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SPORTS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1996
Skill, not emotion test for Bulls
PHOTO/JASON LAWS
Johnson C. Smith guard Terrence Willoughby tries to dribble
past Mlllersville’s Terry Howse in the Bulls’ 6^3 win.
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOrrE POST
The key to Johnson C.
Smith’s basketball success will
be playing above the heart.
Smi^ opened its season with
an 89-59 loss to Claflin last
week, then came from behind
to beat Millersville (Pa.) 64-63.
With 11 freshmen and sopho
mores on the team, experience
sometimes gives way to mis
takes.
“We’re playing such an emo
tional ball game right now,”
Smith coach Steve Joyner
said. “A lot of that emotionali
ty is due to inexperience. We’re
afredd to do certain things.
we’re afreud to look at certain
options. It’s not clear to us
what we’re trying to do.”
Joyner, who has one of the
CIAA’s youngest teams, said
he didn’t know what to expect
until the Bulls starting play
ing more established oppo
nents. Against Claflin, Smith
looked lost on both ends of the
floor.
“We came out selfish,” said
freshman guard Marcus
Wright. “We were individuals.”
A game later. Smith was a
different team, especially in
the Bulls’ spirited comeback
from a 16-point deficit.
“We haven’t been able to
accomplish that in practice, so
we had to go into a game situ
ation and do
it,” Joyner
said. “I was
kind of
pleased to see
the ball move
a little better
on offense,
the guys find
some options
in terms of
wyiivi . -
sconng, and 1
was pleased to see the defense
improve.”
Smith expects productive
seasons from Ahmed Evans,
Wesley Tubbs and Alex
Orioles say
adios to
Bonilla and
Murray
By Ed Schuyler
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE Bobby
Bonilla and Eddie Murray
won’t be offered salary arbitra
tion by the Baltimore Orioles,
making the two eligible for
free agency.
Baltimore did offer arbitra
tion to reliever Jesse Orosco,
equivalent to signing the left
hander to a one-year contract.
Kevin Malone, the team’s
assistant general manager,
also said catcher Mark Parent
won’t be offered arbitration.
' “Right now, our focus is on
pitching and we think we can
upgrade our pitching and add
a quality starter or two,”
Malone said.
With the collapse of the pro
posed labor deal, the four play
ers were covered by the
restriction against repeat free
agency in a five-year span, and
could file for free agency only if
Baltimore failed to offer arbi
tration by Saturday’s midnight
deadUne.
Malone said the club was
interested in re-signing
Murray and had offered
Parent a minor league con
tract, which he rejected.
“We would like Eddie back
and Mark, we would like to
bring back in the minor
leagues,” Malone said. “Bobby
Bo, in some ways we would
like to have him back, and in
other ways we would like to go
in a different direction.”
Malone said the San
Francisco Giants, the Florida
Marlins and the Chicago Cubs
were interested in Bonilla.
“With our offense, it looks
like Bobby might not be back,”
he said.
The Orioles wanted to pur
sue some marquee pitchers
such as John Smoltz of the
Atlanta Braves, Roger
Clemens of the Boston Red Sox
and Jaime Navarro of the
Chicago Cubs, Malone said.
“Two of those three have
been with their respective
clubs a long time, in all proba
bility they will return to those
clubs,” Malone said. “But if
; they make a tough decision to
leave, we would like to be in a
strong position.”
Bonilla batted .287 with 28
homers and 116 RBIs last sea
son. Murray, acquired from
Cleveland on July 21, hit .257
with 10 homers and 34 RBIs in
64 games with the Orioles.
Orosco was 3-1 with a 3.40
ERA in 66 games last season.
“We are very pleased to know
that Jesse will once again be
an integral part of our bullpen
in 1997,” general manager Pat
Gillick said. “His durability
coupled with his veteran lead
ership is a benefit to any club
that plans on vying for a chmn-
pionship.”
Tiger In Winter
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
GREENSBORO - College
football has taken Eddie
Robinson to a lot of places,
but never has he gotten this
kind of reception.
Robinson, the legendary
Grambling State coach and
all-time career wins leader,
choked back tears of grati
tude last week after his
Tigers lost to N.C. A&T 17-
12. As he nears the end of his
56th season as Tigers coach
and what may be his last
appearance in the Carolinas,
Robinson was touched by the
way fans here showered him
Despite setbacks, Robinson
upbeat about football future
PHOTO/JASON UWS
Grambling coach Eddie Robinson, college football’s all-time leader In wins (center) Is suffering through a 3-7 season, but he’s
upbeat about the future. He plans to return for a 57th season in 1997
them came by to say some
thing,” Robinson said. “From
the man on the street to the
kids, they extend their
hands,” his voice cracking.
