Got Him - UNC Lands Kendall Marshall

Not blaring, breaking news, but I just heard from a very close contact, who is a very solid source, that the Coach Roy Williams and UNC Tar Heel Basketball landed Kendall Marshall, who is a 6'3"...sophomore point guard.

Yes, a sophomore point guard for the Heels...Who would have thought that the Heels would reach down to underclassmen ranks of a sophomore class in order to secure a point guard. Yet, this move proves that this point guard must be pretty special.

Is he stronger than Tywon Lawson, who committed before his junior year at Oak Hill. We shall see...

However, the view from this keyboard says for Tar Heel fans to be fairly amped after hearing...and reading all of the gushing reports that have stemmed from summer camp and AAU circuit.

The initial reaction is to be nervous on a sophomore committal. However, you can sure bet that the "Master Recruiter", Coach Roy Williams, wouldn't take a risk on a point guard who could not only have the potential to be the best point guard in the class, but also can at least reach the class of a 25-35 ranked guard, which the Tar Heels have landed in the past with Marcus Ginyard or early 2008 signee, Larry Drew Jr.

In order to soothe your Tar Heel tummies, if Marshall doesn't pan out to be the top point guard in the class, you could sure bet that the Heels would go for another guy. Yet, that relief may lost only so long...With early committals emerging in this class, will any elite level point guards be left?

From the looks of the past there should be...Yet, looking at the case of Brandon Jennings, who is the best point guard of the class of 2008, you can't be so sure. Jennings committed to USC last season. Yet, he bolted for the greener pastures of Arizona later in the year. So, from the looks of things, the trend of locking-up the top point guard in the class may be emerging.

Following most reports, Marhsall is the real deal. He may not be at a Kenny Anderson level, which would be considered the top, ethereal, Zeus, level of high school talent that few people other than Allen Iverson or LeBron James should be considered. However, if Marshall finishes at the high-school talent level of Chauncey Billups, Randy Livingston, or Raymond Felton, Tar Heel fans should be thrilled.

Yet, why does the early signee case of JamesOn Curry dance among the Tar Heel visions...According to my sources, believe me, this kid is far different in terms of a socially adaptable recruit to the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

Supposedly, Marshall has been a Carolina fan all along the route of his development, and his decision to go to UNC was expected.

On the Tar Heel front, be glad that you have the PG slot secured for the next four seasons. Take a peek into the future...

'07-'08 - Tywon Lawson/Quentin Thomas/Bobby Frasor
'08-'09 - Tywon Lawson/Bobby Frasor/Larry Drew Jr.
'09-'10 - Tywon Lawson/Larry Drew Jr.
'10-'11 - Larry Drew/Kendall Marshall

Wow, talk about long-term talent...And all locked-in...Very impressive.

I-95 South,
BD

Nike Football: Mann-Up

A while back, I posted on my Top 20 Nike commercials of all-time, and I had to post on the new Nike Football commercial today...

This post resulted after I caught this post on AdRants, which by the way, is one helluva blog for ad insights and job leads. AdRants bagged on the new Nike commercial, which is directed by famed director, Michael Mann, who creates work that is nothing short than masterful.

The suggestion from AdRants was to turn down the sound, and then evaluate the work.

Well, I turned down the sound, and I'm still moved by Shawne Merriman running into the backfield and creaming the QB. When the ball switches over to Stephen Jackson, watch him run through the Falcons and into Lambeau Field...That blizzard sequence is incredible.



I like the reality commercials better with cool downtempo beats. Again, Nike creates the myth and breathes life into the myth. I give the Michael Mann/Nike team mad credit for building authenticity and maintaining the feel of the game.My two cents is that this commercial is as strong as the MJ/Nike "Frozen Moment" commercial when he worked out on Corey Blount and the Lakers...Still is and always will be a classic for me. Check it out below...Always exhilarating.



My dime ruling on the Nike commercial. Great video...Great shots...Great commercial.

