Gosh! And in keeping with my routine, I was going to write on yet a different subject today. My policy is to not journalize on the same topic two days in a row except maybe for a brief mention of the prior day’s subject.

To my UNC-Chapel Hill brethren who require further explanation, today’s column wasn’t going to be about the Duke-UNC rivalry which resumes tonight with your basketball game at home against the Blue Devils. The Dookies out there probably need no explanation.

The posting yesterday of "UNC-Duke basketball: I don’t care!" brought several responses of which only one showed any understanding to what I was saying. I primarily heard from UNC and Duke fans who just don't get it and continue to think too much of themselve. That email said: “So, watching that game for you is like watching two skunks take a piss.” Excellent observation. I just don’t care about it. Nor should I.

That’s not to say I haven’t watched my share of athletics events between the two very high quality institutions of higher learning (not higher authority). While in college in the early 1970s, I skipped a NC State-Wake Forest football game and bought tickets to sit in Kenan Stadium for the Duke-North Carolina game. The Tar Heels won. It was a good game. I remember it as if it were played yesterday.

But, my point yesterday—when the aforementioned football game was not played—is that fans of both schools must understand that there are a lot of people in the world who don’t give a damn when or where they play a basketball game. They probably don’t "who" either as long as the "how" is an entertaining and well played game. These folks aren’t cheering for either and do not make it a date to watch just because it's a game between Duke and UNC. Fans of those schools remind me of elected officials who demand respect when their actions are far from a convincing argument. And, then, even the most educated and caring of elected officials are neither respected nor liked by all people.

But, I stray. Let’s review a few notes sent my way as a result of yesterday’s journal. Of course, I get to respond:

Jim, Jim, Jim... First of all, really enjoy reading your posts. However, I shouldn't expect anything different from a Pack fan. Although this year's contest between UNC/Dook may not be as heated as in years past, there's no denying this rivalry has produced some of the greatest games in college basketball history. Sure the Pack win nearly 30 years ago over Houston was good for the game (and I actually pulled for State to win for some strange reason), but UNC/Duke is great for college basketball. Heck, ESPN's Rivalry Week was born out of the UNC/Duke rivalry. As a State fan recently told me, "yes, it upsets me that we are no longer considered UNC's main rival, but after the many lackluster years of play on State's behalf we have no one to blame but ourselves for not putting quality talent on the floor than can create such an atmosphere." Pretty much sums up the bitterness of the Wolfpack nation. I'll leave it at that. Keep up the good work.

That UNC fan missed my point and responded in typical UNC fan fashion. He thinks everyone should respect and love the rivalry between the two schools. That’s just not the case. There are plenty of viewers around the country who will watch tonight but who don’t care which team wins and who don’t consider the game as the biggest rivalry of all. The saying “all politics is local” also applies to college athletics. Fans of Michigan and Ohio State, for some inane reason, think that annual football game is the greatest rivalry of anything which we know it’s not. I’m not bitter about NC State’s play and ability. I'm disappointed but I remain a fervent supporter, win, lose or draw, which is a lot more than I can say of many UNC fans. The light blue bandwagon has a lot of vacant seats these days and even if the Tar Heels win tonight, which I think they can, there will remain empty spots as the lackluster parade continues.

And, from a text message exchange:
ME: So the myth continues Wednesday?
HIM: What myth?
ME: Of the Duke-NC rivalry. What's the big deal outside the families?
HIM: TV ratings say a lot of people think it's a big deal.
ME: All those non graduates who follow NC. There are 300+ other colleges and fans that don't care.
HIM: Wednesday night will do over 4 million; the last game 7 million. That's a lot of people that don't care.
ME: But if TV didn't sign on only 18,000 would see it
HIM: I know it is hard for a Wolfie to understand but the Duke-UNC game has moved well beyond just a local rivalry like State-Carolina games (shown only on local TV) to a national institution. Alone the two teams have eight national titles and dozens of national players of the year. We have moved on from a mom and pop phone survey to a national stage where millions anticipate the meetings between these teams every year. UNC is a fine state university, but the global reach of Duke University brings this game to a much higher plateau.
ME: So you are a Rat Face lover!
HIM: Not Rat Face. He is a West Pointer. I am a lover of brothers who made millions off a product that causes cancer then gave part of that money to start a university that could make mega-millions curing cancer. Brilliant!
ME: Carolina fans, more so than Duke fans, are like elected officials. They think too much of themselves and their school and its place in the universe.
HIM: I understand. Duke grads know exactly where they stand.
ME: As I said…
HIM: No, that’s not the right response. If I am anything, I am a good straight man. The response is … yep, knee deep in (Bolshevik)

You can tell in which camp he is. Same from this one:

Wonder how the survey would have gone had it been Carolina vs State or Duke vs State. Notice I use CAROLINA(C) vs Duke (D) as C does come before D but I am not an Ingineer and may not know better. And when I think of CAROLINA I'm not even thinking of that other school South of the Border. Always enjoy your articles!

This guy has always had his heart in Chapel Hill but his sense of humor right out front. He doesn’t take himself or the rivalry too seriously. Good for him.

Then there was a note that came in the middle of the night from a fan I know has the same “I don’t care” attitude as I: It's 4:17 a.m. and I must really be bored if I am up and reading this posting. You could have made it more exciting.

There were more, but the cleverest came from that son of mine who attended and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. He and I exchange barbs all the time. He believes everyone should bow every morning to Chapel Hill. He follows the Tar Heels recruiting, reads everything every day he can find about North Carolina athletics. He thinks if any coach out-recruits the Tar Heels it’s probably because the other coach cheated. He’s also the only UNC fan to tell me before the season that his basketball team would lose at least 10 games this year, but he remains extremely disappointed, questioning the coach and the desire of the players. But, he's excited about next year.

