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| Gamecocks players meet in shallow right field prior to Friday's 20-3 win over UMass Lowell at Founder's Park. (Palmetto State Baseball photo) |
COLUMBIA - I took a break from watching the Alex Murdaugh murder trial Friday to take in South Carolina's season-opening home game against UMass Lowell. It started out as a rainy day, stayed breezy and turned cold as the sun went down.
I also didn't hear a pitching change announced for the River Hawks and had to re-enter about half of the game's data into my scorekeeping program later Friday night.
Still, I probably had a better day than Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian, who got his hat - and maybe a a few other things - handed to him by a SLED agent who wouldn't let Harpootlian badger him on cross examination of some testimony.
If had been keeping a list of all the schools I'd seen during my sportswriting career I would be adding UMass Lowell to the list. Of course, it hasn't been in NCAA Division I all that long.
Still, I probably had a better day than Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian, who got his hat - and maybe a a few other things - handed to him by a SLED agent who wouldn't let Harpootlian badger him on cross examination of some testimony.
If had been keeping a list of all the schools I'd seen during my sportswriting career I would be adding UMass Lowell to the list. Of course, it hasn't been in NCAA Division I all that long.
I do have one bit of advice for thirsty Carolina fans: you get more Coke Zero for less money when you opt for the paper cup over the "souvenir" one. I got one of each during the game and the contents of the paper filled the souvenir cup with a few ounces left over.
Going for that second soft drink resulted in a side benefit: Charleston Post and Courier sportswriter David Cloninger, who I knew from my days with newspapers in Greenville, was in line to collect on his media meal voucher, so I got to speak with him briefly. He's an excellent reporter.
One drawback of attending games in person is it makes it tough to keep up with the other games in the state. It's only one game - and maybe it was where I was sitting - but the Wi-Fi seemed better on Friday than it has been in past years. I've sometimes had attempted Tweets/Retweets fail to send.
Going for that second soft drink resulted in a side benefit: Charleston Post and Courier sportswriter David Cloninger, who I knew from my days with newspapers in Greenville, was in line to collect on his media meal voucher, so I got to speak with him briefly. He's an excellent reporter.
One drawback of attending games in person is it makes it tough to keep up with the other games in the state. It's only one game - and maybe it was where I was sitting - but the Wi-Fi seemed better on Friday than it has been in past years. I've sometimes had attempted Tweets/Retweets fail to send.
The challenges of keeping up with a busy state schedule - and the prospect of Saturday being cooler that Friday - convinced me that I'd have less hassles in my Mancave. Unlike some Milligan parents I met at my hotel after they endured a chilly win at Columbia International on Friday, I don't have familial loyalty to any players.
There's also the added benefit of being at home in time to watch the Carolina Hurricanes' outdoor game at Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday night.
The state's NCAA Division I teams went 7-3 on opening day. Maybe that's an omen of good things this season.
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