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Hardin: Blum gave soccer in N.C. kick it needed

"Ed Hardin ()" — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

GREENSBORO -- It might have all started with an act of defiance, a brazen decision by a woman who would not be deterred.

Barbara Blum was laid to rest Wednesday after a long and active life that will continue to resonate in this city and in towns across North Carolina. The chain-smoking gal from Los Angeles was Greensboro's matron saint of soccer.

Hardin: Heads up: keep heads down

"Ed Hardin ()" — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Don't tread on me.

The slithering silence of autumn's stealthiest hunters is underfoot. It's late snake season in North Carolina. We sometimes find that out the hard way.

Hardin: Age of the coliseum dawns on UNCG

"Ed Hardin ()" — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

GREENSBORO -- About an hour-and-a-half before the tip-off of UNCG's basketball renaissance Friday night, a marching band went stomping through the parking lot. Students cordoned off by traffic cones and barbecue grills cheered, and a line of cars entering the vast lot around Greensboro Coliseum paused.

It was one of the greatest moments in UNCG sports history.

Hardin: Panthers fight to get ahead in the middle

"Ed Hardin ()" — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

CHARLOTTE — After fighting against the current to get back to significance in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers took down their rivals Sunday and sent a message to the league.

Sort of.

The message was something along the lines of, we're just as good as anyone else. Almost.

Hardin: Coaches can blame only themselves for H.S. playoffs mess

"Ed Hardin ()" — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

GREENSBORO — The regular season ended, and the chaos ensued. After a tempest-tossed year in which Ragsdale beat Dudley, and R.J. Reynolds beat everybody else, all three somehow finished in a tie that created about what you'd expect: the perfect storm.

Hoops still comes down to North Carolina and Duke

"Ed Hardin ()" — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Roy Williams has a new book out, and the Dean Dome has a glitzy new light show. The spoils of victory are sometimes hard to figure. Duke has a renewed interest in recruiting, thus college basketball has a renewed interest in Duke. State's heralded freshman class has arrived without some potential baggage, and that's probably a good thing.

It takes a village of Panthers to replace a Hoover

"Ed Hardin ()" — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

CHARLOTTE — They were about to cart Brad Hoover off the field Sunday as the crowd politely applauded and the Panthers quietly worried. He rolled on the ground in obvious pain while his Carolina Panthers teammates looked on in amazement. The toughest guy on the team was about to be loaded onto the back of the meat wagon and carried off.

Fox decides Jake or bust for Panthers

"Ed Hardin ()" — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE — Say what you will about the Carolina Panthers, but they are loyal to their own.

To a fault.

Hardin: Harper's job toughest in all of ACC

"Ed Hardin ()" — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

GREENSBORO — Kellie Harper was late. Every coach in the ACC was gathered at midcourt of the Greensboro Coliseum floor Monday, every coach except the newest member of the conference. She was busy talking.

Hardin: Hope for Panthers abandoned here

"Ed Hardin ()" — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE — On what was likely the last Sunday of the season for the Panthers to catch their breath, Carolina choked on the rare air of an easy win. Buffalo, with an offense that couldn't get out of its own way, stunned the Panthers 20-9 to end any pretense of hope.

Hardin: In racing world, straight talk isn't what it used to be

"Ed Hardin ()" — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

MARTINSVILLE -- The rain poured here Saturday, and the creeks rose and the red-clay valley filled with noise.

Racing returned to its roots this weekend in the midst of a chase no one seems all that interested in watching, a sport waning in the shadow of its own success and showing signs for the first time ever that all might not be well.

Hardin: Bowden casts glow over detractors

"Ed Hardin ()" — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHAPEL HILL — The old man won't go down without a fight.

With vultures flying overhead and Tar Heel voices screaming all around him, Bobby Bowden pulled off still another win over North Carolina on a strange Thursday night in strangely lighted Kenan Stadium.

Hardin: Long return by Kenny Moore rescues Panthers

"Ed Hardin ()" — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE — On the biggest play of the season, Kenny Moore didn't score two touchdowns. John Fox didn't throw his hat into the air, and a capacity crowd didn't celebrate the first Panthers win in 287 days.

All that would come later.

Duke backs up tough talk

"Ed Hardin ()" — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

RALEIGH — Duke went down an old familiar road Saturday after a long time wandering. For the first time in 25 years, the Blue Devils went to N.C. State and won a football game.

