Pacers Brawl

The cold reality of what happened Friday night in Detroit has hit me. For the record, Ron Artest has been suspended for the balance of the season, Jermaine was hit with a 25 game suspension, Stephen Jackson got 30 games and Anthony Johnson got 6. Reggie got one game for coming out onto the court. Detroits’ Ben Wallace was hit with a paltry 6 game suspension. What a fucking joke!

Okay, I get the Pacer suspensions. I really do. Sure I think they are harsh, but these guys have to know better. What galls me is that the Pistons are basically off the hook for this. Wallace knew damn well what he was doing and yet he is given a lousy 6 gamer. That thug provoked RA just trying to get a rise out of him. When he didn’t he got mad and continued his provocation. This incited the crowd and the near-riot situation that ensued.

Before I go any further let me say that I do not condone, in any way, shape or form, what Ron did. He is supposed to be a professional and he should know better than to go into the stands. Especially knowing his history. But the reality is that anyone would have probably done the same thing if they had just been hit by a beer and a bottle.

Where does this organization go from here? The season is essentially over. RA has proven time and time again that he simply can not be counted on. I won’t go so far as to label him a cancer, but he just seems to lose his mind at the most inopportune times. I don’t know what the rules are, but I wish RA would just go away.

As for the Pistons, I just can’t believe how easy they are getting off on this. They had no security, they have out of control players and yet they get basically a slap on the wrist. If I was a conspiracy theorist I’d be all over this fiasco. Anyway it should be easy to get Pacer tickets, cheap for a while.
I am a little embarrassed by the Pacer’s actions the other night. Again, I think anyone would have done what RA did, but this organization has always carried itself with a degree of class and dignity. That all went away Friday night. And while I appreciate the contributions of Stephen Jackson, I doubt if he is going to turn into the player we embrace here in Indy.

Sponsor Woes

GM announced today that they would stop their support of the IRL as an engine manufacturer at the end of the 2005 season. GM, who is one of the original engine providers with the Aurora, is citing a lack of interest in the series as their main reason to get out. GM, along with Cosworth who was brought on board last season, has made this decision after looking at race attendance and TV ratings and simply do not see the IRL being a good enough product to support. Also today MBNA, title sponsor of the MBNA Pole Award, announced it will only sponsor the pole award at Indianapolis starting next season. Sponsors come and go. Probably more so in auto racing than any other sport. But, is the loss of an engine supplier and one of the biggest race weekend prize providers anything but the bad sign it appears to be? My "friends" over on the message boards have tried to spin this in a positive light. They say that each achieved what they wanted with the IRL and that they have decided to move on. Face it assholes, the IRL is a corporate joke and FTRG is a fool. This series had failed over and over trying to get legitimate sponsorship for a series that boasts great racing. It's product is sound, its management is garbage. I find it beyond belief how anyone can say the IRL is a success and that the moves announced today are positives. Lost sponsors, lost teams, engine leases, road courses and a diminished Indianapolis 500 have just about killed it all for me. I used to love Indy. Now it has been reduced. It is no longer the marquee event. It is just a race and soon to be a race with one less engine. Wake up people! FTRG is leading you down the primrose path and you are all going to have to drink the kool-aid. I predict the end of the IRL within 2 years.