"Voice Of the Pirates"

I hate to hear of the news that Jeff Charles "Voice of the ECU Pirates has Colon Rectal Cancer.  My prayers go out to Jeff and his family during this fight.  I have known Jeff for as long as he has been the "VOP" in fact I can not say that we are friends but I have been with him several times over the years either in a press box or some where in Williams Arena.  I remember the first time we met was soon after he became the "VOP" he was at Chowan College during a Chowan Junior College game and I interviewed him at halftime.  I don't recall why  he was there that night. He was just there watching the game and Bob Burke Chowan's coach introduced me to him and of course I had to get him on the radio.

There have been plenty of dominate teams in college sports in the past.  UCLA winning 10 basketball titles in 12 years.  Oklahoma winning 47 straight football games back in the fifties.  But there has never been a more dominate team in any sport than the Tar Heels women's soccer program.  The Heels won their 22nd championship in I think 31 years that the NCAA has given a championship out in soccer.

This is the first time that I have spoken about him but North Edgecombe basketball product Montrezl Harrell is having a solid start to his college basketball career at the University of Louisville.  He has started one of their eight games and is averaging 16 minutes per game.  He is shooting 63% from the floor averaging 3.8 rebounds and is scoring at 4.4 points per game.  Louisville's only loss to date is to Duke.

I don't know whether you have heard this or not but the New Orleans Hornets just might be changing their nickname from the Hornets to the Pelicans.  I have always thought that teams needed to have nicknames that related to their area and the hornets just doesn't fit the city of New Orleans.  The only negative thing I can think of about the Pelicans is don't associate them are fighters light nicknames tend to be.  Let's go you fighting Pelicans just doesn't sound right.

Whether they change their name or not sits in the hands of the NBA.  If the NBA can figure out how everyone can make money off changing I am sure they will be for it.  Should the Hornets nickname be dropped Michael Jordan has expressed interest in bringing the nickname back to Charlotte and drop the Bobcats and return to the Hornets the way it use to be before George Shinn up and moved the Hornets to New Orleans ten years ago.  Charlotte has now won 7 games this season which ties them with all the wins they had last year.  Yes there is a team worst than them in the NBA this year and it is the Washington Wizards who have won just twice.