Tudor:Go ahead. Laugh when you read this, but college basketball fans will miss Billy Packer.

Tudor:Players scheduled to compete in tonight's Southern League All-Star Game at Zebulon's Five County Stadium could be as close to a debut in the majors as they are to a text message from their agents.

Tudor:Dara Torres, who is 41, is just embarking on what may become her most impressive accomplishment as a competitive swimmer.

Tudor:It's not too late to stack the rosters even more in favor of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs for next Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Tudor:First, Glen Wesley. Then, Bret Hedican. Now, Erik Cole.

Caulton Tudor:Having never put more emphasis on the downside than potential reward, Mike Krzyzewski didn't look around for a grassy-knoll conspiracy when he was selected to coach the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.

Caulton Tudor:The first athlete drafted by the pros from UNC in 2009 might not be Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Elllington or Hakeem Nicks. A more likely choice is baseball star Dustin Ackley.

Tudor:He's 73 years old and is a lot more likely to grab a tomato from his flourishing garden than a baseball, but Billy Ray Barnes felt like a Wake Forest University sophomore again Monday.

Tudor:With enough talent to defy the dynamic of college basketball, North Carolina's Roy Williams should have the country's easiest coaching job next season. He could also have the toughest.

Tudor:It's no secret that Tiger Woods is bigger than professional golf.

Tudor:It's an old story in the sense that one party's despair can be another's delight.

Tudor:Elliott Avent is not where he would like to be today. The colorful N.C. State baseball coach is in Raleigh, but his heart is in Omaha, Neb., where the College World Series will begin.

Tudor:One thing that makes the College World Series so cool is that the players really don't have to win the thing to have a blast.

Tudor:There's a decent chance that this week's U.S. Open golf championship will be won by someone who sinks a birdie putt on the 72nd hole.

Tudor: What it was -- with a tip of my sweat-soaked cap to Andy Griffith -- was bakeball.

Caulton Tudor:It doesn't help his cause, but Ty Lawson's adventures early Friday will not be the determining factor in his NBA Draft status. That's the opinion of a couple of league scouts, who still see him as a possible first-round pick.

Tudor:Life as an NHL player officially came to an end during a news conference held in the middle of the Barbecue Belt with the early-afternoon temperature approaching 100 degrees.

Tudor:Neither rain nor storm Sunday at Doak Field could deter N.C. State from another weekend of NCAA tournament baseball.

Tudor:Run the numbers, calculate the age progressions and what you find is one inescapable ramification regarding Duke's hiring of Kevin White as its new athletic director on Saturday.

Tudor:By no means does it qualify as a landmark moment for the NHL, but television ratings for the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs are up.

Tudor:The pressing question that soon could confront three North Carolina basketball players and one from N.C. State is what they're willing to settle for -- first round, second round or nothing at all -- in the June 26 NBA Draft.

Tudor:Big 12 Conference commissioner Dan Beebe is the latest high-ranking official to propose five seasons of eligibility with no redshirting for all college football players.