In our conversation, Verner mentioned a University of Delaware entomologist named Doug Tallamy, who’s at the forefront of the movement to bring back native plants to the suburban landscape. Check out the Website for his book Bringing Nature Home. It’s got a ton of useful information.

GROUP 1

My choice: Denny Hamlin. Consensus choice: Kurt Busch, 54 percent. Other contenders: Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose.

It’s difficult to bet against the combination of Kurt Busch—who has won five times at Bristol—and crew chief Steve Addington—who helped lead Busch’s brother Kyle to a sweep there last season. But I’m going to do so, because Kurt’s history at the half-mile track hasn’t been great since it was repaved a few years ago. In his last seven starts there, he’s managed two top-10s. By contrast, Hamlin has averaged a finish of 11.6 in eight starts since 2006, and his practice times have been pretty good. Ambrose surprised everyone last year with a top-10 finish in his first Cup start, but his practice times this weekend have been poor. And Keselowski’s times have been worse.

GROUP 2

My choice: Matt Kenseth. Consensus choice: Jimmie Johnson, 66 percent. Other contenders: Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman.

I know this is getting old, but I’m staying with Kenseth. He has top-10s in three of his past four starts at this track, and each week this season his finishing spot has improved. If he can do it again this week, he’ll have his first win in 39 starts. Johnson will be a trendy pick any week there’s a race, but his finishes the past three years aren’t all that impressive (16.5 average finish), and he’s never won at Bristol. That said, he led Happy Hour with a lap of 122.287 miles per hour, so he’s more than capable of breaking through this weekend. Truex’s luck hasn’t been great this year, and his finishes at Bristol don’t indicate that will change (22.5 average finish). Newman could be the surprise in this group, though. He finished in the top 10 twice last year here and is averaging a 13.3 finish the past three years.

GROUP 3

My choice: Mark Martin. Consensus choice: Jeff Gordon, 40 percent. Other contenders: Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart.

Although Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin steal the spotlight on short tracks, Martin has quietly become a reliable option on those weekends. He was sixth and second in two races there last year and finished in the top 10 in all six short-track races in 2009. Plus, he was in the top 10 in both practice sessions Saturday. Gordon has been nearly as good, though, averaging a 7.2 in 12 short-track races the past two years. And his practice times were very good. And then there’s Bowyer, who has averaged a 9.8 finish on short tracks since 2007. If Biffle finishes, he should be in the top 15. And Montoya was second in final practice. I’m going with Martin because I have a hunch this will be his weekend, but all five of these drivers could finish in the top 10.

GROUP 4

My choice: Kasey Kahne. Consensus choice: Kevin Harvick, 51 percent. Other contenders: Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards.

With the roll Harvick has been on—one of only two drivers to finish in the top 10 of all four races this season—it’s tough to go against him ... but I’m going to anyway. All the late cautions saved him at Atlanta, and he now heads to a track where he struggled last year (with finishes of 30th and 38th). Plus, his practice times weren’t great, and eventually a break has to go against him. McMurray was in the top 10 of both Saturday practices, but he burned me at Fontana when he looked just as fast. And his average finish at Bristol the past three years is 23.0. And then there’s Edwards, who may have to drive a little more defensively because of his probation. The Roush Fenway driver is much better in the summer race, having won two of the past three, but his spring finishes are much less impressive. So I’m going with Kahne. He was in the top 10 of both Saturday practices, but he’s wildly inconsistent here, so it’s a big risk/reward pick.

GROUP 5

My choice: Kyle Busch. Consensus choice: Kyle Busch, 50 percent. Other contenders: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano.

I honestly think Logano is the safest choice. His car is fast, so he should stay out of trouble. But Busch has won three of six CoT races at Bristol, and he eventually has to find his mojo back. It should be enough to at least land his first top-10 finish of the year. Earnhardt was fast in the two practices Saturday, but he has to prove his team can keep a car up front all day before I begin buying in.

————————————————]]> 2010-03-21T00:08:54-05:00 http://www.mytimesdispatch.com/index.php/sports/womens_basketball_--_what_makes_uconn_special/ Huskies’ mindset is one that few opponents, if any, can match College Sports, Women's Sports NORFOLK – Why is the University of Connecticut running roughshod over the women’s basketball establishment as it pursues yet another national championship? Why will the Huskies carry a 72-game winning streak, the longest in women’s Division I history, into Sunday’s NCAA tournament opener against sacrificial lamb Southern?

Because UConn has better players? Well, yes and no. The Huskies do, in fact, have better players than anyone else. But they also have a mindset that no one else can match. At least, not at the moment. Connecticut, you see, competes not only against its opponent, but also against itself and the game in general.

“It’s evident when you’re in practice and it’s evident when you leave practice,” said Huskies coach Geno Auriemma. “While you’re there and you’re watching your team, you might see certain things that you really like. And you might see things that you know because of who they are, they can and should do better. You focus the next day on making those things better. You don’t go home and think about what the status of your team is record-wise or nationally. You look at it day to day. You look at how practice is going.”

