Top 35 spots guaranteed/Debris Cautions

The time has come for NASCAR to change this. Maybe to the top 20 and thats it. It all started a few years back when the "field fillers" invaded the sport. How asine is it that 15 cars or more are shooting for maybe 6 or 7 spots each week? The top 35 was set in to help the sponsors. So now that there are more quality teams this is HURTING the sponsors now.

I read a very interesting article about the conspirousy theory about NASCAR and yellows. I think its great that they do that. I mean, a hot dog wrapper could wreck any number of drivers. And if there is any mustard on it it could send a driver into the wall. But isn't it amazing how they seem to happen most when someone is BUILDING a lead that could soon be insurmountable? So for all you fans that attend the races, when your going to your seats and checking out where the beer vendor is and where the bathroom is, take a moment to find the nearest trash recepticle. You would not want your wrapper to be the cause of a yellow would you?

NASCAR Sponsorship woes

So AT&T finally had to take NASCAR to court over their desire to put their name onto the #31 owned by Richard Childress and Robby Gordon had to have a miracle happen to keep the Motorola logo on his car. I understand what is written in the contract between Nextel and NASCAR and I understand having to protect their name. But this is the worst kind of publicity for both of them. By taking them to court AT&T is showing that NASCAR and Nextel only think about themselves. Cingular has been an excellent sponsor for the sport and will continue to do so with the new name. But NASCAR wants to say NO to 20 million dollars? And what a slap in the face it is to such a great guy as Richard Childress. You can talk about the Petty's and the Gibbs, and Hendricks, and the Rousch guys but think about this: Richard hired a cocky, arrogant driver named Dale Earnhardt and all Dale did was win 7 championships, and more importantly, was and is the biggest reason why NASCAR has grown the way it has. He was the first driver to copyright his signature, and set up sales of his merchandise. And sadly, his death is one of the biggest reasons why this weekend we will be seeing the debut of the Car of Tomorrow. This isn't Verizon, or T mobile wanting into NASCAR this is mearly a name change. And to make for the possibility of losing that sponsor a tough one for Richard Childress is not necessary at all.

Oh, and before I forget. Tell Sunoco they can go to #$%%. How dare they complain about Shell on the #29 car (the logos' are too big) OMG, they are the official fuel of NASCAR. Not the only one. And hey, they could of been on a car like the #29. I don't have Sunoco's out here in Colorado but if I did I sure would not patronize them.

Lastly, Robby Gordon. I am a huge fan of his so this may be biased but I don't give a shit. I would love for someone to explain to me why having the Motorola logo on his car was a conflict of interest. If anything he is promoting Nextel indirectly. Go to www.nextel.com and see how many Motorola phones they offer. Plus, Motorola makes phones, not provide phone service.

I should tell you this before I go. I'm sitting here drinking a cup of Maxwell House (the official coffee of According to Cos) with Coffee Mate (the official coffee creamer of According to Cos) and G&H Sugar in it, which happens to be the official sweetner of According to Cos. I'm typing this on my Dell computer (an official sponsor of According to Cos). Ok I made all that up but it should prove a point.

Veterans Hall of Fame voting

Well again no one gets elected by the panel. How sad. One criteria for the hall should be your contribution to the sport while you played. And if someone can tell me why a person like Ron Santo is NOT in the hall please do. Unlike a lot of todays' players he was not one dimensional. He had a heck of a bat and could field 3rd base with incredible precision. But once again because he never got to play in the World Series he doesn't seem to garnish the attention and votes he deserves.

Then I'm reading where people like Walter O'malley and Charlie Finley were not elected. They both should of been in years ago as well. Walter was instrumental in expanding baseball when he moved the Dodgers to LA. And don't forget, back in the 70's they drew over 3 million a year and were the toast of the league. Those battles year in and year out with the Reds were even better than the Yanks and Red Sox today. How many teams can say that they kept their infield together for TEN years? Garvey, Lopes, Russell, and Cey. Now it seems rare for one or two guys to stay 10+ years with one team.

Say what you want about Charlie O Finley but look how much influence he's had on baseball. It was his idea for the designated hitter. And while I'm not a fan of it, he does deserve the credit. He, like Bill Veeck, knew how to run promotions and do what he had to do to put people in the stands. And he had the forsight about how free agency would change/ruin the game. Anyone remember in 1975 when he sold Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, and Joe Rudi only to have the commissioner void the deal in the "best interest of baseball"?

So, Ron, and all the others who got passed over again, please don't take it too badly. The people that watched and cheered you on know how good you all were and in our minds your in the hall of fame.

