The Sports Objective

One week is in the books, but get ready for the remainder of the North Carolina High School football season, as Volume 34 of The Sports Objective (@TheSportsOBJ) is Part 3 of our statewide preview and focuses on Eastern North Carolina.

We talk with the following:

Jackson Fuller (Wilmington Star News)

Chris Miller (Jacksonville Daily News, Kinston Free Press & New Bern Sun Journal)

Jake Keator (Greenville Daily Reflector)

Jimmy Lewis (Wilson Daily Times)

Sam Evers (Rocky Mount Telegram)

Also, if you haven't already done so, make sure to go back and check out Parts 1 and 2 of our preview, as we talked to Chris Hughes of CarolinaPreps.com, Deana King of NCPreps.com and several beat writers from around Western NC.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @TheSportsOBJ and like our Facebook page.

Also, make it a point to go and subscribe to The Sports Objective YouTube Channel!!

As the high school football season was drawing near, we talked to various folks throughout North Caroilna about the 2018 campaign!

Part 1 of our preview featured an excellent hour long chat with Chris Hughes (@ChrisHughesCP) of CarolinaPreps.com (@CarolinaPreps1) Chris is as knowledgeable as they come when it comes to prep football in our state and we talked all 4 classifications / 8 sub-classifications!  

Now, in Part 2, we talk to the following:

*Langston Wertz, Jr. of The Charlotte Observer (@langstonwertzjr)

*David Thompson of The Asheville-Citizen Times (@daveth89)

*Joe Sirera of The Greensboro News & Record (@JoeSireraNR)

*Brian Flynn - Head Football Coach at North Davidson HS (@bflynn41010)

*Deana King - NCPreps.com (@NcPreps)

Give these folks a follow on Twitter and stay on top of the latest scores and happenings in high school football throughout North Carolina as the 2018 season progresses!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @TheSportsOBJ, @BubbaRosenbaum, @RichmondDavid

LIke our Facebook page ----> https://www.facebook.com/thesportsobjective/

Follow our YouTube Channel via the link below as we will have videos, interviews, recaps, etc as the year progresses:

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4c8mCy0MB2iTlex0-eaLEw

With football season here, get prepared with this excellent interview with Sammy Batten--longtime sports writer with the Fayetteville Observer! Sammy does an excellent job of covering a wide variety of topics and teams so we will talk ECU football, ACC football, HS football--especially in the Cape Fear region of NC, and Recruiting.  He does excellent work with his articles for Bonesville.net and also joins Hoist The Colours and Brian Bailey Show on Pirate Radio 1250 & 930 to talk recruiting.

Additionally, the guys react to the recent news of Dave Hart's 3-month extension as Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Athletics at ECU and what that could mean moving forward!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @TheSportsOBJ

Like our Facebook page and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel below, as we will post videos from a variety of sports-related areas such as facilities (stadiums, arenas, ballparks, lockerrooms, campuses, etc.), tailgating, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4c8mCy0MB2iTlex0-eaLEw

Volume 31 of @TheSportsOBJ is one you definitely don't want to miss!  

Special Advisor to the Chancellor for ECU Athletics Dave Hart, who was the Pirates' AD from 1987-95 and spent more than a decade with the program overall, talks about present day matters facing the ECU Athletic Department in addition to reflecting on some of his favorite memories from his previous years in Greenville!

Next, we talked with three key cogs in the Pirate IMG Network's operation!

First, we talk to former ECU defensive back Kevin Monroe.  Monroe, an alum of Greenville Rose High School, stayed home to play for the Pirates from 1995-99.  He holds a record that will never be broken, as he returned an interception 100 yards (actually about 108) for a touchdown against Louisville in 1998 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium!  Now, he serves as the color analyst and is in his 15th year overall with the Pirate IMG Network!  His most famous call was likely the "NO FLAGS ON THE FIELD! NO FLAGS ON THE FIELD!!" when ECU's TJ Lee returned a blocked punt for a touchdown to defeat a ranked Virginia Tech team in Charlotte to open the 2008 season.

Marty Feurer, long-time sideline analyst, will talk about his experience and favorite memories of covering ECU football over the years such as the challenge of interviewing an animated Steve Logan when leaving the field at halftime.

Last, but definitely not least, is David Horn.  Horn is the Network Engineer who makes things run as smoothly as possible.  He talks about the challenges he's faced through the years with different venues and about producing the 1991 Highlight Video linked below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkCzR7dwV5g

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @TheSportsOBJ

Like our Facebook page & Follow our YouTube Channel

The 30th volume of The Sports Objective features a chat with long-time Carolina Panthers play-by-play man Mick Mixon, who enters his 14th season with the organization.

We will also chat with Dr. John Bream, graduate of ECU's Brody School of Medicine, re: some football coverage and other things he has going on with his "Right The Ship" Facebook group.

Last, but not least, we will talk with Mike Bell, who is General Manager of the Wilson Tobs in the Coastal Plain League (Collegiate Summer Baseball).

