My Hopes, Wishes and Dreams For the New Tar Heels Hoops Season

Yes, it is exciting when Midnight Madness hits and college basketball season is on the way. But when your team just won the title back in April, you don't mind as much if the offseason is a little long. Basking in the championship glory is a great feeling.

But life moves on and so did a lot of UNC's scoring from last year. So what do I expect, hope and wish happens this upcoming season?

Well, unlike 2005-2006, this defending champ is stocked. After the 2005 title, the top seven scorers either graduated or left early for the NBA leaving the Heels with role players like Reyshawn Terry and David Noel and a great crop of freshmen (Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard). This year, Carolina lost a lot (Hansbrough, Green, Frasor, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington) but they kept a little bit more than before. Deon Thompson is the lone starter remaining, but the team still has Ed Davis (who would've been a lottery pick in the last draft), Tyler Zeller, Ginyard (who had a medical redshirt last year), Larry Drew and Will Graves.

Adding to that is, again, another great recruiting class. John Henson should be the starting small forward (more on that later); Dexter Strickland could get a ton of time as a combo guard; Leslie McDonald should get his chances backing up Drew; and the Wear twins add even more depth to the front court. With both Wear twins, Henson, Thompson, Davis and Zeller, we have six guys who are 6'9 or taller. A probable frontcourt of Thompson-Davis-Henson would be a matchup nightmare for opponents.

I'm not expecting a championship or even a Final Four berth -- but unlike '05, I have hopes that both those things could happen. If we could pull that off, that would be totally amazing! To lose a former National Player of the Year and the past two ACC Players of the Year, three first round draft picks and most of the perimeter scoring and then go back to the Final Four? Wow!

I expect another ACC regular season championship. The ACC will be down a bit this year due to a lot of losses of star players. That frontcourt rotation will allow (a) the Heels to keep a matchup advantage over everyone, (b) should make us a rebounding machine, (c) make foul troubles a non-issue and (d) allow the team to be able to score in the half court set if the break-neck speed of the Lawson and Felton eras don't develop at times.

LARRY DREW II: He is the key to what kind of season the Heels will have. Drew didn't wow anyone last year in the minutes he had backing up Ty Lawson. Still, players and coaches keep saying that Drew really can run this team. I hope so. He's not a great shooter and hasn't shown the best decision making at times but that's to be expected from a freshman point guard. At UNC, you really see PGs step up in development in their second year.

MARCUS GINYARD: I think Ginyard will get the starting shooting guard gig off the bat. He is the Heels best defender and he will be needed for that. He also is a do-everything kind of guy who is athletic, can shoot and is smart. Expect him to become the leader of this team.

JOHN HENSON: We've been waiting for this kid for about four years now. He's 6'10 with looooong arms, quick legs and an outside game. He needs to bulk up a bit but the fact that he could come in at starting small forward makes Roy Williams drool. That would allow the Heels to put three trees on the court at the same time and hardly lose a thing. Henson has the ability to become one of the team's top scorers this season.

DEON THOMPSON: Thompson played really well last year. He showed a lot more confidence in his offensive game, played much better defensively and hopes to take on a leadership role on this team. The fact that he is comfortable with his turn-around shots keeps the lane from getting clogged up. I think Thompson could be the next Scott Williams -- a guy who was just a helper until his senior year when he became the man.

ED DAVIS: Davis is the guy that NBA scouts are drooling over. The lefty big man showed a nose for the ball with his rebounding and shot blocking. During the Final Four, he showed us that he could score as well. Davis will most likely be the focal point of the offense this year and should lead the league in rebounding and blocks.

TYLER ZELLER: People forget that Zeller came out of the gates with a bang last year. He broke his wrist near the end of his second game of the season and missed the next 10 weeks. When he came back, he was out of sync and out of shape. However, he really could become a star this year with his 7-foot frame and his ability to run the court. This kid is good.

WILL GRAVES: Another guy that will be counted on. Graves was suspended from the team last year due to undisclosed issues, but he's back with an edge. With Ellington, Green and Lawson gone, so went the Heels lone three point shooters. Graves, though, is one of the best gunners on the team and could see a strong bump in time if he shows he can nail those shots.

