1) FIND A SOLUTION TO THE WEATHER PROBLEM.
Let Major League Baseball be a shining example to us all (that is the first and only time I'll ever say that) for what they did during last fall's World Series. The powers-that-be decided that no game would be called due to rain, and that any contest that couldn't continue because of weather would be suspended until it could be completed. To have the Daytona 500, the "Super Bowl of Racing" if you will, shortened due to rain is an absolute travesty. I don't think suspending the race would've been the right call either. NASCAR and Fox should've gotten together before the race, seen that rain was in the forecast, and moved up the start time prior to mid-afternoon. The PGA Tour moves up their events all the time. By insisting that the race begin at 3:30 PM eastern time, Fox and NASCAR both knew that they were going to run into problems with the weather. Instead of sacrificing their ratings by moving up the start time, they decided to sacrifice the fan's experience on television and especially at the track. I'm sick and tired of major sporting events sacrificing the fans (<cough> Bowl Championship Series <cough>) for their own benefit. Shame on Fox and shame on NASCAR. This year's Daytona 500 was by far the worst ever.
2) DALE EARNHARDT JR. IS MAD OVERRATED, Y'ALL.
(in order to spruce up this column a bit, I've decided to go with the young lingo) Danica Dale had himself quite a day at Daytona. First, she he blew two different pit stops, overshooting the pit box and then getting a one-lap penalty for touching the outside line. Then while fighting for position with Brian Vickers (a lap down from the leaders) Patrick Earnhardt Jr. turned into Vickers causing nine-car accident. The crash claimed then-leader Kyle Busch, and forced Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards to both spin out. The question is, outside of his name, her his good looks, and his friendly persona, what has Danica Patrick Dale Earnhardt Jr. accomplished in her his career? She He won a rigged Daytona 500 five years ago (c'mon, you and I both know that was a tribute to his dad), and has done jack-squat since. In his last 99 starts, Danica Little E had won A race. One. Uno. 1. She's He's won just three races since his Daytona win in 2004, right when most race fans were thinking that he was going to become the dominant driver that his father was. Instead, Dale Jr. is on the Mount Rushmore of the most overrated athletes in sports which includes Michael Vick (yeah, he's still on there), Francisco Rodriguez, Carmelo Anthony, and Michelle Wie. When I think of Dale Sr., I think of Michael Jordan (intimidation and dominance). When I think of Dale Jr., I think of...
Danica Patrick (good looks, sub-par racing ability).
3) WHY NO PENALTY FOR EARNHARDT JR. FOR THE INTENTIONAL WRECK?
If you were watching the Nationwide race on Saturday then congratulations, you're a dork then you likely saw that Jason Leffler was hit with a five-lap penalty for a similar overly-aggressive move. But, when Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR's "Golden Boy") pulls the same stunt, he gets off with nothing. Almost a year ago, I wrote a blurb chastising NASCAR for handing down such a big penalty to Carl Edwards after his car had a loose gas cap. I don't mind when NASCAR gives out penalties, but I do mind when said penalties aren't consistent. By not penalizing Little E, NASCAR shows me that they take a loose gas cap (which barely aided Carl Edwards at all) more seriously then a pissed-off driver intentionally causing a nine-car accident.
4) MATT KENSETH = TIM DUNCAN
That equation isn't from a winning standpoint (Duncan: 4 titles - Kenseth: 0 titles), but from a "they bore me to tears" standpoint. Kenseth seems like a good guy, and it was cool to see him overcome with emotion after winning the rain-shortened race. But, the dude is boring and NASCAR is a sport of personas. To equate it to candy, Kyle Busch is like an atomic fireball (always angry, even when he's winning), Jimmie Johnson is a Reese's peanut butter cup (everyone pretty much agrees that he's the best), and Jeff Gordon is a Hersey bar (past his prime but still pretty decent). That would probably make Kenseth a Werther's butterscotch candy (so bland it's like eating a circular piece of cardboard). As a side note, I was watching the first part of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. In the first three possessions, Dwyane Wade hit a step-back three, Chris Paul hit a layup, and LeBron missed a floater but still looked cool doing it. On the ensuing West possesion Tim Duncan banked in a 15-footer and before the ball even went through the hoop, I passed out due to boredom. Every time Tim Duncan touches the ball, it makes me want to go to sleep - the same thing can be said whenever Kenseth takes the lead in a race.
