A few things before vacation....

I'll be taking some time off beginning this Friday, so I am emptying my brain before I go.  Starting with....

The Bobcats coaching search.  Reports are out the Bobcats are down to three coach candidates.  Jerry Sloan, Brian Shaw, and Quin Snyder.  My gut says they go with Shaw, but I think Sloan is the right guy.  And for the record, these are only opinions.

All three have positives.  Snyder is young, and could be the spark to ignite a young team to get them going in the right direction.  Shaw has never been a Head Coach, but has been a solid understudy, and Sloan's record speaks for itself.

Here's the rub for the Bobcats.  They can not afford to miss on their next coach, or what they do with the number 2 pick later this month.  If this franchise is to move towards the goals set by owner Michael Jordan (contending for a top 4 spot in the Eastern Conference consistently, and threaten for a title after that), they have to hit it out of the park with every critical decision going forward.  That's a ton of pressure, but it is the reality.

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Feel badly for NC State baseball in coming up short to Florida.  They may not have won the series against Florida, even if they had won game 2, but losing that second game the way they did was gut-wrenching.  I applaud Chris Diaz for being man enough to apologize for his actions after the called third strike (which was a mile out of the zone by the way).  Diaz showed himself to be a stand-up guy, a leader, and a true representative of what college sports are all about.  He showed passion, emotion, and as he felt he crossed the line, he manned up, and owned it, and apologized.  Me?  I didn't think the apology was necessary.  He had a legit gripe, the ump blew the call, and I likely would have done far worse.  Good on Diaz. 

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Congrats to the Charlotte Knights on getting their assist from the City of Charlotte for a new stadium.  The Knights now face the chore of lining up remaining funding, getting a shovel in the ground, and putting a long overdue ballpark for Uptown.

If you follow me on twitter, you saw me going on and on about Monday's City Council meeting.  The one they voted in favor of the Knights funding.  That was the same meeting they voted down the city's budget.  I won't begin to try and explain all that is going on with the budget (not my lane), but when it comes to the stadium issue, I was amazed that Jerry Reese continued to stand behind a microphone, and lecture everyone about the need for a MLB stadium in Charlotte.

Calling Charlotte "a minor league city," is about as insulting as someone who makes a living here can be.  The National Football League's Carolina Panthers, and National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats are on line one for you, Mr. Reese.  Last I looked the NFL and NBA were not Arena Football, or the NBDL.  NASCAR would also like to talk to you as well.  It's not ARCA, or other lesser known racing series that only race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  It's NASCAR.  You may have heard of them.

He also claimed that Charlotte was bigger than 12 other MLB markets.  12.  Well, since I have no idea what numbers he is using in that regard, let me just give you some of my data.  Charlotte is bigger than five other MLB TV markets.  FIVE.  Charlotte is 25th, Baltimore 27th, San Diego 28th, Kansas City 31st, Milwaukee 34th, and Cincinnati 35th.  By way of comparison, Orlando (19), Sacramento (20) and Portland, OR (22) also do not have MLB teams.  So I guess Orlando with the Magic, along with PGA Tour events is minor league.  Sacramento (the NBA's Kings live there), Portland (the NBA's TrailBlazers are there) are also minor league.  Orlando, Sacramento, and Portland all have minor league baseball teams, too.  They would like to talk to you as well, Mr. Reese. 

Other wonderful cities would be minor league too, I guess.  Indianapolis (26), Nashville (27), Columbus (32), and Oklahoma City (44) are on the list without MLB teams.  All of them, however, are home to pro teams that have competed for (and in the case of the Colts won) league titles.  All four of these cities also possess a AAA baseball franchise.

Another point about MLB in Charlotte.  Filling the stadium that many dates in the season.  If you watch Sports Night (like I know you all do), there are nights we show highlights of an MLB game, or NBA, or NHL, and the stands aren't full unless it's the playoffs.  The Atlanta Braves had trouble selling out playoff games when they were in the 14 year run of division titles.  I'm not knocking Braves fans about that, I'm just trying to prove a point.  If a team that enjoyed so much success had trouble filling their own place for a playoff game, what is there to suggest a new MLB team in Charlotte will get close to filling a new place on a nightly basis?  Bobcats games do not sell out, in part because the team has had one playoff run in its existence, and that was more of a warm-up than a run, since it ended in four games.

I know, I know...trying to talk sense is pointless at times.  Would I love another big league team to call Charlotte home?  Certainly.  Makes my unbelievable job even better.  Do I think MLB would be the right fit?  Not at all.  Too many variables, costs too high.  Guess that makes me minor league, too, eh Jerry?

