Quadruple Play
Posted Apr 8, 2005, 9:38 AM ET

I don't have one particular topic to vent about...so I'm going to address a number of them that have been hot issues this week.

CHAPEL HILL DRAMA

First, "congratulations" to Roy Williams and the Tar Heels. Coach Williams finally eliminated the 600 pound gorilla from his back, and in the process allowed UNC fans to claim their spot at the top of the college basketball world.

Depending on which Tar Heel fans you ask, they'll often declare that "the Heels are back"! I wasn't aware that they'd ever left. UNC fans have no clue about slumps or "down periods" with a program. Just because they sported a tidy 8-20 record a few years ago does not constitute a slump.

Take it from me; I attended Clemson...I'll give you all the material you need about a basketball program in a "down period".

Now, the big question in Chapel Hill is: which Tar Heel players will return in defense of their national championship?...Roy better keep his stable of studs away from former Tar Heel great Vince Carter.

Carter told the NY Times that Sean May must be out of his mind to stay at UNC. His direct quote was..."What can he do next year? Win another championship? Be the MVP? It's boring. I'm nosy. I'd like to know why he's staying...because its not the norm anymore."

Stay tuned for more of "As the Heels Turn"...As of this journal entry, Rashad McCants says he's turning pro, and Raymond Felton is reportedly leaning towards the NBA Draft, too. That leaves May and super-freshman Marvin Williams as potential returnees for the Heels.

UNC ALUMNI ON A ROLL

Tar Heel basketball coaches have had a pretty good run in the past year. I just mentioned Roy Williams' first NCAA title...and we all know that Larry Brown won his first NBA title as a coach when the Pistons upset the Lakers last June.

Perhaps the best coaching job by any former UNC player is being witnessed in Denver, by George Karl. Since taking over for the fledgeling franchise in mid-season, the Nuggets are 28-6 since Karl took over. That is an 82% winning percentage, and the best record in the NBA during that period.

I've always enjoyed Karl's style, coaching and sense of humor...and I'd love to see him go deep into the Playoffs with the Nuggets. But the West is loaded, and it will be difficult for Denver to escape the First Round.

CLEMSON FOOTBALL UNIFORMS

Anybody seen the new Clemson football uniforms?

They are U-G-L-Y.

Evidently, Tiger Nation is up in arms with the changes and everybody has an opinion about them.

I'm not exactly sure why Clemson changed them in the first place...I'm an old-school guy when it comes to jerseys, and the last thing Tommy Bowden & Co. needed to worry about was the uniforms.

The bottom line is that it won't matter what the uniforms look like. If the Tigers win 9+ games, everybody will be happy...if the Tigers continue to wallow around .500, the uniforms and the coaching staff will be changed.

At Clemson, or any other school that has a deep love for its football program, you gotta win...regardless of the uniforms. If Tommy Bowden's 2005 team gets off to a shaky start, the last thing the Clemson faithful will talk about is the uniforms.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

I'm glad the baseball season has started. We can finally get away from the ongoing, never-ending steroid issue.

But Major League Baseball has gone overboard with the Red Sox-Yankees lovefest. Enough, already. I'm sure the diehards in Boston and NY eat it up...good for you. But I'm sick of both of them already...and we're less than a week into the season. Surely, MLB can find some other story lines to promote outside of these two teams...which, by the way, might be the most self-absorbed pro sports franchises on the planet.

I came across this stat the other day: the New York Yankees are spending $96.6 million on their pitching staff, which is more than 26 teams spend on their entire rosters.

One last shot about the steroid issue...it is a good thing that MLB put the clamps down on Alex Sanchez. You remember Sanchez - the Tampa Bay Devil Ray outfielder who failed a drug test, and is now serving a 10-day suspension.

It is about time he was caught.

He has hit 4 home runs in the past four years...and is one of the scariest "power hitters" in the game. How pathetic is that?