Sportz' Top Michael Jordan Moments

With Michael Jordan heading into the Basketball Hall Of Fame this coming weekend, everyone is going back and remembering their favorite Jordan moments. I'm doing the same, but from a different perspective.

I'm not doing a "greatest moments" package. I'm doing my own personal favorites list. What I will always remember about Jordan. As you can probably figure out from me being a Tar Heel fan, there are some Carolina-centric moments.

#10-I'M BACK: In a world where everyone wants to ramble on, Jordan's declaration that he was un-retiring with the simple press release, "I'm back", was classic!

#9-THE DUNK AGAINST MARYLAND: In an epic battle with Len Bias at Maryland, Jordan took a breakaway as the clock was expiring and brought down Cole Fieldhouse with a wicked dunk. Watch it here.

#8-DUMPING 63 ON THE CELTICS: Still a record for a postseason game, Jordan dumped 63 points on the eventual champion Boston Celtics. Amazing since he missed 64 games of that season with an injury.

#7-GOING OFF ON THE BLAZERS: His barrage of three-pointers in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals was amazing. He scored a Finals-record 35 first half points.

#6-HIS LAST SHOT AS A BULL: The free throw line jumper to beat the Utah Jazz for the 1998 NBA Championship should have been the perfect ending to a career. To many of us who forget his Wizards days ... it still is.

#5-1988 SLAM DUNK CHAMPIONSHIP: The best slam dunk contest ever. Maybe they look a little stale now, but this was the equivalent of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James having a dunk-off today. Two stars bringing their A+ game in Chicago.

#4-THE 1993 FINALS: This is one of my most memorable non-Laker Finals. I watched nearly every game at a local Hooters restaurant. And what a series it was! Jordan averaged a record 41 points in the six game series.

#3-THE SHOT OVER EHLO ... GOOD!: Amazing moment to end an amazing game.

#2-JORDAN'S RETIREMENT: I remember this vividly because I was attending UNC-Charlotte at the time. I was in the student hangout of the school when every television was on the news conference that Jordan was retiring. Remember, this was before internet and 24-hour news channels broke everything hours before the story was told. One of the reasons Jordan retired was due to his father's murder. As a young man living in North Carolina at the time ... THAT was the biggest story in quite some time.

#1-THE SHOT AGAINST GEORGETOWN: This is the first major Michael Jordan moment. Jordan hit the game winner against the Hoyas in the 1982 NCAA Championship game. The fact that a freshman on a team with James Worthy and Sam Perkins would even take a game winning shot like that is unreal. The fact that he hit it is legendary.

Ricky Williams Gets Married ... and the Skies Open Up

Dolphins RB Ricky Williams married his longtime girlfriend Kristin Barnes on Friday. Reports are that Ronnie Brown, Chad Henne and Dennis Rodman (?) were in attendance. The best part was this piece of information:

A downpour began after they exchanged vows.

I thought they may have said that demons flew up from hell and drank the blood of the wicked. Nope, just rain.

Oh, and no word if the bride's wedding dress clashed with Ricky's or Rodman's.

Shawne Merriman Was Dating Tila Tequila?

What were you most amazed about when you heard the news that San Diego Chargers LB Shawne Merriman was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend, MTV reality star Tila Tequila?

That Merriman would do something like this or that he was dating Tequila.

Tequila (whose given name is Tila Nguyen) made a name for herself by posing nude on internet sites and Playboy. She's parlayed that into a gig at A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila on MTV. The show was built on the fact that 16 straight men and 16 lesbian women would compete for Tequila's love. You can define "love" any way you'd like.

And Merriman is dating this. Unlike a lot of bloggers, I really don't get into and know who is dating who in the sports community. I don't really care.

But this is kind-of nasty.

Merriman, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, is reported to have kept Tequila from leaving his home this morning by choking and phyically restraining her. She was hospitalized for the attack and authorities came and got him.

The NFL season starts this week.

... And This Is What College Basketball In Kentucky Will Be Like

I live here and that's about it. I don't care for Kentucky or Louisville. So hearing all the bickering going on (while my beloved Tar Heels sit as defending champions) can give a man a headache.

Lost in all the news of Rick Pitino's infedelity, John Calipari's burned bridges and Billy Gillispie's DUI is actual basketball news. So here comes the slime.

Pitino just hired Shabaka Lands as an assistant to the head coach at Louisville. Lands has ties with top recruit Marquis Teague. Lands is an assistant coach on the high school team Teague plays for. Nice.

Oh, and Teague just had his official visit to rival Kentucky.

