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August 31, 2005
Photo of the Day - Outer Banks
Outer Banks, North Carolina, July 2003. Big wave action near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:06 PM | Comments (0)
Yankees, NFL to Donate $1 million Each to Hurricane Relief
Many in Sports World Stepping Up to Help Out
Say what you will about George Steinbrenner but he does step up to the plate and deliver when it comes to helping people in need. The New York Yankees will donate $1 million to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. They aren't alone either. The NFL will also donate $1 million and others who will make contributions include the Dallas Stars Hockey team, the NBA Player's Association and the Green Bay Packers. In the coming days I expect countless other large organizations to make donations. I hope that many involved with Nascar, a community known for their giving, will help out with donations to the relief effort as well.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:36 PM | Comments (0)
Some Interesting Photos Been Showing Up Lately
I happen to be very liberal-minded and I also believe that people have to live their lives in the way that makes them comfortable, not the way that makes me happy. I also think that no one is perfect - everyone makes mistakes and does or says things that I might not agree with. As I've said before that goes for baseball players, Nascar drivers and other athletes just as it does for anyone else. I also understand that the lifestyle that some of these people lead is very different from my own and some behavior which is common might not be something that I would do myself. There is also absolutely nothing wrong with going out and having a good time. However, many other people don't see things quite the same as I do. To some fans the "right" image, "proper" behavior and strong values are extremely important. Some are not very accepting of behavior that doesn't fit their rigid standards and since they hold the athletes to such a high standard, even the smallest thing can cause them to feel hugely disappointed and dishearted by the people they admire so much.
It used to be that people would simply tell stories about athlete misbehavior - "I saw player X drunk in a bar last night with a woman who wasn't his wife!" - and it was easy to dismiss because anyone can claim that they saw anything and there's often no way of verifying what they saw. But as digital cameras become more and more popular and it's easier than ever to upload photos to the internet it's incredible how many photos are showing up of people partying with baseball players or Nascar drivers. In a lot of cases these are probably innocent photos of people doing nothing more than having some fun but in both baseball and Nascar, at least publically, there is an image to uphold and to some fans what they see isn't going to sit too well with them.
Sometimes it boggles my mind that someone would even think to take a photo in a situation like this. I've been in certain situations where I know a lot of people would want to see photos but I didn't think it was appropriate to take pictures so I put my camera aside. And if I did take photos I sure wouldn't be putting them up on the internet, or at least not in a place where they could be seen publically. But quite a few people think nothing of not only taking the photos but uploading them to webshots or other similar sites where they are viewable to all. It's got to be hard if you're in the public eye, especially if you've been drinking to nicely be able to discourage someone from taking photos or to say no when someone asks to pose for a photo with you. Maybe some people think that the photos will never end up on the web but they most certainly do.
If a baseball player or Nascar driver who has an image to uphold plans on partying with what may very well be underage college students - I'm looking at you Al Leiter, Bronson Arroyo and Sidney Ponson - might want to make sure that no one has a camera. If you're married and you plan on letting some female fans get a little more friendly with you than you normally allow when you're posing for photos with fans - hello Mike Mussina and Bronson Arroyo - might want to make 100% sure that no one is going to be posting those photos anywhere on the web. If you value your privacy and have made it clear that you don't enjoy when fans gossip about your private life perhaps allowing photos to be taken of you with "friendly" female fans in your hotel room in Vegas isn't a wise idea either - stand up and be counted Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr! All these photos may be completely innocent but believe me there are plenty of fans willing to jump to conclusions.
Right this very minute the Mussina photos are being widely circulated and discussed. You can be sure that every time that Mussina gets rocked or otherwise struggles someone is going to wonder if it's because he was out "drinking and skirt-chasing" as one user on NYYFans.com referred to it as. And the same thing happens every time some of the other folks whose photos have been seen widely are discussed - some has to bring that up. We've seen it on NYYFans with Bronson Arroyo and Sidney Ponson, now Mussina. It's unfortunate because in an ideal world these folks can do whatever they want and no one will judge them for it. But this isn't an ideal world and fans have sometimes very rigid ideas about acceptable behavior for their favorite athletes.
I also have to wonder what Jana Mussina or Bronson Arroyo's wife think when they see photos of their husbands with women drapped all over them, hands in places they shouldn't be? I'm sure Mike and Bronson will say that the women did that on their own with no encouragement and that it was all very innocent - and maybe it was. But I wouldn't be thrilled if I saw photos of my husband(to be) posing with another woman who had her hand very high up on his inner thigh. Hand on a leg, hugging, arm around a shoulder - okay. But when it becomes a wee bit more intimate looking and people are sitting on each other's laps, hands are very high up on the inner thigh or people are pressed against each other quite a bit snugger than is really necessary - well, I'd be wondering what was up. And I'm very open-minded and accepting of a lot of things. So what would a woman who is less tolerant think? I assume they're learned to shrug things like this off, especially considering how prevelant cheating and women trying to hook up with players is in baseball (note: I'm not accusing either player of anything as I have no idea what might or might not have happened) because they might go crazy otherwise. But just out of respect for their significant others you'd think that those players might take a slightly different photo than they did.
So what's my point? It's not to say that these guys shouldn't be going out and having a good time. They are grown men who can do whatever they want. And I don't think there's anything wrong with having some fun. But I guess I'm surprised by the volume of these kinds of photos that are popping up and that the athletes in them seem to think nothing of posing for them.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:54 PM | Comments (0)
Mussina to Miss Start
I don't know if this is good news or bad news. Let me clarify what I mean by that. I would never hope for an injury to a player and that's always a bad thing. However, Mussina hasn't always seemed like his normally stellar self on the mound this season and I was starting to fear that was due to the natural decline in abilities that all players undergo as they age. So in some regards that Mussina has a minor injury is good news because it means that it's possible that after the inflammation and pain goes away that he will be able to pitch better than he has over the past few starts.
What concerns me is what happens if the inflammation doesn't clear up after ten days? Or what happens if it goes away and then returns when Mussina starts pitching again? Mussina has said that it's been bothering him for several months now so it's apparently an ongoing issue. My hope is that the ten days of rest will be exactly what does the trick and that Mussina will be back stronger than ever after that. With all the pitching problems the Yankees have had this season they dearly need him. As well as Aaron Small has pitched for the Yankees this season he's not Mike Mussina and I doubt he would be as good in the post-season as Mussina can be.
Mussina made an interesting comment which is in the print article in Newsday but not the online version, while talking to reporters about his elbow. He said,
"After a while, even annoying things eat at you more, keep bothering you, and they sometimes mess with your mind and with your mechanics. So before I mess everything up..."
As much as I love Mussina (he's one of my favorite Yankees) I think he has a problem in which he sometimes lets the things that annoy him get to him. Whether that's going to Japan to start the season in 2004 or when he thinks that the umpires aren't calling strikes and balls in the way that they should, Mussina sometimes seems to have a hard time adjusting when things don't go his way. So I feel like he's talking about more than just the elbow injury there, though he's being rested soley for the injury. However, Mussina isn't going to change now. He is the way he is. I just think that he might have an easier time of it on the mound and otherwise if he was able to adjust to things not going his way better.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
In the News Blues: I Wish There Was More on Steve Park
I've been enjoying doing the "In the News" entries that I've been doing for Michael Waltrip every few days over the past few weeks because it gives me a chance to sometimes comment on some things that aren't worth an entire separate entry for. Not to mention as much as I am a huge fan of Michael's and talk about what he's up to all the time in this space, I don't want to fill up too much of this blog with entries related to him! So "In the News" is a good way to consolidate some things.
But I'd also love to be able to do an "In the News" entry on Steve Park, even once a month. But back when I first starting doing this kind of entry on Michael I noted that I didn't think that I'd have even enough to do one on Steve even once a month and sadly that seems to be exactly the case. Other than a few articles that mentioned him in passing as a prior winner at Watkins Glen when the Busch and Cup series were just there, I've found only one article that mentions Steve that I could comment on that wasn't a pre- or post-race report. I guess that's the problem with being in the truck series is that the coverage and interest level just isn't there like it is for a Cup driver and especially since Steve's season is frankly less than stellar. A few years ago I never thought it would be this way that sometimes when his name comes up people say "Steve who?"
And unless Steve wins another race or otherwise does something noteworthy I guess it's going to be like this for the forseeable future. Given some of Steve's rants about the media in the past maybe he likes it this way. It's not like he has a primary sponsor to get exposure for and his die-hard fans will be fans of his no matter how much they hear about him.
Of course the only problem is something that I've complained about in this space in the past. It's really impossible to have any sense about what's going on with Steve on the basis of just the pre- and post race reports, which don't always even include quotes from him. His website which was supossed to be completely redone this summer with a cool, new section for fan club members practically has tumbleweeds blowing through it. The fan Q&As from earlier in the season seem to be suspended. And all that can be found on the Orleans Racing site are those race reports and some photos.
So unless one goes to a lot of truck races and goes to his appearances there, it's impossible to really know what his mindset is on anything or if he's got anything going on in terms of appearances outside the track, projects he's involved with, anything. Of course Steve has no obligation to share anything with his fans and if he's soured on the media I respect that. But I think that I, and some of his other fans, who can't get to races just wish that there was more information that circulated about him in the media and otherwise.
In a lot of ways I guess coverage on Michael is guaranteed because he's in Cup, driving for a prominent team and right now is the subject of a lot of silly season rumors. And thanks to his many sponsors both in Cup and Busch, Michael does far more appearances away from the track than Steve does. And I doubt that Steve has a publicist working directly for him like Michael does. Michael also doesn't shy away from speaking to the media, that's for sure! So he's mentioned in articles just about every day, though not all of those articles are worth highlighting or pointing out. I guess I wish that Steve was still getting that kind of attention like he once did.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2005
Photo of the Day - Big Mouth
Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, January, 2004. I figured with all the depressing news out of the South, I'd post a light-hearted photo as Photo of the Day.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
Hurricane Katrina
Credit: Associated Press.
Disaster in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi
All day I've been struggling with how to fully express how affected I've been by seeing the photos and hearing the stories of the destruction in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. This is truly a disaster of immense porportions - that can't be emphasized enough. Countless people are dead, countless people have lost everything, and it will take months, if not years, to rebuild the gulf coast of those three states from Hurricane Katrina. I don't like to use other people's photos in my blog without permission but in this case I wanted to try to illustrate how bad the situation is in those three states. I can't imagine what the photographer who took this picture was thinking looking down on this and how he managed to keep on taking photos - that goes for all the photographers working in the area over the past few days. Hurricane Katrina didn't just damage a small area either - the amount of people and places that are effected by this is immense.
I would like to urge anyone who can to try to help the many people who are now homeless and left without even the basic necessities to live such as food, clothes and water. The Network for Good site contains links of organizations that are accepting donations to help the people and animals in the effected areas. As I said above this is not a situation that will be over in a couple of days - the effects of this will be felt for months and years to come in those areas. Consider also that with the flooding continuing in New Orleans and looting starting to break out in some areas things may get worse before they get better.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)
Still Many Rumors About Where Michael Waltrip Will Race in 2006, Few Hard Facts
Lots of rumors continuing to float about where Michael Waltrip might end up in 2006 and beyond. It's really impossible to make sense out of all of them or know if any of them have even the slightest grain of truth to them. The one rumor which I think is unlikely is the one that says that Michael hasn't been talking to any teams at all about racing in 2006 because he's retiring and he's going to do TV work full-time. That certainly doesn't gibe with anything that Michael's been saying lately about making an announcement soon about who he will be racing with in 2006 and doesn't make a lot of sense when you consider that he's talked about racing for at least another four years.
Part of what is leading to all these rumors is that my impression is that Michael is being pretty closed-mouthed about where he's going. He has hinted that NAPA might go with him to his new team but otherwise he's not said much that would give anyone any clue as to what teams he might or might not be talking with. I think that's extremely smart. It seems to me that with the way things are going in Nascar in terms of contracts, with sponsors and in relation to driver movement that it pays to be careful about not telling more than a trusted few where he might end up. You never know who might look at the team or teams Michael might be negotiating with as an opportunity for themselves.
Ryan McGhee from Fox Sports says that the wildest rumor he's heard about Michael is that he's going to go to the #6 at Roush Racing for one year until Jamie McMurray is free to drive that car in 2007. That rumor also says that NAPA would go to the #6 with Michael and remain as the sponsor of that car once Jamie takes over. After 2006, the rumor says, Michael would join up with Toyota. I actually don't think it's a wild or crazy rumor at all. It may not have any chance of happening but I think it makes a lot of sense.
First of all, there is some shred of truth to this rumor. In a recent article by Mike Mulhern Jack Roush says that he looked at putting Michael in the #6 car. He speaks highly of him by saying:
"I would have been proud to put Michael Waltrip in my six car; Michael is at the top of his game, considering all the distractions over at DEI."
Roush also says that ultimately he decided to keep Mark Martin in the #6 so as to not upset the team and team communications but my impression is that there must have been some discussions between Jack and Michael. And since there hasn't been an official announcement that Martin will return to the #6 I can't help but wonder if it really is as much of a done deal as he seems to say that it is.
The thing is that putting Michael in the #6 gives Roush a proven veteran driver behind the wheel who can win and race well at just about any track. So if Mark Martin were to decide not to race Cup in 2006, then Roush isn't putting an inexperienced driver behind the wheel. From Michael's perspective Roush is an exceptionally strong organization, the #6 an excellent ride with a great crew, he would be able to race competitively most weeks and not have to worry about any issues related to qualifying for races like he might with a new team. It makes a lot of sense for NAPA too, especially if it's true that they would have stayed at DEI if they could have had a young driver who could win races for them in the #15 but were also very happy with Michael. This would give them the best of both worlds - continuing a relationship with Michael at least for another year and then moving on with a young driver who they would presumably be with for a number of years in the future. Then Michael could go to a Toyota team, which will surely also be a pretty good team if what Toyota has done in the truck series is any indication.
Some fans think that there's no way that Michael would even consider a one-year deal. But Michael himself has said that he would. He specifically said that he would have considered a one-year deal from DEI when there was still talk of him staying at DEI. I think that Michael is going to take the deal that he feels offers him the best chance at success and happiness and if that's a one-year deal that's what he will do. If given a choice I would think that getting into the #6 which will surely be a competitive ride in 2006 for a year would be more desirable than committing to a potentially subpar or new team that might struggle for three years.
One thing's for sure - Michael knows what he's doing. Sometimes I get the impression that some think that Michael needs a lot of guidance or that he can't make decisions on his own. While I'm sure he discusses his options and asks for input and advice for any number of people I think that Michael has a plan for what he'd ideally like to do with the rest of his time in racing. And I think he has some specific goals and courses of action in mind to achieve that. Whatever team he ends up with I think he's going to have very good reasons for making the choice that he ends up making.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:29 PM | Comments (0)
More on Kevin Harvick at Bristol
I said that there would be a lot of damage control going on after the events at Bristol in relation to exactly what happened with Kevin Harvick after he was caught up in the mess when Dale Jarrett wrecked Ryan Newman and that's exactly what seems to be happening. It was reported in the media that Harvick intitially refused to get back in his car after it was repaired by his crew and if that's true I think it reflects very poorly on Harvick, a driver I have a lot of respect for. Usually Harvick is very honest and forthright in his opinions, addressing most subjects head-on. But so far not this one.
Over on his message board of course many of his fans were extremely upset with the events of Saturday night, so much so that it led to the board being shut down for almost two days. The webmistress of the Harvick site posted the following on the board among other things when it reopened:
"Not everything that gets reported is accurate, and the report that Kevin was “refusing” to get back in the car did not hold a grain of truth. Kevin was of the understanding that the car was beyond repair, but that the team would do their best to fix it anyway. He knew that repairs would take a while, and decided to go back to the motorhome to ‘cool down’. The team’s radio was monitored the entire time he was at the motorhome."
There's a glaring hole in that particular story - if Harvick was monitoring the team radio the entire time, if everyone was presumably in communication with each other then why was Scott Riggs standing by to jump into the #29 car? If Riggs just happened to be standing around with his helmet on watching repairs being done to the #29 for no particular reason and there was never any plans to put him in the car, why hasn't that been clarified? Because the silence on that issue both by Harvick and by RCR is deafening.
If Riggs really was going to be put into the #29 then I have to wonder - was that because Harvick really did refuse to get back in even when he found out the car was going to be fixed or perhaps was Richard Childress ticked off at Harvick's biting comments after he got out of the car and decided that if Harvick was so down on his team then maybe another driver should be put into the car? Maybe there really isn't a grain of truth that Harvick refused to get back in the car at first... because someone else made that decision for him.
Or maybe it's a matter of a miscommunication among the team members. Perhaps Harvick didn't tell anyone he was going to his motorcoach and for some reason they couldn't get ahold of him. Though frankly I'd find it hard to believe that neither he nor his wife, Delana, who was presumably there as well, were not picking up their cell phones. And there was more than likely a motorcoach driver in the vicinity who would know where Harvick was. And maybe even a PR person too. Or were all cell phones not working at Bristol? Obviously there was some sort of communication because eventually Harvick did return to the track and did get into the car.
So fans are left to wonder why exactly was Scott Riggs standing by the #29? Just for fun? Sheer coincidence? Or was there something more to it?
There are also a lot of rumors being floated about Harvick potentially ending up with a new team in 2007 when his contract with RCR expires, if not sooner because of how unhappy he is at RCR. I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen. I could very much see Harvick in the #42 as rumored, less so in the #97, given his feud with Greg Biffle who would end up as his teammate if he went to Roush. It's also been said that perhaps Harvick will eventually end up in the #77 for Penske Racing which certainly doesn't bode well for Travis Kvapil, though personally I think being at Penske is what doesn't bode well for Kvapil. I suspect silly season is going to get a whole lot sillier before everything is all said and done.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)
Modesto Bee Starts Editor's Blog
Will Seek to Explain "Mysteries" of Newsroom
The Editors of the Modesto Bee in California are starting a blog in which they hope to explain some of the "mysteries" of the newsroom to readers. Some of those mysteries include how they decide what goes in the paper, how they decides what goes on the front page, how they decide which events to cover and why they cover local government so seriously. In addition, they hope that the blog will offer them the chance to have a dialogue with their readers over some of these issues. I have a prediction as to how that will eventually go and I'm not sure the editors will be too happy but overall I think the basic idea for the blog is a good one. Explaining "mysteries" or the way a company functions is a big reason why many corporate blogs are started and I think it's an excellent way for companies to give people some insight into their company in a way that can't be provided in press releases or most media coverage.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)
Red Sox Apologize For Remarks by David Wells
Wells Lashes Out After Six-Game Suspension Upheld
Like clockwork, every couple of months David Wells mouths off about something. He did it when he was a Yankee and he's doing it now that he plays for the Red Sox. I found his remarks comparing the Kenny Rogers incident to a sexual assualt particularly out-of-line but as far as the Red Sox are concerned he really outdid himself this time to point where they were forced to apologize to Commissioner Bud Selig and state that Wells comments in no way reflect the opinions of the Red Sox.
What prompted this latest outburst is that Wells' appeal of a six-game suspension for making contact with umpires during a July 2nd game against the Blue Jays was denied and Well is pretty ticked off about that. What's particularly ridiculous about Wells carrying on about his suspension is that for a pitcher six games is nothing. He can't be in uniform on the bench with his teammates for six games but he only misses one start. Boo-freaking-hoo. Yeah, it's disapponting and frustrating since he believes he's in the right but the appeal was denied, suck it up and deal with it. But that's most certainly not Boomer's style.
It's hard to cover all of what Wells said but he claimed that Selig retalitated against him for past criticism. Hello, why are you lashing out at Selig again if you think that he's treated you more harshly because you've criticized him in the past? He also regurgitated past complaints about the All-Star game in 2002 ending in a tie and accused Selig of purposely delaying the annoucement of the positive test for Rafael Palmeiro until after the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Those comments brought a swift condemnation by MLB and by the player's union who both essentially said that Wells has no clue what he's talking about - something that is often the case with Boomer. Extremely unhappy with his suspension, Boomer also criticized the appeals process itself and the man in charge of discipline for MLB, Bob Watson.
This was one of Boomer's most ridiculous comments:
"I'm really holding back because I've got a lot of negative things to say. I can't wait to win the World Series and have Bud Selig come up there [with the trophy]. I really can't. Who knows what will come out then."
Does Boomer not realize that everything he said was negative? Imagine what he would say if he was being completely forthcoming if this is holding back! I think Boomer is also getting a little ahead of himself if he thinks that it's a guarantee that the Red Sox will repeat as World Series champions in 2005 but he also seems to be implying that he might lash out at Selig during a trophy presentation if the Red Sox did in fact achieve that feat. Um, Boomer, what's more important to you - winning the World Series or telling Selig what you think about him? And I'm quite sure that Selig is already aware that you think he's an asshat.
Boomer has never learned that just because you think something doesn't mean that you should say it in any which way that comes to mind. He has the right to be upset at the suspension, he has the right to dislike Selig and the way he runs MLB - many people share that opinion, but ripping people publically, especially the commissioner of MLB isn't the way to go. As much as Boomer might disagree with Selig on any number of things there's an appropriate way of stating those opinions and his displeasure about his suspension while still showing respect for the people who run the sport. Unfortunately for the Red Sox if Boomer hasn't learned to keep his mouth or at least state his opinions in a more appropriate manner he certainly isn't going to learn now.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)
Another Big Game For Jason Giambi
Since the Yankees are on a West Coast road trip and I have to wake up early for work, I won't be able to watch much of the games this week. I only got to watch the first two or three innings of last night's game so I can't comment too much on what went on. But apparently Jason Giambi had another big game, going 2-3, with a walk, two homeruns and four RBI. So over the past two games Giambi has four homeruns and eleven RBI, outstanding for a player who was in such a big slump for the 22 games prior to that. Giambi credits the cortisone shot he got with his renewed ability to be a force at the plate and I hope it keeps working for him because the Yankees need him to continue to be a threat at the plate.
Unfortunately it wasn't a very good night for Mike Mussina. This is the second start in a row that he didn't make it through the fifth inning, the first time he's done that since 1996. In three innings Mussina allowed four runs on six hits and four walks which is pretty bad. I've heard that he might have had some trouble with the umpire in last night's game and that's happened to him before. He gets unhappy with the umpire's strike zone and lets it gets to him. He's also unable to make the necessary adjustments to pitch within that strike zone. Mussina is my favorite player but something that I've always wished he was better about was adjusting to change. When things aren't exactly the way he's used to or his routine is disrupted he sometimes struggles. Unfortunately that might mean that he has a harder time as he gets older and has to deal with the natural decline that all players go through as they age. Some pitchers are able to adjust to that and others aren't. I hope that Mussina will be one who can but I'm not 100% convinced that will be the case.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2005
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas at Night
Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005. Wish I was there...
Posted by silverdsl at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/29)
I never got around to mentioning that Michael Waltrip finished 15th at Bristol on Saturday night. Since I didn't watch the race live and only watched my recording up until after the Jarrett/Newman/Vickers incident I didn't know what had happened good or bad for Michael to finish 15th since I didn't hear him mentioned much on the part of the broadcast that I did watch. Oh heck, I could have missed it even if he was talked about since I watched half of what I did "watch" on fast-forward to get to the highlights. At any rate the post-race told me that apparently the car was tight and pushing all night and they couldn't do much to fix it. Apparently Michael felt he could have gotten a top ten but he almost wrecked and lost five spots at the end. Sigh, yet another race that he could have gotten a top ten if not for some bad luck to spoil things.
Some fans might be wondering why Michael wasn't on Inside Nextel Cup tonight. I assume that's because today and tomorrow he is testing his Cup car at Richmond International Raceway along with a bunch of other drivers in Cup, Busch and the Trucks. The Michael Waltrip Racing #99 Busch car was scheduled to test today but Michael wasn't listed as the driver, instead it appears that David Reutimann, who drives for Darrell Waltrip Racing in the truck series tested that car for him. I wonder if Michael will ever put Reutimann in a Busch car during an actual race?
At the end of the week the Busch and Cup teams head to California Speedway. Michael has raced in 21 races over eight years at California Speedway, the most out of any driver. That includes Cup, Busch and Truck races. Ken Schrader is next on the list, having raced in 16 races at California Speedway.
Prior to heading to Fontana, Michael will throw out the first pitch at a game by the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, a baseball team affilated with the Anaheim Angels. It's fan appreciation night and apparently Michael will drive his #99 Best Western show car around the field before throwing out the first pitch. I assume this came about because the team has Best Western as their sponsor just as Michael does. I've heard Michael is a baseball fan though I don't know if he's a really big fan - that might make a good question to submit as a fan Q&A at some point on his site - but I wonder if he'll end up watching any of the game or just leave to get to Fontana? I guess it depends on how much schmoozing he has to do with any Best Western folks who might be on hand.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)
Huge Game For Jason Giambi Yesterday
Jason Giambi had a monster July which led to him being named player of the month but August was a pretty weak month for Giambi at the plate. However, lately he's been showing some signs of life at the plate and yesterday he broke out of his 4-38 slump in a major way, going 3-3, hitting two homeruns and knocking in 7 RBI in a 10-3 Yankee win over the Kansas City Royals. Those 7 RBI tied a career high for Giambi, the last time he did that being back in 2000. But Giambi didn't just help the Yankees win, he achieved some personal milestones at the same time. Giambi's three run homerun in the third inning gave him 1,000 RBI for his career. In addition his fifth inning two-run homerun gave him 1,500 hits.
Giambi didn't even realize he had achieved either of these things until Joe Torre congratulated him in the dugout and he wondered why. Often big-time players are accused of being selfish, caring only about individual statistics. But a player who doesn't even realize that he has reached those career milestones is a player to whom individual stats aren't very important. All Giambi wants to do is go out there and help his team win which he's struggled to do in August. But perhaps this is a sign that September could be a different story.
While watching the sports report on the news last night they played a clip of an interview Giambi did after the game and he said that during August he had been bothered by tendonitis in his elbow so bad that it necessitated a shot of what was presumably cortisone a few days ago. That caused the pain to diminish, if not go away completely, and I would guess that's why Giambi has suddenly looked so much better at the plate the past few games. That interview was the first time I heard it mentioned that Giambi had been experiencing pain in his elbow and I'd say that's another example of the Yankees doing what many teams do which is play it coy about injuries. But hopefully Giambi's elbow won't be much of a factor for him for the rest of the season.
If the Yankees keep on playing the way that they are now they might very well end up in the post-season, something that I wasn't sure would happen just a few weeks ago. What I'd really love would be for Giambi to come up big in the post-season and show a few doubters that he can still get it done both in the regular season and when the games are ultra-important.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:35 PM | Comments (0)
Richmond Times-Dispatch Photographer Fired for Visual Plagiarism
Taking Action to Prevent it From Happening Again
Though I'm sure that it happens, this is the first time that I've heard of a case of visual plagiarism. Apparently a photographer from the Richmond Times-Dispatch copied a photo that he or she had seen previously accompanying an article about a Richmond area candy manufactrer that this photographer was assigned to take photos of. No one might ever have known except for the fact that the photo ended up being used for the cover story in the metro business section of the Times-Dispatch in a story about that candy company last week. The photographer has since been fired but unfortunately the story gets worse because it appears that there are "troubling similarities" between the story that ran last week, written by a summer intern, and the story that was published in December.
It appears based on the article that the Times-Dispatch editorial staff weren't all familar with journalistic ethics. So they were unable to give proper guidance to either the intern or the photographer in relation to this story. That boggles my mind - don't all jounalists either learn proper journalistic ethics in college or have to be familar with the code of conduct at the media outlets they work for? That copying the work of others in any way is a major no-no should be obvious to all and it's kind of disheartening that apparently it's not. Luckily the Times-Dispatch is taking steps to try and prevent a situation like this from happening but what about elsewhere?
