TheState.com: Bob Spear

Farewell Bob Spear: Memories are made from magic and music

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:53 EDT

OK, LET’S DO this one last time with feeling, a thought that represents a backdoor cut to today’s theme: Forty-four Years Are Enough.

The journey from then to now included stops everywhere from the Taj Mahals of sports — Yankee Stadium, Lambeau Field, Churchill Downs, Augusta National, Madison Square Garden and the Palestra — to fishing holes where cane poles were in vogue, a marvelous bandbox of a basketball arena called McGee Gym at Erskine College, and sandlots with chicken wire for backstops.

Finding a story did not require looking hard, just time to stop and an ear to listen. Every one created a memory worth keeping.

Magic moments unfolded, from Henry Aaron’s 715th home run to Ben Crenshaw’s tear-filled finish at the Masters, from Francisco Cabrera’s hit and Sid Bream’s mad dash to the National League pennant to Erik Kimrey’s pass, from Clemson’s march to a national football championship to the Gamecocks’ Black Magic season.

From the first story, a visit with Cy Szakacsi following the rainout of an American Legion game, to the last column, Tuesday morning’s reminiscence on Dode Phillips, the objective has been the same — to inform and entertain and sometimes surprise and critique.

Spear: Bona fide legend already inhabits Erskine lore

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:41 EDT

IF ERSKINE COLLEGE officials find favor with its feasibility study and again make football part of campus life, the school will have an advantage over most fledgling programs: a legacy.

Ah, you did not know Erskine fielded a football team, much less that it has a legend, did you?

It’s true; the school fielded a squad until 1951. The legend’s name is David Phillips, and only historians know of his achievements. Substitute “Dode” for his first name, and perhaps a glimmer of light dawns on the recognition scale.

For those still grasping to put a name with accomplishments, here is a refresher course:

• Phillips played for Erskine from 1917-21 and ranks among this state’s finest collegiate players;

Will you be watching todays Euro2008 game? Spear: No

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:57 EDT

Well, I understand the European Championships will be decided today. But you already knew that, didn’t you?

Spain will face Germany in Vienna for all the marbles. You knew that, too.

ABC has the coverage, live, at 2:45 p.m. with a lead-in from an MLS battle featuring the Los Angeles Galaxy against D.C. United. Of course, you knew; you planned your Sunday around the action.

What sport, you say? Sorry, I thought everyone followed what most of the world calls ‘football’ and this country calls ‘soccer.’

Pardon the disinterest, but the European soccer championship in this country matters like baseball’s poorly named World Series in the rest of the globe.

Spear: A new direction

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:38 EDT

RAYMOND FELTON SPENT part of last week in Mullins amid the cacophony of bouncing balls, shots clanking off rims and the stars of tomorrow honing their skills. He flitted from group to group, offering encouragement and interacting with the youngsters.

He remembered what those summer-camp days meant to him.

Felton spent Tuesday in much the same way, working with youngsters and sharing his experience in the Charlotte area. Tuesday’s sessions, part of the Windstream Green Truck Tour, stressed the company’s community involvement, but the prize instructor considered them more a labor of love.

“Definitely,” he said. “I love working with the kids.”

Yes, he remembers what those summer-camp days meant to him and his climb up the basketball ladder of success — from Latta High to the University of North Carolina and on to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Spear: All eyes, even those of his competitors, are on Tiger’s return

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:18 EDT

The U.S. Open unfolds this week near San Diego and Tiger Woods will step to the first tee in his familiar role of favorite.

No, you say?

Well, I have heard those rumblings to the contrary, the forecasts that the knee surgery which forced Woods’ two-month absence from tournament golf will make Phil Mickelson the guy to beat at Torrey Pines.

What nonsense!

Tiger’s absence merely levels the field and gives the rank and file reason to hope.

Spoil sports

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:35 EDT

Big Brown goes to the post today in the Belmont Stakes with one of the biggest prizes in sports — horse racing’s Triple Crown — there for the taking, and only the bold believe he will fail.

He comes into the 1½-mile test undefeated with runaway victories in the Florida Derby, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in his past three starts. He will go off at ridiculously low odds, probably in the 1-5 range, and his trainer predicts another win despite an injury that interrupted his training.

His credentials sound like those of Spectacular Bid in 1979: a sure thing.

Spectacular Bid lost.

