Maybe yanking the combined hearts out of 20-thousand odd sky blue clad fans and the 5th ranked Tarheel basketball team doesn't technically count as surgery. On the other hand, the 85-84 victory in the DeanDome as a result of Austin Rivers' buzzer-beating sixth trey of the night (season high 29 points) over UNC's 7-foot center Tyler Zeller clearly makes a whole lot of Blue Devil worshippers breathe a whole lot better.

As powerful an addition as Kansas' 32-4 run while thumping Mizzou or Syracuse's OT victory over Georgetown might have been to ESPN's Rivalry Week, you won't convince too many highlight watchers that "another unbelievable finish!" in this Tobacco Road series didn't provide enough chest-pounding enthusiasm to give the recent Super Bowl a run for any 'Best Game of...' consideration.

Continue to 'Surgery' Makes Duke Better Immediately

For those of us who waited a whoooooole extra week of the new year to FINALLY reach the BCS National Title game, I think it was a little disappointing that LSU didn't show up.

There, I said it. As the announcers reminded viewers many time, it was 44 days since teams last played (actually LSU in SEC title game vs. Arkansas), and despite that excess of potential prep time, the Bayou Bengals seemed to have no clue about cracking any part of 'Bama's defense.

Continue to $50 Better Championship was Possible

Like Aaron Rodgers championship belt routine, Cam Newton has been showcasing a "ripping open the shirt to reveal a big red S" bit after scoring a touchdown. His scoring has contributed greatly to the teams overall excitement factor, and discussion of the three-headed running attack, albeit at cost of DeAngelo Williams and Jon Stewart's stats, comes up frequently with the professional football analysts. His passing has been terrific, but he's still a very tough guy to get on the ground at 6'5" and 250. How he stretches/falls for first down yardage on a regular basis is amazing.

I had the opportunity to lay a little of my own very positive analysis on him when he was shopping in the Big & Tall area at a local Belk store recently. He didn't say anything back, but I let him know he'd made Believers of those analysts and hard core fans of all in Charlotte. He, Coach Rivera, and tight end Greg Olsen have put it on the line about W's being the only thing that counts in many interviews, and that's cool with everyone I've talked to. There really isn't anything uplifting about "most losses by 5 points or less" as Olsen articulated, and Cam has taken the blame without shrinking, even if many (including myself) still believe the defense gave up three games when Newton had driven the Panthers to go-ahead scores late.

Three wins is more than Charlotte had in 2010, and while they didn't get to draft Andrew Luck of Stanford, its pretty obvious they have a QB who is cool and capable of leading the team to a more promising future, even if that open shirt should only reveal an Auburn logo. Giving Newton a year to grow into a Superman and produce .500 plus performance on those Ws seems legit.

Speaking of Luck: the Colts will undoubtedly draft him #1 unless there is an absolutely glowing report about Peyton Manning's neck problems. While it would be an ultimate sadness to see Manning shoved to the back of the stove, the financial aspect of situation (Colts will owe him a couple tons of cash in March) makes keeping both beyond unlikely. That Luck's Heisman stock somehow went down so dramatically because Oregon scored 50+ on Stanford shows that some voters are sheep, and that in no way denigrates Richardson's efforts for Alabama.

Oh--LSU beats 'Bama in the rematch for national title, and Luuuuv how the bowl bigwigs are going to be sweating things after last two weeks of applecart upsetting games.

Glenn S.

Wall Street and various venues throughout the WORLD are seeing large crowds protesting the unfairness of economic disparity, and that doesn't leave much room (if any) for sympathy regarding the strike/lockout of National Basketball Association players. I won't try quoting an 'average' salary or the modified Veterans Exemption or rationalizing how many teams might be losing money operationally. "A pox on both your houses!" is a legitimate thought to lay out there, as might be NC State player Tom Guggliotta's comments at the time of the NBA's *last* strike--"Where I'm from, they don't care whether the NBA plays or not."

While owners and players splitting up billions can be accepted by ticket buyers or TV watchers, we can also take advantage of all the other alternatives available between November and April. Tom G. played in the ACC, and although I only get basic cable, there are usually two games a week on, and Carolina hoops is pretty much religion around here. No sense ranting about the NBA situation, and if it works out and a shortened season happens, fine. If, like the NHL found out, people are willing to let highly paid athletes experience having less, that might be worth while too.

Continue to Oh, is that NBA thingie happening?

From the time LSU dropped the hammer on Oregon last Thursday until the Jets finsihed off their amazing comeback against the Cowboys amid the national focus on 9/11 and specifically New York, I was an unapolegetic sports glutton for four days. That Serena Williams got nasty again over a code violation during a 6-2, 6-3 kicking by Samantha Stosur at the U.S. Open was super surprising, and the Cowboys, historically perfect (241-0-1) with 14 point leads in the fourth quarter might not recover from this loss is kind of joyous, but Carolina Panther QB Cam Newton hanging up 422 yards passing his first game, THAT'S working.

Sure, sure, sure Michigan's Denard Robinson throwing a TD pass with :02 left for a 35-31 win, the third straight time they've stabbed rival Notre Dame in the heart in the series means a lot. Oh, and Djokovic coming back from two sets down and beating Roger Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 at the Open pretty much sealed the notion of 2011 being his career year. All those events were obviously major reasons we watch sports, but the gaudy 24/37, 422 yards, 3 TD (one running) line that Newton announced his presence with, that is exactly the sort of soul-soothing greatness that fans who watched last years 2-14 team stumble to were praying for out of the #1 draft pick.

Continue to Heckuva SportsFest, Can't Ignore Cam's 422 Though

I struggled a little the last week, trying to put the concept of mortality into perspective, and I believe I have the balance between long time Carolina kicker John Kasay's being put out to pasture and the passing of my Uncle Howard.

