Leesville’s Harris plays, lives for late fatherHe has recreated the moment in his mind several times. Ron Harris knows his father heard him on the night of Sept. 6. If it were up to Harris, he would have said those nine words a lot sooner -- not at WakeMed Hospital.
“I’ll never disappoint you,” Harris told his father, Ronald Harris, who was in the hospital after suffering four severe strokes. “I’ll never let you down.”
Harris, 18, knew his father could die soon. After almost a month, doctors hadn’t seen any improvement in his father.
Every night in the hospital, Harris read the Bible to his father. He’d flipped to the reference section for words on love, faith and healing. Harris ended every night with the same three verses: James 5:13-15.
But on that night, Harris felt uneasy. That’s what led him
...READ MORE
Berrios Brothers: Pain and AbleBraxton Berrios wants to relish his new role for Leesville Road, yet it’s difficult.
As the new starting quarterback for Leesville Road, Berrios has a chance to lead his team to a state championship. But, he is in this position because his older brother, Austin, the quarterback who led the team to an undefeated regular season, will miss the playoffs after tearing the ACL in his right knee last Friday.
Braxton is disappointed that he will never play high school football with his older brother again. But he is excited to play tonight when Leesville Road (10-0) hosts Broughton (5-5) in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4AA playoffs.
“It’s huge,” Braxton said of leading the No. 1-ranked team in the area. “There’s no way to downplay it.”
A receiver filling in for a quarterback. A 16-year-old sophomore replacing an 18-year-old senior. A brother hoping to finish what his sibling started. That’s the mission Braxton has...READ MORE
Enloe figure skater gives up promising career for footballThe unnerving, jittery feelings came to Miles Addison somewhere between stretching and the pregame drills.
Wearing his shiny silver helmet and sleek black cleats, Addison was about to play his first football game –- and about to put behind him the thousands of hours he had poured into becoming an elite-level figure skater.
It had been eight months since he had decided to walk away. Some people didn't believe he could quit figure skating after all the wins, all those competitions. Could he give up his Olympic dreams? Go cold turkey on figure skating?
Not a chance, they thought.
Now, in his green Enloe High School jersey, No. 82 stitched on it, Addison was about to...READ MORE
First varsity football game is milestone for Heritage HighHeritage High School football coach Jason McGeorge started the meeting at 3 p.m. July 25, an hour before the first minicamp of the team's first season. His office, the size of a small dorm room, could barely hold McGeorge's eight assistants.
The coaches listened as McGeorge touched on the usual topics, especially his message about building a foundation for a successful season. McGeorge, 38, was talking about a different kind of foundation -- for a football program that had not yet played a single game...READ MORE
Keith Marshall can't outrun all the expectationsKeith Marshall wants to make sure he gets this right. He wants his words to be precise. Whatever Marshall has done in his lifetime he’s done it well. Already at the age of 17, he’s been labeled a lot of things: An athlete, a classroom prodigy, a potential superstar. And right now, Marshall is the No. 1-rated high school running back in the country (ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Scouts.com all agree).
Marshall, who sits on a bench outside of Shelley Lake on a recent afternoon, leans in as he hears the question –- What has made you successful? –- and thinks for a few seconds.
“This is going to sound bad,” says Marshall, who measures his words carefully. “I don’t like being second to people in anything.”
The upcoming test, though, once football season starts Friday, is one Marshall will try to manage but knows he can’t: living up to the...READ MORE
After infamous collision, Zola Budd gets back on the trackA problem has followed Zola Budd for more than two decades. She can't run in an event without someone mentioning Mary Decker or the 1984 Summer Olympics. When Budd, a South African distance runner, plans to run at a track meet, people want her to speak about the incident.
"When people tell me they remember me," Budd said, "it's because of Mary and the incident and that's about it."
Last weekend Budd came to Raleigh to race in the 41st Southeastern Masters Track and Field meet. At the banquet last Friday she gave a brief speech but didn't mention her race with Decker.
