Tom Talks

Speed Street was Twisted, and fun

I love Speed Street. I know some of you avoid it because it is crowded and loud and you might run into people who are not your kind. I don't have a kind, but if I did, it probably wouldn't be on Speed Street. That's the reason I go.

It's fun to walk around and listen to the conversations and immerse yourself in a world where race, and beer, and fried foods, are king. I did a Speed Channel show Friday, "Tradin' Paint," and suggested that the No. 1 sport in the country and in Charlotte is the NFL. Thousands of race fans stood beneath the stage at Trade and Tryon Streets. None of them agreed.

That's fine. If I wanted to go to a place where people agree with me, I'd stay with my dog. I like to mix it up. I like to spend time around people who don't dress like I do or vote like I do or hang out where I hang out.

The evening ended in a muddy field in front of the stage on which Twisted Sister played. I didn't know the band still existed and, based on the way they played, they didn't, either. They were so bad they were good. Not sure if a good time was had by all, but I sure had one.

Running into Usher at the track

You run into the unlikeliest people in the infield. Who walked out of the drivers meeting? Usher. And he's little.

Amazing how many people out here have not heard of Usher. Two of the first three people I asked had not, and the third wasn't sure.

"Only Usher I know is the one that takes me to the seat," one guy said.

But he wasn't a guy. He was an Infield Media Center wag. Sounds more credible.

Usher walked out of the meeting and into a waiting SUV, a huge one. Usher was swallowed.

Think of Panthers' contract talks like marriage counseling

When a player signs a large contract, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson pulls out a piece of paper.

"This is the number you’re thinking of," he says, talking about the dollar figure on the contract. "But this is the number you should be thinking of."

He knocks off taxes and writes down a new number.

"And then you pay your agent, and the number you should be thinking about is this," Richardson says.

He knocks off the agent’s fee and writes a new number.

"And if you get married, you should be thinking of this number," Richardson says.

And he cuts the previous number in half and writes a new number.

Instead of thinking about the first figure, the player should be thinking about the last.

Richardson recently had lunch with Tshimanga Biakabutuka, the former Panther running back who owns a business here.

"Do you remember our talk?" Richardson asked, meaning the talk about what a contract is really worth.

"I do," said Biakabutuka. "I never got married."

Panthers look great in camp

The question I hear most about the Carolina Panthers minicamp last weekend is, "How did the Panthers look?"

I thought they looked great. But I always think they look great at the first camp. I like seeing the new guys and the old guys coming together. I like the NFL. I can’t help it.

Who stood out?

Defensive end Mike Rucker looked like he spent the offseason lifting weights and running sprints. He’s lean.

New defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu is not. He is 6-foot-5 and 350 pounds. There’s no "i" in Kemoeatu, but there is eat. He’s the first player in Panthers history who makes 6-4, 335-pound defensive tackle Kris Jenkins look small. Love to see him and Jenkins on the line at the same time. Love to see Jenkins on the line two games into the season. We forget how good he was.

The most impressive players I saw were receivers Steve Smith and Drew Carter. I told you Carter is going to be a star.

"He’s playing with so much confidence," Smith said. "I call him, Little Droop."

Who?

"You know, Little Droop," says Smith.

Word.

Delhomme will be happy with DeAngelo

It's still odd to Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme that people would get nervous around him. Some well-known folks have an aura about them that says, "Where is my red carpet? Talk to my people. You may look at me, but not for long, and don't expect me to look back." Delhomme does not.

But since the NFL is the country's biggest sport, and since quarterback is the team's most glamorous position, and since Jake starts at quarterback for the Panthers, fans become scared or even intimidated around him.

Even though this surprises Delhomme still, he understands the sensation. Since the end of the season, he has met Rascal Flatts, the best-selling country group, and later Charlie Daniels, who supersedes the country idiom, which is a pretentious way of saying Charlie is bigger than country. And Jake was nervous around them.

Delhomme will not be nervous around the Panthers' newest first-round draft choice, DeAngelo Williams. But he will be happy to have him in the backfield. Delhomme talked to reserve quarterback Stefan LeFors about Williams. LeFors played against Williams when the former was at Louisville and the latter was at Memphis. LeFors gave the rookie good reviews.