Jim Szoke's Sports Blog

Summertime Blues

I think today is the slowest sports day of the year.  Today's lead stories are the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets "might" miss the season with a foot injury.  Panthers training camp is over a month away, the Bobcats draft has come and gone, the Atlanta Braves are floundering, and the next golf major is weeks away.  It got so slow that the Charlotte Observer had a front page sports story the other day about the ACC competing on the same level with the SEC in football...the summer heat plays with the mind.   

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is in Daytona for their traditional Firecracker, er, Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola.  It was a great story though that 19-year-old Joey Logano won his first Cup race last weekend at New Hampshire, becoming the youngest winner in breaking Kyle Busch's record.  And keeping with the summertime theme, how about that trophy?  A giant lobster for the New England native.  At least he didn't smash it the way Kyle Busch did with the Gibson Les Paul custom painted guitar at Nashville.  That could have horrified young viewers as the claw meat splattered if he had given it the Pete Townshend treatment.

It took Julius Peppers four months to decide that he would accept the Panthers offer of over a million dollars per Sunday to play football.  Fans are not usually that good about seperating the personal from the business side of the game, so it will be interesting to see what kind of reaction Pep gets coming through the tunnel.  Only signing a long-term contract will smooth over that aspect.  I'm also excited to see what new defensive coordinator Ron Meeks has in store to take advantage of not only Peppers, but also the speed of linebackers Thomas Davis and Jon Beason.  

I took my 15-year-old son to the beach last weekend for our annual golf trip.  We played a course in Calabash called Farmstead which has a par-6 finishing hole, 767 yards.  I picked this course because of that hole which actually covers parts of North and South Carolina on the state line.  Unfortunately, the looming thunderstorms that had held off all afternoon began to unleash as we literally sprinted to play the par-3 17th.  Wanting to at least get a glimpse of 18, we teed off in the pouring rain.  After hitting a long second shot a couple of thunderbolts too close for comfort (remember the old guy from Caddy Shack that Bill Murray caddied for?) sent us racing the golf cart to the parking lot.  After getting soaked loading the clubs in the car and returning the cart, we started to head back to the condo.  But the rain started to slow and the thunder became more distant, so we turned around and drove back to the course, parking in the corner nearest the final hole.  Grabbing a couple of clubs we dropped a ball about where we had picked up and came in with a bogey-7, making the longest hole last about 30 minutes total.

The Bobcats first round selection of former Duke star Gerald Henderson looks like a safe pick with a lot of upside.  The Bobcats are not acting like they will be much of a player in free agency, so any improvement this season will be incremental.  As much as I liked Stephen Curry as a college player, I hope he does not become a one-dimensional jump shooter in the NBA.  He'll have a much tougher time driving the lane and defending in the NBA, not to mention he's not surrounded by much talent in Golden State.  Hey, did you hear Yao Ming might not play this season....

Bobcats & Big Cat

It was an interesting contrast to see how the community responded to recent news about the two majority owners of Charlotte's professional sports franchises, Bob Johnson and Jerry Richardson.  The announcement that Bobcats owner Bob Johnson was looking to sell off his interest in the NBA team was met with positive response because of the overall negative impact the team has had.  The Bobcats haven't come close to sniffing the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference and the franchise has incorrectly read the market interest from ticket and concession pricing, the failed C-SET premium pay channel to view the then expansion team's games, and of course the force-fed arena on taxpayers who did not ask for one.  Overall, the consensus seems to be don't let the door hit you on the way out to an owner who seldom appears in town anyway.

Meanwhile, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson attends a team practice and it's one of the warmest, local stories of the year.  Yes, the primary reason for that is the remarkable recovery of Mr. Richardson from heart transplant surgery.  But it is also the measure of a man who is well-liked universally, and exudes a deep passion for providing a winning product for their fans.  The opposite of aloof, Mr. Richardson makes it a point to shake hands with the locals and not only ask their opinions, but listen to their answers.  That local ownership persona connects to Panthers fans throughout the Carolinas.  Wins and losses can not always be controlled (witness the Arizona playoff loss), but you can win over fans by showing a commitment to doing the best you can with a plan that includes putting a quality product out.

