The IronDog Chronicles

I knew the grip-heads were in the Carolinas…

Well, the heads seemed to be emerging from the cracks in the red clay, and they’ll be out at the North Carolina Fairgrounds for the 1st Annual North Carolina Sneaker Summit this Saturday, April 26th.

The show should be a good one.  The cool thing is that they have intertwined music acts with the summit.  Be sure to check out long-time Chapel Hill hip-hop icon, Kaze at 4:30PM.  He has a lot of new work released through Rawkus…Yo, Kaze!  See you on the uptown!

Check out the details at DrumBoy23’s MySpace page here.  Bring out your wares and your designs.  More importantly, keep it classy.  No thugs…

WHEN:  Saturday April 26th, 2008  from 10am~5pm

WHERE:  North Carolina Raleigh State Fairgrounds (Raleigh, NC) - Martin Building

How Strong Is Your Better,

BD

Break out the carbon sheets…

I released my grade report for UNC Basketball on Tar Heel Daily.com last week.   As always, I call ‘em like I see ‘em…Call me the Richie Powers of Chapel Hill.

Check out the 2007-08 Grade Report here.  Also, feel free to send thoughts and insights.   I will be penning a response to replies, and you should see more of my insights on Tar Heel Daily in the near future.

What’s wild is how people get in a tiffy about releasing grades to college basketball players.  Well, I could have released 5-star ratings.  Yet, with the spirit of collegiate life, I released grades.  (I often wonder if people who are disturbed about giving letter grades to college athletes are harking back to some past memory of receiving a low grade…It’s OK, you’ll get over it.)  Also, most of these guys have had their play rated since the age of 12.  Get over that one too…Ball-in.

Alright, enjoy the calls.  Drop some knowledge and exchange thoughts.   The season is finally complete.

Motor City or Bust in ‘09,

BD 

Tough one for the Heels this weekend…

On my end, I’m giving three days burial before I interject my rants and raves.  Yet, on Sunday night’s Sports Rap, Phil Mitchell  and myself dug deep into the reasons behind North Carolina’s devastating 84-66 loss to Kansas on Saturday night.   Check out the stream here. 

Very strong callers added their opinions to the show, and we have an in-depth report from DTH Senior Writer, Gregg Found, who always cuts us in on the real deal…No gloss.

In fact, I would have to say that the calls were some of the best calls that Sports Rap has received over the past couple of months.

Grab a listen…If you need a therapeutic session to calm the anger from the loss, feel free to drop us a line.  And yes, we’re wondering where Tywon Lawson was and when will Wayne Ellington let go of his infamous “Kobe Fade-Away Jump Kick”…Soft, soft, very soft.

Next Year is Here…Damn.

BD 

Call me an unforgiving soul, but I’ve been waiting for this match-up against Kansas for eight years…

Maybe it’s the competitive nature of fanaticism over who’s elite program is the best. And yes…I’m still bitter over the ‘91 Final Four loss. Yet, I feel the reason is due to program comparisons. If I hear howKansas basketball and Allen Field House has the most pure and has the most fervent fans in college basketball, I’m turning Celtic Green.

Although Kansas had two Final Four berths in ’71 & ’41, the program was moribund in the ’60s, and deflated until Larry Brown arrived in ‘83. Here’s a comparison for you in that time. North Carolina produces Larry Brown, Billy Cunningham, Larry Miller, George Karl, Charlie Scott, Mitch Kupchak, Bob McAdoo, Phil Ford, Walter Davis, Tom LeGarde Al Wood, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and MJ. Kansas produces Jo-Jo White, Darnell Valentine, and Paul Mokeski.

And the pontificating of what a pristine program they had in the ‘50s…please. Wilt Chamberlain goes all the way out to Lawerence because of the serenity and the legacy of Phog Allen…Yyyye-ah.

