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Horsepower Jimmie Johnson picked up where he left off last weekend in Darlington. The 48-car has been kicking everybody's rear end ever since....and Charlotte was a sweet homecoming. In the span of 7-days, Jimmie Johnson won in Darlington (win #200 for Rick Hendrick), won the Pit Crew Challenge and then finished it off by winning the million bucks and his 3rd NASCAR All-Star race. That's a pretty good week. There's no question that Bruton Smith's entire staff does a great job with the All-Star race....they have taken ownership of the event and they are constantly tweaking it, looking for the perfect blend. It didn't matter on Saturday night, because Jimmie Johnson had the entire field covered regardless of the rules, format or anything else that was thrown his way. In fact, JJ made the last ten laps anti-climatic because he was simply too good. As soon as he grabbed the lead by the first turn, it was over. I know everyone else wanted some drama and excitement, but it wasn't going to happen as long as Johnson kept the 48-car off the wall...and Danica Patrick wasn't behind the wheel. Johnson made it look easy and routine....of course, he's won the event three times....I think he knows how to close. While Johnson was dominating on the track, another brand of horsepower was giving us all the thrills and chills....and this time it involved the four-legged variety. "I'll Have Another" has yet to be favored in the first two legs of the Triple Crown....and like Jimmie Johnson, it doesn't seem to matter.....all the colt does is win. The long-shot to capture the Kentucky Derby turned the tables and won in dramatic fashion at the Preakness. It was an incredible race...and I know nothing about horse racing. But I do know that it has been a long time since the sport has produced a Triple Crown winner.....1978 with Affirmed, to be exact. Since then, 11 horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, only to fall short at the Belmont. Are we finally going to see a Triple Crown winner this year? We'll have to wait for another couple of weeks, but it is sure to be great theater in New York. What makes this story so interesting is that before the Derby, there was all this chatter about a wide-open year with the 3-year old thoroughbreds....there was no dominant horse....or so we thought. "I'll Have Another" has fooled the experts so far....let's hope he can do it one more time. It's amazing how the college sports landscape changes in a week.....it happens all the time. Last week, the chatter was about a potential in-house dispute between the powers at Florida State over the new ACC TV package and a potential flirtation with the Big XII Conference. Would FSU actually leave the ACC? On Friday afternoon, the announcement of the SEC and Big XII joining forces to place their conference football champions in a new New Year's Day bowl game changed everything. The trickle down effect of that announcement reached every corner of the country when it comes to college athletics. The two leagues that have won 10 of the 14 BCS titles had joined together...and with the addition of the previous Big 10 and Pac 12 Rose Bowl alliance, there were four major players drawing their lines in the sand. What happens to the ACC? The Big East? Notre Dame? If we're going to a 4-team college football playoff....the biggest 4 conferences in America have started to stake their claim and territory. The era of the Super Conferences has officially been christened. Right now the ACC, Big East and Notre Dame better start figuring out how they belong...this is no longer your father's college football world. You either better join forces and form a great 5th Super Conference, or you better pick up the last remaining pieces and hold on for dear life. I didn't think FSU was going to the Big XII last week....it didn't make sense, given the lay of the land. Friday's announcement was an earthquake...and now all bets are off. The ACC is in a very interesting position. Can they lure Notre Dame to the table? Can they keep some of their schools intact while all of this expansion craziness surrounds them? Does the Big East get their act together to stay afloat? It's a fascinating time in college sports. And if you didn't think the big boys were going to get together and form the Super Conferences, you were hiding under the same rock as the Big East suits. Not only is going to happen....but they are going to take their ball with them, too. Earlier this year, Darrell Waltrip made one of the dumbest remarks in sports broadcasting history when he claimed that Danica Patrick was the "Face of NASCAR". Keep in mind that he stated this during an interview with her before the Daytona races even started...however with that said, I always get a good laugh at watching her struggle and then listening to both Darrell and Michael Waltrip suck up to her on the air. It has become a weekly ritual for me, plus it gives me great fodder for the radio shows on SiriusXM and the Charlotte commentaries on WRFX-FM. I was stunned when NASCAR announced that Bobby Labonte had finished first in the fan voting for the All-Star race.....surely they had forgotten about Face? Who even knew that Bobby Labonte was still racing.....but after hearing that 70 year old Morgan Shepherd was still racing, I guess anything is possible. Oh well, Face missed out on the festivities in Charlotte because she was gearing up for another incredible performance in the Nationwide Series at Iowa. It didn't take long before the lime green Go Daddy car was nose-first into the wall....another Top-30 finish for Face. I'm sure the Coke Zero executives love that exposure. The good news for Face is that her owner, Dale, Jr.....won enough cash at the Sprint Showdown race the night before to offset another destroyed Go Daddy car. One of the greatest football players of all-time has hit another low..... Lawrence Taylor terrorized the ACC in his days at UNC and then proceeded to do the same thing in the NFL with the New York Giants. Today, he is a complete lowlife. The news this week that he is selling his NY Giants Super Bowl ring in an online auction was pathetic. It's a shame that this guy can't seem to get his life in order. The last time I saw him was on the "Dancing with the Stars" show....and I thought that was a low point...boy, was I wrong! The news about LT's ring being in an auction makes you realize how far he has fallen off the face of the planet. I just hope the tens of thousands of dollars that were bid on the ring don't go to LT to take care of his next addiction. His story is unbelievably sad. The news of all of this crazy expansion and Super Conferences has made me wonder about the UNC-Charlotte 49er football program. For years, Niner fans have begged and wished for football...and now they are getting it. The new stadium is being built....I drove by it the other day and it looks like it's going to be first class...and the coaches are in the process of putting together their first team. This is a dream-come-true for many, many people. The cost of supporting a college football program is enormous....starting from scratch is even a bigger challenge. It will be fascinating to see how the school responds on and off the field. If the ACC now finds itself in a tough spot due to the potential expansion conversation....how does UNC-Charlotte cope with their new CUSA relationship? I will say this much, the school administrators are rolling the dice in the toughest of times....not only economically, but also given the landscape of the college football world. It will be a "feast or famine" situation....with 43% of FBS teams losing money with their football programs, the Niners are going headfirst into a violent storm. |
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