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 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
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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
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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,
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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,
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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
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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,
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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
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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
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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
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By Ken Medlin
Jul 1, 2009
The Carolina Hurricanes needed Erik Cole, but Cole may have needed the ‘Canes even more.
One day before the free-agent deadline, it appeared the two parties were on their way to a split. Negotiations were breaking down and Jim Rutherford was dropping hints that Carolina was moving on without Cole.
Then both sides blinked.
Erik Cole may never again be the goal-scoring machine he seemed on the path to becoming before Brooks Orpik’s infamous hit left Cole with a truly frightening neck injury.
But one thing is for certain: Cole was a much better player when he rejoined the Canes than he ever was in his half-season with Edmonton. And the Hurricanes were exponentially better with Cole in their lineup, as evidenced by their 12-3-2 record after reacquiring Cole.
Some players just “fit” with certain teams. Erik Cole “fits” the Hurricanes, and the ‘Canes seem to “fit” him.
Cole’s
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