I'm an Indycar fan. My friend Jeff and I went to a race at Kansas Speedway in 2005, I believe, and I was hooked. The next year, I had a vendor who sponsored a team send a group of us to hang out at the Speedway all weekend long. We watched everything - qualifying, the truck race, and the race itself from the pits. I even got to have dinner with Dario Franchitti (and I'm pretty sure he got a text message from Ashley Judd while we were sitting there. Which was awesome.). Ever since, I've been a huge fan. I watch pretty much every race, cheering Dario on (ask my wife......I'm pretty sure it drives her nuts).
Why Indycar and not Nascar? Well, for one, I like the design of the Indycars better. They go faster, and the cars are more delicate. You don't see Indy drivers riding around with a bumper hanging off, like you do in Nascar. I like the drivers better, too. Yeah, most of them are foreign, but there's a certain class and precision about them. The whole "Nascar culture" is too much for me. I won't elaborate on that. But most of all, I like the clean brand of racing that Indycar provides. You don't see much "Rubbin's racin'" in Indycar. Why is that? I believe it's because instead of having 45 cars on a track (Nascar), you have 25 cars on a track. On Sunday, in Las Vegas, there were 34 cars on a mile and a half track. 34 cars gunning it at speeds of over 225 MPH for the whole race. How did they not know something bad was going to happen?
I wasn't a Dan Wheldon fan. I didn't really even have an opinion on him. There are drivers I like (Dario, Dixon, Kanaan) drivers I don't like (Will Power, Helio) and drivers who just plain suck (Danica). But Wheldon was one of those guys who was kinda harmless. No one seemed to dislike him. He didn't complain much, and always seemed to be hanging around during big races. I guess if there's anything I don't like about him, it's that he almost ran me over with one of those little scooters they ride during the '06 Kansas race.
Despite not having an opinion on him, I can't help but feel like his death could have been prevented. Look, anytime you've got a bunch of guys and gals driving around in a circle at insane speeds, something bad could happen. They've made a lot of safety improvements to Indycars, but the driver's head is still exposed. Tragedy is always a huge possibility.
I get really tired of watching oval races, and seeing people start to get lapped 10 minutes into the thing. Some cars are just slower than others, and some drivers are just better than others. Get those friggin' people off the track, and your racing's going to be a lot cleaner. All of the drivers I mentioned above have one thing in common: they're all good, experienced drivers, who deserve to be there. (Yeah, even Danica) Accidents like the one that killed Wheldon can be prevented. I was stunned when I heard that 34 cars were going to be racing a mile and a half track. That's ridiculous. I certainly didn't expect anything like the horrifying accident on Sunday, but I did expect something like 20 cars to finish that race.
But Indycar is the black sheep of the auto racing community. They don't have the money that Nascar does. They were willing to do whatever they could to get as many cars and sponsors on that track on Sunday, and it ended up costing Dan Wheldon his life. I hate that it took this tragedy to happen to make Brian Barnhart and Indycar officials realize that it's not worth it to put lives at risk just to make a few extra bucks.
Someone named Jimmie Johnson came out this week and said that the IRL needs to quit racing ovals. I understand where he's coming from, but that's absolutely ludicrous. All but 2 (I think) IRL races are held in the United States. I think half of those races are on ovals. They realize that if Indycar is going to succeed in this country, there have to be oval races. Road courses are fine and dandy, but we Americans want to see cars go fast for a couple of hours. We don't want finesse racing. It's just not feasable to abandon oval tracks in this racing league.
As my wife and I sat and watched ABC's coverage on Sunday, I had an empty feeling in my stomach. ABC's announcers (who did an absolutely incredible job) didn't want to say it, and I didn't want to believe it. But we all knew that Dan Wheldon had lost his life in that accident. I watched the 5 lap parade to honor Wheldon with a giant lump in my throat. It was one of the most chilling things I've ever watched. At the time, I didn't think anyone could be blamed. It was a freak accident. It could have happened at any time, to anyone. But then I started thinking about it. Why were there so many cars, and so many inexperienced drivers on a 1.5 mile oval? Why was it Wheldon, who was one of the most experienced guys out there, who was lifeflighted away from that track? It didn't seem real, and it doesn't seem fair.
It sucks, but I think it's going to take the death of one of the most popular drivers in Indycar to make some real changes happen. It's not all about the money. There are lives at stake. Regardless, I never again want to spend 2 hours like I did on Sunday. Rest in peace, Dan. I hope your death inspires change, and saves lives in the sport that you loved.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Big 12? SEC? Who gives a crap?
OK, just in case you're one of the 7 people on the planet who has yet to ask my opinion about what conference Missouri is heading to, I'll share my thoughts.
First of all, I'd like it to be known that I do not give a crap. Really. Go to the freakin' SWAC for all I care. I just want something to happen. Let's get the stupid thing figured out, and let's go play football. Oh, and basketball.
Second, speaking of basketball, as much as I love it, it matters not one iota in these discussions. From here on out, I'll be speaking of football. It's where the money is, and it's what's driving all conference realignment talks.
