F1
Yesterday I wrote about the changes FIA president Max Mosley has introduced for the future of F1. I was a tad remiss in that I did not write that Mosley's plans are an effort to drastically cut costs in F1 racing. Certainly his intentions are noble and frankly, necessary for the long term health of the sport. If you look around at the team owners and principals you notice it is not a group of young men. Rather it is older guys who may be nearing retirement age. And look at the companies involved with F1 racing. Ferrari, BMW, Daimler-Chrysler (Mercedes), Ford, Renault and Cosworth. These are companies with deep pockets, but in a world economy that is still coming out of the 90's hangover, these guys are not really willing to up their ante's any more than what they are currently.
Ferrari has a reputation in the world beyond F1, but since they limit the number of cars they sell they are limited on budget even though they are part of the Italian government. Daimler-Chrysler is under extreme pressure from stockholders to turn a profit and pouring more and more money into racing at this level is not cost effective. And go right down the line and the story is the same.
Next week the teams are meeting in Monaco to discuss the future. One thing is for sure, unless changes are made the circus may get shut down.
And people think IRL has problems.
IRL
Day one of ROP is over. Larry Foyt was just as happy as a clam when he was finished. I'm going to try to go out tomorrow during lunch if anyone is interested. The IRL is conducting an open practice Wednesday and Thursday. Yesterday, Foyt, Ed Carpenter, Mark Taylor, Kosuke Matsuura, Luis Diaz, Marty Roth and Jeff Simmons also took part in the ROP yesterday. Simmons and Roth will still need to complete their programs when the track opens May 9th.
Local boob Robin Miller floated what he called a "rumor" in his online column on Friday that TG was going to cut the 500 down to a one weekend event because he wanted to have another IRL race in May. Miller is filled with so much hate towards the Speedway it just clouds his vision.
First of all, no one would ever let RM in on any secret. Ever. Second, if he did hear it, it was because someone wanted to make him look bad. But as usual, he does have his faithful followers who eat up his word as if it were the Gospel truth.
That radio show him, Dave Scoggins and Jay Baker do is just pathetic. Piss poor attempts at humor, constant stabs at the IRL while trying to make it sound as though they are sympathetic to the open wheel cause and a lot of F1 news that is both untimely and usually inaccurate. Keep trying boys, maybe OWRS will actually finish the season.
NASCAR
In what is one of the biggest surprises to me is that NASCAR is NOT contemplating fining Junior for the fans reaction to Jeff Gordon's win on Sunday.
Tony Stewart, however has been squarely in NASCAR's sights since Sunday. The moron of the year was involved in two accidents on the track for which he took no responsibility. But NASCAR is considering disciplinary action against the blockhead for an incident after the race. Stewart, slowed with the rest of the pack as they took the checkered flag under the caution, decided to turn left directly onto pit lane (the wrong direction) instead of taking the usual lap around. Of course the boob claimed it was because of the debris being tossed onto the course after the race. Stewart rammed into Terry Labonte demolishing his car. Stewart, no stranger to idiocy, will probably be fined and put on probation. This turd needs to be suspended for a season until he proves he is fit to live among human beings.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Monday, April 26, 2004
Buhl Retires
Robbie Buhl announced Friday that he was retiring effective immediately from his position as driver of the Dreyer and Reinbold #24 Purex IRL Indy car. Thank you Robbie!
Those of you who know me, know that I have always rooted for Robbie. I always thought he was a pretty good driver, seemed like a good guy, one who always seemed to have time for autographs, yet time to driver the car.
Unfortunately Robbie fell into the trap so many drivers fall in to. One of car ownership. I'm not knocking owners, but I have maintained forever that you simply cannot both drive and own the car. It just puts too much of a strain on a persons time.
As an owner your time is spent with sponsors and trying to attract new sponsors for your program. You are dealing with team personnel issues as well as trying to strike a balance between being competitive and profitable, lest we forget this is a business. Throwing driver responsibilities on top of all that and it is a recipe for failure. One of the major jobs is going to be neglected. Be it driver or owner side, if you are not 100% on all jobs then there will be no success. Something Robbie has to have seen over the past couple of years.
I don't want to sound like I am picking on Buhl, better drivers than he have failed. Dale Earnhardt found much less success at the wheel once he started DEI and especially when DEI was fielding Cup cars. DW never found any success, Eddie Cheever had very limited success (although an Indy win is a big deal, it was still when the IRL had a bunch of hacks), Adrian Fernandez and even A.J Foyt have had limited success since 1980 being both owner and driver. In fact Foyt is the last one to have any sustained success as a driver owner and that was back in the 70's.
I salute Robbie's decision and hope this will help the team attract new sponsors, generate more money and become competitive. I see today that he has signed Mike to drive for the team. I like this a first step to get back to where the team was when they started. Of course they are still saddled with the Chevy engine, but maybe they can concentrate on more testing as well.
Those of you who know me, know that I have always rooted for Robbie. I always thought he was a pretty good driver, seemed like a good guy, one who always seemed to have time for autographs, yet time to driver the car.
Unfortunately Robbie fell into the trap so many drivers fall in to. One of car ownership. I'm not knocking owners, but I have maintained forever that you simply cannot both drive and own the car. It just puts too much of a strain on a persons time.
As an owner your time is spent with sponsors and trying to attract new sponsors for your program. You are dealing with team personnel issues as well as trying to strike a balance between being competitive and profitable, lest we forget this is a business. Throwing driver responsibilities on top of all that and it is a recipe for failure. One of the major jobs is going to be neglected. Be it driver or owner side, if you are not 100% on all jobs then there will be no success. Something Robbie has to have seen over the past couple of years.
I don't want to sound like I am picking on Buhl, better drivers than he have failed. Dale Earnhardt found much less success at the wheel once he started DEI and especially when DEI was fielding Cup cars. DW never found any success, Eddie Cheever had very limited success (although an Indy win is a big deal, it was still when the IRL had a bunch of hacks), Adrian Fernandez and even A.J Foyt have had limited success since 1980 being both owner and driver. In fact Foyt is the last one to have any sustained success as a driver owner and that was back in the 70's.
I salute Robbie's decision and hope this will help the team attract new sponsors, generate more money and become competitive. I see today that he has signed Mike to drive for the team. I like this a first step to get back to where the team was when they started. Of course they are still saddled with the Chevy engine, but maybe they can concentrate on more testing as well.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Racing
IRL
The teams are all heading for Japan this week for the 2nd Bridgestone Japan Indy 300 at the Twin Motegi track. This race marks the end of the 3.4 liter engine as the rules make a change to the 3.0 liter engine beginning with the Indy 500 in May. This was done as a response to the speeds achieved, coupled with the crashes of Kenny Brack at Texas and Tony Renna’s fatal crash at Indy last year. Hopefully this is not just a knee jerk reaction to a couple of bad crashes and the changes made will greatly enhance the safety of the cars.
So far in testing, the new configuration has been safe and effective. Speeds will probably be down, but as I know from experience, when changes are made it is only a matter of time before they are back up. Good luck to all at Japan.
But the IRL has got to do something about the lapse of time between races. It has been nearly a month since Phoenix and it will be more than a month before Indy. This series is on thin ice as it is. It needs to get some momentum going and keep it. If you only race every month, any excitement from the previous race is long gone. TG has the money, unfortunately his brains are bad news. OWRS will be lucky to make it to raceday. Take advantage of them and build your series the right way. You have to forget about the diehard CART fans. They will never be back. But for us fans who are craving Indy Car racing, waiting a month between races is just too much.
One other note about Indy and the IRL. Someone started a thread last week asking what changes people would make if they owned the Speedway and there were no IRL or OWRS. I found it amazing the boobery of many posters. Many wanted to see the Silver Crown cars out there. Some wanted Trans Am races. All I could say as I read the responses was “Thank God these people do not own the track”.
F1
This is one of those rare times in the F1 season that the teams have three weeks between races. This gives everyone a chance to extend their testing sessions. Couple that with the next race being in Europe and this becomes a real chance to gain some ground on Ferrari. Last week the teams were at Barcelona. BAR was your big winner garnering fastest time in almost every days practice. Of note was Scott Dixon’s return to testing. Scott was fast, just a tick off the veterans, most of the sessions. But Thursday’s rain showed Scott has a long way to go on the rain tyres. Friday brought decent results, but mechanical problems slowed his progress. I still expect him to be in the Williams next year, but I think his stock may have fallen just a bit.
This week the teams are at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. Dixon of course will be in Japan so I don’t think he will run. F1 also announced that new safety regulations could be initiated this season. Allegedly the cars are ‘cornering’ too fast and there are safety concerns. Now depending on who you ask, this is nothing more than a move to slow Ferrari down. When it comes down to it, the owners will never agree on any single plan to “increase safety” in the cars. So the FIA will step in and make a rule.
I do not like rule changes in the middle of the season. I am not happy about Ferrari’s dominance, but that is because I am not a Ferrari fan. I certainly admire the fact that they have come out of the gate as strong as they have and have just killed the competition. More on this later.
The teams are all heading for Japan this week for the 2nd Bridgestone Japan Indy 300 at the Twin Motegi track. This race marks the end of the 3.4 liter engine as the rules make a change to the 3.0 liter engine beginning with the Indy 500 in May. This was done as a response to the speeds achieved, coupled with the crashes of Kenny Brack at Texas and Tony Renna’s fatal crash at Indy last year. Hopefully this is not just a knee jerk reaction to a couple of bad crashes and the changes made will greatly enhance the safety of the cars.
So far in testing, the new configuration has been safe and effective. Speeds will probably be down, but as I know from experience, when changes are made it is only a matter of time before they are back up. Good luck to all at Japan.
But the IRL has got to do something about the lapse of time between races. It has been nearly a month since Phoenix and it will be more than a month before Indy. This series is on thin ice as it is. It needs to get some momentum going and keep it. If you only race every month, any excitement from the previous race is long gone. TG has the money, unfortunately his brains are bad news. OWRS will be lucky to make it to raceday. Take advantage of them and build your series the right way. You have to forget about the diehard CART fans. They will never be back. But for us fans who are craving Indy Car racing, waiting a month between races is just too much.
One other note about Indy and the IRL. Someone started a thread last week asking what changes people would make if they owned the Speedway and there were no IRL or OWRS. I found it amazing the boobery of many posters. Many wanted to see the Silver Crown cars out there. Some wanted Trans Am races. All I could say as I read the responses was “Thank God these people do not own the track”.
F1
This is one of those rare times in the F1 season that the teams have three weeks between races. This gives everyone a chance to extend their testing sessions. Couple that with the next race being in Europe and this becomes a real chance to gain some ground on Ferrari. Last week the teams were at Barcelona. BAR was your big winner garnering fastest time in almost every days practice. Of note was Scott Dixon’s return to testing. Scott was fast, just a tick off the veterans, most of the sessions. But Thursday’s rain showed Scott has a long way to go on the rain tyres. Friday brought decent results, but mechanical problems slowed his progress. I still expect him to be in the Williams next year, but I think his stock may have fallen just a bit.
This week the teams are at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. Dixon of course will be in Japan so I don’t think he will run. F1 also announced that new safety regulations could be initiated this season. Allegedly the cars are ‘cornering’ too fast and there are safety concerns. Now depending on who you ask, this is nothing more than a move to slow Ferrari down. When it comes down to it, the owners will never agree on any single plan to “increase safety” in the cars. So the FIA will step in and make a rule.
I do not like rule changes in the middle of the season. I am not happy about Ferrari’s dominance, but that is because I am not a Ferrari fan. I certainly admire the fact that they have come out of the gate as strong as they have and have just killed the competition. More on this later.
Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Americans
News reports today indicate fighting in the "Sunni Triangle" in Iraq is intense. Once again the reports are that more Americans are dying as a result of the insurgent Shiite resistance. When is enough, enough?
Every day over the course of the past 6 months we hear more reports of our troops dying. And for what? For the freedom of some stone age country that may or may not have had enough rocks to throw at Israel?
I am too young to really remember Vietnam and what brought about our escalated involvement in what was their civil war. But from what I have seen since the fall of Baghdad a year ago, there are just too many similarities.
I would agree that Saddam Hussein had to be taken down. He was a ruthless, killing dictator who ruled with an iron fist with the brutal help of his two sons. What I do not now agree with, nor did a year ago was the method.
First of all, we went in on the basis of eradicating the country of Hussein AND his weapons of mass destruction. As the months rolled by some evidence was found that may have been linked to WMD's, but in fact nothing of any substance has been found.
If we wanted to take down the leader we should have done it covertly using special forces and CIA ops to take care of the problem. But, dumbass Bill Clinton had the CIA and Special Forces so depleted and strung out around the world that I am not sure we could have pulled it off.
Instead, W uses the 911 terrorist attacks to go after Osama bin Laden. Then, after committing all of those troops to Afghanistan, we decide to fry the Iraq fish.
This war is a failure. The only thing I have had proven to me is that the Iraqi people seem split on Hussein. So why are we forcing him out when we have no good reasons other than we don't like him or his human rights record?
It is so obvious that those people do not want us there, and equally obvious that most Americans do not want us there. We lost. There is no shame. I have to believe that W did what he thought was best based on his feelings and intelligence. But there comes a time when the human price becomes too high. That time is now.
