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Rain, Rain Go Away..... I live in Charlotte....but lately it feels remarkably similar to Seattle. I'm sick of the rain and overcast skies....whatever happened to those Carolina springtime temperatures? Mother Nature kicked sports in the ass this past weekend. The PGA Tour event in the Queen City was a mess....the Kentucky Derby was a mud-fest....and even Talladega had issues with the moisture. The whole sports weekend in the South suffered. At least I could count on my favorite team, the San Francisco Giants, to sweep the over-paid, over-rated LA Dodgers without any interference from the weather gods above. I felt for all the tournament organizers and volunteers at the Wells Fargo Tournament. Usually, Quail Hollow is impeccable and the players rave about the course and the conditions. This year, there was a bunch of backstroking and excuses for the terrible condition of the greens. Some of the players didn't bitch, they just decided to withdraw and get ready for The Players this week in Florida. I walk my dog Chester on the Myers Park golf course and their greens are perfect.....no excuses about the weather or anything else. The suits at Quail Hollow blew this one, but they've done so many good things in the span of the event's history that you know they'll get it right next year. In the end, some dude by the name of Derek Ernst won the event....I've never heard of him. I couldn't pick him out of a line of Dick's Sporting Goods employees. Given how forgettable the tournament was this past week with the lousy weather and condition of the greens....it's probably fitting that Derek Ernst won the $1.2 million first place check. His journey to play in Charlotte as the fourth alternate this past week is a great story, but the list of champs from Quail Hollow has always been impressive....I just didn't expect Derek Ernst to be added to the list. Orb won the 139th Kentucky Derby. It is a bit unusual to see the favorite win the "Run for the Roses", but that's what we got in muddy Louisville. One of these days I'm going to the Derby....I say it to myself every year, and every single time I end up watching the race on the tube. It just looks like a damn good time, and I don't know a thing about horses or horse racing. I noticed that Rick Pitino's horse finished 17th....Coach Pitino can't be too bummed out given what has happened to him the past 6 weeks...NCAA title, Hall of Fame nod and a cheap tat on his back. Life is good....even when you finish 17th. I caught some of the NBA Playoffs....Lakers got swept and the Clippers are on the couch with the Bobcats. I'm starting to think that LA's sports scene is ranking up there with my town, Charlotte. There's no pro football and the Dodgers and Angels are stinking up both leagues on the diamond. But back to hoops....the Knicks finally won a playoff series....Memphis is tangling with OK City....LeBron and the Heat are looking to dismantle whatever is left of the Chicago Bulls....and the Spurs have to deal with the upstart Warriors and Mr. Curry. The NBA Playoffs are entertaining....and we are starting to get a little juice and hostility. Somehow LeBron wasn't named as the NBA MVP by everyone with a vote....but he did join a cast of greatness by picking up his 4th NBA MVP Award. It is well deserved and it appears that he and his teammates aren't done acquiring hardware. I know the Bulls snapped their winning streak back on March 27th, but does anybody believe they can beat Miami in a best of 7 series? Not me. I also watched some of the NBA pre-game show with Charles, Shaq, Kenny and Ernie....Barkley is a funny dude when he is in his comfort zone. He knows the players, the game and is very candid.....he's the exact opposite when covering the NCAA Tournament. It was good to get back to work last week.....after taking two weeks off, I was ready to get started on SiriusXM. We are adding some new elements to the show in the upcoming months and I think you'll really enjoy it. We've added the "Campus Crawl" and the "Top 5 at 5", but be on the lookout for some new elements to the show. I'm awaiting word from the SiriusXM suits about our "Camp Tours" this Fall. Last year was so much fun traveling around the country and doing remote broadcasts from some of the great football programs in the country. The access to the coaches, players and legends made it a blast....and I'm curious to see where they are sending me this year, too. Stay tuned for all the details on SiriusXM, Channel 91 from 3-6, ET. Jon Beason, the Carolina Panthers LB, joined me on the show last week and it sounds as if he is healthy and ready to star again for the club. The last two years he has been banged up and I know it drives him nuts watching in street clothes....it's not in Jon's DNA. However, on Monday May 13th, he is holding a fundraiser for his charity at The Palm in Southeast Charlotte. Panther players will be celebrity waiters and all the proceeds go to JB's new foundation which helps kids. I look forward to emceeing the event and if you want more info, just log onto to Jon's site, www.jonbeason.org. |
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