Morons

(October 4, 2006)--With more than 2000 dead and 20,000 wounded American soldiers in Iraq isn’t it about time we called the “War” a failure? What have we done to make it a success? Sure we got Hussein out of power, but has the killing stopped? How many Iraqi’s are dead? You "patriots" probably don't care, but you should care about the Americans

The Bush administration has gone unchecked long enough. Those who say this wasn’t about revenge, oil and money are deluding themselves. War on terror my ass. Bush is a liar and his cronies are all full of shit.

The GOP is a mess with scandals that make it look like the biggest bunch of hypocrites ever. Hell , we all know the Democrats are perverts, thieves and crooks, but the Republicans act as though they’re above it. Folks let me tell you, they’re not.

What we have is an ineffective leader in Bush. The fucker has this country so divided it will take years to repair it. A VP who is sitting back getting rich on his war tiem contracts and business interests and a tough talking Secretary of Defense who in actuality probably couldn’t fight off a cold.

Hey dickheads, tell you what, why don’t you try to win this fucking war or get the fuck out. We allegedly have the greatest weapons ever invented to fight a war and the highly trained and “motivated’ US soldier, yet we can not get an edge on a group of people who use rocks and Molotov cocktails as their main weapons. Rumsfeld talks a great game, but we just keep losing bright young men and women, and for what?

And before any of you so-called conservatives think I am endorsing the Dems or liberals you can take your heads out of the sand and wise up. Fuck the democrats and the liberals, but at least we know where they stand. Allegedly the Bush administration was for the US and making things right in the world. All I see is a failed war in Iraq, the head of Al-Queda still running around free as a bird and a country and world divided over our idiotic actions.

2006 Mid-Season

(July 12, 2006)--Well we are truly immersed in the 2006 racing silly season. Driver changes are occurring, firings have taken place and the rumors are swirling. Some changes have already proven beneficial for certain drivers, while others have been treated poorly in my opinion. Here is a brief view of my thoughts as we move forward into the second half of the 2006 racing season.

First up is the release of two drivers from their IRL teams this week. Buddy Lazier was released by Dreyer and Reinbold Racing (DRR) and AJ Foyt has released Felipe Giafone (Mike).

I suppose there are a couple of ways of looking at these firings. One, is that the results simply have not been there. In Lazier’s case, the top finish was 12^th at Indianapolis. At the tracks with fewer cars his top finish was three 15^th place finishes. Not exactly the kind of results one expects from the 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion. Mike failed to post much better numbers. His 5^th at the Glen was his season high along with a couple of top 10 finishes in the first two races. While the numbers were better than Lazier’s, his 16^th, 17^th and 19^th place finishes over the past three races have to be viewed as disappointments.

On the other hand, Lazier and Mike were given little chance of success when they climbed in the cars of DRR and AJ respectively. These two teams have been at the back of the pack for most of the decade and I don’t see how any of that is going to change. DRR is simply a small budget team competing against teams who are exponentially larger than they are. You know Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl want to continue to race, but you really have to wonder how long they can spend money on the venture.

In AJ’s case, he has a serious sponsor so the lack of results on the surface seem more intriguing. However, AJ himself seems to be as big of a factor in their performances as anything else. AJ is known to hate the engineers and technology that comes with today’s racing and refuses to embrace it. Of course by doing this he gives his team little or no chance to win. AJ was one of the greatest drivers the Speedway ever saw, but he may be the worst owner it has seen. How long he sticks around is a big question.

I hope Buddy and Mike land rides in the IRL, but I have my doubts. I think Buddy just never fit the mold for the big teams and Mike just doesn’t excite fans or sponsors. I think they were both wrongly fired by their crappy teams, but that doesn’t make them the first or the last to be held out as the scapegoats.

While on the subject of DRR, they have hired Ryan Briscoe as their driver for the next four races. Briscoe was unceremoniously dropped from the Target Chip Ganassi Racing(TCGR) team last season after hitting everything but the pace car. DRR may not have liked what Buddy was doing in their car, my feeling is that they will like what Briscoe does even less. Unless this guy has changed his mindset he’ll be the undertaker for DRR. I like DRR and I hope he does okay. I just have my doubts.

