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Timely Debut This is a big week for me. Wednesday is the thirteen-year anniversary of my start at WFNZ radio. It's hard to believe that August 18, 1997 was my first day on WFNZ, and I'm still surviving. Thanks to the loyal listeners and all the co-hosts, producers, interns, great guests, sponsors and even some "suits" that made it possible to keep the show rocking after all these years. Thursday is a big day, too. Not only do I begin my fourteenth year on the air, but it is the unveiling of the AAA Southern Fried Football™ Tour and the debut of the SFF Radio Show (7-8pm in selected markets in the Carolinas). It is hard to believe that we've been doing this since the 1998 college football season and this is year #13 for us hitting the road each and every Saturday. You can check the relaunch of the website on the 19th, too. It is www.southernfriedfootball.com.....and we'll have some new surprises for you on the site. If you don't have it bookmarked during the football season, well it's your fault. You've been warned. The Panthers have played one pre-season game with mixed reviews and they get their next chance to showcase their skills on Saturday against the flamboyant New York Jets. Just like the game in Baltimore, the Panthers will get a healthy test and progress report against another Super Bowl-caliber team. There were some surprising performances against the Ravens....the D-line was better than anticipated, Jimmy Clausen looked "OK" as the #2 guy, and the Panther RB's are outstanding. Of course, the team has some serious to work to do at WR and special teams. It's still a work in progress, and there is still time to get it worked out. Speaking of the Jets, I loved the debut of Hard Knocks last week on HBO. It was fabulous. While the team is loaded with colorful characters, it was head coach Rex Ryan who stole the show with his attitude and foul mouth.....he was fantastic. It is must-watch television, and with the Jets coming to Carolina this week, it adds more spice and local flavor. Throw in the holdout of Revis, and the typical bruising practices with attitude and you've got yourself a fun hour of television. HBO does a great job with the series. I guess Tiger Woods will have to wait until 2011 to win major title #15. Tiger's quest to capture and catch Jack Nicklaus' 18 major title victories hit a brick wall this year. Not only did he pay the personal price for his infidelity, but his golf game suffered, too. Tiger's last major championship win was the US Open of 2008, when he defeated Rocco Mediate in a playoff on one leg. That seems like a decade ago. Many golf experts thought the collection of courses at the majors this year would be the perfect formula for Tiger to pick up a couple more "W's". Think about it: there's always Augusta, but this year there was Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and Whistling Straits. Tiger couldn't have scripted a better layout, but he didn't close the deal in any of them. Jim Nantz of CBS Sports called into my radio show last week to preview the PGA Championship and of course the conversation turned towards Woods. Nantz still believes that Tiger will be the favorite at Augusta next April. I completely disagree with Nantz. I don't think Tiger is finished, not by a long stretch. He'll be back and I expect him to find a win in a major tourney again. But the days of Tiger showing up and being declared a favorite in the short term are over. Like the Carolina Panthers, he has a lot of work ahead of him. As NASCAR continues to fade from the daily sports conversation, I couldn't help but notice how hard the racing suits are still trying to shove Danica Patrick down our throats. Don't they get it? She sucks. I mean she is a complete waste of airtime.....unless of course your goal is to showcase drivers that find themselves two laps down every 100 miles. Patrick finished 27th this past weekend in Michigan, and afterwards was given all the face time she could handle by the TV folks. She even had the audacity to claim "If we could have started the race the way we finished, it would have been a different story." Really? You finished four laps down, and you're talking all that noise? Sweetheart, for the record: you've participated in 6 Nationwide Series races. Your final results are as follows: 35th, 31st, 36th, 30th, 24th and 27th. That's an average finish of 30th. Could you imagine how over-the-top the hype would be if she actually finished in the Top 10? And
you wonder why NASCAR can't seem to figure out their doldrums with
the fans? I read where the AVP has decided to shut down the season after a lack of sponsorship dollars. How can pro beach volleyball fail in this department? Great-looking babes wearing next to nothing while sweating and competing in the hot sun? Man, whoever is in charge of sales/sponsorships needs to find a new line of work. Maybe somebody should call Danica? |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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