It's not specious to say I am the mid-point.

Kasay had a fine 21 year career in the NFL, and after 16 years with the Panthers, mortality for him means "shelf life of a professional athlete." John had a fine final year in 2010--25/29 FGs (86.2%), 17/17 XPs--and that extra point total is as telling as anything about the state of the Panthers. When your season is 16 games and your kicker only attempts 17 tries after a touchdown, you probably aren't going to win many games, and the Panthers were 2-14.

Continue to Mortality is Relative

For almost any red-blooded American male, the choice between discussing cycling or the end to months of financial wrangling over about $1 billion of the outrageous money heaped on the table for NFL owners and players to whack up would be an easy choice. My hard core perspective is that the local gridiron crew is the Carolina Panthers, recently judged 82nd most supportable team in professional sports (and probably a couple notches lower in reality). Sorry, the world's most celebrated bike race definitely gets the "arms raised in victory while wearing le maillot jaune" in that case.

This 98th edition of the Tour definitely had its greatest race in longer than most lovers of the event would care to recall. Thankfully, only a single rider was tossed for doping, and the finale (sans the leisurely victory ride into Paris that the last day usually is) came down to a test of speed and cajones, with mumbled apologies about the relative use of that particularly appropriate Spanish term when two brothers from Luxemborg and an Australian were involved in such a manly duel.

Continue to Bigger News: Tour de France or NFL (almost) Getting it in Gear?

There is almost always a bump of anticipation that those young men leadership selects in professional drafts will perform well and raise the fortunes of said team in a hopeful future. Kyrie Irving at #1 will undoubtedly make the Cleveland Cavaliers much better, and the Timberwolves truly awful botching of a 26 year old 6'6" nobody (Tanguy Ngombo) from the Qatar League at #58 (they didn't do much research while thinking they were picking a 21 year old) represent the array of possibilities. The CHARLOTTE BOBCATS, with Bismack Biyombo (originally from the Congo, one year of Spanish League) at #7 and guard Kemba Walker of national champ UConn at #9, represent all that drafts are meant to be about. Biyombo's 7-ft.7-inch wingspan might be All That as a shot-blocker, and if Walker provides the guts and scoring he showcased during an epic post-season run, that would make for a lot of smiles in the Queen City.

Charlotte's 'brain trust' shipped the last really productive veteran presence, guard Stephen Jackson, off to Milwaukee (with its #19 pick)in order to get Biyombo at #7. While they also received former Duke star (sorry, but that is going to be how he gets described a lot) Corey Maggette in a 3-team trade, the results almost guarantee a long season with even fewer than 2010-11's 34 wins. Having given Paul Silas a contract based on his ability to 'teach', management and fans better be satisfied with progress from these newbies and a roster without a lot of star power.

Continue to Silas teacher-coach role pushed with "interesting" draft

Actually, a couple of non-sports events lead my column this week. As succinctly as possible, I offer the royal wedding and 'SEAL Puts Two in Bin Laden' as things we either wildly cheered or simply felt great about. For all those Brits who roared their approval of William and Kate's kiss on the balcony, even Man United's victory over hated Chelsea failed to please so many so completely. As for that successful mission in Pakistan, it wasn't like landing on the moon, but here's betting you heard the world "we" a whoooole lot regarding prideful feelings, and Jon Stewart, you got it right brother.

While Osama obviously leads the LOSER portion of things, the LAKERS having 20-3s rained on them and getting bitch-slapped into "Will they demolish the team?"-dom made an epically close second. Only the 1985 'Boston Massacre', a 41 point loss that included Kevin McHale's close-lining of Kurt Rambis, ranks as a worse playoff kicking. Speaking of BOSTON, LeBron (6-16 shooting, 15 pts.) and Chris Bosh (neck pain) looked VERY mortal in balance to Rajon Rondo performing like Superman, coming back from as ugly an elbow dislocation as you could imagine after getting tied up with D-Wade. Kevin Garnett's 28 and 18, THAT'S how a winner does it, even if the Celts couldn't recreate that intensity Wednesday and were eliminated.

FYI-- The Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose was named MVP, and if you've had the opportunity to watch him put up 30-plus a couple times a week on drives to the hole or any other way he chooses to score, you know there isn't anyone who deserved it more.

Continue to Winners Really Outclassed Losers Last Week

EJ McGuire 1952-2011.doc

I got a very elementary e-mail from Ivan Marquez the other day. Ivan was my best friend in college and is currently the Athletic Director at Concordia College in Bronxville, NY and Commissioner of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. There was no "how ya' doin' bro!" or commentary about the just past March Madness, just a single blue line of print that was a link to an article about EJ McGuire dying after a five month battle with a cancer so rare (Leiomyoscarcoma, an incurable, form of cancer that aggressively attacks the cells that make up the involuntary muscles within the body) they don't pretend to a cure with some nifty slogan.

In the most generous of descriptions, EJ and I were 'contemporaries' at Brockport State (NY) back in 1978-79. I took over a small group of skaters called the Women's Ice Hockey Club as a senior, leading them all of four games, and McGuire was the cool as hell coach of the men's varsity. Ivan had his own cancer concerns about five years ago (prostate), but beyond the fact that during games he got to sit next to those extremely good-looking ladies EJ always dated and traveled many miles to very cold places with McGuire as he searched for young men to attend a small state school in western New York, they seemed to share a common bond of independence, focus, and maybe machismo I've never possessed.

I really only have one good EJ McGuire story in eulogy, and while I'm proud to use it, I'll also include that link, http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=558601 , because NHL.com's Mike Morreale does an excellent job of presenting a picture I knew only small pieces of.

Continue to Thanks for a Great Sporting Moment EJ