Everyone is influenced by the work of others. The pop artist Keith Haring and the photographer David Muench are two of the biggest influences on my artwork and photography. And I'm constantly looking at photography books and magazines to see what other photographers are doing. I especially find it interesting to see how another photographer might have covered a subject that I have. But I would never think of copying what someone else has done. I want to do my own thing and be unique. I especially wouldn't copy it for use in a publication! That's just amazing to me - you can get ideas from someone else's photographs, and there are times when it's going to be unavoidable to have a similar photo to someone else with certain subjects or events, but particularly when you're working for a media outlet you have to modify what you're doing when you're covering a particular subject significantly to make it your own.
I'd like to think that the vast majority of professional photographers understand this. But obviously there are some that don't. We hear all the time about plagiarism but never about the visual form, except as it relates to someone online stealing someone else's photos. But perhaps we should hear more about visual plagiarism so people understand that is just as wrong as plagiarising text.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
XM Channel 247 - All Hurricane Katrina 24-7
Some may feel that XM is trying to exploit the natural disaster that is hitting Louisiana and Mississippi right now by having a 24-hour hurricane Katrina channel which will feature round-the-clock temporary coverage of the situation in the areas that the hurricane is striking. But they are actually providing a service because with all the electicity sure to go off in the entire area and with major destruction expected it will probably be difficult for even the local radio and TV stations to broadcast. Since they use satellite technology people in the area who have portable XM devices that can run on battery power can find out what's happening. In addition, people who evacuated or are otherwise outside the area can keep tabs on what's going on. It appears that XM is using a combination of reports from reporters from the Associated Press and Fox News but who knows how long they can continue reporting from that area before the conditions worsen to such a degree that it's impossible. I assume Sirius also has a channel dedicated to this coverage as well.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)
Playwright August Wilson Has Cancer
August Wilson is my favorite playwright probably because my parents took me to see many of his plays when they were first produced at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. Each time we saw these plays it was before they went to Broadway or before the plays or Wilson himself was well-known. So on several ocassions we also heard Wilson do question and answer sessions about the plays and his writing in general, which focuses on the African-American experience in various decades. We saw Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone and Fences. Since I was fairly young to see some of them I don't remember much of the earlier plays but I still vividly remember some scenes from Fences. In more recent years we saw King Hedley II in New York. Now comes word that Wilson has advanced liver cancer and might not have long to live. He really has contributed much to American playwriting and I hope he is able to overcome the liver cancer.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2005
Photo of the Day - Kaz Ishii
Mets vs. Nationals. July 4, 2005. Kaz Ishii delivers a pitch.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)
What Really Happened With Kevin Harvick at Bristol?
Wrecked in Jarrett/Newman Feud
Unfortunately we'll probably never know the real answer as all parties will most likely be in full damage control mode this coming week, even Kevin Harvick who is known for his sometimes brutal honesty. But based on the fact that the message board on his site has been taken down, at least for now, I'd say that Kevin may have his limits as well. Bristol wasn't pretty for the #29 team and dealt a crushing blow to the last remaining hopes for them to make the Chase for the Championship. Mathamatically they can still make it but they'd have to leapfrog over five other teams in the next two races and given the way their season has gone I don't think that's going to happen.
Bristol has always been a stong track for Kevin and early on it seemed as if he had a good car that could run up front. But on lap 318 Kevin was caught up in a wreck brought on by Dale Jarrett enacting revenge on Ryan Newman for an earlier incident. Newman had spun Jarrett so 17 laps later Jarrett figured he would do the same to Newman. Only thing is that he didn't just get Newman, he got Kevin as well who wasn't able to avoid Newman's spinning car, partially Kevin said because his spotter didn't properly guide him through the carnage. Here's where things get a little murky in terms of exactly what happened before Kevin returned to the track in his battered #29 after his crew made repairs to it.
Kevin has made no secret this season about how unhappy he is with the direction that RCR has been going in. In fact he's said that while ideally he'd like to stay with RCR, he's putting discussions about a contract extension on hold until Richard Childress makes some changes that will pay dividends in terms of making the #29 more competitive on the track. When Kevin got out of the car after being wrecked he was clearly not pleased and no wonder - he felt that his team had made some mistakes to put him in a position to get caught up in that incident, which just increases the frustration that he's been feeling to this point already about his season. His team went to work on his car but when it was time to go back on the track there was only one problem - no Kevin.
It's extremely unclear as to what exactly the circumstances were of him going MIA to the point where Scott Riggs was asked to stand by to get in the #29. One thing that we know for sure is that Kevin left the track premises to go to the motorcoach lot. What's open for debate is whether he thought the car was unfixable and was just going back to the motorcoach lot to get ready to leave to go home because he thought he was done for the night or whether he had no plans to get back in the car whether they fixed it or not and refused to go back when initially asked. Eventually Kevin did get back in the car to finish the race so if he refused at first, for some reason his mind was changed, maybe because Riggs was standing by to take his place.
I've always been a very big fan of Kevin. A lot of the qualities that others don't like about him, I like - his aggression, his brashness, his outspokeness and honesty, his intensity and how hard he races. He's also extremely fan friendly and does an outstanding job of interacting with his many fans. I met Kevin last fall at Dover and he was incredibly nice to us - I was very impressed. However, if it turns out that Kevin did refuse to get back into his car to return to the track I would be extremely disappointed in him.
Drivers have to return to the track many laps down in damaged cars all the time. It comes with the territory and it's an unfortunate must because even the small amount of points that can come from picking up a couple of positions could end up being important. I'm not always a fan of severely damaged cars going back out on the track because I think it could be a safety issue but it happens in every race and it has to happen because drivers can pick up positions, therefore points, if other cars fall out of the race. The drivers hate it because they can't really race - they have to just make their laps and simmer in their own juices, frustrated about whatever it was that put them in that position. So I can understand why Kevin wouldn't be thrilled about getting back into his car, especially when he's upset about his overall season. But he has a responsiblity to get back in the car, for his team and for himself as well since he has a contract to uphold.
His team worked their asses off fixing that car as quickly as they could and I'm sure they were just as unhappy about it as Kevin was. I think it sends a terrible message to his team if Kevin might have refused to get back in the car after they fixed it. It makes it seem like he doesn't appreciate or think much of their work. Maybe that last part is true. Based on the comments that he's made he's not pleased with his team or RCR in general of late. But seeming to give up isn't going to improve matters. A driver has to act like they care otherwise the team is going to think that there's no reason for them to care either. The #29 team isn't yet elimated for the hunt for a spot in the Chase and if they are to make it they must work together and fight as hard as they can. Where was Kevin's fight on Saturday night?
I hope that Kevin and Richard Childress sit down and have a chat to resolve all the issues that need to be solved moving forward. Otherwise Kevin may be with a new team and RCR may have a new driver a lot sooner than many people would have thought.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:45 PM | Comments (0)
Bachlorette Party Report
I'm sure no one really cares much about the details of my bachelorette party especially since I'm not exactly a hard partier so it's not like I was dancing on any bars or anything. Part of that is because it's embarassingly pathetic how little alcohol I can consume with out falling over given how petite I am - it's pretty much two, maybe three drinks for me, and I'm done. Of course part of that is also because I'm pretty quiet and laidback so it takes a lot for me to get really crazy! But we had a great time going to a Yankee game, the Rare View bar and the Asia de Cuba restaurant.
What makes the Rare View bar a trendy nightspot is that it's an outdoor rooftop bar with a great view of the Manhattan skyline. But like with some other trendy hotspots, the Rare View bar came with a doorman who seemed to be drunk on power and really gave us a hard time about getting in. He spent a ridiculous amount of time giving our licenses the once over and comparing our photos to the way we looked in real life as if he was skeptical it was really us. And this at 7 p.m. before the peek hours when the bar would get really crowded. Now I'm quite sure he knew we weren't trying to get away with anything, just that it made him feel good to give us a hard time. My way of dealing with that is to simply just walk away and go elsewhere or what I did last night which is to not react at all so that I don't give him the satisfaction of letting him know that he's annoying me. But we finally were allowed to make our way upstairs and had a good time hanging out there in the shadow of the Empire State Building.
Dinner was at Asia de Cuba which as the name indicates is a mix of Asian and Latin American/Cuban cuisine. The food there was really awesome, though on the expensive side. The portions are very large, meant to be served family size for the table to share so that's exactly what we did. We started with a spicy beef salad, with incredibly thin and delicious beef. We also had chickpea and bean dumplings in a very yummy sauce. For our main dishes we had spicy lemongrass chicken, which I didn't have any of, an unbelievably good BBQ salmon and a really good tofu dish. As a side we had lobster mashed potatoes which were yummy but I didn't really taste any lobster in there.
One of the best things that I had at Asia de Cuba was their version of Coconut martinis which they called a Coconut Dream. I'm not really big on martinis but I do love Coconut so I gave it a try and I wasn't disappointed - really one of the better drinks that I've had in a long time, probably since the Voodoo Doll drink I had at the Voodoo Lounge in Las Vegas.
A very fun night overall!
Posted by silverdsl at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2005
Ricky Craven, Roush Racing to Part Ways
Will Remain in #99 For Remainder of Season
I've just heard Claire B. Lang on XM refer to this as Ricky Craven being released from Roush Racing but the press release naturally makes it seem as if it was a mutual decision by Craven and Jack Roush. We'll probably never know what the full story is but I'm not surprised that a change is being made to this team. Craven and the #99 team started out this season extremely well and they were in competition for the championship for quite some time. But over the last few races things have really started to go south. Craven has wrecked several times and it's seemed like the truck hasn't been as good as it was early on. On Wednesday night an exclamation point was put on this team's troubles when Craven wrecked which dropped him five spots in the points to 14th. I have to wonder if finding out that he was no longer being considered for the #6 in Cup might have thrown Craven for a bit of a loop but that's just my speculation. In any event, I'm glad that Craven will at least be getting to finish the season in this truck.
Unfortunately this makes me wonder what might happen with Steve Park in the #62, who is 17th in points and has had to endure any number of struggles with his team, if Craven, who is currently 14th in points and ran very well for the first part of the season, is going to be looking for a new ride in 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
Possibility of Michael Waltrip Being Sponsored by Jim Beam?
I've seen Jim Beam mentioned as a possible sponsor for Michael with his new team, where ever that may be a couple of times now. I really have no idea where that rumor came from or if there's any truth to it so anyone reading this should take that particular item with a huge grain of salt because it could be completely false. Especially since Jim Beam is currently sponsoring Robby Gordon - in fact they'll be on his car this weekend at Bristol. But what intrigues me about the rumor of Michael's involvement with Jim Beam is what the fan reaction might be if this actually happened.
Fans become fans of Michael's for many different reasons but one thing that I see repeated over and over again is his family values and faith. That doesn't play a big role in why I'm a fan of his though I do think those are very good qualities to have. But to some fans those things are extremely important, so much so, that I've seen it said in a few places that some fans would be extremely disappointed and unhappy with Michael if he were to have a liquor company as a sponsor. To the point where it seemed as if a few might stop being quite as ardent of a fan of his as they are now. Personally it's not a big deal to me. I've seen Michael with beer in hand in Las Vegas at the Hootie and the Blowfish concert and he's made reference to drinking wine on more than one occasion so I know that he certainly doesn't have a problem with drinking some adult beverages if he feels like it. Someone can still be a person of strong faith and good family values and still drink alcohol. I know plenty of people just like that. But that's not how all fans see it.
To some fans drinking alcohol is a sin because of their religious beliefs. To others family men shouldn't be aligning themselves with a liquor company because of the message it sends. Fans who believe these kinds of things feel that it would be wrong for Michael to endorse and promote drinking via having a liquor company as his sponsor. I actually think given Michael's faith and how much he values his family he's the perfect person to be sponsored by a liquor company because he would do an excellent job of being a role model for responsible and safe drinking. But to some having a sponsor that is a liquor company would change the way they view Michael.
I think there are some fans who truly believe that Michael would never take even a sip of alcohol. I think that's very unrealistic not just for Michael but for the vast majority of drivers in the garage area. But some fans hold their favorite drivers or other athletes to an impossibly high standard. Meanwhile all these guys are human beings who have flaws and don't always do or say exactly what we might like them do. That can be disappointing sometimes but I hope the vast majority of Michael's fans understand that he has to live his life in the way that suits him, not the way that makes his fans happy. If being sponsored by a liquor company is his best option for the future then I trust that he knows what he's doing and that's the decision that's in his best interest. But I wonder if everyone would be so understanding?
Posted by silverdsl at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
Random Thoughts on Chad Chaffin and Wyler Racing
I've been meaning to revisit the topic of the #60 Wyler Racing truck driven by Chad Chaffin for a while now but haven't gotten around to it. Now is as good of a time as any though given the events from the Bristol truck race on Wednesday night as reported by fans in attendance. As I've mentioned before I find this team intriguing because one day Chad had a ride with Germain/Arnold Racing and seemingly the next day he had a ride with Wyler Racing a team that didn't exist prior to that. The dynamic is made even more interesting since previous to that Wyler Racing had been and presumably still is an Associate Sponsor on the #62 truck of Steve Park and Jeff Wyler is friends with Steve.
So it was said that on Wednesday night Chad was beating and banging on Steve's truck repeatedly to the point where Steve was about to wreck. Apparently Steve wasn't the only driver that Chaffin was doing this to so that he could get around them but Steve was the one he did this to the longest. Part of this was undoubtedly due to the fact that Chad was on fresher tires that Steve and wanted to get by. Of course fans of Steve's are up in arms about the injustice done to Steve, though I'm not sure exactly what was done so wrong to Steve since it sounded much like any other battle between drivers where one feels that the other should be moving out of his way, particularly at a short track. Over at the Johnny Benson board it was reported that there was talk on Johnny's radio of moving the #10 truck out of his way if that truck didn't move over himself. So I imagine that stuff like this goes on fairly often.
Still, one person said that Chaffin should have been black-flagged so I will assume that his driving was more excessive that what would normally be seen in that situation. Personally I think I can understand a little of Chaffin's mindset at that point because he spent 165 laps in the top three until he got a flat, which had to be heart-breaking for a driver who has bounced around from team-to-team the past two years and is trying to make an impact with a brand-new-to-the-truck-series team currently. I'm sure he was more than a little frustrated and choose to take it out on Steve. Not that it's right but I think every driver on the track has probably been there at one point or another, Steve included.
I have a hard time crucifying drivers for racing incidents. Even when Kasey Kahne blatantly ran over Michael Waltrip at Watkins Glen and then offered up an extremely lame excuse for it. I didn't like what Kasey did but I don't hate him for it. Drivers are going to make mistakes, do stupid things, let their emotions get the best of them and show a lack of good judgement sometimes just like any other human being. If there's a pattern like has been shown with Jeff Green continually going after Michael that's when I start to dislike a driver but unless there's something that I'm missing and I might be, to me it's just one more thing to file under the category of just racin'. Especially since Steve didn't wreck.
In any event here's the thing with Chad and Steve racing each other like that on Wednesday night. Jeff Wyler is handing money over to Orleans Racing to help Steve beat the truck he owns. That's kind of a strange situation to me. Because it's not just that Wyler Racing is the sponsor but also the owner of the #60. So Chad is out there ramming his truck into another truck that his truck owner partially paid for.
It's interesting to me to note that on the newly launched Wyler Racing Website there is zero mention of Steve or that Wyler Racing or the Wyler Automotive Group is a sponsor for the #62 truck as well as the #60. I would think that there would be some mention of thier association with Orleans Racing somewhere but no dice. Unfortunately nor is there any information about how this team came to be other than a bio of Jeff Wyler that notes all the car, boat and motorcycle dealerships he owns.
The following comes squarely under the heading of completely wild speculation which is based on no facts what-so-ever. I'm simply doing the online version of thinking out-loud. I have no clue what the future holds for Steve, whether or not he will be back at Orleans Racing. Nor do I know if Chad Chaffin will be with the #60 past this season or even how long Wyler Racing will stick around. But the thought occured to me about whether there's a possibility that Steve could end up in the #60 someday given his friendship with Jeff Wyler if he doesn't re-sign to remain in the #62. The #60 hasn't been great since their inception but Chaffin had an excellent truck on Wednesday night until the tire issue and Toyota gives quite a bit of backing to their teams. So my feeling is that this team could potentially be better than they are right now. It's probably unlikely to happen as I suspect that Steve would rather be with a multi-truck team that has some history of success in the truck series if he were to leave Orleans but it is an intriguing thought.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
Everybody Has an Excuse
And Lance Armstrong's is that he's being set-up. This week Armstrong was accused by the French sports newspaper L'Equipe of using performance enhancers after they said that they tested old urine samples of his and found traces of EPO. I have no clue whether Armstrong actually used EPO or other performance enhancers but it would be a pretty big shame if it turned out if he did considering how many people rallied around his fight against cancer. Of course it will never happen but one day I'd like someone to stand up when they accused of using or test positive for performance enhancers and admit to it. Surely not all of those that test positive are falsely accused as they all claim. But they all have so much to lose so it's unlikely to happen.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)
Marlins Suspend Batboy For Accepting Milk Bet
Suspended Batboy Mulling Offers
I've been waiting to blog about this one because I was hoping a bit more information would come out because I sense that there must be a missing piece to this story. Because otherwise it makes no sense for the Florida Marlins to suspend one of their batboys for six games for accepting a bet from former Marlin, now Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny to try to drink a gallon of milk in an hour without vomiting for $500. It's been theorized that perhaps the batboy was suspended for wagering and that would make some sense but Penny wasn't disciplined by the Marlins and he's a major leaguer to whom wagering is a much bigger deal. In addition, you're got a relatively famous adult wagering with a child to whom $500 is probably a lot of money - what kid wouldn't enter into that bet? In that situation I think the burden is upon the adult, Penny, to use better judgement. My only thought is that perhaps this batboy had behaved inappropriately in the past but in that case why is he still employed by the team?
In the meantime, while the batboy is suspended he's been offered $500 and his lost wages by the Milk Processor Education Program as long as he promises to drink three glasses of milk every day. And the Minnesota Twins Single-A affiliate in Florida has offered him an honorary batboy position for a game. Gee, looking to cash in on the publicity this is getting much?
Posted by silverdsl at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)
Shawn Chacon Rolls On
The Yankees won yesterday afternoon 6-2 over the Blue Jays and part of that is due to Shawn Chacon who battled through seven innings even without his best stuff to limit the Jays to just two runs on six hits. In the 7th Chacon was able to wiggle out of a based-loaded jam that might have sent other managers running for the mound. Even Joe Torre often signals for a pitching change when a young, relatively unknown pitcher, particularly one new to the team gets himself into trouble. But for some reason Torre stuck with Chacon and he was able to work himself out of trouble. And in the process he earned Torre's trust, something that goes a long way. Torre said,
"That's huge. That puts a lot in the bank as far as making some decisions down the line.''
Yankee fans know what it means when a player has earned Torre's trust - he will rely on them and throw them out on the field no matter what even if they don't belong there. But Chacon isn't a Todd Zeile who Torre played even when he was virtually useless at the plate and little better in the field. Chacon has been one of the Yankees best pitchers since he joined the team, that is evidenced by his 1.80 ERA over six starts since then, and he's showing that he could end up being a very key part of the Yankees fight for the wildcard. Who would have thought at the beginning of this season that a pitcher who had struggled mightilly with the Rockies would end up being more important to the Yankees starting rotation than the once dominant Randy Johnson?
Posted by silverdsl at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2005
Photo of the Day - Kasey Kahne
Pocono, PA, July, 2005. Kasey Kahne signing autographs for fans during qualifying. I've got to give Kasey credit - he's a super-timid guy but he sure does sign a lot of autographs for the fans and handle himself well while he's doing it. I realized that I haven't posted too many photos that I took at Pocono. I talk about Nascar a lot so I guess I was thinking that I would post some different photos but may as well throw a few of these up once in a while.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:58 PM | Comments (1)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/25)
I guess I wasn't paying very good attention last week when the Tony Stewart Foundation announced their second annual benefit concert that will take place on October 5 with Montgomery Gentry and Phil Vassar because it turns out that Michael Waltrip will be making an appearance at this concert along with other drivers such as Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Martin Truex, Jr., Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Stewart. Taking place in Paducah, KY, the concert will raise money for charities in the Paducah area as well as the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Since I'm not a country music fan I'm not familar at all with Montgomery Gentry or Phil Vassar but I'm sure it will be a very fun show that benefits great causes!
Meanwhile the NAPA team has high hopes for this weekend at Bristol. Michael will be racing the car that Junior won with at this track in 2004 so hopefully that will bring him some luck. Unfortunately the first go-around at Bristol this season don't work out so hot for the #15 team as they had to endure a cut tire, a 12-car pileup and a vibration problem, though somehow though all of that they did manage to finish 19th. I hope that Saturday night brings better results for Michael and the #15 team!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
Old Record Company Tries to Have Take Back Sunday's Gold Album Taken Back
There's this band Take Back Sunday that was signed to an independant label, Victory Records. While with Victory, Take Back Sunday's album "Where You Want To Be" sold enough copies to be certified gold but the request to have it certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was never done. So now that Take Back Sunday is signed to Warner Bros. Records, the request was made to have the album certified gold and it was approved. Only thing is that now that it's been given gold certification Victory wants it taken back because they say that the album is their property and they weren't the ones to start the process for the certification to be made. Um, hello, do the folks at Victory not understand that regardless of who started the process a small, independant record company being able to say that one of their albums went gold, regardless of whether the artist is still with them or not, is a very good thing? I can't understand why they wouldn't want this certification.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)
Opinion Column Attributed to Mayor Not Written By Him
I've mentioned any number of times in this space that one of my biggest issues with the media, both online and off, is when something is printed without proper fact-checking or checking of sources. Of course no one can be perfect but not following through to be sure really bit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. They were given an opinion column by one of their former editors who said that it was written by former Milwaukee Mayor Frank P. Zeidler. Only one problem - it wasn't written by the former Mayor. In fact no one has any idea who it really was written by. The paper assumed that because it came from a former editor, who apparently didn't do enough checking himself, that it was trustworthy so they didn't make the phone calls that they usually do when someone submits an opinion piece. Oops.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Park Finishes 15th at Bristol
Mike Skinner Wins First Truck Race Since 1996
Disappointment again. I guess some will say that I'm being too much of a negative-nellie because last night's race wasn't that bad for Steve Park but they were among the leaders yesterday in early practice so I really got my hopes up that last night's truck race at Bristol might bring Steve a much needed top ten or top five finish. But as usual it was not to be. The #62 team qualified 21st and they seemed to be no better than a mid-pack truck the entire night. For much of the time Steve seemed to struggle to make progress until towards the end when he began to gain positions. At one point he was in 13th and I was starting to think that perhaps he might be able to pull off a top ten after all. Instead when the race was over Steve had lost positions and ended up finishing 15th. Again, not terrible but not great either.
What is good is that Steve gained one position in the points standings so that he is now in 17th. But when I looked at the points this morning it really hit home for me even more just how bad this season has been for the #62 team. Rick Crawford who started one less race than Steve is a position ahead of him in the points standings. And as I've mentioned before Steve's truck owner Brendan Gaughan despite missing two races is just two positions in back of Steve. That's just not very good. Oh, there are other drivers behind Steve in the points who have also started every race but none of those drivers won a race this season and were expected to contend for the Championship.
That's my biggest issue. The expectations for the #62 were not that they would just go out there, run laps and hopefully occassionally get a good finish or two here and there. The expectations as set forth by Brendan and Steve were that the #62 would contend for the Championship. Brendan said that Orleans Racing was going to do everything that they could to get Steve the Championship. So my question is - did they do that? I can speculate, and I am disappointed by some of what I've seen from Orleans Racing, but the only people who can answer that are those at Orleans Racing and Steve. Of course they are not going to be forthcoming publically about any short-comings there might be but it sure would be nice to know whether there is something amiss at Orleans Racing or whether it truly has just been a whole lot of bad luck that's befallen Steve.
My next question is where do they go from here? I think it's too late in the season for them to make too many dramatic changes, particularly since it's unlikely that they can salvage a really great finish in the points, though wins are certainly not out of the question. But I think this team has some questions facing them that again only they can answer about what direction they go in after this season. Some will say that it's ridiculous to think about the future when 2005 isn't over yet but it is essential for drivers and teams to be forward-looking to some degree. They need to focus on getting the best results possible in the here and now but there must also be a plan for the future. Because often if you wait too long opportunity passes you by.
Perhaps the race in general last night put me into a bit of a blah mood. I had really been looking forward to last night's race because traditionally the races at Bristol in all three series are among the most eagerly anticipated for the exciting racing. But it didn't seem like that was the case last night. I guess that's what happens when one driver leads virtually the entire race and then goes on to win which is what former truck series champion Mike Skinner did. Still, often when that happens there's some really good racing elsewhere in the field and I didn't get the sense that was happening to the degree that one might expect at Bristol. But Skinner's win last night was awesome for him because he hasn't won a truck race since 1996 and he's been in a position to win a couple of times this season and things haven't worked out. But they sure did last night! Skinner is now the all-time laps led leader at Bristol thanks to leading 190 of 200 laps last night.
Something else of note from last night's race - I'm disappointed with the way Steve's season has gone but the Ricky Craven fans must really be up in arms. Early on Ricky was in the top ten, reeling off great finish after great finish and looking like a strong contender for the championship. Suddenly that dream has turned to ashes. For the past few weeks Ricky has found an incredible amount of bad luck on the track. Last night was no different. A wreck put him into the wall and he finished 32nd which sent him into a nose dive in the points standings, all the way down to 14th. Poor Ricky - first he finds out that it's unlikely he will end up in the #6 next season to keep the seat warm for Jamie McMurray, now his season has really taken a turn for the worse.
On the other hand two other drivers that I like had top ten finishes last night. Johnny Benson, who is a teammate of Mike Skinner at Bill Davis Racing finished 4th and Ken Schrader in his own truck finished 10th. Good for those guys! Another truck-wacker over from Cup, Kyle Busch finished 5th in the #15. That truck doesn't really have a regular driver but a revolving door of mostly Cup drivers usually gets some good results from it.
So overall, a so-so race, a so-so finish for Steve, leaving me feeling so-so about Steve's 2005 season.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2005
Photo of the Day - Flowers
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. One of the last photos I took while I was in Maine this summer... but surely not the last Maine photo that will appear in this space!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
Doc Gooden On the Run
Stopped By Police On Suspicion of Drunk Driving
Doc Gooden is apparently still on the run three days after fleeing from police after they stopped him on suspicion of drunk driving. A former Cy Young winner, Gooden has a checkered past littered with substance abuse problems and a recent domestic abuse charge which led the Yankees to sever ties with him. When thinking about Gooden I can't help but be reminded of Shane Hmiel who is getting another chance to race, this time in USAC, where he will be bidding his time until Nascar allows him back. Gooden was an immensely talented pitcher who achieved quite a bit of success early on before his career was derailed by his substance abuse issues. Hmiel is an immensely talented racer who has had a bit of success until his career was derailed by his positive drug tests. Gooden got a lot of "second" chances and none of them have seemed to take. I can only hope that Hmiel makes better use of his third chance.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/24)
If there's one thing that Michael Waltrip loves other than racing it's golf. He's apparently one of the better golfers among the drivers too but that's probably to be expected considering how often he golfs. And apparently he will be golfing at Pebble Beach in conjunction with the Walmart First Tee Open next week in California. Other Nascar drivers slated to participate include Kyle Petty, Jeff Green and Bobby LaBonte. Hmm, I wonder if Michael and Jeff Green settled the ill will between them. Otherwise it might be dangerous for them to be around each other with golf clubs!
