An NFL Top-Ranked Defense May Have Panther Coach Ron Rivera “Superbowl Shuffling” Once Again

Photo by Zuma Press/ Icon SMI

The Carolina Panthers were ranked 10th last year in total defense (yardage allowed) but that doesn't impress head coach Ron Rivera.  

After all, he was an All-American linebacker and played for a top-ranked defense, the 1985 Chicago Bears. 

Remember them? The team who eventually won Super Bowl XX.. And who could forget the "Superbowl Shuffle"? 

Yep, Coach Rivera knows the steps.

Now, as a coach, he must figure out the steps involved in putting together a top-ranked defense. 

Starting with the line, the Panthers defensive-end duo is already one of, if not the best tandem in the league.  Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy were an unstoppable force last year. Johnson racked up 12.5 sacks and Hardy finally had the breakout year we have anticipated with 11 sacks.  See Ben Stockwell's article at Pro Football Focus for more on these two up and coming stars.

Speaking of stars, Rivera addressed the Panther's woes at tackle by drafting Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short back-to-back in the first two rounds. Lotulelei is already listed as the starting right tackle and Short is listed 2nd on the depth chart at left tackle behind Dwan Edwards.

Linebacker Jon Beason returns to play on the outside, alongside Luke Kuechly, last season's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Kuechly finished with an NFL-high 164 tackles, the first rookie to lead the league in tackles since San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis in 2007. Kuechly also had two interceptions and a sack in his first season in the league.  

At strong side linebacker the steady veteran, Thomas Davis is still around doing a solid job.  And the Panthers have signed former New York Giants' linebacker, Chase Blackburn to help add depth.


The secondary has been the most suspect group of the defense, giving up 3568 passing yards last season.

Captain Munnerlyn holds down the left corner opposite Josh Norman.  Charles Godfrey is atop the depth chart at strong safety with former Raider Mike Mitchell listed as his backup.

Playing time for the free safety may be the most interesting of all with the unproven and often erratic Haruki Nakamura still listed as a starter. Undrafted rookie safety Robert Lester had a good spring with the team and may push Nakamura for playing time. Lester had 14 interceptions as part of two national championship teams at Alabama and has shown some good size (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) and instincts according to the Charlotte Observer.

 The new look Panthers sure has one defender excited.  Captain Munnerlyn told WFNZ-AM on Tuesday, "Nobody (is) really giving us a chance in the secondary, you know, to be great, or having any talent in the secondary. For me, being a leader in the secondary, it's my opportunity to step up and be that guy.  It's going to be scary how good (this team) can be. And I'm excited about this year. I feel like we can be the top defense in (the NFL)."

The Panthers certainly have reason to be optimistic about this season's defense. Whether they can live up to Munnerlyn's expectations remains to be seen. But if Coach Rivera can figure out the steps to assembling another top-ranked defense, the Panthers may do a little "Super Bowl Shuffling" of their own.

Manager "Meltdown" #3 - Braves Double AA Manager Phillip Wellman Goes "Ballistic" on Umpire (Fake Grenade & All)

This was broadcast on ESPN last year but I thought it was worth seeing again.


 On June 1, 2007,  Braves Double AA Manager Phillip Wellman gained international attention when he went "ballistic" against the umpires during a game against the Chattanooga Lookouts at AT&T Field.



He protested the umpire throwing his pitcher out of the game for using a foreign substance by covering home plate with dirt, then tracing in the dirt a new, significantly larger home plate. He then went on to uproot bases and throw them, crawl in a prone position across the infield like a soldier, and pretend to bite and hurl the rosin bag at an umpire as if it were a hand grenade. He concluded his tirade by pretending to eject the umpires themselves with a fist-pump and then blowing a farewell kiss to the crowd while taking a bow.




The episode was broadcast on sports shows across the United States and gained him widespread fame on the Internet.  Wellman was given a three game suspension effective June 4, 2007.



 SEE THE ENTIRE VIDEO HERE

Manager "Meltdowns" #2 - MiLB Manager Joe Milulik of Asheville Tourists' Tirade vs Lexington Legends (2006)

 This will always be #1 to me. I could watch it over and over..



Minor League manager Joe Mikulik of the Asheville Tourists made national news, June 25, 2006 when his antics were  shown on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, SportsCenter, and MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. 

To me this is so funny because of the audio. It says it is the "full, unedited version" so the sound person for the Lexington Legends is also legendary.  