Moving off of ownership, and down to the field/court now.  The Panthers now need to show the fans that the previously mentioned playoff thumping was an ill-timed letdown.  It was a team that went (12-4) with a division title, but expectations rise when you show that kind of success.  If Julius Peppers does not show up for the start of training camp, it officially becomes a distraction.  The offensive line must rebuild depth after losing their bench rotation.  QB Jake Delhomme needs a solid start to dissolve the bitter taste of January.  The opening portion of the schedule will be playoff caliber with Philadelphia, at Atlanta, and at Dallas just for starters.  The only team with a losing record on the entire slate is (7-9) Buffalo which added Terrell Owens this off-season.

As for the Bobcats, they do seem to be headed in the right direction under Coach Larry Brown.  He's in the middle of re-tooling the roster and trying to bring some defense and consistent scoring to the team.  His parting statement in regard to Emeka Okafor was dead-on.  While Okafor is talented and works hard, he needs to become a better basketball player, not just a well-conditioned athlete.  To get to the next level, the Bobcats must add more quality players who also care about winning and losing.  They already have a number of truly NBA caliber players, but now must blend in an influx of heart.  They won't pick until 12th in the first round so the answer is not likely to come from the college ranks.

Of the two franchises, the Panthers obviously appear to be closer to being able win a championship.  However, that expectation level also brings it's own baggage.  Panthers fans will not be satisfied with merely a return trip to the playoffs that comes up empty.  The Bobcats can win over followers by simply finishing in the top eight of their own conference and qualifying for the post-season.  Charlotte gets compared to Atlanta from time-to-time.  Being compared to Atlanta's luke warm professional sports scene is not something to aspire to, so let's hope we can surpass them in at least that department.

A Hollow Feeling

The Quail Hollow Championship is done for another year.  Congratulations to Kym Hougham, Mac Everett, Johnny Harris, Lee Patterson and everybody involved on doing another outstanding job in hosting the annual tour stop.  The tournament is under contract through 2014, which is the second longest committment currently on the PGA Tour.  The question as the contract winds down will be whether to extend it, or let it expire with the intent of host a major tournament or Ryder Cup event.  Johnny Harris told the Charlotte Business Journal that they will likely let the contract expire in 2014.  The next available PGA Championship is not until 2017, and the next open American Ryder Cup venue will not be until 2024, so we've got a little time to dwell on it. 

Typically, Sundays are made for Tiger Woods in a red Nike golf shirt making a charge up the leaderboard.  He looked the same as far as the red shirt goes, but the putting was well below his usual standard.  He drove the green on the short par-4 14th hole, but then proceeded to three-putt from 23 feet out.  Tiger says his driving distance is down from what it was pre-surgery, as he currently is ranked 29th in that department on the PGA Tour stats at 293.5 yards.  It's something to see Bubba Watson drive in person as I did last week at Quail.  He averaged over 331 yards for the tournament, as he and Lucas Glover came within a stroke of Sean O'Hair's winning (-11) total.

The Panthers off-season has been notable for mostly it's lack of real news outside of the changes in the defensive staff.  There has been plenty of Julius Peppers speculation with now the San Francisco 49ers as the latest rumor mill team with a pair of first round draft picks next year, thanks to the Panthers trade. That deal to acquire Florida State's Everette Brown in the second round by trading next year's first round pick indicates the Panthers desire to get another speed rusher trained as quickly as possible for whatever the future holds.

Chad Bowar from our news department is a Minnesota Vikings fan and says he will drop them as his team if they sign Brett Favre.  I don't have a problem with Favre playing again, my irriation is you can not believe a thing he says.  He has retired twice in two years and again said he was definitely not coming back.  But here he is meeting with Vikings Coach Brad Childress.  I don't know what the Packers did to set him off besides pay him a ton of money and give in to all of his time requests, but he seems to have it out for them and the opportunity to match up two times in the NFC North.  While he had his moments with the Jets last season, his clunkers down the stretch run cost New York the playoffs.

Quail Hollow put Charlotte on the international media map last week, and now Michael Phelps and the Ultra Swim meet at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club will do it again next week.  Phelps of course will be competing for the first time since his three month suspension following the Beijing Olympics.  His likeness on cornflakes boxes were sent by the thousands to feed Third World nations as Kelloggs pulled them off the shelf here.  But now he can begin again to repair his reputation following his short-lived fame.  Not to worry, Michael Vick, A-Rod and Roger Clemens will make him yesterday's news as the summer heats up. 