For the past 26 years, Budd has attempted to run away from that dusky afternoon in Los Angeles...READ MORE
One for the books? Maybe. High school stats in questionWill Cooper was carrying his cleats and catcher’s gear when he bumped into three classmates outside Broughton High School after baseball practice in May.
“Hey,” one of them said, “didn’t you break some football state record?”
Cooper, a rising senior quarterback for Broughton, had heard the question often since his game against Wakefield on Oct. 28 went into the record book as the state mark for the most passing yards in a game.
“Well,” Cooper said, “I might not have broken it after all. There’s been a debate.”
That debate emerged after a News & Observer examination of the game film showed...READ MORE
Coach gives his all to make Millbrook a title contenderThe two men looked at each other, each wondering how to answer the question. Scott McInnes, Millbrook's boys basketball coach, wanted assistant coach Christopher Davis to tell the story, the one about how Millbrook turned its season around.
The pair heard the question throughout Monday's news conference for Saturday night's 4-A state championship game. It went like this: Just how did they take a 2-6 Wildcats team in December and turn it into a winner?
"I'll let him take this one," McInnes said. "Chris is the master psychologist."
Davis says McInnes put the onus back on the players, which is true. But Davis also knows it's the way McInnes has...READ MORE
'Best-kept secret' gaining notice
Every so often Terry Henderson Jr. will wander into his father's office at home. When he was a boy, the room held the memories - pictures, game balls, trophies - of Terry Henderson Sr.'s basketball career.
In the past few years, Terry Henderson Sr., who played at Nebraska-Omaha, has started putting symbols of his son's success next to his own. On a large, three-tier bookshelf are his son's two state championship rings. His high school national championship ring is there, too.
A couple of weeks ago, a new item found its way onto the bookshelf. It is a commemorative basketball, displayed in a glass case with a plaque. The ball salutes an accomplishment that only a few teenagers...READ MORE
Sister act boosts Millbrook
Millbrook girls basketball coach Chris East sat in the front row of the bleachers Tuesday afternoon while assistant coach Derek Ruff led the team. The Wildcats were trying to understand the zone defense Southwest Guilford might play against them in Saturday's 4-A state championship game.
East noticed the team was a little confused. Then he watched center Bria Day briefly take over the practice from Ruff.
"Here she goes," said East as he pointed to Day.
At 6 feet 4, Day started pointing to where her teammates on defense needed to be.
"No, No! NO!...READ MORE
WF-R coach gets his message across
WAKE FOREST -- As each day passed, Reggie Lucas kept wondering what he would say in his pregame speech for last Friday's state semifinal game. Lucas, the football coach at Wake Forest-Rolesville, needed something motivational to say - something different. The problem was he had already given 14 of those speeches this season, his second as head coach.
The longer Lucas thought about it, the more the question nagged at him: What could he say to the Cougars that they hadn't already heard?
He soon decided he couldn't make the speech himself. He needed to find a person who...READ MORE
More throwback than throwing
WAKE FOREST -- Running back James Harris sat at his desk and watched what appeared to be the same offensive play run over and over. His 35 offensive teammates, all motionless, all silent, watched with him.
Although the Cougars practice three times a week, the video sessions inside the locker room at Wake Forest-Rolesville (13-1) might be the most significant part of their preparation for Friday night's 4-AA semifinal playoff game against Panther Creek (13-1). A victory would send the Cougars to their first championship game in school history.
And it is usually here in the video sessions -- not the scrimmages, the weight room or...READ MORE
They've become fast friends
Classes at Millbrook High ended last Friday, but Keith Marshall and Justus Hoffmann stick around and kill time in the hallway. They are leaning on a wall in their navy blue football jerseys -- Marshall wearing his No. 4, Hoffmann his No. 56 -- while other students rush for the exits.
Most of the girls who walk by say hi to Marshall, the guy who always makes the Friday night highlights; the boys acknowledge Hoffmann, the guy who does the hard, dirty work in the football trenches.
This is a snapshot of how the two teenagers differ. But there are other, more visible... READ MORE
Cougars at home
Every so often Terry Henderson Jr. will wander into his father's office at home. When he was a boy, the room held the memories - pictures, game balls, trophies - of Terry Henderson Sr.'s basketball career.
