February 18, 2008

Today, for the first time in my life, I watched more than twenty laps of a NASCAR race. Every year my friend and I seem to have a talk about how we need to get into the sport that has been tagged at the most popular American sport. Coming home from my Alpha Tau Omega fraternity meeting this afternoon I decided I was going to sit in front of my television and join the crowd.

I must admit that I am very impressed by what I watched today. I believe I heard that there was only one caution the first 150 laps followed by what seemed like hours of watching the drivers go 60 MPH as cautions dominated the final portion of the race.

At the same time, I was excited from beginning to end. Early in the race it was all about positioning as each driver tried to lead a lap for the five bonus points in the standings. Obviously by the end of the race it was about winning the Super Bowl of NASCAR.

Now that I have watched one race and am suddenly an expert, I have one major statement to make: Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost the race on his own. Why would you not pit when everyone else was doing so? I have heard all about the miscommunication between his crew and himself, but this is the biggest race of the year. There should not be any miscommunication. Would Dale Sr. have had this problem? I don't think so.

Just a few other thoughts about the day in sports...

-Defense did not exist in the NBA All-Star game tonight and it is better for the fans that way. It was fun to watch some of the best athletes in the world play a game of pick-up basketball. The players were out there having fun, rooting for each other and provided a show that was a better game than I expected.

-Wake Forest beating Duke was a step in the right direction for this bubble team, but their work is far from over. Right now Wake sits at 16-8 and 6-5 in the ACC but will need at least two more regular season wins and at least one win in the ACC tournament to have a shot. My prediction: They'll finish the season 3-2 and make the tournament.

-OJ Mayo is overrated. Ten turnovers in the biggest game of his career to date to go along with four points? Of course, he will leave USC after this season and be a lottery pick but I think it is a big mistake. His numbers are good for the season, but another year of college would serve him well. By the way, does anyone else think Tim Floyd looks like an alcoholic who just found out his wife is leaving him for his best friend? His hair is a mess, his shirt is barely tucked in and he just looks like he would rather be anywhere but coaching Southern Cal.

-One final note. When did David West start averaging 19.8 and 9.2? This was the shocker of the night.