In 2000, the antics of KU fans surrounding Coach Williams staying in Lawrence were appalling for Heel fans. At least, Coach Doherty got ‘em in ‘02 in the Garden…That was nice, but the sting wasn’t enough. From this point of view, I wish that we could have played them more in the ’90s.

The arguments need to be settled. Here are some match-ups that I enjoy:

Match-UP 1 - I agree that Darrell Arthur and Sasha Kaun will be tough match-ups for Tyler Hansbrough. Yet, how much firepower actually comes from them and not Darnell Jackson, who should be matched up with Deon Thompson. And can Kaun keep up with Hansbrough running up and down the court?

Also, who on KU has really dominated from the outside this year? Although he has great percentages from the outside, Mario Chalmers is more of a slasher. Brandon Rush is nice, but from the outside…?

When Coach Bill Self won on Sunday, he appeared to have just given birth to a small monkey. Someone sent me an email that mentioned how Brandon Rush stated “Their goal was to get to the Final Four.” Getting to the Final Four and stating they want a National Championship. Big difference.

Match-UP 2 - Danny Green vs. Brandon Rush - Another match-up that I would love to see is Danny Green on Brandon Rush. Bring this for the Long Island roughneck…A lot of the attention upon Danny Green has been the story of his relationship with his father. This could be the game for Danny Green to step out and garner national attention with his play. If Green shuts Rush down, wonders will occur for his story and deserved attention will be brought to his athleticism.

Green did a great job on Earl Clark last week and North Carolina should look for a shut-down on Rush…Just my call.

Match-UP3 - Sherron Collins vs. Tywon Lawson - Help me out with this one…Does anyone remember the war that these two had during the All-American circuit two years ago? They couldn’t stand each other, and supposedly the battle between Collins and Lawson was more than just words on the court. . The two of them had a major rivalry over who was the best point guard in high school in 2005-06, and this rivalry seems to have been destined to come into the Final Four. For Tar Heel fans, they should hope that Lawson maintains his cool.

Collins is West Side Chicago tough. From one of the roughest areas in the country, he’s the pride of Crane High, and he likes to get gritty and he’s a former football player who could have played at a big-time level. His strength presents a challenge to any point guard.

For Heel fans, the good thing is that Collins can get caught up in trying to out-do his opponent. Collins is a great benchmark for Tywon to have a great game. I don’t know if Collins will start the game, but he’ll have ample time to match-up with him.

From this point of view, what I adore about Lawson’s game is that he’s not into woofing and he keeps an even keel. My only hope Tywon is that he doesn’t get caught up into their past bump-ins by trying to take someone one-on-one, which I don’t anticipate happening.

The Heels should be strong on this one…

** KU ‘Get Over It’ – A lot of attention has been placed upon Coach Williams departure from Kansas, and the animosities stirred from both Kansas and North Carolina fans at that time. The attention and peppering of questions about Kansas may be deserved…He has avoided a lot of talk around that time in ‘03 because of his soft fondness for KU.

From the UNC standpoint, many Tar Heel followers never understood and accepted his move of holding a press conference at the KU football stadium in ‘00. That move was way more than grandstanding, and he should come clear with a lot his “I’m staying” and “they’ll bury me here”, “I’ll be here for twenty more years” and other statements from that day. Coach Williams never has addressed those antics during that day. In a lot of ways, he really stuck the face of his alma mater in the mud with that move. Hopefully, this weekend he can put the whole thing to bed.

Regardless, if Heels do get to the final, I don’t want to miss the national press conference on Sunday. Those conferences have great stories and tidbits, and they are always super strong.

** Final Four Memories - ”Stop Jinxin’”- I don’t know if memories are brought up more with anniversaries or what. Yet, more people around town and email discussion lists seem to consistently bring up the ’98 Final Four. Dude, stop the memories of losses at this time…Seriously, stop them.

I don’t care what anyone says that loss is one of the Top 5 losses in UNC history, and I don’t want to harp on Carolina tragedies right now with the vibe going into this game. So, let’s save those rankings for
the off-season.

