[AZTarHeel]

Andrew eyed his target intensely for several seconds as the sun peaked over the horizon. He then made eye-contact with his catcher, nodded twice and began his wind-up.

After raring back, Zarzour hurtled himself forward at full velocity, following through with a somewhat side-armed motion. The object left his hand like a bullet out of a gun, producing a loud "whoosh" sound as it bee-lined straight ahead. At the last moment, the object began tailing off, eventually coming to rest right where Zarzour had aimed.

* Plop *

"Nice cast there, Big Z," Brandon shouted from nearby.

Another great morning of fishing had begun for the three best friends, who had been coming out to this private pond for more summer mornings they can remember. This very well could be among the last times, however.

After spending a couple of hours fishing, the trio would head back to Zarzour's house. It was draft day in Major League Baseball 1999 and it seemed like everyone in Bunn — and Franklin County for that matter — would be stopping by to find out which team, if any, would select their tall hero.

Robbie Maine, a Yankees fan, obviously wanted the Bronx Bombers to pick his good buddy. Brandon Weaver, more of a Red Sox' affeccionado, said he could never cheer for Yanks even if Zarzour was the No. 1 starter for Steinbrenner's club. Today's Raleigh News & Observer had a detailed story on Zarzour and his draft possibilities — the reporter had spent two whole days hanging out with him and his family the week before. A few scouts projected him as a first-round pick. Most guaranteed he'd be selected by round three.

Many fans — especially the many who "had a take" on national sports radio talk shows — still wondered why in the world, at 7-foot-2 with skills of a point guard, Andrew Zarzour wasn't planning to play basketball somewhere. Goodness knows, the Tar Heels or Kentucky Wildcats can always use another big man.

"Bite! You gotta bite! Quick!" Brandon yelled to Andrew. Weaver still got excited whenever he saw the line dancing in the water, even though he and his friends had caught hundreds of fish (and even a few turtles) over the years.

"This could be the biggest one yet! Get it 'Drew! Bring it on home!"