Beauty, Athletics & Revolution

Posted on May 30, 2018 by admin

Introduction: This piece was intended as a one-off, but turned into a serial– due to circumstances. Once again, I injected myself into the narrative, and dominated discussion through persuasive & convincing analysis of the facts. In the end it got ugly, as it’s the money that turns beauty into disgrace.

There is a shift in how retiring from professional sports is viewed, and the reason is women. That’s exciting in itself, because there is no better reason. There are now female athletes who are international superstars, and that never existed in numbers before. What began in US Women’s Soccer during World Cup 1999, was the beginning of a cultural change in sports. More young girls play sports, and play seriously- which I know is an oxymoron.

The point is women now command a place in televised sports, and they certainly have owned social media since its inception. This is a powerful coalescence of nature & technology. Glamorous superstars such as Danica Patrick, Maria Sharapova, Serena & Venus Williams have marketing power that will endure long after they leave their sports.

Take Maria Sharapova, who two years ago was banned from professional tennis for taking meldonium, which had just been quietly outlawed by the WTA & WADA. She lost all her sponsors overnight, and was vilified in the media for months.

Until her return over a year-and-a half later at the US Open in 2017, where she was the lead story of the tournament. Few remember that Sloane Stephens actually won the tournament on the women’s side, because it’s all about marketing power & appeal for the women. We ask women athletes to always be ravishing, smiling, gracious & victorious– in that order. That’s all we ask.

Staying with women’s tennis, the French Open has advanced to the second round as of this publication. The story of this tournament is the return of Serena Williams, after a year-and-a-half absence– due to giving birth and ensuing medical complications. The expectations for her are different now at age 36, as even she realizes winning the tournament is probably not possible, and motherhood is her priority.

But she’s a great champion, and that mentality says as long as you can stand on two legs and hold a racket, then compete in the Majors until retiring. So it’s a situation where she’s no longer the overwhelming favorite to win, but instead the fan favorite. Women have options available to them, that men don’t, simply due to biology. This is revolutionary in that it’s changing the rules for the athletes transitioning into retirement & their new lives. Male athletes will eventually adapt and catch up, due to their competitive nature.

Danica Patrick is a most-recent example of this phenomena of which I speak. The racing icon crashed out of the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend, which was her final race. Her last several seasons in NASCAR were painful for her and her fans. She was repeatedly, intentionally & viciously wrecked. But does her lack of winning results on the track affect her popularity or appeal? Not in the least. This woman will be in demand for a long time. Consider what I posted 5-29-18 on Facebook, concerning Danica Patrick and this phenomena:

I am being blocked, censored & blacklisted by the government-military-intelligence-corporate complex; yet “Why Does Danica Patrick Wreck So Often In NASCAR?” went viral- again. Everyone is looking for perspective now that she is retired, and this piece hits the mark. I don’t bother to edit it, even though some of the YouTube videos have been taken down. In its own way, that is confirmation on the points I made, as the haters who own the videos don’t want it used against their Danica-hating agenda.

I wrote this piece because I didn’t want to see her get killed. I believe this went a long ways towards educating fans on what was going on, which protected her from the haters who were having their way for the longest time. ESPN was clueless on Danica Patrick’s NASCAR run, until this was published. This piece resonates because people get emotional about beautiful women. People (myself included) get very angry at haters who have no respect.

I can only thank Danica Patrick (whom I’ve never met), for exposing me to so many people!

I’ve said this before, and I’ll repeat it again, as it is really important to understand: beautiful women rule the world. Everyone wants love, so beautiful women own all the straight men & the lesbians. The gay men must follow, because these women capture all the men. The less beautiful & older women are always jealous, but follow just the same. There is nothing else.

So women are figuring out new ways to leave their athletic careers, and still be relevant in the world. I see this leading into exciting new directions in the post-career health of professional athletes. For too long, sports has been solely the domain of men, who left their games crippled & concussed. Thus they were discarded, because they no longer had use value.

Men will have to learn to temper their competitive instincts better, especially in the second-halves of their careers, to reap these benefits that women are claiming. Fans can usually forgive transgressions of youth, but they expect champions (in particular), to learn how to behave and be gracious in victory, as well as defeat.

Fans also are tired of the doping, and the lying & manipulations that allow them to get away with it– for a time. These obsessive & unhealthy practices never endear athletes to sports fans. PED use always ends in shame & injuries, with ensuing medical complications; yet there is still a group of holdout jocks that insist they are correct. They always hide their illicit immorality, and that’s why their dangerous myths must be exposed.

Today, more than ever, the fan/celebrity relationship is an interactive one. When fans & athletes are correctly understanding all these issues, sports becomes more watchable & less cynical. The reporting & commenting becomes more nuanced & informative. Everyone has more fun.

We as a society value women differently, for better & worse. The better part is they have the power to move in their own direction and make everyone follow. If it’s a good direction, then everyone (men included) benefit from their gains. That is the revolutionary power & potential of women is sports today. We choose to move in this direction when we give these pioneers our support.

Postscript– 2018 French Open, 3rd & 4th Round:

Posted June 3, 2018 on Fakebook:

Venus & Serena Williams lost their doubles match today at Roland-Garros 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-0. After Serena won her 3rd-Round match yesterday, she could have bailed on doubles to save herself for Maria Sharapova on Monday– but she didn’t. Serena Williams played because you don’t leave your sister (and fans) hanging, and that marks a great champion with integrity.

Posted June 4, 2018:

Update June 5, 2018 (11:30 AM ET):

Serena Williams is getting an MRI on her torn chest muscles today. The mismanagement of Serena’s health post-partum, has been scandalous from a fan perspective. When she lost badly on the hard-courts earlier this year, Serena and her camp were forced to admit that she had “tried to come back too soon.” Now she tears her pectoral muscle after a last-minute decision to play in the French Open, but no one will step-up and admit she came back too soon– again!

Serena Williams’ “comeback” has been aborted by short-sighted ignorance in sports medicine. It’s time for everyone involved here, to wake up & look at reality with an objective eye. Serena’s drop in serve velocity from 110 MPH to 80 MPH was the most damning red flag that was ignored.

As Serena’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou has a responsibility to protect her from abuse. The serve in tennis is the same motion as pitching a baseball. Dodgers ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw just went on the DL after pitching in a game where his fastball dropped nearly 5% from its normal velocity. Serena Williams’ serve dropped nearly 30%, yet she was left in her doubles match, with tape [!] over her torn pectoral muscle.

