July 25, 2013

VOL. 118, NO. 236 WWW.THEITEM.COM | THURSD THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA AROLINA | FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894 60 CENTS

AMERICAN LEGION STATE TOURNAMENT P-15’s, 7 other teams battle for state title starting Saturday at Riley Park

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82-year-old now awaits murder trial Judge: No immunity for man accused in 2012 death of repo man

BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com An 82-year-old man accused last year of shooting at two repossession men and ultimately killing one was

not entitled to use deadly force to protect himself or his property, according to 3rd Circuit Judge George C. James.

Alton Shelley, of 1684 Fletcher Drive, however, will await trial for a

charge of murder in the shooting death of Todd Showell, 38, of Rembert, as a free man should his family pay the $100,000 surety or property bond granted by James on Wednesday at the Sum-

ter Judicial Center. Shelley’s co-defendant, Denise Livingston, 44, who is charged with accessory after the fact to murder, was granted a $40,000 surety bond.

Both were ordered to

have no contact with each other.

James said Wednesday that Shelley is not entitled to immunity from prosecution under the state Protection of Persons and Property

Partnership aims to create a ‘healthier Lee County’

Act, which allows the use of deadly force in limited situations. Shelley’s attorneys, Wade Kolb and Murrell Smith, argued to James on SEE TRIAL, PAGE A8

Trustees meeting at Lakewood Severance package for Bynum could be up for discussion

BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com

RANDY BURNS / SPECIAL TO THE ITEM

Ruby Gibbs-Williams, coordinator of Lee County’s implementation of the Healthy South Carolina initiative, talks about the focus of the project at a kickoff event held at Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden on Monday. Alexis Pipkins, executive director of Lee County First Steps and chairman of Lee County Rural Leadership Institute, looks on as Gibbs-Williams speaks to an audience of about 50 people.

Grant will help implement strategies to improve health

BY RANDY BURNS Special to The Item BISHOPVILLE — The Lee County Rural Leadership Institute and the Lee County Interagency Council are working to make a “healthier Lee County.”

Local officials met at Pearl Fryar Topiary Gar-

den on Monday to announce that the agency partnership is one of 34 recipients of a public health grant to identify specific needs in the community and implement strategies to improve the health of local residents.

8 areas targeted for community gardens

BY RANDY BURNS Special to The Item BISHOPVILLE — Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church was well represented at Monday’s kickoff of the implementation of the Healthy South Carolina Initiative in Lee County.

SEE GARDENS, PAGE A6

SEE LEE, PAGE A6

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The Rev. Robert Harvey, pastor of Mount Calvary; his wife, Carolyn Harvey; and about a dozen members of the congregation were on hand to show their support for local efforts to improve the health of Lee

Tonight’s special meeting of the Sumter School District Board of Trustees has been moved to the Lakewood High School Fine Arts Center, beginning at 6 p.m.

Originally scheduled to be held at the district headquarters, the meeting has shifted to the location of this past Monday’s meeting to once again accommodate an expected large crowd.

This will be the second specially called meeting the trustees have held this month and the first since Superintendent Randolph Bynum announced his resignation on Tuesday.

Shortly after opening the meeting, the trustees will enter into executive session to both discuss employment matters and receive legal advice. Afterward, the trustees will return to open session and vote on any action stemming from executive session, should it be warranted.

One of the items that could be discussed by trustees in executive session is a severance package for Bynum. On Monday, district officials confirmed that both Bynum and the board were in the process of negotiating a contractual separation agreement but that no agreement had been reached. Since Bynum resigned and was not terminated, the clause in his contract that would have granted the superintendent a $131,250 payment package was not triggered.

Bynum’s resignation will become effective sometime between SEE BOARD, PAGE A8

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Project Dark Wolf on hold

BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com Five months after originally approving a deal with an anonymous company regarding a new economic development project, Sumter County Council has officially put Project Dark Wolf on hold.

Council members voted Tuesday to table a proposal to adopt a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement with the company code-named Dark Wolf, after voting in February to approve the incentive for a new project in Sumter County.

The latest development leaves open the question of what Dark Wolf is, what the company wants to do in Sumter and what exactly is holding the project up.

For legal reasons having to do with securities filings and disclosure regulations, companies in the early stages of reaching such

agreements with local governments want to conceal their identity until all details are finalized and ready to be announced. Counties will normally vote on first and second readings of a fee agreement using a code name before revealing the company at third reading.

But for reasons that appear to be beyond the company’s or the county’s control, Dark Wolf is unable to finalize its plans for expanding into Sumter County, and council members are unwilling to approve a project without saying what company they are reaching a deal with.

County Attorney Johnathan Bryan said he recommended council take some action on the fee proposal as a “house-cleaning” measure, since council had never taken any further action on the proposal since taking an initial vote to ap-

prove the deal on Feb. 26.

“They’re still not ready to announce, so I told them we’d schedule a vote to table it just so it isn’t hanging out there in limbo,” Bryan said.

The vote to table doesn’t kill the proposed agreement, but it formally removes the item from county council’s agenda until they decide to bring it back up.

In the initial proposal voted on by council, Dark Wolf sought to make an investment in “the expansion of a manufacturing facility” worth $30 million over five years. Under the terms of the agreement, the company would enter into a fee agreement in lieu of tax payments as an inducement, using a 6 percent assessment ratio during a period of 20 years.

While Tuesday’s vote delays that deal for a while, Bryan held out

hope the project will go forward once Dark Wolf clears some other hurdles.

“We can just pick it back up again if they decide to go forward,” Bryan said.

In other news, council voted to rescind at least some portions of other economic development ordinances regarding multi-county industrial parks. As part of council’s budget negotiations in June, members agreed to put all funding from multicounty parks into the budget’s infrastructure fund, which necessitated removing language in previous ordinances that may have set other terms for using the funds.

Council also voted to establish a new standing committee to deal with land-use issues.

Charles Edens will chair the committee, which will also include Artie Baker and Eugene Baten.

Learn a dance at downtown market

BY IVY MOORE ivym@theitem.com Whether you think you can dance, Saturday brings your chance to look like a seasoned pro. It’s National Dance Day, and the folks from Miss Libby’s School of Dance will celebrate with a free dance lesson at the Downtown Sumter Market.

Always celebrated on the fourth Saturday in July, the event was started in 2010 by Nigel Lythgoe, co-creator of “So You Think You Can Dance” and co-president of the Dizzy Feet Foundation.

Seth Reimer, coowner of Miss Libby’s, said, “There are two different dance routines, including one that Lythgoe and (Dizzy Feet Foundation co-president) Adam Shankman have choreographed for Saturday. It’s an easy dance anyone can learn, and the other is a little more difficult.”

Miss Libby’s dancers will teach the easy routine at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and then they will perform the harder dance

GET READY Practice, practice, practice If you want to get a head start on the dance, choreographed to Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” and titled “Everybody Dance,” find a lesson at http://dizzyfeetfoundation.org/ national-dance-day. There is also a video lesson for the more difficult dance, choreographed by “So You Think You Can Dance” choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo to Jennifer Lopez’s “Live It Up.” This routine is titled “HipHop Master Class.”

Show others your moves On the same web page, you can find a link to upload yourself dancing to either of the routines to the Dizzy Feet Foundation’s YouTube page.

Get your free lesson Sumter Downtown Market will be held at Rotary Centennial Plaza on the corner of Main and Liberty streets from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Dance lessons will be given at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.

for the crowd at the market, he said.

Reimer said Lythgoe started Dizzy Feet to encourage people to dance as a means of improving or maintaining their health and combating obesity.

LOCAL BRIEFS

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From staff reports

No injuries after shots fired into home

RANDY BURNS / SPECIAL TO THE ITEM

SAFE Federal Credit Union presents a check for $14,135 to Lee County Relay for Life volunteers at a ceremony held Monday afternoon at the SAFE branch in Bishopville.

Lee Relay members close to fundraising goal

BY RANDY BURNS Special to The Item BISHOPVILLE — Elijah Dinkins, co-chairman of the 2013 Lee County Relay for Life campaign, assured members of the 2013 action teams involved in this year’s campaign that the goal of $55,000 will be met before the Aug. 31 deadline.

“We now have $53,714, and we’re just a little short,” Dinkins said. “If each team raised $40 or if each donated $40, then we will make our goal. I know it’s going to happen.”

Dinkins and Chinel Boateng, the American Cancer Society staff partner for Lee County, recognized the Relay volunteers on hand for the 2013 End-of-Year Rally held Monday afternoon at the Lee County Parks and Recreation office at Bishopville High School.

“I ask you let us know what you liked about this year’s Relay campaign, and let us know what you didn’t like,” Boateng said.

‘I know Lee County is going to reach its goal.

There’s still about six weeks left, and I know the Relay volunteers are going to make it happen.’

Chinel Boateng “We need your input.”

Boateng also singled out SAFE Federal Credit Union for their support, as the credit union presented a check of $14,135 to Lee County Relay for Life in a special ceremony held at the Bishopville branch earlier in the afternoon.

Dinkins presented SAFE offi-

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cials with an award for donating more money than another local business.

Lynn Wright, SAFE director of marketing, said $3,000 of the donation came from the corporate office with the rest being raised

by SAFE employees in the eight counties where SAFE does business.

“Lee County Relay for Life was identified as one of the community nonprofits we would support this year,” Wright said.

“All of our branches raised money for Lee Relay for three months. Then we rotate to another nonprofit. We have also supported the American Heart Association this year.”

SAFE’s support of the Lee County Relay for Life should make it possible for Lee County to reach its fundraising goal of $55,000.

“I know Lee County is going to reach its goal,” Boateng said.

“There’s still about six weeks left, and I know the Relay volunteers are going to make it happen.”

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The Item is published six days a week except for July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day (unless it falls on a Sunday) by Osteen Publishing Co., 20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter,

Shots were reportedly fired into a home in the 300 block of Curtis Drive, a residential street off Boulevard Road south of Red Bay Road, on Tuesday night.

A man, woman and child were inside when shots were fired into the home about 9:17 p.m.

The residents reported hearing the sound of at least two shots before the glass in their front window shattered. No one inside the home was injured during the shooting.

Gift cards offered for gun buy back The Sumter Police Department will hold a voluntary gun buy back from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 10, during which residents can exchange their unwanted firearms for Walmart gift cards.

Police will be at two locations to make the exchanges, including Alice Drive Baptist Church on Loring Mill Road and Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church on West Fulton Street.

All exchanges will be anonymous, and no questions will be asked, according to a release.

Police ask that all firearms be unloaded and transported in a vehicle’s trunk to either of the trading locations. Handguns will be exchanged for gift cards valued at $50, long guns for $25 and assault weapons for $100. This is while supplies last.

Sumter last participated in the program in 2009, when 32 firearms were turned in to officers.

For more information, call (803) 436-2723.

Bowl A Paw fundraiser set for Sunday KAT’s Special Kneads’ second-annual Bowl A Paw will start at 2 p.m. Sunday at Gamecock Lanes, 817 Broad St. The cost is $12.50 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under, which includes three games and shoes.

For more information, contact Kathy Stafford at (803) 469-3906 or katsspecialkneads@yahoo. com or Gail McLeod at (803) 840-4519.

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CORRECTIONS: If you see a statement in error, contact the City Desk. Corrections will appear on this page.

LOCAL / STATE

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

THE ITEM

A3

Wilson Hall graduate wins USC Merit Scholarship FROM STAFF REPORTS The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has announced that Justin R. DuRant of Sumter has been named a winner of a National Merit Scholarship financed by the University of South Carolina, DuRANT where he plans to study biomedical engineering. He was named among approximately 1,800 additional winners of National

Merit Scholarships financed by colleges and universities.

These Merit Scholar designees join approximately 2,500 other college-sponsored award recipients who were announced in late May. DuRant is a 2013 graduate of Wilson Hall.

Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program who will attend their institution. College-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000

annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

This year’s competition for National Merit Scholarships began when approximately 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools took the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQTŽ), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. In September 2012, about 16,000 semifinalists were named on a state representational basis in

numbers proportional to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors. Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than 1 percent of the nation’s seniors.

To become a finalist, each semifinalist had to complete a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay, describing leadership positions and contributions in school and community activities, showing an outstanding academic record and

being endorsed and recommended by a high school official. Semifinalists also had to take the SAT and earn scores that confirmed their performance on the initial qualifying test. From the semifinalist group, about 15,000 attained finalist standing, and more than half of the finalists were chosen to receive National Merit Scholarships.

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship program, visit the website www.nationalmerit. org.

Clarendon teams up with Tuomey hospital as shared school site

Whitehall Elementary School children walk back into school in August 2006 as the 8 a.m. bell and start of a school day nears in Anderson. The Education Department announced the state’s dropout rate has decreased for the fourth straight year.

FROM STAFF REPORTS Clarendon Health System is partnering with Tuomey Healthcare System to be a shared site for the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus for third- and fourth-year medical students. “At Clarendon, we are excited to be involved in a partnership with VCOM,� said Dr. Catherine E. Rabon, chief medical officer for Clarendon Memorial Hospital. “My objective, as the VCOM director of student medical education at Clarendon, is to provide the students with a rewarding medical education of the highest quality that will prepare them to be the

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dropout rate declines for 4th straight year COLUMBIA (AP) — South Carolina’s dropout rate declined for the fourth straight year, as hundreds fewer students quit their schooling in 2011-12, the state Education Department reported Wednesday.

More than 5,200 ninth- through 12thgraders dropped out in 2011-12, representing 2.5 percent. That’s nearly 670 fewer students than a year earlier and 2,800 fewer than in 2007-08, according to the agency.

The year-to-year dropout rate is different than the graduation rate.

The dropout rate reflects how many teens officially withdrew over a federal fiscal year or became too old to return. Students can legally drop

out at age 17 and cannot stay in school past age 21.

The graduation rate measures students earning a regular diploma in four years. South Carolina’s graduation rate for 2012 was nearly 75 percent.

Superintendent Mick Zais said declining dropout rates should lead to better graduation rates, which he considers a key indicator of success for the entire kindergarten-through-12th grade system. “The path to prosperity for South Carolina’s economy begins, but does not end, with greater numbers of high school graduates,� Zais said.

The dropout rate declined in 51 of the state’s

85 school districts, according to the latest report.

Allendale County posted the worst dropout rate, at 5.3 percent of its high school enrollment — representing 18 students — followed by the statewide public charter school district, at 4.8 percent, representing 234 students. Edgefield and Williamsburg counties tied for the best rate, at 0.1 percent, represent-

ing a single student in each district.

Broken down by demographics, white, black and Hispanic students, as well as poor students, posted better rates for staying in school. The biggest improvement occurred among black students. In 2011-12, about 2,150 black students dropped out, representing 366 fewer than a year earlier and 1,431 fewer than in 2007-08.

caring and competent physicians of tomorrow.

Expanding our clinical education programs will improve the quality of health care in our community and also help with recruitment.

These students will have the opportunity to be a part of our community and, hopefully, will want to return here to practice.�

The inaugural class of 11 students assigned to the two local hospitals will begin their first rotations on Monday.

For more information on VCOM, visit http://www.vcom.vt. edu/aboutvcom/. For more information on Clarendon Memorial, email Rabon at crabon@clarendonhealth. com.

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THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

$3.6M is being spent to market health care law COLUMBIA (AP) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; South Carolina isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t helping promote the federal health care law to the uninsured, but millions of marketing dollars will still be spent within the state.

The federal government is distributing $3.6 million directly to community groups and health centers to promote the law to an estimated 906,400 South Carolinians without health insurance. The grants are part of a nationwide marketing blitz costing taxpayers at least $684 million, according to data compiled by The Associated Press.

The Obama administration and many states are launching campaigns this summer to get the word out before

LOCAL BRIEF

enrollment for new benefits begins in October. Beyond doling out grants directly, the federal government is also funding state-awarded contracts.

South Carolina is receiving proportionately less, as are other Republican-led states that have opposed the law.

It requires people without health coverage to pay a penalty starting Jan 1. Online marketplaces called exchanges, set to debut in October, will enable residents to compare coverage terms and prices and then use federal subsidies, if they qualify, to buy a policy.

South Carolina is not running an exchange, leaving that responsibility to the federal government.

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From staff reports

Sumter, Land recognized during meeting Sumter was recognized twice and Manning resident Marie Land was awarded at this past weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meeting of the state Municipal Association.

First, on Friday, Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen was elected to a full, one-year term as president of the Municipal Association. McElveen, who had been the associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first vice president, actually moved into the top job earlier this month when outgoing President Randy Randall of Clinton resigned his duties early to take a seat on the S.C. Public Service Commission.

Then on Saturday, Sumter was presented with a Municipal Achievement Award in the public safety

category. The award recognizes the firefighter training program the fire department operates with Sumter School District. Firefighters train high school students for course credit at school, and students receive certification as firefighters after graduation.

Marie Land was awarded the 2013 Main Street South Carolina Downtown Service Award. She was nominated by Main Street Manning.

The award recognizes an elected official, appointed public official, resident or organization who contributes leadership, vision and support to downtown revitalization efforts beyond the normal call of duty.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prospective students tour Georgetown Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus in Washington recently. The Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would allow undergraduates to borrow money for college at a 3.9 percent interest rate, but rates could increase as the economy improves in the future.

Senate passes bill on student loan rates

BY PHILIP ELLIOTT Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Borrowing for tuition, housing and books would be less expensive for college students and their parents this fall, but the costs could soon start climbing under a bill the Senate passed overwhelmingly Wednesday.

The bipartisan proposal would link interest rates on federal student loans to the financial markets, providing lower interest rates right away but higher ones if the economy improves as expected. The measure was similar to one that already had passed the Republican-led House, and leaders from both chambers said they predicted the differences to be resolved before students start signing loan documents for fall term.

Liberal members of the Democratic caucus were vocal in their opposition over the potentially shifting rates included in the Senate measure, which passed with support from both parties, 81-18. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We can do much better than this,â&#x20AC;? said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. Undergraduates this fall would borrow at a 3.9 percent interest rate. Graduate students would have access to loans at 5.4 percent, and parents would borrow at 6.4 percent. The rates would be locked in for that yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loan, but

each yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loan could be more expensive than the last. Rates would rise as the economy picks up and it becomes more expensive for the government to borrow money.

Rates on new subsidized Stafford loans doubled to 6.8 percent July 1 because Congress could not agree on a way to keep them at 3.4 percent. Without congressional action, rates would stay at 6.8 percent â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a reality most lawmakers called unacceptable, although deep differences emerged even among allies as to how to remedy it.

The compromise that came together during the last few weeks would be a good deal for all students through the 2015 academic year. After that, interest rates are expected to climb above where they were when students left campus in the spring, if congressional estimates prove correct. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same thing credit card companies said when they sold zero-interest rate credit cards. ... The bill comes due,â&#x20AC;? said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All students will end up paying far higher interest rates on their loans than they do now.â&#x20AC;?

Warren was among the liberal Democrats who labeled the White House-backed proposal a bait-and-switch measure that would lure in new borrowers with low rates now but would

cost future students. Throughout the morning and afternoon, they stood to oppose the compromise. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bill before us today offers students and families lower student loan interest rates in the near term, but we can fully expect higher student loan interest rates in the years to come,â&#x20AC;? said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why on earth would we want to expose our students to higher rates?â&#x20AC;?

Added Sen. Barbara Boxer, DCalif.: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kid yourself. ... This so-called deal makes it worse.â&#x20AC;?

The measureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supporters suggested the new formula is better than the status quo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let anyone tell you that this is bad deal for students. This is not a bad deal for students. If we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pass this, students will pay 6.8 percent on their loans.

With this bill, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll pay 3.86 percent. You tell me which is the better deal,â&#x20AC;? said Sen. Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Harkin said the legislation is not what he would have written if he had the final say. But he also said that he recognized the need to restore the lower rates on students before they return to campus for classes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best that we can do,â&#x20AC;?

Harkin said on the Senate floor.

