Thank You... *hits dab*

Now that I have had over 24 hours to get over what happened this past Sunday night I want to give my thanks to the Carolina Panthers. So here it goes...

I was born in 1994 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and the Carolina Panthers were my first true sport love. Way before the Red Sox and just barely before the Tar Heels printed themselves into my heart forever the Panthers were truly my first team I rooted for. I can remember getting the full Panther uniform as a kid for Christmas. I wore those grey football pants with the blue curved piping outlined, the black jersey with the white letters/number outlined in blue, and the plastic over-sized grey helmet for the following week. I had my parents hold poster paper after poster paper at the end of our hallway so that I could run through it pretending I was a Panther myself. I remember Kerry Collins being our QB, I remember Rodney Peete, Rocket Ismael, Mike Minter, Dan Morgan, Wesley Walls (first player jersey), Sam Mills, Musin Muhammed, Ricky Proehl and the list goes on. I remember 2003 Super Bowl heartbreak against the Patriots as well as the 2-14 that landed us our current QB and league MVP, Cam Newton. Why am I restating things that most of you reading may remember as well? To put things in perspective.

What this team accomplished this year was nothing short of great. Is the goal to win the Super Bowl? No shit it is. Should the PLAYERS be upset with finishing short? Hell yeah they should. But I'm speaking to my fellow Panther fans and our "haters." This Panther season was special. You had a team that all year until the final game pretty much dominated every single opponent. You had a quarterback who was drafted to be a franchise player grow and lead the team like he was expected to do. You had a defense full of youth up front combined with gritty veterans in the secondary be a backbone to everything our team went through. You had a group of "no-names" catching passes and exceeding expectations all year. There is so much to be proud of. Critics will talk, jealous fans of opposing teams will troll, let them. What that shows me is relevancy, it says we are feared. They want to be in our shoes now. They wanted to be dabbing all season. A team that has been around for less time than I have been alive is already being being scrutinized with some of the historically great organizations like the Steelers, Cowboys, Patriots and so on. Maybe its just season, maybe we won't continue to be great. But there is nothing to be upset about from this year. The common fan doesn't look at organizational structures and plans, it doesn't look at long-term potential. Panther fans, let people say we won't be good after this year, that we had our chance to finally get one. My money is on that those people are wrong. We have won three consecutive NFC South Division titles. Who is challenging us in the division with the nucleus we have? If you look at the big picture it shows nothing but optimism and more opportunities to capture that Super Bowl title that Charlotte and the rest of the Carolinas deserve. This team gave both of the states that it embodies life this year, put us on the national stage. They showed us that there is a plan in place to achieve that ultimate goal.

So thank you Jerry Richardson, Dave Gettleman, Ron Rivera, Cam, Luuuuke, TD, JNo, Greg, and the rest of the players/organization. Thank you for the number one seed, thank you for letting everyone know the NFC title was running through Charlotte. What you gave us fans this year was nothing short of fulfilling. Thank you for the memories this year, hell, thank you for the memories every year. Just like the saying goes in Panther land, KEEP POUNDING!

Rapid Sport Rundown

The amazing thing about sports is that they never fail to provide for great conversations. Forget the actual game, we just want to skip ahead and get into conflict-filled discussions that are sure to follow. So I'm going to do my best apply the everyday conversations into this sports rundown. There are several topics I could obviously choose so I did my best to narrow it down.

To start off let me discuss the topic that is driving all sport fans' conversations, the Super Bowl. How compelling is this match-up? You have the potential of Peyton Manning riding off into the sunset if the Broncos are able to win the game. There is also the possibility of Cam Newton completing his own storybook ending to what has so far been the year, or season, of "SuperCam." Another story line, however there are many more, is that you have the number one offense versus the number one defense. So as you can see or may already have known, there are many interesting plots arising from this Super Bowl match-up. I've decided that there since there is nothing closet about my fandom socially, I will no longer be closet about my fandom in my writing. That being said, I am obviously rooting for a Panther win, and at that a blow out. I understand it's the Super Bowl and the majority of fans, viewers, the league, and the TV people want a close game for its entirety. Nope, screw that. I want a blow out, runaway, behind-the-woodshed beat-down in favor of my Panthers.
There are two reasons on my I feel so strongly about having that outcome. The first one being this, Peyton Manning. Don't even try to sell me the cop out statements on how he is old, washed up, can't win his team the game. Because I'm not buying. Go ahead and put me Around the Horn for that topic on the Buy or Sell segment. I'll give Tony Reali a lesson. Okay anyways, my thinking and honest belief is that this game is the Panthers game to lose. So if the game is close the more nervous I will become and the more likely my phone will be going through my wall. I do believe in Cam's growth that he would be able to lead a Super Bowl winning drive, but I'm also equally confident (or respectful) in Manning. I mean how could you not be afraid of a Hall of Fame lock having a chance to break your heart? As for the second reason on why I want a pounding from the Panthers is the fact that so many experts and Twitter coaches have had nothing but hate for a potentially all-time great team. I won't say that if they win they are the best team to ever win a Super Bowl. However if you want to test me, I'm fairly certain I could make a pretty strong argument. I want a convincing win to put the icing on the proverbial cake that all Panther fans can throw into the face of all the doubters. Plus, it would be epic for Riverboat Ron to have a Coach Yost moment with a "Cam, leave no doubt!"
All kidding aside this Super Bowl has great potential. It's early and this prediction is being made with over a week away from the game, but I'll obviously be taking the "thers" by the score of 30-17. I know may have gone a little high with the over/under total and I know defense wins championships, but I also know that a great offense beats a great defense.

