Ken Medlin
Ken Medlin is a Bailey native whose WRAL reports range from the ACC to the Hurricanes to high school sports.
By Ken Medlin
Nov 13, 2009
I have to admit it. I’ve been drawn in to the whole Harrison Barnes drama.
Let’s face it, Barnes is one of the most sought-after recruits in a decade or more. And Duke and Carolina are going head-to-head in the Battle for Barnes.
What’s really interesting is that in this day of instant news, no one seems to have any idea where this kid’s going to play basketball next year. Carolina, Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma and UCLA all have legitimate reasons to feel good about their chances to land Mr. Barnes – and that’s on the night before he makes his decision.
It's like an old-school television cliffhanger, one designed to have you "tune in next week." Only... next week is now, and we're dialing in for the thrilling finish.
Sue Ellen's sister shot JR, Jack Bauer saved the free world, and the castaways from Lost went back to the island. But what's Harrison Barnes going to do?
If Barnes does wind up choosing Duke or Carolina, the PR victory for that school will be enormous. A Carolina commitment on the “heels” of another national championship would really tip the scales in favor of the lighter shade of blue. But a Barnes-to-Duke announcement would send a signal to many that the Devils are back.
But let’s remember this… Players of Barnes’ caliber do not stick around long. If he’s even close to being as good as advertised, he’s likely to
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By Ken Medlin
Nov 1, 2009
For the second time in its history, the World Series will be played in November.
And that’s ridiculous.
The only other World Series games played during the month of November came in 2001, after the Sept. 11 attacks put the post-season on hold.
That was an emergency and a crisis, and it was perfectly understandable. The nation’s needs came before baseball’s.
But now the games are scheduled to end this late. It's like the National Pastime is past it's time. The Series should be over already.
Come on, Reggie Jackson was Mister October. Will we one day refer to Alex Rodriguez or Chase Utley as Mister November?
Baseball nearly had this problem in 2007, but a Red Sox sweep of the Rockies avoided an 11th-month game. This time around, game four – a game guaranteed to be played – was scheduled for Nov. 1.
The 2009 World Baseball Classic is the culprit. It pushed baseball's schedule back, eventually leading to a November finish. But baseball has been trending toward later finishes for some time now, and at some point, the trend has to stop.
One look at the stands in New York this week told me everything I needed to know. Fans bundled up like they were going to see the Giants play the Eagles, not the Yankees play the Phillies.
Baseball fans should be wearing short sleeves and sunglasses, not knit hats and down jackets. And if you bring a glove to the game, it should be leather
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By Ken Medlin
Oct 21, 2009
Recently, I had the good fortune to attend both my first MLB playoff game and my first game of any kind at the “new” Yankee Stadium. And while I won’t bore anyone with the details of a game played several days ago (Game 2 of the ALCS), there are a few things that I found interesting.
Yankee Stadium has a butcher shop. Yep, you can place an order for your cuts of meat… watch the game and pick up your steaks on your way out. Why exactly you would do that is another issue.
For that matter, there’s a sushi bar nearby. Apparently, raw flesh is big in the Bronx these days.
A large number of bleacher seats have obstructed views. You’d think a $1.5 billion stadium would have perfect lines of sight, but if you’re out in center field forget about seeing anything hit to left.
But in all seriousness, one thing that really sticks out is the convenience of the train system. The subway literally stops in front of the main gate. You walk out, cross the street and you’re there.
Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about a downtown arena in Raleigh’s future. The RBC Center serves Raleigh’s needs quite well right now, but since sports arenas normally have 20-30 year life spans it’s not too early to start thinking ahead. We’re already a decade into the RBC Center’s service time.
But can a downtown arena work without bona fide mass transit? I couldn’t help but wonder about
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By Ken Medlin
Oct 15, 2009
Despite losing in a shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Carolina Hurricanes found something Wednesday night: their identity.
To a man, the Canes agreed this game was their best effort of the season. And while losing at your best can be a frustrating proposition, the Canes now know where their game has to be to compete with the best in the NHL.
