As "American Idol" opened its 11th season Wednesday, at least three Tar Heel residents won golden tickets to the Hollywood rounds, hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow North Carolinian Scotty McCreery.

Scotty, the Season 10 winner and Garner High School senior, was mentioned right off the bat by the first contestant of the night, David Leathers Jr. of Fayetteville. David, right, a 17-year-old high school senior who looks about 12, said he even competed against Scotty -- and won -- in a local music competition several years ago.

David, who said his friends refer to him as "Mr. Steal Your Girl" because of his way with the ladies, sang a version of The 21st Century's "Remember the Rain." The "Idol" judges loved it, comparing him to a young Michael Jackson and asking for a quick encore of "Never Can Say Goodbye."

A late October meeting with Charlotte Bobcats owner and basketball legend Michael Jordan helped seal the deal for Brad Wilson.

Wilson, the CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, announced Friday that the state's largest health insurer has revived a sponsorship deal with the professional basketball team. Financial terms of the one-year deal weren't disclosed.

Wilson talked with Jordan for about 15 minutes when he was in Charlotte on other business and stopped by the Bobcats' offices.

"I didn't go there to negotiate the terms and sign a deal, but my visit certainly validated the alignment of the interests of the two organizations," Wilson said.

It almost seems like a fever dream now, but 17 years ago Michael Jordan quit the Chicago Bulls after three championships and embarked on a career in baseball.

On Tuesday night at 8 on ESPN, "Bull Durham" director Ron Shelton explores that time in the fine documentary "Jordan Rides the Bus," as part of ESPN's stellar "30 for 30" series. (To celebrate the network's 30th anniversary, well-known filmmakers have made documentaries examining key moments in the last 30 years of sports.)

There's been some mystery around Jordan's decision, mostly of the swarmy kind. What's true is that Jordan made the decision after his father's murder in Robeson County (a crime now caught up in the SBI lab scandal); Jordan said then that playing baseball was a dream he and his father shared.

Former UNC player Tyler Hansbrough works out for the Bobcats in Charlotte on Wednesday, June 10, 2009.