Three-Wide Madness @ Talladega

Posted on May 1, 2016 by admin

Geico 500 @ Talladega (188 laps) restrictor plate race, 33-degree banking in the turns, 3-degrees in backstretch. Sometimes ‘4-wide’ racing on the longest (2.66 mile) tri-oval in NASCAR. SAFER barriers inside & out. Talladega has 5 lanes and is a ‘wild card’ race, which means any good driver in a decent car can win. Weather: 80 degrees and overcast, with rain threatening

12:50: “Drivers, start your engines!” Note: it used to be “gentlemen,” but somebody changed all that.

Danica Patrick #10 starts 37th, out of 40 cars. Tony Stewart #14 starts middle-of-the-pack and immediately drops to 40th. He’s only starting this race to get his points towards the Sprint Cup Chase, which he has realistically has no chance for which to even qualify. His fragile back is discussed at length, as the SHR #14 team waits for an early caution flag to get Ty Dillon into the car. Also mentioned, #22 Joey Logano took a hard crash in yesterday’s X-finity race.

Drafting with your teammate is crucial to winning at Talladega. Dave Moody, Rusty Wallace, Mike Bagly, Kyle Ricky, Alex Hayden, Winston Kelly, Steve Post and Kim Coon are among those calling the action, waiting for the (American Ethanol) green flag to drop.

Lap 10: “3-wide six deep, from 9th on back!”
“Lots of blocking, early at Talladega!”

Lap 16: Matt Kenseth #20 is the race leader, 3 other (JGR) Toyota’s running top 10– 197 MPH laps, 6.7 MPG

Lap 20: 4 Toyota’s in the top 5: Kenseth, Denny Hamlin #11, Martin Truex Jr #78 & Kyle Busch #5

Lap 22: Danica Patrick 17th, Tony Stewart 38th

Lap 28: Danica Patrick in 12th, boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. #17 in 13th, and SHR teammate Kevin Harvick #4 in 14th

Lap 30: New race leader, Chase Elliot #24

LaP 31: dANICA RUNNING 10TH

Lap 36: First wave of pit stops

“Wedge adjustments right/left rear, two vs. four tires, Sunoco fuel…”
Patrick’s #10 car has the second pit box. Bobby LaBonte #32 & Paul Menard #27 cut her off going in & spin her out on pit road.

No one hurt, but Patrick’s car is nose-first into the wall. Minor left-side damage, extended stay in the pits for her.

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/video?vid=677348931809

MRN announcer: Why do race car drivers lie so much?
Rusty Wallace: “They just do.”

Lap 41: Kyle Busch #5 race leader, has picked up a plastic bag on his bumper causing all kinds of commotion in the booth. It isn’t slowing his car down much.
Trevor Bayne #6 & Tony Stewart get speeding penalties in pit road, sending them to the back of the field. Stewart joins teammate Danica Patrick, now running 40th.

Lap 49: Dale Earnhardt, Jr #88 loses it and crashes! First (STP) yellow flag of the race. Kasey Kahne #5, Matt Dibenedetto #83 also caught up. Dale Jr immediately interviewed on the track owns it as his mistake, and compares it to his Daytona crash a few months back.

When Dale Jr. had a dead battery a week ago, MRN/PRN announcers all repeated that things like this are ‘best to happen early’. He finished 2nd that day. MRN says nothing about this possibility for Danica Patrick.

Lap 52: Danica Patrick up to 37th, one lap down.

Lap 53 : Tony Stewart gets the ‘wave around’ to the lead lap. Ty Dillon is now driving the #14 car. They changed under yellow so they didn’t lose any real track position. It’s now up to Dillon to work with his SHR teammates. It was 77 seconds on that driver swap. Honestly, Tony Stewart shouldn’t have been in a race car today.

Lap 57: Once you’re a lap down on a big track like Talladega, you have to get to be first on your lap, and then hope for the ‘luck dog’ caution flag which gets you back on the lead lap. Michael Annette #48 & Landon Cassill #38 with Patrick, one lap down about to go green.

Lap 58: Caution flag #2 “Recap when we return…” Aric Almirola #43 damaged & Casey Mears #13 out. Danica Patrick led her lap when the caution comes out– lucky dog Danica back on the lead lap.

Lap 66: Ty Dillon up from 34th to 12th, teammate Danica Patrick 21st.

Lap 70: (MRN cuts to a commercial) “Dale, Jr here for Geico…” Mute. No Dale, you’re in the garage.

Lap 73: Patrick 16th, running with Stenhouse Jr & Kevin Harvick #4. Brad Keslowski #2, Chase Elliot & Austin Dillon #3, running 1-2-3.

Lap 77: Three-wide for the fourth position! Engines heat up to about 255 degrees today, up from old-school 180 degrees.

Lap 87: Thirty cars separated by just TWO seconds running at 195 MPH, 3-wide at Talladega!!

Lap 91: Danica Patrick up to 13th, Kurt Busch 12th, Stenhouse Jr 10th

Lap 96: Jimmie Johnson #48 loses it. Chris Beuscher #34 clipped the the right rear and flips airborne. Carl Edwards #99 takes a shot. Third caution, no one knows if the rookie driver (Beuscher) is okay when MRN cuts to commercial…

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/watch-chris-buescher-talladega-geico-500-go-for-horrifying-barrel-roll-wreck-sprint-cup-050116

Lap 97: Back to the broadcast, still under caution. Chris Beuscher climbs out of the roof of his wrecked vehicle, and take the mandatory ambulance ride. He’s very fortunate.
Austin Dillon damaged. It’s time to announce the fan’s vote for today’s race winner. Danica Patrick is now the race leader [!], MRN cuts to a commercial.

Lap 100: Patrick pits under caution, teammate Kevin Harvick new race leader. Patrick led for 3 laps, all under caution.

Lap 109: Carl Edwards apparently cuts a tire and slams into the wall, Dale Jr (back into the race) is now wrecked! Patrick now 29th, with 32 cars now on the lead lap.

Lap 128: Patrick 12th, 5th caution.

Lap 153: 6th Caution, Patrick running 27th.

