother?

Quick hits

2007-08-23T19:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a few quick thoughts on the sports world, both local in Iredell County and nationally. Make sure you check out the post below and watch our first "Sports Show."

Before the baseball season started, I threw out a few predictions for the playoffs. To recap: my division winners were Boston, Detroit, Oakland, New York Mets, St. Louis and Arizona with the Angels and Braves earning the wild cards. Some hits and misses. I said I wasn't ready to pick Milwaukee - or the Cubs - to win the division, when it was the Cardinals who had a big drop-off. I can at least defend the Oakland pick in that I just read the book "Money Ball" and loved it so much I became an A's homer. If I had a re-do? Right now, I'd go with Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and the Mariners (barely over the Indians for the wild card) in the AL and New York, Chicago (homer!) and the surprising Diamondbacks (my best pick) with the Braves still in the wild card. World Series? I'd begrudgingly take Boston and Atlanta.

It's almost fantasy football time, and my self-promise of being in only one league this year didn't last through July. As of now, I am in three - including a college fantasy football league, something I've never done before. Despite my terrible No. 1 overall selection of Shaun Alexander and my platoon of Joseph Addai, Reggie Bush and Maurice Jones-Drew, I somehow made the championship game of our league last season. My best drafting advice for this year? Draft running backs in the first two rounds no matter what. Don't feel pressured to take a quarterback early. NEVER draft a kicker until the last round. And try to draft a top tight end, if possible.

I'll be at the South Iredell-Lake Norman football game Friday night and the Mooresville-North Iredell soccer match on Monday. Some of my thoughts on the South Iredell-Lake Norman game can be found on The Sports Show Web cast, but to expound on them a little bit, this is a fascinating matchup in my eyes. I know some of you readers don't live near Iredell County, so to sort of put it in perspective, this would be like Texas Tech (Lake Norman) against Navy (South Iredell), the air attack versus the ground game. I picked South Iredell, and my predicted score would be 17-14 or something along those lines.

So, is the Little League World Series the next "big" thing? I don't mind that the games are on T.V., and I might decide to put them on in the background if I'm bored, but all-day showings complete with highlights on SportsCenter? Is this a bit much?

Internet star?

2007-08-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

Well, it happened. The first Sports Show is officially on the Web, and I'm well on my way to being the next Stephen A. Smith.

Check it out: http://media.gatewaync.com/srl/sports/show/

Keep in mind this was our first show. We'll tweak the set up a bit, and will begin to include some thoughts on other sports and will answer a reader question of the week.

Let me know any thoughts or ideas of improvement.

Good start for Iredell football

2007-08-19T17:26:00.001-05:00

It couldn't have gone any better for Iredell County on opening night.

South and North Iredell played a close-until-the-end game, and three other county schools picked up victories.

South handed North a 21-10 loss after scoring a touchdown in the final few minutes to pull away, which was a good start to the Ed Masterton era.

Mooresville went on the road and beat a very good - albeit understaffed - Bandys squad. The Blue Devils' 22-0 win was a bit of payback from last year's 35-7 loss, and it was an important win. I think they still would have won even if Bandys' stud running back Lequan McCorkle was playing (he sat with an injury).

West Iredell running back Bobby Morrison ran for a school-record 274 yards on only 16 carries and the Warriors pasted Forbush 51-0.

And Lake Norman, a 1-10 team last season, picked up a 28-13 win over a decent North Lincoln squad.

Only three county teams play this week when Lake Norman visits South Iredell and Statesville travels to 3A power Hickory.

Now that's funny

2007-08-16T13:58:00.000-05:00

An R&L news writer ventured down to Mooresville on April 29 for the late Dale Earnhardt's birthday celebration.

He came back and wrote a great story, accompanied by some great photos.

The one thing that sort of stuck out to me, though, was how many people had Dale Earnhardt Jr. tattoos. Not necessarily of Junior's mug, but instead huge tats of "No. 8" that took up large portions of their arm.

I guess I really shouldn't take pleasure in other people's misfortune, but those people will look pretty hilarious now that Junior is switching car numbers and the No. 8 car may be driven by someone else.

You know what they say about tattoos - they're permanent.

Finally - an update

2007-08-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the lack of updates recently. I took a week-long trip to the beach with my family as sort of a last-gasp vacation before the sports season started again, and now I'm back in the swing of things.

A couple of things to espect from us at the R&L this fall.

We've tweaked our coverage a little bit as it relates to high school. I'll handle stories from Mooresville, North Iredell and South Iredell while Brian Meadows writes about Lake Norman, Statesville and West Iredell.

The 2007 high school football tab comes out this Friday - hard to believe it's already game time. Each team is profiled, and we'll have a video preview of each team on the Web site as well. I'll make sure to post that link once it becomes available.

We'll have a sports portal that will keep track of all football stats for the six county teams. So now fans and players can compare statistics as the season progresses.

A weekly video show will air on the Web. We don't have it completely ironed out, but the show will include me, Brian and our sports editor Jason Bullard. We'll discuss the happenings in Iredell County sports, and will also make predictions for Friday's football games. This may be your one and only chance to ever see me on video.

I'll blog about more specific national and local topics later this week as well, but here's a very good read from ESPN's ombudsman.

On Skip Prosser

2007-07-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

One of the worst months in sports history just got a lot bleaker.

Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser died Thursday afternoon after suffering what appears to have been a sudden, massive heart attack. He was 56. And once again, the sporting realm of society has reminded us of another valuable life lesson.

Often times, these lessons we learn from sports are of triumph and perseverance, the ability to accomplish anything through hard work and dedication. Of overcoming the odds to do something unthinkably great.

But this lesson was much more blunt.

Sometimes, you just plain forget how fragile life really is.

Sometimes in the sports realm, people get so caught up in steroids and scandals, in “Who’s Now?” brackets and fantasy football trades, that we — myself included — forget about what really matters.

As in life, it’s good people who shape and mold the minds of a younger generation that matter.

The past month in sports has been littered with bad news after bad news from hugely successful, recognizable names and organizations.

Michael Vick and dog fighting. NBA referee Tim Donaghy and betting. Barry Bonds and steroids.

Prosser’s death is almost like a dose of reality, that all of these sports figures we read and write about are indeed human, not just a picture in a newspaper or a sound bite on a radio show.

Perhaps that’s why this seems so surreal.

Sometimes, bad things happen to good people.

There will be many, many things written about Prosser and his life. If you read any you like, feel free to share.

I thought this column by Dan Wetzel was very good.

Updated NFL rankings

2007-07-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

Two months ago, I posted my way-too-early "power rankings" for all 32 NFL teams in regards to the upcoming season. Now that preseason camps are about to fully begin and a few trades have been made, it's time to update the rankings and get excited about football season again.

I'll put the original rankings in parentheses after the team name.

1. New England (1)
2. Indianapolis (2)
3. San Diego (5)
4. New Orleans (7)
5. Chicago (4)
6. Baltimore (6)
7. Denver (3)
8. Seattle (9)
9. Philadelphia (12)
10. Dallas (10)
11. Pittsburgh (13)
12. Carolina (11)
13. Cincinnati (8)
14. New York Jets (14)
15. Jacksonville (17)
16. St. Louis (19)
17. San Francisco (15)
18. Tennessee (21)
19. Miami (28)
20. Detroit (29)
21. New York Giants (16)
22. Arizona (18)
23. Buffalo (23)
24. Washington (26)
25. Kansas City (20)
26. Atlanta (22)
27. Houston (27)
28. Minnesota (24)
29. Green Bay (25)
30. Tampa Bay (31)
31. Cleveland (30)
32. Oakland (32)

Biggest risers: Miami (28 to 19) and Detroit (29 to 20)
Miami's trade for Trent Green at the very least brings the Dolphins close to respectability. Green is aging, but has been one of the most successful quarterbacks in the league the last few years. This could be a breakout year for Ronnie Brown, and Chris Chambers, Marty Booker and Ten Ginn Jr. (in the slot) could be a fast-paced offense. The aging defense must hold up, and the secondary must improve to compete for a wildcard spot.

I moved the Lions way up, mainly because of more analysis. It's just so easy to plug Detroit in at the bottom of any rankings and be pretty accurate. But this may be the year they compete for a playoff spot - or at least for .500. Quarterback Jon Kitna loves Calvin Johnson, and Johnson and Roy Williams create a receiver tandem few defenses can match. Mike Martz will get the most out of the offense, which needs to play much more consistently to keep pace with the underrated defense.

Biggest fallers: Cincinnati (8 to 13) and Kansas City (20 to 25)
The Bengals have a lot of talent, but failed to get better in the offseason. That's a big mistake, in my view. Team's that don't upgrade talent, mix it up with new signings or have a rock-solid draft class typically seem to slip a bit, and that could be the case for the Bengals.