DUI case hearings postponed during computer server repair

BY SEANNA ADCOX Associated Press Writer COLUMBIA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Hearings in drunken driving cases are being postponed as the State Law Enforcement Division works to restore data on a computer server containing 22 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worth of evidence.

The database of suspectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Breathalyzer tests has been down since July 5 and wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be back online until next month, said SLED spokesman Thom Berry.

Meanwhile, neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys can access test results and videos that date to 1991.

Officials suspect lightning hit a transformer, causing an electronic device in SLEDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generator system, called a rectifier, to fail and the power supply to become unstable. The entire system was taken down for repair. All other SLED

servers were back online after a couple of hours, Berry said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The implied consent server has hundreds of thousands of files and videos,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not like we can just flip a switch and it can come back up. It takes some time.â&#x20AC;?

He could not immediately supply a more precise number of files.

State law requires the filming of Breatha-

lyzer tests. If the footage canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be produced, cases could be thrown out.

But Berry insists none of the data has been lost.

An assistant solicitor for York and Union counties estimates fewer than 20 cases in his circuit are being pushed back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a terrible inconvenience. Hopefully, this is just a little

blip,â&#x20AC;? said prosecutor Matthew Shelton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obviously, we want to get cases moved.â&#x20AC;?

Defense attorneys said SLED needs to provide a full explanation, and they question the month-long span to fix the system. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If in fact theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to restore the data

by Aug. 9, questions are going to linger,â&#x20AC;? said attorney Tim Kulp of Charleston. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why

didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they have that backed up in a way it could be restored immediately?â&#x20AC;?

While SLED notified law enforcement agen-

cies and solicitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offices that the system was down, defense attorneys say they were left to figure it out on their own.

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THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

AROUND TOWN

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The Sumter Tea Party will meet today at the Elks Lodge, 1100 W. Liberty St. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. with meeting starting at 7 p.m.

Richard Cash, announced challenger to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., will speak.

Second Nature will perform at Downtown Friday Nights 6:30-9 p.m.

Friday, July 26, on Main Street. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

The City of Sumter Aquatics Center will hold family night 7-10 p.m. Friday, July 26. The center is located at 1115 S. Lafayette Drive. Cost is $5 for a family of four (two adults and two children).

The Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 817 will meet at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at VFW Post 3034, 1925 Gion St. All Purple Heart recipients and those interested in associate membership are invited. Call (803) 506-3120.

KATS Special Kneads Small Animal Shelter will sponsor a bowl-apaw fundraiser at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 28, at Gamecock Lanes.

Cost: $12.50 per adult; $10 for children age 12 and under. Fee includes three games and shoes. RSVP to Kathy Stafford at (803) 469-3906, Gail McLeod at (803) 8404519 or email katsspecialkneads@yahoo. com. All proceeds will benefit the animals.

The Sumter Branch NAACP will meet at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 28, at Congruity Presbyterian Church, 3750 Congruity Road.

National Night Out will be held 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, at Garden Circle Apartments, 202 E. Liberty St. This event is held annually across the nation to strengthen the bonds of community and to raise awareness of safety, drugs and crime. Call Katrina at (803) 778-2807.

The Sumter County Gamecock Club will hold its annual banquet on Thursday, Aug. 8, at the USC Sumter Nettles Building. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and the program will begin at 7 p.m. USC Baseball Head Coach Chad Holbrook will speak and Todd Ellis will emcee the event.

Other coaches and special guests will be announced at a later date. Proceeds are used to support the University of South Carolina Athletics, student scholarships, local Gamecock Club activities, and local youth activities. Email SumterCountyGamecockClub@gmail.com or call Dave at (803) 773-9316 or Melissa at (803) 491-4608.

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WIS News 10 at Entertainment The Winner Is: Million Dollar Surprise The Winner Is: Million Dollar Shock 7:00pm Local (N) (HD) Tonight Aubrey (HD) news update.

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Mob Money Erin Burnett OutFront Anderson Cooper 360° (N) (HD) Piers Morgan LIVE (N) (HD) Anderson Cooper 360° (HD) Erin Burnett OutFront P. Morgan (HD) (:57)The Colbert Daily Show with (:58) Chappelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (:29) Chappelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (:59) Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Always Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Always Sunny Tosh.0 Shot by a Tosh.0 Man on Daily Show with (:31)The Colbert (:01)The Jeselnik Report (HD) Jon Stewart (HD) Show Show Sunny (HD) (HD) cannon. (HD) mushrooms. (HD) Jon Stewart (N) Report (N) (HD) Offensive (HD) Good Luck Char- Dog with a Blog: Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;11, Family) a Bridgit Mendler. Proud parents of Jessie: All the Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shake It Good Luck Char- Dog with a Blog: Good Luck Charlie: Go Teddy! (HD) Stan Stops Talking Chihuahua litter keep up with puppies and save owners.

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SportsCenter Greatest: 5-1 (HD) CFL Football: Edmonton Eskimos at Montreal Alouettes from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium z{| NFL Live (HD) Greatest: 5-1 (HD) Baseball (HD) Melissa & Joey Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10, Adventure) aaac Daniel Radcliffe. The Dark Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war spreads across the world, The 700 Club Scheduled: author that The Vineyard Ryder rebels. (HD) and Harry, Hermione and Ron search for the pieces of his soul, which must be destroyed to stop the immortal enemy. (HD) lost it all.

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sanyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Glam & Goldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest reality series

BY KEVIN MCDONOUGH How do four Olympic gold medals and two Super Bowl rings add up? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sanyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Glam & Goldâ&#x20AC;? (10 p.m., WE) follows track and field star Sanya Richards-Ross and her husband, Aaron Ross, who recently resigned with the New York Giants after a season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The couple met at the University of Texas and married in 2010. The action on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Glam & Goldâ&#x20AC;? unfolds in Austin, Texas.

Attempts to turn Olympic gold medalists into entertainers have often seemed like alchemy in reverse. After weeks, months and even years in the spotlight during coverage of the Winter and Summer Games, you would think that highly trained athletes would be used to performing before cameras and ready for prime time.

But swimmers Michael Phelpsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Mark Spitzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stints as comedians were, at best, reminders that a life spent with your head in the water is not conducive to quick wit and spontaneity. Roundups of the

worst â&#x20AC;&#x153;Saturday Night Liveâ&#x20AC;? hosts ever almost invariably include figure skating silver medalist and tabloid-headline victim Nancy Kerrigan.

Few athletes have worked harder to transition into show business than Bruce Jenner. The 1976 Olympic decathlon winner appeared (along with The Village People) in the 1980 disco comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Stop the Music,â&#x20AC;? considered one of the worst movies of all time. After stints on â&#x20AC;&#x153;CHiPsâ&#x20AC;? and game shows, Jenner found a natural niche playing himself as the stepfather to Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Keeping Up With the Kardashians,â&#x20AC;? a series considered by many to be a clear sign of the decline of Western Civilization.

So perhaps Sanya and Aaron are right to make the move directly to reality. As on many series of this sort, Sanya will spend a great deal of her time corralling her extensive entourage, which includes her mother, agent, publicist and stylist. Drama ensues as she quarrels frequently with her sister, Shari, over their jointly

owned salon, The Hair Clinic. â&#x20AC;˘ Chef Ramsay anoints the two finalists and whisks them off to Las Vegas to compete for the top prize on the two-hour season finale of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchenâ&#x20AC;? (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14). â&#x20AC;˘ New seasons of the absurd parodies â&#x20AC;&#x153;Childrens Hospitalâ&#x20AC;? (midnight, TV-14) and â&#x20AC;&#x153;NTSF:SD:SUV::â&#x20AC;?

(12:15 a.m., TV-14) begin on Cartoon Networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Adult Swim.

Tonightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Other Highlights â&#x20AC;˘ Vince Vaughn, Janeane Garofalo and Joaquin Phoenix star in the 1998 indie-noir comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clay Pigeonsâ&#x20AC;? (8:15 p.m., Sundance, TVMA). â&#x20AC;˘ Death hits the newsstand on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Motiveâ&#x20AC;?

(9 p.m., ABC, TV-14). â&#x20AC;˘ Costume designer Eric Daman (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sex and the City,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gossip Girlâ&#x20AC;?) arrives to guest-judge a competition featuring designs inspired by precious gems on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Project Runwayâ&#x20AC;? (9 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG). â&#x20AC;˘ Psychological warfare on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Burn Noticeâ&#x20AC;?

(9 p.m., USA, TV-PG).

â&#x20AC;˘ With all of the Dark Knight stuff getting so, well, dark, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to recall a Batman movie that was just plain ridiculous. Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell, Uma Thurman and Alicia Silverstone star in the 1997 comic book fantasy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Batman & Robinâ&#x20AC;? (9 p.m., Syfy, TV-PG). â&#x20AC;˘ A patient lacks experience on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anger Managementâ&#x20AC;? (9:30 p.m., FX, TV-14). â&#x20AC;˘ A kidnapping copycat strikes on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rookie Blueâ&#x20AC;? (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG). â&#x20AC;˘ Briggs and Charlie decide to come clean on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gracelandâ&#x20AC;? (10 p.m., USA, TV-14).

Cult Choice A teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Maggie Smith) infectious passions for life and culture fall under scrutiny in 1930s Scotland in the

starting at

$

1969 film adaptation of Muriel Sparkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s novel â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Prime of Miss Jean Brodieâ&#x20AC;? (8 p.m., TCM).

Series Notes Sheldon faces harassment charges on â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Big Bang Theoryâ&#x20AC;? (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) * A feline-themed episode of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wipeoutâ&#x20AC;? (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) * Nova Scotia holds secrets on â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Vampire Diariesâ&#x20AC;?

(8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) * Walden warms to his ex on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Two and a Half Menâ&#x20AC;? (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) * â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Brotherâ&#x20AC;?

(9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) * Catâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surprising past revealed on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beauty and the Beastâ&#x20AC;? (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) * A plane crash victim may have died before impact on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Elementaryâ&#x20AC;? (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) * Jane Lynch hosts â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hollywood Game Nightâ&#x20AC;? (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

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A6

LOCAL / NATION

THE ITEM

LEE from Page A1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;It takes a small group of committed people to start a movement,â&#x20AC;? said Alexis Pipkins, Lee Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Steps executive director and chairman of the Lee County RLI. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must be serious about making Lee County healthier.â&#x20AC;?

Pipkins told about 50 people in attendance at Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kickoff that the engagement phase of the project will continue through September and will also build awareness and support. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must be certain that people in this community are engaged,â&#x20AC;? Pipkins said.

Wanda Green of the Department of Health and Environmental Control is serving as the regional director of the Healthy South Carolina Initiative and will be working with county officials in carrying out the project activities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lee County ranks 45th of 46 counties in South Carolina in the 2013 health rankings published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin,â&#x20AC;? Green said.

Only Marion County ranked behind Lee County in the 25 factors that influence health, including childhood poverty, rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to physicians, access to healthy foods and levels of physical inactivity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want Lee County to stay on the bottom,â&#x20AC;? Green said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Together, we can make a difference.â&#x20AC;?

Suzette McClellan, DHECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Community Services Director, said that in the months ahead, a variety of services and programs will be provided to improve the health of Lee County residents.

Lee County will initially receive

GARDENS from Page A1 County residents. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are starting with our church members and our community by trying to get all families to make healthier food choices,â&#x20AC;? the Rev. Harvey said.

A small garden located near the church on S.C. 34 about two miles from Bishopville has produced an abundant supply of cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, string beans, peas, okra, collards and watermelons this summer.

Ruby Gibbs-Williams, coordinator of the Lee County implementation of the Healthy South Carolina initiative, said the community garden concept is an important component of the local efforts to â&#x20AC;&#x153;make a healthier Lee County.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re identifying eight areas in Lee County where we hope to create community gardens

$5,000 in grant funding through a fiveyear Community Transformation Grant award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designed to identify specific concerns in the community and to build awareness, she said. The money will be primarily used for administrative costs, including paying a stipend to Ruby GibbsWilliams of Bishopville, who will serve as the project coordinator in Lee County.

Gibbs-Williams said that the people of Lee County are its strongest asset, and the focus of the Healthy South Carolina Initiative is to â&#x20AC;&#x153;make Lee County a better community.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are in this for the long haul,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is where we live, work and play. One way to go about this is to make our residents healthier. And it is true that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What we eat is what we are.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Last week, Gibbs-Williams and members of the Lee RLI and Interagency Council met at the Colclough Building with representatives from DHEC to begin planning strategies.

While the initiative is still in the planning phase, by the end of 2016, the Healthy South Carolina Initiative is designed to meet the following outcomes: â&#x20AC;˘ Reduce tobacco use by 5 percent; â&#x20AC;˘ Reduce the rate of obesity; through nutrition and physical activity interventions by 5 percent; and â&#x20AC;˘ Reduce death and disability as a result of heart disease and stroke by 5 percent.

In addition, the Lee RLI and the Lee Interagency Council recently announced plans to establish a Boys & Girls Club in Bishopville. Officials announced a Capital Campaign, designed to raise $60,000 for operational funds.

that will allow more people access to fresh vegetables and curb obesity,â&#x20AC;? Gibbs-Williams said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We chose community gardens to encourage people to eat better and healthier.

Eventually, we want to establish a farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market in the communities to help improve the access to healthy food choices.â&#x20AC;?

Gibbs-Williams hopes to establish community gardens in eight areas: Lynchburg-Elliott, Bishopville, Manville, St. Charles, Turkey Creek, Browntown-Ionia, Woodrow-Spring Hill and Mayesville. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope to combine the gardens with getting people to exercise and move more,â&#x20AC;? Gibbs-Williams said.

Marion Major of Lynchburg was also on hand to show his support for the project. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our summer garden is about done,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a lot of rain in Lynchburg, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hurt the quality of our vegetables. But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re al-

ready looking for our fall garden, and right now we are making decisions on what to grow.â&#x20AC;?

Gibbs-Williams urged those in attendance at Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kickoff to spread the word about the initiative. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each person here equals at least 10 people,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Go from here, and let 10 people know what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to do.â&#x20AC;?

Gibbs-Williams urged everyone to complete surveys to help identify concerns of the community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are our brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keeper,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must engage the community to make a difference and to make our community a healthier place to live.â&#x20AC;?

The initiative is a collaboration of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the S.C. Tobacco Collaborative, the S.C. Eat Smart Move More Coalition and the Medical University of South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Outpatient Quality Improvement Network.

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AP FILE PHOTO

Letter carrier Diosdado Gabnat moves boxes of mail into his truck at a post office in Seattle in 2011.

Under a House proposal, postal delivery could be virtually phased out by 2022

No more mail at your door?

BY ANDREW MIGA The Associated Press WASHINGTON â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Americans for generations have come to depend on door-to-door mail delivery. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about as American as apple pie.

But with the Postal Service facing billions of dollars in annual losses, the delivery service could be virtually phased out by 2022 under a proposal a House panel was considering Wednesday. Curbside delivery, which includes deliveries to mailboxes at the end of driveways, and cluster box delivery would replace letter carriers slipping mail into frontdoor boxes.

The proposal is part of broader legislation

by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, designed to cut costs at the cashstrapped agency by up to $4.5 billion a year.

The Postal Service had a $16 billion loss last year.

The agency has been moving toward curbside and cluster box delivery in new residential developments since the 1970s. The Postal Service in April began deciding whether to provide such delivery for people moving into newly built homes rather than letting the developers decide. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A balanced approach to saving the Postal Service means allowing USPS to adapt to Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changing use of mail,â&#x20AC;? Issa said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Done right, these reforms can improve the customer experience through a more efficient Postal Service.â&#x20AC;?

About one in three mail customers has door-to-door delivery, Issa said. The shift would include safe and secure cluster box delivery areas, he said, especially for elderly customers who receive Social Security checks and prescriptions through the mail.

About 30 million residential addresses receive delivery to boxes at the door or a mail slot.

An additional 87 million residential addresses receive curbside or cluster box delivery.

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OPINION THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

THE ITEM

A7

To submit a letter to the editor, e-mail letters@theitem.com

COMMENTARY

|

Zimmerman case: A touch of sanity

W

ASHINGTON — “No justice, no peace” chants the telegenic mob. In a civilized society, however, where the mob doesn’t rule, justice is defined by the verdict that follows a fair trial. It’s the best that humans can do.

And in the case of George Zimmerman, we have a verdict. It followed a trial every minute of which was seen by the world. Nothing secret, nothing hidden. Where in the trial was there racial bias? What evidence of the case being tilted toward the defendant because the victim was black? What sign of any racial animus in the Charles jury?

KRAUTHAMMER Those undeniable realities have not prevented Benjamin Crump, attorney to the victim’s family, from placing Trayvon Martin in the tradition of Emmett Till and Medgar Evers.

This is a disgrace.

Those were race crimes of the most savage and undeniable kind. To compare those to a shooting deemed by an impartial jury after a fair and fully open trial as a case of selfdefense is to desecrate their memory and to trivialize centuries of real, brutal, bloody race hatred.

The injection of race into the story by the media, by irresponsible politicians and by the usual racial entrepreneurs has been poisonous. President Obama didn’t help when his first reaction to the death of Trayvon Martin was, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” thereby immediately making skin color a central issue.

Imprudent as was that remark, it is nonetheless understandable given the history of this country and the initial appearance of the incident. At that point, a racial motive was not an implausible assumption, although certainly an unhelpful one coming from the president of the United States — a president who had consistently reacted to other killings, such as the Fort Hood massacre of 13 soldiers by a Muslim gunman shouting “Allahu Akbar,” by immediately urging us not to jump to ethnic/religious conclusions.

But that remark about Martin came before the Zimmerman trial. Afterward, the president acted responsibly. “A jury has spoken,” he said, and then used the moment to reflect on other things, such as care for one’s neighbors and concern for one’s community, thus helping deracialize the case.

In doing so, Obama was following the overwhelming evidence. A concurrent FBI investigation, which involved interviewing more than 30 of Zimmer-

man’s acquaintances, found zero evidence of Zimmerman harboring racial animus. Nor did he even mention race when first describing Martin to the police dispatcher.

(Race was elicited only by a subsequent direct question from the dispatcher.)

Now, however, there is major pressure on the Justice Department to pursue Zimmerman with some kind of federal prosecution. On what possible evidence for what possible crime? A hate crime? Who calls 911 before setting out on a hate crime? “This case has never been about race,” said Angela Corey, one of Zimmerman’s prosecutors. The jury concurred. Regarding the killing, said one juror, “All of us thought race did not play a role.”

While Attorney General Eric Holder told the NAACP he would continue to investigate a federal role, that could simply be his way of punting the question to a time when temperatures are lower.

Moreover, he made a point of turning his NAACP address into an attack on Stand Your Ground laws, thereby deflecting attention to legislation, which is the proper role of government, and away from continued persecution of a defendant already acquitted, which is not the proper role of government.

Further federal prosecution of Zimmerman would fail, humiliatingly.

Assuming Holder knows that, his focusing on Stand Your Ground would be a deft way to finesse the current frenzy and drain the issue of the race element.

If my favorable reading of Holder is correct, then the Zimmerman case will take its historical place as not crime but tragedy. Its unfolding was nearly theatrical: an encounter in the dark of two men, confused, agitated and fearful.

This should never have happened and surely Zimmerman’s misjudgments contributed mightily, most grievously his ignoring the dispatcher’s advice not to follow Martin.

Tragedy — but without catharsis. No crime, no punishment. Under law, there’s a difference between misjudgment and murder (or manslaughter), which the prosecution never came close to proving. Zimmerman will nonetheless carry the taint, the mark, the notoriety of that misjudgment — of reckless zeal that led to the needless death of a young man — for the rest of his life.

Divine punishment? It’s not for us to judge. All we have is the human kind whose only standard in a civilized society is this: A jury has spoken.

Charles Krauthammer’s email address is letters@ charleskrauthammer.com. © 2013, The Washington Post Writers Group

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Resignation kept board from doing its job Mr. Bynum’s departure is a gesture made under public pressure. It conveniently saved the board from doing its job.

As long as the Sumter School District Board of Trustees has too much power it will be tempted to use it.

The foxes gave away the henhouse because they had little accountability and were able to resist public outrage for a very long time.