Jimmy Spencer thinks that there is a shortage of quality drivers in the Cup garage area which has led to team owners hiring or trying to hire veteran drivers, even those who are already with other teams. Spencer believes that could indicate that the cycle of teams hiring younger and younger drivers at the expense of older drivers could be coming to an end. He's in the garage area so he would know better than I, but I believe that's wishful thinking from a driver looking into the Cup garage from the outside. Michael is mentioned in passing and I almost hesitate to mention it because it's not exactly in a good way as he's refered to as a "driver being put out to pasture" but some of Spencer's comments make for an interesting read other than that remark by the writer of the article.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:09 PM | Comments (0)
Message to the Person Who Asked About Meeting A-Rod
If you ever come back to this blog that is... I'm not approving your comment about wanting to meet Alex Rodriguez in relation to either this entry or the one prior to it because you included a personal phone number and it's never wise to post personal information on the internet that anyone could come across. But more than that I have no connection to Alex Rodriguez or anyone who knows him. I simply commented on an event that A-Rod attended. I can't make meeting him happen for any amount of money.
I do know a handful of people in various industries personally and professionally who know other people, who know other people who... you get the drift. But I wouldn't ask for anything for myself so I'm certainly not going to ask for anything for anyone else either. But for the most part I have no influence or connections to anyone, I have no insider knowledge on anything and I'm nobody of significance. Just thought I should make that clear for anyone else who might come across this blog and think the same as the person who gave me her phone number to try to arrange a meeting with A-Rod.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2005
Happy Birthday Steve Park - How Old Are You Anyway?
It's Steve Park's birthday today and I hope he's having a good time celebrating turning... well, just how old is Steve anyway? He's listed on his own site as officially being born in 1967 which would make him 38 but materials from early in his career list him as being born in 1966 or 1965. So Steve could in fact be celebrating the big 4-0! I've got no clue why Steve or someone working with him decided to fudge his age unless there was just a clerical error made way back when that just kept on being repeated but it means that it's hard to say just how old he is. My guess that in the current climate in Nascar there are other drivers who shave a couple of years off their age because of the focus on young guns.
At one point it was common for this to happen with players in MLB, particularly Latin American players who might not have readily accessible birth certificates. That's why many refer to Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez as an old man even though officially he's listed as being born in 1969, which would make him 37 this year. Many believe his true age is closer to 40, maybe even older than that.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/23)
Sometimes there's a lot of articles and columns that mention Michael Waltrip, sometimes the news is much less sparce. So some days there just isn't enough to fill a whole "In the News" entry. But I'll give it a shot today.
If you're a glutton for punishment you can read the official recap of the race from Michigan. Really in comparison to some races where Michael was DNF'd due to being wrecked or blown engines, it's not that bad but it's yet another race where it looked like Michael was on his way to a good finish only to have things go sour.
But this is a new week and it's time for Bristol baby! Bristol is one of the most popular tracks with fans and for good reason. The races there are usually jam-packed with excitment and good racing. Everything kicks off with the truck race tomorrow night at 9 p.m. on Speed, which Michael will be in the broadcast booth for. I always try to catch the truck races to watch Steve Park but they're even better when Michael is in the booth! But prior to that is the Hooters Pro Cup Food City 150 at 7 p.m. and one of the teams will apparently be Michael's pro cup team, presumably with driver Ken Butler III.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)
Why Have a Blog?
These days everyone has a blog. No really - everyone. Donald Trump even has a blog. So do countless other celebrities. Companies too. So it's much more than a bunch of no-life, blow-hard losers ranting about things that piss them off like some seem to think. While there are some blogs and journals that are nothing more than outlets for their authors to complain about everything that they think is wrong with society, it's possible to find a well-written blog on just about every topic under the sun or a journal by a whole host of people in all different walks of life.
I started doing this blog because there were a lot of things that I wanted to talk about and had no other outlet to express myself on the topics that interested me. Offline there are very few people other than Jim who I can talk sports with and almost no one in this area who is interested in racing. So this gives me a way to ponder various sports related topics in a more extensive way than I could on a message board. Though there is a definite sports tilt to this blog, it's also a way for me to reflect on some of my photography and anything else that catches my attention. What's most important is that I'm doing this for me. I very much appreciate the people who take the time to read what I blog about but I'm not doing this blog because I want attention or a huge amount of people reading. If people stop by for a visit - great! But if no one ever reads that's fine too. I'm just happy that I have a place where I can talk about whatever I might be thinking about. Of course what's in this blog only reflects a small segment of my life - there is a lot more to me than my interest in Nascar, the Yankees, gadget, music and photography!
But why do other people have blogs? Many have them for the exact same reasons I do - just to have a place to record their thoughts. There are also many who are trying to get their beliefs or a message out to their audience. That's what you find a lot in political blogs. Company blogs are also all about the message as well - trying to promote a certain image and agenda. Jade Gurss's blog is clearly a blog with an agenda, though perhaps not what one might guess at first upon learning that he's Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s PR person. No doubt Gurss is promoting Junior and his activities but it has always seemed to me that Gurss also uses his blog as a platform to expose his audience to his political beliefs. That audience is one more than likely doesn't usually pay much attention to those with his beliefs, but because he's Junior's PR person they will read. But personally I think Gurss's best entries are those that discuss his personal thoughts on racing, music or anything else around him. I wish I could put my thoughts into words as well as he does.
I think as time goes on blogs will be become even more common and more specialized. I focus a lot on Michael Waltrip and Steve Park, probably more than any other site that's not dedicated to either of those two drivers. And it's seemed as if there are a lot of people who are coming to my blog for news and discussion on Steve and Michael, knowing that I discuss them a lot. Michael has an excellent website that is kept very up-to-date but with Steve it can be hard to find in-depth articles or discussion outside of a message board. Even Steve's offical site has little current information about him. So people have to look elsewhere for news. I think those blogs that focus on a particular subject will continue to grow in popularity because it provides a centralized way for people to get the information they're looking for.
Some look down on blogs and can't understand why anyone would be interested in reading something that often features a heavy dose of opinion, rather than "just the facts." But some blogs (not this one!) have readerships that rival print publications. So there is a tremendous amount of people who are looking for more than just a straight-forward article or press release. Which is why in some sectors PR people pitch to blogs as well as to traditional media outlets. That's particularly true in the technology based sectors that have naturally embraced blogs a lot quicker than some other areas. I think that down the road it will become routine for blogs to become a standard part of the daily online experience in some way or another for just about everyone.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
Poison's C.C. DeVille Arrested for Domestic Violence
Apparently over the weekend Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille was arrested for domestic violence. His ex-girlfriend accuses him of beating her up. Of course DeVille denies the whole thing and claims that she was the one to attack him and his new girlfriend because she was upset over her breakup with him. I've got no idea what actually happened. There's always several sides to every story: his, hers and the truth which is usually somewhere in between. But it's not all that surprising that DeVille has run into trouble like this because for quite a few years now his behavior has concerned many. In the past he's had a drug problem and it's been said that he has continued to struggle to overcome his addictions.
Poison was one of my favorite bands in middle school and high school. I'm not ashamed to admit that I still listen to their music even today. It's not that they were musical geniuses or anything but they played mostly fun, engergetic, up-beat music. Their concerts were fun too as the whole band is made up of terrific performers who know how to put on a great show. That hasn't changed either. I didn't go to see them on their last tour but I did on the tour before that and they were just as good live then as they were in the early 90's. Again, not the greatest musicians ever but they definitely know how to entertain an audience! It's just a shame that DeVille has run into trouble with the law.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
Sythnesizer Pioneer Robert Moog Dies
Died at Age 71 in North Carolina
Most people probably have never heard his name but the sythnesizers that he created had a huge impact on the music industry. Countless bands used Moog Sythnesizers and instruments including the Beatles, Yes, Pink Floyd as well as even comtemporary bands like Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam. I didn't know who Moog was either until a number of years ago when I was working on a story for Hofstra University's newsletter about then chairperson, now professor emeritus, of the music department, Herbert Deutsch. Deutsch, who is also a composer, had helped Moog, then a Ph.D. student in engineering physics at Cornell, develop his first voltage-controlled synthesizer modules. By the end of that year Moog was marketing his first commercial modular sythesizer. Without Moog a lot of very well-loved music would sound very different.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
Nascar Sells Liscencing Rights For Lottery Tickets
For Nascar, Doing Business With a State Lottery Is Not Considered a Gamble
Though the images of drivers have appeared on lottery tickets before for the first time Nascar has sold liscencing rights for its logo to appear those tickets. In addition, Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth will appear on the South Carolina Education Lottery tickets. On the surface there really isn't any big deal with Nascar's association with lottery tickets since they have nothing to do with race results. And after all Nascar embraces gambling whole-heartedly hence the casinos as sponsors, an event in Las Vegas and tracks like Dover Downs with a casino. Other sports like the NBA and NHL have also inked deals with the same company that Nascar has, MDI Entertainment, to use their logos and images on lottery tickets.
But not every sport shares the view that selling liscencing for lottery tickets is a wise idea. Greg Aiello, a spokesperson for the NFL said,
"We have always believed in drawing a clear line when it comes to associations with gambling and gambling-related activity. We think that protecting the integrity of our game is best served by having a very bright line, and not getting into shades of gray."
And I think he's right that it pays for the major sports to use caution when it comes to gambling. Nascar has no written rules that I know of as it relates to gambling so from their perspective they see no problem with doing anything they want. They don't even prohibit their competitors from gambling on themselves or others which is why Brendan Gaughan's admission that he used to and may still bet on himself in truck races raised very few eyebrows.
Of course it's unlikely that Brendan or any other competitor would ever do anything improper. And there is nothing wrong with gambling for fun. However, even if everything is completely innocent and above board it can raise questions and give the appearance that there is the possiblity of something not quite right going on. Both the media and fans question and speculate about things, that is simply the way things work as annoying as that might be to the sport and its participants.
As the spokesperson for the NFL said protecting the integrity of the game is very important. Just ask MLB about that as it relates to gambling. I don't think that there's anything wrong with Nascar being involved with lottery tickets, particularly since the profits often go towards schools. But I do wish that they had a few more rules as it relates to competitors gambling on themselves. It's for their own protection.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)
August 22, 2005
Photo of the Day - Gorilla
Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY, 2002.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:17 PM | Comments (0)
Lots of Drivers Go Unmentioned
Apparently John Andretti was racing yesterday in the Cup race at Michigan. Was he mentioned once, ever the entire race? I might have missed it but I don't remember hearing his name at all. I had heard that Andretti would be in the #4 car but forgot until I saw it in the race results they showed on Inside Nextel Cup. Here's a guy who's been without a regular ride since the team he was supposed to drive full time for this season folded - shouldn't that be deserving of at least one mention if not more?
Oh look Jimmy Spencer was racing yesterday too - I don't think he was ever mentioned either. And a whole bunch of other folks didn't get talked about either or at least as far as I heard. Maybe I was watching a whole different race than everyone else. For crying out loud where was the mention that Bill Elliott in a part-time ride finished 11th? Did I sleep through a whole chunk of this race? It's got to be so frustrating to be a fan of the drivers who are never talked about. I mean I'm sometimes aggrivated because I don't know what's going on with Michael or Steve but some drivers get even less coverage than either of those two. At least with Michael I can listen to his radio via Trackpass, something that I hope will continue next season when he's with his new team.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
Newsflash: Randy Johnson Isn't Getting Any Younger
Randy Johnson Gives Up Four Homeruns in One Inning
Some, like Joe Torre, are trying to excuse Randy Johnson's pitching performance yesterday by saying that he only had one bad inning and pitched well the rest of the game but oh, how he fell apart in that one inning and it cost the Yankees the game. Johnson gave up four homeruns to the White Sox, including three in a row, in the fourth inning. After giving up solo shots to Tadahito Iguchi, Aaron Rowand and Paul Konerko, Johnson allowed two more Sox hitters on base. And then former Yankee back-up catcher Chris Widger, who had only hit three homeruns all season headed into yesterday's game, hit a three-run shot to further emphasize to Yankee fans that that instead of getting the "Big Unit" they thought they were getting they've got the "Big Disappointment."
After the game Joe Torre said,
"His stuff was good. He's going to win games pitching like that."
Please! That's living in fantasyland. Games are not won when the starting pitcher falls apart and gives up four homeruns in one inning. His stuff might have been good every other inning but it was dreadful in that inning. And overall Johnson's pitching hasn't been too great this season, no matter how much Torre wants to sugar-coat it. After yesterday Johnson has allowed the most homeruns in the American League with 29. It's not just the homeruns allowed either. He has simply not been as dominating as he was in seasons past. And the one thing the Yankees need right now with all of their other pitching problems is an Ace of the staff who they can depend on to give them a dominant outing just about every time on the mound. That's what Johnson was expected to be but he has hardly been that.
Back in November when the talk of the Yankees trading for Johnson heated up I expressed my misgivings because of Johnson's age and injury history among other factors. And indeed Johnson's back has been an issue and I think his age is as well. Johnson is 42 and the older a pitcher gets the harder it is for them to pitch effectively. Roger Clemens is a recent rare exception and there have been others who have been able to pitch extremely well over 40 but increasingly it's looking like Johnson won't be one of those pitchers. Which is very unfortunate because Johnson is signed for another two years for $32 million. What's he going to be like in 2006 and 2007 if he's like this in 2005? I think that Johnson is still capable of pitching some big games effectively but I don't think we will ever see the same Big Unit who struck fear into opposing pitchers in his younger years.
I just hope this doesn't turn into a David Cone like situation where in spite of being awful in his last season with the Yankees, he was trotted out there anyway. But then again what choice would the Yankees have really but to send Johnson out to the mound regardless of how effective he is? I don't think he's really suited for the bullpen and $32 million is quite a bit of money. So all parties can only hope that Johnson is just experiencing a rough adjustment period and will pitch much better in the future for the Yankees.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)
Not So Fast: Rumors of Michael Waltrip to BDR Denied
UPDATE 4 - Denied: Mike Brown, general manager for Bill Davis, said his team has had "no talks at all" with Michael Waltrip about joining their operation next season.(Winston Salem Journal)(8-22-2005)
Hmm... I heard an interview that Bill Davis did with Claire B. Lang on Friday on XM and she asked him directly about whether he was talking with Michael about a ride for 2006. Davis said that he would neither confirm or deny that he was talking with Michael and declined to discuss what drivers he might be considering for a potential second car in 2006. Now if there were really "no talks at all" with Michael, something they are apparently very anxious to have known today, why didn't Davis just say that on Friday? Because his comments made it seem as if he was possibly talking to Michael about giving him a ride and that probably fueled the fire of media and fan speculation about Michael going to BDR.
Of course I also can't help but wonder if "no talks at all" about a ride for 2006 means that there have been talks but not about next season, instead for 2007 and beyond. That might not be the case either but I find it hard to believe that Michael is working with BDR in terms of his Cup operation and the topic of what Michael might be doing in the future and what BDR might be doing in the future hasn't come up between them at all. It would seem to me that it would be to both parties benefit to send out even the most miniscule of feelers to see if there's anything there that might be good for both of them. Particularly for BDR who need sponsorship for that second car if that's actually going to happen sponsorship that Michael might be able to provide.
It was apparently said during the pre-race that Michael might have an announcement about his ride for 2006 this week. That counters what Michael said last week about hoping to have an annoucement in September. Some fans are practically demanding that Michael tell them immediately where he's going to go. I've got the patience to wait but after all what choice is there really? Michael and his new team aren't going to announce anything until they're good and ready. Personally I think Michael has a fairly good idea about where he's going. Perhaps he's also making sure that he doesn't miss out on any other opportunities that could be even better. Whereever he ends up I hope it will be with a ride that will give him the chance to run up front and win races.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2005
Photo of the Day - Mansion Shell
Fort Williams Park, Portland, Maine, July, 2005. This was a pretty neat place to take photos. It's the shell of an old mansion that once stood on the grounds of Fort Williams Park. Obviously it's been abandoned for many years but there is a theatre group that apparently uses it as the set for periodic Shakespearan plays during the summer so the ruins are maintained somewhat.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)
A Gamble That Didn't Work: Michael Waltrip Runs Out of Gas, Finishes 27th
Mayfield Wins... With the Same Strategy That Failed for Michael
For a while it was looking like Tony Eury, Jr. was a genius and Michael was going to get a much needed top five finish. But not much has gone Michael's way on the track lately and it was the same story today. Less than two laps from the end of the race when Michael was in fifth place, the #15 ran out of gas, dooming him to a 27th place finish. Meanwhile, Jeremy Mayfield, whose crew chief, Slugger Labbe was also trying the same pit strategy as Tony Eury, Jr., ended up winning the race. Labbe, Michael's old crew chief, even said after the race that they had stolen one and made a 20th place car into a first place car. The same was almost true for the #15. After a minor tangle with Mike Bliss, Michael's car didn't seem to be as good as it was early in the race and while he made some progress forward he wasn't running as far up in the field as they might have liked. So during a late caution they topped off on gas while others didn't hoping that they would gain track position as the race went along when others had to stop before the end. But they came up just short on fuel unfortunately for Michael.
During the truck race at IRP, Steve Park's crew chief ran him out of gas mid-race. I didn't come down too hard on that decision because like with Tony Eury, Jr. if the gamble had paid off it would have reaped the team tremendous benefits. In the situation with Steve it was what happened afterward on pit road that shouldn't have happened and pretty much ruined the race for him. Though I still think that Charlie Wilson should have played things safer because the good finishes for the #62 have been even fewer and far between than for the #15 team. In addition, Steve had a very good truck that race and it's likely he would have had a strong finish if not for running out of gas. However, Michael's car today didn't seem to be as good as it was during the first go-around this season at Michigan so I don't think he would have raced his way into the top ten without the strategy that Tony, Jr. used.
Yet again this was a race that featured tire problems for a number of the teams. Nascar had tried to address this problem by mandating that teams use the same degree of camber. But it didn't seem to pay off this race, though it's possible that there was something on the track that some drivers were running over. In fact that is a distinct possiblity considering that trash blocking grills was causing some engine overheating problems for a variety of teams. It's to be expected that there will be some problems like this but it seems unfortunate that so much was decided not by racing on the track but garbage from the stands.
One driver's season that seems to be in a nosedive is Elliott Sadler's. He was extremely strong in the first half of the season racing his way to nine top tens in the first sixteen races. But over the last seven races he's dropped ten spots in the points standings, putting him into 13th position, 66 points out of the Chase for the Championship. It's really unfortunate. Sadler is a great racer, a good guy and extremely fan-friendly. He's a driver that I would love to see in the Chase and someone who I would be thrilled if he were Champion one day. But it's looking like this year might not be his season to be in the Chase.
Meanwhile, with his win today, Mayfield has solidified a spot for himself in the Chase. He's in sixth place in the points and unless the rest of the season is an utter disaster for him, he's in. Mayfield is a driver who gets very little attention during races or from the fans. But he can drive a race car and he certainly showed that today, though a lot of the credit for the win has to go to Slugger Labbe for making the right decisions in the pits. Still, a driver who is given the lead still needs to be able to hang on to it and Mayfield did that.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:51 PM | Comments (0)
Shawn Chacon Rocks the Sox
If Shawn Chacon keeps pitching this well for the Yankees then Brian Cashman is going to look like a genius by the end of the season. Cashman was able to pry Chacon away from the Rockies in July and expectations were low to say the least for what he could do in pinstripes considering he hadn't won a game since April. But Chacon has been a huge surprise, pitching quite well away from Coors Field. Yesterday was perhaps his best start for the Yankees. Over eight innings Chacon gave up just four hits and that's outstanding, particularly against a decent team like the White Sox.
The other item from yesterday's game is that Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, a former Yankee, threw behind Alex Rodriquez. It didn't led to anything other than a warning for both benches but it was something that got the attention of the Yankees since El Duque's command is very good. But clearly El Duque was out of sorts yesterday. He committed two errors, his first errors in 109 games nd also a balk was called on him. In addition he gave up five runs on six hits. Just not a good day for El Duque.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:56 PM | Comments (0)
Michael Waltrip to Bill Davis Racing?
UPDATE 2: ....could find Michael Waltrip racing under the banner of Bill Davis Racing in 2006, and he might be taking his current sponsor, NAPA, with him. Waltrip has informed his current team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., that he won't be returning to the #15 Chevy he has driven for the past five seasons. A move to Davis' team would mesh nicely with Waltrip's expected plans to join Toyota's team when that manufacturer moves to the Cup circuit in 2007 or 2008], because Davis already is running Toyotas in the Craftsman Truck Series.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(8-19-2005)
UPDATE 3:.......also, it appears Michael Waltrip is headed to BDR. Waltrip attempted to bring Eury Jr. with him but he turned it down obviously. Bill Davis refused comment this morning.(ESPN's SportsCenter/Mike Massaro)(8-21-2005)
For quite some time I've wondering if there was a possiblity that Michael Waltrip could end up driving for Bill Davis Racing in 2006. Two reasons - one being that twice now Michael Waltrip Racing has worked with Bill Davis Racing to prepare Cup cars but also because both Michael and BDR have been tied to Toyota, who is expected to enter Cup in 2007. That's why in some of my past entries that discuss the cooperative effort between BDR and MWR I keep saying hmmm.... because I wondered how this partnership came to be and what it entails. But I've not wanted to speculate too much in case it's my overactive imagination causing me to jump to conclusions.
Well, apparently there might be fire where there's smoke as the current talk around the garage area is that Michael is going to be in a second BDR car in 2006. Most seem to think that NAPA will go along with him from DEI but some have said that it might not involve NAPA at all, but be a car sponsored by a combination of two of Michael's other sponsors, Best Western and Domino's. What's interesting is that apparently Michael was asked at an appearance at the Iowa State Fair if he would be doing any more NAPA commercials and he said that he thought he would be doing NAPA commericals next year, only not with Junior. Hmmm...
If there's any truth to this rumor then whether it's NAPA or Best Western/Domino's, DEI has lost sponsorship and that is no small matter in the current climate that Nascar operates in which the costs for running a race team continue to escilate. So finding and keeping sponsors is extremely important. Marty Smith speculated not too long ago that Michael would take sponsors with him when he left DEI and that it could be costly to DEI in the future. It appears there could be something to that too as Tony Eury, Jr. said in an interview the other day that it appears that DEI will field a third team next season but it will only be a part time team. That seems to indicate that NAPA won't be with DEI next season, at least not as a primary sponsor, though it's not a given they will go with Michael to his new team. Regardless DEI must have three full-time teams in 2006 and beyond if they are to compete with the bigger organizations who seem to have an advantage right now.
Back to Michael potentially joining BDR if this happens I think there are going to be a lot of unhappy and disappointed Michael Waltrip fans. Many people thought it was a lock that he would be in the #11 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Others wanted him in the new Evernham ride or in the #6 for Roush Racing or some other top organization. So BDR which has struggled in recent years isn't where many fans would like to see Michael. And I have to admit that my first choice for him might be a different organization where they've won races more recently. However, an influx of money from a new sponsor and a veteran driver could help turn things around at BDR. They aren't as bad off as an organization like Morgan-McClure. So just because they haven't won since 2002 with Ward Burton doesn't mean that they can't win in the future.
But more than that I trust that Michael knows what he's doing. He's going to make the decisions that he feels are in his own best interest and are best for himself, his family and his career. And I will support him no matter what team he's racing for with what sponsor.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:17 PM | Comments (0)
Anyone Can Fall Victim to Drugs
"All My Efforts to Protect My Daughter Were in Vain"
Two friends who were sophmores in college, one at New York University and the other at Hunter college, who were high-achieving and well-liked died from drug overdoses last week. They were just two of six people who are thought to have died from drug overdoses from the same batch of either contamined or ultra-pure drugs that made their way around the lower east side of Manhattan. Of course these two deaths are getting a tremendous amount of media attention because they were both beautiful young "good" girls. So many are expressing surprise that they would be involved with drugs. Well, unfortunately "good" girls can get snared by drugs. Anyone can. Young, old, black, white, rich, poor, pretty, ugly, high-achieving, low-achieving, male, female. Drugs don't discriminate.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)
Young Bloggers Beware
Too Close For Comfort: Blogs Put Teens At Risk
It goes without saying that teens need to be careful about how much personal information they share online whether it's in a blog or with people they encounter. But so should adults be careful as well. It's incredible to me sometimes how much information people will give out in blogs, journals, or on message board. I definitely tell people about myself or my interests in various places but I try not to say too much. You just never know. Unfortunately a lot of people, young and old alike, see a blog or online journal in the same way as a diary. Only thing is that anyone can come across what is written online, even when you think that you've made precautions so that won't happen. And unfortunately not everyone has good intentions.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:02 PM | Comments (0)
Can You Imagine Living in a Cave?
If you live in a giant cave in a mountain in Purple Cloud, China it might not be so bad. In Middle Cave there are modern amenities such as electricity and a telephone. They stull use a communal outhouse and collect water for drinking and cook over firewood but the people who live in that cave have computers, satellite TV, refrigerators and a phone. Which makes quite a contrast between old and new ways of living. Apparently a businessman in Minneapolis helped donate the money for the electrical system. Inhabinants of the cave live in one of 18-thatched bamboo houses which have no roofs to let in more light. There's even a school in the cave that is attended by 150 children, including some from outside of the cave. A very different way of living than most people in this country are familiar with.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005. Have I mentioned recently how much I want to go back to Las Vegas and specifically to Valley of Fire State Park?
So much to blog about, so little time...
Posted by silverdsl at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)
Shane Hmiel Returns to the Track
The last place Shane Hmiel should be is behind the wheel of a racecar. He's suspended from Nascar for the second time for testing positive for drugs and some have said that he might have been under the influence on the track. He's currently going through rehab and isn't eligible to race in Nascar before 2007 at the earliest. So how is it that USAC is going to allow him to race for them for the next year? Apparently with Nascar's blessing as Steve Hmiel said in an interview with Claire B. Lang on XM that Bill France himself gave the okay for Hmiel to race in USAC. Well, if he can race USAC why not bring him back to Nascar? Hmiel learned nothing the first time he was suspended, how is he going to learn something this time if he's allowed to race, different series or not?
Steve Hmiel also said in the XM interview that he thought his son took a lot of things for granted and didn't understand how lucky he was to have gotten the opportunities that he did because he grew up in racing. Well, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. grew up in racing. Michael Waltrip grew up around racing. Same with Kyle Petty. And Sterling Marlin. And those are just a few examples. I don't see any of those drivers testing positive for drugs. I think his son has an attitude problem that needs to be addressed for his sake and it has very little to do with growing up in racing.
Steve Hmiel said "Maybe the third time will be the charm." It should never have gotten to the point where Shane is getting a third chance. I would have supported a lifetime suspension for Shane after the first positive drug test considering the dangers of the sport and certainly after the second test. The only question about when he returns, and he will, is if there will be a third positive drug test. I'd like to say no, that Shane will finally have learned his lesson but I'm not sure that will be the case.
I suppose my opinion is colored by having seen some very ugly ways that drug use can effect people. Nice people, smart people, people with bright futures, they can all have their lives ruined by drug use. I dislike Hmiel for his attitude, particularly as it relates to drugs, but there's no doubt he's an extremely talented race car driver. It would be a shame if he let that talent be ruined by drugs.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/19)
Unfortunately it sounds like Michael Waltrip fans will have to be patient for a few more weeks before they find out what team he will be racing for in 2006. According to Michael, he is still evaluating a variety of options and hopes to have something to announce in September. Meanwhile Jeff Hammond weighed in with a great opinion piece on why Michael is a very talented driver and that NAPA should move with him to a new team. I agree - Michael is a lot more talented than he's ever given credit for and he has a great partnership with NAPA!