Okay moving on from football. Let me talk about the other sport going on right now which is basketball. I'll start with college basketball because let's be honest, the NBA doesn't reach full national attention until the NFL has ended.
 Alright, so in case you haven't been tuned into the college basketball season, Oklahoma is the best team in the country. Plain and simple. Not only are they ranked number in the country according to the Associated Press, but anyone who understands what it takes to be a great team in basketball knows Oklahoma has it all. They have size, depth, and they can shoot you right out of the gym. Oh, not to forget, they have the best player in collegiate basketball right now in Buddy Hield and he shows up to play EVERY game. My man is averaging 26/6/3. NEWS FLASH, that's pretty good. I won't go as far to saying go ahead and give them the trophy, because this is college basketball, upsets happen almost as much as Stephen Curry hitting a three-point shot. On top of that, there are other good teams lurking behind them, not as many as the media makes it out to be, but still a few that can steal that title from them. One being my Tar Heels. Yep that's right, don't act like I'm not going to leave them out of this blog. The Heels currently sit in the number two spot and it's an absolutely fair ranking, because they are not the number one team right now. Arguably the deepest team in college basketball and if they are to ever start completely clicking, could very well be the best team in country. Right now, even with posting an 18-2 record, there are concerns. Label me as the nitpicking, unappreciative fan, but there are serious hesitation factors looming with the Tar Heels. Ah, lets see, two of their STARTERS are weak spots right now. Marcus Paige and Justin Jackson. Right now Paige would have a hard time shooting himself out of a paper bag. Hell, forget the three-pointers going in how about we start with making wide open layups. It almost seems like he hasn't scored since his 30 point game at FSU. I really feel sorry for him recently because he can't make ANYTHING right now; its tough seeing a senior who has given so much and has had so much success struggle like he is. As for Jackson, he has always been so hard to figure out. I say always yet he is only a sophomore, but he is just too inconsistent. He hasn't found his outside shot at all this year and if it wasn't for his awkward floater he might not have any scoring besides put-backs. You're probably thinking, man with fans like these who needs rivals, but those are just the ugly truths of this team. Of course as a fan and supporter of the Tar Heels AND their players I have the utmost confidence both will turn it around. They are both too talented not to. However, the slightest possibility that these two do not turn it around will sadly (or not so sadly, depending on your fandom) lead to this team coming up short of their potential.