As for the Chiefs, they have quarterback concerns, slow wide receivers, a rebuilt offensive line and an underachieving defense (again). It could be a long year in Kansas City.

East-West week

2007-07-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

The East-West All-Star games in basketball, soccer and football take place in Greensboro this weekend, and the R&L will staff both soccer games tonight.

South Iredell's Tiffany Whiting was the first Viking to play in the girls basketball game since the mid 1980s. She didn't score, but was pretty positive afterwards. It was tough for Whiting to get her shots off, going against more athletic guards who played tight man-to-man defense the entire game. Plus, in those types of all-star games, the "headliners" typically try to hog the show.

The East, down by 18 points, roared back to win by eight last night.

Lake Norman graduate Rachel Steeb will play in the girls soccer game today at 7 p.m., and Allen Lomax - also from Lake Norman - will play in the boys game at 9 p.m.

We'll have the girls story in the paper tomorrow, and a boys game recap will be available on www.statesville.com tomorrow as well.

Bobcats forecast

2007-07-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

Signing Gerald Wallace was big on many fronts.

It ensured the Bobcats continued to get an investment on the expansion draft. The trade for Jason Richardson now officially means something - if the Bobcats traded for J-Rich and lost Wallace, the team wouldn't be better.

Perhaps most importantly, however, it showed the disgruntled and borderline paranoid Charlotte fans that Bob Johnson will indeed spend the money it takes to win.

Now the bad news? By committing more than $50 to both Richardson and Wallace, and spending $27 on Matt Carroll, Charlotte is thin up front.

Emeka Okafor is a great player, when healthy, and Sean May is a solid option at power forward. Thing is, the Bobcats will be in trouble when Okafor missed five or six games with recurring back problems, and May isn't a picture of perfect health either. With Primoz Brezec, Ryan Hollins, Othella Harrington and Jake Voskuhl as the posts on the bench (no, Walter Hermann doesn't count - he's a wing).

That's a situation worth watching, but with Raymond Felton running downcourt with Wallace on one side and Richardson on the other, the Bobcats should contend for a playoff spot.

Defense betrays Mooresville

2007-07-11T14:16:00.001-05:00

Going head to head against Rowan County, easily the best American Legion team in the Area III Southern Division, one thing the eighth-seeded Moors of Mooresville could not do was make simple mistakes.

Check out how Game 2 of the best-of-five series ended last night. Even if you don't follow American Legion ball, I think you'd be hard pressed to recall a weirder ending than this one.

A truly masterful, gutsy performance by rising junior Nick Lomascolo was indeed completely undone in the 60 seconds after he was removed. He did a great job, battling with a more experienced pitcher in Cy Young (yes, that's his name).

Anybody out there have a fond - or maybe not so fond - memory of a crazy ending to a sporting event?

Taking a stand

2007-07-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how pleased I was when I read the first part of this column.

With so many different forms of information in today's world - newspapers, blogs, radio, television, Web sites - breaking information or a juicy scoop can appear on one medium at a certain point and be accessed instantly. It's very important that everybody in this business - from ESPN on down to a 5,000-circulation weekly paper - adhere to adhere to proper journalistic standards when crediting other news outlets for information.

Kudos to San Antonio Express-News sports editor Douglas Pils for taking a stand on this issue.

I know I've harped on ESPN and larger papers a lot recently, but it is pretty distressing when radio host Colin Cowherd can do something like this and get away with it, when I would be fired for being that irresponsible.

Monday's musings

2007-07-02T19:46:00.000-05:00

A couple of quick-hit links and thoughts from the sports world.

Brevin Knight says he wasn't released from the Bobcats for monetary reasons. The release of Knight came as a mild surprise to me. He was a great true point guard, capable of spelling Raymond Felton or allowing Felton to play the two-guard for brief periods of time on the floor. His release was a strong message to Felton that the Bobcats brass wants him to be the point guard of the future - and expect more out of him this season.

In more Bobcats news, Matt Carroll says he's getting interest from three teams - including Cleveland and San Antonio. While most Bobcats fans are focused on the Gerald Wallace situation, and rightfully so, Carroll was an important player to the 'Cats last year. This situation bears watching very, very closely. The Spurs will contend for another title next year, and Cleveland has a big selling point in playing with LeBron James.

I haven't written anything about the three deaths in the Benoit family - mainly because I don't know what to say - but I thought this feature on former professional wrestler Lex Luger was very intriguing.
Here's an interesting take on Mike Hargrove's sudden resignation.

Other random thoughts: If the Chicago Cubs are really about to turn the corner, they'll win the next two series against Washington and Pittsburgh and head into the All-Star weekend (hopefully) four or five games back of Milwaukee. ... Who did the best in the NBA Draft? Hard to argue against Portland, but here's something to think about. The Blazers had six draft picks this year and had nearly the same amount last year. They can stash a few players overseas, but that's too many young players for a 12-man roster. ... My way-too-early preseason Top 10 for college football? So glad you asked ...

1. USC
2. Michigan
3. LSU
4. Texas
5. Florida
6. West Virginia
7. Virginia Tech
8. Wisconsin
9. Oklahoma
10. Ohio State

and just for fun ....

1. Appalachian State
2. Montana
3. North Dakota State
4. Northern Iowa
5. Youngstown State
6. New Hampshire
7. Massachusetts
8. James Madison
9. Cal Poly
10. Furman

What will the Bobcats do?

2007-06-27T20:34:00.000-05:00

It's down to crunch time for the Charlotte Bobcats.

We know the team is in talks with Phoenix about moving the No. 8 pick and Charlotte's best player, Gerald Wallace, is officially an unrestricted free agent.

Charlotte has the cap room to make him an offer somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million a year, and very few teams can match that. I think it will come down to whether or nor Wallace feels the team can contend for titles in the next few years.

The Bobcats ought to have a gut feeling as to whether or not Wallace will re-sign. If they don't think he will, trading the No. 8 pick just doesn't make any sense when they can draft his replacement.

As far as the trade with Phoenix, the Suns have been involved in nearly every draft trade rumor, with Shawn Marion always being mentioned. Thing is, Marion can opt out of his contract at the end of next year, which means any team trading for him would probably want to do a sign-and-trade.

The interesting thing, though, is that Marion's name hasn't been mentioned in the Charlotte trade. So what exactly would the Bobcats get? Leandro Barbosa and maybe a future pick? I don't like it.

Lots of options going on.

Obviously, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant won't be available at No. 8, and it also appears Mike Conley and Al Hortford will be taken very high. I think someone (maybe Golden State) will make a play for Yi Jianlian. So Charlotte, if it stays put, will have either Jeff Green, Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, Brandan Wright and Al Thornton. Wright's stock has been slipping, but will Charlotte draft someone that didn't even workout for the team (Wright and Green)?

Another thing to think about, the Bobcats also hold the No. 22 pick. In this deep draft, that's like an 11-15 pick most other years.

I'd love to see Arron Afflalo come across the coast. Other names that could be available: Vandy's Derrick Byars, Wisconsin's Alando Tucker, Boston College's Jared Dudley and Duke's Josh McRoberts. Let's hope for ABJ - Anybody But Josh.

Sunday's thoughts and links

2007-06-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

I hope everybody had a great weekend and is looking forward to the last week in June (I can't believe it either). Postings may be a little sporadic this week as my wife and I make the big move from an apartment in Hickory to a house in Statesville.

That's right, I am officially a home owner. Scary. My first order of business? Make sure the TV gets moved in and the cable hooked up in time for Thursday's NBA Draft.

Speaking of the draft ...

Rick Bonnell, the Bobcats beat writer at the Charlotte Observer, broke down who might be available at the No. 8 slot in Sunday's Observer.

Meanwhile, the folks over at nbadraft.net - an awesome and accurate mock draft Web site - have Charlotte tabbing Joakim Noah with the No. 8 pick.

So who should the Bobcats pick? Let's make a fairly safe assumption and say Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Brandon Wright and Al Horford won't be available at the No. 8 slot. If one of those four are available, they will certainly be the pick.

That leaves the Bobcats with a potential pool of Mike Conley, Jeff Green, Noah, Corey Brewer and maybe Yi Jianlian or Julian Wright. And hopefully not Spencer Hawes.

In terms of the best value and the most likely to still out there, I'd say Noah. While a lot of analysts and scouts feel Noah got exposed last year - and he did at times - I think he would fit in really well with Charlotte. He's the hardest working in the draft, something big for Sam Vincent, and he would have been a top-three pick in last year's draft.

Jianlian is interesting - he may go as high as No. 4. Ultimately, with Charlotte badly needing a playoff push, I think the team would go for an instant impact type of player.

Brewer would be my ideal pick - he's a great, rangy defender and would fit in wonderfully with Charlotte's style - but may not be available at No. 8. I also like Green, but he's not nearly the defender Brewer is.