Stare at this and your insomnia will be cured forever
5) GET THIS KID A RIDE
Perhaps the biggest winner from Sunday's race was AJ Allmendinger. The #44 car scored a 3rd place finish after starting back in the 20th position. After a successful finish to the 2008 season, Allmendinger was pushed out the door by Red Bull in favor of Scott Speed. He was originally slated to join Ganassi in the #41 car in the offseason, but that spot was taken away thanks to their merger with DEI. Allmendinger signed on part-time with Richard Petty Motorsports for Daytona and the first eight points races of the season. Still without a full-time ride, Allmendinger will have to prove that he deserves one on the track.
SHOOTING THE REST OF THE SPORTS WORLD:
Swish: Nate Robinson
Usually, winning the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest leads to unfair expectations for athletic high-flyers with no discernable basketball skill (see: Miner, Harold). Robinson is not one of those players. Now that just about every dunk has been attempted, the Slam Dunk Contest has become more about the theatrics than the dunks themselves. Nate’s “Kryptonite” (green sleeve, green shoes, green ball, Knicks’ St. Patty’s day uniform) was a nice conclusion to an otherwise unimpressive Dunk Contest. Unlike some former champions, Robinson has also turned into a solid contributor in the games that actually matter. In his first game back since the All-Star Break, Robinson scored a game-high 32 points in an overtime win over San Antonio. In his last three games, Nate had scored 32, 33, and 30 points - including a 33-point, 15 assist, 9 rebound, 5 steal effort against the Clippers. He’s averaging career-highs in points (16.4), field goal percentage (43.8%), rebounds (4.1), assists (3.8), and steals (1.5). The former first-round pick will be a free agent this summer, meaning that it’ll be decision time for Donnie Walsh. Should Walsh choose not to trade Robinson before Thursday’s trade deadline, he’ll have to choose whether to sign him or restricted free agent David Lee to a long-term extension. There’s a chance that the Knicks let both Robinson and Lee walk, but it’s more likely they hold on to at least one. With the spending spree of 2010 just over 16 months away, there’s no way they’ll be able to keep both.
Picture of the year? Absolutely.
Brick: Butler
I can give them a pass for a road loss at Ohio State. I can also give them a pass for a road loss to 2nd place Wisconsin-Green Bay, who has a pretty good basketball team. What I can’t do is excuse a home loss to a team as bad as Loyola-Chicago. This is a team that has lost 11 conference games by an average of 17 points per contest. The Ramblers lost to Cornell by 25, St. John’s by 19, and to Division II Rockford College. It’s a long season and every non-top ten team loses a couple games that it probably shouldn’t. That being said, you have to wonder if Butler’s youngsters have hit the wall. Though Matt Howard scored a career-high 30 points, the Bulldogs’ freshman class combined for just 21 points on 6-25 shooting from the floor. Butler has a chance to finish the regular season strong, starting this week with road games against good Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Davidson teams. Hopefully for Butler, Sunday was merely a blip on the radar.
Swish: Shaquille O’Neal
It is absolutely impossible not to like this guy. Not only was his All-Star performance MVP worthy, his pre-game introduction with the Jabowoceez was perhaps the highlight of the night (you know I watch crappy MTV reality shows, so I did realize who the Jabowoccez were from their time on America’s Best Dance Crew hosted by the guy that played A.C. Slater in Saved by the Bell. Make fun of me if you want, I don’t care. It’s a very serious disease being hooked on these crappy shows.) O’Neal connected on eight of his nine shot attempts, scoring 17 points in just under 11 minutes of action. A vintage Kobe/Shaq performance netted them co-MVP Awards, although Kobe needed 23 shots to score a game-high 27. Even though his team is in the process of imploding, Shaq is having a renaissance of sorts, turning in his best season statistically since winning the NBA Championship with Miami during the 2005-06 season. Shaq hinted that his 15th All-Star Game could be last - if so, the big fella sure went out in style.