The time has come for Reese to simply go away, or come clean with what he stands to gain from a MLB team coming to Charlotte.  He isn't doing this for the good of the community, because he has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in lawsuits filed to prevent this park from coming up out of the ground, a delay of what, four years now?  I know he won't do that, but it's nice to at least ask.

Mike Solarte

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer, and do not represent the views of News 14 Carolina, Time Warner Cable, or anyone not named Mike Solarte.  If you agree, or even disagree with the blog, feel free to leave a comment

Clearing the Clutter

Spraying to all fields:

Carolina Panthers have endured a difficult season, sitting 1-10 with their next stop out west in Seattle. I won't go into my diatribe about how this team was set up for failure (lack of veteran leaders to show the young guys the ropes), but I will commend every guy that puts the pads on for the organization, as well as the coaches. They REFUSE to lay down their sword. John Fox won't say this out loud, because of their record, but this might be his best coaching work. Offensively, Brandon LaFell, David Gettis, Jimmy Clausen and others, are rookies on offense. Greg Hardy, Eric Norwood are rookies on defense, plus a host of new faces brought in to take on the season.

Youth is no excuse, but it is a very valid reason why this team is struggling, but to their credit, they are improving, and still playing hard. That's a testament to their strength and will, and it is also a testament to Fox and his staff. They are still working to win games, and most of all, the players are still on board with it. Sadly, it's almost as if the players are resigned to their fate (record-wise), but they still believe in their leader. As tough as this season has been, these players have made it as fun as possible with their attitude, and their effort.

Charlotte Bobcats forward Stephen Jackson will miss Wednesday night's game against New Orleans due to a 1-game suspension by the NBA. Jackson's crime: not leaving the court in a timely fashion after being ejected in Milwaukee. Once again, NBA referee's showing little to no respect for the players and coaches , now that they have the "no showing up the officials" card in their back pocket. The ref in question, Eli Roe, is young in terms of NBA experience. According to the site http://www.basketball-refs.com/ (it's basically a blog), Roe had over 50+ games of NBA experience at its last update (mid June of this year). Roe was also voted, according to the site, as the ref "to most likely to choke to death on his own whistle." Rave review, right?

The NBA has to revisit this policy. How is Dwight Howard among the league leaders in technical fouls? I understand how Jackson is, and there is not doubt in my mind, Jackson is a mark for refs. To me, they are looking for him to do something. Problem is, Jackson usually obliges them with some form of discussion, but that doesn't mean Jackson is wrong. Respect is a 2-way street. NBA referees, young or old, need to remember that.

Speaking of officials, I love the uproar over the fight between Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnegan over the weekend. Neither player was suspended, both were fined $25,000 for the altercation. Folks wanting them to be suspended are reaching. Let's remember, this is an emotional and very physical game. Johnson felt Finnegan was taking liberties, and finally retaliated (video shows that to be the case). Things happen in the heat of battle. The league stepped in, took action, that's it. Finnegan is actually lucky he wasn't suspended, considering he is a repeat offender.

Adding this at 8:25 pm tonight, want to mention a conversation I had with injured Panthers WR Wallace Wright on Wednesday, and he gave me something else to think about here. Earlier Wednesday, Panthers safety Sherrod Martin was fined $40,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Cleveland TE Evan Moore on Sunday. Stiff penalty, based on Martin being a repeat offender of the head-to-head knocks. But is $40K justified when 2 players were actually fighting? According to Wallace, the fighting penalties should have been stiffer, to curb that behavior in the future. I agree, to an extent, with Wallace. The fine didn't fit the crime on Martin, especially when reviewing the game tape.

High school football nears an end, state semi-final Friday on tap this week, with championship games next weekend. Hope you check out the Discount Tire Friday Night Final to see all the action this week, and our state championship previews next week.

Mike Solarte

Wow, what a week...

First off, let me say that I am not complaining at all, but man this has been a busy week! Gonna touch on some things and then put the blog to bed for the weekend.

Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown was smacked with a $60,000 fine by the NBA on Wednesday. The league also fined the Bobcats $60,000 as well. Brown was ejected in the 3rd quarter of the Bobcats game against Atlanta on Monday night, and he failed to leave the court in a timely fashion.

Brown said on Tuesday that he likely deserved to be ejected. He also sent Assistant Coach Dave Hanners out to talk to the media Monday night after the game.

This fine is flat out wrong. Period. If the NBA wants to get its house in order, then get a deal done with the referees that have been policing the game for years. I know there are labor issues to be hammered out, but if the replacement refs start the season, you will have more players, coaches and ultimately fans unhappy with your product. In a world where entertainment dollars are tougher to spend, do you want thee ticket-buying public thinking of another option?

