Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
NASCAR
This weekend we’ll see the running of the Daytona 500, which continues to grow by leaps and bounds in oh, so many ways.
Every year NASCAR makes changes to their sport and this event, trying as best they can to tweak the rules to make it as fair as possible for all those involved. This season we will see the emergence of Toyota into the mix of manufacturers. Many traditional racing fans are uncomfortable with this situation, feeling that a Japanese auto maker is not worthy of racing in the Great American Race.
My personal feeling is that is total sh*t.
While Toyota has a Japanese name, there’s no question it has a very, very strong American influence in many, many ways, from employing hundreds of thousands of American people, to the millions of Americans who drive and count on Toyota vehicles. Its not like there are a bunch of Japanese all of the sudden invading the sport. Toyota should be welcomed in many ways.
NASCAR has been tight in their inspections as well, and so we will not see certain Crew Chiefs for certain drivers, including Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, and Scott Riggs. Some people think this doesn’t mean a lot, but its certainly does have an influence on what will happen for those teams on the track.
Meanwhile, we will see Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and other top drivers scramble around the track on Sunday, going after each other in close-knit fashion, thanks to the restrictor plates required. We will most likely see a major, multi-vehicle accident close to the end of the race, and a few drivers will cry foul about getting a raw deal from the whole mess.
Should be a great race, as always.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
With a few weeks left in the regular season of college basketball, we see the Duke Blue Devils have certainly shaken the apple cart we are so used to seeing pushed around. Consecutive losses to Virginia, Florida State, North Carolina, and Maryland are not what Blue Devil fans are used to by any means. Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski has not said much in defense of his team and their play. Its fair to say their squad does not carry the talent and experience of past Duke teams. This is certainly having an effect on the ACC and the Top 25 ranking, without question. It will be interesting to see where the Dookies end up for tournament/postseason play.
We are seeing a number of other strong, top-ranked teams fall in this past week. UCLA, UNC, Pitt, and Texas A&M all lost in the last week or so, which is certainly out of the ordinary. It makes you wonder how things will shake out as we get closer to conference tournament play, and then seedings.
NBA
This weekend we will see the All-Star Game played in Las Vegas. There is a lot of intrigue and curiosity associated with having the festivities in Vegas, for various reasons. For all intents, I think things will work out in a positive fashion for the NBA.
There has been talk of possibly having a franchise in Las Vegas, which I think could work, although the League has stated that if that were to happen, they would want gambling on NBA games to cease. I can understand their logic in making that statement, and I would have to agree with it. Chances are, though, that its not gonna happen anytime soon.
While the game is always fairly entertaining, I think the dunk competition and the three-point shooting competition are getting just as much, if not more interest by fans.
With Pat Riley and Shaquille O’Neal back on a regular basis now, I’ll be interested in seeing how the Miami Heat will perform as we get closer to playoff time. Its almost as if these two individuals planned this out so they wouldn’t have to mess with the first half of the season.
NFL
Marty Schottenheimer certainly is a great head coach, as evidenced from his record in past seasons in turning franchises around. But he has had problems with Management, primarily General Managers, and that’s not a good thing. It should be very, very interesting to see who will be offered the job of running the Chargers, a team that is very talented and very close to possibly getting to the Super Bowl next season.
Tom Weppel talks trash on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. on WIOJ-AM 1010, and on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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