8/6/2019 CCT 06-25-2011B1: Seasons of discontent

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cct-06-25-2011b1-seasons-of-discontent 1/1

BSaturday,

June 25,

201SPORTSwww.carrollcountytimes.com

Contac

t us: 410-857-7896 or sports@carrollcountytimes.com 

TENNIS

Roddick exitsWimbledon in3rd round / B4

AP PHOTO

Baltimore Orioles pitcher ChrisJakubauskas delivers against theCincinnati Reds in the second inningFriday in Baltimore.

BY JOSH LAND

TIMES STAFF WRITER

BALTIMORE — Mere moments after astriking defensive play prevented theCincinnati Reds from scoring the go-aheadrun in the third extra frame Friday, Derrek

ee made sure the Orioles’ second selloutrowd of the year would leave Camdenards happy.Leading off the 12th in-ing, Lee launched theourth pitch from Reds re-iever Jose Arredondo deepo left, ensuring Baltimoreidn’t throw this one away.The Orioles had blown an

arly four-run lead and sawheir bats silenced by theincinnati bullpen … untilee’s game-winning solo

shot gave them cause forelebration — a 5-4 victoryver the Reds in front of 5,382 at Camden Yards.It was Lee’s first homer

since May 8, ending a 21-ame drought.“I’m happy for him. I’mappy for us,” Orioles man-ger Buck Showalter said. “Ihink everybody feels forerrek, the way he handles

hings. Everything he does is about tryingo help the club.”Baltimore (34-39) snapped a streak of 20

nnings without scoring against an oppos-ng reliever to return to the win columnfter dropping its last two games in Pitts-urgh.

It marked the seventh time this seasonhat the Orioles have played at least 11 in-ings. They improved to 4-6 in extrarames.To make sure that Lee’s smash would be

he winning homer, rather than a tying one,he Orioles’ defense was challenged to pre-

serve the tie in the top of the inning.Cincinnati’s Joey Votto was sent home

rom first on a Jay Bruce double which gotast center fielder Adam Jones when he at-empted a diving grab. Jones immediatelyecovered and started a perfect relay,

swiftly getting the ball into shortstop J.J.ardy, who dodged the runner at second to

ire home well ahead of Votto.Matt Wieters applied the tag on Votto’s

ight foot as the Reds first baseman

Lee homersends Birdsto win in12th inning

Ravens’ Rice stays upbeat despite NFL lockout

BY AARON WILSON

TIMES STAFF WRITER

TOWSON — Ray Rice boltedupfield, sprinting away fromimaginary defenders nipping athis heels.

During a workout at Towsonniversity, Baltimore Ravens’ elu-

sive running back displayed no

signs of losing his old Pro Bowlform during the lengthy NFLlockout.

For Rice, the work stoppage

hasn’t dimmed his enthusiasm forfootball or for his guidance of theyouth of his hometown: NewRochelle, N.Y.

“Nah, I try to stay positive,” Ricesaid. “A lot of things I’ve doneduring this lockout is impactingkids’ lives. I don’t even preach tothem. I preach school. I preach

daily life to them. Where I’m at inmy career, obviously I’m able toimpact kids’ lives.”

In just three NFL seasons, Rice

already ranks second in franchisehistory in career rushing yards.

Gaining 3,013 yards to rank be-hind Jamal Lewis’ 7,801 yards, Ricefinished third in the league inyards from scrimmage with 1,776yards last season.

And he led the Ravens last sea-son with 1,220 rushing yards to go

with five touchdowns.Always smiling and upbeat,Rice is chasing more than records.His legacy, his family and his

teammates arewhat matters tohim most.

“If there was nomore football,would I be in theHall of Fame? No,”Rice said. “WouldI be in the recordbooks? No. Butwill people knowRay Rice as a greatperson and a great football player?

Yes. And I will use that opportu-nity to go out and impact kids’lives and let them know you cango out and dream. I’m living my

dream playing football, but obvi-ously the dream can be takenaway at any moment. I try to stickto that nature and obviously beingaround my teammates makes itthat much more fun.”

