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Follow the Leader I hated the Daytona 500. I have nothing against Jimmie Johnson....the guy is fantastic....one of the best of all-time. Plus, it amazes me at how little fanfare he receives compared to the Dale, Juniors and Danicas of the world. I'm not a fan of Danica Patrick, but she did an outstanding job of staying in her position right behind everybody else that was doing a great job at staying in line. Restrictor Plate racing used to be a rock 'em-sock 'em affair....and the last couple laps of the 500 were must-see TV, even for folks that hate racing or NASCAR. When the 48-car crossed the finish line, I wanted to have my 4 hours spent watching returned so I could take advantage of the great weather in Charlotte. I thought the race was garbage. I was mesmerized by the conclusion of the Nationwide race, which saw a spectacular crash take place on the final lap. Thank God, nobody was killed.....but I must have watched the replay as often as I watched Jadeveon Clowney's hit in the Outback Bowl. I swear there were more engines and tires in the grandstands of the Nationwide race than there were passes coming down the stretch of the Daytona 500. I know Darrell Waltrip is still kissing the ground that Danica walks and drives on....and to be honest with you, she did a really nice job finishing in the Top 10 and keeping her car off the wall and away from any wrecks. I was really disappointed in the product on Sunday. But in the meantime, congrats to Jimmie Johnson....and, for the record: that's how you spell his name. After watching the FOX Sports pre-race feature on the Hendrick drivers, it was amazing to see that Dale, Jr. still doesn't know how to spell his teammate's first name. I loved the Gyro-Cam...and the low angle shot from the backstretch.....they usually do a great job with their NASCAR coverage. I also loved Erin Andrews doing her best to avoid a lip-smack from 50 Cent...she avoided that pass like every driver did over the course of the 500 miles. Somebody in the ACC finally figured out a way to beat Miami. Wake Forest took the Canes out back in Winston-Salem and buried them. It was a beatdown, and one that was probably overdue for the upstart Hurricanes. The last couple of weeks, Miami has flirted with losing....both to Clemson and UVa...but Wake did the trick, this past weekend. The Canes are still in great shape in the ACC race, even though their national seed might have taken a hit. But we've still got three weeks to figure all that stuff out when the Selection Committee makes their decisions. The big news in the ACC also surrounds suddenly hot North Carolina. The small lineup introduced by Roy Williams seems to be a hit with the players and the Heels smacked the Wolfpack down the stretch in Chapel Hill. For NC State, the Pack enter this week in 5th place in the ACC standings....that's a far cry from where the players, coaches, media and fans thought before the season started. The Pack will be fortunate to land a first round bye in the ACC Tourney. This team is still loaded and good enough to make a deep run in the Big Dance, just like last year....they are also capable of disappearing in the opening round, too. Duke has the most interesting week, as they travel to UVa and host the Canes later this weekend....if the Blue Devils sweep, watch out...even though I think they need Ryan Kelly back to make a run to the Final Four. I have yet to figure out the fascination with the NFL Combine. My interest in massive linemen running forty-yard dashes ranks right up there with watching a replay of the "Don't Pass 500" in Daytona. Who cares how fast one of these guys runs a 40? I want that guy smacking the crap out of somebody on the line of scrimmage, but I don't need him running a wheel route out of the backfield. Tavon Austin ran a 4-point-nothing.....wow...he's fast. Who knew? I'll tell you.....everybody who watched WVU the past couple of years. The breakdown of this stuff on the NFL Network is truly sad. It is the equivalent of Jay Bilas telling me about "wingspans" during the NBA Draft.....all that is fine and good, but can the guy actually play? It's the unfortunate part of the business known as "filler".....anybody who has been in front of a microphone knows what I'm talking about. I'll catch the NFL Network again when we get closer to the NFL Draft. I was working on my taxes over the weekend, and I thought to myself....."What would Sidney Lowe do?" What a moron. |
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