Birdie: By Laura Phillips, who was crowned Sardine Queen Friday at the International Sardine Festival in Aberdeen.
Bogey: By the Carolina Panthers, who seemed to have the Dallas Cowboys beaten on Sunday but for the third straight week snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The 3-3 Panthers have played well enough defensively to be 6-0 and poorly enough offensively to be 0-6.
Birdie: By Pinecrest High School Tennis players Ann Marie James and Ashley Motsinger, for winning the Mid-Southeastern Conference doubles championship.
Birdie: By Carol Semple Thompson, for winning her fourth consecutive U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Mid Pines.
Birdie: By Peggy Kirk Bell, matron of Mid Pines and Pine Needles and the grande dame of women’s golf, who will celebrate her 81st birthday on Saturday.
Birdie: By Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Erskine Bowles, who won by not losing his debate with Republican candidate Elizabeth Dole.
Birdie: By Bowles and Dole, for retaining at least a veneer of civility during their debate, in marked contrast to the nasty TV ads both are running.
Bogey: By Meredith College, for agreeing to host the Bowles-Dole debate under a cloak of secrecy.
Birdie: By Guilford College, for refusing to host a second Bowles-Dole debate under ground rules similar to those enforced at Meredith.
Bogey: By TV stations WRAL in Raleigh and WTVD in Durham, for letting their news anchors moderate the secret Meredith debate.
Birdie: By Gov. Mike Easley, for his joking endorsement of Bowles at a Saturday Democratic Party gathering in Asheville. Easley, who stayed out of the Democratic primary for the Senate, said to Bowles, who was seated in the audience, “I was with you all the way, Erskine.”
Bogey: By Easley, for continuing to push members of the General Assembly to authorize a referendum on a state lottery, even though legislators rejected the idea just a few weeks ago.
Birdie: By Republican legislators, for standing firm in their opposition to a lottery while most Democratic lawmakers were going along with Easley’s attempt to put the state in the gambling business.
Birdie: By the Rev. James D. Franklin Jr. and the Rev. Talmage G. Bandy, for officiating at the Blessing of the Animals service last week at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines.
Birdie: By Doug Arno, Martin Locklear, Jonathan Harward, Amy Damone and Amy Varner. The five Union Pines High School students won the WRAL-TV Brain Game.
Birdie: By Vince Zucchino and other members of the team that cleaned up a stretch of the Deep River in northern Moore County.
Birdie: By Jason Capel, who signed a contract to play with the Fayetteville Patriots of the National Basketball Developmental League. The Patriots are coached by Capel’s father, Jeff Capel. Southern Pines businessman Felton Capel is the father of Jeff and the grandfather of Jason.
Birdie: By Union Pines tennis player Hannah Priest, for winning three conference singles championships.