Practice speed can sometimes tell a lot about which cars will contend but sometimes they can be deceptive because teams can be experiementing with various things so it's sometimes hard for me to draw too many conclusions. However, today in practice for tomorrow's Busch race Michael was 34th in the #99 Domino's car. Unfortunately Michael's Cup car didn't have much speed today either. He was 38th overall during Happy Hour. In fact the car Michael Waltrip Racing is fielding in cooperation with Bill Davis Racing being driven by Johnny Benson was faster - 34th. Michael's done very well at Michigan in recent years so I hope that they find some speed and continue that trend!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)
World's Biggest Aquarium To Open in Atlanta
Will Feature Exotic Creatures Never Displayed in U.S.
Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, spend $200 million to build a giant aquarium as a gift to the people of Atlanta and it sounds like it will be a very cool place when finished in the fall. For the first time outside of Asia an aquarium will have whale sharks that grow to be 40-50 feet which are some of the world's largest sea creatures. There will also be beluga whales rescued from an amusement park in Mexico City, octopuses and of course any number of exotic fish. But they won't just have exhibits of sea life. The aquarium has also hired noted chef Wolfgang Puck to be the official caterer. I've eaten at one of his restaurants and it featured very yummy and creative food. I wonder if he'll have an all-seafood menu?
Posted by silverdsl at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
Kodak Tries to Change It's Image
Kodak Ads Build Up Its Digital Image
This week Kodak kicked off a major ad campaign designed to change their image in the hopes of making consumers view them as a digital powerhouse. Kodak's EasyShare camera is the top-selling camera in the United States but they suffered a net loss of $143 million in the second quarter. In addition according to an annual listing of the top 100 global brands, Kodak is ranked at 62th with a value of $5 billion, down from 27th in 2001 when the value of the brand was estimated at $10.8 billion. And apparently one reason for that is that people still think of Kodak as the company that made film and made snapshots possible rather than a company with digital products.
So the new ad campaign with the slogan, "Keep it Forever, Keep it Kodak," will feature some of Kodak's newest and most cutting edge digital products such as a new version of the EasyShare with WiFi capability and a credit card sized photo viewer. But ads are only one part of the makeover that Kodak plans for itself. They will also change the packaging of their products as well as the way they present themselves to partners. In an indication of what a major project this is the campaign took two years to design. It's very important to the future of Kodak that this campaign is successful so it will be interesting to see what kind of results it might bring down the road.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)
Tony Eury, Jr. Signs Long-Term Contract to Stay With DEI
Many Michael Waltrip fans had high hopes that Tony Eury, Jr. would leave DEI and become Michael's crew chief on whichever team he signs with for 2006. And that would have been awesome considering how well the two work together which has paid off in some great results on the track. But I figured the chances of that happening were pretty slim and indeed Eury, Jr. has signed a long-term contract with DEI. Aside from being Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s cousin, he's been at DEI for 14 years and that generally makes for a tremendous amount of loyalty. But beyond that Dale, Jr. did an interview not too long ago in which he talked about his father's dream that he would win the Cup Championship with the Eurys. How could they not try to make that happen?
Personally, I think it might do Eury, Jr. a world of good and make him an even better crew chief to leave DEI for a couple of years and get some experience in another organization before returning to DEI to reunite with Junior on the #8 team. It might be good for him to be able to work with drivers that he doesn't know so well and be exposed to a different style of management and operation. But it's likely that there will be a reunion of the Juniors right away in 2006. No one is saying that now, apparently because they don't want the #8 team to tank the remainder of the season because that crew is too worried about their job security to focus on getting Junior good finishes, but both Juniors have indicated that's what they want to happen and the writing is on the wall that it will. I think the results will be pretty good but I wouldn't be surprised if it's not the dream reunion that everyone thinks it will be. The two Juniors fought bitterly in 2004 to the point where it was effecting their off-the-track relationship which led to the crew swap. They say that in the year since they've both matured and learned a lot but old habits die hard.
There's no doubt that Dale, Jr. is a talented driver. Very talented. However, just as I think Tony, Jr. might benefit from working with a different organization for a while, I think Dale, Jr. could benefit from working with some fresh blood as well. It's probably unlikely that Junior will drive for an organization other than DEI any time in the near future but I'd like to see what might happen if Junior had an outside crew chief that's not a relative and not someone from within DEI. That kind of a fresh perspective could really push Junior to a new level. Sometimes things become stale within an organization and an outsider can really shake things up in a good way.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2005
Photo of the Day - Infrared
Old Westbury Gardens, 2002. I really need to dig out the infrared filter and the old digital camera...
Posted by silverdsl at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/18)
Yesterday Michael delivered Domino's pizza to one lucky fan and I wondered if she was a fan of his or not. Turns out that she is a big fan of Michael so she was pretty happy. Michael also sounds optimistic about his future and says that he will shed some light on his plans in the next few weeks.
MSNBC picks Michael as one of the drivers to watch during Sunday's race because he finished 7th at Michigan earlier this year and was 10th at this race last year. In fact, thanks to the NAPA pre-race notes I also know that since 2002 Michael's average finish at Michigan is 9.3 so expectations are high for a strong finish this weekend. Michael will also be racing in the Busch race this weekend and it's a race he won in 2002. I have my fingers crossed that both races will bring great finishes for Michael!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:37 PM | Comments (0)
Brian Vickers to Replace Johnny Benson on Inside Nextel Cup
From Jayski's (in part):Despain, Vickers Join Inside Nextel Cup: Dave Despain, host of the popular SPEED Channel show Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (Sundays at 9:00pm/et) takes over as host of Inside NEXTEL Cup, beginning Sept. 12 at 8:00pm/et. In addition, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Brian Vickers replaces Johnny Benson on the weekly Monday night panel show that dissects the weekend's racing action from the drivers' perspective. "Inside NEXTEL Cup is the longest running NASCAR program on the network, so we have been very careful in considering any changes," said Chris Long, SPEED Channel VP of Studio Production. "Allen, Michael, Johnny and Ken have been doing this show for nearly 10 years and there certainly is a comfort level and chemistry between all four of them and the television audience. However, we felt it was the appropriate time to update the panel and rededicate the show to delivering a true insider's view of each race," Long added.
I knew that Johnny Benson's days were numbered on Inside Nextel Cup based on an interview Chris Long from Speed did with Claire B. Lang on XM. At the time Long said that they were trying to replace Benson with Kevin Harvick. I like Benson so I wasn't thrilled with the decision to replace him but if there was one driver who I thought would be a good addition it was Harvick, due to his outspokenness. However, that's not to be. Instead of Harvick, Speed is replacing Benson with Brian Vickers. By all reports Vickers is a nice, polite person who is well-spoken. However, from everything that I've heard from him he's also bland and doesn't ever say much of substance. The next time I hear him say an opinion that ruffles some feathers and isn't the "right" thing it might just be the first time. Maybe a stint on INC will make him open up some more and let a little more of his personality out but right now I don't see the addition of Vickers to the expert panel to be an improvement over Benson.
I also find it funny that Long refers to "a true insider's perspective." Meanwhile Vickers is only in his second year of Cup racing and is very obviously still learning. Sure, he's racing in the races each weekend, but I'm not sure he qualifies as an expert. Especially when one considers his troubles on the track. He's improved as of late but there's no doubt that he's struggled to adjust to Cup racing. But perhaps he wanted to do the show thinking he'd learn a little from Michael Waltrip and Ken Schrader? I'm only half-joking. For anyone who wonders what Vickers could possibly learn from Michael and Kenny, any veteran, regardless of where they are in the points standings has quite a bit they can school a young driver on.
On the Speed boards there are quite a few people expressing their displeasure for Vickers addition to INC. So Speed's director of PR, Erik Arneson posted the following:
"You haven't seen a single show yet ... and Brian is 18th in points while Mikey is 21 and Ken is 29 ... so, maybe Brian can tell us what's going on at the front of the pack? ha ha"
He later reiterated that he was just being "silly" and that all the talent are decent guys. It boggles my mind that the director of PR for Speed thinks that it's appropriate to make a dig, joke or not, about the talent on one of the shows on his network on that channel's message board. That really amazes me. When he posts on that board he is posting as a representative of Speed and what he says reflects on his company. And based on his post it doesn't sound like he, and possibly Speed, have much respect for Michael or Kenny. Not only that but surely he must know that Michael has just as many top tens as Vickers this season and has likely been up front more often, only bad luck has spoiled any number of races for him. I guess I just don't have a sense of humor but it seems to me that the PR director at Speed would want to send a message that INC is a show that should be required viewing for all fans. Making fun of the people on it, silly or not, doesn't seem in line with that goal.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
Greatest Hits Albums Not so Great Anymore?
"Best of" Albums From Artists With Few Albums
I happen to love "Best of" and "Greatest Hits" albums because it can provide a great overview of a performer's career without having to buy every single one of their albums. Some great boxed sets, Best of and greatest hits packages from Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel, and many others are among some of my most listened to albums. However, all those artists have one thing in common - they have long distinguished careers in which they've put out many albums. So they truly have quite a few hits and significant songs. Contrast that to artists like Mandy Moore, Hillary Duff, Martika and others who have very few "hits" to actually compose a best of or greatest hits package. But they're in stores anyway.
I think it's especially ridiculous in the case of Hillary Duff who has only two albums to her credit, neither of which had a song that cracked the top ten. Her greatest hits came out this week and essentially it must be a compilation of both of those albums. Perhaps they're just trying to put something, anything out to fullfill the terms of the contract but it seems like a waste of time and effort to promote a greatest hits for an artist who has no hits.
I do however, see the point of Jeff Jones, executive vice president of Sony BMG's catalog division Legacy Recordings, who put out the Martika greatest hits. Years ago she had one big song with "Toy Soldiers" and none other. Recently Eminem sampled "Toy Soldiers" for one of his songs creating fan interest in the original. Only one problem - most stores don't carry her albums anymore. So a new greatest hits package was put together to appeal to those people looking for that song. And it's a good idea. If an artist has four or five albums with a hit song off of each one, a lot of people would probably won't buy all their albums unless they really become enamored of the artist but would pick up the greatest hits or best-of.
That's the case for me with Hootie and the Blowfish. I've come to like their music but I'm not going to go buy all their past albums. But I do intend on getting their best-of album one of these days. And I think there are a lot of artists that I would buy a greatest hits package for but not other albums. Genesis, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Don Henley are just a few that fall into that category for me. I think it's just a really good way to hear the songs that I'm familar with and be exposed to other great songs that I might not be so familar with, but not have to listen to a lot of songs that I might not like on a whole bunch of different albums by one artist.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2005
Photo of the Day - Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine, July, 2005. Yes, another photo from my trip to Maine last month. I have so many I could post but I'm trying to alternate with some that aren't from Maine too. At any rate, I've long wanted to see this lighthouse in person and I'm so glad I finally got up there! The park that it's in, Fort Williams Park, is really, really nice! I just wish it had been a bit cooler because it would have made it a little easier to explore some of the trails.
I'm currently reading a book about the history of the Portland Head Light and apparently Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a frequent visitor because he grew up in Portland. During his visit he would sit on a favorite rock (sounds like me!) and collect his thoughts. In 1850 he published a poem, "The Lighthouse" no doubt inspired by the Portland Head Light. It's too long to post the entire poem but here's one part I like:
Steadfast, serene, immovable, the same
Year after year, through all the silent night
Burns on forevermore that quenchless flame,
Shines on that inextinguishable light!
And more than 100 years later the Portland Head Light continues to shine on.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/17)
Earlier I talked about Michael delivering pizza to one extremely lucky fan who won a Domino's pizza contest and I'm guessing that a lot of Michael's fans, myself included, wish we were that woman! Fans in the Charlotte area couldn't see Michael in person but they were able to see one of his cars today parked in the middle of the city as part of the festivities in association with Charlotte's bid to get the Nascar Hall of Fame. Another of Michael's showcars, this one of the Best Western #99 Busch Car he drove this past weekend at Watkins Glen, will be on display for fans in Springfield, Illinois this weekend at the Illinois State Fair.
There were two really great articles today about Michael. One praised his positive attitude in the face of some of the horrendous luck he's had on the track which has knocked him out of contention for the Chase for the Championship. The writer says that more drivers should have an attitude like Michael's and I agree wholeheartedly. Michael has his bad days too no doubt but a few people, more than just drivers, could learn a little from his example. Another article, which I may do a separate entry on later, talks about how fed up Michael is with things out of his control ruining races for him, such as getting wrecked by Kasey Kahne at Watkins Glen. Perhaps Michael might show a little more aggression on the track, particularly with young Mr. Kahne... or perhaps not, because that's just not his way. Time will tell on that one.
There is a new Cup team that was started by former Dallas Cowboys players Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman which will have Texas Instruments as the sponsor. Michael was mentioned among other drivers without rides for 2006 including Sterling Marlin, Scott Riggs and Jason Leffler as potential candidates for that ride. A good article on the Nashville Speedway mentions Michael's 2004 Busch win at that track in which four cars crashed on the final lap allowing him to drive through the smoke to take the win. Seeing him in Victory Lane with the guitar he got for winning that race was awesome!
Posted by silverdsl at 04:54 PM | Comments (0)
Ex-Latin Student Seeks Justice
New Fairfield High Grad Sues School District For Sexual Harassment From Teacher
I'm glad this won't be allowed to be swept under the carpet. Some will say it's all about the money but I suspect it really is more about "justice" than the cash. Regardless if it helps prevent that from happening to another student then it's a good thing no matter the motivation.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)
Stampede for $50 iBooks
Down in Virginia Henrico County got the bright idea that since they were getting all new Dell computers for the schools in their school system they would sell the old iBooks that they had to taxpayers at a deeply discounted price. So cheap that they would be affordable for just about anyone. So with $50 in hand, more than 5,500 people showed up at Richmond International Speedway to attempt to get one of the 1,000 laptops that were for sale. Of course some people showed up hours early, some as early as 1:30 a.m., and they weren't too pleased when latecomers attempted to cut in line. Add into that the heat and what seems to be the lack of a good plan to handle such a large crowd you've got a recipe for disaster.
And that's exactly what happened. When the gates opened at 7 a.m. instead of an orderly line to get into the warehouse where the laptops were being sold it was a mass rush of people stampeding in. Some people were knocked down, some even suffering minor injuries. I wish I could find the article from yesterday in which one young man talked of how he used a folding chair to beat people away from him and felt completely justified in doing so. After all, he had the opportunity to get a four-year old, used laptop. It's worth doing anything for one of those, right? Of course I'm being sarcastic. That's a ridiculous attitude. Granted there were a lot of people in that crowd who probably couldn't afford a full-priced, new computer but people are always more important than objects... at least to me.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:00 PM | Comments (0)
Surprise! It's Michael Waltrip at the Door!
Domino's CEO and Michael Waltrip Deliver Pizza in Ann Arbor
Domino's definitely gets it when it comes to doing tie-ins and promotions involving Nascar and Michael Waltrip. And today was another neat promotion in which they had Michael and the Domino's Chairman and CEO David A. Brandon deliver pizza and a bunch of prizes to one lucky winner who had placed an order at an Ann Arbor Domino's. The pizza was delivered in a replica of Michael's #99 Busch car, with the Domino's scheme I'm sure, and the winner also got two tickets to Saturday's Busch race, the Domino's Pizza 250, two tickets to the Cup race on Sunday, some Nascar goodies autographed by Michael and free Domino's Pizza for one year. I just hope the woman who won is actually a Nascar fan and knows who Michael is! Can you imagine that one - "I hate Nascar! Who are you again?"
So I was thinking about what my reaction would be if one night when Jim and I ordered Domino's if we ended up winning a contest like that and Michael came to our door bearing pizza. I'd probably first be looking around for the cameras, wondering if someone was playing a joke on me, then I'd be thinking I was dreaming or something. I'd also be freaking out inside but luckily I have the ability due to some of the past situations I've been in to keep calm and composed on the outside. So I'd probably just smile real big and invite him in... if I was able to speak that is. Then I would immediately run for the camera - me not take photos? That's impossible!
Of course our dog Bailey would think that the visitors were for him and he'd probably be especially happy to see an extra-large human for him to pounce on. So we'd have to spend time prying Bailey off of Michael, particularly if Bailey were to catch a wiff of Michael's dogs. Then Bailey would be sure to embarass us by running around the house in circles before putting an exclamation point on his excitment by pooping on the floor. Why yes, we do try to get to the door before anyone rings the door bell and keep him in the bathroom when guests first arrive. How did you know?
I was also thinking about what the reaction is when Michael walks around in various places. I don't mean at appearances or at the track where people don't necessarily expect to see him specifically but they aren't surprised to see driver here and there. But what about in a store? Or at the movies with Buffy and Macy? I'd like to think that people are polite if they were to approach and don't go bothering him when he's eating or something like that but that's probably not always the case.
What about if Michael were to walk around here - would anyone know who he is? Nascar doesn't have the degree of popularity in this part of the country that it does elsewhere. There are definitely Nascar fans but more often than not when I mention Michael's name no one has any idea who I'm talking about. In fact people tend to look at me like I have six heads when I talk about racing in general. That's a lot different from much of the South where Nascar is huge and there probably aren't too many places where drivers can go without being recognized.
I got a peek of what it's like for Michael on race day that day at Dover last fall but it would be interesting to one day hear Michael or another driver tell it like it is, and I do mean like it is, not what they think they should say, about their day-to-day experiences and what they have to deal with.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:22 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2005
Photo of the Day - M&Ms Car
Pocono Raceway, PA, July, 2005. A closeup of Elliott Sadler's #38 M&Ms car waiting to go through inspection in the garage at Pocono. Instead of snapping random photos of all the cars in the garage area I try to do something a little different with some of them because photos of the cars are a dime a dozen on websites all over the 'net. I could probably have spent half a day taking close-ups of various details on all the cars.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:03 PM | Comments (0)
Stewart, Busch (Kyle) Fined, Placed on Probation for Separate Incidents at Watkins Glen
Not That Probation Really Means Anything
Just yesterday I was talking about the push to portray Tony Stewart as a changed man who no longer lets his emotions get the best of him and stays out of trouble. Until this weekend when he tangled with Brian Vickers during the Busch race at Watkins Glen which led to Stewart being fined $5,000 and placed on probation until December for bumping Vicker's car after the race, presumably in anger. I wonder if Stewart being placed on probation is going to get as much media attention as his insistence that he's learned that it's not worth it to fight every battle? Stewart probably doesn't really care because Nascar probation seems to mean absolutely nothing - one time I'd like to find out how far a driver needs to go to violate probation and what happens when they do. But I wonder if his PR people are the slightest bit embarassed? Nah, they'll probably just spin this as an example of Stewart's fire, passion and competitiveness.
Kyle Busch was also placed on probation until December and he was fined $10,000. I'm really not sure of the specifics of the incident that he was involved with since I was distracted when it took place so I can't really comment on it too much. But it certainly will give the anti-Busch crowd, and there are many in that camp, more ammunition to use against both brothers.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)
Tommy Lee Goes to College
Last year Tommy Lee, drummer for Motley Crue, took classes at the University of Nebraska and tried out for the school's marching band. Sounds like something out of a reality show right? Well, it was in fact taped for a reality show, the first two episodes of which were on tonight. I didn't expect much but the show was actually pretty funny. Lee is clearly out of his element, no surprise since he barely graduated high school and even when he was there was far more interested in just about anything other than an education. So Lee is thrown into Chemistry, English and Horticulture classes and must try out for the marching band, a much harder feat than Lee ever thought it would be. I would be in way over my head in the Chemistry class Lee is in, even though it's an Intro. class, so I can only imagine how difficult he found it.
But before he could go to class Lee had to meet with the Chancellor who reminded him not to trash the campus and adhere to the code of conduct. After that he interviews potential roommates. That provided some of the funniest moments of the show. One guy he met with barely understood English but the next guy was even better. They're talking and Lee says, "Do you mind if I bring home naked women?" To which the guy responds, "Only if you mind if I bring home naked men - I'm gay!" Now that would have been a plot twist to make the show really interesting but alas Lee went with someone else. I would have liked to see how open-minded Lee is and how he would deal with that kind of situation but it was not to be.
It's very obvious how edited and overly produced a lot of it is. Yes, Lee was actually in the classes and he had to do the work. But it's clear that many conversations are edited creatively to make them funnier. And I find it hard to believe that his "hot" tutor wasn't coached and dressed in certain ways to play up her attractiveness. Not only that Lee is a producer of the show so he probably had complete control over what got shown and how he was depicted. Completely coincidentally (yeah right!) Lee's new album has just been released this week and music from that album is featured on the show.
But some of the most real moments were the reactions of Lee's fellow students to his presence. People stare open-mouthed, take photos, shout things at him, ask for autographs, and do all the usual things that people do when they spot a celebrity. Lee goes shopping for the books that he needs for his classes and there are students who follow him around the store staring like he's on display in a museum. I'd say this was staged but I've heard similar stories about how people stare in astonishment when they encounter someone famous in a store - "You actually do your own shopping!?"
I enjoyed the first two episodes so I'll probably check it out again next week. There are definitely some dumb moments and some times when it's clear that things are probably set-up but there are also plenty of funny moments so it was pretty entertaining.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/16)
In the post-race report from Watkins Glen, we are reminded that Michael spent a good chunk of the race running in the top five. Which makes getting wrecked by Kasey Kahne sting all the more I'm sure. I wish I knew some way to help turn Michael's luck around - same for the person who named Michael as the Cup driver with the worst luck and bestowed upon him the dubious honor of being this week's "Dude that got screwed." Michael should have ended up with a good finish on Sunday, maybe even a top five, and I'm not pleased with Kasey for preventing that from happening.
A visit to the Johnny Benson fan forum brings more information courtesy of Johnny's sister about the MWR/BDR Cup car that Benson will be driving this weekend. More information doesn't clear up much of the confusion about this situation, in fact brings more questions. Such as if Michael is aligned with Chevy how he's working with a Dodge team. Or how this cooperative effort came to be in the first place. Hmmm...
The more that comes out about the plans for Waltrip Racing World, the cooler it sounds. But also of interest are some of the other details such as that they will employ about 130 people with an estimated payroll of $10 million annually. Add into that the costs of running the Busch team and eventually a full-time Cup team that's a lot of money! They believe that 5,000 a month may visit once they're operational and that's a safe bet if Michael fields his own team for himself out of that space as he indicates he hopes to do in the future.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:25 PM | Comments (0)
Tom Petty to Play Intimate Show in Las Vegas
In June I saw Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in concert and it was an awesome show! It definitely ranks among the better concerts that I've seen. So apparently Petty is playing a concert at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, presumably in The Joint, for about 1,700 people. I would love to go to that show and see Petty & the Heartbreakers in such an intimate venue.
I saw Hootie and the Blowfish perform at The Joint in January as one of the events for Operation Marathon and let me just say that is a sweet space for a show. It's small but not so small that people are on top of each other. There's good sightlines to the stage from pretty much everywhere and the sound system is very good. Granted I've seen quite a few concerts in some very crappy places during the days when I went to a concert of some sort whether it was a local or national act at least once every weekend, so maybe I impress easily but if I lived in the Las Vegas area I would definitely be going to a lot of concerts at The Joint.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)
Got a Good Joke...
...but it will surely offend someone, somewhere so I'll have to keep it to myself and grin like an idiot at my desk. Seriously, so often I think of jokes that poke fun at something or someone, all in good fun of course, but I have to restrain myself from saying or posting it because some of the more sense of humor impaired people that I come into contact with that take things way too seriously not only wouldn't laugh but might be offended. And I don't need the added drama in my life for something that's meant to be funny.
And on a completely unrelated note it's amazing how easily predictable some things are. Like the sun rises every day so must some other things play out, the same patterns repeated over and over again.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)
Finally Some Good News For the Yankees Pitching Staff!
Yankees Beat Devil Rays 5-2 Behind Jaret Wright
I had been thinking that Jaret Wright might be out for the season with the shoulder problem that first cropped up in April. But last night Wright returned from the disabled list and pitched well, giving up just two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings. Wright was pretty dreadful in April before he went on the DL so I think a lot of people didn't expect too much out of him last night. But I had a feeling once I heard that he was returning that he might give the Yankees a decent outing. When he was pitching in April he was probably trying to pitch through the shoulder injury and that probably limited his effectiveness. So assuming that's all cleared up I figured there was a chance he could pitch fairly well which he did. If he can manage to continue to pitch well enough for the rest of the season to give the Yankees a chance to win that's exactly what they need from him. He doesn't need to be the staff ace, just be a solid pitcher who can give them decent outings.
In other Yankees pitching news Shawn Chacon finally got his first win as a Yankee. It's about time the Yankees offense helped him out! Chacon is another guy who will never be the ace of the pitching staff but he's done much better in pinstripes thus far than he did in recent times as Rockie. I would have hated to seen him get discouraged if the lack of run support continued. But he got the win on Sunday and that was a good thing to see.
Otherwise, the Yankee remain three games in back of the Red Sox for the division lead and two games out of the lead for the Wild Card. Neither deficit is unsurmountable, particularly for a team like the Yankees with a lot of very talented players. However, I'm still not feeling great about the Yankees chances. And even if they do make the post-season, realistically how far will they go with such a shaky pitching staff?
Which is a big reason why I've not discussed the Yankees as much in this space as I have in the past. I'm disappointed with the way they've played this season because I expected more out of this team. I still look forward to watching the games and enjoy when they win but I don't feel as excited about this team as I did when the season started. I guess I feel like they're just treading water rather than making any real gains in terms of working towards becoming a team to fear like they once were. Maybe I'll feel different if the Yankees make anymore gains on the Red Sox or in the Wild Card race but right now I feel a little blah about the team.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2005
Photo of the Day - Lone Lobster Boat
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Yes, yet another photo from Maine. I only got up for sunrise once while I was in Maine this year but I did go out to take photos in the early morning light just about every morning since the light is best for photography purposes in the early morning as the sun is rising and in the evening at twilight. But you never know exactly what the conditions are going to be like, particularly near the ocean when things can change very quickly. So at first when I was out there that morning it was completely sunny with mostly blue skies. Then the sea fog started rolling in and before too long it was misty all over, but especially just off shore. I thought this one lone lobster boat out setting pots or picking them up looked kind of cool on the still water with nothing but fog in front of it.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
What I've Been Listening To...
I realize it's been awhile since I've said anything about what music I've been listening to and there's a good reason for that - not much new music has captured my attention as of late. The Rob Thomas album was probably the last one to really grab me and make me want to listen to it repeatedly. I did listen to the new Hootie and the Blowfish album, Looking for Lucky, and I really liked that a lot so I think that will be my next music purchase along with their greatest hits which I never got around to getting. Otherwise, I've been listening to a lot of the usual favorites like Three Doors Down, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, Simon & Garfunkel and just about any other classic rock I can get my hands on. And of course I bounce around between various XM channels when I don't feel like listening to a whole album.
It's just been a while though since I've gone to Best Buy or Tower Records and bought a bunch of new CDs. I was in the used CD store last week getting some Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Guns -n- Roses, but I don't really count those because they were replacements for albums by those artists I had on tape. Yes, cassette tape. I threw most of them out when I moved, except for a select few mix tapes, so I had to get a few albums on CD that I wanted to be able to give a listen to once in a while. Among the very first pop albums I bought when I was 11 or 12 years old were by Cyndi Lauper and Madonnna as well as Bon Jovi so for sentimental reasons I wanted those. And Appetite for Destruction is a classic metal album that I had to have on CD. Welcome to the Jungle...
Posted by silverdsl at 09:27 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/15)
Michael Waltrip fans should head over to Michael's official site and join his new online fan club via the "Members Only" link. Just a few of the benefits of becoming a "Mikey Member" are Nextel voicemails from Michael, chats with Michael and Buffy, a fan forum, photo galleries, see Buffy's favorite recipes and the chance to win many cool prizes among many other awesome benefits. And with an archive of "Mikey Mic'd" segments from Nascar Nation, there's no reason to subject oneself to having to sit through Leeann Tweeden and Co. to see Michael each week!