In a bit of sad news, former Chicago Cubs reliever Rod Beck died on Sunday. Beck was notorious for his goofy mullet and cheesy moustache, as well as rocking his right pitching arm to intimidate opponents. I saw Beck live once in 1998 against the Colorado Rockies, which was the year he led the National League in saves. In typical Beck fashion, he struck out the first two batters of the ninth inning, then promptly gave up a single and a double before buckling down and striking out the next guy to preserve the one-run win. Beck always made it interesting, but when he had to get the final out, he always came through.

Chin coming to Carolina?

2007-06-20T14:09:00.000-05:00

Although not quite as reputable or respected as one of the large media networks, ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that former Steelers coach Bill Cowher has already been in contact with three teams about returning to coach football next season - and the Carolina Panthers are one of them.

The report is about halfway down the page, and was posted at 4:47 p.m. two days ago.

The Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins are the other two teams who have reportedly spoken with Cowher.

A couple of quick thoughts:

It's not surprising to hear that Cowher is potentially interested in coming to Carolina. There was rampant speculation he would be the next N.C. State coach after Chuck Amato was fired, and he lives in the Raleigh area. He'd be closer to his family while still working with an organization known for operating at a high level.

However, current coach John Fox is not on the hot seat. At all. He rescued a moribund franchise and took it to two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. The only way I could foresee Fox with any job security issues is if Carolina goes 6-10 this season, or worse. Even then, I still don't think he'd be fired.

I've always thought Cowher could end up in Washington, and that's incredibly dangerous for the rest of the NFC. Working the thrifty Rooney's in Pittsburgh, Cowher still routinely pumped out double-digit win teams. With the deep pockets of Dan Snyder, and a refusal to trade draft picks, he could definitely right the Redskins ship.

Father's Day

2007-06-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

Happy early Father's Day to all the daddies reading this.

I'll be out of town the next few days, but wanted to make sure you guys read this story before this weekend.

Wright Thompson's piece on the death of his father is a raw, gut-wrenching tale that he delivers fiercely and passionately.

I agree with O.J. Simpson

2007-06-14T11:34:00.000-05:00

That's right, give the title of this post a second glance - you'll never see me say that again.

I obviously have my own feelings and opinions on his wife's murder and his attempt to write the book "If I Did It," but Simpson nails it with his thoughts on select coverage and celebrity journalism issues.

Too much is made of Paris Hilton going to jail, of "reality TV" stars and which strip clubs - and types of girls - Alex Rodriguez likes.

But I don't know what's worse - that the media gives such events so much coverage, or that those stories ALWAYS get the most readers on well-respected news Web sites.

"Fixing" the NBA playoffs

2007-06-13T12:59:00.000-05:00

ESPN hoops writer John Hollinger makes an interesting argument for changing the NBA playoffs.

The folks at ESPN now make all stories "Insider" after a few days, so to summarize, Hollinger's main suggestions are to eliminate the East-West brackets and shorten all series.

He proposes to either seed the teams 1-16 based on record, or match up the No. 1 seed from the West against the No. 8 seed from the East, and set it up so that if the top seeds win, it would always be an East vs. West matchup the next round.

Instead of having best-of-seven, he proposes the first round should be a best-of-three while the remaining are all best-of-five.

He makes a valid point with shortening the series. There's just way too many days between games, the playoffs last forever and it loses the casual fan. I'm not sure how I feel about completely changing the format just because the East is a bit weaker, but for argument's sake, here is what the 2007 NBA playoffs would have looked like with this theory. Just pretend like it's one big bracket.

(1W) Dallas
(8E) Orlando

(4E) Miami
(5W) Houston

(3W) San Antonio
(6E) New Jersey

(2E) Cleveland
(7W) LA. Lakers

(1E) Detroit
(8W) Golden State

(4W) Utah
(5E) Chicago

(3E) Toronto
(6W) Denver

(2W) Phoenix
(7E) Washington

That would probably lead to the following second-round matchups: Dallas-Houston, San Antonio-Cleveland, Detroit-Utah and Denver-Phoenix.

The "semifinals" would then likely consist of: Dallas-San Antonio, and Phoenix vs. either Detroit or Utah (which would have been a great series).

These matchups look wonderfully intriguing on paper, but I wouldn't expect it to happen in the NBA any time soon.

Any Finals or playoff thoughts in general from you guys?

NCAA abuses its "power"

2007-06-11T18:12:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting - and potentially dangerous - story.

A sports writer from the Louisville Courier-Journal was removed from the pressbox for blogging during Louisville's Super Regional game against Oklahoma State.

Brian Bennett blogged from the game, providing instant analysis, opinion and facts while there with an official credential as a working member of the media.

Everybody knows that newspapers have struggled to compete with the Internet and other various forms of 24/7 news. Blogging from games is just one avenue reporters must do to maintain readers and compete in this new technological age.

Who is the NCAA to ban a blogger - from an accredited newspaper - from a pressbox?

This isn't about copyrights or broadcasting rights, it's about the NCAA attempting to rule with an iron fist over an area where it does not have authority.

I hope the Courier-Journal's attorney does follow up on this and take the matter to the courts, if need be.

The NCAA has far greater power in its minds than in reality.

Much ado about nothing

2007-06-06T19:42:00.000-05:00

Perhaps it's a bit hypocritical for me to criticize the national media. After all, I do work for a newspaper myself.

But I don't have nearly the platform some of these guys do to promote their own beliefs, and even if I did, I wouldn't turn into one of those shouting heads that dot the ESPN landscape.

There are too many figures in the national media who jump to conclusions, or feel the incessant need to provide instant, historical analysis. And I think it's hurting the average sports fan, and it's hurting the media's own image as a whole.

A few examples:

LeBron James' performance against Detroit in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals was magnificent. Really, it was.

So why can't that be enough? Why does there have to be a round table of alleged experts, who rank how great LeBron's performance was in NBA playoff history? It's 12 hours later! Performances are ultimately ranked by how they hold up over time.

So still using this example, let's say LeBron's Game 5 outburst leads the way to the 2007 NBA title, and three titles in Cleveland in the next five years. Obviously, the historical impact is great.

But if Cleveland fails to make the playoffs the next three years and LeBron bolts for a bigger market, in a purely analytical sense, all this talk may be much ado about nothing.

Another example: Indy driver Danica Patrick had a little run in with a fellow driver. That link to YouTube was the best video I could find that really got into exactly what happened.

What happened between Patrick and Dan Wheldon is just not a big deal. It's not. But again, it's the hot topic on debate-type programming where, if you disagree with a screaming reporter, your opinion is obviously inferior and wrong.

I guess it just really sort of bugs me that so much time is spent on stuff that doesn't really matter. We - the media collectively - ought to put our resources to better use.

Make up your mind

2007-06-05T19:07:00.000-05:00

Billy Donovan is just the latest head coach to agree to a new coaching gig, then suddenly change his mind.

I'm sick of it.

Donovan, who coached Florida to two consecutive national titles, is trying to get out of a five-year, $27.5 million contract he officially signed with the Orlando Magic.

Same as Dana Altman did to Arkansas, same as Gregg Marshall did to College of Charleston, although those two never officially signed any documentation.

It's ironic that these guys all coach collegiate athletes, kids really, and teach them about decision making and accountability.

Andy Katz reported that Donovan didn't meet with his team and coaches until after his press conference in Orlando, and that's when he realized he made a mistake.

He should have taken that into account in the first place. And why the rush?

Sure, Orlando probably put pressure on Donovan to make up his mind as quickly as possible so the team could have a big, splashy press conference. But there's nothing wrong with taking your time and figuring out, with 100 percent certainty, what you want to do.

If Orlando - or any other organization making a big hire - wanted you that badly, they'd wait.

Sunday's thoughts

2007-06-03T16:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. It's been quite the busy time here at the R&L, wrapping up the spring sports and figuring out All County and Player of the Year. For those not in the know, most newspapers, especially community ones, do some sort of "All County" team, a team made up of the best players in the county for each seasonal sport. This is often accompanied by a Player of the Year story, and we put a lot of time into those to make sure its something the recipient is proud of.

By the way, easiest All County team to figure out? Golf. There were a couple of debates as to who should make first team and who should make second team, but by and large, total stroke count for the year dictated not only All County, but Player of the Year.

The most difficult? Baseball. By far. Every county high school (six) nominated good, deserving players. The team had all eight fielding positions and three pitchers. Deciding on the pitchers was the toughest, comparing strikeouts to win-loss to ERA ... it was just very difficult. But I think we got them all right.

This will be sort of a quick-hit post, a few thoughts on the world of sports and a couple of links at the end.

LeBron, Cavs make Finals
I wrote in this blog that Cleveland has to find the Scottie Pippen to LeBron's Michael Jordan before it can be considered a lock to make the Conference Finals year after year after year. It's way too premature to even suggest Daniel Gibson could emerge as that secondary option, but man what a show he put on. The rookie from Texas scored 31 points in 29 minutes, and was 5-for-5 from 3-point range in the deciding Game 6.

