Tag: NASCAR

A DIFFERENT kind of concern for Cam…

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, Panthers3 Comments

Late Sunday night, I was heavily involved in my typical routine, glued to SportsCenter when a presser(press conference for those of you who are not hip to the media terms) came on. It was of Cam Newton after their loss to the Cowboys. I immediately stopped what I was doing because I wanted to see how Newton would handle this presser. When it was over I was, once again, left with a feeling of concern as I watched Newton sulk while he discussed what went wrong earlier on the field. You know that PR major in me was eyes wide open thinking, “if only I could get a hold of him…”

Cam Newton does not like to lose. I am not sure I have met a person who does. I know I do not like it! Ever seen me after I lose in Connect Four? Not always a pleasant sight. Who really enjoys losing? The winner? In a reverse psychology warped kind of way, I guess a winner could take pleasure in another’s loss but that person won so….you get my point. A true competitor wants to compete at the highest level when it is showtime. A true competitor wants to win every time, so it is not a concern of mine that Cam Newton is not happy about losing. What I am concerned about is the way he handles losing, publicly. When I watch Cam Newton’s pressers I see a young man consumed with the guilt and agony of losing. I see a young man who has rarely experienced losses on the football field struggling to grasp the reality of what many of his fellow colleagues have already experienced. I see a young man who wants to win, knows how to win but has not figured out how to make that happen on a consistent basis.

Apparently what I see and what other journalists see is totally different. For weeks, I have heard journalists, commentators and the Couch QB’s bash Cam Newton for what he has and has not done. I refuse to be on one of those people. Some journalists are quick to turn on you when things are not going well.  I think they have forgotten Peyton Manning went 3-13 and 6-10 in his first two seasons. I digress. Let me get back on track.   These same journalists and commentators who were singing soprano praises for Cam Newton last year are now saying that something is wrong with him and I even heard one say he is starting to believe he may never see the Cam Newton we saw last year, again. *raises hand* Wait, are we talking about last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year? Are we talking about the NFL record holder for most passing yards EVER by a rookie? Are we talking about the NFL single season record holder for most rushing TD’s EVER by a QB in a season? Are we talking about the former Auburn QB who led the Tigers to an undefeated season, a national championship and scooped up the Heisman Trophy along the way? Are we talking about the former Blinn College QB who led them to the NJCAA Championship in 2009? That guy? That is who we are talking about? You have got to be kidding me. The same abilities and talents that propelled him to do these things are still there. Did you see him shaking and baking the Cowboys on Sunday? Did you see him threading tight spirals to Brandon LaFell in the middle of the field? If you did then there is no way you would be questioning if he still has “it.” Somebody has been sniffing too many Sharpies.

His abilities should never be in question but I can admit when something is off. What we should be concerned with is his state of mind. From the outside looking in, one has to wonder what type of mental and emotional support the Panthers are providing for their franchise QB. Remember, this is a 23 year old man we are talking about. At 23 years old, a lot of men and women struggle as thy search for their identity and purpose in this world. Add an international spotlight to the mix and you have a recipe for a potential disaster, if the right pieces are not in place.

Maybe he has someone in his life who not only tells him it is ok to be disappointed in losing but sets an example for him to follow. Maybe he has someone to tell him that his body language and non-verbal cues during pressers have a major impact on how the public views him. Maybe he has someone to tell that he needs to be mindful of his brand at all times. It is hard to build your brand back up once the foundation has been shaken. Maybe he has someone to tell him that as QB, you are expected to eventually be the leader of the team, no matter how young you are. Maybe has has someone to tell him that “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Maybe has has someone to tell him these things. Maybe he does not. Hopefully he does and if he does not, I hope someone comes along quick who is truly concerned about him as a whole. Maybe I need to take a trip down 85…..

Until next time…TOODELLS.

The weekender

On By kassienetteIn Baseball, Basketball, College football, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, NFL, Panthers, Sports, Tennis, WolfpackLeave a comment

Hey! Hey! Hey!! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Here is your quick rekap of what happened in sports this weekend…

The Cardiac Pack is still alive and well. The Wolfpack pulled out a 20-18 win after merryland’s Brad Craddock missed a 33 yard FG with two seconds left. DOINK!

The Jets allllllllllllmost pulled off the upset of the Pats. So close, soooooo close.

RG3 was sooooo close to pulling off the upset of the G-men, throwing a potential game winning TD to Santana Moss with less than two minutes left in the game. Eli then turns around and throws the game winning TD, 19 seconds later. Womp.

