Thank You, Bobby Cox!

The fall of 1995 was probably the best season of my childhood. My grandfather passed away the previous fall and I had lost my best friend. However, the fall of 1995 made up for almost all of that. My little brother, Casey, was born. I must admit I was not too crazy about the whole idea at first, but it was truly a blessing. Looking back that has to be the best thing that happened that fall, but at the time I felt it was what happened 23 days after my brother's birth.

To this day I do not know who my granddaddy's favorite baseball team was. I am pretty sure it was probably the Yankees, but he knew that I loved the Braves. See, TBS was the only station in Fayetteville, North Carolina that carried baseball and TBS only showed Braves game. Any kid that grew up near me was, by default, a Braves fan. I remember sitting in the living room watching the Braves game and playing "tape ball."

That summer was pretty hard. Things were not the same that summer without my granddaddy. However, Joe Simpson, Pete Van Wieren, Don Sutton and Skip Caray made everything seem normal. That is when I truly began to appreciate the Braves and what they meant to me. Braves games aren't the last connection that I have with him, but it's the one thing I remember most about hanging out with him.

On October 28th, 1995 the Atlanta Braves won the World Series. It seems right. It seems like that set the universe back in place. I had someone else to play with and the Braves, who caused my granddaddy and I such anguish over the previous few years, had won a World Series. That leads me to Bobby Cox, who recently retired from his post as the manager of the Braves. A well placed microphone by TBS allowed us to hear every "Let's go DJ [David Justice]," "Come on Chip [Chipper Jones]," "Easy! Easy! [Yelled to a pitcher running to first]" and the occasional expletive. That is how I learned the game. My grandfather would explain the game and the decisions that Bobby made based on what he was yelling out to the guys. It has been what I have looked forward to most in Braves games ever since.

Thanks to Bobby Cox, I have had a connection with my grandfather that no one else has ever had or could ever have. I thought that connection would last forever. I had no idea that anybody would ever be the manager of the Braves other than Bobby Cox. That was until Monday night when Melky Cabrera grounded out for the third out of the bottom of the ninth and the end of Cox's career. That's when it finally hit me, this is the end of an era. The only memories I have of the Braves involve Bobby Cox in some way. I don't know anything else. I don't want to know anything else. However, that is not the way that Cox would want it.

It was never about him. It has always been about the players, the fans, the organization and the city of Atlanta. Bobby lead us all through the last twenty-plus years. We lived and died with every pitch, but he remained stoic, unless there was a bad call made. It wasn't about the wins and losses for him, but getting the most out of his team that he possibly could. And that team included the fans. He made us want to cheer harder and be louder.

Lebron James Joins the Miami Heat

Last night Lebron James took to the airwaves for a one hour prime time special to announce where he would play this upcoming season. Ultimately, he decided that he would join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami as a member of the Miami Heat. After watching the replay of Lebron, I began to think that the only thing missing was Barbara Walters or Oprah. Lebron looked perplexed and uncomfortable as he walked into the room. It was at that point, I believe, that the fans gathered in Cleveland began burning "23" jerseys and fans in Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Miami began to think to themselves " Lebron is coming to our town."

At the end of the night, the only fans partying were on South Beach. The decision places a giant bulls eye on the backs of the newly formed triumvirate for the foreseeable future. They may be the favorites in the Eastern Conference now, but they are going to get everyone's best shot each and every night they take the floor.

So, the question is, with five seconds left and the Heat down by one point, who takes the shot? The answer by a mile or two has to be Dwayne Wade. Especially after watching the NBA Eastern Conference Finals this past Spring when Lebron seemed to just shrivel up and fizzle out. When the Cleveland Cavaliers needed that clutch shot time after time, Lebron came up short and could not deliver. Dwayne Wade on the other hand has proven at both the college and pro level that he can take the clutch shot and deliver a team a championship. He has been the catalyst on both a Final Four team (at Marquette) and an NBA Championship team with the Heat in 2006.

Maybe Lebron can change that perception now that the he admits there is less "pressure" to score 30. As a side note, super star athletes usually welcome the pressure of having to carry their teams, right?

I am definitely not an NBA fan. I watch enough to keep up with what is going on and usually only watch an entire game during the Finals. So, I am by no means an expert. But, as a sports fan, I know what it is like to have your heart ripped out by your favorite team or player. I feel for the fans of Cleveland, who have been more than supportive and have set Lebron up on pedestal that he really didn't deserve to be on. He couldn't get the job on his own in Cleveland, so he has decided to jump ship and join a proven champion to help him get that elusive championship.

