Two very notable events came from the Australian Open Tennis tournament this week. First, all the Australian's got defeated before reaching the semifinals. Second, the dream semifinal between Americans, Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi, will not happen as number one seeded Roddick fell to dangerous Marit Safin.

Of all the Major tennis tournaments, the Australian Open is the most intriguing of them all for this part of the world. It is the one that is the hardest to follow due to the time difference from the United States and Australia, and it comes much earlier than the other 3 majors, which are closer together in our Spring and Summer months. Of course, it is summer in Australia and the competition is just as fierce there. On the women's side of this years open, number one seed Justine Henin-Hardenne is on a collision course with number two seed, Kim Clijsters. In the mens draw, a Roger Federer versus Andre Agassi final, could be a classic.

Lleyton Hewitt presently carries the banner for Australia, after a dry spell with Mens tennis there. But just a few decades ago, tennis and this Open was dominated by the Australians. From 1960 until 1976, the Australians owned the tournament that bears their name, winning all but two tournaments, when Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe broke through for titles. However, the combination of Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Bill Bowrey, Rod Laver, John Newcombe, and Mark Edmondson brought victory 15 times during that same period of time for the Australians. The Aussies were not only king of their open, they dominated tennis during that period of time. Similarly, the women dominated their tournament during the same years, with Margaret Smith, Evonne Goolagong and Kerry Reid combining to win 16 titles between 1960 and 1977. This was an amazing feat.

Equally amazing is the fact that it has been almost 25 years since the last Australian has won their Open. And with Lleyton Hewitt losing this week, they will not break through this year.. One can only wonder what has happened to a Country that dominated tennis for so many years. Aside from Hewitt, their are very few notables to mention from Australia. But it is hard to find the kind of dominance that they enjoyed in the 1960s and into the 1970s.

I am intrigued by and extremely interested in the play of Andre Agassi. A win here would give him 9 major titles which helps support evidence that he is one of the all time greats. Only 5 men have won more than 10 major titles, and at age 33 and with his conditioning regimen, Agassi could very well have a few major titles left in him. While it is unlikely that he will catch Pete Sampras' 14 titles, he has a shot to pull even with legendary players Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver who own 11 championships. Agassi appears to have a renewed interest in the sport after marrying Steffi Graf, and has once again dedicated himself to the sport at the highest level, with her support.

With so much talk of late about the Williams sisters, and their health and other interests, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters have quietly made names for themselves and could threaten the Williams dynasty. Serena Williams has been injury plagued and Venus Williams has become mortal of late. Meanwhile Clijsters and Henin-Hardenne have elevated their game, which will make things very interesting when Serena Williams comes back from injury in the majors to come.

The Australian Open kicks of the tennis majors season and always provides much drama and excitement, and somewhat sets the table for the year to come in tennis. It is worth the wait and the late night viewing of live coverage. It wipes the slate clean for a new year of tennis majors. Held in sunny Melbourne, Australia, it also proves that there is much more in the Land down under than kangaroos and vegimite sandwiches.

At the risk of exposing myself as a homer, let me just say.."How 'bout those Carolina Panthers!?" As a born and raised Charlottean, it is a very exciting time in the city of Charlotte. And even though I must confess I am and have been a Pittsburgh Steeler fan since 1970, I feel a great sense of civic pride in a city that seems to be an easy target when it comes to their role in major league sports. But this city has quieted it's critics with the Panthers appearance in the highest plateau in professional sports, the Super Bowl.

This is a proud day for the city of Charlotte, and the Carolinas. This will always be basketball country being in the heart of ACC Country, but this is the first major professional championship team in the Queen City. With the exodus of the Charlotte Hornets, who never quite made it this far, and with the on and off field problems of the Panthers in years past, this is a big boost in the image of Charlotte as a sports city.