It was Mouratoglou who was pushing this French Open return for Serena from the start, when she was nowhere near ready. Whether she could have made a real comeback later will be debated among sports fans, you can bet.

Injuries are now stacking up on Serena Williams, and all their “plans” have only made things worse. There are entirely too many people in the Williams’ camp that are vicariously living their dreams of sports glory through her. What a shame.

If this is the end for Serena Williams’ professional career, then she at least died a warrior’s death. The greatest women’s tennis player had to retire to Maria Sharapova. Isn’t it ironic…?

Since I’m covering the French Open, here are my thoughts on the men’s side, and how champions separate themselves. First, I predict Rafa Nadal will win his 11th French Open title [!] this week.That is an unbreakable record to which he keeps adding. It is the story every year at Roland-Garros. Only injuries (& Novak Djokovic’s brilliant run) interrupted his accumulation of French Open titles. Simply amazing.

Secondly, tennis fans may have noticed that Roger Federer isn’t in this tournament. Why? Because he knows he can’t win it, and trying to only hurts his chances at Wimbledon, which is a tournament he can win.

The grind of winning the French Open at his advanced age pretty much takes Rafa Nadal out of contention at Wimbledon, so in essence they concede these Majors to each other, and play the hard-courts straight up, where Federer is the better player. This intelligence of Roger Federer in managing his career on the back-end is what separates him from the rest of the champions– IMO.

Update June 6, 2018 ~8:00 PM (ET):

On Monday (6/4), upon finding out just before her long-anticipated match with Serena Williams that she had withdrawn due to injury, Maria Sharapova released this statement: “I was looking forward to my match against Serena today and am disappointed that she had to withdraw. I wish her a speedy recovery and hope she returns to the tour soon.”

Earlier today (6/6) Maria Sharapova looked lethargic & out-of-rhythm, as she lost badly in her quarterfinal match to Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-1. In her press conference afterwards she was asked by ESPN press to respond to Serena Williams’ claims that her autobiography Unstoppable (2017) was “100% hearsay”. Sharapova replied, “I think it would be strange for me not to include someone that I have competed against for so many years … I think we played many matches. Some of those matches were very defining for me. It would be very strange, I think, if I didn’t write anything about her … When you’re writing an autobiography, I don’t think there is any reason to write anything that’s not true.”

Still no news on the results of Serena Williams’ MRI, despite her words to concerned fans on Tuesday (6/5) for continuous updates. ESPN ‘reporters’ Peter Bodo & Bonnie D. Ford keep writing hatchet pieces on Sharapova, while covering for Serena. This “Great Comeback” which they had been hyping has collapsed before everyone’s eyes, as this turned out to be the end. No one saw this coming, as even I was surprised when it happened. I have called it frame-by-frame, and am (again) hated for it– by corporate-propaganda interests.

Serena Williams is tied not only to the American sports machinery, but also to the reactionary Black Lives Matter & #MeToo campaigns. I’ve exposed their selfishness, corruption & lack of transparency. Therefore, I’m censored. Bitch factor has definitely been turned up. You didn’t think it just went away, did you?

I don’t expect a significant announcement on Serena’s medical condition anytime soon. She’s been allowed to play this game of lies & deception in the media for so long, why stop now? Her fans are pawns to be manipulated in her view. This is also unprofessional & disrespectful to her colleagues, who are being overshadowed on-the-court by all of Serena’s retirement drama. She can’t let go, and selfishly only considers her perspective. The fans have been educated here, and she’s losing much of her clout. That’s what happens when you lie to me.

Update June 9 (Saturday) ~ Noon ET– French Open Wrap-up:

Top-seeded Simona Halep from Romania, defeated Sloane Stephens in the finals: 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Halep was the dominant player on the women’s side this year at Roland-Garros. She beat Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals, and Garbine Muguguza (handily) in the semis. It’s Simona Halep’s 1st Grand Slam title, and it was impressive. Halep is age 26, and Stephens age 25; which means both are near their peak. The next great women’s tennis player in the “post-Williams’ sisters” era is still an unknown teenager.

Rafa Nadal will face 24-year old Austrian Dominic Theim on Sunday. Nadal has won 16 Grand Slam titles already, going for his 11th French Open title. Theim has none. Everyone expects Nadal to win in straight sets, four at the most.

Final notes:

Still no injury update from Serena Williams. I called that. At this point she can’t say anything, as the finals are in progress, and it’s really bad form to call a press conference now. Eventually she’ll have to do just that, as Wimbledon is just around the corner– July 2-15 in London, UK. Serena Williams has won there 7 times, and as recently as 2016, so surely she will get a wild-card entry. The problem is she went from ~ 50-60% entering the French Open; to 0% now. If she continues to delay the inevitable retirement announcement, her fans will just move on without her. That’s how the world works. Fans would love to see her & Venus retire together, and it’s time. Venus turns 38 on June 17, and (IMO) doesn’t get enough love, so Happy Birthday Venus!!

Thoughts on Wimbledon: The location of this tournament should give pause for all of us to reflect on (and speak in behalf of) a man who has been incarcerated in the Ecuadorian embassy for the past seven-and-a-half years. It’s a lot more important than what happens on any tennis court.

Pre-Wimbledon Update– June 28, 2018:

Re: Serena Williams seeded No. 25 for Wimbledon / ESPN

Did Serena Williams tank her last set of doubles with her sister Venus at the French Open (6-0), so she could over-inflate an “injury,” that allowed her an excuse to duck her long-anticipated match with Maria Sharapova?

On June 4, 2018 Serena Williams withdrew from her scheduled match against Maria Sharapova in the 4th round of the French Open. She cited a “torn pectoral muscle” and claimed she couldn’t even lift her arm to serve. She said she was getting an MRI immediately, and would reveal the those results to the media & her fans, whom she wanted to keep “totally updated.” Serena Williams never updated any of this, but instead went into hiding. Now, she has claims to have miraculously recovered from an injury that normally requires months to heal, and says she’s ready for Wimbledon on July 2– with her seeding which she all but demanded. Dominika Cibulkova, who is ranked No. 32, but is now is unseeded, is absolutely correct in her comments.

Serena Williams is the greatest women’s tennis player ever, and therefore always deserves a Wild Card entry into any tournament she wants to play. That is the privilege she has earned, and the ONLY privilege a player can earn. Manipulating seedings to accommodate an ego is enabling. There’s a lot of enabling going on here.

