|
Hit up TarheelDaily, or scroll on down to the article. If you want to discuss my opinions, email me at bret.dougherty@onebox.com. I also appear on WXYC FM 89.3 Chapel Hill for Sunday Night SportsRap, Sundays 9-10PM, and for SoulGrooves on Tuesdays 6-8AM. Enjoy the article.....BD . |
|
Tarheel Daily Article by Bret Dougherty Part I of a Carolina/Duke Double Shot 'Outside the Fence' February 5, 2004
|
It's Carolina/Duke today...so Nuff' said..If you can't get up for that, you need to check off this page. In the meantime, I thought I would check what's going on outside-the-fence to throw out some discussion topic for those pre-game stretches... ***** Damn son...The serpents were slithering in from Alamance County to Chapel Hill before all of the recent bad news about JamesON Curry went down, and maybe the hisses we were hearing were right. The waiting period on what to do will be a tough one for the Carolina Athletic Department to endure because of the close proximity. Regardless of what went down at Eastern Alamance and how perceptions of Curry were built by counting how many people rolled into Chapel Hill with him during past visits, the prevailing theory among insiders is that Curry was grandfathered into this year's UNC recruiting class. His performances last summer against national competition did not portray a ready-for-prime-time player, and those shaky summer performances led a lot insiders to believe that his scholarship with this year's highly rated Carolina class was a gift......Well, that gift is hanging by a thread now. It's going to be interesting to see what more wicked things are ahead for the young man who travels with many..... ***** I'm going to blow this one off my chest from catching games in a nest at the Smith Center......No, it's not about the quick flashes of Harris Teeter VIC Cards, and the soft insertions of sponsored ads during games.....Those ads support non-revenue sports, and their presence only reinforces how much of a "Mack" Coach Smith was by keeping them out for so long.....What's crushing me is the damn interludes of music that are sneaking in between play and during timeouts. Have you ever been to that wedding where a cut comes across the speakers, and you know half the people at the tables just aren't getting into it? Half of the old crowd is trying to play hip, and they're bobbing their heads way off beat to Vanilla Ice, and then you have another group who start to thug out when they hear a Young MC cut...Well for you out-of-town readers, that's what is happening at the Smith Center, which is just a damn shame...... Ever since the asinine 'wine and cheese' comment made by self-admitted blowhard Sam Cassell, a way-undeserved rap of solitude has been slapped on Carolina fans. A lot of insecure Smith Center attendees took the barbs from "haters" to heart, and switched up a Smith Center experience that was one of the most unique college basketball experiences. A cool thing that separates the entertainment of college basketball from the redundant entertainment of NBA arenas across the country is the unique powerful musical presence of a university band. That blaring sound of a marching band combined with a solid program is what brings the environment to college basketball. A wack thing that morphs all NBA game experiences into one big blob is the pre-fabbed beats that come with every heightened moment of play and each timeout. Whether you're at the Bradley Center, at America West Arena, or at the Wachovia Center, you can shut your eyes and there is absolutely no way you can tell the difference between what arena you're in. My question is-- who the hell decided that the Smith Center has to jump into that blob and be like everyone else? Since the beginning of the first exhibition games of this season, UNC's band has taken a back seat to some wack tunes blaring over the speakers lately. During a home game against UVA, booty-@$$ Nelly's 'Air Force 1' came over the speakers to brutally interrupt the student led band. Later, a thirty second time-out resulted in the blasting of a sell-out DMX track, which bled through into the moment when the ball was put into back play. During the next time out an ancient wack-@$$ track from the Stone Temple Pilots cut off the band again, which leads me to another question: Since when did the Smith Center become a suburban sprawl theme park? The Smith Center is like Dodger Stadium before Rupert Murdoch got a hold of it, and that is what makes the experience of going to a UNC basketball game tight. A Carolina game is and should be a "Five-Star" experience, and that's what makes the UNC court straight up the real deal....It's a unique experience, and it ain't Applebee's. Someday, people will realize that 'Jump Around' was played out when it was the main theme to Mrs. Doubtfire. The UNC pep band's countdown of shrilling horns with the anticipation of action is what gets people off their seats. If people really want to thug it out, drop some 'eyeammie' beats, or some hydroponic Del lyrics, but just please snip the played-out crunk off the program....Just because a tune's video is playing on BET, doesn't make it tight. So, store the Best Buy 'jigga' beats for the dance team at halftime, and save the loot it takes to provide those wack-@$$ tunes to freak more instruments and unis for the band.....In the words of Ed Cota, let the MCI, RBC, and Fleet Centers ....."herb out"..... ***** Congrats to Vince....Even though his jersey sales are not among the top ten sellers in the league, he led the NBA in votes again. However, I'm blown away by the lack of support for his image. A couple of weeks ago, Carter subtly unveiled statements that he would like to compete in the NBA Dunk Contest. Critics quickly jumped on him to pull back because he has everything to lose. Check it out. Now, it has become a moot point this year because shortly after his statements, Carter pulled up lame with a bruised quad again. However, if Vince says he has a few dunks in his arsenal that could blow your mind, he should be able to jump in without everyone getting on his back. Yes...if he does return to the contest, it may be a ploy that he and Nike are using to try and build his brand back after injuries and other undeserved labels have set him back in the public eye... but this guy deserves any shot to buffer his current image. Vince took on a huge fall-guy role by giving up his starting spot to Mike in last year's All-Star Game, and accepting the pain of relinquishing that prime time slot. He also still takes hits from a lack of respect for his choice to walk in Kenan Stadium on Graduation Day......Damn, the NBA missed a major opportunity to market an example. It's time the marketing pros in 'The League' pump him back into the public's favor. If Vince wants to jump into the contest, let him roll. I also wouldn't doubt him against anyone...... those who frequented the Smith Center during hot summers in the mid-nineties know some of the Evel Knievel type dunks that he has left. It's time for me to get back to the fence......Carolina/Duke nuff' said. UNC - 26 NBA Rings Duke - 2 NBA Rings BD
|
|
|