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USC sports figures, prez mourn loss of columnist Influential Gamecock writet calls it quits after years of service The winds of change continued to be felt across the country Thursday as The Gamecock announced t h e resignation of sports TODD columnist GREED Todd Green. Graduate Green’s student of exit has been sports and linked to entertainment the recent mana&™'nt shake-up of White House personnel by new chief of staff Josh Bolton. Green’s resignation coincided with the departure of White’ House press secretary Scott McClellan and Karl Rove relinquishing day-to-day control over domestic policy for the administration. At a press conference Thursday, President Bush spoke admirably of Green’s contributions to the University of South Carolina. “Everybody knows I am a huge sports fan,” he said. “Reading Todd’s columns has been a great way for me to unwind after a long week. It’s a tough job being the decider, but I had to make a decision and that decision was that Todd needed to step aside.” Reactions around campus have been mixed. Polls conducted just hours after the announcement reveale'd that 96 percent of respondents had never even heard of Green or read one of his columns and were generally confused at how his resignation had anything to do with the shake-up of White House personnel. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Green declared his fondness for The Gamecock. “I have had a lot of fun writing for the Gamecock,” he said. “To think that anybody would let me put my ramblings down in print is astonishing. I would encourage any of you out there to get involved with student media. Anybody can do it; they let me do it and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing most of the time.” Green also called for the continued support of the president and spoke of his plans to enjoy life as a private citizen. “We have to stand by our president during this most difficult of times,” Green said. “He has a really tough job. But right now I am looking forward to some time off. I’m actually planning a hunting trip with Vice President Cheney next weekend. It should be a good way to relax.” In recent weeks, the speculation had been growing that Green would resign. Friends and associates of Green knew of his desire to return to private life but said it had nothing to do with the growing controversy over his role in several high profile scandals. “Yes, Todd is the one that told me a few years ago that I could improve my performance by using The Cream and The Clear,” said baseball slugger Barry Bonds. “He told me it was just an ointment that would help my arthritis, and I firmly believe that.” Green also caused a stir when he accepted a position to be the publicist for former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. “After the Super Bowl last year, I wanted to improve my image, so I hired Todd,” Owens said. “He had a lot if interesting ideas, too. He told me that people in Philadelphia loved me so much and that if I wanted a new contract all I had to do was express my ideas a little more openly.” Former South Carolina wide receiver Troy Williamson defended Green. When reached by phone, the second year Minnesota Vikings receiver described him as r • i «rn i 1 a li lie menu. iuuu iu su much fun to be around,” Williamson said. “All the guys on the Vikings love him. One time last year, during the bye-week of the season, he arranged for us all to go out and party on a boat. He arranged for all of the entertainment and everything.” Green leaves The Gamecock after two years of faithful and loyal, albeit unpaid, services. “The money or lack thereof was not a factor,” Green said. “I was able to be involved in something, and I saw some great sporting events. Writing about sports was fun, but I guess I need to go out into the real world and get a job. It’s crazy I know.” IbsJbe MUSE DRE ' *wm j cials! DDES *>RltfK SI) DAY i 2.-5 PM any lunch except fajitas V.ii d >m/v .if Vi !.) i " '■"< "■ Expires >-22-06 <M.