In the past few years, Terry Henderson Sr., who played at Nebraska-Omaha, has started putting symbols of his son's success next to his own. On a large, three-tier bookshelf are his son's two state championship rings. His high school national championship ring is there, too.
A couple of weeks ago, a new item found its way onto the bookshelf. It is a commemorative basketball, displayed in a glass case with a plaque. The ball salutes an accomplishment that only a few teenagers...READ MORE
Sister act boosts MillbrookMillbrook girls basketball coach Chris East sat in the front row of the bleachers Tuesday afternoon while assistant coach Derek Ruff led the team. The Wildcats were trying to understand the zone defense Southwest Guilford might play against them in Saturday's 4-A state championship game.
East noticed the team was a little confused. Then he watched center Bria Day briefly take over the practice from Ruff.
"Here she goes," said East as he pointed to Day.
At 6 feet 4, Day started pointing to where her teammates on defense needed to be.
"No, No! NO!...READ MORE
WF-R coach gets his message acrossWAKE FOREST -- As each day passed, Reggie Lucas kept wondering what he would say in his pregame speech for last Friday's state semifinal game. Lucas, the football coach at Wake Forest-Rolesville, needed something motivational to say - something different. The problem was he had already given 14 of those speeches this season, his second as head coach.
The longer Lucas thought about it, the more the question nagged at him: What could he say to the Cougars that they hadn't already heard?
He soon decided he couldn't make the speech himself. He needed to find a person who...READ MORE
More throwback than throwingWAKE FOREST -- Running back James Harris sat at his desk and watched what appeared to be the same offensive play run over and over. His 35 offensive teammates, all motionless, all silent, watched with him.
Although the Cougars practice three times a week, the video sessions inside the locker room at Wake Forest-Rolesville (13-1) might be the most significant part of their preparation for Friday night's 4-AA semifinal playoff game against Panther Creek (13-1). A victory would send the Cougars to their first championship game in school history.
And it is usually here in the video sessions -- not the scrimmages, the weight room or...READ MORE
They've become fast friendsClasses at Millbrook High ended last Friday, but Keith Marshall and Justus Hoffmann stick around and kill time in the hallway. They are leaning on a wall in their navy blue football jerseys -- Marshall wearing his No. 4, Hoffmann his No. 56 -- while other students rush for the exits.
Most of the girls who walk by say hi to Marshall, the guy who always makes the Friday night highlights; the boys acknowledge Hoffmann, the guy who does the hard, dirty work in the football trenches.
This is a snapshot of how the two teenagers differ. But there are other, more visible... READ MORE
Cougars at home in Trentini again
WAKE FOREST -- For nearly two years, the people of Wake Forest-Rolesville High School -- the parents, teachers and students -- could only go on memories of how it felt to be inside Trentini Stadium on a football Friday in the fall.
But on Friday night, homecoming, it was finally time to come home. The undefeated Cougars beat Broughton 13-7 in their first home game at historic Trentini since Nov. 28, 2008.
"It felt great to be out there," said Taylor Bagley, a sophomore safety who on Friday played his first game in Trentini. "It was crazy coming down the stairs [onto the field]. It kind of fits -- homecoming and coming back home. It feels ... READ MORE
Wakefield kicker alters
WAKE FOREST -- For nearly two years, the people of Wake Forest-Rolesville High School -- the parents, teachers and students -- could only go on memories of how it felt to be inside Trentini Stadium on a football Friday in the fall.
But on Friday night, homecoming, it was finally time to come home. The undefeated Cougars beat Broughton 13-7 in their first home game at historic Trentini since Nov. 28, 2008.
"It felt great to be out there," said Taylor Bagley, a sophomore safety who on Friday played his first game in Trentini. "It was crazy coming down the stairs [onto the field]. It kind of fits -- homecoming and coming back home. It feels ... READ MORE
Wakefield kicker alters his dream
RALEIGH -- The nervous kicker stepped to the podium. He smiled to cover how shy he was. Niklas Sade, wearing an Army logo baseball cap, wanted to choose his words carefully.