In an article about the current uproar over Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch Michael is mentioned as one of the biggest names yet to be signed for 2006 along with Sterling Marlin. Hopefully he won't be unsigned for long. Unfortunately the only other mentions for Michael today are in relation to yesterday's ill-fated race. At least one writer bothered to note that Michael was out in front briefly before he was passed quickly by Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. But the rest of the race summaries that mention Michael almost all mention his wreck on lap 72. How I wish that race had a different outcome for him!
Posted by silverdsl at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
Can Money Make Any Problem Go Away?
Crowe Makes Phone-Hurling Deal
It's being reported that Russell Crowe is going to pay $11 million to a hotel worker that he injured when he threw a phone at him which would result in the charges that were filed against Crowe in that incident likely being dropped. I'm astonished by the fact that it was worth $11 million to Crowe to hand over rather than have to face trial on assault and weapon possession charges. I suppose it speaks to how likely he thought it was that he would win in court - not very - or that he simply wanted everything over and done with.
I wonder how many incidents like this simply go away when someone throws a lot of money at an injured party. I'm guessing quite a few and the general public probably never hears about many of them.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)
Vendors Stop Selling Beer in Upper Deck at Yankee Stadium
File this under one bad fan ruining everything for all other fans. Apparently in response to the kid who got the bright idea to jump from the upper deck at Yankee Stadium onto the net behind home plate, risking serious injury to himself and others, the Yankees have stopped allowing vendors to sell beer in the upper deck. Now fans who want beers in those seats must get up and go inside to get some adult beverages. Some might be wondering what the connection is between this kid and beer sales. Well apparently word is that this kid was intoxicated (surprise, suprise) as a result of buying beers from the vendors in the upper deck using a fake I.D. So to help eliminate that problem beer sales will no longer be allowed directly in the upper decks. There's been no official release on this so I can't actually say with 100% accuracy if this is a permanent or temporary policy but it will be interesting to see how long they keep it up.
I can't say I'm disappointed that the beer sales in the upper deck is going to be curtailed. I think there's nothing wrong with adults drinking beer while they enjoy a game. I also don't think that sitting in the upper deck automatically makes someone a trouble-maker but there does seem to be more incidents in the upper decks than in other areas of the stadium. Maybe it's becuase the seats are cheaper and further away from the field so people feel that they don't have to be on their best behavior as much, I don't know. But the last game I was at in Yankee Stadium we had a dreadful experience sitting in the upper deck thanks to some drunk guys sitting in back of us. So I fully support anything that means that my chances of having to endure that kind of thing the next time are much less.
While I have few complaints about this particularly policy by the Yankees, in general as is often the case it just takes one fan acting inappropriately to ruin everything for their fellow fans. I'm guessing that no other fan in the stadium that night would have even considering jumping from the upper deck onto that net no matter how drunk they might have been. That's why I'm constantly complaining about fans who behave badly. All it takes is one person doing something crazy and suddenly everyone else who goes to games from that day forward has it a little harder.
I haven't heard anything more about what's going to happen to this kid. I wonder if he'll be banned from the stadium, at least for the rest of the season?
Posted by silverdsl at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)
Tony Stewart a Changed Man - Not So Fast
A Kinder, Gentler Tony Stewart
The Re-Creation of Tony Stewart
There's been a big push in recent weeks to depict Tony Stewart as a changed man. That his temper tantrums and emotional outbursts are a thing of the past. I assume this is a coordinated effort by his PR and marketing people to make Tony's image a little more "cuddly." Hence the push to talk about his new attitude, how mellow he's gotten since he moved back to Indiana and how he doesn't let things bother him like they used to. There's only one problem - it's pretty obvious that he hasn't gotten quite as cuddly as some might like us to think. There was the unfortunate road rage incident and then there's the incident between himself and Brian Vickers after the Busch race where Tony apparently bumped Brian who then reciprocated, to show his displeasure over an incident during the race.
Now neither of these particular incidents strike me as much of a big deal. I think Tony made a very poor decision when he confronted the fan over her bad driving skills but nothing came of this incident other than an article in the newspaper. And the incident between himself and Brian doesn't seem too much more extreme than any kind of bumping incident between any two drivers who get into each other on the track. In racing sometimes people are going to tangle with each other and be unhappy about it. I'm not a big fan of drivers using their cars to express their unhappiness, particularly after the race is over, but it happens and I think probably every driver out there has done it at one time or another. However, after there's been multiple articles and interviews, probably generated out of the same media session about how he doesn't let these kinds of things get to him anymore it really make those words he spoke ring pretty hollow when there's an incident.
Tony said among other things,
''You get tired of being uptight about everything all the time, I could be right about a topic, but it's just not even worth fighting sometimes. So a lot of times it's just easier to go through the motions instead of having to stand up for what you think is right on a particular day and then having to defend yourself the next two or three days."and
''So that's part of it — just learning what fights are really worth fighting and which ones aren't.''
And fighting with Brian Vickers, someone who he's previously lost his temper with and physically lashed out at, is worth it? In a Busch race where neither one is racing for points? Sorry, but that doesn't make me thing that Tony is changed in any, way, shape or form. Perhaps he's trying to be more careful and that's a good thing but as Jim pointed out unless someone is on medication, they don't suddenly become a new person. Tony is who he is - someone who is prone to emotional outbursts, sometimes sudden ones. Someone who sometimes lets his temper get the best of him. And believe me, I've heard a few stories that stand a good chance of being accurate, to know that it's likely that through the years there have been many more incidents that Tony has been involved in that have luckily for him escaped the media's attention. It's actually one reason that he's not one of my favorite drivers despite how awesome of a racer he is, his willingness to speak his mind and how much he does for charity - I simply can't get past some of the ways that he's lashed out.
But again, this is all part of the man that Tony Stewart is. And likely will be for the rest of his life. And for the most part that's okay if it works for him and he doesn't get into too much trouble. His aggression probably also makes him a better racer. But it makes it pretty humorous when his new attitude is promoted and two weeks later it becomes apparent that new attitude just didn't stick if it was ever there in the first place.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2005
Photo of the Day - Purple Flower
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)
On His Way to a Great Finish Michael Waltrip Gets Wrecked by Kasey Kahne
Today's road race at Watkins Glen was pretty diappointing for me and the rest of my fellow Micheal Waltrip fans. Michael had just raced his way into the top ten when he was wrecked from behind by Kasey Kahne and sent sailing into the wall. The damage to the #15 NAPA machine was fatal and Michael finished 41st, which dropped him two places in the overall points standings to 21st. I've read over on a Kasey Kahne message board that Kasey's brakes were very bad thoughout the race to the point where he was having a hard time not wrecking himself so that may have contributed to him getting into Michael. So I will restrain myself from ripping Kasey for ruining Michael's day.
I had such high hopes for today's race for Michael. He's not a road course master like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart or Robby Gordon. But I've always thought that he's very strong on road courses. Perhaps it's just because he's a veteran who has raced on a lot of road courses but he's always impressed me as really knowing what he's doing when he needs to turn both right and left. Last year in Sonoma, another road course, he finished 4th in most impressive fashion since he had to come all the way from the back. So I really believed that he was going to finish near the front today. I knew that a win was being overly optimistic, but I really thought that a top ten was very realistic considering how well he races on road courses and how strong the team has been overall. And it did appear that was going to happen since Michael was up front at various points, even leading a couple of laps. Until disaster struck as it always seems to for Michael.
Bad luck befalls Steve Park a lot too but Michael has the worst luck of any driver out there it seems sometimes. In the interview after he was wrecked Michael said,
"That's four times I've gotten wrecked going down the straightaway this year -- two blown engines and four flat tires. And that's out of 22 races. That tells you how good of a team I've got. I've got the best crew ever and I just keep having problems. I'm very sorry about that."
First of all Michael has nothing to apologize for. He's giving 150% out there, that much is obvious. And he's put that car up front in quite a few races, only to have those great runs ruined by things out of his control, a familar story for him the past couple of years. But he listed all that has gone wrong for him and that's at least ten races right there. When it comes to Steve and his #62 team I think there are some things that they could be doing differently to increase the chances of a good finish but when it comes to Michael and the #15 team what can they do differently? How can they avoid getting wrecked by other people (Kasey, Junior, Jeff Green twice, Greg Biffle)? How can they avoid tires going flat or blowing completely? Perhaps mechanical failures can be avoided and indeed it's been quite some time since Michael has fallen out of a race with a mechanical problem, perhaps all the way back to those early season failures. So Michael and the team are giving it their all but lady luck sure hasn't been smiling on them as of late.
Michael also said in his interview:
"I'm fine. I guess the boy in the No. 9 (Kasey Kahne) didn't give me one inch. I look forward to the day that he needs an inch."
Michael has always talked as if he likes Kasey a lot so I'm not sure how serious he was about potentially giving it back to Kasey as good as he got. Sometimes people say things in anger they don't really mean. I guess it depends on how apologetic Kasey is for the incident. It will be interesting to see what Michael has to say about it on INC because that will be a good indicator as to whether all is forgiven or not. Other than with Jeff Green, Michael isn't prone to retalitating too much, at least obviously, so I don't anticipate him going after Kasey on the track but he probably won't forget that incident either and might not be as willing to back off in some situations and give Kasey room if their roles are reversed.
Oh yeah - Tony Stewart won this race by utterly "smoking" the field. He dominated virtually the entire race from start to finish, since he started on the pole. I don't think road course races are boring, in fact I look forward to them, but there's no doubt that some of the excitement isn't there when there is very little racing for the lead. Tony has been absolutely on fire lately and if his team keeps it up into the last ten races of the season I'm thinking they can start engraving his name on the championship trophy.
Robby Gordon deserves mentioning as well since he finished second. What's impressive about that is that he had to start 39th since qualifying was rained out. So 39th to 2nd is outstanding. Even more so since Robby is fielding his own single-car team and has struggled mightily for the majority of the season. I was really pulling for him to somehow pass Tony for the win at the end but the #20 was just way too strong.
Next week is Michigan where Michael ran well last time there. So I hope Michael's luck finally turns around and he gets a great finish!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
"Irksome Equipment Problem" Lastest Issue for Steve Park
"Rebounds" to a 15th Place Finish
According to the post-race report from Orleans Racing the latest misfortune to befall Steve Park was caused by:
"An irksome equipment problem cost Park some extra time on pit road midway through the race but the crew was able to make repairs and get their driver back on track with only a handful of positions lost."
The post-race report then goes on to talk about how Steve "methodically picked his way through the field." That's true.... after he lost several more positions on the track after the aforementioned pitstop.
I would really love to know the details behind what went wrong on that pitstop and I hope someone comes back from the race willing to give a detailed report of the radio communications. Because I'd sure love to know if that equipment malfunction was just one of those things that happen from time to time or another case of something going wrong in the pits that was preventable. We sure won't be finding out any of that information any time soon from Orleans Racing that's for sure.
Of course it will never happen but one day I'd like there to be a post-race report that tells it like it is. "Today our truck/car was awesome and we smoked the field! Hell yeah!" or "During the race at Watkins Glen we were contenders to win until that M'fucker took us out!" Yeah, I won't be holding my breath for a post-race report like that. But I would like a little more honesty occasionally. Of course it's the job of a PR person to spin everything in the best possible way but I think it's laughable how much is routinely left out of some teams post-race reports. There are a lot of people watching and we know when things go wrong. You don't want to be critical or bad-mouth the team but on the other hand I think it makes some post-race reports really useless when the events of the day are spun to such a degree that the report doesn't bear much resemblance to what actually happened on the track.
Which is one of the problems with PR in general of course. The balance between spin and total bullshit. Many consumers know BS when they're hearing it. If you go too far and exaggerate, spin and make things up to such a degree that it no longer resembles the truth about an event, person or product then you run the risk of doing the opposite of what you're trying to do. Instead of making whatever it is that you're trying to promote sound wonderful, people see right through your message because they realize it's complete BS. And sadly some pre- and post-race reports, interviews, quotes and other media sessions are clearly exactly that - BS with little substance. Just the way that it goes. Personally I'd rather have some substance and less fluff.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Park Finishes 15th at Nashville; Brendan Gaughan 6th
David Reutimann First Career Truck Series Win
I guess I should be happy. Steve finished 15th in the truck race in Nashville. And I am happy that he had a fairly decent finish. But considering how good the truck was in practice and early on in the race, I'm mystified by how he ended up only finishing 15th. Meanwhile teammate Brendan Gaughan ended up with yet another top ten, which allows him to move up to 19th in the points, just one spot behind Steve in spite of having missed two races.
Both Orleans Racing teams seemed really dialed in to start the weekend and I had high hopes that it would result in top tens for both drivers. And for a while it looked like that would be the case. Despite having to start at the back of the field due to a spin during qualifying which necessitated changing tires, a no-no on a inpound weekend, Steve had made his way up into the top ten. But he couldn't stick there. After a restart Steve started moving backwards, as far back as 18th at one point. He was able to rally a little thankfully and a late-race wreck by Ricky Craven allowed Steve to eventually finish 15th. Just seems like a disappointment after how great the truck seemed in practice. I'd love to know what, if anything, went bad to cause Steve to lose positions at the end but unless someone who was at the race comes back with a report of what was said over the radio, we may never know considering how much was left out of the offical Orleans Racing post-race report last race.
I think the worst thing is that a 15th place finish dropped Steve back a position in the points. Finishing in the top ten in points is highly unlikely but finishing in the top fifteen is certainly achievable and should be a goal for the team to strive for. I keep waiting for this team to go on a major run and put together a string of strong finishes to lift themselves in the points. They won a race early on in the season so they are certainly capable of running well but the fine finishes, and by that I mean top fives and top tens, since then have been extremely few and far between.
Meanwhile since adding Tony "Rambo" Liberati as crew chief Brendan Gaughan has come on like gang-busters. Had Rambo been with this team from the start there's no doubt in my mind that Brendan might be running for the championship right now. Instead he's in 19th place and rising, something I think he will continue to do. I'll be surprised if Brendan doesn't win a race over the last nine races. They are that good of a team right now. On the other hand, as great of a driver as Steve is, I'm not liking his chances of contending for a win right now. There is just too many issues that the #62 team seems to have from issues in the pits to issues mechanically. I hate to say it but even during this past race when Steve was in the top ten I didn't feel confident that he was going to stay there. Not because of something that he would do - he is certainly capable of racing up front. But because something always seems to happen more often than not to take him out of contention for a strong finish - and something did at Nashville. Not that he finished horribly by any means but it wasn't the top ten that the #62 needs to get into the top fifteen in points.
On the other hand things were much happier for David Reutimann and his truck owner Darrell Waltrip. His win at Nashville was his first career truck series win and it's always awesome to see someone get their first win like that! The show of emotion, the happiness, it's always clear how much a first win means to a driver.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:29 PM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2005
McMurray, Busch Will Likely Have to Stay With Current Teams in 2006
Jamie McMurray: Whaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
Jack Roush: I Won't Release Kurt
Both Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch signed with new teams for 2007 and asked for early releases from their contracts with the current teams that they're with so they could join those teams even sooner, in 2006. Both of their respective current owners thus far have had the same answer: "Forget about it!" I suspect that may change as time goes on because I think it will be very difficult for both of those drivers and their teams knowing that the driver already has one foot out the door. I think it will be a very difficult balance between the here and now and the future for these guys. But there are so many factors which make simply giving a driver his release complicated from sponsor related issues to finding a replacement driver, all things that aren't easy to handle.
Jack Roush admitted that he was shocked when Busch dropped the bombshell that he had signed with another team on him. He also made it pretty clear that it's unlikely that he will let Busch go easily. While I'm sure that Busch's first choice would be to join Penske Racing in 2006, he said numerous times during a session with the media played on XM this afternoon that he would honor his contract with Roush if he wasn't given a release, give 150% towards trying to win a Championship in 2005 and 2006 with the #97 and that he was committed to focusing on racing with Roush until his contract runs out. At no time did he complain, make a case for why he should be released from his contract early or say anything less than the "right" things regardless of what his personal feelings might be.
Contrast that with Jamie McMurray who asked for his release from Ganassi after signing with Roush to to take over the #6. Today was a press conference in which Chip Ganassi announced the lineup for Ganassi Racing for 2006 and much to the obvious dismay of McMurray he was included as one of their drivers. Of course McMurray also said that he will honor the contract - he has no choice but to do that but unlike Busch he made it clear that he wanted out. McMurray said,
"If they chose to keep me next year, I will have to honor that original contract. Of course, the question is, why would an owner want to keep a driver that has already committed to another team in 2007?"
He later said,
"Obviously I'd rather move on since I've already made my future plans known, but I did sign a contract with my current team that included an option for next year."
McMurray makes it sound like he's got a gun to his head to get behind the wheel of the #42 in 2006. Yeah, that's a great way to race and have success. What kind of message does that send to his team - yeah, I'll race but only because I have to! Contrast that with Busch who met with his team, explained what he was doing and assured them that he was going to give 100% towards trying to win a Championship with them in the remainder of his time at Roush. Busch has his faults for sure but at least publically he is doing the right things to try to make the best of a difficult situation. McMurray? Not so much.
And I can't say I feel sorry for McMurray either. He signed the contract, he has to abide by it. Or maybe he's going to pull a Gary Sheffield and deliberately act out thus forcing Ganassi to release him. But just like with Sheffield McMurray is bound by the terms of the contract he willingly signed. And it would be in his best interests to make the best of it.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/12)
So you love Pizza? You love Michael Waltrip too? Well here's your chance to combine your love for both into a chance to win a VIP Nascar Experience including an invitation to an appearance and photo opportunity with Michael. All you have to do is tell Domino's why you're the biggest pizza fanatic in the county in 50 words or less. I'd mention Domino's a few times.
According to a post by his sister on the message board on the Johnny Benson website, Johnny will be in a Micheal Waltrip Racing Cup car at Michigan. I can't actually make heads or tails of what the story is in relation to this entry since according to the Kenny Wallace site, this is once again a Bill Davis Racing car hence why Johnny is behind the wheel not Kenny. On top of that although Barb says that this will be the #00, Carl Long will be at Michigan using the #00 for his car. And who will the sponsor be? Gives me a headache just trying to sort it out.
In Busch practice today for the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen Michael was #22 in his #99 Best Western car. I hope the Best Western scheme brings better luck for Michael than State Fair Corn Dogs usually does! The first Cup practice for the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen was also this afternoon and Michael was only 26th, a bit disappointing I'm sure. But it could be worse - his teammate Dale, Jr. was 38th. I'm not sure how much more on-track activity there will be today to give DEI a chance to work on the cars since it's been said that bad weather is moving into the area, so bad that a tornado warning has been issued. Yikes!
Posted by silverdsl at 02:37 PM | Comments (0)
Surprise! That's a Giant Waterfall!
400-Foot Waterfall Found in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Stories like this are so cool to me. Unbeknownst to all but a few, sitting in a remote corner of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in Whiskeytown, California, is a huge waterfall almost 400-feet tall that most people had no idea really existed. Park officials had heard rumors about it for years but no one had actually saw it in person to know whether it was a true tale or not. Turns out it was.
Russ Weatherbee, a wildlife biologist in the park, was looking at some old maps when he saw a reference to Whiskeytown Falls. So he went looking for it but since the map was more than a mile off he wasn't able to locate it. But two years ago he was looking at a set of global systems imaging maps when he saw something that looked like white water that dropped sharply in altitude. Since that time only a few people have traveled to the falls but there will soon be many more visitors since the park is clearing a path that hikers will be able to use to get directly to the waterfalls.
I think it's really facinating to think that there are probably other cool natural wonders hidden away, waiting to be discovered in the remote wilderness somewhere.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:46 AM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2005
Photo of the Day - My Favorite Rock
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Why yes I do have a favorite rock on Marginal Way in Ogunquit. And this is a piece of it. Each day for probably hundreds of years the waves have crashed over and around this rock on Marginal Way. The top of the rock is completely flat and it reminds me of a table. Something about it always grabs my attention whether it's the way the waves wash over it or just it's shape.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
Memories of Steve Park's First Cup Win
Every afternoon XM replays MRN broadcasts of old races, and with the Cup race at Watkins Glen coming up this weekend, they just finished replaying the 2000 race at Watkins Glen which was Steve Park's first Cup win. What an awesome moment that was! At the time Steve was in the #1 car for DEI, Dale Earnhardt was still alive and it was thought that Steve had an extremely bright future ahead of him in Cup. Unfortunately that was not to be. Though Steve won in 2001 and looked to be heading for a career year all, including his career, was derailed by an extremely serious wreck in the Fall of that year which put him out of the car for the rest of 2001 and part of 2002. While Steve has rebounded in the truck series and won in that series this season, things are very different for him than they were five years ago.
What really struck me in listening to his post-race interview from that Watkins Glen race is how different Steve sounds five years later. It's hard to explain exactly how because there is so many inflections and Steve-like ways of speaking that were there then and are there now. But there is something, maybe because he was five years younger, that is so different than the way he sounds now. Maybe it's just his tone of voice or that he speaks slower now than he once did. So strange to hear him then - the same but different. I can't really put it into words any better than that.
It's bittersweet to listen to the MRN replay of that race or to watch my tape of the race. It was a great moment for Steve and he was obviously on the top of the world then. But it also reminds me of what could have been. And I truly think that if not for the wreck in 2001 Steve would still be in Cup and would have several more wins to his name. I'm not sure he would be among the elite drivers but I think he would have been among the better drivers. So while I had a big smile on my face listening to the end of that race and picturing how Steve looked when he leapt on top of his car after winning as well as how happy he was in Victory Lane, I feel a little sad too.
There was some discussion this morning on SPC on what series everyone wanted to see him race in. Many would like him to stay in the truck series not only because of the great racing but because of how accessible it makes him. Personally it doesn't matter to me as long as he's happy. But on some level I can't help but wish he was still in Cup racing in Nascar's elite series. Not because that would make me happy, it's not really about me, but because that would probably mean that Steve would be enjoying a high level of success both personally and professionally. Despite how good the racing is in the truck series many look down on that series as a place for inexperienced and washed-up drivers. Of course that's far from the truth since the level of talent is extremely high, Steve included.
But I wish that Steve was in Cup, being talked about among the best of the best drivers in all of Nascar. I wish that he was getting the attention he once did, particularly before the accident, when he was talked about more often in a week's time than he is now in a month. I wish he was winning Cup races and still being thought of someone with a bright future. I wish there was a big demand for his services and that he was a big player in silly season. Steve's still got a lot of fans but I wish that he was enjoying the same level of fan attention as when he was in Cup. I wish that he was still a teammate to Michael Waltrip at DEI in the Pennzoil #1 car. I wish that Steve was going to Watkins Glen this weekend as a past winner there. I wish all of these things for him because it would mean that the wreck in 2001 would never have happenend and that he would have continued to be one of Nascar and DEI's shining stars like he was then. I wish all these things for him because I want the best that life can offer for Steve.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
Michael Waltrip Still in the Mix For the #11?
This is why I try to avoid talking too much about silly season rumors unless something really catches my attention because it's incredibly difficult to figure out what has a shred of truth to it and what's being pulled out of thin air. Two days ago J.D. Gibbs said the following:
"In planning the future of the No.11 team, we looked around the Cup and Busch series garages and decided that the two best talents were already driving for us. J.J. and Denny are exceptional race car drivers, and we felt it was important to give each of them a shot at Nextel Cup."
Which seemed to indicate that Michael was out of the running for the #11 car because Gibbs had decided to audition Yeley and Hamlin which would result in one of them getting the ride in 2006. But now comes word that "sources close to" Michael are saying that he will be in the #11 with NAPA as the sponsor after Fed Ex moves over to the #18 driven by Bobby LaBonte. So I've got no clue what to think. It's possible that the source actually knows what they're talking about. Or it's possible that the source is trying to get people talking. Or close to Michael could mean someone who stood on line in back of him at a grocery store in Sherrill's Ford and has no clue about what they're talking about. Unfortunately with the way rumors are flying and how contradictory they all are it's impossible to know what to believe. Though there is one commonality in many of the rumors - that Michael is continuing his relationship with NAPA. I really hope that part is true at least!
The thought does occur to me that with LaBonte's struggles this season is if Gibbs is thinking about making a change there and Yeley/Hamlin are actually auditioning for his ride. LaBonte is a past champion and an excellent racer. He's just been the victim of awful luck this season. However, sometimes bad luck isn't an acceptable excuse to some teams who sometimes only care about the final result, not what might have happened to cause it. I'm pretty sure that LaBonte has at least one more year left on his contract with Gibbs but since when have contracts meant anything?
I'd really like to get excited about the possiblity of Michael going to Gibbs. But it's so hard to tell if it's actually going to happen. So I'd rather wait and see where he actually ends up. Then I can get excited and believe me I will!
Posted by silverdsl at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)
Archeologists Look For Clues to Village That Once Stood Where Central Park Is
Clues Sought in Pre-Central Park Village
Apparently before Central Park in New York City was established in the 1850's there were more than 1,600 people who lived in the area, including about 260 poor blacks, Irish immigrants and others in a settlement called Seneca Village in an area around Central Park West and the Great Lawn. So now archeologists are using ground penetrating radar (GPR) to see if they can find any buried objects underground that might give clues to life in Seneca Village. GPR works well in areas like Central Park because it is non-invasive so archeologists can evaluate the site then decide whether or not it's worth it to do a dig.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2005
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/10)
This weekend Michael will be pulling double-duty, driving in both the Busch and Cup races at Watkins Glen in New York. How I wish I was going to be there! But even though the race is in New York, it may as well be three or four states over it's so far! Michael has always seemed to be a solid road course racer and he has one top five at Watkins Glen in his career so hopefully he and the NAPA team are on their way to a strong finish at the Glen. Otherwise, there is still much speculation about silly season both about what Michael's future may hold as well as who, if anyone, is going to end up in the #15 he will vacate after this season. Most interesting is that Dale, Jr. has apparently said that he wants to be the oldest driver at DEI. Of course DEI is likely to be looking for a young gun anyway but it sounds like Junior might want someone to buddy around with as much as anything else.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:07 PM | Comments (0)
A Few Things Left Out of Steve Park's IRP Post-Race Report
The post-race report that Orleans Racing put together for Steve Park after a 30th place finish at IRP referred to bad luck but that's not what I'd call what happened to Steve now that I've heard the details from someone who was at the race and was listening to Steve's radio communications over the scanner. Pre- and Post- race reports are often filled with PR bullshit but sometimes the post-race reports do provide some insight into things that are missed in the TV broadcast. Not in this case where quite a bit was left out of the report, probably because of how badly it reflected on Steve's team.
On Saturday I wrote that Steve's chances for a strong finish in the points (in the top ten) were essentially over after his team gambled and ran him out of gas on lap 140. Now I think that even more and it's becoming clearer why he's been having so many problems. If the report from a fan who was at IRP is accurate, and I have no reason to think that it isn't, there's a few important things to note. First, Steve wanted to come in for gas but he was told to stay out for another five laps. Ok, drivers will make suggestions and that's not always what happens because it's up to the crew chief to call most of the shots but it kills me that had they listened to Steve, the one behind the wheel, who surely knew they were running out of gas, they would have avoided the whole mess. But it gets better. Once Steve ran out of gas and stalled on pit road he went 11 laps down and I couldn't figure out how that happened. Well, the reason is because when he stalled he radioed his crew for help and they sent one guy to push the truck. One!! Did they not believe he was out of gas? Did they think they could get him re-started? Did they think this one poor man could push the truck himself? Steve was not happy about this but eventually a few more crew members showed up and pushed him but not to his own pit box. Instead they push him to Brendan's box to put a little gas in the truck. Where upon Steve promptly has to serve a penalty for pitting outside his box! Wha? He then goes to his own box, gets filled with more gas and then goes, only to return a lap later for tires. Needless to say apparently Steve was extremely displeased with the entire sequence of events and he had every reason to be.
