Red lights and other notes:
Perhaps ACC basketball fans should stomp their feet and scream madly in passionate tribute. N.C. State has restored the classic Noise Meter that hung from the catwalk at Reynolds Coliseum for about 50 years.
The device, another bright idea from Coach Everett Case's fertile promotional mind, was a vertical wooden box about 10 feet tall, with 14 rows of light bulbs sticking out from all four sides. Starting at the bottom, the first 13 rows were white bulbs that came on as the cheering intensified.
Fans watched the bulbs, yelling louder and stomping on the portable risers in both end zones. When the noise peaked, illuminating the red lights at the top, the crowd usually delivered one last vocal surge before exhaling in exhaustion.
The meter was hardly scientific, although most fans and players got that impression during the first 13 ACC Tournaments. The bulbs were wired to a control box, a series of common light switches framed in wood. A human -- usually an athletics department employee -- worked the switches.
State fans howled with delight Tuesday night when the restored Noise Meter was wheeled onto the court before the Carolina game.
Tim Peeler, the managing editor of GoPack.com and State's sports preservationist, retrieved the meter from the dank Reynolds Coliseum basement while recovering other memorabilia (including films of Case's only game against Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and a 1937 Indiana prep-tournament game involving Case's Frankfort High team).
Finding the control box was another matter. Peeler searched the radio booths overhead until he located the box turned upside down under a pile of dusty electrical equipment. The restoration was historically accurate except for one minor change. In the 1950s, the handyman who executed Case's vision created the red lights by spraying paint on white bulbs. Now the bulbs are red, through and through.
Boys of summer
Pitchers and catchers will report to spring training soon. None will arrive more motivated than persistent Landon Powell of Apex.
Powell, the backup catcher for the Oakland A's, reached the major leagues last season despite two reconstructions of his left knee and a liver disease known as autoimmune hepatitis. He must take medication because his immune system can attack liver cells.
Powell, 27, is a South Carolina grad who grew up playing with Raleigh's Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers slugger. Powell, a 6-3, 260-pound switch-hitter, offers this scouting report: "I'm still probably the slowest player in baseball."
Despite his reserve role behind Kurt Suzuki, Powell was ecstatic about finally making the show (seven homers, .229 average in 46 games). He looked around the Oakland stadium one day and realized that the major-league population for all time (about 16,500) would fill only one-third of the seats.
The odds seem steep upon reflection, but Powell figures that the star of every Little League team envisions a big-league future. "And I wasn't even the best," Powell said. "I was the second-best on my Little League team. Josh was the best."
Odds 'n' ends
Rookie Tyler Hansbrough, averaging 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Indiana Pacers, has missed games with an inner-ear infection…. You can lead fans to a fake ballot box, but you can't make them think. Allen Iverson was voted an NBA All-Star starter in the East and, in the West, Chris Paul wasn't…. Rescuing the Spurs from a three-game losing streak, Tim Duncan had 21 points and 27 rebounds (10 on offense) against Atlanta. He made all 11 foul shots but only 5 of 20 field-goal attempts while recording the 20th 20-20 game of his remarkable career. Duncan then absorbed a sarcastic jab from teammate Richard Jefferson, who told reporters: "You have to give him all the credit. Without him missing as many shots as he did, he wouldn't have been able to get as many offensive rebounds."
lrawlings@wsjournal.com
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