- I laugh at the notion Bobcats owner-in-waiting Michael Jordan should change the team nickname. I'm not saying he will or won't, but I laugh at those that insist he changes it. Since his agreement in principle to become majority owner went down over the weekend, it seems there is a groundswell of emotion to deliver the team to the people. Huh? MJ is laying out loads of his own cash to make this happen. Once the NBA approves the sale, it will be his team, not the team of the people. While the notion is noble, it's just not realistic. MJ will do what he feels is best for his basketball team to win. That's what fans should be concerned with. Changing the nickname is the least of his concerns at the moment.
- On the subject of MJ as an owner, I do hope he will be actively involved in the day to day, but not mettlesome. There is a balance between being a "Jerry Jones" and an owner you don't see. Personally, I love the style of Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. The guy is hands on, loves the ownership side of the game, wants to win, wants to compete, but doesn't interfere with what his coaches are doing. The guy provides his employees with all the tools they need to be successful. He travels to road games. He just loves being a part of it. MJ could take a page from Cuban. Not the whole book, just a page.
- The Olympics are over. What a final act. Canada 3-2 over the USA in a hockey gold medal overtime thriller. As an American, Sidney Crosby's game-winner drop-kicked me in the stomach. As a hockey fan, my heart was singing with the game being displayed the way it was. People that don't know anything about hockey were talking about it on Monday. Listening to the sports talk shows, or even watching them on TV, I got the sense this game did as much to foster growth of the game as the 1980 Miracle on Ice team did. I admit, I was a part of that 1980 hockey boom. I watched hockey back then, but because of players like Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Mark Johnson, Mark Pavelich, Jack O'Callahan, Ken Morrow and so on, I took to the ice myself. Playing through college as a result. The NHL needs to strike while this iron is hot. They have to continue to put their product in front of people, starting now, with what is a 20 game sprint to the finish.
- As for the rest of the games, well, too many wonderful moments to list, but big time props to Geoff Bodine. Bodine, the former Sprint Cup Series driver, was a big force in Team USA's 4-man bobsled gold medal success. The US gold was their first in 4-man since 1948, and the sleds (and tracks) were a little different then. Bodine applied the NASCAR world to the sled technology, and the "Night Train" sled was born. Combine the technology with some human horsepower at the top of the run, and the Americans brought home the goods. Bodine will be moving the bobsled program to Concord, NC. Now if only we could get a sled track in place in this area. It sure has been cold enough for it.
Mike Solarte
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