I'd seen Gibson play at Texas, and I thought Cleveland got a bargain when management drafted him in the second round. But 31 points in the biggest game of his life? Not sure anyone counted on that.

And the most impressive thing about his performance was the way he handled himself on the court.
After draining his barrage of 3-pointers, it was Gibson's teammates who were jumping up and down the court, not Gibson. He was cool, suave and business-like, like Samuel L. Jackson in a cop movie. Again, it's way to early to say Gibson and James may be the next duo to make multiple Finals. But it's not out of the question, either.

While I'm at it, Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince laid a tremendous egg in Game 6. Billups, the leader, "Mr. Big Shot," was 3-for-7 with nine points. That was far better than Prince, who was an awful 1-for-10. Here's saying that Billups leaves town.

I really think Cleveland would be a great fit for him. He knows it's LeBron's team, but he can still play, is still a great locker room guy and would give the Cavs some more toughness.

NBA Finals
Let's all take a deep breath here. Yes, LeBron's 48-point performance in Game 5 was astounding. It was remarkable. It was (fill-in-the-blank). But let's not kid ourselves, the Spurs have a big edge in this series. San Antonio has the home-court edge, a huge advantage down low and the (much) better coach. Cleveland has been playing lights out, and obviously LeBron - in one game - became the player so many thought he could be.

The Spurs will mix up their defenses. I'd look for Bruce Bowen to guard LeBron, but he's going to get a ton of help from Manu Ginobli and others, especially when LeBron penetrates. And as Rob Horry showed against Phoenix, Steve Nash specifically, the Spurs aren't afraid to give someone a hard foul.

My best guess? Spurs win Game 1, Game 2, Game 4 and Game 6 to claim the crown.

MLB draft
OK, so no one's as big into the baseball draft as the NBA or NFL draft. But just keep an eye out for Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner is a 6-foot-5, left-handed pitcher for South Caldwell. South Caldwell's baseball team was the first thing I started covering once I graduated college. Although I've only been in the field for one year, Bumgarner is by far the best athlete I've seen. He could go in the top 15 picks.

Links
I'm going to try and remember to post a handful of links every week or so on great stories, or good videos, things of that nature.

You've probably seen this one, but this minor league manager had the best tirade I've ever seen.
My favorite part starts at about the 1:15 mark.

Here's a good, if somewhat sad read about Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood. It's written by the same guy who wrote Friday Night Lights. Good story, just tough to read as Cubs fan. Has it really been three years since Chicago was up 3-2 on Florida with Mark Prior and Kerry Wood pitching the two deciding games at Wrigley?

Finally, I saved this piece for last. This story really has nothing to do with sports, but I found it so gripping I wanted to pass it along. Make sure you set aside enough time to read it, it's quite lengthy. Regardless of what your feelings are in the war in Iraq, this piece of work is about so much more than war: it's about family and fairness, life and death, hopes and dreams, love and dedication.

A story for Jake

Bobcats tab Vincent for coach

2007-05-24T14:06:00.001-05:00

Whenever Michael Jordan is involved, you always want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Call it a respect thing, but one of the best players who ever played in the NBA knows a thing or too about basketball.

Right?

Well, maybe.

No one will argue that Michael Jordan the player was sensational.

But in a management position? He kind of stinks.

Jordan hired Doug Collins in Washington and drafted Kwame Brown with the No. 1 overall pick.

Terrible. In fact, Washington's resurgence the past couple of years came only after Jordan got canned.

Now he's hired Sam Vincent as coach of the Bobcats. It's tough to really criticize Vincent, the unknown 44-year-old who played on the same Bulls team as MJ early in his career.

But was he really more qualified to coach this team, as opposed to Paul Silas, Stan Van Gundy or Mike Fratello? What made his one-year of NBA coaching experience - an assistant at Dallas - so valuable?

It's a risky hire, no doubt. The Bobcats are talented enough to make a serious playoff push next season, and this year's two first-round draft picks are obviously pretty important.

His Airness will have to face some serious questions - especially about hiring people close to him personally - if Vincent doesn't work out.

Gabriel gone

2007-05-21T21:01:00.001-05:00

Bradley Gabriel has left, and South Iredell is in serious trouble.

Gabriel's hiring as boys basketball coach at Robert L. Patton High School was approved Monday night.

Gabriel, who coached South's girls last season, previously accepted the South Iredell coaching position in late April.

His departure - some would say defection - is a huge blow to the Vikings hoops program. With Gary Sherrill at the helm for 34 total years, turnover and turmoil in the South program has never been a problem.

Now? A big problem.

It's almost June, and South is coachless in the school's second biggest sport.

Principal David Dixon told me he'll post the job and start making some sort of plan today.

Dixon and his staff seemed to have hired a great football coach in Ed Masterton when J.K. Adkins left.

They'll need an equally big hire to offset this shocking occurrence.

Letter of the law

2007-05-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

I wish Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw weren't suspended for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio.

All knotted up 2-2 after a Game 4 win, we had a situation where two great basketball teams could conceivably play in one of those Game 7 epics.

Not to be, I guess.

Not after Steve Nash was checked into the first row by Robert Horry. You know the story. Nash gets checked, Diaw and Stoudemire advance onto the court ... series over.

You can blame a handful of people. Blame Stoudemire and Diaw if you want. Technically, if those two just didn't approach the floor, or Horry, they wouldn't have been suspended for one game.

I don't blame them. It was a cheap, hard foul that looked worse than it actually was when Nash flopped into the scorer's table like he'd just been hit by Ray Lewis. Yes, it was a hard foul. But that was a great sell by the Canadian.

Phoenix's assistant coaches deserve some of the blame. Their main job, other then to get head coach Mike D'antonio coffee in the morning, is to make sure that in a potential brawl-like situation, that nobody (OK, the star players) leave the bench. They waited until Stoudemire reacted to react themselves.

But you can't blame David Stern for this one. The rule is incredibly clear - if you leave the bench area, you'll be suspended.

It's a weirdly worded rule, but it's not a secret. Everyone knows about it.

Stern followed the letter of the law, like he should have.

Like he had to.

Early power rankings

2007-05-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

So ESPN has already created its NFL Power Rankings for the 2007 NFL season.

Way too early? Absolutely.

Pointless? At this time, yes.

So intriguing that I decided to make my own? You betcha.

Below is my way-too-early, will-almost-certainly-be-changed "power rankings" of all 32 NFL teams with a bit of analysis at the end.

1. New England
2. Indianapolis
3. Denver
4. Chicago
5. San Diego
6. Baltimore
7. New Orleans
8. Cincinnati
9. Seattle
10. Dallas
11. Carolina
12. Philadelphia
13. Pittsburgh
14. New York Jets
15. San Francisco
16. New York Giants
17. Jacksonville
18. Arizona
19. St. Louis
20. Kansas City
21. Tennessee
22. Atlanta
23. Buffalo
24. Minnesota
25. Green Bay
26. Washington
27. Houston
28. Miami
29. Detroit
30. Cleveland
31. Tampa Bay
32. Oakland

Team that might be too high: Denver (3)
I'll admit the only reason I have Denver this high is because of the Travis Henry signing. The Broncos still need a bit of help on the defensive line, but adding Henry to that rushing scheme will produce 1,500 yards and take a huge load of Jay Cutler.

Team that might be too low: Atlanta (22)
Atlanta has enough weapons to win the NFC South. Ultimately, though, I think the controversies surrounding Michael Vick, questions in the secondary and a brand new coach and scheme will spell trouble in Hot-lanta.

Team that could make the biggest jump: Miami (28)
If the Dolphins work out a deal for Trent Green, or some other solid, veteran quarterback, Miami immediately vaults into the playoff race. Adding Joey Porter to an aging defense was an OK move, not a great one. But when you have Cleo Lemon - yes, Cleo Lemon - behind center, it doesn't matter how good your skill guys are.

Team that could take the biggest fall: New Orleans (7)
New Orleans had everything go right last season. Reggie Bush slipping to the No. 2 spot. The Dolphins picking Daunte Culpepper over Drew Brees. A soft schedule. An inspiring story.
It's going to be tough to do that again. Sean Payton should find new and better ways to use Reggie Bush, but the defense is just OK and if brittle Brees goes down, the season will nosedive.

Team I really, really, really wanted to put higher: Tennessee (21)
I love Vince Young. Great leader, great skills. The problem, though, is that Tennessee didn't address its wide receiver need. If the Titans sign Keyshawn Johnson - which will probably happen if Oakland doesn't make an offer - that sort of helps, but where's the guy who can stretch the field? The loss of Adam Jones also leaves a big dent in their corners, so I couldn't justify putting them any higher, at least not yet.