DEXTER STRICKLAND: This is a guy who could become the next Carolina star. He's a combo guard (more of a point) who is a beast in the transition game. That's always a good thing in Chapel Hill. He's a very good ballhandler who can get to the basket and finish (think Lawson). Strickland could get a lot of time backing up both guard spots ... or even taking either of the starting guard spots. The kid is that good. If he continues to develop his three-point shot, he'll be unguardable.

LESLIE MCDONALD: Think a freshman version of Wayne Ellington. He's a great catch-and-shoot player who does need to develop some slashing skills. Still, he's a smart player who is also a good rebounder for his position. He, like Strickland, could be a combo guard.

DAVID and TRAVIS WEAR: I hate lumping these two together, but the are so similar in their games. They are the same size, play the same position and have mainly the exact same skill set. They are very good mid-range shooters which will make them great at the high post. Because of that and their passing abilities, they could see some time at any of the forward spots to keep that size advantage at all times. They are neither very athletic, but both are extremely smart and understand the game better than most freshmen. There is some belief that one or both of these guys could redshirt this year.

JUSTIN WATTS: Here is a forgotten man. Remember that Watts saw some action during the late rounds of the NCAA Tournament, including the title game. He works very hard and is an unbelievable athlete. That could be key for a team that really doesn't have a ton of that in the backcourt. Sure, the numbers probably knock him out of a steady rotation, but he could have his moments.

This is a nice team. Again, I expect them to fight off Duke for the ACC title. I expect a Sweet 16 run ... pretty sure of an Elite Eight appearance ... hopeful for a Final Four berth ... and praying for another championship. This is a top 10 team all season long that will have its highs and lows because they are so young. But think about this: they will play AT Kentucky, AT Texas in Cowboys Stadium and AT Duke. They'll also face Ohio State, Michigan State and either California or Syracuse. They'll be tested.

Sportz' Week 6 NFL Picks

Alright, I didn't have a good week last week. Still, I was 8-6. Right now I am 50-26.

Week 1: 12-4
Week 2: 7-9
Week 3: 11-5
Week 4: 12-2
Week 5: 8-6

So let's see what I got for what seems like an easy Week 6:

BENGALS OVER TEXANS: I think Houston could scare Cincinnati in this one and pull the upset. But these Bengals have shown some major cojones in every game this season and it's hard to pick against them in this one.

PACKERS OVER LIONS: The game is in Green Bay. That's pretty much it.

JAGUARS OVER RAMS: Jacksonville couldn't score a point last week and were stomped by Seattle. But the Rams really, really, really, really stink.

VIKINGS OVER RAVENS: Good one here. Baltimore has imploded in each of the last two weeks. I think Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson do a number on a shaky secondary and the Williams Wall shuts down Ray Rice.

SAINTS OVER GIANTS: Easily the best game of the day. I like what the G-men have done this year, but the Saints are so hard to beat at the Superdome. The fact that Eli Manning has that plantar faciitis convinces me that New York gets its first loss.

STEELERS OVER BROWNS: Again, Cleveland won last week while Derek Anderson completed two passes. Pittsburgh rolls.

PANTHERS OVER BUCCANEERS: This used to be a great game. Now it is a matchup of two teams that are a combined 1-8. Carolina will be the team to get the win here.

REDSKINS OVER CHIEFS: This one is huge for Jim Zorn and the Skins. A loss at home to the bumbling Chiefs would be beyond embarassing. Please don't screw this up!

EAGLES OVER RAIDERS: Philly will find this game easy since they don't have to defend a quarterback.

SEAHAWKS OVER CARDINALS: Seattle has looked better so far than Arizona. Huge divisional game.

PATRIOTS OVER TITANS: It's getting to be Vince Young time soon. New England is bent, at home and facing a reeling team. This game may tell us more about the Pats than the Titans.

JETS OVER BILLS: Last week's horrible effort will forever keep me from picking Buffalo.

FALCONS OVER BEARS: Great matchup. Atlanta seems like a more solid team right now. The fact that Roddy White is playing at the level he is and that Chicago won't be able to match that has been going A-T-L.