As the clouds gathered in the closing minutes over a Wolfpack program suddenly reeling into the bottom of the ACC, an even more stunning realization became clear. Duke is better than N.C. State.

Hardin: Chris Paul right at home in NBA

"Ed Hardin ()" — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

GREENSBORO — Chris Paul's weekend has passed, and Chris Paul's homecoming, too. Thursday night, Chris Paul's basketball team came to the coliseum to play your Charlotte Bobcats.

Hardin: Befuddled Panthers needed bye week

"Ed Hardin ()" — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:51:49 -0400

CHARLOTTE — The 0-3 Carolina Panthers went back to work Wednesday, going through the motions all 0-3 teams take to make sure they don’t become 0-4. A large contingent of media creeps were on hand to take the team’s pulse and to report the findings to a city wondering how close the Panthers are to assuming room temperature.

Hardin: Wolfpack picks on Okoro once too often

"Ed Hardin ()" — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

WINSTON-SALEM — Kenny Okoro was minding his own business Saturday afternoon when he saw an entire football game coming his way. He'd been waiting all week.

Okoro, a redshirt freshman from Greensboro in his first collegiate start, intercepted a pass in the end zone to end N.C. State's final drive and preserved Wake Forest's biggest win of the season. Just as he assumed he would.

Kay Yow's legacy enriches charity using pink laces

"Ed Hardin ()" — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0400

It started with a shoestring, just one, and all these years later Stephanie Glance continues to be amazed at how many lives have been tied together.

Such a simple idea started such an enormous movement. The life and death of her friend, Kay Yow, seems now to be a perfect metaphor.

Season and future is now for Panthers

"Ed Hardin ()" — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE — There are two ways to look at what's about to happen to the Carolina Panthers.

All in all, they're about where they thought they'd be right now, coming off a loss to the Falcons and heading into a tough road game in Palace Dallas.

But that would be ignoring the way this feels.

Hardin: Season and future is now for Panthers

"Ed Hardin ()" — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE -- There are two ways to look at what's about to happen to the Carolina Panthers.

All in all, they're about where they thought they'd be right now, coming off a loss to the Falcons and heading into a tough road game in Palace Dallas.

But that would be ignoring the way this feels.

Hardin: Hoping ceremony heralds Hayes' permanent return home

"Ed Hardin ()" — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400

GREENSBORO — Bill Hayes is one of us. And he always has been.

Even when he was over there at Winstson-Salem State, the hated Rams who made life miserable for our Aggies all those years ago. And even before that when he was at Wake Forest during the dark years when Chuck Mills tried to drag Wake from the shadows of football and into something resembling, well, football.

Hardin: UNC, ECU taking difference courses

"Ed Hardin ()" — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHAPEL HILL — The long, slow rebuilding project at North Carolina continued Saturday, and another muttering retreat continued for East Carolina.

The intermittent rivalry that is UNC-ECU turned another page with Carolina winning 31-17 and moving onto bigger games, while the BCS hopes and aspirations of the Pirates took a broadside hit. The 3-0 Heels will try to go national now, and 1-2 ECU will try not to disappear into conference play.

Hardin: New QB isn't answer to Panthers' questions

"Ed Hardin ()" — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE — A.J. Feeley wanted to become a member of the Carolina Panthers for the long-term. But he doesn't want the starting job.

Such is the mindset of the quarterback who would replace Jake Delhomme.

Irate fans found out Wednesday there are no more Brett Favres out there. There aren't any more Jake Delhommes, either. When your starter goes bad, and your backup goes down in the opening game, you get A.J. Feeley.

Hardin: Jake and the Panthers can't play much worse

"Ed Hardin ()" — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE — Booooooo!

The moribund Panthers, still sleepwalking after an immediate exit from the playoffs a year ago, fell hard to the Philadelphia Eagles 38-10 Sunday on one of the longest days in franchise history.

Jake Delhomme, whose six turnovers led to a loss in last year's playoffs, was worse against the Eagles, throwing four interceptions and fumbling away his job. He left the game in the third quarter, booed off the field by a capacity crowd. They'll be booing more when they hear that he'll get his job back next week.

Hardin: Fans will learn plenty from Panthers' home opener

"Ed Hardin ()" — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400

When last we saw the Panthers play, all was not well. The quarterback was in a fog, the defense was in a trance and the coach was in over his head.

In the months since, all has been worse. The franchise defensive end wants out, the defensive midsection has been gutted, the team went 0-4 in preseason and the owner has fired his two sons.

And now the Eagles come to town. Things are just getting started.