Tar Heel Pundits

SCOTUS Vacancy?

2005-06-25T12:15:00.000-04:00

Red State is reporting that Judiciary Committee staffers are being told to clear their calendars for next week and to focus on potential SCOTUS nominees.Hat tip: RR

PETA Re-defined

2005-06-22T16:34:00.000-04:00

I guess PETA doesn't stand for what I thought it did. Maybe it should be People for the Euthanasia of Tons of Animals. Two NC counties are no longer handing over animals to PETA because the organization has been killing those pets instead of finding them new homes.

Third time wasn't the charm

2005-06-16T07:45:00.000-04:00

There was a nice nugget about Roy Williams in Sports Illustrated's article on the Lakers re-hiring Phil Jackson."Roy Williams turned us down for the third time," Kupchak said of his attempts to talk with the North Carolina coach. "That's a Los Angeles record."Unlike another coach, he turned them down with absolutely no publicity.Hat tip: RR

NBA Finals

2005-06-15T08:08:00.000-04:00

As usual, go to End of the Bench for great commentary on the Finals and Phil Jackson's return to the Lakers. I didn't see Phil going back, and I am curious as to how that soap opera is going to work itself out. I also wonder how his hiring will affect LA's pick in the upcoming draft.It was nice to see the kind of energy from the Pistons last night that they displayed. It's mystifying, though,

For a friend of mine

2005-06-15T07:48:00.000-04:00

Snake: Your marriage may be in jeopardy.

This article may save your life if you go to the beach

2005-06-13T17:38:00.000-04:00

NYT: Stalking a Killer That Lurks a Few Feet OffshoreWhen people think about natural hazards, they usually think about tornadoes or hurricanes or earthquakes. But there is another natural hazard that takes more lives in an average year in the United States than any of those - rip currents. Each year in American waters, rip currents pull about 100 panicked swimmers to their deaths. According to

Katie Holmes

2005-06-13T17:23:00.000-04:00

I once was a big fan of Katie Holmes (and not necessarily for her acting ability). Not anymore. She has officially jumped the shark. What a freaking joke.Hat tip: RR.I was in Cincinnati last week for work and had a nasty cold this weekend, but am getting over it. Gradually.

Site Maintenance

2005-05-30T20:48:00.000-04:00

Comments aren't working right now for some reason. I am going to try to take a look at it tonight and see what's wrong. The site needs an overhaul, but I've been putting it off as long as I could. Its time may have come though.

Memorial Day

2005-05-30T20:47:00.000-04:00

There's a good op-ed on Memorial Day in the New York Times today authored by a Marine who served in the first Gulf War.

American Tennis in Paris

2005-05-26T14:52:00.000-04:00

This week has been a sad one for American tennis fans. The Agassi loss in the opening round at Roland Garros may spell the beginning of the end to a career that has been magical. Then, as if this wasn't bad enough, Andy Roddick, the great male hope for American tennis, lost as well.As Agassi's career has waned, I have lost interest in men's tennis personally. It has been some time since I last

Rejuvenation

2005-05-25T18:30:00.000-04:00

Hope Antawn will be up for another big year in 2005-2006. He needed this surgery.

Big Cat

2005-05-25T14:07:00.000-04:00

Look at the size of this catfish. World record: 124 pounds.Hat tip: ACC Basketblog.

Newsflash: LPGA is not NBA

2005-05-24T17:45:00.000-04:00

Paula Creamer won last week's LPGA event, the Sybase Classic, at the age of 18. This week, she is skipping the LPGA Corning Classic so she can attend her high school graduation. Remember the flak that star athletes have gotten in the past for making such a decision? I recall the grief that was thrown at Vince Carter when he chose to attend graduation ceremonies in Chapel Hill in 2001. I bet

Word Up

2005-05-24T15:00:00.000-04:00

I'm a wordsmith, so I love this from the Merriam-Webster folks.Hat tip: The Corner at NRO.

