Perhaps the L-O-N-G-E-S-T Super Bowl game in History. BALTIMORE’S RAVENS bested the SAN FRANCISCO FORTY-NINER’S by a score of 34-31. Last night Championship was extended by a power outage. I have read some say it was an external feed, and another report that it was snafu inside the arena; an equipment failure. Either way the side line announcers had the burden of filling in unexpected time. Another thing that made it seem longer to me was the half baked,…er time show. I know many of you are Beyonce fans. But I would like to have more entertainment than a bunch of women in their swimsuits jumping around and making noise. I actually switched over to watch bits of a COLUMBO re-run. Now to the game. Yes my Math and my Scientific methods both failed. Therefore I could claim the Ravens win to be a fluke. But that was not the case. In fact it came down to, (as I said), D-E-F-E-N-S-E. Baltimore brought their defense and San Francisco’s was running way late on it’s arrival. I believe both QB’s did an excellent job. I also believe had San Francisco got their defense together before the power failure. They would have won the game. But they didn’t, and they didn’t. The game hinged on the 108 yard return by Ravens’ Jacoby Jones. There is no way that return should have happened. The 49’ers defense left the whole field unprotected. No one stayed back. Just as in a high school game I watched this past season. The kicker rushed down and tackled the receiver 5 yards after the catch. But that was a mistake. Even though he was able to do that. His coach wasted no time in letting him know it was a mistake. The rest of the season he stayed back and saved many potential scores. Flacco was GIFTED the MVP. Yeah, he did a good job. WAS it a better job than Kaepernick. Not in my eyes. The true MVP was the Ravens DEFENSE. But how do you give MVP, (the “P” is singular) to a group. Thus you give it to a single person. Jacoby Jones would be a fair choice, it was his run back that won the game. But that was only one play. The DEFENSE on the other hand was on thier game most all night. So I suppose as the QB is often considered the leader an Spokesman for the team, Flacco would be give MVP, on behalf of the team. After all , as in any T-E-A-M SPORT, one person can not win the game by himself. Congratulations to the BALTIMORE RAVENS. And I want to compliment fans on both sides. I have not seen any reports of rioting or anything. This shows me their fans are (both Baltimore, and San Francisco), are CHAMPIONS too. Hope to see you NFL fans back here again next year. I have time to try to figure what I did wrong this year. I suppose the next big event is NASCAR SEASON. and for some the NBA All-Star game. I don’t care for the All-Star game. Because they don’t really have any BASKETBALL stars. Merely Media Darlings. I will go into my feelings about the NBA at a later time. I may have opinions to share about NASCAR later. Looking forward to NCAA Basketball tournament. will give my picks, updates and OPINION; just like i did last year. For now We close the book on: 2012 FOOTBALL,and the 2013 SUPER BOWL XLVII. One final note some of the commercials were good. Some not. But at least some got more exposure due to the 34 minute delay. My favorite was, again Budweiser, with the CLYDESDALE COLT. Thank you for indulging me. Views: 103
Tag: NASCAR
Nationwide Move to IMS
Recently NASCAR announced it would move it’s popular Nationwide event from Clermont, Indiana’s Lucas Oil Raceway. (For those of you not familiar with Clermont, Indiana). Clermont is now a suburb of Indianpolis, just as Speedway, Home of IMS is. Confused. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is actually located in Speedway, Indiana. A town that has been swallowed up by Indianapolis. Clermont is a small town about 5 miles west of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Back to the move. NASCAR has been holding races here for many, many years. they have held the Busch Cup races, and the Craftsman Truck series. All very exciting races. Races that both Fans and Drivers enjoyed. Now for some reason, (probably the movement of equipment and fans from the INDY track to the Clermont track, OR just a power move by IMS people to eliminate a steadfast, competitor). INDY already hosts a Ho-Hum race, (most of the time), called the Brickyard 400. Would the Nationwide or Truck races be any different? I think not. Moving these races makes for a good time for a Siesta. Let us face it the only attraction of the Brickyard 400 is the history of the track. The first INDY 500’s were essentially Stock Cars. It has a big