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Time
to Regroup As we approach America's birthday this week, it's time to have some fun. We could use it as we enter July, the longest sports month of the year. I've provided some off-beat stories and sports opinions as we ease into the July 4th holiday. Before we get started, we need a moment of silence for the passing of one of America's most popular sports figures. This past weekend, the University of Georgia's beloved mascot, Uga VI, passed away due to a heart attack. He was ten years old and will be put to rest at Sanford Stadium.
Anybody who has attended a football game in Athens, or witnessed a Georgia game on the tube can't help but admire the English bulldog that was treated like royalty. He was recently recognized as the top college mascot in the country. Speaking of dogs, what in the world were Don Imus and Shaq thinking last week with their ill-timed and stupid comments? There is no way to sugarcoat either story or scenario. Both guys were morons. In regards to Imus: everybody points to his racially-charged dialogue, but what was lost in the discussion is how uninformed he was regarding "Pacman" Jones. You don't have to be a sports guy to know that this guy has been in the news constantly for his disturbing actions away from the game of football. Imus is no fool, but in this case he crossed the line in every aspect. I would have fired Don Imus on two counts if I were in charge. One for being stupid in his line of questioning, and not being prepared. Shaq's pathetic effort to bust a few rhymes to increase his "street cred" and mock Kobe Bryant in the process was embarrassing. In this day and age, you have to be smarter than that. I stated last week on the radio show, that if I was running a company that used him as a spokesperson, he would have been fired on the spot. It's a good thing for Imus and Shaq that they don't work for me...I'd have plenty of pink slips to give out. For years, I've referred to our workplace as "Bazooka Friday", as the early mass exodus takes place like clockwork. Lock...Lunch...Leave. By the time we start our show at 3pm, CBS Radio is virtually empty. Well, it appears that the folks in Columbia, S.C. have taken note of our work habits. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, there was a football player by the name of Justin Jones that made a recruiting visit to South Carolina to check out the Gamecock football program. After being picked up by the USC grad assistant and given the grand tour, Jones asked to meet the coaches. There was only one problem...they were all gone. Everybody left for vacation, including the head ball coach, Steve Spurrier. It appears that the "Bazooka Friday" mentality has invaded Columbia. Two days after his visit to Columbia, Jones announced he was going to the University of Kentucky. I'm not aware if Coach Spurrier has been reached on his favorite golf course and told that they lost out on another player. The past couple of weeks I've talked about how many people have been apologizing for their politically incorrect statements. Jemele Hill (ESPN.com), Johnny Miller (NBC) and Bill Conlin (Philly Sports TV) just to name a few...not to mention Shaq and Don Imus. Perhaps the best one of the bunch happened over the weekend during the Wimbledon championships. Former tennis player, Justin Gimelstob, was being interviewed and was asked a question about former player and current heartthrob, Anna Kournakova. Gimelstob slammed Kournakova...and to paraphrase: "She's a bitch....she has a great body, but her face is a 5 on a 10 scale". Later next month, Gimelstob is scheduled to play in a mixed doubles event with her and claimed that he would be aiming at her midriff during the match. He said on the interview, "If she's not crying by the time she walks off the court, then I didn't do my job." WTF? It didn't take long for Gimelstob to apologize to all parties involved. The NBA Draft has come and gone, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief that we will be spared for another year of those fascinating 90-second player interviews by Stephen A. Fraud. No matter how hard ESPN tries to hide him, they just can't seem to find a logical location. Perhaps those midnight billiard matches from some Vegas hotel lobby would make more sense? I'm telling you, while his television persona is a disaster, he is a talented writer...they should have him on ESPN.com stirring the pot. I also loved Jay "Flip-Flop" Bilas breaking down the wingspan of every potential player known to man. I laughed my ass off when "Flip-Flop" congratulated himself on the air for not uttering the word "long", after the evening's proceedings. Somehow, I have a feeling some TV suit got in his ear and told him to lay off the overused term. Just to prove to the TV suit and anyone watching at home how clever he is, "Flip-Flop" developed a new overused term, "wingspan". Bilas is the smartest man on television....just ask him. Meanwhile, our local team, the Charlotte Bobcats, created a stir with the selection of their second first-round draft pick. The Michael Jordan/Larry Brown combo selected some guy from France. The kid is named Alexis Ajinca, he's 20 years old, 7-feet tall and averaged over 5 points a game in some French Recreation League. The Frenchman, along with the other Bobcat draftees, made it over to the studio to be interviewed on my show. We know that DJ Augustin will contribute, but the Frenchman is the biggest mystery man of Charlotte. After meeting him, the only thing I can think of is that Flip-Flop was right about his 7'8" wingspan. I sure hope Larry Brown and Michael Jordan know what they're doing. |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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