Carolina Panthers head to Tampa Bay this weekend, looking for their 2nd win of the season. I'm thinking it will happen. Confidence is contagious. A rising tide lifts all ships. Insert your own cliche here. The Panthers gleaned so much confidence with their win over Washington, it will be shocking to see them fall flat Sunday against the winless Bucs. Carolina still wants to get the ground game established, but something that escaped me Wednesday was that their ground attack was slow out of the gate in 2008, as well. Maybe there's a pattern.

Had a wonderful visit in studio with Panthers kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd on Wednesday night. He also brought along his wife, Tina. Both are heavily involved in the Twitterverse, and both are tremendous people. I hope to have that interview posted on our website by the end of the day.

NASCAR gets a home game this weekend, running the NASCAR Banking 500 (the race formerly known as the Bank of America 500). Qualifying set for Thursday night (weather permitting), with the race running Saturday night.

Continuing on the NASCAR theme, the inaugural class for the NASCAR Hall of Fame was announced Wednesday. Bill France, Sr., Bill France, Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson will be enshrined May 23, 2010. Hard to get angry at the first class--the list of 25 was as impressive as it gets--but both France's? I agree with many that David Pearson being left out was a bit strange. 105 wins, 2nd most of all-time? Well, you can't please everybody, and NASCAR is likely happy that they, and their new Hall of Fame, is getting scrutinized like the Baseball Hall, and Football Hall. A good debate about who got in and who got snubbed never hurt anyone. Should be a neat induction ceremony next year.

OK, I am off to Lowe's Motor Speedway for a long day at the track. I'll be live out there for Sports Night, then Friday it's the doubleheader. Sports Night at 10, and the Discount Tire Friday Night Final at 11. Saturday, back to the track for live post-race coverage of the NASCAR Banking 500.

Sunday, I might sleep. A lot.

Mike Solarte

Follow me at Twitter: http://twitter.com/MikeSolarte

OK, so I took the bye week too...

Apologies to the loyal blog followers out there, but I needed a break. Mentally refreshed, I look ahead at week 5 for the Carolina Panthers, and other items.

The Panthers will break into the win column this week when they host the Washington Redskins.

They have to.

It's just that simple. The Panthers need to beat a team that they should beat, and they need to do it in convincing fashion. Washington serves up just that recipe.

The Skins are struggling. Forget their win last weekend against Tampa Bay. It could be argued that the people that have left comments for this blog could get together, practice for a week, and beat the Bucs. They are THAT bad. The Skins were the ones that ended the NFL's longest futility streak, allowing the Detroit Lions to snap a 19 game skid, dating back to 2007. A win over the Bucs is not a "right the ship" kinda thing. It's what you're supposed to do.

The Panthers are not only hungry, but they are rested, and looking likely to have, at long last, all of their defensive starters available at the same time. Save for Maake Kemoeatu, who is lost for the year, the Panthers have yet to play a game this season with all of their returning players. Na'il Diggs did not play against Dallas--he said Monday he hopes to be ready. Chris Harris hasn't played a down in the regular season (a noticeable absence), and he is optimistic about playing this week. LB Thomas Davis pronounced Harris and Diggs ready to go, but of course, it's not his call to make. If Harris can go, and Diggs returns from his rib injury, the Panther defense will be at full strength.

Notice I left out the Julius Peppers crack....and it's just sitting there, too. Discipline.

Offensively, I want to see the Panthers grind the football on the ground. Pound it every chance they get. They have to do that away from Albert Haynesworth. He was listed on the injury report last week as "probable" with a glute injury (perhaps he landed on his wallet?), but he did play. Allow DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to work their magic on the outside, in space. Set up the pass with the run. It's fundamental, but it has worked for this team in the pass. Don't abandon the run, until the game gets out of hand (which it won't).

More on this game later in the week.

Charlotte Bobcats open the pre-season Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I'll say it again: EXHIBITION ANYTHING RESULTS ARE MEANINGLESS. Don't get caught up in wins and losses in the pre-season. Guard Raja Bell summed it up nicely on Monday, saying they don't want to lose, but in the fake season, improvements are what you look for. We'll see how they progress during their 8 faux games.

Finally, the Charlotte Knights look like they will continue to play in Fort Mill, SC for at least the next 4 years. The team and local legislators have to hammer out the details, but it looks likely that they will remain. I am glad and sad by this news, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fine folks in Fort Mill.

Truth be told, the Knights should be out of there, and moving into a nice, new Uptown Charlotte ballpark. That isn't happening, and may never happen, thanks to Charlotte attorney Jerry Reese. Reese filed lawsuit upon lawsuit, which delayed the project to the point that it is virtually dead. The economy going south didn't help matters. All along, Reese claimed he wanted to block the ballpark, in the hopes of luring a Major League Baseball team to Charlotte.