Yesterday’s title: UNC-Duke basketball: I don’t care!
His response: Your online journal: I don’t care!
My guess he'll read today's anyway.

And, thanks to everyone else for reading. Keep those cards, letters and emails coming.
----------
TELEVISION NOTE: Tonight's NC State-Virginia Tech game is set for a 9 p.m. tipoff and will be shown on ESPN in the Atlantic Coast Conference viewing area and on ESPNU nationwide.

I admit it. I’m one of the 44% who doesn't care?

In a survey of 678 North Carolina voters, Public Policy Polling in a telephone “push the button that closest resembles your answer” survey asked the in-depth question: “When UNC plays Duke in basketball who do you root for, or do you not care? If you root for UNC, press 1. If you root for Duke, press 2. If you do not care, press 3.”

Though not one of the “lucky” voters who received the call, I would have pressed “3” several times on that inquiry. Because that’s the first question shown on PPP’s survey results, I assume it was the first question asked. The survey was conducted last month, January 15-18. The results were released Monday because the much-over-hyped basketball rivalry between the two schools resumes Wednesday night when the Blue Devils travel 10 miles to face the Tar Heels in UNC’s Dean Smith Center.

Survey says: 35% pressed “1” for UNC; 21% pressed “2” for Duke; 44% pressed “3” for I don’t give a damn about either team or the game. About the question: It had poor grammar/sentence construction. It should have said: When UNC plays Duke in basketball for whom do you root, or do you not care.The way it was deliberately constructed with the “who” and “for” was so UNC fans could understand the question. Also, why was UNC listed first instead of at least listing them alphabetically? Is it the UNC-Duke game or the Duke-UNC game? This is probably bias by the people at PPP, a baseless accusation because I have no idea of their educational background except that Tom Jensen, the director of PPP is an honors graduate of UNC. On the other hand, if the staff had attended neither, that means they probably tilt towards Chapel Hill where most of its fans are of the unaffiliated nature anyway.

I’m not sure, but my guess if I had been called and had pressed “3” to the first question, the survey would have bypassed the next four. In this space which you’re reading right now, I will assume that’s the case but I shall not bypass the results. This is too much fun.

Question 2: Would you say you are hard core, moderate, or casual fan of that school (asked in Question 1)? If hard core, press 1 (32%). If moderate, press 2 (35%). If casual, press 3 (34%). Interpretation: Most fans of UNC and Duke are not hard core which borders on them being soft in their desire to follow either team or care about the results of the game. According to the 380 who were allowed to continue the survey.

Question 3: Would you say you “hate” your preferred school’s rival? If yes, press 1 (18%). If no, press 2 (82%). Perception: the 18% comes entirely from UNC fans. As a native of this area, one who grew up in an NC State household, one who has a disdain for both schools even though my son attended and graduated from UNC, I offer this objective opinion skewed a little by several UNC and Duke fans with which I’m relatively close: UNC fans have an inherited dislike, even a hatred, for the Duke. It starts at birth when at least one parent encourages a child’s first words to be” Go to hell, Duke.” Duke fans, on the other hand, know better than to hate UNC. That’s because Duke fans are intimidated by UNC and its fans. It’s that simple. So, of the 380 surveyed who said they root for UNC or Duke, 68 hate the other school. I count all those as UNC fans hating Duke.

Question 4: Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of (UNC basketball coach) Roy Williams? If favorable, press 1 (39%). If unfavorable, press 2 (10%). If not sure, press 3 (51%). Well, for Roy, that’s not very good news. That’s 61% who answered unfavorable or not sure. Remember, 237 of the total respondents favor UNC. Of those 148 would have to have pressed “1” in this question for the 39% favorable response. Though he’s a Hall of Fame coach who has a National Title at UNC, I believe, and this belief also comes from association with lots of UNC fans, the jury remains out on Roy. Wearing that Kansas logo on his shirt at the NCAA tournament and not knowing when to call time out sometimes does himself no favors among the supposedly UNC faithful ("We support the school but not necessarily the coach," they say.). So, maybe you had to get some favorable results from Duke fans? Why? See the intimidation part of Question 3.

Question 5: Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of (Duke basketball coach) Mike Krzyzewski? If favorable, press 1 (44%). If unfavorable, press 2 (13%). If you’re not sure, press 3 (43%). A better question would have been: After all these years of him being head coach at Duke, can you correctly pronounce and spell Krzyzewski? No doubt, the 44% favorable responses all come from Duke fans. I’m amazed the unfavorable is just 13% considering most UNC fans affectionately refer to Mike as Rat Face while mimicking the rodent. Okay, maybe not affectionately. They simply dislike Mike because of his tremendous success at a school they were raised to hate. So, there were some UNC fans who were not sure on this question. Summary: More UNC fans are not sure if they like Mike than there are Duke fans who are not sure if they like Roy. Remember, more of those who took the time to play push button survey favor UNC by a margin of 237 to 142.

The remaining seven questions concerned demographics. Of the respondents:
49% voted for John McCain in 2008; 46% voted for Barack Obama.
18% are self-described liberal; 38% moderate; 43% conservative.
52% were currently women; 48% men.
48% said they are Democrat; 35% Republican; 17% independent or other.
78% pressed 1 for White; 19% African-American; 3% other.
8% were in age bracket 18 to 29; 23% 30-45; 48% 46-65; 20% 66+.
11% lived in area code 252; 20% in 336; 17% in 704; 15% in 828; 14% in 910; and 23% in 919.

The news release from PPP which accompanied the questions and results interpreted the survey a little differently, saying “UNC and Duke fans don’t actually hate each other…and that they even respect each other’s coaches!” That assumption comes from looking further inside the numbers, but it doesn’t look inside the hearts and minds of the respondents.