Master of his Terrain

The Masters lived up to the hype and had something for any golf fan to follow.  The heartbreak is always as big of a story as the victory itself in a major tournament.  For Kenny Perry, he unfortunately will be the foil for blowing a two stroke lead with two holes to go, and a total of three bogeys over his final four holes.  Angel Cabrera seems like a likable enough guy.  I don't speak Spanish so I can't go into greater detail, but he looked happy about it.  Chad Campbell got a reprieve as he watched the lead fall back into his lap after his round was over, but made a quick exit in the playoff.

Tiger and Phil of course made the event most memorable.  Rivalries are what makes competition great, and the mere presence of Tiger makes any tournament that much more interesting.  The two of them tugging each other up the leaderboard was great drama until they ran out of gas on the final two holes.  On Friday, it was touching to watch 73-year-old Gary Player make that final walk up 18 at Augusta in his record 52nd tournament there.  It reminded me very much of when I was there five years ago to witness Arnold Palmer make that same walk.

Last week, I took my 14-year old son to play golf with my 73-year-old father at Chester Golf Club.  On a day with 20-25 mph wind gusts, we laughed, played and enjoyed the day together.  It's fun to watch the light go on, as Pops straightened up Andy's stance on the tee box.  Where Andy was slicing to the right previously, he immediately ripped a drive down the middle of the fairway.  As we all know, it doesn't usually stay that automatic in golf, but you live for those wide-eyed moments where the game comes into focus.

Nobody knows for sure where the Julius Peppers saga will end.  I don't rule out a trade on or around draft day with the Patriots and Eagles looking like the most interested contenders.  Regardless, the Panthers need to add to both the defensive and offensive lines.  Overall, the starters look relatively set, but there is a priority to fortify every unit with the exception of linebacker and running back from what I see.

North Carolina's Ty Lawson is ready for the NBA.  Wayne Ellington is a nice college player with a terrific jump shot, but maybe a tad slow for the big show.  With a young group of big men, led by Deon Thompson and Ed Davis, plus the return of defensive specialist Marcus Ginyard, the only major hole would be point guard if Lawson in fact turns pro.  Larry Drew does not look like the fulltime answer, but reinforcements are on the way as usual in Chapel Hill.  Duke was a solid second in the ACC this season, but I miss the years when the Blue Devils, NC State and Wake could really compete on a national stage consistently.  Duke and Wake were paper number-1's at times this past season, but the talent gap is obvious.        

Roy's Revenge

University of North Carolina basketball managed to hold up under some pretty heavy pressure this season.  They survived a string of injuries and some media expectations that they could actually go undefeated, which is ridiculous to put on any program. To their credit, the Tar Heels are back in the Final Four for a record 18th time and 9th time in the past 19 seasons.  They'll have a tough match-up with Villanova, but unless the Wildcats shoot lights out (like they did in 1985's championship), Carolina should advance past the semi-finals this time.  I'll stick with my brackets with North Carolina winning the national title over Louisville...oops, guess that side of my bracket fell apart.  So, I'll take Michigan State over Connecticut with what amounts to a home game for the Spartans, who are the most physical team of the four remaining.

Wonder if Kansas coach Bill Self will wear a Tar Heels sticker like Roy Williams did for the Jayhawks last year during the national championship?  That was pretty bizarre considering Kansas had just ended UNC's season.  But if it took a sticker to make Kansas fans forgive Williams for leaving them, then small price to pay, I say.  When I speak to elementary school groups on occassions like career day, I find that stickers are always a big hit.  Apparently it works on the college level too.

If Seth Curry is only partially as good as big brother Stephen, he will be a big hit at Duke.  The younger Curry will have to sit out for a season as he transfers from Liberty, but that will give his body a chance to fill out and then still have three years to play.  As for Stephen, it probably would not improve his draft status by waiting another year to turn pro, but I think his ability to succeed in the NBA would improve with another season of playing point guard under Davidson College coach Bob McKillop.  Too may others, like former ACC player of the year Joseph Forte have bolted early and then slipped into NBA obscurity.  Although Forte had other issues that involved guns and drugs.