Implosion

2005-05-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the Burlington Industries headquarters building in Greensboro near Friendly Center was imploded by D. H. Griffin. This had been a long process. Now, the building will soon begin on a new shopping center in its place. Starmount Co., who owns Friendly Center, is building the new shopping center.

Forget the Kansas-UNC Connection

2005-05-24T10:28:00.000-04:00

North Carolina and Kansas have been inextricably linked for a long time. Dean Smith started that one. Now it appears UNC is becoming connected with another prairie school, Nebraska. Last season, Joe Dailey was the starting quarterback for Callahan's Husker football team. Now, he's decided to transfer to UNC. Meanwhile, King Rice, the former UNC point guard, is joining the Nebraska basketball

Belmont Club on the Newsweek mess

2005-05-19T08:04:00.000-04:00

Belmont Club has a good post on the Newsweek mess saying,[T]he existence of a wartime situation distorts the editorial process to the degree that it increases the consequences of a mistake. The probability of making an editorial mistake may be the same as it was ten years ago, given the same standards of news confirmation, but the consequences of an error may have drastically increased in a

Size matters

2005-05-18T19:37:00.000-04:00

Hard to pass this up. Female fish prefer male's with bigger...Hat tip: BOTW.

REK, Jr.

2005-05-18T17:23:00.000-04:00

For you Robert Earl Keen fans out there, his new CD is really good. He will be playing tonight in Atlanta, so go if you're there. He will be playing the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh Friday night.

Albom

2005-05-17T21:08:00.000-04:00

The guys at the Basketblog are darn good and have there stuff together. Yes, Mitch Albom is getting a pass from his employers. Let's see why. Albom is the only reason anyone reads that paper! He's a best-selling author. If he was John Doe writing some stories on drug use, he would have been fired. But, the newspaper men in Detroit are not going to fire the cash cow. Not going to happen.

Empty and Pointless Threat

2005-05-17T17:33:00.000-04:00

President Bush has given no reason in his first four years in the White House for Congress to believe a veto threat. He has not vetoed any legislation. Now, he threatens one on the Highway Bill? Sorry, Mr. President, but if there's a bill that the threat will fail to stop, it's this one. I've complained about some of the President's spending practices, but the spending can be curbed in places

Comedy from Newsweek

2005-05-17T17:30:00.000-04:00

I get particular pleasure from seeing Klaidman make that comment about learning from mistakes to the people at CBS News.

This is one of the best Fiskings I have seen in a long time

2005-05-13T07:33:00.000-04:00

Stephen Green: 1, Pat Buchanan: 0.The source article can be found here.And don't even get me started on the history of this thing. It is absolutely beyond me how Buchanan could write his article about whether World War II was worth it without mentioning the Holocaust.

Operation Matador

2005-05-12T08:18:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for information on Operation Matador, check out The Adventures of Chester, who has take the time and trouble to try and glean what is going on from conflicting press reports and Keyhole.Keep the soldiers in your prayers, especially the 1st Platoon of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, who had every member of one of its three squads killed or wounded in this

Dave Chappelle in mental facility

2005-05-12T07:24:00.000-04:00

Not a joke.

Today's Diversion

2005-05-12T07:22:00.000-04:00

Only Lileks could get away with a Bleat like this. "Spectacularly incoherent" indeed. I think I have a headache now.

Guilford Education

2005-05-11T18:05:00.000-04:00

The Guilford County Board of Education voted to give itself a raise last night. Whether the raise becomes effective will be left to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.The idea of giving a raise to the BOE members is comical. The BOE has been a joke in recent months, and some would say years. The travesty that they have made of the High Point high schools is reason number one for denying

Result of Mets Loss

2005-05-11T16:22:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my Chicago Cubs defeated the New York Mets 7-0. The story after the game was that Maddox had won his 307th game and had struck out 10 batters. But, in my mind the story was in the other clubhouse.The losing pitcher was Kris Benson, and it was his first loss of the year. He gave up not one, but four home runs. Remember what his wife, Anna Benson, had said she would do if he cheated

NBA Playoffs

2005-05-10T21:42:00.000-04:00

Work has been pretty brutal recently, so I've been bringing work home most nights, where my routine has been to turn on the playoffs after I finish and relax watching the end of the early game and the beginning of the late game.Joey wonders if anyone in the Eastern Conference can stop the Suns. While I share his sentiment, I think Phoenix has a few weaknesses. First, while the team is in great

New UNC QB?

