THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 27, 1996 TAG: 9608270431
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: TOM ROBINSON
LENGTH: 60 lines
From the notebook . . .
Sad to see Pete Michaud bounced from the Admirals' radio broadcasts. Michaud, a Chesapeake guy, is a pro whose preparation, execution and club knowledge produced a broadcast that transcended the East Coast Hockey League. Now, because Michaud refused to accept an insulting pay cut, the Admirals have lost a little more of the class they once had. It's an insult to the Admirals' loyal fan base, too.
Glad to see Tony Guzzo stay at Old Dominion. Guzzo works long and hard to extend the Monarchs' reach in college baseball. Still, for the sake of the Norfolk native, it's sad that he didn't get the North Carolina State job. Plum, well-paying opportunities in Division I baseball are rare.
Sad to see Joe Smith approaching a court date in Chesapeake for his alleged role in a bar fight. Such stupidity is way out of character for the NBA basketball star and general nice guy. At the very least, the 21-year-old can be taken to task for not leaving the joint when rowdiness was turning to trouble. It's surprising he would forget that he must live differently than you and me.
Glad to see the Boston Celtics move their five-day, veterans' training camp to North Carolina-Greensboro in October. That means five days of heaven for Randy Peele, the basketball nut from Norfolk who's head coach at UNC-Greensboro. A visit by Celtics' executive Larry Bird could send Peele right over the edge.
Sad to see Sharks' running back Dean Devlin lost for the season with a ripped-up knee. Sure, the game's a big risk, particularly on the semi-pro level, but most of these guys play just for fun. Somehow, that makes wrecking a knee seem even more unfair.
Glad to see Virginia Beach field hockey star Kim Miller enroll at Old Dominion. Last summer, Miller, who is on the U.S. 18-under team, said ODU was too familiar to her and that she'd look elsewhere. Funny the kind of lure coach Beth Anders, a former U.S. Olympic star, can have on a kid who wants to follow in those footsteps.
Sad to see former Norfolk State quarterback Aaron Sparrow fail to stick in the Canadian Football League. That pours more water, however, on Spartans coach Darnell Moore's statement that racism had something to do with Sparrow going undrafted by the NFL. For all his ability, Sparrow just might not have what it takes to play for pay.
Glad to see Virginia Beach actually take on a sports project by itself. The planned $4.5 million multi-purpose stadium will be a good investment, even though the long-term health of its primary tenant, the Mariners, and their goal of Major League Soccer are suspect. Mariners attendance is going to double at a new home? It did when the Tides moved to Harbor Park, but baseball and soccer are very different animals.
Sad to see Wayne Gomes, the former ODU pitcher and first-round draft pick in 1993, still flailing about in Double-A for the pitching-poor Phillies. Gomes has saved 23 games, but has walked 46 in 61 innings. If he can't do better than that, he's a career minor-leaguer. Then again, expansion is coming.
Glad to see Oscar Smith naming its stadium for Ken Easley, Steve DeLong and Ed Beard on Sept. 6. It will roust the pride of the South Norfolk neighborhood that raised the former NFL players and Smith graduates. And it will give the Tigers, athletically down on their luck for years, a sense of history and inspiration. by CNB