Funkerstation » urt 11 -- just as it did when Louis Arms

With a 3-yard gain, South Carolina State running back Joe Thomas Sr., the 55-year-old father of?Green Bay Packers linebacker Joe Thomas Jr., fulfilled his dream Saturday.Joe Sr. took the field in a 32-0 victory over Savannah State on senior day as the oldest walk-on running back for South Carolina State, where Joe Jr. played from 2010 to 2013.With 4:34 remaining in the opening quarter, Joe Sr. took a handoff and gained 3 yards. He finished the game with four carries for minus-1 yard rushing. Afterward, the team presented him with a game ball.?I felt like a hero, said the native of Blackville, South Carolina. It was certainly one of the happiest days of my life. I always wanted to play college football and I finally got the chance. And I thank South Carolina State, coach [Buddy] Pough and the entire coaching staff and my teammates for the opportunity. I had been waiting 36 years.I always said, Never give up on your dreams. Keep driving forward and dont listen to other people. Its a great day for me, but I must admit, I didnt think my situation would generate so much attention and so much positive response.His son was scheduled to be on the Packers team plane headed for Sundays game at Washington.I am a little worried, Joe Jr. said Friday. I know his body might be a little fragile. Im going to try to get the coach not to run him on one of those stretch plays. Im going to try to get him to run straight downhill.Joe Jr. has been with the Packers since 2015.He said his father was an entrepreneur in South Carolina with a construction company and a training facility until the recession wiped out his business. Four years ago, his father decided to pursue a degree -- hes studying engineering -- and revive his athletic career.Joe Sr. had been practicing with the scout team.Its been crazy for me, Joe Jr. said. I never thought youd see a 55-year-old running back. Im just proud of him. He made his mind up to do something and stuck to it.ESPN staff writer Rob Demovsky and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kevin Durant Shoes Clearance . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Buy Cheap Kd . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. http://www.cheapkdshoes.net/ . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Kd Shoes Mens Sale . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Cheap Kd Shoes . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. NEW YORK -- The roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, three years in the making, might be the talk -- and ultimately the savior and star -- of this years event, but the toupee hasnt radically altered the stadiums structure nearly as much as a massive renovation has transformed roughly half of the US Opens 45 acres.This is impressive, said one fan waiting with a companion to enter the new stand-alone Grandstand Stadium built into the southwest end of the grounds. I thought they blew it when they decided to get rid of the old one, but this is something. Its pretty neat.The Grandstand is a sunken bowl surrounded by 8,125 seats. It didnt take savvy fans long on a humid day, when the mercury hit the mid-90s, to find the significant band of seats on the extreme west side that offer a US Open commodity in shade thats as rare as a male American singles contender these days.Anchoring the southwest corner of the grounds, the Grandstand has food concessions at ground level, in the shadow of its bowl. Walkways flow from the Grandstand to the south plaza, which in years past has often been overcrowded. But all the courts on the south side have been moved back about 30 feet, allowing for a significant expansion of the nearby plaza. That includes the space around the fountains and the statue of Arthur Ashe.The big dig also enabled the USTA to create a wide boulevard that now fronts the south-side courts. Those courts were all rebuilt with permanent seating and slick, aluminum-skinned entries that create a great sense of intimacy for those watching -- and playing -- inside.This enhancement underscores a noteworthy feature of the tournament. The US Open has always tried to play up its egalitarian appeal. That effort doesnt always pass the smell test. How could it? But the improvements to the field courts -- and it began with the creation of the practice courts complex (Nos. 4-6) a year ago -- have in effect given every court that much more prestige.Now, every court feels a little bit like a center court. Thats a significant achievement.There has been a cost as well. You no longer get the feeling that on certain courts, the match youre watching is taking place in a public park.As one veteran journalist put it, It feels like theres an awful lot of cooncrete and steel out there.ddddddddddddThat old parks-and-rec feeling may be gone, but the ghosts and traditions of the US Opens past are easily conjured and find ways to live on. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth when the USTA announced that the beloved old Grandstand appended to the side of Louis Armstrong Stadium would be removed to be replaced by the new one that is kitty-corner on the grounds.The new Grandstand certainly is different, but its a fair guess that some of those shade-hoggers were the same characters who in years past staked out the west stand of the old Grandstand for the same reason. By the way, the old Grandstand is still in use, under the forlorn name old Grandstand. It will be torn down along with the rest of Armstrong after this tournament, and a bigger Armstrong Stadium will be built.Courts 11 and 12 more or less stand alone in the center of the grounds, between the original food court near Armstrong and the south plaza fountains. The single, tall permanent stand on the west side of No. 11 now has a mirror-image stand on the east side of 12, enveloping the courts in a microenvironment. But when the wind is right, rich and pungent smoke from the nearby hamburger stand still wafts over Court 11 -- just as it did when Louis Armstrong was the only stadium on the site, and the area was occupied by Court No. 1.Back then, the burgers were cooked on open charcoal fires near the court. The players sometimes coughed and literally choked on the greasy smoke, dispensing it from their vision with a wave of a hand as they prepared to receive serve.Over the years, the old Grandstand became famous for producing great upsets and close, electrifying five-set battles. The first match on the new Grandstand featured a 20-year-old American, No. 146 Taylor Townsend, clashing with former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Townsend, calling upon all kinds of lefty juju, won the first set and took Wozniacki to 4-4 in the third before capitulating.The new Grandstand didnt quite deliver the upset that Grandstand faithful probably hoped for. Give it time. After all, the old one isnt even gone yet. ' ' '