Teams I'm not yet sold on: New York Jets (14), Jacksonville (17), Arizona (18), St. Louis (19)
It's hard to believe New York made the playoffs last season. Jacksonville's QB situation is a big mess, and the Cardinals always seem like that perennial sleeper team that never pans out. But one of these teams will probably make the playoffs.

The ultimate sleeper: Houston (27)
I'm not sure Houston would have offered Matt Schaub that huge deal if it knew Brady Quinn would be available. However ... the defense should be a bit better, although the safeties are pretty bad. The Texans will need good play from their veteran (read:old) linebackers. If this offensive line somehow finally comes together, with Schaub tossing it to Andre Johnson, with Ahman Green, Ron Dayne and Wali Lundy splitting carriers, with Mario Williams much more comfortable in his second season, this team could cause some problems.

Lake Norman soccer pushes forward

2007-05-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

I hadn't seen Lake Norman soccer all season before last night, but heard from other county players and coaches that the Wildcats were on a different level from everyone else

I saw the scores roll in - 12-0 win over North Iredell, 10-0 win over West Iredell - but wondered how many of those goals came not necessarily on sheer talent, but other players in awe of the Lake Norman "mystique."

Consider me sold.

Lake Norman defeated Southwest Guilford 2-0 last night in a game that wasn't even close. The Wildcats played incredible soccer for 80 full minutes.

They chased down loose balls, won matchups and dominated the Cowboys (seriously, it’s Cowboys) physically.

They’re now one of eight total teams remaining in the 3A soccer playoffs, and one of the final four in the Western Regional.

They’re three games away from winning a state championship the same year the boys’ team won a title in the fall.

And after talking to the players and coaches after the game last night, I think they have a good shot to get it.

State playoffs are out of control

2007-05-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

There's really no other way to say this: there are plenty of teams in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association playoffs that have no business being anywhere near a playoff game.

The NCHSAA expanded the playoffs this year, so there are now 64 teams in most sports. Those are divided into two 32-team brackets, one for the western part of the state, one for the eastern.

There is now a "half plus one" rule that dictates how many berths a conference gets. Take the North Piedmont Conference, one that contains five of the six Iredell County schools. Take the number of teams in that conference (8) and half it (4). Then you add one to get five playoff slots.

One additional playoff game means one more gate, and one more gate gives the NCHSAA another chance to line its pockets with its share of the proceeds.

No, the NCHSAA won't strike it rich solely because North Iredell soccer played a playoff game. But those extra games begin to add up when you consider it's for most sports, in two different brackets at four different competitive levels (1A-4A).

Take a look at the 1A West softball bracket. There are 32 teams, and the majority have losing records. Robbinsville made the wild card at 2-17. Avery County is 1-15-1. Thomasville is 1-22!

And they earned a wild card how, exactly?

Not only are the playoffs diluted, but I honestly think it's unfair to the students on those 1-22 teams.

Going 1-22 is hard to do - you have to be really bad. After a miserable season, the last thing those kids probably want to do is take a long bus ride to Polk County, knowing they are probably going to lose 16-0 in five innings.

NBA playoff thoughts

2007-05-13T21:44:00.000-05:00

I don't get to watch as much of the NBA playoffs as I'd like - working the second shift will do that to you - but here are a few of my thoughts thus far.

- Phoenix is a great team, and one that is really fun to watch. But the Suns can't beat San Antonio. They just can't. The Spurs are too good, too savvy and too physical. Most in the media, and NBA fans in general, were winding up the seasons with talks of Phoenix or Dallas winning the title. That's not too surprising, because the Spurs are the least-appreciated great team in the league.

- The All NBA teams came out last week. First team was Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant? My ballot? About the same, just replace Stoudemire with Carmelo Anthony. Anthony had a great year in Denver, but his role in a brawl against the Knicks and the acquisition of Allen Iverson may have caused some to forget his importance.

- Where have you gone, Chicago Bulls? Biggest disapointment of the second round by far.

- I know it's the Leastern Conference, but don't sleep on Detroit. Since the addition of Chris Webber, the Pistons have been on fire. They've completely decimated the aforementioned Bulls, who everyone fell in love with after beating Miami in four games. Detroit will win in five games - maybe six - and matches up well with San Antonio.

- Finally, it's still scary to think how good LeBron James can be. Everyone pretty much agreed that he was going through the motions for most of the year. Yet, an absolutely below average team without James, won 50 games and is 6-1 in the playoffs. If Cleveland can ever find the Scottie Pippen to LeBron's MJ - and it ain't Larry Hughes - James might actually stay in Cleveland for the long haul.

South softball built for future

2007-05-10T20:58:00.000-05:00

South Iredell's softball team may still reach the state playoffs this year. The Vikings play Lincolnton today at East Lincoln High School in a one-game play-in situation.

Whoever wins will likely get bounced in the opening round against the Rocky River Conference's No. 1 seed.

But regardless of whether or not South wins and makes the playoffs this year, this team has the feel of a future contender.

The Vikings honored only three seniors during Wednesday's Senior Day. That's it.

All three seniors are in the outfield, so that could present some personnel problems, but everyone else is back.

Amber Graney, who drove in the winning run against East Lincoln, and her sister Laci return. Kayla Kerley, who hit the home run that started the Viking comeback, is a sophomore.

And pitcher Kelsey Spangler, who tossed a no-hitter earlier this year, is a freshman.

It's really hard to tell what will happen in high school athletics, but that's an awful lot coming back for a program that appears to be on the brink of pushing into the upper-tier of the Southern Piedmont 1A-2A.

Hogan's heroes

2007-05-08T19:32:00.000-05:00

I usually try not to dabble into the news realm of the R&L, but the suspension of popular teacher and track coach James Hogan has really blurred that line.

Hogan - no relation to Hulk- was suspended with pay following an e-mail that questioned South Iredell's teaching mentality, among other things. For the complete run-down, click here to read Chyna Broadnax's story.

I obviously have not sat in on one of Hogan's AP English classes. One year of reading the Scarlet Letter and Moby Dick was quite enough for me.

But, I do cover South Iredell athletics, and I've seen Hogan at meets and practices.

He's a fine coach, one who was approachable and helpful in a trying year as South was forced to hold makeshift track practices during major construction renovations.

Good coaches typically make pretty good teachers. That's just the way it works. And that seems to be the case here as Hogan was voted Teacher of the Year.

So when the ever-popular Hogan was suspended, escorted from his classroom one day like some sort of transgressor, his pupils responded.

His students, both former and current, along with others in the South Iredell community attended and protested Monday night's Iredell-Statesville Board of Education meeting.

South soccer player Kendal Blackwelder told me students made Facebook.com groups, and also created and wore T-shirts to school. Some read "Where's Hogan?", while others said "Teach Kids," which was essentially the theme of Hogan's e-mail.

I read Hogan's e-mail. The whole thing. I found it insightful and inspiring.

A bunch of the students also got their hands on the e-mail. They, too, found it inspiring.

The result? A bunch of high school students - kids, really, in Hogan's own words - doing everything in their power to let it be known they did not agree with the decisions made by people in authority.

Sixteen, 17 and 18-year-old kids, doing what they could to stop what they thought was an injustice, standing up for what they felt was right.

what teaching - and learning - is all about.

South baseball bounced

2007-05-07T21:50:00.000-05:00

There will be no postseason for the South Iredell baseball squad.

North Lincoln made sure of that with a three-run first inning that put the Vikings behind the eight ball for the rest of Monday's game.

Although a tough loss, very few expected South to even force such a contest, a play-in game for the Southern Piedmont's fourth and final playoff spot.

South started the season 0-9 and lost to every county team it played.

But the Vikings really got a boost from a 25-0, five-inning win over Highland Tech. South won four of its last five conference games to force the play-in.

Credit coach Bobby Deal for righting the ship.

The Vikings have a chance - a pretty good one, I think - to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995 next season.

The biggest reason is pitcher Lane Marlowe. Marlowe came on strong at the end of the year, and he's that true ace every high school team needs.

If the Vikings can find a steady No. 2 starter, they'll win enough to make the postseason.

Playoff picture

2007-05-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

With the regular season completed in the North Piedmont 3A, and the Southern Piedmont 1A-2A season about to wrap-up, here's a look at the playoff teams representing Iredell County.

SOCCER
Lake Norman: The Wildcats are the No. 1 seed from the NPC, and they're almost certainly the county's best chance at winning a state championship in any sport. Lake Norman has only lost once this year - 3-2 to 4A power Myers Park - and will open the playoffs at home on Wednesday against T.W. Andrews.
Mooresville: The Blue Devils nabbed the No. 2 seed from the conference, and they'll also play at home on May 9.
North Iredell: The Raiders struggled at the end of the season, which bumped them down to No. 5 in the NPC. They'll have to play at Southwest Guilford, who was in the state title game last year.
South Iredell: The Vikings finished at 8-7-2 and were 6-3-1 in the conference. But with only four 2A conference schools in the SPC, the Vikings will have to wait until the wild cards are announced this weekend to see if they're in.