name, and a long history. Racing here is a sense of pride for the NASCAR drivers. And occasionally you will see a good race. I’m not sure if the road course at INDY is large enough to handle the bigger NASCAR vehicles, But I would rather see them race on the road course. But to move an exciting race like Nationwide, and Camping World to the big track. Ho-Hum,ZZZzzzzz. Be honest with yourself, if you would prefer to see a real race like is put on at Lucas Oil Raceway. BOYCOTT, the move. Don’t buy tickets for these races at the big track. This is the only thing NASCAR will understand. But just as sure as I am of writing this, People will give in and attend another sleeper. These are people who will follow NASCAR anywhere. Not RACE fans. That Is How I See It. they have Views: 97
Quaker State 400, Yawn
Quaker State 400. In Kentucky? Boy is my face red. One would think the Quaker State 400 would actually be run in Pennsylvania, (the Quaker State). It figures with NASCAR running things. Did everyone enjoy the “race”? Beside the Busch brothers. I found this race about as exciting as a snail race we had one day when I was a kid. On second thought the snail race was a much more contested event. And. Guess what. No one sat in their cars for hours, only to not see the race. I can’t say the traffic was NASCAR, or Burton Smith’s fault. But it does show a lack of preparation. By Both Parties. If first impressions are as important as most people claim. I’m afraid Kentucky’s Speedway is in a heap of hurt. Question: Did anyone check with the Kentucky Department of Transportation. They make traffic studies. Do I have an answer for the traffic problem. Not without the proper authorization to make studies. Maybe then I would find no problem. Maybe best move is to MOVE the track. But let’s be honest the location was not the only problem. The big problem was the racing. Reminds you of Formula 1. No passes on track for the lead. I like to see R-A-C-I-N-G, not just a parade of cars. I don’t blame the drivers I’m sure they were doing all they could to make a race of it. Racing just didn’t happen. As for me I would prefer to have another road course added instead of what we had at Sparta. Maybe they could change that speedway into a dirt track and invite NASCAR back next year. That is about the only thing I can see would bring the fans back to Sparta. Perhaps the ones who were stuck in traffic were the lucky ones. They probably saw more action, with people jockeying to improve their spot in traffic, than the fans at the track saw. That Is How I See It. find find find Views: 794
Trevor Bayne, Kurt Busch
Re: The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Restrictor plate racing is pretty much of a HO-HUM affair. However I did tune in to see how Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne would do on that track for his 2nd appearance. It started out as expected with Bayne running in the top 5. Then by some curious means Bayne paired up with Kurt Busch. This pairing up is to give additional PUSH, to the lead car and resulting in more speed for both pusher, and pushee. A Very popular thing for drivers to do at the so-called SIPER tracks. Kurt Busch is a seasoned driver he knows what he is doing. Therefore I would like to know why instead of pushing Bayne from the high side as most all drivers who were locked with the car ahead did, Why was Kurt Bucsh pushing in the middle or below of Bayne’s car and on the down side of the track. I’m Sure, Busch can come up with a reason (excuse) for this. I guess he will be the only one who really knows. It could have been mis-communication , or maybe he couldn’t hold his line for physical or mechanical reasons. But looking at it purely from a spactatorial view. I say it appeared to be deliberate, and a way to assure the young driver didn’t make the veterans look bad again. After all he wasn’t running for points, Bayne will be his usual polite self and not so much as suggest the possibility of this being anything other than a racing accident. But after watching it and again and again on replay, IT SURE APPEARED TO BE DELIBERATE. Did he? Or didn’t he. Only he and perhaps his team will know for sure. That Is How I See It. have been Views: 626
Europeans A More Relaxed People
