The 2009 Carolina Basketball season was one to remember for sure. After all, when you win the national championship and by the margin that they did, you have a lot to remember and be proud of as a Tar Heel fan.
This season however, with the departures of the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington, this team has struggled to say the least. Coming into the season, the expectations were still very high considering the strong freshman class coming in coupled with returning players such as Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard and Larry Drew II.
Maybe a little too high if you ask me.
It's always hard to estimate how a team is going to do. I knew that Carolina would be good, but I wasn't exactly sure how good. I certainly wasn't expecting a title repeat by any stretch, but I also certainly wasn't expecting this.
Between injuries, youth, turnovers and just overall lack of discipline, the 2010 edition of Tar Heel basketball is just not cutting it. After Wednesday night's 13 point loss to Wake Forest leaving the Heels 1-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, many Tar Heel fans are scratching and shaking their heads in dissapointment while the 'haters' are reveling in the struggles of the Tar Heels. After all, how many chances do they get?
The season, all be it, looks a little more bleak than it did a month or so ago. But all is not entirely lost. It's time for this team to show a little growth, heart, will, pride and effort when they step out on that court. No one is going to feel sorry for them and send them condolence cards and flowers. They simply just have to step up their game and win some games for the name that is on the front on their jersey.
As I mentioned in a Facebook status last night, Carolina fans are not used to their team struggling but the good thing is that it never lasts for more than a year. That is not an excuse for this year's team, merely a sentiment to chew on.
I know, you know, everyone knows, that Carolina will be back, whether they decide to do it this year or next year, the University of North Carolina Tar Heel Basketball program is too proud a program not to return to dominance.
After all, isn't that the way it's supposed to be?
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Looking Back
A couple of months later, the good vibe that the Rowan County American Legion baseball team created for the area is still radiating.
The team's annual banquet was held Monday night and everyone involved from the players themselves to the people who followed the team religiously were there to celebrate a historic season.
I personally followed this team to Greenville, Sumter and Fargo and it was an experience that I will not soon forget. Seeing everyone back together again brought back many memories from this past summer. Bob Lowman, who served as team manager, recounted many memorable moments from the season which started all the way back on May 19 in a game with Randolph County.
Lowman recalled Alex Litaker's one inning pitched against Las Vegas, Nev. that he called one of the most clutch pitching performance's he's ever seen a Rowan pitcher pitch. Litaker of course got out of a bases loaded, no out jam with Rowan's season seeming dwindling away. Litaker got the three outs he needed and the rest they say is history.
Lowman also recounted Jon Crucitti's miraculous catch against Alabama in the regional title game. He said it might rank third on the all-time best catches list for Rowan Legion players. Lowman also mentioned the fact that every player on this year's team made a big contribution to the success of the team and that these guys just wanted to keep on playing.
Between the reminicising, eating, hugging, picture-taking and congratulating, Rowan players receieved some jewelry that they had all been waiting on for a couple months. The rings will be a valuable memento later on in life as they recall that special summer of 2009.
Some of the same players will return next summer to create more lasting memories. So who knows, maybe next year at this time we'll be talking about a World Series trip to Spokane, Wash.
Hey, anything can happen.
The team's annual banquet was held Monday night and everyone involved from the players themselves to the people who followed the team religiously were there to celebrate a historic season.
I personally followed this team to Greenville, Sumter and Fargo and it was an experience that I will not soon forget. Seeing everyone back together again brought back many memories from this past summer. Bob Lowman, who served as team manager, recounted many memorable moments from the season which started all the way back on May 19 in a game with Randolph County.
Lowman recalled Alex Litaker's one inning pitched against Las Vegas, Nev. that he called one of the most clutch pitching performance's he's ever seen a Rowan pitcher pitch. Litaker of course got out of a bases loaded, no out jam with Rowan's season seeming dwindling away. Litaker got the three outs he needed and the rest they say is history.
Lowman also recounted Jon Crucitti's miraculous catch against Alabama in the regional title game. He said it might rank third on the all-time best catches list for Rowan Legion players. Lowman also mentioned the fact that every player on this year's team made a big contribution to the success of the team and that these guys just wanted to keep on playing.
Between the reminicising, eating, hugging, picture-taking and congratulating, Rowan players receieved some jewelry that they had all been waiting on for a couple months. The rings will be a valuable memento later on in life as they recall that special summer of 2009.
Some of the same players will return next summer to create more lasting memories. So who knows, maybe next year at this time we'll be talking about a World Series trip to Spokane, Wash.
Hey, anything can happen.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
This is it
This can’t be it, can it? I’m graduating from college in three weeks! I wonder how I ever made it to this point in my life? It seems like I was just entering high school as a freshman and now I’m a senior in college at Appalachian State University and soon to be an alumnus.
