Singletary Selected by Kings in Second Round

Sean Singletary is Sac-Town bound. The fifth leading scorer in UVA history was knighted by the Sacramento Kings with the 42nd pick in the 2008 NBA Draft last night.

In a recent interview on a Charlottesville radio station, the Philadelphia native figured he’d go in the late first round to middle of the second round, possibly to the Utah Jazz. He was right in one aspect, but instead Singletary hopes to suit up for one of the Jazz rivals in the West.

As a second round selection, Singletary will have to work hard to show he’s got the skills to stay on the roster. But he might have some help on the way. If current Kings guard Beno Udrih leaves via free agency, Singletary should see some quality minutes on a team that finished 19 games behind the Lakers in the Pacific Division. He’ll be competing for time alongside veterans John Salmons and Francisco Garcia, as well as second-year man Quincy Douby.

Singletary was one of three picks by Sacramento in the draft. The others were Jason Thompson from Rider and Patrick Ewing Jr, from Georgetown who was picked right after Singletary with the 43rd choice.

Much Like ABC's "Cavemen", Your Fate is Sealed

Hype Haiku

Monroe to Richmond: goodbye
girls and officers say hi!
just a day in the life

Friday Fhoto

After nearly a week of 90-100 degree temps up and down the East Coast, sitting under this huge Angel Oak in SC might not be a bad idea.

This Just In: You Can’t Drive a “NASCAR”

I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to drive the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). I know of no one that has the capability of physically driving a sanctioning body of racing. In fact, I don’t think it even has wheels.

Many folks think the “CAR” in NASCAR actually means a vroom, vroom automobile.

Harry: “Hey Dick, did you see Ricky Bobby drive that NAS-CAR yesterday?”

Dick: “No Harry, I didn’t see him drive the association around the track. Did he win?”

But you absolutely can drive a stock car. And while it’s debatable if today’s NASCAR vehicles (COT) are real stock cars, 43 drivers pilot them on a high level from February to November.

Love it or hate it, there is a difference in the two.

A stock car. And an awesome one at that.

Click here for Richmond’s 11:58 and 10 seconds AM Temperature

We get it Times-Despair. It’s hot as hell outside. Let’s see, we might break another record today. No kidding!

I couldn’t find out last night on the news or on the way to work this morning that temperatures might break 100. I need CONSTANT updates on the sweltering heat.

This triple-digit weather is bad, real bad. But it’s not uncommon – it’s just early. If we are receiving these incredible hourly heat updates in June from Inrich.com/timesdispatch.com, I can only imagine what July, August and September have in store.

Maybe there will be a reporter on the roof of the Hanover Production Facility staring at a thermometer and texting the temperature to the web folks to put up on the fantastic reader-friendly site?

Can you say real-time heat updates?

In other relevant news, tomorrow is June 11.

The Search is on for Cheap Gas

but they won't find 87, 89 or 93.

The Latest in Car Flair: The Sea Turtle Window Decal

Move over OBX stickers and the “I support lap dancers” ribbon car magnets, you might have more company on the back of a SUV or sedan.

And it’s in the form of sea turtles. That’s right; our harmless and often endangered friend from the ocean is becoming popular car flair in numerous variations.

OBX stickers and other white oval stickers with 3-4 letters in black have held the top spot for nearly a decade now – with colored ribbons supporting various causes a close second.

The symbol for the Palmetto State, a palm tree and crescent moon, South Carolina, had a good run for a few years - although its popularity in the Commonwealth seems to have faded into the sun.

So now it’s onto the lovable sea turtle. What does it mean? That’s up for debate. Some say conservation, others say surfing.

While college car flair is considered a staple, chances are you’ll see the turtle window decal for at least a few years to come. It will take some work to outlast the white oval with black text.

Friday Fhoto

Time to replace Diamond with Lame?

What the World Really Needs: Another SBUX in Short Pump

That’s right folks; it’s almost time to unveil another Starbucks in Downtown Short Pump. And like many of the coffee chain’s newer stores, it’s a drive thru!

It will be located behind the Chili’s restaurant and across the street from some electronics store going down the toilet.

