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It's
Panther Time For the Carolina Panthers, they have been on the clock since the middle of last season. On Thursday, we can finally put all the speculation to rest, as the Panthers make their pick. The Draft can't get here fast enough. Given the unrest of the NFL's labor issues, the off-season has felt very strange. It's hard to get overly pumped about billionaires and millionaires fighting over the split of 9 billion dollars. The NFL schedule was released last week and it felt like the ultimate tease, or at least a slap in the face. The NFL Draft is usually time to get excited, and I am curious to see how the Panthers proceed.....but once the event is over....it's over. Nothing will take place between the teams and players until a deal is worked out. As far as I'm concerned, it's a lose-lose for both sides....and the fans get a double dose of "shut the hell up". I really can't listen or watch another breakdown of Cam Newton.....I'm already tired of Newton and all the other half-dozen players that have been over-analyzed to the point of exhaustion. If I were the Panthers, I would do whatever it takes to move down in the Draft and acquire additional picks. I'm not sold that Newton is the right guy for Carolina, but if he does end up in Charlotte....there will be an instant curiosity surrounding the big man from Auburn. And for the Panthers, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I can't wait to hear Mel Kiper, Jr. tell me why Newton is such a bad move since Jimmy Clausen (Mel's boyfriend last year in the Draft) is still on the Panthers' roster. If Clausen performed like Kiper predicted, there would be no reason for Carolina to look at a QB.....plus, there's no doubt that the team would not find itself with a 2-14 record and the first pick in the Draft. Tick...tock....the Panthers are on the clock. I guess the Atlanta Braves got tired of the San Francisco Giants partying in their clubhouse after kicking Bobby Cox to retirement during the 2010 MLB Playoffs. The Bravos swept my Giants over the weekend in San Fran for the first time since 1998.....and this might be exactly what the doctor ordered for Atlanta. While my Giants continue to struggle, it only gets worse for their rivals to the South, the LA Dodgers. The Dodgers reached an all-time low when they were overtaken by Bud Selig......Bud Selig! Corporate hijacking in Dodgertown.....hilarious. Can it get any worse for the Dodgers? They still have the thugs outside the stadium beating people up....and now Bud Selig is in control in LA. Stay tuned....this one is bound to get uglier, in the upcoming months. You gotta figure that Frank McCourt won't go away quietly....this one has "lawsuit" written all over it. How about the report that former Arkansas quarterback, Ryan Mallet, was accused of having a big night on the town and then got sick when he visited the Panthers a few weeks ago? I've lived in the Queen City for a long time, and I could only laugh when I heard this story. I'd love to know what Mallet did in "Uptown Charlotte" that kept him out all night long? Tequila shots at Dale, Jr.'s Whiskey River? Come on. It's Charlotte.....not New York or Atlanta or Miami, etc.... This is not exactly the party capital of the South. I'll take Mallet on his word that he was under the weather for non-partying reasons. Plus, there's no way Carolina is going to pick this guy, anyhow. I look forward to being in Wilmington this weekend, to emcee their Sports Hall of Fame ceremony. I haven't been back to the coastal town since doing a broadcast remote last October.....it's a beautiful spot and I look forward to seeing some old friends during the weekend visit. The Miami Hurricanes finally landed their coach for hoops, and it's Jim Larranaga. Larranaga did a solid job at George Mason and I suspect he'll be ok in Coral Gables, too. I did laugh, however, when I read the quote from Tom O'Connor, the AD at George Mason. He was quoted as saying that Larranaga can coach at any level....he could probably coach the LA Lakers if he wanted to. Really? Who knew? Let's see how he does with a second division ACC team, before replacing Phil Jackson. |
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