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Champions For the first time in 17 years, the Clemson Tigers are picked to win the ACC football championship. This bit of news is compliments of the media that selects such irrelevant information. Even though there are zero guarantees that Tommy Bowden will be hanging a championship banner in Death Valley based on a straw vote of sportswriters, there is reason for the Clemson faithful to be upbeat. It has been a while since Clemson fans have been this optimistic about an upcoming football season. Granted, it doesn't take a Tiger football fan much to get excited, but this year there are no more excuses for Tommy Bowden. With the league's best skill players returning and a ton of defensive stars in place, what is there not to like about the Tigers in 2008? One thing...Clemson's reputation under Bowden for losing games they are not supposed to lose. It has followed the Tigers' head coach since his arrival to the South Carolina campus. Sure, the team will beat a Miami, Florida State and Tennessee, but Bowden's Tigers will do the unthinkable and lose at Duke, too. The opener against high-profile Alabama will have fans and the nation talking; I think you need to look deeper into the schedule, to find the key to the Tigers' run at an ACC title. The road trip to Switzerland to play Wake Forest on a Thursday night will be big. But so will back-to-back road trips to Florida State and Boston College in November. If (and this is a big "if") the Tigers emerge with a winning mark in those three road games, then you've got to like their chances to play for an ACC title in Tampa in early December. My gut tells me that this year, Clemson and Tommy Bowden find a way to elevate the program and win the conference crown. Thank goodness the NFL Training Camps are open for business. Not only is it a sign that football is right around the corner, but it's also encouraging that the Brett Favre story won't dominate the football landscape. I know it will continue to be a huge story until he finally decides what to do about his future, but at least we'll have some additional items to kick around before we kick-off. One newsworthy story surfaced this week when the NY Giants traded disgruntled TE Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints. The world champs have lost some interesting parts of their roster since the last time we watched them win the title in the Arizona desert. The acquisition of Shockey also is critical to the Saints, who give dangerous QB Drew Brees another weapon. That isn't good news for the Carolina Panthers, who must contend with the Saints and Shockey twice a year in the competitive NFC South. Most of the NFL preseason mags have tabbed the Saints as the favorites in the division, and there is no question that this move by New Orleans solidifies those predictions. Even though I believe the Panthers will have a say-so in who wins the crazy NFC South. Speaking of the Panthers, General Manager Marty Hurney stopped by the radio show last week before we headed off for a two-week hiatus, and declared that he expected for all the draftees to be signed and ready to report to Spartanburg for the opening of camp. I got a big kick out of Carson Palmer's remarks to a Los Angeles radio station. Palmer, the Cincinnati Bengals' All-Pro QB and former USC Trojan standout, ripped into "Buckeye Nation". He was quoted as saying "I can't stand the Buckeyes. It's amazing to hear what these guys think about that university and what they think about that football program and Tressel and all the crap I gotta put up with being back there (Ohio)." I have to be honest, I've had a blast stirring the pot with "Buckeye Nation" on my radio show. The fans are passionate and love their team with the same zest as you see with Southern Fried Football™ fans. Of course, when you have a legacy of never beating a team from the SEC in a bowl game, it makes you an easy target. Somehow, I have a feeling that Palmer just endeared himself to every college football fan in the South. For the record, it should be noted that the Buckeyes travel to Hollywood to hook-up with Southern Cal on September 13th in what is shaping up as a huge game in the national title hunt. It was refreshing to see Greg Norman back in the spotlight with his play at the British Open. While very few people were surprised that the 53 year-old fell short during the back nine of the final round, it was a great story in a month that has given us some great and unexpected drama. I couldn't help but laugh at another story from the world of golf; this one involves that golfing phenom known as Michelle Wie. I'm going on record that I am sick and tired of the hype surrounding this "college student". She is a lame product of the Nike Marketing Department. Wie was DQ'ed for not signing her second round scorecard last week. After failing to break 75 on a consistent basis, I'm surprised that the Stanford student forgot to put her autograph on a sheet of paper that was something other than an endorsement check. I don't like piling on some 18 year-old girl that has been thrust into the national spotlight as the "next big thing" in sports. But it makes me sick to see somebody chosen that hasn't won squat. Maybe she has a club championship to her name, but Michelle Wie has never demonstrated any ability other than appearing on TV while shooting 75 or pocketing some cash for filming another commercial. I don't blame her for taking the cash. I blame Nike and the sports media industry for taking the bait. While Wie wimped out in another women's tournament, we got news that she has accepted an invitation to play on the PGA Tour in some event named the "Legends Reno-Tahoe Open". Who knew this event existed on the PGA Tour? I can't believe the Tour would allow this crap. Why do you need Wie in the field? Surely Kenny Perry will be there to pad his Ryder Cup points while the rest of the world's best players stay as far away from Nevada as physically possible. I will return from vacation the week of August 4th with new stuff on the blog, TV commentaries and of course our daily radio show. |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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