David Whiteley, who lives in Camden, trained the colt, Coastal, that pulled the stunning upset 29 years ago and points out the scenario “is very much the same.”

Spear: Whiteley’s memory lives at Camden Training Track

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:29 EDT

FAMILY AND FRIENDS will gather at the Camden Training Track this morning to celebrate the life of Frank Whiteley, the legendary thoroughbred trainer who died in early May at 93, and the site could not be more appropriate.

He worked his magic for two generations at the track tucked out of sight at the end of Chestnut Street, and the performances of Tom Rolfe, Damascus, Ruffian and Forego — to name a few of his prize pupils — testify to his ability.

Whiteley became a fixture on the Camden horse scene in 1965, wintering his horses at Marion Scott DuPont’s facility, and the move set a trend that continues today. He earned a place in racing’s hall of fame, and yet his achievements largely had been overlooked or taken for granted in his adopted state until some “Friends of Frank” urged the city to stage Frank Whiteley Day in 2003.

If the snub bothered him, he never let on. Rather, he went about his business with horses — a love affair that begin on his father’s farm in Maryland. He would sometimes ride at shows and fairs for an uncle, and he obtained his trainer’s license in 1936.

“I always had a pony or a horse,” he said during a 2003 interview. “One thing led to another.”

Easy path not sought by Tigers’ run game

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:27 EST

CLEMSON

After Arkansas rushed for 542 yards against South Carolina and Florida gouged the same defense for another 233 overland, the idea that Clemson’s James Davis and C.J. Spiller will enjoy a field day against the Gamecocks comes naturally.

That could happen.

However, the Tigers do not expect to ramble unimpeded in Saturday night’s battle between the Palmetto State rivals.

“We won’t pound it down their throats,” Spiller predicted. “We didn’t last year.”

Inductees don’t emphasize the ball

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:58 EDT

COACHES OFTEN ARE remindful of the value of keeping one’s eyes on the ball, which translates into good advice — most of the time.

Yet, emphasis on the ball can become too ingrained, and some magic moments in sports — the screen that sets up the winning basket, the block that springs the runner for a touchdown — can be missed.

Focusing on the ball can lead to overlooking marvelous athletes, too, a fact that will be on display tonight at the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

Three of the honorees did not compete in the so-called “ball” sports, and one, track and field star Lisa Misipeka, ranks among Carolina’s most decorated performers.

Her credentials are extraordinary. She won the school’s first international track and field medal, made three Olympic teams, captured two NCAA championships, set Southeastern Conference and collegiate records and earned All-America honors 11 times.

Harper keeps cool under pressure

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:01 EDT

CLEMSON

FOR A GUY WHO HAS lived in a goldfish bowl and analyzed from every perspective for six months, Cullen Harper stepped into the big arena for the first time with remarkable calmness Monday night.

He earned Clemson’s starting quarterback job in spring practice, but his three college seasons consisted of 20 pass attempts in 75 plays. In addition, injuries restricted him to two games his senior year in high school.

Now, he would start for the Tigers in an anything-but-normal season’s opener. The made-for-TV date pitted Clemson against Florida State, and the Seminoles’ defense usually feasts on inexperienced quarterbacks.

Harper did just fine, thank you.

Spiller ready for Monday night special

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:03 EDT

CLEMSON

C.J. Spiller grew up within an hour of the University of Florida campus, cheered for Florida State and chose former Seminoles star Warrick Dunn for his idol.

Little wonder, then, that most forecasters expected him to make Gainesville or perhaps Tallahassee his base for college football.

Instead, he picked Clemson, and his first game against his childhood favorite turned out to be forgettable from a personal standpoint.

He plans to change that impression Monday night.

Anticipation dates back 25 yeas

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:03 EDT

Labor Day night.

More than 80,000 zealots packed into the stadium.

The tailgate crowd arrives ridiculously early, electricity ricochets from all angles, and flashbulbs sparkle like a sea of diamonds to record the scene.

Two teams with lofty ambitions set tosquare off, television cameras ready to beam the action to the nation and players squirm with antsy anticipation in looking toward the evening kickoff.

Clemson and Florida State on Monday, right? A concrete canyon called Death Valley, right?

USC O-line takes solid first step

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:22 EDT

ADD ANOTHER STARTER to South Carolina’s suspended list, and this one could loom larger that the others in the Gamecocks’ future.

Lemuel Jeanpierre hopes to solve the problem.

