The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 17

(The (Charlotte Jamal Anderson pushes back a face-to-face meeting with the Falcons until this afternoon NFL 5B PHONE: (704) 358-5125 FAX: (704) 358-5110 E-MAIL: obsportscharlottecom INTERNET: vwwcharlottecomobserversports in critical condition Tom 'Y Sorensen COMMENTARY Hall of Famer injured during fall Crack the door even a little hit and fools rush in Edenton then transported by ambulance Sunday night to Greenville regained consciousness Monday but then relapsed into unconsciousness Pitt County Memorial spokesman Doug Boyd said condition was downgraded from serious Monday to critical (Tuesday) now touch and just need everybody to keep him in your wife Helen said need prayers right now and we need them Hunter 53 fell after saying goodbye to a couple of visiting baseball friends according to longtime friend Harriette Woodard He was attempting to climb some cement steps outside his home was outside seeing his friends off and when he started to Please see HUNTER page 4B from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) better known as Lou disease is in the neuro-inten-sive care unit at Pitt County Memorial Hospital which serves the East Carolina University medical school After 5:30 pm fall he was taken to Chowan Hospital in By STAN OLSON Staff Writer Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Hunter is in critical condition in a Greenville NC hospital after falling and hitting his head Sunday at his home in Hertford Hunter who has been suffering KATHY WILLENS Associated Press Jim Hunter is in the neuro-intensive care unit at a Greenville NC hospital This just in: Fools have been discovered on the periphery of Winston Cup racing In other late-breaking news fools have been spotted in the old south the New South and in world-class cities on the golf course the PANTHERS TRAINING CAMP ON 1A NASCAR drivers fire employees rt TYTl km mJt Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and on the payroll of The Charlotte Observer Where people congregate fools gather the way the world works The two men who gathered last month at the motor home owned by Kranefuss Racing and driven by David Scott are fools One man drives the motor home of Winston Cup driver Derrike Cope the other the motor home of driver Terry Labonte white Scott is black Unlike the other two Scott also is a member of a crew Jeremy According to racing sources who asked not to be identified the two men knocked on door and when he opened it he saw that one was wearing a white pillow case ala the Ku Klux Klan What year is it again? Even Fuzzy Zoeller who performed a lame fried chicken routine after Tiger Woods won the Masters would not have found humor in this Scott either Whether the men are racists well probably have to ask their acquaintances Racist is a term that when carelessly flung about ceases to mean what it is supposed to They sure are fools though See SORENSEN page 3B drive for diversity now under caution PATRICK SCHNEIDERStaff It might not be a stretch to suggest that Panthers second-year wide receiver Donald Hayes could emerge as an impact player this season Key role could be at fingertips THE DONALD HAYES FILE However Seifert oozing with optimism yet a promising prospect how I would tdk about Seifert said are some things as far as his play that have got to continue to mature but headed in the right direction he keeps building on what doing to this point then have a player But got some things that got to develop By CHARLES CHANDLER Staff Writer Spartanburg Shhhhhhh This is a secret Carolina Panthers coach George Seifert excited about the rest of the NFL hearing: Second-year wide receiver Donald Hayes might be on the verge of becoming a prominent player Hayes has been making eyepopping plays in training camp using his quickness and 6-foot-4 208-pound frame to enliven the offense Quarterback Steve Beuerlein has been so impressed he believes Hayes could be the foremost sleeper player think at this point he probably would be the guy that most people would say an eye on this guy He could really make an impact this Beuerlein said Hayes is positioned to be at least the No 4 receiver and could push Patrick Jeffers for the No 3 job behind starters Rae Car-ruth and Muhsin Muhammad Wide receiver Donald Hayes was selected by the Panthers in the fourth round (106th overall) of the 1998 college draft Name: Donald Ross Hayes Jr HtVWt: 6-4 208 Born: Sept 13 1975 College: Wisconsin College highlights: Was the fifth all-time leading receiver in school history with 106 catches for 1575 yards Last season: Appeared in seven games making three catches for 62 yards Prospects for this season: At least the team's No 4 receiver could push Patnck Jeffers for No 3 behind starters Rae Carruth and Muhsin Muhammad Please see PANTHERS page 5B AS CAR tried It really did Lll The governing body of I stock car racing recently has made attempts to attract a more diverse spectrum of people to the sport because well this world is made up of a diverse spectrum of folks Now a single incident something that has been dubbed a prank that went bad during a race weekend in New Hampshire last month likely will inhibit the progress for which NASCAR had hoped It could downright stop it actually And just wrong for NASCAR and its potential newcomers You may already know the story: A recent NASCAR investigation revealed that a pair of white men who are motorcoach drivers for two different drivers on the Winston Cup Circuit went to another motorcoach and confronted David Scott a black motorcoach driver and pit crew member One of the white men reportedly wore a white pillowcase over his head presumably to depict a member of the Ku Klux Klan Scott apparently was hesitant to report the incident but thank goodness he did The two men were fired by their drivers NASCAR suspended the men If anything good has come out of such an ugly situation the firings and suspensions are just that This the 1960s when black folks were expected to endure such foolishness on the job for the sake of Jackie Robinson was hand-picked to break color barrier in 1947 because officials with the Brooklyn Dodgers felt he could handle the hatred black cats thrown on the field Expos owners expect to stay in Montreal Wheeler kicks up dirt again By DAVID POOLE Staff Writer Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler got his start in the racing business promoting shows on small dirt tracks in Gastonia Monroe and Newberry SC Tuesday Wheeler officially got back into the dirt-track business with the announcement that a three-eighths mile circuit will be built just across NC 29 from the Charlotte speedway figure everybody goes the full circle in his life and I am back over here operating a water truck Wheeler said The surface might be the same but the scale will be far different from the small tracks where Wheeler ber of the Montreal ownership group said Tuesday think we need to know something by then because commitments need to be made to the budget for next remarks came after similar comments by team chairman Jacques Menard to a Canadian radio station Monday Menard said he expected baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to approve the plan shortly By STAN OLSON Staff Writer The Montreal Expos hope to have their plan to restructure their ownership group and build a new stadium ready to present to Major League Baseball by the Sept 15-16 owners meetings in Cooperstown NY If the blueprint gains baseball's approval as club officials expect it would end speculation about the team moving to Charlotte think the next owners meeting might be an important Mark Routtenberg a mem Photo courtesy of Johnny Bridges World of Outlaws cars will race at the new dirt track across from Lowe's Motor Speedway for the first time on May 26 leading up to next year's Coca-Cola 600 Please see HORTON page 3B See EXPOS page 6B Please see DIRT page 5B.