Sports, Indy Week

We love the Durham Bulls, but do the Bulls love us back?

David Fellerath — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

If the Durham Bulls were a true asset, the baseball club would be something in which we owned an equity stake. But the present arrangement looks a lot like socializing the risk and privatizing the profits. by David Fellerath On May 6, Durham City Council will likely approve a new 20-year lease between the local baseball club and the city-owned Durham Bulls Athletic Park. In a complex reworking of the old lease terms, the city is offering a substantial discount on the rent in exchange for the Bulls taking on operating expenses that approach $1 million annually.…

On a Brooklyn boyhood, baseball and Jackie Robinson

Nick Meglin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The only hate I was aware of was the hate we all shared for the New York Yankees. by Nick Meglin This week, the film 42—the number that appeared on Jackie Robinson's uniform when he entered the Major Leagues 66 years ago—will be released to mark the opening of the 2013 baseball season. I was a pre-teen in 1947, the year the Brooklyn Dodgers brought Robinson up from their farm team in Montreal.…

The Durham Bulls' two biggest stars are homegrown; how long will they stay?

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Pitcher Chris Archer is from Raleigh, a 2006 graduate of Clayton High School. Outfielder Wil Myers hails from Thomasville, near High Point. by Adam Sobsey The Bulls are the core of Durham's spiritual identity, its heart and soul, its historical axis, its character. During a lull in the ballpark on a summer night, you'll hear a fan shout "Lollygaggers!" in fond echo of the movie Bull Durham, which celebrates its 25th birthday this year and made Durham almost-famous.…

The international house of the Carolina RailHawks

Neil Morris — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

As the RailHawks embark on their seventh season, the 20-plus members of the roster hail from across the globe. Meet Tiyiselani Shipalane, Sam Stockley and Jake Beckford. by Neil Morris Soccer, or football, as it's known elsewhere, is called "the world's game." But aside from the most ardent fans, few realize that the Cary-based Carolina RailHawks are a global team.…