Kansas State though? Ran all up and through the mountains of West Va. Sheeeeeeeesh.

Dwight Howard had a memorable preseason debut with the Lakers…19 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two assists. Butter rum, that Thomas Robinson dunk over Howard’s back, WHEEEEEEEEW WHEEEEEE!!

The Indiana Fever defeated the defending champs, Minnesota Lynx, to win its first WNBA Championship. Tamika Catchings was named MVP. Girl power!

The San Francisco Giants, facing elimination, dominated game six, winning 6-1 to force a game seven in the NLCS. Game seven is tonight at 8:00.

Ravens LB Terrell Suggs played in his first game of the season. The Texans welcome back present? A 43-13 rout. Womp.

Suspended/Unsuspended Saints LB played in his first game since being suspended/unsuspended. His welcome back present was his team’s 35-28 win over the Bucs. I have a feeling he will be suspended again next week. Womp.

Matt Kenseth won at the Kansas speedway. Brad Keselowski still holds the number one spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Feathers were flying all over The Swamp Saturday as Florida blasted South Carolina 44-11. Chomp,  Chomp, Chomp.

BCS Standings…1)Bama 2)Florida 3)Kansas State 4)Oregon 5)Notre Dame. This is going to be real interesting.

Venus Williams ended her two year drought by winning the Luxemborg Open. It was her 44th singles title.

Oh yeah, you guessed it. The NHL is still frozen. Double womp.

Until next time…TOODELLS.

The Weekender

On By kassienetteIn Baseball, Basketball, College football, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, NFL, Sports, Tennis, Uncategorized, WolfpackLeave a comment

Another beautiful weekend. Here’s a rekap…
Welp, my 9ers got butchered, sliced, diced, mollywopped, shallacked, killt, all dat by the midgets. Way too much talent on both sides of the ball to get beat like that.

What concussion? That is exactly what RGIII had to be thinking as he led the tataskinz to their first home win of the season.

Russell Wilson was who we have all seem him be, a playmaker. He threw a touchdown pass to Sidney Rice with 1:18 remaining in the game to lead the Seahawks to a 24-23 victory over The Brady Bunch.

Crazy weekend in Major League Baseball. It needs its own rekap…The Washington Nationals suffered a colossial collapse blwing a 7-5 lead in the ninth inning with two outs remaining, allowing the St. Louis Cardinals to advance to the NLCS. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games to advance to the NLCS. The New York Yankees advance to the ALCS. And while we are talking about the Yankees, Google Raul Ibanez. What a story! The Detroit Tigers are facing the Yankees in the series. By the way, the Tigers are p 2-0 in the series and the Cards are up 1-0.

The Falcons remain the only undefeated team. The Texans got buried by the Packers.

The LSU Tigers brought the South Carolina Gamecocks back to reality. Sorry chickens.

The Brooklyn Nets made the preseason debut. They beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-105.

Clint Bowyer won the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski maintained his number one spot, barely.

Notre Dame finally beat Standford. The win moved them to number 5 in the AP poll.

No new news in hockey. Defrost already!!

The first BCS standings were released. No real surprise that the SEC holds the top two spots with Alabama and Florida.

Novak Djokovic is back to his winning ways. He took home the title at the China Open.

College basketball teams all across the country celebrated the first day of practice by holding various events. I attended Primetime with the PACK, of course :-}.

The Minnesota Lynx, the WNBA’s defending champs, shockingly loss the first game of the finals to the Indiana fever. Erlana Larkins scored 16 points in the 76-70 victory.

A week after I dropped Jets RB Shonn Greene from my fantasy roster, he goes out and rushes for 161 yards and scores three TDs against the Colts. Really dude?

 

Working on some gooooood stories. I am excited! Can not wait for ya’ll to read them and offer up your opinions. Until next time…TOODELLS.

The weekender

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College football, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, NFL, Sports, WolfpackLeave a comment

Oh! What a weekend!!! Here is your rekap…

HOW BOUT THAT WOLFPACK?!?! Taking down the #3 team in the country. I am not big on rankings but hey beating the #3 team on a Saturday night on primetime TV is always gonna be BIG! Not sure why many did not expect the game to be close. I guess those folks have not paid attention to the PACK-fsu games over the last 10 years. After running 20 miles that morning, spending Saturday night at The Carter was the perfect ending to my day. REDANDWHITEFORLIFE.