CHARGERS OVER BRONCOS: Weird that I finally admit to believing in Denver and then I pick them to lose. This is a huge game for both teams. A Denver win over San Diego would put the Broncos in a cushy position to take this division. The Bolts need this to keep that hope alive. They can't count on a late season collapse again.

Skip Bayless Is Having a Bad Time

Unlike most people, I don't hate ESPN's Skip Bayless. Yeah, he speaks out of his butt sometimes, seems out of touch at other times and seems to hold onto too many grudges. I believe that he gets his role as the guy people hate. And he does predict some things that do happen.

Not for a while, though.

Going into the college football season, Bayless trumpeted the Oklahoma Sooners as the next champion. They've lost two games already. Sure, he didn't know that Sam Bradford would be injured but the Sooners didn't look that good against BYU before he got hurt.

Going into the baseball playoffs, Bayless was trumpeting the Boston Red Sox. He said that they were laying in the weeds and will take down the mighty Yankees. Boston was swept out of the first round by the Angels. Speaking of the Yankees, Bayless predicted that Alex Rodriguez and C.C. Sabathia will continue their poor postseason play and doom the Bronx Bombers. A-Rod was awesome in their series with the Twins and Sabathia has been dominant in his two starts.

He also picked the Dallas Cowboys to do some big things in the NFL this season. Right now, they are 3-2 after an overtime win over the winless Kansas City Chiefs. Hardly dominant. Hardly playoff worthy.

Maybe that's picking nits, but you lose a bit of credibility when your anti-Yankee beliefs hinder your objective reporting (hey, I hate the Yankees too but I know this is a special squad).

Again, I'm not a Skip Bayless hater at all. I'm about 50-50 on what he says. Still, he's struggling with his picks recently.

UPDATE: On Friday's "First Take", Bayless predicted an Oklahoma win over Texas and that Sam Bradford would come up with big plays late. Of course, there is no way he could have known that Bradford would be knocked out early on in the game ... but he still was wrong, twice.

Then he says that USC would blow out Notre Dame 30-10 and that there is no chance the Irish can keep it close. Well, USC did win, but the score was 34-27 and Notre Dame had a chance to tie with time expiring.

He then says that it is time for the Dodgers to panic in the NLCS (LA beat Philly in Game 2).

Midnight Madness Continues to Be Awesome Event

Usually in sports, the beginning of training camp or practice is a time for celebration. Baseball fans covet the day that pitchers and catchers report to spring training. NFL fans flock to various training camp sites to root for their team. In college football, fans fill stadiums to watch scrimmages.

But none of that is like Midnight Madness to me. The event, which has been around nearly two decades, has become the top of the heap. Arenas all over this country will be filled with rabid fans as they see their favorite teams start up again.

In college basketball, there is both tremendous turnover and tremendous exposure. At North Carolina tonight, fans will finally get the opportunity to see John Henson perform in Carolina blue after years of waiting for his arrival. The timid freshmen of a year ago come out of their shell to become confident veterans. Seniors begin to latch onto the all the memories of their final season. Hope is high.

The only gripe I have about Midnight Madness is the makeup of the crowd. Usually, the tickets are free to give away. However, you could go on eBay or Craig's List to find people selling the ducats. To me, the event should be about the students first and foremost. Many of the big-time programs have to turn some students away in order to sell to the high rollers. This is a free event that represents the pride of your school and should be celebrated by those actually attending the university.

The only Midnight Madness I went to was waaaaay back in 1993. I was a freshman at UNC-Charlotte and attended the Madness (back when it actually was held at midnight) with a couple of my friends. I don't remember much except for the party feel in the arena. This was my school; these were my peers. A couple of those on that team were in my Psych class. Also back then, they actually practiced.

Now the event is so much more fun. The festivities start around 7:30pm and there are skits and dancing and the coaches are getting into the act a little more. Instead of dull practicing, there are scrimmages and dunk contests. It's all part of the college experience for both the fans and the players.

I'm not against others getting in and I understand that if a broke student has a free ticket worth $100 to someone else he should sell it. I just rather they let as many students as they can in and raffle off the other tickets.