Inside Wakefield's auditorium Wednesday, Sade accepted an invitation to play in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 8 in San Antonio, Texas - a game that features the top 90 high school football players in the country.
In the past two seasons, Sade has made 13 of 17 field-goal attempts - his longest this year is 41 yards - while missing just two extra points in 85 attempts.
The day was special because Sade is Wakefield's first... READ MORE
Unbridled hope
At daybreak, Suffolk Downs comes to life with horses and jockeys taking to the racetrack, and cool winds coming off the creek surrounding Belle Isle Marsh.
It’s not overpowering, but people say they can always feel it. Sitting in the oldest concrete grandstand in the country, patrons can take it all in — unless they desire to get closer to what has made Suffolk special. Fans can lean over the fence and feel the airstream produced by the stars of the track: the thoroughbreds.
History can fly, too, and today the track will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
Suffolk was built in 1935 on an unleveled slab, between a... READ MORE
Nava enjoys a debut
RALEIGH -- The nervous kicker stepped to the podium. He smiled to cover how shy he was. Niklas Sade, wearing an Army logo baseball cap, wanted to choose his words carefully.
Inside Wakefield's auditorium Wednesday, Sade accepted an invitation to play in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 8 in San Antonio, Texas - a game that features the top 90 high school football players in the country.
In the past two seasons, Sade has made 13 of 17 field-goal attempts - his longest this year is 41 yards - while missing just two extra points in 85 attempts.
The day was special because Sade is Wakefield's first... READ MORE
Unbridled hopeAt daybreak, Suffolk Downs comes to life with horses and jockeys taking to the racetrack, and cool winds coming off the creek surrounding Belle Isle Marsh.
It’s not overpowering, but people say they can always feel it. Sitting in the oldest concrete grandstand in the country, patrons can take it all in — unless they desire to get closer to what has made Suffolk special. Fans can lean over the fence and feel the airstream produced by the stars of the track: the thoroughbreds.
History can fly, too, and today the track will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
Suffolk was built in 1935 on an unleveled slab, between a... READ MORE
Nava enjoys a debut loaded with excitement
Don Nava, leaning on the back wall of the Red Sox media room, couldn’t stop smiling as he waited for his son. When the door finally swung open, Daniel Nava, who had just finished making his major league debut, saw his father immediately, their eyes staying connected as he walked to the podium.
His smile was big and wide, too, for he had just completed one of the most memorable premieres in Red Sox history.
Nava, who was called up yesterday from Triple A Pawtucket to replace Josh Reddick, started in left field and batted ninth in Boston’s 10-2 victory over the Phillies yesterday afternoon.
There was plenty of drama awaiting him as the 5-foot-10-inch Nava made his way to the plate in the second inning for his first at-bat. The bases were loaded with no outs. Instead of taking in the moment, Nava... READ MORE
An Owner Dreams
Don Nava, leaning on the back wall of the Red Sox media room, couldn’t stop smiling as he waited for his son. When the door finally swung open, Daniel Nava, who had just finished making his major league debut, saw his father immediately, their eyes staying connected as he walked to the podium.
His smile was big and wide, too, for he had just completed one of the most memorable premieres in Red Sox history.
Nava, who was called up yesterday from Triple A Pawtucket to replace Josh Reddick, started in left field and batted ninth in Boston’s 10-2 victory over the Phillies yesterday afternoon.
There was plenty of drama awaiting him as the 5-foot-10-inch Nava made his way to the plate in the second inning for his first at-bat. The bases were loaded with no outs. Instead of taking in the moment, Nava... READ MORE
An Owner Dreams for Her Team
Dana Stumpf waits her turn. She checks her iPhone and looks at the people ahead of her. She wonders how many have showed up. The single-file line inches forward -– body by body, one step at a time and into Pan American Stadium in City Park.
Inside, the New Orleans Jesters, the city’s minor league soccer team from the USL Premier Development League, are 20 minutes away from playing their second home match of the season, and Stumpf –- the owner of the team –- is here to watch. As she reaches the front, she sticks her hand inside her large purse to find her ticket. She hands it to a ticket-taker, who seems slightly surprised.