Boston Red Sox fired Bobby Valentine as their manager after only one season. I guess Cupid missed on this one.

Matt Cassel, QB for the Kansas City Chiefs, got injured in their game against the Baltimore Ravens. The fans cheered. That is never cool. The fact that it happened at home is sickening.

The Colts battled back from an 18 point deficit to beat the Packers in their first game since learning  of Coach Pagano’s cancer diagnosis. Reggie Wayne had a mind boggling 212 receiving yards.

Nine top 25 teams lost this weekend including #3 Florida State, #4 LSU and #5 Georgia. Crazy football weekend.

The Texas Rangers, the two time defending American League champs, were ousted from the playoffs on Friday night by the Orioles. *insert sad face*

The Falcons improved to 5-0. Now watch them mess around and lose next week to the Raiders.

Terry Francona was named the new manager for the Cleveland Indians. The recycling continues.

The NBA preseason has started. Um, yay.

Matt Kenseth won at Talledega. Brad Keselowski increased his lead in The Chase.

Nothing changed in the NHL.  Still frozen.

My 9ers beat the Bills 45-3. Poor Bills, punching bags of the NFL right now.

Drew Brees threw a touchdown in his 48th straight game, breaking a 52 year old record set by Johnny Unitas. Oh and the Saints finally won a game.

Geno Smith and the West Va. Mountaineers won a shootout versus Texas 48-45. Smith continued his Heisman campaign passing for 268 yards.

Until next time….TOODELLS.

The Weekender

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College football, Controversy, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, NFL, Panthers, Sports, WolfpackLeave a comment

Happy October!!! Special shoutout to my mother celebrating her birfday on the 25th. LOVE YOU MUMPHREY!! Now for what happened in the wonderful world of sports this weekend….

Europe won the Ryder Cup. Bah humbug.

Laaaaawd they have bounties in Pop Warner too? In my Megatron voice, “DISGUSTING!”

‘Bama wins. Remains number one in the polls.

The Cardinals are 4-0 and the Saints are 0-4. Just like last week, this is NOT a typo.

The Texas Rangers clinched a playoff spot(Yes!). The New York Yankees did too(Boo!).

Ed Hochuli was spotted on the field in Jacksonville. His biceps were in attendance too.

My 9ers grounded the Jets. Shutout style!

Brad Keselowski won at Dover. His win secured first place for him in The Chase.

The Eagles held on for a victory against the Giants. I think Tynes may be feeling really Billy Cundiff-ish right now.

Speaking of Billy, he saved his job yesterday by kicking the game winning field goal for the tataskiz yesterday. That profanity you hear is courtesy of Ravens fans.

The Pack had every opportunity to beat Miami on Saturday but just could not get it done. Crossing my fingers, toes and eyes in hopes of us bringing our A+++ game Saturday night against the seminoles.

Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera is still in position to do something that has not been done since 1967, capture the Triple Crown(Leader in HRs, RBI’s and batting average). He has three games left to make it happen.

The Patriots were down 21-7 early in the third quarter to the Bills before mounting a huge comeback to win 52-28. Impressive but it is the Bills.

The Orioles clinched their first playoff spot since ’97. Cheers to the birds.

Welp, KG obviously isn’t happy with Ray Allen’s decision to leave Boston for Miami. Ray Ray does not seem to be the least bit concerned.

The NHL & the NHLPA are still….on ice. Sigh.

Kansas restructured Bill Self’s contract to keep him on the sidelines through 2021-22. It pays to lookout for Self.

 

Until next time…TOODELLS.

The Weekender

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College football, Controversy, Football, NASCAR, NFL, Sports, WolfpackLeave a comment

Aw man, the weekend is over. Five days until the next one!! And your weekend rekap is as follows….

 

The Cincinnati Reds clinched the NL central title. Hip Hop Hooray!

Taylor Heinicke, QB for Old Dominion University,  passed for 730 yards in a 64-61 win against New Hampshire. So this season we have had a QB pass for 736 yards(all-time divisions record) and another pass for 730 yards(Division-I record).  That is crazy and deserving of more than three sentences.

Gio Gonzalez is the first pitcher to reach the 20 win mark this year. #Natitude

Arkansas lost to Rutgers. It is amazing what a motorcycle ride will do to your program.

The Saints are 0-3 and the Cardinals are 3-0. No, that is not a typo.

Chris Paul revealed that his preference was the Clippers over the Lakers. Oh and he is still upset about Pau Gasol “sonning” him.

