A Five-Part Weekend Sports Planner

A five-part planner for your sports weekend while waiting for winter to say hello:

1. A Dash of Curry

The Charlotte Bobcats are at Golden State tonight where they'll square off against the Warriors and rookie Stephen Curry, who's made himself right at home in the NBA. It won't have the same feeling as when Curry and his teammates visit Charlotte later this season but considering how little the local audience has seen of Curry since he's been in the NBA, tonight's a chance to get a good look at him and the Bobcats.

2. Almost Football

The NFL, which does so many things well, insists on playing the Pro Bowl despite the fact no one cares, especially the players. It happens Sunday night in Miami and while it's a nice honor for players who earn their spots, the game is unnecessary.

The league is hoping that by playing it a week before the Super Bowl it will create more interest. Instead, the Colts and Saints players who qualified can't play and a lot of other big names such as Tom Brady and Brett Favre have politely declined to play, citing various injuries.

For Panthers Julius Peppers, DeAngelo Williams and Ryan Kalil, it's a well-deserved recognition of their good seasons.

3. The Dangerous Part

After taking down No. 15 Temple on Wednesday night and earning a bit of national attention, the Charlotte 49ers play at Massachusetts on Saturday in what can be considered a trap game.

The Niners are on a nice roll and the trip to UMass is one of those games Charlotte is expected to win. But coming off an emotional win and playing on the road against a team looking for a big win is a dangerous combination.

4. A March Preview

In the middle of conference play, Duke steps outside Saturday to play at Georgetown in a game that should give us a taste of things to come in March. It's the kind of game we see often early in the season but happens infrequently once teams get into league play.

On Sunday night, North Carolina hosts Virginia in a game that coudl tell us a lot about both teams. There was reason for optimism around Chapel Hill after the win over N.C. State but no one's getting carried away just yet. As for Virginia, the Cavaliers are still around the top of the ACC standings but that may be a function of their early schedule as much as anything. Sunday night will answer more questions.

5. Enjoy The Weather

Okay, so maybe it's a lousy weekend for golf or tennis but if we get the predicted mess of winter stuff, just let it happen -- as if you can do anything about it anyway.

But enough with the jokes about running to the grocery store for bread and milk. Those are so tired.

You may want to stock up on beer and chips, though.