I remember my first day at App. I was nervous to start classes at a four-year university. I knew the course load would be heavier than what I had become accustomed to at the community college, so I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect. As soon as I got here, I got to jump right into my major (Journalism), and start classes in the communication department.
I never thought I would end up at App. My brother graduated from here in 2004, so I was familiar with the school and Boone. I had known since high school that I wanted to get into the risky career of Journalism, and I’ve had several people try and sway my decision to stay with Journalism when the job outlook looks so bleak.
But I will never regret sticking to my guns and pursuing my dream of becoming a journalist. Although it definitely hasn’t been an easy road, I truly have enjoyed every minute of my time at App and in the Comm. Department, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else.
I feel that the Comm. Department prepares students very adequately for what lies ahead and that we get pushed harder than anywhere else. The professors in the Comm. Department should be commended for this, although it does become very stressful, they are professionals and they know what it takes to succeed out there in the ‘real world’. So I say to all you younger Comm. Majors, enjoy every article you write, design you create, ad club meeting you attend, interviews, public relations events, etc. Join clubs and get involved, write for the Appalachian, talk to professors, seek advice, attend job fairs, and just get out there and do as much as you possibly are able.
But seriously, enjoy your time here, because it will go by insanely fast and you will be out there trying to find a job before you know it. When you get out there, represent Appalachian State University and be proud to know you received the best education at the best school.
I want to offer some tips of some things I wish I knew when I entered the Comm. Department.
> Talk to some of your older peers, don’t be afraid to ask them questions of what classes to take, they can provide you with a lot of beneficial knowledge.
> Don’t skip class! I know most of you won’t follow that rule, and neither do I, but seriously, it really doesn’t benefit you to lay out of class just because you don’t feel like going that day.
> Don’t put off assignments. As much of a procrastinator as I am, I have learned that if you just go ahead and get something done, you will be very glad in the end and your grade will show for it.
> Don’t be afraid to speak to professors, coming to a smaller school such as App, the class sizes aren’t as large and professors genuinely care about you and they want you to succeed!
> Take the time to have fun! Get out there and make friends in the Comm. Department, ask each other questions, form study groups, and ‘communicate’!
Best of luck to all and Go Apps!
“Journalism is literature in a hurry.” -Matthew Arnold
I remember my first day at App. I was nervous to start classes at a four-year university. I knew the course load would be heavier than what I had become accustomed to at the community college, so I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect. As soon as I got here, I got to jump right into my major (Journalism), and start classes in the communication department.
I never thought I would end up at App. My brother graduated from here in 2004, so I was familiar with the school and Boone. I had known since high school that I wanted to get into the risky career of Journalism, and I’ve had several people try and sway my decision to stay with Journalism when the job outlook looks so bleak.
But I will never regret sticking to my guns and pursuing my dream of becoming a journalist. Although it definitely hasn’t been an easy road, I truly have enjoyed every minute of my time at App and in the Comm. Department, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else.
I feel that the Comm. Department prepares students very adequately for what lies ahead and that we get pushed harder than anywhere else. The professors in the Comm. Department should be commended for this, although it does become very stressful, they are professionals and they know what it takes to succeed out there in the ‘real world’. So I say to all you younger Comm. Majors, enjoy every article you write, design you create, ad club meeting you attend, interviews, public relations events, etc. Join clubs and get involved, write for the Appalachian, talk to professors, seek advice, attend job fairs, and just get out there and do as much as you possibly are able.
But seriously, enjoy your time here, because it will go by insanely fast and you will be out there trying to find a job before you know it. When you get out there, represent Appalachian State University and be proud to know you received the best education at the best school.
I want to offer some tips of some things I wish I knew when I entered the Comm. Department.
> Talk to some of your older peers, don’t be afraid to ask them questions of what classes to take, they can provide you with a lot of beneficial knowledge.
> Don’t skip class! I know most of you won’t follow that rule, and neither do I, but seriously, it really doesn’t benefit you to lay out of class just because you don’t feel like going that day.
> Don’t put off assignments. As much of a procrastinator as I am, I have learned that if you just go ahead and get something done, you will be very glad in the end and your grade will show for it.
> Don’t be afraid to speak to professors, coming to a smaller school such as App, the class sizes aren’t as large and professors genuinely care about you and they want you to succeed!
> Take the time to have fun! Get out there and make friends in the Comm. Department, ask each other questions, form study groups, and ‘communicate’!
Best of luck to all and Go Apps!
