Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Stray Cats

When I moved to North Carolina seventeen years ago, I intended to make this my final home.  As a result, I made a conscious decision to root for the home teams.  It took me a while to transition from being a New York Knick fan to a Charlotte Hornets fan and now Bobcats fan. It took me less time to transition to becoming a Panther fan especially as the team was in its second year when I moved here.  I have had season tickets to the Panthers and Bobcats for the past several years and have rooted passionately for both franchises.  Unfortunately, rooting for the Bobcats and Panthers in the past few years has not been easy but it has been fun and a lot different than rooting for New York teams.

Panthers  

The Panthers have truly been the best of times and the worst of times.  I will never forget attending the Super Bowl in Houston having bought a ticket from a scalper to root for the Panthers against the hated Patriots.  No one thought that the Panthers could pull it out and they almost did.

Since that time, most seasons have been disappointing but still enjoyable to watch.

It appears that there will be big changes coming as a result of the firing of Marty Hurney and I admit to having mixed emotions.  When you root for New York teams, you never feel guilty about the firing of a GM or coach.  You typically are excited by the thoughts of the next "savior" 

But, I have discovered that there is more of a sense of community here and I feel more connected to the leadership of the local franchises.  I liked Marty Hurney despite having never met him.  He seemed as much a part of the Panthers as Sir Purr and the late arriving, early leaving crowds at the games.

I, like most, questioned each and every move he made. Isn't that every fans responsibility? I was right about Armanti Edwards but wrong about Cam Newton.  But in the end, I think that Hurney maintained a level of class and professionalism in his role as GM.  And, judging by the reaction to his firing in the Panther locker room, he was quite popular with the players as well.  How many self indulged athletes act truly hurt by the firing of a GM like we saw the other day?

But with the sadness of the firing of Hurney came the exciting news of his "temporary" replacement.  Though it has not gotten a ton of publicity, Stanly County's own Brandon Beane has been named interim GM of the Panthers.  Since Hurney hired him, Beane must feel horrible about the manner in which he achieved this opportunity, but nonetheless, how exciting for a local guy from Norwood to be the General Manager of an NFL franchise in his mid 30's no less.

I guess I will have to keep my opinions more tempered which might be difficult to do but it will be interesting to see where the Panthers go from here.  With the key injuries to Kalil, Gamble and Beason, it does not look like their fortunes are going to change anytime soon!


Bobcats

Though the Hornets gave Charlotte a lot to cheer about for the most part, the Bobcats have done little to bring excitement to this area.

Nonetheless, I had similar sentiments of seeing Paul Silas replaced as I did Hurney's dismissal.  I am unfortunately old enough to remember Silas as a player and he was a quiet, unassuming power forward who played the game the right way.  He seemed to bring that same attitude to coaching though this was not always easy with the type of athletes that make it to the NBA.

The Bobcats hired Mike Dunlap to replace Silas and it appears they may have hit a home run with the new coach.  The team still lacks talent but it appears that Dunlap has been working hard to change the attitude of the team and all reports suggest he definitely understands the game.

The Bobcats start their season next week and here's hoping that they can bring some excitement and perhaps some wins to this area.