Panthers Look For Real

Panther fans have had every reason in the world to have hopes that they just might make the playoffs.  Today the New Orleans Saints blistered last week and coming to Charlotte they had every reason to be mad and blow the Panthers out.  Didn't happen as the Panthers go to 1-1 and have a game Thursday night on the NFL Network game against the New York Giants. 

Tampa almost gave you plenty of reasons that the Panther lost to them last week was a good lost for the Panthers but Tampa slept while Eli Manning fiddled in the second half today and it is hard to say just how good the Panthers are.  We will know a lot more after Thursday.

Could somebody please tell me what the NHL is thinking?  The owners have locked the players out of training camp and are trying to get NHL players to give back 10% of  of a negotiated contract back to owners.  Has any one ever heard of trying to get maybe 2% this contract and try for more next time.  I don't see that the NHL is on all that stable of ground without  a major network putting their games on every night so any half season like the NBA had just might drop the NHL off the map of important pro sports in America.

Almost all of the local high school teams are off this week as they wait to begin Big East play Friday after next.  Let's talk about what we have seen at the halfway point.

Biggest surprise!  Rocky Mount  Once again Friday night the Gryphons won the fourth quarter after Rose had gotten the game  to where they had a chance to win.  The Gryphons will have a chance in any game  if it is close in the fourth.

Biggest Disappointment?  Nash Central.  Their experiment to move the best athlete in the conference to quarterback has not worked.  I don't care how good New Bern is giving up 52 is not so bad but not being competitive at all is terrible.  Nash Central needs the next two weeks to turn their whole season around.

The team you had better not sleep on?  Northern Nash,  If I was Hunt I would be scared to death of their first conference game up coming with the Knights.  Northern has scored on every body they have played and as the season moves forward their offense has gotten better and better.   Randy Raper should be telling his team that they had better have their chin straps tight in that game as Northern may put 35 on the Warriors.  The big question is whether Northern can hold Hunt to under 35.

Larry Fedora's let's score as fast as we can  so we can get many chances to score again works pretty good so far.  There is only one problem with trying to score on every play.  Once you score you have to play defense and the other team gets the ball as many times as you do.  Wake scored 28 on the Heels and ZERO on Florida State.  Just maybe  the Heels should practice to see if the defense can stop anybody.   You know there is a reason why teams that win the time possession battle win most games.  You tire the other team out and keep the ball away from they where they can's score.

Good Saturday For ECU

Just ask Wake and Carolina about winning on the road so today's victory by the Pirates is a really nice win for the purple and Gold.   They take down Southern Mississippi without Larry Fedora who just might right now wish he was still at SM 24-14.

Carolina dug themselves more that a hole they dug themselves a ditch to comeback from and almost did it but they come up short against Louisville on the road 39-34.

If there is any question about whether Florida State is ready to get back in the top five in the country  I would suspect Wake Forest would say they are 52-0 Seminoles.  Today we were at Wake as Campbell's volleyball team played Wake at 12.30 and Toledo at 4.30 while the Wake football game was on TV. Didn't take long for the Demon Deacon students head outside  and play tag football.

You know if you are a North Carolina football school and when you play a D2 schools you have a shot at really looking very good.  Tonight Duke plays somebody besides Stanford and they are impressive in beating North Carolina Central .

North Carolina State play USA- University of South Alabama and they look like most folks in Raleigh were hoping for all season in the first half.  The second half leading 28-0 they played like they have so far during rest of the season stumbled around.

I had not been to Campbell University  for almost 15 years until Morgan made a visit in February and now been there several times in the last couple of months.  I could not believe how much it has grown since I was last there.  It has been about 8 years since I have been through the campus at Wake Forest.  There was a time when Wake was the smallest school in division one football but not any more.  Good Lord has that place grown! 

RMA Drought OVER

There is no doubt that the upper management at RMA sought out someone who could make a splash with the football program and tonight in game four of the B W Holt era at RMA the losing streak is over. The Eagles acted tonight as if they needed to make up every lost they have had during this losing streak as they beat Northeast Academy  76-46

Rocky Mount traveled to Greenville Rose and the Gryphons remain unbeaten on the season as Jason Battle's team wins 28-14.  Whether you think of Rocky Mount at 4-1 or 5-0 with the forfeit there is no doubt even 4-1 is a major surprise.

Nash Central hosted the New Bern Bears and NB can play with in team in the state and Nash Central proved tonight they can't.  NB returned to int's for scores and easily beat NC 56-7.  They were ahead 21-0 at the end of the first.  This was never a game.  I think the Bulldogs have the best talent in Nash County but sure are disproving that.

