The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 21, 2006, Page 10, Image 10
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.”
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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