That team was the best mix of talent that was assembled, and on a personal note, is probably my second favorite UNC team ever.

We were rolling, and Rick Majerus just not only knew too much about our offenses, but also exposed the huge weaknesses of Antawn Jamison’s inability to go left. If there was an underrated upset for the Final Four, that game should be the one. We had all the pieces at every position, experience, talent, and savvy coaching. We were a far stronger team, and the shooting slump throughout the game slipped through everyone like mad cow disease.

That game is also the first game that I contemplated whether or not Vince Carter had the killer will to truly carry a team or become a second lieutenant.

To top it off, that loss let the one of the finest, coolest, and wildest girls that I have ever known in Chapel Hill slip through my hands that night at He’s Not Here. The whole night went from the best 1-2 combo of Chapel Hill revelry into a mad disaster in a matter of minutes.

I’m still crushed…We let a Swede and Mike Doleac work out on us. Let’s drop it.

** The Mob Lives On - Donnie Walsh as the Knicks GM…The North Carolina Mob lives on.

Walsh is one of the last icons from the Frank McGuire’s times in Chapel Hill. He’s true a Frank McGuire and Buck Freeman product from the Bronx. He is a UNC Law Grad, and he dresses like John Gotti. The dude is the mack. I love this article.

Now, will Larry Brown be back with the Knicks? Life is never that good. My call is that he’s making plans for the Bobcats sidelines by mid-May. I’m telling you..Just say that I called it.

We’re back.

Beat Kansas,
BD

Durham still packs a punch in a tasteful way…

With all of the sports attention upon the Heels path to the Final Four, Durham’s annual Full Frame Film Festival has taken a undeserved back seat for the weekend itineraries of the local folk.  Yet, if you’re caught sleeping-in Saturday morning, April 5th at 10AM, you’re going to miss one helluva documentary film.

Director William Greaves, (No, snapperhead, not the tank of a small forward from Greensboro coming off the bench for the Heels) is being honored with the Career Award by the Full Frame Festival.  Greaves is unveiling his classic veritie footage of training and Ali-Frazier trash talking that he captured in 1971 and at the famous fight in Madison Square Garden.

Check out the details of the presentation here.   The show will be at 10AM in Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre in Durham.

Now, I have no idea about how the footage will be unveiled or how low-to-the-ground and behind-the-scenes footage was shot within the crowd, which as explained in “American Gangster” is just as enticing as the fight itself.   However, due to the volatile times of 1966-1971, this fight touched upon race, war, politics, and was easily one and if not the most hyped, anticipated, and biggest fights of all-time.

Just a short tidbit, both Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis were the ringside photographers for the event…Yes, the fight was that big and that cool.

The beauty of this event is that the fight will be shown in entirety, and with the screen in Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, I’m drooling to see the fight on a great screen.

Also, as much as I adore the legend of Ali and after devouring the books that have captured this fight in full detail, (Do yourself a favor and check out Mark Kram’s “Ghosts of Manila”, which is one of my all-time favorite books from the Sports Illustrated writer who covered all Frazier/Ali fights.)  I believe that Joe Frazier was given a very short-ended stick with his devalued reputation not only in the African-American community but also within the national media.

My hope is that the footage is fair to recognizing Frazier’s legacy as well.  With that said, I hope that City of Philadelphia will recognize Joe Frazier as one of their true icons.  His rise to excellence is just as inspiring.  We don’t know how much longer our great legends will be with us.

Let’s see what goes down…I’ll be there.  Ding, ding.

BD

Game Night, baby…Game Night.

I’m up for this one, but I have to admit that I am nervous for the Heels this weekend.

With tonight’s game, our persistent nightmare that occurs when we are forced into halfcourt play will be facing us. Over the past three years, the Heels have had tremendous trouble when they’re forced to play halfcourt in the NCAA. Tom Izzo, Tim Floyd, Jay Wright, and John Thompson Jr. have given Roy Williams fits with halfcourt play. Talent usually wins out in the long run, but Washington State and a potential Louisville match-up could be troublesome.

