Tom Talks

Come one, come all to the Panthers prophecy

I've heard from several readers today that disagreed with the premise of my Monday column. I wrote that none of us could see Carolina's 6-7 record coming. Turns out many people could.

They knew all along that the offense would struggle and that the defensive would struggle and that the Panthers would not be the world-beaters so many of us made them out to be.

I picked Carolina to go 10-6 and lose in the NFC championship, and it's possible I will be wrong.

But unlike readers, I can't see into the future. My NFL picks occasionally have been so uncanningly accurate that people have taken to calling me Nostrathomas. Nobody has called me that in 2006.

The readers who predicted the Panthers demise, however, obviously have special gifts. I salute you all. Oh great seers, give me more predictions. Who will win the Super Bowl? Should I sell or buy? Will Tuesday again follow Monday? Will there be traffic at 5:15 p.m. on I-77 near the lake?

I am amazed by how many folks can see into the future after the future occurs.

Wake Forest fans stand tall, proud

JACKSONVILLE – Wake Forest fans are the most civilized fans I know. I don’t mean they don’t cheer or celebrate or go on the road and drink mass quantities of beer. I mean that instead of looking for reasons to complain, they enjoy the unexpected experience their football team has provided.

None of them expected to be in Jacksonville today for the ACC championship. About 9,000 made the trip. Georgia Tech sold about 15,000 tickets. Yet along the river in Jacksonville Friday night, there were many more Deacon fans than there were fans of the Yellow Jackets. It was a veritable Wake Forest fest.

Supporters of some schools and some professional teams look for reasons to complain. OK, I’m on the road with my team, and that’s a good thing. But the broadcasters and the newspaper writers and the bartenders like the other team better than mine so I’m not as happy as I should be and it’s everybody else’s fault.

Wake Forest fans aren’t just happy to be in Jacksonville. They want to win. But they are happy to be here. You see them laughing and slapping hands and nervously wishing each other luck, and you see an occasional smile that suggests they can’t believe they’re here.

Deacons, I salute you. There is hope.