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“NASCAR–America’s Great Race-Ghastly Finish”

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It was over in a split second…the race and a possible life.

In a split second, the likely winner-nearly lost his life.

It was over in split second, the Daytona 500, but memory will linger for a long time..

NASCAR’s marquee event has become a demolition derby, and a threat to everyone, drivers, fans, pit crews.  All in the chase for the 1M top prize of the top race, the opening race on the Cup schedule.

Denny Hamlin won the race, it was feared Ryan Newman lost his life.

It was a horrific last lap crash, bringing flashbacks of what happened to Dale Earnhardt Senior years ago, at the same track, at the same finish line..

I saw Earnhardt crash, a head on hit into a retaining wall oh the final lap on his way to a likely win.  What I saw happen to Newman was even worse.

And you could tell immediately how bad it was.  Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon stopped talking on the Fox telecast, as their silence told the seriousness of the story..  Moments after he crossed the finish line, you could see Hamlin clapping and pounding his steering wheel, in excitement, getting his 3rd win in the historic 500..  Within minutes at Victory Lane there was no celebrating.

NASCAR rescue crews arrived within 3-minutes of Newman’s head on crash-airborne flip-and then collision with another driver.  But it took them 20-minutes to get his car flipped back onto its wheels.  They put up black screens around the car so no one could see what was going on with the rescue attempt.

Then the media throng was ordered out of the pits, no post race interviews, and a news blackout was unveiled as Newman was rushed to a hospital.

It was all equal to what we saw in the last NASCAR fatality, Earnhardt’s crash that resulted in a broken neck.

In a sport that sells speed (200mph) on straightaways, a sport that urges to wait for the ‘Big One’ a final lap crash, a sport that has upgraded  its safety requirements, this still happens, especially on super speedways, like Daytona-and-Talladega.

There were 5-crashes in the final 16-laps of the race.  10-frontrunners were knocked out when there was a crash at the front of the pack.  There were only 18-of-40 cars left running on the lead lap when the Newman crash happened.

Pack racing is exciting.  but cars tapping each others at those speeds close to 200mph put severyone in jeopardy.

On the final restart in the 500, Newman, Hamlin and Ryan Blaney darted back and forth, top to bottom of the track  Newman sling-shotted past Hamlin on the final lap, then as Hamlin made a move to retake the lead, Newman blocked him on the outside, then drifted down to the inside lane to block Blaney-who tapped his rear bumper.

And like that, Newman went sideways, nose first into the retaining wall.  At that speed, air got under the car and lifted it into the air as it flipped twice.  As it came down upside down it was hit by another car, who had nowhere to go with the car infront of him.

The front end of the car was crushed when it hit the wall.  The roof of the car was crushed when it was hit as it was coming down.  Newman skidded hundreds of yards upside down, and then caught fire.

When I saw it at first, I feared Newman’s lower extremities were crushed when the front end-the nose end, hit the wall head on.  I worried the force of the head on crash could snap his neck, as it did Earnhardt.  Then as it cartwheeled down the track, rolling, I feared for the drivers safety trapped in the car.  And then the roof was hit by the trailing car, with all that pressure forcing into the driver cockpit.

What should have been a celebration became a somber post-race event.  No one can celebrate what Hamlin had just done.  All we could think of Newman.

Racing is about speed and thrills, but sadly it is about spills.

Bobby Allison’s career ended in a terrible barrel roll accident.  So did Neil Bonnet’s.

Indy car lost icon Dan Wheldon and Greg Moore in horrific modern day crashes.

Formula 1-which nearly ceased operations in the 1950s after a car went into the stands at LeMans, also saw its legend Artyn Senna perish in a crash that scarred the sport.

As night fell for auto racing fans across America, the thrill of victory was replaced by the agony of defeat, or possibly death.

NASCAR will have to figure now how to deal with the speed they sanction, the risks those drivers take, and the outcome of races like this.  An accident, a catastrophe, waiting to happen.

Denny Hamlin won.  Ryan Newman’s life was in the balance.

The Great American Race is a borderline Great American Tragedy.  The sport should not be that way.

Over in a split second on the final lap, a race, and possibly a life.

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NASCAR–Season Opens–End of Career”

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The dateline was Daytona, the opening of the NASCAR season, with the Daytona 500.

It was like some sort of coronation.

NASCAR, the fans, and Fox TV spent enormous amount of time leading into the race, saluting San Diego’s and El Cajon’s Jimmie Johnson.

It was the beginning of JJ’s farewell tour, this being his final season on the Cup circuit, heading to retirement.

Johnson is a 7X-points champion.  He has won every big race possible in the series, but of late, it has been a drought of 88-races.  Unknown to many what Johnson has done with his foundation work, back in his adopted homes in North Carolina and in San Diego’s East County schools.  A superstar who truly gives back to education programs, schools, and kids he wants to help out.

