2C
SPORTS/tEiie Clartotte
Thursday, March 4, 2004
Panthers re-sign WR Smith, DE Wallace
Continued from page 1C
Rams in double overtime in
the playoffs and a 39-yard
touchdown catch against the
Patriots in the Super Bowl.
“Steve came out and
exploded in the second half
of the season and became
one of the top receivers in the
league,” Panthers general
manager Marty Hurney
said.
He also returned punts
and worked part-time on
kickoff returns last year.
Smith said his next goal is
to make sure he lives up to
his new contract.
“I want to be considered a
productive player and not
just a one-hit wonder,” he
said. “I think I’ve had three
pretty good seasons here and
I want to add on six more.”
Wallace, who had 38 tack
les, five sacks, nine quarter
back pressures and two
interceptions last season,
was content to re-sign with
Carolina instead of exploring
the free agent market even
though he will again backup
Julius Peppers and Mike
Rucker.
“At this stage in my career
being somewhere where I’m
wanted and appreciated is a
big deal for me,” Wallace
said. “I feel like I fit in here.”
Humey said the Panthers
would look to extend quar
terback Jake Delhomme’s
contract in the next couple of
months after the free agent
market calms down.
The team was also trying
to re-sign guard Jeno James,
tight end Kris Mangum, cor-
nerback Reggie Howard,
safety Deon Grant and line
backer Greg Favors before
Wednesday, before they
became unrestricted free
agents.
Ten things I love about sports include Paul Silas’ honesty
Continued from page 1C
until June, and it will be years before the
Bobcats are competitive. But simply knowing
that this will he the last winter in the Queen
City without pro basketball is comforting.
3) I love that St. Joseph’s still is undefeat
ed. For one, St. Joe’s (26-0 at press time) is
making college football’s Bowl Championship
Series, which only rewards “major” teams and
keeps so-called mid-majors from competing
for national titles, look even sillier. The moral
to the story: Small schools really can play
with the big boys, if they get a chance to com
pete between the lines in a tournament - and
away from the computers.
(2) I love that the CIAA Tbumament still is
one of the best things going. I went to the
tournament this year figuring things had fall
en off a little. It was just the opposite. The
celebrities still walk among the fans as if
they’re old classmates. The basketball is still
exciting. And the tournament still tries to
empower people. Awesome.
(1) I love that former Hornets coach Paul
Silas had the strength to admit he’s a recov
ering alcoholic.
Recently, reporters asked Silas if he had
interest in signing ex-Celtic Vin Baker, who
was waived because of well-documented
drinking problems. Silas shocked people, say
ing he drank heavily as a player, from 1964-
1980.
“After every game, there was beer in the
locker room,” Silas told reporters, I’d have
five or six beers before I left the locker room.”
There was no reason to admit it, especially
since Silas had moved on and privately built
on his classy reputation in recent years. But
this was the best way of letting Baker - and
other alcoholics - know they aren’t alone and
that they can overcome.
That’s impact.
E-mail columnist C. lemal Horton at seejemal-
write@aol.com
With Lewis out, it’s heavyweight time
By Tim Dahlberg
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE PHOTO
With Lennox Lewis retired from boxing, the next heavy
weight champion will likely come from a crowded field of
hopefuls.
With Lennox Lewis gone,
it’s suddenly a good time to
be a heavyweight.
Promoter Don King’s
planned , announcement
Tuesday of two titl^ fights
means all three major titles
will be in play in April, along
with most of the top heavy
weight contenders and pre
tenders.
The best of the fights may
be the one saved for last,
when Vitali Klitschko and
Corrie Sanders meet April
24 for the WBC title that
Lewis gave up when he
retired last month rather
than fight Klitschko in a
rematch.
Klitschko’s brother,
Wladimir, will fight two
weeks earlier, and IBF
champion Chris Byrd and
WBA champion John Ruiz
will defend their titles in
between on a card at
Madison Square Garden.
About the only heavy
weights not fighting are old
sters George Foreman and
Lany Holmes, though both
say they want back in the
ring, too.
The winner of the
Khtschko-Sanders fight will
likely be considered the true
heavyweight champion,
though those in the Ruiz and
Byrd camps will argue that
their fighters should be
given proper due.
King isn’t doing Ruiz and
Byrd any favors by matching
them in what could be two
ugly fights on an April 17
card at Madison Square
Garden.
Byrd will fight disgraced
heavyweight Andrew Golota,
now on the comeback trail,
while Ruiz will defend his
title against Fres Oquendo,
who will be getting his sec
ond straight title shot after
losing to Byrd last
September. *
Ruiz became the WBA
champion again only after
Roy Jones Jr., who beat him
last March, decided to move
back down to light heavy
weight.
With Lewis gone, most of
the excitement in the heavy
weight ranks surrounds
Klitschko, who was beating
Lewis last June on all three
scorecards before he was
stopped because of bad cuts
after the sixth round.
The 6-foot-6 Ukrainian,
who now lives in Los
Angeles, wiU not only have
another shot at the WBC
title against Sanders, but
also get a chance to pay
Sanders back for knocking
out his brother a year ago in
a major upset to win the
fnnge WBO title.
Tlie two will meet at the
MGM Grand Hotel on April
24.
Two weeks earlier,
Wladimir Klitschko will
fight Lamon Brewster for
the WBO title at the
Mandalay Bay hotel-casino
in Las Vegas.
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