Lap 159: Kurt Busch #41 gets into #48 Jimmie Johnson’s left rear bumper on the straight-away, turning him sideways into the wall. “More than half the field eaten alive in that multi-car crash. We’ve been waiting all day for that one!” Seventh caution; fuel & four tires for everyone left in the race. Danica Patrick now 11th, with teammate Ty Dillon 12th. Jimmie Johnson, Brian Scott #44, Kyle Larson #42, Ricky Stenhouse, etc…(17 cars total) out in that wreck. Running ‘4-wide’ at Talladega.

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/jimmie-johnson-denny-hamlin-talladega-the-big-one-finally-strikes-28-to-go-geico-500-050116

Lap: 166: 8th caution flag for ‘debris on the track’ with Danica Patrick now running 9th. MRN says nary a word about it, lap after lap.

Lap 180: Michael McDowell #95 ‘bump drafts’ Danica Patrick (running top 10), wrecking her in flames. Matt Kenseth #20 flips over. Patrick is first out of her car, walking over to see if Kenseth needs help. Kenseth hand signals he’s okay. The track is then cleared. Joey Logano, Paul Menard and Aric Almirola are also out. The ‘big one’ part 2. NASCAR is ecstatic. MRN cuts to a commercial…Save big money at Menards!

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/non-stop-carnage-at-talladega-superspeedway-is-no-joking-matter-050116

Lap 184: Still under caution, Matt Kenseth interviewed by MRN. He didn’t see it coming. Back to green. Danica Patrick describes hitting hard into an energy-absorbing wall that buckles upon impact. “I would say that’s probably the most scared, trying to hop out of a car with the fire on the inside. I haven’t had fire on the inside before. I have a pretty decent bruise on my arm and my foot, and my head feels like I hit a wall at 200. My chest hurts when I breathe.”

“We all raced to the halfway, then we all raced to the rain that was coming, then we all raced to the end,” she said. “It was like the whole race, you spent it racing like it was the end. There was no moments to relax at all. I’m sure that kind of expanded people’s comfort zones at the end of the race because we were already so used to running close. Some people took it over the edge.”

Lap 188: Checkered flag to Brad Keselowski, caution flag out as cars cross the finish line. Danica Patrick DNF, placing 24th. Her haters continue to maintain she sucks. What really sucked was this race, which was a dangerous joke for all its participants.

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Why Does Danica Patrick Wreck So Often in NASCAR? [1]

Friar Musings

Posted on April 30, 2016 by admin

San Diego Padres are 7-15, last in the NL West as of this publication. Everything below was originally posted here, content has been edited slightly.

Padres shut-out by Dodgers in 3-game series 4-6-16
You gotta admit: 1) this is now must-see inept baseball, & 2) A.J. Preller really keeps it interesting. It’s helps to have a sense of humor. Life (like baseball) is mostly about dealing with losing.

Tyson Ross lands on DL with shoulder inflammation 4-9-16
Good to be cautious, as he’s too valuable to risk damaging. Get a diagnosis ASAP. Shoulders are the most serious pitching injuries and hardest from which to recover. MRI needed.

Padres lose 2-1 to Phillies 4-13-16
That was a great defensive play by 1B Wil Myers to C Christian Bethancourt who showed nice athleticism with the tag, to erase two errors (Rosales & Amarista) and prevent a run– to end the inning.
I watch a limited number of games and from what I’ve seen, their defense is fundamentally better but still not sound. Checking their box scores routinely, they’re turning a lot of double plays, as they had 3 more tonite in their 2-1 loss to the Phillies. Defense is a difficult & underrated team skill that takes time to gel– but is worth it. Teams can no longer win a WS without good defense.

Padres reaping benefits of increase in shifts 4-13-16
Here’s another stat for y’all: the Padres have a much better winning percentage when they don’t get shut-out.
Padres early are getting decent individual performances, but don’t put things together as a team. There’s talent here but not enough, so expect more of this for awhile. Andy Green is already an excellent manager, but GM A.J. Preller needs another year or two to draft & develop the players & pitchers he needs to win.

What’s good for Padres fans, is that we know early. Padres fans have been deceived (and strung along) in the past. Preller now knows he needs to move the contracts, ASAP. Many Padres fans foresaw this scenario, proving Preller had a clear plan for the worst contingency. Fans can see and understand the process, which isn’t as good as winning but at least inspires some real hope for this franchise.

Preller is lined up for both summer drafts, which are his areas of expertise. This could be a HUGE shot in the arm for the organization & their fans. As long as ownership is willing to maintain payroll and draft slot commitments, good things can happen quicker than expected. Remember it’s only baseball, and be thankful it’s here everyday for 6 months.

Drew Pomeranz notches 8 K’s in shut-out loss to Phils 4-14-16
Once again, at least the fans & AJ Preller know early. I love Matt Kemp but he needs to go, as OF’s Jabari Blash & Travis Jankowski need at least 350-400 PAs for Green & Preller to know if either are a player. Same for Wil Myers & Cory Spangenberg who need 500+ PA’s, and reps at their positions to improve defensively. Off to ARZ in search of a win, or at least a run.

Padres shut out in 5 of their first 10 games, including a MLB-record 30 innings to start the 2016 season 4-15-16
Padres…to…win…must…score…runs

Padres threaten in ninth but fall to D-backs 4-16-16
I have to admit it’s easier to follow this team on the east coast, as I can just go to sleep with justification that I’m not going to torture myself by staying up late for this. It’s much easier to review the videos, wrap-ups & box scores; and catch an occasional game– somehow. When a franchise is rebuilding, fans need to step back and relax– otherwise it’s maddening. A few fans posted the other day about going to a game of their minor league affiliates, which is a great idea for any baseball fan. Win or lose it’s always interesting to follow, and the minors are where fans can get a good look at an organization’s future, and decide for themselves if they’re on the right track.

Slow-recovering Ross sent for MRI 4-20-16
What a brilliant idea. For the record, I recommended this as soon as his start was to be skipped. That was April 9th. Wait longer, and it costs you more.