Let’s keep it in the IRL for the moment. My favorite driver, yeah right, Danica Patrick has been in the news this week. Seems her father was poking around the NASCAR garages this week and announced to the media that his daughter was looking for a Cup ride for 2007. Her contract with Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR) is up at the end of the season. RLR has really struggled this year. They lost Paul Dana in a freak wreck at Homestead. Since that time they replaced Dana with Jeff Simmons who has not found any traction. Patrick and team mate Buddy “FITP” Rice have made little impact on the season. Sure they are not a factory Honda team anymore and yes they lost a driver. But it seems as though there may be more to it than that. I don’t know, but the team is a damn sight off of where they were a year ago. Of course with the dominance of TCGR and Penske Racing, most teams are off, but RLR seems to be in more trouble than the others.

Anyway, the “sis-boom-bah, rah-rah IRL” cheerleaders were all up in arms over the news. Many were in denial at the story, some were ready to hang themselves while others ran and hid.

There was a piece that Derek Daly said Patrick leaving would be a good thing for the IRL in that it would speed up unification when they saw the direness of the whole thing. For his part Daly, who does Champ Car races and F1 on TV, as well as covering Indy in May, was lambasted by the rah-rah’s as a traitor and a person who never liked Indy. Face it fans, he hates the IRL almost as much as I do, but like me, he loves Indy.

Ultimately the story, while true, was more of a ploy to get a better contract for Patrick. Danica announced yesterday that, while NASCAR is still a desire for the future, she fully intends on staying in the IRL.

Two thoughts on that. One, this is good news for the IRL. FTG still has his number one marketing tool, even if it is a gimmick. His hiring of Gene Simmons has produced nothing but the ridiculous “I am Mindy” anthem. Two, with all of the money that is bound to be spent in NASCAR when Toyota gets there next year, how wise is it to hire a gimmick like Patrick who will never be able to compete. Roush may make his money off of the merchandising of Patrick, but she’ll be a joke otherwise.

To wrap up the IRL let me say this about the whole Simmons/Abrahamson deal. Seriously, what have these people done? When the season started we had 20 cars and have gone to 18 for this weeks Nashville race. Carmelo Anthony lent his name to Hemelgarn Racing and that was supposed to attract sponsors. It failed and Hemelgarn is “parked”. FTG and his crew have once again completely missed the boat on this thing.

On to NASCAR. Frankly I don’t follow this that much, but there was a huge announcement this past weekend that compels me to write about it. Juan Pablo Montoya(JPM) is coming to America and he is going to be racing in the Nextel Cup Series (NCS) for Chip Ganassi. You may remember JPM won the Indianapolis 500 in 2000 with TCGR as they cherry picked the 500 from their lofty perch in CART. JPM went on to win that series and was soon headed to F1.

While there, JPM did manage to win 7 races, but he probably ruffled as many feathers as he did excite team owners. Most of his success came with the Williams BMW team. When he moved to McLaren he struggled with the car and being second fiddle to team mate Kiwi Raikkonen. When it was announced that JPM would be making the move to NASCAR for 2007, McLaren made quick work of releasing the Colombian. With extra time now on his hands it will be interesting to see when JPM starts his NASCAR career. He is supposed to run some Busch races this season and possibly a Cup or two, but now he has half a season and I doubt Ganassi wants to have him sitting around doing nothing. JPM who makes his home in Miami hasn’t said what the extra time means as far as racing is concerned.

What is sure to happen is a big swell of interest from the US F1 fans as well as US open wheel fans when JPM gets to Daytona next year. Go Juan! I think he’ll do fine. It’s going to take a little practice to get the feel of the car, especially after the F1 cars, but he is a great driver and will succeed whether the good old boys and girls like it or not.

JPM’s replacement at McLaren is Pedro de la Rosa. Not a name to generate any interest here in the states and interest ought to be a thought. With the potential demise of the USGP, F1 ought to be kissing our asses for the money they make here. But since that is unlikely here are my thoughts on the future of the USGP. It will be back and back for a long while. I don’t say that because I love it, but I think FTG and FBE know a good thing when they see it, well maybe not FTG, and aren’t willing to screw it up.