  
Sound clips from Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First", Jack Nicholson's "You can't handle the truth", and Tom Hanks' "There's no crying in baseball" and much more!

  

This is hilarious!

See video HERE

Concerning the incident, Mikulik made several unapologetic comments, including the claim that "I could get two mannequins at Sears and umpire better than what I saw this whole series.

That's the best one I have heard about crappy umpires...

As a result of his actions, Mikulik was given a seven-day suspension and $1,000 fine;

Manager "Meltdowns" #1 - MiLB Manager Takes and Autographs First Base, Then Gives it to Disabled Fan

Okay, I thought a Baseball Manager Meltdown section might be appropriate for this time of year, so here goes..

#1 is from 2011.

It will be first because it was not nearly as publicized as some of the others and also kind of sweet.. Notice that he gives the souvenir base to a young disabled boy..

Gary Robinson, manager of the State College Spikes, the St. Louis Cardinals Class-A short-season team in the New York-Penn League, argues a call, gets thrown out from the dugout, then continues to cover home plate with dirt, steal first base, autograph it, and give it to a fan.

See the video HERE.

As always, I an just trying to provide sports entertainment to the masses so...

No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Baseball Player Tony Gwynn, Jr. Lets His Glove Do the Talking (Literally) To Deal With Heckler

I think this is from 2011 - Tony Gwynn Jr.
getting heckled at Coors Field. This annoying Rockies fan harassed Tony for the entire game. To top it all off, to end the game Tony made stellar leaping catch off of a hit to left field from Rockies Charlie Blackmon. After the catch Tony stood up, looked at the heckler, tipped his hat smiled and ran off...Total Class move.


See the video HERE.

The Time I Spent the Night with the Stanley Cup (Colorado Avalanche - 1996 Stanley Cup Champions)

Stanley Cup (Craig Wolanins's name at bottom left)

In 1996, I was living in Greensboro, North Carolina and was not much of a hockey fan.   But some of my friends were big time fans. They supported the local East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) team, the Greensboro Monarchs, and attended most all the games.  One of the guys was even a former player, Chris Wolanin (who was on the Monarch roster from 1991-1994).  Chris' brother, Craig Wolanin was, at the time, a 12 year NHL veteran who had played with the New Jersey Devils and the Quebec Nordiques. In 1996, the Nordiques left Quebec City, moved to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche. 

The Avalanche had won the Western Conference that year and then defeated the Florida Panthers in a four game sweep to win their first Stanley Cup. The Avalanche's Joe Sakic earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 1996 Playoffs.

But that is where the story actually begins for me.. 


As some of you may know, when a team wins the coveted Stanley Cup, team members are allowed to keep the Cup in their possession for a while before passing it on to the next teammate.  Well, Craig  Wolanin still had an apartment outside Detroit and Wolanin's mother still resided in Auburn Hills. So when it came time for Craig's turn to take care of the Cup, he of course, invited his brother Chris to come home and enjoy the festivities.  Chris asked three other friends and myself if we wanted to make the road trip. Of course, we all jumped on it.  Just to be able to be at a Stanley Cup party would be every hockey fan's dream.  


So we took off early that Friday morning and arrived in Auburn Hills just before dark. We spent that night at Ms. Wolanin's house, preparing for the big party that Craig was throwing the next day.  Craig had rented a local community center for his Stanley Cup party and the party was a blast. Craig and his buddies had filled the Cup with beer and everyone got the opportunity to sip some brew from the revered Stanley Cup.




 If that wasn't already cool enough, much to my surprise after the party, Craig loaded us up in his van, Stanley Cup in tow, and dropped us off at his apartment.  He had stocked the fridge and liqour cabinet with all kinds adult beverages and told us to have at it, just make sure and take care of the Cup.


I wish I had some crazy tale about losing the Stanley Cup or dropping it in the swimming pool or something like that, but I am not gonna lie.  We had our share of drinks, took lots of pictures, and called everyone we knew to brag to them about "babysitting" the Stanley Cup. 

Proof? Well of course I don't have any pictures anymore but I understand there was one in existence a while back.  As I was told, the boys had it framed and it resided on the wall at our favorite hangout in Greensboro, J. P. Looney's.  But I heard a story a short time ago that one of my crazy ex-girlfriends had requested to see the picture and, when she got her hands on it, took the picture out of the frame tore me out of the photo.  I don't know if that photo is still up at Looney's but if you get by there, check it out and let me know.  