Why? Well, who knows. What bothered me most about this whole thing, was Reese seemed to be propping himself up as the voice of the people against this ballpark, and against the Knights moving in.

I can say this: Jerry Reese didn't speak for me. He didn't speak for a lot of people, yet he was able to derail this project.

Why do I bring this up?

Well, at this same meeting on Monday where the York County Council agreed in principle with the Knights deal, Reese and other investors proposed up to $150 million dollars in private investments to update Knights Stadium. Included in that was a new minor league hockey arena, a mall, and new housing.

HUH?

So is Reese speaking for the citizens of Charlotte by blocking the construction of a new Uptown ballpark proposing this deal to the York County Council in South Carolina? What would the new park he blocked have done for Charlotte? How about employ workers to build it. Perhaps entice new businesses around the stadium to spring up, like bars and restaurants. Generate more revenue for the city, based on more fans attending games (and visiting those bars and restuarants before and/or after games). An Uptown park almost guarantees a box office boost.

I can see how all those things are huge negatives.

From an outsider point of view, this looks like Reese has some vendetta against the Knights ballclub, and has no interest in trying to improve the city where he works, and makes a living as an attorney.

I'm no lawyer, don't claim to be one. I do know that the opinions expressed in this blogpost are mine and mine alone, and do not reflect the views of News 14 Carolina management, Time Warner Cable or any of its advertisers.

Maybe one day, Reese will offer up the truth behind his motives. It would certainly clear up a lot of my questions.

Mike Solarte

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/MikeSolarte

Emeka, Stewart, and more

Emeka Okafor has agreed to a new contract with the Bobcats--6 years, $12 million per. $72 million total. (More on the story here at news14.com) What was different on this offer than the one he turned down last year? The length of deal. 5 years versus 6.

If the difference between player and management was length of contract, why won't someone come out and say that? Seriously, there would be a lot less animosity in sports, if people stopped hiding behind things, and just came out and said, "we agree on the dollars, we just need to nail down the length of contract." John Q. Fan would then not have to be bitter about an athlete being offered $12,000,000 (did that on purpose so you could count the zeroes) per season, only to refuse it. The perception becomes "the athlete is being greedy." The Bobcats aren't exactly the number 1 team in Charlotte's heart these days--attendance numbers are not where the team would like them to be, they have yet to make the playoffs, and I still think the city has a Hornets hangover (yeah, it was some kind of party).

The Okafor contract situation (which appears to be resolved) may have widened the divide between the team and fans. I hope not, but it certainly fueled some people I've talked to into feeling like the Bobcats aren't holding their interest anymore. Others say they want so badly to like the team, but they continually screw things up. Here's hoping the answers and some positives are around the next bend for the Cats.

Tony Stewart roughed up a USAC official last week in Indianapolis. OK, that's an overstatement. He grabbed the official's headset off his head, and chucked it to the ground. Stewart then ran into another official (who ran at Stewart--Stewart braced himself and then pushed back at the 2nd guy). It was an eventful night, no doubt. Smoke has been fined $10,000 dollars, and placed on probation for the remainder of the year. Not in NASCAR, but in USAC. This punishment is not a big deal. Stewart crossed a line, and was penalized for it. Stewart has even gone beyond the punishment, and will buy new uniforms and new radios for the USAC officials. What this also does, however, is dispel the notion that Stewart is a jerk. Did he over-react? Absolutely. Is he sorry for it? You bet. Is it excusable? Not in the least. His reaction in the aftermath is a far cry from the driver/person he used to be. In the past, Stewart would do something, be punished, and show no remorse for his actions. If you asked him, the others would be the ones to blame, and his actions were justified. Not anymore. It's a step in the right direction.

Panther training camp continues in Spartanburg, leading up to Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium this Saturday at 11 a.m. I won't lie, camp isn't fun for anyone. Players, coaches, media, nobody enjoys it. The best part of camp is the fact that each day that wraps up means the season is one day closer to beginning. I haven't been back to Spartanburg since Saturday's opening practice, but by all accounts, the vibe at Wofford is different (over the course of the first 6 workouts), than it has been in years past. I got a sense of that on Saturday, but having not seen it with my own eyes since makes it harder for me, personally, to make that statement.

It does make sense, though, that players and coaches would be in a different state of mind, considering that the heat is on Head Coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney to get this franchise back into the post-season, or else. The players all seem to love playing for Fox, and simply do not want another coach in their calling the shots. It's as much on the guys in the uniforms as it is on the coaches and front office to make this season successful. It's unity in face of danger, yet they aren't looking scared. They look eager, confident and excited. Pretty good place to be, if you asked me.

Mike Solarte