Here’s what Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling surmised: “The hatred UNC and Duke fans feel towards each other’s schools has been well documented but our polling finds that’s limited to a relatively small portion of their fan bases (the survey only reached a small portion). For the most part they seem to respect each other’s programs.” But, only while thinking with their finger in a telephone poll. I’ve seen plenty of fans at both schools thinking with their finger more often than not when it comes to how they feel about the other.

Remember, though, I’m in the 44% who don’t care. Duke-UNC or UNC-Duke is an over-hyped rivalry that in the bigger scheme of things doesn’t matter to most of us. I’ll not be watching. I’ll be at the RBC Center in Raleigh watching my NC State Wolfpack take on Virginia Tech. 9:00 p.m. ESPNU. And, that's important to me.
----------
If you have nothing more to do now that you’ve spent valuable time reading this, you’ll find more about Public Policy Polling and complete results of the survey at www.publicpolicypolling.com.

My favorite commercials/promos from Sunday’s Super Bowl:

The 15-second Late Show with David Letterman promo with Letterman, Orpah Winfrey and Jay Leno. It was Letterman’s idea; he wrote it. The other two quickly and secretively agreed to take part. View it here.

The one-minute McDonald’s ad that featured LaBron James and Dwight Howard in a dunk-off. The commercial was a take-off on an ad years ago with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in a shoot off. View the James-Howard ad here.

A Snickers ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda. Read more on how it topped the USA Today ad meter and view it here where you have the opportunity to watch all 63 commercials of the Super Bowl game broadcast.

The McDonald’s commercial is not in the USA Today group because it aired during a pre-game show. And, the Late Show with David Letterman was not considered a commercial because it was a CBS-TV promo. And, someone please tell me what was the big deal with the Tim Tebow spot?

And, I also think the E-trade commercials are clever. You'll find them in that USA Today list.
----------
The best part of the Super Bowl, though, was the outcome, the 31-17 win by the New Orleans Saints. Near the end of the game, I instant-messaged this to a friend: The Aints ain’t no more.

Just a couple of observations from my cheap seats:

In a peculiar way, the success of Drew Brees is directly related to NC State quarterback Philip Rivers. After a very successful Wolfpack career, Rivers was drafted by the New York Giants and then traded to San Diego for Eli Manning.

Rivers held back signing a contract because he and his agent considered the trade to make him the top player in the draft. Waiting so long to sign kept Rivers out of training camp and allowed Brees, who was drafted in 2001 by San Diego after a spectacular college career at Purdue and who was talented and capable, to become entrenched as the team’s starting quarterback without competition from Rivers.

During the 2005 season, Brees developed shoulder problems, and San Diego, which had invested money in and its future on Rivers, decided not to re-sign Brees, making him a free agent. New Orleans took a chance on Brees, and, from the results on the field and with all the New Orleans area care by Brees, it turned out to be a great move. You think?
----------
Speaking of quarterbacks, watching Peyton Manning last night was interesting. He seemed confident but out of sorts much of the time. No doubt he’s a great QB (who am I to make that observation), but he’s far from my all-time favorite Colts quarterback.

It’s not the legendary Johnny Unitas. It’s not Earl Morrall, who replaced an injured Unitas in 1968 to lead the Colts to a 13-1 regular season record before losing to the New York Jets in super Bowl III and who two years later replaced injured Unitas in Super Bowl V and QB’d the Colts to the win.

It’s Tom Matte, a substitute halfback who played quarterback when QBs Unitas and Gary Cuozzo were injured and there wasn’t a third QB on the roster except for Matte who had not played QB in professional football but who was an all-Big Ten QB when he played at Ohio State. Read more here about his short-lived but somewhat successful career as a Colts QB in 1966.
----------
By the way, and for what it’s worth, the Super Bowl game was much more interesting than all the pre-game hype and all the commercials.

If you read this early or late, here’s my pick for today’s Super Bowl: I’m pulling for New Orleans but I expect Indianapolis to win. Now you can exhale.
----------
May 26, 1952 is an important date in my life for two reasons. That’s the day I was born and took on my opinionated traits. It was also the day my Dad called the contractor and instructed him to proceed with building a house. Not just any house, but our family home forever.

At the time, Mom, Dad, Robbie and Suzanne were living in the Weatherspoon Apartments at the corner of Greensboro Avenue and Weatherspoon Street in Sanford. Not just one apartment, I’m told, but two. Located a block west of Hawkins Avenue, then US Highway 1 as it wove its way south into and through Sanford, and a few yards east of the railroad line that went from Sanford to Greensboro, the Weatherspoon Apartments were not going to be large enough for a family with three children.

The land in McCracken Heights, north of and beyond the city limits of Sanford but less than one and a half miles from the center of town, had been secured sometime earlier. Dad bought three lots and decided to build the house on two, reserving the third for some reason not known to me or the others at the time. During Mom’s pregnancy with me, the foundation of the house had been built.

So, on the day I was born, Dad instructed the contractor to get started building the home that would have five bedrooms and four baths, a large eat-in kitchen, a huge dining room that could seat 22, a living room larger than the dining room, a den, an office, a playroom about the size of the living room and a walk-up attic.

About eight months later, we moved in. Today’s Progress Energy bill (it was Carolina Power & Light then) notes that residence has been a continuous customer since January 31, 1953. Mom and Dad had the master bedroom with its own bath and huge walk-in closet. Suzanne got her own bedroom, and Rob and I had the third of these three in the top level.

The fourth bedroom was a level below and was used as a “guest room” for out-of-town business associates and some relatives such as Uncle Nat who Dad wanted to entertain in his home. About two years later, Brooks was born, moving Rob to the guest room, Brooks in with me, and Dad back to the drawing board. (The fifth bedroom was originally a “maid’s quarters,” a tiny room with a private bath, but that room, just behind the room with the washer and dryer, was soon called the “ironing room” and used for that purpose.)

The result from the drawing board was a “guest house,” a simple one bedroom, two bath, hose with a great room and a kitchen. But more importantly, a swimming pool, a concrete in-ground swimming pool, was built out back. Those out-of-town business associates and Uncle Nat had more privacy.