Padres place Robbie Erlin on DL with left elbow strain 4-21-16
Padres have to get healthy while doing a better job at preventing injuries. That’s a huge inefficiency in MLB, which smaller market teams must exploit, as they can’t compete dollar-for-dollar with high-payroll behemoths. Padres will continue to lose if they don’t figure this out.

Tyson Ross will not require surgery on shoulder 4-22-16
It’s good to read the Padres got a MRI on Cory Spangenberg too. They now know the exact extent of his quad injury, and can plan and monitor his rehab accordingly. The fans now know too, so they won’t be getting frustrated with him being on the DL, or accusing him of being ‘soft.’ Padres fans will also be interested to hear the exact diagnosis on the right shoulder of Tyson Ross for all the same reasons.
When MLB teams ignore or postpone necessary medical imaging & science, they are reduced to voodoo doctoring.

Cardinals take two out of three @ Petco 4-24-16
I agree with die-hards that the Padres need have brown in their team colors, as their name means ‘friars’ in English. They looked best (IMO) in brown & orange, late Tony Gwynn era (1996-98). These were also their best teams. Coincidence?

Vintage Upton on display this season in SD 4-29-16
No one loves BJ more than me. He’s in his age 31 season, with a .243/.329/.378 line in LF, which is below average for the position. His defense is superior, proving he still should be a CF, where his batting line plays a lot better. He has a cannon for an arm, and kills many rallies with an ease & grace that ignites a crowd & dugout– instantly. His 6 SB w/ 3 CS is a wash, proving he needs to be more selective on steals. His biggest negative is that he doesn’t walk enough, and that’s just who he is. He’s not a superstar, but a bunch of really good teams would love to have him. Only a year-and-change left on his contract and he’s a championship-level CF.

With that said, 1B Wil Myers is clearly the Padres best player. Bossman Jr & Matt Kemp are valuable veteran parts– soon-to-be traded. All the other younger guys have something to prove, before they can be called real players. Solarte (health), Spangenberg (health & consistency), Norris (consistency), and Jay (consistency). Blash is intriguing and needs to play, but he’s blocked by Matt Kemp. Kemp has shown other teams his value already, and he’s on pace for another solid year at the plate. Plenty of AL teams in need are looking at him now and the Padres are definitely for sale– if not now, soon. Preller will be first to market, which is how you get the best return.

As for the pitching, Shields is still a horse, and a bunch of good teams are coveting his services. His opt-out will not be waived (BOS already asked), which actually hurts his trade value. Big-market teams consider his 3-years remaining (if opt-out is declined) a bargain. Young pitchers are always about stuff & staying healthy. Ross (health) and Cashner (consistency) each have their issues, but are highly prized around MLB. Pomeranz, Rea & Erlin all show promise, but the later two are shut down with injuries at present, proving that pitching prospects are always the toughest to project, due to health.

That is why injury prevention is the most important inefficiency in modern MLB. It’s the new OBP & defensive metrics. Despite the conventional wisdom you may hear, injuries don’t “just happen.” True, they are sometimes random accidents, other times they are misfortune or malicious intention; but they always have causes– and most injuries are preventable. This is particularly true for repeatable-motion injuries in pitching. Pitching overhanded generates more velocity, but is an unnatural & destructive motion as compared to throwing sidearm or submarine. Mechanics have to be perfect throughout the kinetic chain, otherwise disabling tears eventually occur in the elbow or shoulder, requiring surgical intervention. The prognosis for pitching again is much better for Tommy John (elbow) as compared to labrum (rotator cuff) surgery, so preventing shoulder breakdowns is of critical importance.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Pay-off pitch to A.J. Preller late March, 2016
Injuries now cost MLB franchises hundreds of millions of dollars/year in lost player value. While some injuries are inevitable, most of this loss is due to inefficient management and outdated science, which can be corrected with elite baseball brains putting proper injury risk-assessment & prevention systems in place. I can help integrate the advanced metrics, with the physiology and high-performance bio-mechanics. Warning: no illicit PED use acceptable for me, and will be quickly detected if deception is attempted. I do realize you’ve already hired new personnel across the board, including new medical staff. I’d love to work with them (and you), to help this organization win. My posts in this forum demonstrate my baseball expertise, eye for action, management skills and medical knowledge. I’m pretty sure my efforts have helped the off-season Padres in many areas, including advertising & ticket sales. I live a busy life in Florida, so contact me through my site or Facebook message, if interested. Thank you, RS
PS_ I’m still a Padres fan, even if refused or ignored at this time; I just think it would be fun to consult for MLB. How’s that for cojones?

Note: I never received a response, so the above offer is now open to all MLB teams. Until retained, I’ll simply be a Padres fan.

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Belly ‘Star’ (1993)

Posted on April 28, 2016 by admin

Belly’s Star is a gorgeous album from start to finish, which remains largely unappreciated. Belly was led by ex-Throwing Muses singer-songwriter Tanya Donelly, with Fred Abong (bass) and brothers Chris (drums) & Tom Gorman (guitars).

Note: vinyl had been deleted by 1990, and compact disc was the only format this (or any other) music was commercially available in– therefore the original format of this album is CD.

Belly followed up with King in 1995, then broke up the next year. By this time they had been largely written off anyways, by the Rolling Stone crowd in favor of mediocrities such as the Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Oasis & Matchbox 20– whose CDs now over-populate resale music bins everywhere.

Belly along with Sinead O’Connor, P.J. Harvey, the Breeders (who also included Donelly), Babes in Toyland, Liz Phair and Bikini Kill (pictured above), were female artists who truly made the most riveting rock music of that tumultuous era. Kurt Cobain was a fan of all of the above.

The collapse of the USSR, and it’s fall-back from communal property relations (controlled by a Stalinist bureaucracy) into capitalist Russia (controlled by mafia ‘businessmen’) shook the world. Borders changed, nearly instantly– but not bloodlessly. U.S. led wars-of-aggression (from Yugoslavia to Iraq to Syria) have continued in that part of the world ever since.