Sports are supposed to be about fair competition, and this is the line. ESPN works with Serena Williams (and her handlers) to fudge this line, which is unfair to every other competitor. This deserves a deeper, up-close investigative article, which will never happen on ESPN. The only fair solution for Wimbledon (at this point) is for #25 seed Serena Williams to magically “draw” Dominika Cibulkova in the 1st Round, so they can slug it out. I don’t expect that to happen either.

July 1, 2018 4:00 PM:

An Anti-Doping Agent Occupied Serena Williams’s Property And Everyone Is Being Squirrelly About It

By Laura Wagner Deadspin.com

ESPN has now posted their summary to Deadspin’s above bombshell that has hit the Internet earlier today. It’s really hard to know what’s going on here? Serena Williams claims she’s been disproportionately over-tested, but Roger Federer says there should be more testing for everybody. That’s NOT a statement of support from Federer for Serena, as ESPN tries to insinuate. Media manipulation is a very subtle science. New facts will come to light, that will expose sordid machinations.

The real questions include: Was Serena at home when the tester arrived? Was she spotted by the tester? If “Yes,” then the tester would be correct to insist on administering the test. These are professionals, not clowns, and their time is valuable. Note: A guilty PED-user that needed the extra 12 hours for a PED to clear their system would be motivated refuse the test.

Serena Williams keeps trying to play a double-game with the media and her fans. WADA isn’t allowed to comment on anything, due to patient privacy issues. In other words, the tester (doctor) isn’t allowed to speak— due to HIPPA. Serena Williams is allowed to speak all she wants, yet offers no facts as to what happened. She only insinuates that her privacy has been invaded.

What I do is called LieSpotting, and it totally [!] works when you know the tells to look & listen for. Stay tuned!!

Monday– July 2, 2018 ~ 12:30 ET:

The above-referenced Deadspin article that revealed this story to the public was published on June 27, and it concerns an unannounced USADA drug test at Serena Williams’ residence in Florida. An official showed up to test Williams at 8:30 a.m on June 14. Evidentially, there was a standoff, and the test was NOT administered.

No explanation of what actually happened has been given. Only Serena Williams has the right to reveal what happened, due to patient privacy. When she asks (out loud) for answers in the media, she is deflecting. She knows no one can answer. WADA can’t say, her camp is loyal to her, and ESPN is in her pocket. I’m fighting all this lying machinery with only the truth and my resourcefulness.

The thing that blew this open was a fan in the San Francisco airport, who overheard Steve Simon talking to Serena Williams (and others), concerning this matter on June 14. Simon (photo below) is a top handler in the Williams’ camp, although the witness didn’t know it at the time. A summary of this conversation was emailed to Deadspin, where basic facts were checked & confirmed.

The story written by Laura Wagner, and published as a defense of Serena. Expect no less from the pseudo-left, as Wagner’s contortions to exonerate Serena Williams are torturous. For instance, Laura Wagner is okay with TUE-doping, because it “doesn’t break any rules.” It asks no important questions, such as: “Where exactly was Serena when the tester arrived?” Laura Wagner is a fanatical #MeToo-er, you can tell.

The only revolutionary content in the article are the facts supplied by the tipster. But that in itself is all that’s needed, as fans are now smart enough to figure this stuff out. Fact: Serena Williams refused a USADA drug test on the morning of June 14, 2018. That fact is now in the public domain, which ESPN and the Williams camp don’t want. This is how their narrative can get overwhelmed by the facts and truth, which threatens imminent collapse & ignominy. Only drug cheats refuse testing, then complain about being unfairly targeted & harassed. Only self-interested enablers defend them.

Two years ago, Maria Sharapova was finally sentenced and banned from professional tennis for 15 months, over her meldonium use during the Australian Open in January 2016. Sharapova never denied her usage, only insisting she was unaware that it had just been put on the banned list. She cited compelling evidence that this ban was hidden from her. This writer was the first to publicly suggest that she was set up, for political reasons.

The take-home points are: 1) Sharapova never denied anything, and 2) Meldonium has minimal (if any) boost effect, there are many, many far more dangerous drugs that athletes use regularly. If drug testing is about ethics and preventing athletes from gaining an unfair advantage, then the Sharapova case was a complete fraud from the start. This refusal to be tested by Serena Williams, only further vindicates everything I’ve written on this.

Monday ~4:00 PM ET

Serena Williams wins her Wimbledon return ESPN news Services 2:09 PM

Serena Williams defeated #107 in the world Arantxa Rus 7-5, 6-3. Her “torn pectoral muscle” doesn’t seem to be an issue at all. I didn’t watch the match, but the video of match point shows how beatable Serena is now. Her serve doesn’t pop like it used to, and her footwork is sluggish. The first seasoned opponent who can actually hit will beat her. Take the word of an expert.

Interestingly, no mention in the write-up of Serena Williams’ refusal to be tested at her residence on the morning of June 14, 2018. If it was Maria Sharapova under these circumstances, it would be an ESPN-led media frenzy– for sure! Can anyone explain this hypocrisy?

Final points on Sharapova: when the ban was supposedly lifted, she requested a Wild Card entry into the 2017 French Open & Wimbledon, as she didn’t have the time to accumulate ranking points, and is a past champion of both tournaments. She was denied this courtesy by both venues, which only proves they were in in the fix to ban her in the first place.

Maria Sharapova never complained about the biased refusals. She played her way back, and finally returned to a major at the 2017 US Open. Why does no one at ESPN respect that? It’s because these are the same propagandists who insist on fixing the seedings for Serena Williams. Sports at this level are big business & dirty politics.

Above is Serena Williams’ press conference after her 1st-round win. Note this interesting exchange which begins ~5:30 in the video.

Reporter: One question on testing, which we ran out of time for yesterday. You said you hope for everything to be equal. Do you feel like you are being unfairly targeted by testing? And if so, why do you think?

Serena: I’m in the same position as you guys [reporters who are asking questions], I really want answers [as to why I’m tested so much]. I think it’s a question they [USADA] have to answer. I’m just as curious as you are at his point.

Reporter: You don’t feel like you have answers at this point?

Serena: I don’t have any answers. I’m in the middle of Wimbledon. I think if it wasn’t Wimbledon, I would pursue answers, you know? Just to understand better, but uh… yeah, right now I’m just focused on this.

Tuesday July 3, 2018 ~10:00 AM ET

When you are blacklisted, you become the proverbial “Ghost in the Machine” to your government-corporate enemies. The establishment can’t directly fight you in public forums, because they won’t acknowledge you– due to their blacklist. This complete freedom of action (without fear of public retribution– because you’re already blacklisted) is the dialectical rub.