By the way, I am still not much of a hockey fan. Don't hate on me, though. I will say after Wednesday night's triple overtime thriller between the Blackhawks and Bruins, I am a bigger fan than I was when the week began.  Maybe I will watch the rest of what should be a very exciting series.  After all, they are playing for one of the most prized trophies in all of sports.

And maybe, just maybe, I will tell people about the time I spent the night with the Stanley Cup! 

Home Plate Umpire Tackles Field Intruder in A's/O's Game 2012 (Man in Blue to the Rescue)

 Okay this one is good.

The biggest hit of last season's Orioles-Athletics game at Camden Yards (April 27, 2012) came during the seventh-inning stretch, when a bare-chested fan ran onto the field.

He ran around as the Baltimore City Police closed in on him.

He ran down the third-base line and slid head first into home plate. He got up to the cheers of fans.

Then it's the man in blue to the rescue!


Check out how calm, cool, and collected home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg is during and even after the incident.

Added bonus, Oriole PA plays "Folsom Prison Blues" as they escort fan to jail.

See video here.


And another angle here.

3 Tarheel Commitments (Pinson, Berry, Jackson) in top 15 of ESPN's 2014 Basketball Recruiting Rankings

Three of North Carolina's 2014 commitments are ranked in the top 15 of ESPN's recently released Top 100 Basketball Recruit Rankings.  Justin Jackson,  small forward from Tomball, TX is rated the highest among UNC commits at #8. Another small forward Theo Pinson is ranked #13. And right behind at #14 ispoint guard Joel Berry.




 Commitments

8

Justin Jackson Video | Scouts Report

SF

Tomball, TX Homeschool Christian Youth Association

6'7''

185

95

N CarolinaCommitted 03/04/2013

13	Theo Pinson Video | Scouts Report	SF	Greensboro, NC Wesleyan Christian Academy	6'6''	190		94	N CarolinaCommitted 05/22/2013
14	Joel Berry Video | Scouts Report	PG	Apopka, FL Lake Highland Prep	6'0''	185		94	N CarolinaCommitted 01/21/2013

Current non-committed UNC targets also made the list: Rashad Vaughn (SG, #11), Devin Booker (SG #16), Ahned Hill (SG #33). (ESPN.com)      Uncommitted Recruits   11 Rashad Vaughn Video | Scouts Report SG Minneapolis, MN Robbinsdale Cooper High School 6'6'' 200 95 List     16 Devin Booker Video | Scouts Report SG Moss Point, MS Moss Point High School 6'5'' 185 94 List     33 Ahmed Hill Video | Scouts Report SG Augusta, GA Aquinas High School 6'5'' 190 89 List       What a great recruiting class for the Heels! Watch out Duke!    Here is the entire article and all 100 rankings.

Okay, it's ON (again) Wolfpack! Tarheels vs. NC State - Sunday at TD Ameritrade Park (3 p.m., ESPN2)

Okay, it's ON (again) Wolfpack!

"The Tar Heels are well acquainted with N.C. State — and especially sophomore lefthander Carlos Rodon (9-0, 1.57), who they will face in their opener Sunday at TD Ameritrade Park (3 p.m., ESPN2) as UNC makes its sixth appearance in Omaha in eight years."

See the entire article here.

North Carolina Tarheels' Colin Moran and Kent Emanuel Earn All-American Honors

Two members of the University of North Carolina baseball team were named to All-American teams earlier today.  Third baseman Colin Moran, who was named ACC Player of the Year and pitcher Ken Emanuel, ACC Pitcher of the Year, are both Juniors on this year's Tarheel squad.

Colin Moran (L) and Kent Emanuel (R) (Courtesy of GoHeels.com)

Moran was named to the first team of Baseball America's All-America team as the  designated hittter, while also garnering second team honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Emanuel joined Moran on the NCBWA All-America squads as he earned third team honors.

Moran currently leads the country in RBIs with 88 on the year and is two shy of being the first ACC player to reach the 90-RBI plateau since Buster Posey accomplished the feat in 2002 for Florida State.

Emanuel is tied for the eighth-most wins in a single season with 11 and has posted the most career wins (28) by a junior in school history.

Worst Intentional Walk Ever (Wild Pitch Walkoff) Is This Guy Throwing Knuckleballs?

Is this pitcher mad because the manager is making him intentionally walk these batters? Is the pitcher throwing knuckleballs? Whatever the reason, this is the  

Worst Intentional Walk Ever!


Lancaster Barnstormers pitcher Lance Odom has serious issues with throwing the ball outside the batters box, which cost him the game.