I have just been contemplating my busy lifestyle. Which by the way is probably not as busy as yours. (That is why I have time to write these little opinions of mine). It comes to mind that most of us here in the United States, are at least a little addicted to sports. We get excited at baseball, basketball, wrestling, football, auto racing, and a number of other sports, Sorry if I failed to mention your favorite. Then it occurred to me the Europeans must have a more relaxed lifestyle. When you look at all of the sports we enjoy. The smack of the ball coming off the bat, the nervous tension when a runner tries to steal a base, the anticipation of a home run or fly out. The constant motion of basketball, the 3 pointers, will that winning free throw rim in or out. That last second tip in, or the foul that caused us to lose. Wrestling, the real WRESTLING, like they do in high school, not that scripted stuff on TV. It is all you have for up to 6 minutes, (longer if it is a tie). You can’t let up , even for a second or you may lose. Football, you have 22 men and 7 zebras on the field. It is a game of battle strategy. The ball is the bomb. The 11 offensive men are trying to deliver the bomb to the opposing teams, camp. The 11 defensive players are trying to stop that delivery or if possible get possession of the bomb and turn it on the other teams camp. The 7 Zebras are there to monitor the action and assure that no team gets an unfair advantage. (Anyway that is what they are supposed to do. Ask any fan of the losing team and they will tell you differently). Auto Racing. We have so many varieties to choose from. Take NASCAR for example we have 43 large heavy cars being driven by athletes in top shape. Sometimes battling on tracks that if strung out in single file would have the lead car touching the last car’s bumper. Sometimes driving over 600 miles, in unbearable heat, shifting gears, stopping for fuel, tire changes, and dodging each other. These things we Americans find exciting. Now for the Europeans. They must have a very sedate lifestyle. When you look at the things that get them excited. Formula One. A parade of overpaid computer geeks who have computers do almost all the racing. The driver steers, and occasionally brake. The only time there is any racing going on is during the qualifying, which is all the cars driving around the track, for some time period, and the one who records the fastest time during this drive around gets to lead the start of the “race“. There is rarely any on track passing. I remember the first race I saw the leader spun out in a turn and still maintained the lead. Lead the race from start to finish. Whoopee! But for some reason the Europeans find this exciting and are very much into it. To me this not racing. Had I been born in Europe, I might. (Doubt it.) Then we have that game that little girls played when we boys were playing football. We call it Soccer, they call it by other names like footie. You have 22 people on the field (just like in Football) NOTE the number may vary depending on the league). One referee who has “full authority” to enforce the Laws Of The Game. (They don’t have rules. they have 17 LAWS OF THE GAME). Unlike Football they are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands, Unless they are special, These special players are called goalkeepers. The games I watch there is more contact in a non-contact game like Basketball, than is allowed in Soccer. (HOWEVER), I have seen some European games found some mild contact which if caught by an official draws a penalty. If the contact is deemed excessive a player might be punished by being given a YELLOW card. By being given a Yellow card the player is said to be BOOKED. the referee writes the offenders name in his book. A second YELLOW card can lead to a RED card, Even more excessive misbehavior and he may be punished with a RED card. The RED card is usually the one which sends the player off the field and no substitute allowed. The average score for a 90 minute game is 2.48 goals. Very BORING, in American terms. But the Europeans find this exciting and apparently they take it so seriously they often times end in having a free for all. (Maybe this is where their excitement comes in.) While I find Soccer a game for athletically challenged people. I must admit that all the running is a good way to keep in shape for sports. That Is How I See It. high school they have find find find Views: 593
Coca-Cola 600