Finally, it has been suggested and disputed and rumored to death the unification of the IRL and the Champ Car World Series. These rumors reared their heads the past couple of years, but this year FTG and FKK gave credence to the talk by admitting they had been meeting. They cautioned that the talks were in the early stages and that nothing had been decided. Anyone with half a brain can see that the continued split in open wheel will have even more devastating effects than it already has had. The sponsors that are here will leave and the car counts on both sides will continue to drop. 18 entered at Nashville this week, 17 were at the CC race at Toronto last week. Both numbers are down and the likelihood of them going up is doubtful. I’ve been all over the split so I will not continue to discuss it here, but the end must be soon or open wheel racing will be a distant memory in just a few years. More importantly the Indianapolis 500 is losing luster as the days roll on. As it is, barely 33 cars even show up and some are so far off the pace it isn’t funny. If the two sides can get together these trends can be stemmed. Now I don’t think anyone with half a brain thinks there will automatically be 35 cars at Kentucky and 50 at Indianapolis, but the car counts should improve. With that improvement means more competition and it probably will signal the end of teams like AJ Foyt, Hemelgarn and even DRR. The bottom line is that it is no longer necessary to unite to fight NASCAR, that ship has sailed. It is necessary to unite to give some hope to the future of open wheel racing in general and the Indianapolis 500 in particular. I don’t want to see 33 fucking Silver Crown cars running the 500 no matter what these so-called purists assholes think.

INDY 2006

(Tuesday, May 23, 2006)—As we race towards the 90^th running of the Indianapolis 500 the landscape of open wheel racing may be getting ready to change. Talks between the IRL and Champ Car have been taking place and both sides have acknowledged as much. Where those talks lead us is likely to shape the future of the sport or doom the sport to no future.

We all know the history of the war between the former CART and the IRL. Tony George felt slighted when he was offered a non voting seat on the CART board. George had a “vision” to get the open wheel world back to its North American roots of oval racing and to develop those young sprint and midget drivers eventually leading them to Indy and try to keep some of them from bolting to NASCAR.

We all know of the infamous 25/8 which was hastily abandoned, albeit a little too late. We know the “vision” has changed several times. We know that neither the IRL nor CART/OWRS/CC is able to draw any TV ratings and that the IRL has suffered from poor attendance. In fact, the once venerable race at Phoenix is now completely gone from the schedule after drawing about 8000 fans last year. Phoenix used to be the race before Indy and the winner was usually the favorite when the track opened in May. We know that CC has all but abandoned oval racing and for that matter, road course racing for street racing. We also know that Long Beach and Monaco are the only ones who really can pull that off. We also know that driving a front engine midget or sprint car lends itself much more to the front engine NASCAR cars than it does to the rear-engine, more nimble and faster Indy Car, thus making the whole point of the original “vision” moot.

All of these are points the fans of open wheel racing, or should I say Indy Car racing (be it IRL or CC) have come to grips with. We also have heard the past couple of years about a possible unification of the two series, but they ended up being smoke and mirrors. At least this time the parties involved are admitting to talks.

But where do we go with these talks? IRL fan is certainly not going to stand for a schedule even half and half oval/road course. CC fan may never return if it goes oval heavy. I have posted my dream season at Indystar.com so I will eschew doing it in detail here, but suffice it to say some of the tracks in the IRL will have to go away just as some from the CC schedule. I think it is imperative to be in Canada at least once and preferably twice and I’d like to see the series in Mexico once. As long as Honda is involved I think you have to keep Motegi. I’ve never been a big fan of the Australia race so as far as I am concerned it can go. Europe? Forget it.

As for the cars, well I will leave that to those who know about such matters. Frankly, it matters little if the cars are turbocharged or normally aspirated.

The biggest issue to me is who is going to run the show? This isn’t the NFL/NBA/MLB so a commissioner in that traditional sense won’t work in my opinion. Racing is a different animal. Drivers can and do get hurt bad or killed. Of course people get killed doing all sorts of jobs, but racing has an inherent danger not found in other sports. If a team suffers a streak of bad luck with injuries/deaths they will leave. Then again if teams suffer lack of funding they will leave. Looking down the pit lane this past weekend at Indianapolis gives me hope that the sponsors are coming back, but I wonder if it is proportionately the same to sponsor a car as it was in 1995. CC is really hurting for sponsors so unification may not exactly set the open wheel financial world on fire.