While overthrowing the Bynumites should be the first order of business, that’s putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.

It is time to strictly limit, by law, the damage an incompetent, unresponsive or malicious board of trustees can do.

Limits to board power should be publicly debated and The Item is a fine forum for this.

Board spending power should be tightly restricted, and major spending or policy changes should be put up for Sumter voters to decide directly.

Responsible board members will welcome public oversight and accountability.

A full audit of all money spent on the Bynumist fiasco might be a good idea.

Who turned a profit from Sumter and who sent the business their way?

MARK LaSALLE Sumter

School board must now take action Mr. Bynum’s resignation is a good start, but our school board still has much to do to remedy the many ills that Bynum and his minions from Atlanta have thrust upon our community. With Bynum’s departure you, the board have an opportunity to do the right thing.

In order to correct the toxic leadership and oppressive environment Bynum created, you must now rid our community of all cabinet members he brought from Atlanta.

Next you need to completely eliminate the unpopular SWEET 16 teacher evaluations and numerical grading system for grades K-3. Bynum’s punitive personnel actions and senseless teacher

moves must be reversed. Effective discipline policies must also be restored. As a retired military officer, I can say with absolute surety that these actions need to be swift and decisive. Leadership is never a popularity contest and such difficult decisions do not come easily; the school board now needs to take charge and stop letting Bynum or his henchmen call the shots.

Mr. Schultz and board members: Now is the time to exercise your powers and restore our school district. Failure to take decisive action now will have dire consequences for our students, our teachers and the local business community. The viability of our Sumter community and its future economic success depends on our education system and the decisions you now must make.

As you search for a new superintendent and other key district leaders, be sure and do your homework so we don’t end up with another Broad corporate raider.

All candidates should be thoroughly researched and vetted to ensure they are truly committed to our Sumter community and not just padding their résumés as they destroy our district and its schools. Simply “Googling” Bynum’s name in 2011 would have been quite revealing.

The district’s announced venue for Thursday’s meeting at the district office is completely inadequate to accommodate the anticipated crowd. I challenge the board to select a suitable location and encourage everyone in our community to attend.

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a taxpayer, a businessman or a community leader, come show support for our great teachers and our students. I look forward to seeing you today.

BRYAN FUNKE, M.D. Sumter

Burns needs to explain letter on incarceration Re: Letter by Ferdinand Burns. Mr Burns, I don’t understand what you are saying.

We all know why incarceration was “invented.” So, I don’t get your meaning.

I agree that many people, white and black, have given

N.G. OSTEEN 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron

H.G. OSTEEN 1870-1955 Founder, The Item

H.D. OSTEEN 1904-1987 The Item

much, up to and including their lives, for the civil rights of minorities, an end to apartheid treatment, and a place not only at the front of the bus but at the front of the line when it comes to jobs, college and grad school acceptance, small business loans and government contracts. And I, too, wonder why the high school dropout rate for blacks in many places is as high as 50 percent while 70 percent of births in the black community are to single mothers. I wonder why you are killing each other over $200, a new pair of sneakers or just a spot on the street corner or just being “dissed.” Ninety-three percent of violent deaths of blacks are at the hands of other blacks.

While there are many examples of great and successful black men and women, national and local, a community is judged by its norm and not its exceptions. So, as the local leader of the NAACP, Mr. Burns, what exactly are you saying? Clearly incarceration was “invented” to take criminals out of the community.

But you seem to think incarceration is Jim Crow. Are you saying blacks just commit more crime? Are you saying that arresting and jailing criminals is racist? I’m confused. Are you saying that the police, a large percentage of whom are black, arrest blacks but not whites? Are you indicating that three strike provisions for the most violent offenders are Jim Crow and were invented to jail blacks for life because blacks are far more likely to commit violent crimes and, therefore, fall under the provisions? Do the courts just convict blacks for violent offenses but not whites?

To me this all sounds very racist on your behalf, Mr. Burns.

There is no doubt we have societal problems. But I don’t think most of them in the black community are caused by how blacks are treated by whites or society in general.

EARL REESE Sumter Editor’s note: Because this letter exceeded the 350-word length as stated in our Editorial Page Policies which appears regularly on this page, it can be read in its entirety under Opinion on The Item’s website, www.theitem.com.

HUBERT D. OSTEEN JR. | EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

Founded October 15, 1894 20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150

|

MARGARET W. OSTEEN 1908-1996 The Item

H. GRAHAM OSTEEN II Co-President

KYLE BROWN OSTEEN Co-President

JOHN DUVALL OSTEEN Vice President and Publisher

LARRY MILLER CEO

A8

DAILY PLANNER

THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

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TODAY

TONIGHT

FRIDAY

SATURDAY 88°

88° 89° Clouds and sun with a couple of t-storms

A thunderstorm early; mostly cloudy

Winds: NNE 4-8 mph Chance of rain: 60%

A thunderstorm possible in the afternoon

Winds: NNE 4-8 mph

Winds: NE 4-8 mph

Chance of rain: 55%

Chance of rain: 25%

Monday that Showell and Gerald Lee, owner of Silver Hawk Towing and Recovery, had no right to enter Shelley’s property, that their intrusion was tantamount to a forceful entry and that Shelley feared for his life.

Shelley was arrested Nov. 20, 2012, at his home, minutes after Showell was shot and bled to death at the scene. He and Lee had attempted to repossess a 2003 GMC Sonoma pickup truck sitting underneath Shelley’s carport, having mistaken it for a 1994 truck of similar color, make and model. Shelley testified Monday that Lee had refused to “drop his truck off the (stinger of the tow truck)” and had pointed a gun at him.

“I conclude that (Shelley’s) accounting of Lee pointing the weapon at him is not credible, at least not to me,” James said. “It’s worth mentioning that in her statement (Livingston) mentions nothing about a gun. She says only that they refused (to put his truck down off a tow truck) and (Shelley) shot a few times.”

Smith and Kolb had also asked James to rule that Shelley was well within his rights to use deadly force under Stand Your Ground laws, which do not require persons approached with deadly force to retreat when they are in a place in which they have a right to be and in which they themselves are committing no unlawful acts.

The incident stemmed from a prior situation in September in which Livingston had allegedly

taken out title loans on two trucks owned by Shelley, including the 1994 truck. Lee had repossessed another truck in September, and Shelley said he told him to stay off his property.

“Judge, (Lee) was there unlawfully, because he was told to stay off the property,” Smith said Monday.

James disagreed, saying Lee had a valid contract with the title loan company to repossess the truck and that he was unaware of any alleged forgeries from Livingston regarding the title loans.

“The part that I have the most trouble with is the unlawfully and forcibly entering (Shelley’s property),” James said.

“Undoubtedly, Lee entered the carport. Nothing convinces me that (Showell) entered the carport, and there is no evidence in my view that entry was forcible by either man. ...

(Shelley) has also not established by the great weight of the evidence that either Lee or Showell attacked him.”

Smith and Kolb have 10 days to appeal James’ ruling to a higher court.

Third Circuit Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III said because of Shelley’s age, health problems and the time a full appeal could take kept him from actively opposing Shelley’s bond.

“We’re aware that process may take an extended amount of time, and the (Showell) family is aware of the process,” Finney said. “It’s a compromise, but we feel it’s reasonable.”

BOARD from Page A1 now and Aug. 30. However, it is not clear if he will be in attendance at tonight’s meeting.

As is typical for special meetings and work sessions held by the board, there is no time allotment on the agenda for public participation. Other than the executive session, the only item appearing on the agenda is the approval of the minutes from the past three board meetings.

According to Shelly Galloway, spokeswoman for the district, the trustees had considered mov-

ing the meeting to Sumter High School; however, issues with the school’s audio equipment warranted returning to Lakewood. Local activists opposed to the Bynum administration have been promoting attendance at recent school board meetings, and at Monday’s meeting about 700 people attended, many of whom held signs protesting the current administration.

Lakewood High School is at 350 Old Manning Road in Sumter, and the meeting is open to the public.

PUBLIC AGENDA

Temperature High ............................................... 87° Low ................................................ 73° Normal high ................................... 91° Normal low ..................................... 70° Record high ..................... 101° in 1952 Record low ......................... 59° in 1966

Greenville 86/66

Lake Murray Marion Moultrie Wateree

Full pool 360 76.8 75.5 100

7 a.m. yest.

357.49 76.55 75.30 97.08

24-hr chg +0.03 -0.03 -0.03 -0.32

River Black River Congaree River Lynches River Saluda River Up. Santee River Wateree River

Full pool 12 19 14 14 80 24

7 a.m. yest.

10.59 7.30 9.45 7.57 80.45 10.74

24-hr chg -0.18 -1.44 -0.85 +0.13 -0.02 +0.88

City Aiken Asheville Athens Augusta Beaufort Cape Hatteras Charleston Charlotte Clemson Columbia

Today Hi/Lo/W 90/69/t 80/60/t 88/68/t 90/69/t 93/74/t 85/75/r 92/73/t 84/66/t 88/69/t 90/70/t

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 90/68/pc 81/62/s 91/68/pc 91/68/pc 90/73/t 86/74/t 89/71/t 86/67/pc 87/68/s 89/70/pc

72°

Clouds and sun with a thunderstorm

Winds: SSE 3-6 mph

Winds: SW 3-6 mph

Winds: SSW 3-6 mph

Chance of rain: 30%

Chance of rain: 60%

Chance of rain: 50%

Sunrise today .......................... 6:28 a.m.

Sunset tonight ......................... 8:27 p.m.

Moonrise today ..................... 10:21 p.m.

Moonset today ........................ 9:44 a.m.

Gaffney 85/66 Spartanburg 86/67

Bishopville 89/70 Columbia 90/70 Today: Clouds and sun with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm.

Friday: Mostly sunny.

New

July 29 First

Aug. 6 Full

Aug. 14

Aug 20

Myrtle Beach 88/73

Manning 91/70

Shown is today’s weather.

Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Aiken 90/69 Charleston 92/73

The following tide table lists times for Myrtle Beach.

Thu.

Forecasts and graphics provided

by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2013 Today Hi/Lo/W 88/70/t 84/71/r 89/69/t 88/68/t 88/70/t 90/73/t 84/66/t 87/68/t 92/72/t 82/65/t

Last

Florence 88/70

Sumter 89/70

Today: A couple of showers and a thunderstorm. High 87 to 93.

Friday: Clouds and sun with a shower or thunderstorm around. High 86 to 90.

City Darlington Elizabeth City Elizabethtown Fayetteville Florence Gainesville Gastonia Goldsboro Goose Creek Greensboro

71°

Clouds and sun with a couple of t-storms

Precipitation 24 hrs ending 4 p.m. yest. ........... 0.00" Month to date ............................. 10.13" Normal month to date .................. 4.16" Year to date ............................... 34.27" Normal year to date .................. 26.95"

TRIAL from Page A1

70°

Intervals of clouds and sunshine

Sumter through 4 p.m. yesterday

Alton Shelley, 82, signs paperwork on Wednesday at the Sumter Judicial Center. Shelley was denied immunity from prosecution for the shooting of Todd Showell of Rembert.

MONDAY 89°

70° 69°

ROBERT J. BAKER / THE ITEM

SUNDAY

89°

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 89/68/pc 84/65/pc 88/68/t 89/68/t 88/69/t 94/71/t 86/68/pc 87/68/t 89/70/t 85/66/pc

Fri.

City Greenville Hickory Hilton Head Jacksonville, FL La Grange Macon Marietta Marion Mount Pleasant Myrtle Beach

Today Hi/Lo/W 86/66/t 81/63/t 89/77/t 90/73/t 90/67/pc 92/69/t 88/69/pc 82/63/t 92/74/t 88/73/t

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 86/68/pc 85/65/s 87/75/t 92/73/t 91/68/pc 92/70/pc 89/70/s 84/63/s 89/72/t 87/71/t

High Ht. 11:55 a.m.....3.3 --- ..... --12:25 a.m.....3.5 12:48 p.m.....3.2

City Orangeburg Port Royal Raleigh Rock Hill Rockingham Savannah Spartanburg Summerville Wilmington Winston-Salem

Low Ht. 6:25 a.m....-0.7 6:42 p.m....-0.4 7:14 a.m....-0.6 7:36 p.m....-0.1

Today Hi/Lo/W 91/70/t 92/74/t 84/66/t 86/67/t 87/67/t 94/73/t 86/67/t 90/76/t 89/70/t 82/64/t

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 91/70/t 89/73/t 88/67/pc 87/67/pc 88/66/pc 91/72/t 87/69/pc 87/74/t 87/70/t 85/65/pc

Shown are today’s noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.

-10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Stationary front

Cold front Showers Rain T-storms Snow Flurries

Ice

Warm front

Today Fri. Today Fri. City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Albuquerque 84/68/t 90/69/t Las Vegas 105/89/pc 104/90/s Anchorage 72/61/pc 71/60/pc Los Angeles 82/65/pc 82/65/pc Atlanta 88/70/t 90/72/pc Miami 89/75/pc 90/75/t Baltimore 82/62/pc 82/65/pc Minneapolis 82/61/t 73/54/pc Boston 74/64/r 74/64/r New Orleans 94/77/pc 95/77/t Charleston, WV 80/56/s 85/63/s New York 74/66/r 79/67/c Charlotte 84/66/t 86/67/pc Oklahoma City 93/74/pc 87/69/r Chicago 79/63/s 81/63/c Omaha 86/66/t 84/55/t Cincinnati 79/58/s 83/60/s Philadelphia 79/66/c 82/67/c Dallas 102/79/pc 100/76/t Phoenix 105/89/t 105/88/s Denver 88/59/t 87/59/t Pittsburgh 76/56/s 81/63/s Des Moines 84/67/pc 80/57/t St. Louis 83/65/s 85/69/t Detroit 78/60/s 81/64/pc Salt Lake City 91/70/t 96/72/s Helena 91/57/pc 93/59/s San Francisco 69/55/pc 67/55/pc Honolulu 87/74/s 88/74/s Seattle 81/57/s 80/55/s Indianapolis 78/60/s 81/66/pc Topeka 87/67/pc 86/61/t Kansas City 86/67/pc 84/60/t Washington, DC 82/67/pc 83/68/pc Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice

pressures of anyone trying ARIES (March 21-April 19): the last word in astrology to slow you down.

Nurture your important relationships and focus LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): eugenia LAST on home, family and You’ll face confrontations your surroundings. Don’t if you are too vocal. Make make unnecessary sure you get chores out of changes, but do alter what will make your life the way to avoid criticism. Don’t push others better. or allow anyone to push you into something you don’t care to do.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Express your thoughts and make plans with the people SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You really need a you cherish most. Visiting a friend will lift your getaway or a diversion to spark your creative spirits. Love is on the rise. Socializing with imagination or enhance your love life. Dream someone you care about will improve your and take action. It’s time to make things life. happen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Put greater SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put time and emphasis on how you earn your living or effort into personal matters. Taking care of what you’re doing to raise your profile. Don’t investments, medical conditions or legal be afraid to do things a little differently. Your matters will help stabilize your life. diversification will lead to success.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Strategy, hard CANCER (June 21-July 22): An emotional work and utilizing your knowledge and situation may be difficult to decipher. What experience will pay off. Physical selfyou see won’t give you a true assessment of improvements will result in compliments and the situation. Ask questions and refrain from a new lease on life. overreacting.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Assess your LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You can make changes, situation. Take a hard look at your finances. By but don’t be vocal about your plans. utilizing your skills and the connections you Someone is likely to try to restrict you. A have, there will be a unique way for you to change of location or gathering information make positive changes. that will help you advance should be your PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Network, socialize focus. and expand your interests. Take the road less VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Size up your situation traveled and focus on the services you can and make a move. You have more influence offer your community in order to raise than you realize, and you can overcome the awareness as well as your profile.

PICK 3 WEDNESDAY: 5-0-5 AND 7-4-5 PICK 4 WEDNESDAY: 3-3-4-3 AND 2-3-8-8 PALMETTO CASH 5 WEDNESDAY: 5-10-13-23-37 POWERUP: 2 CAROLINA CASH 6 MONDAY: 7-15-17-19-27-28 MEGAMILLIONS TUESDAY: 25-32-35-50-51 MEGABALL: 46 MEGAPLIER: 3 POWERBALL NUMBERS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT PRESS TIME

pictures from the public

|

SUMTER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT BOARD Today, 7:30 a.m., Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce boardroom, 32 E. Calhoun St. SUMTER SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL CALLED MEETING Today, 6 p.m., Lakewood High School Fine Arts Center, 350 Old Manning Road

After reading an article published in The Item recently about honey bees, Flo Nedreski decided to share this photo she took in April. Nedreski comments, “I was weed-whacking under that tree and heard the buzzing, looked up, and there they were!”

SPORTS THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

THE ITEM To contact the Sports Department, call (803) 774-1241 or e-mail sports@theitem.com

B1

Boyd, 2 other Tigers preseason All-ACC

BY SCOTT KEEPFER The Greenville News Clemson’s defense is generally perceived as the team’s weakest link in 2013, and that was reflected Wednesday when the preseason AllAtlantic Coast Conference football team was announced.

Each of the Tigers’ three first-team selections came on the offensive side of the ball, but coach Dabo Swinney is hopeful that may change by season’s end.

“I think we’re going to be much better defensively,” Swinney said.

“Last year we were a

2013 PRESEASON ALL-ACC TEAM GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The preseason all-Atlantic Coast Conference football team, as announced Wednesday following a vote of 65 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

OFFENSE QB_Tajh Boyd, Clemson (59) RB_Duke Johnson, Miami (58) RB_James Wilder Jr., Florida State (23) WR_Sammy Watkins, Clemson (57) WR_Michael Campanaro, Wake Forest (20) TE_Eric Ebron, North Carolina (35) OT_James Hurst, North Carolina (37) OT_Morgan Moses, Virginia (35) OG_Tre’ Jackson, Florida State (46)

major work in progress.

But they got better and better and finished on a high note.

“We only lost one senior defensive lineman, so a lot of those guys on defense are back.”

OG_Brandon Linder, Miami (28) C_Bryan Stork, Florida State (29) K_Chandler Catanzaro, Clemson (41) DEFENSE DE_Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech (39) DE_Kareem Martin, North Carolina (37) DT_Nikita Whitlock, Wake Forest (35) DT_Timmy Jernigan, Florida State (34) LB_Jack Tyler, Virginia Tech (42) LB_Christian Jones, Florida State (38) LB_Kevin Pierre-Louis, Boston College (21) CB_Ross Cockrell, Duke (48) CB_Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State (32) S_Tre’ Boston, North Carolina (30) S_Jason Hendricks, Pitt (18) P_Will Monday, Duke (41) Spc._Stefon Diggs, Maryland (34)

Included in the returnees is sophomore safety Travis Blanks, who received 13 votes in balloting by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd was named to the Preseason All-ACC football team after he was selected the conferences’s Preseason Player of the Year. Boyd is joined on the team SEE ACC, PAGE B4 by two teammates, wide receiver Sammy Watkins and placekicker Chandler Catanzaro.

Belichick: Pats will learn from Hernandez

BY HOWARD ULMAN The Associated Press

progress, but I continue working at it, trying different things.”

Krouse was a freshman at The Citadel this past season, and he did a redshirt season with the school’s baseball team, just missing making the roster as a true freshman.

While he didn’t travel with the team, he was able to do weightlifting with the team and also pitch bullpens during practice.

“That really helped me

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.— New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick broke his silence Wednesday on the arrest of Aaron Hernandez, saying the club will learn from “this terrible experience” and it’s time to “move BELICHICK forward.”

Four weeks after the former Patriots tight end was charged with murder and cut by the team, Belichick addressed the issue during a 22-minute news conference one day before the team opens training camp.

He expressed sympathy for the family of shooting victim Odin Lloyd, said the in-depth process of studying a player’s background is “far from perfect” but it wouldn’t be “overhauled,” and took responsibility for bringing people to the team.

“The hundreds of players we’ve had through this program in the last 14 years, there’s been a lot of good ones, a lot of real good ones,” Belichick said.

