Prep
Kinston 34, Farmville Central 8
Erwin Triton 42, North Lenoir 14
Topsail 24, South Lenoir 20
Tarboro 28, Greene Central 14
Southampton, Va. 34, Parrott Academy 32
College
UNC
Wake Forest
Michigan State
Texas A&M
Colorado
NFL
Dallas
Washington
Minnesota
New England
Baltimore
HUGE update for our UNC-ECU ticket silent auction — I now have three pairs of tickets to Saturday night’s game; the current bid is $100 for a pair (they’re valued at $120).
As I said Wednesday, the money raised by these tickets is going to go towards helping a needy family at Christmas. It’s a project we do every year in conjunction with the Salvation Army.
SO — get your bid in! You have until 2 p.m.! Email me at bhanks@freedomenc.com or leave a comment with this post.
From ECU’s Sports Media Information Director:
EAST CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA TO CONTINUE FOOTBALL SERIES THROUGH 2013
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina and North Carolina have agreed to a two-year home-and-home football series in 2012 and 2013 according to a joint announcement by both institutions Thursday.
The Pirates and Tar Heels, who will also meet at 8 p.m. Saturday at ECU’s sold-out Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, will continue a series that began in 1972 and currently spans 13 games. The new agreement includes a visit to Kenan Stadium on Sept. 22, 2012 before UNC returns to Greenville on Sept. 28, 2013.
“It remains important for us to maintain ties to our regional rivals and continuing our football relationship with North Carolina certainly is in line with that,” East Carolina Director of Athletics Terry Holland said. “The anticipation and excitement make this a tough ticket in both stadiums and creates interest throughout the region.”
Saturday’s contest will mark the third-straight year the two programs have met, but the first at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium since the Pirates’ 34-31 victory in 2007.
My take: Outstanding news for both institutions and programs. With ECU perhaps on the verge of joining the Big East, this has been a big news week for Pirate Nation.
CARDINALS, RAYS EARN MLB’S WILD CARD BERTHS
Thanks to massive meltdowns by the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays won the National League and American League wildcards, respectively.
The MLB playoffs begin tomorrow with Tampa Bay at Texas and Detroit at the N.Y. Yankees; Saturday’s NL postseason starts with Arizona at Milwaukee and St. Louis at Philadelphia.
My take: There are some who are claiming last night was one of the best in MLB history. I wouldn’t disagree with them.
While it was a pretty big surprise the Red Sox faded the way they did, I wasn’t that shocked at Atlanta. Boston was expected by virtually everyone to win the AL and even the World Series, while many didn’t even have Atlanta going to the playoffs.
But to lose out the way both did — squandering huge leads in the wild card race in the final few weeks of the regular season and collapsing in the 162nd game of their seasons – has left bad tastes in their fans’ mouths.
Don’t believe me? Check out Twitter — which almost exploded last night when the Cardinals and Rays clinched.
I know one thing — there are a lot of Braves and Red Sox fans who had a tough time getting up this morning and facing a world in which their teams blew chances to be in the postseason.
PERDUE WAS JOKING? MAYBE?
N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue is taking a lot of heat from all over the nation for her comments that the U.S. Congress should suspend elections for a couple of years so members could concentrate more on helping folks instead of seeking reelection.
My take: For someone already facing a tough reelection cycle herself — against former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory again — this was poor timing on her part.
Did she mean it? I think there was probably a kernel of truth there, but I don’t think she wants to stop the political process like many Republicans would lead you to believe. As always, politicans on BOTH sides of the aisle will try to bend something to fit their agenda — and that’s what is happening here.
REYES TAKES EASY WAY OUT TO BATTING TITLE
N.Y. Mets shortstop Jose Reyes won the National League batting title yesterday when he bunt-singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning — and then pulled himself from the game to protect his (at that time) 2-point lead. It worked, too, as Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun was 0-for-4 to finish 5 back from Reyes.
My take: Disgusting. As good as last night was (as seen above), this is the reason some folks can’t stand professional baseball — for selfish wusses like Reyes.
Instead of winning the title like a man, Reyes disrespected the memory of true athletes like Ted Williams, who won the batting title in 1941 – just before he headed off to fight for our country in WWII — by going 6-for-8 in a doubleheader on the final day of the season. Williams could’ve sat out the games and finished with a .400 average but he wouldn’t settle for that.
HOLLY MADISON INSURES HER ASSETS
Some “reality” “star” named Holly Madison has insured her bosoms for $1 million. Or should the “bosom” be singular? I can never remember.
My take: Nope, I’d never heard of her, either — but here’s a look at her and her million dollar boobies:
Click on the photo for a better view.
The iPod shuffle
Another Day In Paradise — Phil Collins
Nightswimming — R.E.M.