When CART was formed the team owners wanted the power and the say so. When I think about that it is hard to find fault with it. It is their asses on the line. Still it is wrong when some of those owners also decide to be promoters at their tracks and even worse when races are guided to tracks purposely because of an owner.

The commissioner in CART never worked because he was a puppet to the owners and there weren’t two sides such as labor and management in the traditional stick and ball sports. Unfortunately the owners in this high stakes game rarely agree on anything. Ultimately CART went under and lots of people lost a lot of money. Was it mismanagement or simply a matter of trying to corral owners who did not want to be corralled?

ext bring on the IRL. Tony George had the track, he made the rules and he ran the shows. I thought he was acting low budget, but he isn’t very smart and needed help that he must have refused. Face it, everyone and their brother knew TG was subsidizing teams in the IRL and especially in the 500. He tried to get out of it one year by proclaiming “33 is just a number”. Had he mumbled that in front of a crowd of race fans he probably would not have survived the day. He was stuck then subsidizing teams to bring the count to 33 for the Memorial Day weekend classic.

Apparently tired of doing that, he started his own team. Vision Racing! My question is how is this any different than what was happening in CART? A lot of people are still convinced Paul Tracy won the 2002 Indianapolis 500 and that George unilaterally ruled against him. IF and it is a big IF at this point, one of his cars was involved in a similar situation, how would he act? Even if Barnhart were to rule, he is in lock step with TG so how would he rule?

These are issues that have to be resolved, but rest assured, I hope they do resolve them and get this thing back together. In 1995 the track was packed on race day, now we have many areas with empty seats and scalper prices are at an all time low. Each year the Speedway talks about ticket sales being up, but it certainly is not evident. 

Face it, the race ain’t as big of a deal as she once was. It can recover, but greed, paranoia and mistrust have to be taken out of the equation to make it happen.

Your Indiana Pacers

(Thursday February 3, 2005)--Last night the Indiana Pacers dropped their sixth game in a row. Stephen Jackson’s boneheaded foul at the end of the game allowed Jalen Rose to go to the line and win the game for the Raptors. It was the second game in a row that Jackson has come up short in the brains and talent department and cost the team a win. But this isn’t about Stephen Jackson per se. This is a team that is mired in mediocrity. A team that is missing its best player. A team who seems besieged by injury and illness. Bottom line, a team that has lost its focus and seemingly its will to win. 

When the season started we were beset by a shitload of injuries. I thought that if we could get to Christmas at .500 we would be in great shape and be set for a playoff run. Well that happened. Unfortunately, so did November 19^th. That date may prove to be more than this team is able to overcome. Of course that is the night of “The Brawl”. Not to completely rehash the nights events or the fallout from it, but that incident cost this team its best player in Ron Artest.  

What is really tragic is that Ron is our best player. A guy with a $10 million game and a 50 cent head. Now I can whine on and on about how some goon in Detroit basically ruined our season. But why? These guys are supposed to be professionals. So, a guy throws a beer on you, it’s not like he was aiming a gun at you.  

Anyway, the season now seems to be slipping away. There seems to be friction between players. JO and Reg seem to be at it over Reg’s alleged retirement comments. Players see minutes one night and then aren’t heard form again for a couple of weeks. Our PG who has really played well this season is hurt, again. Top that off with stupid play and the recipe is right for losses. And that is exactly what we are getting.  

So here we are. A team that is now 9^th in the Eastern Conference and with little or no hope to improve based on what I have been seeing the past two weeks. They are 7 games out in their division. Teams like Cleveland and Chicago have zoomed past the Blue and Gold and have taken up where we left off last year. 

I say it is time to break this team up. Everyone is expendable. First of all I have no idea what to do with Artest. His trade value is probably nil. Considering he is scheduled to make $8 million next year, I don’t know of any team that would be willing to take him on. I know one thing, as much as I love Ron’s game, I do not want him back on this team. 

