Greenville eats

Chicago Sun-Times travel reporter Dave Hoekstra wrote a nice story about our fair Greenville, which the sub-headline describes as a "food-tastic" city.
I agree.
Of our beautiful downtown, Hoekstra writes, "This is the best American downtown redevelopment I have seen since the San Antonio River Walk."
Come visit. We'll show it to you.

'We All Wanna Be Prince'

Can't believe my wife out-scooped me on this cool song by Felix Da Housecat. Most all of the lyrics come from Prince songs.
Careful! Put the kids to bed before watching.

Felix Da Housecat - We All Wanna Be Prince

Everything's Good Ugly is here

Can You Dig It? friend Che Grand's debut full-length album is out now on iTunes and Amazon.

If you like the hip-hop music, you would be well served buying this album from a truly great independent artist. If you just want a taste, check out the tracks "Swing," "Crash," "Girls Talk" and "Gold Chains (Part Deux)."

For a refresher, check out the interview Che did with Can You Dig It? last year.

While you're at it, don't forget Can You Dig It?'s other crew, Tanya Morgan, and their second album, Brooklynati. Another classic.

Panthers training camp

For years I've been wanting to go check out the Carolina Panthers at their training camp a half hour up the road in Spartanburg, but never made it.
I've been to plenty of football practices, both as a player (don't laugh, it's true) and a reporter, so I know what it smells like.
But even that couldn't keep me away today. I decided to spend my last morning on the unemployment rolls with the Panthers and it was pretty cool. I took my crappy little camera and got a few good shots, but the best part was my "conversation" with the best receiver in the NFL, Steve Smith.
Apparently, it was a surprise that he was even out on the field today after he was injured last week.
I'll tell the story now because I know over the years it will grow into an epic tale of how I taught Steve Smith how to juke a defender over a three-piece Bojangles combo meal.
My friend Mike and I were at the fence around the sideline when Smith came over right in front of us to grab a bottle of Gatorade. Everyone around us was quiet as he drank about half of it and dumped the rest on the ground.
My inner smart ass took over and I said, "Hey, Steve, c'mon we're thirsty here."
He looked at me and said, "What?"
"It's hot. How 'bout a Gatorade?"
He looked at my University of South Carolina T-shirt and said, "Not with that Gamecocks shirt on."
I stood there with a dumb look on my face.
"Nah, I'm just kidding," he said.
Whew.
So, no Gatorade, but Mike reminded me later that I did sort of get an apology from him. Last year, Smith had to apologize for punching one of his teammates and breaking his nose at training camp, so I was glad to get out of there with just a dumb look on my face.
Here are the pix, including Smith and the offending Gatorade:

Summer Concert Series: Let's Work

The final edition of Can You Dig It?'s summer concert series celebrates my new job.

The crazy crazies are ramping up their crazy

I find it interesting that the not-so-rad radical right has latched on to health care reform as the big battle worthy of all the Hitler comparisons. What kind of interest do they have in protecting that industry? I doubt the dude who scribbled the Hitler mustache on the President's picture is a doctor or a pharmaceutical rep. More likely, he's probably a guy who's going to benefit from a national health plan when his Kodiak habit finally catches up with him and puts a hole in his lip.
Unfortunately, people who don't know any better (former Alaskan governors, members of congress and talk show hosts) are fanning the flames because the only thing that keeps them in the news is saying wild stuff about the President.



Rachel Maddow catalogs the nutters and their death threats



Some whack job rips a lady's poster of Rosa Parks before she can show it to a reporter, the lady retaliates, then gets escorted out.

Publicity tour

The promotional blitz for my first book, "The Best of Can You Dig It? Volume I," continues Monday with a 7:30 a.m. appearance on "The Doghouse" morning show on WPCC Sports Radio 1410. I'll go head-to-head with the members of Rhonda's Book Club, who supposedly read the book. Listen to it live here: WPCC 1410.
Yesterday, my staffers launched the social media portion of the campaign with the development of one of those crazy Facebook quizzes. You answer a few pointed questions and the little people who live in your computer calculate the score to determine which "The Best of Can You Dig It? Volume I" column you are. Play it here: Which "The Best of Can You Dig It? Volume I" Column Are You?
Monday at 7:00 p.m., the radio station hosts my first-ever book signing at Presbyterian College's new bookstore, My Friend's Bookstore, on Musgrove Street in beautiful downtown Clinton. Come meet me and get your book personalized with my greasy fingerprints. My advance team is reporting a throng of fans is already camped outside, with some even dressed up as characters from their favorite columns -- lots of bearded dudes in orange shoelaces and, for some reason, Chewbaccas.
Letterman has to be next.
So, what are you waiting for? Get the book my grandmothers are calling "just wonderful" by clicking the link on the upper right hand of the page.