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @TheSportsOBJ so you will be aware of when we release our latest podcasts.  

Like The Sports Objective Facebook page. 

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel via the link below so you can see the various pictures and video we take from around the state, region and nation as we travel to various high schools, colleges/universities, pro stadiums, and other interesting sports-related sites.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4c8mCy0MB2iTlex0-eaLEw

With North Carolina high schools playing their season opener in less than two weeks, we sat down with Chris Hughes of CarolinaPreps.com for an extended preview of what to expect in the prep ranks during the 2018 campaign.

Chris, a graduate of South Rowan High School and former coach, does a tremendous job of covering all classifications (4AA-1A) in the state of North Carolina.

Check out his website Carolina Preps for some of the most widespread thorough coverage you will find!  His excellent site features:

*Coaching Changes

*Team Pages

*Scoreboard

*History (Championships in the various classifications)

*Fan Forum

*Power Rankings

*And More!

Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHughesCP for updates throughout the year!  

Stay tuned for the rest of our in-depth preview of North Carolina HS Football preview, as we will chat with beat-writers from around the state, coaches, and more!

Follow us on Twitter @TheSportsOBJ and like The Sports Objective Facebook page to get alerts when we post new podcasts!

The Pirate Football Nostalgia After Party continues!

On Volume 28 of The Sports Objective, we talk with three former Pirate Football players from the Skip Holtz Era.

After starting their careers on the Division II level, Phillip Henry, Jay Sonnhalter and Brandon Simmons transferred to ECU and were contributors on teams that laid the foundation for the program's consecutive CUSA titles.  Simmons was a part of that 2008 team that captured the title with its victory at Tulsa.

Check out Phillip Henry's "PH Podcast".

Volume 27 of "The Sports Objective" features David, Kyle and Bubba talking to 3 former ECU assistant football coaches--all of which served on at least 2 staffs here in Greenville.  

First, the guys talk to long-time recruiting coordinator and WR coach Donnie Kirkpatrick. Donnie K tutored the likes of Justin Hardy, Zay Jones, Dwayne Harris, Aundrae Allison, Lance Lewis and others during his 11 years on the staffs of Skip Holtz (2005-09) and Ruffin McNeill (2010-15).  He is now the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach at FCS power James Madison.

When you think of offensive line play at ECU, many people likely think of Steve Shankweiler's units and for good reason as "Coach Shank" was a part of four Pirate staffs--Art Baker, Bill Lewis, Steve Logan and Skip Holtz--and part of some of the most successful moments in Pirate football such as the 1991 season, 1999 and 2000 seasons, and the back-to-back CUSA championship teams.  He truly loves ECU and embraces what it means to be a Pirate. Find out what Coach Shank is up to now!

During the Skip Holtz era, the Pirates became known for playing great defense--particularly during the 2008 and 2009 seasons that ended in Conference USA titles.  A key cog in producing those defenses was secondary coach Rick Smith.  Smith, a coaching veteran of more than 40 years, returned as the Pirates' Defensive Coordinator from 2013 to 2015 and also served as the secondary coach on Scottie Montgomery's first staff in 2016.  You're not going to find anyone more "real" than straight shootin' Rick Smith!  Coach has a tremendous knowledge of the game, great stories and is always fun to talk to!

While the "Pirate Football Nostalgia After Party" will continue tomorrow, volume 26 of "The Sports Objective" features conversations with world-renowned mental performance coach and international best-selling author Brian Cain of Peak Performance and veteran sportswriter  Ron Clements.

Brian Cain, who is a former pitcher at the University of Vermont, is best known for the tremendous impact he's had on college baseball and softball programs around the country, but also has clients at tradition-rich college football and basketball programs, MLB, NHL, NFL, UFC, and the PGA Tour.  However, his reach extends beyond athletics as he has also served as a regular speaker at corporate retreats.

Give his "12 Pillars of Peak Mental Performance" Audio Book a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsNGEGeGESM and check out his excellent podcasts on http://www.briancain.com!  Follow Brian on Twitter: @BrianCainPeak

Ron Clements and his wife, Patti, are leading the #HomeRunOnWheels initiative to bring awareness to the needs of foster children as they travel around the nation in their RV as they venture to all 30 MLB ballparks and several national tourist attractions along the way.  

Follow their journey via their blog, podcast and photo album on http://www.homerunonwheels.com.

Also, follow Ron on Twitter: @Ron_Clements & enjoy his articles on the NFL, MLB and other topics by visiting http://www.ronclements.com

Remember, go  like our Facebook page for the The Sports Objective and follow us on Twitter: @TheSportsOBJ

The After Party begins on the Sports Objective!  The guys talk about some breaking news with ECU Basketball.  ECU Head Football Coach, Scottie Montgomery stops by and talks about the program in preseason.  Find out some breaking news!  Ken Matous, an assistant coach under Ed Emory and Art Baker talks about his time at East Carolina.  He coached Scottie Montgomery at Duke!  What is he up to now?  Like the Sports Objective Facebook Page...follow us on Twitter @TheSportsObj!!