“Journalism is literature in a hurry.” -Matthew Arnold
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Bridge Day: Same place, new memories
Every year, without fail for the past 18 years or so, a group of roughly the same people have made the annual trek to West Virginia for the annual Bridge Day festival that marks the completion of the New River Gorge Bridge.
Usually, just a handful of people actually camped, while others stayed in a motel room. But now, only a handful of people stay in motel rooms or cabins. The rest actually camp out in West Virginia's Wild and Wonderful wilderness.
The weather can be a little unpredictable. We've had all kinds of weather, usually the weather is good one year and bad the next. This year's weather wasn't the best to say the least, but if the company is good, which it always is, the weather is obsolete.
The company is precisely the reason that we come back every year. We don't come back to see the base jumpers, or the vendors, or the weather, or even the beautiful nature that surrounds us.
The people that come back every year genuinely enjoy each others' company, and for some, it's like a reunion. This past year, I got to see some old friends in which I hadn't seen in a couple years.
We laugh, eat, drink, hike, sit around a warm fire, sleep in tents and did I mention that we eat? Yeah we eat way too good to be in the woods.
I've had people ask me several times, why do ya'll keep going back year after year, and the answer is simply the company. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to go with and I can't wait till next mid-October.
Zoomie....Zoomie 1 1
Usually, just a handful of people actually camped, while others stayed in a motel room. But now, only a handful of people stay in motel rooms or cabins. The rest actually camp out in West Virginia's Wild and Wonderful wilderness.
The weather can be a little unpredictable. We've had all kinds of weather, usually the weather is good one year and bad the next. This year's weather wasn't the best to say the least, but if the company is good, which it always is, the weather is obsolete.
The company is precisely the reason that we come back every year. We don't come back to see the base jumpers, or the vendors, or the weather, or even the beautiful nature that surrounds us.
The people that come back every year genuinely enjoy each others' company, and for some, it's like a reunion. This past year, I got to see some old friends in which I hadn't seen in a couple years.
We laugh, eat, drink, hike, sit around a warm fire, sleep in tents and did I mention that we eat? Yeah we eat way too good to be in the woods.
I've had people ask me several times, why do ya'll keep going back year after year, and the answer is simply the company. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to go with and I can't wait till next mid-October.
Zoomie....Zoomie 1 1
Monday, September 7, 2009
Oh so close
After falling behind East Carolina 17-0 and trailing 27-7 at the half, Appalachian State's football team could have rolled over like a helpless dog and took the severe beating that many ECU and ASU fans thought might happen after that forgetful first quarter.
ASU had other plans, that included almost coming back to win the game behind freshman quarterback Travaris Cadet. With star QB Armanti Edwards sidelined after a lawnmower accident this summer, Cadet did his best Edward's impersonation nearly leading his Mountaineers to a unbelievable comeback win.
With ASU trailing 29-21, Cortez Gilbert intercepted a Patrick Pinkney pass at the 33 yard line and returned it to the 49 yard line. Cadet led the black and gold to the ECU 22, but had to settle for a Jason Vitaris 43-yard fieldgoal that cut ECU's lead to 29-24 with 3:24 left to go.
ASU got the ball back after a huge three-and-out and moved the ball to midfield, but a sack on first-and-10 forced Cadet to spike the ball on the next down. After an eight yard strike to Blake Elder, ASU faced a fourth-and-10 and Cadet's pass to CoCo Hillary was just out of reach ending what looked like to be a miraculous comeback by the Apps.
ASU showed their worth Saturday to many who didn't believe the Mountaineers could hold their own with the so called 'big boys' of college football. ASU is poised to have another great season which could enventually lead to a 4th national championship title in five years for the school.
ASU had other plans, that included almost coming back to win the game behind freshman quarterback Travaris Cadet. With star QB Armanti Edwards sidelined after a lawnmower accident this summer, Cadet did his best Edward's impersonation nearly leading his Mountaineers to a unbelievable comeback win.
With ASU trailing 29-21, Cortez Gilbert intercepted a Patrick Pinkney pass at the 33 yard line and returned it to the 49 yard line. Cadet led the black and gold to the ECU 22, but had to settle for a Jason Vitaris 43-yard fieldgoal that cut ECU's lead to 29-24 with 3:24 left to go.
ASU got the ball back after a huge three-and-out and moved the ball to midfield, but a sack on first-and-10 forced Cadet to spike the ball on the next down. After an eight yard strike to Blake Elder, ASU faced a fourth-and-10 and Cadet's pass to CoCo Hillary was just out of reach ending what looked like to be a miraculous comeback by the Apps.