Tuesday ~1:30 PM:

I just checked the ESPN/Tennis page, and there is no longer any place for me to click to the comments section [!]. This goes for all other sports too. It just reads, “SPONSORED HEADLINES.” I’m not quite sure if this is for everyone, if it’s just temporary, or if I’m being banned. I have my suspicions, as I’ve seen this before. I’ve already been banned from commenting at MLB.com, since my prominent role in exposing the “Shohei Ohtani Affair.” If you don’t see me in the ESPN comments section for Wimbledon anymore, then you’ll know what happened.

Too many fans were reading my comments, and coming to the “wrong” conclusions– in the eyes of ESPN. My comments are always top-rated and eagerly read, as they provide insight & analysis that no one else provides. I can take anyone with above-average intelligence from clueless-to-well-understood on any sports situation in two paragraphs, or less. That’s power. The people who advocate for censorship are cowards.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 ~8:00 AM

I’ve definitely been blacklisted from ESPN.com. The above screenshot (taken this morning) shows you what I’m seeing. There is no place to click into the comments section– only SPONSORED HEADLINES. This targeted ban has been achieved in partnership with Facebook, who are leading experts at censoring & manipulating social media.

I’m sure the Serena Williams’ camp & ESPN felt “harassed,” or whatever by my pointed comments & questions. Whatever reasons they may (eventually) claim, it’s simply idealist nonsense from a snowflake, and her enablers who control the corporate media. This is America, and on Independence Day people are supposed to be celebrating hard-won freedoms, which include exercising their freedom of speech.

In March 2016, ESPN/W (ESPN for Women) killed it’s comments section, due to backlash from fans who flamed its biased & incompetent writing. It seems their right-wing feminist style of sports reporting wasn’t popular with anybody. The puff-piece “writers” at ESPN/W demanded censorship, so they don’t have to worry about negative feedback– which is “online bullying” in their eyes. Others view this commenting gag as fascist intolerance of dissent. You decide.

This is the precarious state of everything in America on July 4, 2018. These charlatans who wrap themselves in the flag and proclaim to be role models for the rest of us, are nothing but lying, yellow-bellied cheats. They can pull a few strings, to gain a temporary respite, but eventually they will be brought down with the rest of this bureaucratic capitalist scum. Facts and the truth are stubborn things.

Wednesday July, 4 ~11:00 AM ET

I’m just back from some ambidextrous tennis, and ready for the day’s action at Wimbledon. How do I feel about being banned from ESPN’s forums, you ask? I expected it. Like I said yesterday, right before this ban went into effect, I’ve seen this before. RicSize.com is the most heavily censored artist website on the Internet, and probably only 2nd-overall to the World Socialist Web Site– wsws.org.

My site came online in January 2012. The proliferation of pseudo-left sites that began in that time period was very much a reaction to my site. The increasing activity and media presence of these philistine bloggers is an indirect response to my growing influence as an artist. Marxist aren’t allowed into the discussion– that’s Rule #1 in bourgeois culture. The reason is, Marxism is correct; and the truth can be highly influential & motivating…

So what do I do now? I don’t worry about it, as I know I won this battle. ESPN has all-but-conceded they can’t match me in an open forum, so now I’m shut out. It’s ESPN who has the problem. As I also mentioned yesterday, I was [!] a top-rated commenter at ESPN, which drives interest & advertising. Without me in there dropping astute wisdom at just the right moment, the number of clicks goes way down. Their interest level drops rapidly, as they “Don’t Get Excited.”

I can still write whatever I want and post on my site, so I haven’t been cut off. I have fans too, and they’re listening closely. Note: I could always use a few more, so please Share!!

I believe I actually have a few fans among the tennis professionals, whom I have made flattering comments towards, or spoke in their defense, etc. I’m sure they don’t want me to be banned from speaking about tennis, or anything else at ESPN.com. But the reality is I’m blacklisted at ESPN because one influential player (and her camp) demand it. It’s for the good of the game, we’re (sorta) told.

Take a close look and you will see that all the top athletes (in every sport) are gagged by their leagues or controlling organizations, and can’t speak their minds fully– on anything, really. This goes especially for hot-button topics including: standing for the national anthem, PED usage & testing, fixed officiating, owner-player revenue sharing, etc. I’ve spoken the truth too many times, and it’s reached the point where the advertising revenues I create for ESPN is not worth the backlash created by my content. That’s precisely when the ban begins.

This decision is political, business, and (probably) also personal for the ones who made it. My job is to be professional. I expose all this ugliness to everyone, as I’ve been on the cutting edge of this censorship for awhile now. Blacklisting happens to me first, because I’m the most dangerous to their interests.

As far as the content of what I’ve posted, the readers & fans have already absorbed it, which means it’s too late for a blacklist anyways. Once the facts and rationale are out there, it doesn’t go away. You can’t kill an idea. Tennis fans will take up this cause because my position is correct. Fans want the truth, and they aren’t getting it anywhere else, but here.

As for me, I’ve learned to approach these situations as liberating. I can now focus less on sports, because I know my job here is done for now. I kicked ass, and my humiliated opponents had to call off the game. No one covers sports the way I do. I make it relevant and exciting to read. I take the same approach to political economy, and that is how I tie everything together– like no one else.

Social media & the Internet are revolutionary tools because we can now reach-out-and-touch those who seem so far away. All these celebrities and their news organizations crave our input. They can’t get along with out it, so there is no avoiding us. This paradox will soon resolve itself in revolution.

Wednesday July 4, ~6:00 PM ET:

Today, Serena Williams moved into the third round with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Viktoriya Tomova, her 135th-ranked opponent. The #181-ranked Serena Williams is seeded 25th, and will face 62nd-ranked Kristina Mladenovic of France in the 3rd round. If you look at the initial draw, you can see (below) that things couldn’t have been set up nicer for Serena Williams if she had been given the #1 seed overall. She may go a long way before she has to play a world-class opponent at the All-England Club.

All of a sudden, I’ve gotten really bored with Wimbledon 2018– on the women’s side. This isn’t a tournament where the best players face off, but an exercise in manipulation & media enabling. Until there’s a breakthrough in truth-telling, or a new revelation that deserves commentary, I’m retiring on all this. I’m citing a torn pectoral muscle, which has made it very painful for me to type anymore. I really can’t type right now, and honestly can’t lift my arm over my head. I’m getting a MRI tomorrow, and I’ll keep you totally updated as to the results! Got that? Over & Out

…………<><><><><><><><>………..