The heart of global capitalism is Wall Street & Washington, led by the White House which uses NATO & the UN (diplomatically), the Pentagon (overtly) and the CIA (covertly) to project the interests of the ruling class into the sphere of the former Soviet Union. Wall Street is defined as their stock exchanges (multi-national corporations) & its federal reserve banking system.

These are the richest people in the world and are (not coincidentally) responsible as war criminals. They are the true criminals who must be ruthlessly exposed and brought to justice by the working people of the world.

FYI: It’s mostly about oil, which has been the most precious natural resource under modern capitalism. Washington & Wall Street can no longer control the world’s oil supply economically, so they resort to their greatest strength– militarism. The US has (by far) the largest military budget in the world. Washington’s unholy alliance with Saudi Arabia (world’s leading oil producer) has led to the 9/11 terror attacks and sponsored the phony ‘war on terror’ in its aftermath.

These imperialist crimes have created an environmental & human survival crisis of global proportions, which only-too-recently (to most) seemed laughable, but today is all-too-real. The threat to human existence has never been greater. Capitalist leaders and their ‘intelligentsia’ have no answers, and (honestly) not much of a clue. They can best be described as philistines when it comes to art.

These were the issues artists such as Tanya Donelly (and her fans) intuitively understood back in the early 1990’s. Unfortunately their music was given its moment in the sun, then suppressed and largely forgotten– because no one in political leadership cared about art. Al Gore was VP to U.S. President Bill Clinton, and Gore’s wife Tipper led the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), whose goal was to blacklist and censor music.

Their primary target was rap & hip-hop, but any artistic expression was ultimately put in their cross-hairs. The PMRC was partially successful, as this warning label is now ubiquitous to popular music.

Now, to be carried in any box superstore (Walmart, Best Buy), albums with ‘obscene’ lyrics must be censored– otherwise the CD isn’t on their racks. ‘Obscene’ is defined by a self-appointed body of religious & political fundamentalists.

Corporate & political agendas dovetail, and when the reaction set in (Republican impeachment of Bill Clinton and their theft of the 2000 election), artists were forced underground. After 9/11, it was strictly American Idol culturally speaking, as virtually nothing artistic (in music or film) was allowed on the airwaves or in theaters.

Thus the (dialectical) concurrent rise of the Internet which revolutionized music & film with file-sharing (Napster) and powerful home computers, which now allow artists to produce their own music & film– on a budget without corporate interference. Today, nearly anyone can share their video to the world on YouTube & Facebook.

These vehicles now allow artists to directly distribute their music to fans– old & new. This empowers artists again, allowing what’s best to rise to the top based on merit– which is how it should always be.

One of the best, little-known songs on Star is “Slow Dog”– a cryptic & beautiful Donelly story, about a woman who loves a really stupid dog. The pay-off is this ‘slow dog’ manages to save her life too. They save each other’s life, which is the deepest kind of love. When you’re a really great band and you learn how to survive in the business, your major label partner (© 2005 WMG) pays for new videos– years later.

Note: the video is not trying to convey the song’s message, it’s simply the band with stop-cut editing, which is a popular ‘alternative’ video style. The official video also has a different song ending, versus the classic album version.

The college radio ‘hit’ from Star was “Feed the Tree,” a paean to childhood & environmentalism, with Donelly’s signature mastery of melody & hookiness.

“Feed the Tree” was featured regularly on MTV’s 120 Minutes, their exclusive early-1990’s ‘alternative’ programming. 120 Minutes aired late-night, when no one was watching, in an era when MTV was rapidly shifting towards reality TV. MTV’s The Real World was the original reality show, becoming an overnight sensation. By the end of the decade, MTV had mostly stopped playing videos. In 2000, CBS’s Survivor established reality-TV as a force on primetime television, and it’s been with us ever since.

If civilization is allowed to exist & survive, then eventually art will win out over this crassly commercial, philistine banality. For that to happen, people must care enough to fight for it. The dialects of all this is: art is what inspires people to act.

In early 2016, Tanya Donelly and Belly announced that they were working on new material and a limited tour. Catch them if you can. [1]

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Are You a Socialist?

Posted on April 24, 2016 by admin

The theoretical founder of socialism was Karl Marx (1818-1883).

The most brilliant expression of 20th-century Marxism was Leon Trotsky (1879-1940).

True socialists have read & absorbed these books. Pseudo-socialists don’t read anything serious.

Socialists understand the USSR was Stalinism, which is collectivist property relations controlled by a fascist bureaucracy. Trotsky fought ceaselessly against Stalinism, and was historically vindicated in December 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed back into capitalist Russia.

If Russia hadn’t had a workers’ revolution led by Lenin & Trotsky in 1917, it would be completely dismembered (balkanized) today.

Instead, modern Russia retains much of it’s size, and possesses the second-largest nuclear arsenal in the world.

A third world war would end human civilization. Today’s thermonuclear devices are orders-of-magnitude greater than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki at the end of World War 2.

Human society can only be preserved (meaning a world war can only be prevented), by a permanent socialist revolution led by the workers & youth of the U.S. The epicentre of global capitalism (culturally, economically & militarily) is the United States; a socialist revolution here leads the way for the rest of the world.

Marxist analysis in the 21st century is found at the World Socialist Web Site— wsws.org. The WSWS is published (6 days a week, since 1998) by the International Committee for the Fourth International (ICFI), the party founded by Trotsky in 1938.

The U.S. branch of the ICFI is the Socialist Equality Party (SEP). The SEP announced its candidates for U.S. president & vice-president on April 22– Earth day. Ric Size officially endorses the Socialist Equality Party’s presidential campaign. [1]

Niles Niemuth & Jerry White SEP: US president & VP candidates

To those interested in actual socialism, this is the only choice. If you would like to be a socialist, you must put in the work. Every other leftist political party, from the Democrats & Greens to the anarchists, are opportunist– meaning they are capitalist to the core. Marxists always spot them quickly, and easily dispatch them when engaged in polemics. That’s why Trotskyists are always blacklisted from ‘official’ discourse.

Those who are politically naive, but well-meaning, need to work through this as quickly as possible. Read the books shown, along with the WSWS on a daily basis to arm yourself politically.