Although the Heels are coming off a great weekend in Raleigh, if there is a game that the Heels are going to need Wayne Ellington to have a career game and to live up to gargantuan expectations, the Washington State game is the one. Ellington not only has to be the guy who bangs down shots, but also pulls their defense out from doubling down on Tyler Hansbrough.

A lot of pundits of Washington State coach, Tony Bennett, rave about his “Pack-Line D.” Here’s a scoop from Luke Winn of SI and Bruno Chu of “The Xs and Os of Basketball” blog.

On my end, I’ve seen WAZU play a couple of times this season, and other than their victory over Notre Dame last weekend, I’ve been more than disappointed with them.

I thought after the Pan-Am Games that Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver would be the second coming of the ‘Ernie and Bernie Show’, but their tandem has been disappointing throughout most of the year. In the games that I saw, they were blown away by USC, stunned by Arizona, and they fizzled against Stanford.

Despite those tanks, if they can get back downcourt to set up a ‘D’ that will force us to
play halfcourt, the Heels could be in for a long night. However, I don’t think that they have the guns to match the Heels’s speed and Hansbrough down low.

On the second game tonight and if the Heels do get by tonight, I am praying, hoping, and burning sage for a Louisville loss. Last season, the one team that I did not want the Heels to face was Georgetown. This year that team is Louisville. I hate that match-up for us. Their frontline is far more athletic and gritty with Padgett, Caracter, Palacios, and Earl Clark. Along with them, Edgar Sosa has finally bought into Coach Pitino’s system and methods. I don’t know if a Tywon Lawson at full speed holds a vast difference over Sosa enough to outweigh their athleticism…I hate that potential match-up for the Heels.

More on that one later. Let’s just get through tonight…

Beat WAZU,
BD

To all the hip-hop heads out there, do you still want to ride…?

One of Oakland’s finest showed in Chapel Hill on Friday night. I was able to grab one of hip-hop’s last and true all-stars, Del Tha’ Funkee Homosapien, after his show at Cat’s Cradle.

A lot of hip-hop heads adore Del for his futuristic lyrics. (On my end, I still have his tech-filled Hiero lyrics and tunes from ‘No Need For Alarm’ in my Top 100 pushing me through workouts.) Yet, what makes Del more advanced than the average hip-hop artist is his passions for gear, gadgets, comics, ’70s pop culture, and even music theory. His game is well-rounded with a geeky bent that flat-out oozes funk.

With the launch of his new CD/DVD on Def Jux entitled, “The 11th Hour“, Del brought his own production and a return to solid funk lyrics and early hip-hop beats. From the get-go, the sample from ‘Parliament Live’ that asks “Oakland, do you want to ride…The mothership has landed,” should let you know of Del still brings that grimy funk to your headphones.

I caught him in ‘The Loft Space’ upstairs in the Cradle…Those chairs are cush, bruddah.

We talked about his new album, how his style has developed over the past decade, his creative process, sharing music theory with Parliament, what makes Oakland hip-hop special, and a very intriguing subject that I wanted to explore, Del’s ability to adapt his ‘different’ style into a team concept for his many collaborative efforts.

Check out the interview here.

My hope is that someone realizes not only how strong Del’s ability to blend in his work with so many different artists and collaborative efforts, but also how many solid pieces of lyrical work has been developed by Del over the past two decades. Give this player his due…He handles his business well.

P.S. For the Chapel Hill heads out there, you’ll love this one. After the show, Del and his crew were looking for eats. My suggestion was a late-night Hector’s session. When I gave Del the suggestion and a detailed description of a cheeseburger on a pita, his eyes lit up with large grin.

Great interview, strong dog.

Where the Action Is,

BD

Who are you running with…?

On my end, I’m sticking with my original pre-season call…And I don’t think that I’m being ‘Johnny Carolina’ on this one. So, no drum roll needed, aaight…The UNC Tar Heels.