“We’ll try to do a good job in bringing people into this organization in the future and try to learn from the mistakes that we’ve made along the way, of which there have been

SEE KROUSE, PAGE B5

SEE BELICHICK, PAGE B4

ITEM FILE PHOTO

Sumter pitcher Paul Joseph Krouse has made good use of his sidearm delivery, posting a 4-0 record and 2.57 ERA. The P-15’s begin play in the state tournament on Saturday at Riley Park against Greenwood beginning at 8 p.m.

Underhanded tactics Krouse’s sidearm delivery has led to great success on the mound

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com Paul Joseph Krouse throws the baseball side-armed.

Some would say Krouse is a “sidewinder” or throws the ball “from down under.”

Whatever you want to call the way Krouse throws the ball, you have to call the Sumter P-15’s right-hander effective. Krouse has a 4-0 win-loss record with a 2.57 earned run average, with most of that ERA coming from a poor outing against

Cheraw early in the season.

“We expected him to be good and he’s been just that for us,” Sumter head coach Curtis Johnson said of Krouse.

“He has the deception thing going on (coming from the side), and he’s KROUSE able to throw a slider and his fastball runs away from the hitter. He’s also able to throw his changeup for strikes. He’s just done really well.”

Krouse made the change from coming over the top to the side in the fall of his senior year at Sumter High School at the suggestion of SHS head coach Joe Norris.

He said it’s something that’s been a work in progress ever since.

“It’s really been a lot of trial and error,” said Krouse, who will be playing along with his Sumter teammates in the American Legion baseball state tournament beginning on Saturday at Riley Park. “It’s a work in

Knaus’ cool, calm persona a facade

BY JENNA FRYER The Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chad Knaus, with five championships and 62 victories as Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief, always appears unflappable at the race track.

He walks with confi- KNAUS dence, a purpose, and seems to effortlessly lead his team through times of crisis.

Is it really just a facade?

That’s the impression Knaus gave this week in the lead-up to the Brickyard 400, where he and Johnson seek a recordtying fifth victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“It’s kind of funny, I always am in just a semi-state of a little bit of fear,” Knaus admitted.

“I’m not going to lie — I fear the fact that one day, we’ll never win a race again. I fear the fact that one day I won’t work with Jimmie again.

I fear the fact that one SEE KNAUS, PAGE B5

Will A-Rod play for Yankees again?

BY RONALD BLUM The Associated Press

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The future of New York Yankee Alex Rodriquez is up in the air with him doing a minor league rehabilitation stint and talk of some severe punishment coming his way due to his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez certainly leads the New York Yankees in headlines this season even though he hasn’t played a single major league game.

Injuries have kept him away from the team since last year’s playoffs, and now Rodriguez faces discipline from Major League Baseball in its drug investigation, possibly up to a lifetime ban.

“The likelihood of a severe punishment for Rodriguez is very high,” former Commissioner Fay Vincent said Wednesday.

The three-time AL MVP who turns 38 Saturday is among more than a dozen players MLB has targeted following allegations they were linked to a Florida clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing SEE A-ROD, PAGE B2

B2

SPORTS

THE ITEM

SCOREBOARD TV, RADIO TODAY Noon -- Senior PGA Golf: Champions Tour Senior British Open First Round from Southport, England (ESPN2).

Noon -- Major League Baseball: Atlanta at New York Mets (SPORTSOUTH).

2 p.m. -- Major League Baseball: New York Yankees at Texas or Detroit at Chicago White Sox (MLB NETWORK).

3 p.m. -- PGA Golf: RBC Canadian Open First Round from Oakville, Ontario (GOLF).

3:30 p.m. -- WNBA Baskeball: Seattle at Los Angeles (NBA TV).

6:05 p.m. -- Talk Show: Sports Talk (WDXYFM 105.9, WDXY-AM 1240).

6:30 p.m. -- Professional Golf: Web.com Tour Boise Open First Round from Boise, Idaho (GOLF).

7 p.m. -- High School Basketball: AAU Under17 Super Showcase Game from Orlando, Fla. (ESPNU).

7 p.m. -- Major League Baseball: Tampa Bay at Boston or Philadelphia at St. Louis (MLB NETWORK).

7:30 p.m. -- CFL Football: Edmonton at Montreal (ESPN2).

9 p.m. -- International Basketball: Team USA Blue vs. White Scrimmage from Las Vegas (NBA TV).

9:30 p.m. -- Major League Baseball: Chicago Cubs at Arizona (WGN).

MLB STANDINGS American League

By The Associated Press East Division W L Pct GB Boston 61 41 .598 – Tampa Bay 59 42 .584 11/2 Baltimore 57 44 .564 31/2 New York 53 47 .530 7 Toronto 45 54 .455 141/2 Central Division W L Pct GB Detroit 55 44 .556 – Cleveland 52 48 .520 31/2 Kansas City 46 51 .474 8 Minnesota 43 54 .443 11 Chicago 39 58 .402 15 West Division W L Pct GB Oakland 58 42 .580 – Texas 55 45 .550 3 Seattle 48 52 .480 10 Los Angeles 46 52 .469 11 Houston 34 65 .343 231/2 Tuesday’s Games L.A. Dodgers 10, Toronto 9 Boston 6, Tampa Bay 2 N.Y. Yankees 5, Texas 4 Kansas City 3, Baltimore 2 Detroit 6, Chicago White Sox 2 Houston 5, Oakland 4 Minnesota 10, L.A. Angels 3, 10 innings Seattle 4, Cleveland 3 Wednesday’s Games Oakland 4, Houston 3 L.A. Angels 1, Minnesota 0 Cleveland 10, Seattle 1 Tampa Bay 5, Boston 1 L.A. Dodgers at Toronto, late N.Y. Yankees at Texas, late Baltimore at Kansas City, late Detroit at Chicago White Sox, late Thursday’s Games N.Y. Yankees (Kuroda 9-6) at Texas (D.Holland 8-5), 2:05 p.m.

Detroit (Verlander 10-7) at Chicago White Sox (Peavy 7-4), 2:10 p.m.

Houston (Bedard 3-7) at Toronto (Buehrle 5-7), 7:07 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Hellickson 9-3) at Boston (Lackey 7-7), 7:10 p.m.

Baltimore (Mig.Gonzalez 8-3) at Kansas City (Guthrie 9-7), 8:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels (C.Wilson 10-6) at Oakland (Straily 6-3), 10:05 p.m.

Minnesota (Correia 7-6) at Seattle (Iwakuma 9-4), 10:10 p.m.

Friday’s Games Boston at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Texas at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

Houston at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:08 p.m.

Kansas City at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Oakland, 10:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Seattle, 10:10 p.m.

National League

By The Associated Press East Division W L Pct GB Atlanta 56 44 .560 – Philadelphia 49 51 .490 7 Washington 48 52 .480 8 New York 44 52 .458 10 Miami 37 61 .378 18 Central Division W L Pct GB St. Louis 60 37 .619 – Pittsburgh 59 39 .602 11/2 Cincinnati 57 44 .564 5 Chicago 44 54 .449 161/2 Milwaukee 41 58 .414 20 West Division W L Pct GB Los Angeles 52 47 .525 – Arizona 52 48 .520 1/2 Colorado 48 53 .475 5 San Francisco 46 54 .460 61/2 San Diego 45 56 .446 8 Tuesday’s Games Cincinnati 9, San Francisco 3, 1st game Pittsburgh 5, Washington 1 L.A. Dodgers 10, Toronto 9 N.Y. Mets 4, Atlanta 1 San Diego 6, Milwaukee 2 St. Louis 4, Philadelphia 1 Miami 4, Colorado 2 Arizona 10, Chicago Cubs 4 San Francisco 5, Cincinnati 3, 2nd game Wednesday’s Games Atlanta 8, N.Y. Mets 2 Pittsburgh 4, Washington 2 L.A. Dodgers at Toronto, late San Diego at Milwaukee, late Philadelphia at St. Louis, late Miami at Colorado, late Chicago Cubs at Arizona, late Cincinnati at San Francisco, late Thursday’s Games Atlanta (A.Wood 0-2) at N.Y. Mets (Z.Wheeler 3-1), 12:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh (A.J.Burnett 4-7) at Washington (G.Gonzalez 7-3), 12:35 p.m.

San Diego (Volquez 7-8) at Milwaukee (Gallardo 8-8), 2:10 p.m.

Miami (Eovaldi 2-1) at Colorado (Nicasio 6-4), 3:10 p.m.

Philadelphia (K.Kendrick 9-6) at St. Louis (Lynn 11-5), 7:15 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Villanueva 2-6) at Arizona (Miley 6-8), 9:40 p.m.

Cincinnati (Latos 9-3) at L.A. Dodgers (Greinke 8-2), 10:10 p.m.

Friday’s Games N.Y. Mets at Washington, 1:35 p.m., 1st game N.Y. Mets at Washington, 7:05 p.m., 2nd game Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:08 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Miami, 7:10 p.m.

St. Louis at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Milwaukee at Colorado, 8:40 p.m.

San Diego at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

Cincinnati at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m.

MLB LEADERS

By The Associated Press AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING_MiCabrera, Detroit, .358; Mauer, Minnesota, .324; Trout, Los Angeles, .324; DOrtiz, Boston, .324; Loney, Tampa Bay, .313; CDavis, Baltimore, .313; ABeltre, Texas, .312.

RUNS_MiCabrera, Detroit, 76; CDavis, Baltimore, 74; AJones, Baltimore, 69; Trout, Los Angeles, 67; DeJennings, Tampa Bay, 65; Bautista, Toronto, 64; Encarnacion, Toronto,

| 62.

RBI_CDavis, Baltimore, 97; MiCabrera, Detroit, 96; Encarnacion, Toronto, 74; Fielder, Detroit, 71; NCruz, Texas, 70; AJones, Baltimore, 70; Cano, New York, 69.

HITS_MiCabrera, Detroit, 134; Machado, Baltimore, 133; Trout, Los Angeles, 126; ABeltre, Texas, 123; AJones, Baltimore, 123; Pedroia, Boston, 121; Ellsbury, Boston, 119; Mauer, Minnesota, 119.

DOUBLES_Machado, Baltimore, 39; Mauer, Minnesota, 31; CDavis, Baltimore, 30; Trout, Los Angeles, 29; JCastro, Houston, 26; JhPeralta, Detroit, 26; 6 tied at 25.

TRIPLES_Trout, Los Angeles, 8; Ellsbury, Boston, 7; Drew, Boston, 6; Gardner, New York, 5; DeJennings, Tampa Bay, 5; LMartin, Texas, 5; Kawasaki, Toronto, 4; HKendrick, Los Angeles, 4.

HOME RUNS_CDavis, Baltimore, 37; MiCabrera, Detroit, 31; Encarnacion, Toronto, 26; ADunn, Chicago, 24; Ibanez, Seattle, 24; Bautista, Toronto, 23; NCruz, Texas, 23.

STOLEN BASES_Ellsbury, Boston, 37; RDavis, Toronto, 26; McLouth, Baltimore, 25; Altuve, Houston, 23; Trout, Los Angeles, 22; Andrus, Texas, 21; Kipnis, Cleveland, 21; Rios, Chicago, 21.

PITCHING_Scherzer, Detroit, 14-1; MMoore, Tampa Bay, 14-3; Colon, Oakland, 13-3; Tillman, Baltimore, 12-3; FHernandez, Seattle, 11-4; Masterson, Cleveland, 11-7; CWilson, Los Angeles, 10-6; Verlander, Detroit, 10-7.

ERA_FHernandez, Seattle, 2.43; Colon, Oakland, 2.52; Kuroda, New York, 2.65; Sale, Chicago, 2.81; Darvish, Texas, 2.86; Lackey, Boston, 2.95; Iwakuma, Seattle, 2.99.

STRIKEOUTS_Darvish, Texas, 161; Scherzer, Detroit, 157; FHernandez, Seattle, 147; Masterson, Cleveland, 145; Sale, Chicago, 142; Verlander, Detroit, 128; DHolland, Texas, 127.

SAVES_JiJohnson, Baltimore, 35; MRivera, New York, 32; Nathan, Texas, 31; Balfour, Oakland, 26; GHolland, Kansas City, 25; AReed, Chicago, 25; Perkins, Minnesota, 24; Frieri, Los Angeles, 24; Rodney, Tampa Bay, 24.

BC-BBN--Leaders

By The Associated Press NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING_YMolina, St. Louis, .335; Craig, St. Louis, .335; Cuddyer, Colorado, .327; CJohnson, Atlanta, .326; MCarpenter, St. Louis, .324; Segura, Milwaukee, .321; Posey, San Francisco, .319.

RUNS_MCarpenter, St. Louis, 76; CGonzalez, Colorado, 71; Votto, Cincinnati, 70; Choo, Cincinnati, 69; Holliday, St. Louis, 64; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 63; SMarte, Pittsburgh, 61; JUpton, Atlanta, 61.

RBI_Goldschmidt, Arizona, 80; Craig, St. Louis, 79; Phillips, Cincinnati, 79; DBrown, Philadelphia, 69; Bruce, Cincinnati, 68; CGonzalez, Colorado, 67; FFreeman, Atlanta, 64.

HITS_Segura, Milwaukee, 126; Craig, St. Louis, 122; MCarpenter, St. Louis, 121; Votto, Cincinnati, 118; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 116; YMolina, St. Louis, 113; McCutchen, Pittsburgh, 112; DWright, New York, 112.

DOUBLES_MCarpenter, St. Louis, 31; Bruce, Cincinnati, 29; YMolina, St. Louis, 29; Posey, San Francisco, 28; Rizzo, Chicago, 28; McCutchen, Pittsburgh, 27; GParra, Arizona, 27.

TRIPLES_CGomez, Milwaukee, 9; SMarte, Pittsburgh, 8; Segura, Milwaukee, 8; Span, Washington, 7; CGonzalez, Colorado, 6; Hechavarria, Miami, 5; DWright, New York, 5.

HOME RUNS_CGonzalez, Colorado, 26; PAlvarez, Pittsburgh, 25; DBrown, Philadelphia, 24; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 21; Bruce, Cincinnati, 20; Beltran, St. Louis, 19; Uggla, Atlanta, 19.

STOLEN BASES_ECabrera, San Diego, 34; Segura, Milwaukee, 30; SMarte, Pittsburgh, 28; Revere, Philadelphia, 22; CGomez, Milwaukee, 21; McCutchen, Pittsburgh, 21; EYoung, New York, 20.

PITCHING_Wainwright, St. Louis, 13-5; Corbin, Arizona, 12-1; Zimmermann, Washington, 12-5; Lynn, St. Louis, 11-5; ClLee, Philadelphia, 10-4; Bumgarner, San Francisco, 10-6; SMiller, St. Louis, 10-6.

ERA_Kershaw, Los Angeles, 2.01; Locke, Pittsburgh, 2.11; Harvey, New York, 2.23; Corbin, Arizona, 2.31; Wainwright, St. Louis, 2.44; Fernandez, Miami, 2.74; SMiller, St. Louis, 2.77.

STRIKEOUTS_Harvey, New York, 157; Kershaw, Los Angeles, 148; Wainwright, St. Louis, 137; Samardzija, Chicago, 134; HBailey, Cincinnati, 133; Latos, Cincinnati, 132; ClLee, Philadelphia, 131.

SAVES_Grilli, Pittsburgh, 30; Mujica, St. Louis, 29; Kimbrel, Atlanta, 28; RSoriano, Washington, 25; Romo, San Francisco, 24; Chapman, Cincinnati, 23; Papelbon, Philadelphia, 20.

NASCAR SCHEDULE Sprint Cup Schedule July 28 -- Crown Royal Presents The Your Hero’s Name Here 400 at The Brickyard, Indianapolis Aug. 4 --Pennsylvania 400, Long Pond, Pa. Aug. 11 -- Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, Watkins Glen, N.Y. Aug. 18 -- Pure Michigan 400, Brooklyn, Mich.

Aug. 24 -- Irwin Tools Night Race, Bristol, Tenn.

Sept. 1 -- AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta, Hampton, Ga. Sept. 7 -- Federated Auto Parts 400, Richmond, Va. Sept. 15 -- GEICO 400, Joliet, Ill. Sept. 22 -- Sylvania 300, Loudon, N.H. Sept. 29 -- AAA 400, Dover, Del. Oct. 6 -- Hollywood Casino 400, Kansas City, Kan. Oct. 12 -- Bank of America 500, Concord, N.C. Oct. 20 -- Camping World RV Sales 500, Talladega, Ala. Oct. 27 -- Goody’s Fast Relief 500, Ridgeway, Va. Nov. 3 -- AAA Texas 500, Fort Worth, Texas Nov. 10 -- AdvoCare 500, Avondale, Ariz.

Nov. 17 -- Ford EcoBoost 400, Homestead, Fla.

WNBA STANDINGS

By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Chicago 12 5 .706 – Atlanta 10 5 .667 1 Washington 9 9 .500 31/2 Indiana 7 9 .438 41/2 New York 7 10 .412 5 Connecticut 4 11 .267 7 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Minnesota 14 3 .824 – Los Angeles 12 5 .706 2 Phoenix 9 9 .500 51/2 Seattle 6 10 .375 71/2 Tulsa 6 13 .316 9 San Antonio 5 12 .294 9 Tuesday’s Games New York 77, Indiana 72 Wednesday’s Games Washington 82, Chicago 78 Minnesota 81, Phoenix 69 Connecticut at Atlanta, 7 p.m.

Thursday’s Games New York at San Antonio, 12:30 p.m.

Indiana at Tulsa, 12:30 p.m.

Seattle at Los Angeles, 3:30 p.m.

TRANSACTIONS The Associated Press BASEBALL Major League Baseball MLB_Suspended Cleveland minor league SS Rubiel Martinez (DSL Indians) and New York Yankees minor league LHP Anderson Severino (DSL Yankees) 50 games each after testing positive for metabolites of stanozolol.

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

Red Sox, Pedroia finalize 8-year deal BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox and All-Star second baseman Dustin Pedroia have finalized a $110 million, eight-year contract through the 2021 season.

Pedroia had been signed for 2014 at $10 million under his old deal.

The new contract was announced Wednesday.

PEDROIA The 5-foot-8, 165-pound infielder was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and AL MVP in 2008.

Pedroia said on Tuesday that he was looking forward to completing the deal because “this is my home.”

Pedroia is batting .306 this season with 25 doubles, six home runs and 58 RBIs. In his sevenyear career — all with the Red Sox — he has a .303 batting average and an on-base percentage of .371.

DODGERS PLACE OF KEMP ON DL

TORONTO — After a brief stint of being healthy, Matt Kemp is heading back to the disabled list for the third time this season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Kemp on the 15-day DL Wednesday with a sprained left ankle and activated left-hander Ted Lilly.

Out of the lineup for 11 games with a sore left shoulder, Kemp came off the DL before Sunday’s 9-2 win over the Washington Nationals. He went 3 for 4 with a home run, but limped off the field after sliding into home plate

SPORTS ITEMS on a force play in the ninth inning and has not played since.

Mattingly said Kemp did not fight the decision to return to the DL. JONES SELECTED TO LEADERSHIP HOF

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — who grew up in North Little Rock — has been selected for the National Football Foundation Leadership Hall of Fame.

Jones was an All-Southwest Conference lineman at the University of Arkansas and was a cocaptain of the Razorbacks’ 1964 team.

Jones purchased the Cowboys in 1989.

He will be inducted into the NFF hall on Oct. 3 during a ceremony in Dallas.

BUCS’ WILLIAMS SIGNS 6-YEAR DEAL

TAMPA, Fla. — Mike Williams wants to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer for life and has a new contract he hopes will help him achieve that goal.

The fourth-year receiver reported for training camp Wednesday and promptly signed a six-year, $40.25 million deal that he earned by significantly outperforming the one he received as a fourth-round draft pick in 2010.