BASEBALL
Mooresville: The Blue Devils capped off a sensational season with a win over Northwest Cabarrus on Thursday. Mooresville is the regular-season conference champion in the NPC and will play at home the first three rounds of the playoffs, so long as the team advances that far.
Lake Norman: Lake Norman finished tied for third in the conference with Carson, but the Cougars swept the season series, knocking the Wildcats down to fourth place.
South Iredell: Left for dead after an 0-9 start, the Vikings are playing their best baseball of the season. If they win tonight and if North Lincoln loses to conference-leader West Lincoln, South will sneak into the playoffs.

SOFTBALL
West Iredell: The Warriors finished No. 3 in the NPC and will play on the road.
North Iredell: The Raiders lost two consecutive games to close the year. They're fourth in the NPC, and will have a tough opening-round game.
South Iredell: The Vikings, tied for fourth in the conference, have two games remaining next week that will determine if they get into the playoffs as a No. 4 seed.

TRACK AND FIELD
Mooresville has a legitimate chance to win the 3A regionals as a team, an enormous feat. Jamel Allison is also the defending state triple jump champion. Statesville's Jordan Daywalt will probably be the 3A champion in the pole vault. South Iredell's 4x100 team has a chance to make states as well. North Iredell, Lake Norman and West Iredell should also send a few athletes to states.

TENNIS
Statesville is one of the top 3A teams in the state, and have a real shot at a state title. Lake Norman also has three qualifiers.

The waiting game

2007-05-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

There were plenty of tears at South Iredell on Wednesday after the Vikings lost 3-1 to conference leader East Lincoln.

Tears from the seniors, who lost on Senior Night, and tears from head coach Linda Rogers who said goodbye to her five seniors that she's coached for four years.

Technically, the Vikings have one more game remaining - a tilt today against Lake Norman, which players and coaches both admitted would be a loss, resulting in an 8-7-2 overall record.

East Lincoln has already clinched the conference's lone berth, but the Vikings should get a wild card.

They deserve it, too. They've played good county 3A teams and finished second place in the conference.

Senior Night was a time to say goodbye to the elder Vikings.

But they deserve to play in the postseason.

North soccer can cause problems

2007-05-01T19:58:00.000-05:00

Forget about North Iredell's 3-0 loss to West Rowan for a minute.

Yes, the Raiders looked listless and lost against the Falcons in an incredibly important conference game.

But it was Senior Night. And for some weird reason, every game I've ever covered on Senior Night was sloppy.

The Raiders will likely get the fifth seed from the NPC, which means they'll draw the Piedmont Triad's top school in the first round of the playoffs. That's not good.

At the same time, though, this soccer team at North can cause a lot of problems.

The Raiders have speed to spare. Kayla Orner can absolutely fly, and most of her goals are in one-on-one situations where she simply beats everyone else down the field. Throw in Jana Bell on the other side and Lauren Carter in the middle, and its one of the fastest teams in the area.

Speed wins in high school sports like soccer. So if the Raiders are motivated and disciplined, they'll be a tough out for anyone in the playoffs.

Grading Carolina's 2007 draft

2007-04-29T20:25:00.000-05:00

After writing a giant blog post - and interacting with several of you readers - I think it's only fair to talk about the NFL draft just one more day.

Specifically, how the Carolina Panthers did, since that's the local team and all. Here are a few of my thoughts, and I welcome yours as well.

The good
- Trading down. The Panthers obviously had a handful of players they liked and thought would be available 11 spots lower after swapping picks with the Jets. In doing so, Carolina also picked up a second rounder and essentially swapped a sixth round pick for a fifth rounder. Carolina used the two extra picks to draft Ryan Kalil and Tim Shaw.
- The plan. Carolina came in looking to draft the best available player. Although the team didn't net a safety, the team's talent level swelled greatly.
- The second round. After a run of wide receivers, Carolina took Southern California receiver Dwayne Jarrett in the middle of the second round, after guys like Craig Davis and Sidney Rice. Using the pick from New York, the Panthers took Kalil, a center from USC. Kalil was the highest rated center in the draft, and should have gone in the first round.
- Tim Shaw. Just a great pick in the fifth round. The linebacker from Penn State is a pure football player and should be a great addition.

The bad
- Where was the safety? Carolina needed a safety more than any other position, and inexplicably didn't even draft one.

The iffy
- Jon Beason. I wasn't sure if that was a good pick or not. Panthers coach John Fox said Beason will be used at both the middle and outside linebacker spots, which is good for depth purposes, but intriguing because some feel Beason is too small for the middle. Part of me thinks Carolina really liked Brandon Meriweather or Michael Griffin. Griffin was drafted No. 19 by Tennessee, who most thought would take a receiver. But Beason does provide some much needed depth.
- Dante Rosario. Carolina drafted Rosario to be a pass-catching tight end. He can also come out of the backfield and play fullback. Guys who play two positions always worry me.

The grade
Taking absolutely everything into account, I'd give the Panthers an A-minus. This was an enormous draft fir Carolina, and as I mentioned earlier, the team brought in a ton of talent. Beason and Jarrett could see significant time next year. Defensive end Charles Johnson and Kalil should be full-time starters in a year or two. Punt returner Ryne Robinson will play immediately.

2007 NFL Draft

2007-04-26T21:47:00.000-05:00

The NFL Draft is this weekend, and I am absolutely giddy.

Other than Opening Day in baseball and the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the draft is my favorite sporting event from mid-February to August. Seriously.

It announces the arrival of football season again, after about three months off after the Super Bowl. It's such an inexact science, and that's what makes it fascinating.

One team's first rounder is another team's third. Some teams are thrilled to find the ultimate sleeper in the third round, while others consider him undraftable.

Then teams have to balance wants and needs, character issues and the strength of certain positions.

I'd love to post my complete, 32 team mock draft -at least the first round of it. But for your sanity, and mine, I'd like to offer an analysis on what I think the Carolina Panthers should do this year.

Ranked below, in order, is what I think Carolina's draft board should look like for players who might be available at No. 14.

No. 1: Patrick Willis, MLB, Ole Miss
I don't think he'll make it to Carolina - he'll go to either Buffalo or San Francisco, maybe even Detroit if the Lions trade down. But he'd be the perfect pick. He has experience going against the toughest college football teams. He's fast. He can wrap, tackle and pursue, and is an incredibly hard worker.

Perhaps most importantly, he's healthy. Given Dan Morgan's spotty history and uncertain future, this is a guy worth trading up and getting.

No. 2: LaRon Landry, S, LSU
I think Landry might be gone, too, but depending on how everything shakes out, he may slip this far. He's not quite the playmaker that Sean Taylor is, but he's pretty darn close. Some scouts think he's the best defensive player in the draft. I'm not sure he's on a Gaines Adams level, but not only is he an elite safety prospect, he fills a huge void at safety. Carolina is incredibly thin at safety, and its only reliable guy in Mike Minter will retire at the end of the season.

No. 3: Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas
I kind of went back and forth between Anderson and the No. 4 guy on my list. Anderson is a little raw, but tremendously talented. Julius Peppers is obviously going to cause havoc on his side of the line, but with Kris Jenkins' future up in the air and Mike Rucker coming off major knee surgery, Carolina needs someone to take all of the heat off Peppers. Stanley McClover is the main backup right now after the release of Al Wallace, and while I think the second-year pro out of Auburn has tremendous potential, he was a seventh round draft pick and is certainly not a proven commodity. Anderson won't have to be an every down player right away. He can be a situational player, spelling Rucker and taking a certain percentage of snaps, and be completely ready for the starting gig next season.

No. 4: Reggie Nelson, S, Florida
This is the first guy so far that will almost certainly be available when Carolina drafts. Nelson had a great season at Florida, and has remarkable range. He's not quite the playmaker Landry is, and I haven't seen him been effective in run support, but would fill a huge need. This would not be a reach, either. He's really good.

No. 5: Adam Carriker, DE/DT, Nebraska
I'm normally not one for taking guys mainly because they can play two positions, but Carriker is a solid player with an outstanding background. He's really rocketed up the depth charts, has great character, and may not even be around for this pick. In all of the mock drafts I read, some have him going as high as No. 6 while some have him slipping to late in the first round. The Panthers could use him in the same way as Anderson, grooming him to replace Rucker at the end of the season.

No. 6: Greg Olsen, TE, Miami
This would be a fringe pick. The Panthers are starved for a tight end, and have been since Wesley Walls left. Freddie Jones and Kris Mangum just didn't cut it. I don't think Olsen is in the class of Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez or even Jeremy Shockey, but he would be a very nice addition. So many teams don't need a tight end, at least in the first round, so it would be wise to trade down and get him.

