3C
SPORTSAT^e Cdarlotte $o«t
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wade’s Worlds: Super sub for USA basketball
Continued from page 1C
sub role as the games grew
tougher.
The Americans were in seri
ous trouble only once during
pool play when they trailed
Italy by 12 points early in the
second half When the U.S.
took the floor for the third
quarter down 45-36, Wade
was out there with the
starters instead of sitting
with the reserves.
Wade finished with 26
points on lO-of-13 shooting,
and his penetration helped
Anthony who scored an
American-record 35 as the
U.S. rallied for a 94-85 victo-
ry
“We were down at halftime,
we said, “Look D-Wade, get
back out there,’” Anthony
said. “And we came back out
there and we turned it
arormd.”
Krzyzewski said after prac
tice Saturday that Wade
would play ‘‘significant min
utes,” and his two-team rota
tion wouldn’t be used for the
elimination rounds.
But Wade, a bag of ice on
his right wrist aftei- a hard
fall against Italy, ■ wouldn’t
say when he would make his
first appearance on the court.
“I don’t know if I’m going to
start or come off the bench,
but that’ll be a decision that
me and Coach will make,”
Wade said. “Right now we’ve
been making the right deci
sions with me coming off If
that continues, Tm fine with
it. If not, Tm fine with getting
in the starting hneup. So
we’ll see.”
Wade sat out the final game
of group play an easy victory
over Senegal, and played only
21 minutes a game in his four
appearances. He surely wel
comed the extra rest after he
spent the spring leading the
Miami Heat to the NBA
championship.
But the Americans need
him now - however they •
decide to use him
The U.S. got off to slow
starts during almost every
game in the first round, but
was able to overcome them
because of an abundance of
talent and depth.
They may not have that
luxury as the field continues
to shrink, so Krzyzewski will
have to decide on Wade as a
starter or reserve.
“I think he was being a good
team guy and saying, ‘Look,
you don’t have to start me, I’ll
come off the bench,”’
Krzyzewski said. “He’ll do
whatever you want him to do.
He’s a champion.”
Cubs manager feels he’s ‘sometimes’ wanted in Chieago
Continued from page 1C
job, who’s this and that, and
that leads to ‘sometimes.’”
The Cubs have been hurt
by injuries to fit)ntline pitch
ers Kerry Wood and Mark
Prior, along with Derrek Lee,
last year’s NL batting cham
pion. Lee could return soon
after missit^ most of the
year with a broken- wrist.
although Wood and Prior
will both finish the season on
the disabled list.
Wood was placed on the 60-
day DL on Simday to make
room on the 40-man roster
for 29-year-old rookie left
hander Les Walrond.
Whatever happens. Baker
said, he’s ready for it.
“I’m not even going to
address that issue anymore
because we’ve got five weeks
of baseball left and I plan on
doing my job and enjoying
my job,” Baker said. “I love,
my job and I love baseball
and I love what I’m doing.
It’s been my fife for so long.”
Baker said he’s received
hate mail throughout his
playing and managing
Indians protect prize rookie
THe ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND - Rookie
Jeremy Sowers understands
why the Cleveland Indians
are protecting him, and he’s
OK with it.
‘Td like to pitch, but I do
what Fm told,” he said
Sunday after finding out that
the team intends to curtail
his workload over the final
month of the season.
‘Why take a httle risk on
an injury when we can take
no risk?” general manager
Mark Shapiro said.
Sowers is 6-3 with a 3.44
ERA in 11 starts and 70
innings after making his
major league debut June 25.
Before that, he was 9-1 with
a 1.39 ERA at Triple-A
Buffalo.
“In this day and age, teams
are protective of pitchers and
I can understand that,” said
Sowers, who has already
pitched 168 innings overall -
nine more than he did all of
last season in the minors,. “If
we were trying to get to the
playoffs over the next 30
games, it would be different.
You want to kind of buQd up
to it, not jump up to 210
innings all of a sudden.”
Warren lifts Eagles’ chances
The first words N.C. Central football coach
Rod Broadway said to me as he walked into the
Chicken Hut restaurant for his we^y press
luncheon was ‘Your prediction is three weeks
ahead of schedule.”
When quarterback Adrian Warren shocked
Eagle Nation and announced
that he was leaving the team, I
asked coach what would happen
if, say four games into the sea
son, the Ea^es were 2-2 and
Warren wanted to return. ,
“I don’t think that’s going to
happen,” he rephed. “He’s made
his decision, and we’re just going
to have to five with it.”
That was the shortest lifespan
in Eagle history
Warren is back and the-mood by the Eagles’
coaching staffhas risen 10 notches.
Oh, coach said all the right words: “Our back-
field and offensive line vtill provide the offense
we need,” “We don’t need our QB to be a super-
star,” blah, blah, blah.
But after a scrimmage without him,
Broadway & Co. knew they were in trouble.
Thlk all you want, but the QB position is the
most important job on a football team, I don’t
care how many horses you have in the back-
field. Why? Because at some point in time,
you’re going to run into a stable with bigger
and faster horses than yours, so you’d better
have a Plan B.