Tarboro open conference play hosting North Pitt and NP lead 17-14 at the half but the Viking put it in over drive in the second half racing to a 41-24 win.  The three time defending 2-A champs are 5-0 in 2012.

In what had to be the game of the night in the area Northern Nash hosted Laney of Wilmington  and this back and forth game went to Laney as they out score the Knights 47-45.  Sounds like a high school basketball score.  Northern is proving they can score on anybody.

SouthWest Edgecombe going into tonight's game with Kinston had played one of the toughest schedules if you base it on the records of the teams as they stand right now.  They had another challenge in Kinston and lo and behold that tough schedule pays as they beat Kinston by a score of 56-49.  Both defenses stayed home in this one.

In the shocker of the night South Granville came to Nash County and clips the Firebird wings  as SG wins 23-13.  Just when you start to think SN has got something going this year they take a step backwards.

Some news from earlier this week in the Big East conference Cross Country meet held at Hunt Northern Nash took first place and Rocky Mount second.  Gryphon Mason Holt won the race.  The girls race was won by Fike with Rocky Mount second.

Big East Volleyball Thursday Fike upset Northern Nash giving the Lady Knights their second lost and today Conley beat Rocky Mount girls 3-0 in Rocky Mount.

Last Week Of Non-Conference

Friday night is the last night for Big East Teams before they jump into the conference frying pan in two weeks for Eastern Plains team conference time is here.  So far this season I am 15-8 and for the first time all year all seven Twin County teams we have seven games to pick no inter Twin County games this week:

SouthWest Edgecombe at Kinston:  What has Raymond Cobb done to deserve this schedule. They have played three teams still unbeaten  and for their first conference game they draw Kinston who would be unbeaten if it weren't for a game with Powerhouse Havelock. I think the Cougars have to suffer one more week as Kinston wins 34-20.

South East Halifax at North Edgecombe:  Tough one to call here but when ever in doubt pick the home team.  The Warriors are home so the Warriors win 26-20.

North Pitt at Tarboro:  If I am Jeff Craddock I worry more about a mental let down than any thing else this week.  If the Vikings show up ready to play  no contest. There are toughter conference games up and coming and Tarboro had not better sleep on this one.  They won't  Vikings 35 NP 14

Laney at Northern Nash:  4-A Laney taking on the Knights who really need a unexpected win to boost them them to a  notch higher than they are now.  So far they need a signature win and this could give them a pre conference boost:  Close but no cigar.   Laney 31 Northern Nash 14

South Granville at Southern Nash:  Are the Firebirds really as good as they have shown so far?  I see no cracks like I saw with last years team.  Just maybe the Birds are for real.  Southern Nash 42  S Granville 10

New Bern at Nash Central:  So far this season the Bulldogs have not  played to my expectations.  Change may be coming at qb this week.  They need to be better on offense and clamp down more on defense.  It will not happen this week.  New Bern just might put 50 on the scoreboard and Nash Central will have a tough time keeping up.  New Bern 49 Nash Central 22

Rocky Mount at Rose:  Any year when Rocky Mount has been great they have struggled to beat Rose.  Rose looks as if they are headed for an average year.  Gryphons are surprising everyone with their play so far.   This will be close but the 4th quarter falls the Gryphon way.  27-21.  Of my eight misses so far this season three have been the Gryphons time to start getting their picks right.

The ACC Throws A Haymaker

If you know how to read smoke signals or tea leaves then you should have known something was in the works concerning Notre Dame and the ACC.  A good CSI investigator could see a trail of clues that something was getting ready to come down and today it did with the ACC announcing that Notre Dame will become the ACC's 15th member in all sports but football but ACC football  members will play ND every three years in football.

This system will work fine until the ACC gets a 16th member and I doubt whether the ACC grows again until after Notre Dame home football contract with NBC ends in 2015.  Don't be surprised that they don't join in football in 2016. 

There is no doubt ND is not the ND of the 1950's but they are the National Catholic college of this country and because of that they still walk with a big stick.  There is not a football conference in the world that didn't want them to join their conference.

The problem that we have talked about recently about wanting to be bigger in football but because academics comes first in the ACC is why ND came our way.  Notre Dame  thinks the way the the ACC acts so the two joining forces was the best fit for ND.  The Big Ten was their best geographic fit but  don't care how you slice you sanwich the tv markets of the ACC was going to add more money for ND down the road than what the Big Ten Could.  ND couldn't help the tv coffers of the Big T en either since that is already Big Ten territory. 

Let's be truthful money is the root of all college sports evil and the ACC and Notre Dame can make more being together than any other option available for anyone in the future.  It just happens to also be the best academic fit for all concerned since just about every school in ACC voted to add a  50 million buyout  if anyone ever wanted to leave.

