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Redeeming
Quality The Olympics are underway as well as the NFL preseason, and already there is a direct correlation. The scene in Beijing for the opening ceremonies was sensational. If you happened to catch the highlights or watched it on NBC, the imagery and precision was simply amazing. I expected nothing else from the "Bird's Nest", and now for the next few weeks we can enjoy the spectacle of the XXIX Olympiad. While Michael Phelps will garner a ton of media exposure and rightfully so, the American Men's basketball team is on a mission. Coach K and his multi-million dollar roster have arrived in China to kick ass, take names and return some respect to the guys that play professionally in the NBA. I expect them to run everybody out of the gym and come back to the States with the gold medal. This squad is playing with purpose and has already coined the nickname the "Redeem Team". I think it is a legit moniker, given all the failures in international play in recent years. I happened to be in Barcelona in 1992, and witnessed the "Dream Team"...the nickname was spot on. So is the one for the 2008 USA team. While LeBron, Kobe and company prepare to win, there is another team of note that is looking for their own redemption...the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers' NFL preseason opener was a huge success. Given all the questions, new names and uncertainty following Steve Smith's brainfart, I was interested to see how the starters would perform in the early going against Indy. I was impressed with nearly every phase of the first half. I know it's preseason football, but there should be a sense of urgency for this franchise, even in August. I liked what I witnessed Saturday night. Julius Peppers, after tanking the entire 2007 season, looked more dominant in 5 minutes than he did at any point in time last season. We'll probably never know what caused him to disappear last season, but Peppers looked like an All-Pro defensive beast in his early performance. Jake Delhomme, after an injury-plagued '07 and Tommy John surgery, looked solid under center. His health is beyond critical for the Panthers to return to the playoffs. DeAngelo Williams exploded behind a retooled offensive line and looked terrific. There is no question that he is the "go to guy", until proven otherwise. I'm still anxious to see Jonathan Stewart run between the tackles, but for now, DeAngelo made people forget about DeShaun Foster in a hurry. Even Dwayne Jarrett caught three passes! I would assume that Panther fans were encouraged with the performance of their first-teamers. John Fox normally has his guys ready to play in August, where the Panthers have won six consecutive preseason openers. The big question is can Fox and company bring that intensity and winning ways in September when the team opens at San Diego? But, so far, so good. Golf's last major golf championship was completed on Sunday at Oakland Hills. It looked like a replay of last month's British Open, as Padraig Harrington put on a putting display on the back nine for his second consecutive major championship and third major in the last six. I'm sensing that the Irishman is enjoying Tiger's departure from the Tour. Harrington's win was dramatic and he became the first European-born winner of the PGA since 1930. He's also the fourth player in history to win both the British and PGA titles in the same year. He joins Nick Price, Walter Hagen and of course, Tiger Woods. Watching Harrington rally, catch and defeat Sergio Garcia on the back nine also brought to mind that the Ryder Cup is taking place in six weeks. Without Tiger Woods on Team USA due to his injury, the boys in red, white and blue better bring their A-games to beat the Euros. Our buddy, Boo Weekley, who qualified for the Ryder Cup team thanks to a closing 66 on Sunday, was on my radio show last week and he had some thoughts about the impending showdown. Boo told me that if he qualifies (and he did), then the USA is going to win...period. I know I'll be rooting for him at Valhalla next month. While Padraig Harrington was making history on the links, Kyle Busch was making history of his own. The youngster is wearing out everybody in NASCAR, and it's not even close. Busch won for the eighth time this year by winning at Watkins Glen. With the win he became the first driver in NASCAR history to win three road courses in a single season. Not bad for the kid. His win also enabled him to be guaranteed the lead when the sports' "post season" begins in a few weeks. He is winning so often that Junior Nation has just decided to pretend that he doesn't exist anymore. I've got news for everybody...Kyle Busch and his incredible run are just beginning. I've got to give props to Jim Courier. He is the former number one ranked tennis player in the world that has developed the "Senior Circuit" of former great players that play tournaments around the world. The "Championships at the Palisades" will be played in September, and in the past such big-timers as Pete Sampras and John McEnroe have participated. While great players will converge on the market next month, this year Courier has brought a true "A-lister" for the masses to enjoy. The name of the player? Anna Kournikova....that's right, Anna Kournikova. For whatever it's worth, she is scheduled to be on my radio show on Tuesday. I'll give you the details later. The South Carolina Gamecocks might be suffering from an identity complex. An automatic debate on my radio show surrounds the use of the name"Carolina". If you're from North Carolina, "Carolina" refers to the Tar Heels. If you're from the Palmetto state, "Carolina" refers to South Carolina. Ask any UNC fan and they will remind their brethren to the South that everybody in the nation knows that when you mention"Carolina", you're talking about the light blue version in Chapel Hill. Well, to make matters worse, the Gamecocks have a new identification battle on their hands, and this time it involves the "other USC". I'm talking about Southern Cal. It turns out the administrative tribunal of the US Patent and Trademark Office has ruled that Southern Cal has priority use of the "SC" logo. The Gamecock officials tried to block the trademarked "SC" logo back in 2002, and now they have to play second fiddle to the guys on the west coast. First it's "Carolina", and now "SC". The Gamecocks can't catch a break. The official unveiling of the Madden '09 NFL video game takes place this week. Brett Favre is on the cover of the best-selling video game....but he's wearing his Green Bay jersey. Somehow, I find that incredibly ironic....and funny as hell. |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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