Every day over the course of the past 6 months we hear more reports of our troops dying. And for what? For the freedom of some stone age country that may or may not have had enough rocks to throw at Israel?
I am too young to really remember Vietnam and what brought about our escalated involvement in what was their civil war. But from what I have seen since the fall of Baghdad a year ago, there are just too many similarities.
I would agree that Saddam Hussein had to be taken down. He was a ruthless, killing dictator who ruled with an iron fist with the brutal help of his two sons. What I do not now agree with, nor did a year ago was the method.
First of all, we went in on the basis of eradicating the country of Hussein AND his weapons of mass destruction. As the months rolled by some evidence was found that may have been linked to WMD's, but in fact nothing of any substance has been found.
If we wanted to take down the leader we should have done it covertly using special forces and CIA ops to take care of the problem. But, dumbass Bill Clinton had the CIA and Special Forces so depleted and strung out around the world that I am not sure we could have pulled it off.
Instead, W uses the 911 terrorist attacks to go after Osama bin Laden. Then, after committing all of those troops to Afghanistan, we decide to fry the Iraq fish.
This war is a failure. The only thing I have had proven to me is that the Iraqi people seem split on Hussein. So why are we forcing him out when we have no good reasons other than we don't like him or his human rights record?
It is so obvious that those people do not want us there, and equally obvious that most Americans do not want us there. We lost. There is no shame. I have to believe that W did what he thought was best based on his feelings and intelligence. But there comes a time when the human price becomes too high. That time is now.
Thursday, April 1, 2004
How 'Bout Them Pacers?
Congratulations to YOUR Indiana Pacers! 2003-2004 NBA Central Division Champs! I haven't had too much to say about the team this year. It's not because I don't care, it has just gone so smoothly compared to the last couple of seasons under Zeke.
Right now the Pacers have an opportunity to also win 60 games for the first time in franchise history AND can wrap up home court advantage throughout the playoffs with a few more wins.
While this team has battled a few nagging injuries, most have been minor and have not been a major problem. The team, and I am knocking on wood, has not lost three games in a row all season. They have weathered a point guard rotation, games without superstar JO and primadonna extraordinaire Al Harrington and Jonathon Bender as well as a new coaching regime that extended into the front office.
Once again, Donnie Walsh looks like a genius. Well okay, he looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but that is beside the point. He and Larry Legend have put their stamp on this team and while I doubted coach Rick Carlisle's ability, he has been the captain that has kept this crew focused and winning. Something the previous coach could not do.
How will the Pacers do in the playoffs? Who knows. Most national pundits feel they are the only team in the east that can challenge for the championship. Detroit will be tough, Milwaukee , until last night owned us this season. We have no answer for Baron Davis and New Orleans and the Knicks are much improved despite Isaiah Thomas. But bottom line is this team can do it.
Stay tuned as this one could have us wearing the headphones out at the track this May listening to playoff games!
Right now the Pacers have an opportunity to also win 60 games for the first time in franchise history AND can wrap up home court advantage throughout the playoffs with a few more wins.
While this team has battled a few nagging injuries, most have been minor and have not been a major problem. The team, and I am knocking on wood, has not lost three games in a row all season. They have weathered a point guard rotation, games without superstar JO and primadonna extraordinaire Al Harrington and Jonathon Bender as well as a new coaching regime that extended into the front office.
Once again, Donnie Walsh looks like a genius. Well okay, he looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but that is beside the point. He and Larry Legend have put their stamp on this team and while I doubted coach Rick Carlisle's ability, he has been the captain that has kept this crew focused and winning. Something the previous coach could not do.
How will the Pacers do in the playoffs? Who knows. Most national pundits feel they are the only team in the east that can challenge for the championship. Detroit will be tough, Milwaukee , until last night owned us this season. We have no answer for Baron Davis and New Orleans and the Knicks are much improved despite Isaiah Thomas. But bottom line is this team can do it.
Stay tuned as this one could have us wearing the headphones out at the track this May listening to playoff games!
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
F1 News
The Bernie has made some minor changes to the qualifying process for this weekends race at the Sepang circuit. Basically he has put more time between the sessions to give the teams more time to prepare. It's not overnight like last year, but it should help.
In other news, Scott Dixon has been scheduled for two tests with the Williams team. I discussed a couple of days ago the possibility of Dixon making the jump to Williams for next year. It looks like the wheels are in motion to see if he can handle it. Dixon is a fantastic driver who, at only 23 has almost his whole career in front of him. That sounds amazing when you think about how much he has accomplished so far.
In other news, Scott Dixon has been scheduled for two tests with the Williams team. I discussed a couple of days ago the possibility of Dixon making the jump to Williams for next year. It looks like the wheels are in motion to see if he can handle it. Dixon is a fantastic driver who, at only 23 has almost his whole career in front of him. That sounds amazing when you think about how much he has accomplished so far.
Monday, March 15, 2004
March Racing Items
IRL
The IRL scored another victory Friday by attracting car owner Adrian Fernandez into the fold. Fernandez who was already running one car in the IRL will now run another with himself as the driver. If you know me I don’t think much of the owner/driver arrangement but it is good to see Fernandez bring the Tecate and Quaker State money with him.
The bigger tell might be what he said. Fernandez went to the big season opening gala put on by Bridgestone presents the Champcar World Series powered by Ford (or whatever the hell it is) and didn’t like what he saw. So he switched leagues and will be at Phoenix for this weekends race.
And what of the rest of OWRS. Bobby Rahal has already been thinking about switching. He is the car owner of one car in the IRL and is thinking about bringing Michel Jourdain over as well. Apparently the news of Fernandez’s defection to the IRL has made the Mexican sponsors nervous and with Gigante being a Rahal sponsor they may be forced to move to the IRL.
Newman/Haas, one of the real CART and now OWRS stalwarts has tested IRL cars at Phoenix and could be the final nail in the OWRS coffin if they leave.
FTG offered $13.5 million for the CART assets to the bankruptcy court a month and a half ago. Now he might get the assets and spend somewhat less. He doesn’t deserve it because he is an idiot, but he will win by default simply because he has the 500.
NASCAR
Congrats to Junior for his win yesterday at Atlanta. But I gotta tell you, even though it is the fastest of the Cup races, it was boring as hell.
Junior closed the gap on points leader Kennseth as they go to Darlington this week.
F1
Last weeks testing failed to produce any stirring results. McLaren did manage to improve steadily as the week progressed, but Williams and Renault still found themselves struggling.
Now the teams are preparing for this weekends Malaysian Grand Prix. The weather will be hot and as usual, there will be a chance for rain.
Last years winner Kimi Raikkonen will have a tough time defending his win if Australia is any indication. The qualifying controversy from Australia has also been addressed.
Earlier reports said that Bernie would not make any changes until at least Imola. However, crash.net is reporting that Ecclestone has proposed changing back to last years system of a lap on Friday and one on Saturday or eliminating the first round all together. Apparently neither motion had enough support but the issue will be revisited when everyone gets to Sepang.
In other news the battle rages on between Frank Williams and Ralfie boy. Ralfie says he is getting fed up with the lack of response from Williams regarding his contract. Frank Williams for his part has not commented publicly. Reports had surfaced a week or so ago that Ralfie was about to make the jump to Renault for next season. This would leave Williams with no driver and most likely force Jarno Trulli out at Renault. However, given the relationship between Frank Williams and Chip Gannasi don't be surprised if Scott Dixon gets a shot at a Williams seat next year.
As for Renault it looks like they will not change unless Fernando Alonso would make the jump to Ferrari if Michael Schumacher retires.
Rather it seems now that Ralfie is talking to Toyota about next season. This would almost assuredly knock Olivier Panis out of his seat. Ralf sucks and I honestly hope he does not go to Toyota. Frankly I think he is better suited for a Minardi!
And finally, the Bernie has laid down the law with the officials of the track at Imola and the repercussions could affect the future of the Grand Prix of San Marino. The aging facility known as both the Ferrari home track and the track where Ayrton Senna lost his life needs approximately $25 million in upgrades. Ecclestone has told the officials they will not retain the race if the improvements are not approved and made.
San Marino is in the last year of its F1 contract. It's hard to imagine the season not having what amounts to two races in Italy so look for the announcements to be made. San Marino track officials are in discussions with the Italian government to get the money for the improvements. One also has to wonder what Bernie has up his sleeve. With Austria out this year he still has 18 races and a Concorde agreement that calls for a maximum of 16.
The IRL scored another victory Friday by attracting car owner Adrian Fernandez into the fold. Fernandez who was already running one car in the IRL will now run another with himself as the driver. If you know me I don’t think much of the owner/driver arrangement but it is good to see Fernandez bring the Tecate and Quaker State money with him.
The bigger tell might be what he said. Fernandez went to the big season opening gala put on by Bridgestone presents the Champcar World Series powered by Ford (or whatever the hell it is) and didn’t like what he saw. So he switched leagues and will be at Phoenix for this weekends race.
And what of the rest of OWRS. Bobby Rahal has already been thinking about switching. He is the car owner of one car in the IRL and is thinking about bringing Michel Jourdain over as well. Apparently the news of Fernandez’s defection to the IRL has made the Mexican sponsors nervous and with Gigante being a Rahal sponsor they may be forced to move to the IRL.
Newman/Haas, one of the real CART and now OWRS stalwarts has tested IRL cars at Phoenix and could be the final nail in the OWRS coffin if they leave.
FTG offered $13.5 million for the CART assets to the bankruptcy court a month and a half ago. Now he might get the assets and spend somewhat less. He doesn’t deserve it because he is an idiot, but he will win by default simply because he has the 500.
NASCAR
Congrats to Junior for his win yesterday at Atlanta. But I gotta tell you, even though it is the fastest of the Cup races, it was boring as hell.
Junior closed the gap on points leader Kennseth as they go to Darlington this week.
F1
Last weeks testing failed to produce any stirring results. McLaren did manage to improve steadily as the week progressed, but Williams and Renault still found themselves struggling.
Now the teams are preparing for this weekends Malaysian Grand Prix. The weather will be hot and as usual, there will be a chance for rain.
Last years winner Kimi Raikkonen will have a tough time defending his win if Australia is any indication. The qualifying controversy from Australia has also been addressed.
Earlier reports said that Bernie would not make any changes until at least Imola. However, crash.net is reporting that Ecclestone has proposed changing back to last years system of a lap on Friday and one on Saturday or eliminating the first round all together. Apparently neither motion had enough support but the issue will be revisited when everyone gets to Sepang.
In other news the battle rages on between Frank Williams and Ralfie boy. Ralfie says he is getting fed up with the lack of response from Williams regarding his contract. Frank Williams for his part has not commented publicly. Reports had surfaced a week or so ago that Ralfie was about to make the jump to Renault for next season. This would leave Williams with no driver and most likely force Jarno Trulli out at Renault. However, given the relationship between Frank Williams and Chip Gannasi don't be surprised if Scott Dixon gets a shot at a Williams seat next year.
As for Renault it looks like they will not change unless Fernando Alonso would make the jump to Ferrari if Michael Schumacher retires.
Rather it seems now that Ralfie is talking to Toyota about next season. This would almost assuredly knock Olivier Panis out of his seat. Ralf sucks and I honestly hope he does not go to Toyota. Frankly I think he is better suited for a Minardi!
And finally, the Bernie has laid down the law with the officials of the track at Imola and the repercussions could affect the future of the Grand Prix of San Marino. The aging facility known as both the Ferrari home track and the track where Ayrton Senna lost his life needs approximately $25 million in upgrades. Ecclestone has told the officials they will not retain the race if the improvements are not approved and made.
San Marino is in the last year of its F1 contract. It's hard to imagine the season not having what amounts to two races in Italy so look for the announcements to be made. San Marino track officials are in discussions with the Italian government to get the money for the improvements. One also has to wonder what Bernie has up his sleeve. With Austria out this year he still has 18 races and a Concorde agreement that calls for a maximum of 16.
Friday, March 12, 2004
Fire Mike Davis
In about an hour the Hoosiers will be taking on Illinois in what I and most people feel will be their last game of the season. The team stands at 14-14 going into the game. To avoid the first losing season suffered by the Hurryin' Hoosiers since 1969-70 when the team went 7-17 under acting head coach Jerry Oliver, the team has to win today. Frankly, I just don't see it.
Don't get me wrong, I will be more than happy to eat those words tonight! But I have to be realistic. Illinois is playing as well as anyone in the conference right now and is playing up to the level most expected before the season started. Indiana has been God awful!
Yesterday a bunch of no names came on to beat a piss poor Ohio State team. Can we count on Mark Johnson et. al. again today?
Regardless of the outcome, Coach Mike Davis has got to go. Rumors of his dismissal have been spotty. I think most want him gone. But there is always the undertone that the school won't pay another coach to not coach. Poor management of the athletic department may well mean we have to endure another year of Whorf.