I wasn't overly thrilled with the decision to gamble in relation to the gas because I think at this point in the season when they're struggling in the points they need to play it safe and make sure they get some much needed strong finishes. However, if the gamble had paid off Charlie Wilson would be looking like a genius right now so I can't criticize him too harshly for trying some creative strategy. However, what happened after Steve ran out of gas in the pits - that just can't happen. At that point they know that Steve is going to lose laps, it's absolutely essential that they do everything they can to make sure that he doesn't lose many. I can't understand for the life of me, and there must have been some sort of reasoning that I'm not privy to, why more crew members didn't head down to the other end of pit road to push Steve. And I also don't understand why they only pushed Steve into Brendan's pit instead of all the way into his own, knowing that he was going to get a penalty. And when they finally filled him up with gas, why didn't they just change his tires then? At that point he's down numerous laps why send him out only to bring him right back in the next lap? It's just astonishing to me that a chain of events happened that led to him losing 11 laps. That's usually the case for trucks involved in wrecks, not running out of gas. Mistakes are going to happen, that's unavoidable, but it seems to me that there was a whole series of not very well thought out actions throughout for the #62 team.
Now I can't get on the crew for much, if any, of this. Most likely they are simply following orders. Someone, probably Charlie Wilson, is directing them as to what to do. I assume that all of Steve's crew is doing the best job that they possibly can and working as hard as they can to help him be as successful as possible on the track. However, someone who was in Steve's pit at Martinsville had less than complimentary things to say about the abilities of Steve's crew. I haven't seen them in action in person myself but if there are any issues with Steve's crew or crew chief that has to be addressed by Orleans Racing if they have any hope of contending in 2006. I'm already talking about next season because I doubt that this late in the season they're going to make many changes. A championship caliber team must be able to deal with adversity, bad luck and problems without falling apart. And my sense is that if the report from IRP is accurate they didn't do a very good job of handling this situation.
There are some who think it's highly inappropriate for there to be any discussion that is less than "Orleans Racing Rules! Steve's the finest looking and bestest driver ever!" Well, that's not me. Steve may be one of my favorite drivers but I'm not going to sugar-coat things - Orleans Racing has problems and those problems have been keeping Steve from having as much success as he might have this season. Yeah, there would still be wrecks and mechanical failures but had the truck bodies been set up correctly from the beginning, had there not been issues in the pits, had there not been repeated electrical and engine related problems perhaps Steve might be a lot closer to the top ten right now. Life has both good and bad in it - just ask Steve, he certainly knows all about that. I highly doubt that Steve is happy with the way everything has gone at Orleans this season, in fact based on some of what's been said that he has said over the radio, he's definitely not pleased with everything. So if he's not always satisfied with this situation, then why should I be?
Steve is an outstanding driver who can win in any series. He's shown that. I just want him to be able to be racing up front and more importantly be in Victory Lane a lot more than he has been this season. Unfortunately I have my doubts about how much different the rest of the season is going to be but hopefully the #62 team will surprise me. I'd love to see Steve in Victory Lane at least one more time this season and see that huge smile of his!
Posted by silverdsl at 01:10 PM | Comments (0)
18-Year Old Jumps From Upper Deck at Yankee Stadium Onto Net
I'm simply astonished by the stupidity of the 18-year old in question in this incident. I really hestitate to call people dumb or otherwise lacking in intelligence or common sense but to intentionally jump off the upper deck in Yankee Stadium to test whether the netted screen behind home plate would hold his weight is the height of idiocy. And rightfully so this man is likely to face charges such as reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
I'm just amazed that anyone in their right mind would think this is a good idea so I can only guess that perhaps he was fueled by a few adult beverages or maybe even something stronger. Because any sober person should have thought better of this. Aside from the possibility that he could have seriously injured himself he could have seriously injured other people as well. In fact there was a large hole ripped through the netting where he landed and it's only by an extreme stroke of luck that he didn't fall through completely.
What also amazes me is that George Steinbrenner released a statement after the game which was critical of the way Joe Torre had managed during the game. He also said in reference to the man jumping from the upper deck, "That was the only exciting thing that happened today." I'd have to argue about that because Shawn Chacon was excellent on the mound but his teammates failed to give him any run support. Considering how low the expectations were for Chacon and how outstanding he's been thus far for the Yankees I'd say that's something to be excited about.
A man deliberately jumping from the upper deck isn't "exciting." It's stupid and it's reckless and Steinbrenner isn't sending a very good message by highlighting that as something exciting to happen at the stadium yesterday. That kind of behavior is something that the Yankees should have zero tolerance for, not give extra publicity to.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2005
Photo of the Day - Lobster Pots
Cape Porpoise, Maine. July, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
Best Fashion Purchase I Ever Made
Newsday posed a question to a bunch of women about what the best fashion purchase they ever made was and after I read through all the responses I got to thinking about how I would answer that question. I had to think about it for a while because I have a lot of clothes but I finally decided that the best clothing purchase I ever made was a pair of Betsey Johnson black pants. They're made of a very stretchy material with a pattern on it and they're very flattering. Not only that they're very versitile and I can dress them up or dress them down. I bought them years ago at the Betsey Johnson outlet in Woodbury Commons and they're still in excellent shape as if I bought them yesterday. Truly a great purchase!
Another excellent fashion purchase if one counts jewelry is a silver pendant with a piece of charoite in it. This piece of charoite has swirls of purple, white and orange and I absolutely love it so of course I wear it very frequently. I got it at a gem and mineral show in New York City and I remember very vividly the dealer because he had an entire table filled with charoite, some set in jewelry, some pieces loose. At the time charoite wasn't as commonly known as it is now and apparently he was having a hard time selling it. So he gave us a huge deal on the pendant. I've never seen charoite as nice as what this dealer had and I wish I had bought more from him.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
Kurt Busch Signs With Penske to Take Over #2
Asks Out of Contract With Roush for 2006
This is a huge shocker. In fact when I first read that Kurt Busch had asked out of the final year of his contract with Roush Racing because he had signed with another team on Jayski's I was convinced it was some kind of joke until I saw that Jayski had gotten the information straight from Roush PR. That's Racin' is reporting that the organization that Busch has signed with is Penske South and that he will be taking over the #2 once Rusty Wallace retires at the end of this season. Wow - talk about a stunner!
It's been reported that Miller Lite, the sponsor of the #2 car had some very stringent requirments for the driver who replaced Wallace including that they be a young driver who could get them to Victory Lane immediately. Apparently the drivers who Penske had presented as possibilities had all been rejected so it makes sense that Penske had no choice but to approach someone like Busch who is definitely a driver who would make Miller very happy. I wonder if they thought in their wildest dreams that they would be able to get Busch - or did Busch contact them once it became known what kind of driver Miller wanted? That would be one sneaky way of putting out a "help wanted" ad by leaking their problems finding a replacement driver in the hope that it might prompt a few phone calls.
I'm just shocked that Busch would leave Roush, an organization that he has enjoyed so much success with. And they're not a struggling organization either. The #97 is one of the top rides in Cup but apparently Busch feels that the #2 is as good. Though if it's true that the deal with Penske would make him one of the highest paid drivers in the sport might have been enough to lure him away from Roush no matter how he felt about Penske and the #2.
The huge irony here is that Busch is asking out of his contract at Roush for 2006. That's ironic because Roush signed Jamie McMurray to take over for Mark Martin and McMurray asked out of his contract at Ganassi so he could be in the #6 starting in 2006. He was denied and I don't think Roush was too happy about it. Well, now they've got one of their own drivers doing exactly the same thing as McMurray and I bet they're none too pleased about that either. Things at Roush have suddenly become very unsettled with Mark Martin retiring, McMurray coming in, Busch leaving and Matt Kenseth making noise about being unhappy - maybe he too can leave before his contract is up - everyone else is doing it, so why not him too?
I'm just wondering - do contracts mean anything anymore? Drivers get released left and right, drivers are negotiating with other teams before the conclusion of existing contracts, drivers are asking for buyouts of contracts so they can join other teams - all sorts of things. It was just announced recently that both Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne reupped with their respective organizations with new long-term contracts. So one might think they are out of the silly season rumor mill for years to come. Based on McMurray and Busch, perhaps not. If they grow unhappy with where they are I guess they can sign with another organization and hope that Penske and Evernham will let them go before their contract is up.
I'm trying to think if anything similar happens in baseball and I think the answer is "no" because there are anti-tampering laws. Teams aren't allowed to negotiate with players about signing them, unless they are already on that team, until their current contract runs out. It's mind boggling that this is happening in Nascar and it makes me wonder how many other similar deals could be in the works.
One other big question - who the heck ends up in the #97?
Posted by silverdsl at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)
Jason Leffler Out as the Driver of the #11
Terry LaBonte, J.J. Yeley, Denny Hamlin In
Rumors of a premature end to his tenure with the FedEx #11 car at Joe Gibbs Racing had been hanging over the head of Jason Leffler for weeks now. Finally yesterday, despite public assurances from J.D. Gibbs that his job was safe through the end of the season, Leffler was released due to a lack of performance. No doubt FedEx, a big-time sponsor, was less than pleased by the struggles that this team has been experiencing and put pressure on Gibbs to make some changes. Splitting time in the #11 for the rest of the season will be Terry LaBonte, on loan from Hendrick Motorsports, and Gibbs Busch drivers J.J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin.
Many Michael Waltrip fans wanted Michael's next ride to be the #11 and had all but assumed that it would be a done deal once Leffler was gone that Michael would step in for 2006. But I never thought it was a sure thing due to the presence of Yeley and Hamlin in Busch. And in fact Gibbs said:
"In planning the future of the No.11 team, we looked around the Cup and Busch series garages and decided that the two best talents were already driving for us. J.J. and Denny are exceptional race car drivers, and we felt it was important to give each of them a shot at Nextel Cup."
Michael could still end up in that ride if Gibbs feels he is a better option than Hamlin and Yeley and will get FedEx more exposure. But unfortunately for Michael the direction the sport is going in is definitely that when there is a choice between a veteran and a young driver, the young gun almost always wins out. Every organization wants the next Jimmie Johnson or Kasey Kahne and I think Gibbs is going to see if either Yeley or Hamlin could be their Kahne.
I've never really been a big fan of Leffler and less so after he cost Michael a Busch series win a couple of years ago by wrecking him. Most of the time I chalk most things up to just racin' but it was an ugly chain of events that featured both Michael and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being wrecked and it didn't look good for Leffler. So I haven't been too high on him ever since. However, I think part of a season isn't enought time for a rookie Cup driver to show what they are capable of. Even a whole season isn't enough time. It's a big adjustment on and off the track to go from Busch to Cup and even the best of drivers are going to have their share of struggles. So Leffler may very well be capable of racing well in Cup but might not get another chance because many may assume that if Gibbs fired him he's probably not worth giving another chance to.
Unfortunately I think we're going to see more and more of this. Drivers released mid-way through their first season in Cup if the results aren't immediate. Or such as in the case of Brendan Gaughan simply not re-signed after a poor first season in Cup. Of course I think there were other factors with Brendan that concerned Kodak and Penske both but that's another story. Regardless, I think young drivers are thought to be pretty replaceable - if one doesn't work out just throw another young guy behind the wheel and hope he sticks. Just like in baseball where teams need to have patience for rookie players and their struggles because it takes time for them to develop and adjust to playing on a major league level, Cup teams and sponsors need patience to allow young driver to adjust to Nascar's highest level.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
Cape Elizabeth Considers Charging Fee for Fort Williams Park
Portland Head Light, Popular Tourist Destination Located Inside
One of the highlights of my trip to Maine was our visit to Fort Williams Park in Portland. Not only is the Portland Head Light, one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine, if not the entire country, in the park but there is also an old fort and the remains of an abandoned mansion to explore. It was beautiful weather, though a little hot, the day we were there and we spent all morning walking around the park seeing the various sights. Of course we weren't alone. There were many others enjoying the fine views and annually the park has over one million visitors.
There is no admission or parking fee to use the park and the local officials are thinking about changing that to help pay for operations and maintainence costs which total over $150,000. They have a variety of plans in mind but based on the setup of the entrance I don't think it would be feasible to put in a booth to collect an admission fee without having traffic backup onto the local roads. But charging for parking via the use of self-service "pay and display" machines where people would have to put money in a machine and display a ticket in the window of their car seems like it might work. They've also thought about an honor system where they charge admission but people are trusted to put that money in a box. That's what they do at Fort McClary in Kittery. I always put money in but I've seen others who don't so I'm not sure how successful that would be.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 08, 2005
Photo of the Day - Pink!
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Pretty pink flower!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/8)
Martin Truex, Jr.'s win in the Busch Series on Saturday marked the 100th Nascar win for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Four of those wins were Michael's including two Daytona 500 wins. When he was interviewed prior to the race at Indianapolis on Sunday Michael mentioned that he would love to have a trophy from the Brickyard to put between his two Daytona Trophies. Unfortunately that was not be as Michael finished 16th. By listening to Michael's radio via Trackpass I knew that they had to work on the valance which put them back in the pack at one point but I didn't know why - apparently much like any number of other cars they received damage from the rumble stips on the inside of the turns. Silly season always makes for lots of crazy rumors before everything is sorted out as to which driver is going where. One of the craziest rumors is that Michael isn't going to be leaving DEI afterall. Or is it so crazy? NAPA loves Michael. NAPA has been at DEI a long time and probably wants to stay there. Could they serve as go-between and broker a deal between Michael and DEI? Hmmmmm...
Posted by silverdsl at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)
Chad Knaus is Displeased
Johnson Wrecks Hard, Has to Be Taken to the Hospital
A lot of people think Chad Knaus is off-base when it comes to a lack of timely medical attention for Jimmie Johnson after his hard wreck which clearly left him dazed and confused but I think he has a valid gripe. Johnson wrecked at Indianapolis 15 laps from the end of the race when a blown tire sent him into the wall. After what he calls "the hardest hit he's ever taken" Johnson somehow steered the car to the pits where the severity of the crash soon became evident. As the flames in the engine compartment were tended to by firefighters, Johnson was pulled out by Knaus and another crew member. That was the first sign that something was wrong because fire, no matter how small, is a huge fear of any driver and usually they are extremely quick to flee the car when there is any trace of fire.
Johnson then went over to the pit wall where he sat down. Another sign that something was wrong was that it seemed as if he needed help getting his helmet off. Knaus then tended to him by putting a cool cloth on his neck, giving him water and shooing the crowd of people who were around Johnson away. Eventually a couple of EMTs came over to check Johnson out and after a very brief conversation in which he said he was fine, they walked away. Well, the only problem is that Johnson wasn't fine and that was obvious in the TV interview he gave. I didn't even hear the audio in which he said he remembered nothing of driving to pit road after the wreck which is a sure indication that he blacked out, and I knew that he was in bad shape. The look on his face was of someone in distress and I'm shocked that EMTs who were up close to him took his word that he was fine. Sometime later Johnson was taken to the hospital for observation when he eventually checked out okay but what if it turned out he did have a serious injury? Would some still think Knaus was just being an overly dramatic whiner?
I've long thought that the policy that drivers who are able to drive their cars away from the scene of a wreck not having to go to the in-field care center might need to be tweaked. Yes, if a car is going to be fixed in a couple of laps and they'll be back on the track it's not possible for a driver to go to the in-field care center. And there are some wrecks that are so minor that it would be ridiculous for a driver to have to get medical attention. But some of the wrecks, such as Johnson's, in which drivers are able to drive away are harder than ones in which drivers with totaled cars are sent to the infield care center for. Apparently at some point usually an EMT checks in with a driver who goes to the garage area after a wreck to ask if they're ok. That's a good thing but is it enough? Every driver is going to say that they're okay even if they're not, unless they're in extreme pain. So it concerns me that some day a injury that needs attention is going to be missed, if that hasn't happened already.
And I still can't get past the EMTs walking away from Johnson. Presumably they have a significant amount of experience with people with a variety of injuries and they must know that just because someone says that they're okay doesn't mean that they really are. It would seem to me that unless Johnson did a exceptional job of covering how dazed and confused he was that it would be hard to miss some signs that he should have been evaluated further. I'm sure publically we will hear no more about this but I'd really like to know what the full chain of events was and what the thinking of the EMTs were.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)
Krystal Grow Strikes Again
Assignment: Crash the Thompson Memorial
Back in April I wrote about the saga of Krystal Grow who assumed that she had a Spin Magazine internship and didn't react well to finding out that she hadn't been selected. Now comes an article she's written in which she details how she plans on crashing the Hunter S. Thompson Memorial Service which is not open to the public because she's a "professional" after a story. I suppose she thinks she's acting in "Gonzo" Thompson style and my impression is that she somehow things she's more worthy of being there than others - afterall she's not a fan, she's a "follower." But this is a memorial service. Not a party or a media event - a memorial service. Yes, it's going to be a bit of a different kind of memorial service but I think it's a bit excessive to say that she's not going to give up until she sneaks her way in even if she gets arrested.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)
Pitching Woes Continue for the Yankees
A new week, a new batch of worries about two of the Yankees starting pitchers. Randy Johnson wasn't very good in his last outing and now comes word that his back is bothering him to such a degree that it's possible that he may have to miss his next start. If there's one pitcher the Yankees can't do without it's Johnson, even if he's not as dominant as he was in the past. It's essential that both he and Mussina stay healthy and in the starting rotation because without them the Yankees are unfortunately likely a sinking ship.
As for Carl Pavano it was expected that he would have returned from the disabled list before now and some were starting to question his toughness, wonder whether he really wanted to pitch for the Yankees and whether he could possibly be faking an injury to stay in Tampa. Well, now comes word that Pavano is being sent to specialist Dr. James Andrews for further evaluation so it's highly unlikely that Pavano is faking anything. What worries me the most is that Brian Cashman is suddenly talking about the possiblity of exploratory surgury and Pavano missing the rest of the season. That indicates to me that there is potentially a problem with Pavano that is more serous than he is just a headcase. Most teams but especially the Yankees are notorious for downplaying and being extremely closed-mouthed about the true nature of injuries and I think some of that might be going on here leading to some confusion among the fans. Pavano wasn't great when he was in the rotation but at least he was there. If he's lost for the season that's a big hole in the rotation that the Yankees have to fill and I'm not sure Aaron Small or Shawn Chacon is a great long-term solution.
Good pitching is absolutely essential to any team's success. The Yankees have a ton of offense but if the pitching isn't there even if they manage to get to the post-season they won't last long. It's great if you can score runs but if your pitching staff gives up more than the hitters can knock in then the team is sunk. That the Yankees right now might only have Mike Mussina from the original starting rotation, and even he has been inconsistant at times, is scary. As much as I love Moose he just can't carry the Yankees into the post-season himself. There has to be other solid starting pitchers so I dearly hope that RJ's back loosens up and Pavano checks out when he goes to see Dr. Andrews.
Tonight the Yankees start a series against the Chicago White Sox, the team with the best record in baseball. It's imperative that the Yankees win at least two out of three of these games to keep pace with the Red Sox and in the wild card race. But I don't think it's going to be as easy as some fans think. Yes, the Yankees are facing Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and Jose Contreras, two former Yankees, but they are part of the reason why the White Sox have such a winning record. The Yankees are capable of beating even the best of teams when everything is clicking but with the pitching being what it is right now I'm not sure everything really is clicking. Should be an interesting series.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)
What Do Athletes Owe Their Fans?
Interesting discussion last week on the Dale Jr. Pit Board regarding what drivers (and I'm going to expand it to all athletes) owe their fans. Apparently at an appearance last Wednesday night at Ken Schrader's dirt track in Peavely, Missouri, which was a fundraiser for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, Junior was late and barely even glanced at or acknowledged the fans he was signing autographs for. Which didn't go over so well with everyone considering they had been waiting hours in temperatures over 100 degrees. Some felt that Junior should at least have looked up and smiled at the fans as they were coming through the line. But in contrast some felt that it's such an honor to be in his presence that he shouldn't even have to to that. Which led to a discussion of what, if anything, the drivers owe the fans.
In Junior's defense the amount of people he had to sign autographs for in the time allowed was immense. It was estimated that he had less than ten seconds to sign for each person and be done on time. That means he can't talk to anyone, can't pose for photos, can't do much more than scribble his name. So as is probably the case with most of Junior's appearances the amount of people he needs to sign for in a limited amount of time limits how much he can interact with each person. There's also no telling what else Junior might have had on his mind that night. But should he have made more of an effort to acknowledge the fans who waited so long for him under such trying conditions in some small way?
I think athletes owe their fans very little. They don't have to sign autographs for fans unless they are contracted to do so at an appearance. They don't have to pose for photos unless they have time and it doesn't bother them. They don't have to stop and talk to every fan who calls their name. And as I recently said, many fans can be difficult to deal with when they behave in inappropriate ways. But I touched upon it in that entry and I'll expand on it here there is something that I do expect and think that athletes owe their fans - respect and that they treat them the way they they would like to be treated. I also don't think it's too much to expect that Junior looks up no matter how briefly and acknowledges his fans with even the briefest of smiles, a wave or a nod as fans hand him something.
Through the years I've observed quite a few athletes and some are very obviously more fan friendly than others. Some take interacting with fans in stride and understand that it goes along with the territory. Some even seem to enjoy making fans happy by signing autographs and chatting with them. Then there are others who seem to view the process of dealing with fans a major chore - they might sign for fans but they won't look happy doing it. I've changed my opinions on some athletes both pro and con on the basis of seeing how they interact with fans, particularly those athletes that I've seen on more than one occassion. I always try to keep in mind the circumstances of an encounter and above all that the athletes are human beings too who are will sometimes have bad days that might effect how they are when I seem them. But with all of that in mind there are some athletes who have very much impressed me and a couple who have left me feeling cold.
At the top of the list when it comes to fan interaction that I've experienced are David Cone, Michael Waltrip and Mike Mussina. These three guys get it when it comes to the fans and make a special effort to go out of their way to interact with their fans. I'm always impressed by how much Michael does to acknowledge the fans and how he actively does things big and small to show how much he appreciates his fans. He wants people who meet him to come away feeling good about it and he's very successful at making that happen more often than not. Coney was also outstanding with his fans and I've never seen any other athlete who had such a way about him - he engaged every single person, but especially kids, in such a wonderful way. And there were always so many stories about how he would stop to chat with fans who encountered him randomly on the street. He never made anyone feel like they were bothering him or that he didn't have time for them. Mike Mussina, who has a reputation as being standoffish, is actually one of the more fan-friendly baseball players in the game, hosting fan meet and greets for members of his fan club at Yankee Stadium twice a year and having an annual fan club dinner during the off-season. That kind of thing is almost unheard of for baseball players to do. And he makes sure to interact with every single person who appears at these events too. Others who get it include Paul O'Neill and Steve Park, along with countless other Nascar drivers.
But as noted there are a few people who I've changed my mind about after seeing how they interact with fans. With Kurt Busch it was in a positive way. I never really liked him much due to some of his immature behavior on the track. But when I was at the race at Dover last Fall I was standing near where the drivers came off the stage during driver introductions taking photos and out of all the drivers Busch was the only one to acknowledge my existance with a smile even though all of them passed extremely close to me. Then when we were in Pocono a couple of weeks ago we were once more near the stage for driver introductions and again Busch was one of the few drivers who was engaging the fans around - smiling at people, waving and talking to people who talked to him. That's made me view him in a much more positive light because I have to give major props to any athelete who gets it and goes out of their way with the fans, even in the smallest of ways, when they don't have to.
Unfortunately there are two people that I've cooled on after seeing them a few times at appearance and such. That doesn't mean I hate either person or stopped being their fan because after all, athletes are human beings too and aren't going to act perfectly all the time, simply that I came away with a slightly changed opinion afterwards. It wasn't quite as bad as the experience of those people at Junior's appearance at Peavley but one appearance I went to I found that this person, who I was very much looking forward to meeting, couldn't look up at me at first or make eye contact, didn't seem interested in even saying "hi," and when I asked to take a photo with him didn't seem too happy about it even though we were certainly allowed to take photos with him. And it wasn't just me - I watched him interact with more of his fans and I was very disappointed about how lukewarm he was with even the youngest of fans.
Then there's the athlete who twice dissed Jim because he was more interested in ogling me. And that's fine to a degree because again, these are human beings and I don't expect men to never look at women - it's human nature. But here's where that pesky little respect thing comes in. Have enough respect for me as a human being and as a fan to at least be subtle about what you're doing. But more than that treat your male fans like you would your female fans. This person was simply not as nice to Jim as he was to me, despite Jim being very nice to him and to me that reflected poorly on this person. Again, that's not to say that I stopped being a fan of this person, simply that it changed the way I view them in some way.
Some people simply do not "get it" when it comes to the fans. Not too long ago someone on a small racing board posted a huge diatribe about how horrible fans are. One might wonder what the problem is since I've ranted myself about inappropriate fan behavior more than once. The problem is that this person says that they are in the marketing department for a race team and they don't dislike just the ill-behaved fans but all the fans. I was astonished that this person doesn't get why fans are so important or why someone in marketing or PR might need to be nice to fans, not just fake nice as she says she is when she has to be but really nice. I'd also question the wisdom of posting such a thing on a fan forum where anyone could come across it but that's a whole other story. This person thinks that everyone in racing thinks the same way that she does and when it comes to ungrateful, rude, misbehaving fans of which there are unfortunately a lot, I would say that most people agree with her. But when it comes to fans who support their favorite drivers and the sport in the right ways then she's wrong because it's very obvious that the majority of people, in racing and elsewhere, appreciate those fans and recognize their importance.
Without fan support there would be no Nascar races, no Major League Baseball Games, no professional basketball games, etc... There would be no one to buy the tickets to the games or races, no one to buy merchandise, no one to go to appearances, no one to donate money to charitable causes that athletes are raising money for, or no one to support sponsors. The vast majority of athletes understand this as do the people in the various organizations they work for. In MLB I think they have some work to do in terms of increasing the amount of fan-player interaction but for the most part I think the players understand that fans are important. In Nascar they most certainly do and the amount of access that fans get to the drivers is testament to that. If fans go away then so does the popularity of the sport as will the lifelihood of any number of people. If fans feel like their favorite athletes can't take the time to show their appreciation for the support they get or feel that employees of that person's organization don't think much of them, then some fans are going to feel that they shouldn't take the time to support their favorite athlete in quite the same way that they once did.
So Junior's unlikely to lose any fans because he didn't acknowledge all of the fans who came to see him but I would guess that it's likely that the way some of them view him has changed. I suppose he has so many fans that it doesn't really matter to him either way how any of them view him. But who knows down the road perhaps there will come a time when he will need all the fan support he can get - and that's when a smile or a greeting might make all the difference.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2005
Photo of the Day - Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey, 2002. I have plenty more Maine photos to post but I wanted to mix it up a little and throw in a few photos from other places so no one gets bored. In any event this is a neat sculpture that caught my eye at Grounds for Sculpture when Jim and I visited a few years ago. I had such a great time there - so many neat sculptures and so much to take photos of. I'd really love to go back but I don't think we'll get a chance since it is a bit of a drive until after the wedding. There's a fancy French restaurant there too that it supossedly excellent. Someday...
Posted by silverdsl at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)
Tony Stewart Fullfills Lifelong Dream, Michael Waltrip Finishes 16th
Winning at the race at the Brickyard in Indianapolis is almost as desirable to most Cup drivers as winning the Daytona 500. And even more so for Tony Stewart who grew up in Indiana. Today he made his dream of winning at Indianapolis come true and it was wonderful to see the look on his face from inside his car via the in-car camera after he had taken his helmet off and was driving around the track to salute the crowd. Not only did Stewart win today but he also moves into first in the overall points standings. He's been absolutely outstanding the past few weeks and I'm very impressed by how strong that team has gotten at exactly the right time - the last few races before the Chase for the Championship starts. I'm not a big Stewart fan but I do love seeing someone win who shows so emotion as he did today.