ASU showed their worth Saturday to many who didn't believe the Mountaineers could hold their own with the so called 'big boys' of college football. ASU is poised to have another great season which could enventually lead to a 4th national championship title in five years for the school.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thanks for the memories guys
Well, that’s it. After falling behind 12-0 to Midland (Mich), most of Rowan Legion’s fans had given up on their team, heads pointed toward the ground, already thinking about heading home tomorrow and reminiscing on a magical season. I mean could you really blame us for thinking this was the end of the road for our guys?
Turns out in the end, it essentially was, but after an eight run inning, those heads started to turn upwards and Rowan fans began to think, can they really do this?
Unfortunately for our guys, they came up one run short, stranding the tying run at second base, ending a season that no one who was a part of this cardiac bunch, will not soon forget.
This T-E-A-M brought passion, desire and a will to win that cannot be matched.
Other Rowan teams may have had more talent than this year’s bunch, but that desire and want-to is something that you have to have in order to make it this far.
The 2009 American Legion World Series will have to be completed without those Rowan boys, disappointing to say the least. I know all of Rowan County seemed to latch on to what was going on in Fargo, ND the past couple of days and I know the team appreciates the support.
So it’s back to Salisbury now, for us and for the team. I know a big crowd will be waiting on the Rowan team when they get off that bus at Catawba College.
It’s always sad when the season ends. You’re around the same people for two months and you form friendships and share your life with those same people, and then it has to come to an end. People have to go back to school, parents go back to work, and people go back to their non-American Legion baseball lives, in which they have come accustomed to.
You get used to it after a while, and then one day, maybe in the dead of winter, you think of those people, and those awesome players, and you’ll remember that awesome ride they took you on in that summer of 2009.
I’d say that’s a nice memory to live on.
Turns out in the end, it essentially was, but after an eight run inning, those heads started to turn upwards and Rowan fans began to think, can they really do this?
Unfortunately for our guys, they came up one run short, stranding the tying run at second base, ending a season that no one who was a part of this cardiac bunch, will not soon forget.
This T-E-A-M brought passion, desire and a will to win that cannot be matched.
Other Rowan teams may have had more talent than this year’s bunch, but that desire and want-to is something that you have to have in order to make it this far.
The 2009 American Legion World Series will have to be completed without those Rowan boys, disappointing to say the least. I know all of Rowan County seemed to latch on to what was going on in Fargo, ND the past couple of days and I know the team appreciates the support.
So it’s back to Salisbury now, for us and for the team. I know a big crowd will be waiting on the Rowan team when they get off that bus at Catawba College.
It’s always sad when the season ends. You’re around the same people for two months and you form friendships and share your life with those same people, and then it has to come to an end. People have to go back to school, parents go back to work, and people go back to their non-American Legion baseball lives, in which they have come accustomed to.
You get used to it after a while, and then one day, maybe in the dead of winter, you think of those people, and those awesome players, and you’ll remember that awesome ride they took you on in that summer of 2009.
I’d say that’s a nice memory to live on.
Drew Sechler column: Legion team just finds a way
These boys just keep finding a way to blow your mind. Of course I'm speaking of Rowan Legion's recent big win against the defending champions from Las Vegas. This Rowan County team just keeps finding a way to do it.
With the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the seventh for Las Vegas, things looked pretty grim for Rowan's chances. But somehow, Alex Litaker got out of it and gave his teammates a chance to score some runs, which they did, and somehow got three outs to secure a huge win in the Legion World Series.
Many fans, like me, said afterwards that they couldn't take too much more of this (referring to the closeness and intensity of the games), but we're all just so happy that our hometown boys are still in it.
It really is hard to fathom how momentous an occasion this is. The fact that Rowan is guaranteed at least a fourth- place finish in the entire nation is mind-blowing.
Before the game I said to someone, "Rowan County vs. Las Vegas, that just sounds funny, doesn't it?" She replied that it was just a name, and she was right.
So folks, stay tuned, stay excited, and keep on pulling hard for your Rowan County boys. They might just find a way to surprise you.
With the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the seventh for Las Vegas, things looked pretty grim for Rowan's chances. But somehow, Alex Litaker got out of it and gave his teammates a chance to score some runs, which they did, and somehow got three outs to secure a huge win in the Legion World Series.
Many fans, like me, said afterwards that they couldn't take too much more of this (referring to the closeness and intensity of the games), but we're all just so happy that our hometown boys are still in it.
It really is hard to fathom how momentous an occasion this is. The fact that Rowan is guaranteed at least a fourth- place finish in the entire nation is mind-blowing.
Before the game I said to someone, "Rowan County vs. Las Vegas, that just sounds funny, doesn't it?" She replied that it was just a name, and she was right.
So folks, stay tuned, stay excited, and keep on pulling hard for your Rowan County boys. They might just find a way to surprise you.
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