“When you’re ending 56
years. I’ve never had this
happen. I’ve had some other
honors, but today it was like
the top of the mountain that
Dr. King talked about. I
guess every profession has a
top, but I didn’t expect to be
recevied (like this).”
“This is something. I don’t
know how long I’m going to
live, but I’ll always remem
ber this. I wish I could bun
dle it up and take it home
with affection.
“I guess I’ve never been to a
town and a school like this,”
he said. “I’m humbled. 'The
people. I just never thought
Eddie Robinson was that
important to anybody.”
In many respects, Robinson
is black coDege football. He’s
the last link to the game’s
legendary past when black
schools had the cream of the
crop in terms of African
American athletes. After 405
wins, 156 losses and 15 ties
in towns as small as Itta
Bena, Miss, to international
cities like Tokyo and New
York, it doesn’t matter that
Grambling is 3-7 and imder
NCAA investigation for acad
emic and recruiting viola
tions. All of Greensboro, it
seemed, wanted to say
thanks for helping put the
black college game on the
map.
“It goes beyond (football).
The people, the kids, the
players and every one of
See ROBINSON on page 9B
Thompson, heavy contributors
from last season’s squad. But
some of the younger players
improved their performance,
notably Wright, who scored 11
points, including the winning
free throws with no time left
against MiUersville.
“I knew I could drain them. I
felt it the whole game. I looked
at my coach and I was like
yeah, yeah. I felt it.”
Coming through in the clutch
cem not only boost the Bulls’
confidence, but Wright’s,
Joyner said. Despite a toe
iiyury and his inexperience, he
made the most important
See SMITH on page 9B
Oilers
next for
Panthers
By Joe Macenka
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Now that they’ve demon
strated winning on the road
isn’t necessarily a fluke, the
Carolina Panthers’ next trick
will be to try to do it against a
winning team.
Sunday’s 20-10 victory over
the St. Louis Rams was just
the Panthers’ second triumph
on the road this season. The
other one came against the
New Saints. The Rams and
Saints have a combined record
of 5-17.
Carolina (7-4) will likely find
the going a little rougher when
it plays two of its next three
games on the road. First up is
a game Sunday at Houston (6-
5), and after the Panthers
come home next week to play
Tampa Bay (3-8), they go back
on the road to face NFC West
leading San Francisco (8-3).
“Houston’s the one right
ahead, and it’s going to be real
ly important to us,” linebacker
Sam Mills said. “You’d be sur
prised how important it is to
go one game at a time. It’s just
like the fighter who’s prepar
ing for the big fight next year,
but he overlooks the fight at
hand, and now he doesn’t even
get an opportunity at the big
fight because he’s no longer
the champion.”
Sunda/s victory was just the
Panthers’ second in six road
games this season, and it
strengthened their bid to
make the playoffs, something
that’s never been done by a
second-year NFL expansion
team.
“We kind of have to leave
that up to you guys to write
about and our fans to read
about,” Mills told reporters
Monday at Ericsson Stadium.
“But the people in this faciUty,
if we get hung up on that, it
can cost us. That’s why we just
talk about the game at hand.”
But that doesn’t mean the
Panthers aren’t keeping tabs
on their competition. For
example, coach Dom Capers
See PANTHERS on page 9B
Charlotte academy prepares
youth for hoxing and life
By Clarence Thomas Jr.
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
The Charlotte Boxing
Academy is poHshing gems in
the gym.
Ned Pollock, executive direc
tor of the academy, is a long
time boxing enthusiast. His
desire to see amateur boxing
revitalized in Charlotte
prompted him and others to
open the academy in 1993.
TTiey settled on a spot next to
the Johnston Mill Apartments
on 36th Street.
The academy serves as an
alternative outlet for mostly
inner-city boys between the
ages of 10 and 21. Pollock said
that boxing can be an invalu
able medium in teaching the
young men.
“We want to teach them the
sport and other things they’ll
need in life,” he said.
Respecting their parents,
teachers and others, and car
rying themselves in a
respectable manner are all
part of the academy’s mission,
according to Pollock. “Theyve
foimd a sport that they like,
See BOXING on page 9B
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS III
Jason Campbell Is one of the youngsters learning boxing at the academy.