Either way, bring on the newest college basketball season and ... GO HEELS!

Kings May Be Moving Away From Sacramento

The city of Sacramento may not have the Kings around much longer. With the ownership (the Maloofs) failing at getting a new arena built and the current economic mess in California, the Kings may be on the way out.

According to ESPN's John Ireland, the Kings will probably be moving in the very near future ... possibly next season. They will have to do so if the franchise wants to be economically viable.

It's such a problem that even the NBA may endorse a move away from Sacto. There are plenty of NBA-ready cities and arenas out there that it would be foolish for the franchise to sit, wait and hope for new digs in Cali's capital.

So where do they go from here?

ANAHEIM KINGS? The Honda Center is an NBA-ready arena that has hosted a lot of basketball events already. The team would be close enough to keep some of its diehard fan base in northern California. The problem will be the fact that three NBA teams would be in the LA-Anaheim area and could be overkill. The Clippers have spent a quarter of a century trying to get some solid footing in the Lakers shadow. How hard would it be for the Kings to do the same?

KANSAS CITY KINGS? I like this. The Kings franchise moved to Sacramento from Kansas City over two decades ago. It should be easier to build a fan base there. They have the lovely Sprint Center ready for the NBA to come. Also, the NBA would get to have a nice regional rivalry between Kansas City and Oklahoma City.

LAS VEGAS KINGS? The Maloofs are Las Vegas kind of guys so it would make sense that they may think about moving to Sin City. The problems are numerous, however. Professional franchises have been very shy to even consider placing a team in the gambling capital of the country. Also, the Thomas and Mack Center is serviceable but isn't much of an upgrade over ARCO Arena.

SEATTLE SONICS? Seattle believes they are next up to get a franchise. They lost the Sonics over a year ago to Oklahoma City, but got to keep the Sonics name, logo and colors. Any franchise placed in that city would be the Sonics ... so the long running Kings franchise would pretty much be dead. Having said all of this, the stadium issues that made the original Sonics move haven't been resolved yet.

SAN JOSE KINGS? This move could make some sense. The team would only be moving south a bit and should be able to keep a lot of their fans. Yeah, it would butt in on the Golden State Warriors (who play in Oakland), but the Kings were already doing that in Sacramento. The HP Pavilion can house NBA basketball, but it's only five years younger than ARCO.

TBS Gives Us Some "Wolrd" Series Facts

I was told earlier this year that using proper sentence structure was the most important thing in the sports media world. Well thanks to TBS for throwing up this graphic telling us about Kirk Gibson's pinch hit home run in the 1988 "Wolrd Series". Now, we all make typos on our blogs, writings or anything we put a pen to. But when your job is perfecting these graphics, please take a second to proof-read first

Sportz' NBA Preview and Predictions

I love the NFL and dedicate a lot of time to it. But the NBA may be the league I'm most in tune with for some reason. I feel that the NBA, more than the NFL and MLB, is a league that I can follow everything with better clarity.

So, the 2009-2010 season will begin soon. There's questions everywhere (which I'll get to) and a race for another championship by the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs ... and Shaq.

First off, check out my individual division predictons here: Atlantic, Southeast, Central, Southwest, Northwest and Pacific.

Now a more in-depth look:

PREDICTIONS

EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF TEAMS: 1-Cavaliers, 2-Celtics, 3-Orlando, 4-Washington, 5-Atlanta, 6-Philadelphia, 7-Chicago, 8-Miami

WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF TEAMS: 1-Lakers, 2-Nuggets, 3-Spurs, 4-Blazers, 5-Mavericks, 6-Hornets, 7-Jazz, 8-Suns

NBA FINALS: Lakers beat Cavaliers, 3-2

BURNING QUESTIONS

WILL RON ARTEST SCREW UP THE LAKERS? I don't think so. He respects Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson enough not to be the cause of the problem. He pretty much was on his best behavior last year. Most importantly, this is his best chance at a championship and he doesn't want to be the guy who ruins that.