Growing up, the biggest professional sport in Charlotte was NASCAR. And it has grown tremendously. And so has Charlotte, which tends to fly under the radar when it comes to larger cities, who tend to find humor in labeling the city. Many do not even know what state Charlotte is in. I have heard people describe Charlotte as the City where the Civil War was started. No that would be Charleston, S.C. I have heard Charlotte, South Carolina. No, even though it borders South Carolina, it lies in North Carolina.

Truth is, Charlotte is a small big city. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the Country, with one of the largest financial resumes in the Country. With Bank of America and Wachovia headquartered here, it is second only to New York as a banking center in the United States. It is a city that doesn't feel very big at times, but then you realize that it has passed cities such as Boston in population and suddenly it occurs to you that it is bigger than you may think. It has it's share of growing pains, such as a traffic problems, uptown parking, and no real plan for the future of mass transit. But Charlotte has attracted numerous businesses to the Queen City, due to it's location and basically mild weather.

Charlotte has always been a city where you clung to the fact that Cal Ripken, Jr. and Eddie Murray played minor league baseball here. Where Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt reigned in NASCAR. Where Michael Jordan and his parents once lived. This is a city who can claim Jim Beatty, the first man to run the indoor mile under 4 minutes in 1962, as a resident. This is a city where former NBA stars, Walter Davis and Bobby Jones played their high school ball, as well as the man who made, "The Catch", in the 1981 NFC Championship against the Dallas Cowboys, Dwight Clark. This has been a city where many athletes cut their teeth on the way to major success elsewhere. But this is the first time that the city itself has been on the big stage of success on such a level. And it is the Carolina Panthers who have taken the city there.

Who would have thought two years ago, that a Super Bowl would be possible. This team struggled through a 1-15 season and even worse seemed to make more publicity off the field than on. With the murder of running back Fred Lane, and the conviction of wide reciever, Rae Carruth, of murder. Charlotte was struggling with controversy with the death of Charlotte Hornet star Bobby Phills in an automobile accident, and Hornet owner George Shinn on trial for sex-abuse. Not long after, the Charlotte Hornets left town for New Orleans. However, things are looking up for the city of Charlotte. A new NBA team will start competion next season, with a new arena in the works. And now the Carolina Panthers are Super Bowl bound. It is already a victory for the Panthers and the city of Charlotte with their appearance in the Super Bowl, but one could only imagine the reaction of a Super Bowl win in Charlotte. But all I can say about Charlotte, having lived here all my life and witnessing it's growth is, "You've come a long way, Baby!!"

The City of Charlotte is a buzz with the potential of a Super Bowl birth only one win away. Thanks to the Green Bay Packers allowing the Philadelphia Eagles to convert a 4th and 26 on Sunday, the game will be played in Philadelphia. In a perfect world, the Packers would have won that ballgame and the NFC Championship would be played in Charlotte. But the fact that it will be a road game has not dampened the enthusiasm of Panther fans.

Charlotte has been in one NFC Championship in it's second season of it's relatively young life as a franchise. They lost that ballgame to the Green Bay Packers who went on to win the Super Bowl. Charlotte is criticized for some reason when it comes to Major League sports, usually by larger cities who like to claim things like there is nothing to do here, or we are host to nothing but Bible thumpers and redneck NASCAR fans who are still fighting the Civil War. I find this kind of reasoning quite amusing, given the fact that Charlotte is in the top ten fastest growing cities in the Country in the most current U.S. Census. I would think citizens of our fair city would be running for the hills based on some of the criticism we have received, most recently by the "City of Brotherly Love".

Will Bunch, a writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, stirred the pot a bit with a twisted hate spewing article written this week against the City of Charlotte. An article that sounded like a guy writing about someone who just stole his girlfriend. And of course, he used all the stereotypes he could find for Charlotte. I am all for a good debate, and good spirited barbing of your opponent. But when I hear Charlotte bashing to this degree by a larger city who has their own unique history, I wonder what they are afraid of. There is obviously some jealousy involved in there somewhere.