"It’s a game to build on, whenever you play the Stanley Cup champions and have to come from behind to do it," said winger Ray Whitney, who scored both of the Hurricanes' goals in a 3-2 loss.
"Tonight was really our first game getting back to looking like the team that plays the style we want to play," added head coach Paul Maurice, who agreed his team was better in this game than even a 7-2 win over Florida.
Carolina fell behind 2-0 after two periods before Whitney's pair of third period scores sent the game into overtime. Between those periods, Maurice switched Whitney onto Eric Staal's line, and the result was an offensive spark that ignited the team
"I just thought there were times when Ruutu and Staal had the puck and they needed a little something different down low," Maurice said. "Somebody finding some seams and holes."
Whitney accomplished that. "We realized how our game had to be to compete with these guys," he said. "it was a tribute to our hock club that we didn’t change the way we played and go all-offense
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By Ken Medlin
Sep 20, 2009
It's almost eerie to see Erik Highsmith catch passes for Carolina.
Wearing number 88, Highsmith not only looks like Hakeem Nicks on the field, he's playing like him. And fresh off a 6-catch, 113-yard performance against East Carolina, Highsmith is drawing the inevitable comparisons to Nicks.
For one, Highsmith is now Carolina's first true freshman to have a 100-yard receiving game since, well... Hakeem Nicks.
Like Nicks, Highsmith is a big target -- standing at 6'3. And like his predecessor, Highsmith seems to be a very sure-handed receiver, especially for a true freshman.
And then there's the number 88. Being handed Hakeem Nicks' number the year after he left would be a lot to shoulder for a lot of players, yet Highsmith is flourishing.
But for me, the most interesting comparison between these two players centers on their recruitment. Neither player was highly sought after in high school. Nicks was a relative unknown when he committed to UNC, and Highsmith was under most teams radar as well.
Both Rivals.com and Scout.com had Highsmith rated as a 2-star prospect. That's two stars out of a possible five. East Carolina, the nearest school to Highsmith's hometown of Vanceboro, didn't bother to offer him a scholarship.
But ESPN.com's recruiting analysis may have been a bit prophetic. “Could flourish once he concentrates on one position in college," the website said.
That seems to be the case, don't you think?
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By Ken Medlin
Sep 11, 2009
In a way, I feel sorry for David Robinson, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer. They're receiving one of the highest honors their sport can offer -- and hardly anyone seems to care...
That's because of the other inductee this year at the basketball hall of fame.
Some guy named Michael Jordan.
I've always felt that a true test of an athlete's legend is whether or not you can identify him or her without hearing a name. Think about it, all you have to hear is "Number 23" and Jordan's image probably comes to mind.
Think of it this way: Lebron James wears the same number, but does "Number 23" make you think of him first? Chances are, it's Jordan.
His Airness, Jumpman, M-J... any number of names and phrases bring to mind one player: Michael Jordan. And with good reason...
Jordan came onto the scene at exactly the right time. He joined North Carolina just in time to play alongside James Worthy and Sam Perkins. And that worked out rather well...
Then Jordan took the NBA by storm at a time when the league was exploding in popularity. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson had already lifted the NBA out of its late 70's doldrums by the time Jordan arrived. Does anyone remember when NBA Finals games were shown on tape delay? Those days were over by Jordan's debut, and he was the perfect front man for the NBA's ascension.
He was a showman, a superstar, a salesman and -- above all -- a winner.
But don't
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By Ken Medlin
Sep 2, 2009
As soon as the Hurricanes announced Aaron Ward was making a Raleigh return, Erik Cole sent his newly-required teammate a message: “We’re getting the band back together,” it read.
Theirs is certainly a familiar song for Hurricanes fans. Cole and Ward are part of a growing trend at the RBC Center – former players returning to Raleigh
“You know what you're getting when you bring in a guy who has been here before,“ Cole said. “In that regard it, always seems to work out better for our club.”
Cole, Ward and Matt Cullen were all part of the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup championship team in 2006. And all left the Canes either through trade or as free agents, only to return through trade later.
