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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, September 8, 2008
By Brian Bailey |
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The good, the bad
and the ugly
By
Brian Bailey
©2009 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
It was the best of
times, it was the worst
of times, it was the age
of wisdom, it was the
age of foolishness, it
was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of
incredulity, it was the
season of Light, it was
the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of
hope, it was the winter
of despair, we had
everything before us, we
had nothing before us,
we were all going direct
to heaven, we were all
going direct the other
way — in short, the
period was so far like
the present period, that
some of its noisiest
authorities insisted on
its being received, for
good or for evil, in the
superlative degree of
comparison only.
Charles Dickens
"A Tale of Two Cities"
I certainly didn’t read
enough books in high
school or college, but
one that I enjoyed the
most was “A Tale of Two
Cities.”
That opening to that
book kept coming back to
me in the second half of
Saturday’s East Carolina
win over Appalachian
State. The Pirates were
so good in the first
quarter, but really
struggled in the second
half against what I
thought was an inferior
opponent.
How does a team dominate
the line of scrimmage
like East Carolina did
in the first half, only
to lose that edge in the
second half?
I think Appalachian
State’s coaches made
some great adjustments
and I think many of the
Pirates chalked up a
victory a tad early. I
think things came so
easy in the first half
that many of the players
had moved on to another
group of Mountaineers,
ECU’s week two opponent
from Morgantown.
All things considered,
Coach Skip Holtz seemed
pleased that his squad
won the game, but all
parties concerned also
realize there is plenty
of work ahead.
"I told the staff I
thought the best thing
that could ... happen to
us would be a one-point
win because we'd have
everybody's attention
and focus,” said Holtz.
“With all the people we
have coming back, I
thought that was a great
lesson for us to learn.
We're not going to win
just because we have a
lot of experience back.
We have nine starters
back, but the opponent
is not going to run out
of the stadium.”
Lessons often come with
losses. That was not the
case on Saturday, and
that should be a huge
positive as the Pirates
kick off this football
season.
"We keep saying that
nothing is given to us
and you have to earn
everything,” Holtz
continued. “At this
point, we've earned one
win. I'm proud of this
team and what they did.
I'm proud of the fact
that they didn't panic
or flinch. They kept
playing football and
leadership stood up. Van
Eskridge was vocal. That
was the first time I've
really seen him take a
positive active role. I
think there were a lot
of positive things that
came out of Saturday."
Much of the postgame
concern centered on the
cramping that hobbled
several of the Pirates
in the opener,
especially C.J. Wilson.
I asked Coach Holtz if
that was a major concern
if it stays hot in
September.
"It wasn't overly hot,”
said Holtz. "C.J. Wilson
and Van Eskridge have
never cramped a day in
their lives. We go out
and practice hard for
two-and-a-half hours in
a lot more heat than we
played in on Saturday
and have not had any
problems with it. Right
now I'm not overly
concerned with it.”
Holtz has, however, been
proactive on the matter.
"If it's something that
continues to show up,
obviously we'll have to
take more of a look into
it. We are taking some
precautionary measures,
though. I met with Mike
Hanley (Assistant AD for
Medical Services/Head
Athletic Trainer) and
talked about some of the
different things we can
do whether it's
electrolytes or
something else. I think
it was a lot of
individual separate
cases Saturday. It's not
a concern right now."
Back in Time Thursday
East Carolina alums have
told me for a long time
that there is nothing
like the pride one has
in the football team
from their school.
I finally got a taste of
that this past weekend.
This past Thursday I
took the day off. I
journeyed back to my
alma mater and walked
around on campus at Old
Dominion University.
ODU was set to play the
school’s first football
game in six decades that
Saturday. I took a look
at the new stadium on
campus, and I could
sense a bit of school
pride for the first
time. I have been in
Greenville for almost 25
years and this was my
first trip back to the
ODU campus.
Foreman Field was
primarily used for field
hockey when I was in
school. Now, Foreman
Field is a part of S.B.
Ballard Stadium after a
$24.8 million facelift.
The Monarchs are playing
as an Independent this
year and will join the
CAA in the future and
play in the NCAA’s
Football Championship
Subdivision (formerly
Division IAA). One of
the Monarch’s assistant
coaches is former ECU
Pirate defensive lineman
Dealton Cotton. Cotton
coaches ODU’s defensive
line.
ODU beat Chowan 36-21 in
the school’s first
football game in 60
years.
My primary reason for my
trip home last Thursday
was to watch the team of
one of my best friend’s
play. Tim Sitterson
started his second year
as the head coach at
Hickory High School in
Chesapeake this past
Thursday. Tim and I
played high school
football together at
Indian River High
School.
I didn’t get the chance
to see Tim coach during
his first year because
of my commitments to
Touchdown Friday at WNCT-TV
9 on Friday nights.
This year Hickory opened
on Thursday, giving me a
chance to see his team.
It was a great game.
Hickory came from 12
points down to lead
15-12 in the final
seconds. The Hawks made
a tackle on the
three-yard line to
preserve the win.
There’s nothing like
surprising an old friend
with a big hug after a
victory!
Congrats to the Hawks
and the Monarchs!
Pirates are underdogs
East Carolina is a
6½-point underdog
against West Virginia
this week in Morgantown.
West Virginia had its
own struggle against a
Football Championship
Subdivision opponent in
week one, slipping by
the Liberty Flames
33-20.
The Mountaineers fan
base certainly isn’t
sold on Bill Stewart.
That same base remembers
the beat-down that East
Carolina put on West
Virginia in Greenville
last year.
Likewise, Skip Holtz
remembers his last trip
to Morgantown.
"I remember we scored
right at the end to get
points on the board,
that's what I remember,”
said Holtz. “We went up
there and they played a
great game. Pat White
was about 19-20 throwing
the ball. They were
really impressive that
day. Their running game
was on and we struggled.
"We're taking a much
more experienced team up
there than we did two
years ago. I do think
the crowd will be a
factor, especially after
last year's result. I
think their crowd will
be loud. Crowd noise is
going to be something
we're going to have to
talk about this week at
practice."
As for the Pirates, that
second half against
Appalachian State should
serve as a great wake-up
call for Skip Holtz and
his squad.
I think you’ll see a
great effort for the
entire 60 minutes this
time out.
BB
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