Tom Sorensen has been a columnist at The Observer for 20 years and has been at the paper for 25, writing about nearly every sport in the Carolinas. To reach him, call (704) 358-5119 or email tsorensen@charlotteobserver.com.
Every summer everybody says, “I bet you can't wait to get to training camp.” I can wait. When training camp opens, summer ends. And I like summer the way a kid does.
I doubt that Brett Favre cries easily. He wears Wrangler jeans and work boots, has a grizzled beard and the gall to throw into triple coverage. He does not strike me as a guy who spends a lot of money on tissue.
Doug Herbert finished first in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Top Fuel class in Norwalk, Ohio, last week.
According to Pro Football Talk, Bus Cook, who is Brett Favre's agent, says Favre wants to play for the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately, the Web site doesn't tell us to whom Cook said this. PFT doesn't quote a reliable source, let alone an unreliable one. This is one more reason to hate the Internet.
I don't know if Brett Favre will come back and you don't know if Brett Favre will come back. This is the point of the column at which I'm supposed to write that only Brett Favre knows if Brett Favre will come back. But he probably is as clueless as the rest of us.
I love the Charlotte Bobcats. I've loved them for awhile now. I've loved them since Thursday night.
Tom Sorensen: The Charlotte Bobcats have a tough assignment tonight. They have to become relevant.
How do they become relevant? They acquire a player who will help push them into the playoffs. 
Comment?
I get the impression that fans are ready to give up on Dwayne Jarrett. He flopped as a rookie, pleaded guilty Monday to driving while impaired and will begin the season no better than fourth on the Carolina Panthers' receiver depth chart. Comment?
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In a strong voice, Bill Williams explains to the competitors and spectators the rules for The Cypress indoor croquet championship. He offers vivid word-pictures, inclusive detail and simple yet solid answers.
NBA Commissioner David Stern refers so often to the felon Tim Donaghy that you would think Tim is Donaghy's middle name.
Tom Sorensen: In 1970 , New York Knicks center Willis Reed had only one functioning leg. He shocked the basketball world when he emerged from a Madison Square Garden tunnel and limped onto the court for Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
TOM SORENSEN: A staff member tells Charlotte Chancellor Phil Dubois Thursday morning that his tie is Tar Heel blue.
Tom Sorensen: I hear a new sound Tuesday -- hockey talk. There is hockey talk in the gym (one of the first times I've heard it), on the street, in the office and in the coffee shop.
If the NBA could have selected its finalists before the season began, it would have selected Boston and Los Angeles. The Celtics and Lakers offer tradition, stars, glitter and potentially huge television ratings. Comment?
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Tom Sorensen | Michael Brown is an old friend. But he never says hello anymore, never asks how I'm doing or how my kids are. All he says, every time I see him, is "Kimbo Slice." Comment?
TOM SORENSEN: Carolina tight end Jeff King has a small red cut above his eye, which is to say that he looks like a football player.
Tom Sorensen | When the NBA conference finals began last week, I had no idea whom to pull for. And as much as I like the NBA, I need to pull for somebody. I also need to pull against somebody. Comment?
Thank you, race fans, for coming to Charlotte. Thank you for filling most of the seats at Lowe's Motor Speedway and most of the space on Food Lion Speed Street. Thank you for enjoying yourselves in front of everybody.
Several years ago the speaker at the annual Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame banquet failed to show. Sitting at the front of the room was Humpy Wheeler, a longtime boxing benefactor and fan.
The NFL is the standard by which all other sports entities, at least in the United States, are measured. The league has many smart people who are aware of what they have and what they endured to get it.
Bob McKillop and his Davidson coaching staff showed up at Lowe's Motor Speedway Saturday at 2 p.m. More than seven hours later, they were summoned to do their job as Grand Marshals, which was to say, "Gentlemen, start your engines."
Kasey Kahne made the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race because of the kindness of strangers. He didn't qualify by winning races or distinguishing himself on the track. He qualified because he's considered courteous and cute and middle-school girls squeal when he walks past.
Kyle Busch smiles, jokes and praises veteran drivers, dutifully invokes his sponsors and even talks about the sponsor of a competitor.
TOM SORENSEN: This column is about the NBA, and how thrilling and unpredictable the playoffs have been.
Tom Sorensen | If the New England Patriots were a sports agent, I could see them slipping money to a basketball or football star at Southern California. Comment?
I didn't want to cheer for Anthony Kim. Golf might be a sport for gentlemen, and because I went to a going-away party for a friend at a gentleman's club I'm obviously a gentleman.
Customers with a Way2Save checking account at Wachovia were rooting for Anthony Kim on Sunday. The interest rate on their accounts would jump to however many strokes the winner of the Wachovia Championship finished under par.
Tom Sorensen | The other rookies came to Charlotte in an airplane. Tight end Chris Conklin arrived in a Jeep Grand Cherokee with about 62,000 miles on the odometer, few of them from the drive to Bank of America Stadium. Comment?
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You and I know what we'd do if we had a family emergency. We'd quit our jobs and go home. Easy decision, don't you think? Comment?
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The purpose of Starbucks should not be a surprise, not in 2008. Starbucks began in Seattle. Starbucks is now in every neighborhood in every state. Starbucks sells coffee.
TOM SORENSEN: When the Charlotte Bobcats get one wrong, I write about it. When they get one right, I need to write about it, too.
You can't win a draft. But Carolina general manager Marty Hurney and coach John Fox sure tried. They gave up a first-round pick in 2009 for a first-round pick Saturday. Comment?
» POLLS: Stewart? | Otah?
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Little went right for the Charlotte Bobcats before the recent public relations debacle and nothing has gone right for them since. Owner Bob Johnson's remarks to this newspaper, in which he blamed Charlotte's business community for his failure to sell suites and tickets, alienated a city that has never been crazy about him.
Tom Sorensen | The Carolina Panthers are going to select an offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL draft. I don't know this. Nobody knows. The Panthers don't know. But I feel it. Comment?
» BLOG: Rucker's farewell: As classy as it gets
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The North Carolina basketball players walked out of the Alamodome Saturday night crushed. They believed they were the best team in college basketball and were going to win the national championship. They never came close. Kansas handled them. Comment?