I’m sure Warren has talked to his teammates
and told them how sorry he was, but that’s not
BMW keeps on tmekin’ with
small, smooth-handling X3
Winfred
B. Cross
Test
Drive
BMW’s X3 is a small and
expertsive truck, but boy it’s
a BMW
That’s a great thing, at
least the part about being a
BMW. That means this SUV
is blessed with precise han
dling, impeccable steering
and superb braking It’s also
handsome.
But is that enough to justi
fy more than $40,000 for
such a small truck? I’d say
so. The X3 can seat five (four
would be the most comfort
able), has decent power and
drives like, well, a BMW
The interior Icwks vety much
like a 3-series sedan, except
there’s a bit more plastic.
The gauges are large and
easy to read. The climate
and stereo controls are
slightly confusir^, but both
work flawlessly
Small as it is, the X3 has
31 cubic feet of storage. With
the back seat completely
folded (it’s a 60/40 split
bench) you get 71 cubic feet.
The X3 has a variety of ah'
bags, traction control,
antilock brakes, auto head
lights, heated mirroi's and
power everything.
So much for details. How
does the thing drive? Like a
BMW. Handling, braking
and steeru^ are on par with
a 3-series. That means you
can toss the thing around
curves and run down
straight-aways with aplomb.
The 245 horsepower 3.0-liter
engine is peppy but the 214
pounds-feet of torque could
be stronger. The five-speed
automatic is excellent, never
hunting for the correct geai'.
You may get ji^ed aroimd
a bit. The suspension is rock
hard, but still not unbear
able.
The car’s actually built on
the last generation’s chassis.
The driver’s view is better
than it’s sibling because of
the vehicles ride height.
The X3 can also go where
most 3-series can’t. The aU-
wheel-drive system auto
matically senses if a wheel is
loosing traction and takes
care of the problem. It’s good
for wet weather which
occurs fai' more often than
snow and ice.
The X3 has two big flaws -
its size and cost, both of
which can be overlooked.
The price looks so high
because you, can get much
bi^er SUVs for less money
The size is relevant. I know
people with behemoth vehi
cles which still can’t hold all
their stuff and the neighbor
hood soccer team.
The X3s flaws are not
eaiou^ to keep buyers fix)m
enjoying such a sporty piece.
You can move up to the big
ger X5 if you need more
room and have more money
but the compact X3 should
satisfy you if your load is
light.
career regarding race,
including this season.
“This is something that’s
been there on and off for 20
years, longer than that prob
ably” Baker said. ‘Tt’s not the
majority of the time, it’s
sometimes.
“Ever3l;hing . I’ve said
(about it) has been the truth
and I’ve left out quite a bit.”
Baker criticized sports talk
radio hosts in Chicago who
suggested he fabricated
some letters this season. He
said he’s shown some of the
mail to the radio hosts.
‘You don’t fabricate stuff
like that,” Baker said. “Some
of the people love me and
some of the people don’t.
We’ve all got it.”
He reasoned the negative
element will always be
there.
“Some things change,”
Baker said. “I think most
■things change, and some
things remain the same. I
have no animosity in my
heart about it. It’s life.”
The 6-foot-l, 180-potmd
Sowers is to start Wednesday
night against Tbronto, but
may be skipped over in the
rotation a couple of times in
September.
“I could let my ego get in the
way and be upset, but I trust
their decision,” said the 23-
year-old, who went 23-5 over
two years in the minors after
being Clevelapd’s No. 1 draft
pick in 2004.
“The people in this organi
zation have been making
decisions longer than I’ve
been pitching.”
enough. If this were the NFL, Fd say buy them
all Rolexes. He owes them dinner and the fi:ee
use of his car for one ni^t - full tank incliided.
For weeks, players had to endure endless
questions about his departure, the self-doubt,
and whining fi-om fans and alumni. The latter
alone is worth two dinners. '
What made Warren really come back? Is it as
simple as “I made a mistake,” or did some plan
he had go awry? Aren’t you the least bit curi
ous? From the responses I’ve read, apparently
not. Some said Warren should be “punished”
by not starting this weekend gainst Albany
State. No worry there since he’s too rusty to
suit up at all. Others wanted him to start and
let the chips fall where they may
One very n^ve student said soon-to-be back
up QBs’ Stadford Brown and Chris Webb
should welcome the extra time to learn the
offense without bdng in the spotlight- Son, you
obviously never played sports. No player, fir>m
the water boy on up, would rather sit on the
bench than start.
Call me cynical, but I find it hysterical that
these same “fans” ■vho wanted their Warren
back so badly, are some of the ones booing him
in the championship and playoff gam^ last
year. It’s a wonder he wanted to come back.
But since he is, it puts a whole new spin on
the season. I had picked Fayettevflle State to
win the West, but now, I’ll have to rethink that
one. Won’t matter though, Bowie State is goir^
to win it aH-
BONITTA BEST is sports editor cu the Triangle
Tribune.
Cliarlotte
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