Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:
Question: In July of 2018 you looked into the Leicester Highway sidewalks project, and the word was: "The city expects to have the project out to bid in spring 2019, and construction should take from nine to 12 months..." I know the pandemic has messed with everything, but this was supposed to be on track to be finished before the pandemic started, right? What's the latest? I believe there's a new crosswalk at the corner of Patton Avenue and Leicester Highway. Is that part of the project?
My answer: This project apparently was affected by another dastardly pandemic, CANTPAVEIT-19. It's been devastating...
Real answer: City of Asheville Capital Projects Project Manager Vinnie Sullivan took this one on.
"The pandemic did affect the New Leicester Highway sidewalk project in that N.C. DOT restricted us from moving into construction until further notice," Sullivan said via email. "They’ve now lifted that restriction and we’re proceeding towards construction."
Employees are wrapping up the permitting and plans review phase now.
"We expect to advertise the project for bid in spring 2021, and begin construction in summer 2021," Sullivan said.
As I noted in 2018, the project will add sidewalks and pedestrian crossings on New Leicester Highway (N.C. 81) from Patton Avenue to the city limits.
McCray Coates, project manager with the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Asheville office, added more information from the DOT perspective.
"Local N.C. DOT staff have been working with city officials throughout planning, design and right of way acquisition phases of the project," Coates said via email. "We look forward to assisting with final design, contract details and construction inspection coordination."
He also addressed the pandemic's effects on the project.
"N.C. DOT worked with the city of Asheville to continue with the design and right of way acquisition prior to pausing the construction phase of this project, one of many across the state that were paused, due to reduced revenues during early months of the COVID-19 pandemic," Coates said.
Last year, we also wrote about numerous road project delays in Western North Carolina, which include the I-26 Connector project, widening of Sweeten Creek Road (U.S. 25A) and Brevard Road (N.C. 191), as well as Sand Hill/Sardis Road work. The sidewalk project has plenty of company in the delay department, unfortunately.
More:These are the worst intersections in Asheville for pedestrians and vehicles
Coates noted the $3.3 million sidewalks project, with 80% of the cost covered by federal funds, "will improve pedestrian facilities, providing citizens with better access to jobs, education and additional transit facilities by adding more than two miles of sidewalk in each direction."
The crosswalk at the intersection of Patton Avenue and New Leicester Highway was not part of the sidewalks project.
Question: In most every sport, the ball in the game is round. Baseball, golf ball, basketball, tennis ball, bowling ball, soccer ball, pool ball, basketball, ping pong ball. A football is not round and yet it is called a ball. How did it come by its shape? And is it still technically correct to call it a ball?
My answer: For a minute there, I was wondering how long the naming of various balls was going to last...
Real answer: Normally, I avoid answering questions that are easily Google-able, but this one piqued my curiosity, and I suspected it would do the same to other readers who don't want to fire up the ol' search engine.
Scout Life magazine had about as good an explainer as anyone, with some nifty photos, so let's use their information. The article noted the first football games date to 1869, not long after the Civil War, apparently because Americans hadn't had enough of pulverizing one another.
OK, I made up that last part, but the date is correct. Football emerged from soccer and rugby, which explains the odd mix of tackling and ball movement.
"The first footballs were made from inflated pig bladders, each one an unpredictable size and shape," Scout Life states. "This roundish ball is where the term 'pigskin' comes from. Back then, players mostly kicked the ball."
I'd like to pause here and note that pigs could really hold a lot of pee. I mean a lot.
In 1874, a more rugby-like ball was introduced, which made laterals and tossing the ball easier. It still wasn't easy to throw, though, Scout Life noted.
In 1906, the forward pass was legalized in football, and a more oblong, throwable ball introduced, although it still weighed a pound and wasn't real easy to toss, Scout Life said.
In 1920, Spalding's JF-V ball "became the official ball of the American Professional Football Association. It was a more aerodynamic spheroid shape that could be thrown more accurately, giving birth to the 'perfect spiral' and paving the way for the modern passing game," Scout Life said.
In 1935, the new National Football League shortened the ball to "about 11 inches, the size and shape still used today," Scout Life said. "Officially, the shape is known as a 'prolate spheroid.'"
I believe announcers should employ this term more often: "Man, Brady really heaved the prolate spheroid on that play!" Or maybe, "I can't believe it! Gronkowski dropped the prolate spheroid!"
Wilson started making NFL footballs in 1941, and it's been the official NFL football provider since, Scout Life reports.
By the way, modern footballs are made of cowhide, not pigskin, according to Smithsonianmag.com and its article, "How Did the Pigskin Get Its Shape?"
I'm telling you, you can really fall down a rabbit hole chasing the prolate spheroid.
As Smithsonian wrote, "Well, it turns out that the football was never truly designed, it just sort of happened. According to Henry Duffield, a man who witnessed a game between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869, largely considered to be the first intercollegiate game:
“The ball was not an oval but was supposed to be completely round. It never was, though — it was too hard to blow up right. The game was stopped several times that day while the teams called for a little key from the sidelines. They used it to unlock the small nozzle which was tucked into the ball, and then took turns blowing it up. The last man generally got tired and they put it back in play somewhat lopsided.”
So they just stuck with a weirdly shaped ball, although it was refined over time.
Skipping ahead, Smithsonian cited the forward pass as a key in ball improvements, and then it noted the specifications modern footballs must meet:
"Today, in order to be used in a National Football League game, a football must meet the following requirements: It shall consist of a urethane bladder inflated to 12.5 to 13.5 pounds and enclosed in a pebble grained, tan leather outer shell designed to provide a good grip – even in the rain. The ball must be 11-11.25 inches long, have a long circumference between 28-28.5 inches, a short circumference between 21-21.25 inches; and it must weigh 14 to 15 ounces. The variation in the measurements is due to the fact that all NFL footballs are made by hand. Since 1955, every NFL football has been made at Wilson’s 130-person factory in Ada, Ohio, which produces up to 4,000 footballs a day."
Who knew? I reckon that was worth the Googling...
This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or [email protected].