3C
SPORTS^e Oarlatte $o«t
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Stephen A.’s empire
Continued from page 1C
Inquire colimms on his Blackberry, as he sits
in the ESPN studios during commercial
breaks. That’s a man who’s dedicated, not some
guy who’s doing just enou^ to get by, as far too
many of my sports-writing brethren often do.
Sports Illustrated reported recently that die
37-year-old Smith makes more than $800,000
a year from his various jobs. And while it’s
imderstandable to wonder whether Smith
actually is worth the money, you had best
believe he’ll work hard enou^ to earn every
penny In addition, he’s one of the best sports
journalists I know. Scratch that. He’s one of the
best journalists I know, which is what got him
on ESPN in the first place.
It’s funny though. In the sports journalism
industry, a lot of people don’t like Steve. His
nickname among much of the mainstream
media is “Screamin’A.” Smith. Which is ridicu
lous, since Smith doesn’t come close to b«ing
the loudest or most obnoxious sportswriter on
TV Ever heard of Mike Lupica of the New York
Daily News? Or Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe?
Both are older, whiter and more explosive than
Smith. Still, we’ve yet to hear such offensive
nicknames for those men.
But that’s just part of the deal in diis busi
ness, if not this country
Nonetheless, Steve’s equipped to handle it.
No, we won’t always agree with what he does
on his TV show. Heck, I’ll go ahead and admit
that I think the show’s one-hour time span is
too long. But m keep watching. He can carry
this torch.
Tb Steve, I say, “Keep screamin’.”
Tb the naysayers, I say, ‘Keep your yappin’.”
This empire definiMy strikes back.
E-mail C. Jemal Horton at seejemalwrite@aolx’om.
Preseason answers questions
Continued from 1C
it down a couple of notches.
Free-agent pickup Mike
Wahle is the major acquisi
tion, while Travelle Wharton
is emerging as a productive,
if not ground-breaking tack
le. Jeff Mitchell and Jordan
Gross are the anchors.
• Are there enough run
ning backs? The Panthers
are proceeding as planned
without Stephen Davis, who
is recovering from knee
surgery DeShaun Foster is
the starter for the time
being, but he’ll likely be
spelled by a committee led
by second-round draft pick
Eric Shelton. Don’t forget
Nick Goings, who filled in
capably for Davis and Fost^,
and Rod Smart, the third-
string back in 2004 who
went down with a knee
injmy
From
pros to
pee-
wees,
your
source
for
sports
tlflje
Cljarlottc
^osit
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Urban
4
The 12th Annual
Urban League Guild Golf Tournament
The plush Verdict Ridge Golf & Country Club in Denver, NC on September 19th. An
exciting day of golf, fun and fellowship. The day will begin with registration at 10:30 AM.
A shotgun start at 12:00 noon for an upwards of 120 players. Included in the day’s events
Hole-in-One, Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Bloomin’ Onion and “Beat the Pro.’’. A
cart lunch will be provided, as well as a steak dinner from Outback Steakhousc, followed
by an awards ceremony and door prizes!
Be a tournament sponsor, your tea deductible sponsorship(s) and gift(s)-(less the value of
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By taking advantage of one or more of the sponsoring opportunities, you will he helping
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munity. This is a combination that is hard to beat!
Any questions call
Gene Buccelli at the Urban League at
704-373-2256, ext. 214
or
Sarah Bisland Biggers
at ext. 205.
r
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