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Earth Day Message of Love

Posted on April 22, 2016 by admin

Earth Day means finding another way.

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It’s Bristol, Baby

Posted on April 17, 2016 by admin

FOX is unwatchable for any sports. Best way to follow NASCAR online? View NASCAR Live Leader board while streaming radio from Performance Racing Network (PRN) at goprn.com

…or Motor Racing Network. They alternate free streaming broadcasts

Top 5 starting @ Bristol:

Carl Edwards #19, Matt Kenseth #20, Joey Logano #22, Denny Hamlin #11 & Kyle Busch #5– all but Logano are with JGR Toyota. Martin Truex Jr. #78 (Toyota & working with JGR) starts 8th.

JGR clearly have the fastest cars, their problem is there’s precious little room for drivers to maneuver & pass with 40 cars on this short (half-mile) track. Bristol really tests a driver’s patience.

Photo above: More #11 Denny Hamlin messing with #10 Danica Patrick, this time during practice. Hamlin already had a fast car, so it didn’t matter that it ended his set-up run too. Patrick & her #10 SHR team never got anything close to a decent car at Bristol. Hamlin had one of the fastest cars, but kept running into things and finished 20th.

Update 4-20-16: Photo above from NASCAR America site. ‘Scan All’ is their best weekly piece, and most popular with hardcore fans. On the right, Danica Patrick is brilliantly holding off the four fastest cars for 15 laps or so, at the start of the race. #19 Carl Edwards (the eventual race winner), # 20 Matt Kenseth, #22 Joey Logano & #5 Kyle Busch take turns– and lose the lead trying every time, until Kyle Busch (defending Cup champion) hits the wall with a blown front tire a few seconds later, bringing out a caution flag. Patrick demonstrates how to hang in a race (for as long as possible), with basically nothing under the hood. The only speed for SHR is in Kevin Harvick’s #4, and Kurt Bush’s #41 car.

BTW: “NASCAR America” (the 70-minute TV show) seems to have suddenly disappeared from it’s 5 PM ((ET) slot on NBCSN. It wasn’t on Monday or Tuesday this week. Wasn’t re-run in the morning either. Premier League Football instead.

Awhile later on PRN, Miss Sprint Cup take the microphone and encourages NASCAR fans to, “vote for their favorite driver for the All-Star race in Charlotte.” Then adding, “double up your vote on social media– last year, of course, Danica Patrick was top vote getter.” NASCAR hates that, so it’s quickly back to racing action.

Serious discussion on the Performance Racing Network concerning the ‘risk/reward ratio’ of tightening all the lug nuts. Dale Earnhardt, Jr #88 says it “freaks him out.” [1] I’d have to agree with him, as it’s pretty stupid to drive on 3 lug nuts/wheel; no one would willingly do it in their own vehicle. This rule was changed by NASCAR this year because pit crews were putting 5 (or only 4) lug nuts on each tire, but not tightening them– and there’s no way for an official to check if they’re tightened correctly.

According to NASCAR America, lug nuts are often glued on– instead of tightened (which is useless), to save time in the pits. Another few seconds on pit road to make sure the drivers’ cars is safe and will handle well, seems like a good strategy for a 3-hour race. It’s hard to believe this is an issue, but then again this is NASCAR. [2]

Lap 265: Caution flag; Kyle Busch wrecks. Danica Patrick, Greg Biffle #16 & Landon Cassill #38 stay out on old tires and move up dramatically. Patrick moves up from running mid-twenties to 4th! NASCAR announcers proceed to lose their heads, as the broadcast completely changes tone. When Danica Patrick is in the top 10 (top 5–gasp!!), hysterics ensue among the NASCAR faithful.
Lap 303: Jimmie Johnson #48 loose wheel (lug nuts).
Lap 330: Danica Patrick falls back to 14th on older tires, then the caution comes out again. Patrick comes out of the pits with fresh tires, and is 16th at the restart. She picked up 8-10 spots on that decision to stay out on old tires. Meanwhile, Matt Kenseth & Jimmie Johnson are behind the wall for repairs. The PRN announcer points out that Kenseth has had a fast-enough car to win half the races this year, and has only one top 10 finish to show for it. He’d finish 36th today– 40 laps down.
Another caution flag– just after the restart. Idiots!!
Lap 349: 10th caution flag. While running 30th, Brian Scott slams into the wall.
Lap 427: Running 6th, Martin Truex Jr into the pits with a loose wheel; now running a lap down in 26th. More loose lug nuts. Danica Patrick falls to 27th (where she would finish), as NASCAR breathes a collective sigh-of-relief.
Lap 432: Running way back, Aric Almirola #43 wrecks– 12th caution of the day. He insists he can still race, as his car sits jacked up on a barrier. NASCAR finally insists Almirola vacate his vehicle to clear the track, and orders him to visit their trailer after the race. He later re-enters the race 20 laps down.
Lap 485: 14th caution flag as Kevin Harvick (running top 5) spins Michael Annette #46, who was running 8 laps down.
Lap 491: Regan Smith #7 (already 41 laps down) hits the wall– 15th caution.

Wrap-up: Dale Earnhardt Jr started the race with a dead battery, putting him 2 laps down before his first lap. He finished 2nd. He says he had “a top-ten car at best” and he’s right. He’s just a great driver, on a superb team (Hendricks). All the fastest cars were once again JGR Toyota, with pole sitter Carl Edwards cruising to the win at Bristol. [3]

Only about 10-12 cars in the field really even had a chance to win. There were way too many idiots trying stupid stuff on the track, made this a not-very-interesting race to follow. When drivers are more than 5 laps down (on a track like this), they need to be taken out of the race to clear some room for the front-runners. Otherwise it’s too much useless congestion, making it impossible to race under green for very long. Fifteen cautions is WAY too many.