The game on Sunday has the potential to be a classic. The Panthers have a question mark as to the status of running back Stephen Davis, but showed they were able to run the ball against the Rams with DeShaun Foster. The Eagles gave up 210 yards against the Packers last weekend, and finished 22nd in the league during the regular season against the run. The Panthers finished the regular season 7th in the league in rushing, and if they are able to establish the run in this game and control the clock much like in the Rams game, they have a great chance of success against the Eagles. Defensively, they must contain Donovan McNabb, who has played outstanding down the stretch this season and into the playoffs. In their game in the regular season, the two teams were evenly matched statisticly, and had it not been for the worst game in kicker John Kasays career, it would have been almost dead even on the scoreboard as well.

I look forward to the end of the trash talking between these two cities (Ironically by the media and fans and not the players) and for these teams settle it on the gridiron in what should be a hard hitting intense game. I only wonder what will be said about the City of Charlotte if the Panthers win this game. The sour grapes have already started before the game has even been played. I am bracing myself for afterwards, so Mr. Bunch, the City of Charlotte is ready for your barrage of remarks against the Queen City. I am quite sure it will be on its way, win or lose. We will just have to see if it is the rhetoric from a sore loser, or a sore winner.

The National Football League could not have scripted the ending of their regular season any better than it played out on Sunday. With playoff spots in the balance, and records ripe for the taking, it was a day filled with drama, excitement and for some, bitter disappointment.

The Marvin Lewis resurrection project in Cincinnati came to an end with a surprising loss at home to the Cleveland Browns, who were seemingly playing for nothing but pride. The Bengals, playing for a chance for a playoff spot and facing a team without a running back, found out that the Browns actually do have a running back, and his name is Lee Suggs. Suggs was virtually unstoppable, rushing for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns, which may plant him as starting running back next season over troubled William Green.

St. Louis found themselves in a dogfight that they obviously did not expect against the hapless Detroit Lions. This loss took the Rams out of the role as NFC Super Bowl favorite. St. Louis lost homefield advantage throughout the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles. This is extremely damaging to the Rams, who have been unbeatable at home and only mediocre on the road. What a difference a week makes. Obviously, there are many games to be played yet, but it looks highly unlikely that the Rams would have success in Philadelphia, if that game comes about.

But the primary drama of the day came in the late games. With the Packers only chance of making the playoffs coming with a Packer win over the Broncos and an Arizona win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers were doing their part by unmantling the Denver Broncos, behind a spectacular day by Ahman Green. However, the Vikings looked all but secured, leading the Cardinals 17-6 with just over two minutes to play. Meanwhile, in Green Bay, Brett Favre and teammates looked as though they had come to terms with the fact that their late season run for a playoff spot would fall short. When word got out that the Cardinals had scored a late touchdown to cut the Viking lead to 17-12 after missing a two point conversion. With only 1:54 left in the game, an onside kick was imminent. Suddenly, Green Bay fans became Arizona fans. A team who couldn't have more of a contrast with their beloved Packers. Chants and cheers reigned throughout the stadium as fans tried to catch a glimpse of televisions located in the Lambeau field skyboxes. Back in Arizona, the Cardinals recovered the onside kick. It must have seemed too good to be true for Packer fans. After all, these were the Cardinals, the lowly Cardinals. A couple of minutes later, the Cardinals were threatening to score on the Vikings and the Packer fans and now, their players, were totally engrossed in the game, as the seconds ticked down in Green Bay. Then, word of a touchdown by the Cardinals as time expired. Bedlum in Green Bay!! Fans and players alike, celebrating a playoff birth. But wait, there was a review in Tempe. Did Cardinal receiver Steve Bush have both feet in the end zone? As it turned out, the ruling on the field stood, and the Arizona Cardinals had eliminated the Minnesota Vikings, giving the Green Bay Packers new life.