Speaking of Davidson, another former point guard is moving on.  After 16 seasons as an assistant coach, Matt Matheny gets his first crack at being a head coach with another Southern Conference team, Elon.  Matt was a guard on the Davidson teams that I called play-by-play for in the early 90's.  Now I feel very old. 

Former Charlotte Hornets guard, Tony Bennett has become a fine college basketball coach and moves from Washington State to Virginia.  WBT listeners may know that part-time radio host and full-time pastor, David Chadwick's son committed to play at Washington State.  Our "source" tells me that David Banner Chadwick of Charlotte Latin remains committed to the Cougars, but will watch to see where the coaching search ends.

      

Bracket Business

The only thing better than watching the NCAA Tournament Selection Show is the hours and then days of analyzing the brackets.  But by the time you're done watching Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale and most every expert pick four number-1 seeds to reach the Final Four, it seems a little disappointing.  Of course, last year for the first time all of the top seeds did actually advance to the Final Four.  Come on, give me a George Mason or Davidson type pick.  What makes the tournament memorable is that team that breaks though and goes much further than a first-round exit.  

Sometimes I spend more time filling out my brackets than I did studying for college exams.  I couldn't stomach picking all top seeds for my brackets, so here goes...a pair of number-1's in Louisville and North Carolina, a number-2 in Memphis, and 3rd seed Villanova beating Pittsburgh.  Louisville beats Memphis, and North Carolina over Villanova.  Then it's Carolina finally over Louisville, despite the Cardinals being the best team from the best conference, the Big East.  A healthy and rested Ty Lawson can help UNC wear down opponents as they are a terrific second-half team when they can push tempo.  Their focus from the beginning of this season is a national championship, and only the loss of Marcus Ginyard has diminished the belief that they can follow through.

Even though their record is not very impressive, it's good to see the Bobcats in the hunt for a playoff spot. The only thing that can warm Charlotte up to this NBA team is winning.  It's a team that plays hard under Larry Brown, who has brought credibility to the team and tweaked the roster closer to his style of player. It would be nice to put behind the numerous mistakes made by the Bobcats organization since arriving in town and just give area basketball fans a team they can get behind.  It would have been nice if the NBA had at least reserved the Hornets name and logo for Charlotte's return to the league.  It's hard watching Chris Paul in those colors playing for New Orleans instead of here.

Wonder what colors Julius Peppers will be wearing next season?  If not black, blue and silver, then New England makes the most sense.  They were reportedly on his list of four teams that he would accept a trade from Carolina.  The Patriots have the cap space and draft picks to trade with the Panthers.  The Panthers would also gain nearly $17-million in deleted salary for 2009 by trading Peppers, but most of this year's free agency class has already made their moves.  Speaking of which, it's been one of the least intriguing off-seasons in regard to the quality and depth of this season's free agent potentials.

Hope A-Rod and his cousin Yuri are enjoying their downtime from baseball.  Maybe passing the time enjoying a video at home, like Dumb and Dumber....then there is Roger Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee, who saved a used steroids needle in a Miller Light beer can in 2001 to save as evidence..."builds muscle mass, less filling!"

  

         

 

A-Roid Not A-lone in Steroids Blame

Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is grabbing the headlines this week for his admission that he used performance enhancing drugs.  Of course his sudden, heroic apology comes days after Sports Illustrated broke the story that he was on a list of known users.  Rodriguez will only admit to using steroids during a three-year period with the Texas Rangers.  Of course, the sports leagues have yet to come to an agreement for testing athletes for HGH, so we can only wonder how many are taking human growth hormone.

A-Rod is just the flavor of the month, as Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and others have already been rung through the ringer.  The difference this time is that Rodriguez was going to be the savior to lead baseball out of the supposed post-steroid era.  Instead, we now know he was right there with them all the time.

His lack of apparent sincerity is dripping all over his lame apology.  First, he handpicks softball tossing interviewer and baseball apologist Peter Gammons of ESPN for his disclosure.  Rodriguez claims he did not know he had tested positive until the story was leaked last week by Sports Illustrated.  However, the Mitchell Report says all of the 104 players who tested positive were told in 2004.  ARod deftly claims SI reporter Serena Roberts stalked him for the story despite her being able to refute each step. 

