ONE OF THE WORST DAYS IN INDIANA SPORTS HISTORY?
I don’t know if there is anything left to be said about the debacle that took place Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard ended up consisting of a series of a dozen or so mini-races of 12-13 laps instead of an entire 160-lap affair. The racing was so bad that the cars were running at 80% full speed and drivers were refusing to make any aggressive moves in fear of blowing a tire. It was like watching an NBA game that disallowed fast breaks. It was slow, it was boring, and it was frustrating. Every time things got interesting, a random competition caution would totally deflate the entire crowd.
I think I was actually less angry because I was in such disbelief at what was happening in front of my eyes. When I sat in my seat between the finish line and Turn One on Sunday, I couldn’t even believe that NASCAR would let such a farce go on. They cheated the fans, the drivers, and most importantly, the Speedway itself. All of those parties deserved much, much better than that. The 2nd biggest race on the NASCAR circuit was a joke, and NASCAR was left playing damage control on Monday instead of reflecting on another great race from a legendary place.
Race fans gave the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard a resounding thumbs down
Finding out who is most to blame isn’t going to help the fans that spent hundreds of dollars put money back in their pockets. It’s not like they can re-run this race, and nothing they do now erases the bad memory of Sunday. I don’t care whose fault this is as long as A) they figure out what went wrong and B) this NEVER happens again. Frankly, NASCAR should be ashamed, but so should Goodyear. If it was your product on center stage, wouldn’t you do your best to ensure it didn’t look like the crappiest tire ever made to hundreds of thousands of people at the track and millions more watching at home? Goodyear should’ve done more work towards making an effective tire, especially because they must’ve known about Indy’s infamous abrasive racing surface. Both parties are to blame. NASCAR should’ve tested after April, because if you’ve lived in this city, you know that the weather conditions are slightly different in early Spring compared to the last week in July. They should’ve made sure they had the right tire combination with the Car of Tomorrow – whether it be Goodyear, Michelin, over even Hoosier – because the quality of racing should never be sacrificed for the highest-bidding tire manufacturer. Once it became clear during practice on Friday and Saturday that the tires weren’t going to hold up, the race should’ve immediately been bumped to Monday. Yes, it would’ve been embarrassing, but it would’ve been far less as embarrassing as Sunday’s pathetic excuse for a race.
Indiana sports fans will remember the 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard for a long time, but not for the right reasons. It will certainly go down as one of the most disappointing days in Indiana sports history. But, where does it fall on that list? Here are some of the candidates in chronological order:
1994 – Knicks 98, Pacers 91 - Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals
Behind a historic 25-point 4th quarter performance by Reggie Miller, the Pacers found themselves just one win away from clinching their first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history. Coming back to Market Square Arena, where the Pacers had won Games 3 and 4, the Blue and Gold had a chance to close out the Knicks on their home floor. But, John Starks scored 26 points, connecting on five three-pointers, and held Reggie to just 8-21 shooting from the field as the Knicks took Game 6 98-91. The Knicks went on to win the series in seven games after a controversial finish in the finale at Madison Square Garden.
The Pacers choked away a chance at a Finals berth in '94 on their homecourt
1998 – The end of Indiana class basketball
Every year since 1911 there had been one champion in Indiana high school basketball. The one class system gave us memorable small school moments like Argos' back-to-back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and subsequent deep playoff marches (1979-81), Plymouth's Cinderella run to the title (1982), and of course Milan's State Championship (1954), which was forever immortalized by the movie Hoosiers. Since then, basketball in the Hoosier state just hasn’t been the same, and will likely never recover.
2005 – Steelers 21, Colts 18 – AFC Divisional Playoff
The Colts started 13-0, becoming the first team to seriously challenge the ‘72 Dolphins perfect regular season since the ’85 Bears, and secured the #1 seed in the AFC with a 14-2 record. The Colts were clearly the favorite heading into the postseason, as homefield advantage would no longer be a concern en route to Super Bowl XL. Instead, Indy laid the biggest egg in franchise history, failing to take advantage of numerous chances in a 21-18 loss to sixth-seeded Pittsburgh. This game had all the makings of a heart-breaker: a fluke tackle by Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger after a fumble by Jerome Bettis, which took away a sure touchdown from Nick Harper. A horrific officiating error on the overturned interception by Troy Polamalu that gave the Colts new life – but they couldn’t take advantage. Finally, it was capped by a pathetic attempt at a game-tying field goal by the most accurate kicker in NFL history (by the numbers only), Mike Vanderjagt. If not for the surprise Super Bowl win in the following year, this would still be regarded as the darkest day in Indianapolis sports history.