According to my mother, the cowgirlies won(I refuse to call them by their government name until they win 10 games) and the 9ers lost. Unfortunately, she is right.

22 year vet, Jim Thome, doubled in the go-ahead run in the Baltimore  Orioles win against the Boston Rex Sox. The Orioles remain one game behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.

Jamaal Charles rushed for 233 yards and had 55 receiving yards. So glad he is on my fantasy team. *fist pump*

Oregon leaped over LSU to take the number two spot in the AP Poll. They remain number one in the gameday apparel poll.

After predicting a victory, Denny Hamlin made good on his promise winning in New Hampshire. Jimmie Johnson is now The Chase leader.

The NFLPA sent an open letter to the NFL owners asking them to reach an agreement with the locked out officials. Both sides met this weekend and the owners are still locked into their position.

The Texas Rangers defeated the Mariners 3-2. They maintained their four game lead over the A’s in the AL West.

Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 43 yard field goal as time expired to lift the Raiders to a 34-31 victory over the Steelers. No one lifted the 6’1, 258lb kicker during the post game celebration.

St. John’s men’s basketball coach Steve Lavin is eager to get back on the hardwood after missing most of last season recuperating from prostate cancer. Cheers to a great season Coach!

FSU defeated Clemson 49-37 on the backs for strong performances by EJ Manuel and Chris Thompson. Speaking of backs, Thompson broke his last year….

Stephon Marbury voiced his opinion saying he does not think Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire are a good fit for the Knicks. When was the last time Marbury’s opinion was relevant?

Bill Gillespie resigned as men’s basketball coach at Texas Tech, citing health issues. Sooooo, that NCAA investigation had nothing to do with it????

The Wolfpack won!! Whoop!

So much to say about the Ravens-Patriots game. The courage and perseverance that Torrey Smith displayed despite learning of the death of his youngesr brother was truly inspiring. He had six catches for 127 yards and two TDs. The game ended with the Ravens Justin Tucker kicking a 27 yard FG that came as close to the upright as I have ever seen. Bill Belichick thought the field goal was no good, chased down a ref, grabbed him then sucked his teeth throughout his press conference. Too funny.

 

Until next time…TOODELLS.

The Weekender

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College football, Controversy, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, Panthers, Sports, Tennis, Wolfpack3 Comments

 

Twitterverse was buzzing about my 49ers last night. Note to all of you who were not fans before hand….we DO NOT do bandwagoners!!

My Panthers handed the Saints there second loss. It is amazing what removing bounties will do to a team.

The NHL is officially in a lockout. The game is ‘on ice’ for the forseeable future.

The Jets ran into A LOT of turbulence in Pittsburgh. Back to life, back to reality.

Rookie QB Russell Wilson picked up his first win on Sunday against the cowboys. *insert huge grin*

The Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland A’s thus ensuring their first winning season since 1997. The average price for a gallon of gas was $1.22 that year.

Boston Red Sox manager, Bobby Valentine, stuck his foot in his mouth. Again.

Brad Keslowski won the Geico 400 in Chicago. His win puts him in first place in The Chase standings.

Standford proved they do not need ‘Luck’ when they play USC. The Cardinals beat the Trojans for the fourth straight time.

Dwight Howard expressed himself during the ESPN Sunday Conversation and said he does not want anyone to hate him. Hmmm, is that why he took out that ad??

Sam Bradford had a solid performance on Sunday. So did RGIII, who was on the losing end.

My beloved Wolfpack landed one of the top point guards in the nation, Anthony Barber. Welcome to the Pack young fella!

With his win on Saturday night, Ryan Blaney became the youngest person to ever win a NASCAR Truck Series Race. He is 18 years and 8 months old :-}.

Former boxing champs Oscar De La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez admitted to drug and alcohol abuse in the latter stages of their careers. Thankfully, both have been sober for years.

Eli Manning passed for 510 yards against the Bucs. Even though it is the Bucs, it is still impressive.

The Chicago White Sox won and the Detroit Tigers lost. Chicago is now two games ahead of Detroit in the AL Central division.

Sergio Martinez defeated Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. by unanimous decision Saturday night. If only Chavez Jr.’s rally would have begun in the 11th round, we probably would have had a different outcome.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin was not too pleased with what he deemed “a cheap shot” by Greg Schiano’s Tampa Bay Bucs near the end of regulation. I did not think it was possible for Tom Coughlin to get any redder but booooooooooy was I wrong.

 

Until next time….TOODELLS.