It happens to all the great ones in modern day racing, from Dale Earnhardt-Junior to back in the day Bill Elliott.

It is truly a changing of the guard in NASCAR with so many great names having left the sport.  Much has been written about what the leadership is going to do to stop the eroding TV ratings and to fill the empty seats at a lot of the race tracks.

But for one Sunday, there was excitement, pomp and circumstance.

President Trump made an appearance and announced ‘Gentemen start your engines.

Jeff Gordon moved into the #1-analyst seat on the Fox broadcasts.

Legendary driver Tony Stewart is no longer in a car but running his entire team.

Earnhardt Junior was in the starter’s gate dropping the green flag.

Outspoken driver turned TV personality Darrell Waltrip has gone into retirement, so we no longer have his favorite phrase ‘boogity-boogity let’s go racing’.

They remembered the legacy of Junior Johnson, one of the last of the ‘Goold Ole Boys’ from the moonshiners era.

Ricky Stenhouse started on the pole with another relative young-un Alex Bowman alongside…

There was the impressive ‘Lap of Honor’ as a salute with Johnson driving the lead lap before green flag flew.

Oh it was strange, just as they prepared to go green, it rained, and a delay.

Then another 20-laps later, another rain shower, and then darkness moved in.

They will race on Monday, and the sellout crowd will return.

But for 1-day and the 6-hours there, it was quite a day, a throwback to great days at Daytona, and the great seasons that NASCAR has enjoyed.

It would be electric if Jimmie Johnson, who is running upfront with the leaders, can cap off this weekend with a victory come Monday.

He’s meant so much to the sport.  It would be great so see him get a victory in return.

 

A season opens as a career is about to end.

Hoping Dateline Daytona becomes Dateline Winner’s Circle for JJ.

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“Houston Astros–Helluva Problem on Their Hands”

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The first day of spring training, the excitement of new acquisitions, the watch on players coming off major surgeries, new faces in new places.  Excitement everywhere on the map that  stretches everywhere from the Cactus League to the Grapefruit Circuit.

Everywhere but at West Palm Beach, where the Houston Astros camp looked like an armed guard fortress.  Security everywhere.  An uneasy feeling to start Thursday, finished with a lot of anger coming out of that first day.

The Astros held an apology press conference, that started with Owner Jim Crane, spread to new manager Dusty Baker, and the 12-players who are left on the roster from the 2017-World Series team.

You know, the team fingered, indicted, and disciplined for using electronics to steal signals from the catchers to the pitchers, in home games at Minute Maid Park, opening day right thru the World Series.

Commissioner Rob Manfred unloaded on the Astros after months of investigation, but now the feeling is he did not do enough, now that more evidence has surfaced that Houston started stealing signals back in 2016 and continued into 2018.

The 5M fine, the firing of the GM and manager has not brought an end to the criticism.  What happened on Thursday will make it worse.

The owner put on a lame display talking to the media, insinuating Houston put together a great team, won a World Series, and the cheating did not impact games they played..

Then in strange fashion, he asked newly hired Dusty Baker to speak, though Baker was out of baseball last year, never affiliated with Astros.  Of course Dusty was the manager when baseball’s other modern day cheat, Barry Bonds, was steroid-slugging his way to home run records.

The Houston stars had a mixed bag of apologies, but their remorse was limited to just 1-minute apiece at their individual press conferences.  It sounded like they were more sorry they got caught, than sorry for what they allowed to happen.

Carlos Correa…’wrong for everything we did..it’s not what we stand for…it has affected careers..affected the game.’

Alex Bregman…’we must regain the fans trust’

Jose Altuve…’remorse-yeah sort of….it was wrong-it was bad’

Justin Verlander…’I wish I had said more.  I can’t go back.  I can’t reverse my decision’

George Springer…’we regret everything..the amount of remorse is apparent.

Yuli Gurriel…’we are all responsible’

Lance McCullers…’it wasn’t something that was impactful’

Josh Reddkick…’we don’t feel the need to reach out to those guys to apologize’

So the players have had their say, but the criticism is mounting, maybe more now at the Commissioner, topping the condemnation directed at the Astros.

For the Astros, they got off easy.  They stole at least a season worth of victories.  They impacted the playoffs and the World Series.

If I were king, I would have taken all their draft picks for a full year.  Taken all their international signing slots.  I would go back in and discipline the underlings in the front office, who were part of this too, working on behalf of Luhnow.  Maybe coaches on that Hinch staff would have been terminated too.

Everything about Astros baseball is toxic right now, and there is more to come.  Houston is now Public Enemy #1 in every ballpark they play in.  The media will not back off the relentless coverage of the topic in every city the Astros play in, despite the attempts of the team to curb the probing media.  The fans will be vicious.