2005-05-06T15:37:00.000-04:00

The starting quarterback for Nebraska in 2004 has decided to transfer. One of the schools he is considering is North Carolina because of the Bunting contract extension and Tranquil's spread offense.

Red Sox Woo ACC

2005-05-06T14:53:00.000-04:00

The Red Sox are hoping future ACC baseball tournaments will be played at Fenway. What a magical opportunity that would be for those collegians. Sorry Greensboro, Fenway's better than First Horizon. I wonder if the Braves have offered Turner Field - a bidding war between Atlanta and Boston for the baseball event could really boost the marketability and stature of ACC baseball.

Tar Heel Stays At School

2005-05-06T14:41:00.000-04:00

Steve Robinson chose not to pursue the Richmond head coaching vacancy with passion - even after reports had him as the likely choice. Of course, I'm not surprised.

Minus 50

2005-05-06T12:13:00.000-04:00

Looks like the "mark of the beast" isn't 666 after all. Who knew? Imagine the problems this will cause the satanists who have it tatooed on their bodies. I suppose there are now 616 reasons not to be a satanist.

Thank you very much, but I really must be going for now

2005-05-05T06:44:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, I was right when I said in my previous post (more than a week ago) that I would be rather busy for the next few weeks. This weekend does not look like it will give me much free time either---I am driving to Charlotte tonight, then to Greenville, NC tomorrow for my brother's graduation (Congratulations James!), then probably back up to Bristol on Saturday to work the rest of the

Curious Calendar

2005-05-04T23:27:00.000-04:00

Why would the Nationwide Tour have an event in the same state as the PGA Tour on a given weekend? The Nationwide boys are in Raleigh this week for the Rex Hospital Open while the Tour calls on Charlotte. They don't get large crowds at Nationwide events anyway - it can't help if Tiger, Vijay, and Phil are a couple of hours away.

Randywood

2005-05-04T22:57:00.000-04:00

Randy Parton is looking to put theaters akin to Dollywood in northeastern North Carolina. I imagine Randy has many of his sister's attributes - just not the ones you have in mind.

Derrek Lee

2005-05-04T22:05:00.000-04:00

Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee was named NL Player of the Week AND Player of the Month on Monday. It's good to see some good news for the Northsiders. They're below .500 right now, running second in a division dominated by the Cardinals.The Cubs need to find ways to win the winnable ballgames in the hopes of getting a wildcard bid - they won't be catching the men from St. Louis.

Positive Law News

2005-05-04T20:40:00.000-04:00

The Triad Business Journal announced the "Best Places to Work" in their recent print edition (thus no link). They listed the law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP (based in South Carolina but with a small office in Winston-Salem) as the #2 small office in which to work in the Triad. Nelson Mullins was the only law firm to make the list in any category.

Reporting on Women in Law

2005-05-04T20:21:00.000-04:00

If I was a lawyer at Smith Moore, I wouldn't be very pleased with the way this article reads. Basic gist? One female lawyer left because of the long hours and one who stayed chose not to have kids. The article is talking about the legal profession and women, but the only negatives in the article are attributed to a former Smith Moore associate and a current partner. A Kilpatrick Stockton partner

Equal Opportunity for Farrell

2005-05-04T16:01:00.000-04:00

One of my first posts on Rhodenhiser Brief was about Colin Farrell. He had a kissing scene in a movie where he was kissing an underage girl. Now we hear reports that Farrell wanted to have sex with 70-year old Dame Eileen Atkins with whom he co-stars in Ask the Dust. She repelled his advances. I'm trying to figure this out though. If you're going to seduce your co-star, why seduce Dame Atkins