 See video here.

I am not sure when this occurred and No copyright infringement intended.

UNC and NC State Hope to End ACC's 58 Year Drought in CWS (A Tribute to the 1955 Wake Forest Baseball Team)

North Carolina and N.C. State have a lot in common these days.. Not only are they the two largest state universities in North Carolina (and within half hour drive time between the two), they are also the only two Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) representatives left at the College World Series.  The ACC can claim only one national championship in NCAA Baseball history and will vie to break a 58 year drought for ACC baseball teams.  The only championship? (Boy that's a good trivia question).



Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 1955...  Let's take a look at that memorable team.


When the 1960 Philadelphia Eagles were inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (they had defeated Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers 17-13 in the title game), a sportswriter said to running back Billy Ray Barnes, "I assume this was your biggest thrill in sports." Barnes looked at him and emphatically told him, "Not even close".

Maybe the sportswriter didn't know of Barnes prolific college baseball career. He was the 1956 ACC Player of the Year and a member of the Wake forest team that won the National Title in 1955, "Winning a championship for your friends and your school can't be beat," said Barnes. "That will always be number one."

Billy Ray Barnes

Wake had a solid program back then. As a matter of fact, they had lost in the title game to Texas for the 1949 title. The Deacons were coached by Taylor Sanford, a graduate of Richmond where he captained the football, baseball, and basketball teams and set school records in the shot put and discus.Not only were his players undoubtedly impressed with Sanford's playing career but his laid-back personality was a huge hit with his team. Barnes says "He had a calmness, a piece of mind. He never panicked and he knew what he was doing. He always seemed to make the right move."

Outfielder Tommy Cole agreed.  "He wasn't one of the guys but he was very approachable. You could talk to him about anything. He never got on you, never rode you hard. He had the respect of the guys,"according to Cole.

The 1955 team was built to score runs.  Wake led the ACC that year in batting average, runs per game, slugging percentage, doubles per game, and triples per game. Linwood Holt, the All-American junior catcher from Graham, NC led that group. Cole said Holt was someone "who could do anything you needed a catcher to do. He had a great mind for the game."

Coach Taylor Sanford

The Wake infield had Bob Waggoner at first, Jack Bryant at second, Harold Moore at shortstop, and Barnes at third base. Cole was in right field, speedy Luther McKeel patrolled center field, while Frank McRae was in left. At 6'3", 240 pounds, McRae was an intimidating precence in the batter's box. According to Cole, "he (McRae) was solid. Not an ounce of flab. When he hit it, he hit it. He had a home run at South Carolina that's probably still going up."

The Wake pitching staff was led by Lowell "Lefty" Davis, a junior from Illinois. Like Barnes, Davis was better known for another sport; he was an All-ACC basketball player. Jack McGinley, John Stokoe, Buck Fichter, Ralph Adams, and Bill Walsh rounded out the staff.

Like this great team, the Tarheels and Wolfpack will need a great run to win the National Title.  It can be done.  Fifty-five years is a long time!

To see more details of Wake Forest's 1955 National Championship run, see article here..

North Carolina Tarheels Win Super Regional, Advance to College World Series (God is a Tarheel Fan)

Do we need further evidence that God is a Carolina fan? (That's NORTH Carolina - sorry Gamecocks, we own that title today).

These Heels overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to mount comebacks against Florida Atlantic in a 13 inning thriller to even get to the Super Region. Then a couple of timely rain outs gave Tarheel pitchers a chance to rest their arms against their neighbors to the south.

See, it's not just the blue color that proves God is a Tarheel fan.

Well, it took another comeback on a beautiful Carolina blue sky day in Chapel Hill, but the Tarheels defeated South Carolina 5-4 to win the Super Regional title and advance to the College World Series.

The Tarheels only managed 6 hits but made them count. Moran's only hit was the RBI double. Holberton had the 2 run homer, also his only hit. Landon Lassiter hit the ball hard all day and had 2 of North Carolina's 6 hits.  Trent Thornton pitched 4.2 crucial innings, giving up only 3 hits, 1 earned run, with 2 walks,and  4 strikeouts on 88 pitches.

South Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second as Connor Bright doubled and came
around to score on a Tanner English single.

In the bottom  half of the inning, the Tarheels tie the score after Michael Russell was hit by pitch and Brian Holberton blasts his a 2 run shot, his 11th homer of the year to put the Heels on top 2-1.