Teague, from Indianapolis, is the brother of Jeff Teague, an All-ACC guard at Wake Forest last year (Wake is also on the younger Teague's list). Their father played for Pitino when he was the head guy at Boston University.

I wonder if Calipari will now try to hire Teague's dad as a special assistant to the coach or something now.

Bad Start For the ACC; Is This a BCS League?

The ACC isn't a football power ... even if they'd like to be. It's a basketball conference who likes to dabble in football to make that bank. They've screwed up the hoops side of things chasing the money.

I don't know how the ACC keeps its BCS slot. Virginia Tech's win over Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl last year was the league's first BCS win in forever. They never put two teams in the BCS bowls in the same season.

Meanwhile, Utah and Boise State are winning those BCS games and BYU is beating Oklahoma.

The BYU win is relevant since the ACC showed its lack of muscle on the opening day of the college football season.

Duke lost at home to Richmond. Sure, the Spiders are defending FCS champions ... but this is a BCS school losing to a FCS school ... again!

Duke wasn't the lone ACC team losing to a Championship Subdivision school: Virginia lost to William & Mary, 26-14. Unlike Richmond, William & Mary isn't a FCS power. This is their first opening game win since 2001 and first win over a FBS school since 1998 (and that was against lowly Temple).

Baylor went into Wake Forest and beat the Deacs. Not a surprise, but this was a game that Wake could've won.

In the two big games that involved ACC teams this week saw the league lose both contests. Virginia Tech fought hard but were beaten by Alabama, 34-24. On Thursday, NC State lost to South Carolina in Raleigh, 7-3.

As I'm typing this, Maryland is down to California 45-13 (note: it ended up finishing 52-13).

On Monday, the league's two football "powers" go at it as Miami faces off against Florida State. Wonder if the announcers will talk about the possibility of Bobby Bowden getting penalized several wins? Or how the Miami head coach is on the hot seat?

Yeah, North Carolina, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Boston College cruised to wins over FCS schools. And in that Clemson game, star back C.J. Spiller left the game with an injury. But none of that makes you believe in the league.

I hope the ACC can get it together and show that this was just a bad week and nothing more. Next week sees Virginia host ranked TCU, North Carolina visiting UConn, Duke traveling to Army and Wake Forest hosting Stanford -- all loseable games. Also, we have Clemson facing off against Georgia Tech ... meaning one of the best teams in the conference will get their first loss.

I'm an ACC guy and I know that it's tough for ACC fans to admit they aren't the best at everything. We believe it in basketball, starting to believe it in baseball, believe it in men's and women's soccer. We've always dismissed football as "not our thing" but that argument flew out the window when we added four schools with a football background (Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College). The conference also places a lot of guys in the NFL draft.

So what's going on?

NASCAR Lowers Driving Age to 14

Yeah, you read that right. NASCAR is lowering the minimum age for their entry level series to 14 years old. Amazing.

Amazing since I don't know where in this country you can obtain a driver's license at 14. Kids that age are still in junior high school. They can't grow facial hair, still watch "Land Before Time" movies and can barely get into PG-13 flicks.

Or they can learn how to drive hundreds of miles per hour with other teens. Whelen All-American Series will issue learner's permits for under-age drivers who qualify at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks starting in 2010.

I get what they are trying to do here. Getting these kids started as early as they can ensures a better driver sooner and NASCAR gets to help guide them. Yeah, the legal driving age is higher than 14 but the kids who take advantage of this have driven different kinds of vehicles at some point in their life.

UNC's Alumni Game is TONIGHT!

One of the things I love about being a Tar Heel fan is the fact that the players actually do love the university. The respect the school, the program and the iconic coaches.

One of the things that I enjoy is the alumni game. It is former Carolina players coming back to Chapel Hill and competing in a scrimmage. It's open to the public for $20 a ticket. It's a highlight of the offseason and just a joy to witness.

This year, the teams look like this:

Blue Team: Shammond Williams, Ed Cota, Ty Lawson, Vince Carter, Dante Calabria, Jawad Williams, Wayne Ellington, Rashad McCants, Brandan Wright and Sean May

White Team: Brendan Haywood, Raymond Felton, Bobby Frasor, Jackie Manuel, Jeff McInnis, Danny Green, Marvin Williams, Rasheed Wallace, Antawn Jamison and Jerry Stackhouse.

My money is on the white team. They have size with Haywood, Sheed and Jamison. They also have tough the defensive might of both Danny Green and Jackie Manuel and the athleticism of Stackhouse (well, did) and Marvin Williams.

