Hidden camera might lead to a YouTube sensation ... maybe

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 4, 2015 11:34 PM

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If you want to meet someone who bleeds "Carolina Blue," come meet my dad.

He loves the Tar Heels.

No.

He ADORES the Tar Heels.

But it's a love-hate relationship that oftentimes becomes hilarious.

One afternoon, dad watched North Carolina play Davidson and despite warnings from my mom about his blood pressure, he stayed agitated with how UNC looked on the court.

My phone rings.

"Hey mom," I answer.

"Rudy, you need to talk to your dad," mom says.

"What's going on?" I ask.

Mom, in an exasperated tone, tells me that dad is laying on the couch and fussing about the players one minute, and then the referees the next.

She hands the phone to dad.

"Hello," he says in a gruff tone.

"What's up pop? Mom says you are watching the game," I said.

"Yeah, I am. They couldn't throw the ball in the ocean if they were standing in the middle of it," he said.

OK.

I had heard that one before.

But the next comment literally caught me off guard and I had to envision it for a moment.

"They couldn't hit a bear in the (bleep) with a bass fiddle," he added.

First, who would want to be anywhere near a bear? Second, who -- in their right mind -- would want to hit a bear with anything that would cause him to get angry and chase you down for HIS dinner?

So, I just listened to dad blow off some steam.

We talked about the game. He grew silent once UNC finally started to hit some shots and clamped down on defense. He even kept his cool when the Tar Heels committed a couple of turnovers.

"You going to be OK now?" I ask.

"Yeah, I guess I'm all right," dad said.

I hung up.

Poor mom. She's not really a sports fan and can't tell you the difference between a touchdown in football or a field goal in basketball. She sits in silence and works in either her word-find book or reads.

God bless her.

Later that evening, the phone rings.

"Hey mom, what's going on now?" I ask.

She tells me that when dad got off of the phone with me, he walked into the bedroom and grabbed his transistor radio -- yes, transistor radios still exist.

Dad plugged in his earphones, turned on his TV to watch the game and muted the announcers. She checked on him a time or two, and then he eventually appeared in the living room.

"Did Carolina win?" mom asked.

"Yeah," dad said.

"You don't look happy about it," mom said.

"I'm OK. Let's go eat," dad said.

I laughed, told mom I loved both of them and hung up the phone. I sat on my sofa and thought to myself just wait until Carolina plays again.

It just may be worth the price of admission to put a hidden camera in the living room one of these days.