And we had a blast entertaining friends and relatives at the pool. A weekly tradition included Sunday lunch after Church when Mom and Dad invited three families to a covered dish affair that lasted much of the afternoon. We swam, ate, swam, had dessert, and swam. Lots of adult conversation ignored by the kids, and lots of parents telling children to quit running around the pool, to quit splashing innocent bystanders and to let your food rest for “three minutes” before returning to the pool after eating. Without fail, these gatherings as well as family reunions included carving several ripe watermelons.

In 1962, Sarah and Laurie were born, so two bedrooms and a bath were added at one end of the “big” house. Brooks and I moved to that area. The twins took over our room across the hall from Mom and Dad.

For many, living in one home all your childhood life is a dream. Since I moved from Sanford and took up residence in the Raleigh and Cary area, I have lived in two apartments, one condo, one townhouse and two single-family dwellings. But, I always think of the house(s) in Sanford as home.

It's where we always had dinner together as a family, either in the dining room or on ther back porch when weather permitted. It's where we played. It's where Mom dressed as a witch at Halloween and served her brew to the trick-or-treaters. It's where we played backyard baseball. It's where in 1961, Mom and Dad had a huge Presidential Inauguration party to celebrate the election of John Kennedy, one of their generation. It's where business was conducted for Dad's international textile machinery company. It's where Mom entertained her Meredith girls, the local young women who were soon to attend Mom's alma mater. It's where... the list is endless including stories about the neighbors who shall remain nameless but you know who you are!

The neighborhood was full of kids. It is today. There were three ponds, one from which Rob pulled a three-pound bass with a simple pole, line and hook. He and the bass were pictured on the front page of The Sanford Herald. The house and home constantly evoke memories from all six Pomeranz siblings and many relatives. Dad passed away in the house from a heart attack in 1997; in 2007, Mom died slowly and peacefully while living in the house. There had been much discussion of her moving from her home—even just to the guest house—in her waning months but she would have nothing to do with it. That home was her life. It was and is the same for all of us.

But, now, and for the last couple of years, we want to part with it, the entire estate, unique to the neighborhood. The big house is the largest in McCracken Heights, and the guest house (also known as the pool house) is the smallest. The economy has slowed our sales efforts.

The memories from each of us go on and on. Even in this unlimited space on the Internet, there’s not enough to tell the entire story, to relive the memories that made the house(s) a true home. The selling narrative of 526 Forrest Drive in Sanford NC is found elsewhere on the Internet. Maybe both houses and the pool need a little up-dating but overall, it’s a grand space that lives on. If interested, or if you know someone interested, be in touch.

Did the college football season just end? Is it about to begin again? Is college basketball suffering because of college football? Yes, yes and maybe.

It was just about a month ago when the final college football game of the season was played. Alabama defeated Texas for the BCS Championship in a game played about five weeks after each team qualified for that game by winning its conference title game. If you think this column is about to call for a college football playoff, you’re wrong, especially if you think it needs to take place in December. I continue to advocate a playoff for college football but it must involve the current bowl system and it must stretch into January, college basketball be damned!

No, today, this is more about what has happened to college basketball and what could happen down the road. College basketball needs its head examined.

College basketball, especially in the Atlantic Coast Conference which gained its fame and reputation on the hard court, is increasingly taking a back seat to football. That championship game in early January did not involve an ACC team but it pushed college basketball, more than eight weeks into its schedule, to second-class citizenship on television, in newspaper coverage and among radio talk shows. Even at the old water cooler, it was hard to talk about college basketball.

Coverage of the football game extended at least another week into mid-January. Then, just as college basketball was gearing up for the meat of conference schedules all over the country, football recruiting came into focus. This past Wednesday, as it is on the same date every year, may have been the biggest single day in the life of college football. The signing of high school players to national letters of intent is the future of every college team. It determines for the most part the success of college football programs. Without the recruits, all the Xs and Os in the summer and fall are lost.

Here’s an interesting note I heard on the radio the other day. Texas invited 25 potential Longhorns to officially visit the campus. Coach Mack Brown and his staff concentrated just on signing those 25. And, all 25 signed with Texas. Amazing! In Austin, that’s bigger news than Rick Barnes’ basketball team being No. 1 and much bigger news than the basketball team losing and dropping out of the top spot.

And, though college basketball in these parts is supposed to be the bible and sermon of college sports, football recruiting dominated radio talk shows that day and newspaper sports pages the next. And, with North Carolina’s basketball team losing more than winning these days, the announcement yesterday that a high school junior quarterback has committed to UNC is bigger news to Tar Heel faithful than the prospect of North Carolina NOT getting into the NCAA basketball tournament unless it runs the table and/or wins the ACC basketball tournament.

From my cheap seats, the problem with college basketball in general, and specifically with the ACC, is that the season is diluted because of when it begins, a discombobulated conference schedule, and television’s grip.

I’m not sure of when the NCAA allows first games to be played each year, but there should be a rule that no team plays a game prior to Dec. 1. And, all teams should play no more than 27 regular season games. Those funky early-season tournaments should be organized so if a team travels to Hawaii, it’s to play all the other teams there for the same event. The pre-season NIT would offer an equal number of games to all teams in its field. If that’s how college basketball teams want to schedule, go at it.

The ACC basketball schedule, in simple and to the point terms, sucks. With just 16 games in a league with 12 teams, there is no round-robin which would require 22 conference games, something I advocated in this space February 23, 2005. Check the archives. I just didn’t advocate it; I detailed how the schedule would work. So what if coaches don’t want it so they can pad overall records by defeating the North Carolina Centrals of the basketball world, and so what if Athletics Directors would prefer playing more home games against lesser teams in an attempt to pad the income? Not my concern, and it shouldn't be their concerns.

