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Bailey's
Take on Pirate Sports
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From the Anchor Desk
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
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By Brian Bailey
Sports Anchor of WNCT-TV 9 |
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Once again, inspiration makes a mark at ECU
©2002 Bonesville.net
A
Pirate at heart
I didn’t graduate from East Carolina University, but
I think I would have enjoyed going to school in Greenville. After 18 years
of covering the Pirates, I think I’ve earned some sort of honorary “Pirate”
status.
Some things just make a man swell with pride. This
past weekend’s Conference USA tournament joins a list of Pirate
accomplishments against the odds. I compare it favorably to the “Flood
Game.”
The last time I felt this way was just after
Hurricane Floyd swamped the region with devastation. There was talk at our
station of not sending a crew to Raleigh for the East Carolina-Miami of
Florida game, because all of the crews were exhausted from covering the
flood.
I fought for a photographer and I even convinced the
powers that be to send the satellite truck to Raleigh for the game. Never
did I think the events would unfold like they did, but at least we were
ready.
Several of the Pirates had lost everything in the
flood. The team didn’t play well in the first half, but then came out
smoking in the second half.
The Pirates rallied and put out their best effort
when the people of Eastern North Carolina needed them most.
And last weekend, the Pirates of the baseball diamond
put out their best effort, when Coach Keith LeClair needed them most.
Or maybe it was the other way around — that the Coach
put out his best effort, finding a way to get to Kinston, when the Pirate
team needed him most.
Either way, it worked! The emotions overflowed at
Grainger Stadium when the players celebrated their title by making their way
to the van that held their ailing coach.
When two Pirate players splashed the van with
Gatorade in celebration, there probably wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium.
It makes you proud to be a Pirate, and proud to be an
Eastern Carolinian!
LeClair
Set for Clemson Trip
Pirate officials spent most of the day Tuesday working out the details for
Coach LeClair to go to Clemson for the NCAA regionals.
“The folks at Clemson have been great,” said East
Carolina assistant athletic director Lee Workman. “We’ve made arrangements
to get Keith as close to the field as possible.”
The regional has a definite Western Carolina feel to
it. Clemson Coach Jack Leggett coached LeClair at Western Carolina. LeClair
coached Georgia Southern skipper Rodney Hennon at Western.
It will obviously be a very emotional reunion this
week in the regionals.
Tough
Bracket Awaits
The NCAA certainly didn’t do the Pirates any favors
by sending them to Clemson. The Tigers will be big favorites this weekend,
and go into these NCAA regionals as the 2nd seed nationally.
The Pirates face a very good Elon team in their first
game. The Fighting Phoenix lost to East Carolina in Greenville, but then
beat the Pirates at home.
 Pirate
pitcher Sam Narron could get the start in game one, and he says he’s ready.
“My arm feels really good,” said Narron. “I was ready
to go on Sunday if I was needed. I even threw a little on the side and the
arm was fine. I’m ready to go, whether it’s game one or game two.”
Best of luck to the Pirates in the NCAA’s, and our
prayers continue to be with Coach LeClair and his family!
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Brian Bailey.
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archives.
02/23/2007 01:22:47 AM
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