The Hoosiers are going to have to win the Big Ten tournament to get to the NCAA, and if they don't they may not be able to even make the NIT. This team has suffered from poor coaching and poor play all season. But the one thing that really has given me the red ass is that Davis has continually called out Bracey Wright, then turned around and let him shoot a hundred times a game, called out the other players as dumb, but doesn't yank them, then turns around and says he is to blame. You can't have it both ways coach. You can't call out the players AND take the blame. It's one or the other.
Davis is an incompetent coach and his dismissal is long overdue. Indiana needs to clean house of anything that was ever connected to Bob Knight. I know his reach is far in college basketball, but that cancer has to be cut out. Knight started taking this program down in 1994. Davis is finishing the job. Now it is time to finish Davis .
Don't get me wrong, I will be more than happy to eat those words tonight! But I have to be realistic. Illinois is playing as well as anyone in the conference right now and is playing up to the level most expected before the season started. Indiana has been God awful!
Yesterday a bunch of no names came on to beat a piss poor Ohio State team. Can we count on Mark Johnson et. al. again today?
Regardless of the outcome, Coach Mike Davis has got to go. Rumors of his dismissal have been spotty. I think most want him gone. But there is always the undertone that the school won't pay another coach to not coach. Poor management of the athletic department may well mean we have to endure another year of Whorf.
The Hoosiers are going to have to win the Big Ten tournament to get to the NCAA, and if they don't they may not be able to even make the NIT. This team has suffered from poor coaching and poor play all season. But the one thing that really has given me the red ass is that Davis has continually called out Bracey Wright, then turned around and let him shoot a hundred times a game, called out the other players as dumb, but doesn't yank them, then turns around and says he is to blame. You can't have it both ways coach. You can't call out the players AND take the blame. It's one or the other.
Davis is an incompetent coach and his dismissal is long overdue. Indiana needs to clean house of anything that was ever connected to Bob Knight. I know his reach is far in college basketball, but that cancer has to be cut out. Knight started taking this program down in 1994. Davis is finishing the job. Now it is time to finish Davis .
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
Indy News
Well that brilliant guy we know as Tony George is at it again. He says he is considering shortening the month of May even further and possibly reducing the field for the 500.
He says he is concerned that their is a lack of quality cars at the back of the fields and he wants to reduce that. Well dipshit, how about if you go out and find some sponsors and some drivers and teams and bulk up your series.
This dolt says it is the economy and that even NASCAR is suffering. Well who gives a shit about NASCAR. I swear every time that moron opens his mouth he just makes a bigger fool of himself. Why don't he just shut the hell up?!
He says he is concerned that their is a lack of quality cars at the back of the fields and he wants to reduce that. Well dipshit, how about if you go out and find some sponsors and some drivers and teams and bulk up your series.
This dolt says it is the economy and that even NASCAR is suffering. Well who gives a shit about NASCAR. I swear every time that moron opens his mouth he just makes a bigger fool of himself. Why don't he just shut the hell up?!
Australian Grand Prix Wrap
One down, 17 to go for the F1 boys. Unfortunately, it looks like if you are not Rubens or Michael Schumacher it is going to be a long season. Ferrari simply dominated the weekend at Melbourne.
Taking fast times in all of the practices and the front row in qualifying they backed it up with an impressive 1-2 finish in the Australian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso managed to grab the final podium position. Ralfie was fourth and Juan fifth.
The biggest story other than the Scuderia domination was probably the outcry over the qualifying procedure. Nearly every team complained of the new rules and even Bernie himself thinks a change may have to take place to keep viewers. Most were unhappy about the fact they had to run two laps in 90 minutes and the first one really didn’t count and no changes could be made. However the Bernie has decided there will be no change until at least the fourth race at Imola.
So now it is back to the drawing board for everyone except Ferrari. Williams was never a factor, Renault probably had as good of a day as they could expect with their 3rd and seventh place finishes. Takuma Sato and Jensen Button brought the BAR’s home in ninth and sixth respectively, which should have made them happy. Coulthard was eighth and has been crying like a little baby since the weekend over the lack of car he perceives to have. His team mate Raikkonen failed to finish and ended up dead last.
No teams lost both of their cars in the race, although Minardi’s team of Baumgartner and Gimmi Bruni were close as Baumgartner went out and Bruni was down 15 laps after long delays in the pits.
Frankly it was a crappy race. Juan got punted early trying to hold of Alonso and with that the Ferrari’s took off. Next it is off to Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian Grand Prix. It’s a fast track with three slow corners.
Temperatures are usually high and could play a part in engine reliability. However, unless the teams can figure out how to match Ferrari’s pace, it is going to be a long season.
Taking fast times in all of the practices and the front row in qualifying they backed it up with an impressive 1-2 finish in the Australian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso managed to grab the final podium position. Ralfie was fourth and Juan fifth.
The biggest story other than the Scuderia domination was probably the outcry over the qualifying procedure. Nearly every team complained of the new rules and even Bernie himself thinks a change may have to take place to keep viewers. Most were unhappy about the fact they had to run two laps in 90 minutes and the first one really didn’t count and no changes could be made. However the Bernie has decided there will be no change until at least the fourth race at Imola.
So now it is back to the drawing board for everyone except Ferrari. Williams was never a factor, Renault probably had as good of a day as they could expect with their 3rd and seventh place finishes. Takuma Sato and Jensen Button brought the BAR’s home in ninth and sixth respectively, which should have made them happy. Coulthard was eighth and has been crying like a little baby since the weekend over the lack of car he perceives to have. His team mate Raikkonen failed to finish and ended up dead last.
No teams lost both of their cars in the race, although Minardi’s team of Baumgartner and Gimmi Bruni were close as Baumgartner went out and Bruni was down 15 laps after long delays in the pits.
Frankly it was a crappy race. Juan got punted early trying to hold of Alonso and with that the Ferrari’s took off. Next it is off to Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian Grand Prix. It’s a fast track with three slow corners.
Temperatures are usually high and could play a part in engine reliability. However, unless the teams can figure out how to match Ferrari’s pace, it is going to be a long season.
Friday, March 5, 2004
2004 F1 Season Preview
All the previews are in and it is time to go racing for the F1 boys! Starting this weekend in Melbourne, new team configurations, rules and cars will be pushed to the limit to give an early glimpse into how the 2004 FIA World Championship will shake out.
While next year will offer the most intriguing driver changes, the fact that some of those changes are already known could play a part in this seasons action. Williams may actually feature two lame duck drivers if Ralfie boy doesn’t get his contract with Frank Williams worked out. David Coulthard will be departing McLaren after the season and I don’t see him taking a second class ride so I think he will retire. And what of Michael Schumacher? At age 35 he is old by F1 driver standards but he doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. Will he retire at the end of the season? I doubt it, but if he wins the title he just might.
Elsewhere, only Renault seems set with its lineup for the foreseeable future. A change the fans will notice is the weekend schedule. Last year’s Friday morning (Thursday at Monaco) practice is gone. Some of the teams at the back of the grid who gained experience with those sessions will suffer this loss the most. There will be two one-hour sessions on Friday in which all teams except the top 4 from last season will be able to run three cars. In fact, that third car can sport alternate livery of the team Saturday will feature 2 45 minute practice sessions followed by 2 qualifying sessions.
The qualifying sessions will follow last years guidelines i.e. one lap per car in the first session and those times will determine the order of the second session which will also be one lap. The other big weekend change is the “one engine” rule. If a driver ruins an engine prior to qualifying he will be charged 10 positions on the starting grid for a replacement. If it happens in qualifying or after, he will have to start at the rear of the grid.
Also, launch control and automatic transmissions have been outlawed this year.
Finally, the season has been changed. Despite the Concorde Agreement’s mandate of a maximum of 16 races, this season will feature 18 races with new stops at Bahrain and in China. The Canadian stop, originally thought to be gone was reinstated as was Belgium after a one year hiatus. The US race has been moved to June and the Brazil race is now the season ender.
So what does it all mean? Are we going to have any surprises this season? My thoughts are this: Unfortunately I don’t see any team beating Ferrari for the championship. And having said that it is tough to pick against Schumacher to win his seventh title. Honestly I don’t think Juan will have much incentive to get his team the title although he sounds like he is focused and ready to do the job. Ralfie sucks and wouldn’t win against me. Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard are a little more intriguing. Raikkonen was only 2 points back at the end of the season last year and you know he wants to get a title this year to lord over Juan when he gets there next year. And Coulthard wants to show the team they are making a mistake by letting him go. Unfortunately theirs may come down to a car issue. The McLaren is always a thing of beauty, but the Mercedes engine winds so high. It has been detuned to help it last the weekend, but at what cost? Renault will have a say so in some races, but I don’t feel they are ready yet to challenge for the constructors or drivers titles.
Here are my predictions for the 2004 season… World Champion – Michael Schumacher Runner up – Juan Montoya Third – Rubens Barichello Constructor Champion – Ferrari Runner up - Williams – BMW Third – Renault Fourth – McLaren-Mercedes Fifth – BAR – Honda Sixth – Toyota Seventh – Sauber Eighth – Jordan Ninth – Jaguar Tenth - Minardi Enjoy the season, stay tuned for more and I’ll see you at Indy in June!
While next year will offer the most intriguing driver changes, the fact that some of those changes are already known could play a part in this seasons action. Williams may actually feature two lame duck drivers if Ralfie boy doesn’t get his contract with Frank Williams worked out. David Coulthard will be departing McLaren after the season and I don’t see him taking a second class ride so I think he will retire. And what of Michael Schumacher? At age 35 he is old by F1 driver standards but he doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. Will he retire at the end of the season? I doubt it, but if he wins the title he just might.
Elsewhere, only Renault seems set with its lineup for the foreseeable future. A change the fans will notice is the weekend schedule. Last year’s Friday morning (Thursday at Monaco) practice is gone. Some of the teams at the back of the grid who gained experience with those sessions will suffer this loss the most. There will be two one-hour sessions on Friday in which all teams except the top 4 from last season will be able to run three cars. In fact, that third car can sport alternate livery of the team Saturday will feature 2 45 minute practice sessions followed by 2 qualifying sessions.
The qualifying sessions will follow last years guidelines i.e. one lap per car in the first session and those times will determine the order of the second session which will also be one lap. The other big weekend change is the “one engine” rule. If a driver ruins an engine prior to qualifying he will be charged 10 positions on the starting grid for a replacement. If it happens in qualifying or after, he will have to start at the rear of the grid.
Also, launch control and automatic transmissions have been outlawed this year.
Finally, the season has been changed. Despite the Concorde Agreement’s mandate of a maximum of 16 races, this season will feature 18 races with new stops at Bahrain and in China. The Canadian stop, originally thought to be gone was reinstated as was Belgium after a one year hiatus. The US race has been moved to June and the Brazil race is now the season ender.
So what does it all mean? Are we going to have any surprises this season? My thoughts are this: Unfortunately I don’t see any team beating Ferrari for the championship. And having said that it is tough to pick against Schumacher to win his seventh title. Honestly I don’t think Juan will have much incentive to get his team the title although he sounds like he is focused and ready to do the job. Ralfie sucks and wouldn’t win against me. Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard are a little more intriguing. Raikkonen was only 2 points back at the end of the season last year and you know he wants to get a title this year to lord over Juan when he gets there next year. And Coulthard wants to show the team they are making a mistake by letting him go. Unfortunately theirs may come down to a car issue. The McLaren is always a thing of beauty, but the Mercedes engine winds so high. It has been detuned to help it last the weekend, but at what cost? Renault will have a say so in some races, but I don’t feel they are ready yet to challenge for the constructors or drivers titles.
Here are my predictions for the 2004 season… World Champion – Michael Schumacher Runner up – Juan Montoya Third – Rubens Barichello Constructor Champion – Ferrari Runner up - Williams – BMW Third – Renault Fourth – McLaren-Mercedes Fifth – BAR – Honda Sixth – Toyota Seventh – Sauber Eighth – Jordan Ninth – Jaguar Tenth - Minardi Enjoy the season, stay tuned for more and I’ll see you at Indy in June!
Monday, March 1, 2004
2004 IRL Season Opener
Congrats to Sam Hornish Jr. for his win in yesterday’s IRL season opener at Homestead. Sam waged a great battle with Julio before taking the lead on the last lap in his first race as Julio’s team mate and collecting $115,800. Dan Weldon, Tora Takagi and Tomas Scheckter rounded out the top 5.
Once again the margin of victory was well under a second. There were 15 lead changes among 8 drivers. Robbie Buhl managed to come home in 10th, but for a long time it seemed like he might be a top 5. While watching the race we thought he was doing fine and the next thing you know he was 10th. Apparently the car lost a gear on their last pit stop. Buhl had a pretty good drive. He kept the car on the track and managed to finish on the lead lap. I’ve got to feel that the team will be a little disappointed with the finish, but they should be happy with the overall race and drive.
The real disappointment had to come from Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. Dixon was fighting for the lead with Sam and Julio when the cars started to make green flag pit stops on lap 87. Dixon spun around coming into the pits and made a lot of contact with the pit lane attenuator spraying sand and parts all over the track. 17 laps later Franchitti slammed his racer into the 4th turn wall. Neither Dixon nor Franchitti were hurt in their accidents.
Alex Baron who started 2nd also found the wall on lap 126 and rookie Mark Taylor crashed the Menards car on lap 39. Both Taylor and Baron were uninjured as well.
