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OCT .- 9 2006
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SPORTS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2006
jAM'-Ss;
JOpSONC. SMITH UNiVERSiTY
■HARLOTTE, north CAROLINA 28216
Panthers’receivers adept at giving
By Herbert L. White
herb.wh/fe@thechar(o fteposf.com
The Carolina Panthers held
their collective breaths when
New Orleans linebacker
Scott Pujita crashed into
Steve Smith’s legs Sunday
So did Smith - for a few anx
ious moments.
The Panthers receiver
dutched his lower left leg in
the first half of Carolina’s 21-
Bobcats
eager for
fresh
start
By Erica Singleton
- -FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
The Charlotte Bobcats are
looking to maintain their
health and consistency
Expectations are up for the
Bobcats in their third season
with the addition of first-
round draft, choice Adam
Morrison and the return of
forwards Sean May and
Emeka Okafbr firom injury
As a team, Charlotte needs to
develop chemistry, starting
this week at training camp in
Wilmington
“First of all we’ve got to sus
tain the way we play and I
think we’ve got to get a little
more consistent in our skills,”
coach Bemie Bickerstaff said.
“I think we have to improve
defensively, as a basketball
team, and we’ve got to
improve our reboxmding, but
we’re not afraid to reach out
and.-.compete. So I think we
shoxild improve as a basket
ball team, and that’s the goal,
to get betto’.”
After havir^ to lead the
team night in and night out,
some nights with only seven
players able to play, Gxiard
Raymond Felton is more spe
cific about where he thinks
the team will be at the end of
the regular season, his pre
diction is that the team will
make the playoffs; the same
prediction he made last year.
‘We have a lot of great talent.
I think this season is going to
be a great season, you know
Sean is back, Emeka’s back,
we’ve got a healthy Gerald
Wallace,” Felton said.
“We stay healthy, I can see
us in the fifth or sixth slot in
the Eastern Conference. You
know that’s how confident I
am in my team..-that’s the
talent that we have here.”
Felton’s predictions as team
spokesman don’t disturb
Bickerstaff As a matter of
fact, he’s aU for it.
“That’s why we drafted
those types of guys,”
Bickerstaff said. “Guys who
have been in the winning
environment, guys who want
to win.”
Please see B0BCATS/2C
PHOTO/CURTIS WILSON
Charlotte Bobcats forward
Sean May poses for photos
during the team's media
day Monday.
18 win at Bank of Arnica
Stadium before hobbling to
the sideline. He sat out a few
plays, but came back to finish
with 10 catches for 87 yards
and a touchdown to help
hand New Orleans its first
loss of the season.
“I ran a little pivot route
and the next thing I know, I
kind of feU or whatever,”
Smith said. ‘Tt kind of scared
me a little bit but that’s foot
ball- I’m healthy. Pm fine and
that’s all that matters.”
It does for the Panthers,
who started the season 0-2
while Smith battled ham
string fesues. When he went
down against the Saints, an
impatient hush feU upon the
73,392 in attendance, won
dering if Carolina’s best offen
sive player would get up.
Once Smith was up, he and
Fujita cleared the air about
the play in which Fujita hit
Smith on a pass that wasn’t
throw his way
‘1 don’t know what I did,”
said Smith, who also missed
all the preseason with
strained hamstrings. “I didn’t
say anything to him. He apol
ogized. I didn’t take it person-
See WIDEOUTS/2C
PHOTO/WADE NASH
After going 0-2 without Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith,
file Panthers are now 2-0.
o©oi
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON
Johnson C. Smith linebacker Ed Wilson (52) is one of three Golden Bulls linebackers atop the
CIAA in tackles. JCSU’s switch to the 3-4 defense has allowed the linebackers to flourish during
the Bulls' 4-1 start
The enforcers
Linebackers, scheme beef up J.C. Smith defense
By Herbert L. White
fierb.whffe@thechartotteposf.com
Fred WUliams and Ed
TOlson are always in the mid
dle of everything.