°° •*Hv FpoJ? PF $-16 ;;, <**• /;!ff|||fj|§| iSXfcMKjfcaaBiMiMi BASEBALL • COATIAUED FROfA 9 into a groundout and Weathers into a pop foul to first. The Citadel didn’t hold the lead for long, as freshman shortstop Reese Havens led off the bottom of the second inning and belted his second homer of the year, going over the right-center fence. In the bottom of the third, Bulldogs pitcher Zach Brown made life hard for himself when, after a Mark Stanley single, he promptly struck two batters to load the bases with two outs. Stanley was able to get out of it, however, when Havens, looking for his second homer of the game, struck out swinging. Despite the tied score, momentum, it appeared, was beginning to swing in the Gamecocks’ favor. It did. In the bottom of the fourth, catcher Ian Paxton and DH Robbie Grinestaff slammed back to-back homers for their fourth and twelfth of the year, respectively. Before Carolina fans even had time to celebrate, left fielder Jon Willard sent another solo shot over the center wall to give Carolina back-to-back to-back homers for the first time since a 1980 game against East Carolina. After giving up an RBI double in the top of the second, Atwood looked calm and in control, retiring 16 of 17 batters from the top of the second until he was relieved in the seventh inning, giving up only a single in the fifth. The 6 2/3 innings pitched marked the longest outing of the freshman’s career, besting his previous mark of 5 2/3 innings against Clemson on April 5. Atwood finished the night with one earned run, four hits, a walk, and five strikeouts on 87 pitches. The Gamecocks then broke the game open, as Carolina drew two walks and center fielder Michael Campbell and Smoak both executed successful bunts in the bottom of the seventh to bring home a run and end lefty reliever Jamie Maxwell’s night before he could record an out. His replacement, righty Ken 0 | Egleton, fared worse; with the bases again loaded, left fielder Cheyne Hurst pelted a double off the center field wall to drive in three more runs, missing a grand slam by about four feet. The inning wasn’t over yet, though. Second baseman James Darnell connected on a single, driving Hurst home to give the Gamecocks a 9-1 lead. Next up was Stanley, who also hit a single, matching a career-high with three hits in a game. Not bad for a 0 player who was substituted for Andrew Crisp at the last minute. The bases were loaded for the third time of the inning when righty Stephen Williams tried to control the hemorrhage. Still, Carolina was able to score another run as the man who led off the inning, Campbell recorded an RBI on a sacrifice fly. The Gamecocks left the inning with a 10-1 lead and the game firmly in hand. BRIEF • COflTIflUED FROIT19 to scrimmage with the Gamecocks as part of their reward, as well as have a question and answer session with the team. “This is going to be a great event, and we are looking forward to getting to Meadowfield and visiting with a group of students who are so dedicated to reading,” junior guard Shannel Harris said. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports @gwm. sc. edu BRLKmnn • conTiirafm through the SEC and NIT tournaments, earning All Tournament honors in both. “I’ve talked to Renaldo on several occasions, I think that he should look into the NBA,” Odom said. “I don’t think that he’s ready, I’ve told him that I think he’s more ready then he was a year ago. I’m talking strictly from a basketball standpoint.” Balkman just sent out an evaluation to a panel of NBA experts who will evaluate what they see and respond to him with a projection of where he will go in the draft. The projection that he receives will greatly affect his decision. “I don’t mind telling you that we go ahead and send his evaluation in to the NBA and see what the NBA general managers say,” Odom said. “That does not mean he’s ‘testing the waters,’ that means we have asked for their opinion, then he will decide what he is going to do. But let me tell you something about that young man, he loves the University of South Carolina. He told me this after his first year, that^ this is the first place that” he has ever been where a community cared about him as a person.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gium.sc.edu ODom • conTinucDFRomg team through highs such as an Southeastern Conference tournament run that ended in a heartbreaking loss to the future national champions, Florida, and an NIT run with heart-stopping games against Florida State and Cincinnati. It also saw blowout wins against Western Kentucky, 1 Louisville and Michigan. i “In the Florida game we ] were down, it was 15 to 2 or something like that,” < Odom said. “Every time 1 they came over to the bench t you’d hear Tarence Kinsey < say, ‘Next play, next play; ; keep on going.’ He was the catalyst.” i Odom said is proud of ^ Cinsey and Trice for the vay they performed under >ressure last season. “We played a tough chedule, we ended up >eing eighth in nation, hat’s the kind of schedule Carolina should play every 'ear,” he said. j Comments on this story? E-mail ramecocksports@gwm. sc. edu www.sa.sc.adu/adp Iqrrv n9QRS^%»|L 0 HAIR SALON 3214 Millwood Avenue ♦ South Carolina 29205 * (803) 256-6419