Oriole Dap

2005-05-02T19:52:00.000-04:00

I'm not a bandwagon, fairweather fan. I'm a Cubs fan. I don't particularly care for American League baseball. I cheered on the Red Sox to a degree last season because Red Sox fans and Cubs fans have been in the same boat (the SS Cursed) for so long. Otherwise though, that's it for me and baseball.That said, it's time I mention the great early season play of former Tar Heel Brian Roberts. (Yes, he

BCS Mess

2005-05-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

The BCS drives football fans crazy every fall. The BCS has made some changes recently, but these cosmetic fixes will have little overall effect.The significant change is in making it easier for the non-BCS conferences to get a team into the mix. Last year, Utah from the Mountain West became the first non-BCS school to crash the party. Of course, this new evaluation process – which will look

Give me a Break

2005-05-02T10:56:00.000-04:00

Some people just need to learn to relax. This carrying-on about First lady Laura Bush's comedy routine the other night is absurd. She's joking for crying out loud! This is the garbage that makes conservatives and people with religious conviction look bad - when people go crazy over NOTHING!

NCSU's Hunter

2005-04-29T10:47:00.000-04:00

Good read on Larry Hunter over at StateFans. I agree with what is said there, but I wonder why Western Carolina if Richmond was interested. Richmond is the better job, byt far. Maybe he wasn't really a viable candidate for the Spiders. Hat tip: the best basketblog around, ACC BasketBlog

UNC Radio

2005-04-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

Congratulations are in order for the Tar Heel Sports Network team of Woody Durham and Mick Mixon.The Woody Durham Distinguished Professorship in Communications Studies has been created in honor of The Voice of the Tar Heels. This is an honor that is well-deserved.Speaking of professorships, Mick Mixon is having to leave his position as a sports journalism professor at UNC as he takes his new job

Coaching Combo

2005-04-28T14:58:00.000-04:00

I am combining two early posts because I realized they have a connection. Larry Hunter, while being wooed byWestern Carolina, is also a candidate at Richmond, now that Jerry Wainwright has gone to DePaul. UNC assistant Steve Robinson is also on the Richmond wishlist, but I'd be surprised if he made that move.Jerry Wainwright will be the new head basketball coach at DePaul. This is a fantastic

Lottery?

2005-04-28T13:36:00.000-04:00

Mr. Gibson presents his case for why the lottery would be good for NC by countering some of the anti-lottery arguments. That said, he gives very short shrift to the anti-lottery arguments and doesn't really articulate the pro-lottery perspective with eloquence. His arguments all sound like "The lottery is good because." The lottery is divisive in North Carolina politics, especially within the

Notice

2005-04-26T05:56:00.000-04:00

Blogging will be light over the next couple of weeks, as work is intervening. Real life is calling, and unfortunately it does not include the west coast playoff games, including the one where T-Mac hit the game-winning shot last night. I had picked the Mavs to win the series, and it appears I was wrong.RR: I am sure Leno will use that story at some point, though if the charges are serious I

Bad Teacher

2005-04-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

There are a number of jokes or alternate headlines for this story. "Paging Jay Leno: We Have a Story for You." "Mr. Robinson? Are you seducing me?" And, how appropriate is it that this happened at a place called Forbush?Just read: a teacher, Mr. Robinson at Forbush High School, has been charged with a number of sex charges.Any other headline alternatives you might like to add? Leave 'em in the

Sunrise in Jonesville

2005-04-21T08:19:00.000-04:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } I am heading out of town for the weekend today, so blogging will be light to non-existent. I'll leave ya'll with a picture I took in Jonesville a couple of

Largemouth in Baghdad?

2005-04-21T08:02:00.000-04:00

I think it might be a tad too big to be a largemouth, though the size reminds me of the bluefish Mom caught when Dad asked her to hold the fishing pole for about 30 seconds.