Moving on from my college basketball rant, you have the NBA. The NBA is struggling this year as a whole. Outside of four teams there is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING. No intriguing story lines and certainly no competitiveness. You have the Warriors, Cavs, Spurs, and Thunder as the only teams who can save the NBA from absolute boredom and quite frankly those last three teams I listed are all playing for strictly relevancy. The Warriors are flat out making a mockery out of the rest of the league. I will go as far as saying that the league just needs to cut the season short and go ahead give them the trophy. I am hope I'm wrong for entertainment sake, but I don't see them not repeating. The Golden State boys are literally hurting the league through their greatness right now. Curry will never get old though, he is someone aspiring players can relate to and on top of that his cerebral shooting is an absolute show to watch. Honestly, the only hot topic outside of the masterful performance that is Warriors basketball was the recent firing of David Blatt.
Bare with me here because the stance I have on the situation is one I would imagine most basketball will not agree with. The problem with the Cavaliers is Lebron James and there are issues on both fronts. Let me start with the "King." James is hurting the Cavs by ego, brand, and posse. I don't believe James is intentionally being a dictator towards the organization, it simply his stardom and power that cause this to happen. Do I believe he flat out said that he wanted Blatt fired? My belief in the goodness of man tells me no, but that is something that could be debated over and over again. James has literally blackmailed his hometown team. He has signed back to back one year deals which business savvy for Lebron, but also puts a handcuff on the organization. It is pretty much telling them we have to keep Lebron happy by any means necessary so that he re-signs. Meanwhile, it causes the organization to not fully focus on winning. Also, look at Lebron's career, from the early years in Cleveland to Miami and now back to Cleveland he has had issues with his involvement and the coaches there. Does the media make stories to drive the drama? Of course they do, but I won't completely excuse James from this glaring problem. To quote Lebron's boy Stephen A. Smith,"if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it ain't a damn mongoose!" Well lets hold that same standard for Lebron James. Now, the same can absolutely be said for the Cavs, Dan Gilbert who runs the organization is a successful businessman, but his actions towards James when he first left is biting him in the ass now. The Cavs have handcuffed themselves into having to cater to Lebron. Listen, am I reaching when discussing this issue? Possibly. But do not be ignorant to the fact that these underlying problems could lead into the Cavs coming up short of their goals. A peace meeting and delegation of powers needs to be had by the Cavaliers organization and Lebron, because at the end of the day Lebron is a player and management is management. It's time to act like it. I would love to see Lebron give his team the championship they have been longing for, but his actions, as well as others, are holding the process back when it comes to reaching that goal.

Thanks for taking the time to read, I have more work already lined up and plan on posting blogs closer together. Thank you for your support and feel free to leave comments or suggestions! My goal is to provide entertainment to my readers, even if it just means I'm your bathroom reading!
Take Care!

Why this is the WORST bowl season in a very long time...

Ah, bowl season, usually a great ending to the college football season whether your team wins or loses. Key word there? USUALLY. Work with me here and really think about what is about to be said regarding the absolute garbage that came from this particular bowl season. Before I tell you exactly why this is the case go ahead and bash me for my saltiness over the absolute butt-whooping's that both UNC and Florida got and deserved in their respective bowl games. Okay, hope that was fun, now that that's out of the way let's be realistic about how awful this bowl season was.

Aside from the first week of the bowl season which had a few good performances there was nothing that the average college football fan could get excited about. The bowls were terribly matched up, the scheduling of the games was embarrassing, and the actual games were just miserable to sit and watch. Of course I say this as I sit here and watch the Christian McCaffrey show, but use this game for example. I understand why these two were matched up in the Rose Bowl; tradition, Big Ten vs. Pac 12, yadda yadda you can save that for someone else.

This game proves that the College Football Playoff Committee and bowl selection committee simply dropped the ball instead of letting it happen on its own for New Years. This match-up should be Ohio State vs. Stanford. Be honest, everyone had enough of Iowa after the Big Ten Championship game that more than likely put the viewers into a comatose state of living. College Football tried to be politically correct and "reward" Iowa for their year instead of looking at the actual material that was going to be put on the field. It wasn't smart from a business perspective and obviously not from a football persepctive. I could honestly make the argument that this is should be Michigan State vs. Stanford, but I will spare you from that. 

That is my one and only example that I will elaborate on regarding the undesirable match-ups, but for fun my other examples would be San Diego State vs. Cincy & LSU vs. Texas Tech. Just really think back and look at the match-ups, I'm certain you will find it depressing. 

Then you have the scheduling... Who in their right mind thought it was good idea to have the College Football Playoff games on New Years Eve? I agree sports run most of society and definitely education, but NYE is a day where you can never change tradition. People are simply not around their TV's on NYE, the only time they are is when the ball drops and even then people are too drunk to really acknowledge what is going on. Last year the CFB Playoffs were on January 1st and had ratings that can only be topped by the Super Bowl, but no, let us put it on NYE so we can dilute the many traditions that the people of this great country have had for many years. The College Football Playoff executive Bill Hancock even had the gall to say this, "I really feel like we're going to change the culture of New Year's Eve in the country." Really dude? You might be able to change a couple NYE cultures, but you aren't ending the NYE parties, you aren't ending the family gatherings and you certainly are not ending the amount of alcohol consumed. When people drink, they do not want to sit in front of a TV, drinking is a social activity and NYE provides people the one day where getting highly intoxicated to the point of embarrassment is socially acceptable. So best of luck to you Mr. Hancock, money talks so I'll look forward to going back to my original New Years tradition. By waking up hungover and watching the best college football games of the year on the first of January.
The final piece to the travesty that was the college football bowl season is the quality of play by the teams themselves. I already addressed the performance of both of my teams, UNC and Florida, but there were other poor showings throughout the bowl season. I don't know I might just be nitpicking or just bitter on how my teams did, but this year felt like a disappointment on the overall product. There were bright spots, very far and in-between, but bright spots nonetheless.
Now, I understand that bowl season is not yet over with and who knows, maybe we get a national championship that people will talk about for years. But for now, we have to settle with a below average bowl season. Many aspects of this bowl season can be fixed, the actually play of the teams cannot, but simple marketing and business strategies will fix the poor fan experience from this years forgettable bowl season. I understand that hindsight is 20/20 however, we have these professionals making these decisions, let us at least get it right. Anyways, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a great New Years, because through it all, those are what matter the most this time of the year. Get ready for a blog reviewing this college football season as well as providing some predictions for next season!