Some other notable items were Scheckter keeping his car intact, little AJ moving up 4 spots only because of the crashes and having his engine expire 10 laps from the finish and polesitter Buddy Rice coming home 7th. As for Scheckter it is always news when he doesn’t hit anything. AJ might as well give up. Even if AJIV was up to the challenge, the cars aren’t. They are the worst team in the league with no prospects of getting any better anytime soon. They are pathetic.
Crowd wise it looked pretty good on TV. The main stands looked about 95% full and overall it looked like about a 65% turnout. The weather looked great and as usual, the IRL put on a great show for the fans.
Once again the margin of victory was well under a second. There were 15 lead changes among 8 drivers. Robbie Buhl managed to come home in 10th, but for a long time it seemed like he might be a top 5. While watching the race we thought he was doing fine and the next thing you know he was 10th. Apparently the car lost a gear on their last pit stop. Buhl had a pretty good drive. He kept the car on the track and managed to finish on the lead lap. I’ve got to feel that the team will be a little disappointed with the finish, but they should be happy with the overall race and drive.
The real disappointment had to come from Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. Dixon was fighting for the lead with Sam and Julio when the cars started to make green flag pit stops on lap 87. Dixon spun around coming into the pits and made a lot of contact with the pit lane attenuator spraying sand and parts all over the track. 17 laps later Franchitti slammed his racer into the 4th turn wall. Neither Dixon nor Franchitti were hurt in their accidents.
Alex Baron who started 2nd also found the wall on lap 126 and rookie Mark Taylor crashed the Menards car on lap 39. Both Taylor and Baron were uninjured as well.
Some other notable items were Scheckter keeping his car intact, little AJ moving up 4 spots only because of the crashes and having his engine expire 10 laps from the finish and polesitter Buddy Rice coming home 7th. As for Scheckter it is always news when he doesn’t hit anything. AJ might as well give up. Even if AJIV was up to the challenge, the cars aren’t. They are the worst team in the league with no prospects of getting any better anytime soon. They are pathetic.
Crowd wise it looked pretty good on TV. The main stands looked about 95% full and overall it looked like about a 65% turnout. The weather looked great and as usual, the IRL put on a great show for the fans.
Monday, February 16, 2004
Daytona 500 Wrap
I’m sure you all know by now that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the winner of the 46th Dayton 500. You probably know I am pretty freaking happy about it too! Way to go Junior! Well as it turns out Daytona had just about everything we have all become used to seeing with the exception of a mad dash close finish. At the end Junior just had it covered.
He was the fastest car all day and his only competition was Tony Stewart who didn’t have anything for him when it came down to it. Kurt Busch seemed to have a fast car, but seemed reluctant to get involved in the finish since he was a lap down. Greg “Whiffle” Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Scott Wimmer and Kevin Harvick all were strong, but never really strong enough to hold a lead if they got there. Whiffle might have had a chance, but he stepped on his dick and drove into the pits about 100 mph costing his a stop and go penalty and possibly the race.
We had the “Big one”. 12 cars were taken out when some cars got together on the backstretch. Michael Waltrip seemed to take the biggest hits and actually flipped a few times. There were a couple of other incidents, but nothing major. Speaking of Waltrip, he added to what probably amounted to the most exciting, or fun part of the weekend: driver comments.
Waltrip was very critical of the safety crews and their extrication of him from his wrecked racer. Waltrip told the crews he was all right and to turn the car over. It took them 10 minutes to do so and Mikey was not a happy camper. There has been a push, especially amongst the drivers the past couple of years for NASCAR to retain their own safety crews. Waltrips comments will certainly add fuel to that fire.
As usual, Tony Stewart had plenty to say over the weekend. Apparently him and John Andretti were involved in a couple of on track incidents and in an interview while parading around the track yesterday he said he had told Andretti to stay away from his car, that John didn’t think he had done anything wrong and that that is why the Petty’s fired him. Stewarts crew chief Greg Zippadelli had similar comments later in the race. Andretti, as usual, just looked like a deer in the headlights.
So the big one is done, now the reality of a long, grueling season sets in. Can Junior stay up front and stay in the top 10? Probably, but competition will be keen these first few races. One thing of note is that only two driver car combinations did not make the race. That does not bode well for the rest of the season. I will be keeping an eye on that situation as well.
He was the fastest car all day and his only competition was Tony Stewart who didn’t have anything for him when it came down to it. Kurt Busch seemed to have a fast car, but seemed reluctant to get involved in the finish since he was a lap down. Greg “Whiffle” Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Scott Wimmer and Kevin Harvick all were strong, but never really strong enough to hold a lead if they got there. Whiffle might have had a chance, but he stepped on his dick and drove into the pits about 100 mph costing his a stop and go penalty and possibly the race.
We had the “Big one”. 12 cars were taken out when some cars got together on the backstretch. Michael Waltrip seemed to take the biggest hits and actually flipped a few times. There were a couple of other incidents, but nothing major. Speaking of Waltrip, he added to what probably amounted to the most exciting, or fun part of the weekend: driver comments.
Waltrip was very critical of the safety crews and their extrication of him from his wrecked racer. Waltrip told the crews he was all right and to turn the car over. It took them 10 minutes to do so and Mikey was not a happy camper. There has been a push, especially amongst the drivers the past couple of years for NASCAR to retain their own safety crews. Waltrips comments will certainly add fuel to that fire.
As usual, Tony Stewart had plenty to say over the weekend. Apparently him and John Andretti were involved in a couple of on track incidents and in an interview while parading around the track yesterday he said he had told Andretti to stay away from his car, that John didn’t think he had done anything wrong and that that is why the Petty’s fired him. Stewarts crew chief Greg Zippadelli had similar comments later in the race. Andretti, as usual, just looked like a deer in the headlights.
So the big one is done, now the reality of a long, grueling season sets in. Can Junior stay up front and stay in the top 10? Probably, but competition will be keen these first few races. One thing of note is that only two driver car combinations did not make the race. That does not bode well for the rest of the season. I will be keeping an eye on that situation as well.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
2004 Racing Season
This week is Speedweek in Daytona. The closest thing to the Month of May in racing. It is also the Test in the West week for the IRL. Someone mentioned that OWRS had a Spring Training, but I have yet to find any evidence of it. The F1 boys have all been out testing in Spain and Italy and it is shaping up to be one hell of a year.
Even this IRLic is excited about Sunday’s Daytona 500. Daytona always marks the start of the season. Followed by the other leagues, Daytona gets everyone back in the feel. Saturday night Dale Jarrett won the Bud Shootout for last years pole winners and previous Shootout winners. On Sunday, Greg Biffle and Elliot Sadler took the top two spots on the grid in qualifying. Today the Twin 125’s were run. Junior won the first one and will line up third Sunday. Sadler won the second so fourth will be decided by time. Junior is off to a good start with this win. His time Sunday was third best and he is always fast at Daytona. I would really like to see him win Sunday and take the championship. It is his time. Go Junior!
Past that it really is more about who I don’t want to win. Your Tony Stewarts, your Jeff Gordons and even your Kevin Harvicks. I don’t want anyone hurt I just don’t want them to win. I’ll have more on Daytona as the race draws nearer.
The main focus of this blog will be the IRL and everything it entails, including its ongoing battle with OWRS. About a month ago some moron federal judge here in Indy had a chance to put the struggling OWRS out of its misery once and for all. He didn’t do it. So once again this season there will be two leagues. That is if OWRS ever hits the track. Something has to be done. The IRL puts on great shows but other than Indy has shitty attendance. CART/OWRS has nothing anymore. All of their “stars” are in the IRL. They have Paul Tracy as their big fish. Past that they have Bruno Junqueira, Patrick Carpentier, Michel Jourdain Jr. and Alex Tagliani. I like those guys, all right, not Tracy, but geez, talk about a lack of passion or pizzazz for us Americans.
The IRL would have welcomed those guys. Couple that with the fact that the IRL will be in the road course racing business within a year and why keep OWRS around. That judge made a huge mistake. So we all know how I feel about OWRS. It shouldn’t be. That doesn’t mean I won’t watch their tape delayed parades. I just know there is not enough room for OWRS and the IRL and the IRL isn’t going anywhere. But both sides are killing each other. Sponsors are too few and far between to make everyone happy. This is the time to start eating into the 800 pound gorilla that is NASCAR.
They have made some ridiculous point rule changes and have pissed off a lot of people. But no, we just continue with the Open Wheel Civil War. On to the test in the west. Yesterday Julio was fastest in practice at the Phoenix International Raceway. 2003 IRL Champion Scott Dixon was second. Today they practically swapped positions with Dixon fastest and Julio third. Sammy got in there for second today. As of this writing 18 drivers took the track today and turned 1297 laps. That is good, but 18 are not enough. On the other hand, not all teams participated.
In other on track news, Robbie crashed his car. Sounds like it was too bad to be repaired. Once again this team starts the season behind the proverbial eight ball. Robbie has to get out of the car and be an owner or give up owning it and just drive. Not sure why he can’t see that. Other involved in the crash were Tora Takagi (what a surprise) and newcomer Darren Manning. Speaking of Robbie, his sometime former teammate Sarah Fisher signed a deal with Kelley Racing. Details were not confirmed. Got to say she looks pretty cute schlepping’ beers at Johnny O’s.
While NASCAR’s new point system is a joke, the IRL and OWRS both instituted sane changes to their scoring systems. The IRL will give the same amount of points to drivers back in the finishing field in an effort to keep them from racing when they have no chance. OWRS will give the winners more points in an effort to separate the competition, which is what NASCAR should have done.
By the way, earlier I said there had been no details on the OWRS Spring Training. There were reports that 4 of their teams showed up at Sebring. This league will struggle. I heard that OWRS Homer Derek Daly say he thought they would survive, but then what else would that boob say. There’s still room on the IRL bandwagon Derek, come on over. That will do for today. I will cover F1 in greater detail in the next few days especially once we get Daytona behind us.
Even this IRLic is excited about Sunday’s Daytona 500. Daytona always marks the start of the season. Followed by the other leagues, Daytona gets everyone back in the feel. Saturday night Dale Jarrett won the Bud Shootout for last years pole winners and previous Shootout winners. On Sunday, Greg Biffle and Elliot Sadler took the top two spots on the grid in qualifying. Today the Twin 125’s were run. Junior won the first one and will line up third Sunday. Sadler won the second so fourth will be decided by time. Junior is off to a good start with this win. His time Sunday was third best and he is always fast at Daytona. I would really like to see him win Sunday and take the championship. It is his time. Go Junior!
Past that it really is more about who I don’t want to win. Your Tony Stewarts, your Jeff Gordons and even your Kevin Harvicks. I don’t want anyone hurt I just don’t want them to win. I’ll have more on Daytona as the race draws nearer.
The main focus of this blog will be the IRL and everything it entails, including its ongoing battle with OWRS. About a month ago some moron federal judge here in Indy had a chance to put the struggling OWRS out of its misery once and for all. He didn’t do it. So once again this season there will be two leagues. That is if OWRS ever hits the track. Something has to be done. The IRL puts on great shows but other than Indy has shitty attendance. CART/OWRS has nothing anymore. All of their “stars” are in the IRL. They have Paul Tracy as their big fish. Past that they have Bruno Junqueira, Patrick Carpentier, Michel Jourdain Jr. and Alex Tagliani. I like those guys, all right, not Tracy, but geez, talk about a lack of passion or pizzazz for us Americans.
The IRL would have welcomed those guys. Couple that with the fact that the IRL will be in the road course racing business within a year and why keep OWRS around. That judge made a huge mistake. So we all know how I feel about OWRS. It shouldn’t be. That doesn’t mean I won’t watch their tape delayed parades. I just know there is not enough room for OWRS and the IRL and the IRL isn’t going anywhere. But both sides are killing each other. Sponsors are too few and far between to make everyone happy. This is the time to start eating into the 800 pound gorilla that is NASCAR.
They have made some ridiculous point rule changes and have pissed off a lot of people. But no, we just continue with the Open Wheel Civil War. On to the test in the west. Yesterday Julio was fastest in practice at the Phoenix International Raceway. 2003 IRL Champion Scott Dixon was second. Today they practically swapped positions with Dixon fastest and Julio third. Sammy got in there for second today. As of this writing 18 drivers took the track today and turned 1297 laps. That is good, but 18 are not enough. On the other hand, not all teams participated.
In other on track news, Robbie crashed his car. Sounds like it was too bad to be repaired. Once again this team starts the season behind the proverbial eight ball. Robbie has to get out of the car and be an owner or give up owning it and just drive. Not sure why he can’t see that. Other involved in the crash were Tora Takagi (what a surprise) and newcomer Darren Manning. Speaking of Robbie, his sometime former teammate Sarah Fisher signed a deal with Kelley Racing. Details were not confirmed. Got to say she looks pretty cute schlepping’ beers at Johnny O’s.
While NASCAR’s new point system is a joke, the IRL and OWRS both instituted sane changes to their scoring systems. The IRL will give the same amount of points to drivers back in the finishing field in an effort to keep them from racing when they have no chance. OWRS will give the winners more points in an effort to separate the competition, which is what NASCAR should have done.