After watching Barry Bonds tarnished pursuit of baseball's all-time home run record, this latest saga will hang over the sport as Rodriguez is tracking to eventually surpass Bonds.  Bonds and Rodriguez would likely have gone down in history as two of baseball's all-time greats, but now they will be on the government's most wanted poster as steroid offenders.

Michael Phelps should be sending a thank you card to ARod for taking him off the front page of sports.  If anything, bong smoking and beer pong should slow him down in the pool.  

NFL free agency begins later this month, and it will be interesting to see how the Panthers deal with the Julius Peppers possible departure.  The team of course holds the cards, meaning his rights, but Peppers again made it very clear during the Pro Bowl broadcast on ESPN that he has no desire to remain in Carolina.

This past season, Panthers fan and Panther Talk regular attender Jimmy Powell and his family were guests at Panthers practice at the invitation of coach John Fox.  The Powell's 20-month old son Jackson suffers from SMA which is the number-1 killer of children before they reach age two.  For Jimmy and Gina it is obviously a very traumatic situation to deal with and our hearts go out to them.  For anyone who has dealt with severe medical situations, you know it is also financially challenging.  To read more about Jackson and SMA, or if you feel touched enough to offer support, visit their website at www.our-sma-angels.com/jackson/      

Super Bowl and a Dash of Peppers

Have to admit it took just a little bit of the sting out of the Panthers losing to Arizona in the playoffs to see the Cardinals continue to roll by beating Philadelphia.  And don't forget, they began their playoff run by eliminating the red-hot Atlanta Falcons. 

It's hard not to like nice-guy, Kurt Warner.  At the age of 37 he's playing as well as he did with the old St. Louis Rams "fun-and-gun" days and is the only other quarterback besides Craig Morton to lead two different teams to a Super Bowl.  Warner also is a free agent and increases his value with each passing week.  The Cardinals have an interesting dilemma with former number-1 overall pick Matt Leinart riding the bench and looking for playing time.

The Cardinals are also again showing that it's not the best team, but the team that is playing the best in January that reaches the Super Bowl.  Arizona finished the regular season with a (9-7) record. In addition to blowing a 14-point lead in losing to the Panthers in week-8, check out a sampling of some of Arizona's lowlights from the regular season with losses to the Jets (56-35), the Eagles (48-20), the Vikings (35-14) and the Patriots (47-7).

I'm trying to understand the bargaining philosophy of Julius Peppers and his agent Carl Carey.  They not only announced that Peppers no longer want to play for the Panthers, but that his preference is to play for a team that employs a 3-4 defensive scheme.  They've now narrowed their field of potential suitors to about seven NFL teams, since the vast majority play a 4-3 defense.  Wouldn't they welcome the most possible teams bidding against each other, in theory?  Plus the garbage about how he has not been able to reach his full potential by playing for the Panthers.  Really, four trips to the Pro Bowl and a career best 14.5 sacks last season isn't featuring Peppers enough?  Even before this, I felt the price tag would be too much to stomach for a new contract.  Now, I hope Carolina can franchise Peppers and then trade him for some draft picks, maybe he'd like winters in Detroit.

At least the Peppers news has taken the target off Jake Delhomme, at least for now.  No doubt the Panthers quarterback had a terrible game.  But let's not go overboard and forget (12-4) and a division title with perhaps the Panthers best offensive season in their 14-year history.  The defense sputtered miserably down the stretch run beginning with the Giants rushing for 300 yards, followed by the Saints 20-point 4th quarter comeback, and finally Larry Fitzgerald running free through the secondary.  I'm not absolving the quarterback play, but it's a team game, and there definitely were mulitple issues plaguing the Panthers when the season came to an abrupt end against the Cardinals.     