Many say that the Heat immediately become Lebron's team as opposed to Dwayne Wade's team. I think that Miami, when it comes to basketball, will forever be Wade's city and team. He may not be the biggest star, but he will be the leader. A lot of people thought that when Alex Rodriguez joined the New York Yankees that Derek Jeter would no longer be the face of that team. That didn't quite work out. Jeter is still the man in that clubhouse. Lebron becomes the A-Rod in Miami to the Jeter-esque Wade.

We will all have to wait and see what the future holds for the Heat. Will they win championships? Probably. How will those championships be viewed? That's interesting and I look forward to seeing it all play out. For now, I will settle on watching his return to Cleveland this fall. I hope they bring in extra security...

Photo:

1. http://media.nola.com/hornets_impact/photo/ab111881e058370acf0e6a706700f2edjpg-b4f218e92627e117_large.jpg

Fantasy Obsession

In 1980 a group of people gathered in a French restaurant in New York City called La Rotisserie Francais for their regular lunch meeting to discuss their favorite team the Philadelphia Phillies. One gentleman, Dan Okrent, asked his friends if they would like to play a game. Okrent dug through the baseball almanac and other publications to gather the most prestigious stats in baseball and developed a game that would allow ordinary people to own their own baseball teams using real baseball players and real life stats. What started as a pencil and paper stats game amongst friends has become a multi-billion dollar business and has spread to all major sports.

Now to my fantasy sports story. About 3 to 4 years ago I started a fantasy NASCAR league called Pook Motorsports on ESPN.com. It started with a couple of friends. The next year 2 years saw the addition of my then girlfriend and her sister (now my wife and sister-in-law). Last year we added one more, and now this year we have 12 competitors in what is now called The Laughing Clown Malt Liquor Cup Series (Laughing Clown was Ricky Bobby's first sponsor in Talladega Nights). I thought that this was all of the fantasy sports I could handle. That was until a guy named Dennis transfered to my store to last summer.

Dennis, a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, and I immediately became friends through our mutual love for the world's greatest game of baseball. He started talking about his numerous fantasy baseball teams and I continued to wonder, "how can anyone enjoy that?" Well, I got my answer this past January when Dennis asked me to join one of his league's. It was the middle of the Hot Stove League and I was constantly online looking at my roster and wondering what trades I could make and how the real baseball world would effect my fantasy team. That team I named the Pelicans (pretty weak I know). Then came my second team, an offshoot of the first league, in which I named the team the Henry Rosinbaggers from the movie Rookie of the Year.

I now am a full fledged fantasy baseball addict. I am an owner. I am an equal, in my mind, to the Steinbrenners, Ted Turner, Peter Angelos and Bud Selig. I have a group of ball players that I pay and make decisions on where they play, when they play and who they will play for next. Each day I walk in the door and jump on the computer and see how my teams have done to that point in the day. That is after I have checked my progress a few hundred times on my Droid while at work or on a date with my wife (just kidding).

Not only has fantasy baseball made me a complete obsessive compulsive nerd, it has made me better baseball fan. I not only follow my beloved Atlanta Braves, I follow the Yankess, Mariners, A's, Astros, Cardinals and the rest of Major League Baseball with the same fervor and passion as I once did as a kid. It's an outlet for the rest of the stresses in life, and a healthy outlet at that. It gives me something to look forward to when my wife is working. It gives me something to brag about. It gives me something to do with the game that I love so much and have for so long. I can't begin to imagine how awesome it would be to have been able to play this game with the only person that I know knew the ins and outs of the game better than myself, my grandfather. I know that I wouldn't have won, but I would have had too much fun getting my butt whooped.

As kids, my friends and I selected a starting lineup using our baseball cards each week. And now I get to relive those days and act like I am a real MLB franchise owner. If you have not already been exposed to wonderful world of fantasy baseball, then it is time. It is sure to make my summer one full of trades, waivers, adds, drops and disabled lists! GO PELICANS AND ROSINBAGGERS!

What do we know after week two? Part 1...

Jimmie Johnson followed up a disappointing Daytona 500 with a win today at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Johnson dominated the 500 mile race and was only challenged once with several laps to go by Kevin Harvick, who faded after slapping the wall. One thing is for sure at this point is that Johnson, Chad Knaus and the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet team are poised to make a run at a fifth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship.

Now, I know it has only been two weeks and Jimmie has a 35th place finish to go along with his Auto Club 500 win; however, the best way to follow up a bad finish is to go out lead the most laps and win the race. And that is just what that race team did. Eventually someone will dethrone the 48 team, but it is going to take one massive effort.

