Rant...

Where was AD during the fall of UNC basketball?

By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 6, 2003

To those who think the coach isn't the most important component of a big-time college program (i.e., anyone not paying attention to Gators football last season), look how quickly North Carolina men's basketball has become a quagmire.

For the long and glorious tenure of Dean Smith, UNC was a beacon of quality and integrity. Twenty-win seasons were a given, as were berths in the Sweet 16 and beyond.

Smith retired in 1997. Today, revered, exalted Carolina hoops is swaying between mediocrity and chaos.

The past week's events were shocking for a program that occupied exalted status for so long. Coach Matt Doherty, a former Tar Heel player, "resigned." It is no surprise Doherty failed: He was hired because of his pedigree, connections and youthfulness. His actual track record was unimpressive.

There are plenty of others to blame. The players who supposedly chafed under Doherty's wrath, well, didn't they choose to play for him from among the dozens of doting coaches who recruited them?

And Doherty said athletic director Dick Baddour, who fired him, er, asked for his resignation because of Doherty's decayed relationship with his players, didn't attend a practice this season (though Baddour said he did). Shouldn't Baddour have kept a closer watch on the school's most important coach?

RAVE

Little things will lead to bigger things for Baldelli

When distinguishing good from great, little things can make the difference.

Near midnight as Tuesday rolled over into Wednesday, Devil Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli, in just the second game of his MLB career, demonstrated a grasp of the game's nuances, of the little things that gives the precocious 21-year-old an opportunity to fulfill his vast potential.

Three plays by Baldelli during extra innings in the 9-8, 16-inning loss to the Red Sox were very big little things. Two came when he hit weak grounders for apparent sure outs. Most players, momentarily piqued by such feeble results, take a moment to get out of the box; Baldelli bolted toward first like a scared jack rabbit. He was safe by a smidgen in both instances. The key was the instant transition from swinging to running. It made the difference.

The third play was a defensive gem. Baldelli charged in to his left on a base hit, and, in one fast and fluid motion, scooped-it-up-aligned-

his-body-with-home-plate-crow-hopped-and-launched -- a one-hop strike to catcher Toby Hall.

It proved Baldelli has a strong arm, but so do dozens of big-league outfielders. The key was his artful, no-wasted-time release. It made the difference.

The little things could make Baldelli a big thing: the Rays' first home-grown star.

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