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Show The Carolina Panthers finished up their mini-camp, and to nobody's surprise, Julius Peppers was nowhere to be found. Until the aloof defensive end signs his deal, there is nothing more to speculate surrounding Peppers and the Panthers. I have a feeling that this soap opera will continue for months to come...even though there were some interesting articles written out West, speculating that the San Francisco 49ers might have an interest in Peppers. The Niners have two first round picks in 2010 (one thanks to Carolina) and they have room under the cap. When you add the fact that San Fran also plays the 3-4 defense, there are a number of items that appear to be a win-win for both clubs and Peppers. Stay tuned. I had the chance to caddy for Boo Weekley last week in the Quail Hollow Championship Pro-Am, and the setting was perfect for one of the best golf tournaments of the year. Even though the Tiger/Phil Sunday match-up never materialized, the tourney was still a great success. Sean O'Hair survived a wonderful leaderboard to pick up his third PGA Tour win. Johnny Harris and Kym Hougham do a marvelous job with the tournament. From the players to the fans and sponsors, everybody seems to have a great time at Quail Hollow. If you had 50-1 long-shot "Mine That Bird" in the Kentucky Derby, raise your hand. If you did, please pick up your truckload of cash at the ticket window, too. I stated last week that the favorite never seems to win the first leg of the Triple Crown (no disrespect to Big Brown), and this year was no exception. I thought the blimp coverage of the horse race was sensational. It gave you a true appreciation of what an amazing race the horse and jockey completed to shock the horse racing world. Speaking of TV coverage, "congrats" need to go out to our friend Jim Nantz. The CBS host will be in Salisbury, NC this week to pick up his fourth Sportscaster of the Year award. It is well-deserved, and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy....not to mention the fact that he's one of the great sports broadcasters of our time. Kyle Busch sure knows how to throw himself a party. The 24-year-old won his third Cup race of the year this past weekend, in Richmond. The last time I checked, he now has 15 Cup wins, and he appears to be closing in on Dale, Jr's win total. Junior didn't have much to say after another lukewarm effort and 27th place finish. He stated after the race that his car was "terrible". Maybe....but the driver didn't seem to help matters, either. We were all saddened by the news last week of David Poole. The outstanding motorsports journalist suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 50. He will be missed in the garage area, media row and as a friend. I really enjoyed working with David on our "PrimeTime with the Packman" show. We would always laugh, argue, eat and compare crazy stories on every show. He was truly one of the good guys in the business and one of the few print guys that understood the importance of doing Radio and TV. He will be missed. I'm headed to Raleigh on Wednesday for Game 3 of the Hurricanes-Bruins series. I had such a great time a few weeks ago, that we decided to go back and check out our Pucking Brothers. As I'm typing this blog entry, the Canes are battling the Bruins in Game 2, and there is already a controversy. I thought the Canes scored with two-tenths of a second remaining in the 2nd period.....even though the goal was disallowed. What is it, with the Canes and two-tenths of a second? Hopefully, they can hold onto their lead and even the series. I'm sure Game 3 will be rocking at the RBC, and we will be right in the middle of the madness. I promise to "tweet" from the RBC, so if you are following me on twitter, you'll be up-to-speed on all the action. If you want to follow along for free, log onto twitter.com/MarkPacker. |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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