Johnson C. Smith’s lineback
ers are first and second in
Division fl in tackles, evidence
, that the Golden BuUs’ switch
to a 3-4 defense is paying divi
dends. Despite missing a game
each, Williams has 56 tackles
for the 4-1 BuUs; TOlson has
53. Outside linebacker Omar
BizzeU isn’t far behind with 46.
‘Tve got to give props to the
D-hne,” said
Williams the
SAM, or strong-
side linebacker.
“They take on
blocks so I can
do more roam
ing so I can get
to the baU. I feel
like I’m the 12th
man.”
Williams 6-1, 215-poimd
junior, initiaUy had reserva
tions about the 3-4 after play-
Williams
ir^ a traditional 4-3 scheme.
He became a believer in the
season opener when he led
Smith with 15 tackles against
Edward Waters to snap a
school-record 24-game losing
streak.
“It convinced me in the first
game,” he said.' “
Wilson, a 5-11, 230-pound
senior who plays inside, was
eager to make the switch.
The 3-4, requires inside line
backers to be stout run defend-
See J.C. SMITH/2C
“Wejust meet at the ball. ”
J.C. Smith linebacker Ed Wilson
Goodbye to
an era, heUo
to baseball’s
good times
Longtime stalwarts gone
after topsy-turvy season
By Tim Dahlberg
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A season ends with goodbyes to one basebaU
great and one great basebaU guy And, no,
unfortunately neither is Barry Bonds.
Frank Robinson hit 586 home runs, was an
MVP in both leagues, and won the hiple crown
one year. Then he made basebaU history by
becoming the first black manager when he was
hired to lead the Cleveland Indians 31 years
ago.
Robinson never had the success in the dugout
that he had on Ihe field, but you had to feel for
this proud HaU of Famer when he had tears in
his eyes after being told that, at age 71, his ser
vices would no lor^r be required by the
Washington Nationals.
Across the coimtry Felipe Alou was getting
ready to leave, too. Thdays fans know him bet
ter as the father of Moises, but Alou was one of
three brothers - Fehpe, Matty and Jesus - who
aU played in the majors. Alou had a steady 17-
year career and another 14 as a manager, the
last four with a job no one his age should have
- coddling Bonds in San Francisco.
The game goes on. But it wUl be pooi'er with
out both.
Baseball, meanwhile, is apparently stUl
stuck with Bonds after a season that included;
• A renaissance in Detroit, where the Tigers
Please see SEASON/3C
Media’s job is
facts, not PR
I don’t know Driadonna
Roland, but I coiUd kiss her - fig
uratively speakir^ of course.
Roland is a journalist on the
staff of The Famuan, the student
newspaper of Florida A&M
University Two weeks ago,
Roland and another reporter
broke the story about the FAMU
Marching 100 getting caught
stealii^ from a hotel during
their stay for the Detroit
FootbaU Classic. Band members reportedly
were stopped fix)m boarding the bus while
their belongings were searched by hotel offi
cials. After recovering most of the “souvenirs,”
the hotel management decided not to press
See MEDIA’S/3C
POINT AFTER
Nothing certain
for Independence
CARDIAC PATS: Who would’ve thought
Independence High would be this good at
^/Hj^puUing out close games? Better
i^J^yet, who’d figure
^the Patriots
would be in so
many of them?
Jki ^ - Last week’s 20-
[^^14 win over
^^^rovidence
^extended
Independence’s
winning streak
^to a nation’s
■best 98, but it
. *is creating a small cottage
•^industry Folks who have Htfle
more than a passing interest in
high school baU are going to
games on the chance that IheyTl actually lose a
game. Either way the Patriots are great box
office, to use a show-biz teiiu.
Can they make it to 100 wins? Victim 99 is all
See COUGARS/3C
n
Herbert L.
White