News-Record.com

It's time to see if you can decipher these comments from N.C. State's two-sport star, Andrew Brackman.

Brackman's currently playing for the Orleans Cardinals in the prestigious Cape Cod summer wooden bat league. According to published reports, he's throwing the mid to high 90's and has topped out at 99 miles per hour.

Naturally, such a performance has fueled speculation that Brackman might scrap basketball this year and focus solely on baseball. I've been trying to reach him up on the Cape to talk about his recovery from his stress fracture as well as his future plans. He hasn't returned my call, probably because he's just not ready to say anything definitive about such an important decision.

It's a little harder to avoid the question though when a guy can ask him in person. Apparently that's what Russ Charpentier of the Cape Cod Times decided to do after Brackman made his first start for the Cardinals.

Here's the item from Charpentier's notebook.

While Brackman didn't come out and say anything concrete, it doesn't sound good for Wolfpack fans who want him to play hoops again.

Consider that Brackman blamed his hip injury on "too much running and jumping" during basketball. And his admission that he'd be better at either basketball or baseball if he focused on one sport solely rather than playing both.

Finally, Charpentier asks Brackman which sport he'll choose and Brackman gives this response:

"I don't see ever giving up baseball."

Now, that didn't mean that Brackman is going to choose baseball over basketball this year. He could have been speaking about the long term, which certainly wouldn't be a shock to anyone that knows about his massive baseball potential. But it does give you a glimpse into his mind right now. Baseball's ahead of basketball.

Is it far enough ahead that he'd consider passing on the major minutes he's sure to get this season playing for Sidney Lowe? And what about the leverage that playing hoops could give him if he enters the MLB draft next summer? Then again, what about what happened with his hip?

Sorry, I don't have those answers right now. Maybe Brackman does. Until he decides to share them with the rest of us though, we'll just have to keep reading between the lines.