Unlike many sports owners, Stumpf doesn’t enter an event with much pomp or slip through a back door. She stands in line with fans. But once inside, Stumpf... READ MORE
Rising Coyle is just getting warmed up
Charlie Coyle understands how the limelight can make some people nervous.
Coyle knows he isn’t the average 18-year-old. He’s quiet, sometimes shy. He doesn't show much emotion. He’s not the partying type. And Coyle values being able to train and practice the sport he loves -- hockey -- without many people noticing, as he did last Saturday inside Foxboro Sports Center.
“I enjoy working out by myself without a lot of people around,’’ Coyle said. “I’m not a fan of the spotlight.’’
But his life is about to change. Coyle, a forward from East Weymouth... READ MORE
Bump-and-run tactic backfires on Busch
LOUDON, N.H. -- Decisions late in races always have been tough for Kurt Busch. He understands the choices he makes can lead to exciting wins or disaster finishes. And there are also times, such as yesterday, when what he does can be thrown back at him by a competitor.
Busch was two laps from winning the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- a result that would have seemed far-fetched earlier in the race. But there were still those two laps.
Once Jimmie Johnson passed him for the lead between Turn 3 and Turn 4, Busch fell to third, which is where he finished.
Coming out of his No. 2 Dodge, Busch shook... READ MORE
A bond in the Phog
This drive to a small community in Missouri, it could mean very little. Or, something special might unfold. Either way, Judy Allen Morris didn’t really mind.
Morris knew her grandfather was an important person. He lived in this small town for seven years -– seven years that shaped his life –- and, now, people from this town wanted to talk to Morris and her brother, Mick Allen, about what their grandfather meant here.
So as Morris sat in the passenger’s seat while her brother drove them through this rural countryside to Warrensburg on a dark, chilly morning with heavy rain, she wondered what awaited them... READ MORE
Back into the swing
Tyler Ruch takes a few steps out of the Mules clubhouse, breathes in deeply and exhales. He takes another deep breath. Ashley Melson, one of Central Missouri’s athletic trainers, is waiting for him.
“You ready?” Melson asks.
“Yep,” Ruch says.
Melson tells Ruch to turn around so he isn’t facing her. He bows his head, his eyes fixed on what she’s about to do. Melson then breaks out a large bag of ice. Next comes her roll of clear athletic tape. She slowly places the ice bag on the most important part of Ruch’s body: his lower back. Despite the icy chill... READ MORE
A change in direction
His dream -- the one Jim Svoboda had waited for so many years -- had come and gone. He was stuck, out of a job and into the world of the unknown.
Svoboda had built a career of winning only to see it stall at UCLA. He had made the most of the opportunities he had only to question what his next one would be. He had focused all his work on becoming an offensive coordinator at a major Division I school only to watch his work crumble.
Life went on, leaving Svoboda with a choice: either push back toward his original goal of being a Division I coordinator or make a life-altering, middle-age decision that collided with conventional thinking.
And it was at Montana State, one of the unlikeliest places, where Svoboda... READ MORE
A well-rested return
Every night in his bedroom Anthony Stewart would toss and turn. No matter the situation or time, Stewart always woke up. Maybe it was the train rolling through Warrensburg at 3 a.m., or a dream that needed to end. Some nights, it would be his back that awakened him. Other times, he awoke because he simply didn't want to be here.
He hated waking up in the middle of the night in Warrensburg. He knew he wasn't like most college students. He needs his sleep.
Stewart arrived here last summer, ready to start the newest adventure in his life, one he couldn't wait to begin. But the start was postponed. What he loved most -- running the football -- was gone.
A freak accident in football practice ended Stewart's excitement and took him on a journey he never saw coming, let alone a journey he wanted... READ MORE
Apple Valley man's Xcellent
shot to flip into fame
Paris Rosen doesn't want to be a bartender again. Nor does Rosen want to stay a Midwesterner who hasn't fulfilled his dreams. Certainly, he doesn't want to ride his motorcycle in arenas where people aren't sure who he is.
