As I’ve maintained throughout the Bobcat years– especially when owner Bob Johnson complained about not getting the community love he’d expected– if there is anyplace that knows what good hoops looked like, it was North Carolina. I also opined that since people could watch at least two ACC games/their alma maters a week for free, ‘supporting’ over-priced nobodies (sorry Mr. Wallace) that even Hubie Brown couldn’t coach wasn’t high on a lot of people’s lists.
Yes, the home opener featuring the return of Hornets name and that knowledge base presented a mixed emotional bag; the crowd certainly had expectations for Victory #1, since Milwaukee was last years worst club. In the third quarter theHornets were down 24 and playing lousy enough to elicit significant boos says something; giving them props for actually turning things around for a 108-106 overtime win is equally legitimate. While Kemba Walker went 9-28 FGs, he nailed both the tying trey in regulation and the gamer; the chances of very many more victories will diminish with 31% shooting nights. Its every fans right to express displeasure in the product being presented– as Madden memorably said, “Philly fans even boo Santa Claus.” (I saw the game, it was a pretty raggedy, stupid acting Santa), and I salute the crowd for their candor, especially since it worked.
——–
There must’ve been a couple fans who were willing to try motivating more inspired play by expressing displeasure at the big Thursday night Panthers-Saints game as well. The final was 28-10, but if you watched it, you never got any feeling the now 3-4-1 Panthers would come out on top. Okay, nice that Cam’s running effectively again, his big stretch to stick a TD in at the cone another of those things we will definitely cheer, and become antsy about when its lacking.
Two weeks ago commentator Howie Long said this wasn’t the 2013 Panthers #2-rated in league defense, which provided the backbone to their 12-4 record. If you allow (I don’t) for “we don’t have Greg Hardy” laments, the secondary hasn’t been getting toasted as regularly as many might’ve suspected; clearly, getting field goals offensively instead of TDs has killed them, even more than fact other teams keep putting together multi-play drives on the D. Moral victories for defensive intensity in a 13-9 loss the previous week to Seattle Seahawks mean nothing– I was pretty sure those 3 FGs by the Panthers Gano would be cancelled out if Russell Wilson of Seattle put a single drive together, and thats exactly what happened.
There was some booing done Thursday, although my noise at home was more groaning-griping about Panthers trying to cover Saints freaking star tight end Jimmy Graham one-on-one. I’m a Drew Brees fan, and he probably could’ve passed to someone else if Graham was doubled, but it looked like pitch and catch at times. This moves the Saints back into divisional lead, but almost everyone in the NFC South is still in the hunt on that point.
I’ll reserve booing at this point, although I believe it actually made a difference at the Hornets game. If booing always worked, Philly would be a dominant contender in every sport; right now I WOULD actually boo if that would eliminate the next 150 Hagan-Tillis ads I’ll inevitably be subjected to between now and Tuesday night. This Senate race is a STUNNINGLY ugly piece of negativity– there’s not a commentator in the country that doesn’t mention the mudslinging that **$200 MILLION** in outside funding has financed. How does that *obvious* a twisting of ‘voting voice’ truly relate to that of the North Carolina electorate? I don’t know, but yeah, I’d boo! it.
Glenn S.
CDTalent Enterprises 