April, 2007

Don't throw a beer can at this blog. Please!

For the second time in recent memory, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon was pelted with beer cans and other debris after winning at Talladega. I won't assume all those throwing stuff were Earnhardt fans, just most of them. The rest, well, just hate Gordon for being good.

I'll never diss Jeff Gordon. How can you? Sure, he led the charge for what is seen as today's modern driver. He looks good. He talks good. And, oh yeah, he drives good.

I heard the the NY Yankees are text messaging Roger Clemens, hoping to pursuade him to return to the Bronx (only on days he's pitching, of course) to bail out a team floundering in the early season.

I am sending Clemens my own text:

I made my first excursion into David Halberstam's world when I was sixteen. A few years before, my aunt, who never went to college, but was the most well-read person I've ever met, had just finished The Best And The Brightest. It was a detailed account of 1960s American politics, and the mistakes made during our involvement in the Vietnam War. Halberstam had special insight. He covered the war for the New York Times.

Two quick photos from a recent trip. My wife and I made a visit to Toronto to see the Red Sox. The Blue Jays were the home team, but only officially. The Sox have a national, and in this case, international following.

We were surrounded by Sox fans who came from Boston, Nova Scotia, and Knoxville (us), to see their beloved team. Sox won 4-1.

The tragedy at Virginia Tech has touched the entire nation. During times like this, everyone wants to make a connection. People want to help-- even if it's not entirely possible.

Tennessee is our home, but we are visiting my wife's family in Syracuse, New York. Blacksburg, Knoxville, and Syracuse share a common thread. All three are college towns. Syracuse was touched by tragedy twenty years ago when the community lost 35 students to a terrorist attack on Pan Am flight 103.

The Imus stuff has generated some good responses. I'd like to walk away from the topic-- but I can't, yet.

I'd be shocked if he's not fired. I know, free speech and all, but it's not about that. We're constitutionally protected to voice our opinions. But be ready to face others who don't share them. This ain't a government crackdown. It's capitalism at it's best-- or worst.

I have never listened to Don Imus enough to get a feel for him. But he looks half-crazy and semi-burned out. And frankly, he's the last guy that should be dissing someone for their looks. What Imus thought was funny-- his comment about the Rutgers women's basketball team--- delivered on his Imus in the Morning show--- simply, wasn't.

Imus' comments were part Archie Bunker ignorance, combined with an ego he undoubtedly considered untouchable. It happens a lot in this business.

The Lady Vols won their 7th national championship in classic Pat Summitt fashion-- with defense and rebounding.

It sounds easy, but it's not. And we've heard it so many times, we might be tempted to roll our eyes. No, please, not the defense and rebounding soundbite again!

Give Summitt credit, she continues to recruit the top high school players in the nation-- players that earned attention by being the big scoring threats for their prep teams.

It was a comeback of a classic kind. Down by twelve-points with just over 8:00 to play, the Lady Vols smack North Carolina and move on to the national title game.

The game was poorly played on offense. The coaches blamed good defense for that. But both teams had good looks, and shots just didn't fall.

The Lady Vols shot 27%. Teams don't win games with numbers like that. But late in the game, their defense keyed some critical North Carolina turnovers. UNC didn't hit a field goal in the final 8:10 of the game. That, is stunning!