I had high hopes for Michael Waltrip for today's race given that he had been 7th in practice and qualified third. And for a while things were going well for Michael - he raced up front and even when he dropped back it seemed like after some adjustments it would be only a matter of time before he would be back and in a position for a fine finish. However, yet again he was the victim of bad luck, yet again caused by a cut tire. But this time there was some good luck mixed in with the bad in that when his tire went down he was able to get to pit road easily, there was no other damage to the car, and he only lost one lap getting it changed. So he was the lucky dog at the next caution and got back on the lead lap. Through good racing and good pit stops Michael made his way up to 12th but he was forced to pit late in the race when some others stayed out due to tire concerns and that meant that he ended up with a 16th place finish. Not great but considering the tire problem which could have been a lot more costly I'll take it. Michael gained one spot in the points move him up to 19th - it's such a shame that he's so far down in the points because that truly does not reflect how well he's raced this season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. got hit from behind and wrecked on a restart which put him out of the race. That pretty much spells the end for Junior's remaining hopes to make the Chase for the Championship. To make it the #8 team was going to have to be nearly perfect in the remaining races prior to when the Chase starts and even Junior acknowledged in a post-wreck interview that he's all but done. Even if he hadn't wrecked it would likely have been a bad race for Junior given that he said that the car was horrible to begin with. That is just not the sign of a team that is meant for the Championship this season.
Kasey Kahne finished second today and at times he made things difficult for Stewart. I like Kahne a lot so I was pulling for him to somehow pass Stewart and win but I knew that it was probably unlikely that was going to happen. I've also got to say that while I don't like him too much I was impressived with Brian Vickers. He finished third and lately it's seemed like he's been running up front more than he has in the past. The expectations for Vickers in his rookie year in 2004 were high givent hat he was Busch Champion in 2003 so when he finished 25th in the points many wrote him off but my feeling is that once he's got more experience on the Cup level he will make some noise and win some races before it's all said and done.
Next week is Watkins Glen and I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully it will be a strong race for Michael - maybe he'll finally have a race with no bad luck.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
Major Renovation Planned for Mirage in Las Vegas
New Restaurants, Nightclub, Cirque du Soleil Show
When the Mirage opened in 1989 on the strip in Las Vegas apparently it was on the cutting edge of luxury for megaresorts at the time and helped to revitalize the strip. However, when I visited back in January I wasn't terribly impressed, though to be fair it was a fairly quick walk through. Now comes word of a major renovation to enable the aging resort to keep up with The Bellagio and the newly opened Wynn. The Mirage will be getting three new restaurants, a fancy nightclub by the same people who also operate the popular nightclubs Light and Caramel at Bellagio and Mist at Treasure Island, and a Cirque du Soleil show, the company's fifth in Las Vegas.
The Cirque du Soleil show is particularly interesting because it will be based on the music of the Beatles. I've seen two Cirque shows thus far and I can't say that I can can picture the Beatles music being a perfect fit for Cirque, nor any rock music for that matter, but the folks who are the force behind Cirque are exceptionally creative and are sure to come up with something astonishingly good that will leave audiences in awe. And since there are still many Beatles fans I'm sure it will be astonishingly popular as well. I'd definitely go see it the next time I'm in Vegas which hopefully will be in the next couple of years.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2005
All Moved In!
Since I graduated college I was living in New York on Long Island. Well, not anymore. I am now a resident of New Jersey! Today was moving day and we were very busy moving all of my things to Jim's house and what didn't fit there to storage.
A lot of people don't think much of Jersey because they think that all Jersey is consists of what they see from the Jersey Turnpike. But not so. There are many wonderful and beautiful areas of Jersey. So ever since I was a little girl I've wanted to live in New Jersey and finally I am!
But moving has worn me out so while I've come across quite a few things I'd like to blog about it will have to wait until I'm more unpacked and less sleepy.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/6)
On Thursday Michael was part of a media event to unveil the new Chevy Monte Carlo and the photos from the event are kind of amusing because all the drivers look weirdly uncomfortable like they are shell-shocked or it's too early in the morning for them to be awake. That was in Indianapolis and today during qualifying for The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Michael qualified 3rd, which is no surprise since he was 7th in practice using his car from Pocono which was excellent until he was wrecked by Greg Biffle. After qualifying Michael had plenty to say in a post-qualifing press conference including the news that he hoped to have something to announce about his 2006 plans at or just after Watkins Glen. There's been plenty of talk about what will happen with the #15 and also much discussion about where Tony Eury Jr. will end up. Many fans of Michael had hoped that he could leave DEI and go to whatever team Michael ended up with but increasingly it appears that will not be. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that he would like to work with his cousin again and Eury, Jr. said that the feeling is mutual. I would have liked to see the partnership between Michael and Tony, Jr. last longer so this is somewhat disappointing news - I hope whoever is Michael's next crew chief is as awesome as Tony, Jr. has been for him this season.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
Put a Fork In 'Em - Another Poor Finish for Steve Park
Runs Out of Gas and Stalls On Pit Road, Finishes 30th
Bad luck has plagued Steve Park all season and last night at Indianapolis Raceway Park was no different. The truck didn't seem to be outstanding to begin with but Steve was able to gain a few positions from where he started the race in 18th. However, both Orleans Racing crew chiefs decided to gamble on fuel mileage. Staying out while other trucks pitted put Brendan and Steve out in front of the field. Hoping for a caution they continued to stay out until they no longer could. Brendan ran out of gas as he got into his pit stall and I immediately knew that meant bad things for Steve who was still out on the track. And sure enough we soon saw Steve stalled at the start of pit road - out of gas. By the time Steve was able to get back out on the track he was eleven laps down and could finish no better than 30th.
I've got no problem with a crew chief taking chances. It can pay off big dividends and has for the #62 team before. However, when the team really needs to put together a string of strong finishes to raise them at least into the top fifteen in points, those gambles better pay off or at the very least not hurt the team. And in this case it hurt a lot. Yet another poor finish for Steve for reasons out of his control. And this far into the season as the title of this entry reflects - stick a fork in 'em, they're done. Let me be clear - I still believe in Steve, I still support him 100%, I still think he is very much capable of winning races on any level and I still think he could end up in Victory Lane before this season is out if things go right. However, I think Steve's chances of finishing well in the points, which is no small matter, is looking pretty dim.
Of course the #62 team could go on a huge run starting with the next race and prove me wrong. Orleans Racing is no fly by night operation and they should be more than capable of fielding two strong teams. However, it seems like every week Steve has some sort of issue to deal with - mechanical problems from engines blowing to countless electrical problems, pit problems, running out of gas, trucks that aren't set up right, the list goes on and on and that doesn't include the times that he's been wrecked by someone else. No team has a perfect season but Steve is a driver that should be contending for the Championship in the truck series right now.
I also wonder what happens when Brendan Gaughan leapfrogs over Steve in the points. Note I said when, not if. The #77 team also struggled mightily at times this season, even failing to qualify for a couple of races. But after the addition of Tony "Rambo" Liberati as crew chief, the #77 has really been outstanding, racking up quite a few top tens. Which means that Brendan is now 19th in points. Still not very high but considering he hasn't raced every race is impressive. And given how well they're racing I think there's a good chance Brendan will be even higher by the end of the season. But how is that going to reflect on Steve? Brendan has said that Steve was the priority at Orleans and that they wanted to do everything they could to put him in a position to race for the Championship. But now that he won't be and is going to have to fight just to finish the season in the top fifteen, how will that effect things?
I can't help but worry about what 2006 is going to bring for Steve. Maybe everything will be fine and he will be back at Orleans Racing with all parties understanding that Steve has simply been the victim of bad luck. But often cold, hard numbers win out and the driver is blamed for things not of their own doing. The Gaughans are very supportive of Steve and think very highly of him. But business is business and I'm quite sure that they want to see both of their teams higher in the points. If they give Steve the tools to work with he is more than capable of putting the #62 in Victory Lane again - I just hope he continues to get that chance assuming that's what he wants. For all I know Steve is entertaining thoughts of leaving Orleans - he can't be happy with the way things have gone this season. Maybe it's a done deal that he'll be back at Orleans or it could be a very interesting off-season.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2005
Gilmore Says DEI Has a Prominent Driver for the #15 if NAPA Re-Signs
Will NAPA Stay or Will They Go?
A lot of people are getting excited about this article but I actually think there's a whole lot of nothing in there. Yes, DEI has some plans for what they'd like to do for the #15 in 2006 and beyond but it doesn't sound like they have anything firmed up or definite. Richie Gilmore says that if NAPA decides to stay with DEI as the sponsor of the #15 they have a prominent driver with another team lined up. Which got a lot of people talking about who it might be and that may be exactly the point of Gilmore's comments. Because if said driver is still under contract to another team, unless their contract runs out after this season, it's going to be pretty hard to pry them away from their existing team. Just ask Jamie McMurray and Roush Racing about that. So while I have no doubt they're talked to some people everything with the #15 still sounds pretty vague.
Gilmore says,
"[NAPA] has some options with us, Michael and some other race teams. We've put about a two-week window on it where they've got to make the decision and we've got to make a decision and go forward. But we have a driver kind of laid out, and everything laid out."
Essentially he's saying that he has no idea what NAPA is planning on doing and that they have a variety of options to choose from. Which is very different than what he said when DEI and Michael Waltrip announced that they were severing ties with each other after 2005. At that time Gilmore stated that NAPA had told him that they wanted to stay with DEI. But he also said that he was going to have to present NAPA with a plan including a driver choice to lure them back. I thought that made things a lot less certain with NAPA than Gilmore was trying to make it sound and I still think that. If Gilmore has to say that NAPA has a two-week window then he's trying to force them to make a decision and they may be waiting to see what team offers them the best scenario - DEI, whoever Michael ends up with, or someone else entirely.
I also have to wonder what happens if NAPA decides not to re-sign with DEI. Will there still be a third team? Do they have a backup sponsor lined up? What about if the mystery driver can't get out of his contract assuming it goes past this season? Who would drive the car in 2005 and would that be acceptable to NAPA? It's in DEI's best interests to field three cars for 2006 and beyond but I'm not 100% convinced that's actually going to happen because it sounds like there are a lot of pieces that still need to fall into place exactly right to make that possible.
Another interesting item is that it's been said in a few places that after the SIM race on Tuesday night Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was interviewed and he said that there will definitely be a third DEI car next season, that DEI had the sponsorship lined up but not the driver. To me that sounds like the complete opposite to what Gilmore is saying. Does Junior not know that DEI is negotiating with a driver? Does he think that NAPA coming back to DEI is already a done deal? What Junior and Gilmore said can't possibly both be accurate. One or the other is either mistaken or not giving a complete picture of what's actually going on. But of course twenty different stories from all sorts of people at DEI is nothing new. They often sound like no one is on the same page and what they are planning to do seems to change from week to week.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)
Amateur Photographers Risk Lives for Disaster Photos
Disaster Photos: Newsworthy or Irresponsible
When the Air France plane crashed in Toronto on Tuesday, Eddie Ho, a passanger on the plane, happened to have his digital camera in his pocket and as he was escaping he snapped a shot inside of his fellow passengers escaping the plane as well as everyone fleeing the burning wreckage once they were outside. Ho then promptly sold the photos to two news syndicates who resold them to various media outlets including CNN, Good Morning America, and Today. Amateurs taking photos as a disaster unfolds is becoming increasingly more common. The British press used photos from camera phones to show what happened in London during the bombings there on July 7. So the question that some are pondering is if people who stop to take these photos are risking their own lives and that of others and also if the media is encouraging this kind of risky business by broadcasting these images.
Personally as big of a photographer as I am I'm pretty sure if I was on the scene of a disaster I'd be so freaked out that taking photos would be the last thing that I'd be thinking about doing. I'd be worried about my own safety and that of the people I was with. Once I was safe I'd also be thinking about ways that I could help the other people around me. That's not to say that the people who take these photos aren't also concerned with these things - I'm sure that they are. But I also think there are a lot of people who have a sense of invulnerability, even in the face of extreme danger. "It won't happen to me!" they think. Unfortunately, particularly in a volatile situation which a disaster often is, things can go from bad to worse rapidly.
Some feel that the media shouldn't use photos like these from amateurs because it encourages others to put themselves into dangerous situations to get a photo that might be used on the news. I agree that media outlets should be careful not to celebrate people putting their lives at risk to get a photo. But on the other hand a disaster is a newsworthy event that happens without warning. It's rare for a professional photojournalist to be on hand to take photos. So there are times when amateur photos are the only record of the event unfolding and it's immediate aftermath. So in that case the photos are newsworthy and I think there is reason to use them.
And the reality is that camera phones and to a lesser degree digital cameras are touted for how easy it makes it to take it out of a pocket and quickly snap a few shots. Camera phones used to be a novelty but now it seems like everyone has them and pull them out at the drop of a hat. So if people are taking photos constantly of everything around them it seems natural for them to take photos when they find themselves in a disaster. They are just operating on instinct without giving much thought to the potential dangers of what they're doing.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
Google Blog
Googler Insights Into Product and Technology and Our Culture
Everyone has a blog these days for varied reasons and to various degrees of success. I just took a look at the shared blog that Google employees use to talk about new Google features that they've worked on or various other things related to Google. And it was informative and interesting. It's a good example of how a company is using a blog to get information out to their audience in a different format than a press release where you have to depend on media outlets to pick it up. It's a great way to reach a target audience because they know that the people who are going to check it out are those who are interested in some way in Google. And there were certainly things there that I never would have found out about if I didn't go to the blog.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:41 PM | Comments (0)
Once an Asshat, Always an Asshat
Sheffield Unloads on Teamates, Yankee Policies and More
The full article won't be out until Monday but it appears that Gary Sheffield gave quite some interview to New York Magazine. From taking subtle shots at his teammates to criticizing the Yankee clubhouse to complaining about the Yankees policies on charter flights Sheffield airs more dirty laundry than a laudromat does. I've often said in this space how I wish that more players were willing to give honest opinions about things but with outspokenness comes the necessity for understanding what is appropriate to say, under what circumstances and at what times. I can't fault Sheffield for thinking the things that he does - he's entitled to think and believe anything he wants, just as I'm entitled to disagree with him. But what I do fault him for is a lack of understanding about what comments were better kept to himself and not to the media. If he takes issue with the approach the Yankees have to certain things speak up at a team meeting, say something privately to team officials, talk with teammates, complain to his wife, but do not air those grievances in the media. That is disruptive and that is the last thing the Yankees need when they are in the midst of fighting to keep pace with the Red Sox for the division lead and various other teams for the American League Wildcard.
Sheffield says,
"I know who the leader is on the team. I ain't going to say who it is, but I know who it is. I know who the team feeds off. I know who the opposing team comes in knowing they have to defend to stop the Yankees."
And the implication is that the leader isn't team captain, Derek Jeter because more than likely teams aren't coming to town thinking that the main force that they have to corral at the plate is Jeter. Regardless of how much truth there might be to Sheffield's words, Jeter is still the team captain and there should be respect enough that Sheffield doesn't say publically that someone else is who the team feeds off of and is the real leader. Some speculate that Sheffield is referring to himself and that may be true, which makes his comments even worse, but I suspect he's talking about Alex Rodriguez which could only serve to heighten the tension which may or may not exist between A-Rod and Jeter.
When talking about the way the media covers the Yankees Sheffield said that they talk about Jeter and A-Rod,
"in a positive light and everyone else is garbage."
It's true that Jeter tends to not get criticized much or ever by the media, or fans for that matter, but unless he's slumping at the plate what does Jeter do that he would get less than positive coverage about? On the other hand there's been quite a bit of negativity in the media about A-Rod from stories about how not all his peers in baseball like him or view him well to his struggles to adjusting to playing in New York. I also think that the reality is that if Sheffield's teammates not named Jeter or A-Rod have issues or problems they are going to be talked about. The Yankees pitching staff has been a mess and there's no way the media can ignore that. Or how much the team struggled overall to start the season.
And if Sheffield is referring to the media's focus on Balco and how there are plenty who doubt that he accidentally took steroids, if Sheffield didn't want to be protrayed in a bad light he should have ensured that the pills he knew what was in the pills that he popped and the cream he rubbed on himself. And if by chance he did take the steroids intentionally, and I suspect that's the case, then I have no sympathy for him what-so-ever for the way the media has portrayed him. He should actually consider himself lucky that he hasn't had to endure what Giambi has had to.
In spite of just recently ensuring that he wouldn't be traded from the Yankees, he's apparently not happy with everything about being in pinstripes. He said,
"It's not a family-oriented team. In L.A., wives can fly on the plane; with the Yankees they can't. "With other teams, the wives always have functions to bring them together. Not here."
I think that's a really lousy comment for Sheffield to make because in a lot of ways he's not only taking shots at the Yankees as an organization but at his teammates - the team isn't family oriented, the wives don't have functions. What possesses someone to think it's a good idea to say something like that to a reporter? It's been the Yankees policy for a very long time that wives don't fly on the planes with their husbands except on selected road trips. That doesn't mean they can't go on the road with their husbands, simply that they have to take a different flight. A pain in the rear end - probably. But a barrier to a family being together, not really considering all the money the players have to fly their families anywhere they want.
In addition, if Sheffield or his wife, has a problem with the lack of functions for the wives, why doesn't his wife organize something? Before his time the Yankee wives were extremely active and I believe there was a fashion show that many of them would take part in - I seem to remember Kim Girardi and Laura Pettitte taking active roles in many of those events. The interview was probably conducted some time ago but it's very ironic that Sheffield brings up the "family-oriented" Dodgers considering the Derek Lowe mess in which he alledgedly cheated on his wife with one of the Dodgers broadcasters.
Sheffield also indicates he won't be diving for any balls given his injury history - as if that wasn't obvious enough already - and that he might not be on speaking terms with Brian Cashman because the Yankees GM "insulted" him with a two-year $18 million contract offer at one point. I can only imagine what the rest of the article is like. In a best case scenario it will turn out that Sheffield speaks glowingly of his teammates and the Yankees organization in the rest of the article. That would take some of the sting out of these comments. But that doesn't excuse him from fault in making statements that he had no business saying to a reporter. Of course this is completely unsurprising because Sheffield has worn out his welcome on every other team he's been on by running his mouth and he's continued that trend while he's been a Yankee as well. He's very lucky that he's such a key to the Yankees offense because if he wasn't he would not be a very popular man right now with fans.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2005
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/4)
When I won the Operation Marathon auction to be Michael Waltrip's guest at the Dover race, one of the many awesome things that I got to do was ride around the track with Michael during driver introductions. I can't possibly put into words how cool it was to see over 100,000 people in the stands from that perspective. So I encourage fans to bid on a chance to ride around Bristol Motor Speedway with Michael or one of twelve other participating drivers, including Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne. The proceeds, which in years past have raised $90,000 will go to Speedway Children’s Charities.
A press release on Michael's official site gives a few more details about Waltrip Race World and from the sounds of it Michael and company have a lot of really awesome plans in the works, including an interactive race shop, an area where fans can watch pit practice, a restaurant and more. A partner in this venture with Michael and his wife Buffy, is Noah Lazes of the ARK Group, who has developed other entertainment related projects including several music festivals. It would be cool if Waltrip Racing World included a music element and that wouldn't surprise me since Michael is a music fan.
Not only will Michael be racing at Indy for DEI but he will also be fielding the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine via Michael Waltrip Racing for his good friend Kenny Wallace. Unfortunately Kenny will have to qualify on time as will sixteen other drivers who are competing for only eight spots. Good luck to Kenny - I hope he makes it in!
Posted by silverdsl at 04:41 PM | Comments (0)
Ryan McGhee: Nascar Has No Drug, Contract Controversies
Ryan McGhee thinks that Nascar fans have a lot of reasons to hold their heads up high and be proud to be fans of the sport. And I would agree. However, it's laughable to say that the three biggest reasons that Nascar fans should be thankful is because there are no drug, contract or labor problems.
Of course Nascar has no drug problems - they don't do any random testing so they have no idea who might or might not be using a banned substance. That's not to say that the sport is filled with drug addicts. On the contrary I think that given the dangers of the sport most are careful about not doing anything that would jeopardize the safety of their fellow competitors. But Nascar's drug policy is weak, particularly given the consequences of what could happen if a driver is on the track under the influence.
Which brings us to Shane Hmiel who McGhee touts as an example of how well the system works because Nascar made him "disappear." Really? Then why was he allowed back into the sport after his first failed drug test in 2003 and despite failing a second test might be able to return after his most recent suspension in 2007? If Nascar truly has zero tolerance, which they should for a driver who, if some reports are true might have been on the track under the influence, then Hmiel should be prohibited from racing in Nascar ever again. So how exactly is Nascar's drug policy any better than MLB's steroid policy which McGhee takes a shot at for allowing players who test positive to come back? Seems like very much the same thing to me the only difference being the length of the suspension.
I wouldn't be surprised if there are some on pit road who are using steroids. One pit crew coach claimed a while back that it's unlikely because getting muscle bound would get in the way of the pit crews being able to work quickly. Well, I've got news for him and anyone else who thinks that every person who takes steroids takes them to get huge - they don't. Some take steroids simply for increased strength and endurance, two things that would be of use to pit crew members. One only needs to look at who has tested positive for steroids in MLB so far this season and none of them are huge and muscle bound. But I will never have any proof that there are pit crew members using performance enhancers and neither will Nascar as long as they test only on "reasonable suspicion."
Contract negotiations are kept out of the paper - oh really? Then what's silly season and why did Jayski's get so popular? Sure, contract details aren't publically released but it seems to me that there is considerable discussion about drivers being signed, re-signed or not. McGhee mentions the Jamie McMurray situation but hasn't he heard of Ford's lawsuit against Kasey Kahne? How about the drawn-out process of whether or not Michael Waltrip and Martin Truex, Jr. would be re-signed by DEI? How about the bitterness by Sterling Marlin upon discovering that his services wouldn't be needed past this season but didn't hear that bit of news directly from his owner? That just scratches the tip of the iceberg. So yeah, the specifics of how much a driver earns is kept out of the newspapers but not much else is.
As far as a strike there will never be a strike in Nascar for two simple reasons - there is no union to organize one and it would be unsuccessful. Years and years ago apparently Richard Petty tried to organize a strike over a safety issue. The drivers were told by Bill France that they could go ahead and strike, that the sport would go on without them but with replacement drivers. And there hasn't been much, if any, talk of a strike since. Yes, there is cooperation and dialogue between the drivers and the governing body. But I don't think the drivers have much bargaining power because Nascar would find ways to replace the drivers. Maybe it seems ridiculous - how could the sport continue without Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon? But don't think that their teams would let their cars sit idly by when they have sponsors to satisfy. The teams would find replacement drivers and I think there would be plenty of drivers more than willing to go Cup racing, and the sport would go on. If there was a driver's union and they had bargaining power there is no doubt in my mind that Nascar would have the same labor problems as any other sport.
The other issue McGhee briefly touches on is that drivers aren't getting arrested. He has heard of Scott Wimmer hasn't he? Wimmer was charged last season with driving under the influence and other assorted charges after a wreck in which he fled and was found by the police hiding under his bed in his house. Maybe he wasn't hauled off to jail from the midst of the garage area but he definitely had to go through the legal system. It's true that Nascar doesn't have competitors routinely getting into trouble with the law but it does happen and unfortunately I think it will happen in the future. No sport is completely immune to society's problems and I think it's ridiculous to suggest that.
But Nascar does have plenty to be proud of. One of the biggest things is the charitable nature of almost everyone in the sport. Virtually every driver has a cause or foundation that they do a tremendous amount to support through various events and fundraisers. Look no further than Michael Waltrip raising $1 million for the Victory Junction Gang Camp via Operation Marathon, Jeff Gordon donating $1 million to a children's hospital or Elliott Sadler and Jamie McMurray's efforts on behalf of the fight against autism to name just a few. On top of that the fans are incredibly supportive of their favorite driver's various causes as well. Fans are continously donating money in various ways to support many Nascar affiliated charitable causes but particularly the VJGC.
Something else to be thankful for in Nascar is the amount of interaction between drivers and fans. Compared to the other sports it's truly incredibly how accessible the drivers are to the fans. Virtually every race weekend there is a long list of drivers who make appearances both at the track and in the surrounding area and that's in all three of Nascar's biggest divisions. On top of that during the week away from the track the drivers are often appearing at events as well. Even when not at an organized appearance drivers will sign autographs, pose for photos and, if a fan is lucky, sometimes even chat with them for a few minutes. The crew members will often also talk to fans when they can. What other sport allows fans to get so close to the participants?
Then there's also the whole reason why fans watch the sport in the first place - the excitement of the racing. Yes, it's not great at every track. There's no doubt that some races are boring and are more follow-the-leader than offer any real racing. But there are plenty of exciting moments on the track. And there's nothing like seeing and hearing 43 cars take the green flag at the start of the race. Nothing like being at a race with 100,000 other fans cheering for your favorite driver. Nothing like celebrating with other fans when your favorite driver does well. Yes, you definitely get that in other sports too. But there is something about the cars on the track that grabs my attention.
So I think Nascar fans have plenty to be happy and thankful for but Nascar's drug testing policy, contract situations and lack of labor problems aren't what I'd focus on.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:21 PM | Comments (0)
Media Outlets Falsely Told Giambi Tests Positive for Steroids
Police Called in to Investigate
Calls were made this week by a man who said they were Yankee President Randy Levine's assistant to local media outlets in New York as well as some nationally to claim that Jason Giambi had tested positive for steroids and that MLB would be announcing it on Friday. Two problems with that scenario - Randy Levine doesn't have a male assistant and more than that Giambi hadn't tested positive. The caller was apparently knowledgable on the issues and I wonder if that meant that any of the media he called believed his claims. That might explain some of the sudden flare-up of speculation that Giambi might be using steroids again by some. Of course the Yankees, and probably Giambi himself, were displeased that someone would maliciously try to create trouble so they asked the police to step in and investigate. I understand why people are upset with Giambi for using steriods but I can't imagine why someone would take things as far as trying to get people to believe that he had tested positive again, when in fact he hadn't.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:17 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2005
Photo of the Day - Flower
Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. A flower in the morning light.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
Jason Giambi American League Player of the Month for July
Barry Zito Pitcher of the Month
At the start of the season, other than his most die-hard fans, most people seemed to think that Jason Giambi was done as a player. Even I, a very big Giambi fan, wasn't sure how productive he would be in 2005 given the health and steroids issues hanging over his head. And Giambi was cold in April and May, so bad that the Yankees asked him to accept an assignment to the minors to work on his swing. But Giambi insisted that the majors was where he belonged and that he would prove that he was capable of carrying the team on his shoulders if need be. Most people thought he was in denial and some went so far as to say that the Yankees should release him or he should retire. Well, in June Giambi started to heat up a little and once July rolled around Giambi was unbelievably, incredibly on fire at the plate all month, proving to all his doubters that he can very much still contribute to the Yankees. As such Giambi was rightfully selected by MLB as the American League Player of the Month for July.