JO clearly has lost his focus. I don’t know if it is all the Reggie deal or if there are other issues, but he clearly isn’t giving 100% every night. Three weeks ago he was on top of his game, now he just looks tired. However, a new address might perk him right up and I think any team would be happy to have him and his huge salary. One thing for sure is that we have to get maximum value out of him.

Over the course of the last 12 years we have been treated to some damn fine basketball and have had some really good teams. I don’t exactly have to have the champion here, but we have to be competitive in May and June. We have been for the most part, but this team will be lucky to see the end of April. Break them up now and start over. Get a running start at next season and get a good draft pick. This team is done. Larry, Donnie and Rick need to see that before it is too late!

Indiana Pacers Brawl

(Monday, November 22, 2004)—The cold reality of what happened Friday night in Detroit has hit me. For the record, Ron Artest has been suspended for the balance of the season, Jermaine was hit with a 25 game suspension, Stephen Jackson got 30 games and Anthony Johnson got 6. Reggie got one game for coming out onto the court. Detroits’ Ben Wallace was hit with a paltry 6 game suspension. What a fucking joke! 

Okay, I get the Pacer suspensions. I really do. Sure I think they are harsh, but these guys have to know better. What galls me is that the Pistons are basically off the hook for this. Wallace knew damn well what he was doing and yet he is given a lousy 6 gamer. That thug provoked RA just trying to get a rise out of him. When he didn’t he got mad and continued his provocation. This incited the crowd and the near-riot situation that ensued. 

Before I go any further let me say that I do not condone, in any way, shape or form, what Ron did. He is supposed to be a professional and he should know better than to go into the stands. Especially knowing his history. But the reality is that anyone would have probably done the same thing if they had just been hit by a beer and a bottle. 

Where does this organization go from here? The season is essentially over. RA has proven time and time again that he simply can not be counted on. I won’t go so far as to label him a cancer, but he just seems to lose his mind at the most inopportune times. I don’t know what the rules are, but I wish RA would just go away. 

As for the Pistons, I just can’t believe how easy they are getting off on this. They had no security, they have out of control players and yet they get basically a slap on the wrist. If I was a conspiracy theorist I’d be all over this fiasco. Anyway it should be easy to get Pacer tickets, cheap for a while. 

I am a little embarrassed by the Pacer’s actions the other night. Again, I think anyone would have done what RA did, but this organization has always carried itself with a degree of class and dignity. That all went away Friday night. And while I appreciate the contributions of Stephen Jackson, I doubt if he is going to turn into the player we embrace here in Indy.

 Changes at Indy
 

(September 15, 2004)--Yesterday Speedway president Tony George (herein referred to as FTRG) announced the changes in May schedule. The race will now start at noon instead of 11:00 am. Carb Day will now be on the Friday before the race and in addition to practice and the pit stop competition, the MIPS race will be held. Practice each day will begin at noon rather than 11:00 am. And finally, the big one, qualifying returns to four days with a completely revised system. Each day only the 11 fastest will qualify. However, bumping is allowed and bumped cars will be allowed to retry. In fact, as near as I can tell by the rules as I have seen them, a car will be allowed up to twelve attempts to make the field.

So far, no change of the traditional Sunday opening of the track has been announced and with these changes I don’t expect one.

So what of these changes? First of all, the 11:00 am start time for practice was fine and I see no reason to change it. Seems gratuitous to me. The start time of the race is fine with me. Frankly they can start it at 1 and give everyone an extra hour in the morning. However, for Robby Gordon and anyone else attempting to do “the Double” it will just about kill any possibility of that. With Tony Stewart being a big news story this past year and him saying he would be there this year, one has to wonder if it is still feasible. The Carb Day being moved to Friday may prove to be fun as long as I am still able to get my cadre of pix!

As for qualifying, well I am going to take a wait and see approach to see if it works. It is such a radical change that I am having a tough time even imagining how well or poorly it will work.

While I am going to hold judgment for now I do have some comments about the changes in general. FTRG says he is doing this to help bring more teams in, entice the smaller teams to not wait until the last minute and increase television ratings. Well FTRG, if you wanted higher TV ratings and more money then you should have just kept your mouth shut back in 1994 and forgot about forming the IRL.

