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DAILY REPORT:
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30,
2009
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Messy day,
touching day in Memphis
By
Brian Bailey
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 WNCT-TV 9 Sports
Director Brian Bailey is on the
scene in Memphis bringing
daily coverage of bowl week to Bonesville's readers
and Channel 9's viewers. The week
climaxes Saturday with East
Carolina's Liberty Bowl
showdown with Arkansas. |
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MEMPHIS — What a
difference a day makes with the weather! Tuesday was a
sunny, crisp day for the Pirates. Wednesday was a
miserable mix of rain and cold for Skip Holtz and his
squad.
Holtz said it wasn't
any big deal.
"This isn't baseball,"
he joked. "We don't all sit in the dugout and put the
tarp on the field when it rains. This is football and so
we practice in the rain. Welcome to Memphis!"
The Pirates did shorten
the Wednesday practice a bit because of the conditions.
The squad once again utilized the new field turf at
Memphis to get in some work.
Earlier in the day, 14
Pirates visited the St. Jude Children's Hospital in
Memphis. If you ever think you have a bad day just spend
a little time with these young ones and their parents.
They certainly didn't ask to be sick. It breaks my heart
to see the young ones like that, but those guys in the
purple jerseys put a smile on their faces this morning.
"We play a game," said
punter Matt Dodge. "These families are battling for
their lives out here. It makes you think."
"I really appreciate
these players coming out for something like this," said
Kelly Church of Jonesboro, Arkansas. Kelly's 4-year old
son Owen was among the children visiting with the Pirate
players. "We'll show him the players on television on
Saturday and he'll have talked to many of them. Our
family are big sports fans and we watch a lot of college
football."
Also on Wednesday in
Memphis, the East Carolina offense was on display with a
press conference of its own. Co-offensive coordinator
Todd Fitch was pretty tight lipped about a game plan
against Arkansas.
Fitch says his offense
will once again look for balance, but he knows the
Pirates will have to run the football to win.
Sixth-year quarterback
Patrick Pinkney hinted that the Pirates might have a
trick up their sleeve.
"It's the last game for
many of us," said Pinkney. "Why not open up the
playbook? We're going to have some fun!"
The fun in Memphis
continues tomorrow with an awards luncheon and the big
New Year's Eve pep rally featuring both team's bands and
cheerleaders.
Content:
Brian Bailey. ©2009 Bonesville.net and WNCT-TV 9. All
rights reserved. |