Jamie McMurray roared to the front of the pack to win the Daytona 500. He garnered a lot of attention and toured the talk shows all week long. What did he and his team have to do in order for people to take them seriously? Well, I think they felt they needed to secure the pole for race two, work on the car all day and back up a win with a solid finish. Unfortunately after running inside the top ten most of the latter part of the race until things got wild toward the end and McMurray was shuffled back to 17th place. Still, the team shoed the ability to run up front. They may not be a championship contender, but the Bass Pro Shops Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevy should be a serious Chase threat.

Richard Childress Racing had a dismal 2009 season. Zero wins across the 4 teams. Jack Daniels took their sponsorship and Casey Mears became the odd man out. The team, as a whole, persevered and finished the '09 season on a strong note with several top fives and top tens. What have they done in the season's first two races? Well, they placed all three drivers in the top 11 in the Daytona 500 and then came out in California and put all three in the top eight. Kevin Harvick currently holds the points lead followed by teammate Clint Bowyer in second and RCR's elder statesman, Jeff Burton, climbed to fifth in the points with his third place finish Sunday. Only one thing can be said about RCR...They're Back!

Jeff Gordon followed up a dismal Daytona 500 with a dismal Auto Club 500 finishing 21st and 20th respectively. Definitely not the way he wanted to start his drive for a fifth championship. The team, led by crew chief Steve Letarte, has shown promise by leading laps in both races. Gordon probably wasn't expecting to be 22nd in points after 2 races, so don't expect them to stay there for long.

In my mind, these are the biggest story lines of the season so far. The racing has been awesome. The new and improved tire combinations and NASCAR's "have at it boys" approach have made for some side-by-side "rubbin' is racin'" action. eWe have seen some awesome racing despite the long delays in Daytona and the threatening weather in Fontana. We still have a long way to go before the Chase for the Sprint Cup gets under way after Labor Day. So, sit back, relax and watch it unfold. Come back next Monday for my thoughts after Vegas...

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

As I sit here tonight I have found myself watching Ken Burns' Baseball on the MLB Network. In case you are wondering, it is the Sixth Inning of the great PBS Documentary. Currently they are profiling Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, owner of the longest hitting streak in Major League Baseball history. I have always been enamored by DiMaggio. Unfortunately, I was born about 60 years too late. I would have loved to have witnessed the wonder years of baseball.

Today, professional athletes take their gifts for granted. It is all about the paycheck and not about the game. We, the fans, seem to be less important than we have ever been. I still love the game and I think it is the greatest spectacle there is in sports. There is nothing better than sitting in the sun with an ice cold Coke, a bag of peanuts, a pencil, a scorecard and bright red foam tomahawk.

I only wish that the players cared for the game and the fans the way they did in years past. I mean we have stuck with these guys through thick and thin. We were there through the Black Sox scandal, two world wars, the Yankee dynasty, the amphetamines era, the dead ball era, the ugly uniforms of the '80's, the Pete Rose scandal, the strike of the mid-90's (I still remember to this day my grandfather and I writing a letter to the commissioner pleading for no strike...we also protested outside his house at 2176 Amoora Dr. in Fayetteville, NC) and the ugly steroids era. However, it seems that the players can't stick by our sides when we need them most.

These days you have to pay for a personal autograph, even when you supply the card. It is a crying shame to know that's the case and I can pay to see a game and not even get to see my favorite players hustle out a ground ball. I would give my left leg at the end of my career to have just played one game in the Show. I mean I have won more World Series in the backyard of my grandparents house in one summer than the Yankee's have in the last 100 years.

I guess I am asking too much of today's stars. I mean they have to manage their hypodermic needles, mistresses, parties, piles of money, endorsements and collective bargaining agreements. What the heck am I thinking that me and the millions of other fans are the reason that these guys have an arena to display their God given talents? I must be an idiot, huh?

I think that the following conversation between Joe DiMaggio and a teammate toward the end of DiMaggio's career when the Yankee Clipper's career was coming to an end and he was often seen limping around the clubhouse complaining of aches and pains should be posted in every MLB clubhouse. The teammate essentially asked why DiMaggio, despite all of his injuries, continued to play so hard and hustle the way he did. DiMaggio simply replied, "There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I ow him my best." That is what the game was built on. Today a kid goes to his first big league game only to see his favorite player take the day off and sit in the dugout with a t-shirt on. We need some more Joe DiMaggio's to come along. If I take my kid to a ball game I want him to see Joe DiMaggio, not some multi-billionaire who has forgotten he was once my kid with a big league dream.