Compact and muscular at 5-foot-8, 212 pounds with softball-sized biceps, Rice had a lot of funduring offensive guard BenGrubbs’ charity softball game.

The former Rutgers star volun-teered to be the permanent

pitcher for his squad. He inten-tionally allowed himself to be hit

 

’

O’s TodayOrioles vs

Reds, 7

T

V: MASNR

adio: WTTR

P

r

o

ba

bl

e

sO’s Matusz (1-2)

vs.Reds’ Arroyo (6-6)

5

 

’

.4

RICE

Orioles

DAVE MUNCH/STAFF PHOTO

From left, Garrett, Craig and Michael Williams pose on the basketball court at their home in Hampstead. Craig

Williams, their father, says Michael was treated unfairly by North Carroll High School in part as payback for an ear-lier incident involving Garrett.

Family feels wronged byNC basketballdecisions, stillseeking answers

BY BOB BLUBAUGH

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Perhaps Craig Williams is ameddlesome parent of an ath-lete who did his youngest sonno favors in a crusade againstNorth Carroll High.

Perhaps Michael Williamsisn’t as good at basketball ashe, his father and the Panthers’team captain consider him tobe.

Or perhaps, as theWilliamses believe, some inthe Hampstead school have avendetta against their familythat started when older sonGarrett led a player revolt —and Craig led a parents revolt

— against a former North Car-roll coach.

For whatever reason,Michael Williams was cutfrom the Panthers varsity as asenior, just eight months afterhitting a pair of critical 3-pointers that helped NorthCarroll reach the state boysbasketball tournament for thefirst time in 25 years.

He says he hasn’t playedbasketball since.

I I I

The Facebook post waswritten in frustration at theend of an exasperating nightfor Michael Williams.

It was Dec. 8, 2009, and theNorth Carroll basketball teamhad lost its second straightgame to open the season, 73-71to Catoctin. Already becomingdisenchanted with what theWilliams family say was fa-voritism shown to anotherplayer, Michael and his fatherrecall the junior guard beingharshly singled out both onthe court and in the lockerroom by NC boys basketballcoach Chris Vaughn for miss-ing a shot and then for failingto pick up his man on defense

in a late-game situation.When Michael got home, he

signed onto Facebook and re-calls writing that he was sickof the way things were goingand asking that the players be

allowed to coach their ownteam, using profanities, neverspecifically mentioning NorthCarroll or Vaughn. He said hisFacebook page was private andthat he assumed only his

friends would see it.

“It was a dumb thing,” saidCraig Williams. “My son issmart. He’s a bright kid. He’s[also] strong-willed and naïvein a lot of respects.”

Two days later, he says hereceived a phone call askinghim to come to North Carrollwith his son. Both of them saythey walked into a meetingwith Vaughn and athletic di-rector Troy Warehime, amongothers, with no idea what themeeting was about. TheWilliamses say Mike wasasked about the Facebook postand, after he admitted to writ-ing it, was told he was no

longer a member of the team.“Chris Vaughn, not his exactwords, but he said, ‘I don’tknow if I can trust you,’”Michael recalled. “So I was of the team.”

I I I

Craig Williams says he andhis son were stunned and soonafter contacted North Carrollprincipal Kim Dolch, askingher to intervene.

(Dolch declined to com-ment for this story. Warehimedeclined to answer questionsbut emailed a statement re-garding athletic policy.Vaughn declined to comment

on the Williamses, but didconsent to an interview aboutthe boys basketball programin general).

Without commentingspecifically about theWilliams situation, countyathletic director Jim Ro-driguez said athletes likelywould not be disciplined foan off-field incident. He saidthat an off-field incidentcould, however, be a symptomof a larger issue that might be

Please see Family, B

Please see Rice, B

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Michael Williams, then a member of the North Carrollboys basketball team, takes a shot against ManchesterValley during the 2009-10 season. Williams made twokey 3-pointers in the playoffs to help the Panthersmake the state semifinals that year, but was cut fromthe team last November.

Seasons ofdiscontent

Player uses free time to inspire youth to ‘go out and dream’

Please see Orioles, B3