Another boring “race’ from NASCAR. I appreciate the concept of 600 miles to test the endurance of both car and driver, BUT that was about the highlight of this race. Which with all the cars having no personality, of their own, (rules require all cars look alike, and run same equipment), leave little to the test of car endurance. Only a “freakish” part malfunction, usually will retire a car from the endurance end. And YES sportsfans, NASCAR, had a rare chance to give Earnhardt Jr. a long awaited win. It amazes me how often they will try this. Remember when all the drivers were being penalized for dropping a wheel below the yellow line and complete a pass? Except for Jr. There was clearly room for him to stay above the line, but he had all 4 wheels below it. NASCAR ruled he was below to avoid an accident. RIIGGHT! This time Jr. had a lead and looked like he could win a race. BUT! A crash which in any other circumstance would bring out the YELLOW, NASCAR chose not to. Why Jr. had a chance to win. I realize his riding on his father’s name has launched him into the FANS FAVORITE. I have nothing against him I kind of like him too. He just hasn’t matured as a driver yet, but is well on his way. I think getting away from Earnhardt Racing was a good move for him to try to step out of his Father’s shadow. I’ve seen a lot of improvement this year. His time will come. He will “EARN..” his own wins. I think if you have a rule it should be interpreted the same with no regard as to whom it may affect. Any how Jr. still did not get the win. So considering the rule for the yellow flag is for safety purposes, why did NASCAR decide to put that aside for this instance. One train of thought I had. Asks, if they did throw the YELLOW, as they should have and would have in any other set of circumstances, in NASCAR’s defense. I’m going pretty far out here for this defense. How many cars would have been able to finish if there were another GREEN, WHITE, CHECKER. We know that there were cars running short of gas. So did NASCAR not throw the Yellow, in the interest of the fans seeing more cars finish? Or to aid Jr. That Is How I See It. have been Views: 207
Trevor Bayne, NASCAR At Daytona
TREVOR BAYNE. NASCAR’s youngest Daytona 500 winner in NASCAR History. Twenty years and one day. Who is Trevor Bayne? Where did he come from? Trevor Bayne won the Prestigious Title “Daytona Winner”. A title that has eluded so many a racer. He is the newcomer, the ROOKIE. But he didn’t drive like one in Sundays race. With all of the crashes, his car still looked like they had just brought it to the track. Bayne took care of his car, and the car took care of him. What can you say, the move at the end of the race was not a typical rookie move. Carl Edwards came charging from nowhere, and look surely to pass Bayne. What did the youngster do? Dropped down to block, (I know some of you flinch when I say block, but that is what he did), this left Edwards no other option than to push Bayne accross the finish line. Trevor may be a rookie in NASCAR but not in racing. Brilliant Move TB. But who is he and where is he from. Born in Knoxville Tennessee, February 19, 1991. Began racing go-karts at the tender age of 5 years. After 8 years of racing karts, he held 3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIIPS. In 2004 he began his Legacy Racing career. While racing the Legacies he was the YOUNGEST number ONE Rookie. His second year saw him crowned as “NATIONAL CHAMPION”. Age 15 he moved to USAR Hooters Pro Cup Southern Division. Again receiving the HIGH ROOKIE AWARD. (See a Pattern Here). At this time he was signed by Dale Earnhardt INC.’s driver development program, and began driving in the Camping World World East Series. In 2009 he raced in the Toyota All Star Showdown. Where he won. (yup), Sunoco’s ROOKIE OF THE RACE Award. Bayne then signed a contract with Michael Waltrip for a limited schedule. Later signed with Roush -Fenway In 2010 he entered the Sprint Cup. Racing for Woods Brother’s Racing. Finishing 17th in the AAA Texas 500. He won his next Sprint Cup Race, again for the Woods Brother’s Racing in car 21, (the familiar red and white trademark of the Woods Brothers). It was a real joy to watch him race. And to see him return WOODS BROTHER’S FORD to the winner’s Circle. A small independent team overcame the odds to make history. That Is How I See It. Views: 128
More Money NASCAR Winners
I just read an article stating the men of NASCAR want more money paid to the winners of each race. I don’t know how the pay goes now. I assume the drivers are under contract and receive a base salary, plus a percentage of winnings. But now they are supposedly asking for a payout of about $1 MILLION to win a race. They claim Golfers often win as much as $1 Million. To give an example. January 16, 2011. The “Sony Open in Hawaii”. Matt Wilson won $900,000.00 (official money) for his win. Professional Tennis. U.S, Open winner in 2010 won $2,700.000.00. That is a lot of money. They, like the NASCAR drivers, have contracts with support companies that provide them a pretty much guaranteed salary. But