Confederates: 1 Trekkies: 0

2005-04-21T07:56:00.000-04:00

""You don't go up against a guy with a firearm if all you've got is a flashlight."Via Fark.

Someone might need to get their glasses prescription checked

2005-04-21T07:32:00.000-04:00

Whoops.

Google, now and in the future

2005-04-21T07:13:00.000-04:00

The Globe and Mail (Canada) has a long article on Google and the effects of many of the services it has been implementing in the past year or so (e.g. Google Scholar, GMail, Keyhole, etc.), as well as looking to the future of Google.UPDATE: A Bloomsbury executive is warning against the implications of Google Print.

Truer words may never have been spoken

2005-04-20T19:45:00.000-04:00

"Bowie over Jordan. Kobe over Shaq. Dr. Buss, welcome to infamy."Taken from the beginning of Straight Bangin's lllooooonnnnnggggg (I'm talking about Bill Simmons-length) post giving out his NBA season ending awards. I couldn't read his post without thinking about Ralph Wiley and Road Dog covering the NBA. I really miss Wiley's coverage. I am not the type of person that will buy the NBA Season

Ridiculous TV Programming

2005-04-20T19:32:00.000-04:00

So Cleveland and New Jersey are both playing for their playoff lives tonight at 7:00. It would be reasonable for, say, a certain sports channel with initials something like EPSN to televise at least one of the games, wouldn't it? Or for TNT to take a night off of its daily three-hour Law & Order marathon? But instead, we get treated to an hour of Stephen A. Smith and company, and more Law &

Pope Cliff Clavin

2005-04-20T14:10:00.000-04:00

Why hadn't I thought of this? The new Pope is not Ratzinger at all, it's Clavin!!

Quick Slants

2005-04-20T12:54:00.000-04:00

UNC linebacker Fred Sparkman, who was suspended by Coach John Bunting due to drug-related legal problems, may transfer to Alabama.Former UNC tight end Freddie Jones has signed with the Carolina Panthers and is quite happy to be there. Jones was one of my favorite Tar Heels during the Mack Brown era.You can't help but like UNC center Jason Brown's attitude as he awaits his fate in the NFL Draft.

Pomeroy on passing

2005-04-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

Ken Pomeroy explains why the best passing team in college hoops last season was Boston College and the numbers that back that up.

Sean May and Marvin Williams reportedly to enter draft

2005-04-19T17:41:00.000-04:00

Aran Smith of NBADraft.net is reporting that "[i]Inside sources, close to the North Carolina program, informed NBADraft.net Tuesday morning that UNC forwards Marvin Williams and Sean May will both enter the 2005 NBA draft." I would love to see them wear a UNC uniform for another year, but it is probably asking too much at this point. As it stands, UNC looks to have five players going in the

South Now on the 2005 Virginia Gubernatorial race

2005-04-19T08:15:00.000-04:00

South Now, a blog by the Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life at UNC, has a long post on the gubernatorial race taking place in Virginia. (Disclaimer: I took a couple of great classes with Dr. Thad Beyle, one of the professors who works in this Program.) The two main-party candidates are Jerry Kilgore, Republican former Attorney General, and Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine. Of

10 Years Ago Today

2005-04-19T07:55:00.000-04:00

Today is the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Kevin Garnett

2005-04-18T21:43:00.000-04:00

Straight Bangin' has a long post on Kevin Garnett. Joey is writing several pieces on the NBA this week in the run-up to the playoffs. Yes, I know some of you don't care about the NBA and think the professional game is unwatchable, but it's gotten better in the last few years, and I wonder what the effect of the new-style/throwback Suns/Supersonics is going to have on the playoffs. That being

Sam Mills Dead at 45

2005-04-18T21:20:00.000-04:00

Sam Mills, former Carolina Panthers linebacker and linebacker coach, died today after a long battle with cancer. Mills meant a whole lot to Charlotte. He is the only player in the Panthers' Hall of Honor, and there is a statue of him outside the stadium. He will be sorely missed by all Panthers fans.More on Mills here.