Third, I do think Missouri is going to stay in the Big 12. Our administration doesn't take risks. Going to the SEC would be a risk. Staying in the Big 12 is comfortable. We can keep on enjoying the same mediocrity we've enjoyed for years. Beating up on Iowa State, Kansas, and Texas Tech year after year, and heading to the Brut Sun Bowl. Think about it. If Missouri heads to the SEC, they're going to get destroyed initially. We can't hang with the Floridas, LSUs, and Alabamas of the world. Those places eat, sleep, and breathe football. There are no Iowa States in the SEC. We'd have a long road ahead of us if we went there. Not so much in the Big 12.
90% of Missouri fans are going to be disappointed when they hear Brady Deaton announce that we're staying in the Big 12. I don't know if we're just delusional in thinking that things are going to be that much better in the SEC or what. I work with people from Alabama. We're Yankees in their eyes. We're never going to be accepted in that league. From a conference stability standpoint, absolutely the SEC makes sense. But from a competition standpoint, it's suicide.
One thing I will say is that people seem to think we won't be able to recruit SEC caliber talent. I wholeheartedly disagree. At first, we're going to struggle to recruit Florida, Alabama, etc. But at first, we struggled to recruit the state of Texas. It'll be an adjustment, but one that I think we're capable of making. I see us doing to that region what we currently do in Texas - recruit the 2nd and 3rd tier kids that Florida, Auburn, and Alabama don't want, and turn them into Chase Daniel, Sean Weatherspoon, and Danario Alexander. We'd get there recruiting-wise.
We'd get there competition-wise too. And by there, I mean to the current level we're at in the Big 12. We'd be a Mississippi State/Tennessee type school in the SEC. Competing for a league title once every 10 years, and going to mid-level bowl games every year. So why go to the SEC to compete at a level we're already competing at? I know, they're throwing around dollar figures, but it's all a sham. The money's going to be there no matter where we go.
But all of that SEC talk is going to be moot. I forsee the Big 12 adding a couple more schools (Louisville, Cincinnati, BYU, SMU) and getting the conference championship game back. I see Missouri officials realizing that the grass isn't always greener, and sticking around. You know, until Texas gets fed up with revenue sharing and threatens to bolt again, in 6 years.
There is no easy solution. It's never going to be roses like it was with the Big 12 North and South, when everyone was seemingly happy. A few schools got greedy (ourselves included) and screwed everything up.
Honestly, I'm just tired of talking, listening to people argue, and reading about it. My only hope in this whole thing is that something gets figured out soon, so we can go back to talking, arguing, and reading about what really matters: what happens on the field. (And off the field, if you're an $EC fan)
First of all, I'd like it to be known that I do not give a crap. Really. Go to the freakin' SWAC for all I care. I just want something to happen. Let's get the stupid thing figured out, and let's go play football. Oh, and basketball.
Second, speaking of basketball, as much as I love it, it matters not one iota in these discussions. From here on out, I'll be speaking of football. It's where the money is, and it's what's driving all conference realignment talks.
Third, I do think Missouri is going to stay in the Big 12. Our administration doesn't take risks. Going to the SEC would be a risk. Staying in the Big 12 is comfortable. We can keep on enjoying the same mediocrity we've enjoyed for years. Beating up on Iowa State, Kansas, and Texas Tech year after year, and heading to the Brut Sun Bowl. Think about it. If Missouri heads to the SEC, they're going to get destroyed initially. We can't hang with the Floridas, LSUs, and Alabamas of the world. Those places eat, sleep, and breathe football. There are no Iowa States in the SEC. We'd have a long road ahead of us if we went there. Not so much in the Big 12.
90% of Missouri fans are going to be disappointed when they hear Brady Deaton announce that we're staying in the Big 12. I don't know if we're just delusional in thinking that things are going to be that much better in the SEC or what. I work with people from Alabama. We're Yankees in their eyes. We're never going to be accepted in that league. From a conference stability standpoint, absolutely the SEC makes sense. But from a competition standpoint, it's suicide.
One thing I will say is that people seem to think we won't be able to recruit SEC caliber talent. I wholeheartedly disagree. At first, we're going to struggle to recruit Florida, Alabama, etc. But at first, we struggled to recruit the state of Texas. It'll be an adjustment, but one that I think we're capable of making. I see us doing to that region what we currently do in Texas - recruit the 2nd and 3rd tier kids that Florida, Auburn, and Alabama don't want, and turn them into Chase Daniel, Sean Weatherspoon, and Danario Alexander. We'd get there recruiting-wise.
We'd get there competition-wise too. And by there, I mean to the current level we're at in the Big 12. We'd be a Mississippi State/Tennessee type school in the SEC. Competing for a league title once every 10 years, and going to mid-level bowl games every year. So why go to the SEC to compete at a level we're already competing at? I know, they're throwing around dollar figures, but it's all a sham. The money's going to be there no matter where we go.
But all of that SEC talk is going to be moot. I forsee the Big 12 adding a couple more schools (Louisville, Cincinnati, BYU, SMU) and getting the conference championship game back. I see Missouri officials realizing that the grass isn't always greener, and sticking around. You know, until Texas gets fed up with revenue sharing and threatens to bolt again, in 6 years.
There is no easy solution. It's never going to be roses like it was with the Big 12 North and South, when everyone was seemingly happy. A few schools got greedy (ourselves included) and screwed everything up.
Honestly, I'm just tired of talking, listening to people argue, and reading about it. My only hope in this whole thing is that something gets figured out soon, so we can go back to talking, arguing, and reading about what really matters: what happens on the field. (And off the field, if you're an $EC fan)
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