WRIGLEY GETS $500M UPGRADE

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs, who have clung to the past the way ivy clings to Wrigley Field’s outfield walls, won final approval Wednesday for a $500 million renovation project

| at the 99-year-old ballpark — including a massive Jumbotron like the ones towering over every other major league stadium.

A voice vote in the City Council gave the team permission to move forward with plans that will dramatically change the ballpark experience on Chicago’s north side. The most notable alteration is the 5,700-square-foot video scoreboard in left field — roughly three times the size of the iconic manual one in center, which will remain in operation as well.

SUMTER MIDLAND VALLEY

5 2

AIKEN — The Sumter Junior Boys 13-year-old all-star baseball team stayed alive in the state tournament with a 5-2 victory over Midland Valley on Tuesday at Citizens Park.

Lathan Todd tossed a complete game victory for Sumter.

He allowed just three hits while striking out three and walking two.

Daniel Reynolds had two doubles to lead the offense.

Chandler, Hunter, Joey Perriera, Reiland Williamson, Dalton Dabbs and Todd each added a hit.

Sumter was to face either McLeod Park or Hilton Head on Wednesday.

From wire, staff reports

MLB ROUNDUP

|

Hudson carted off with injury; Braves top Mets 8-2 NEW YORK — Tim Hudson took a shutout into the eighth inning before getting spiked at first base and carted off the field during the Atlanta Braves’ HUDSON 8-2 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.

Evan Gattis, Dan Uggla and Andrelton Simmons all homered off an ineffective Jeremy Hefner to help the Braves’ bats break loose after scoring only four runs in their previous three games.

But the nasty-looking injury to Hudson is a huge concern, leaving the NL East leaders without a veteran winner who was on a roll.

Hudson (8-7) was working on a four-hitter when Eric Young Jr. hit a grounder that was knocked down by Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman.

Hudson took Freeman’s toss at the bag just before Young ar-

ning to help the Athletics to a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

INDIANS MARINERS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Atlanta’s Dan Uggla, right, celebrates with teammates Brian McCann, center, and Evan Gattis, left, after hitting three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Wednesday, July 24, 2013, in New York.

ton 4-2 Wednesday night.

rived, and the speedy outfielder stepped on the back of Hudson’s lower right leg, near his Achilles, driving the pitcher’s right ankle awkwardly into the ground.

PIRATES NATIONALS

AMERICAN LEAGUE RAYS RED SOX

4 2

WASHINGTON — Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano did not allow a hit until the sixth inning against a struggling and depleted Nationals lineup, and Pedro Alvarez homered off an otherwise-dominant Stephen Strasburg, leading Pittsburgh past Washing-

A-ROD from Page B1 drugs.

After Ryan Braun’s agreement to accept a 65game suspension earlier this week, attention has turned to Rodriguez, who four years ago admitted using PEDs while with Texas from 2001-03.

He has repeatedly denied using them since, and MLB has never said he failed a test.

Lawyers for MLB and the players’ association were set to resume discussions about the Biogenesis investigation Thursday. Though it was unclear who might be penalized next, all eyes were on A-Rod. The Yankees expect Rodriguez to be accused of using PEDs over multiple seasons, of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, of attempting to obstruct MLB’s investigation, and of not being truthful with MLB in the past when he discussed his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty two years ago to a federal charge of bringing unapproved drugs into the United States from Canada.

“The mess seems very large indeed,” said John Thorn, baseball’s official historian. “If a lifetime suspension is being brooded about and

5 1

BOSTON — David Price pitched a fivehitter for his third complete game of the season, Wil Myers had a two-run single, and the surging Tampa Bay Rays won for the 19th time in 22 games by beating the Boston Red Sox 5-1 on Wednesday night.

ATHLETICS ASTROS

4 3

HOUSTON — Coco Crisp hit a two-run homer in Oakland’s three-run seventh in-

10 1

SEATTLE — Scott Kazmir feels he’s a complete pitcher now, not just a hard thrower.

Kazmir allowed just one hit over his eight innings, Michael Bourn hit his first career grand slam and the Cleveland Indians downed the Seattle Mariners 10-1 Wednesday afternoon.

ANGELS TWINS

1 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Pitching in a tight game helped Jered Weaver concentrate even more than he usually does.

Weaver outdueled Mike Pelfrey with eight innings of two-hit ball after Albert Pujols drove in a first-inning run, and the Los Angeles Angels beat Minnesota 1-0 on Wednesday to avoid a threegame sweep by the Twins.

From wire reports

a plea bargain would involve something lesser but still very substantial, that’s a whole bucket of tar dumped on his legacy.”

With 647 home runs, fifth on the career list and 115 shy of matching Barry Bonds’ career record, Rodriguez is among the most prodigious sluggers in baseball history. And his record contracts have put him in the spotlight, first a $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas that started in 2001 and later a $275 million, 10-year agreement with the Yankees that began in 2008.

But his body has been breaking down and he’s been on the disabled list six times in six years. Right hip surgery in March 2009 was followed by left hip surgery this January, three months after the Yankees repeatedly pinch hit for A-Rod and benched him during the playoffs.

Just when it appeared he was ready to rejoin the Yankees this week, the team said he strained his left quadriceps.

Rodriguez has acknowledged taking PEDs before baseball started penalizing their use. In 2009, he attributed his decision to being “young and stupid” and agreed to work for the Taylor Hooton Foundation to combat steroids.

If it turns out he was violating drug rules all along, his reputation may be beyond repair.

SPORTS

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

THE ITEM

B3

Michigan’s Gardner set at QB

BY JACK MCCARTHY The Associated Press CHICAGO — Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner enters the season with his position secure despite calling signals in just five games last year.

Gardner, who spent most of the season at wide receiver, stepped in at quarterback following Denard Robinson’s injury and went 76 of 126 for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns running a pro-style offense.

Speaking Wednesday at Big Ten Media Day at the Hilton Chicago, Michigan safety Thomas Gordon said Gardner has steadily developed into a leader since his first start at quarterback last year.

“He’s grown right into it,” Gordon said. “He’s a lot more comfortable, you can see that. ... He’s taken it by the horns and he’s spearheading this team and we look forward to how he (will) do when we go out there Aug. 31.”

Among offseason work was a trip to the recent Manning Passing Camp while also working at home with returning and incoming players.

“The young guys are eager to learn and eager to get better,” Gardner said. “I’ve been working with those guys, trying almost to be perfect, as perfect as you could possibly be.”

BEST IN THE COUNTRY? Chris Borland is flattered that Wisconsin coach Gary Anderson calls the Badgers’ linebacker the best in the county.

Now it’s time to prove it.

“It means a lot because obviously he’s got confidence in me and he comes from a defensive background,” said Borland, who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors last season.

“It’s great to hear that. That said, those are just words so I’ve got to play well this fall and prove him right.”

Borland, who started all 13 games last year, enters his senior season with 308 career tackles, 41½ for losses and 13 forced fumbles, the most in school history. He needs just to tie the FBS record of 14, shared by five players.

Borland said he appreciates why the NCAA adopted new rules on targeting players and hits above the shoulders. “(But) it’s concerning for me as a defensive player,” he said. “You don’t want to get ejected. A lot of times things happen fast on the field. If you

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner (12, shown being sacked by South Carolina cornerback Victor Hampton in last season’s Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., will be the Wolverines’ leading man under center this season despite playing just five games last year.

don’t anticipate a running back going low and then he does, it could be helmet to helmet. It could be things like that.

RAISING EXPECTATIONS: New Purdue coach Darrell Hazell, a longtime Ohio State assistant, won’t settle for middle of the pack as he returns to the Big Ten after short but successful run at Kent State.

“One of the first things I said to our team @ our very first team meeting was that Purdue was perceived in the middle of the Big Ten — never up here, never down here,” he said. “I told them it’s going to take a lot of work but we’re going to climb ourselves out of the middle, we’re going to put this program (into) national prominence for a long time.”

Purdue went 6-7 overall while Hazell was 11-3 overall, 8-0 in the Mid-American Conference East in his second and final Kent State season. He also guided the Golden Flashes to the program’s first bowl game in 40 years.

“I think it all starts with your self image, how you see yourselves,” said Hazell, who spent seven years as an Ohio State assistant. “If you don’t see yourself as a champion, no one else is going to see you as a champion.

BADGERS HARDLY BROKEN: Gary Andersen takes over a Wisconsin program that’s anything but broken.

“I’m not interested in comparing what was different — whether that may have been what we deem as great, good or indifferent,” he said.

“There’s going to differences when you take over a program

and it’s important to put your own stamp on it.”

Anderson led Utah State to school-record 11 victories in 2012 and had an early introduction to the Badgers with a two-point loss last year.

“So I’ve never asked the question of how things were,” he said. “There’s a lot of different ways to it and there was a lot of success. For us, it’s get our core values into place, let our kids understand the trust factor and let them understand the true set of core values we’re going to hold them to.”

Wisconsin returns 16 starters from an 8-6 team that fell 20-14 to Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

The Badgers have won three consecutive Big Ten titles and gave an 11-year bowl streak.

PATIENT RECRUITING: Pat Fitzgerald said recruiting at Northwestern might take more time but extra effort pays off.

“If you look at our history in recruiting, we’re typically a day late, a week late, a month late in potentially offering a young person,” he said. “I know sometimes that frustrates our fans, but we’re going to make sure when we offer a young man, that’s someone we truly want to be a part of our football family.”

Northwestern’s recruiting philosophy also heads off potential discipline problems.

“I think discipline begins with recruiting,” Fitzgerald said. “The identification of a student athlete that fits your program in Evanston starts with that character evaluation.. We’ve got a set of questions that are married with the values of our program.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins (2) has been selected to the Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team.

ACC from Page B1 to finish fourth at his position but short of All-ACC status.

The Tigers’ three first-team picks came as no surprise – preseason ACC Player of the Year Tajh Boyd at quarterback, rising junior Sammy Watkins at receiver and steady Chandler Catanzaro at placekicker.

Boyd, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, was the leading vote-getter on the team with 59 votes. Watkins was third with 57.

“Last year Tajh’s growth was tremendous,” Swinney said. “He’s battle-tested now.”

Watkins, the 2011 ACC Rookie of the Year, had 57 receptions for 708 yards and three touch-

downs last season despite missing essentially four games because of suspension, illness or injury.

Catanzaro, a former standout at Greenville’s Christ Church Episcopal School, enters the season having converted on 26 of his past 27 field goal attempts, including a school-record streak of 20 conversions.

Florida State led all schools with six players on the 25-member squad. North Carolina had four selections. Clemson, which on Monday was tabbed to win the ACC title, was next with three and Duke, Miami and Wake Forest each had two selections.

Boston College, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech had one player each selected.

Wofford’s Eric Breitenstein celebrates with teammate Tymeco Gregory after a touchdown in a game last season.

Wofford’s stature in the Southern Conference should grow even more with conference and national powers Appalachian State and Georgia Southern leaving after this season.

Departing ASU, GSU chasing non SoCon title

BY PETE IACOBELLI The Associated Press SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Appalachian State and Georgia Southern coaches say they’ll play for a Southern Conference title this season, even if both are ineligible to win the crown in their final seasons in the league before moving to the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.

The schools have won or shared championships in the Football Championship Subdivision league a combined 22 times since 1986, yet both will play the season with more than the 63 scholarships allowed by FCS. That means they can’t officially win the SoCon title or participate in the NCAA FCS playoffs.

That’s not stopping Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield or Georgia Southern coach Jeff Monken from chasing conference titles. Each says if his team finishes with the best record after conference play, they’ll celebrate a championship like they have done so often in the past.

“We might not be recognized by somebody else, but we’re certainly going to recognize that and that’s our goal,” Monken said Wednesday.

The league’s coaches and media agree, each group picking Monken’s Eagles to win a third straight title. Georgia Southern shared the championship with Appalachian State and Wofford a year ago.

This season marks one of transition for the Southern Conference, which has lost five of its 12 members — and three of its nine football schools — since last November.

Along with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern’s departure to the FCS, Elon is moving to the Colonial Athletic Association after this academic year.

College of Charleston, which does not have football, left for the CAA earlier this month while the Southern Conference’s most prominent basketball program in Davidson is leaving for the Atlantic 10 Conference. The SoCon recently announced the additions of East Tennessee State,

Mercer and VMI, giving them 10 members starting next season.

“It’s a relief,” league Commissioner John Iamarino said. “I’m happy to talk about football again after the challenging year we had last year.”

Monken has gone 31-12 in his three seasons at Georgia Southern and says he’ll change nothing about the way he runs the program or approaches the season as the team transitions to bigger boy football in the Sun Belt.

He says his players have tuned out the buzz on campus about moving up and want to have one more memorable FCS season.

“We’ve never done anything different,” he said. “Our philosophy hasn’t changed. All we’ve ever focused on is the next game and trying to be the best team.”

Appalachian State was selected second by league coaches and third by league media. The Mountaineers are also handling a change of coaches with former Appalachian State quarterback and offensive coordinator Satterfield taking over for Jerry Moore, the SoCon career leader with 215 victories.

Even if they do, that won’t qualify for the expanded, 24-team FCS playoffs, which the Mountaineers won three straight seasons from 2005-2007. Monken led Georgia Southern to the national semifinals in 2010 and 2012, losing both times. The Eagles have won six national championships.

Wofford coach Mike Ayers says the Southern Conference’s reputation as one of the top FCS leagues has been enhanced by Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. There are several schools, though, who Ayers believes are on the verge of title runs, whether the Mountaineers and Eagles remained in the league or not.

Wofford was selected second by the media and fifth by league coaches, a disparity Ayers says points to the SoCon’s competitiveness.

“I know what it is every Saturday to play against these people and I promise you there’s a coat-of-paint difference from top to bottom between every one of them,” he said.

B4

SPORTS

THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

Hernandez’s probable cause hearing delayed

BY ERIKA NIEDOWSKI The Associated Press ATTLEBORO, Mass.— A Massachusetts judge Wednesday gave prosecutors more time to present evidence to a grand jury in their case against former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.

Hernandez was in court for what was supposed to be a probable cause hearing, but prosecutors said the grand jury is still considering the evidence against him.

Judge Daniel O’Shea rescheduled the probable cause hearing for Aug. 22, after considering defense objections to a delay. Hernandez will be held without bail until then.

Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old Boston semi-professional football player whose body was found June 17 in an industrial park near Hernandez’s home. He had been shot five times.

Bristol County Assistant District Attorney William McCauley said additional evidence includes boxes of ammunition found at a condominium Hernandez leased and a magazine clip for a .45-caliber Glock in a Hummer registered to him.

Police say Lloyd was killed with a .45-caliber gun.

McCauley said the box had Hernandez’s fingerprints on it.

Hernandez attorney James Sultan objected to the delay, saying his client has already been jailed for four weeks and that the district attorney could have waited to bring charges, but chose to go ahead last month.

“He made it sound like a slam dunk case,” Sultan said.

Outside court, another of Hernandez’s attorneys, Charles Rankin, said he’s confident Hernandez will be exonerated and his attorneys were “extremely disappointed” that prosecutors weren’t prepared to present their case. Hernandez’s girlfriend, Shayanna Jenkins, was in court for the hearing but said outside the courthouse that she had no comment.

Also Wednesday, O’Shea ruled in favor of media organizations including The Associated Press and ordered the release of two arrest warrants and other search warrants and materials that have been impounded. They’ll be released at 3 p.m.

Thursday if no one appeals.

Prosecutors say Hernandez orchestrated Lloyd’s killing because he was upset at him for talking to

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is led out of a van as he arrives for his probable cause hearing at Attleboro District Court on Wednesday in Attleboro, Mass. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. A judge rescheduled the probable cause hearing for Aug. 22, after considering defense objections to a delay.

people Hernandez had problems with at a nightclub a few days earlier.

They say Hernandez and two associates, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, drove with Lloyd to the North Attleborough industrial park. Authorities have not said who fired the shots, but documents filed in Florida — and released since Hernandez’s last court appearance — paint the former Patriot as the triggerman. According to the records, Ortiz told police that Wallace said Hernandez fired the shots.

Hernandez was kicked off the team soon after his arrest and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick broke his silence Wednesday, saying the Patriots will learn from “this terrible experience,” and that it’s time for New England to move forward.

“We’ll continue to evaluate the way that we do things, the way that we evaluate our players and we’ll do it on a regular basis,” Belichick said. “I’m not perfect on that, but I always do what I think is best for the football team.”

Wallace and Ortiz also are facing charges. Wallace pleaded not guilty to a charge of being an accessory to murder after the fact. Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to a gun charge.

Panthers looking for fast start

BY STEVE REED The Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If the past two seasons have taught Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera anything, it’s the importance of starting fast.

The Panthers stumbled out of the blocks the last two seasons, going 1-5 in 2011 and 1-6 last year.

The slow starts cost general manager Marty Hurney his NEWTON job.

By midseason the Panthers have been out of the playoff hunt, so it hardly matters that they’ve gone 9-3 in post-Thanksgiving Day games during that span or that they won four straight to close last season.

Rivera told Cam Newton and the rest of his players that they need to arrive at training camp with a sense of purpose, focused on being ready to go out and win the season opener at home against the Seattle Seahawks. On Sept. 8.

“I’m going to talk about starting strong,” Rivera said. “Because if you don’t start fast, you have to make it up anyway.”

Five things to watch for: 1. CAN CAM IMPROVE? Newton has put up all sorts of impressive statistics his first two seasons in the league, but there are two numbers that don’t work in young quarterback’s favor: 1319. That’s his record as a starting NFL quarterback. The bottom line is Newton needs to find a way to help the Panthers win meaningful games. New offensive coordinator Mike Shula said he plans to simplify the play calling along with eliminating some of the verbiage from predecessor Rob Chudzinski’s playbook. The good news for Newton is he’ll still have his favorite weapon, the seemingly ageless Steve Smith, who had 73 catches for 1,174 yards last season. Smith turned 34 in May. 2. BACK TO THE RUNNING GAME: The Panthers restructured the contracts of running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart this

offseason, a sign both plan to be in the mix this season along with fullback Mike Tolbert. Shula said he plans to use his backs more after Newton led the team in rushing a year ago. That doesn’t bother Newton one bit. “For us, the running game is key,” Newton said during minicamp. “In years past, success for the Carolina Panthers has meant getting our running backs involved in the game early and letting those guys do what they do. I feel like we have an unbelievable group.

3. MAN IN THE MIDDLE: The Panthers have one of the game’s top young linebackers in Luke Kuechly, who led the NFL in tackles last season en route to AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

The 2012 first-round draft pick out of Boston College showed an incredible ability to sniff out the ball and was rarely was fooled. If the Panthers can keep outside linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis healthy — and that’s a big if — they could have one of the best linebacker corps in the league. Beason has only played in five of the team’s last 32 games due to injury. Davis capped a remarkable season by returning from three torn ACLs in as many years to play 15 games last season and record 105 tackles.

4. STAR IS BORN: The Panthers spent their first- and second-round draft picks on what general manager Dave Gettleman calls “hog mollies,” adding defensive tackles Star Lotulelei from Utah and Kawann Short from Purdue. The move was done in part to allow Kuechly to run and make more plays and to help free up double teams on Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy, who combined for 23½ sacks last season giving the Panthers the most unheralded sack tandems in the league. The Panthers are hoping that a strong front seven takes pressure off a suspect secondary that lost Chris Gamble to a salary cap move.

5. LOOKING FOR GINN GAME ON RETURNS: The Panthers haven’t gotten much out of their return game in recent years, but they added free agent Ted Ginn Jr. in hopes of giving them a boost.

But Ginn will have a battle on his hands as several others are looking to compete in that area, including Kealoha Pilares and Armanti Edwards.

BELICHICK from Page B1 plenty.”

At times, Belichick glanced down at notes. He declined to answer questions about people involved in the legal case, saying he had been advised not to.

His relationship with team owner Robert Kraft continues to strengthen, he said.

Kraft has said he was “duped” by Hernandez. When Belichick was asked if he also had been “duped,” he said he couldn’t comment.

“I’m not trying to make this story disappear, but I respect the judicial process and have been advised not to comment on ongoing legal proceedings. I’m advising our players to do the same things,” he said. “Ultimately, the judge or the jury will determine the accountability.”