Ok, sorry for being gone for so long but starting today we are back on track

The Chase needs to go

I understand why NASCAR wants the chase but it needs to go. First off why should a non chase driver let a chase driver just go past him? The non chase driver has sponsors, and owners he works for so why is he not allowed to "race a chase" driver. If thats the case put the 10 guys by themselves on the track and watch how fast fans tune out. The chase was started because Matt Kennseth showed the world how to win a title. You don't have to win any races, just run consistantly in the top 10. So when he won, fans said it was boring. Hence the chase. I have a better idea. Redo the points system. How about something like this:

1st place 225 points, 2nd gets 175, 3rd 170, 4th 165, 5th 160
6th to 10th 150, 11-15 140, 15-20 gets 130. 21-35 gets 120, and the rest gets 110 points.

What will this accomplish? One it puts an emphasis on winning the race. Two, by getting same points in groups it will have a chance to eliminate last lap wrecks as if your in 14th on the last lap pushing to finish a spot or two won't get you any extra points. Three. By eliminating the chase now its a season long race. Not just 10 races. Finish last at Pocono? its still 110 points.

My points system really makes sense. Now when a driver wins a race he gets 50 extra points. Think if a driver was content with a top 5 and came home with 160. Now he's 65 points behind the leader. Now next week maybe he tries a little harder.

NASCAR has missed it by going with the chase. The excitement isn't really on who wins the championship. Its watching "your" favorite driver do well. Do you think fans at Talledaga give a hoot on what place Junior is in when he comes to race there? NO, they just want to see him win. Same with the 48 at Lowes, and Tony Stewart at Indiapolis. I've been a NASCAR fan for years. My favorite drivers have been all over the standings. From Dale Earnhardt, to Michael Waltrip, to Robby Gordon. Most fans watch "their" driver. The Chase has changed the sport. And not for the better

NASCAR Crash Last Sunday

Can we finally put this to rest? This was not Brian Vickers fault. When the 48 dropped Brian dropped with him, but for some reason the 48 slowed. Gee maybe it was because he wasn't behind the 8 any more? All the bashing Brian has taken this month from Jimmie and Jeff both saying he not a teammate anymore, etc. The blame on this accident is on the 48. Now before you respond and tell me I'm wrong two things.

1. Watch the accident. Here's the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNFcAmvNoyE

2. Pretend for a moment that Brian stays behind the 8. Who wins? Yes it would of been the 8. Then we would of heard what a bad teammate brian is. Oh wait, we're already hearing that.

Early week 6 NFL notes

Last week all the favorites won and the home teams were 14-2. This week due to 6 teams off with byes there are only 13 games. 6 road teams are favored this week. And how about some of the spreads? Chicago -10, Denver -15, Washington -10.5 (don't know about that one, even if it is Tennessee) and Dallas -13. Looks like parity is giving way to the haves and the have nots. Some teams better step up or we may see more than one team with a losing record make the playoffs this year. Yikes.

Have a great weekend and I look forward to getting some comments soon to really get this blog going.

The Plane Crash

That took the life of Corey Lidle brought back vivid memories for me. I remember I was in my backyard back in August of 1979 when my mom came out on the porch to tell me about Thurman Munson. That was the summer right before I was to start my high school years. Back then baseball was my life. I knew all the players and their stats. I knew who was traded for who, when, and why. Remember back then when free agency was only a few years old? When starting pitchers actually pitched into the 7th inning and beyond? When a great reliever like Bruce Sutter or Rich Gossage came into the game in the 7th and actually pitched the rest of the game? They didn't pitch to 3 hitters, collect the save, and shower. 1979 was the year Pittsburgh's "We are Family" Pirates defeated the Baltimore Orioles in 7 games. How long has it been since baseball talked about those two teams and the World Series in the same sentence. ? Sadly the tragic deatch of Corey Lidle has reminded me of how much baseball has changed and how much it doesn't mean to me anymore.

This will be the only time I ever talk about T.O.

In my opinion the man deserves NO respect at all as he gives no respect to the teams he plays for, or for that matter the NFL. Think about that. The last year he played for San Francisco he bad mouthed everybody. Then his agent messed up and didn't file for free agency in time. Then I think SF did the smartest thing and traded him to Baltimore. But when T.O. brought race into it the NFL backed down and made him a free agent. When has that ever happened before? So like I said, he deserves no attention, or accolades as he will never be a team player. Except for team T.O. And if anyone thinks he busted his ass to help the Eagles win the superbowl you have no clue about T.O. as he did it all for him. And that will never change.

And speaking of guys who need their heads examined: How about Randy Moss? Just yet another example of a guy who had it made in Minnesota but went for the green of Oakland. And then to bad mouth the team and the way they are playing but then go out and play like he did on Sunday. Nothing against San Francisco, who played their butts off, but he should of been a lot more of a factor in that game. And then he continues talking trash on Monday? WOW.

This needs to end on a high note

For all the people like above its nice to see a guy like Damon Huard. He has stepped up big time. When Trent first went down with that aweful hit I was surprised that KC had no intention of bringing anyone in. Obviously they knew what they had in this kid. Here is a kid who has been holding a clipboard since 2000 but comes in and runs their offense the way he has. Think about that. He has to prepare EVERY week like he's going to play but knowing the chances of competing are very little.