Deregulator: Alive since '85!

First sports post in awhile I've been quiet, particularly about the Tar Heels because a) I'm just superstitious enough to not want to jinx them and 2) I have a fractured wrist, dammit. Anywho, if Roy Williams is not selected national coach of the year, I'd hate to be one of the no voters. Imagine the e-mails. From my understanding, no D1 team has ever lost its entire starting five (let alone those guys and its top two bench players), and yet the defending nationl champs have been ranked 10 of the past 12 weeks and could finish second in the ACC. This, on a team that starts two freshmen and two former walk-ons, and plays a 6'-6" guy at power forward ... and is getting nearly 9 more rebounds than their opponents per game. They turn the ball over too much, they can get smoked by teams with super-quick guards, and some games they can't hit jump shots. Even so, Roy has been more than us life-member alums could have asked for as a coach, recruiter, teacher, and stew...

Update I have a plate and several screws in my left wrist. The pain has been negligible, thanks to rest, ice, elevation and excellent meds. The test comes Monday, when I return to work. I'll have to type with one hand for a week. But if all's well, on the 28th I will be fitted with a removable splint and will regain limited use of my dominant hand -- with full recovery expected in five or six weeks. High marks to everyone involved in this procedure. Speaking of high marks ... check out the weekly column by Rocky Mountain News Publisher John Temple on reaction to our decision to publish a host of offensive cartoons last Sunday, along with a pro/con about the role of the press. (Check the Islamic cartoons link here .) The encouraging news: Most readers cheered the move. Meantime, The Washington Post gives Danish editor Flemming Rose his say . Tom Paine and Patrick Henry would be proud.