It's Football Season!

Distance: 5.13 mi.
Time: 00:39:45 - 7:45 ppm.
Running Buddy

I started from the Dowd and ran towards the stadium. I went past the Doghouse bar on Morehead, where the WFNZ guys - McClain and Celania were set up for the day. I was kind of hoping they would be outside so I could say something stupid, but no dice. I ran around the stadium and the practice fields for a bit.

I have not been this excited for a Panthers season since 2006, the last time we were expected to contend for the Super Bowl (that did not work out too well). We have a charismatic rookie quarterback in Cam Newton and a hard-nosed, risk-taking first-year coach in Ron Rivera. The coaching staff as a whole seems ready to throw out some surprises, and there is talent on this roster left over from years past. I don't think the team will have a winning season and our division is brutal this year - but they will most definitely be fun to watch. I can't wait.

Real Fans Go Through Thick and Thin

The view was pretty good until the game actually started.

I see so many Facebook updates from Panthers "fans" saying they refuse to spend their hard-earned money to go watch the losing product.  Honestly, I can't take these people seriously.  If you're from Charlotte and want to be called a sports fan, then the Panthers are your team, and you had better support them through thick and thin.  Besides, it's not like we haven't had success here; a lot of real fans around the league would love to trade their last fifteen years for ours.

I had planned to write a lengthy dissertation about the state of the team, essentially centered around the poor draft selection outside the first round and an inability to develop another quarterback to take over when the wheels finally fell off for Jake Delhomme.  My most passionate rant was going to be centered around owner Jerry Richardson's disconnect with the fans and a lack of explanation from the front office as to what in the world the plan was this year and in the years going forward, with so many veterans having been released in favor of a youth movement under the guidance of a lame-duck coach.  That rant was tossed aside, however, when Richardson and team President Danny Morrison (formerly the athletic director at Texas Christian) began calling and e-mailing fans who had voiced their displeasure with the current state of affairs.  I have never, in my twenty-plus years of following sports, ever heard of an instance where a team owner and president were actually making personal contact with fans who were upset about a losing season.  So much for my rant about everybody being disconnected.

Here's the thing, though:  imagine how cool it would have been had I written that post when I originally planned to, then been able to come back and explain everything Richardson and Morrison were doing?  I guess the lesson here is that if I want to be taken seriously as a writer, I cannot procrastinate.

The Panthers lost to the Saints 34-3; luckily, the company was good and we had some drunk rednecks in our section to keep our eyes shielded from what happened on the field.  I don't think I have to tell you that I will be paying to go to more games this season, though.  I am a real fan.  This is my city, and whether your like it or not, the Panthers are my team.

Sports-related thoughts in my head these days....

As previously discussed, I want this blog to be about all sports, and not just an extended running log.  However I have noticed that for some reason a lot of people seem to be reading it, so I may add in shorter posts of my easy runs, as well - as opposed to only blogging about long runs, workouts, and races.  I also wanted to write a review of what's going on with the Panthers - why they suck, why John Fox will be gone after this year, and what the future may hold - but it's going to take some time because I don't want it to be a brief note that doesn't really say anything.

With that being said, I do have a few sports-related thoughts in my head that I'd be glad to pass along...