Takeaways from the Sports World this Weekend

As I sit here and watch this Sunday Night Football match-up between the Philadelphia Eagles and the majority NFC favorite Arizona Cardinals I want to briefly address some takeaways from this weekend. Or at least I intend to make them brief.

Number 1: 

Parity is among us in college basketball. If you are a college basketball fan and follow what has transpired so far this year, that is the ONLY word to describe it. This weekend we saw no. 4 Kentucky, no. 5 Iowa State, no. 7 Duke, no. 9 Purdue, and no. 16 Baylor go down to "lesser" opponents. You're probably thinking to yourself, "okay? so what? stuff like this happens all the time." I will counter with, yes, this does happen, but so far we have seen so many "upsets" in college basketball. So much that other than the controversy hovering over some player's situation and the NCAA, which is a whole other topic in which I cold rant about for days, this is one of the hot topics that college basketball analysts keep discussing. As of right now you could make an argument that there might possibly be 20-25 teams that could make a run at the national title this year. Of course some of those 20-25 teams would have to be on a roll going into the tournament and would have no room for error, but the bottom line is that there really are no "elite" teams in college basketball this year. I could argue that we haven't seen that in college basketball in 6-7 years, but that would just piss too many fans off. So why have a gone on this rant about something so obvious? Well, because it doesn't seem to be too obvious to people. Just remember, before you go on Twitter or Facebook to bash your team or your rival team, please please please take this little rant into consideration. College Basketball is at a point where we need to throw out records until about halfway through conference play and then start rankings. "But come on Kyle.... where's the fun in that?" 

Number 2:

Piggybacking off of my previous take on college basketball, let me channel my inner "couch coach" and give it to you straight on who some of the highly ranked basketball teams right now are. Sit tight because depending on your fandom, this might not be what you want to hear. 

UNC 

For those of you reading this that may not know, through family upbringing and personal choice I have and always will be die hard Carolina and Florida fan. And yes, you can like two different college programs, so don't even try to tell someone they can't. In saying this let me also clarify that I might be the most pessimistic fan towards my teams. So I'll start with the good ol' Tar Heels. I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THEY ARE. On paper and looking at the intangibles that you typically hear involving a championship bound team, they have it all. Except for one thing, they don't. They are 9-2 and deserving of a top 15 ranking, honestly top ten. But man do they are they a headache waiting to happen. The two losses on their record come to Northern Iowa and Texas, the worst one being Texas. I say this because Northern Iowa was a 31-4 team last year winning their conference title of the annually over-hyped Wichita State Shockers and only lost one of their key players from that team. The loss also came on the road without the man that drives the Tar Heel bus in Marcus Paige; they also just beat currently ranked no. 5 Iowa State on the road so learn about them and get ready because you will hear from them more come March. And if you still don't have respect for UNI, just talk to Kansas fans, they know a thing or two about that "terrible" team. Okay, now digressing from my bias, you have the Texas game. A team led by one of the best coaches in college basketball Shaka Smart. The Tar Heels were absolutely man handled in this game and showed signs of still being the team they have been since 2012, which is a tad bit above average, top 25 deserving maybe top 20. So as other fans of this team including myself and also you ABC fans follow this team please keep one thing in mind. They will NEVER be able to take that next step and win until they can defend the high pick and roll offense (simplest in basketball) as well as staying focused game in and game out, NEVER. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on where you stand concerning the Tar Heels. 

The Field

Ha! I got you. Come on... I could only stay but so unbiased on this topic. So let's talk about the field. 