I do not believe they split this with the contractors and as far as I know they have no “OWNER” Admittedly NASCAR drivers face more risk at a contest than do Tennis Players, or Golfers. I’m sure the crowds at a tennis match or golf tournament are smaller than the crowds that attend a NASCAR race. Where do these sports get that much money to pay out. The only thing I can think of is “CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP”. I don’t pretend to know how the finances of these sports are funded. I haven’t checked how much NASCAR gets for naming rights to the various races. I don’t know how much SONY paid to have their name on the Hawaiian Open. I rarely see a sponsor name on the Tennis matches. Where their money comes from is a mystery to me. I know Tennis players get sponsors that guarantee them money, usually for using and promoting their equipment. The same as Pro Golfers. With less and less interest in NASCAR racing, I really don’t see them being able to match the payouts of Pro Golf or Pro Tennis. If I were a betting man I’d bet a substantial amount of these purses come from TELEVISION contracts. But as I said I really don’t know. Good Luck NASCAR drivers. That Is How I See It Views: 150
NASCAR Sponsors
Before I begin let me say I know about competition in the business world. Advertising is what drives the business. But now with NASCAR losing more and more sponsors, shouldn’t their be limits set. Winston was the Corporate Sponsor, (the main sponsor who buys the naming rights), for 32 years, (1971-2003) Winston Cup rang in all NASCAR fans ears. Although they were not allowed to advertise their own product on racing cars, they continued to just use the name WINSTON CUP, still the name was linked with cigarettes. With R.J Reynolds owning the naming rights, non R.J. Reynolds cigarettes were not allowed to sponsor cars. This was before the ban of CIGARETTE advertising from being on Racing vehicles. From 2004 to 2007, Nextel held the rights and a special exception had to be made to allow Cingular/AT&T to run out their contracts. Beginning in 2008 Sprint has been the naming rights owner. What we end up with is in reality advertising censorship. Verizon’s sponsorship is up and will take their approximately $17 million dollar motorsport budget to the IndyCar series. This because of a clause in the naming rights contract that prohibits any company competes with SPRINT from sponsoring a car. I understand that because we are not talking pennies when we talk about naming rights. But let’s look at other sides. CRAFTSMAN sponsored the truck series for years. Yet I saw other wrenches being used. I think I even saw a SnapOn sticker somewhere. Should not all trucks have used CRAFTSMAN tools. No other names like on tool boxes, etc. The Corporate Sponsor’s name is the most prominent name. Just as SPRINT is the prominent name. To tell you the truth I didn’t even realize VERIZON sponsored a car. If the USPS (United States Postal Service) were to become the Title Sponsor, we would lose UPS (United Parcel Service), and FED-X. I know I’ve been all around the subject. Now to the point. In this economy owners are scampering to find sponsors to keep their cars competitive. We have less cars trying to qualify. Less cars means less competition. Less competition means less interest, etc. I can give you an excellent example of sponsorship. I played Softball and coached softball for many years. Our city has a population of about 15,000 people, counting the children. At one time we had; I want to say about 7-9 men’s leagues. Women had 5-7 leagues. Each men’s league had 7-10 teams. Each women’s league had 5-7 teams. We had no problem finding businesses to sponsor our teams. They paid our league fees and bought us shirts. Sometimes they paid for us to play in tournaments. As time went on our league fees went up. Now we are lucky to have 4 men’s league with maybe 5 team each. The ladies are way down too. Now we buy our own shirts with the sponsor’s name on it, and have to pay our individual memberships, and usually make up the difference for team sponsors. Ours is not that we have a Title sponsor. It is the cost has gone up so much, business is down and can no longer afford this little gesture of community involvement. Big business is in the same boat. Why handicap the racing teams by eliminating sponsors. We have what 5-6 Cell phone companies that even if they could afford to sponsor a car is barred from doing so. Less sponsors, less cars, etc. Many of the cars are using multi main sponsors for different races. Can NASCAR afford the loss of revenue? That Is How I See It. PS. Excuse my rambling this is a hard subject for me to put across. Views: 145