WILL SHAQ HELP OR HURT LEBRON? This is the one I'm interested in. I've been on record saying that Shaquille O'Neal will muck up the lane a bit for LeBron James. The Cavs' best play was having LeBron blow past his man and attack the rim. Now, Shaq and his defender will be there in the way. Having said that, Shaq will keep the defense from zeroing in on LeBron and should leave guys like Mo Williams and Delonte West wiiide open.

IS SAN ANTONIO STILL A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM? They can win the title but I'm not as enamored with the Spurs as others seem to be. Yeah, Parker, Manu and Jefferson form an awesome athletic bunch ... I don't like when Tim Duncan is a center. He seems to play better at the power forward spot.

ARE THE CELTICS TOO OLD? This is a great question. I think they are old but not too old. Ray Allen is 34, Kevin Garnett is 33 and Paul Pierce will be 32. That's not too old to win a championship.

WHAT PLAYER WILL BE THE GUY TEAMS GO AFTER AT THE TRADE DEADLINE? Carlos Boozer. The Jazz didn't think he'd be coming back. Boozer didn't think he was coming back to Utah. But with the economic climate and the open market down, Boozer didn't opt out of the final year of his deal and stayed put. Utah just broke the bank for Paul Millsap and he needs starters minutes. For teams that need an inside scorer, Boozer would be a smart bet. You aren't bogged down with a bad contract.

WILL THE KNICKS EMBARASS NEW YORKERS? This isn't a playoff team, but it's close. I think this Knicks team will be relatively quiet. They have some talent and most of those big mouths are gone.

WHAT TEAM WILL BE AN EMBARASSMENT? I'm picking Golden State. They have some players there but it seems as if no one is getting along. You have Stephen Jackson demanding out, Monta Ellis whining about Stephen Curry and questions about the future of coach Don Nelson. This thing could get out of hand quickly.

WHAT WILL IVERSON BE IN MEMPHIS? The Grizzlies will be an interesting social experiment. Iverson ... who cares about starting, shooting and scoring ... joins O.J. Mayo in the backcourt. Are there enough touches to go around? Mayo is the future so he needs to gain experience. Of course, Iverson always sees himself as the man on the court at all times. Iverson will get his points, but it will be plain to see that he isn't the same player anymore.

CAN ORLANDO WIN THE EAST AGAIN? No. They are good but they won't punk the Celtics or Cavaliers again. The C's will the healthy and the Cavs will be hungry. Vince Carter adds more excitement and scoring, but losing Hedo Turkoglu will really hurt come playoff time.

Sportz' Southwest Division Predictions

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

1-SAN ANTONIO SPURS (Parker, Ginobili, Jefferson, McDyess, Duncan): San Antonio added Jefferson to a talented group. This team looks very Spurs-like. The key will be if Manu can stay healthy and the continued developement of bench guys like Roger Mason and George Hill.

2-DALLAS MAVERICKS (Kidd, Terry, Howard, Nowitzki, Gooden): Not liking their center situation, but the rest of the lineup is loaded. Terry, Howard, Dirk and newly acquired Shawn Marion can fill up the bucket and Kidd is the perfect guy to dish out those assists. Defense won't be their friend and this kind of hinges on if Howard can get his act together.

3-NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (Paul, Posey, Stojakovic, West, Okafor): The Hornets underachieved a bit last year and nothing really was done to correct that. Okafor takes Tyson Chandler's spot but he isn't the offense presence. He will offer a steady defender and rebounder in the lane, which will help.

4-HOUSTON ROCKETS (Brooks, Battier, Ariza, Landry, Scola): It wasn't a good offseason in Houston. Injuries have already decimated this franchise. Tracy McGrady will miss a good while of the season and Yao Ming will most likely miss the entire season. Ron Artest is in LA. So, that leaves all their other guys to get the job done. They won't get anywhere near the success they had last season with a full crew, but this isn't a team that will run away scared.

5-MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (Mayo, Iverson, Gay, Randolph, Gasol): This is a team that will be a great social study. This was a team that started FOUR rookies last year. Now those guys have Iverson and Randolph around to bring veteran ... well, it isn't "leadership" ... but experience. I think Iverson mucks up what the Grizz wants to do. They need to have Mayo as the guy with the ball in his hands, while Gay, Gasol and the recently drafted Sam Young and Hasheem Thabeet develop into starters. This will be a very interesting team to watch, even if they don't win that much.

