June 19, 2008
redemption, thy name is motor city
6/19/08
Dean From Bub's and Troll's had the best idea for a blog in a while – how 'bout them motherscratchin' HEELS? I suppose I try to limit my boundless enthusiasm for my beloved Carolina on here because I don't want to alienate the rest of you from other schools, but wow we're embarrassed with riches for next year.
Some years ago, I made a point of not following college basketball gossip during the summer, especially all the "will he or won't he go pro" boondoggles that are as perennial as the grass. I have our recruits in the back of my head, and when one commits, I'll get the email from Inside Carolina (yes, I paid for premium) and Greg Parent's emails give me everything else, but I'm not going to obsess over a process that often ends in heartbreak.
The rule, as far as I could tell, used to be "if a player is even thinking about going pro, they're gone". The only time that was proven false was Antawn Jamison's sophomore year, when he held a press conference saying he was coming back. Pretty much every other time, you might as well clean out your player's locker.
I'm not up on what happened this year, but Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson all tried their hands at the pro level, and there was a lot of hemming and/or hawing, odd "scoops" from "inside sources", and internet-fueled hand-wringing in general. In my book, they all lacked one particular thing that would necessitate another year at UNC, and indeed, that's what happened.
I've heard rumblings that we now have the most talented class ever to play in college, that we'll go 40-0, that the ring is ours. Most of us have been around the block WAY too many times to buy tickets to Detroit right now. The 1994 team disintegrated under the weight of its own egos, and the 1998 team had a Texas-sized brain fart. Hell, just two months ago we got our ass kicked twice by the same team in the same game.
But it doesn't stop us from dreaming. And making sure our lucky shirts are staying laundered. Besides, this team ought to be pissed off at last season's conclusion, and they should demand it of themselves to lay waste to the rest of the ACC en route to a great seed and a thrashingly fantastic NCAA tournament – and if you want to know where it all starts, Lucy has it on the wall in her bedroom, and is happy to point it out:
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click for bigger dunkage
Dear Lucy:
Just thought that you'd like to know that your soul mate resides in Wilmington, NC. He is your age and his name is Bennett Humphrey. Like you, he is Tyler-obsessed due to an overbearing and adoring father. When he sees a soccer match on TV, he asks which player is Tyler. When told that Tyler does not play this game, he dismisses the entire sport and asks to watch Pingu -- another one of your loves.
By the way, you and I both know that the only reason Tyler is NOT dominating soccer is because he has not cared to try yet.
In approximately 19 years, your mom and dad will proudly sit in Kenan Stadium beside me and your future mother-in-law and watch you 2 crazy kids dash across the field. As you and Bennett then ride off into the sunset together, your dad and I hope you guys will recall that it is #50 that brought you together. To paraphrase the holy scripture: what #50 has brought together, let no man tear asunder.
I love Lucy.
note to caveman - the jet is reserved for april 6th, 2009.
note to jersey - stop fkn jinxing it
now back to your regularly scheduled xtcian programming
Hey Lucy - if the whole Bennett thing doesn't work out there is a little guy named Bear that is waiting in the wings.
Sweet, not only does my old roommate get some opening sentence love on this blog we love to visit, but I get named, too. This cures the nasty cold I came down with last night and is an early birthday present for me. I'll be 38 on the summer solstice.
As for Lucy's suitors, my son is too young to know Tyler, per se, but recognizes all things Carolina and says it with pride when he sees the heel, interlocking NC or the script Carolina. Makes me smile everytime. Maybe he'll get her attention long enough for a date.
Here's what Sean May thinks about this team's chances next year:
http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/763547.html
Dean, we're famous, baby!
Lucy has the most gorgeous hair!
caveman, should we go on saturday this year instead of monday?
i hear the casino scene across the border in canda is pretty sweet.
Ahhh, a subject near and dear to my heart. I couldn't avoid following the roller coaster off-season of 2008 but, thankfully, the ride ended well.
Next year's team won't have the same chemistry problems as 1994 and they'll be deeper than 1998 so I am hoping for a different outcome.
I also predicted somewhere on this blog in 2005 that UNC would win another National Championship before the end of the decade. Seems like this is the best shot for that to happen.
And if I start thinking about Tyler's final home game against dook, I get the shakes.
Is it October yet???
Two other awesome teams that came up short, at least during my memory: 1984 (Jordan, Perkins, Daugherty, Doherty, K. Smith) and 1987 (K. Smith, Reid, Wolf, Lebo, Popson). While digging these rosters up, it amazed me that there isn't a comprehensive, current UNC history/stats page. Hard to believe.
"[T]his team ought to be pissed off at last season's conclusion, and they should demand it of themselves to lay waste to the rest of the ACC en route to a great seed and a thrashingly fantastic NCAA tournament." Funny, you could have said that in June of 2007, as well- many of us did.
"texas sized brain fart" -- finally, an insult nearly worthy of our supreme commander.
You might want to put this picture right next to the one of Tyler:
http://aycu09.webshots.com/image/46888/2005443109812023193_rs.jpg