Michigan State, they are a very good team, not a great team, a very good team. They have limitations that have not been highly talked about due to their early season perfection. Yes, they have the early season Naismith Player of the Year in Denzel Valentine, but they also do not score points. "But Kyle, they have such a great defense and don't you know defense wins championships." Well yes and no, and stop being politically correct in sports, it's not cute. MSU has all you want as well with a hall of fame coach, deep team, and a star player. However, remember that Izzo is famous for the fact that he GETS to the Final Four, not for actually WINNING it. Reason why? Because when it comes down to it, MSU lacks the point production to win it all. Yes I realize that he does have titles, but his teams always seem to be labeled as over achieving. But over achieving to an extent. 

Next you have Kansas, who is a solid team and one you can pretty much book for a conference title and a 1-2 seed every year. So far it looks as if this will stay true. This is a team that could win the national title for a couple reasons. First off, they have the weapons inside along with solid shooters and a dynamic point guard. Secondly, they always seem to grow as a team as the season continues. The only reason everyone doesn't fully commit to them is the fact that they are very susceptible to an early exit in the tourney. Never completely sure why, but they either go to the Final Four, or they are out by the second round. Bill Self has the title to show that he can take a team to the promise land, but even the big time college basketball analyst can never fully commit to believing in a title for the Jayhawks. Only time will tell as to where they go. 

Then you have one of the two monopolies in college basketball, the Kentucky Wildcats. What more can you say, this team is not last years team and scouted talent can only get you so far. I am not a believer in Kentucky, honestly never have been. They are a historic powerhouse and deserving of that power they have. Plain and simple it all starts with John Calipari, who is a poor mans Nick Saban. The poor man being that he has only one championship to show for in his tenure at UK. Are they are a team that can win a title? Sure. Will they? No. Many of you reading this might say oh this guy is a UNC fan, just watch him bash UK just out hatred. Okay, sure as a UNC do I honestly like UK? No, but by no means does that mean I do not respect them and their greatness, same goes for Duke. Hate Duke, but both are deserving of what they are and the power and brand they carry. Only difference is that Duke has the best coach to ever live while UK has nothing more than a great recruiter. On top of that, let's be real, if you can't recruit at UK then you have no business being in the coaching profession, sorry Billy Gillispie. With UK's talent pool from the time Calipari has been there til now Coach K would have had at least four national titles, I might go as far as to say he would have won every single year. Hell, even Roy Williams might have been able to win three or four with that talent (sorry Roy, I still love you). Kentucky gives everyone false hope until they actually do it, that is all I am saying. 

Finally, let me discuss the Blue Devils. Let me be as professional as possible for this one and I promise to give you my honest feelings on who Duke is this year. They are an above average to good team. They have the most growing up to do out of every team in college basketball. The upside for them, they have talent in the back-court, but are extremely average in the front-court. To add to that, they lack a true point guard. I'm sure true Duke fans and basketball minds would agree, yes Jahlil Okafor is a huge loss, but the bigger loss was that of Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook. Derryck Thornton seems lost on the floor and putting Allen or Ingram at the point completely ruins the flow of the offense. Those guys need to work off the ball to be successful. I don't see a chance at a title for Duke, I know I will obviously be discredited on that view due to my fan-hood, but facts are facts, you watch the games just like I do. They just have too many holes and not enough time to fill them. And lets stop acting like Amile Jefferson is the answer to Duke's problem, because he isn't he is an average college hustle player. That's it. 

The rest of the season should be fun ladies and gentlemen. Can't wait to look back and see where my points I made tonight stand by the end of the year. Take care and get ready for an exciting and heated piece on the Panthers vs. Giants game this past Sunday. 

"Now up to bat, Kyle Humphrey"

In sports you always have those athletes that come out of no where. They get their chance in a game, match, practice, etc. and suddenly they turn into a fad that just doesn't seem to go away. Well, that's NOT who I am (comedic humor attempt). However, I am a man (yes, I'm of age to say that) who has always longed to talk about sports and the issues that surround them. I have done so up to the point where I know my friends, family, and other random social media followers probably despise me for it. That's where this stems from. I am stepping up to the plate and starting the blog to speak to readers who actually enjoy indulging themselves into sports. I am by no means a credible professional in this field, but I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express before. (come on, that has to be a little funny, right?) Moving on from the oh-so witty punch lines, I am currently on the path to pursuing my dream of working in collegiate athletics with the hope to one day be an Athletic Director of a College or University. Until then, I decided to follow a saying my father has told me time and time again in life, "son, you won't hit the damn ball if you don't swing." Well dad, here is me swinging. I hope you guys enjoy what is to follow. Broadcasting and analyzing have always been a passion of mine. "...and the wind up, and the pitch..."