If you grew up on ACC basketball, what we have today is not what we used to have. The former, when all teams played each other twice during the regular season, was a much better product. It created much more interest than what we have today. It was organized better. A mid-season report by creative newspaper writers gave a real glimpse of what had transpired and what to expect with the rest of the season to come.

Television’s influence directly relates to the schedule. It’s early February, and North Carolina’s first game was Nov 9. Duke’s first basketball game was Nov 13. These two teams will first meet this season this Wednesday, Feb 10. Just 24 days later the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils will meet again. Why so late and so close? Television dictates it. Why? Blame it on college football. Playing the first of these two games in early January when the discussion is about college football and the last in early March would not draw the ratings television wants. Playing two games in the final 24 days creates more interest and higher viewership. But, it also relegates the other conference teams to somewhat second-class citizenry.

So, college football in a way dictates what is happening in college basketball. Instead of addressing the problem with a tighter season, more conference games, and better scheduling all over the country, the fix might be an expansion of post-season, further diluting the product. I advocate of expansion of the NCAA basketball tournament, but I advocate expanding to 256 teams, adding two rounds—one weekend—to the event. It would also allow conferences such as the ACC to expand its league schedule, if the coaches and athletic directors weren’t chicken about it. But that means a team would have to win eight games to win the national title, and that may be a problem for even the brightest minds in the coaching ranks.

As I understand it, the NCAA is considering a small expansion of the tournament to 80 or 96 teams, just scheduling more “elimination” games on the Tuesday before the real tournament starts Thursday of that week. There’s another idea being floated that might remove the football dominance from college basketball. That idea would move the entire season by one month, placing the NCAA finals around May 1 instead of around the first weekend of April. Both of these options would help CBS Sports, believe it or not, pay its bills—it’s enormous contract to show the event from start to finish—not by expanding its coverage but by selling off part of the tournament to other broadcast stations and networks. Can you say Turner Broadcasting such as TNT and TBS? If it can work for Major League Baseball, it can work for the NCAA Tournament.

The extra month option should not be considered whatsoever. Imagine playing the ACC basketball tournament in late March. The NCAA tournament would run into final exams and graduation exercises. College sports in the spring would get hurt. But those are the least of the worries. The real problem remains college football. Remember, there’s spring football practice which is about to begin any day now.

Thursday, when the Atlantic Coast Conference released 2010 football schedules for the 12 league members, once again there were no more than eight conference opponents on each team’s fall calendar. The season would be a lot more interesting and fun if each team played 11 conference games.

It would be the only way to have equitable conference scheduling. NC State, for instance, does not play Duke (a natural rival that the Wolfpack should play each season), Miami or Virginia. North Carolina does not have Boston College, Maryland or Wake Forest on its conference list for 2010. The two schools, aside from playing each other (another natural rivalry that IS played each season), have common opponents in Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

Having equitable schedules may not be important, and usually, we don’t know if one team’s conference schedule is tougher than the other’s schedule until the season is complete. But, having all league teams play all league teams and then schedule one non-conference opponent would be a little more interesting, especially for the fans, than having some of the non-conference games on the schedule.

Consider these 2010 home opponents:
Boston College: Weber State and Kent State.
Clemson: North Texas and Presbyterian.
Duke: Elon and Army.
Florida State: Samford (not Stanford).
Georgia Tech: South Carolina State and Middle Tennessee State.
Maryland: Morgan State.
Miami: Florida A&M.
North Carolina: East Carolina and William & Mary.
NC State: Western Carolina.
Virginia: Richmond, VMI and Eastern Michigan.
Virginia Tech: James Madison, East Carolina, and Central Michigan.
Wake Forest: Presbyterian.

On the other hand, some non-conference games on the schedules look pretty good:
Boston College: Notre Dame at home.
Clemson: at Auburn; South Carolina at home.
Duke: Alabama at home; at Navy.
Florida State: BYU and Florida at home.
Georgia Tech: at Kansas and Georgia.
Maryland: Navy (in Baltimore), at West Virginia (and, not so tough, at Florida International).
Miami: at Ohio State and Pitt; South Florida at home.
North Carolina: LSU (in Atlanta); at Rutgers.
NC State: at Central Florida; Cincinnati at home; at East Carolina.
Virginia: at Southern Cal.
Virginia Tech: Boise St (in Washington DC area).
Wake Forest: at Stanford; Navy at home; at Vanderbilt.

As a season ticket holder at NC State, thank goodness there are only six home games after having eight home games last season. That should be a nice savings on ticket payment and tailgating expenses.

The Wolfpack’s home schedule includes two Thursday night games: Sept 16 against Cincinnati, and Oct 28 against Florida State, both scheduled for 7:30 kickoff, both to be shown on ESPN. It’s nice to have the national exposure, especially if you play well and win, and it’s nice to have the weekend off to do other things, but, for me, college football is very much about Saturdays at the stadium.

One other aspect of the State schedule that needs further examination is not scheduling a home game during either of the two weekends of the NC State Fair. I prefer at least one home game on one of those Saturdays. Great atmosphere despite traffic and parking problems for both events.

But then remember, I also prefer 11 conference games for football. And, by the way, I’d also like to see 22 conference games for basketball, a subject previously addressed and again for another day.

You’ll find the official announcement and schedules for the 2010 ACC football teams at ACC website. There are three styles from which to choose: a week by week schedule; a team by team schedule; and a neat composite spreadsheet in helmet format.

The topic of today was to be about preferred drinks during the Super Bowl.

It was to talk about my favorite beers including New Castle, Yuengling, Dos Equis (amber), Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale and Brooklyn Brown and my dislike of tasteless brews such as Heineken or Corona, chick beers in my book and not worthy of Super Bowl parties.