Losing offensive guard James Thompson for three games — violation of university policy, school officials said — could throw a monkey wrench into the team’s top priority. If coach Steve Spurrier said once in the past six months that developing the offensive line topped his priorities, he made that observation 500 times.

Well, the best-laid plans went out the door Saturday, the day Carolina opened the season with a more-difficult-than-expected win against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Thompson earned the starting guard job again, and the Gamecocks again lost him because of self-inflicted wounds.

New business brings Johnson full circle

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:08 EDT

MORE THAN A HALF-CENTURY later, Junior Johnson has returned to his roots — the moonshine business.

“What goes around comes around,” the racing legend said. “I got out and now I’m back in.”

He sat back, laughed at the incongruity and added the kicker — “But this time everything is legal.”

Time was that Johnson — and most of his North Carolina neighbors — brewed and hauled illegal whiskey. That got him in trouble with the government; he did 11 months in federal prison.

But streaking along the back roads with the government on his tail taught Junior Johnson a thing or two about driving, and few in the stock-car world could handle a car better. Indeed, more than 40 years after he quit, only nine drivers claim more than his 50 victories. Truth be told, he bowed out in 1966 after racing ceased to be a challenge.

Tigers’ Ford sets up speed trap for foes

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 22:00 EDT

CLEMSON

JACOBY FORD GAVE his new Clemson teammates an on-the-field introduction by taking a screen pass, side-stepping one defender and bolting 53 yards the first time he touched the football in his first spring scrimmage.

“I just got the ball and hit (the play),” he said after that practice in the spring of 2006.

He introduced himself to Clemson fans in much the same way in the fall, exhibiting his take-your-breath speed while scoring on a 92-yard punt return against Florida Atlantic in the season’s opener.

He struck from long range against Temple (55-yard pass) and Louisiana Tech (94-yard kickoff return) and ended any suggestion that he only picked on outmatched opponents with a 76-yard reception against South Carolina.

Billie’s return a bad omen for Tigers’ foes

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:04 EDT

CLEMSON

TRAMAINE BILLIE CAME on a blitz, a move he had made hundreds of times. This time, though, the play ended differently. An offensive lineman hit him from the blind side, his ankle caught and a bone snapped.

The practice-field injury last August sent Billie to the sidelines for the year and started a chain reaction that changed the face of Clemson’s linebacking corps. The still-efficient unit lost its excellent rating, a fact all too real in the Tigers’ late-season swoon.

Now, Billie is back, and his return alters the complexion of Clemson’s defense. Coordinator Vic Koenning cannot wait for the opportunity to use his full package again.

“We’ll be able to do more things,” Koenning said. “We had to back off some things we could do with Tramaine.”

An uncommon strength

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 23:24 EDT

CHARLOTTE

THE GRINDING AUTOMOBILE crash. The severed spinal cord. Paralysis. A life shattered at age 19.

In the twinkling of an eye, a future of promise turned into a story of heartbreak.

But what could have been the end for Brian Moore is just the beginning.

A graduate of Winnsboro’s Fairfield Central High who would have been a redshirt sophomore defensive lineman on Newberry College’s high-powered football team this fall, Moore refuses to surrender.

Photo finish, huge purse push Red Giant into new level of fame

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:56 EDT

Real estate can be expensive, sometimes outrageously so from the outside looking in and viewing only the price without considering the details.

With that caveat, consider this deal: a potential $1 million, give or take a few bucks, per inch.

Yes, per inch, and yes, the number sounds ridiculous even in a business world that focuses on location, location, location.

Then again, if that location is the finish line of a horse race, and a colt sticks his nose across the wire first ... well, that brings a different perspective to the price tag.

Ask John Fort, the Camden-area resident who owns Peachtree Racing Stable and celebrated a handsome payday Saturday.

Bob Spear's Sarge Frye Memories

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 09:48 EDT

April 9, 2000

After two heart-stopping wins to start the series, second-ranked South Carolina went one better in a 7-6 victory that completed a sweep of Mississippi State.

Down by one run with none on and two out in the bottom of the 10th, Brennan Dees walked, Brandon Pack ended a 6-for-36 slump with a game-tying double off the first-base bag, and Marcos Rios flared an 0-2 pitch to right field to bring home the decisive run.

“I was just trying not to strike out,” Rios said.

“You have to have a little luck, but you have to position yourself for that,” USC coach Ray Tanner said.