Rosen wants fame.
"I'm not going for the 15 minutes," he said. "I'm going to make a statement in my sport. I want to become a...READ MORE
Helping him heal
Lying in his bed, Theo Jones was losing it all.
He was losing the want to speak to anybody, the want to hang out with friends, the want to smile again, the want to ever get out of bed again, and, he especially was losing the want to play the game that had always defined his energetic personality.
Basketball.
At this point, what happened on Aug. 16, 2008, was the only thing Jones had on his mind. And no matter how hard he tried to close his eyes and grab some sleep, he couldn't. His father was on his mind... READ MORE
Eagan racer keeps looking
out for a sponsor's lift
Walk into the Eagan home of Ross and Kris Johnson, and you see clusters in every corner, signs that show teenagers live here, too.
In fact, there's a special room, between the living room and kitchen, for 18-year-old son Ryan. Since he graduated from Eagan High School a month ago, this room has been used as a museum of sorts for his race car driving exploits... READ MORE
Right decision,
right time
Sitting down and looking out a window, Chris Gilchriest wonders how he ended up here. He's not upset about how it happened. He just thinks about the situation a lot.
No manual exists for what life has thrown Gilchriest -- not when all this has happened to him in five years: Troubled youngster gets kicked out of high school, moves back in with his mom, becomes a better student, picks up football, graduates, starts getting into trouble again, leaves with a friend to go to the middle of nowhere, decides to quit football, then gets an opportunity that changes his life.
Gilchriest, 23, has never known stability. For the longest time... READ MORE
Injuries, illnesses
taking toll on Twins
Sunday's lineup did not look all that familiar to Twins fans.
First baseman Justin Morneau had the day off because of "general soreness" and second baseman Nick Punto did not play because of bruised ribs. The fact that leadoff hitter Denard Span is on the disabled list until at least Thursday because of dizziness caused by an ear infection did not help.
Then right fielder Jason Kubel left in the third inning after throwing up.
The Twins were shorthanded, and it showed in... READ MORE
Elite cyclist gets
glimpse of fast lane
Brian Crosby, boyish-looking at 22, walked his bicycle on the grass infield two weeks ago at the National Sports Center in Blaine. As he did, every other cyclist appeared to be watching him.
"What do I think of him?" one asked another. "I know this: He's really fast."
That has been said a lot of Crosby. Since he started racing at the NSC's velodrome in 2004 with his Mounds View High School cycling club, he has improved, developing into probably the best track cyclist in... READ MORE
Innovative Wilkinson
saw beyond color
Bob Kendrick has found stories about J.L. Wilkinson among the most compelling in the history of "black baseball."
Ironic was one word that Kendrick, marketing director of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, used often when talking about Wilkinson and his baseball legacy.
In a world of black men, Wilkinson, a white man, turned out to be one of the most influential figures in the Negro Leagues. Historians consider him one of the best owners in black baseball history.
What made Wilkinson's story ironic, Kendrick said, is that Wilkinson connected... READ MORE
DeSpain, 14,
has promising
future behind wheel
Holly DeSpain is not afraid to dream.
She will share those dreams with anyone who will listen. The dreams began when Holly watched drag racing in her family’s living room. The dreams are now what drive her.
“I think I have been born to race,” she said.
With big, black sunglasses that hide her eyes, the skinny, short, blonde-haired girl... READ MORE
Wheelers' Monk turns summer job into starting gig
Russell Monk admits he’s been thinking. He says he sits down at least twice a week and has thoughts about his turnaround of a year. A whirlwind he calls it.
The Quad-City Steamwheelers (7-6) are in the middle of a playoff hunt, and Monk is enjoying what he thought never would happen.
“Everything is different,” Monk said. “This year has been a rollercoaster.”
So what has been the change in Monk’s life?... READ MORE
Dana Stumpf waits her turn. She checks her iPhone and looks at the people ahead of her. She wonders how many have showed up. The single-file line inches forward -– body by body, one step at a time and into Pan American Stadium in City Park.