Adding to the fuel to the fire was the Crane, the owner, sluffed off any responsibility.  It was his GM, his manager, his coaches, his players.  He wants to come out as the guy being a victim himself.   Talk about being tone-deaf.

Sorry I cannot view him in the light as a victim like the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw or Yu Drvish, or the Yankees, all victims in that season and in postseason.

This has the ability to be a miserable season.

The two most important things in baseball are the integrity of the game, and the sanctity of the record book.  Both have been violated.

Unless MLB vacates the championship crown the Astros received, or puts an asterisk in the record book next to their name, I do not know how baseball gets beyond this scandal.

It’s not the 1919 Black Sox scandal, it’s closer to the gray area of Pete Rose, but it’s as ugly and tainted to how steroid laced sluggers impacted the game.

The letter “H” on their hats will not stand for something very different.  The Astros had a helluva team that year.  They have a helluva credibility program now.  And this will be a helluva ugly season from start to finish.

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“Teams in Town–What I Think”

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CHARGERS…an emotion three days since they jettisoned QB-Philip Rivers.  He goes on the market as a marquee two year rental for an NFL team close to winning….Hard to believe GM-Tom Telesco-responding to criticism of dumping a potential Hall of Famer…’we have options in house”.  C’mon now.  Does that mean Bolts might trade out of the 6th slot to stockpile more draft picks and fill the other holes on the roster and put off for another year drafting the next QB on roster.  C’mon now-tell me I didn’t hear wrong….Bolts have 55M in cap space and lots of business to get done-now the question-do key players want to stay on a team without Philip Rivers.

AZTECS….Somebody should tell the truth in this whole Jack Sears transfer from USC-to-SDSU-to out the door.  Who tampered with this kid?  Why would this quarterback not want to come in the front door and be a starter for two years under a new ‘pass happy’ offensive coordinator?  Where’s he going?  No one knows yet, and lots of guys have already signed, graduate transfers included.

PADRES…Pitchers and catchers begin their bullpen sessions in Peoria.  In memory of the late GM-Kevin Towers, who never stopped looking at pitching, this GM-AJ Preller has dragged in 38-pitchers to camp.  Does not look like there are too many slots on that pitching staff open as of now, though arm issues can change the makeup of a staff even while the Cactus League is going on…..No Fernando Tatis in centerfield despite the  eruption of social media about that topic on the table…Interested in seeing how the Padres solve the relationship of what did not happen this winter-the attempts to trade both Will Myers and Austin Hedges….Now both in the clubhouse still-stuck on a team that didn’t want them..just like a team stuck with their contracts….and it goes on and on.

AZTECS….Lost in the noise and excitement of this (25-0) season is the fact junior power forward Matt Mitchell and teammate Yanni Wetzel are in the running for MWC-Player of the year honors…Can you say ‘slam dunk’ on either or both.

GULLS…No one has them on anyone’s radar in our community….Attendance is down….Callups to the Ducks are up…but you know what….since that bad (0-6) start…this team is (22-12-4)…and playing hard behind G-Anthony Stolarz and under guidance of Coach Kevin Dineen.

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“Chargers-End of Era-End of Relationship”

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They’re all gone now, every one last link we had to the San Diego Chargers, from their last great run with the Lightning Bolts, you know the (14-2) season.

Philip Rivers divorce from the Bolts, brought to a conclusion the era of LaDainian Tomlinson…Antonio Gates…Vincent Jackson…Darren Sproles…Eric Weddle…Shawne Merriman and Antonio Cromartie.

Injury, age, free agency, expensive contracts, ended what many thought would be a special time.

This is painful to watch, knowing San Diego no longer has a team, and now no longer has anyone to root for wearing the Lightning Bolt.

At the end of the day, the closing comments on Rivers’ career were polite, probably honest, and definitely sad.

The Chargers rid themselves of a 4,000-yard passer, a leader, a cornerstone citizen, and a talent whose accomplishments covered 23-pages in this year’s media guide.

Owner Dean Spanos made the comment, ‘heart and soul of the team’, and then he cut that heart out by letting him go.

GM Tom Telesco spoke of how hard it was to get to the end of the line, using phrases like icon, legend as a teammate, a trusted leader, someone always accountable.  All honest and sincere.  Telesco has been thru this before reaching the decision to let Peyton Manning go, but that was about injuries, and just as Andrew Luck arrived in Indianapolis.

John Spanos was silent, as he has been for over a year, not wishing to be seen nor heard as President of Football Operations.  Guess (5-11) does that to you.

Silent too was coach Anthony Lynn, stunning in that he has been a standup guy, but maybe his quote to an ESPN reporter ‘not my type of quarterback’ says it all.  Now with the security of a contract extension he votes to oust a future Hall of Famer.  Now we see what type of team he has next year with whatever quarterback they put on the field.

