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Bailey's
Take on Pirate Sports
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
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By Brian Bailey
Sports Anchor of WNCT-TV 9 |
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©2002 Bonesville.net
Just as the running game was reestablishing itself as a
heavy weapon in the East Carolina arsenal, Leonard Henry was back on the
sideline.
The way the Pirates were running the football, it looked
like Henry was back in the ECU huddle.
The L-Train spends his week with the Miami Dolphins, helping
the team gear up for that week's game as a member of the practice squad.
“I prepare just like I am a member of the team,” Leonard told me Saturday
night. “The only difference is that I’m not with the team on the weekend. I
prepare so if someone gets injured, then I am ready to go.”
Leonard’s bright smile was as wide as some of the holes
cleared by ECU's offensive line in the second half on Saturday night.
“I’m really proud of Art Brown,” Henry said. “I thought that he had a lot of
talent last year, and I knew that he just needed a shot. He is a great
player and he will do well this season.”
Brown rushed for 185 yards in the 24-20 win over Tulane. In the interview
room after the game, I told Art that Leonard had kind words for him during
the game.
“Leonard was a great teacher,” said Brown. “He has moved on to a higher
level and is doing well. I hope that I get that same chance someday.”
Keep running the football like you did on Saturday night, and the next level
will be calling!
New pregame intro fired up fans
I wrote last year that some changes were needed for the Pirate’s entrance on
game day.
The new open was a definite plus. The crowd was on its feet, and the
multimedia presentation of past
Pirate successes had the crowd rocking.
The quote from Dr. Leo Jenkins was excellent, but would have been even more
effective had we seen Dr. Jenkins say his lines.
The tunnel, though inflatable and man-made, is what most colleges that don’t
have a true tunnel to run through use. The team ran out with some fireworks
and smoke, and overall it was a much better look.
However, the Pee Dee shot on the video board during some critical times
looked cheap. It honestly looked like a Pee Dee puppet, and it just didn’t
fit.
As I said last year, you can’t spend millions on a scoreboard, and then use
ten-dollar videos.
Diehards brave the elements
The Pirate fans deserve a great pat on the back for coming out and
supporting this team, despite the 0-2 record and the rain.
I’m not convinced that there were over 35,000 fans at the game, but the
crowd was much better then I had expected.
Those that came out really had what turned out to be a nice night for football. After a first half
of drizzle, the second half was overcast but pleasant.
Of course, it was much nicer in the end with the 24-20 victory in hand!
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02/23/2007 01:23:16 AM
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