The two lasting images from a Championship season that never was for the '05 Colts
2005 – The U.S. Grand Prix
If this was on a racing circuit that people in America actually cared about, this would’ve been a much bigger deal. Michelin told the seven teams that used their tires that they couldn’t safely race on the tires supplied by them (apparently at least one tire company is honest). Despite this claim, the FIA refused to let a chicane (like at Watkins Glen) be installed and couldn’t come to agreement with Michelin. Therefore, those seven teams did not participate in the race, leaving just three teams on Bridgestone tires and a whopping total of six cars in the race field. Fans booed, and some threw trash on the track in protest. The debacle almost certainly led to the end of the U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the 2007 race.
2008 – Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
NASCAR did not test the new Car of Tomorrow with Goodyear tires despite having a week off before traveling to Indy. During Saturday’s practice session, no car was on the track for more than six laps because of tire wear. When it became clear during the early stages of the race on Sunday that the rubber on the track wouldn’t help the abrasive surface conditions, NASCAR was forced to levy competition cautions to force teams to pit and run on fresh tires. There were eleven total cautions in the race – more than half of which were competition yellows. The longest green-flag period in the entire race was an embarrassing 12 laps. The worst of the cautions came with ten laps to go, taking away a big lead from Denny Hamlin, and allowing Jimmie Johnson to capture the checkered flag. The only solace is that Johnson, who won the pole, clearly had the best car and deserved to win the race.
It’s impossible to rank those five disappointments in order, but there’s no question that the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will have a lasting negative impact. Nobody ever cancelled their season tickets to the Pacers or Colts because of playoff failures, but there are thousands of race fans that will never return to Indy for another Brickyard.
I’ll be back, but unlike most, I have nothing to lose because I go for free with a media credential. In retrospect, I would’ve paid somebody to take my spot on Sunday so I wouldn’t have been forced to witness that.
SHOOTING THE REST OF THE SPORTS WORLD:
Swish: Brian Cashman
For years, Cashman has had the worst job in sports – the thankless position of being General Manger of the New York Yankees. When the team won, George Steinbrenner got the credit. When the team lost, Cashman took the fall. It was the ultimate lose-lose situation. But now, with the ailing Boss out of the picture, Cashman could reap the benefits of two big trades made in the last week. First, the Yankees landed lefty Dasamo Marte and a corner outfielder in Xavier Nady from Pittsburgh for Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabata (a former top prospect with injury and maturity issues), Jeff Karstens (5th starter at best), and Daniel McCutcheon (potentially the best prospect in the deal). Then after Jose Posada opted for season-ending surgery, they swung a deal with Detroit for Ivan Rodriguez, while only giving up Kyle Farnsworth in return. Pudge is huge offensive upgrade over Jose Molina (.229/.279/.307) and is batting .295 this year. He’s also in the final year of his deal and is a type A catcher, meaning if the Yankees let Pudge walk at the end of the year, they’ll get two first round picks in return. Farnsworth was having a pretty nice season, but any Yankees fan that told you they were ever comfortable with Farnsy protecting a one-run lead in a big game is either a liar or hasn’t watched a single Yankees’ game the past three seasons.
Cashman has strengthened the Yankees playoff chances
Swish: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Southern California of the United States
Speaking of making great trades, the Angels bolstered an already productive offense by dealing for Mark Teixeira. If there is one category where the Angels lineup is lacking, it’s in the power category. They rank just 22nd in team home runs (99) and slugging percentage (a paltry .399). Teixeira hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire this season (just 20 HRs), but he still becomes the biggest power bat in that order. The Angels are the lone team in baseball without a glaring weakness. Their offense isn’t flashy but it gets the job done, their starting pitching staff is arguably the best in baseball, and the back-end of their bullpen is lights out. Los Angeles is also by far the best road team in all of baseball. Their ML best 35-19 record away from home is better than the HOME records of 22 Major League teams. Their success at Fenway this week has officially sold me on their status as World Series favorite. I’ll get a closer look at them this weekend when I head to the Stadium for their series against the Yankees.
Brick: Tony Stewart
The defending Brickyard champ was a heavy favorite entering Sunday’s race, but never seemed to find his groove. Smoke qualified 14th and spent most of the day running in the teens while others like Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney, and even Michael McDowell led at least a lap. Stewart looked like he was ready to make a charge after a quick pit helped him surge to 4th place during a competition caution with 22 laps left. But it took Stewart only six laps to fall back into the teens, and he ended up plummeting to a 23rd place finish. I’m not sure if the #20 car was just slow or if the tires played a part in Stewart holding back, but his performance in Indy was a colossal disappointment. Smoke is over 600 points behind leader Kyle Busch, and is only 37 points away from falling out of the Chase completely. I don’t think that will happen, but Stewart needs to get his act together before it’s too late.