Sportz' Northwest Division Predictions

NORTHWEST DIVISION

1-DENVER NUGGETS (Billups, J. Smith, Anthony, Martin, Nene): The Nuggets gave the Lakers a good fight in the Western Conference Finals. Pretty much everyone is back in the fold and they added Ty Lawson. They'll get a full season with Billups which will help a lot. This team will be there in the end and success will be achieved by getting to the Finals.

2-PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (Miller, Roy, Fernandez, Aldridge, Oden): This young talented team got a taste of the postseason last year. Now comes the next step where they do some damage once they get there. It will be interesting to see how Andre Miller fits in with Portland. Roy is a star and Aldridge is and up-and-comer. A key will be if Oden can improve from his rookie season.

3-UTAH JAZZ (D. Williams, Brewer Kirilenko, Boozer, Okur): This is a team I can't figure out. Going into last season, people thought that they could give the Lakers a run for their money in the West. Instead they finished 8th in the conference and quickly dismissed by Los Angeles. That team is pretty much intact, though Carlos Boozer may be moved at any time. The issue is the attitude of this team.

4-OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Green, Krstic): This is a very young lineup but they are also very good. Harden gives them a tough-minded swingman that should allow Durant easier shots. The bench is very thin so the luck of this team will come from how high the young crew can lift them.

5-MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (Flynn, Sessions, Pavlovic, Jefferson, Love): Jefferson is awesome and Love is a nice role guy. They did a good thing bringing in Sessions. But this is a franchise that is building for the far future than they are for now. Ricky Rubio is still in Spain and the bench is filled with journeymen and guys I thought were out of the league. They'll fight the Kings for the worst record in the league.

Sportz' Pacific Division Predictions

PACIFIC DIVISION

1-LOS ANGELES LAKERS (Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol, Bynum): This is the class of the Western Conference. The defending champions brought nearly everyone back from a year ago (Ariza is the only notable loss) and added the edgy Ron Artest. This team could be scary due to the constant mismatches they create. They could have a backcourt of Kobe and Artest ... two of the best defenders in the NBA ... and a very tall frontcourt of Gasol, Odom and Bynum. In this division, there really isn't anyone who can compete with LA.

2-PHOENIX SUNS (Nash, Richardson, G. Hill, Stoudamire, Frye): The Suns have undergone some changes of late, but Nash and Amare are still there. With their commitment back to the run-and-gun game, this is the only way for the team to be successful. They have a chance to sneak back into the playoffs, but I'm guessing they miss out again.

3-LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (B. Davis, Gordon, Thornton, Griffin, Kaman): This is my darkhorse team in the West. Yeah, they are the Clippers but this team has a lot of talent. If Baron Davis can get back to his form when he was with G-State, there is a lot of reason to hope. Their last couple of drafts have netted Eric Gordon, Al Thornton and this year's top pick in Blake Griffin. There is reason for optimism. They also have Ricky Davis and Marcus Camby off the bench who can contribute.

4-GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (Curry, Ellis, S. Jackson, Maggette, Beidrins): This team is talented, but is also a mess. Stephen Jackson wants out badly. Monte Ellis doesn't think he can play alongside Stephen Curry. And the starting power forward is Maggette. Yeah, they have issues. They also have a team that if they actually came together then they could cause some damage. Look for Anthony Randolph to step up his game.

5-SACRAMENTO KINGS (Evans, Martin, Nocioni, J. Thompson, Hawes): They are the worst team in this division and may be the worst team in the West. They have some nice young talent in Evans, Thompson and Hawes and continue to have the great scoring of Martin. Nice guys but this team just isn't good enough to do much this season. Get these kids some playing time and experience and then continue to improve the talent level.

Rush-ed Out in St. Louis

The group that will bid to buy the St. Louis Rams franchise has dropped Rush Limbaugh from their roster. The move was made after players lashed out at the prospects of the highly controversial radio host actually running a team, Colts owner Jim Irsay promised not to vote for the group and commish Roger Goodell's not-so-thinly veiled comments.