He used Friday’s workout as an example.

“I told them they looked a hundred times better than they did on Thursday. Their record didn’t change. Their poll ranking didn’t change. Their streak didn’t get better or worse. But they were a much better team yesterday than they were on Thursday. That’s how I evaluate my team.”

Perhaps more significantly, that is how UConn’s players evaluate themselves.

Said standout guard Maya Moore: “Perfection is something we strive for, even though we know we’re going to miss it every now and then. I think as long as you walk away from each game feeling that you played your hardest, you didn’t save anything, you had nothing left, you’ll be OK.”

But then she suggested that merely ‘OK’ is not ‘OK’ at Connecticut.

“It takes more than just you” to succeed at the highest level – “that’s the hardest part about it. Striving for perfection in a team sport takes everybody coming to play, everybody’s mind being right, just flowing together and being one unit. And the thing is, a lot of times our team has done that.”

Moore said the Huskies will enter the Norfolk subregional with a simple goal in mind: “Go in confident and play as hard as you can…play with no fear and do what you’re good at.”

——-

Does anyone think Southern coach Sandy Pugh is expecting the worst when her 16th-seeded club meets Connecticut tomorrow?

“Win or lose,” Pugh said, “my players will walk away with something in their favor. One, they’ll always be able to tell their kids they competed against UConn in its historic run. And two, they’ll be playing against arguably the greatest players” in the college game. “Maya (Moore) is phenomenal. They’re going to see what a truly greaat Division I women’s team looks, operates and plays like. I’m looking at this as a teaching tool. What can we gain” from the experience? “What can we build upon.”

——-

James Madison coach Kenny Brooks, on his team’s focus heading into tomorrow’s date with Temple. The JMU-Temple winner will, barring an upset of unfathomable proportions, meet Connecticut in Tuesday’s second round: “I’m very proud of my kids because never have I heard any of them say anything about UConn.”

——-

Just wondering:  What happened to winter? I walked out of ODU’s Constant Convocation Center around 5 this afternoon and discovered that a Virginia spring had burst forth in full glory.

“So if a coach tells a player that he’s gonna be there and tells your parents that he’s gonna be there, and he doesn’t [return], then I have some different things to say about it,” Delaney said. “I’m pretty sure he’ll be back here. He told my father two days ago. He’s been telling people basically the whole week.”

St. John’s on Friday fired coach Norm Roberts. Greenberg is the school’s top choice, according to the New York Post. Greenberg, who is in his seventh season at Tech, has roots in the New York area. He grew up on Long Island and played at Farleigh Dickinson in New Jersey. Asked several times recently about the St. John’s job, Greenberg has always responded, “I’m the coach at Virginia Tech.”

Greenberg did not immediately return a telephone message inquiring about Delaney’s comments.

But because of what Delaney heard Greenberg say, he isn’t concerned about the coach possibly leaving.

“You’ve got to be a realist in some situations,” Delaney said. “If I was in that situation and somebody offered you a lot of money and you needed it, then some people would take it. But if you give your word to your players and their parents, and you’re loyal to your program, then that gives us nothing to worry about. We’re not even thinking about that type of stuff right now.”

The Hokies (24-8), who this season missed the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year, host Connecticut at 7 p.m. Monday in the National Invitation Tournament’s second round, as they try to tie a school record for most wins in a season.

Since joining the ACC in 2004, the Hokies are 48-48 against the league. Just three teams have a better record over that span: Duke (70-26), North Carolina (69-27) and Maryland (53-43). Wake Forest also is 48-48, while Florida State and Clemson are 47-49. Boston College, which came to the ACC in 2005, is 40-40.

But Greenberg, a two-time ACC coach of the year who made the NCAA tournament’s second round in 2007, is one of the league’s lowest-paid coaches. This season he made $950,000, not counting bonuses, according to Athletic Director Jim Weaver. Greenberg’s six-season contract has four seasons remaining and will expire on March 31, 2014, Weaver said.

An interesting part of the contract is that Greenberg does not have financial terms set for the next four seasons. When Greenberg and Weaver worked out the contract, they agreed they would meet after March 31, 2010, and negotiate the money for the rest of the contract and also a potential extension.

So Greenberg could have a raise coming his way, especially in light of the reported interest from St. John’s. Another Big East job in the New York area also is open, because Seton Hall dismissed Bobby Gonzalez on Wednesday. But there have been no reports that Seton Hall might pursue Greenberg.

Greenberg has reasons to be hopeful about next season. If Delaney doesn’t leave early for the NBA, the Hokies will bring back every significant contributor. They also will add Allan Chaney, a 6-9, 235-pound power forward, who will be a sophomore. He transferred from Florida after last season and has drawn rave reviews from his new teammates.