Stewart was never in contention during a frustrating day on Sunday
Air Ball: U.S. District Judge Carol Amon
Believe it or not, this is actually the 2nd judge to draw an Air Ball in the history of The Shots. Amon was on the bench during the trial of disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy, and slapped him on the wrist with a 15-month sentence. The man who violated the trust of NBA officials, players, and fans gets just a year and a quarter behind bars? Donaghy has left a black eye on NBA basketball that will never, ever heal. Don’t be surprised if 40 years from now when discussing a poorly officiated playoff game someone brings up the name Tim Donaghy. The most frustrating aspect of this sentence is that it does almost nothing to curtail other referees in other sports from engaging in the same practices. If the worst-case scenario is getting a 15-month prison sentence, then the reward may outweigh the risk. As a side note, isn’t it funny how it’s basically a rule that you have to put the word “disgraced” in front of Tim Donaghy? Can we please do this with other players, coaches, etc.? Disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis, disgraced 1B Rafael Palmeiro, disgraced head coach Kelvin Sampson. It just feels right.
The Shots Fantasy Update:
Stewie def. Robinson Cano & Co. II, 6-4
The string of bad fantasy luck continued this week as my pitching staff continues to falter. This is the first week ever that Robinson Cano & Co. II was defeated in the saves category (was a perfect 14-0-2), which was only the exclamation mark on a horrific week for ERA (5.36) and WHIP (1.39). It didn’t help that the usually reliable Justin Duchscherer was knocked around for eight earned runs against Texas. Two months left to get my you-know-what together. Thanks to this being a public league, there are no deadline deals to be made. I dangled A-Rod but the best offer I got was Evan Longoria and A.J. Burnett, which was an insult more than a trade offer.
Fantasy NASCAR, season-low 167 points, dropped to 8th place
If you’re thinking about joining a fantasy NASCAR league, I have one piece of advice for you: if one of your drivers WINS the pole, you MUST start that driver. I violated that rule by sitting Jimmie Johnson (who won the freakin’ race) in favor of Tony Stewart (23rd). If there was one person that was really screwed by Goodyear on Sunday, it was me. Not only did I have to sit through that sorry excuse for a race, I also lost Juan Pablo Montoya (39th) due to tire-related issues and Brian Vickers (42nd) for blowing his engine. Luckily, Kasey Kahne, who was running in the 30s while I was planning a fantasy suicide, rallied for a 7th place finish to net almost half of my team’s total points.
JPM clearly had tire issues - and that prevented a strong run in Indy
Chuckie Three Stick-Up, 2nd to last place in Fantasy Golf
Thanks to a big 176-point week, I am now just 223 points away from climbing into 3rd to last place. Sadly, that’s the best fantasy news I got all week. Mike Weir, Anthony Kim and Kevin Na each scored top ten finishes to make up for Dudley Hart’s even-par.
The Shots What to Watch this week:
Cubs at Milwaukee – continuing through Thursday
This is a crucial series for the Cubs, who suddenly look beatable for the first time this season. They have been dreadful on the road, but really made a statement rallying for that opening game win. I still think that both of these teams will make the playoffs, but the Cubs need some breathing room in this division so their fans don’t have panic attacks.
Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono, Sunday
After the debacle at the Brickyard, this race couldn’t get here soon enough. Kurt Busch is the only “A” Group driver I haven’t started, but he is the defending champ, so I might throw him in there.
Indianapolis vs. Washington, Sunday
As bad as exhibition preseason football is, you have to watch the first snaps of the fall – especially when it involves the Colts. Jim Sorgi will get a chance to work with the first-team offense for at least one series, and should be out there for a half or so. I don’t think it’ll take the fans in Canton, Ohio long to start chanting Jared Lorenzen’s name. Seeing the “Hefty Lefty” under center is worth the price of admission alone.
We want Jar-ed! We want Jar-ed! We want Jar-ed!
Bringing back perhaps the best YouTube clip in history...
The Shots (anti)Chick Pick this week: Maggie Gyllenhal
There is no way that Batman would be rolling around with this chick in real life. Gyllenhaal isn't attractive at all - not even a little bit. Casting her knocked the movie down from an A to a B+ for me. She looks like the love-child of other not-hot chicks Katie Holmes and Kirsten Dunst. Why not Jessica Alba? She's just as bad of an actress as Gyllenhaal or Holmes (who were both terrible as Batman's girlfriends), but is way hotter. If not Alba, couldn't they have brought back
Alicia Silverstone?
I'm off to the House that Ruth built.
See you next week.
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