Yet, I still wish the Bears could have received their payback from the print ads with LaDainian Tomilnson running over them...C'mon now, LT only grabbed 25 yards...You know you can't stop the bum rush of the Monsters of the Midway. Don't try to trick the people.

On the 1-2,
BD

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Rise of the McCauley St. Mongols

Here's the first week update from this year's McCauley Street Mongols in my fantasy football league this season...

RB - Larry Johnson RB - I landed the third pick with my first-rounder...I'm not thrilled with this pick. LJ's holdout, the Chiefs offensive line upheaval, and how LJ is already being conserved for second halves makes me very leery of his performances this season. Over the past five years, I have never seen a first round that has as much questionable talent within the top tier rankings. God, Stephen Jackson was so close.
WR - Reggie Wayne - Destroyed the Saints on Thursday night...'Nuff said.
WR - Torry Holt - I'm leery of the knee problems. Yet, he's still 31 and he's the number one option for Bulger. I stretched on him in the second round because of the dome, turf, and the fact that he's stable and they have no one else...Greensboro/Eastern Guilford love. Give it to me...
QB Matt Leinart - Going tonight against the 49ers...In this league, we're allowed two keepers who are drafted after the sixth round.
TE - Jeremy Shockey - Solid performer...The guy brings it every game. I was hoping Vernon Davis would be around with my 7th Round pick, but Shockey brings the stability. Other than injury, I don't have to worry about this position.
K - Matt Stover - Second to last pick...I grabbed him because of their low scoring offense warrants bail-out field goal attempts. Let's see...

Flex Positions
WR/RB - Adrian Peterson RB - After 103 yards rushing and a 60 yard receiving TD, my fourth round pick made me look like Bill Polian. What a pick-up...His shoulder is recovered, and he is harkening back to the days of his freshman and sophomore years at Oklahoma that yielded so much potential.
WR/RB - Ladell Betts - Sat on the side and watched Portis run 17 attempts for 98 yards...When will Portis crack? If so, Betts is my boy...Go Hawkeyes.
WR/TE - Andre Johnson - Great pick-up in the 5th Round...There's something about "U" guys in the NFL who played under Butch Davis and the early days of Larry Coker. You just can't go wrong. He brought me 22 points on the first week. My main man.

Defense: (Based on IVP Rankings)
DL - Lofa Tatupu
DL - Derrick Burgess - Tough game against the Lions. He'll be dumped on Tuesday. I already have my pick-up choice.
DL - London Fletcher - 'Beast'
DL - Karlos Dansby - 'Freak of nature'...Let's see how he handles his switch to ILB. I dumped TE 'sleeper' pick Greg Olsen for him.
DB - Troy Polamalu - The Samoan beast brings a solid mojo. Tough week on tackles. Let's see how he develops after his big-time contract.
DB (Bench) - Sean Jones - I'm looking for a bust-out year. Should be able to pick-up some INTs. Go Dawgs.

By the way, here are my selections after the 6th round. (Remember, I get to keep 2 players at the end of the year):

6th Round - Matt Leinart QB
7th Round - Jeremy Shockey TE - How he fell to me in the 7th, I do not know.
8th Round - Ladell Betts - If Clinton Portis goes down, this could be my pick-up of the year after drafting Erik Bedard in the 9th round of my fantasy baseball draft.
9th Round - Devery Henderson WR - Great end to the year last year...Dismal week against the Cowboys. What to do?
10th Round - Ben Roethlisberger QB - I think 'Big Ben' is going to have a great year not only because the Steelers will throw the ball more, but also because the guy has rebounded from a devastating motorcycle crash and an appendectomy. Great back-up option and could become my starter very quickly. Maybe a keeper?
11th Round - Brian Leonard RB - I learned from watching this guy at Rutgers that he's a major 'sleeper' player. Swiss Army-knife capabilities in terms of receiving and rushing could make him a great player.

"Sleeper" Pick - Matt Jones WR - Gone...I thought that he would be a great pick, but I dropped him after he pulled a complete bagel with yesterday's performance.