If any of this makes any sense to you, then tune in next week when this NASCAR madness continues in Richmond, VA. [4]

Update 4-20-16: Plenty of empty seats at Bristol, again this year. This was traditionally one of NASCAR’s best-attended events. Fans now can’t afford to go, and/or are turned-off by what NASCAR has become. Check the comments on this piece. [5]

Update 4-24-16: Richmond International Raceway: tight in, loose off. ‘Tight in’ means the car is pushed up the track into the turn, and ‘loose off’ means the backend slides up coming off the turn. Tires ‘fall-off’ after 15 laps, necessitating using mostly the outside lane for the rest of the run. This race has traditionally been run at night, but not today.

Typical pit-stop call on MRN Live, “Sunoco fuel, windshield tear-off, pump-and-a-half on the jack, 4 Goodyear tires, 4 lug nuts on, and he’s off!”

JGR (Toyota) dominated again, just look at the laps led in this 400 lap race: Carl Edwards (151), Kyle Busch (78), Matt Kenseth (2), Denny Hamlin (1). Only four other drivers led the race: Kurt Busch (55), Jimmie Johnson (44), Kevin Harvick (63) & Brad Keselowski (6). JGR finished 1st (Carl Edwards) 2nd (Kyle Busch), 6th (Hamlin) & 7th (Kenseth). Four wins in a row for JGR.

Martin Truex, Jr #78 (Furniture Row/JGR) finished 9th, despite more lug nut issues.

Other notables: Jimmie Johnson (3rd), Kasey Kahne (4th), Kevin Harvick (5th), Joey Logano (8th), Kurt Busch (10th), and Dale Earnhardt Jr (13th).

With 30 laps to go Danica Patrick #10 & Tony Stewart #14 get ‘waved around’ onto the lead lap. They had both fallen off the lead lap within the first 100 laps. Patrick finished 24th, and Smoke 19th in his return to the track. Only 10-12 cars had a chance to win at Richmond. There were 8 caution flags over 49 laps, and it was a safe race as every car finished. Pretty much the same story every week, and fans are tuning out. Only 26 cars finished on the led lap, and for much of the race it was <20 cars on the lead lap. What’s the point in have 40 cars on the track if <1/3 even have a chance win?

Update 4-28-16: NASCAR fines Tony Stewart $35K for speaking up on the lug nut issue, and being correct. NASCAR doesn’t like it when drivers make them look bad, so the fine still stands. NASCAR America (NBCSN) was back on the air Tuesday evening. This was the statement they issued on their new lug nut policy:

I’m actually a big fan of NASCAR America, when Dale Jarret (not Kyle Petty) is their main spokesman. Kyle has good knowledge of racing, but too often gets caught up in his petty prejudices. NASCAR America takes fans inside the sport every week, including great features including #MyHomeTrack. My advice to NACSAR: keep this show on the air a few nights/week, while recognizing that Danica Patrick is a great driver as well as a pioneer in motorsports.

In just about every other sport, women don’t compete against men. Patrick has inspired millions of young girls with her skills & toughness, something no other driver can claim. In many ways, Danica Patrick is bigger than NASCAR. It would be nice if she (or anyone else) were allowed to speak their mind once in awhile. [6]

Next Sunday is Talladega Superspeedway, the fastest & longest (2.66 mile tri-oval) track in NASCAR. Talladega (along w/ Daytona) is a restrictor plate race. A restrictor plate is a device installed at the intake of the engine, to limit its power. This lowers the top speed, to level the competition and ensure better driver safety. FYI: hardcore NASCAR fanatics mostly hate the restrictor plate rule.

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You Must Be Physically Strong

Posted on April 7, 2016 by admin

Pavel Tsatsouline is the master of strength & flexibility, which in human terms translates into functional physical power.

If you have any doubts, watch this video:

Physical strength & flexibility are master skills– meaning they help in all fields.

Anyone can improve who they are– by becoming stronger.

These books & videos are classics to be read, studied & vigorously applied.

Join us.

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Blacklisted in Mount Dora (& Anywhere Else)

Posted on April 3, 2016 by admin

I’ve been told that Mount Dora is a VERY artistic town:

There’s just so much vibrancy, thoughtfulness & creativity here:

Mount Dora has its Art Festival every year (during Super Bowl weekend), and it’s packed with art & aficionados:

And if you’re an artist in town, try their official private affiliate– the Mount Dora Center for the Arts:

They’re very helpful with contacts, to help aspiring artists in the community:

Here’s a screenshot my intro call to the decision-maker:

…their follow up & my response:

Nothing since– this is what Mount Dora typically books…

…all sponsored through he CoC:

Pictured below is Mount Dora’s attempt at art with their ‘Modernism Museum’ which has been open for several years, yet still attracts very few people– even with the ‘audio tour’ included! Puzzling?

I propose this photo (of what was available) is more influential modernist art– in its composition & visual summary:

Artists seem to come & go here…this is what happened to a coffee shop that massively supported a former local American Idol contestant– now a comic book shop:

…located right next to this bookstore…

Conclusion:

Blacklists are unofficial by nature. This artist has lived (& worked) in Mount Dora, FL for 20+ years, and has never been offered a paying venue to perform– while this garbage (shown above) is unlimitedly funded & ceaselessly promoted. Real artists can’t compete against this, and can only expose it for what it is at its bottom– corruption. If people want better, they must start demanding it and making preparations to take charge of it. Until then, the philistines own it and cultural degradation rules the day.

So keep all this (& more) in mind as you walk or drive though quaint & ‘historic’ Mount Dora, while remembering that Segways (instead of pedestrians) ALWAYS have the right-of-way:

This isn’t The Villages, you know? [1]

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The Last Olympics & the Last U.S. Election

Posted on March 31, 2016 by admin

The 2016 Olympics are to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August. They will be held up to the world as a beacon of peace & camaraderie, in of a backdrop of poverty & squalor. These should be considered the ‘Last Olympics’– and here is why. Nothing in human civilization will ever be the same after this year. These obscene levels of social inequality will soon come to a head and violently burst onto everyone’s lives. It will appear on television screens broadcasting these Olympic games (and political conventions) which pretend that reality isn’t real, and that this grand charade can continue indefinitely. It can’t and won’t, because it’s now too real and too in-your-face to ignore. The levels of corruption (which are killing all of us) are willfully ignored– so a tiny few can be billionaires & play god. Capitalism is now a system which can no longer sustain itself.