Unitarian Jihad

2005-04-18T21:11:00.000-04:00

Jon Carroll of the San Francisco Chronicle has discovered a new terrorist organization: the Unitarian Jihad. Not caring whether he caused panic among the general public, Carroll printed Unitarian Jihad's first communique in his column. It read, in part, We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we

Freakonomics

2005-04-14T08:31:00.000-04:00

A Constrained Vision (recently discovered through The VC) posts a mini-review of Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. "Freakonomics" is a reference to the type of economics Levitt practices---economics as a way of looking at the world instead of economics as math. A New York Times Magazine profile of Levitt put it this way:In Levitt's view, economics is a science with

Duke grad close to getting Article III appointment

2005-04-14T08:22:00.000-04:00

The Herald Sun reports that "[a]fter enduring a nearly three-year wait, James C. Dever may be one step closer to pounding the gavel in North Carolina's Eastern District Federal Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to vote on Dever's nomination for district judge Thursday. A committee spokesman said he expects the nomination to be approved. Dever's name would then go to the Senate floor for

New Yorker profile of Justice Scalia

2005-04-14T08:16:00.000-04:00

The New Yorker has done an interesting profile of Justice Scalia that can be found here.Hat tip: Howard Bashman.

Swagger's PDEWs

2005-04-13T13:07:00.000-04:00

Miss North Carolina USA's win in the Miss USA pageant on Monday got me to thinking about my favorite column from BobLeeSwagger. While Miss USA doesn't qualify as a PDEW, I hope y'all enjoy the column anyway.

Hog Wild

2005-04-12T15:32:00.000-04:00

Only in and around Smithfield would you see this. Brings those carcasses (though I'd prefer to call them carci) to Lexington for some good BBQ.

Miss USA

2005-04-12T00:32:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Miss North Carolina USA Chelsea Cooley who won Miss USA last night. For the 3rd straight year I picked the winner in the opening segment. This one was the easiest call for me. I’ve always been a sucker for brunettes, and any girl that can win the Grand National Shag Dancing Competition and cheers for UNC is a winner already. Did anyone else notice that the 51 young women

Masters thoughts

2005-04-07T15:36:00.000-04:00

For thoughts on The Masters as it is played, feel free to visit Rhodenhiser Brief this afternoon.

More Billy Packer (yes, he still sucks)

2005-04-07T08:25:00.000-04:00

Joey at Straight Bangin' took notes on Billy Packer's calling of the Final Four games last Saturday (I heartily endorsed his opinion of Packer a few days ago). 7:41: More rooting: Billy is livid over what he saw as an egregious "no-call" that should have given the Illini a trip to the free-throw line. Back in reality, I am now pleading with my friends to put the television on mute so that the

Liveblogging the Masters

2005-04-07T08:12:00.000-04:00

Ronnie Ramos of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution has a job that I envy---he's liveblogging the Masters. (registration required)Hat tip: ACC Basketblog

The Dave Chappelle rules of basketball

2005-04-07T08:06:00.000-04:00

Bruce Weber's pre-game speech to the Illinois team: "Be a fist! A hand is five fingers, but it's stronger as a fist!"I assume he was referring to his five players playing as a team and together they would become a fist (against North Carolina's "talent").Of course, Carolina then showed Illinois something they learned from Dave Chappelle (as Rick James):What did the five fingers say to the face?

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!

2005-04-06T17:46:00.000-04:00

Being Stuart Scott must take a decent amount of skill, because this guy has none of it. "He passes it to the MAN . . . Boom goes the dynamite!"Absolutely hilarous.

Captain's Quarters and AdScam

2005-04-06T17:31:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen it, check out Captain's Quarters' coverage of the AdScam scandal in Canada involving more than a hundred million dollars in kickbacks to the Liberal Party. CQ is important in this story because a Canadian judge has issued a court order forbidding any publication of the explosive testimony for fears that if the information gets out it will make it harder for the trial of one

Tar Heels National Champions

2005-04-05T00:01:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Jackie, Jawad, and Melvin. You stuck it out and got a championship. You deserve it.