Inside, the New Orleans Jesters, the city’s minor league soccer team from the USL Premier Development League, are 20 minutes away from playing their second home match of the season, and Stumpf –- the owner of the team –- is here to watch. As she reaches the front, she sticks her hand inside her large purse to find her ticket. She hands it to a ticket-taker, who seems slightly surprised.
Unlike many sports owners, Stumpf doesn’t enter an event with much pomp or slip through a back door. She stands in line with fans. But once inside, Stumpf... READ MORE
Rising Coyle is just getting warmed upCharlie Coyle understands how the limelight can make some people nervous.
Coyle knows he isn’t the average 18-year-old. He’s quiet, sometimes shy. He doesn't show much emotion. He’s not the partying type. And Coyle values being able to train and practice the sport he loves -- hockey -- without many people noticing, as he did last Saturday inside Foxboro Sports Center.
“I enjoy working out by myself without a lot of people around,’’ Coyle said. “I’m not a fan of the spotlight.’’
But his life is about to change. Coyle, a forward from East Weymouth... READ MORE
Bump-and-run tactic backfires on Busch
LOUDON, N.H. -- Decisions late in races always have been tough for Kurt Busch. He understands the choices he makes can lead to exciting wins or disaster finishes. And there are also times, such as yesterday, when what he does can be thrown back at him by a competitor.
Busch was two laps from winning the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- a result that would have seemed far-fetched earlier in the race. But there were still those two laps.
Once Jimmie Johnson passed him for the lead between Turn 3 and Turn 4, Busch fell to third, which is where he finished.
Coming out of his No. 2 Dodge, Busch shook... READ MORE
A bond in the PhogThis drive to a small community in Missouri, it could mean very little. Or, something special might unfold. Either way, Judy Allen Morris didn’t really mind.
Morris knew her grandfather was an important person. He lived in this small town for seven years -– seven years that shaped his life –- and, now, people from this town wanted to talk to Morris and her brother, Mick Allen, about what their grandfather meant here.
So as Morris sat in the passenger’s seat while her brother drove them through this rural countryside to Warrensburg on a dark, chilly morning with heavy rain, she wondered what awaited them... READ MORE
Back into the swingTyler Ruch takes a few steps out of the Mules clubhouse, breathes in deeply and exhales. He takes another deep breath. Ashley Melson, one of Central Missouri’s athletic trainers, is waiting for him.
“You ready?” Melson asks.
“Yep,” Ruch says.
Melson tells Ruch to turn around so he isn’t facing her. He bows his head, his eyes fixed on what she’s about to do. Melson then breaks out a large bag of ice. Next comes her roll of clear athletic tape. She slowly places the ice bag on the most important part of Ruch’s body: his lower back. Despite the icy chill... READ MORE
A change in directionHis dream -- the one Jim Svoboda had waited for so many years -- had come and gone. He was stuck, out of a job and into the world of the unknown.
Svoboda had built a career of winning only to see it stall at UCLA. He had made the most of the opportunities he had only to question what his next one would be. He had focused all his work on becoming an offensive coordinator at a major Division I school only to watch his work crumble.
Life went on, leaving Svoboda with a choice: either push back toward his original goal of being a Division I coordinator or make a life-altering, middle-age decision that collided with conventional thinking.
And it was at Montana State, one of the unlikeliest places, where Svoboda... READ MORE
A well-rested returnEvery night in his bedroom Anthony Stewart would toss and turn. No matter the situation or time, Stewart always woke up. Maybe it was the train rolling through Warrensburg at 3 a.m., or a dream that needed to end. Some nights, it would be his back that awakened him. Other times, he awoke because he simply didn't want to be here.
He hated waking up in the middle of the night in Warrensburg. He knew he wasn't like most college students. He needs his sleep.
Stewart arrived here last summer, ready to start the newest adventure in his life, one he couldn't wait to begin. But the start was postponed. What he loved most -- running the football -- was gone.
