February 16, 2009 -- ARCHIVES -- Send me a comment!

I watched the Daytona 380 yesterday.  God, I hate rain-shortened races.  

Yes, I know nobody can control the weather.  But consider that this was the latest scheduled starting time ever for the Daytona 500, beginning after 3:30 Eastern time.  For the sake of the TV audience, of course.  It used to start at noon, then it got moved up to 2:00 a few years ago, and 3:35 this year.  Had it started just an hour earlier, fans would have seen a full 500 mile race.  Just sayin'.

Nevertheless, I was happy to see Matt Kenseth get the win.  He's a guy who's worked hard over the years, paid his dues and respects the sport... Unlike a certain driver who's there by virtue of his name and little else.  I try not to dislike Dale Jr. just to be contrarian.  It's too easy to hate the popular kid.  But yesterday further confirms my opinion that he has less talent than his popularity warrants; he has a sense of entitlement that he hasn't earned; and he never takes responsibility for his mistakes.   How unfair that he was penalized on a well-known and long-standing rule, because he was "just barely" over the line of his pit box.  How unfair that Brian Vickers threw a clean block and Junior "had to" clumsily force himself back into traffic and cause a wreck.  I'm already sick of his whining, and we're only one race into the season.

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February 15, 2009 -- ARCHIVES -- Send me a comment!

Bud Selig says A-Rod and other players who used steroids have "shamed the game." 

What. A. Crock.

Just as A-Rod's so-called "confession" is completely meaningless because it came only after he got caught, Bud's outrage is laughable.  The test happened six years ago.  All parties were assured the results would never be made public.  There was no policy to punish steroid users in place at the time.   15% (probably more) of players were found to be using.  And Bud knew about this all along.  

But only now, when the whole affair has gone public, is he throwing around words like "shame" and "disgrace."   While I'm not making excuses for A-Rod or any other player who may have done something illegal (though not yet banned by MLB rules), and clearly wrong, the shame and disgrace does not rest solely on A-Rod's shoulders.  Everyone who looked the other way for so long -- and yes, that includes us fans, to some extent -- is culpable.  

I say, enough with all the faux shock and outrage.  We just need to put all this garbage behind us and look ahead to a cleaner future. 

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February 9, 2009 -- ARCHIVES -- Send me a comment!

Steroids are back in the news.  (*heavy sigh*)

This time it's Alex Rodriguez, exposed by way of a six-year-old test that was never supposed to have been made public.  The sports columnists and radio talkers are full of the usual righteous indignation, but as a fan, I've reached the "Enough Already!" threshold.