The next question is who makes it a 16 team league when Notre dame comes on full time in football which somewhere in the future will happen.  If you follow the money trail  the CSI evidence leads to Rutgers.  The State University of New Jersey which pulls in the New York City tv market which the ACC doesn't have now.

If option one fails then?  U Conn  They are the next closes to New York City and since Syracuse and Pitt are coming to the ACC  would make them a natural fit for the Northern division of the ACC.  Remember that you have to bring a tv market with you when you join ECU is not an option ever for the ACC as long as the world rotates by the all mighty dollar.  

If those two fell through what is plan C.  Vanderbilt.  Remembr now the world of high dollars rotates to tv markets and the next market of any size where the ACC is not in is Nashville.  That would give the ACC  TV coverage in Florida which is considered a bastion of the SEC, Atlanta and maybe Nashville. Vanderbilt is an ACC school with the values of the ACC in the middle of a conference full of state universities that would cheat on their mother to win a football game.

Even though they are the laughing stock of college football right now option D is Penn State.  There are too many good options before them we will not commnet further.  I don't think the ACC can even think about their 16th member until Norte Dame comes full time in all sports.  Just wait within five years the ACC will have 16 full time members.

The Hot Seat Continues

I am beginning to feel sorry for the people who work at the University of North Carolina and their fans.  It seems that Carolina is being run by the Mafia  or they are being hit with a streak of bad luck.  More bad news as Holden Thorpe announce that the top Money begger for Carolina former football player Matt Kupec has been relieved of his duties.

Seems that Kupec has been taking too many business trips while asking for donations which has turned out to be a way of going to see Tyler Hansbourgh play basketball at Carolina with Hansbourgh's mother in tow. I am not worried about the expense for the trip so much for any business man does that any time they take a trip.  Let's file an expense report and take off on taxes as company expense.  The kicker here for Carolina is this might be an NCAA violation for Hansbourgh mother receiving advantages that other parents couldn't get.

Duke could be joining Carolina on the NCAA hot seat as as  a player on the 2010 championship basketball team is being sued by a jewelry store in New York for failure to pay a nearly $70,000 debt.  The questions that need to be answered is where did the player get the money for the down payment?   Is his family able to give him $30,000 to walk the streets of New York City?  If so all is forgotten  Did the credit the jewelry store gave him was it due to him being a Duke Basketball player.  If it was then that is a NCAA violation.

I don't know about you but another question I have is, does the employee who let the Duke player walk out of the store owing $70,000 still work for the store?  Who in their right mind would let a 21 year old who doesn't have a job walk out with merchandise without paying.  Smelling pretty fishy here don't you think?

Is there any hope that the world of college athletics continue to spiral out of control?  Word has come out that the top player on the Harvard basketball team has quit school due to a cheating scandal going on at Harvard.  They don't even have scholarships so what's the deal here?

Had my first chance last night to be on the mic at the jv football game  as Rocky Mount beat SouthWest Edgecombe 20-14 in overtime.  Those in attendance had to put up with no clock most of the game as the brand new transmitter that sends the signals to the score board went out 20 seconds before the start of the game.  The second half it started working again only to go out with about 40 seconds to go in the game and SWE driving to tie the game and no one only Babe Allen the referee who was keeping the time on the field knew how much time was left.

What A Difference A Week Makes

One week ago Carolina fans were eyeing ten wins this season and since they are not eligible for a bowl game that would have been about all any fan could ask for.  Today they now look at the propects of being 1-2 before this weekend is over.  It is very hard to judge from one game how a season will be.  Today Carolina fans are asking what happened?

What happened is they like all other teams forgot that Wake just does not lose at home to other North Carolina team.  Jim Grobe is 24-6 against other North Carolina schools in Winston Salem.  There is just something about the way Grobe coaches that he can take hamburger and create ribeyes against other North Carolina sschools.

Everyone forgets Wake has won a division title  this decade while even Duke has won a title in the 90's.  Carolina and State haven't won a title since 80 and 79 respectfully.  Duke feels like they are going to be improved and whenever another North Carolina schools visits Duke they had better be ready to play.  Duke needs to play more NC schools instead of the likes of Stanford and Alabama.

I think by the season end State fans will see that Tenneessee will wind up being a very good team and U Conn is better than folks thought.  State has three weeks to get their offense in gear before Florida State pops up on their schedule. 

Most of the time ECU has a shot when they have made trips to South Carolina in the past.  ECU felt very chariable and let the game get away and looked worse than the final score.

I think as football fans who pull for any North Carolina team any team that wins eight games during the season will be a very good year.  Next week at this time it will be time to reevaluate again.  Some teams will be on the verge of getting better while others will be on the up hill climb.  Where will your team stand next week.