I was all set to talk about wine with most dry reds as my top choice. When I drink “white” wines, I seem to do so in gulps as I do beer, so I stay away. To me, reds are more flavorful. For snacks and Super Bowl foods, give me a bottle of Carolinius from RayLen Vineyards & Winery just off of Interstate-40 between Mocksville NC and Bermuda Run NC. Or, something called “Big House Red,” a California wine which we picked up recently at Fresh Market. By the way, there are no sweet wines on my wine rack. If I want sweet “wine” I’ll get a cup of tea at Bojangles.

But today, thanks to The News & Observer, The Charlotte Observer and others, instead of beer and wine, I want to mention stuff you just can’t make up.

Most of us think Attorneys General are the ultimate law enforcement officers in the United States. Over time, plenty of these top lawmen have done wrong, but broadly, the public looks to the AG, either on the national or state level or both, as someone who not only enforces the law, but follows the law to the infinite degree, whatever that means.

Now we have the story of a former North Carolina Attorney General who became Governor and apparently did whatever it takes to skirt the law. Allegedly, he set up a private email account and used it to govern in an attempt to keep private the public business he was doing behind closed doors and in public. And, he may have been doing bad private things as well. That’s to be determined. Allegedly, though his assistants, he basically told everyone in his administration to delete public records, and use non-accountable ways of communicating. Considering his reading disability, maybe he preferred sign language. The public, in general, believes he was always offering an international sign familiar to everyone, and it wasn't to say he was No. 1.

Even for the best screen writer, this is not stuff you can make up, especially with the star figure a person who was once the North Carolina Attorney General and a District Attorney and who would love to have put a Governor behind bars for doing the same. It’s amazing!

But, it’s one of those face-off situations with one person’s word against another’s. He said, she said. And, there are no emails or evidence thereof to use. It was deleted. If you haven’t read the latest, you might want to do that. The story was front page N&O today.

This story is just more of the same in the life of politics, and I doubt it ends anytime soon. My take is that many politicians—elected officials—think too much of themselves as do their closest appointees. They believe they are above the law. They believe they are the office and not just the office holder, working on behalf of all citizens and not just a few closest associates who offer to give assistance in return for favors. They even change the law through legislation or regulation or executive order or attorney general interpretations just to skirt the law as was intended when written originally. Unfortunately, not enough ordinary folks are in positions to challenge what the politicians do.

The story on the once AG and once Governor continues. His future is probably in the hands and mind of a loyal assistant who could spend many years of his life behind bars based on accusations of his actions, or he could talk and negotiate his way out by ratting on his former boss.

It’s mind-boggling. Thank goodness the Super Bowl is this Sunday so I can get back to my beer and wine.

And, by the way, to those who read this and do not consumer beer and wine for reasons of alcohol content, you might want to now. If so, to get past your objection, I suggest you do what I do. Just as I read Playboy only for the wonderfully written and interesting articles, I drink beer and wine only for the taste. Enjoy!

One of my chief advocates as well as critics (same person for both) has encouraged me to write with more food for thought. So, because this is Super Bowl week which means Sunday afternoon and evening parties of interesting fare and libation, here’s some of just what the chef…er…chief ordered:

HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICH:
Please don’t cringe. This is one of those “try it, you might like it” lunchtime treats. Start with two slices of cinnamon-raison bread. The cinnamonier and rasionier, the better. Cover each slice on one side with a healthy portion of Duke’s mayonnaise (the secret of great southern cooks, they say). There’s no substitute for Duke’s, and please, please, please, do not use anything other than the original. The version that’s less in fat and calories and all the other good things about mayonnaise also reduces its taste.

Onto one piece of mayonnaise-lathered-cinnamon-raison-bread, pile on several pieces of ham. Except for boiled ham which also has no flavor, just about any style will do, even country ham. But, it’s best with ham that’s a little sweeter along the edges. Three or four slices, please. You want the taste of ham to accent the taste of the bread and the spread. On the other slice, cheddar cheese is my preference. Not the pre-packaged sliced style. Cut your own at least an eighth of an inch but no more than a quarter of an inch thick from a block and arrange it on the bread, leaving a little space to the edge.

Open face, place the two slices with ingredients in a toaster oven for one toasting cycle or until the cheese is melted or the toast is done to your liking. Remove, flip the cheese slice onto the ham slice and enjoy! It’s delicious.

SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HOTDOGS:
My version is probably enjoyed by more people than will let on. The brand of soup is of no particular selection. I’ve usually used Campbell’s but the Progresso style is probably better. You don’t have to add water; it’s already in the can. But, what you must add is ample slices (chunks) of hotdogs, either the beef style or the pork style or the multi-mystery-meat style. No reason to preheat or cook the hotdogs; just cut the hotdog into the sauce pan with the soup and cook as directed on the can, preferably on the stove top. No microwave. While the taste of the soup I really enjoy, having a hotdog chunk in each spoonful makes it better. Also, I suggest using 10-count or 12-count hotdogs. Stay away from the 8-count. Count? Hotdogs? What in the world? See HOTDOGS several items below.

CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE:
There’s no dessert or tasty snack better if you prepare it correctly, and of course, it’s my way or the highway. Start with an ample amount of vanilla ice cream, French or plain or whatever as long as it tastes good. Again, do not use the fake stuff. None reduced in calories or fat or the fat-free ice cream will do. It’s about taste. Why prepare something that limits the positive reaction of your tongue and those wonderful taste buds? Next, cover substantially with chocolate syrup. I prefer Hershey’s but in this, as long as it’s got all the right ingredients and nothing has been left out or removed, just about any kind of chocolate syrup will do. Make sure there’s ample included. Then, cover with the right amount of milk. That’s right. Not skim milk. Not 1% or 2% milk. The full Monty. It’s all about the flavor. Besides, why have a chocolate milkshake and worry about fat, sugar and calories. If that’s your problem, drink water.