Baby Be Mine — Michael Jackson
Nellyville — Nelly
Fight For All The Wrong Reasons — Nickelback
Gotta admit: I like it when the guy/gal who has the best week jumps to first place overall — and it happened last week when Lee was the only one to turn in a 12-3 week and is now in first place overall.
He leads Jackson (11-4 last week) by one game, three-time blog pick ‘em champ JWade (11-4) by three games and me (11-4) by four games. There is a crazy nine-way tie for fifth place, five games out of first place.
Lee was one of only two players (Randy Capps was the other) to finish undefeated in college; his only misses were C.B. Aycock over North Lenoir and Parrott Academy over Raleigh St. David’s in prep along with Tampa Bay over Atlanta in the NFL.
Nine of us — Deep Run Dynasty, Horns, Eastern, Jacque Strappe, John Q. Awesome, Smokin’ Aces, B, Jagshouse and I — were undefeated in preps while only one — Trumpeting Penguin — was perfect in the NFL.
The toughest game of the week was the Tampa win over Atlanta in which only five players — Trumpeting Penguin, Taplie Coile, Jackson, Ryan Herman and I — got it right.
As alway, a big thank-you to the love of my life, The Hot Blonde, for helping me with the standings. Any mistakes here are mine, not hers.
Rank (LW) OA record Last weeek
1. (T1) Lee 55-20 (.733) 12-3 (.800)
2. (T1) Jackson 54-21 (.720) 11-4 (.733)
3. (T4) JWade 52-23 (.693) 11-4 (.733)
4. (T6) Hanks 51-24 (.680) 11-4 (.733)
T5. (T6) BealeStBuc 50-25 (.667) 10-5 (.667)
T5. (T6) BehindTheCounter 50-25 (.667) 10-5 (.667)
T5. (T11) Deep Run Dynasty 50-25 (.667) 11-4 (.733)
T5. (T6) Eastern 50-25 (.667) 10-5 (.667)
T5. (T11) Heelatious 50-25 (.667) 11-4 (.733)
T5. (T6) Ryan Herman 50-25 (.667) 10-5 (.667)
T5. (T1) Jourbet 50-25 (.667) 7-8 (.467)
T5. (T4) The Kid 50-25 (.667) 9-6 (.600)
T5. (T11) PeteyPablo 50-25 (.667) 11-4 (.733)
T14. (T15) B 48-27 (.640) 10-5 (.667)
T14. (T17) JacqueStrappe 48-27 (.640) 11-4 (.733)
T14. (T15) Jagshouse 48-27 (.633) 10-5 (.667)
T17. (T17) Smokin’ Aces 47-28 (.627) 10-5 (.667)
T17. (T11) Jeff Howard 47-28 (.627) 8-7 (.533)
T19. (T21) ECPirates11 46-29 (.613) 10-5 (.667)
T19. (T17) RouseHouse 46-29 (.613) 9-6 (.600)
T21. (T17) Canyoureadthis 45-30 (.600) 8-7 (.533)
T21. (T23) Horns 45-30 (.600) 10-5 (.667)
23. (T26) John Q Awesome 44-31 (.587) 10-5 (.667)
T24. (T23) Comet65 43-32 (.573) 8-7 (.533)
T24. (T26) Blake H. 43-32 (.573) 9-6 (.600)
T24. (T21) Shandsp 43-32 (.573) 7-8 (.467)
T24. (T23) TrumpetingPenguin 43-32 (.573) 8-7 (.533)
28. (31) Randy Capps 42-18 (.700) 11-4 (.733)
29. (T29) RJarman 42-33 (.560) 10-5 (.667)
30. (T29) Sealgirl 40-35 (.533) 8-7 (.533)
31. (T32) Taplie Coile 38-22 (.633) 10-5 (.667)
32. (T32) Kelly Rouse 37-23 (.617) 9-6 (.600)
33. (28) CCPirate 33-21 (.611) —–
34. (34) Patriotflash 28-17 (.622) 11-4 (.733)
35. (35) JDog 12-3 (.800) —–
T36. (T36) Deep Run Pirate 10-5 (.667) —–
T36. (T36) Wimpy57 10-5 (.667) —–
38. (38) Richard Clark 9-6 (.600) —–
39. (39) Lesboulez 7-8 (.467) —–
We did this a few weeks back and made $100 for our Christmas family … so here we go again — I have two tickets to Saturday’s 8 p.m. football game between UNC and ECU at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville.
I’ll start the silent auction bidding at $80 for the $120 tickets — email me at bhanks@freedomenc.com and we’ll go from there. I’ll post updates for the prices here on this thread. The money raised will go to help a needy family at Christmas.