    

Playoff Preview

Now that the Panthers know where they are seeded in the playoffs, where they will play and when, the remaining question is whom they will play.  If Minnesota beats Philadelphia, the Vikings will be the opponent here in the second round.  If the Eagles win that game, then the Panthers get the winner of the Falcons/Cardinals game.  Of the three, Atlanta is the probably the one that would create the most excitement with a regional division rival.  However, the Falcons are also playing the best football of the three.  Arizona and Minnesota are both more one-dimensional, with the Cardinals a throwing team with Kurt Warner and the Vikings a running team with league rushing leader Adrian Peterson.  The Falcons can do both with the second leading rusher in Michael Turner and talented rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, along with a strong defense up front, led by John Abraham.

The Panthers have also faced all three possible opponents in the regular season.  Minnesota handed the Panthers their first loss (20-10), holding Carolina to 40 yards rushing.  The Panthers rallied to beat the Cardinals (27-23) as the teams combined for 776 yards of offense.  Against Atlanta, the Panthers split two games with the home team winning each time.

With a (12-4) record, you would think the Panthers fans would be satisfied.  It's surprising how many continue to use the word conservative in regard to Coach John Fox' offensive philosophy.  They scored more points than any Panthers team in history and scored 28 or more points in each of the final seven games.  If using the NFL's most dangerous rushing attack is conservative, than so be it.  You can only use the Steve Smith out-jumping two defenders play so many times in a game, and get away with it. 

How is Deangelo Williams not an All-Pro?  As an alternate, he could still make it to Hawaii if somebody in front of him bows out.  Williams was third in the NFL with 1,515 yards rushing averaging an amazing 5.5 yards per carry and scoring 20 touchdowns, also a team record.  If anything, Deangelo should be getting some MVP votes with his production and what he has meant to the Panthers improvement.  The upside for Deangelo is huge with this being just his third NFL season, and first year as a full-time starter.        

I would write something here about Bill Cowher, but it will be outdated before I hit "send."  Yesterday he was not, then was, then was not going to interview for the Jets coaching job.  He's turned down Cleveland and now the Denver job is open.  I'm assuming Detroit is not what he's looking for.  Mike Shanahan will be out of work for about a minute and I'm not sure that he didn't do one of his better coaching jobs this past season after all the injuries the Broncos had.  

Prime Time Panthers

Not that they have clinched anything, but here's an idea of how big the Panthers' win over Tampa Bay was on the NFC playoff race.  Carolina went from being a 5-seed playing in the first round at Arizona, to being a 2-seed, getting the first round off with a bye, and then hosting a second round game.  That works both ways of course, so no time for a letdown against Denver.  The Broncos are (8-5) and will be the AFC West champions.  Then it's the (11-2) New York Giants at the Meadowlands, followed by the (7-6) New Orleans Saints who could be fighting for a playoff spot. 

    

Of course, the Giants game is the biggie, big enough that the league has "flexed" it into primetime.  At stake could very well be home field advantage throughout the playoffs, which is huge for the Panthers.  Carolina is (7-0) at home and (3-3) on the road.  Although, under John Fox they have a nice history as road warriors in winning at St. Louis and Philadelphia in the 2003 season playoffs and winning at the NY Giants and Chicago in the 2005 post-season.

The primetime showing over Tampa Bay has made the Panthers media darlings now.  ESPN called me on to talk about the Panthers on Outside the Lines with Bob Ley.  Half of the conversation was about that upcoming Giants game since that's what most of the nation is interested in.  At least I didn't have to chime in on Plaxico Burress.

Kudos to Marty Hurney, Mark Koncz and the entire personnel staff for the job they've done in structuring the roster, in particular through the draft.  Watching first round picks Jonathan Stewart and Jeff Otah steamroll through the vaunted Buccaneers defense was impressive.  Wait til they get some experience.  Third round pick, Charles Godfrey immediately shored up the other safety position.  I think last year's second round pick, Dwayne Jarrett has earned a full-time receivers spot over DJ Hackett.  His Southern Cal teammate, Ryan Kalil has solidified the middle of the offensive line.

  Not a fan of the BCS system for picking the national champion, but at least they got it right with Florida versus Oklahoma.  Still the bottom line is that the best team does not always win, so not having a playoff format not only hurts schools like Texas, but robs us of the potential Cinderella stories of Boise State, Utah, etc that could pull off the upsets ala the NCAA basketball tournament.  The rest of the world would never know who Stephan Curry is if they ran college hoops the way they do it for football.