By the way, earlier I said there had been no details on the OWRS Spring Training. There were reports that 4 of their teams showed up at Sebring. This league will struggle. I heard that OWRS Homer Derek Daly say he thought they would survive, but then what else would that boob say. There’s still room on the IRL bandwagon Derek, come on over. That will do for today. I will cover F1 in greater detail in the next few days especially once we get Daytona behind us.
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
IU Basketball In Shambles
As I was watching the Iowa-Texas Tech game tonight I had a couple of thoughts. Impossible some you might say! But I really did.
First of all, let me say how glad I am that Steve Alford is not the coach at Indiana. I don't think Mike Davis is the right guy, but I am pretty sure Alford isn't either. He has done nothing since coming to Iowa and it looks like his isn't good enough for the big time. I like Steve and admired him greatly for his accomplishments on the court at IU and his philosophy on life, I just think he is in over his head. On the other hand I am also glad Bob Knight is not still the coach. Well just who the hell DO I want? Good question, because to be perfectly honest I don't know.
Here's the deal folks. Bob Knight was a great coach at IU for 23 years. He was a bad coach for 6 years after that. Knight's feud with the school's management drove him to take the program down. Knight would have completed the job had he been allowed to stay. Not that Myles Brand acted properly, but he had to let Knight go. Knight knew it too. He pushed so hard for that firing it was almost like watching a spoiled little kid and a parent. He has been quoted as saying he should have left in 1994. My question is why didn't he? Why did he continue on and tear the program down? Knight is an idiot now in my book. For the first 23 years I, like most Hoosier fans laughed when he got out of hand with his words and actions. But he was winning and he was happy and that made the fans happy.
Starting in 94 he just became surly. You should have left Bob. You were the steward of the program and you let a lot of people down. But I figure you don't care. Your massive ego drove you to it and you never admit mistakes.
Speaking of mistakes, Mike Davis. Davis is a good guy, a guy who cares about the kids, about his kids, about the program, about the school and about the tradition. He seems to be an excellent recruiter, but his bench skills are bad news.
Mike's problem is caring too much. He just can't escape the pressure. He puts it on himself and has no release. This job is killing him. There is no way he will last. He knows the tradition of Indiana basketball and he knows how close he is to turning this team into DePaul or Georgetown.
Teams that were once proud and mighty and now are also rans. Indiana is different. There is a tradition. 5 National Titles, countless Big Ten titles, the mystique. Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas and Indiana. Those are the schools who are synonymous with basketball. (Yes I know about Duke, but they have only done it with one coach). Indiana is dangerously close to being out of that group and something has to be done to stop this slide.
First of all, let me say how glad I am that Steve Alford is not the coach at Indiana. I don't think Mike Davis is the right guy, but I am pretty sure Alford isn't either. He has done nothing since coming to Iowa and it looks like his isn't good enough for the big time. I like Steve and admired him greatly for his accomplishments on the court at IU and his philosophy on life, I just think he is in over his head. On the other hand I am also glad Bob Knight is not still the coach. Well just who the hell DO I want? Good question, because to be perfectly honest I don't know.
Here's the deal folks. Bob Knight was a great coach at IU for 23 years. He was a bad coach for 6 years after that. Knight's feud with the school's management drove him to take the program down. Knight would have completed the job had he been allowed to stay. Not that Myles Brand acted properly, but he had to let Knight go. Knight knew it too. He pushed so hard for that firing it was almost like watching a spoiled little kid and a parent. He has been quoted as saying he should have left in 1994. My question is why didn't he? Why did he continue on and tear the program down? Knight is an idiot now in my book. For the first 23 years I, like most Hoosier fans laughed when he got out of hand with his words and actions. But he was winning and he was happy and that made the fans happy.
Starting in 94 he just became surly. You should have left Bob. You were the steward of the program and you let a lot of people down. But I figure you don't care. Your massive ego drove you to it and you never admit mistakes.
Speaking of mistakes, Mike Davis. Davis is a good guy, a guy who cares about the kids, about his kids, about the program, about the school and about the tradition. He seems to be an excellent recruiter, but his bench skills are bad news.
Mike's problem is caring too much. He just can't escape the pressure. He puts it on himself and has no release. This job is killing him. There is no way he will last. He knows the tradition of Indiana basketball and he knows how close he is to turning this team into DePaul or Georgetown.
Teams that were once proud and mighty and now are also rans. Indiana is different. There is a tradition. 5 National Titles, countless Big Ten titles, the mystique. Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas and Indiana. Those are the schools who are synonymous with basketball. (Yes I know about Duke, but they have only done it with one coach). Indiana is dangerously close to being out of that group and something has to be done to stop this slide.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
A Reply To Ms. Madigan
So there are many who want to see the Colts leave Indianapolis. At least that is what I gather from Beckie Madigan's letter from the Indianapolis Star on October 12, 2003.
I don't know who Ms. Madigan is, nor do I know whom she represents when she says there are "many" who want them to leave. I guess in their minds, if the Colts leave we can build more jails and incarcerate more of our population in what I am sure will be a wildly successful means of stopping crime. Plus, if the Colts leave, we can continue to build great palaces to education and all of our kids will automatically be smart and able to pass their I-Step tests.
For that matter, our air will probably be cleaner, streets will be in better shape and most likely the weather will even improve.
Of course those people who have jobs because of the Colts will just have to suffer, or wait, they can get those high paying jobs that don't exist because we have pro football.
Wake up people. The Colts generate millions of dollars for the local economy. Money that will be gone when they leave. There will be no filling of that void. The money they generate has been going to the CIB and then distributed back to the team and other interests of the CIB. But why bother to look at both sides, when so much is riding on the children.
Face it, money and fancy schools never made one child smarter, only teachers, parents and the children can do that. No amount of prison space will ever be enough. Ever. But since I am sure you never thought about it, take a look at the money the team and its players give to charity and remember, when they leave so does that money.
I don't know who Ms. Madigan is, nor do I know whom she represents when she says there are "many" who want them to leave. I guess in their minds, if the Colts leave we can build more jails and incarcerate more of our population in what I am sure will be a wildly successful means of stopping crime. Plus, if the Colts leave, we can continue to build great palaces to education and all of our kids will automatically be smart and able to pass their I-Step tests.
For that matter, our air will probably be cleaner, streets will be in better shape and most likely the weather will even improve.
Of course those people who have jobs because of the Colts will just have to suffer, or wait, they can get those high paying jobs that don't exist because we have pro football.
Wake up people. The Colts generate millions of dollars for the local economy. Money that will be gone when they leave. There will be no filling of that void. The money they generate has been going to the CIB and then distributed back to the team and other interests of the CIB. But why bother to look at both sides, when so much is riding on the children.
Face it, money and fancy schools never made one child smarter, only teachers, parents and the children can do that. No amount of prison space will ever be enough. Ever. But since I am sure you never thought about it, take a look at the money the team and its players give to charity and remember, when they leave so does that money.
Thursday, August 28, 2003
Sam Hornish Stays in the IRL
Hoo-fucking -ray! The IRL got some great news this week when Sam Hornish Jr. announced he would be joining Penske Team Marlboro on Penske's IRL team. Finally one that didn't get away! The only unfortunate part of the deal is the retirement of Gil deFerran.
Well good luck on your future endeavors Gil! He is getting out while the getting is good. And no one will have to wish Sam good luck. He moves to the head of the class and now has a ride commensurate with his talent! Fuck you NASCAR! Didn't get this one!
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And we bid adieu to Isiah Thomas as coach of the Pacers. I know Jermaine is all pissed off and all but I think when he gets back to town he will see the team is NOW dedicated to getting better. Isiah's coaching moved befuddled me over the past season. Most notably his rotations were so inconsistent. It's good to try new things but regular rotations have been a part of the NBA forever and there is a reason for it. They work! Good luck Isiah, I'm sure you'll end up somewhere in the league, I'm just glad you aren't our head coach any more.
Well good luck on your future endeavors Gil! He is getting out while the getting is good. And no one will have to wish Sam good luck. He moves to the head of the class and now has a ride commensurate with his talent! Fuck you NASCAR! Didn't get this one!
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And we bid adieu to Isiah Thomas as coach of the Pacers. I know Jermaine is all pissed off and all but I think when he gets back to town he will see the team is NOW dedicated to getting better. Isiah's coaching moved befuddled me over the past season. Most notably his rotations were so inconsistent. It's good to try new things but regular rotations have been a part of the NBA forever and there is a reason for it. They work! Good luck Isiah, I'm sure you'll end up somewhere in the league, I'm just glad you aren't our head coach any more.
Monday, May 26, 2003
The 2003 Indianapolis 500
Congrats to Gil and all of Penske for their win at Indy yesterday! But after attending, I felt like the real winner was the fans who were there, in person or spirit because for the first time in a long time, for me at least, it felt like RACE DAY!
From where I sat I could see no “blocks” of empty seats as predicted by the CARToids. The field had the names that were alienated in the split and it was great to have them back. Hopefully Mr. Judd will be able to race next year. But there was something special about race day this year. Sure the previous days of May had rain, no bumping and not a lot of drama. The new rules I feel contributed mostly to that. But for at least one day, the whole thing seemed like the ‘good old days'!
So Tony George, you won. You own the landscape that is open wheel racing in America. Forget about CART. Your aim is to take some of NASCAR's share of fans. But I beg you…It ain't no longer broke, so don't 'fix' it!
From where I sat I could see no “blocks” of empty seats as predicted by the CARToids. The field had the names that were alienated in the split and it was great to have them back. Hopefully Mr. Judd will be able to race next year. But there was something special about race day this year. Sure the previous days of May had rain, no bumping and not a lot of drama. The new rules I feel contributed mostly to that. But for at least one day, the whole thing seemed like the ‘good old days'!
So Tony George, you won. You own the landscape that is open wheel racing in America. Forget about CART. Your aim is to take some of NASCAR's share of fans. But I beg you…It ain't no longer broke, so don't 'fix' it!
Sunday, May 18, 2003
No Bumping at the Speedway
Well here we are a scant 2 days from Bump Day and the word “bumping” is most likely not going to be uttered around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. Instead we are going to be lucky to have 33 starters at all. Gee thanks Tony!
The 500 has been reduced to just another race. It no longer carries any distinction with the possible exception of the largest purse. The field will struggle to fill, tickets at this late date are still available. What a mess.
To make matters really bad is the lie that has been perpetrated on the fans. Seven years ago this IRL thing was supposed to bring the best open wheelers into an all oval, all American series. The only thing that is remaining is that the races are all still on ovals, but one wonders how long that will be true.
The fact is this, Tony Georges' massive ego wouldn't allow him to sit idly by while CART toured the world and garnered fans far and wide. He had to be “the Man”. Well I have news for you, he is too stupid to be “the Man” and he has just about killed the greatest race in the world.
Sure the CART drivers are back and I for one am glad. The ones that are here are the best drivers, or close. But it's the hypocrisy that George and Brian Barnhardt spew that this was all they ever wanted. Bullshit! He tried to make it with a bunch of no name wannabes and ended up with Buddy Lazier as a winner of the 500. I don't know Buddy and he may be a hell of a guy but this was a pud driver who usually ran the 500 only. He couldn't cut it as a driver in CART and any bullshit about money is just that. If he were good enough he would have had a ride.
So all of the side-by-side racing the IRL does at all of its other tracks in front of about 20 fans doesn't mean shit to me. It's fun to watch, but it doesn't diminish the fact that George has lied to all of us for 7 years and his civil war with CART has ruined open wheel racing in America.
The 500 has been reduced to just another race. It no longer carries any distinction with the possible exception of the largest purse. The field will struggle to fill, tickets at this late date are still available. What a mess.
To make matters really bad is the lie that has been perpetrated on the fans. Seven years ago this IRL thing was supposed to bring the best open wheelers into an all oval, all American series. The only thing that is remaining is that the races are all still on ovals, but one wonders how long that will be true.
The fact is this, Tony Georges' massive ego wouldn't allow him to sit idly by while CART toured the world and garnered fans far and wide. He had to be “the Man”. Well I have news for you, he is too stupid to be “the Man” and he has just about killed the greatest race in the world.
Sure the CART drivers are back and I for one am glad. The ones that are here are the best drivers, or close. But it's the hypocrisy that George and Brian Barnhardt spew that this was all they ever wanted. Bullshit! He tried to make it with a bunch of no name wannabes and ended up with Buddy Lazier as a winner of the 500. I don't know Buddy and he may be a hell of a guy but this was a pud driver who usually ran the 500 only. He couldn't cut it as a driver in CART and any bullshit about money is just that. If he were good enough he would have had a ride.
So all of the side-by-side racing the IRL does at all of its other tracks in front of about 20 fans doesn't mean shit to me. It's fun to watch, but it doesn't diminish the fact that George has lied to all of us for 7 years and his civil war with CART has ruined open wheel racing in America.
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Shit For Brains
I have observed some things in the past few weeks that really have me scratching my head. The Colts, of course, are one of them. “Deserving” championships is another.
I'll take these in order. The Colts so far this off season have resigned a kick returner who can't hold on to the ball, have signed NO big name free agents, have let their best linebacker basically leave without compensation and have not renegotiated the one contract that can insure the financial health of the team for several years to come.
