Brad on Twitter- bradthomas: getting ready for ben's soccer practice.October 3, 2008 bradthomas
- bradthomas: looks like otah and gross will be out this week against the chiefsOctober 3, 2008 bradthomas
- bradthomas: unexpected thunderstorm, thank goodness its nearly wednesdaySeptember 30, 2008 bradthomas
- bradthomas: back pain and the dentist are not a good combinationSeptember 24, 2008 bradthomas
- bradthomas: Panthers signed LB Donte Curry today. Curry was cut about a week ago, but will replace Dan Connor, who is on the IR with an ACL injury.September 23, 2008 bradthomas
Oct
26
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS: Bobcats Blog Squad - Brad Thomas Blog - NEW 10/26/05: “As my family and I went through the Arena on Saturday, it suddenly hit me - the Hornets are completely gone now. There is no trace of them left.
That last piece of the puzzle, the thing that made it complete, was the opening of Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Uptown Charlotte.”
– Read the rest of my column on BobcatsBasketball.com
This is the first of my weekly columns I am writing for the Official Bobcats Site. If you’d like to give feedback or suggestions, post them HERE.
Oct
24
More Pics!
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We’ve added more pics from the Bobcats Open House, with more than 100 photos now in our photo set.
To see the Slideshow — Click Here.
To see the photo set — Click Here.
Oct
22
Inside Bobcats Arena
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The Charlotte Bobcats opened the doors free of charge today to let all who wanted to have nearly free reign in checking out the new amenities.
We took 26 photos from inside the arena to show you first hand some of the things available to you as you visit the game. View a slideshow HERE.
Impressions: Although it seems nicely decorated, the upper deck in particular seems unsafe. The railings weren’t sturdy, and foot-tall glass partitions serve as railings in many spots — not a place for kids who are curious by any means.
The slope of the seats in the upper deck seems greater than the slope that was in the upper deck of the old coliseum. What was really shocking was that the seats at the very top of the upper deck weren’t anchored into concrete, but to some sort of heavy cardboard-like material. I got the feeling that if you wanted to, after a while of trying you could bust through it.
The seats were cushioned as we saw in the pictures and very comfortable. Definitely great sight lines throughout. I wouldn’t say they were better than in the old coliseum from the upper corners, but at least the score board will fill you in on instant replays of crucial plays.
There wasn’t many of the concession stands open, but there are enough of those and bathrooms to go around. In one of our photos, ( HERE) you can see that peanuts are $4.75 and that a large draft beer is $6.75. Bottled Water? $3.50. The decor of the concession stands give a feel as though you are at separate restaurants, which is a nice touch.
The artwork and architecture of the building from the inside is a great step above the previous coliseum. The colors actually match the team, and there are TVs all over the place. A huge escalator takes you from the lower to the upper deck, and it’s not that much of a climb even to the top row of seats.
Once inside, you feel a great deal of freedom to roam around. It’s not the typical arena that you either walk around a bowl or sit in your seat — you can eat at tables, go outside on balconies or shop at the team store.
They even had some musicians staged around the arena playing different types of music which gave it a kind of big-city feel and added to the overall entertainment. I don’t know if they’ll be there during games or not, but I hope so.
Some have complained of the Hip-Hop overload that the Bobcats had last year — make no mistake about it, there is nothing hip-hop about the new arena. It’s very multicultural, and everyone should feel at home. It’s very comfortable an atmosphere and people will have a lot of fun going to games, win or lose.
Oct
19
Attention NBA players –
The NBA isn’t trying to eliminate the young, black culture, they are trying to make it better for you the player and me the fan.
At the very minimum, you have to wear a pair of slacks, a shirt with a collar, and some nice shoes that aren’t sneakers.
Basically what millions of Americans wear to work daily.
You don’t have to dress up like a butler, complete with a tuxedo with tails and top-hat, or wear leisure suits that make you look like Al Bundy.
Do you remember Michael Jordan? Jordan was the poster-child of projecting an image of professionalism. Would you consider Jordan successful as a business man? His Air Jordan sneakers set the benchmark for endorsements and is what every single one of you measure yourself by. Later, he spun off a clothing line based on his name, largely based on the success of his sneaker sales. However, Nike wasn’t his only business success – Rayovac, McDonalds and Hanes all had major marketing campaigns that featured Jordan as the centerpiece. Jordan always wore a suit. He always dressed nicely whenever making a public appearance.
Basically, the NBA is asking you to be like Jordan. Be Professional.
The NBA is having trouble with it’s image. It’s not like they are making things up – look around you at the empty arenas. Black or White, Asian or European, dressing for success always leads to a good impression. Do you know anyone that ever got a good job by dressing like they just woke up or wore excessive amounts of jewelry to their interview? I don’t. Most people I know dress nicely to project a serious, professional attitude that says “hey – take me seriously”.
