Boo and Bob
Posted April 20, 2008, 8:05 PM ET

From my perspective, the entire sports week fell into two categories: Boo and Bob.

"Boo" represents my favorite PGA Tour player, Boo Weekley. As it turns out, Boo defended his title at the Heritage in Hilton Head and he will head into Charlotte in the next few weeks with some momentum and at least a new caddie for the Pro-Am....and that caddie would be me. I can't wait to tote that bag for 18 holes and laugh along with him the whole way. Boo Weekley is a breath of fresh air in the world of sports snobs and arrogant, egotistical professional athletes.

On the flip side, "Bob" represents the Bobcats' billionaire owner, Bob Johnson. This past week, Johnson committed corporate suicide while demanding that more local businesses and corporations should spend their cash on his fledgling franchise. Bob Johnson's comments were laughable, and it all but cemented his demise in the marketplace.

Boo and Bob are literally at the polar opposite ends of the sports spectrum....and they are also the focal points of this week's Ripe Gripe.

Bob Johnson this past week stated that Charlotte hasn't lived up to his expectations of supporting his NBA franchise. Somehow, Johnson has confused the premise that it's not obligatory for people or businesses to support any professional franchise.

Just because Bob overspent on his original investment (300 million) to become an owner of an NBA team, doesn't mean it's the responsibility of the entire city of Charlotte to throw tens of millions of dollars his way. The last time I checked, the city built a 275-million dollar, state-of-the-art arena for his disposal....and by the way, it was the city of Charlotte that voted down the arena, but it was built anyhow.

Bob Johnson and Michael Jordan have combined to place a lousy product on the floor of their newly-named arena. In four years, the Bobcats have predictably missed the playoffs each year, but their latest efforts produced an embarrassing 50-loss season. Evidently, the mediocre product is somehow the responsibility of Charlotte in the tangled mind of Bob Johnson. It's so bad that I decided that the Bobcats' new slogan for next season should read: "Charlotte Bobcats basketball....it's your fault".

When I first heard of Johnson's strange cry for financial help, I shook my head. I stated on my radio show last Tuesday that Johnson should cut his losses and find a potential owner that is willing to roll up his sleeves, work and become a full-time member of the community. Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer basically wrote the same diatribe the following day in his column.

I can't imagine another big-time mover or shaker in the Queen City that wasn't totally turned off by the ridiculous claims and statements of the Bobcats' owner. For Johnson, he has a ton of work to do to get back in the good graces of the city of Charlotte....the bigger question might be...does he care?

While "Bob" was a complete disgrace, "Boo" brought a smile to my face.

Since last season, Boo Weekley has become a regular on our "PrimeTime with the Packman" show. I spoke with him last week, before he teed off in defense of his title at Harbour Town.

If you've ever heard any our conversations, you can tell Boo likes the simple life. Family, friends and fishing...he doesn't seem to take life too seriously, and he's about as easy-going as a man can get. How can you not like Boo Weekley?

Watching my favorite golfer from the Florida panhandle put the finishing touches on his second consecutive win in Hilton Head, it dawned on me that you can have the world of Bob Johnson's garbage...give me Boo in the winner's circle any day of the week.

You've got to love a guy that pockets nearly a million bucks playing in Harbour Town while chewing and spitting tobacco juice along the way. He's the antithesis of almost everything on the PGA Tour, and that's why I root for the guy.

I kidded him last week about pulling some practical jokes on his dad at the golf course and I figured he'd have a few in store for me when I caddy for him during the Pro-Am at the Wachovia. He laughed and stated that he'd only carry a few balls and gloves.....I know better.

I told him that he'd probably have a hundred pounds of chewing tobacco stashed in the golf bag just to make it tougher for me around the grounds of Quail Hollow.....we both laughed.

I was thrilled when he tapped in the final putt to become the first back-to-back winner at Harbour Town since Davis Love III pulled the trick, in the early 90's. I can honestly say that's the first real smile that I've had about something taking place in the sports world this entire year....well, at least since LSU destroyed Ohio State back in early January.

Hopefully, Bob Johnson will keep his mouth shut, and Boo will keep on making birdies....and everything will be all right in the world of sports.