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A nobody writer for a virtually unknown news rag (Hannibal Courier Times) decides to write a derogatory editorial on a subject about which he knows nothing, understands less, and despises before he even begins. Sad.
Sadder is that the article might just arouse enough fans to get the culprit substantial notice by his editor, which is probably the only reason the mutt wrote it anyway.
NASCAR season off to bad start
By JEFF ARENZ
Of the Courier-Post
WARNING: Anyone who likes NASCAR, DO NOT read this column.
I will admit, I was never much of a racing fan. In fact, I'll go as far to say that watching automobiles traveling at high speeds around an oval track over and over bores the living hell out of me.
In my view, it doesn't take much talent to be a race car driver. A common person like myself can drive a car. You can drive a car too, if you're over 16 years of age. Virtually, anyone meeting the proper requirements can operate a motor vehicle.
There aren't many people that I know who can make the less than split-second decision to swing a baseball bat and have the hand-eye coordination to hit it 400-to-500 feet.
Why is there a need to drive in excess of 80 miles-per-hour (for those of us who may have a lead foot on interstate highways), let alone make the dashboard needle reach the 180-mark? Why would anyone pay good money only to sit there and have their hearing ruined?
A race car driver doesn't have to be in shape. He or she doesn't need the offseason workout program of true athletes, like U.S. Olympic gold-medalist Marion Jones or world-famous cyclist and multi-time Tour de France victor Lance Armstrong (a man who beat cancer).
At any rate, Michael Waltrip was crowned the winner of the Daytona 500 on Sunday after a heavy downpour forced the race to be stopped at the midway point.
What occured in the Daytona 500 boggles my mind. I understand "The Great American Race" to be the Super Bowl of NASCAR, just like the Indianapolis 500 is the most prestigious race for Formula One cars.
I realize that a racing event can't be contested when there is pouring rain. The crashes, which unfortnatety seem to be the only entertaining aspect of racing, would be endless.
However, do you honestly think Game 7 of the World Series would be stopped after six innings because of rain or that the Super Bowl would end because the field had too much mud? Those events would be played out to their entirety no matter how long it takes.
If NASCAR wanted to do the right thing, it should have suspended the race until Monday, which happened to be President's Day. Since many people government employees and school children across the country had the day off. With a snow storm keeping many others on the East coast at home, think of the great television exposure and ratings NASCAR could have gotten.
Another thing I've never understood is the fact of when NASCAR's most important event is held. Every other true sport baseball, football, basketball and hockey determines its champion at season's end.
Why would anyone want to start a year with a Super Bowl-like event? It sounds like NASCAR is doing it all backwards. If NASCAR wants to have a true champion, why not save "The Great American Race" until the last week of the season, when it could determine the curcuit's points winner. That would nearly guarantee an exciting finish every time.
NASCAR would rather take out all of its passion on the first week on the season.
It's such an important event, that Dale Earnhardt (a man that I respect very little because of his brash personality) died trying to capture the checkered flag at Daytona in 2001. I am passionate about many things, but taking that passion to a dying level seems to be too extreme for me.
I'm sure some NASCAR fans will point to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game of last season the game that MLB commission Bud Selig called a tie after 10 innings. The difference is that the All-Star Game is played for exhibitional purposes and racing is supposed to be hotly-contested event.
If NASCAR ever wants to be considered a serious sport, instead of being one step above pro wrestling, it should determine a true champion by finishing what it starts.
Now, chew on that Billy Ray and Bobby Sue.
Sadder is that the article might just arouse enough fans to get the culprit substantial notice by his editor, which is probably the only reason the mutt wrote it anyway.
NASCAR season off to bad start
By JEFF ARENZ
Of the Courier-Post
WARNING: Anyone who likes NASCAR, DO NOT read this column.
I will admit, I was never much of a racing fan. In fact, I'll go as far to say that watching automobiles traveling at high speeds around an oval track over and over bores the living hell out of me.
In my view, it doesn't take much talent to be a race car driver. A common person like myself can drive a car. You can drive a car too, if you're over 16 years of age. Virtually, anyone meeting the proper requirements can operate a motor vehicle.
There aren't many people that I know who can make the less than split-second decision to swing a baseball bat and have the hand-eye coordination to hit it 400-to-500 feet.
Why is there a need to drive in excess of 80 miles-per-hour (for those of us who may have a lead foot on interstate highways), let alone make the dashboard needle reach the 180-mark? Why would anyone pay good money only to sit there and have their hearing ruined?
A race car driver doesn't have to be in shape. He or she doesn't need the offseason workout program of true athletes, like U.S. Olympic gold-medalist Marion Jones or world-famous cyclist and multi-time Tour de France victor Lance Armstrong (a man who beat cancer).
At any rate, Michael Waltrip was crowned the winner of the Daytona 500 on Sunday after a heavy downpour forced the race to be stopped at the midway point.
What occured in the Daytona 500 boggles my mind. I understand "The Great American Race" to be the Super Bowl of NASCAR, just like the Indianapolis 500 is the most prestigious race for Formula One cars.
I realize that a racing event can't be contested when there is pouring rain. The crashes, which unfortnatety seem to be the only entertaining aspect of racing, would be endless.
However, do you honestly think Game 7 of the World Series would be stopped after six innings because of rain or that the Super Bowl would end because the field had too much mud? Those events would be played out to their entirety no matter how long it takes.
If NASCAR wanted to do the right thing, it should have suspended the race until Monday, which happened to be President's Day. Since many people government employees and school children across the country had the day off. With a snow storm keeping many others on the East coast at home, think of the great television exposure and ratings NASCAR could have gotten.
Another thing I've never understood is the fact of when NASCAR's most important event is held. Every other true sport baseball, football, basketball and hockey determines its champion at season's end.
Why would anyone want to start a year with a Super Bowl-like event? It sounds like NASCAR is doing it all backwards. If NASCAR wants to have a true champion, why not save "The Great American Race" until the last week of the season, when it could determine the curcuit's points winner. That would nearly guarantee an exciting finish every time.
NASCAR would rather take out all of its passion on the first week on the season.
It's such an important event, that Dale Earnhardt (a man that I respect very little because of his brash personality) died trying to capture the checkered flag at Daytona in 2001. I am passionate about many things, but taking that passion to a dying level seems to be too extreme for me.
I'm sure some NASCAR fans will point to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game of last season the game that MLB commission Bud Selig called a tie after 10 innings. The difference is that the All-Star Game is played for exhibitional purposes and racing is supposed to be hotly-contested event.
If NASCAR ever wants to be considered a serious sport, instead of being one step above pro wrestling, it should determine a true champion by finishing what it starts.
Now, chew on that Billy Ray and Bobby Sue.