"He'll live in baseball's Hall of Fame, he got there blow by blow, our kids will tell their kids his name, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio. We dream of Joey with the light brown plaque, Joe, Joe DiMaggio, We want you on our side..." Written by Ben Homer & Alan Courtney and performed by Les Brown and Betty Bonney.

http://www.thedeadballera.com/Audio/JoltinJoeDimaggio.mp3

Lee Fowler: It's Time to Go!

On September 5, 2000 NC State hired Lee Fowler to direct the athletics program at the University. It seems like it has been a century since that giant mistake. The program has fallen even further down into the hole than it had following the debacle of troubles left following the Jim Valvano era.

At the beginning of the century it seemed that the program was on the rise. Herb Sendek had the basketball program groomed into a perennial tournament squad inside the nice new Entertainment and Sports Arena (now known as the RBC Center). Chuck Amato was building a contender on the arm of Philip Rivers. Carter-Finley has also since undergone a major facelift. It seems to me that all that has improved in Fowler's tenure are the facilities. And for that I am thankful.

However, I think it is time for State to head in a new direction, under a new athletics director. Someone that can be the face of the program. Someone who will come out in front of the media and support his or her coaches and players. Someone who will open the wallet and do what is necessary to build a successful program. It seems to me that the definition of a successful program to Fowler is a program that is mediocre at best and well in the black. I do not claim to know the financial numbers of the program, but it seems to me that little is being done by the leadership to build a winner.

There are those of you who will say that a university is a learning institution and not a sports institution. Well, how many people would apply to Southern Cal if they didn't win football games? Would as many people want to go to Kansas if the Jayhawks weren't #1 in basketball? Would UNC be the UNC it is today without the National Championships? Does NC State still get free publicity every March when they show Jimmy V running around looking for someone to hug? No, no, no and yes! So, I will now get back to what I was saying.

Herb Sendek left our 2 time National Championship winning program for greener pastures at the always under achieving Arizona State University. Since Sendek's departure the basketball has had one miserably failed coaching search that saw us land Sidney Lowe as head coach. The coaching search had several promising candidates, most notably Rick Barnes. Barnes chose to stay at the University of Texas where they win football and baseball championships, not basketball. Maybe had Fowler done a better job of recruiting and laid the cash on the table, then we would talking about how far into March we would be playing and not wishing for this year to be over.

Sidney Lowe is an NC State legend and I greatly respect the hard work he has put into making this work. The problem is that it is just not working. It is time that we part ways with Lowe and once again focus on Barnes or some other top notch candidate. And this time we need to pay them what they deserve. I think hazard pay for having to recruit against Roy Williams and Coach K is necessary. I know the money is there to be spent. We have a lot of boosters with a lot of money and a lot of hatred for the two shades of blue within 30 miles of the Raleigh campus. Hopefully, we can put this all behind us and move on to a more successful decade.

Now to the football program. The one good decision that Fowler made was to part ways with Amato. It was hard, even I hated to see the man who had brought us so much get fired. But, it was a necessary evil that had run its course. Then Fowler made another great move by hiring Tom O'Brien from Boston College. However, since that move O'Brien has had a hard time moving the needle. And we have heard nothing from Fowler. He needs to come out and say that we are going to do whatever it takes to put a more consistent winning program on the field. However, he has failed to do anything of that nature.

There is no doubt that O'Brien is the man for the job. There is also no doubt in my mind that Fowler is not the man for the job. I am to the point that I am ashamed to say that I am a graduate and fan of the Wolfpack. And it all is because of the athletics director. I am not going to stop pulling for the Pack, or speak disparagingly of them. I will not, however, mince words when it comes to the leadership of the athletics program. We need a face for the program. We need someone that the Alumni and fans can feel confident in. The more confident we are in the leader, then the more likely we are to give more money and invest in season and lifetime rights tickets.

If there is one thing that I could ask the new Chancellor, Randy Woodson, and the Wolfpack Club leadership for would be to part ways with Fowler and take a drive across town and speak to former Pittsburgh Steeler head coach and Wolfpack Alum Bill Cowher. He would be my ideal candidate, but not highly likely. At this point I would prefer Mr. Wuf to Fowler. Maybe, just maybe, by this September 5 we will have a new Director of Athletics...

I am back...because I finally remembered my username and password...

So, the news came tonight that Lane Kiffin is leaving Rocky Top for LA and immediately I began to think of how this shakes up the college football coaching world. I also thought of what a classless, worthless pile of noise that Kiffin is.