The other squads that I’m looking to complete the quartet are:

Midwest: Georgetown
South: Memphis
West: UCLA

Here’s my Elite 8:

East - North Carolina vs. Louisville

Midwest - Kansas vs. Georgetown

South - Memphis vs. Texas

West - UCLA vs. St. XavierThe team that I’m looking at doing more than a little something is Clemson. From my point of view, they are very impressive because of their frontcourt. Trevor Booker is a beast! That match-up between him and Tyler Hansbrough in their three-game match-ups were every bit as entertaining as the Duncan/Wallace showdowns in ‘95.

Their press is a strangler, and with Hammonds and Rivers getting hot, that team could do a lot of damage. If Clemson matches-up with Kansas, they could give them a lot of heat.

I’m also thinking that this tournament is going to have more pressure on Bill Self. Can he get a team to drive over the hump?

He had some great teams at Illinois, but couldn’t get over the hump with them. Last year’s Elite 8 finish was underwhelming, and this particular team pulls some bone-headed plays at times late in games. With previous early-round exits…And I understand how much talent that they have, I just can’t make the pull on the Jayhawks.

With Memphis, the Tigers have the best assemblage of talent in this decade. Yet, Calipari is a lot like Self. He took UMass to the Four, but there’s something that seems to hold the team back against established teams in the tournament. Can they play tough, intelligent basketball when the times for dribble-drive don’t call. I think that a gritty team like Pitt could knock them out.

With that said, I have them bouncing out to UCLA, who I adore because they’ve won tight games and most of their players such as Darren Colleson, Josh Shipp, and Lorenzo Mata. And Kevin Love is steady in crunch times. That team has taken a lot of knocks in hostile arenas and still stood tall.

Another team to look out for St. Xavier.  If I were an AD for an ailing program, the first guy that I would look toward is Sean Miller.  From his father’s coaching roots and basketball fundamental development program, Miller’s knowledge of the game is incredible, and he motivates his players to play on both ends of the court at high levels.  The dribbling-drill machine gets incredible defensive play from Drew Lavender and Stanley Burrell, and I think that his Xavier team will be the class of the West region.

Let’s just hope that Coach Miller stays in Cincinnati for a while after the tournament.  There’s a good fit with him in that region.

As much as everyone is shaking in their boots with Tennesee, the team that the Heels shouldn’t want to play is Louisville. They not only had a nice run at the end of the year, but also they are athletic and can play both halfcourt and fullcourt.

Juan Palacios is tough. They have David Padgett who is not only playing very well, but also big enough to give Hansbrough problems. And if Edgar Sosa plays with any semblance of human intelligence, Tywon Lawson is going to have to really step up on him to beat him with speed. Also, whether you like of dislike the guy, you can never underestimate the coaching excellence of Coach Rick Pitino.

By the way, I’m not sure that Pitino and Williams have ever had a match-up…How enticing is that one?

Undoubtedly, the guy that has to step up is Tywon Lawson.

Now, the Tywon Lawson that I’ve seen over the past five games has understandably lost a step. However, I don’t know if his game is well-rounded enough to make-up differences in other ways against top-flight point guards like Sosa, McAlarney that will take-over games like we expected. Yet, he still comes up with cheap rebounds and generates fast-break buckets like few others in the game do. The Heels need him badly.

All that said…

On one hand, I want to take shots at how the Heels disappear in games and how the Heels do not blow teams out of late. On the other hand, I’m impressed with how tough we’re playing when down, but also how the Heels closing games. Most of their tough games have not only been on the road, but also with everyone targeting them due to their high rankings.

Yes, the Heels have their faults, but I’m highly impressed that they’re able to come away with big victories.

Now, how many people would like to see a rematch of that Georgetown game with a national audience? Man…I want payback.
National Championship Final: UNC vs. UCLA - I would love to see Coach Smith and Coach Wooden sitting together. With Coach Wooden’s fall, I don’t know if this could happen…But it would be too cool.