My new pick-up is Antawn Raandle-El...I love his upside. He had a tough adjustment time last season, and he is making the money that demands throws. Great pick-up. He could be my Rueben Droughns of '04.

Let's see how I do this season. If you're not in a Fantasy League, follow my squad. I'll post adjustments and week previews throughout the season.

Dealin',
IronDog

Go-Go Wi-Fi

Are city wi-fi plans on or off these days?...

Over the past couple of years, the advant-garde discussion for econ developers and tech futurists is to develop city-wide wi-fi programs and areas consisting of public networks, clouds, and hotspots. Yet, the plans for cities seem to be crumbling while here in Chapel Hill public wireless access nodes are emerging.

Well, what happened? Smart Mobs has a great collection of articles on the whys and hows of the drop-off rate with municipal wi-fi programs. With Earthlink's mass layoffs, San Francisco alliance with Google has cooled off considerably. Chicago is out with their plan that was planned to revolve around an ad-driven network. The good news is that the plan could be revisited in '09 when more bandwidth becomes available.

To establish a solid wi-fi plan, you not only need the right people pushing the effort, but also you need the right culture to demand free wi-fi services. People living in Chapel Hill and Carrboro have been craving hotspots for quite some time.

For example, Brian Russell has been promoting Chapel Hill wireless hotspots through his site, yesh.com since the beginning of 2006.

Russell has done a much-needed service for people who are local to the area and in search of wireless hot-spots. (Especially, when you consider the numb-headed moves of certain institutions who lock access points to the general public.) Be sure to check out his mash-up of wireless hotspots and accessible locations.

With the amount of new construction and fast hopes pinned upon Chapel Hill development projects in the downtown area, the good news for certain areas of Franklin Street and Chapel Hill is that the knowledge-based workers in the area will have public places to work through the town's Internet pilot project....Especially, when you consider the amount of cities who have backed out of their deals because public officials are viewing public wireless as a business opportunity instead of public service.

With that said, here is the list of hotspots that have been activated by the Town of Chapel Hill on Franklin Street....I hope you enjoy by pre-season scouting report.

If you try the service and have a great luck, by all means, send a note to wifi@townofchapelhill.org.

New Wireless Hot Spot List

U.S. Post Office on East Franklin Street - Great spot! Especially, when you consider the long wait for traffic tickets. The overflow from the court at Hillsborough is absolutely ridiculous, and this is a perfect spot for allowing people to get work done in this line. As an added bonus, the service will hopefully mesh with the hotspot at Four Corners and there will be constant activity for sporting event madness on weekends. Major Thumbs-up!

Inter-Faith Council, 100 West Rosemary Street - Great spot...And badly needed. Now, who will use the spots...? By the way, is there a recycled laptop program going there?

Hargraves Center - Badly needed...And very valuable for the Northside community. Thank you. On my end, I now have a spot to check my mail while I'm shooting buckets. Now, can we change the rims on the playground? The rims are like cement blocks.

Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitors Bureau - Nice, nice...Let's see where this stretches.

411 West Italian Cafe- I would have liked to have seen the West End Wine Bar get the nod. Yet, my boys were way ahead of the game with their node. And that is why the West End remains the number one place to congregate for any activity.

With that said, 411 is a great move...Still remains one of the top places to be seen in the state of North Carolina. Why...Hit that place up on a Saturday night after gameday.

I was always impressed with the wireless cloud network installed in Athens, Georgia. I'm glad to see that Chapel Hill has stepped up to the plate to promote more activity for creative and knowledge workers in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area.

Reactivated,
IronDog

Under Construction

My bust on the lack of posts over the past month...

I'm constructing a new blog page, and I'll give you the details when the finishing touches are in place on the site. Until then, I'm not going to leave you hanging. I'll feed you insights on the switch, and I'll guarantee some golden nuggets before the jump-off.

Hard-Hat Area Only,
IronDog