The group needed to drop Rush if they really wanted a shot at owning the Rams. I'm not getting into his past because you can read that anywhere.

I will say that, even as a Republican, I believe this was the right move. As a Republican, I've grown a bitter taste to where my party has been headed. Instead of the true roots of being a fiscal conservative group, the party has instead pushed fear and paranoia on people. Fear comes in many shades: religion, patriotism, racism and conspiracy theories.

This was the same man who was on ESPN saying that the media is craving for a black quarterback to be successful (referring to Donovan McNabb). He also referred to the players in the NFL as "Crips and Bloods."

Limbaugh went on his show and said that his dismissal from the bidding group was a sign that the "left" will do anything to hush the "right's" voice and the fact that everyone was against him shows that this country is going into the crapper. He even went off about the fact that the Black Eyed Peas Fergie is a new part owner of the Dolphins. Again, I'm a Republican and I don't agree with him at all. He was kicked out because of his racist remarks over the year and his inability to quiet his noise.

The collection of NFL owners are predominately conservative, so it isn't as if the players didn't want to play for a Republican. It is because none of those other owners have made anti-black comments in a public forum and the NFL isn't scared that any of them would. Limbaugh has and you know that he, at some point, will again.

Look at the NFL owners for a moment. Yeah, there are some interesting and driven people amongst them but they all know their place. If Limbaugh was part of any ownership group, anything controversial he said would them be connected to the league. Goodell doesn't want that and neither do the other owners.

So Limbaugh will go back to the airwaves and preach to his legions of followers that he was ousted because of his political beliefs. Instead, we don't want his racist beliefs around the game we love.

John Riggins Goes Off on Redskins, Jim Zorn

Whoa. Our Hall of Fame running back got a lot off his chest. He goes off on owner Daniel Snyder, Vinny Cerrato, DeAngelo Hall and gets all into head coach Jim Zorn.

He is just saying what most of Redskins Nation is saying: Zorn is in over his head. That whole "you could coach high school" and "ankle biters" is classic!

The crumbling continues ...

Bengals Bandwagon, Like Their Stadium, Still Has Seats Available

This is the 11th year I've lived in the Cincinnati area (it's been that long!?!?!?) so I have had the privilege of seeing how Bengals fans work. They want badly to have a winning team but hate their miserly owner. They'd rather see the team do poor enough that Mike Brown will see the light and higher a GM, a scouting department and a football guy to help make decisions.

That ain't happening. This franchise has had just one winning season since 1991. That's right when Mike Brown started running things. And there ya go!

It's sad, really, because these fans are dying for something. The Reds are stuck in mediocre-to-bad life, their strong Cincinnati Bearcats basketball program was gutted and the Bengals have been an embarrassment on and off the field (the Bearcats football team has people excited, however).

Right now the Bengals sit at 4-1. Right now, their home game against the Houston Texans will be blacked out. From the way it looks, there are too many tickets to sell to lift the blackout so the city won't see their first place team play this weekend.

Normally this points to a bad fanbase. When a good team is there and people aren't going to the games usually means the fans aren't as die-hard as in other places. But I don't think Cincinnati is like that. These people love this team. My ears are bleeding from hearing "Who Dey" everywhere again. People have their Bengals hats, shirts, jerseys and whatever else attached to them.

The problem is both the economic downturn (which has killed Ohio) and the unbelievability about what's going on. The Bengals have let these fans down time and time again that it's starting to wear on them. Yeah, the team looks like it is back on the upswing but will Brown mess it all up down the line? It's easier to invest a lot of your heart to the team than it is to invest a lot of your money in them. Tickets, parking and concessions are expensive and it feels like an expenditure that isn't worth it. That's tough because this is one of the franchise's best seasons in two decades.

Too bad these fans won't get to see it.

This May Be One Of the Worst NFL Seasons In a While

Spare me two gripes going into this: yeah, I've been a bit grumpy with my blogging of late but I've had two surgeries that weren't too pleasant over the past two weeks. And, yeah, the fact that the Redskins stink does contribute a small bit to what I'm about to write. But not much more than that.