The signing of Troy Walters, or rather the resigning baffles. Why in the hell would you keep a guy like this who has shown his ineffectiveness time and time again? He fumbles all the fucking time. Yet, there he is, getting a new contract with the Colts. I don't know of anyone who wanted to keep this boob, but apparently that dumbass Bill Polian wanted him.
As for Mike Peterson, well we just basically let him go. Word from Colts camp is that he just isn't a Tony Dungy type of player. Okay, I can see that. What I can't see is just letting him get away uncompensated. Where is the sense in that?
Peterson and Walters bring me to my Polian point. This guy is ruining the Colts. He is not a player in free agency. He has made enough questionable calls on draft day to negate the Peyton and Edge picks. Now his latest fiascos. I honestly believe Polian knows exactly what the fans want to see and he does the opposite. His incessant ramblings about the lack of fan support or fan knowledge is nothing more that his own self doubt. This guy had a helluva run at Buffalo and Carolina, but we are talking about pre-cap days. He is clueless in the salary cap era.
Bill, if you're going to carp about fan support it might help if you quit gutting the team every other year to show you're in charge. How the hell do we get behind a player if he is replaced every other year? Moron Polian wrecked one of the best lines in the NFL by letting Steve McKinney get away. But instead of admitting error he blames the fans for not being knowledgeable or supportive. This clown has got to go and go NOW.
And what about this so-called superstar quarterback? Peyton's a good guy by all indication and in the scope of the NFL, probably a top 10 QB. Top 5…no freakin' way. If we keep this guy and let him eat up 20% or more of our cap we are doomed. First of all he's not worth it and second, even if he was the second coming of Joe Montana it is a team game. Again Polian seems to be dropping the ball on this one.
The last thing about the Colts is about the attitude the message boards seem to have. Generally opinion on just about every facet is split. People love Peyton, people hate him. Same with Edge, Dungy, Polian, Peterson etc. What I can't abide by is that the team owner should get a free pass with his problems. Today I read that with his personal problems still up in the air, nothing will be resolved about Peyton or any big name free agents. It went on to say that his problems weren't our business. Well hello pal! I got news for you, I will be the one who decides what is and is not my business. I just cut a check for half my season tickets for next year. I now have more than just a passing interest in the team and if his pill problem still exists then he needs to get help or sell the team and kill himself chemically. If that sounds harsh, sorry, but I find it no harsher than someone telling me what my business is. So you dickless piece of shit, piss off. I'm making it my business and I want to know what is going on to keep the team here. If they are leaving then let me know so I can find another team. And if one more of you message board idiots tells me how great we are and then tell me how it would be worse if we were Bengal fans then please call me so I can take you get some bullets and a gun so you can shoot yourselves.
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Speaking of dickless pieces of shit, I had the pleasure of meeting someone who wanted Indiana basketball coach Mike Davis fired. Killed is probably a more accurate word for what he wanted done to Davis. Apparently Mike Davis is not running the program well enough or at least to this individuals liking. Well to be honest, I haven't exactly liked what I have seen this year myself, but I do remember last March!
Upon further discussion I found out that this person was a graduate of Indiana University. I also found out that he went to IU not because of their business school(his degree), but rather because of their basketball team. Seems he liked what happened in 1976 and decided that was his kind of school. Once I heard this, the rest of his smack made sense. In his mind, or whatever he used to put thoughts together with, he deserved a national championship because he graduated from IU. The arguments that ensued would fill another page, but the bottom line is that apparently he is the only college grad in America and since he graduated from IU he deserves that championship.
It takes all kinds to make this world go around and there are some real fucking dandies out there.
I'll take these in order. The Colts so far this off season have resigned a kick returner who can't hold on to the ball, have signed NO big name free agents, have let their best linebacker basically leave without compensation and have not renegotiated the one contract that can insure the financial health of the team for several years to come.
The signing of Troy Walters, or rather the resigning baffles. Why in the hell would you keep a guy like this who has shown his ineffectiveness time and time again? He fumbles all the fucking time. Yet, there he is, getting a new contract with the Colts. I don't know of anyone who wanted to keep this boob, but apparently that dumbass Bill Polian wanted him.
As for Mike Peterson, well we just basically let him go. Word from Colts camp is that he just isn't a Tony Dungy type of player. Okay, I can see that. What I can't see is just letting him get away uncompensated. Where is the sense in that?
Peterson and Walters bring me to my Polian point. This guy is ruining the Colts. He is not a player in free agency. He has made enough questionable calls on draft day to negate the Peyton and Edge picks. Now his latest fiascos. I honestly believe Polian knows exactly what the fans want to see and he does the opposite. His incessant ramblings about the lack of fan support or fan knowledge is nothing more that his own self doubt. This guy had a helluva run at Buffalo and Carolina, but we are talking about pre-cap days. He is clueless in the salary cap era.
Bill, if you're going to carp about fan support it might help if you quit gutting the team every other year to show you're in charge. How the hell do we get behind a player if he is replaced every other year? Moron Polian wrecked one of the best lines in the NFL by letting Steve McKinney get away. But instead of admitting error he blames the fans for not being knowledgeable or supportive. This clown has got to go and go NOW.
And what about this so-called superstar quarterback? Peyton's a good guy by all indication and in the scope of the NFL, probably a top 10 QB. Top 5…no freakin' way. If we keep this guy and let him eat up 20% or more of our cap we are doomed. First of all he's not worth it and second, even if he was the second coming of Joe Montana it is a team game. Again Polian seems to be dropping the ball on this one.
The last thing about the Colts is about the attitude the message boards seem to have. Generally opinion on just about every facet is split. People love Peyton, people hate him. Same with Edge, Dungy, Polian, Peterson etc. What I can't abide by is that the team owner should get a free pass with his problems. Today I read that with his personal problems still up in the air, nothing will be resolved about Peyton or any big name free agents. It went on to say that his problems weren't our business. Well hello pal! I got news for you, I will be the one who decides what is and is not my business. I just cut a check for half my season tickets for next year. I now have more than just a passing interest in the team and if his pill problem still exists then he needs to get help or sell the team and kill himself chemically. If that sounds harsh, sorry, but I find it no harsher than someone telling me what my business is. So you dickless piece of shit, piss off. I'm making it my business and I want to know what is going on to keep the team here. If they are leaving then let me know so I can find another team. And if one more of you message board idiots tells me how great we are and then tell me how it would be worse if we were Bengal fans then please call me so I can take you get some bullets and a gun so you can shoot yourselves.
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Speaking of dickless pieces of shit, I had the pleasure of meeting someone who wanted Indiana basketball coach Mike Davis fired. Killed is probably a more accurate word for what he wanted done to Davis. Apparently Mike Davis is not running the program well enough or at least to this individuals liking. Well to be honest, I haven't exactly liked what I have seen this year myself, but I do remember last March!
Upon further discussion I found out that this person was a graduate of Indiana University. I also found out that he went to IU not because of their business school(his degree), but rather because of their basketball team. Seems he liked what happened in 1976 and decided that was his kind of school. Once I heard this, the rest of his smack made sense. In his mind, or whatever he used to put thoughts together with, he deserved a national championship because he graduated from IU. The arguments that ensued would fill another page, but the bottom line is that apparently he is the only college grad in America and since he graduated from IU he deserves that championship.
It takes all kinds to make this world go around and there are some real fucking dandies out there.
Wednesday, January 8, 2003
Colts Post-Mortem
Well here we are, January 8th and it's already time for the Colts post mortem. Damn, what can I, or anyone else say. A 41-0 blowout loss to the fucking Jets. Guess they were hot! Well I'm not gonna bash the Jets, they simply outplayed the Colts in every phase of the game.
No, this is about the Dolts, er Colts.
The Colts finished the regular season with a respectable, at least from the surface, 10-6 record. It's when you delve a little deeper into it that you realize how disturbing it is and why the 41-0 blowout isn't as surprising as it seems.
Let me start at the end. The 41-0 loss to the Jets was a complete team letdown. Peyton sucked, Marvin looked disinterested, I don't think the defense ever got off the airplane in NJ and special teams sucked. There really isn't any good reason to dissect that game very much further. I'll only say this, unless Irsay is just paying lip service about staying in Indianapolis, then he is going to have to field a team that plays better than that or he will have about 2500 people cheering for the Colts in the dome next year.
The team got off to a decent start in Jacksonville against an enigmatic Jaguar team. Their triple threat of Brunnell, Smith and Taylor had okay days but nothing spectacular. On the other hand Manning, James and Harrison didn't exactly light it up either. The defense bothered though and would continue to do so well into the season.
An ugly loss to the Dolphins brought out the simple fact the defense stunk. Ricky Williams and Edge put on a show though. Both ran hard and well and both caught the ball. Unfortunately a trend that would haunt us all season reared it's ugly head. The Colts let the Phins have a big halftime lead which we simply could not overcome. Games against Pittsburgh, Washington, Tennessee twice, the NY Giants and the Jets all were the same story.
Wins against Houston, Baltimore and Cincinnati brought the Colts to 4-1. However, the team was not impressive in any of the three. In fact the Ravens and Bengal games outcomes could have easily gone the other way.
This is where the wheels of the team truly fell off. A brutal Monday night showing in Pittsburgh wiped the optimism out of my eyes. Couple that with an equally abysmal effort at the Redskins and the Colts were back to 4-3. The next week at home against the Titans we saw in person what will really be remembered about this season: A soft team with little or no heart. They lost to the Titans after spotting them a big lead. 4-4 and heading to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.
The Eagles were riding high ever since their opening day loss to the Titans which spelled trouble for the Colts who seemed to be packing it in. But something strange and wonderful happened that day, the Colts showed heart and skill with a thrashing of the vaunted Eagles. They ran, they threw, they tackled and they gave hope. Hope that all was not lost for the season.
Subsequent wins against the Cowboys, a big Sunday night game at the Broncos and back home against the Texans had the Colts in the proverbial catbird seat in the AFC South at 8-4. That set up the big showdown for what most likely would be for the division title. Needless to say the Colts once again failed to compete and were essentially knocked out of contention for the division crown.
The next week at Cleveland against the Browns the Colts were up to their old tricks of giving up a shitload of points and digging themselves a hole. Amazingly to me they dug out and actually won the game. At a time when Cleveland was garnering notoriety as a team that won in the last minute the Colts held and won the game. The Colts were 9-5 and still clinging to hope of a Titans loss, which would never come, to win the division.
Any thoughts of that were extinguished early in the Giants game at the dome. The Colts had been Jekyll and Hyde all season but this was all bad. An ego bruising, momentum killing, hope spoiling, ass kicking at the hands of the Giants left me numb. Finally, in a game that by kickoff meant absolutely nothing, the Colts got by the Brunnelless Jaguars for an ugly 20-13 win whose outcome was not decided until the last minute. Meanwhile, some 600 miles east of here in the Meadowlands our next opponent as it turned out was pummeling a pretty decent Packer squad.
Well I've been over the outcome of that game so I won't dwell on it anymore. The Colts did manage to go from a 6-10 team to a 10-6 regular season record, but I think it's pretty obvious that we could have lost 3 more games easily.
Were there improvements? Yes! The defense, while disappearing again late in the season, did show signs of life and aggressiveness. They moved all the way from the 29th best D to the 8th best. Are they the 8th best defense in the NFL? No, but they do seem to be improved. Rob Morris played about the way he always had for about the first 6 games then made a miraculous recovery and really finished the season strong. Dwight Freeney made the GM look like a genius when he finally got to start and ended with numbers that should have earned him NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. There are cap issues which will need to be addressed so we will see if this group continues to improve.
Edge showed good form early but was hampered by nagging injuries a lot this season. It was apparent he didn't have the stop and start moves he had in the past, but he was there. There was something going around that Bill Polian had said the plan was not to even run Edge until the end of October to make sure he was 100%. Unfortunately, preseason injuries took out most of the running back corps including 1000 yard rusher Dominic ‘Rocky' Rhodes. We were left with an 80% edge, some clown named Ricky Williams (not that one) and James Mungro. Of course Mungro's heroics in the Philly game made him the toast of the town and Edge the goat. To those who think Mungro is “it”, get a clue. Williams also had a taste of that when he scored a late touch against Washington.
The O line never really got it together. We lost Steve McKinney and Ken Dilger in the off season and you would think we lost the two greatest blockers in history. The replacements were not as good and even though we still didn't give up many sacks the running game suffered tremendously.
Marvin Harrison was always there. He caught 143 balls this year, a new NFL record. Typically he was given no consideration for NFL MVP. A travesty in my mind. As for the rest of the receiving crew, Qadry Ismail looked like a keeper early, but faded into the woodwork after a midseason slump. Reggie Wayne played well, when he played. But Harrison, as has been the case in the past, was the go to guy.
Then there's the quarterback. Peyton's a great guy. Seems like a real student of the game. But for all his preparation he had a crappy season. Sure he threw for more than 4000 yards…again, but he simply folds when the going gets tough. His three INT's against the Titans when the game meant so much were a microcosm of his season. The Colts are getting ready to pay Peyton unbelievable amounts of money. Probably the biggest contract in NFL history and after this season I am starting to question that rationale. I'm just not sure we need that high of a priced QB when we have so many glaring needs. Having Peyton may be a luxury we simply can not afford.