If you do not have a true-to-form milkshake maker as you might see at the corner drug store (not today’s drug stores but those of years gone by), a blender will do, but prepare carefully. You want it to be thick enough to tempt you to eat it with a spoon but smooth enough to suck it through a straw. If you don’t have a blender, try a “hand-spun” version. Use a cold beer mug taken from the freezer, add the ingredients, grab a soup spoon and stir. Not as much to clean up.

And, if you’re looking for one on the road, I suggest Chick-fil-a (not open Sundays) but without the whipped cream and cherry on top. Or the chocolate shake at Cook-Out is pretty good. Same goes for those at In-N-Out Burger based out of California but not found in North Carolina. I prefer to stay away from McDonald’s, Hardees and Char-Grill milkshakes. No really good taste and too expensive for what you get.

HAMBURGERS:
As far as I’m concerned, the only way to prepare a hamburger is medium (pink in the middle with the juices flowing) with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and Duke's. Every now and then, I’ll add a little red onion. But, as important as the doneness of the meat and the condiments, the bun is as much the reason for success with this delicacy. If you’ve ever get one on a hard Kaiser roll with a diameter greater than the burger, toss it out. Just eat without the bun. A too-chewy hamburger bun is a distraction. A nice, soft hamburger roll, with the burger hanging over the edges, does the trick. If you’re cooking at home, purchase the 8-pack of Holsum Merita on the bread aisle. Also, if you’re cooking at home, use ground chuck. It’s fattier and tastier. I have no problem adding items such as jalapeños or even a slice of ham, but, please no frou-frou stuff. Use those things in a salad but don’t serve with the hamburger.

There are lots of places to get a good hamburger, but my two favorites are In-N-Out Burger (see above mention in the milkshake section) and Johnson’s in Siler City. If you’ve not eaten at Johnson’s, and if you enjoy a good hamburger, make the trip. But get there early (I think they open at 10 a.m., Monday-Saturday) and don’t think about going late (past 1:30 p.m.). The hamburgers there are made fresh daily from chuck meat ground each morning on site. It’s a limited amount, and once the hamburgers are gone, they clean-up and close.

HOTDOGS:
Okay, so what about counts as mentioned in the Split Pea soup section? Hotdogs are usually made in three sizes: 8-count, 10-count and 12-count. The number refers to (or at least used to refer to) the number of hotdogs per pound or in the package. The size of the wiener is based on the count. Some believe the 8-counts are the best, but I’m partial to the 10s and sometimes the 12s. The buns are too small for the 8s, leaving little room for the other stuff. My way is mustard, chili and slaw, but sometimes, I’ve got to have my onions.

Right now, I get my hotdogs at one of two places: The Roast Grill in downtown Raleigh and any of the Char-Grill locations. At the Roast Grill, the hotdogs are, I guess, 10-count, and are heated on a flat grill. Each are burned a little and more if you wish. The condiments are standard mustard, chili and onions, or you can substitute slaw for the onions at no charge or add slaw for an additional 25-cents (and believe it or not, the grammar checker in Microsoft Word prefers “for an additional 25-cent.” Ugh!). Because of the tasty treats at The Roast Grill, I now order my dogs at Char-Grill “burned on the grill” for a much better taste than those cooked in water.

On the other hand, hotdogs cooked in water are what I used to get at Ole Time Hotdogs on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh and, at that time, those were my hot dog of choice. OTH is no longer there. But the memory lives on.

WINE and BEER:
No time today. I’ll try to cover that tomorrow with more food for thought.

Call it a Bolshevik Revolution. And, let’s thank President Obama for it.

On the phone Monday, I was talking with the customer service department of a rather large communications company when the person on the other end of the conversation was explaining what the company could do and not do when it came to applying a credit to my account. “It’s the way our system works,” she said, explaining the purchase would be charged to the account immediately but that the credit would take another 30 days.

At that point, what I started to say doubles as the name of a card game in the context of someone bluffing. In college basketball arenas, the word is chanted by students when not agreeable to an official’s decision against the home team. I was just about to say it when I stopped and said:

“That’s Bolshevik!”
“Excuse me, sir,” the customer service rep said.
“That’s Bolshevik!” I repeated.
“If you’re going to use profanity, I’ll have to end this conversation,” she said.
“What profanity?” I asked.
“I heard what you said,” she responded.
“No you didn’t,” I said. “I said ‘Bol-shev-ik.’”
There was silence at the other end of the line, but just for a moment.
“What is that?” she asked.
“That’s the President’s word,” I said, pausing for her response.

She laughed. She knew exactly what I was saying, and we continued the conversation. I was using what the President said on some of the best live television politics has ever seen. It was last Friday when Mr. Obama spoke before the US House of Representatives Republican Caucus. It was during a most revealing and interesting question and answer session. Imagine that, Republicans asking questions of Obama who responded without the assistant of cards, notes or a teleprompter. The Republicans were good; Obama was better than expected.

At one point, Obama was asking everyone in Congress, not just the Republicans, to be a bit more civil in depicting legislation. The Health Care Reform bill was front and center in his response to a question. Here’s what the President said: “But if you were listening to the debate and how some of you went after this bill, you’d think this thing was some (pregnant pause) Bolshevik plot.”

We know what he meant, that the Republicans were portraying his program as socialism (which it is, but that’s a different story). At the time of this made-for-television forum, I was eating lunch, watching this amazing exchange. At this point in the event, I was about to take a bite of a delicious fruit salad and had my head down, not looking directly at the television. And, then I heard, “…you’d think this thing was some…Bolshevik plot.” My head lifted to stare at Obama. I thought he had said that other word. It came out like: Bole-shvik. That must have been his articulate Illinois-Hawaiian-whatever dialect coming though, thank you, Harry Reid.

The inflection of his voice made me wonder if he really meant something else. The pause between “some” and “Bolshevik” gave me the impression that he wanted to say something else but realized who he is, where he was and that lots of customer service representatives would have hung up on him if he has used the other word.

