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.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The next few weeks
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.
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.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Stats from M/LN baseball
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.
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.
Monday, March 10, 2008
LN/M soccer thoughts
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Line changes a bad idea
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.
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.
Monday, February 25, 2008
State wrestling thoughts
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.
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.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Don't expect Wharton to play guard
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.
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.
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