That’s my call…

** First-round games that I don’t want to miss are: Davidson/Gonzaga, Western Kentucky/Drake

Davidson/Gonzaga - I am all over the point guard match-up between Jeremy Pargo and Jason Richards. City vs. Suburbs…Yet, the Zags have been all over the board this year, and I’m a little down at the progression of Micah Downs. He just can’t seem to break through to the high expectations. I’m rolling with Davidson on that one.

By the way, if Coach Williams had never taken the job. I would have been very happy with Bob McKillop in the Hill. Seriously…I think the guy is a Gold Star Premium Traveler.

Western Kentucky/Drake - I’ve caught Western Kentucky three times now. What a shame that they drew Drake because I like that team a lot. My head and gut says Drake on this one, but my heart is rolling with Western Kentucky. Tyrone Brazelton is a lanky, grimy, point guard from Chicago and Courtney Lee is a solid NBA prospect.

If there is a discrepancy with seeding, I can’t believe that Western Kentucky received a #12 seed. Watch out for that game.

** Tip-Ins: On the ACC/Raycom programming front, did anyone share the same distaste for Raycom’s programming of the ACC tournament?

I don’t think that as a sports viewer, I’ve seen lower schlock than the choice of “Shawty, Get Loose” as the theme for three days of basketball…After listening to Mike Hogewood introduce ‘Lil’ Mama for three days, I truly felt that I was at the State Fairgrounds throughout the weekend. Along with the overload of graphics that consistently pre-empted and cut-off plays, I believe that we have stooped to a new level with television sports programming.

Did Raycom feel that they had to tap into a younger demographic with their programming?

I not only questioned whether or not I had entered a MySpace influenced content, but also actually wondered if I had surpassed the demographic threshold for watching college basketball.

And to top it off…Jason Capel as an analyst? For the amount of quality guys who have come through the ACC over the past decade who are scrambling for a gig, they choose the former Boy Band wanna-be…I kept wondering if was going to “shine his horns.”

I’m writing a request to have him and Joseph Forte in the same in-arena studio next season…Now, that would be entertainment…;)

“Clank your chains, and count your change…” You keep ramblin’.

Stretch Run,
BD

Hot picks for you…

On Sunday night’s SportsRap, we hit up the selections fresh off the griddle.  Here’s this week’s show.  We have a look back at the ACC Championship, NCAA Tournament picks, and what’s ahead for the Heels in March.

Picks from Bret Dougherty:  North Carolina, Georgetown, UCLA, and Memphis

Picks from Gregg Found:  North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, UCLA

Picks from Phil Mitchell:  North Carolina, Georgetown, Memphis, UCLA

Tough looks…However, I’m wondering about my Kansas pick.  I hate the Tuesday of pre-first round week.  Go with the gut.

Enjoy the listen.

San Antonio or Bust,

BD 

I couldn’t let this day pass without well wishes…

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. May all of your parades be true. What’s wild is what seems to be the lack of commotion that we’ve seen with St. Patrick’s Day in the past. Well, when you consider this year’s 17th falls on a Monday, parade schedules have been shifted to the past weekend the next weekend is Easter, which hasn’t occurred in over 40 years, you may realize why St. Patrick’s Day seems to be more chilled than years past.

Then again, this may be a good thing, and I can harken back to the past when the only Irish that you would see is in the local churches for early morning mass. Nowadays, everyone wears green and takes on the full excuse to get completely pie-eyed throughout the day…Such a classy day St. Patrick’s Day has become, huh?

With that said, Chicago, Savannah, Philadelphia, San Francisco and other cities shifted their parade plans. Even Boston sold down to a Sunday parade. Dublin and NYC are keeping it real…At least some traditions still can stay true.

Corned beef and cabbage is a must…Now, where the hell can I find mine in NC? Start boiling…

BD