Here’s some added treats — whoever wins the bidding (which closes at 2 p.m. on Friday) will receive a pair of Free Press coffee mugs, a Free Press umbrella and will get to sit beside The Free Press’ very own Justin “The Kid” Hill, a UNC alum who will personally make sure this game is one you will never forget.
So — get on it and get your bids to me ASAP!
7:30 p.m.: There is a $100 bid! Get yours in!
Prep
Kinston at Farmville Central
Erwin Triton at North Lenoir
Topsail at South Lenoir
Greene Central at Tarboro
Parrott Academy at Southampton, Va.
College
UNC at ECU
Wake Forest at Boston College
Michigan State at Ohio State
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
Washington State at Colorado
NFL
Detroit at Dallas
Washington at St. Louis
Minnesota at Kansas City
New England at Oakland
N.Y. Jets at Baltimore
ANDY ROONEY RETIRING FROM ’60 MINUTES’
Longtime pseudo-columnist Andy Rooney is retiring his segment, which always airs last, from “60 Minutes.”
My take: Admittedly, I haven’t watched “60 Minutes” in more than a decade, but I always liked his dry wit and common sense. In fact, I like to refer to Jon Dawson as the Andy Rooney of The Free Press newsroom. OK, I’ve never actually said that, but it could be true.
IPHONE5 ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT WEEK
The announcement of the next round of the best smartphone on the market — the iPhone — will be made next Tuesday. Here’s a good round-up of all the rumors.
My take: I’ve owned two of the past three versions — the 3G and the 4 — but it’s probably going to be a few months before I grab the 5. However, if you want to see one, be sure to visit TACC-9 owner Clark Tutt — he always gets the newest one when they hit the shelves.
I’m not sure there’s going to be a huge rush this time around, though — the only significant addition is the A5 processor, the same one used in the iPad2. I’ll stick with my 4 for a minute and see what the fuss is all about.
FINAL DAY OF MLB SEASON — TWO TIED WILD CARD RACES
Today is the last day of MLB’s regular season — but the wild card races in each league is tied. The Atlanta Braves — who host Philadelphia at 7:10 p.m. today — and the St. Louis Cardinals — who play at Houston at 8:05 — are tied for the National League wildcard. If both are tied after today’s games, they’ll have a one-game playoff tomorrow at 8:07 p.m. in St. Louis.
The Boston Red Sox — who play at Baltimore at 7:05 p.m. today — and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays — who host the N.Y. Yankees at 7:10 p.m. — are tied for the American League wildcard. If both are tied after today’s games, they’ll have a one-game playoff at 4:07 p.m. tomorrow at the Rays’ home.
The iPod shuffle
Waiting On A Friend — The Rolling Stones
Boom — The Bloodhound Gang
Black And Yellow — Wiz Khalifa
Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Club Mix) — U2
Dancing In The Street — Van Halen
P.S.: Here’s the video from yesterday’s WNCT piece on our Catch A Criminal feature:
Thanks again to Tony Rawlings and the folks from WNCT for getting this information out there so we can clean up our streets!
Some odds and ends for your perusal this afternoon:
KINSTON RECORDS 10TH HOMICIDE OF 2011
A 54-year-old man lost his life Saturday night in what is believed to be another gang killing in east Kinston. Norris Cobb was the 10th victim of homicide in our city in 2011.
My take: We had had a brief respite from the killings for a month or so, but crime seems to have picked back up in the past couple of weeks. It’s time for the KDPS to get back out there on point — these kinds of senseless murders are going to literally kill Kinston.
NANCY GRACE HAS A WARDROBE MALFUNCTION
Everybody’s Most Hated Quasi-newswoman — Headline News’ Nancy Grace — jiggled the top of herself out of her dress on “Dancing With The Stars” last night.
My take: I’m not going to stoop to linking to a photo of the “incident” – although there are a million out there and they’re hardly PG-13.
But I’ll say this: it’s made me not want to have lunch today. So, there’s that.
GODLESS COWBOYS DEFEAT GOD-FEARING REDSKINS
Wrapping up a perfectly terrible sports weekend for yours truly, my Washington Redskins lost to Richard Clark’s Dallas Cowboys last night, 18-16. It ended a weekend in which my Cavahoos somehow, someway lost to the pride of Conference USA Southern Miss, 30-24.
My take: Geez. Go ahead, Cowboy Nation (include Will the Thrill) — take your shots now, ’cause when you bring your sorry team to D.C., you’re walking away with a loss.
Hopefully.
The iPod shuffle
All Summer Long — The Beach Boys
Next Contestant — Nickelback
Turn Off The Light — Nelly Furtado
Walking On The Moon — The Police
Time To Get Ill — Beastie Boys