Why We Loathe Kyle Busch

Posted on August 9, 2017 by admin

Kyle Busch drives the #18 car in NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup series. His team is Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), one of the top title contenders year-after-year. Through their manufacturer Toyota, JGR consistently fields some of the fastest cars on the grid, including (below) Kyle Busch’s #18.

Kyle Busch won the (then) Sprint Cup title in 2015, and is one of the winningest drivers remaining on the circuit. And yet so many racing fans dislike this guy and here is why?

These screenshots are all from 8-6-17 at Watkins Glen, NY– which is a road course. In the first shot below, we have an aerial view of #18 Kyle Busch and #2 Brad Keselowski spinning off the course.

There are only two road-course races per season in NASCAR Cup competition, and they are considered ‘wild card’ races, which means they get more heated than usual, as more drivers feel they can actually win this race.

Above is Kyle Busch screaming into his radio, blaming (and threatening) another driver after he himself caused the spin-out, by trying to pass where he shouldn’t have. Drivers can’t pass around the ‘bus stop’ at Watkins Glen, and everyone except Kyle Busch accepts this. But instead of being contrite, Kyle is mad.

Sidenote: The last time Kyle Busch tried to ‘kill’ a Penske driver after a race was here, a few months ago:

In this video (which is hilarious) Kyle Busch was again driving way too aggressively in the corners, pinning a competitor too far down until he spun out. Kyle Busch gets REALLY mad when the wreck he causes spins into him, and causes him to wreck instead!

Professionally, that looks really bad so immediately he flips into spin mode. Whenever he’s yelling at whomever on his radio, it’s all a bleep-show for ScanAll & NASCAR America. Kyle Busch is mad, get out of his way– he owns the road!!

Kyle Busch is actually the worst form of driver, and there are far too many of his imitators out on our public roadways. Joey Logano handled himself beautifully, and I honestly became a bit of a fan for #22 at his “None on me” comment. Also gotta love the ninja skills in action.

Back to Watkins Glen: Here is the dialogue between Kyle Busch and his crew chief (Adam Stevens), after the caution flag (which he caused) came out:

And here is Kyle Busch’s response:

Then the #18 spotter (Tony Hirschman) tries to settle his driver down, but Kyle Busch isn’t listening. As you can see below, the #18 is already into the #10 car on the re-start, as this conversation is happening…

…and there she goes again!!

If this was a serious racing series, the #18 car would be black-flagged as the race continues under green. Not a chance in NASCAR. In the earlier incident between Busch & Keselowski, the yellow flag was immediately thrown, even though both cars were able to get safely back onto the track. This is because both drivers are NASCAR favorites, and they can’t be allowed to lose valuable track position. There is no such concern for Danica Patrick as far as NASCAR goes, so it stays green as the field zooms by:

Here’s #10 car driver Danica Patrick’s initial response on the radio:

Then a more measured one:

Video is definitive evidence in NASCAR. Here’s the Fox Sports video from which these screenshots were taken.

Final thoughts: What’s the point of running against overgrown babies like Kyle Busch, who have superior cars and the freedom to wreck others? Kyle Busch insists on using dirty tactics whenever it suits him, then denies & blames others, knowing there will never be any serious repercussions from NASCAR. In fact it’s just the opposite, Kyle Busch is constantly promoted as one of NASCAR’s biggest stars.

Honestly, he’s just another reason to tune out.

Bristol Update (race held 8-19-17): Fans understand how much it helps Xfinity & their truck series to have star drivers like Kyle Busch competing in their races, they just aren’t THAT impressed when he clearly has the fastest car in the Cup event on Saturday night. “Crazy fast” was how another Cup team identified the #18 car on ScanAll/Radioactive. So how could minor-league drivers have a ghost of a chance against that package? Great sweep for him, but we’re just not as impressed as NASCAR die-hards & Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski was right, JGR has been sandbagging. We’re 2 races from the Chase, and it’s showing up for real now.

As far as who NASCAR should hitch their wagon to for the next 10 years or so, it’s age-25 Kyle Larson. Kyle Busch is age 32. NASCAR is getting younger, and Kyle Busch will start seeing more competition from “teammates” Erik Jones & Daniel Suarez, as JGR commits to youth in 2018. If Busch can’t help develop these youngsters into elite drivers (because he’s only concerned with his results), then he quickly becomes a liability to JGR. Slippage will start to show soon at his age, since NASCAR is now becoming more of a sport.

Those who “hate losing more than they love winning” are the biggest jerks, sucking the joy out of everything [1]. It’s what makes them the biggest losers in the end, and it’s why so many loathe Kyle Busch. Yes, he can drive, and he’s active at all levels which is good for NASCAR, I guess? We just don’t understand him taking bows after winning truck-series races, against up-and-coming drivers who know they can’t compete with his far superior equipment & driving experience. It’s shooting fish in a barrel, and sportsmen (& women) don’t respect that so much.

1. Haters, Step Aside - Ric Size

……………<><><><><><><>…………

NASCAR Wrecks Daytona 500

Posted on February 26, 2017 by admin

The carnage, madness, metal & humanity are all back, and NASCAR decided to tinker with its race format– starting with it’s Super Bowl. Bad idea. I’m writing this piece as the race concludes. I don’t care who wins, and neither to most racing fans at this point. When the race is still going, and many of the superstar drivers are personally feeding their social media, that ain’t good.

Facebook posted February 19 at 11:56am

NASCAR 2017 Monster Energy Cup Predictions:
1) The new staged-race format will not last into April, stupid idea.
2) The new rules on not being able to go into the garage and then back out on the track, etc… are great rules changes that will stick and lead to more safety improvements.
3) Danica Patrick will find another primary sponsor to compliment Aspen Dental/replace Nature’s Bakery, and she’ll get wrecked…

Kyle Busch #18 didn’t win the Daytona 500, after crashing out due to a Goodyear tire blowout. (Always mention the sponsors). But he did win the first ‘stage’ and play-off point– so congratulations, I suppose? I wonder if he’ll take pride in it?

Nature’s Bakery bailed as Danica’s Patrick’s primary sponsor for the #10 car a few weeks before Daytona, and is now trying to stiff her team (SHR) in court for $32M owed. Turns out, NB’s food isn’t so healthy, and neither are their business practices. The most popular driver in NASCAR had to hustle for a new primary, and proved she is still fast on her feet, by getting Aspen Dental to extend their commitment to “double digit” races.

There are 36 races in the season, and Tax Act sponsors three for her. That leaves her with a sponsorship gap, which will need to be filled during the season. Her car looked faster at Daytona today, until she was caught up in the huge stage-3 wreck pictured above. I had wondered if actually paying the bills would put more speed in her car, and I think it might. Imagine that?