If he had intended the other word, he could have used bullcrap, bullplop or bullbutter along with many other synonyms. “Google” the word and read for yourself. For instance, at Wikipedia, there’s an explanation of magicians/ comedians Penn & Teller’s documentary by that name. It says: “Many episodes aim to debunk pseudoscientific ideas, Paranormal beliefs, popular fads and misconceptions, and often from a libertarian point of view, the political philosophy espoused by both Penn and Teller. The show criticizes proponents of what they perceive as nonsense and dishonesty — (expletive) — often citing ulterior political or financial motives. The stated aim of the show is to apply critical thinking to misconceptions. As is indicated by the show's title, the program adheres to Penn & Teller's characteristically blunt, aggressive presentation.”

Oka-a-a-a-ay. That’s one way to look at it and really a bunch of Bolshevik.

The actual word can be used as a noun or a verb. It’s probably been used as an adjective and an adverb and all the other parts of speech. According to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, and it’s hard to believe with everything since the beginning of time, including Eve’s denial of eating the forbidden fruit (and God exclaimed: expletive) that came before him, the late great T.S. Eliot is supposedly the first person to use the word when he wrote a poem in the form of a ballad, but only using that word in the title: The Triumph of Bullshit, written in either 1910 or 1916. Just for fun, here’s the poem. Please do not be offended, and you might want to have a dictionary nearby as you read:

Ladies, on whom my attentions have waited
If you consider my merits are small
Etiolated, alembicated,
Orotund, tasteless, fantastical,
Monotonous, crotchety, constipated,
Impotent galamatias
Affected, possibly imitated,
For Christ's sake stick it up your ass.

Ladies, who find my intentions ridiculous
Awkward insipid and horribly gauche
Pompous, pretentious, ineptly meticulous
Dull as the heart of an unbaked brioche
Floundering versicles feebly versiculous
Often attenuate, frequently crass
Attempts at emotions that turn isiculous,
For Christ's sake stick it up your ass.

Ladies who think me unduly vociferous
Amiable cabotin making a noise
That people may cry out "this stuff is too stiff for us" -
Ingenuous child with a box of new toys
Toy lions carnivorous, cannons fumiferous
Engines vaporous - all this will pass;
Quite innocent - "he only wants to make shiver us."
For Christ's sake stick it up your ass.

And when thyself with silver foot shalt pass
Among the Theories scattered on the grass
Take up my good intentions with the rest
And then for Christ's sake stick them up your ass.

Now, that’s really a bunch of Bolshevik. Thank you Mr. President.

Trivia: Who held the ball for Tom Dempsey when Dempsey kicked a record setting 63-yard field goal in 1970 in an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions?
----------
In last Friday’s edition of The New York Times, there was an interesting story about Tom Dempsey. For the unknowing, he’s the guy who in 1970 with a right foot born without toes kicked a record-setting 63-yard field goal to lift the New Orleans Saints past the Detroit Lions during a regular season game in the National Football League.

The story is much more significant this week because the Saints are playing in the Super Bowl Sunday. New Orleans has already celebrated the past week a National Football Conference championship and this week the city is celebrating being in the Super Bowl. If they win, if the Saints can somehow defeat the experience and talent of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, the French Quarter will see a celebration that will make Mardi Gras look like the birthday party of a two-year old.

The 63-yard kick (actually it was about a foot short—no pun intended—of 63 yards but counted as 63 yards) by Dempsey made him the most famous player in the history of that franchise. Even Peyton’s dad, Archie, for all of the excitement he created there, has very much been the face of the franchise for years, but Dempsey has always been the celebrated one.

The line of scrimmage was just shy of New Orleans’ 45-yard line on the “other” side of mid-field. In those days (though it doesn’t seem too long ago), the goal posts stretched across the goal line, not the end line as is the case today. The ball holder touched a spot on the ground around the 37-yard line. Snap, place, kick, good. Straight forward kick, toeless, not soccer style.

Another celebrated one in that game was Detroit's Alex Karras who nearly blocked the kick. Karras joked alot about seeing a kicker come onto the field with two seconds remaining and the Lions leading 17-16. Karras, for all the interviews he did, may be as famous for the kick as Dempsey. Karras, who played Mongo in Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, was a character. He acted in 14 movies, but his best role by far, no matter what critics say, is when he punched the horse in Blazing Saddles.

The kick by Dempsey (and he so well desribes it himself), because of the special shoe he wore, caused the NFL to put in what has become known as “The Tom Dempsey Rule” which says "any shoe that is worn by a player with an artificial limb on his kicking leg must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe.” My guess is today such a rule change might be deemed unconstitutional based on a disabilities act or law

This is Super Bowl week, so stories such as the one in The New York Times last Friday will continue. That story says no matter how the Saints do this week, this will be the end of Tom Dempsey being at the top of Saints' folklore.
----------
Oh, the answer to the trivia question? If you’ve gotten this far and haven’t gone to one of those links, well, it was Joe Scarpati, who played for NC State University in the early 1960s. With the Wolfpack, he was listed as a halfback but was a tough safety on defense.

And, Scarpati was smart, making academic All-America in 1963, the year he was team captain. He was academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference 1961-62-63. In the American Football League draft of 1964, he was selected in the 13th round by the Boston Patriots as a defensive back, but he signed and played with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles 1964-69 and in 1971, his final season. In 1966, with eight interceptions, he led the league in return yardage with 182 yards. The Eagles website Saturday posted a nice story him: Where Are They Now: DB Joe Scarpati

Studying his stats, Scarpati had an interesting professional career. Maybe not to Joe, but to trivia buffs, the best stat of all for Scarpati is not a statistic as all. It came in one game in 1970 in New Orleans’ Tulane Stadium when he played for the Saints. That’s when he held the ball for Tom Dempsey’s 63-yard field goal.