Tom Talks

True Blood loses opener

    The best shows on TV last season were True Blood, Boardwalk Empire and Modern Family.

     I'm not a teenager, so I don't read teenage vampire books or watch teenage vampire movies. True Blood is not one of those. The show is funny, violent, surprising and the rare television you build an evening around. I love it.

     But the fourth-season debut Sunday was puzzling. True Blood started as slowly as most soccer games (I don't include USA-Mexico, which sounded pretty good) and never found its way back.

      Alas, the season is long. The Boston Red Sox began the 2011 season terribly and they recovered. Of course, they didn't have to contend with faeries.

     I suspect True Blood will rally, too.

     For those of you who require a score with your sports blogs, take your pick: 7-1 or 3-2.

Stephen Jackson, I wish you well

     The Bobcats drafted hope, but they gave up a really good player. Stephen Jackson is an especially bright talent. He imposes himself on a defense. He can shoot, go to the basket, play defense and pass. He's unselfish.

    Some nights, he held the ball too long. Some nights, he took fouls personally. On those nights, he devolved into a world in which people with striped shirts were out to get him, and he made his battle personal, at the expense of his team.

   But when he was on, and he was on most nights, he was a big, tough, guy and a good teammate who really, really, really knew the game.

    Jackson appreciated Charlotte, and he appreciated fans. He's candid and smart, and he gave the franchise what he had.

     President of basketball operations Rod Higgins said Jackson was "tough minded," wanted to take the clutch shot and was a leader. Higgins talked about Jackson's numbers. Jackson averaged 18.5 points, and he also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

    Alas, the Bobcats weren't going anywhere with him. Maybe they sneak into the playoffs. Probably they don't. So they blew up what they had.

     If there is a resurgence in Charlotte, Jackson won't be part of it.

 

 

 

 

When it doubt, why not?

     I don't know how many games the NBA will play next season. The fewer they play the better for the Charlotte Bobcats.

    They traded their best player, Stephen Jackson, to Milwaukee. Their reward is the No. 7 pick, so they now have No. 7 and No. 9.

     All they can do is parlay those picks into long-term talent. There's no way they can win next season. All they do can is put themselves in position to win in 2012.

     It was an interesting deal. It means the Bobcats almost certainly will get a great pick in the next draft. It means fans will get to watch young talent -- love to see Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo -- develop. It means Charlotte almost certainly will lose a large percentage of the games its plays.

     The Bobcats are said to crave Texas forward Tristan Thompson. He's a superior athlete, who plays hard and doesn't really know the game. Charlotte already has an athletic forward who doesn't really know the game -- Tyrus Thomas.

     Don't know what the long-range ramifications of the trade are. But, man, it makes tonight interesting.

 

 

 

UNC football program knew what it was getting when it hired John Blake

      I don't follow college football as closely as I follow the NFL and NBA. So I wasn't familiar with John Blake when North Carolina coach Butch Davis added him to the staff.

    But football people were. They all said the same thing. He's a great recruiter, and he's dirty.

    Davis knew that when he hired him.

      Davis might retain his job. He probably will. But he knew what he was doing when he hired Blake, and so did Davis' employer.

       Even if Davis hangs on, North Carolina loses the right to sanctimony. A North Carolina fan emailed to ask what N.C. State was thinking when it hired Mark Gottfried as basketball coach. The UNC fan was indignant and condescending. Crazy old State; isn't the school aware of Gottfried's history?

     Compared to Blake, Gottfried is a paragon of all that is right about college athletics.

      As the NCAA's Notice of Allegations attests, the Tar Heel football program decided to take a dip in the sleazy end of the pool.

     That stuff doesn't wash off easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While Miami celebrates, Dallas wins

    I've been pulling for Miami since the playoffs began. But as the Heat celebrated their late-game lead, Dallas continued to play basketball. Thus the comeback. Thus the thrilling, and deserved, Dallas victory.

     I had heard since game one that Dallas was pretty much out of the series, in that they went so far as to lose the opener. I heard the same thing after Chicago beat Miami in game one of the Eastern Conference finals. We don't catch on quickly, do we?

     I still think Miami wins the series. But the Heat's preening was offensive. Kids, please don't try this at home.