Well....here we go again.  Below are a number of reasons why I have not attended any games since the 07 season:

• The # 1 reason; the economy...Mr. Johnson should have a little more empathy for the citizens of Charlotte and the surrounding area. The economy, job market and gas prices sucks. People are being laid-off, cost of living is rising but our wages are not moving. We are all at a stand still.
• The ticket prices and cost of parking is just a little too much for people who don't know whether they are going have a job tomorrow.  People are worried about paying their mortgage vs. attending a game.
• Mr. Johnson has really left a bad taste in my mouth due to I don't see what he's doing for the community here. You promised if the arena was built our taxes would not be affected, well, I can't tell.

Mr. Johnson and his millionaire partners seem to be a little out of touch with the realities of the community here and the daily struggles we all go through. I understand he is trying to make a profit, but dear, you have been in business long enough to know there are setbacks to be expected with any new buisness. 

We common people are trying to survive during this recession and Mr. Johnson, you are not affected like we are. You don't have to worry where your next meal is coming from, how to pay your mortgage, whether to put gas in your car or pay your entire utility bill and I don't think you have to worry about how to care for your very ill spouse. See these are our concerns. Maybe you should try some different marketing tecniques to draw people in.  Obvisously what you currently have in place is not working. Try to think about the people and not your pockets, remember when you used to do that? Greed gets you no where except for where you are now. 

Also Mr. Johnson, your negative comments about a certain candidate throws people off and makes them not want to support anything you have your hands in. I would be very mindful about my comments especially when you are wanting the same type of support.

Just want to know why the North Carolina High School Athletic Association always feels the need to have the state basketball championships go head to head with the ACC Tournament. Why are you forcing us to choose one or the other. (I ask this last question as both a fan and a memner of the media). Wouldn't it make more sense to move the HS Finals up a week...play them the week before the ACC Tourney. That way we can enjoy and cover) both.  By the way, that's when SC plays their Championship games.

I asked an official of the NCHSAA that question once. He told me it really did not matter when the High Schools played, because fans of the ACC are different from Prep fans. I could not believe my ears. So you're saying no college fan would ever want to watch High School Hoops.  And even if that is the case...maybe if college fans were exposed to the hs championship games, they'd become fans of the NCHSAA Tourney. Gentlemen of the NCHSAA, it is no longer 1944. Move the games up a week and let everyone see first hand how great the Prep talent is in North Carolina.

Just a few thoughts from your friendly neighborhood Snyder-Man

So Brotha Fred and Snyderman gets into a "little" debate about Nascar and if it was red neck or not. Why did you give in Brotha? We all know that Nascar is the most redneck past time in America. Why were you afraid to defend your views? Probably like me..afraid to "offend" the nascar community...I mean come on...race cars going around a circular track...country music...bogangles chicken...oh and beerz!!!!!! Am I politically incorrect by voicing my opinion?? Come on Brotha and be a man!!! Yeah I know alot of peoples feathers will be ruffled by my comments. Good thing you can voice your opinion in America. Now if you want a real sport...check out extreme snowboarding or maybe the great Tony Hawk on skateboard, how about Matt Hoffman  on his Pro BMX bike getting nasty with a no hander or ice pick grind.....geez... that takes talent, skill and a whole lotta kahunas... my 3 year old son can ride on his big wheel in a circle. Maybe even do a doughnut for ya.

Let me say right up front that when it comes to NASCAR, I am impartial. I have several friends in the NASCAR community, as I'm sure, many of you do as well.  Having said all that, it is good for the Sport when Dale Earnhardt Jr is winning. He is to NASCAR, what The Yankees are to baseball, the Lakers to the NBA, and the Cowboys to the NFL. In other words, love them or hate them, those respective sports are always more interesting when The Yanks/Lakes/Boys are competitive. You think a Red Sox fan gets as big a thrill out of winning without stomping on the Yankees??? Absolutely not.  The NFL was thrilled the Cowboys were in the playoffs. The TV ratings were at all-time highs, as were advertising revenues. By the same token, when Junior won last weekend's Bud Shoot-out, all of a sudden, this exhibition race became the Weekend's big story (Along with Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch doing their Hulk Hogan/Randy macho man Savage Imitation.) NASCAR needs Junior to keep on keepin' on. And with Hendrick's technology behind him, I'm guessing he gets his first Points win by Bristol.

Just a few thoughs from your friendly neighborhood Snyder-Man.

This Wednesday, the greatest rivalry in sports will once again engage in Chapel Hill.  Duke and UNC are poised for another exhibition of why college basketball is the most pure of all team competition.  It will be the best 2 hours of entertainment this year and then repeated later in March at Cameron.

Let's just hope that Coach K will allow his team to play championship basketball instead of engaging in the kind of "thug fueled" nonsense that occurs so often in this rivalry.  Duke is unquestionably in the top 5 of all programs since K's arrival and the talent and success speaks for itself.  But, Duke seems to think they should be the Detroit Pistons of the ACC.  Let us not forget 1992 when Eric Montross had to leave for a quick 7 stitches due to a flagrant elbow, 1993 when Christian Laettner stepped on Brian Reese's head while he was sprawled on the floor and of course last year when Gerald Henderson showed Duke's true colors with a cowardly and aggressive tomahawk forearm to Tyler Hansbrough.  In each of these games, Duke was trailing UNC and justice was served in each as Carolina prevailed in the end.

It will be a great game, no matter who wins.  Let's just hope K will show a little more class.

Yeeeeesssss....like Planet Zulu chicken.  New Defensive Coordinator say "Ditch job with Gamecocks, Go to Dirty Birds in Atlanta I will".  VanGorder missed for long he is not.  Big piggy Johnson leave new job with Arkansas to fly with YardBirds as new defensive Coordinator in Columbia he does.  Fenial Yoda no understand.  Braaaaavvvveeee man Spurrier stay with Yardbirds...yes yes, big potential talent he does.    But Coaching Carousel all over the place.  Honor is a man's pride.  Honor with saying I'll coach here and then leaving, honor is not.  West Virginia, Arkansas, South Carolina...coaches hold their word they do not.  Too often this happens it does.  We muussssstttt haaaavvveee honorrrrrrr.  Carry on.

*Fenial Yoda

It dawns on me while watching election returns....This is a day Newscasters do sports scores. The only difference is instead of one team beating another 28-24, the final score in the political arena is 35-million-843-thousand-635 votes to 18-million-114-thousand-068. There are some great news anchors out there doing phenomenal jobs on the primaries. But there are also some who seem to struggle over the results. All you have to do is listen to a radio sportscast where the announcer reads the scores. It's that easy.  Notice I did not say watch a TV Sportscast because nowadays there is no reason to do that since most stations have tickers at the bottom of the screen that run the scores over and over....gives us more time to get to the really juicy stories. So in summary, all the presidential candidates owe a debt of gratitude to a pair of schools or teams going at it..for that is how we really get the experience to declare winners and losers.

Just a few thoughts from your friendly neighborhood Snyder-Man.