Don’t get me wrong the IRL is wonderful and CART was run by a group of owners who couldn’t agree on shit. But the bottom line is that there was nothing wrong with the Indianapolis 500. Now we have crappy TV ratings, barely enough cars to fill the field (and then only if FTRG pays according to some) and a drop in attendance at every event in May with the exception of Carb Day and the Parade.

FTRG, there is but one way to fix what you have done to the 500 and that is to increase the purse to make sure that everyone who qualifies makes money on it. It can’t be some crap shoot that only the top 5 make any money on. What incentive is there to come to Indy anymore. It costs a half a million to try to make the race and for what? A chance to make a couple million sure, but more likely a couple hundred thousand. It just doesn’t add up.

Once again we have a knee jerk reaction and unfortunately a boob who has no clue. Whether or not this pulls the 500 out of its doldrums and moves it back into the limelight it once enjoyed remains to be seen. What is already assured is that the one guy running the IRL is no better than the group of owners who ran CARTT.

(September 13, 2004)—Now that the Democrats and Republicans have had their little parties er, conventions it is time to look forward to Election Day. As of this morning W is holding a sizable 12 point lead over John Kerry. Kerry is of course downplaying this and is asking why everyone thinks W got a bump in ratings from the convention. Alright Senator, if it was even after your convention and it is now not even, what happened? I guess people are just seeing you as the wishy-washy, mealy-mouthed worm you really are.

There is no doubt in my mind that this nation will re-elect W on November 2. Of course there is no doubt in my mind that people like Michael Moore, Ben Affleck and Al Gore will say the election was stolen, but who believes any of those nut cases anyway? No, there are legitimate reasons why people are not lining up to support John Kerry.

Any of you who read this page know I have issues with the war in Iraq and was against it from the get go. That does not mean I am against the President, it means I felt there were options available that didn’t call for a full military response. I was absolutely for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and I knew we would have to intervene to make it happen. However, I still think it could have been done covertly and with minimum bloodshed and loss of collateral.

Where my support for the Prez lies is in the fact that I believe he did what he thought was the right thing to do. And trust me, doing nothing was not an option. And doing what he believes is correct is how he is running the campaign and why he will win.

On the other hand we have John Kerry. Liberal Senator from Massachusetts. Now we all know what the people of the Hub State like when it comes to their politicians. That’s fine, as long as they keep to their selves. Unfortunately they always seem to have someone trying to get in the national limelight. This time around it is Kerry.

Kerry is a three time winner of the Purple Heart from the Vietnam war who then protested the war upon his discharge. Alright, no problem there. After all, regardless of what the conservatives say, you DO have a right to speak your mind in this country even if it does disagree with what they think. Personally I would never burn an American flag, but I would defend to the death someone’s right to do so.

So we have John Kerry who went so far as to oppose the war, then voted for war when W wanted the power to go to Iraq. Still not a problem per se. However, this is where he starts to lose credibility. Once he becomes a candidate for the Democrats he starts to oppose the war. He makes excuses why he voted for it and tries to take the opposite side seemingly just to have a differing position than that of the President and his opposition.

Kerry loses what little face he has left when he goes so far as to trumpet his Vietnam service and his Purple Hearts as one of the major cornerstones of his campaign. His service that he opposed the minute he was discharged. And a war that he now says he would never have voted for. One minute he loves war and what he did (when it suits him) and one minute he hates war and wants nothing to do with it (when his actual record bites him in the ass).

Kerry is a hypocrite and America sees it. Maybe W isn’t the best person to be President, but I certainly feel better with him than the prospect of having Kerry being the leader of the free world.

Like I said, the Americans are growing weary of his flip flopping message and are seeing through his deceit and hypocrisy. Come November 2 America will wake up, go to the polls and do the right thing, re-elect George W. Bush to a second term!

War in Iraq

A new poll is out today saying that 54% of Americans think that we should have never sent troops to Iraq. In a CNN-USA Today Gallup poll of 1005 people taken between June 21-23 also says that more than half surveyed feel the US is less safe now from terrorism than before. This has me scratching my head.