No. 7: Trade down
There's no one else worth picking at this point. Ted Ginn is a very fast wide receiver - so was Skyler Green from LSU (cut by Dallas). I think Ginn is definitely a reach as a WR - his value lies in being a kick/punt returner as well. No. 14 is just too high for a return guy who could develop into a good receiver. Anthony Gozalez, the best receiver on Ohio State last year, could be available in the second round. The wide receiver class is so deep this year, that there will still be plenty of options in the second round, maybe even the third.

No outside linebacker is worth this pick. Who's the best prospect? Is it Jon Beason? Lawrence Timmons? Paul Posluszny? I love Posluszny, the Penn State prospect, but move down and get him. Outside linebacker isn't a huge need, either.

Feel free to comment below and ask any questions, or make your own predictions. I discussed the Panthers because I figured it would be the team of most interest, but we can talk about anything draft related. I'd love to get some conversations started.

After all, tomorrow is the eve of the draft, which is like Christmas Eve and the last day of school all rolled into one.

North Iredell/West Iredell softball thoughts

2007-04-24T20:52:00.000-05:00

Here are a few items and general thoughts from last night's game that didn't make it into the print edition.

In my opinion, this was probably the most contested game - in any sport - of the entire spring season. North's Hannah Stutts and West's Hannah Pennell engaged in a classic pitcher's duel in a game that went into 12 innings.

Stutts' and Pennell's numbers were eerily similar.
IP H R ER BB K
Stutts 12 6 0 0 0 13
Pennell 12 5 1 0 4 14

The only category that's not nearly identical is the number of walks, and those didn't make a difference - one of them was intentional.

Unofficially, Stutts tossed 132 pitches and Pennell tossed 173. 173! That's incredible.

Stutts went 3-for-4 at the plate with an intentional walk, and Pennell went 1-for-4.

As for the playoff picture, both teams sport identical conference records. West's overall record is better, so they own the tiebreaker. Each team has three games left, with two common opponents: West Rowan (13-4, 7-2) and Carson (7-8, 4-5). West's final game is against Northwest Cabarrus, who is second in the conference, and North will play Mooresville (seventh in the conference) on Thursday.

North catcher Leslie Payne had plenty of motivation during her final at bat, which resulted in her sacrifice fly to win the game. But perhaps the biggest factor in her mind was rest.

"I was starting to get tired, and Hannah was starting to get tired," Payne told me after the game. "I was ready for it to end."

The umpires did an excellent job managing the game. The home plate ump had a very wide strike zone, but he was consistent throughout. And the only bad call was reversed. The field umpire ruled in the top of the eighth inning that West Iredell pinch runner Brandi Lewis was out on a pickoff throw from Payne. After making the "out" call, he immediately summoned the home plate umpire to the field, where the two had about a 15 second discussion. The call was eventually changed, and it was the right call.

Statesville golf
In a side note, Statesville's Dalyn Bellingham shot a team-high 38 during Monday's North Piedmont Conference match.

That was important for the Greyhounds, as Bellingham never shot better than a 47 on the five other Monday's throughout the season. On Thursdays, however, he shot a 39 three times.

Don Imus and Virginia Tech

2007-04-22T20:53:00.000-05:00

This blog entry isn't really about sports. But that's sort of been the norm the past two weeks: sports teams, or sports settings, serving as the backdrop for far bigger stories.

Don Imus kicked this whole mess off with his classless and tasteless comment on April 4 about the Rutgers women's basketball team. It does not need to be, and will not be, reprinted here.

With Imus still in the news nearly two weeks later, Seung-Hui Cho opened fire at Virginia Tech, murdering 32 innocent people in a rash of senseless, tragic killings.

What now?

The killings at Virginia Tech really cemented my belief that we - the media and society both - put too much emphasis on things that just aren't worth the coverage and time we give them.

Look at Imus. He's an aging radio host, a shock jock who makes his money by saying stupid, degrading things. His comments toward Rutgers were the last in a long list of hastily uttered hateful barbs.

And then the questions came. Did this cross the line of free speech, as guaranteed by the First Amendment? Should Imus be fired?

The most important societal question was never asked: How, in 2007, do such viewpoints exist?

Firing Don Imus does not change anything. There's 200 Imus's out there, all ready and willing to say something controversial to get a check.

Then Cho opened fire, and suddenly, that Imus “story” just didn’t seem so important any more.

Colleges, sports teams and humanity in general wept and grieved together for the 32 victims.

And then the questions came. Was the Virginia Tech administration to blame? What was Cho’s parents’ role? How does the right to bear arms figure in to all of this?

Have you seen the video of Cho holding a gun, posing like a maniacal, self-proclaimed martyr? I will always be convinced that what happened at Virginia Tech could never have been prevented. One man, so full of rage and evil, of venom and misguidance, could not have been stopped.

So here’s the next question. How do we – or can we – make sure this never happens again?

North Iredell/Lake Norman softball thoughts

2007-04-19T20:06:00.000-05:00

Some general observations that couldn't fit into today's story:

North Iredell has some serious bats. Hannah Stutts is capable of putting one over the fence at any time, and all spots throughout the lineup are great contact hitters. But the Raiders will have to do a better job of getting their runners home when it's time for the playoffs. North stranded 12 runners on base in six innings, six in scoring position. At least one runner was left on base in every inning.

Although it didn't alter the final score in any way, Lake Norman second baseman Ashley Belsole made an incredible defensive play. With first baseman Ashley Malone inching toward the plate to field a potential bunt, North's Rebecca Burris popped a pitch well foul on the first base side. Belsole got a great jump and made an awesome diving catch deep in foul territory.

The home plate umpire was a little testy. After making a very questionable strike call (it looked way outside to me), someone from North's side of the bleachers hollered "Come on, blue!" The umpire halted the action, turned to point in the general direction of the voice and snarled "Watch it." Hey, he deserved to be heckled. His strike zone was inconsistent all game.

I wrote in my story how Stutts drove in a run while Lake Norman was trying to intentionally walk her. What I didn't mention was that during her at bat in the fifth inning, Stutts strode to the plate and batted left handed - she's not left handed, nor a switch hitter. She laughed about it after the game and said she was just "trying something different." She was intentionally walked successfully that time.

2007 Iredell County Track & Field Championships

2007-04-17T21:57:00.000-05:00

Mooresville won the boys county track meet, and it was hardly a surprise.

Loaded with exceptional distance runners, sprinters and field athletes, the Blue Devils scored 250 points. To put that in perspective, Statesville finished second with 95 and West Iredell was third with 87.5.

There are plenty of reasons why the Blue Devils won convincingly, and have won every meet they've been in this year.

Members of the 2006 cross country championship team now run distance for Mooresville. The Blue Devils also have Jamel Allison, who won a state title in the triple jump last year. He's a mortal lock to win all three jumps - long, triple and high - in the conference meets.

But the No. 1 reason for Mooresville's dominance is the middle school program. Basically, the Blue Devils have a middle school feeder - no other county school does.

That's two extra, crucial years to teach the fundamentals of the sport. And it's paying off.

You can click here to read about the Mooresville boys track team, and click here to read Brian Meadows' story on the girls event, which Mooresville also won.

Also, our R&L Game of the Week video footage is available at the top of this page.

Regan Hill and Jess Norman both took some really good pictures, available here in a slideshow.

I'll have a recap of South Iredell's performance in Thursday's R&L. The Vikings did quite well for being the only 2A school at the six-team meet.

North Iredell/Statesville soccer notes

2007-04-16T20:21:00.000-05:00

Here are a few notes from last night's game that I couldn't squeeze into my story.

North is a team that knows how to respond. Sarah Ann Waugh scored a goal 19 seconds into the game for Statesville, a high arcing shot from 20 yards away that really had no business going in. The Raiders scored two minutes later. When Statesville tied it 2-2 in the 52nd minute, North scored two goals in 90 seconds to take a 4-2 lead. While the Raiders can respond, they're going to have to shake off that Spring Break-rust against some of the upper echelon teams in the conference.

North's Ana Ramon scored late in the first half on a free kick. Ramon, with the ball a good 25 yards from the goal, drilled a high, bending shot that went into the net. Head coach Tim Watson said Ramon took advantage of the sun being in the goalie's face as well. Watson also told me Ramon has scored on 60 percent of her free kicks this year, which is just an outstanding number.

The Raiders play again on Wednesday against conference leader Lake Norman. Lake Norman is ranked No. 3 in the state for all public 3A soccer teams. After nearly defeating the Wildcats last year, North was on the receiving end of a 12-0 butt-kicking its first match with Lake Norman earlier this year. The team appears ready for another chance.

"We're all excited," Ramon said after the game. "It won't be a 12-0 loss this time. We want to at least try and tie them, hopefully beat them."

NBA Draft 2007

2007-04-16T01:30:00.000-05:00

I heard something pretty funny while flipping through the channels yesterday.

After stumbling onto Fox Sports during a news update, I watched an anchor say: "Ohio State center Greg Oden will likely enter the NBA Draft. If Oden does enter this season, he is likely a top-two pick."