Quarterback Tom Brady and the team’s other five captains are scheduled to speak with reporters on Thursday when training camp opens. The first practice is set for Friday.

The Patriots are eager to move on quickly from the Hernandez situation and any stain it leaves on the image of a team that has won three of its five Super Bowls in Belichick’s 13 years as coach. Belichick usually doesn’t address the media at training camp until it’s begun.

“My comments are certainly not in proportion to the unfortunate and sad situation that we have here, but I’ve been advised to address the subject once, and it’s time for the New England Patriots to move forward,” he said. “Moving forward consists of what it’s always been here — to build a winning football team, to be a strong pillar in the community and be a team that our fans can be proud of.”

At a court hearing that overlapped with Belichick’s news conference, prosecutors asked for more time to present evidence to a grand jury. Hernandez was in court for what was supposed to be a probable cause hearing, but prosecutors said the grand jury is still considering the evidence against him.

The probable cause hearing was rescheduled for Aug. 22.

Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder in the shooting death of Lloyd, a 27-year-old Boston semiprofessional football player whose body was found June 17 in an industrial park near Hernandez’s home in North Attleborough.

Belichick said he was out of the United States when he learned of the criminal investigation. He didn’t say, in response to a question, if he had talked with Hernandez since the player’s name was linked to it.

“This case involves an individual who happened to be a New England Patriot, and we certainly do not condone unacceptable behavior and this does not in any way represent the way that the New England Patriots want to do things,” he said. “As the coach of the team, I’m primarily responsible for the people that we bring into the football operation.”

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OBITUARIES

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

DARRYL ANDERSON Darryl Anderson, 54, husband of Quinette Bright Anderson, died Sunday, July 21, 2013, at Palmetto Health Richland, Columbia.

Born Sept. 29, 1958, in Baltimore, Md., he was a son of Harold and Dorothy Anderson.

The family will re-

ceive friends and relatives at the home, 3196 Expedition Drive, Dalzell.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced

by Williams Funeral Home Inc. of Sumter.

JEFF MURPHY Jr. BISHOPVILLE — Jeff

Murphy Jr. died Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center.

The family is receiving friends at 520 4th St., Bishopville.

Funeral arrangements will be announced by Boatwright Funeral Home of Bishopville.

THE ITEM

ROSA LEE M. MORRIS Rosa Lee McDowell Morris, wife of Eddie Morris Sr., of 122 Maney St., entered eternal rest on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

Born May 3, 1960, in Sumter County, she was a daughter of the late

Willie and Pauline Wells McDowell.

The family is receiving at the home.

Funeral plans will be announced by Community Funeral Home of Sumter.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013, at Heartland of Columbia.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced

by Bullock Funeral Home of Sumter.

WYLAH D. POWELL COLUMBIA — Wylah Dean Powell died on

SPORTS

|

KNAUS from Page B1 day, I won’t have this amazing facility at Hendrick Motorsports to work in. And I try to work as hard as I can every single day to go out there and win races, because I know at some point in time, it’s going to go away. And you just can’t take anything for granted.”

The duo of Johnson and Knaus has taken nothing for granted since they were paired by Rick Hendrick as the nucleus of the startup No. 48 team in 2002.

Knaus was relentless in his preparation and had Johnson in Victory Lane a mere 10 races into their relationship. There were three wins that rookie year, including a sweep at Dover that positioned Johnson as the series points leader with seven races left in the season.

Those victories and flirting with a championship made Knaus push even harder, and the next two seasons led to 10 wins and a pair of runner-up finishes in the title race.

There were four wins in 2005 and Johnson went into the season finale ranked second with a shot at the title. But the behindthe-scenes tension, fueled

B5

in part by Knaus’ relentless drive, nearly fractured the team. A tire issue caused Johnson to crash in the finale, finish fifth in the standings and led Hendrick to force his driver and crew chief to examine their relationship.

Given the choice to repair their relationship or be split apart by the team owner, both Johnson and Knaus chose to continue pushing on together.

Five championships and 44 wins later, the two are the longest active crew chief and driver pairing in NASCAR and have shown no signs of letting up. Johnson heads into Sunday’s race with four victories and a 56-point cushion over second-place Clint Bowyer in the standings.

Knaus believes the two have grown together over the last decade, and spend time together away from the track, as they did during the final off weekend of the NASCAR season.

“It’s like any other relationship, it grows and there’s an ebb and flow of good times and bad,” Knaus said. “Jimmie and I have been very fortunate over the years to have gotten a good appreciation and mutual respect for one

another. We expanded on that relationship again this weekend, so we’ve had a few of those opportunities where we’ve been able to have a few beers and play some reindeer games.

“Now we are to the point where I can understand where it is and how off we are with the race car based on his body language and what he says and his feedback. And he can definitely see with my feedback and my body language and the tone of my voice, he knows what’s happening from my perspective and that’s always good. It’s a lot of different levels, it’s pretty good for us.”

RANKING THE WINS: Richard Childress has kissed the bricks at Indianapolis three times with three different drivers as a car owner.

He did it in 1995 with Dale Earnhardt, in 2003 with Kevin Harvick and 2011 with Paul Menard.

Three memorable moments under three very different circumstances.

So which was most special for Childress?

Menard’s win, of course.

Huh? Yup, Childress picked Menard’s win at Indy, a track his family had long supported through open-

KROUSE from Page B1

wheel racing, as the biggest victory of the three.

“Not taking anything away from Dale’s or Kevin’s first win there, but that one was so special because of being able to win a race with Paul, being able to win at Indy where that whole family had put so much into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” Childress said.

It was Menard’s first and only career Sprint Cup win to date, and was decided on fuel mileage as Menard’s Chevrolet got better gas than Jeff Gordon, who had the dominant car and led 36 laps to Menard’s 21 laps.

“What made that so special was knowing that Paul’s family was there,” Childress said. “Knowing what John Menard had put into that, I think he had entered like 30-some cars over 20 years at Indy, in the Indy 500. To be part of watching his son win that race was such a special day.”

RAHAL CHANGES: It’s been tough going since Graham Rahal joined his father’s race team.

While teammate James Jakes has shown flashes of promise this season, Rahal has been mired at the back of the grid and unable to make many gains.

out a lot, especially the weightlifting,” Krouse said. “That helped me get stronger and develop what I’m trying to do.”

It also helped him be ready for the start of the Legion season and was especially beneficial when he had a nail go into a finger on his pitching hand after returning home from Charleston. It kept him off the mound for a couple of weeks, giving him just four days to work on his pitching before P-15’s tryouts in May. “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t worked out (at The Citadel) and then come home and have that happen,” Krouse said.

Krouse had been used strictly as a reliever at Sumter High and with the P-15’s last season. However, Johnson decided to start him in a game against Camden, planning to pitch him for two innings before running in some other pitchers.

However, Krouse ended up striking out 11 and allowing just one run in an 8-1 victory. He followed it up later in the year against Post 17 with another 7-inning performance, this time with 7 Ks in a 4-2 win.

“We started him because we didn’t want to lose a player with the designated hitter,” Johnson said. “He was only supposed to go two innings, but he pitched so well we stuck with him.”

One thing that makes the sidearm delivery effective for Krouse is the fact he is 6-foot-5 inches tall.

“There’s a lot of arms and legs coming at you before you see the ball,” Johnson said.

“They really have a hard time seeing where I release it,” said Krouse, who said his Citadel teammates often told him of the difficulty picking the ball up. “I try to make it hard to pick up. It does deceive them.”

AREA SCOREBOARD SOCCER FALL REGISTRATION

The Sumter County Recreation Department will be taking registration for its fall soccer league from July 29 thru Aug. 14.

The league is open to children ages 4 - 18 as of Sept. 1, 2013. The fee to register is $30 for 4 year olds, $35 for 5-6 year olds and 45 for 7 - 18 year olds. No late registration will be taken.

A coaches meeting for anyone interested in coaching will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 7 p.m. at the recreation dpartment located at 155 Haynsworth Street.

For more information, call the recreation cepartment at (803) 436-2248 or visit www. sumtercountysc.org.

FOOTBALL FLAG LEAGUE REGISTRATION

The Sumter County Recreation Department will be taking registration for its flag football league from July 29 thru Aug. 14.

The league is open to children ages 5-8 as of Sept. 1, 2013. The fee to register is $50. No late registration will be taken.

A coaches meeting for anyone interested in coaching will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 6 p.m. at the recreation dpartment located at 155 Haynsworth Street.

For more information, call the recreation cepartment at (803) 436-2248 or visit www. sumtercountysc.org.

TACKLE LEAGUE REGISTRATION

The Sumter County Recreation Department will be taking registration for its flag football league from July 29 thru Aug. 14.

The league is open to children ages 9-12 as of Sept. 1, 2013. The fee to register is $60. No late registration will be taken.

A coaches meeting for anyone interested in coaching

|

will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 6 p.m. at the recreation dpartment located at 155 Haynsworth Street.

For more information, call the recreation cepartment at (803) 436-2248 or visit www. sumtercountysc.org.

dpartment located at 155 Haynsworth Street.

For more information, call the recreation cepartment at (803) 436-2248 or visit www. sumtercountysc.org.

POP WARNER REGISTRATION

The Sumter County Recreation Department will be taking registration for its fall soccer league from July 29 thru Aug. 21.

The league is open to girls ages 7-13 as of Dec. 31, 2013.

The fee to register is $45. No late registration will be taken.

A coaches meeting for anyone interested in coaching will be held on Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. at the recreation dpartment located at 155 Haynsworth Street.

For more information, call the recreation cepartment at (803) 436-2248 or visit www. sumtercountysc.org.

The Sumter Pop Warner Football & Cheer Association and Youth Athletics of Sumter is currently taking registration for the upcoming season.

The football and cheer teams are open to children ages 5-13 years old. The fee is $80 for both football and cheereleading. Registration will run through July 31.

The fee for football will cover insurance, ID Badge, use of shoulder pads, use of helmet, use of practice clothes and a mouthpiece.

Parents will be responsible for buying game jersey, game pants, cleats, cup, and socks.

The fee for cheer will cover insurance, ID badge, use of uniform, use of pom-poms, socks and undergarment.

Parents will be responsible for buying shoes.

The practice season will run from Aug. 1-30 with the season starting on Aug. 31.

For more Information call (803) 464-8453, (803) 2014531 (803) 720-6242 or (813) 786-9265 or send an email to youthathleticsofsumteryas@ yahoo.com.

CHEERLEADING FALL REGISTRATION

The Sumter County Recreation Department will be taking registration for its cheerleading teams from July 29 thru Aug. 14.

The league is open to children ages 5-11 as of April 30.

1, 2013. The fee to register is $50. No late registration will be taken.

A coaches meeting for anyone interested in coaching will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 6 p.m. at the recreation

SOFTBALL FALL REGISTRATION

BASEBALL FALL REGISTRATION

The Sumter County Recreation Department will be taking registration for its fall baseball league from July 29 thru Aug. 21.

The league is open to boys ages 7-14 as of April 30, 2014.

The fee to register is $45. No late registration will be taken.

A coaches meeting for anyone interested in coaching will be held on Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. at the recreation dpartment located at 155 Haynsworth Street.

For more information, call the recreation cepartment at (803) 436-2248 or visit www. sumtercountysc.org.

BOWLING

cost of $12.50 for adults and $10 for children age 12 and under.

For more information, call Kathy Stafford at (803) 4693906, Gail McLeod at (803) 840-4519 or Gamecock Lanes at (803) 775-1197 or send an email to katsspecialkneads@ yahoo.com.

VOLLEYBALL SCISA OFFICIALS NEEDED

The South Carolina Independent School Association is looking for volleyball officials for the 2013 season.

Those who are interested must have knowledge of volleyball and be willing to receive additional training and attend scheduled meetings.

For more information, call SCISA district director Teddy Weeks at (803) 446-3379 or email him at TWeeks51@aol. com.

ROAD RACING CYPRESS TRAIL RUN/WALK

The first Cypress Trail 9k Run/Walk will be held on Aug. 17 at Dillon Park.

All registrations will be completed using Go-Green Events, with a $22 fee for the run/walk with a t-shirt and a $15 fee without a t-shirt.

Awards will be given in the Overall, Masters, and Age Group categories. Proceeds from the event will be reinvested in the maintenance and improvement of the Cypress Trail.

Additional information can be found at http://www.gogreenevents.com/CT9k or by emailing race director Shawn Delaney at sumterstryders@ gmail.com.

GOLF

BOWL A PAW

The 2nd Annual Bowl A Paw bowling tournament will be held on Sunday, July 28, at 2 p.m. at Gamecock Lanes.

The event is a fundraiser for KAT’s Special Kneads small animal shelter.

The event includes three games and a pair of shoes at a

PAR 4 PETS

The 2nd Annual Par 4 Pets Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Crystal Lakes Golf Course.

The format is 4-man Captain’s Choice with an entry fee of $160 per team or $40 per player. Entry is limited to

the first 20 teams.

Registration is at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start at 8:30.

There will be $5 per mulligan available at registration with a maximum of two per player.

The event is a fundraiser for KAT’s Special Kneads small animal shelter.

For more information, call Kathy Stafford at (803) 4693906, Julie Wilkins at (803) 9685176, Melissa Brunson at (803) 983-0038, Gail McLeod at (803) 840-4519 or Crystal Lakes manager Mike Ardis at (803) 775-1902.

ETC. BREAM TO SPEAK

Former Atlanta Brave Sid Bream will be the guest speaker for the Jason Robertson Memorial Celebration to be held on Friday, Aug. 2, at 6 p.m. at Bethesda Church of God. Bream will speak at the celebration on Friday. Tickets are $25 per person and will include dinner and a live auction. On Saturday, Aug. 3, he will take part in the Jason Robertson Memorial Shoot for Dreams, a skeet shoot that will be held at Indigo Shooting Club located at 14068 Garners Ferry Road in Eastover. It will start at 11 a.m.

Robertson, who was from Sumter, died in 2011 at the age of 26 after a battle with cancer. Before his death he was able to enjoy his favorite outdoor activities with the help of the Outdoor Dream Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Anderson that provides outdoor adventures for youths diagnosed with terminal or life-threatening illnesses. The organization is putting on these two events.

For more information or to register for the shoot, contact Kim West at (803) 968-5285 or email skip@outdoordream. org.

B6

THE ITEM

COMICS

BIZARRO

SOUP TO NUTZ

DOG EAT DOUG

GARFIELD

ZITS

BEETLE BAILEY

BLONDIE

ANDY CAPP

DILBERT

BORN LOSER

MOTHER GOOSE

Jeff MacNelly’s SHOE

THE DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

Readers take Abby to task for being too easy on father

D

dear abby

EAR ABBY — I should — include the have read you for half-brother, even if the years, and I must visits are short ones. take issue with your anSomeday that boy will swer to “Needs the Right be a grown man, and he Words” (March 17). He will recognize the kindasked about his son and ness shown to him. The his son’s half-brother vis- boy is not responsible for iting his beach his mother’s behouse. (He havior and the fadidn’t want the ther needs to realhalf-brother inize that. cluded.)

DEBORAH IN While you adCHANDLER, dressed the writARIZ. er’s needs, and yes, he is entitled DEAR DEBOAbigail to his feelings, I RAH — You are think you should VAN BUREN right. It would have have taken this a been better for all step further. concerned if I had been Once you become a harder on the father and father, it is not all about more sensitive to the “you” anymore. The feelings of the boys in12-year-old boy is now, volved, which many and forever will be, his readers pointed out to son’s half-brother. Unless me: this man wants to distance himself from his DEAR ABBY — Tell son and cause permathat man to get a psychonent damage to their retherapist! The child isn’t lationship, he needs to responsible for his mothget some therapy so he er’s behavior. The man will be able to think of needs to expand his that boy in a different heart. When he’s an old way and can deal with man he will never regret him in the future. He is hosting the boy, but he NOT in a “good place” as WOULD regret having he stated if seeing this hurt a child and perhaps boy causes such an emo- alienating his own son in tional issue. The two boys the process. You called seem to have a good rela- that one wrong, Abby! tionship, and a future LESLIE R., CHAMPAIGN, ILL. with his son will — and

SUDOKU

Classified lassified

CLASSIFIEDS

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

THE ITEM

B7

WWW.THEITEM.COM ITEM.COM

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11:30 a.m. the day before for Tuesday.

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday edition.

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803.774.1234

We will be happy to change your ad if an error is made; however we are not responsible for errors after the first run day. We shall not be liable for any loss or expense that results from the printing or omission of an advertisement. We reserve the right to edit, refuse or cancel any ad at any time.

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In Memory

Guaranteed Income for your retirement. Avoid market risk & get guaranteed income in retirement!

CALL for FREE copy of our SAFE MONEY GUIDE Plus Annuity Quotes from A-rated companies!

800-793-0956.

Abandon Vehicle / Boat Abandoned Vehicle Notice The following 2 vehicles were abandoned at Big Dogg Towing, 1585 Lewis Road, Sumter, SC 29154.

Described as a 2000 Ford Ranger, VIN# 1FTYR14V9YPB99279. Total due for storage and repairs is $2,275.00 as of July 15, 2013 plus $35 per day thereafter AND a [fb] 1996 Mercedes S500, VIN# WDBGA51E5TA296990. Total due for storage and repairs is $3,825.00 as of July 15, 2013 plus $35 per day thereafter. Owner is asked to call (803) 418-9328. If not claimed in 30 days, it will be turned over to the Magistrate's Office for public sale.

Abandoned Vehicle Notice The following vehicle were abandoned at L & L Body Shop, Inc., 1109 Florence Hwy., Sumter, SC 29153. Described as a 1993 Ford P r o b e G T . , V I N #1ZVCT22B9P5121778. Total due for storage is $1,775.00 and repairs $500.00 for a total of $2,275.00. Owner is asked to call (803) 778-2427. If not claimed in 30 days, it will be turned over to the Magistrate's Office for public sale.

Home Improvements

Barbara Craft Carraway 10/27/1956 - 07/25/2004 If we could have a lifetime wish and one dream that could come true, We would pray to God with all our hearts just to see and speak to you. A thousand words won't bring you back, We know because we've tried and neither will a million tears, We know because we've tried. You've left behind our broken hearts and precious memories too, But we've never wanted memories, We only wanted you. Your family.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Cosmetology & Barber

Announcements

Hair & Nails 23 is seeking hairdresser w/license for Booth Rental. Call 803-774-0322 or 803-565-1416 Ask for Linda

Electrical Services

Lost & Found FOUND: 2 Small Brown/Black puppies off Hwy 378. Owner must call to identify. Call 803-847-1122 Found in Dalzell area male chocolate lab mix. No collar.

Owner call to identify 406-9557.

TNT Painting & Carpentry for all your household needs. Call 803-460-7629.

Professional Remodelers Home maintenance,ceramic tile, roofing, siding & windows doors, etc. Lic. & Ins. (Office) 803-692-4084 or (Cell) 803-459-4773

Legal Service DIVORCE WITH OR WITHOUT children $125.00. Includes name change and property settlement agreement. SAVE hundreds. Fast and easy. Call 1-888-733-7165, 24/7

Garage, Yard & Estate Sales

Tree Service

Auctions

STATE TREE SERVICE Worker's Comp & General liability insurance. Top quality service, lowest prices. 803-494-5175 or 803-491-5154 www.statetree.net

ABSOLUTE AUCTION: Seabrook Island (Charleston, SC) 2 Properties: 3 BR home and lake-front lot. NO MINIMUM! AUG. 10. Mike Harper 843-729-4996 (SCAL 3728).

A Notch Above Tree Care Full quality service low rates, lic./ins., free est BBB accredited 983-9721

H.L. Boone, Contractor additions, painting, roofing, gutters, sheetrock, blown ceilings, decks. 773-9904

BUSINESS SERVICES

Tuesday, July 30, 2013 is the last day to redeem winning tickets in the following South Carolina Education Lottery Instant Game: (510) The Color of Money.