Still, the blue team is no slouch. People forget that Cota is third all-time in assists in NCAA history. Also, Shammond Williams, Ellington, Calabria and McCants bring long range gunners that can counter the White's size. The key will be if Wright and May can look like their college selves or their disappointing NBA selves.

The matchup I want to watch in at point. Raymond Felton vs Ty Lawson. Awesome!

There actually was a draft (by Phil Ford and Pat Sullivan) to disperse the players. The overall No. 1 pick???? Antawn Jamison.

All these names aren't the only ones that will be there. During the past couple of days, those stars have been playing pickup games with the current Tar Heels ... including incoming freshmen John Henson and The Wear Twins. And you never know what kind of retired alums may show up.

The beauty of it all is that these guys get to go back. Most didn't enjoy the typical Senior Day moment that used to be a part of a college player's career. Guys like Ty Lawson, Vince Carter, Wayne Ellington, Rashad McCants, Brandan Wright, Sean May, Raymond Felton, Marvin Williams, Rasheed Wallace, Antawn Jamison and Jerry Stackhouse left before their senior year and didn't get that last love-in to cap their careers. They will all get that tonight.

Current UNC senior said it best. "I don't think any other place could come close to having this kind of weekend," Ginyard said. "There's a lot of things about Carolina you just don't find anywhere else."

Oh, and the 2009 National Championship banner will be unveiled tonight. There also will be a tribute to Dean Smith. Ho-hum. All this opens up the 100th year of Carolina basketball which the school ... and this blog ... will touch on quite a bit over the next several months.

The Sportz Assassin Sportz Room: 2009 Edition

Every year I take a bit of an opportunity to pat myself on the back and feed my ego about my Sportz Room. When we bought our first house five years ago, my wife "allowed me" to use the basement as my own Sportz Room.

Every guy needs a room like this. EVERY GUY! And, ladies, every wife needs to allow their men to have this space. It will pay off in the long run. Call it a Man Cave or whatever, it allows every guy to have complete control over one room of the house. It brings peace, gluttony, brotherhood and overall happiness to a sports lover's life.

Not to kiss my wife's butt too much on this, but I am grateful that I have someone who understands this and allows me to have a room like this.

The 2009 Edition is pretty similar to the 2008 edition. It isn't the greatest "man cave" ever, but it pretty good for what I can come up with. I still have four televisions on tap. One is in HDTV, one is an old school 36", another 27" and a 13". The two biggest TVs each have DirecTV's Sunday Ticket piped in. The two smaller ones are now hooked up to those hideous converter boxes and I use them to televise the games shown locally. The HDTV (which is new after my old one blew up right before Christmas) is usually set on the Redskins game or is used to flip around. The 36" is usually stuck on The Red Zone Channel or another game.

For the fantasy football manager in me, DirecTV has the ability for you to enter two fantasy team rosters and a screen will pop up if any of those players do anything of significance.

I've got my blue recliner which sits about six feet from the HDTV. Gotta futon and a smaller reclinerfor guests (and by "guests" I mean my dogs). The Sportz Room is in the basement ... an unfinished basement. So on the ceiling I have tiny pennants from all MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA teams as well as a couple of collegiate conferences. I also have about 60 McFarlane figures hanging up as well as posters and flags of my favorite teams (UNC, Redskins, Lakers, Reds, Red Wings).

This isn't a bragging thing at all. It isn't perfect, it's a bit messy and is a bit cluttered. And since my dogs live there, it has a nice canine smell to it at times. Still on Sundays, I will be sheltered down with a glass of Pepsi (I don't drink alcohol) and enjoying all which is man!

*-the above pic is not of my room

In Buffalo, Another Offensive Coordinator Bites the Dust

The Bills have fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert just 10 days before their regular season opener against the New England Patriots. This seems a bit justified since the Bills have looked dreadful this preseason and head coach Dick Jauron is on a very tight leash.

This marks the third offensive coordinator canned this week. The Chiefs dismissed Chan Gailey on Monday and the Buccaneers let go Jeff Jagodzinski yesterday.

Normally in a recession, it seems that management gets bigger while the middle class workers get smaller. Companies hire consultants and create cost savings departments while laying off the actual workers to help pay for it. In the NFL, it seems like it is the other way around.

That means there are three offensive coordinators that will be taking over just a week before the season starts ... and several others on very thin ice. With the money invested in Jason Garrett, will Jerry Jones pull the plug if the Cowboys offense suffers again? Everyone in Cincinnati was stunned that Bob Bratkowski got another year with the Bengals. Ron Turner now has Jay Cutler in Chicago so he's on the hot seat. Also, Bill Belichick is taking over the OC duties in New England while he grooms Josh Daniels' replacement.