Giambi recorded so many impressive stats in July that it's almost impossible to list them all but I'm going to try. By batting .355 with 24 RBI Giambi was able to raise his overall batting average 33 points which is no easy feat the later it gets in the season and the more at-bats that are recorded. But more than that Giambi led all players in the American League with a .974 slugging percentage, a .524 on-base percentage and 74 total bases. Nice! He also had four multi-homerun games and 14 total home runs. That's almost three times as many as April (3), May (1) and June (1) put together! What's really impressive is that all those homeruns he racked up were the most in a month by a Yankee since Mickey Mantle hit 14 in July of 1961. In addition, one of those homeruns was the 300th of his career, a milestone that many probably thought he might struggle to reach. So for all those reasons Giambi was selected as player of the month, the fifth time in his career.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned the other day in an entry on Rafael Palmeiro, with Giambi's resurrgance at the plate comes speculation that he's back on steroids. I think the chances of that are slim to none. He's still under a doctor's care for the putitary gland tumor that he had last season. So a doctor is going to know exactly what Giambi is putting into his body because he's being tested regularly. But more than that Giambi suffered terribly from the effects of the tumor last season. My understanding is that the tumor isn't gone, simply shrunk to the point where it doesn't cause him any symptoms. So why would he do something to potentially make the tumor grow large again? The symptoms he experienced were so bad that it made him unable to play which would cancel out any benefits he received from the steroids. I'm also sure that MLB has "randomly" tested Giambi, so if there were any positive tests for banned substances in Giambi's case I think MLB would be all over him and fast. What we're seeing is the re-emergence of Giambi's natural talent based on all the hard work that he'd done. Steroids don't make a lousy hitter into a great one - Giambi had to have talent before he ever took a single performance enhancer so his full ability is on display once more, not anything drug assisted.
The AL pitcher of the month, Barry Zito, is another player who is experiencing a bit of a resurrgance. Zito won the AL Cy Young in 2001 but has seemed to be in a decline since then to the point where he looked like a very average pitcher last season. I saw him pitch against the Yankees last summer and he looked dreadful on the mound. But in July Zito has been outstanding, going 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA and 30 strikeouts. Those six wins meant that he won every single one of his starts in July which isn't easy for any pitcher to do. And he wasn't facing weak teams either as five of the six teams he faced had winning records. I've always liked Zito for his quirky personality, his lack of fear of being different, that he's a photographer and also for his pitching when he was successful. So it's good to see him doing well again and I hope he can keep it up.
At any rate these awards were well-deserved by both players.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:22 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (8/3)
I'm going to try something new on this blog which is try to put together one entry a day containing a bunch of links to articles that are about Michael Waltrip, mention him or feature quotes by him. I'm still going to do separate entries about articles or situations that interest me but it seems that there may be a lot of people stopping by this blog who are interested in news about Michael so I figure some folks might appreciate getting some links all in one place. I'm not sure I'll be able to do this every day as there might not be enough articles each day but I'll do my best and see how it goes. I'd say I'd do the same for Steve Park but unless something huge happens with him there just isn't enough to do a daily or frankly even weekly "In the News." But here goes:
The folks at Michael Waltrip Racing do a good job of keeping Michael's official site updated with news related to both his Cup and Busch teams, as well as anything else he's involved with so that's a great resource for news and information about Michael. That's where I found the pre-race report all about how the NAPA team is prepared to race up front at Indy with the car that was wrecked at Pocono, newly fixed of course. Monday was a busy day for Michael, taping Inside Nextel Cup, testing at Watkins Glen where he likes the changes they've made to the road course there, and as noted in a previous entry he also appeared before the Cornelius zoning board to get permission to build a new race shop and entertainment complex. A must read for me each week is Tracksmack on Nascar.com because it usually makes me laugh and this week's edition features a brief mention of Michael. How I wish I was able to go to Indy to see all three series race this weekend but particularly because Steve Park and Michael Waltrip both are making appearances at various times this weekend.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
Gaughan Family Operates Slots at McCarron International Airport
Check Those Bags and Try Your Luck
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is filled with slot machines - 1,300 of them to be exact - which are used continiously by travelers killing time while waiting for flights or before heading elsewhere in the Las Vegas area after they get off of a flight. With over 41 million visitors a year either walking by or better yet stopping to play the slots at McCarran Airport, that makes it the biggest commercial casino in the country and possibly the world. Revenue from the slots are split between the airport, which pays for the biggest part of their operating costs, and the operator, one Michael Gaughan of the Coast Casino chain and owner of Orleans Racing.
Gaughan has been operating these slots via Michael J. Gaughan Airport Slot Concession for 20 years. He gives the airport 86.5 percent of the gross revenue, which apparently covers the right to operate the slots. So last year McCarran Airport apparently took $38.5 million of the total take of $54.4 million. Which left $16-17 million for Gaughan, which probably doesn't seem like much particularly when compared to the revenue that probably comes in from Gaughan's other casinos. However, Gaughan says in the article that the revenue from the slots in the airport have increased "20-fold" in the 20-years he's been operating the slots. So the profit has continued to increase and presumably will as the years go on.
I always wonder where the money to run Orleans Racing comes from. Because obviously they can't just take a chunk of change out of the slots at McCarran Airport and bring it over in a truck to Orleans Racing, even though both operations are owned by Michael Gaughan. A few months ago on Wind Tunnel Brendan Gaughan said that his father, Michael, pays for everything at Orleans Racing, including his salary out of his own pocket. Which of course runs contrary to what a certain Orleans Racing PR person said on SPC about Brendan being the one to foot the bills but that's a whole other story. In any event we'll say the Gaughan family in some way, shape or form fields Orleans Racing from their personal money, which based on the various articles I've read is significant. However, I'm sure they don't want to throw all their own money into Orleans Racing so yet again I say: I wish that #62 truck of Steve Park had a primary sponsor. I think an influx this season of some additional revenue from a sponsor or other source might have helped prevent some of the struggles and challenges that Orleans faced as they fielded two teams this season.
The business operations of the various teams always interests me. Most team owners have to have a significant amount of personal wealth to start a team and keep it going but as with the Gaughan family they don't want to sink an unended amount of their own personal money into their team or teams. I guess in an ideal world the sponsors would pay all the bills. But I imagine that's not the case for all teams, particularly as the costs for racing continue to spiral upwards. I know some of the businesses outside of racing by which some of the various owners finance their companies - I'm sure it's all a very complicated process involving lots of accountants!
But just in case the money from the slots at the airport goes directly back to racing operations Steve Park and Brendan Gaughan fans should gamble a lot at the airport!
Posted by silverdsl at 04:34 PM | Comments (0)
And I'm Appalled by Leeann Tweeden...
Reporter's Role With Pitcher Being Investigated
More than once I've mentioned that one of my problems with Leeann Tweeden working on Nascar Nation and any other show that covers Nascar, no matter how remotely, is that in the past she's allegedly had relationships of some sort, friendships or otherwise, with drivers. That is a problem in terms of objectivity and professionalism if any of those relationships of a more intimate kind might have happened when she was a member of the working media covering the sport. It also means that anything that she says about some of those drivers is suspect because one has no idea if her personal relationships are coloring what she's saying - yes, even on a lifestyles show like Nascar Nation.
So today I came across an article which indicates that FSN West 2 (an affilate of Fox Sports) has suspended Carolyn Hughes, the co-host of the Los Angeles Dodgers pre- and post-game shows, while they are investigating reports that she is involved in a relationship with Dodgers pitcher and former member of the Red Sox, Derek Lowe. One might wonder how this came to light and that's because Derek Lowe's wife of seven years, Trinka, called FSN West 2 and left some messages alledging the illicit relationship. In addition, she's been speaking with other media on the topic including "On the Record," a pay-to-view site which covers the Los Angeles sports media that apparently has photos of Lowe and Hughes together and a nationally syndicated radio show by Tom Leykis.
I have no idea if the allegations by Trinka Lowe are true or not, though FSN is apparently taking them seriously. But if they do happen to be true I can't say enough how inappropriate it would be. A reporter who covers a team cannot under any circumstances get involved with a player. That is inappropriate on countless levels. I have to wonder how their relationship, if it occured, effected what Hughes might have said on the air about Lowe. I also have to wonder how many people knew about their relationship and if it would ever have come to light if Trinka hadn't said anything. Of course she is bitter and vengeful at the apparent disintergration of her marriage but something has to be said if a reporter is having an inappropriate relationship with someone they cover, especially when it's someone they cover on an almost daily basis.
What also horrifies me about this incident is that it taints every female sports reporter. Many idiotic fans believe in the stereotype that that only reason why women are interested in being sports reporters is to either see the players naked in the locker room or get into a relationship with one of them. I'd like to say that belief is completely ridiculous and insane because no woman would be stupid enough to enter into that kind of relationship but it appears that it's possible that Hughes did exactly that. I understand it can be difficult when people develop feelings for each other and it's not always easy to deny those feelings. But when both parties are married and one is a journalist who reports on the player, that relationship shouldn't be happening.
Perhaps it will turn out that Trinka Lowe is making up stories about her husband or jumping to conclusions but if there is any truth to this story Hughes must be removed from the Dodgers pre- and post-game shows on FSN.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
Waltrip Racing World Gets Zoning Board Approval
MW Appears at Zoning Committee Meeting to Get Approval
Details are very sketchy in this article but apparently Michael Waltrip appeared before the Cornelius, NC zoning board to ask for approval of a proposal for a race shop and entertainment center in a complex which formerly housed movie theaters. Michael and those that appeared before the board on his behalf were ultimately successful even though there was some opposition from local residents who felt that plans for a motorcoach lot would detract from their housing values.
I assume that the race shop would be for Michael Waltrip Racing since he had apparently talked at one point at a fan club meeting about building a new building for his race shop. As for the entertainment center no idea what that might entail. A few months ago on Inside Nextel Cup Michael talked about someday having a bowling alley named Leroy's after his father who passed away in 2000 but I don't know how serious he actually was about that. It will be interesting to see what this evolves into. It's probably a good move to develop some sort of business that can potentially bring in a profit now and in the future that isn't soley based on on-track performance. Racing is extremely expensive and in spite of how much money Michael earns now as a Cup driver if he intends on one day expanding MWR into a multi-car Cup operation he will probably need all the financial resources he can get.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)
Yankees Decline 2006 Option on Bernie Williams
Absolutely no surprise here... or at least to most fans. The Yankees have declined the $15 million option for 2006 on 36-year old outfielder Bernie Williams who has played for no team other than the Yankees since he signed with them in 1985. There are some fans who feel that because Williams is a life-long Yankee who played a tremendous role in their success in the late 90's and beyond that the option should have been picked up. But the reality is that Williams is not the player he once was either offensively or defensively and overall he's really not an everyday player anymore. That is hard pill for some of his many fans to swallow but this is the natural progression of things. Every player's abilities decline as they get older, even the best of the best, and Williams is no different. He is simply no longer a $15 million player.
Some fans are upset because the Yankees announced their decision yesterday instead of waiting until the end of the season. Well, there was a deadline of August 1 for that decision to be made, put in the contract by Williams himself along with his agent Scott Boras. So the choice to decline the option for 2006 was announced yesterday because the deadline was the day before. I think it would be worse if the decision was made on Monday and then kept a secret until the end of the season. Some fans may want to salute Williams over the course of the rest of the season and it gives him a chance to give some thought to what he wants to do next season. Williams has said that he wants to play in 2006 and it's even possible that he will return to the Yankees, though at a greatly reduced salary. One might think that since he's played for the Yankees for his entire career that it would be a done deal that he would be in pinstripes or retire in 2006 but with Boras as his agent anything can happen.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
Rules for Driving Classic Cars Vary From State to State
Deadly Crash Spotlights Classic Car Safety
In Michigan a mother, father and eight-year old boy were killed in a car accident when the classic restored 1929 Duesenberg they were riding in was struck by a driver who ran a stop sign. All five members of the family in the Duesenberg were thrown from the car because that kind of car has no seatbelts since they weren't made mandatory until 1968. Many states will only allow classic cars to be driven to and from parades, car shows and car club events for exactly this reason. Without modern safety equipment they are simply too dangerous.
Apparently the father had spent three years restoring the Duesenberg and wanted to take a spin in it with his family before he shipped it to it's owner. What really gets me is that I'm sure the parents would never think to put their kids in a modern car without seatbelts why would they let them ride in a classic car without seatbelts? Even more so because the father was a firefighter and the mother a nursing student so in those professions they are well aware of the risks of accidents and the need for safety. I'm sure they figured that nothing would happen and it is rare for a classic car to be involved in an accident but I just can't get over how those kids were in a car without seatbelts. Just a sad story.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)
Palmeiro May Have Tested Postive For Winstrol (Stanozolol)
Could Not Have Taken Winstrol Accidentally
The results of the drug tests that MLB conducts for steroids are supposed to be kept confidential but an anonymous source with knowledge of the results has told The New York Times that Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for Stanozolol, more commonly known as Winstrol. If Palmeiro did in fact take Winstrol it means that his claims of accidentally taking the steroid in a suppliment are utter bullshit because it doesn't come in suppliments and can't really be taken unknowingly. It's either ingested or injected and it's one of the most commonly used steroids. Further giving creedance to Jose Canseco since Winstrol is the steroid that Canseco claimed Palmeiro used in his book.
Perhaps the source is mistaken or has an agenda they are trying to push. But if Palmeiro did in fact take Winstrol it's further proof that his testimony to Congress and his participation on their zero tolerance committee was a complete and utter farce. And if you can't trust someone who indignantly insists in front of Congress that they never used and participates in discussions to help combat the problem then who can you trust when they say that they don't use?
The more that comes out the worse and worse Palmeiro looks. And perhaps that's the point. Maybe someone is deliberately trying to make Palmiero look bad to send a message to other players that even stars aren't immunue from being busted and suffering the consequences of steroid use. Or maybe Palmeiro's act when he gave his statement on Monday and insisted that he never took steroids knowingly and had no idea how they got into his body was so laughable that someone wanted to take him down a peg or two.
I wonder if Palmeiro is going to respond to this accusation in any way. Maybe he'll threaten to sue like he threatened Canseco when his book was first published. Of course nothing came of that and no wonder why. More likely, Palmeiro will keep a low profile until his suspension is over and then address the media upon his return where he will offer safe comments which won't say much of anything. He will apologize to the fans but won't say what he's apologizing for just like Giambi. Since he's not been honest for months now about how he likely knowingly used steroids I highly doubt he will have the guts to admit to everything and explain himself. Palmeiro talked on Monday about being an example to kids and how they could learn from him - if he truly came clean and talked about what led him to use perhaps they truly could learn something from him about how to avoid the temptation to use performance enhancers. But until then kids will simply learn about how to distance one's self from the truth.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:33 AM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2005
Photo of the Day - Where the River Meets the Sea
Ogunquit, Maine. Literally where the river meets the sea. When the tide comes in the river and the beach gets swallowed up. As the tide goes out there is a lot more beach which is put to good use by beachgoers and separation between the river and the ocean.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)
Tim Fedewa to be in #65 Truck
Recently Released From Fitz-Bradshaw
I don't think I ever got around to talking about it in this space like I had planned but a week or two ago Tim Fedewa got released from the #12 at Fitz-Bradshaw Racing. So this week he's joined up with Glynn Motorsports and will be in the #65 truck at Indy on Friday for the truck race. I've never liked Fedewa and I never understood why he was able to keep his Busch ride for so long, particularly after Casey Atwood was released by Fitz-Bradshaw in spite of being higher in the points than Fedewa. So last week I probably would have written an entry that was something along the lines of how it was about time that Fedewa was given the boot from his ride.
But last night I softened slightly in regards to Fedewa after I heard him talking about his release on NBS 24/7. I still don't like him too much but I realised after listening to him talk about it that being released is the same thing as being fired and no matter who you are it hurts and it's a difficult thing. I've said in this blog before that the drivers are human beings with the full range of emotions and seeing Fedewa obviously being upset with his release was a good reminder of that. I felt sympathetic for him because no matter what he does on the track when he gets out of the car he is still a thinking and feeling person. I'm just such a softie that I hate when anyone is upset I guess.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:34 PM | Comments (0)
More on Ryan Franklin
So as I predicted in the entry just before this one Ryan Franklin also said that he has no idea how he tested positive for steroids. So just like every other player that has been busted for steroids before him he too claimed that it must have been something in the suppliments he was taking. Now it's just ridiculous. Yes, one guy maybe might be getting a false positive on the basis of something accidentally getting into a suppliment or not being listed on a label - but this many? Give me a break!
It's been reported, though not confirmed, that Rafael Palmeiro might have first tested positive back in May and that the abribration period dragged out until now so that's why the news wasn't made public sooner. And that was exactly the case for Franklin who said that he tested positive in May, took another test three weeks later that was negative and then went through the appeals process. I love how he mentions his negative test to imply there was something admiss with the first test - unfortunately for him that proves nothing because there are some things he could have been illegally taking and tested positive for that would have been out of his system in three weeks. I wonder if Palmeiro took a second test - he didn't mention it - wonder if that was a positive result as well?
What I'm really wondering about is how many other players might currently be going through the arbitration process after a positive drug test but we have yet to find out about it? Particularly when one considers that these two players might have both tested positive in May. What about players who might have tested positive in June and July? When will we find out about any of those players if there are any who did test positive? Maybe there will be no other positive test results, though I think that's unlikely, or maybe this is just the tip of the iceberg. Scary. And no team is immune. I have no doubt that there are players on every single team who have or are using performance enhancers, some that can be detected by the urine test and some that can't be detected so they feel free to use as much of it as they want.
Back to Palmeiro what's astonishing is that he was part of Congress' No Tolerance on steroids committee. This man had been participating in committee activities as recently as July 7th. All the while possibly knowing that he tested positive. And it makes his excuses about suppliments and vitamins ring all the more hollow because of all people thanks to his participation on the committee he should have been aware that suppliments and vitamins could potentially in rare cases be a problem so he should stay away from them.
Truly astonishing.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)
One Day Later, Another Failed Drug Test
Mariner's Ryan Franklin Tests Positive
24 hours after Rafael Palmeiro was suspended ten days for testing positive for steroids news comes that Mariners pitcher Ryan Franklin has also been suspended ten days for a positive drug test for steroids. The biggest joke about that is that with starting pitchers who only take the mound once every five days at most Franklin will miss two starts. Which hurts his team but it's not like he's going to be unavailable for his next ten starts. I'm sure Franklin will offer the usual excuses like every other player who has tested positive so far - "I have never knowingly used steroids. It must have been something in the suppliments or vitamins that I didn't know about." Same story, different player.
It's interesting that so many pitchers have been caught for steroids so far. Some have always assumed that pitchers would get no benefits from performance enhancers but that's not the case. Pitchers don't want to get muscle-bound but they do want to be strong, be able to throw harder and increase their indurance.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)
Hard to Believe What People Do To Each Other
Out of Randolph, New Jersey, a very nice and normally peaceful town, comes the news that an 18-year old killed and dismembered his 16-year old neighbor due to a dispute. Then with the help of his 14-year old friend and a 16-year old friend tried to dispose of the body by putting it in a trunk and throwing it into a river. But they were caught by a passing police officer who stopped to investigate. If not for him it's quite possible that no one would ever have know what happened to this girl.
But it's really astonishing to me. Apparently the 14-year old and the girl argued on a regular basis because the 14-year old teased her. So I have no idea why she would go over to his house to watch TV but perhaps she got along with the older brother. Besides, one normally doesn't think that a neighbor who you've known long-term is going to murder you. It's really an insane story from the murder, to dismembering the body to try to hide it, to the younger brother's involvement to the friend helping as well. Why did neither of these kids say anything to the police? Were they afraid of the older boy?
Sheer insanity and unfortunately as we all know things like this happen on a regular basis - people kill each other for no reason. Scary.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)
Wayne Chrebet Didn't Retire Afterall
I graduated from Hofstra University the same year that New York Jets wide reciever Wayne Chrebet did so I've always paid special attention to the way his career has gone, particularly since Chrebet has always been a bit of an underdog due to his small size. And I always root particularly hard for the players who have a harder road than others. There was some concern after he suffered another concussion that he would be forced to retire but that's apparently not the case. He's back for an 11th(!) season and is in better shape than ever thanks to some weight loss in the off-season. He certainly sounds revitalized and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does for the Jets this season.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:07 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2005
Photo of the Day - Morning Flowers
Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Flowers glisten in the morning light with a few drops of water.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)
Wish I Lived Near Nashville
Country Music and Nascar Join Forces to Help Charities
Unfortunately being a Nascar fan who loves to attend events, particularly those that benefit a charity, and especially the Victory Junction Gang Camp, is difficult when one lives in the Northeast because there really aren't all that many events that are that easy to get to. During January there is going to be what sounds like an awesome event, the Sound and Speed Festival even for a non-country music lover like me, in Nashville which will raise money for Victory Junction Gang Camp and The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum charities. Of course that Michael Waltrip is apparently involved caught my attention but thus far Kyle and Richard Petty, Tony Stewart and Sterling Marlin as well as a whole bunch of country stars are also expected to participate. It's certainly no surprise that Michael would be involved in this for any number of reasons but particularly that it involves raising money for the VJGC.
Sponsored by SunTrust Banks, the official bank of Nascar, and Nextel the Cup series sponsor, the festival part of the event will feature appearances by the drivers and musicians, including autograph sessions and interviews, the unveiling of some 2006 Cup car paint schemes, and then there will also naturally be a concert. In addition, there will be a VIP charity auction and separate benefit concert as a fundraiser. Sounds like it could be a lot of fun for all though if it attracts the thousands of fans they indicate they are anticipating it could get pretty crazy. Too bad it wasn't taking place before November - I could try to convince my boss to send me there to scope out how they handle massive amounts of people, a skill we will need for our big event. Yeah, I don't think that would have worked even if it was taking place before January!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)
Got a Good Deal Tonight!
I haven't had much luck shopping for clothes lately. Because I'm very tiny a lot of times the clothes I like don't come in sizes small enough for me and the clothes that do come in small sizes are often made for much younger people and tend to be on the skimpy and trendy side. On top of that while I don't mind spending a little money on something exceptionally nice, I don't have a huge amount of money to spend on clothes. But since I knew that I'm going to be pretty busy on the weekends for a while and I was going to need a dress for my bridal shower in a few weeks I took time away from packing to move to go to the mall. At first I was pretty discouraged because I wasn't seeing much that I really liked. Even in Betsey Johnson where I almost always see at least one thing I love, I saw nothing.
But all wasn't lost. In the very last place I looked - Macy's - I found a great dress with a purple butterfly pattern on it. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised in the least that the dress has purple in it! When I picked it up initially I thought it was going to be too big for me but I realized that it had a tie at the waist and it was of a stretchy material so I figured what the heck, I'll try it on. And it turned out it fit great. Even better was that the dress was on sale. I thought it was 50% off of the full price but it turns out that it was 50% off the clearance price. So I ended up getting the dress for just $40 which made a nice dress even better!
Posted by silverdsl at 08:46 PM | Comments (0)
Pete Rondeau to Evernham Motorsports
From the Sporting News via Jayski's: Rondeau finds a new home: Pete Rondeau has negotiated his release from Dale Earnhardt Inc. and joined Evernham Motorsports [#9, #19, #91]. Rondeau started the season as #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief but was removed from that position after 11 points races. He joined Evernham on July 18 as director of research and development.(Sporting News)(8-1-2005)
This really isn't too much of a surprise considering Slugger Labbe is at Evernham motorsports and Labbe and Rondeau worked together for some time on the #15 car at DEI. They are also both from Maine, though I don't know if they knew each other when they were still up North. Since Evernham is adding the #10 team in 2006 one has to wonder if Rondeau will be the crew chief of that ride when it makes it's debut.
I'm glad that Rondeau was able to find a new organization to join. I don't think DEI treated him too well and it had to be awkward to still be employed there after they removed him as Junior's crew chief. Maybe DEI thought that he would quit on his own but I think Rondeau made a wise choice by staying at DEI until he found a new position. That way he was still getting paid and kept himself active in the sport and at the shop.
I mentioned in my race day recap from Pocono that I saw Labbe in deep conversation with Tony Eury, Jr. prior to the race on Sunday and they had been spotted chatting on Saturday by someone else as well. So of course I can't help but wonder whether Rondeau's departure from DEI and arrival at Evernham was possibly a topic of discussion between the two. I also have to wonder who else from DEI might end up at Evernham...
Posted by silverdsl at 08:28 PM | Comments (0)
Dang, That Man is Flexible!!
I really don't like to post other people's photos but sometimes I have to make an exception and this is one of those cases. Some lucky photographer who works for Getty Images snapped this shot of Michael Waltrip in the garage area and I'm in awe of how flexible he is. And in case anyone doesn't know he's 42! That's just incredible and speaks to what awesome shape he's in. I'm guessing he keeps himself a lot fitter and in better shape than a lot of people half his age. Wow, I'm impressed!
Posted by silverdsl at 04:20 PM | Comments (0)
Rafael Palmeiro Tests Postive For Steroids
I'm simply astonished by this one. Just a few weeks ago Rafael Palmeiro became one of only four players to have 3,000 hits and 500 homeruns and now it appears that he did not achieve those accomplishements on his own. Today it was announced that Palmeiro had tested positive for steroids and will be suspended for ten days. What makes it all the more incredible is that back in March Palmeiro was one of the players who testified in front of Congress at a hearing about steroid use in MLB. At that time he wagged his finger in the direction of congress and stated emphatically that he had never used steroids. Palmeiro gave a very convincing performance on that day but it appears that was all it was - a performance. I'm extremely disappointed that a sure-fire Hall of Fame player choose to disgrace himself by using steroids. However, I'm not surprised. Any player can give into the temptation of using performance enhancers no matter how good of a person they may be.
Of course Palmeiro, just like every other player who had tested positive, is denying that he ever knowingly used steroids. One time I'd like to see some player stand up and admit that they used. Jason Giambi came the closest to admitting his steriod use and even he didn't come out and say it specifically. What's even more ridiculous in Palmeiro's case than the others is that he is claiming that he has no idea how the steroids ended up in his body. Please don't insult our intelligence. Unless the urine sample was from some other person, and I find that unlikely given the precautions that are surely taken, he ingested, injected or absorbed the steroids somehow. At least some of the other players made up excuses that blamed suppliments, mystery pills or having taken other items that they didn't know contained steroids. I haven't believed any of those claims either but at least there's some potential plausibiliy there. Claiming that the steroids mysteriously showed up in his body - well, it's impossible for them to magically show up unless he took them somehow.
What's incredible is that Palmeiro had been taking part in discussions with congress since the March hearings, as recently as July 7th, representing MLB, on the issue of steroid use by players in the major sports. That he is apparently a user of performance enhancers himself throws into question everything he ever said during those discussions and otherwise. It really makes one wonder who you can trust if even the players who strongly insist that they don't use are probably liars. Palmeiro testing positive means that any player, and I do mean any - I have no doubt that there are Yankees besides Giambi and Sheffield who have or do use performance enhancers - could test positive.
On top of that as I've mentioned before in this space the test only detects steroids. So players can continue to use HGH and greenies, as well as new designer steroids and not worry about testing positive. There are surely many players using those type of performance enhancers. That in combination with Palmeiro's positive test makes one wonder just how many players are making a case for the Hall of Fame like he has with the assistance of performance enhancers? How many players are putting up MVP numbers like Jason Giambi once did with the help of steroids?
On the subject of Giambi he's been on fire at the plate the past couple of months and quite a few people are speculating that it's because he's back on steroids. That's unlikely. First of all, Giambi is still under a doctor's close watch due to the tumor. But beyond that I have no doubt that MLB is keeping an even closer eye on him than other players and if they had any suspicions he would be tested. The last person who is using steroids is probably Giambi. The thing is that performance enhancers can't make a lousy hitter into a great one. They only enhance a player's natural abilities. So what we're seeing is Giambi's awesome natural talent at work.
Back to Palmeiro's positive drug test somewhere I'm sure Jose Canseco is smiling. He accused Palmeiro in his book of being a steriod user and Palmeiro denied it so strongly that he threatened to sue. Gee, I wonder why that lawsuit never ended up getting filed? I've always thought there was some degree of truth to what Canseco was saying with some exaggeration mixed in. So it makes me wonder how many other names that Canseco named are really steroid users as well?
Posted by silverdsl at 03:11 PM | Comments (0)
Photo of the Day - Perkins Cove
Perkins Cover, Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2005. Early morning light on the boats all lined up and ready to go in Perkin's Cove.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)