The Green Bay Packers are starting to take the form of a team of destiny. They won their last 4 games, and 6 out of 7 to have an opportunity to slip into the playoffs. They were 6-6 going into the month of December. They knew they could not lose another game to have a realistic chance at a playoff spot, and they did not. Throw in some adversity, with the death of quarterback Brett Favre's Father prior to last weeks Monday Night thrashing of the Raiders. A game in which Favre had his career best quarterback rating and threw 4 touchdown passes while grieving. This has been an amazing finish for the Packers. But I am not so sure that this may just be the beginning for the Packers, not the end. In fact, since the Eagles nor Rams cannot make up their minds which wants to claim the spot as most dominate of the NFC, I am going to take the Green Bay Packers. Why not? They have a running game, one of the best offenses in the league to go along with an average defense. They are my pick for the NFC representative for the Super Bowl. However, my track record of late hasn't been one to brag about,but it would make for a really nice story. Let the drama continue!!

I am all for players who celebrate with other teamates after touchdowns, and I don't mind spiking the football, the Lambeau Leap, or even a little dance in the end zone when appropriate. But, after watching Joe Horn make an absolute fool out of himself on Sunday Night Football last week, I am glad to see the NFL's Competition Committee take exception to these types of antics and apparently will seek to end such celebrations in the offseason. The NFL has been labeled the "No Fun League" in the past, but hopefully that will change to the "No Foolishness League" in the near future.

Jeff Fisher, coach of the Tennessee Titans and co-chairman of the Competition Committee, spoke out in reference to Horn's $30,000 fine, saying "Fines aren't a deterrent at this point." Herman Edwards, coach of the N.Y. Jets, took it a step further by phoning commisioner Paul Tagliabue after witnessing the incident. He showed signs of concerns stating, "We are role models, we are professionals." Some players spoke of their displeasure, such as N.Y. Giant, Michael Strahan, who said, "You don't get out there on National televsion and try to embarrass my young (cornerbacks) like that, had I seen that I would have gone over there and got him because I can afford to pay the fine."

We should have seen this coming after Terrell Owens' Monday Night sharpie antics, last season. What started rather innocently with the likes of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson's bow legged routine in the end zone, has progressed to self centered, self serving incidents, such as throat slashing gestures, dancing when your team is being destroyed by their opponent, spiking the football next to oppostions feet, and basically taunting your opponent in just about every conceivable way. What ever happened to celebrating when you have won the game and acting like you have been there before?

I was glad to hear Herman Edwards speak out about being a role model and professional. Many players today have put themselves far ahead of that of their team, in the ultimate team game. I am constantly hearing acts of todays game being defended by people, who claim it is harmless for players to show up coaches on the sideline for all to see. It is okay for Terrell Owens to act like a toddler on the sideline, pouting at assistant coaches, just because he is one of the best receivers. Since when did that make you boss? The answer? Since the absurb money being paid to such players gave them carte blanche to be as selfish and detrimental to their team by minimizing the role of the men, or should I say pawns in some cases, who have been placed in the role of coach by management, to implement their strategies to best give that team a chance to win. At least one coach and organization in the league took exception to this notion. Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who let star mouth, Keyshawn Johnson, go after his attempt to publicly show up Gruden during a game this season. I applaud the Tampa Bay organization for their actions regarding Johnson.

Players need a reality check. Without Aaron Brooks, Joe Horn does not have an opportunity to catch those touchdown passes which led to his cellphone call. Without the offensive line, Brooks isn't able to deliver his passes to Horn. Every player on the football field is assisted by another player, doesn't matter what position. Instead of digging under the goalpost for his cellphone, shouldn't Joe Horns first action be to run and thank Brooks? There is nothing wrong with marketing yourself. This is America, where you are entitled to make as much money as able, and football players are no different than most anybody else. But just like most any profession, without the help of others, you wouldn't be very successful. Thats why I say to celebrate with your teammate. The one who threw the block for you, or the pass. Go back to the huddle and try to do it again. Leave your dancing and drama for Broadway, and leave your cellphone at home.