That daggum tie!

Found this poignant photo over at Brahsome, who apparently got it from The Sporting Blog, who apparently was provided it by Mister Irrelevant.  I'm not sure about all that, Frumpsters, you'll have to untangle that mysterious web of networking for yourselves, but, given the quality of those respective sites, it should be fun and informative.  Who knows, you may even find a new site to frequent/bookmark/ subscribe to.  My guess is you will.

Anyway, this pic and the Heels' surprisingly lopsided loss to Kansas last night inspired me to vent about something that's haunted me for years:  Roy Williams' wardrobe.  That tie in particular...

As some of you may know by now, I had the Heels in a Mortal (play-money) Lock to best the Jayhawks last night.  Lost that one obviously, and rather embarrasingly at that.  I know this may sound strange, but I blame Williams' tie.  Not the man himself, not the team, but the tie.  As soon as I saw it pregame, I shuddered.  It was a sign, and, of course, it's just that aesthetically disturbing. 

Despite being utterly devoid of even a remote link to North Carolina basketball, Ol' Roy wears that thing ALL THE TIME.  It's infamous even amongst the Carolina faithful.  Any mojo it had, which I have to presume was very little, had obviously worn off.  Come on, Roy, let's be honest, the thing is probably best described as an "Austrailian's nightmare", and yet you just can't resist.  Well, it cost you, and the Heels, last night.

Perhaps the biggest slap in the face, though, is the fact that Williams had the balls to wear it not once, but TWICE during the Tournament.  That's right, he wore it in the Heels' opener against Mount St. Marys.  Wearing the same tie over a 5 game stretch is one thing; wearing that particular tie over such a span displays a level of insolence rarely found outside the Tar Heel basketball family.  If only I'd seen it coming.

A final point worth notiing is one I probably wouldn't have picked up on without the help of Brahsome's keen powers of observation.  They point out that Williams' neck piece was tied particularly tight last night.  So tight that, at least in the above shot, it appears the tie may actually be cutting off oxygen to Roy's brain.  Seriously, the right side of Williams' neck looks partially collapsed by the pressure. 

Naturally, Frumpzilla is forced to suggest the obvious:  Roy Williams unwittingly allowed Bill Self, under the guise of a pregame good-will exchange, to tie him "a special knot" Self had been using over the last 8 years or so of his coaching career.  I guess Roy didn't see it coming either...