Also missing was napalm-tossing assistant Mark Fabiani, he of scorched earth history dating to the move from San Diego, the one fingered by an exec for telling an NBC reporter the organization was upset ‘Rivers never bought in on the move to LA-never helped us market the team’.  That said, and then slinked back into the shadows.

The Chargers have now become someone else.  Buffalo-without the cold and snow.  Jacksonville-without the heat and humidity.  In essence, a last place team for years, like the Bills and Jags were without a quality quarterback.

Rivers could have been a bridge to the next young QB coming if.  The franchise would have paid him 27M this year and let him play and tutor the likes of Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa.

But there are other problems, all these impending free agents they let get out on the open market, and who have to be re-signed to big contracts, and who will get offers now elsewhere.  And do you think, with Rivers no longer the lynchpin to the Bolts, some of these people want to stay?  Think Hunter Henry doesn’t get an offer in New England.  Think Melvin Gordon to the Raiders.

And Dean Spanos next year begins paying off the 650M-bill he owes for the territorial transfer to move into Los Angeles.  Going into a new stadium as a tenant, coming off a last place season, and moving out a future Hall of Fame quarterback.  And you think the past three years in LA have been hard?  Spanos could have borrowed that 650M, helped finance the stadium in San Diego, been revered, rather than reviled.

Rivers will have his choice.  Indianapolis, Frank Reich, Nick Siriani, a great offensive line, a heavy duty Marlon Mack running the ball, and all those dome games in a perfect climate.  Looks good to me, better than Carolina or Miami, maybe close to equal to become a Tennessee Titan.

This exit was more than just about 23-TDs and 23-turnovers.  It was about personality, it was about philosophy, and it was about dollars.

There are so many memories of Philip Rivers.  The (123-101) record. The (397-TDs–190–Interceptions.  The courage to take (445-sacks). The fire, the leadership, the brutal hits, the ‘dad-gummit’ way of competing every minute of every day.

I close my eyes and I see Rivers throwing TD passes to Antonio Gates.  I see Tomlinson darting-dashing with handoffs and screen passes from that quarterback.  I see the zillion of audible calls at the line of scrimmage.  I hear the post-game emotion filled press conferences, delivering blunt honesty.

Remember Vincent Jackson-Tyrell Williams big play catches.  The little guys, Danny Woodhead and Darren Sproles and all the damage they did coming out of the backfield. Chunk plays killing the other guys.

I see Rivers yapping at Denver’s mouthy do-nothing QB-Jay Cuter.  Rivers pointing at then Broncos coach Josh McDaniels who was always running up and down the sidelines, running his mouth, as his teams went (5-17) before they fired him.

Rivers won 6-games at Arrowhead Stadium.  Won 7-times in Denver.  Beat the Raiders 18-times.  Put down the Steelers with 3-wins and went (3-0) vs Eli Manning.  There was the all time record 503Y-passing day and the 65-pass attempts against Green Bay, and all those 400-yard afternoons in the sunshine that was mostly San Diego.

Oh yes, there were negatives, the (1-8) record against Tom Brady.  The (0-3) mark vs Drew Bree’s.  A bad (5-15) stretch in his last playoff game.  The Marlon McCree interception-fumble in the playoffs.  The bizarre Vincent Jackson-kick the penalty flag incident that killed momentum in another playoff game.  We hurt remembering Tomlinson sitting on a playoff bench with a bruised knee when he could no longer run and catch.

Sadly just 2-playoff wins over his last 11-seasons, from an organization that sadly failed to put enough good players around him. For all his GM-AJ Smith, then Tom Telesco did, they didn’t do enough consistently.

And our last memory is the most painful, getting booed off the field at home, and him choking up in his final press conference, after the final loss in Kansas City.  He was honest and sincere right to the final minute.

We remember the 30-fourth quarter comebacks, the 25-completions in a row, and playing  6-days after knee scope surgery in a playoff game in New England.

Please don’t mention Tyrod Taylor with a (23-21) career record managing games, but not winning many.  Don’t sell me a 1AA quarterback who had 1-TD and 6-picks in preseason last year coming out of North Dakota State.

You can sell me on Justin Herbert from Oregon, but this is a raw rookie, and I hope is not a clone of the last ‘systems quarterback, Joey Harrington who came out of Eugene’s Autzen Stadium.

Things I know for certain.  When Dan Fouts retired, the Chargers went thru 17-different QB’s till they traded for Stan Humphries.  When Humphries left as a concussion victim, the franchise went thru 17-more quarterbacks till the arrival almost simultaneously of the future Hall of Famers-Drew Brees and Rivers.

I know for certain too, no one should ever wear #17 again either.

We lost our team, our legendary QB, and the last link to what San Diego fans loved, the Chargers, taken away by the owner.

Philip Rivers, about faith-football-friends.  Great player.  Greater Person.

Gone.  Era Over.

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