Blame It On The Economy
Aren’t you tired of professional sports blaming their slumping attendance on the ECONOMY? I am. NASCAR claims their attendance is down because of the ECONOMY. Is it the Economy or is it just the fact they are losing their appeal. From what I have seen even the the TV viewership is down. That is not an ECONOMY issue. Just think what a Race Party you can have for the cost of the tickets. But, under the leadership of Helton and the heir of the France family, I personally believe it is the false, the ill-fated trust of the France heir, in Helton which has led to the downturn in FANBASE. First they wanted to separate themselves from the “redneck” heritage of the sport. Then they decided that people came only to watch their big name, well financed, drivers. So they gave them “SUPER STATUS”. Automatic starting positions, regardless of qualifying time. What this amounts to is they do not have to set up for qualifying, They just get more practice on their racing set up. Then came the “CHASE”. Big deal. All that accomplished was a HYPE point. No longer would the best performer throughout the season be champion. Now only, what is it, 12 drivers, get to compete. This after a reset of points. An example a driver could be in the top 10 of every race. But because he hasn’t won a race it is possible he may not make the “CHASE”, he probably will but if the Race winners were evenly spread among twelve racers, He would start so far behind the the others that he would not have a chance of winning. He may have won the Championship under the old system. We will never know. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Now they have the NASCAR’s car. Nothing related to the showroom car. Unless NASCAR decides to open up their own dealership and sell these cars. Wake up FORD, CHEVY, and TOYOTA. How much can a decal cost. Let us consumers have some of that money you invest in NON brand cars. You can probably make more money that way. I ask you is a decal with your name on it worth the millions you pay for it? NASCAR is seeing a steady drop in fanbase. Even on TV which is free. Most is not related to the Economy. But to the lack of entertainment value. As for the other sports. You have your STARS. You pay so much for. Do you really think they bring in that many people to see your TEAM. How many tickets do you have to sell to meet their Exorbitant pay. I remember a time One YANKEE player made more than the entire payroll of the Montreal Expos. What do they bring to the game that is so special. If you want to see real baseball watch your local Little League or High School team. You spend Millions promoting these players to make them seem to be supermen. Get real players and bring your cost down, so people can afford to attend games. I guess that is why the NBA, NFL, etc do not like the small venue teams. Usually in these areas you don’t have the Millionaires who can afford to attend the games. You will always have the die hard fans. That will somehow come up with the money to attend at least one game. Let’s see. A family of four, 2 Adults, 2 children. At an average of $60 dollars a ticket, that is $240. Plus an average of $20 to park. We are now up to $260 to see millionaires play a simple game. Usually attending a game means souvenirs for the children. A cheap souvenir usually costs $10, that takes us to $280 for the game. Lets not forget snacks. Usually $5 for popcorn, that is a lot of markup. Drinks for the kids which usually cost $4 ea. Beer for Mom and Dad. Minimum of $5 ea. So we now have spent $38 for snacks. Raising our cost to $318. Many times in order to take in a game we eat out. Even at Burger King that is at least a $20 bill. Now we are at $338 to watch players who make more for one game than we will in 1 to 3 months. Blame the drop on the Economy? Some teams have acted on this and dropped their ticket prices and snack price. They are gaining Fanbase. This will result in more licensed paraphernalia sale, and as the economy picks up this income will grow. Wake up Owners and Players. I am a Union Man. I understand players want to get as much as they can. Owners you want a larger profit. I understand this. But what you don’t understand is you can price yourelves totally out of business. Isn’t it better to make $20 on one ticket and have 38000 people attend, or $4o and only have 18000 people attend. The 38000 will spend more on lower cost accesories than the 18000. Both be reasonable. Fanbase is the key to profits That Is How I See It. Views: 97