For many teams, a player departing can mean a burned bridge -- but not the Hurricanes.
“I really can’t think of any player that I’ve traded or has left here that I don't care for,” said Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Hurricanes. “I care for them personally and I care for them as players. And so, when the right situation comes up we bring them back.”
The trend extends to coaches as well. The Canes brought Paul Maurice back as head coach five years after firing him.
So, Maurice speaks from experience when he talks of why former players return to the Canes.
“For a lot of people who come in as newcomers, they’re really surprised what
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By Ken Medlin
Aug 17, 2009
Dustin Ackley and Donovan Tate continue a long history of area players selected early in the Major League Baseball Draft.
The first top-five pick from the area came way back in 1970, when the Montreal Expos made catcher Barry Foote the number three pick overall out of Smithfield. Foote went on to a solid decade-long career with four different teams.
It took a while before the next early pick, Milwaukee selected UNC catcher BJ Surhoff #1 overall in 1985. Surhoff played for nearly two decades in The Show, collecting more than two-thousand base hits and earning his way into the Baltimore Orioles' Hall of Fame.
Six years later, the Yankees made Beaufort’s Brien Taylor the top pick overall, but a freak injury kept him from ever reaching the majors. Taylor hurt his shoulder defending his brother in a fight, and it cost him his shot at the big leagues.
A year later, the Indians snagged Raleigh’s Paul Shuey out of Carolina with the second pick of the draft. Shuey spent more than a decade in the majors.
And in 1993, Wilmington's Trot Nixon leveraged football against baseball – much like Donovan Tate. Nixon worked out at quarterback with NC State before signing with Boston, where he went on to win a world series ring
Athens Drive product Josh Hamilton collected a $3.96 Million signing bonus from Tampa as the top pick of the 1999 draft. Substance abused nearly derailed his career before Hamilton
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By Ken Medlin
Aug 13, 2009
Recently, someone asked me if NC State was fortunate that Nate Irving's injury happened before fall practice -- the idea being that the Wolfpack will have time to groom his replacement.
I thought about it for a second, and it really gave me pause.
Let's face it, the most fortunate thing about this situation is that Nate Irving is OK. Yes, he's not able to play football right now -- but in the big scheme of things Irving could have been hurt a lot worse.
I understand where my friend was coming from on this, and NC State does have a chance to work out several players at Irving's position if needed.
But think about it: Irving was in a car accident which left him with a broken leg, a broken rib and a punctured lung. I don't think it's a stretch to say he's lucky to survive an accident so serious.
“I was really blessed to make it out of the accident I made it out of and to be here today as I am now," Irving said. "To be able to have another chance to play football somewhere down the road is another blessing. I don't have any complaints.”
Here's hoping Nate Irving makes a full recovery and returns to action next season. Number 56 in red was a sight to behold on the field last season.
By Ken Medlin
Jul 31, 2009
The not-so-surprising-in-this-era news that David Ortiz may have used performance-enhancing drugs brings a number of issues to mind. But for a sport that values its history as much as baseball, the historical implications are staggering.
The general line of thinking has been that David Ortiz is a "stand-up guy." So, if he cheated, who didn't? We've reached a point now in which just about every successful player in baseball will be regarded with at least some degree of suspicion.
At this rate, you have to wonder if one of these days the Baseball Hall of Fame will have to put up a sign stating "No Longer Accepting New Memberships."
Take the case of Mark McGwire. By the numbers, McGwire's was a Hall of Fame career. But after rejecting McGwire on their Hall of Fame ballots for three years now, the baseball writers have sent a clear message that: 1) They believe McGwire took steroids and, 2) They believe that using steroids should preclude one's election to the Hall.
McGwire retired before baseball began testing for steroids, so there may never be concrete proof of what he did or didn't do to hit all of those home runs.
But consider this: If McGwire's not even sniffing the Hall of Fame right now (and after receiving only 21.9% of the necessary 75% of the voting this year, he's not), then what happens when those players that actually have been caught using steroids become eligible?
Here's
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