In a year of organizations demanding immediate results, coaches aren't coddled. Normally the learning curve has a little more slack but in these times where several teams could have games blacked out due to lack of sell-outs, it is imperative that there is some excitement and promise shown in these offenses.

What's Going On In the Carolina Panthers Front Office?

Yesterday was a shocking day for Carolina Panthers fans. Team president Mark Richardson and stadium president Jon Richardson abruptly resigned from their positions immediately. Both men are sons of team owner Jerry Richardson.

From what the Charlotte Observer is reporting [1], the two sons were at odds about how the team should be run. The battle was so bad that the dad decided the best thing is to have both guys leave the organization.

This is an extremely interesting and potentially troubling move for Panther fans. Mark and Jon ran the team last season while Jerry was dealing with heart issues that resulted in getting a heart transplant. That move made many to believe that the elder Richardson may step further away from his duties and let his sons run the team (similar to the Yankees and the Steinbrenners). Carolina has been a family run franchise since the beginning and Jerry Richardson is revered as one of the best owners in the NFL.

The problem is that the dress rehearsal didn't go that well. Mark and Jon had equal power and neither answered to the other. So there was a great opportunity for heads to butt and feelings to get hurt. Just because you are brothers and both care about the same thing doesn't mean you'll see eye-to-eye about handling it.

The one silver lining is that this also shows us that Jerry Richardson must be feeling pretty good. The fact that he's been dealing with this and was able to make a decision like that is quite remarkable after what he's gone through. Jerry met with the minority owners (both sons still own a stake in the team) to assure them that he's running the ship and that the front office changes are for the better. He's not selling and the team is not moving.

What it does do is put the future of the organization in some doubt. As a Redskins fan, I remember seeing the ailing Jack Kent Cooke in the 1990s and wondered what would happen if he decided to sell or if he passed away while owner. I think the same thing for the Lakers' Dr. Jerry Buss (who also has a lot of his family involved in running the team). In a city that's built on banking, now isn't the time to think about a change in ownership or rocking the boat.

[1]-http://www.charlotteobserver.com/121/story/922169.html

Should the Wizards Go Back to Being the Bullets?

Over at Mr Irrelevant, they been dogging the Wizards name and uniforms for quite some time. In a post about a possible name change, I've gotten on board with them. I hated that the Bullets became the Wizards. It makes no sense.

First off, I don't care about the Wizards/Bullets. I don't. But I like the Washington Bullets much better than the Washington Wizards. Yeah, the Bullets logo and uniform style were a bit bland but it just felt right.

The name was changed because team owner Abe Pollin decided that "bullets" was too violent. Okay, so why pick Wizards? Black magic and the occult are okay? Having a team's name also a high ranking of the KKK is cool? Nicking the name down a bit more gives us the "Wiz" ... which makes me think of making water in the toilet. Some people even go with the "Zards" card.

I didn't think "bullets" meant much more than the team was fast as a bullet. When you play in the same town as a team nicknamed the Redskins ... "bullets" doesn't look too bad.

Also, the Wizards era hasn't been too kind. They've won exactly one playoff series in the 12 seasons since the name change. Of course, there wasn't much in the seasons leading up to the change either. In the last 27 seasons, the Wizards have gotten past the first round of the playoffs just once.

Still, the Bullets won a NBA Championship in 1978 and returned to the Finals in '79. The Wizards have won a total of eight postseason games. With the Bullets, I think of Wes Unseld, Earl Monroe, Gus Johnson and Elvin Hayes. With the Wizards, I think of an old Michael Jordan and a too-young Kwame Brown. The Bullets had those retro cool red, white and blue striped jerseys. The Wizards have some sort of gold and black jerseys of a team that plays the Harlem Globetrotters.

I say go back to being the Bullets. Screw the PC agenda and do what makes you happy!

Preseason in College Football? Interesting ...

I don't know why, but all the sudden people are wondering why college football doesn't have at least one preseason game. It's a very interesting question.

The NFL goes through four preseason games before their 16-game season. MLB has over a month full of spring training games. The NBA and NHL have a few weeks to hold their exhibition tour across the country. Even college basketball has a semi-preseason with a couple of exhibition games as well as some cupcakes to start off the season.

I can see both sides of the argument.

FOR A PRESEASON GAME: Let 'em take on a cupcake before the real games begin. Let Florida vs Charleston happen last week and chalk it up to a learning experience. Let the kids go out and pound on some scrub school. The scrub school will nearly make up its entire budget by doing so. That's why Charleston is heading to the swamp this weekend.