• Boy, was I wrong about the Yankees wearing out the Texas Rangers.  It could not have been more the other-way-around.  I think I heard that Texas hit over .300 for the Series.  I knew the Yankees were having problems with their pitching, but I must admit that I didn't think the Rangers were really this good.  But still, the Rays should be in the World Series..
• This post may be ill-timed because the Giants wore him out last night, but I'm really starting to like Cliff Lee.  I read a feature article about him in the USA Today that mentioned how he and his wife were once afraid they could lose their child to leukemia, but the boy is now healthy.  I suppose an experience like that will foster the "eerie calm" for which Lee is so fondly known. 
• As for the Carolina Panthers, the airwaves on WFNZ were buzzing this morning with news that linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis have declared that the team feels they can turn things around and really make a run this season.  Chris McClain and Jim Celania asked for listeners to call in and explain how that could possibly happen.  I didn't call in but here's my two cents:  (1) Right tackle Jeff Otah needs to come back 100% healthy.  Everyone says, "it's not about one man," and it isn't, but right now the offensive line is one of the Panthers' biggest weaknesses, and with Otah back, it can become a strength.  The man is a beast on the right side and his presence could open up the running game, which in turn will (2) further open up the passing game.  David Gettis had a breakout game last week and Brandon LaFell is playing better, too.  If those guys keep it up then we can make opposing teams pay for focusing too much attention on Steve Smith, who (3) needs to be able to continue returning punts because we have to do whatever we can to get him the ball.  (4) Matt Moore needs to play as well as he did at the end of '09 and in last week's game against the 49ers, and (5) it wouldn't hurt if they could get Armanti Edwards more involved, if only to confuse the other team a few times a game.  That may sound like a lot of things, but they are all possible.  The team always plays well later in the season under Fox, and the defense has been solid. 
• When the Pittsburgh Steelers win another Super Bowl this year, they will have a whopping seven in franchise history, two more than the 49ers and Cowboys, who are tied for second.  More importantly, Ben Roethlisberger will have more Super Bowl rings (three) than rape accusations (two).  That can only be a good thing.




Hide ya wife, hide ya kids...and hide your head coaches too because he rapin' everybody up in here.


• Once Game 1 of the Series became one-sided I was able to switch over to the Bulls-Thunder game, the season opener for each team.  Wow, the Thunder are fun to watch!  Others may disagree but I love the chemistry these guys have; it's clear they all get along and the way they always know how to find a teammate on the court is just a treat for the eyes....and then there's Kevin Durant.  'Nuff said.
• I haven't had a chance to watch the Miami Heat yet, but you'll likely know when I do.

That's it for now.

Reunion Time, Part Two

If you have been following this blog from the beginning then you know that I lost a close friend earlier this year.  Losing a loved one is always rough but I am pleased to say that I have developed a pretty close bond with his friends and family since that time.  I always felt like his was a second family to me anyway but it's nice to see people looking out for one another the way we have.  We all live in different parts of the country but social media and frequent cell phone contact have allowed us to stay in touch in a neat way.  I got to spend some time with them this past weekend.

Taylor's sister married her college sweetheart, who is the long snapper for the Chicago Bears (for you non-football types, that means he snaps the ball and then blocks on field goals, extra points, and punts - a pretty important job) .  Patrick recently broke the team record for most games played in franchise history.  First of all, that is just awesome.  I'd also like to add that he texted me the day before the game asking for directions to Charlotte's version of Whole Foods (which I figured would be Earth Fare).  I told him where to go and he responded a few hours later, "Nevermind, there's a Chic-fil-a right across the street from the team's hotel."  You just...ok.  I recalled a funny story Taylor had told me about driving well over an hour away from Chicago in search of a Chic-fil-a and then finally finding one across the Wisconsin border.  People really love that place, I guess.  Anyway, if you're reading this and have aspirations of becoming the best long snapper in the NFL, just start eating Chic-fil-a the day before your games.  That should do the trick.



"COACH SAYS WE CAN GO TO CHIC-FIL-A AFTER THE GAME!!"

I met Tommy and Olivia for a few drinks the night before the game and we all agreed to get together at a tailgate spot the next day.  As usual, Tamara was spot-on with a great parking spot, tons of food, and of course the game tickets for everyone.  I enjoyed catching up with them and also with Travis and their mother.  Tommy and I were cranking out the inappropriate jokes at an alarming rate, as always.  Tommy John III is one of my all-time favorite people.  He is an athletic trainer who specializes in nutrition-based performance and is also studying to be a chiropractor.  The link to his business facebook page is at the upper left of this blog.

The Bears crushed the Panthers 23-6 and Patrick was #65 on the field but #1 in our hearts.

[EDITOR'S NOTE:  The author has been ordered to stop boring everyone to death with running posts and give us his opinion on what exactly has happened to his beloved Panthers, who are 0-5 as of this posting.  He whined about that being a lengthy topic and needing more time but assured that he would deliver, so stay tuned.]