Kiffin, already a questionable character, takes over a program that is possibly on the verge of major NCAA sanctions. That seems to be the biggest perceived reason that Pete Carroll left town to join the Seattle Seahawks. Why would Kiffin step into that situation? I guess the money.

Word has it that Kiffin is taking his father, Monte Kiffin, as Defensive Coordinator. Norm Chow is expected to leave UCLA for a return to USC as Offensive Coordinator. Therefore, Kiffin is surrounding himself with strong, albeit really old, people and should make success easy to come by. But how nice will it be to win and play no post season games? Now that he is in place at USC he will have to play a weird waiting game to see what penalties the Men of Troy will face.

Now on to the bigger question...Who will replace Kiffin as the Tennessee Volunteers head football coach?

- Phil Fulmer - Not a chance

- David Cutcliffe - Not the personality that Tennessee needs to land the recruits that it needs to compete in the SEC. A great offensive mind that has led some of the best offenses in college football over the past decade and a half. Cutcliffe has done a nice job at Duke in his short tenure there. He would be welcomed by the Vol Nation, but with the likes of Bruce Pearl and Pat Summitt, Cutcliffe just doesn't mesh well.

- Skip Holtz - May be a little too late in the game to nab the East Carolina head coach. He is already in discussions with South Florida for the vacancy left open by the firing of Jim Leavitt. The son of legendary coach, Lou Holtz, Skip brings a name that is seen on almost every college football broadcast on ESPN. He would do well and recruit well at a big time program. Still a long shot for this position.

- Steve Spurrier - He wants to win. He is from Tennessee. He has little to no chance to compete at South Carolina. He could win and win big on Rocky Top. Don't think anybody in Knoxville would go for it, and I don't think Spurrier would either.

- Gary Crowton - LSU Offensive Coordinator - Has anyone seen LSU's offense? The answer is no, at least not over the past 3-4 years. The Vols problems lie on the offensive side of the ball, so I don't even think I should spend any more time on this one.

- Dabo Swinney - I think this makes sense. He is an SEC guy coaching in the ACC. He is a fiery guy who has already taken over a program that was teetering and in chaos and he has done an excellent job as the head coach at Clemson. As an Alabama graduate he has plenty of roots in the holy land of college football and the likelihood of winning a national championship at Tennessee is much greater than it is in Clemson. I think he will have to emerge as a leading candidate for this job. He has proven that he deserves a big time job and this may be his shot.

- Will Muschamp - Texas Defensive Coordinator - He has already been named the head coach in waiting to replace Mack Brown as Texas. But, how long is he willing to wait. This guy could make some noise. And, if the price is right he might go for it. Of course, it would cost Tennessee a head coach's buyout, but it would be worth it. He has the personality to make it work. I think he has to be at the top of the list and be one of the first to get a phone call.

- Jon Gruden - His name always pops up when there is an opening. I think if he fits anywhere, then this would be the place. Don't think it will happen.

- Chris Petersen - Boise State is good, they're real good. I think if he goes anywhere, he is going to need his recruiting base. That base is nation wide, but the core is more toward the upper midwest, which makes the Big Ten and Pac 10 more likely destinations for this guy in the future. He will get that big time job one day, just not this one.

- Mike Leach - The recently deposed coach from Texas Tech has a Kiffin esque personality and would make some waves in the SEC. His offense might not work too well in the smash mouth Goliath football league that is the SEC. I think it could work though. There would have to be some adjustments though. You have to be able to run the ball some to survive in the league. He would definitely be able to bring the big time quarterback that the Vols have lacked since Peyton Manning and Tee Martin left town.

- Butch Davis - He is owned by Tom O'Brien. At Tennessee he would not have to worry about the Wolfpack's Silent Assassin! He would have the opportunity to build a power house much like the one he created in Miami. He has done a solid job at UNC, but there is only so much that one can do in Roy's world. He has the resumé to garner such a position. His experience in south Florida is also a plus in those recruiting battles against the Gators. He has the ability to bring in solid assistant staff that would sure up both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

- Nick Saban - That would make this saga a whole lot more Jerry Springer-ish.

- Bobby Petrino - He loves a paycheck and loves to skip town. Just a thought.

At the moment, there are no official candidates and many more names will surely arise in the coming days. It should be interesting to see what happens as Tennessee scrambles to find Kiffin's replacement and salvage the last little bit of recruiting. The most likely scenario is that no one I have mentioned above will be a possibility, but that's why I don't get paid to do this! My picks...Will Muschamp and Dabo Swinney. Most likely replacements - Butch Davis or David Cutcliffe.