The Shots Fantasy Update:
DryH***ing is racing - 308 points, 2nd place in both leagues
I joined two leagues this year, but I think I’ll generally start the same lineups in both. It was a great opening week for my guys as I ran 2-3-8 with Kevin Harvick, AJ Allmendinger, and Tony Stewart. The only poor finisher was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who actually got a bonus for leading a few laps. As I learned in 2007, Fantasy NASCAR is a marathon and not a sprint, but I’m encouraged about my fast start.
Wii Golf Superstar - 102 points, 2nd place (770 total) My bench, which included Retief Goosen (3rd place) and Kenny Perry (10th), actually did much better than my starters. Despite Paddy Harrington missing the cut at Pebble Beach, both Pat Perez and Sean O'Hair turned in decent performances. My lineup this week includes Lefty, Zach Johnson, Shigeki Maruyama, and Chuckie Three Sticks.
Go get 'em, man-boobs!
Ruben's Empanadas def. Yes Sir! 6-3 (9th place)
The Big Smooth def. D'AntoniMustacheR***, 6-3 (5th place)
Remember that trade involving Jason Terry that I tried to screw a fellow league member in? Yeah, turns out that got quickly vetoed in my league and the message board response has me in fear of my personal safety. I shook things up a bit during the All-Star Break adding both Trevor Ariza and Roger Mason. Hopefully that breathes some life into my lifeless team. As for D'Antoni, I've now alternated wins and losses over the past eight weeks.
Fantasy Baseball, coming soon
I had to turn down a buddy of mine back in Connecticut to join a $100 pay league. I don't like playing pay leagues, and I don't like paying money in pay leagues except for football. The problem is that I'm extremely competitive as it is, and when money gets involved, I get more angry if I lose. I'm trying to decide between the following team names:
Robinson Cano & Co. III
CC Ate Your Lunch
(actually of the five I was thinking, those are the only two I don't have to censor)
If you have any submission, feel free to e-mail me or leave them in the comments section.
The Shots What to Watch this week:
Boston at Utah, Thursday
The Jazz are fighting to stay in the playoff picture in the West, while Boston is positioning themselves for a #1 seed. That being said, Utah is one of the NBA's toughest outs at home, and the C's will have to bring their "A" game at the Delta Center Progressive Solutions Arena.
Washington at UCLA, Thursday
The Bruins can kiss the Pac-10 regular season title goodbye with a loss to the Huskies here. I just want to see some signs of life from UCLA right now. They look more like a one-and-done team than they do a team that has made three straight Final Fours.
Isaiah Thomas has the Huskies flying high out West
Indiana at Purdue, Saturday
I'm not saying that it is even close to being in the realm of possibility, but wouldn't it be hilarious if Indiana...forget it, there's no way. If the Hoosiers can stay within 15, IU fans should chalk that up as a victory.
Kansas at Oklahoma, Monday
How good are the Jayhawks? We'll find out when the take on soon-to-be #1 Oklahoma and Blake Griffin.
The Shots YouTube Clips this week:
Sports related –
If you don't think this is funny, then you have no pulse.
Non-sports related -
One of the reasons I love Letterman is that he never lets his guests steal his show. The rolodex comment was classic. By the way, I read that all of this is an Andy Kaufman-esq act. If so, kudos to Joaquin Phoenix for his acting abilities.
The Shots Chick Pick this week: Swimsuit covergirl Bar Refaeli.
Good news = her first name is "Bar". Bad news = she's dating the douchetastic Leonardo DiCaprio.
See you next week.
You can listen to Derek every weekday in The Zone from 3-6 PM on XL 950!
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