Financial Service

MERCHANDISE

Garage, Yard & Estate Sales 90 W. Foxworth Mill Rd. Huge yard sale. Friday 10 am & Saturday 8 am - 12 pm. Furniture, baby clothes, books, misc. items.

Sumter County Flea Mkt Hwy 378 E. 803-495-2281 500 tables. Sat. $8 free return Sun. Multi Family Carolina Palms Subd. 3071 Daufaskie Rd Fri 7-2 Sat 7-2 Too much to list!

Auctions ADVERTISE YOUR AUCTION in 105 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25-word classified ad will reach more than 2.6 million readers. Call Jimmie Haynes at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

Will buy furniture by piece or bulk, tools, trailers, lawn mowers, 4 wheelers, etc or almost anything of value Call 983-5364 19 English St. Fri/Sat. 8-2. Chest freezer, baby items/clothes, purses, tv's, men//women clothes, shoes, and much, much more.

LARGE GARAGE SALE 1st & 3rd Weekend Tables $1 & Up FLEA MARKET BY SHAW AFB

Open every wkend. 905-4242

For Sale or Trade SAVE on Cable TV-InternetDigital Phone-Satellite. You`ve Got A Choice! Options from ALL major service providers. Call us to learn more!

CALL Today.

866-396-9751 Expert Tech, New & used heat pumps & A/C. Will install/repair, warranty; Compressor & labor $600. Call 803-968-9549 or 843-992-2364 Old Mahoganey Dresser w/ mirror $100. Call 803-481-2995 GE Washer Good condition.

Asking $175.00, Call 803-469-3530

Roofing Hendrix Metal & Shingle roofing.

Metal building erectors, Metal underpining, Metal building repair.

Call Steve 803-968-0509. Free est.

All Types of Roofing & Repairs All work guaranteed. 30 yrs exp.

SC lic. Virgil Bickley 803-316-4734.

Tree Service NEWMAN'S TREE SERVICE Tree removal , trimming & stump grinding. Lic & Ins.

I Found it in the

CLASSIFIEDS

803-316-0128

Fulton Town Electric, Service any electrical needs. Cert. Master Electrician, 938-3261/883-4607

JOBS HOMES APARTMENTS CARS BOATS MOTORCYCLES END OF SEASON PRODUCE SALE BIKES CANNON TOMATOES$10 A BOX FURNITURE YOU PICK TOMATOES, EGGPLANT & $ BELLPEPPERS 10 A BUCKET PETS 2037 Summerton Hwy. GARAGE SALES & MORE Fencing

AAA Fence Company: Over 30 yrs of service. Building all types of fencing. Call 803-464-0214 or 803-983-8933

The Tree Doctor Any size tree removal & stump grinding. Trimming & clearing. No job too big or small. Call 775-8560 or 468-1946. We accept credit cards and offer senior discounts

Ricky's Tree Service Tree removal, stump grinding, Lic & ins, free quote, 803-435-2223 or cell 803-460-8747.

Flowers Farms

1 mile north of Summerton on Hwy. 15 8FE 'SJ t 4BU

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GET THE CLASSIFIEDS DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR. 803-774-1258

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and much more Call 803-774-1258 to start your subscription today, or visit us online at www.theitem.com

20 N. Magnolia Street â&#x20AC;˘ Sumter, SC

20 N. Magnolia Street â&#x20AC;˘ Sumter, SC www.theitem.com

TAKE THE PAIN AWAY â&#x20AC;&#x153;If your heart is hurting, this book is for you.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still aching from dificult circumstances in your childhood, this book is for you.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The author seeks to encourage and empower every reader.â&#x20AC;?

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B8

CLASSIFIEDS

THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

Start accepting major retail gift cards in your business!

Call (803)720-5015 Today!

Get Gifted from the competition by using the competition dollars to increase dollars. Todays consumer wants more options and more control over how they use their money, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time that your business give more options.

Enroll before Aug 1 and receive a 10 gift card

For Sale or Trade

Help Wanted Part-Time

Statewide Employment

Unfurnished Homes

DISH TV Retailer - Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.)

SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation!

CALL Now! 1-800-635-0278

Now hiring Salvation Army Family Store. Apply in person 16 Kendrick St.

SUPERIOR TRANSPORTATION 3 yrs flatbed or stepdeck & Class-A CDL = GUARANTEED SALARY + EXTRA PAY FOR WEEKENDS, Uniforms, Good benefits. Call Craig 800-736-9486 Ext 266 for details.

Safe, Attractive, & Updated home. Minutes from Shaw.

Many extras. No H/A or PETS! $485/mo + $350/dep.

803-983-0043

Washers, Dryers, Refrigerators, Stoves. Also new Gas stoves.

Guaranteed. 803-464-5439 DirecTV - Over 140 channels only $29.99 a month. Call Now! Triple savings! $636.00 in Savings, Free upgrade to Genie & 2013 NFL Sunday ticket free!! Start saving today! 1-800-908-5974 Maple Kitchen table w/4 chairs & 2 leaves $100. Call 803-469-3117 Golf Carts Unlimited Great deals. 3 Club Cars Available, Can take orders. Call 24/7 481-4972 or 803-795-5367 lv. msg.

Utility Buildings Steel Buildings Big or small Save up to 50% For best deal with contract construction to complete Source #18X 800-964-8335

EMPLOYMENT Help Wanted Full-Time Company looking for someone with medical insurance knowledge and billing procedures. Full time with benefits. $11-12/hr. Fax resume to 803-905-4431.

Industrial Machinist, Great benefits. Experience needed. Send resumes to Office Manager PO Box 2578, Sumter, SC 29151 Hoyt's is seeking employees in the fields listed below. Applicants must have a good driving record, clean background check and great work ethic. â&#x20AC;˘Service Tech: EPA Cert, Min 3 yrs exp, residential or commercial. â&#x20AC;˘Electricians: Residential service, commercial installation, min 5 yrs exp. â&#x20AC;˘Welder/Fabricator: exp in mig/tig and stick welding, sheet metal fabrication.

Apply at 710 N. Wise Dr. Sumter, SC Tired of being taken granted?

Want a job you actually enjoy? A local multi lined insurance agency is looking for the right person to fill a full time salaried office position.

We are an industry leader. You must have or get insurance licensed and pass a background check. Duties include but not limited to great customer service and organizational skills. If interested email resume to: agenta021@yahoo.com The SC Army National Guard wants High School Juniors, Seniors, Grads and GED holders, and Prior Service! Ask about college tuition. Receive paid technical training and more while serving your Country and Community on a part-time basis. Call now for this great opportunity!

SSG Michael Wright 803-667-0985 SSG Lorraine Lordy 803-360-1979

Office seeks part time with experience in psychological services and the billing procedures, $11-12 ph, part time Fax resume to: 803-905-4431. $$$ AVON $$$ FREE TRAINING! 803-422-5555

Trucking Opportunities PT Drivers. Must have 2 yrs exp. & CDL. Night shift. Hauling poultry.

Call Danny at 803-236-0682 MonFri. 1pm-5pm.

Driver Trainees Needed Now! Learn to drive for US Xpress! Earn $800+ per week!

No experience needed! CDL -Trained and Job-Ready in 15 days! 1-888-263-7364

Medical Help Wanted Ophthalmic Assistant Fast paced Sumter medical office seeks an energetic, selfmotivated, positive attitude team player to join our practice. Responsibilities include working up patients, taking medical histories, vitals, eye pressure checks, conducting diagnostic tests, etc. Work along side physicians. Preparing patient and equipment for procedures. Should possess strong communication skills and be able to multi-task. Degree in biology a plus, but will train the right person.

Fax resumes to 803-736-2116 or email to: carolinaretinacenter@gmail.com. EOE CT Scan Tech needed Part/Full time. Fax resume to 803 403-8483.

Busy medical office seeks highenergy applicants for clinical position. Ophthalmic and EMR experience preferred. Requires multi-tasking and excellent verbal/written skills. Basic medical terminology helpful. Send resume to 365 W. Wesmark Blvd, Sumter SC, 29150.

DRIVERS! Apply Now! 12 drivers needed top 5% pay Class A CDL required. 877-258-8782 www.addrivers.com Transfer Drivers: Need CDL A or B contract drivers to relocate vehicles from local body plants to various locations throughout US No Forced Dispatch, 1-800-501-3783 www.manotrans portation.com WE NEED DRIVERS!! Immediate openings. OTR drivers, minimum 1 yr. OTR experience. Late model conventional tractors/48' flatbed trailers. Top pay, insurance. Home most weekends. Senn Freight 1-800-477-0792.

Class A Drivers needed. Van & refrig freight. 8-10 days out. Home 48 hours. Choice of benefit plans.

800-333-9291 www.veriha.com NOW HIRING: Property Damage inspectors needed, no experience necessary. Will train. Full-time & part-time. 877-207-6716 www.aar onspa.biz/nowhiring LAID OFF? PLANT CLOSING? Need that new job? Call Xtra Mile & enroll in CDL Class-A training today! 1-866-484-6313 / www.xtra miledrivertraining.com Experienced OTR Flatbed Drivers earn 50 up to 55 cpm loaded. $1000 sign on to Qualified drivers.

Home most weekends. Call: 843-266-3731 / www.bulldoghiwa y.com EOE DRIVERS - CDL-A Now hiring experienced OTR drivers excellent miles family oriented company up to $5,000 sign on bonus USA TRUCK 877-521-5775 www.GoU SATruck.com

RENTALS

Schools / Instructional

Unfurnished Apartments

FREE South Carolina Public School seeks online students for interactive 3-D virtual reality program. Learning is fun! All children grades 3-10 accepted. NOBLE VIRTUAL http://noblevirtual.org

2BR 2.5BA Townhouse with bonus room, garage washer/dryer hook up, kit appliances incl. on Dartmouth Dr $850 Mo/Dep. Call 803 934-0434

MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES NEEDED! Train for a career in Healthcare Management! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Advanced College gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & PC/Internet needed. 1-888-528-5176

Statewide Employment AIRLINE CAREERS begin here Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Housing and Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance.

Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-367-2513.

Accepting Applications Oakland Plantation Apts.

5501 Edgehill Rd 499-2157 1, 2, & 3 Br apts. available.

Applications accepted Monday, Wednesday & Friday 8am 4:30pm.

3 Room Apartment 7A Maney St, No appliances $300 mo.& dep Call 775-0776 Whitaker Trust August Special $200 off 1st months rent at Dillon Trace and Broad Trace Apts. Call 607-7222 or 469-6063.

EARNING BETTER PAY IS ONE STEP AWAY! Averitt offers Experienced CDL-A Drivers Excellent Benefits and Weekly Hometime.

888-362-8608, Recent Grads w/a CDL-A 1-5/wks Paid Training.

Apply online at AverittCareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer Help Wanted, live in position in Santee, single/couple to help maintain hotel, small cash and room. Call (803)854-3378

Singlewide in Sumter, SC Call me at 803-469-3252!

Nice 3BR/2BA Brick home with garage. Lg fenced yard. $750/mo + $750/dep. Call 803-968-5816

Mobile Home Rentals

1996 2BR 2BA in Sumter All appl.

Sect 8 Accepted 469-6978 Scenic Lake: 3BR/2BA, No pets.

Call 803-499-1500 between 9AM 5PM. No Pets!

2007 3BR/BA DW. Asking $22,000. You must move. Call 803-351-0637 Need a New Home? Can't get Financing? We can Help!! Call: 803-469-3252.

2 & 3 Br apartments and houses available in Sumter Area. $350 per month with $25 key deposit only.

Call 773-8402 for info.

Oaklawn MHP: 2 BR M.H.'s, water/sewer/garbage pk-up incl'd.

RV parking avail. Call 494-8350

Kiss your landlord goodbye!

Call us at 803-469-3252!

Manning, 3BR, 2 1/5BA, 2900+ sq ft, Updated kitchen. Open floor plan. Lg Bedrooms $210k Call (803)460-7161 Wedgefield: 3 Foxfire Ln Brick 3BR/2BA 1,800SF on 1 acre lot.

Nice neighborhood $174,500. Call 803-494-8475

SW, 2BR/1BA, $325/mo + dep.

Incl water, sewage, garbage. No pets. Behind Shaw. 236-3780

LOW CREDIT SCORE? Been turned down for bad credit? Come try us, we do our own financing.

We have 2-3-4-5 bedroom homes on our lot. Layaway program available. For more information, call 843-389-4215.

Farms & Acreage FSBO: Land, Small & Large acreage.

Owner financing.

803-427-3888.

TRANSPORTATION

For Sale, 4Bed/2Bath, Land, $325/mo.

803-494-5090

Autos For Sale

STATEBURG COURTYARD

A Guaranteed Credit Approval AUTO LOANS

2 & 3 BRs 803-494-4015

Resort Rentals Ocean Lakes 2BR/2BA C/H/A Sleeps 8, near ocean, Call 803-773-2438

Vacation Rentals Beach House. Ocean Isle Beach.

2 hrs from Sumter. 5BR/3BA, Whirlpool, 7 TV's. Only 60' from water. Non smoker. Call 775-4391, 464-5960 for special pricing.

Weeks of 8/17 & 8/24 available ADVERTISE YOUR VACATION PROPERTY to more than 2.6 million South Carolina newspaper readers. Your 25-word classified ad will appear in 105 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Call Jimmie Haynes at the South Carolina Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

Commercial Rentals Comm. building approx 2,501 s.f office/warehouse, fenced yard. Great for contractor. (Corner of S. Magnolia & Hauser St.) $900/mo. 775-2297

Beach Forest 1785 Titanic Ct. Custom Built Quality Home.

Property overlooks pond & community clubhouse/pool. 3BR w/maple hardwood floors, 3 full BA w/ceramic tile. Solid maple 42" kitchen cabinetry w/Charleston Style concrete countertops.

Oversize 2 car garage. All appliances incl'd w/purchase.

Reduced asking $219,000.

Call 803-968-1187 Details & photos @ www.forsalebyowner.co m/23945649 & www.militarybyown er.com/MBO 264616

We will arrange financing even if you have been turned down before.

Loans available for no credit, bad credit, 1st Time Buyers & Bankruptcy buyers. No co-signers needed. Call Mr. Ashley Brown at 803-926-3235

For Sale 2010 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition. Fully loaded, like new.

Ext warranty.

803-478-2950

Real Estate Auction 1918 Millwood Road Opportunity for Investors or Occupants!

Bid Online or Live!

July 30th, 6 pm J. Rafe Dixon, SCAL 4059 803-774-6967 Full details at: www.jrdixonauctions.com Rembert -6836 Spring Hill Rd 3BR 2BA MH 1248 Sq Ft. on 1 Acre lot, Lease option or cash discount. $500 Dwn $311 Per mo.

Call 877-499-8065.

FOR SALE: 2 bd, house 1 reg ba, 1 new ba suite. Quite neighborhood near 2nd mill pond, Sumter $67,000 Call: (803)236-9446 or, (803)983-2966, or (803)460-3035

We Want to Sell Your Car

Now! 4 Lines

FOR ONLY

ADVERTISE YOUR DRIVER JOBS in 105 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25-word classified ad will reach more than 2.6 million readers. Call Jimmie Haynes at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

Exp. Bartenders needed with some serving exp. Apply in person to Sunset Country Club, Mon - Fri, 8 am - 3 pm, 1005 Golfcrest Rd. .

Homes for Sale

Manufactured Housing

+ 4 Days

Now Taking Applications for Assistant Manager's. Apply at www.captaindsjobs.com

Office Adminstrator, Finance, Computer, & Group Travel needed. Group travel experience helpful. Church affiliation helpful in 7 cities. Atlanta GA, Brooklyn NY, Chicago IL, Charlotte NC, Los Angles CA, Seattle WA, & Washington DC Send resume & Church Affiliation to , USACS Bags Travel, PO Box 1166 Sumter SC 29151 (And list on lower left corner what city to work in.)

REAL ESTATE

*PHOTO INCLUDED

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Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen so many cars and people!

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THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

THE ITEM

C1

2013 AMERICAN LEGION STATE TOURNAMENT

Punching a ticket to Asheboro Host Sumter looks to shake off rust, earn regional berth

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com The Sumter P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knew coming into the American Legion baseball season they would be playing on Saturday in the first day of the American Legion state tournament at Riley Park.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the perks that come with being the host team of the tournament.

What had to be determined was how the P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got there and how they looked upon arrival. Head coach Curtis Johnson is pretty pleased with both. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a pretty good year, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pleased with how well weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played,â&#x20AC;? said Johnson, the second-year head coach. Sumter is 27-5 overall and the lower state No. 1 seed heading into Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 8 p.m. contest against Greenwood. The P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s won the League III title and had an easy time of it in their two state playoff series, but not an easy time in the way Johnson would like. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am disappointed though that we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to play a lot of baseball the last couple of weeks.â&#x20AC;? he said. Sumter won its first-round series against SEE SUMTER, PAGE C4

ITEM FILE PHOTO

Members of the Sumter P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greet Andrew Reardon (7) at home plate after he hit a home run in a game earlier this season. Sumter is the host and lower state top seed for the American Legion baseball state tournament, which begins on Saturday at Riley Park. The P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s play Greenwood at 8 p.m.

Revamped Post 1 set to defend title

JOHN D. RUSSELL / MORNING NEWS

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS jdriggers@theitem.com

Florence Post 1â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tallon Turner, right, tries to turn a double play during a recent game at Legion Field in Florence. Post 1, the defending state champion and Southeast Regional champion, will face the Greenville Generals on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Riley Park in the American Legion baseball state tournament.

The Florence Post 1 American Legion baseball team will be making its ninth straight appearance in the state tournament, which begins on Saturday at Riley Park.

It will be the first time since 1943, however, that Florence, 23-11 on the season, can call itself defending state champion as it prepares to take on the 20-3 Greenville Post 3 Generals at 1 p.m.

Post 1 had a season for the ages last year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; finishing at 41-7 overall and earning the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first ever Southeast Regional title and first ever berth in the American Legion World Series.

But heading into this year, head coach Derick Urquhart knew a repeat performance wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to come easy.

Florence returned just three starters off of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s squad and, more importantly, the vaunted pitching staff had to be completely revamped.

AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Saturday Game 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Inman (19-2) vs. Goose Creek (20-9), 9:30 a.m.

Game 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Greenville (20-3) vs. Florence (23-11), 1 p.m.

Game 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Irmo-Chapin (19-3) vs. Murrells Inlet (17-5), 4:30 p.m.

Game 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Greenwood (20-9) vs. Sumter (27-5), 8 p.m.

Sunday Game 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 1 Loser vs. Game 3 Loser, 9:30 a.m.

Game 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 2 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser, 1 p.m.

Game 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 1 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner, 4:30 p.m.

Game 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 2 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 8 p.m.

Monday Game 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser, 1 p.m.

Game 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 5 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser, 4:30 p.m.

Game 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 8 p.m.

Tuesday Game 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 9 Winner vs. Game 11 Loser, 1 p.m. (see note 1) Game 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 11 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 7 p.m. (see note 1) Wednesday Game 14 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Game 13 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner, 1 p.m. (see note 2) Game 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; If Necessary Note 1: Pairings for games 12 and 13 will not match previous opponents against each other unless absolutely necessary.

Note 2: If three teams remain after Game 13, the winner of Game 11 automatically draws the bye for Game 14.

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AMERICAN LEGION STATE TOURNAMENT

THE ITEM

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

Braves look to regain early form

BY JUSTIN DRIGGERS jdriggers@theitem.com Greenwood Post 20 head coach Mack Hite knew the Braves had a ton of talent coming in to the start of the American Legion baseball season.

“We thought we had enough to make a run at a League (VII) title and get back to (the) state (tournament),” Hite said. “But baseball’s a funny game and the most talented team doesn’t always win.”

The Braves didn’t disappoint, however, as Post 20 dominated its league on its way into Saturday’s state tournament at Riley Park.

Greenwood is HITE set for a third meeting with host Sumter in the 8 p.m. game. Sumter won the first two contests, which were wooden bat games.