In a previous article I talked about the Colts moving. I still think they need to put a better product on the field game in and game out to get more fans on board. If they do not, people will stay away. I get the impression from Polian and Irsay that this is the NFL and we should be blessed just to have it. I am grateful every year that we have the Colts. I never liked how we got them, but what is done is done. 19 years of mediocrity though is wearing thin and from what I read on the forums and message boards I am not alone. We brought in a new coach this year. I wanted Gruden, but when he was not available I was glad to have Tony Dungy. I'm going to reserve comment on coach until after next year. He inherited a 6-10 team with some real issues and went 10-6 and the D is improved.
Ultimately the stamp on this season will be the inconsistency and the rumors of the team bolting for the coast. The first is true, stay tuned about the second.
No, this is about the Dolts, er Colts.
The Colts finished the regular season with a respectable, at least from the surface, 10-6 record. It's when you delve a little deeper into it that you realize how disturbing it is and why the 41-0 blowout isn't as surprising as it seems.
Let me start at the end. The 41-0 loss to the Jets was a complete team letdown. Peyton sucked, Marvin looked disinterested, I don't think the defense ever got off the airplane in NJ and special teams sucked. There really isn't any good reason to dissect that game very much further. I'll only say this, unless Irsay is just paying lip service about staying in Indianapolis, then he is going to have to field a team that plays better than that or he will have about 2500 people cheering for the Colts in the dome next year.
The team got off to a decent start in Jacksonville against an enigmatic Jaguar team. Their triple threat of Brunnell, Smith and Taylor had okay days but nothing spectacular. On the other hand Manning, James and Harrison didn't exactly light it up either. The defense bothered though and would continue to do so well into the season.
An ugly loss to the Dolphins brought out the simple fact the defense stunk. Ricky Williams and Edge put on a show though. Both ran hard and well and both caught the ball. Unfortunately a trend that would haunt us all season reared it's ugly head. The Colts let the Phins have a big halftime lead which we simply could not overcome. Games against Pittsburgh, Washington, Tennessee twice, the NY Giants and the Jets all were the same story.
Wins against Houston, Baltimore and Cincinnati brought the Colts to 4-1. However, the team was not impressive in any of the three. In fact the Ravens and Bengal games outcomes could have easily gone the other way.
This is where the wheels of the team truly fell off. A brutal Monday night showing in Pittsburgh wiped the optimism out of my eyes. Couple that with an equally abysmal effort at the Redskins and the Colts were back to 4-3. The next week at home against the Titans we saw in person what will really be remembered about this season: A soft team with little or no heart. They lost to the Titans after spotting them a big lead. 4-4 and heading to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.
The Eagles were riding high ever since their opening day loss to the Titans which spelled trouble for the Colts who seemed to be packing it in. But something strange and wonderful happened that day, the Colts showed heart and skill with a thrashing of the vaunted Eagles. They ran, they threw, they tackled and they gave hope. Hope that all was not lost for the season.
Subsequent wins against the Cowboys, a big Sunday night game at the Broncos and back home against the Texans had the Colts in the proverbial catbird seat in the AFC South at 8-4. That set up the big showdown for what most likely would be for the division title. Needless to say the Colts once again failed to compete and were essentially knocked out of contention for the division crown.
The next week at Cleveland against the Browns the Colts were up to their old tricks of giving up a shitload of points and digging themselves a hole. Amazingly to me they dug out and actually won the game. At a time when Cleveland was garnering notoriety as a team that won in the last minute the Colts held and won the game. The Colts were 9-5 and still clinging to hope of a Titans loss, which would never come, to win the division.
Any thoughts of that were extinguished early in the Giants game at the dome. The Colts had been Jekyll and Hyde all season but this was all bad. An ego bruising, momentum killing, hope spoiling, ass kicking at the hands of the Giants left me numb. Finally, in a game that by kickoff meant absolutely nothing, the Colts got by the Brunnelless Jaguars for an ugly 20-13 win whose outcome was not decided until the last minute. Meanwhile, some 600 miles east of here in the Meadowlands our next opponent as it turned out was pummeling a pretty decent Packer squad.
Well I've been over the outcome of that game so I won't dwell on it anymore. The Colts did manage to go from a 6-10 team to a 10-6 regular season record, but I think it's pretty obvious that we could have lost 3 more games easily.
Were there improvements? Yes! The defense, while disappearing again late in the season, did show signs of life and aggressiveness. They moved all the way from the 29th best D to the 8th best. Are they the 8th best defense in the NFL? No, but they do seem to be improved. Rob Morris played about the way he always had for about the first 6 games then made a miraculous recovery and really finished the season strong. Dwight Freeney made the GM look like a genius when he finally got to start and ended with numbers that should have earned him NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. There are cap issues which will need to be addressed so we will see if this group continues to improve.
Edge showed good form early but was hampered by nagging injuries a lot this season. It was apparent he didn't have the stop and start moves he had in the past, but he was there. There was something going around that Bill Polian had said the plan was not to even run Edge until the end of October to make sure he was 100%. Unfortunately, preseason injuries took out most of the running back corps including 1000 yard rusher Dominic ‘Rocky' Rhodes. We were left with an 80% edge, some clown named Ricky Williams (not that one) and James Mungro. Of course Mungro's heroics in the Philly game made him the toast of the town and Edge the goat. To those who think Mungro is “it”, get a clue. Williams also had a taste of that when he scored a late touch against Washington.
The O line never really got it together. We lost Steve McKinney and Ken Dilger in the off season and you would think we lost the two greatest blockers in history. The replacements were not as good and even though we still didn't give up many sacks the running game suffered tremendously.
Marvin Harrison was always there. He caught 143 balls this year, a new NFL record. Typically he was given no consideration for NFL MVP. A travesty in my mind. As for the rest of the receiving crew, Qadry Ismail looked like a keeper early, but faded into the woodwork after a midseason slump. Reggie Wayne played well, when he played. But Harrison, as has been the case in the past, was the go to guy.
Then there's the quarterback. Peyton's a great guy. Seems like a real student of the game. But for all his preparation he had a crappy season. Sure he threw for more than 4000 yards…again, but he simply folds when the going gets tough. His three INT's against the Titans when the game meant so much were a microcosm of his season. The Colts are getting ready to pay Peyton unbelievable amounts of money. Probably the biggest contract in NFL history and after this season I am starting to question that rationale. I'm just not sure we need that high of a priced QB when we have so many glaring needs. Having Peyton may be a luxury we simply can not afford.
In a previous article I talked about the Colts moving. I still think they need to put a better product on the field game in and game out to get more fans on board. If they do not, people will stay away. I get the impression from Polian and Irsay that this is the NFL and we should be blessed just to have it. I am grateful every year that we have the Colts. I never liked how we got them, but what is done is done. 19 years of mediocrity though is wearing thin and from what I read on the forums and message boards I am not alone. We brought in a new coach this year. I wanted Gruden, but when he was not available I was glad to have Tony Dungy. I'm going to reserve comment on coach until after next year. He inherited a 6-10 team with some real issues and went 10-6 and the D is improved.
Ultimately the stamp on this season will be the inconsistency and the rumors of the team bolting for the coast. The first is true, stay tuned about the second.
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Colts to LA
How ‘bout them Colts!???Well I can't ignore this subject any longer. But really, what about them Colts. Are they leaving for the coast? Are they ever going to win a playoff game? Will they at least get tough and stop being this so-called finesse team? Do we have the players to get it done in the NFL?
Let's start at the end and work backwards through these questions.
So far this season it has become apparent that the Colts are a relatively soft team. Soft being that they do not come out and control either side of the line of scrimmage. Offensively we are allowing entirely too much pressure on Peyton Manning and giving Edgerrin James little or no room to run. Manning seems to press more and more each game to try to get the job done, but in doing so he seems to commit more errors. How many ill-timed, momentum killing interceptions does this guy have to throw before he stops forcing the ball where it will not be caught by our guys?
I don't, and I don't think anyone else, questions Manning's heart and desire. If we had 50 guys with that much heart we would answer the toughness question right now. Unfortunately talent comes into the equation too. Heart can only take you so far before you simply have to have more talent on your team than the other team. Manning has heart and I believe talent, but he has to use that talent to make plays that middle-of-the-pack QB's. I'm not sure if he is really calling all those audibles at the line of scrimmage, but he needs to get back to the basics and call the play in the huddle or, as has been suggested, go to the no huddle to keep the defense off balance personnel wise.
As for the Edge, well I still think he is tops. Right now I don't think a combination of Jim Brown, Walter Payton and OJ could run behind that line. It is obvious we miss Steve McKinney. I am of the impression that losing Ken Dilger doesn't hurt us as much, but the Wiggins fiasco at the start of the season set us back and the injury to Joe Dean Davenport is making matters worse. I suppose I just took Dilger for granted-always there and you rarely heard his name. That usually meant he wasn't missing his blocks. My solution? Stick a fullback in the mix for blocking purposes and for God's sake Tarik Glenn, quit false starting!
Defensively I really hate how soft we are. I just don't see any real keepers there. We scare no one and that ridiculous middle linebacker has got to go. Rob Morris is reacting, slowly I might add, instead of anticipating the plays, let alone controlling what the offense is able to do. He is horrible. Our president, Bill Polian continues to defend this boob, but it is obvious that Morris simply can not play at this level.I've heard this crap about our lack of toughness comes from being a “dome team”. What a load of crap. It doesn't mean shit where you play your home games. Toughness is a state of mind, not a location. The Bengals play outside, are they tough? What about the Cardinals? How about the Cowboys? They've been tough and they've been pussies. Inside, outside just doesn't matter. Until we get some players who want to hit the other team until there is no fight left in them, we will struggle.
So here we sit, a nice 4-2 record right? Sure the record is good enough, but we could easily be 1-5 and in the cellar looking up. We're not thankfully. A lot of people, the eternal optimists, will tell you we could easily be 6-0. They tell you that without the turnovers and mistakes we would have come back on Miami and Pittsburgh. Well we made the mistakes and we paid the price. We didn't against the Texans, Bengals, Ravens and Jags and we won, but we aren't dominating anyone. That brings me to the final points.
Jim Irsay has made no secret that he needs more money to keep the team competitive. Los Angeles is just waiting for a team and the NFL is salivating over the idea of a team there. I don't see the Colts as a good SoCal fit but hey, who knows. This team has a season ticket base of 36,000 people. That is about 65% of the dome guaranteed each week. That also means the Colts have to beat the bushes to the tune of 20,000 extra fans each home game for the sellout. When teams like the Dolphins and Cowboys, the Bears and Packers come to town it's no problem getting the sellout. But it is because they have so many fans here and many that are willing to travel. The other games we seem to always be up against that Thursday noon deadline for TV.
If this team were to start beating the crap out of teams you would see the fan base grow. We are now and have been mired in mediocrity for 18 years. I guarantee though that fan interest would rise immensely if the fringe fans really believed they could go to that dome and see a win for the Colts. As long as we are mediocre those fans will stay away and watch on TV. The product just isn't good enough RIGHT NOW to bring more fans in. The time is right too. Our two closest teams, the Bears and Bengals both suck and we are in a crappy division. Yet we seem to play to the level of our competition when they are bad and just not show up against the better teams. Reason? We're not that good.
No one wants to see this team stay more than me. I think they are good for the city; they bring intangibles such as prestige, which in turn brings business here. The team and players contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities. But are those good enough reasons to renovate the dome, again, or build a new stadium? No they are not. Until we get a consistently good product on the field and build a good fan base off we will always be in danger of losing the Colts to LA or wherever.
Let's start at the end and work backwards through these questions.
So far this season it has become apparent that the Colts are a relatively soft team. Soft being that they do not come out and control either side of the line of scrimmage. Offensively we are allowing entirely too much pressure on Peyton Manning and giving Edgerrin James little or no room to run. Manning seems to press more and more each game to try to get the job done, but in doing so he seems to commit more errors. How many ill-timed, momentum killing interceptions does this guy have to throw before he stops forcing the ball where it will not be caught by our guys?
I don't, and I don't think anyone else, questions Manning's heart and desire. If we had 50 guys with that much heart we would answer the toughness question right now. Unfortunately talent comes into the equation too. Heart can only take you so far before you simply have to have more talent on your team than the other team. Manning has heart and I believe talent, but he has to use that talent to make plays that middle-of-the-pack QB's. I'm not sure if he is really calling all those audibles at the line of scrimmage, but he needs to get back to the basics and call the play in the huddle or, as has been suggested, go to the no huddle to keep the defense off balance personnel wise.
As for the Edge, well I still think he is tops. Right now I don't think a combination of Jim Brown, Walter Payton and OJ could run behind that line. It is obvious we miss Steve McKinney. I am of the impression that losing Ken Dilger doesn't hurt us as much, but the Wiggins fiasco at the start of the season set us back and the injury to Joe Dean Davenport is making matters worse. I suppose I just took Dilger for granted-always there and you rarely heard his name. That usually meant he wasn't missing his blocks. My solution? Stick a fullback in the mix for blocking purposes and for God's sake Tarik Glenn, quit false starting!