What, you don’t think Short Pump needs another location?
Let’s count’em up:

Short Pump Mall next to Pottery Barn Kids
Barnes & Noble Bookstore
Shops at Westgate near Panera Bread
Newly-remodeled Target store
And I want to say the Kroger next door also has a location

So, if you need to try the new Strawberries and Cream Frap in the coming weeks and you’re in DSP, you will have only five Starbucks to choose from. Option six should be completed soon though.

As the West End teeny-boppers like to say: “OMG, it’s completely ridic!”

In the past 12 months...

Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder announced he would not run for re-election…Dirtwoman announced that “it” would run…earthquakes and cyclones rattled parts of Asia…Heath Ledger died in his apartment in NYC…we enjoyed 29 days in February…the price for a barrel of oil continued to skyrocket over $100…Evel Kneivel died…VCU basketball retained both Anthony Grant and Eric Maynor for another year…the chowdas won another World Series title…another idol was crowned in LA…the fourth installment of Indy Jones contained Aliens and lots of CGI…the Hoos and Hokies had successful football seasons ending in bowl game defeats…Vick sentenced to 23 months for fighting Fido…Barack and Hillary battled it out while a Caucasian man watched…Drought…Marcel Marceau died, but you didn’t hear that from me…Bears spotted around the city…Jimmie Johnson won another NASCAR championshp...Microsoft offers Yahoo! 44.6 billion…the R-Braves announced they would become the G-Braves…the war in Iraq continued another year, as did Darfur…the I35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis…Blu-Ray waived goodbye to HD-DVD…the Colorado Rockies sold World Series tix online (I love them for this reason)...the year of the dolphin was celebrated…a religious sect and its children were seized in Texas...Wrestler Chris Benoit killed his family then himself…twisters strike central and southern Virginia…Nintendo Wii released Guitar Hero III…we started paying extra for airline baggage…iPod Touch and iPhone are released…Tigers escape from zoos and kill “visitors” in San Francisco…the G-men turn into X-men and defeat the Patriots in AZ…lots of rain in the spring ease drought worries...two years with the wife! (and dog birthdays celebrated too)…Boling announced another run for LT. Gov, McDonnell Gov…people in the cap city started riding the GRTC more…Ike Turner kicked it…protests against the Beijing Olympic games were carried out around the world…Rock Chalk Jayhawk in NCAA’s…Daily Double creator Merv Griffin died...6th Street Marketplace food court finally closed for good…gridlock over transportation continued at the GA…fires raged out of control in Southern California…Steroids and Roger Clemens dominate MLB talks…a gunman was spotted on the campus of UR…THE HYPE TURNED 2!

As RIC Summer Heat and Humidity Approaches, Get Ready for More of This:

Can Green Top Shoot Down and Reel in More Competition?

First it was Dick’s Sporting Goods at Virginia Center Commons in 2000. This past year it was Gander Mountain opening a location less than a country mile away at the Atlee/Elmont exit.

Now it’s a Bass Pro Shops being constructed a few minutes up Route 1 near the Lewistown Road exit of I-95.

So, can Green Top survive with the “big boys” of hunting and fishing now in the area? (Haven’t heard if Cabela’s is planning set up shop anywhere nearby)

Green Top has been serving Hanover, Henrico and the surrounding areas since 1947 and claims it has “one of the best selections of hunting and fishing gear available under one roof.”

And like many local stores, Green Top prides itself on customer service with a large selection of inventory and catalog houses to choose from. Plus it’s open on Sundays!

But with the economy supposedly souring, will the average hunter or fisherman (not me, although I’d enjoy an outing anytime) stay with what they know or maybe see what the bigger/cheaper stores might have?

I’m sure Green Top tackled (pun intended) the issue when Dick’s first arrived on the scene almost a decade ago, but Dick’s does sporting goods. Hunting and fishing is only a fraction of the business for the chain.


The same can’t be said with Bass Pro Shops and Gander Mountain. The answer to Green Top’s survival might come in a response I received a few weeks back about Plan 9 closing a store in C’ville. Adapt or die.

Only time will tell I guess.

Father and son eager to hunt, kill and eat something from the woods.