Also, with "every game counting", wouldn't it benefit these schools to not open up with a top opponent? Either Alabama or Virginia Tech will be eliminated from national title contention after their opening week meeting this Saturday. Is that really fair?

AGAINST A PRESEASON GAME: Nearly every team in the FBS has a FCS team on their schedule. So why not make that a game that doesn't count instead? Also, this is football -- not basketball. Basketball teams can be formed at any time for any purpose. That isn't the case with football. There aren't any roaming exhibition football teams that can fill these spots up. So it will be those FCS schools anyways.

But my biggest gripe against it is because college football is bound by their rankings. If North Carolina basketball struggles to a win or even loses to a cupcake, it really doesn't matter if voters rank them down a bit. You can play your way back to the top. In football, that may not be the case. Say if Florida, Texas and USC are all undefeated at the end of the year ... but Texas struggled a bit in their preseason game ... would voters count that against the Horns? Will that be their "yeah, but ... "?

Pac-Man Jones Fever Hits Winnipeg

Former Tennessee Titan and Dallas Cowboy Adam Pac-Man Jones has signed a one-year deal with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Good luck.

The Bombers get what they want: a reason for someone to remember if Winnipeg has two i's or two e's. Jones gets what he wants: money and a chance to show anyone he's not a bad guy.

He'll also get cold. NHL guys are glad that the Winnipeg Jets moved because there is no where colder than that place during the winter. The good news is that the Blue Bombers are 3-5 right now so their season most likely will end in November. But think how cold Buffalo and Minneapolis (there's that word again!) are in the fall.

It will be interesting to see if he gets into any trouble in Winnipeg. It ain't Dallas or even Nashville. Also interesting since the Bombers ... like the Green Bay Packers ... are a community owned franchise (as are fellow CFL teams in Edmonton and Saskatchewan).

Rubio Delay May Pay Off For the Timberwolves

I can't believe I just woke up and typed two posts about the freakin' Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ricky Rubio will not come to Minnesota. Well, not now. He was traded from blah blah blah to blah blah Barcelona yesterday and will be staying in Spain until at least 2011. The Wolves brass tried a last ditch effort to reel him into the Land of 1,000 Lakes but was unsuccessful.

They will be disappointed, but this could pay off down the road for the Wolves.

RIGHT NOW: They have Johnny Flynn there to show everyone that he is the point guard of the future for the Wolves. There will be no weird rivalry between Flynn and Rubio for minutes at the point guard spot. It will give both guards a chance to develop at their own paces.

KEEPING/DEELING RUBIO: At some point, the Wolves will have to figure out if they are going to keep both or just one of the guards. I see them keeping Rubio because it isn't like he's a bargaining chip for a player that will turn them into a contender. In 2011, the Wolves won't be challenging for any titles anyway so they would be smart to just chill for a couple of years.

If Rubio does come in 2011, he'll only be 20 years old ... pretty much the age of a lot of rookies that get drafted. It will also allow the Wolves to hang onto Rubio for a longer period of time since his rookie scale contract won't start until he signs it. He will have a couple of seasons more to mature his game and as a man.

You will also get to see what Flynn has to offer and a grasp on what his future with the team is. Best case scenario is that both guys prove to be starters and the Wolves will have an overflow of talent. That would allow them to deal one of the two (I'd guess Flynn just because of the financial reasons) for another part they need or roll with a small backcourt.

Kurt Rambis, Bill Laimbeer and Reggie Theus Walk Into a Minnesota Bar ...

Here is quite an interesting band of brothers: Kurt Rambis is the new head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves and he's hiring Bill Laimbeer and Reggie Theus as assistants.

All three were players of the 1980s. Rambis wasn't much more than a role player but did play on championship teams. So did Bill Laimbeer, who was the face of the Pistons' "Bad Boy" persona. Theus won nothing, but had a very solid NBA career where he averaged 18.5 ppg for his career.

Also, these three bring quite an interesting coaching resume to the Wolves. Rambis got a good look at the Lakers job in the second half of the 1998-1999 season as an interim. However he was passed over for one Phil Jackson that summer. Theus lasted just 106 games as head coach of the Sacramento Kings before he was fired during last season. Theus brings roots from the college game as he was the head guy at New Mexico State and an assistant at Louisville.

However, his greatest contribution will be from the knowledge from his time as head coach of the Deering Tornadoes on the show "Hang Time". On the show, he was able to take a very un-athletic team with a female star and make them a winner. He was replaced in 1998 with ... off all people ... Dick Butkus.

Laimbeer brings some WNBA coaching experience. He led the Detroit Shock to three league titles before bowing out a couple of months ago.

So quite an interesting stable of coaches there.