Every now and then, usually when I’m looking for something else I can’t find, I’ll stumble across the Atlanta Braves 1991 highlight tape I have stashed away for safekeeping. When I do, I’ll usually pop it into my old antiquated VCR (yes I still have one, so get off my lawn) and relive one of… [ More… ]
News & Features
Insights from Brett
The Bradsher Beat
Bakich and Michigan chasing dogpile moments
In the late ‘90s as an East Carolina baseball player, Erik Bakich internalized the word “Omaha” as a symbol of the journey and the goal wrapped up into one. As a volunteer assistant at Clemson in 2002, he got to experience the storied College World Series in that city for the first time. Now, seventeen… [ More… ]
Football Recruiting
D-lineman McCray brushing off new suitors
J’Vian McCray didn’t make much a first impression on Brett Hickman when the latter was named head football coach at West Brunswick High School in Shalotte, NC, in March 2018. Hickman, whose father Yogi led the Trojans to 53 wins between 1994-99, had spent most of his young coaching career at the college level. He… [ More… ]
Insights from Brett
LeClair’s protégés hotly pursuing mentor’s quest
Of all the things Keith LeClair accomplished in his successful but too-short tenure as baseball coach at East Carolina — including 212 wins, four NCAA tournament appearances and one Super Regional in five seasons — the one thing he didn’t live long enough to do was take a team to Omaha and the College World… [ More… ]
VIEW FROM THE EAST
Pirates caught in perfect storm
East Carolina’s 14-1 and 12-0 Super Regional losses at Louisville were surprising. The Pirates spent a lot of energy coming through the losers bracket in the Greenville regional and did not perform on the same level that characterized ECU’s 2019 season. The crowd support that helped the Pirates the previous week at Clark-LeClair Stadium was… [ More… ]
The Bradsher Beat
Hope persists as Pirate Nation suffers together
Four years ago, when I had the opportunity to write a book commemorating fifty years of Super Bowls, I interviewed former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi about the unique pain of losing the Super Bowl. I have tremendous respect for Accorsi, and his perspective on that particular sports tribulation has stayed with me.… [ More… ]
Football Recruiting
Stribling plots course for early enrollment
Mike Morris was working with the junior varsity football team at Fluvanna High School in Virginia in August 2017 when a a player on the varsity field caught his attention. “It was about the third week of camp,” said Morris, a Fluvanna graduate who was promoted to varsity head coach in May 2018. “I started… [ More… ]