The politicking involved in keeping Russian athletes out of international competition– through targeted doping testing, has reached a new level of corruption with the Maria Sharapova ‘provisional suspension’; which denies her (and other athletes like her) basic rights such as a fair & speedy trial. [1] The institution of the Olympics is now entirely in question, from those who organize, run, and profit from the games; to all those who compete in them. From bribery & favoritism among its officials, to rampant PED use among its competitors (from all nations); the Olympic games now reek of dirty money, corruption and cheating– even to the most casual sports fan. [2]

Speaking of Russia, the first great socialist revolution in human history happened there in November 1917. The infant U.S.S.R. was still a poor and backwards nation, bled white by a World War and then a cruel civil war. Its leadership died (Lenin), and then was purged (Trotsky); ossifying into Stalinism by the late 1920’s. This historical stillbirth existed for 74 years, until it collapsed back into capitalism (to the complete surprise of every bourgeois intellectual), in December of 1991. Trotsky (the last classical Marxist) had predicted & discussed this eventuality in 1936, in The Revolution Betrayed.

The next great socialist revolution will happen in our lifetimes. It will start in the U.S., and then spread globally in permanence. Capitalism will collapse with a sudden cardiac arrest of it’s leadership, as the working people (and the soldiers that make up all the military forces) will march en mass on the final bunkers of Langley, NORAD, the Pentagon & White House… They will seize Wall Street, the Fed, and all the banks & corporations… The media will be overrun and reprogrammed to tell the truth and expose the real class enemies of the working people, so they can be mercilessly hunted down and brought to justice in chains– if they don’t kill themselves first. This is the only endgame for humanity’s survival.

As this is the last U.S. election before a certain civil war (and possible world war), preparations must be made by the working people– in the form of education & militancy. A reliable revolutionary organization must be built. The Republican party will not stand idly by, if defeated on November 8. They will simply regather themselves and whip up their base in preparation for a military brass/ CIA-led right-wing coup. If the Republicans do manage to win (or steal) the November election, fascism becomes a near certainty.

Any political party that unleashes Donald Trump on the people, then begs their electorate to save them from themselves, needs to be forever removed (by the working people) from the arena of political leadership. Trump & his right-wing fascist base must be ruthlessly exposed and physically confronted when necessary, as they will never back down to reasonable words alone.

The greater challenge to revolutionary socialism in the U.S. will be the Democratic party, which still deceives too many who have some (but not nearly enough) brains. They are now the party of business-as-usual, represented by Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders is nothing more than a figment of limited imagination & ability. His purpose to the Democrats is to provide left-wing cover to a party that controls the workers through mafia-enforced unions & identity politics; both of which are thoroughly corrupt and beyond any reform.

When liberalism collapses, it collaborates with the jackboot of fascism for its own protection, forever remaining the historical class enemy of working people. History & human civilization won’t escape the writings of Karl Marx & Leon Trotsky; we will either socialize or annihilate ourselves.

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Extra credit reading on the subject– published 3-31-16 @ wsws.org

War: The great unmentionable in the 2016 US elections [3]

Republican Party crisis deepens as candidates renege on “loyalty” pledge [4]

The political economy of endless austerity [5]

Why Does Danica Patrick Wreck So Often in NASCAR?

Posted on March 24, 2016 by admin

Danica Patrick raced full-time IndyCar from 2005-11, and holds the all-time record for most consecutive finished races in that series. Her mark of 50 consecutive finishes without a DNF, shattered the old IndyCar record of 32– and still stands. She was long ago recognized at the highest levels of competitive auto racing as a safe, fair & competitive driver. [1]

In 2012, Danica began racing in NASCAR, and has run full-time in its Sprint Cup series since 2013. In her NASCAR career of 123 races (as of this writing), she has 17 DNF’s– for an alarming rate of 13.8%. A check of the numbers in 2014, showed she was by far the most wrecked-DNF driver in NASCAR. [2]

Another NASCAR review in 2015 showed Patrick to have the 7th-highest crash rate, among all drivers with at least 15 starts. This study included all crashes, even those that did not produce DNF’s. [3]

This leads to the questions– why does Danica Patrick crash so much, and who’s at fault? Video analysis will be used to group Danica Patrick’s DNF-crashes into two categories: 1) her fault; 2) not her fault. Furthermore, wrecks which weren’t her fault will be divided into two types: A) wrecked unintentionally, which is racing luck; or B) wrecked intentionally, which implies being repeatedly targeted.

Accidents that were Danica Patrick’s fault

This is Danica Patrick in Kansas in 2012, her rookie NASCAR season. The video title is fairly accurate, and #83 Landon Cassill does a phenomenal job not wrecking, while Patrick fails to use her brakes well enough to maintain control– and that’s how the announcers call it:

A year later at Kansas in 2013, Patrick ‘got loose’ in the middle of the track and crashed on the first lap. Needless to say this was probably the worst performance of her professional career:

At Pocono in 2013, Patrick got too loose and wrecked herself and a few others. For the record, she owned it in the interview afterwards:

At Michigan in 2014, Danica Patrick got loose, lost control & spun out, causing this accident. It was clearly her fault, and all of NASCAR enjoyed pointing it out:

At Martinsville in 2015 Danica Patrick, who had gotten run up the track by #38 David Gilliland earlier in the race, attempted to retaliate with the same move, but ended up wrecking herself. What then ensued is best described as children acting badly in cars [4] :

At Darlington 2015, Patrick got too loose and wrecked herself. She owned it in the interview:

At the 2016 Daytona 500, Patrick tried too late to squeeze #16 Greg Biffle, who had the pass. She ended up wrecking herself instead. Patrick took responsibility:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0_6uM4GBAc

That’s a total of seven wrecks that were clearly her fault, in 123 NASCAR starts, for a 5.7% rate– which is less than half of her 13.8% total crash rate.