On to top of the 5th - Two crucial errors, including a dropped fly ball, helps South Carolina regain the lead 3-2 with a pair of unearned runs. And then in the top 6th, the Gamecocks added another run on another Tanner English hit, this one an RBI double. SC 4 NC 2.

In the bottom of 6th inning, the Heels answer back in a big way. A single by Landon Lassiter followed by a screaming double into the RF corner by Golden Spikes Finalist Colin Moran pulled UNC within 1. A throwing error allowed Moran to score from third to tie it up. Then USC pitchers allow two walks, load the bases then after Parks Jordan worked a full count, he also drew a walk to force in a run, giving North Carolina the 5-4 lead to ended up as the final.


The Tarheels will head to Omaha as they advance to their 10th College World Series. (1960, 1966, 1978, 1989, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and now 2013). They will join NC State as the ACC's two representatives at the NCAA College World Series.

Cardinal's Carlos Beltran Spends Team's Day Off Attending Graduation at First School He Founded

Yes Sports fans, there are good people involved in sports.  It seems like, on a day like today, when Adam "Pac Man" Jones is arrested (again) and Chad Johnson (the former Ochocinco) jailed for stupidity, that's all the news we hear in the sports world.

But here is one I can appreciate.  Carlos Beltran, a 16 year veteran of Major League Baseball (most recently with the St. Louis Cardinals) took his team's day off to go speak at graduation at the first school he founded.

In August 2011, he formed the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in the ecologically-friendly town of Florida, Puerto Rico for 10th, 11th and 12th graders.

Beltran at Groundbreaking Ceremony 2010

"We specialize in baseball, we do tryouts and select the kids that we think we can help develop their tools and their talent," Beltran said. "We provide materials and everything they need to help them get to where they want to be."

There is also an extensive academics program with all classes bilingual, Spanish and English.

"The reason I did it that way is because when I signed as a professional ballplayer, I didn't know how to speak English," Beltran said, "so it really took me time and it was hard for me to get used to being in the United States -- a different culture, a different place. It really took me time, so I want my kids to be more prepared."

Beltran donated $4 million to build the school and its facilities on an 18-acre site. When the school opened in August 2011, there were 60 students. Now it's up to 145. Transportation is provided, and they come from all over the island, some living an hour and a half away.

"They're really making a big sacrifice, but that's what life is all about -- making sacrifices," Beltran said. "When you work hard and make sacrifices, God will open doors."

Beltran has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. Originally known as the Commissioner's Award, it has been presented by the MLB since 1971. In 1973, the award was renamed after Clemente's untimely death.

Beltran was born more than four years after Clemente perished in a plane crash on a humanitarian mission, delivering relief supplies to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua on Dec. 31, 1972.

"I talked to (his wife) Jessica's  grandmother," Beltran said. She was in Puerto Rico that day, and she said it was a sad, sad day for Puerto Rico, because people really looked up to Roberto."

Beltran has idolized Clemente.

"Roberto was a player that, as a kid, I grew up hearing about the things he did on the field and off the field," he said. "I never got a chance to watch him play personally, but there are a lot of memories of him in videos. And when I get the chance to see those, it really amazes me how great a player he was. At the same time, he was a great humanitarian.

"In Puerto Rico, he's still a big influence on things that we do."

Beltran is following in those giant footsteps and becoming quite a humanitarian himself.

See the entire article from MLB.com here.

Denver Nuggets Part Ways with NBA Coach of the Year George Karl

So what does it take nowadays for an NBA team to keep their coach.  After the Los Angeles Clippers got rid of head coach Vinny Del Negro (see article here) after the Clips set new franchise records for wins in a season (56) and win their first ever Pacific Divison title. Then the Memphis Grizzlies are allowing head coach Lionel Hollins to speak to other teams (after the Griz made it to the Western Conference Finals).  And now the reigning NBA Coach of the year, George Karl is out of a job in Denver.

Karl was in the last season of his contract and was seeking an extension but the Nuggets ownership was evidently unwilling to make the commitment.  League sources told Yahoo! Sports that Denver would compete with the Brooklyn Nets for the services of Hollins and Brian Shaw, currently the associate head coach with the Indian Pacers.

The Nuggets held a team option on Karl's contract after the 2013-14 season that activating would've extended his deal another three years. The organization didn't want to make the commitment and ultimately didn't want to deal with a moody Karl throughout next year, sources told Y! Sports.

 The timing of his firing gives Karl a chance to get involved with other head coaching openings, including those with the Clippers, Grizzlies and possibly Nets.