My final fan comments on NASCAR’s 3-stage race format is that I only care who wins the third stage, and same goes for everyone else. Too many re-starts leads to too many multi-car crashes, like the one that obliterated stage 3. A race is supposed to have a rhythm to it, and this gimmick destroys it. NASCAR has mangled their Super Bowl.

#################################

Top Post-Race Driver Comments [1]:

Kyle Busch (38th): “I don’t know if it was a left rear that went down or the right that went down but man, tore up three JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) cars in one hit and also Jr. (Dale Earnhardt Jr.). So I feel bad, horrible, for those guys, but man, nothing that we did wrong. You know obviously Goodyear tires just aren’t very good at holding air. It’s very frustrating when we have that down here every single year we’ve been here. Last year we had it as well too. … Thankfully we have I guess a segment point you know out of this day. That’s a positive. But man, you’re trying to win the Daytona 500 here you know. It’s just so disappointing.”

Joey Logano (6th): “I just couldn’t get anyone to go for it at the end. Everyone was so conservative and I don’t understand why. We kept trying to go to the bottom and make a run down there and no one would go with us. We had three cars that kind of wanted to do it, but it’s a matter of getting the right run and getting the right cars behind us and we didn’t have enough of them and couldn’t get up to the lead pack. I don’t know why everyone was so conservative today. … It was crazy to say the least. Right after the last segment it was like everyone turned up the wick a little bit and at the end it was like it burned out.”

Kevin Harvick (22nd): “We just got some cars up there that didn’t need to be up there and wound up doing more than their car could do. … We had, I felt, the fastest car in the field and right in contention for both segments and then it’s all tore up and it came to an end. What do you do? … I think that’s the fastest car I’ve ever had here, so it’s kind of disappointing.”

Jimmie Johnson (34th): “That could have been avoided and it wasn’t called for. From the minute, I got off of Turn 2 on the entire back straightaway, I kept getting hit and the rear tires are off the ground. I know there is a lot of energy behind me in the pack, but I didn’t have a chance. I fought it the whole straightaway and finally got turned going into (Turn) 3. It’s very unfortunate. I hate it for Lowe’s. I hate it for Chevrolet. We’ll go to Atlanta next week and see what we can do there.”

Danica Patrick (33rd): “I don’t really know. I just know we were all three-wide and it looks like the 6 (Trevor Bayne) and 48 (Jimmie Johnson) had something happen. There was nowhere to go. They just kept coming and hitting me. … It was the funnest 500 I’ve ever had. Well, probably not 500, more like 300 or 250. It is a real shame. I feel like we could have been a contender at the end, for sure we could have been an influencer.”

###########################

Final Day-After Commentary:

I actually believe I have understated how much NASCAR has de-valued their product & alienated their fanbase. A MLB rules-change equivalent would be: instead of playing a nine-inning game for the win, they ‘improve’ it by making three-games-in-one: innings 1-3, 4-6, then the big finale 7-9. Each segment would award ‘win shares’ and ‘play-off points.’ It would be SO interesting and surely embraced by fans everywhere. Just watch this idea catch on, like ‘new’ Coke in the mid-1980’s.

Final NASCAR Notes 2-28-17:
NASCAR must fix this list to stop the hemorrhaging, and take advantage of the sport’s current growth potential. 1) Dump the segmented format, and go back to racin’. 2) Reduce the grid size to 30 maximum. There are simply too many drivers who aren’t good enough to be out there, trying to compete with top professionals. These minor-leaguers clog up the track, and create the majority of wrecks because they are in-over-their-heads, and at ~200 MPH– that’s some serious bleep. On a short-track such as Bristol, it’s impossible to have a decent race, because there’s just no room with only one good groove on the track and 40 cars jammed within 1/2 mile of each other at full speed. It reminisces your favorite interstate traffic jam at rush hour. 3) More road course races. This tests a broader range of driving skills and gives different teams competitive advantages, which is good for any sport. 4) Severe punishment for intentional wreckers. This means penalties that start with driver/team suspensions, up to banishment from the sport. Driver safety must be the priory, so NASCAR never has another Dale Earnhardt tragedy.

NASCAR is a private enterprise owned by the “Big Bill” France family. They take all revenue from NASCAR ticket sales, merchandising, concessions, television and other media. The drivers are paid purses & prize money from NASCAR, which doesn’t come close to paying the bills on a race car & its team. When it comes to the problems of NASCAR, the common denominator is always ownership. Until the fans & drivers unite against this monopoly of stupid self-interest, this sport will continue to wreck itself.

3-7-17: Atlanta Motor Speedway Wrap-up: The Monster Cup series points leader after two races is Kevin Harvick, who finished 22nd at Daytona and 9th at Atlanta. This points debacle is because of the new staged-race format. Racing fans are not intrigued by those battles for 8th, 9th & 10th at the end of stages 1 & 2, which now (too much) determine cup points. Adding false drama to a sport doesn’t make it better. Racing is about one winner, and then rewarding those who finished 2nd-on-down appropriately. The point is, you wait until the race is over to do it. So, where does the handing out a trophy for winning stage 1 (during the race!), rank in the all-time most-embarrassing NASCAR moments?

Final Danica Update: NASCAR is about being competitive on the 1.5-mile tracks, so Atlanta is the first true test of the season. Danica Patrick would have gotten lapped at the end of stage 1, if the race leader hadn’t been teammate Kevin Harvick, who eased off the gas and still cruised to the stage win. If a car doesn’t have the horsepower to stay on the lead lap on a 1.5 mile track, then it has no chance in ~30 of the 36 races. The only places a slower car can hang with the leaders are the super speedways (Daytona & Talladega– restrictor plate), and the two road-course races (Sonoma & Watkins Glen). This only means competing for a top-10, forget about winning.

Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has four teams. Kurt Busch’s #41 won the Daytona 500. Kevin Harvick’s #4 should have won in Atlanta. Clint Boyer’s #14 (replacing retired Tony Stewart) started 6th at Daytona (but was wrecked), and finished 11th at Atlanta. Three of the 4 SHR cars have speed to win. The fourth doesn’t even have the horsepower to stay on the lead lap. This is (again) the problem for the driver of the #10 car, who possesses one of the best overall skill-sets in NASCAR.