Delaney said earlier this month that he wouldn’t address the NBA questions with his parents, coaches and teammates until after the season. “Right now, it’s 100 percent that I’m coming back because I haven’t thought about that,” he said.

For those interested, here’s the story Allen Gregory of the Bristol Hereld Courier (a Media General Newspaper) wrote previewing Saturday night’s legends race at Birstol Motor Speedway. The 35-lap race—which features Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Harry Gant, Dave Marcis and Charlie Glotzbach—is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

BRISTOL, Tenn. - The 1989 Budweiser 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway developed into a dream scenario for Rick Wilson.

Driving for the local Food Country USA Motorsports Nationwide Series team, Wilson started from the pole in his blue No. 75 Oldsmobile and dominated en route to the win.

“I’ve run a lot of races, but I’ve never had a hot rod that good,“ said Wilson, in a phone interview from his Florida home. “It was almost scary how fast our car was.“

Because of harsh weather that spring weekend, the race was held on a chilly Monday afternoon. Wilson remembers all the elements, including the pulsating finish and the emotional celebration with the family of car owner, Charlie Henderson.

“It was definitely a cold day, but our car was on a rail,“ Wilson said. “Mark Martin and Jimmy Hensley were running behind me when we had a caution with about five laps to go.“

With current Penske Racing crew chief Chris Carrier providing direction and motivation, Wilson added a dramatic flourish to his defining victory by passing Martin and Hensley on the treacherous outside lane.

“Martin and Hensley spun their tires on the restart, and I just laid it on after that,“ Wilson said.

Wilson will try to repeat that feat in tonight’s Scotts EZ Seed Showdown at BMS. He will be among 12 retired NASCAR drivers in the 35-lap event.

Henderson, owner of the Food Country chain of grocery stores, was one of the pioneer owners in the old NASCAR Busch Series. Henderson was attracted to Wilson because of his homespun personality and aggressive approach to racing.

And Wilson is bringing the same mentality to tonight’s clash of the legends.

“The most fun I ever had in racing was with Charlie,“ Wilson said. “I’ve kept in contact with Charlie and know how much Bristol means to him, so we’re coming to win.“

Don Henderson, Charlie’s son, has carried on the family tradition for motorsports. He owns the Henderson Motorsports entry in the United States Auto Racing Series.

Caleb Holman, who drives the Henderson USAR entry, suggested Wilson’s name to BMS officials and helped prepare the No. 75 entry for tonight’s race. All of the Showdown drivers will compete in identically-prepared USAR cars.

“We’re tickled to death to be associated with Rick again,“ Don Henderson said. “The car is pretty daggone close to the original paint scheme, so we’re excited.“

Don Henderson was bundled up in the stands with his father on the memorable Monday afternoon in 1989.

“It was pretty special to walk through the gates at Bristol and go up into Victory Lane with Charlie,“ Henderson said. “It didn’t surprise me when Rick won that race. Rick has always been a go-getter. That’s why we wanted him as our driver.“ Holman and the Henderson team also prepared the replica car that will be driven tonight by nine-time BMS winner Cale Yarborough. The star-studded field will feature David Pearson, Harry Gant, Dave Marcis and Charlie Glotzbach.

Henderson hopes to reunite several former Food Country USA crew members for tonight’s race, including Carrier.

Barring any misfortune, Holman plans to race the same car that Wilson will be running tonight in the March 27 USAR season opener at Greshman Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga.

“We told Rick not to wreck it, but we know how aggressive he is,“ said Henderson, with a laugh.

Wilson competed in a total of 206 NASCAR Sprint Cup and 47 Nationwide Races from 1980 to 1997 before leaving the NASCAR ranks at age 44. He drove in the Sprint Cup Series for the Morgan-McClure Motorsports team, which once had a racing shop located next door to the Henderson Motorsports shop in Abingdon.

“We had a lot of fun and worked hard to achieve our goal, and then things started changing in the sport,“ Wilson said.

Wilson now stays busy operating a cattle and citrus business in Florida, but he’s still involved in motorsports. Travis Wilson, Rick’s 26-year-old son, competed in a pair of American Speed Association events last year.

Like many of the drivers entered in the Showdown, Wilson has never competed on the current concrete surface at BMS. He has consulted with Gant about last year’s event, which was won by Sterling Marlin.

“The track looks nice and smooth,“ Wilson said. “I just wish this race was 100 laps. The popcorn isn’t even warmed up after 35 laps.“

The circumstances may have changed, but Wilson is eager to author another Bristol dream.

“It doesn’t matter where we start this time, because we’re coming to the front,“ Wilson said.]]> 2010-03-19T23:59:50-05:00 http://www.mytimesdispatch.com/index.php/sports/live_randolph-macon_vs._uw_stevens_point/ College Sports

SALEM—Randolph-Macon and Wisconsin Stevens Point are playing right now in the NCAA Division III semifinals. Check back here for live updates.