Denver won 57 games and earned a third seed in the Western Conference playoffs. A key injury to forward Danilo Gallinari helped derail the Nuggets in a first-round series loss to Golden State.

After completing his ninth season with the Nuggets, Karl, 62, has 1,131 victories as an NBA head coach, including a .599 winning percentage.

Rapper Froggy Fresh (Tyler S. Cassidy) is a Genius. See His New Basketball Music Video "Dunked On".

Okay this one is a little unusual for me as I rarely delve into the politics of the music industry but I saw a music video today and was introduced to a young rapper named Froggy Fresh. His song is called "Dunked On" and as you might assume it is about basketball.  I loved it from the start and watched/listened to it 3 or 4 times.  It is slick and adorably homemade which further adds to the appeal for me.  Langston Wertz, Jr. the sports columnist from the Charlotte Observer who turned me on to "Dunked On" tweeted that this was, "the funniest most original Youtube video I've seen in a minute."

Check out the video here.

Froggy Fresh sings with an apparent "southern" accent so I wondered who he is and where he is from and began researching to see what I could discover.

I found out that he was known earlier as "Krispy Kreme" but changed his name earlier this year, claiming the doughnut company Krispy Kreme had fought his use of their trademark. I saw more videos from "Krispy", some of which were rather amateurish, with really corny lines like “Even if you had infinity knives, I would punch you up into the air like a kite” but also with some rather clever rhymes mixed in.  I also found another song by Froggy Fresh that I really liked.  It could almost be labeled "Christian Rap".  That one is called "Same Old Kid" and can be seen here.

As I continued my research, it appeared that the "rap detectives" had already done their work. They believe they have discovered Krispy’s real name, Tyler S. Cassidy. They found a newsletter from The Flint Journal listing Tyler (under a picture of a guy who’s clearly Krispy Kreme) as the valedictorian of his high school class, with a 3.95 grade average.  So maybe he is not from the South... Froggy Fresh's "southern" accent sounds very genuine, so maybe a parent, grandparent, extended family is from the South if Froggy Fresh is indeed Tyler Cassidy.  By the way, I am an accent expert. ;)

Additional "evidence" lists a Tyler S. Cassidy as the publisher of Krispy Kreme's songs on ITunes. But then I found out that Tyler Cassidy is also a rapper.  Well, imagine that... So I found a song listed for Tyler Cassidy and listened to it.  Gone is the country twang and the corny lines. Cassidy's song, "Forever" has very tight rhymes and is reminiscent of Eminem (and that is meant as a huge compliment).  Listen to it here.

I tried to hear the same voice in Tyler Cassidy and Froggy Fresh.  I thought I could hear similarities but more than one person has said that they can’t tell if that voice could come from the same person. Let me know what you think.

People have been critical of Froggy Fresh, some calling him a redneck, some calling him a hoax, but heck, I don't feel like that at all.  I am on the side of him being genius. After all he is his class Valedictorian. 

If he can do the Froggy Fresh thing until he (or the world) is ready for all his talent, more power to him.  I genuinely love "Dunked On" and Froggy Fresh, Krispy Kreme, or Tyler Cassidy (whoever you are) you have a new Number 1 fan. I wish you the very best and if I can help in any way let me know.

Maybe Froggy will come clean with all his fans soon.. or maybe not.  It doesn't matter to me. I'm a fan either way.

7 UNC Tarheels Basketball Recruits Named to 2013 USA Basketball Men’s U16 National Team

Following a three-day training camp featuring 30 members of the 2013-14 USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team, 16 finalists were today announced for the 2013 USA Basketball U16 National Team. The roster will be pared down to 12 before the squad departs on June 7 for the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, which will be played June 11-15 in Maldonado, Uruguay. The finalists, who must be 16-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1997) and a U.S. citizen to be eligible for this team, were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team Committee.  See the whole article from USA Basketball here.

 Seven players currently on North Carolina's recruiting list made the cut.   

Daniel Giddens (Wheeler H.S. / Mableton, Ga.);  

Harry Giles (Wesleyan Christian Academy / Winston-Salem, N.C.); 

V.J. King (St. Vincent - St. Mary H.S. / Akron, Ohio);  

Ivan Rabb (Bishop O’Dowd H.S. / Oakland, Calif.);  

Diamond Stone (Dominican H.S. / Milwaukee, Wis.);

Jayson Tatum Chaminade College Prep / St. Louis, Mo.) and  

Seventh Woods (Hammond School / Columbia, S.C.).