Remember the Name

I’m so ready for football.  This gets me completely psyched.

Carolina Football — Remember the Name

I got Woody.

In the last week, I experienced a milestone moment in my career and in my life as a Tar Heel fan. After years of “turning down the sound” and listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network radio broadcast while watch the TV, I recently got to hear WOODY DURHAM advertising my law practice.

We’ve only been open since March, but I’m trying to find a good marketing niche here in the greater Sanford, NC area, so we’re sponsoring the Tar Heel Sports Network on WFJA (the local Sanford radio station) this year. I’m completely geeked out about having the 37 year voice of the Tar Heels do our ad. Of course, at this point, it’s just an audio file on my computer. I can’t wait to hear it during a live broadcast. Unfortunately, that may have to wait, because it’s only a local ad and I don’t know if I can pick up our station up in Kenan Stadium. I’ll be happy to wait until the Rutgers game if I can witness a beat-down on McNeese St.
Woody Durham. TOO Cool.

Happy Dance! Football starts today!

After much impatient waiting, Carolina’s football season starts today as fall practice begins.  I’m looking forward to lots of reports from camp about the improvements at various positions, gelling of the O-Line, clearer pictures at linebacker and backup running back, all leading up to an opening day thrashing of McNeese State.

I’m so excited.  Think: Tyler’s run down the court after hitting the game-winner against VT in the ACC Tourney.

Let’s get it started. Woooo!

Out with the Bad, In with the Good

The LA Daily Breeze is reporting that Alex Stepheson, who announced after the season that he was transferring to be closer to his family due to his father’s ill health, will be matriculating at Southern Cal. Southern Cal loses OJ Mayo and picks up a fantastic person and player in Alex Stepheson. They definitely traded up in my mind. After sitting out the mandatory transfer year, I expect Alex will quickly become a fan favorite out in LA-LA land.

Football Uniform Update [Updated]

You look mahvelous. — Fernando (Billy Crystal)

This month’s Tar Heel Monthly, a fantastic publication put out by Adam Lucas and Lauren Brownlow and their team (with regular contributions from John Kilgo, Lee Pace and Jones Angell) that is available by subscription and free to Rams Club members, has an update by Lee Pace on this season’s uniform changes:

Welcome Back

I didn’t expect to stay gone for that long, but life gets in the way sometimes. Not that a whole lot has happened this summer in the grand scheme of things. In fact, I am perfectly content to pretend that none of the NBA speculation with Lawson, Ellington or Green ever happened. But some interesting news has rolled in over the last week that is worth noting, and it’s getting close enough to football season that we can already smell the unreasonably high expectations.

1. Lowell Dyer received a scholarship. Although Scott “Tank” Lenahan started last year at center, Dyer saw the yeoman’s share of the load at that position because of Lenahan’s unfortunate injuries during the season. Apparently Coach Butch Davis made the announcement while giving out team awards at the end of spring practice. I love this kind of thing. It’s so great for guys that have busted their butts on the scout team for the betterment of the program to have someone to look up to. More than that, Carolina has a great tradition of walk-ons contributing to the program, e.g. David Thornton, Kendric Williams, Lance Williams (RIP)… It’s great when they can earn a scholarship to recognize their efforts. I’ve always loved the walk-on tradition on the basketball side, too.
2. Football Season Tickets ARE SOLD OUT! This is just awesome. If we can just get some wins, we’ll have some serious momentum.
3. Chad Holbrook takes a position with South Carolina. I was upset about this one at first. Coach Fox readily admits that Holbrook has been a huge reason that UNC was in three straight College World Series. Moreover, the University community rallied around the Holbrooks when their son Reece was diagnosed with Leukemia. As it turns out, though, Holbrook’s wife is from Columbia, Reece is in remission, and USC’s Coach Tanner is likely to retire about a decade earlier than Coach Fox (and leave the program there in Holbrook’s hands), making this the time to make the move, and to do so on good terms, leaving the program in great shape. Good luck, Chad.
4. Ty Lawson is a dumb kid doing things dumb kids do. Darian Durant is ready to start at QB in the CFL. Joe Dailey gets a position at the University of Buffalo.

Now, if we can just get to the start of football practice, the world will be right.

The Final Four

I am not a very big baseball fan. Which is to say that I enjoy ball park hot dogs, the national anthem, the seventh inning stretch, Take Me Out to the Ballgame and Centerfield, but I like home runs and hits and not routine infield defense. Baseball games tend to drag for me. I understand the drama, but it’s much the same way that I understand the drama of a soccer match: I get it, but I’m still not interested in watching a defensive struggle. (It’s a little weird that I enjoy defense in football as much as I do. I guess I like seeing our guys plant the bad guys in the ground…). I’m not going to expound about the finer points of the game because I’m just not that knowledgeable a fan.

Even so, I’m never ambivalent about the Tar Heels, and I’ve been following the Boys in Blue through the NCAA tournament and enjoying their usual displays of hitting and solid pitching, but hoping for some ACTION. I got it last night.