3C
SPORTS/S^e Cliarlotte
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Bonds, Giants still together
Continued from page 1C
never have had any legiti
mate bidding competition at
all with other teams, despite
Bonds’ side sa5dng every
organization had interest.
With the posturing and
games played by both par
ties throughout the negotia
tion process, Bonds wound
up getting almost exactly the
kind of pay day he had hoped
for: $16 million for one year
and the opportunity to make
$20 million with bonuses,
right in line with his 2006
salary of $18 million,
No way Oakland or San
Diego or anyone else was
going to offer that much.
“Fm seeing guys sign for
stupid amounts of money
and they’re not even premier
players,” San Francisco
shortstop Omar Vizquel
said. “Theyre average. You
see a guy like Barry Bonds
who’s been in the record
books forever and is an MVP,
he’s going to get paid.”
They reached agreement
last week, with final lan
guage of the contract still
being worked out and the 42-
year-old Bonds needing to
take the obligatory physical.
He is coming off surgery on
his left elbow and had three
operations on his right knee
in 2005 that limited him to
14 games.
Bonds Will earn double the
money of any of his team
mates next year. So much for
the seven-time NL MVP
being a bargain in this year’s
fertile free agent market.
His defense is no longer at
the Gold Glove level, but
Bonds was running better
late last season and still
exhibits some of the best
hand-eye coordination at the
plate ever seen in his sport.
“I think with him search
ing for the record to become
the home run king, the
Giants were going to be able
to accommodate Barry and
his contract,” Vizquel added.
“He brings a lot of enthusi
asm and excitement to the
ballpark. With the All-Star
game being in San
Francisco, they really want
ed to put up a good show for
the fans and see him hit the
record at home and retire as
a Giant.”
That’s what Bonds has
long wanted.
He made one main request
to his representative, Jeff
Borris, and that was to sign
with a playoff-caliber team.
Yet even with Bonds, the
Giants will have a tough
time contending in a division
with the greatly improved
Los Angeles Dodgers, two-
time defending NL West
champion San Diego Padres
and up-and-coming Arizona
Diamondbacks.
Want security? Become a coach
Continued from page 1C
hard for me TO say something about it too,” he
said. “I don’t see any sense in continually
changing coaches and not change the system.
The problem is still going to be there.”
Point well taken. UNO AD Dick Baddour
hired former men’s basketball coach Matt
Doherty (forced to resign), and former fired
football coaches Carl 'Ibrbush and Bimting yet
was recently given a contract extension.
Even smaller HBCUs have their own system
of keeping fired coaches on the payroll. Call it
“reassignment.”
Coaches are reassigned to administrative
duties, thus giving back some labor to the uni
versity. Wouldn’t we all like to have such
options.
‘When you get into the coaching profession
and you’re in it long enough, one of three
things is going to happen: you’re going to
retire, you’re going to get fired or you’re going
to die,” Hardy said.
Make that fom - the checks will still keep
coming.
BONITTA BEST is sports editor at The Triangle
Tribune in Durham.
McNeill, JCSU agree to extension
Continued from page 1C
Yancy said.
“I’m very confident” in McNeill’s abilities,
she said. “It’s not like I was looking at some
stranger in the office.”
McNeill went 0-10 in 2005 before turning
the program aroxmd, finishing second in the
West Division behind N.C. Central.
‘TJsually, with the type of season we had,
you could look at it as” a vote of confidence by
school officials, McNeill said.
Locking McNeill in long-term effectively
prevents other schools from approaching him
during the offseason. Several historically
black colleges are in the market for new
coaches, including Division II Benedict and
PHOTO/WADE NASH
With end Julius Peppers (left) and cornerback Chris Gambia (right) Caroiina’s defense was
expected to be the cornerstone of a Super Bowi run this season. That unit has struggied.
Panthers’ slide a team affair
Continued from page 1C
group, it has been mostly
bad.
The Panthers just haven’t
been very good, either. The
offensive line doesn’t domi
nate, so the running game is
stuck in neutral. Without a
running game, Jake
DeUiomme is just a chicken-
pitchin’ quarterback who
can’t win games on his own.
Steve Smith is all-world
when he has the ball, but
defensive coordinators have
gotten hip. Where once he
ran free. Smith now has two
or three escorts guarding
him. Keyshawn Johnson is
OK, but merely complemen
tary as a receiver. Get the
picture?
The defense hasn’t been
much better, undone by an
inability to close out fourth-
quarter leads. In recent
weeks, the pass rush has
been pedestrian and the
beat-up secondary has been
beaten like a washed up
boxer. Even head coach John
Fox has outsmarted himself.
as in the Chris Gamble punt
retum/pass disaster against
Minnesota or the blocked
kick/timeout against Dallas.
It’s pretty ugly, all right.
But there’s always hope
among the ruins, if you can
sift through the debris.
DeAngelo Williams can be
special as a running back if
he’s situated properly.
Thomas Davis is going to be
pretty good with more time
Sister
Soiiljah
Authors
Community
Activist
1
Help Shape the Futpre for
African Americans
in Charlotte-Mecklenhurg
}ucm
Williams
Ml
A TOWN HALL MEETING
January 5-6,2007
The Charlotte Convention Center
Other Speakers to be
Announced
REGISTER ONLINE TODAYl
www.CM3A.org
or by fax or phone
Fax: 704.375.4441 1 Phone: 704.714.4439
[CM3iM
Charlotte Mecklenburg African American Agenda I. J
This event is : . and open to ail Charlotte-Mecklenhurg residents Come Together. BuildTogether.
CIAA rival Livingstone, which fired Garinger
High graduate Robert Massey last week.
Division I Howard is also looking for a new
coach after firing Ray Petty. McNeill said he
hasn’t been contacted about any of those jobs.
‘You always entertain what people offer
when they inquire about your availability,” he
said. “But we’re excited about what we have
right here.”
“I have sense enough to know any time we
win, other schools try to recruit our coaches,”
Yancy said.
With N.C. Central moving to Division I and
JCSU keeping McNeill and returning 16
starters, the Bulls will be among the early
favorites for the West title in 2007.
at linebacker. And as one of
the teams that won’t get to
the playoffs, Carolina’s
bound to get a high draft
pick in April.
Now, what do they use it
on? I say start at quarter
back, where the Panthers
could use some competition,
if not an upgrade. And mid
dle linebacker. And offensive
line. And secondary.
And lower expectations.
Pemissktn is hereby grafted to vi(leo(tealefS to reproduce !Ns activity slieetteixcraliona^^
tDisney.Alri^tSfeserved.’I)isthbutedbyBge(taVislaHOTeErt«tiMient,b:,,^^^^ CDisney
D€C€MBeR 28-30, 2006
CRICKET ARENA.
THE GRADY COLE CENTER
SINGLE TICKET PRICES:
$10/day (student) 1 S12/day (adult)
3-DAY PASSES:
$25 (student) | $30 (adult)
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT:
Cricket Arena and all Ticketmasier Locations
Tickets are good for admission ot both Tournament Locations
For more Info, coli 704.332.KIDS fS437)
or WsK www.«iU»leesfoiyoMth.erg