Eight is Enough
Posted August 17, 2008, 7:36 PM ET

You gotta love Michael Phelps.

Red, White and Blue....and kicking ass. His personal achievement in the 2008 Olympics has been nothing short of amazing. Winning eight gold medals at one Olympiad might be a record we never seen broken in our lifetime. In addition to his accomplishments in the pool, he seems to have created a legendary status at the dinner table, too.

There were numerous reports that he consumes 12,000 calories a day. To put things into perspective, the average person swallows around 2,000 a day. Of course, you can pull off that Kobayashi-like stunt when you're burning 4,000 calories per workout.

For the record: during breakfast alone, he eats three fried egg sandwiches loaded with cheese and mayo. Follows it up with a five-egg omelet, two cups of coffee, three slices of French toast and caps off the morning meal with three chocolate chip pancakes.

It has been a joy to watch the guy in the water for the past week in Beijing. Now, we need to get him his own show on Food Network.

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There is no question that our broadcasting industry is going through a very difficult time. Sales numbers are down, and the radio business is trying to redefine itself in the age of the internet and other technological advancements.

It was announced last week that one of sports talk radio's true pioneer tandems, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, were calling it quits after nearly 19 years on the radio in New York City.

The two are better known on the airways as "Mike and the Mad Dog", and they have been a staple of the sports talk radio scene in America's biggest market. It appears that Francesa will go solo on WFAN while his former partner goes on to a big payday at Sirius.

I can speak from experience that anybody who can last double digit years at one station in this business has truly accomplished something. Mike and the Mad Dog did more than last; they were an institution. You didn't have to agree with them, but they were entertaining and they kept people talking....and that is the key to any successful radio venture.

Their break-up is also a sign that nothing lasts forever in the broadcast business. I'm sure WFAN in New York will feel the effects of this decision both on and off the air. Unfortunately for New York sports fans, their afternoon commute will never be the same.

After the craziness surrounding the Don Imus firing of 2007, and now the break-up of Mike and the Mad Dog, I'm sure the halls of WFAN are buzzing.

Ironically, since we're talking about radio shows....August 18th marks a special day on my calendar. It was on this day in 1997, that WFNZ debuted the "Packman and Penner Show". It was but a short seven weeks later that I went on to host "PrimeTime with the Packman", but it is hard to believe that 11 years ago on that August day, it all started at WFNZ.

But as Mike and the Mad Dog can attest...nothing lasts forever. But I bet both guys will tell you it was a helluva run.

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I wish I had more to talk about when it comes to the Panthers.

The game last week against Philly was a complete waste of time. I'm not sure there was anything that you could take away from that effort, other than the fact that Jake Delhomme was hit and still got up and threw the football.

Neither side of the ball did much against the Eagles.

The Panther wide receiver corp was so banged up that it wasn't even up to B-level performance. The only guy that could catch a pass, Mushin Muhammad, got his head knocked off by Brian Dawkins.

The game was a zero. The good news is that the team will have more time to get rested and ready for the Washington Redskins on Saturday night. It should be pointed out the Skins are playing well, and many of their loyal, local fans are starting to sense something special coming out of D.C.

That also includes former Skins QB Joe Theismann. Last week, Joe was on the radio show and he had plenty to say about the current state of the NFL, Brett Favre and his playoff picks.

Theismann doesn't believe the Panthers will make it to the post-season in 2008. His six playoff teams for the NFC are as follows:

Dallas, Washington, Philly, Green Bay, Tampa Bay and Seattle.

In the AFC, he likes New England, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Indy, San Diego and Buffalo.

Believe it or not, Joe is picking Jacksonville and Seattle in the Super Bowl tilt. I can guarantee you that Joe is the only guy picking these two teams to make it to Tampa.

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I'll close up with a few random thoughts:

I've enjoyed seeing Melissa Stark back on the television. I thought she was OK as a sideline reporter during the Monday Night Football games years ago, but I've enjoyed her work as an anchor during the Olympic Games.

I tried watching some of ESPN's new morning "SportsCenters" with Hannah Storm. To be honest with you, she is all right, but I'd rather watch Melissa Stark....or Erin Andrews...or just loop the entire women's beach volleyball competition (especially if the Brazilian team is in action).

I'm really enjoying this baseball season. Even though my San Francisco Giants have been eliminated for the past three months, there is something about watching the Yankees fall apart that is entertaining. I know I can count on Hank Steinbrenner for a great quote, but it certainly looks like the Yankees' run of post-season appearances is about to come to a screeching halt. In case anybody is counting, the last time the Yanks failed to qualify for the post-season was 1993. (1994 was the strike-season in MLB).

The Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins are making a mockery out of my "Packman 9". Every year during the first week of the season, I list nine teams that have no shot at the post-season...both the Rays and Twinkies made the cut. At this point in time, Tampa could end up with the best record in baseball...go figure?

Georgia is ranked #1 in the AP Poll. Big deal...it means absolutely nothing. But I can't wait for the college football season to get started. We'll be in Columbia, SC for the opener of the Sun Drop Southern Fried Football™ Tour while we broadcast live from the Palmetto state capital.

Three programming notes this week on the radio show:

Anna Kournikova is scheduled to be on the air with us on Tuesday: Kirk Herbstreit from ABC and ESPN begins his weekly segment on Wednesday (5pm), and the debut of the Sun Drop Southern Fried Football™ Show starts on Wednesday evening at 7pm, and will air for the next fifteen weeks on selected stations around the Southeast.