Unintentional wrecks of Danica Patrick

At the 2014 Daytona 500, #33 Brian Scott bumps #43 Aric Almirola, who hits the outside wall and then caroms back across the track into several cars including Patrick, who loses control and hits the outside wall very hard. No one should question Danica Patrick’s toughness after seeing this:

At Charlotte 2014, Patrick is caught up in the wash, and there’s nothing she can do. Her comments on the radio are illuminating:
Danica Patrick [at around 50 seconds in the video]: “Idiots! I mean really, who the hell did not see that coming?”
Her spotter: “A lot of them, about five people behind you.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TCWVBtnYuk

Speaking of stupid– blame for this massive and dangerous wreck at Talladega in 2013 was mostly on NASCAR, and the drivers let their fans know it in the post-race interviews. They clearly shouldn’t have been racing in such conditions, and drivers should NEVER try to go ‘4-wide’ when it’s dark & rainy. Patrick didn’t appear to get clipped (as she claimed), but one can clearly see her trying to avoid a car (on fire) careening towards her. Outside of that, her post-race summary (confirmed by others) was fair, for which the rednecks now hate her even more:

Hardcore NASCAR fans don’t even like to acknowledge this incident, which happened in Kentucky in 2015; when #88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rammed Danica Patrick from behind, wrecking her. NASCAR’s biggest hero later admitted he was “driving too hard with no brakes.” This one was borderline, but Dale Jr. is a great champion– so he gets the benefit of the doubt here:

These four accidents are ‘racing luck wrecks’ which happen, and no one could reasonably expect Danica Patrick to avoid them.

Intentional wrecks of Danica Patrick

At the 2012 Gatorade Duel #1, the replay around 2:00 shows Aric Almirola in the #43 car (Richard Petty team) sliding down and wiping Danica Patrick off the track– on the final lap. This was a HARD crash, that could have caused serious injury or worse. Patrick shows elite driving skills by letting go of the steering wheel before impact with the inner wall, avoiding breaking her wrists:

I love the title of this next video, which was obviously posted by a Danica Patrick hater. At Charlotte 2014, #22 Joey Logano clearly has plenty of room to go below, but chooses to run her into the wall instead. Classic NASCAR style:

As a bonus in 2015, Danica Patrick was wrecked in practice, qualifying for the Daytona 500– by #11 Denny Hamlin:

Shortly after, she was wrecked in the 2015 Budweiser Duel– by Denny Hamlin again. The video around 30 seconds is definitive:

Update 4-16-16 @ Bristol More Denny Hamlin stupidity…during practice! How are Danica Patrick and her SHR team supposed to set up a decent race car, when this keeps happening? Note to #11 car: that’s not how you’re supposed to pass a much slower car. Why didn’t Hamlin just duck under and blow her doors off, instead of crawling up on her ass? To ask the question is to answer it.

At Martinsville in 2014, #78 Martin Truex, Jr. slides up the track in the turn– wrecking Danica Patrick. Pretty cut & dried video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjeYj5BKLew

Regan Smith crashes Danica Patrick at Bristol in 2012. Pay attention at around 50 seconds into the video, to see #78 Regan Smith slide up in the turn and clip Patrick’s left rear– sending her into the wall. “That’s unfortunate” is the color commentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_nwOEONs6Y

Here’s Danica Patrick getting wrecked the year before in Bristol, by #99 Carl Edwards, who admits it’s his fault. Danica Patrick’s radio man says to her, “just one of those things.”

Fontana 2016 is the most recent of her wrecks, and was clearly intentional– as # 5 Kasey Kahne dug into Patrick’s right rear quarter-panel, and sent her into the wall and then airborne, in this violent crash. Kahne should have been black-flagged, and suspended for at least several races. Instead, the post-race chatter from NASCAR was whether Danica Patrick would be fined for going out onto the track– which is now prohibited [Update 3-25-16– she was fined $20,000 by NASCAR]. That wreck could have killed her, and you can hear it in her voice when she asks her spotter if it is safe for her to get out of the car– after it comes to rest:

That’s seven wrecks (plus another one in qualifying) where she was deliberately taken out by another driver. Furthermore, these intentional wrecks have been the most violent & dangerous of her crashes.

Final thoughts

Danica Patrick and her fans have been told over & over by NASCAR to “get over it.” It is no secret that Danica Patrick has gotten jerked around by her Stewart-Haas Racing team. [5]

NASCAR has been too reckless for too long, and now it seems intent on pushing out its biggest icon. Surely, #88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the biggest name in NASCAR today, but #10 Danica Patrick is the superstar who (in many ways) transcends the sport– much to the disdain of its hardcore base.

There are plenty of good ‘ol boys who love to see her wrecked, and they can barely contain their glee when it happens.

This flows all the way up to NASCAR’s biggest names, including Richard Petty and his son Kyle.

Kyle Petty was a third-generation NASCAR driver who, despite having every advantage coming with his family name– had only 8 wins in 829 career starts, a win rate of <1%, which is comparable to Patrick’s career. Both Petty’s have been her biggest critics, and below is a sample of Kyle’s blather; which ignores all evidence that Danica Patrick is too often being intentionally wrecked, making it impossible for her to fairly compete in NASCAR.

Many of Danica Patrick’s fans are very new to NASCAR, and therefore don’t understand how to respond to her critics. This confusion allows hateful drivers to wreck her at will, which could help explain why she never wins, and rarely gets a top-10 finish.

Danica Patrick will probably never win a NASCAR race. She is now turning 34, and past her athletic prime. Besides, racing is a team sport and Danica Patrick isn’t getting enough help from her team– or her fans. On top of all that, she being disrespected by too many other drivers, the powers-that-be & the culture of NASCAR. Those are tough odds for anyone to beat.

It’s worthwhile to note that #24 Jeff Gordon and #48 Jimmie Johnson are the best drivers of this NASCAR era, and they have never tried to wreck #10 Danica Patrick. Patrick’s fans would be well-advised to stop exhorting her for wins, and start paying more attention to her safety.

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(3-25-16) Danica Patrick Horoscope: Birthdays comes once a year. Daily rebirth is a lifetime challenge in self-improvement. Rediscover your musicality by taking up the pan flute.