Over & Out

……….<><><><>……………

Shifting & Drifting: NASCAR Chase Nonsense

Posted on September 22, 2016 by admin

NASCAR kicked off it’s 2016 ‘Chase for the Cup’ at Chicagoland Speedway last weekend. The best promoter for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 was (as usual), a non-Chase driver:

The actual race was a microcosm of the entire 2016 NASCAR season, as Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota’s were the fastest cars in the field. Martin Truex, Jr. (#78) is not officially affiliated with JGR, but his Furniture Row Racing team receives plenty of support and he is considered a ‘5th driver’ for Gibbs Racing.

The story on Sunday was #78 dominance on the track, then its failing the post-race laser inspection station (LIS). The LIS measures tolerances for aerodynamics of the car body, which are set by NASCAR. Jimmie Johnson (#48 Hendricks Racing) also failed post-race LIS. Under the existing rules, as ‘P2’ penalty would have to have been enforced on both drivers, with the 10-point deduction being more severe for Johnson, who would have been in immediate danger of missing the next round of cuts in the Chase.

NASCAR couldn’t let that happen to one of their most-popular drivers, so it changed the rules (again) in the middle of the season to clear both Martin Truex, Jr & Jimmie Johnson. This is the final NASCAR penalty report from Chicagoland 2016:

As you can (or can’t) see, #16 Greg Biffle & #43 Aric Almirola (both non-Chase drivers) were assessed the severest sanctions, P3 penalties for a missing lug nut and a broken stud. Newly-modified rules on lug nuts are already being pushed to (and past) their limits by many teams. Six to eight cars are chosen at random for post-race inspection. How random, is anyone’s guess? If every car was inspected after every race, surely more than half wouldn’t pass an inspection at this point.

NASCAR just announced that it will change its post-race inspection penalty structure for infractions stemming from the LIS, eliminating the P2 and P3 levels for those violations. The P4 level for LIS infractions remains, and violations at this level will remain “encumbered.” NASCAR is the only sport I know that constantly changes its rules during its regular & play-off season. [1]

NASCAR defines the concept of an ‘encumbered victory,’ meaning a driver would keep the trophy but would lose the other benefits of a win, meaning it would not ensure advancement to the next round of the Chase. The idea is to discourage blatant infractions of the rules, but still allow cheating at a certain level. The drivers and their teams are already two steps ahead of this NASCAR rule-tweaking, you can be sure. [2]

Note that having the fastest car doesn’t make Truex the best driver. Not by a long-shot. Check out his performance in NASCAR ScanAll starting at 2:45. [3]

2:45: #78 Martin Truex Jr. (the fastest car all day) crawls up her ass and exclaims, “Get that (expletive) #10 car out of the way. I want the bottom.”
2:48: #10 Danica Patrick (at the top of the track, up against the wall) says to her spotter, “I give these guys the bottom lane and it just confuses them I think.”

She’s correct, and once again proven a better driver than the race winner (and current Chase leader); she just has no speed in her team or car. Typical NASCAR nonsense, and this is how some people feel about them and their HQ in Charlotte right now:

………………><><>><><><……………….

NASCAR’s All-Star ‘Shoot-Out’ & ‘Fan Vote’

Posted on May 21, 2016 by admin

Charlotte is now considered the NASCAR capital/headquarters, so their annual All-Star race is held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, built in 1959. Most drivers are positive about this 1.5 mile quad-oval track, although NASCAR’s new ‘low downforce’ package has turned each track into a new experience this season, so questions always remain.

It’s been raining on & off all weekend and the track is slick, so “if you’re tight, you’re gonna be tighter and if you’re loose, you’re gonna be looser.”

Fifteen past champions and top-winning drivers are automatically entered into the All-Star race, which fields only 20 cars– half the normal field. Here are their practice results for starting position:

This All-Star race has no ‘Cup points’ attached, but rewards $1,000,000 to the winner. NASCAR gets back to its ‘Chase for the Cup’ next weekend with the Coca-Cola 600, which runs at Charlotte Motor Speedway every Memorial Day weekend. This week is supposed to be the ‘relaxed’ weekend, although it’s filled with plenty of NASCAR promotional work for its top drivers.

The rest of the regular NASCAR field must qualify for the 5 remaining spots in a ‘shoot-out’ race, which this year is formatted as a 3-segmented race. Each segment winner earns a spot in the All-Star race. Also, the top two ‘fan vote’ winners get in. Danica Patrick’s clout assures her a spot, as the top vote-getter. Still, the fan vote winners aren’t announced by NASCAR until after the shoot-out qualifier, so Patrick must participate, even though everyone knows she’s easily an All-Star.

Chase Elliott narrowly loses the final shoot-out segment to Kyle Larsen. Then it is announced he (along with Patrick) have received a ‘fan vote’ spot. In fact, NASCAR announces that Chase Elliott was the ‘fan vote’ winner, with Danica Patrick (evidentially deducted several million votes) as the runner-up. Note that no actual vote totals are released. [1]

Above were the shoot-out results, with Trevor Bayne & Greg Biffle (listed at the bottom) winning the first two segments, rounding out the 20-car field. I’m in favor of reducing the grid size, so I wish NASCAR would use this exact same format every week, as it would keep much of the trash off the track.

##########

Danica Patrick (stunned, thankful & amazed that she was selected again [!] by the fans), has a video thanking everybody up on her Facebook page within an hour.

……………..><><><><><><><><………………

Update 5-22-16: The All-Star Race was rain-delayed, and had a crazy new format which no one really understood, so I skipped it. It turns out I was quite correct, as “dumbest format ever” and “no one knew what was going on” were the most-common post-race complaints from drivers. While it is an All-Star showcase, certain drivers still have to be more careful than others, otherwise they risk being heavily fined by NASCAR elite. Note the nifty driving by #10 Danica Patrick who came through clean when leading vote-getter (according to NASCAR) #24 Chase Elliott ‘checked-up’ suddenly, causing a crash. It’s all discussed & shown in this link [2].

There were 19 NASCAR All-Stars, and one rock-star on the track in Charlotte last night.

She’ll be on display again @ CMS next weekend for the gruelling 400-lap (600 mile!) contest. How about a ‘hats off’ to a true American hero for Memorial Day weekend?