Team?

2005-04-03T13:38:00.000-04:00

The media has been saying for weeks that UNC has the best talent, but Illinois has the best team. Of course, this is going to be determined tomorrow night, but I just wanted to mention one statistic that is usually indicative of a good "team." Illinois averages 18.7 assists per game while UNC averages 20.0 assists per game. Sharing the basketball like that...seems to me that UNC has a pretty good

Changing NCAA Landscape?

2005-04-01T15:36:00.000-05:00

In the News & Observer today, Ned Barnett wrote that the era of the dominant schools surviving to the Final Four may be coming to an end. He acknowledges that powerhouse programs made it to St. Louis this year. He goes to say that NC State, Wisconsin, and West Virginia coming so close shows that these “have-nots” are rising and may change the face of Final Four basketball in the near future.I

WXII Response to TPC Questions

2005-04-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I commented on WXII's failure to broadcast the final round of the TPC. This morning, I received a reply comment from WXII (copied below). I respect the decision that was made, but I still question why they did not move Oprah and the local news to their alternative channels (especially the newscasts). Thank you to Mr. Price for this reply.Thank you very much for your comments regarding

Phil's new Nickname

2005-03-31T15:39:00.000-05:00

I was looking to see if the BellSouth got started today in Atlanta (it didn't), but I did find this excerpt from Phil Mickelson's new book "One Magical Sunday (But Willing Isn't Everything)". It occurred to me that it's time for Lefty to get a new nickname. Seeing as he has a great flop shot around the green and had a stuffed animal named Flopsy as a child...let's call him Flopsy. Whaddya say?

What he said

2005-03-31T08:30:00.000-05:00

"[Billy] Packer is a didactic, picayune, conservative, insufferable know-it-all who is overzealous in his criticism and myopic in his understanding of the game."Of course, the random "conservative" thrown in there was kind of odd, but you have to admire the spirit of the post. He's got the right idea.

Priceless?

2005-03-29T18:20:00.000-05:00

Tar Heel Moments doesn't take American Express.

Peer pressure

2005-03-29T15:02:00.000-05:00

Talk about Peer pressure.

Aloha Atlanta, Aloha Honolulu

2005-03-28T19:19:00.000-05:00

I suppose Dan Reeves will be turning up in Hawaii soon as the new athletic director? Ex-Falcons head coach Jerry Glanville has joined ex-Falcons head coach June Jones at Hawaii, serving as Jones's defensive coordinator. Nothing goes with Hawaiian shirts like black hats, big belt buckles, and cowboy boots.

It gets worse

2005-03-28T18:28:00.000-05:00

Amazing. Instead of going at 6:30 to NBC (where instead of the Nightly News we'd see the very end of the TPC), WXII has announced they will show an expanded 6:00 newscast (as if the 5:00, 5:30, and 6:00 newscasts weren't enough). I will never again watch WXII news. This is absurd.Congratulations to a good man and fan favorite Fred Funk on winning The Players Championship under tough conditions.

Holy Crap!

2005-03-28T18:26:00.000-05:00

This just stinks.

Update on the WXII golf coverage

2005-03-28T17:40:00.000-05:00

Here in the Triad, WXII, in its infinite wisdom, stopped airing NBC's live coverage of the final round of the TPC in order to show Oprah's interview with Lisa Marie Presley at 4:00. Are you bleeping serious?! You cannot be serious! "Yadda yadda, yeah my Dad was famous, he died, I have no talent, I kissed Jacko, my life sucks." We know the story! Show the dadgum golf tournament. There has been no

Edwards and his alma mater

2005-03-23T21:34:00.000-05:00

John Edwards thinks UNC will go to the Final Four. (Thanks Ed Cone.) He attends UNC basketball games. He wears Carolina blue. He now works for UNC. Why doesn't he support his collegiate alma mater? Does he really pull for UNC when they play his alma mater? When his alma mater has a shot at its first Final Four in more than two decades? Sad. Maybe it's because State grads/fans tend to be

Country Roads or Rocky Top?

