Former North Carolina stars Dustin Ackley and Alex White reached agreements with their respective major league teams minutes before Monday's midnight deadline to sign players selected in this year's draft. And both became millionaires in the process.

ZEBULON — The Chattanooga Lookouts, in town to play the Carolina Mudcats, have taken the look of their new major league affiliate, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gone are the red and black uniforms they had under the days of the Cincinnati Reds, their former affiliate, who are now with the Mudcats.

The Mudcats' red, black and white unis suited the Reds just fine.

But the Lookouts' classic uniforms, which prominently featured the trademark logo, with eyes inside a 'C', had to go.

Former N.C. State first baseman Aaron Bates, whom we wrote about here not too long ago, was called up to the Boston Red Sox last week.

He struggled to hit the ball in his first couple of games last week, but then broke through with his first major league hit on Saturday. Then Sunday, just before the All-Star break, he broke through, going 3-for-4 with a run, a pair of doubles and an RBI.

One of the good things about being a sportswriter is the chance meetings with players and coaches from years past that occur when you least expect them.

On a family reunion in Tampa, Fla., this past weekend, one of the group activities was to go to a minor league baseball game. I settled in my seat, hot dog and cold beverage in hand, for the start of the game between the Dunedin Blue Jays and the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the Class A Florida State League.

Then, one of those pleasant surprises happened.

Seated behind the Lakeland dugout, I looked up after the top half of the first inning and the Flying Tigers third-base coach trotted back to the dugout and looked up and smiled. It was former N.C. State first baseman Andy Barkett, one of the most likeable players that I had a chance to meet over the years covering the Wolfpack.

We talked a couple of times between innings during the game and then met afterward to catch up. Barkett, who was signed by the Texas Rangers in 1995 as a non-drafted free agent after a standout career for the Wolfpack, is the Flying Tigers manager for the second consecutive year.

He had an 11-year professional career, spending almost most of it in the minor leagues. Barkett did make it to the majors in 2001 with the Pirates, hitting .304 with one homer in 17 games. He retired after the 2005 season and began managing in the minors in 2007 in the Tigers organization.

Barkett lives in Orlando and has three children. Now he's trying to climb the ladder again, this time as a manager.

"I wanted to stay in the game," Barkett said. "The last two years managing in Lakeland have been great."

Barkett said he keeps up with the Wolfpack and stays in contact with coach Elliott Avent. Barkett was always one of my then-young son's favorite players when he played at State, and gave my son Ronnie an autographed bat that still is in the closet of my son's room.

Barkett asked about Ronnie, and I said he was a sportswriter like his dad. He laughed, saying that he remembered him well.

I'm not surprised. That's the type of people you meet in the game of baseball.

And, if you're lucky, you have a chance to run into them years later. When you least expect it.

DURHAM — Andy Sonnanstine will start for the Durham Bulls tonight, his second start here since being demoted by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sonnanstine was the odd man out when ace Scott Kazmir came off the disabled list, as the team had no options left on Jeff Niemann and didn't want to demote lefty prospect David Price, who had been hit around badly by the Philadelphia Phillies.

ZEBULON — Carolina Mudcats third baseman Juan Francisco, who had been on the disabled list earlier this season, has been on a tear lately and it helped out in the second game in a row.

The Mudcats beat the Tennessee Smokies 6-0 Tuesday afternoon, their second win in a row.

Josh Hamilton and the feel-good story of his battle back from substance abuse problems continues to make the former Athens Drive High star one of the most popular players in baseball.

Despite missing more than half of the Texas Rangers' games this season because of injuries, Hamilton received 2,412,359 fan votes for the All-Star Game to rank third among American League outfielders and grab a starting spot for the July 14 game in St. Louis.

Minor league baseball can produce interesting matchups. Former teammates facing each other is one of the most intriguing.

Former Duke stars Nate Freiman and Andrew Wolcott had just such a meeting very early in their professional careers.

BURLINGTON — Ryan Wood, who only a few weeks ago was playing second base for East Carolina, has hardly had any time off.

Wood, of Woodbridge, Va., was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 11th round, reported to rookie camp in Arizona and was assigned to the Burlington Royals, the major league affiliate’s rookie league team.

CARY — USA Baseball's Tournament of Stars draws the top high-school baseball players in the country to the national organization's training complex.

This afternoon, area baseball fans will get their first look at the biggest prep star of them all: phenom catcher and recent Sports Illustrated cover boy Bryce Harper. The 17-year-old Las Vegas native met with the media this morning and talked about his plan to make himself eligible for the Major League Baseball draft by leaving high school early and enrolling in junior college.