Defensively I really hate how soft we are. I just don't see any real keepers there. We scare no one and that ridiculous middle linebacker has got to go. Rob Morris is reacting, slowly I might add, instead of anticipating the plays, let alone controlling what the offense is able to do. He is horrible. Our president, Bill Polian continues to defend this boob, but it is obvious that Morris simply can not play at this level.I've heard this crap about our lack of toughness comes from being a “dome team”. What a load of crap. It doesn't mean shit where you play your home games. Toughness is a state of mind, not a location. The Bengals play outside, are they tough? What about the Cardinals? How about the Cowboys? They've been tough and they've been pussies. Inside, outside just doesn't matter. Until we get some players who want to hit the other team until there is no fight left in them, we will struggle.
So here we sit, a nice 4-2 record right? Sure the record is good enough, but we could easily be 1-5 and in the cellar looking up. We're not thankfully. A lot of people, the eternal optimists, will tell you we could easily be 6-0. They tell you that without the turnovers and mistakes we would have come back on Miami and Pittsburgh. Well we made the mistakes and we paid the price. We didn't against the Texans, Bengals, Ravens and Jags and we won, but we aren't dominating anyone. That brings me to the final points.
Jim Irsay has made no secret that he needs more money to keep the team competitive. Los Angeles is just waiting for a team and the NFL is salivating over the idea of a team there. I don't see the Colts as a good SoCal fit but hey, who knows. This team has a season ticket base of 36,000 people. That is about 65% of the dome guaranteed each week. That also means the Colts have to beat the bushes to the tune of 20,000 extra fans each home game for the sellout. When teams like the Dolphins and Cowboys, the Bears and Packers come to town it's no problem getting the sellout. But it is because they have so many fans here and many that are willing to travel. The other games we seem to always be up against that Thursday noon deadline for TV.
If this team were to start beating the crap out of teams you would see the fan base grow. We are now and have been mired in mediocrity for 18 years. I guarantee though that fan interest would rise immensely if the fringe fans really believed they could go to that dome and see a win for the Colts. As long as we are mediocre those fans will stay away and watch on TV. The product just isn't good enough RIGHT NOW to bring more fans in. The time is right too. Our two closest teams, the Bears and Bengals both suck and we are in a crappy division. Yet we seem to play to the level of our competition when they are bad and just not show up against the better teams. Reason? We're not that good.
No one wants to see this team stay more than me. I think they are good for the city; they bring intangibles such as prestige, which in turn brings business here. The team and players contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities. But are those good enough reasons to renovate the dome, again, or build a new stadium? No they are not. Until we get a consistently good product on the field and build a good fan base off we will always be in danger of losing the Colts to LA or wherever.
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Little Al....D'oh!
Way to go Little Al! It's always nice when the stars fuck up and this guy seems to be a never ending series of fuckups. This one may end up costing him his career. Unser has been charged with domestic battery and violence stemming from an incident Tuesday morning. Al, Al, Al! I am not now nor have ever been a fan of Little Al, or any Unser for that matter and the details of this one are just too good to pass up an opinion.
Brought in to the IRL last season by the deep pockets of Tony “Enunciate please” George, Unser was to be one of the foundations in the IRL's attempt to be the top open wheel champ car series in America. Memo to IRL: You didn't need him. The IRL already had CART on the ropes, but the powers that be saw Little AL as the last nail in the CART coffin. Well guess what, he has not dominated the series and since Penske has come to the IRL full time, is simply another driver chasing Who-Lee-Ohh, Gil and Sam (I'd include Scheckter if he could ever finish a race). He's no more of a threat to the IRL championship than Robbie, Sarah or George Mack and is way behind Cheever and Sharp.
And now this latest chapter in the Little Al story. Never mind the messy divorce and the drug rumors, this one is good! First of all him and his GIRLfriend are at the Classy Chassy. Whenever I go out on a date I think of the titty bar first as a destination. Wrong! And for those of you who have been there, it's not exactly the finest establishment of its kind in town. Okay, maybe it was a racing thing! So he gets trashed at the Chassy. Damn I wish I could have been there to see that! Little Al drinking, heavily, at the titty bar, with his woman. I wonder which one had more lap dances. Then upon leaving he is so trashed that he is shifting the car, while she drives on the highway into neutral and reverse. Hey Tom Kelley, checked that transmission in your race car lately? But he doesn't leave it at that. After his woman allegedly slapped him, he hits her…while she's driving. Class act all the way!
The kicker for me though comes when he denies even knowing her. He has been dating her for four years for Gods sake. He finally comes clean and is taken to jail.
What a loser. From the blocking incident in the 1982 500 to this latest fiasco, the lows have certainly outweighed the highs. You know he will have sponsor problems, problems with George and with Kelley Racing. But do any of those entities need the headaches? I say no. Cut your losses with this guy. He's not gonna win anything. The series has passed him by in 18 months. He couldn't cut it in CART. Maybe he should just go snowmobiling with his uncle. I suppose it's bad to kick someone when they're down, but when it's a name like say, Unser, it is just too easy. So long Al, try to stay out of trouble. By the way, I hear Pat Patrick is looking for a replacement for Townsend Bell. With the obviously low expectations of that turd you may fit in well!
Brought in to the IRL last season by the deep pockets of Tony “Enunciate please” George, Unser was to be one of the foundations in the IRL's attempt to be the top open wheel champ car series in America. Memo to IRL: You didn't need him. The IRL already had CART on the ropes, but the powers that be saw Little AL as the last nail in the CART coffin. Well guess what, he has not dominated the series and since Penske has come to the IRL full time, is simply another driver chasing Who-Lee-Ohh, Gil and Sam (I'd include Scheckter if he could ever finish a race). He's no more of a threat to the IRL championship than Robbie, Sarah or George Mack and is way behind Cheever and Sharp.
And now this latest chapter in the Little Al story. Never mind the messy divorce and the drug rumors, this one is good! First of all him and his GIRLfriend are at the Classy Chassy. Whenever I go out on a date I think of the titty bar first as a destination. Wrong! And for those of you who have been there, it's not exactly the finest establishment of its kind in town. Okay, maybe it was a racing thing! So he gets trashed at the Chassy. Damn I wish I could have been there to see that! Little Al drinking, heavily, at the titty bar, with his woman. I wonder which one had more lap dances. Then upon leaving he is so trashed that he is shifting the car, while she drives on the highway into neutral and reverse. Hey Tom Kelley, checked that transmission in your race car lately? But he doesn't leave it at that. After his woman allegedly slapped him, he hits her…while she's driving. Class act all the way!
The kicker for me though comes when he denies even knowing her. He has been dating her for four years for Gods sake. He finally comes clean and is taken to jail.
What a loser. From the blocking incident in the 1982 500 to this latest fiasco, the lows have certainly outweighed the highs. You know he will have sponsor problems, problems with George and with Kelley Racing. But do any of those entities need the headaches? I say no. Cut your losses with this guy. He's not gonna win anything. The series has passed him by in 18 months. He couldn't cut it in CART. Maybe he should just go snowmobiling with his uncle. I suppose it's bad to kick someone when they're down, but when it's a name like say, Unser, it is just too easy. So long Al, try to stay out of trouble. By the way, I hear Pat Patrick is looking for a replacement for Townsend Bell. With the obviously low expectations of that turd you may fit in well!
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
2002 Racing Season Predictions
The appeals have been heard now it is up to Tony George to tell us who won the Indy 500. But more than just telling us who won the race, I hope he has the cajones to show us the evidence to support whichever decision he makes. Those of you who know me know who I want to be declared the winner, but as much as I don't like Paul Tracy, I don't want to see him get screwed out of a race he really won. Show us the evidence Tony!
With that I will just make my predictions for this years champions. The easiest is of course Michael Schumacher in F1. What with allowing him to win when he should be second, he is a lock. Schummi has said since that day in Austria that the team wouldn't do it again. Yeah, not this year when the championship is in the bag. I would have liked to see Juan Pablo make a run at Michael, but reliability has hurt the BMW engine as of late and I fear the cause is lost.
In the taxi cabs we've had two leaders all season and one since the second race. Sterling is solid, he finishes races, he's not hard on equipment and that equipment seems solid. There seems to be a rotating cast in second, but ol' Silverfish just keeps them at bay. Can he do it all season? I predict he can. Jarrett has been showing some of his old form lately and it's just a matter of time before 24 gets a win, but the steady approach by Marlin makes him the favorite.
Two weeks ago I really thought Paul Tracy would take his loss at the Brickyard to heart and go on a tear. Well for a week he did. Then CART hit the road courses and it seems no one can catch Christiano Da Matta. He is on a tear and there seems to be no rival for him on the road courses. He may struggle at the ovals but there aren't enough of those for him to worry about. Of course we should wait to hear the outcome of Tony George's decision and see how it affects Tracy, but Da Matta is the man to beat.
Finally the IRL. Let's make it a sweep and predict that Hulio(sic) will win the title. Everyone knew there was a new dawning when Roger Penske came in. But let's face it, he comes to the track prepared week in and week out with two outstanding drivers. Sam Hornish Jr. lost his points lead for the first time in a year after Indy and he may have a long wait until he sees it again. Gil DeFerran may be able to overtake Castroneves but I doubt it. Here's to all of you who have made it to the halfway (or near) point of the season and made it with the lead in your respective series. Well done and stay focused, the big prize will be yours!
Just a prediction!
With that I will just make my predictions for this years champions. The easiest is of course Michael Schumacher in F1. What with allowing him to win when he should be second, he is a lock. Schummi has said since that day in Austria that the team wouldn't do it again. Yeah, not this year when the championship is in the bag. I would have liked to see Juan Pablo make a run at Michael, but reliability has hurt the BMW engine as of late and I fear the cause is lost.
In the taxi cabs we've had two leaders all season and one since the second race. Sterling is solid, he finishes races, he's not hard on equipment and that equipment seems solid. There seems to be a rotating cast in second, but ol' Silverfish just keeps them at bay. Can he do it all season? I predict he can. Jarrett has been showing some of his old form lately and it's just a matter of time before 24 gets a win, but the steady approach by Marlin makes him the favorite.
Two weeks ago I really thought Paul Tracy would take his loss at the Brickyard to heart and go on a tear. Well for a week he did. Then CART hit the road courses and it seems no one can catch Christiano Da Matta. He is on a tear and there seems to be no rival for him on the road courses. He may struggle at the ovals but there aren't enough of those for him to worry about. Of course we should wait to hear the outcome of Tony George's decision and see how it affects Tracy, but Da Matta is the man to beat.
Finally the IRL. Let's make it a sweep and predict that Hulio(sic) will win the title. Everyone knew there was a new dawning when Roger Penske came in. But let's face it, he comes to the track prepared week in and week out with two outstanding drivers. Sam Hornish Jr. lost his points lead for the first time in a year after Indy and he may have a long wait until he sees it again. Gil DeFerran may be able to overtake Castroneves but I doubt it. Here's to all of you who have made it to the halfway (or near) point of the season and made it with the lead in your respective series. Well done and stay focused, the big prize will be yours!
Just a prediction!
Tuesday, June 4, 2002
Soccer Sucks!
A lot of you aren't going to like this. Well I guess a lot of you if I am getting a large contingent of readers from other countries. Soccer sucks! It is boring to watch, there seem to be no rules and last night, while channel surfing I saw what has been one of my biggest complaints since that stupid World Cup came here several years ago-The clock had expired and yet they played on. “Only the official really knows how much time is left”. What the fuck is up with that?
For the record, I think soccer is great for the kids. It teaches them basic exercise and it teaches them teamwork. And I suppose it gives soccer moms a purpose in life.(Didn't they have one?) But for God's sake, once you can play football, baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, tennis…need I go on? Shouldn't you hang up the cleats and play a game that is more than running around in a rectangle. Where's the strategy? Kick the ball in the goal while running all over hells half acre!
Let's face it, we have better sports to play and watch here and frankly, most Americans couldn't care less about what the rest of the world is doing, especially when it comes to sports. We're doing our thing in our time. Piss on a bunch of Asians or Europeans and their soccer. BORING! Hell they have to riot to make it fun!
And you can see how much of an impact the World Cup had here and when's the last time you saw Mia Hamm? Soccer sucks, it's boring and it can just go the fuck away!
Sorry Erik!
For the record, I think soccer is great for the kids. It teaches them basic exercise and it teaches them teamwork. And I suppose it gives soccer moms a purpose in life.(Didn't they have one?) But for God's sake, once you can play football, baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, tennis…need I go on? Shouldn't you hang up the cleats and play a game that is more than running around in a rectangle. Where's the strategy? Kick the ball in the goal while running all over hells half acre!
Let's face it, we have better sports to play and watch here and frankly, most Americans couldn't care less about what the rest of the world is doing, especially when it comes to sports. We're doing our thing in our time. Piss on a bunch of Asians or Europeans and their soccer. BORING! Hell they have to riot to make it fun!
And you can see how much of an impact the World Cup had here and when's the last time you saw Mia Hamm? Soccer sucks, it's boring and it can just go the fuck away!
Sorry Erik!
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