“Really proud of our guys,” Hite said. “We’ve had a terrific year and won our league which put us in the best possible position to earn a berth in the state tournament.

Despite their 23-9 overall record, the road hasn’t always been easy for the Braves, especially as of late.

Greenwood cruised to the League VII title with a 13-1 record. The Braves took two of three from the Greenville Generals, another state tournament participant, to secure a top seed.

“Those were probably our two biggest wins early on,” Hite said. “Greenville’s a very good team and we

MATT WALSH / INDEX JOURNAL

Greenwood Post 20’s Matthew Bridges, right, slides safely under Sumter’s Todd Larrimer during a throwback game at Lander University in Greenwood earlier this season. The two teams meet again on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the American Legion baseball state tournament at Riley Park.

were fortunate to beat them twice and that gave us the title.”

Post 20 hit a rough

stretch against Sumter and in the Tournament of the Carolinas. Greenwood lost all three games in the tour-

nament and lost twice to Sumter, accounting for five of its nine losses on the season.

The Braves also had to battle in the postseason.

Post 20 edged Gaffney by winning the best-of-5 series 3-2 in the opening round, winning the final game by a 3-2 score.

Greenwood then defeated Orangeburg 3-1 in the second-round series, but was up 2-0 before Orangeburg forced a Game 4 – which the Braves won 7-6.

“We haven’t played our best baseball as of late, especially in the playoffs, but hopefully we can turn things around and get going like we were at the beginning of the season,” Hite said.

The Braves have been a balanced team all season, but the pitching has probably been the most consistent aspect of the team, Hite said.

Spartanburg Methodist College signee Blake Smith leads the team as both the top pitcher and top hitter for Greenwood. Erskine signee Shannon Smith has also been solid on the mound as well as at the plate.

Di’Markus Sanders, a North-South selection and USC Salkehatchie signee, bats leadoff and has been a catalyst for the Braves this season, Hite said, along with Josh Chaney and Trae Coleman.

“The pitching has been solid all year and the defense,” Hite said. “Hitting has been a little streaky at times. If one of the guys is hitting well, the whole team seems to hit well and vice versa. But we’ve scored a lot runs, so we’ve been pretty consistent in all three phases of the game.”

Goose Creek perseveres, wins final spot in state tourney

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com Dave Holt didn’t have the highest hopes of Goose Creek Post 166 finding its way to the American Legion baseball state tournament at Riley Park at the start of the season.

“I really thought we had less than a 50 percent chance of making it,” said Holt, who was in his first year as the program’s head coach. “We had to have a lot of things to happen and a lot of people step up.”

Goose Creek got what it needed as it will play the opening game of the tournament on Saturday against Inman beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Post 166 will carry a 20-9 overall record into the tournament. It is the No. 4 seed from the lower state after beating Beaufort 14-1 in a play-in game. It was swept by Murrells Inlet in its bestof-5 second-round series, therefore needing to win the play-in contest to grab the final spot.

Goose Creek won the League I title with a 12-4 mark. Holt admitted he wondered if his team was going to have enough pitching in the early part of the season to be as successful as it wanted to be.

“I thought it was possible for us to get to state,” Holt said. “However, I wasn’t sure if we had enough pitching

ROB GANTT / GOOSE CREEK GAZETTE

Goose Creek Post 166 pitcher Cody Smith throws during a game this season. Goose Creek, the League I champion, opens the American Legion baseball state tournament on Saturday against Inman at 9:30 a.m. at Riley Park.

depth to endure a full season of 9-inning games,” Post 166’s top three starters are all right-handers — Zach Ladery, Zach Wimmer and Cody Smith. Holt wasn’t sure who he was going to

have on the mound for the opener against Inman, the upper state No. 1 seed.

In order for the pitching staff to be effective though, Goose Creek needs to be steady on defense. That has

been an issue.

“Our defense has been erratic throughout the season,” Holt said.

“We have to be able to overcome that if we’re going to be successful in the tournament.”

Holt said his team has been pretty steady offensively for most of the season.

“We’ve been able to swing the bats pretty well throughout the season,” Holt said. “We hit the ball pretty well up and down the lineup, but we’ve got a couple who have led us.”

Smith, who plays outfield when he isn’t on the mound, is the team’s top hitter. First baseman Austin Timm has also been swinging the bat well, according to Holt.

Holt thinks Post 166’s biggest asset on offense might be its speed.

“We have a few guys who run pretty good and are pretty aggressive,” Holt said. “We try to take advantage of it when we get those guys on base and move runners. We take the power when we can get it.”

Holt does think pitching will be the key to the tournament.

“The champion is going to be the team that has deeper pitching,” he said. “You’re going to face good pitching, so you’ve got to get clutch hits and take advantage of rallies when you get them.”

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Tourney newcomer Inman hopes for long playoff run

BY MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER mchristopher@theitem.com

SPARTANBURG HERALD JOURNAL

Inman Post 45 pitcher Dylan Miller throws during a game against West Columbia earlier this season. Inman takes on Goose Creek at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at Riley Park in the opening game of the American Legion baseball state tournament.

Getting to the American Legion state tournament was hard enough, but now that Inman Post 45 is here, it has bigger aspirations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just started from Day 1 and had a goal to win the (American Legion baseball) World Series,â&#x20AC;? said Inman head coach Steve Skinner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to win this weekend and next week to move forward.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not thinking about the World Series, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re thinking about the state tournament right now.â&#x20AC;?

A 19-2 record and a sweep of its two playoff series brings Inman to Sumter as the No. 1 seed from the upper state. According to Skinner, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be Inmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first appearance in a state championship format since 1971.

Inman lost to Congaree in seven games when the state champion was decided by playoff series, culminating in

a series matchup against the upper state champion and lower state champion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We feel good about going in (to the state tournament) and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played great ball all year,â&#x20AC;? he explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not an overpowering team by any means. We just enjoy getting out and playing the game and hustle and try to make it exciting. We try to run the bases well, get people on and move people around and try to score enough runs to win.â&#x20AC;?

Inman swept West Columbia 3-0 in its secondround series with victories of 6-0, 12-1 and 6-5 to advance to Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just take it one game at a time and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just played well,â&#x20AC;? Skinner said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a couple of ball games maybe we should have lost where we werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t playing well enough, but we pulled them out at the end, which is good because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the sign of a good ball team.

Neither its pitching nor its hitting has stood out for Post 45, according to Skinner. The team is comprised of 17 players, four of which play college ball. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got some older players on the team and they give us good leadership over the year,â&#x20AC;? the Inman coach said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of these guys have played together in high school for several years. I just feel like even though we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been to the state tournament, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be up for the challenge.â&#x20AC;?

Skinner said Matthew Justice will pitch Game 1 against Goose Creek on Saturday at 9 a.m. Justice has been part of a 3-man rotation with Bradley Gentry and Dylan Miller. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our pitching is experienced and we have some guys who have played two or three years,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got some younger guys we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had to use a lot, so they may get some action.â&#x20AC;?

Greenville Generals make state in 1st year

BY MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER mchristopher@theitem.com When the Greenville Generals make their debut in this weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s American Legion baseball state tournament at Riley Park, Post 3 head coach Austin Lynch said spectators will notice a quiet confidence in his team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every defensive guy wants the ball hit to him and the defense trusts the pitchers, the pitchers trust the defense,â&#x20AC;? Lynch said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not arrogance or cockiness, we play with confidence.

We believe in each other and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got plenty of guys on the bench that can contribute as well. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a quiet confidence.â&#x20AC;?

Greenville has three Legion teams and the Generals are in their first season, coming into the tournament with a 20-3 record. Most of the players are from Wade Hampton, Eastside and Berea high schools.

The Generals head coach said his team approaches each game the same â&#x20AC;&#x201D; nice and relaxed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not scared to make mistakes. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to make mistakes and just try to learn from them and get that experience,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of these guys out here are playing for each other.â&#x20AC;?

Greenville advanced to the state tournament after sweeping both Greer and Lancaster in the best-of-5 series.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Greenville Generals Post 3 player Jackson Norrell talks with assistant coach Todd Graham at third base during a recent game. Greenville will play Florence at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the American Legion baseball state tournament at Riley Park.

Lynch said a lot of his teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competition hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put a lot of pressure on the Generals. However, he expects to see quality pitching in Sumter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was good to see some quality

pitching (against Lancaster) because we hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen anyone throw over 80 (miles per hour) in a long time,â&#x20AC;?

Lynch said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was good to see we can see pitching of that quality and still be

able to hit the ball the way we did.â&#x20AC;?

According to Lynch, the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths are pitching depth and offense. The defense isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bad either, having made just five errors in the series win over Lancaster. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got about 10 quality pitchers and a good offense thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s put a lot of runs up all year long,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been tough to use all our pitching. We havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been able to get through it during the season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a kid who was the No. 1 pitcher on his high school team and he pitched seven innings,â&#x20AC;? the Post 3 coach explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough to get them all in there, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good problem to have because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all rested.â&#x20AC;?

The Generals are young with six players that just graduated high school while the rest of the team is made up of underclassmen. Six players are going to play college next season, led by No. 3 hitter Will Robinson. He is headed to Davidson while three other players are going to Erskine.

Jordan Ford, currently a junior and being highly recruited, is the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hottest hitter as of late. He had four extra-base hits and eight hits in the last two games of the Lancaster series. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really not a weakness in our offense,â&#x20AC;? Lynch said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One through nine, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to get some kind of offense no matter who we face.â&#x20AC;?

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AMERICAN LEGION STATE TOURNAMENT

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THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013

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Murrells Inlet playing well at right time

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com Curtis Hudson has been coaching baseball at different levels for almost three decades. He knows the ebbs and flow of the game and that ultimate success often hinges on how a team is playing when the opportunity arises.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why the Murrells Inlet Post 178 head coach likes his teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chances heading into the American Legion baseball state tournament which begins on Saturday at Riley Park. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing our best baseball of the season right now,â&#x20AC;? said Hudson, the former Florence-Darlington Technical College head coach who coached Sumter P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head coach Curtis Johnson at FDTC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We got healthy right at the end of the (regular) season, and we had our whole team for (the two) playoffs (series).â&#x20AC;?

The Tides bring a 17-5 record into the state tournament, after going 6-1 in the playoffs to earn the lower state No. 2 seed.

They beat Camden 3-1 in the first round, losing the first game 2-0 before winning three straight. They followed it up with a 3-0 series sweep of League I champion Goose Creek. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing against those two teams, but we just played better than they did in those two series,â&#x20AC;? said Hudson, who also used to be head coach of Florence Post 1.

Hudson is in his first year as the Murrells Inlet senior coach after three seasons as Post 178â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ju-

nior coach. Murrells Inlet won the Junior title last season.

All but one player for the Tides played for Socastee High School, where Hudson is now the head coach. Three of the players on the team are 2012 graduates of Socastee and T.J. Wilkie played for North Myrtle Beach High. The rest of the team played for the Socastee team that lost in the championship round of the 3A lower state tournament. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably our biggest strength, that the kids know each other, have played together a lot and like playing with each other,â&#x20AC;? Hudson said.

Hudson said Wilkie will start on the mound for Post 178 on Saturday when it faces upper state No. 3 seed Irmo-Chapin at 4:30 p.m. Wilkie is 4-0 for Murrells Inlet after going 5-3 with a 1.64 earned run average for North Myrtle Beach.

Hudson chose not to mention specific players when talking about the Tidesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offense, saying most of its offense comes from a team concept. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our strength is to be good in the field, pound the strike zone and get the hits when we get runners in scoring position,â&#x20AC;? Hudson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We like to make contact, draw walks and we run the bases really well.â&#x20AC;?

Murrells Inlet is a young team with Hudson estimating the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s average age is 16 1/2 and that 13 of the players on the roster would have been able to play on the Junior Legion team.

ITEM FILE PHOTO

Sumter P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pitcher River Soles throws during a recent game at Riley Park. Soles and the P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open the American Legion state tournament on Saturday at 8 p.m. against Greenwood.

SUMTER from Page C1 City by forfeit when Lake City didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t turn in its roster to national headquarters on time. In the second round, it beat Hilton Head 11-2 and 18-5 in the first two games of the best-of-5 series before Post 185 forfeited the third game, choosing not to make the trip to Sumter.

Johnson is pleased with the way the P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s have hit the ball most of the season, bringing a .347 team batting average into the tournament. However, he is worried what kind of affect playing just two live games in the last three weeks will have on the offense. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You worry about getting out of the routine and not getting those at-bats,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Along with the high batting average, Sumter has a team on-base percentage of .472.

Yet there are only four spots in the batting order where Johnson has players penciled in â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Andrew Reardon and Taylor McFaddin in the Nos. 3- 4 spots and Justin Conner and Javon Martin in the 8-9 holes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have had a lot of people back in different spots in the order, and they seem comfortable moving around,â&#x20AC;? Johnson said.

Each of the nine players expected to be in Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s starting lineup

is batting at least .325.

McFaddin leads the team with a .455 batting average and a .571 OBP. He is second on the team with 26 runs batted in and has 11 stolen bases, also a team high. Phillip Watcher is batting .421, Will Smith .383 and River Soles and Todd Larrimer are both at .373.

Reardon is batting .365 and leads the team with 14 doubles, two home runs, 38 RBI and 29 walks.

The P-15â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s have a team earned run average of 2.75, and Johnson likes the depth of his staff. Right-hander Jacob Watcher is 5-0 on the season with a 1.68 ERA and fellow righty Smith is 4-1 with a 3.62 ERA. Those two are being considered to start the opening game and Reardon, a left-hander just back from a torn labrum, is the third part of the rotation.

Sumter also has the likes of Phillip Watcher, Paul Joseph Krouse, Gordon Owens and McFaddin to bring out of the bullpen or start. Johnson has been particularly impressed with the work of Phillip Watcher. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have brought him into situations with runners all over the bases, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done a great job pitching out of those,â&#x20AC;? John-

son said. Watcher is 1-0 with three saves in 13 appearances, all in relief. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s allowed just two runs, none of them earned, and has 36 strikeouts against just four walks in 18 1/3 innings.

Johnson said his concern is with winning the first three games of the tournament. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you win the first three games, you know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a spot in the championship,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So if I have to throw everybody to win those first three games, then thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do. Then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll worry about what happens after that.â&#x20AC;?

With so many pitchers available, Sumter has had to juggle its defense a lot. Martin has played both second and third, Soles third base and right and Jacob Watcher shortstop and second. When Phillip Watcher isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pitching, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at short, and Reardon is at first when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not on the mound.

Johnson calls Reardon the best first baseman in the state.

With Conner just moving into the starting lineup in center field, Sumter has gobs of speed in the outfield when neither McFaddin nor Smith is on the mound. McFaddin is in left and Smith in right. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got three guys out there who can run,â&#x20AC;? Johnson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That really shores up your defense.â&#x20AC;?

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re cheering for our Sumter American Legion

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Irmo-Chapin hopes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s found right mix for Riley losses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the balance we needed,â&#x20AC;? Seibert said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had the power, but the size of the park took a lot of that away from us. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the speed we needed.â&#x20AC;?

Seibert will bring the 2013 edition of Post 193 to Sumter on Saturday for the 8-team double-elimination tournament, and he thinks he has a squad more conducive to playing in Riley Park. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We took this into account in putting this roster togeth-

BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com The last time Kurt Seibert brought an Irmo-Chapin Post 193 American Legion baseball team to Riley Park, it was for the 2009 Southeast Regional. Irmo-Chapin had won the state tournament in Spartanburg at Duncan Park, putting up big offensive numbers in doing so.

The bigger dimensions of Riley Park werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so kind to Post 193. Irmo went 1-2 and was shut out in both of the

er,â&#x20AC;? said Seibert, whose squad will bring a 19-3 record into Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4:30 p.m. contest against Murrells Inlet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We needed to get some more speed to go with the power.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some of the younger guys, but we feel like weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to need this if we want to win state.â&#x20AC;?

Beyond the added speed, Seibert likes the balance he has both offensively and pitching-wise on this squad.

He said he has a good lefthanded/right-handed balance in his batting order and

has a good mix of southpaws and rightys on his pitching staff. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We feel like we have the pieces in place to do well,â&#x20AC;? he said.

While Irmo has had several players contributing offense, Seibert said there is no doubt Justin Hawkins is the leader. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just had a tremendous season,â&#x20AC;? Seibert said of Hawkins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He had a slugging percentage of .922. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s had maybe one game this year where he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any extrabase hits.â&#x20AC;?

Other key contributors are Brandon White, Cole Morris and Tyler Lancaster.

Seibert wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure who he would start on the mound against Murrells Inlet, but it will be either left-hander Hunter Hill or White, a righty.

Hill moved to the area from North Carolina prior to the start of the season, making Seibert a happy coach. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will probably go with the left-hander, but the righty (White) has been asking me for the ball, so I just might give it to him,â&#x20AC;? Seibert said.

FLORENCE from Page C1 our top relievers,â&#x20AC;? Urquhart said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We started making a list in the fall of everyone we were going to lose and just worked on putting together a roster from there.â&#x20AC;?

Urquhart knew that roster would not include Chris Washington and Akeem Bostick. Washington and Bostick combined to give Post 1 a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of its rotation the last few seasons. Washington is now a rising sophomore at Spartanburg Methodist College, while Bostick was drafted and signed by the Texas Rangers in the MLB amateur draft in June.

With six players capable of throwing quality innings but no real staff ace, Urquhart decided to do something this year that he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really ever done â&#x20AC;&#x201C;- go without a set rotation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It might not be the best way to manage, but a lot of times who we throw is based just on a gut feeling,â&#x20AC;? Urquhart said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It depends on matchups and who has the hot hand at the time.â&#x20AC;?

Kam Dixon and Alex Dorriety have been the hot hands of late. Dixon has posted a 6-0 record with a 2.66 earned run average, working as both a starter and reliever this season. Dorriety is 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alex really had some quality starts for us in the playoffs,â&#x20AC;? Urquhart said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kam might be used as a reliever one day and maybe get the start a couple days later. His versatility has helped us a lot this season.â&#x20AC;?

Florence has also relied heavily on returning pitchers Brian Davis, now at Francis Marion University, and Brandon Baggette. Baggette leads the team with 35 strikeouts while Davis ranks second with a 2.28 ERA. In the bullpen, Zach McCay has taken over the closerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role with three saves while Keyshawn Samuel and Trevor Edgerton have both posted ERAs under 2.20.

Post 1â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lineup contains a lot of experience at the top. Tallon Turner and Fonta James were two key members of Florenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s run last season and are key cogs in the offense this year as well. Turner is third on the team with a .363 average and leads the team

JOHN D. RUSSELL / MORNING NEWS

Florence Post 1â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Austin King makes the turn for third base during a recent game at Legion Field in Florence. Post 1, the defending American Legion state champion and Southeast Regional champion, begins its title defense on Saturday at Riley Park against the Greenville Generals at 1 p.m.

with 38 runs scored. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really depend on those two guys getting on base and setting up the middle of our order to drive in runs,â&#x20AC;? Urquhart said.

The Nos. 3-6 hitters are interchangeable and are all capable of driving in runs, Urquhart said. CJ Hopkins, Austin King, Zach Herndon and Logan McRae have provided the bulk of Post 1â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offense this season.

Herndon leads Florence with a .390 average and 34 runs driven in. Herndon and Hopkins also have three home runs apiece. McRae and King rank second and third, respectively, with 33 and 30 RBI. In the first-round win against Moncks Corner

and the second-round, 5-game victory over Beaufort, it has been the bottom of the order that has shined for Florence, though.

Samuel, Garrett Bevill and Maclean Hartz all came through with big at-bats, Urquhart said. Samuel had a big extra-inning hit that led Post 1 to victory in Game 4 against Beaufort and drove in a couple more runs in Game 5. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That series gave us a little adversity and we pulled through it,â&#x20AC;? Urquhart said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had a really tough schedule that tested us early on and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played well as of late, so hopefully we can continue that into the tournament.â&#x20AC;?

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THE ITEM

AMERICAN LEGION STATE TOURNAMENT

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013