NASCAR Wreckers

Posted on May 5, 2016 by admin

“We fought hard. We overcame adversity,” said McDowell after the race. “We were in position there to have a top 10 and we just got caught up in a wreck. Not sure exactly what happened, just got hit from behind, ran into the No. 10 and she spun. It was just one of those chain reaction deals. I will have to go back and see. Everyone did good, the Thrivent Financial Chevrolet was up front, got some TV time, was running hard, unfortunately, we didn’t get the finish.” [1]

Here’s the video of the wreck Michael McDowell #95 (pictured above) caused, by slamming into the Danica Patrick’s #10 car in the middle of a pack at 190 MPH at Talladega:

Patrick called it the “hardest hit of her career.” Matt Kenseth #20 was flipped and tumbled several times. One announcer feared Kenseth was going to hit the catch fence, which doesn’t ‘catch’ much of a car flying at 190 MPH. Physicists hired by NASCAR to study aerodynamics, have stated that 150 MPH is the limit for preventing cars from being lifted into the air when suddenly turned.

It’s pretty clear in this interview that she’s NOT okay after being wrecked by McDowell, she simply fears being fined by NASCAR, for speaking out over a reckless idiot who doesn’t belong on the same race track:

Note: Any wrecked driver should be immediately tested for concussion, if driver safety actually matters.

The issues are clear, and yet NASCAR (like the NFL on concussions) takes a ‘wait and see’ approach to participant safety. NASCAR fears: 1) loss of revenue; and 2) more than anything else, the redefinition of their sport. There are major egos involved here.

Driver safety had never been much of an issue, until Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona in 2001. This prompted NASCAR to finally get with the program, which the rest of motorsports had already adopted– finally modernizing safety features for their cars & drivers. [2]

Now ‘stock car’ racing reaches 195+ MPH at it’s fastest super-speedways (Talladega & Daytona), and this is with restrictor plates. All-out speeds without plates is 230+ MPH. [3]

Stock car racing is defined as ‘bump & run’ style. This is different from ‘open wheel’ racing, such as Indy car, which is from where Danica Patrick came. Patrick ran an unofficial practice lap at Indianapolis Speedway, at a micro-second under 230 MPH– which is still the record for a woman. Arie Luyendyk is the fastest lap ever– at 239+ MPH. [4]

On just casual evaluation, Patrick’s driving skills are clearly superior to two-thirds of the NASCAR field, and arguable one of the best. She’s either 1) been given a slower car & team, or 2) gets wrecked whenever she’s having a good run.

Racing is a team sport, and every NASCAR Sprint Cup driver has an 8-man team:

Front Tire Carrier
Front Tire Changer
Rear Tire Carrier
Rear Tire Changer
Jackman
Gasman
Spotter
Crew Chief

The top 6 listed are the pit crew, responsible for refuelling, new tires, chassis adjustments & on-track repairs. The spotter is posted high in the stands, and uses binoculars to communicate by radio with the driver– an extra set of eyes, with a panoramic view of the race.

The crew chief is the equivalent of the head coach in American football. He coordinates the race plan with the driver, the racing equivalent of the quarterback. It is ultimately the driver who takes responsibility for the race, as each must repeatedly make split-second decisions on the track.

Problems occur when crew chiefs (or other team members) get an ego over who should be in charge. Every position on all 40 Sprint Cup teams every week is occupied by a man. Danica Patrick is literally the only woman in NASCAR, and she faces challenges within her own team that no other driver has.

NASCAR comes from the South, and southerners are not known as good losers. This is traditionalized today by the cheatin’ SEC in college sports. Historically it goes back to Booth assassinating Abraham Lincoln, and losing the Civil War which ended chattel slavery. This is what Danica Patrick (from the midwest, who represents driver safety & civility) is up against.

Since she is a woman, a large group of people (called women) care about her safety. Many educated & young men care too. This frightens NASCAR, as they fear losing their sport to a new demographic, which will redefine it in a way they don’t prefer. It’s much easier for them to keep letting Danica Patrick be a crash test dummy, until she’s killed or quits.

As far as Patrick winning a race, or consistently running top 10– that will not be allowed. It’s clear to anyone who follows these races. that any good-ol-boy-of-the-week will be allowed to wreck her a high speed– without penalty. [5]

This comes down to Brian France & Richard Petty, who own NASCAR in every sense. Also notice how all this nonsense is broadcast, either by FOX or NBC. As long as these prejudices are allowed to rule, driver’s will continue to be dangerously be wrecked, until someone is permanently crippled or killed. These charlatans will only shed crocodile tears, unless it’s one of their truly-favored saints who is victimized. Unfortunately martyrs remain dead. Apparently, Danica Patrick counts for less-than-most (if not at all) in the estimation of NASCAR, FOX and the rest of this corporate parasitism.

Of course, all their lies are simply attempts to put reality on its head. For example, the NASCAR All-star race to be held in Charlotte later in May, is an annual showcase event where the fans vote-in their favorite driver. Guess who now wins (in a landslide), year-after-year?

NASCAR still tries to sell everyone that Dale, Jr #88 is their most popular driver; to the point where he’s probably embarrassed by much of it.

This writer respects Earnhardt, who is probably the most-loved figure among NASCAR’s traditional base, but Danica is a global icon. No other NASCAR figure can claim that.

Brian France has run NASCAR since his father died in 2003. He was born and raised as his grandfather Bill France, Sr ran upstart NASCAR with an iron fist. Big Bill died of Alzheimer’s in 1992, turning NASCAR (by now a multi-billion dollar industry) over to his son Bill, Jr. NASCAR today has huge clout. [6]

Steve O’Donnell (shown above) is now NASCAR’s #2 man. [7] Since Brian France is a redneck, a slicker more polished pitch-man is now required in this sophisticated & modern age we live. O’Donnell’s job is to blow smoke up everyone’s ass, whenever there’s a serious issue making NASCAR look bad.

‘Everyone’ includes the drivers, media, and fans; and the issues pertaining to driver safety range from dangerous racing speeds to intentionally wrecking to lug nuts. [8]

As you can read below, sometimes even their top spokesman reveals too much (for which they always later correct– by deleting). Steve O’Connor explains, “With each incident, you never want to learn through those instances but you always do.”

NASCAR (the France family) takes virtually all the money from it’s races. That’s why all the teams have sponsors wrapped all over their cars and patched on their uniforms, as they are necessary to pay all the expenses for these high-performance cars and its specialized personnel. Prize money available for the teams is only a small fraction of what NASCAR rakes, and it doesn’t come close to covering any team’s expenses.

NASCAR will only change for the better when its fans & drivers & teammates join together. and take this form of racing as their own, as it shouldn’t be a whim of wealthy, ignorant, and drunken prejudice. The lives on the track and in the stands, and the enjoyment of all its fans are worth much more to human society.

………………><><><><><><><><><><><………………..

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.

…………..><><><><><><><><><><><><><><……………

Ric Size

Songwriter, Musician, Artist

Tag Archives: Danica Patrick