I certainly could not consider myself a "sportsman," although I enjoy a round of golf on occasion. But watching is a sport, too, and I like football, basketball — and golf — on television. But here in Sportstown USA I suspect most of us have some pretty close links to our nearby courts and fields — even if we don't consider ourselves sports buffs.

Probably like a lot of us, my closest link comes through family. First there was baseball with my sons. We benefited greatly from the grassroots community effort that developed the Southern Pitt baseball organization.

Next was the Pitt County Schools' Community Schools programs in basketball and soccer. My sons played both, and my daughter played volleyball. I even helped coach a little in basketball and baseball. Few images are more enduring that those little guys tearing down the court trying to corral one of those miniature basketballs. Who needs Duke-Carolina?

Soccer, too. Parents loved and still love watching The Great Swarm of T-shirted kids moving like a flock of starlings after that ball, until suddenly, one of them escapes the gravity of the pack and heads goalward.

Then there is high school with state championship caliber athletics all around the county: football, baseball and basketball, soccer, tennis — you name it. My guys got involved in cross country and track — all endeavors from which young people learn things parents and teachers can't always teach.

As for me, I've enjoyed being part of a Division I NCAA community. I've written before about how my earliest sports heroes ultimately found their way to Greenville and East Carolina back in the early '60s — people like Clarence Stasavich and Harold Bullard. It's been quite a ride since then.

The "We Believe" Peach Bowl, wins over top-10 ranked Marquette and Louisville in basketball, the incomparable Keith LeClair and his legacy of the Pirates' dream of Omaha and the College World Series — it will happen, I'm sure.

With leaders such as Terry Holland, himself a sports star of the highest caliber, and Skip Holtz, Ricky Stokes, Billy Godwin, these traditions will continue to deepen here. Pitt Community College, too, consistently fields a top-rated baseball team, now with its own top-flight facility.

And don't forget Dave Mirra, Ryan Nyquist and the improbable heroes of BMX biking — down at the city skatepark (I've hardly mentioned the city recreation department — among the nation's best). Don't forget Little League Baseball. Greenville Tar Heel finished third in the world in 1998.

Pitt County Girls Softball, meanwhile, came out of nowhere in the '90s to World Championship status, another special grassroots achievement.

And for a story that's just getting started — how about PGA golfer Will Mackenzie of Greenville? I got the chance to see him hit a few practice drives before he became "famous." There's something special about a pro really getting into a drive. You need to go see him.

Well, all this is getting me out of breath — not unlike one of those 5-K or 10K runs or cycling events so popular here.

This list of sports excellence, achievement and opportunity is remarkable to me. Greenville really is a Sportstown as Pitt is a sports county, and I feel fortunate to be a part of it all — whether I'm playing or just sitting back to watch.

Al Clark is executive editor of The Daily Reflector. Tell him what you think at 252-329-9560 or at aclark@coxnc.com.

Inside you'll find the special Milestones section on Sports, third in a series marking the 125th anniversary of The Daily Reflector.