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Hut...Hut...Hike The Carolina Panthers have grabbed everyone's attention the past two weeks, by doing absolutely nothing in free agency. Well, that's not exactly true; they did outbid the rest of the league for the services of some guy named Wallace Wright.....or was it Winky Wright....or maybe it was Wallace Wade? You get the picture....nobody has ever heard of the guy, but he is the property of the Carolina Panthers. In addition to the inactivity, Jerry Richardson and his staff have made numerous cuts saving the franchise tens of millions of dollars. The bigger names of course are Julius and Jake, but there have been a number of other 30 and older players that have been told to hit the road. The Panthers franchise is in great shape when it comes to a possible strike next year, or if the team was ever going to be sold. It's lean...extremely lean. While the cuts have been a hot topic, the Panthers decided the only way to save more cash is to make sure the fans paid even more to watch the product in 2010...and that's precisely what owner Jerry Richardson did last week. He raised ticket prices for the 8th time in the past 11 years. Makes sense, right? The team is making great strides in acquiring terrific players in free agency. The team has a Super Bowl title from last season. The team has had a series of winning seasons and post season success. The answer to all of these questions is an emphatic "nope". The team has been almost dormant in the free agency period....they haven't won the Super Bowl or even a post season game since January of 2006...and the franchise - while entering year 16 - has never had back-to-back winning seasons. PSL'ers are pissed.....and they have every right to be upset. I ripped the decision on last week's radio show, but I've yet to see anybody else in the local media take a stand...I guess they are too nervous about not getting access to Jerry Richardson or his team. For the record: there was no statement or announcement from the head honcho....I guess he's too busy counting his cash. I never spend much time filling out a NCAA Tournament bracket. 5 minutes max....and I only fill out one. This year, the tourney has the chance to be completely whacked out....there is so much parity, that teams seeded #4 - #12 are fair game. There really isn't that much difference between them on a given night. So, with that said, here are my picks: Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse and Baylor. I'm taking three #1 seeds and a 3-seed in Baylor. Boring, chalk-like pics....I think there will be plenty of upsets and surprises, but not at the top. Two teams that have a legit shot to join in the mix are red-hot West Virginia and Kansas State. I suspect that the Big East will have another great tourney, but there is no guarantee that they cut down the nets. The Big 12 has a collection of quality teams that will make deep runs. The ACC will get exposed for a lack of quality depth....even though 6 teams made the Big Dance and the Hokies were kicked to the NIT. Speaking of the NIT, how about UNC and NC State both making the "Loser's Tourney" and both are seeded 4th and 6th respectively in the same bracket? I'd love to see them face each other for a trip to New York....if that happens, play the game in Carmichael or Reynolds Coliseum. On a separate note, my wife and I checked out "Crazy Heart" on our date night. I know that the flick and actor Jeff Bridges cleaned up on Oscar night, but I've got to tell you...it's a helluva a flick. Be sure to check it out.....tremendous and you will not be disappointed. The Bobcats are playing great. Despite the injury to Gerald Wallace, the Cats won another big game against Orlando. Normally, the Magic cause match-up problems for the Bobcats, so beating the Magic this late into the year is a great sign. Michael Jordan is scheduled to be given the official "green light" as owner of the club this week, and that news along with the team's recent winning streak makes for a good vibe in Bobcat land. When you look at the standings, it really looks good on paper that the Charlotte Bobcats are going to make the playoffs. It will be critical for them to beat the NBA lowlifes coming down the stretch. The team has shown the ability to get up for the elite teams, but lose focus against the league's dogs. Maybe making the playoffs for the first time will snap them to attention.....if not, Michael Jordan will. I wonder if we'll get Michael Jordan on the radio show before Jerry Richardson? I'd bet the house on it. My family took our dog, Chester, to the Charlotte Checkers' "Pooch Party" on Sunday. We had a blast.....and the Checkers won, too. Sitting in an entire section filled with "man's best friend" was a trip. It was hard to pay attention to the puck because you didn't want to miss the next dog coming down the aisle and chilling out in the seats. It was a great promotion and there was fun had by all. |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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