Let's not kid ourselves here. Oden WILL come out early, and he WILL be selected No. 1 overall. It's not even close.

The anchor was hinting that some teams will also likely consider Texas forward Kevin Durant with the top pick.

This has nothing to do with Durant's incredible numbers his freshman season at Texas, nor his nearly flawless game. The guy can shoot, drive, post up, dribble and defend.

But he's not 7'0", and he's not the best true center to come through college in at least 25 years.

Durant is certainly more flashy than Oden, perhaps even more polished offensively. But NBA teams have always won titles by building around centers.

Let's look at some numbers.

The best center of all time, Bill Russell, won 11 rings.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who turns 60 today)? Six titles.

Wilt Chamberlain? Two titles.

Hakeem Olajuwon? Two titles.

Shaquille O'Neal? Four titles.

If you make a list of the best centers of all time, the first player you reach that never won a ring is Patrick Ewing - and his Knicks lost in the Finals to Olajuwon's Rockets.

I'm not quite sure who to compare Durant too, really.

He's definitely a Tracy McGrady/Kevin Garnett type of athlete. Combined rings for those two? Zero.

Both will be incredible pro's. But Oden will have much more jewelry when his career is over.

Stories worth telling

2007-04-12T20:34:00.000-05:00

I spent a lot of time the past two weeks working on a feature story about Miriam Lewis, a North Iredell soccer player battling cancer.

If you haven't read it yet, check out both Part one and Part two.

I've never done such a personal story. I'm grateful to Miriam for being so helpful during our hour-long interview and with the 15 follow-up e-mails.

Part of the reason this is such a compelling story is how the enormity of the situation, a high school player diagnosed with cancer, challenges and nearly takes away something so simple.

Playing soccer.

This is where I need your help.

There are all sorts of stories - tragic, heroic, heartbreaking, courageous - involving athletes in Iredell County.

Help us at the R&L find them.

Please post or e-mail me (simply click here).

In other notes:

This week's R&L Game of the Week, a baseball game between South Iredell and West Iredell, was postponed due to rain. I know it was in the 70s and sunny all day, so I'm guessing yesterday's downpour really soggied up the field.

There should be some intriguing matchups next week. North Iredell baseball will face Statesville (Tuesday) and Lake Norman (Friday) in two big North Piedmont 3A games. Friday's game against the Wildcats is particularly important in the playoff race.

North Iredell soccer will have a chance to make amends for an embarrassing 12-0 drilling at the hands Lake Norman. The two squads will meet Wednesday.

The county track meet is Tuesday at West Iredell, and it should be interesting. My best guess? Mooresville's boys and girls each take home the title.

Although this has nothing to do with sports, I found this Washington Post story to be completely fascinating. It's a long read, but well worth it.

Another season with Bonds is one too many

2007-04-08T17:53:00.000-05:00

My heart typically races when I load up ESPN's Web site and I see a red box in the top right of the screen with the words "Breaking news."

There's always a half second between reading "Breaking news" and seeing the actual headline, and it seems like my mind churns out at least 10 thoughts as to what the huge news might be.

Early last week, the big breaking news headline was "Barry Bonds hits homer No. 735."

Ugh. It's only one week into the 2007 Major League Baseball season, and I'm already sick of Bonds.

His 735th blast leaves him 21 shy of breaking Hank Aaron's all-time record. So, of course, that set off a wave of columnists making the same arguments on the same angles that have been played out for the last two years.

ESPN, as it did last year, will likely put every Bonds home run in the big "Breaking news" category. In addition, the network again is running its "Countdown to History" graphic with every Giants' score.

This is the same organization that committed a lot of time and money to a fledgling puff-piece reality show about Bonds that failed to ask any legitimate questions to the slugger.

I hope Bonds retires after this season. I'm sick of him, and the circus he creates.

Kudos, coaches

2007-04-06T00:06:00.000-05:00

Area coaches announced on Thursday that the annual county track meet will take place April 17.

A few coaches around Iredell County didn't think a county meet would happen this year, and I had my doubts as well.

When we collected schedules to print in the newspaper at the beginning of the spring season, only South had any mention of when the meet might be.

South Iredell and West Iredell are in the midst of construction on their respective tracks, forcing one of the other county schools to volunteer as the host.

That school was Lake Norman.

Although five of the six Iredell high schools are members of the North Piedmont 3A, this is the only time members of the South Iredell track team can compete against their friends at other county schools.

Kudos to the track coaches and athletic directors for finding a day - and place - to make it happen.

This weekend's headlines

2007-04-04T22:18:00.000-05:00

I'll steal an idea from R&L editor Mike Fuhrman's blog and talk to you about what I am working on for this weekend.

I'm heading down to Lake Norman on Thursday to cover a track meet between the Wildcats, North Iredell, West Iredell, Mooresville and Carson. It should be a good meet, if not pretty cold and windy.

I'm also working on a feature about Miriam Lewis, a senior soccer player over at North Iredell. That will come out on Sunday.

I'll be out of town Monday-Wednesday, but will be back Thursday to cover the South Iredell/West Iredell baseball game, which is the R&L Game of the Week.

Next week is Spring Break for all Iredell County schools, and the playoff races will really began to take shape when conference games resume April 16.

Thanks for reading, and remember: If you're having a bad day, it could be much worse. You could throw a baseball like the mayor of Cincinnati.

Mooresville/Statesville baseball thoughts

2007-04-03T21:18:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night's game between Mooresville and Statesville was a wild one, and not just because I almost caught a foul ball.

North Piedmont Conference leader Mooresville scrapped together a come-from-behind 11-10 win over the Greyhounds. Mooresville is undefeated in conference play, and the Greyhounds remained winless. You can read my story by clicking here.

The Blue Devils are the best hitting team in the county. No question. They have a ton of power and know how to get on base.

The defense was a problem, though I think that had a lot to do with Statesville's field. It was Statesville's first home game of the season, and there were some issues.

A few bald spots stood out in the outfield, and the infield was almost like a slab of concrete. One batter chopped a pitch on the dirt in front of the plate, and the ball bounced about 15 feet in the air and traveled to the shortstop. That goes right back to the pitcher in most other parks.

As for the foul ball, Statesville's Jimmy Jordan hit a screaming line drive right at me (I like to sit in the stands).

I calmly went for the smooth underhand catch, and the ball thwacked off my hand (leaving a decent-sized welt) and fell into the bleachers. I may have to break my own rule and start bringing a baseball glove to games.

Also, I'd like to comment on a situation that a few of you asked me about after the game. Unfortunately, I was up against our deadline and couldn't respond. The situation in question occurred in the second inning with Mooresville winning 4-0.

Greyhound catcher Josh Booher was on first base with no outs and Malcolm Robinson had a 3-1 count. Robinson tried to catch his swing on a breaking ball that hit the dirt. Booher thought the home umpire signaled ball four and began to trot to second base. Mooresville whipped the ball to the first baseman, who tagged out Booher.

The field umpire called him out. When Robinson and the Statesville coaches argued it was ball four, the field umpire said "No, he went around."

After a two or three minute conference, the ruling stood and Robinson struck out on the next pitch. Statesville scored one run, but could have potentially had more.

The questions posed to me were: What did you think of the call? Did that cause Statesville to lose?

I don't know if Robinson went around on his swing or not. You'd have to ask him. But, I do think the field umpire was out of line.

The home umpire called ball four and did not ask the field ump. if Robinson went around on his swing. It wasn't his call to make.

That certainly wasn't the reason for Statesville's loss, though. I would look more at the 10 runners stranded in scoring position throughout the game as a big reason.

Big week for Raiders baseball

2007-04-02T21:20:00.000-05:00

It's early April and North Iredell is in third place in the North Piedmont 3A Conference. For now.

Let's see how these Raiders do with a tough slate of games this week.

North will play at Northwest Cabarrus Tuesday in a showdown between the conference's second and third place teams. Then North plays Bunker Hill Wednesday and will play at West Rowan on Thursday. West Rowan is only a half game behind the Raiders in the standings.

Three games in three days. That's a tough stretch for a team that relies so heavily on two pitchers.

With Bunker Hill being a non-conference game, look for head coach Matthew Poole to implement a few lineup changes. Dustin Huey will likely get the rare start on the mound. Nick Stutts will almost certainly suit up as catcher for Tyler Christenberry, who has been behind the plate every single inning this year.

Christenberry and Stutts may both pitch as well. It's not that Bunker Hill isn't an important game, but North definitely needs to rest some of its regulars in this one, which is sandwiched between two huge conference tilts.

If the Raiders win both conference games, they could challenge for the division crown. Losing both would drop them dangerously close to fifth place, the cut-off spot for the playoffs.

I think the most likely scenario is that North will split the conference games and battle West Rowan, Carson and Lake Norman for spots 3-6 in the standings.