Some people have tried to buy their way onto the picks panel. Sherry Draper is the first picker to dry her way onto the panel.

That was the lead paragraph to John Adams' picks panel column, which appeared on the new pay Web site, pickspanelXtra.com. If you want to read the entire column, you can subscribe to the Web site.

Picks panel administrator John Adams probably won't be subscribing. He was enraged by the charges in John Adams' column that new picker Sherry Draper was placed on the panel as part of a legal settlement.

"That's not how we do business," the picks panel administrator said. "Like all the other pickers, she was chosen on merit.

"She scored extraordinarily high marks in our testing and was almost added to the panel in preseason. With her test scores, it was just a matter of time before she joined the panel."

Adams said it was strictly a coincidence Draper joined the panel after threatening a lawsuit.

Last month, Draper and her 6-year-old daughter, Ashley, attended a sports announcing and hairstyling seminar, featuring pickers Jim Wogan, Rick Russo and Steve Phillips.

Draper claimed her daughter was traumatized when Wogan shoved a hairdryer - on high speed - in her face. She said Ashley was terrified by the sudden burst of hot air and experienced nightmares for several days.

Picker Doug Anderson, who also serves as the pickspanel attorney, called the charges ludicrous and promised nothing would come of it.

No suit was filed, but in John Adams picks panel column, which can be read in its entirety on pickspanelXtra.com, he wrote that Draper received a "six-figure cash settlement and a position on the panel" in return for not filing a law suit.

"He's got quite an imagination, but nothing could be further from the truth," Draper said in a statement that was released through her husband and attorney, David Draper. "If you want to know why I'm on the picks panel, just check my test scores at the Potential Pickers Testing Center.

"Initially, I was upset by the hairdryer incident, but Ashley is fine now. In fact, she's all excited about her internship next summer at Mr. Wogan's television station. I bet she has a show of her own before she's a teenager."

Wogan said he regrets the incident.

"I didn't realize Ashley was standing that close when I whirled around," Wogan said. "I was trying to emphasize the importance of speed in our business.

"It's a high-pressure business, which requires us to make judgmental decisions in a matter of seconds. We have to do everything fast. We talk fast, put our makeup on fast and dry our hair fast."

Wogan said he learned a valuable lesson from the incident.

"From now on, I'll make sure I have my dryer on low speed when I'm using it in a crowded setting," he said.

Draper replaces Dave Hooker, who was mired in last place.

Canceled:A sports announcing and hairstyling seminar, which was scheduled for Saturday morning at an East Knoxville mall, has been canceled, according to picks panel administrator John Adams. It was not rescheduled.

The seminar would have featured Russo, Phillips and Wogan.

Closer Look: This week's Closer Look takes a closer look at Ashley Draper, the 6-year-old daughter of new picker Sherry Draper.

"I think Ashley has a great future in television," said Wogan.

John Adams may be_reached at 865-342-6284_or adamsj@knews.com.