2005-03-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

Why would John Beilein leave West Virginia for Tennessee? I think Joe Biddle is dealing with some wishful thinking. He's in a basketball conference (Big East) and has made the Sweet 16. He has players who buy into his system now. Tennessee is in a football conference (SEC), is not even one of the best few jobs in that league, and has no history of success. I wouldn't be leaving on a jet plane

Goodbye to Greensboro

2005-03-23T15:20:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: Yes, I have a connection to the company below, as noted in the post.This week marks the final week for Basil's Trattoria & Wine Bar in Greensboro. Basil's has been the Greensboro restaurant for Noble's. Noble's may open a new location in Greensboro at some point in the future, but in the near-term the group will maintain the three other locations and catering service. The flagship

Troubling Trend

2005-03-23T13:09:00.000-05:00

After the shooting in Minnesota by "NativeNazi" I thought about how troubling all this growing pro-Nazi (or Naziesque) sentiment in the US and beyond has become. You hear news accounts of it raising its ugly head in Germany periodically. I read this post from Joel Rosenberg (fantastic author) and had to post it over here.

AG?

2005-03-23T00:43:00.000-05:00

Not sure how I missed this. Hard to imagine Bob Crumley as the GOP nominee for NC AG, but then again I guess stranger things have happened. Hat tip, Rob at Tax Hike Mike.

Politics and Basketball

2005-03-22T19:41:00.000-05:00

I read an interesting tidbit about how basketball teams from "red states" are outperforming those from "blue states" in this year's Big Dance over at Election Projection. This seemed like something I should investigate.Since the Big Dance expended in 1985, I will look at the outcomes of the tournaments that immediately followed a Presidential election. In 1985, Villanova defeated Georgetown. In

That Stings

2005-03-22T17:16:00.000-05:00

Buzz Peterson's firing in Knoxville came as a surprise to many. While he had not taken them to the heights of college basketball, who has? Buzz himself thought his job was safe after defeating the Razorbacks in Atlanta. It sounds like the UT folks were less than frank with Mr. Peterson. Adding insult to injury was the fact that UT had hired a company to conduct a coaching search weeks before they

Why I Love the Internet

2005-03-21T22:04:00.000-05:00

Tonight I found two of the best webpages I may ever see. The first is by a N.C. State student, The Collected Wit and Wisdom of Julius Hodge. A couple of the best quotes:On the differences between Harlem and Raleigh, January 21, 2002:“New York is the place to be. I could wake up there at three in the morning and decide to go to the store for some chips and Snapple and there would be cars racing

CBS notes

2005-03-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

CBS doesn't have any liberal bias now that Rather is gone, right? Ha! I watched the Ed Bradley story about guns on 60 Minutes (I realize I was likely the youngest viewer). Unbelieveable propaganda for the anti-gun lobby. Clearly, the story has two purposes. First, to help outlaw the 50 caliber rifle; and second, to lead to a federal gun registration movement. Right it down, there will not

Bitter Cyclones

2005-03-21T08:32:00.000-05:00

Curtis Stinson, an Iowa State guard, demonstrated yesterday that he can run his mouth without thinking:“They’re just deep – that’s what makes them really good. We’ve seen better teams though."Who would that be Mr. Stinson? Iowa State played two other teams that made it to the Sweet 16: Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Iowa State split with Texas Tech (beating them by 13 at home and losing by 8

Lileks on Schiavo

2005-03-21T08:14:00.000-05:00

In short: err on the side of life is not a bad motto to keep in mind. This seems simple enough. I respect those who nod, count to three, and offer a soft “however” so that we may refine the particulars. But I don’t have much time for those who hear “err on the side of life” and automatically bristle, because they hear the voice of someone who, damn their black and God-addled brain, once sent $10