A freak accident in football practice ended Stewart's excitement and took him on a journey he never saw coming, let alone a journey he wanted... READ MORE
Apple Valley man's Xcellentshot to flip into fame
Paris Rosen doesn't want to be a bartender again. Nor does Rosen want to stay a Midwesterner who hasn't fulfilled his dreams. Certainly, he doesn't want to ride his motorcycle in arenas where people aren't sure who he is.
Rosen wants fame.
"I'm not going for the 15 minutes," he said. "I'm going to make a statement in my sport. I want to become a...READ MORE
Helping him healLying in his bed, Theo Jones was losing it all.
He was losing the want to speak to anybody, the want to hang out with friends, the want to smile again, the want to ever get out of bed again, and, he especially was losing the want to play the game that had always defined his energetic personality.
Basketball.
At this point, what happened on Aug. 16, 2008, was the only thing Jones had on his mind. And no matter how hard he tried to close his eyes and grab some sleep, he couldn't. His father was on his mind... READ MORE
Eagan racer keeps lookingout for a sponsor's lift
Walk into the Eagan home of Ross and Kris Johnson, and you see clusters in every corner, signs that show teenagers live here, too.
In fact, there's a special room, between the living room and kitchen, for 18-year-old son Ryan. Since he graduated from Eagan High School a month ago, this room has been used as a museum of sorts for his race car driving exploits... READ MORE
Right decision,right time
Sitting down and looking out a window, Chris Gilchriest wonders how he ended up here. He's not upset about how it happened. He just thinks about the situation a lot.
No manual exists for what life has thrown Gilchriest -- not when all this has happened to him in five years: Troubled youngster gets kicked out of high school, moves back in with his mom, becomes a better student, picks up football, graduates, starts getting into trouble again, leaves with a friend to go to the middle of nowhere, decides to quit football, then gets an opportunity that changes his life.
Gilchriest, 23, has never known stability. For the longest time... READ MORE
Injuries, illnessestaking toll on Twins
Sunday's lineup did not look all that familiar to Twins fans.
First baseman Justin Morneau had the day off because of "general soreness" and second baseman Nick Punto did not play because of bruised ribs. The fact that leadoff hitter Denard Span is on the disabled list until at least Thursday because of dizziness caused by an ear infection did not help.
Then right fielder Jason Kubel left in the third inning after throwing up.
The Twins were shorthanded, and it showed in... READ MORE
Elite cyclist getsglimpse of fast lane
Brian Crosby, boyish-looking at 22, walked his bicycle on the grass infield two weeks ago at the National Sports Center in Blaine. As he did, every other cyclist appeared to be watching him.
"What do I think of him?" one asked another. "I know this: He's really fast."
That has been said a lot of Crosby. Since he started racing at the NSC's velodrome in 2004 with his Mounds View High School cycling club, he has improved, developing into probably the best track cyclist in... READ MORE
Innovative Wilkinsonsaw beyond color
Bob Kendrick has found stories about J.L. Wilkinson among the most compelling in the history of "black baseball."
Ironic was one word that Kendrick, marketing director of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, used often when talking about Wilkinson and his baseball legacy.
In a world of black men, Wilkinson, a white man, turned out to be one of the most influential figures in the Negro Leagues. Historians consider him one of the best owners in black baseball history.
What made Wilkinson's story ironic, Kendrick said, is that Wilkinson connected... READ MORE
DeSpain, 14,has promising
future behind wheel
Holly DeSpain is not afraid to dream.
She will share those dreams with anyone who will listen. The dreams began when Holly watched drag racing in her family’s living room. The dreams are now what drive her.
“I think I have been born to race,” she said.
With big, black sunglasses that hide her eyes, the skinny, short, blonde-haired girl... READ MORE
Wheelers' Monk turns summer job into starting gig
Russell Monk admits he’s been thinking. He says he sits down at least twice a week and has thoughts about his turnaround of a year. A whirlwind he calls it.
The Quad-City Steamwheelers (7-6) are in the middle of a playoff hunt, and Monk is enjoying what he thought never would happen.
“Everything is different,” Monk said. “This year has been a rollercoaster.”
So what has been the change in Monk’s life?... READ MORE
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