This has the makings of being a really bad NFL season.

That's not to say it's unwatchable. Far from it. There have been some very exciting games and interesting results. Someone is going to win the Super Bowl but it's highly doubtful that the team who does will really be "great". There just isn't any of those kinds of teams out there. The league is filled with mediocrity and piss-poor franchises.

So here are the reasons I believe all of this:

THERE ARE TONS OF REALLY BAD TEAMS: Every year has its fair share of bad teams and I doubt that any of this year's crop will match the Lions 0-16 mark last year. That's because these crappy teams will happen onto another crappy team and beat them. Seriously, there are some very bad teams. The Rams, Lions, Buccaneers, Browns, Bills, Raiders and Chiefs are horrid. The Titans and Panthers ... two division winners of a year ago ... are a combined 1-8. The Redskins are a mess with their only two wins against the Bucs and Rams (and two of their losses to the Lions and Panthers).

The fact that there are so many bad teams means that mediocre and good teams will pad their records with wins over these teams.

AND I MEAN THEY ARE REALLY BAD: The Raiders are averaging less than 10 points a game this season. The Rams are averaging less than 7 points. How does that happen???? The Browns average 11 points per game. Those three teams have been outscored by a combied 259 points this year. Yikes.

THE SUPER BOWL CHAMP HAS PROBLEMS: The Pittsburgh Steelers had a good shot to repeat as champions. They brought back basically the same team and have a much easier schedule. But they haven't looked too sprite. Yeah, they are 3-2 but they struggle running the football and the defense is seeming to wear down late in games.

Injuries have been a issue but this doesn't look like the same team that tore through the league last year.

TOM BRADY ISN'T BACK: One thing that baffled me was how many "experts" expected Tom Brady to just waltz back into the saddle after having his knee destroyed a year ago. It rarely happens. Brady has struggled a bit. He doesn't seem to fully trust his knee and the fact he's not stepping into his throws are the ball is sailing on him a bit. He isn't the main problem. The fact that the defense lost a lot of veteran leadership is showing a bit. You don't just lose Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi in one swoop and expect to keep on rolling.

DENVER AND CINCINNATI ARE ATOP THEIR DIVISIONS: How in the heck are the Broncos and Bengals a combined 9-1? How? And the one loss was when Cincinnati lost to Denver. How did this happen? The Bengals were 1-10-1 at one point last year. Denver completely imploded in the second half of last season, lost their Super Bowl winning head coach, lost their Pro Bowl quarterback and have had to deal with a grumpy Brandon Marshall. Yet these two teams sit at 9-1 a have wins over the Steelers, Ravens, Cowboys and Patriots on their resume.

Again, this isn't to say that there aren't good teams out there. The New York Giants just look like a Super Bowl squad. New Orleans defense is adequate enough to help out that awesome offense. Minnesota has feasted on an easy schedule but still has talent everywhere. Peyton Manning is looking like an MVP again for the Colts. Atlanta and Chicago are lying in the weeds.

But every week it seems like we are feasting on five blowouts and the rest are up in the air.

Can't wait for the Giants-Saints game!!!

UNC to Hang Four New Jerseys In the Rafters

North Carolina is set to add four new jerseys to the rafters during basketball season. To get your number retired, you must have been a National Player of the Year. To have your jersey honored and hanging from the rafters, you had to be a first or second team All American, an Olympic Gold medalist or team voted MVP of a National Championship team.

Tyler Hansbrough, of course, will have his number retired and jersey hanging alongside Jordan, Jamison, Worthy and the rest of the Players of the Year. Ty Lawson, because he was an All-American this past year, won't have his number retired but his jersey will hang in the rafters.

Those we knew. But UNC announced that two more jerseys will be honored.

The school announced that they are adding "ACC Player of the Year" winners and "Final Four Most Outstanding Player" winners to the rafters. That means Wayne Ellington and Donald Williams will be hanging up there with all the other jerseys.

Ellington won the MOP award this past year. Williams won his on the 1993 Championship team.