It’s not a matter of culture or intelligence; it’s a matter of seriousness and professionalism.
Oct
10
Charlotte Bobcats Arena Grand Opening
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CHARLOTTE BOBCATS: Charlotte Bobcats Arena Grand Opening: “
Doors open to the general public on Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23, 2005 with Bobcats Open House events from 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. The free open house events will feature a raffle where guests can enter to win an arena season pass - tickets to every event in the arena for a year - as well as live entertainment and self-guided tours. Visitors will receive a navigation map highlighting must-see areas and amenities and will be able to take a peek backstage and in the team locker rooms on behind the scenes guided tours. Charlotte Bobcats Arena staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide additional information.
”
read the entire article on BobcatsBasketball.com.
Oct
10
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS: Charlotte Bobcats Arena Transportation Plan: “
October 10, 2005 - The City of Charlotte and the Charlotte Bobcats organization today announced the transportation management plan for Charlotte Bobcats Arena, including Print and Park, an innovative new program designed to provide convenient, online, advance purchase parking for guests of the arena.The arena’s transportation plan is a collaborative effort between the City of Charlotte, including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Charlotte Department of Transportation and Charlotte Arena Transit System (CATS), Charlotte Center City Partners and the Charlotte Bobcats organization includes a thorough review of anticipated traffic patterns on event nights, evaluation of existing parking inventory, public transportation alternatives to reduce vehicular traffic, consistent temporary and permanent signage as well as street-walking and sidewalk improvements. Another component of the plan is a comprehensive, ongoing education and communications effort to inform the public of parking locations, directions and access routes.
”
read the rest on BobcatsBasketball.com -
Oct
10
The Incredible Vanishing Man
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Keary Colbert has had a down season so far.
“No kidding? Really? I hadn’t noticed.”, you say to yourself.
Colbert had 0 catches again this week… and in fact, rumor has it that he was benched for the second half of the Panthers vs Cardinals game according to some of our sources on the scene.
Wouldn’t be a bad thing. Subtracting nothing from something doesn’t subtract anything. Colbert has been so invisible, you wouldn’t even know he was on the team if you weren’t looking for him. Rod Gardner nearly equalled Colbert’s production on one offensive series yesterday, that’s how bad Colbert’s game has gotten.
Is he not getting open? Is he not running routes? Has the addition of Rod Gardner gotten in his head?
Colbert has all but vanished. It’ll be interesting to see who trots out opposite of Steve Smith when the Panthers travel to Detroit to take on the Lions next Sunday.
Oct
10
Egypt prepares new probe of mystery pyramid shafts - Yahoo! News
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Egypt prepares new probe of mystery pyramid shafts: “CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will send a robot up narrow shafts in the Great Pyramid to try to solve one of the mysteries of the 4,500-year-old pharaonic mausoleum, Egypt’s top archaeologist said on Monday.
Zahi Hawass told Reuters he would this week inspect a robot designed to climb the two narrow shafts which might lead to an undiscovered burial chamber in the pyramid of Cheops at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo.
Hawass said the shafts and stone panels which block them could mark the location of the burial chamber of Cheops, also known as Khufu. That would mean none of the chambers already discovered in the pyramid were the pharaoh’s real tomb.”
Oct
7
Foster knows role as starter will come
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Foster knows role as starter will come:
“Foster said it would probably be next spring before anything’s resolved contract-wise, and he’s said in the past he wouldn’t mind staying. It’s unlikely that Davis would be back, since he’s 31, slowing a bit (his 3.4-yard per carry average is more than a yard off his 2003 average) and due a $1 million roster bonus next March.”
From Darin Gantt, Rock Hill Herald -
I agree. I think it’s the last season for Davis in a Panthers uniform. They could take the money they owe Davis, pay it to Foster, and have either Goings or Shelton fill the “big” back role in this offense.
Oct
6
UFO-spotters tell tales of the extra-terrestrial - Yahoo! News
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UFO-spotters tell tales of the extra-terrestrial - Yahoo! News: “LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - One minute Jonathan Reed was hiking with his golden retriever in a forest in Seattle. The next, his pet was being torn apart by a ‘gray’ — an alien being with an elongated head, smelling of rotting fruit.
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A scene from a sci-fi film? No, maintains Reed, a former child-developmental psychologist who says he took the alien home and lived with it for nine days in which it communicated via telepathy and was able to pull thoughts from his mind.
Reed and others — including Uruguayan Rafael Ulloa who says aliens in spaceships spirited away people from New York’s twin towers in the September 11, 2001, attacks — gather in Lima this week for a world extra-terrestrial congress.”