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http://www.thecharlott0post.com c Section (Cliarlotte SPORTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8. 2005 Business 8C Hand Heisman over to Reggie It’s pretty amazing how so many Heisman Trophy can didates have been manufac tured and force-fed down our throats this college football season. One week, a college football “expert” for a national televi sion show is yapping to us about how Notre Dame’s much-improved quarterback, Brady Quinn, has played himself into Heisman “con- tention.” Another week, someone is try ing to convince us that Ifexas quarterback \^ce Young •actually is a Heisman C. Jemal Horton Trophy “favorite.” Please. Cut the melodramatics, guys. We all know that only one man REALLY is a Heisman TVophy candidate this year; Southern California tailback and kick returner Reggie Bush; those other players are just trying to win a free trip to New York City to give him pats on the back when he’s announced the winner. Look, if anybody other than Bush wins the Heisman when the award is presented Saturday, then they should just stop giving the trophy Don’t talk to me about how Bush and his teammate Matt Leinart - who did actually win the award last year - could hurt each other by split ting the vote. Don’t talk to me about Bush playing on the West Coast, while most of the college football woiid focuses on the East Coast. And defi nitely don’t talk to me about how Bush had a supposed advantage over other Heisman candidates because opposing defenses had to focus on other fi^akishly tal ented use players besides Bush. Neither argument holds water. Bush is having the most dominating college football season Pve seen since Barry Sanders in 1988. And no player ever has made it look easier. All the ballots are in. If Bush doesn’t win Saturday, it will be the most egregious Heisman iiyustice since 1956, when Paul Homung won and Jim Brown finished FIFTH in the balloting. At any rate, here are the top four players I see compet ing for SECOND place: 1. Young; Any other year, See JUSJySC PHOTOS/CURTIS WILSON Carolina Panthers Ricky Manning, Dante Wesley and Julius Peppers celebrate after Manning’s interception in Carolina’s 24-6 win over Atlanta Sunday in Charlotte. Sirice 2002, Carolina is 11-3 in December. Win or go home December can propel - or sink - playoff aspirations By David Dawson WE CUARimiT. FOST December football separates contends finm pretenders. Since 2002 under head coach John Fox, the Carolina Panthers are 11-3 in December. After a 24-6 win over NFC South rival Atlanta, Carolina has a one game lead on Tampa Bay Buccaneers tugging at their heels. W^th a fired up defense, the team played and will continue to play with the playoff men tality, win or go home. Some Panth^s feel that the playoffs have already started. “We are going to get ready for Tampa this week, cause all of these games are like playoff type games for us now because the NFC is so ti^t,” said comerback Ken Lucas. “So we can't take any games for granted.” Safety Marlon McCree, who racked up seven tackles against the Falcons, agrees. ‘Tb us this is the playoffs. From here on out we are in the playoffs. We have one con ference and three divisional games and we can’t afford to See DECEMBER/2C Lucas Season of change and challenge in HBCU football By Herbert L. White herb.whUeffi. thecharlotupostjcom For the first time, Chaiiotte ushered out the black college football season, and what a sea son it was. Worth cheering. There was lots of good, like the ascension of N.C. Central to the top of the CIAA for the first time since 1980, and St. Augustine’s becoming the first CIAA school tq be ranked first in a regional poll evo*. Willard Bailey proved that good coaching stands for something, taking St. Paul’s to instant respect in its first season of varsity ball since 1982. Perhaps the best thing is the overall improvement of CIAA program.^, long a stepchild of Hack college football. Not only did St. Aug’s Central and St. Paul’s produce break out campaigns. Bowie State was more than representative at the Pioneer Bowl before los- PHOTOS:URTIS WILSON Tuskegee receiver Calvin Russell pulls in a pass as Bowie State’s Byron Anderson defends in the Pioneer Bowl Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Tuskegee won 28-26. ing to Tiiskegee 28-26. After so many years of being an afterthou^t to hoops, CIAA football is finally showing signs of life at the top. • Boos dues: There can be no good without bad Johnson C. Smith tops that list, going winless for the second straight season and losers of a school-record 24 strai^t. No one should’ve expected an overnight change in the SeeBLACKy2C oi Brightest stars add luster to baseball classic By Mike Fitzpatrick WE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS - Rc^er Clemens, Derdc Jeter and Barry Bonds plan to play for the United States in the World Baseball Classic, while Alex Rodriguez is still deciding which country he wants to repre sent. Mike Piazza (Italy), Andruw Jones (the Netheiiands) and Pedro Martinez (Dominican Republic) are also among the 177 major leaguers who have agreed to partidpate in the inaugural, 16-nation tournament next March 3-20. ' “This is going to be the most important interna tional baseball ev«it ever staged,” Megor League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said on Monday during a news conference at the winter meetings to announce the latest details. “I think this is going to take the whole intema- See CLEMENS/3C / Lutz 49iirs Anally Anding range Charlotte four-game win streak a matter of improved shooting By James Hamlin FOR WE ClIARIDni: POST In their first eight games the Charlotte 49ers have experienced plenty fix)m offensive filtration in their three game losing streak to dutch play at home and on the road in confidence building wins. The 49ers’ rocky 1-3 start had many wondering why the 49ers were picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 this season. Head coach Bobby Lutz says, “in the three loss es we where just really, really unable to shoot tile ball.” In those three games Charlotte shot 27.9 percent fixim the field, including 18.4 percent of three-pointers. Those figures would keep any coach up all ni^t looking for answers, but Charlotte has experienced more suc cess, winning aU four and improving its shooting to 40.5 percent fiom the field and 37.6 percent fiom long dis tance. While those numb«:s aren’t impressive, they do represent a dra matic improvement. “Fortunately our best basketball is in fiunt of us because it seems when we’re shooting well fiom the perime ter we’re not shooting well fiom the inside and when we’re shooting well fium the inside we’re not shooting well fium the perimeter,” says Lutz. That lack of balance has hurt the early numbers of senior forward, Curtis Withers who has seen more than one defender hounding him at the offensive end. “If we get balance on our team it’s going to force opponents to decide how they’re going to play us. And I think Curt will individually See CHARLOTTE/2C Shaq drops in on last place Lakers By Beth Harris WEASSOCIAIED PRESS LOS ANGELES - Shaquille OTJeal dropped in on the last-place Lakers, soaked up a standing ovation, and split before his former team eked out a win over the Charlotte Bobcats. If he had stuck around, O’Neal would have seen Kobe Bryant make two free throws with 7 seconds remaining for a 99-98 victory Sunday night. O’Neal created a stir when he strode to his courtside seat during a timeout late in the sec ond quarter. The quiet crowd suddenly erupt ed when O’Neal’s smil ing face was shown on the overhead screen. “I didn’t see him, but I heard the noise and wondered what was going on,” coach Phil Jackson said "It was great he came by” O’Neal was in town ahead of Miami’s game against the Chppers on Monday night. He is stiU recovering fium a sprained ankle and left at half time. At first, Bryant said he hadn’t spot ted ONeal, with whom he shared a tenuous relationship during their years in Los Angeles. TKen he admit ted he had, but said the big man’s presence had “zero” effect on the Lakers. Bryant’s 9-for-30 shooting didn’t help matters, but he made 11 of 12 fi:ee throws and finished with 29 points. O’Neal
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