All is not fair in love and war!

A few minutes ago I watched the Eric Berg video. For those of you who have been under a rock, Berg was the American who was in Iraq building communication towers when he was kidnapped last month. In the Berg video his captors are seen denouncing the US and its treatement of Iraqi prisoners. Finally, in the last couple of minutes of the 5+ minute video Berg is beheaded and his head is shown to the camera and then set on his body.

The video is not so much gory as it is disturbing when you think of what is happening and see the expression on Berg's face. I won't link to it but if you must see it it is out there on the Internet. But what disturbs me more than seeing a human being being decapitated is the reaction to it and the reaction to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

A couple of weeks ago pictures of Amercian soldiers putting Iraqi prisoners in compromising positions came out. You would have thought we had committed the greatest atrocity to the world since Hitler. Okay, I don't think it was the right thing to do by these American soldiers, but look at what the Iraqi captors do.

There is all this talk of the Geneva Convention and of ousting Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, but why? Did Rumsfeld parade a bunch of Iraqi prisoners around naked? Hell no. And make no mistake about it, I do not like Rumsfeld and I am against this entire war.

We have a bunch of soldiers over in Iraq who can't be feeling all that welcome. These people are shot at, killed and maimed and terrorized daily. Doesn't it just stand to reason that the frustration they are feeling would manifest itself in some unusual fashion? These liberals who are calling for Rumsfelds head are just playing politics. In fact, that dickhead John Kerry has gone so far as to name a list of people he thinks should replace Rumsfeld. Not surprising that Bill Clinton's Sec. of Defense Cohen was on there, or that John "Am I a Republican or a Democrat?" McCain is on the list. (See my article on McCain in the Archives )

The knee jerk reaction to every little thing is just maddening. And politicians aren't alone. Dumbasses I know jump to conclusions knowing none of the facts, be it about this subject or some other. Like I said, I don't condone what our people did to some Iraqi prisoners, but how do you discipline them after seeing the Berg video? And if they see the video, how do you expect them, as human beings to not carry out a bit of their own brand of justice? And finally, why are we honoring the Geneva Convention rules when it is clear our enemy is not?

Americans

(April 7, 2004)--News reports today indicate fighting in the "Sunni Triangle" in Iraq is intense. Once again the reports are that more Americans are dying as a result of the insurgent Shiite resistance. When is enough, enough?

Every day over the course of the past 6 months we hear more reports of our troops dying. And for what? For the freedom of some stone age country that may or may not have had enough rocks to throw at Israel?

I am too young to really remember Vietnam and what brought about our escalated involvement in what was their civil war. But from what I have seen since the fall of Baghdad a year ago, there are just too many similarities.

I would agree that Saddam Hussein had to be taken down. He was a ruthless, killing dictator who ruled with an iron fist with the brutal help of his two sons. What I do not now agree with, nor did a year ago was the method.

First of all, we went in on the basis of eradicating the country of Hussein AND his weapons of mass destruction. As the months rolled by some evidence was found that may have been linked to WMD's, but in fact nothing of any substance has been found.

If we wanted to take down the leader we should have done it covertly using special forces and CIA ops to take care of the problem. But, dumbass Bill Clinton had the CIA and Special Forces so depleted and strung out around the world that I am not sure we could have pulled it off.

Instead, W uses the 911 terrorist attacks to go after Osama bin Laden. Then, after committing all of those troops to Afghanistan, we decide to fry the Iraq fish.

This war is a failure. The only thing I have had proven to me is that the Iraqi people seem split on Hussein. So why are we forcing him out when we have no good reasons other than we don't like him or his human rights record?

It is so obvious that those people do not want us there, and equally obvious that most Americans do not want us there. We lost. There is no shame. I have to believe that W did what he thought was best based on his feelings and intelligence. But there comes a time when the human price becomes too high. That time is now.

Fire Mike Davis

( Friday, March 12, 2004 )—In about an hour the Hoosiers will be taking on Illinois in what I and most people feel will be their last game of the season. The team stands at 14-14 going into the game. To avoid the first losing season suffered by the Hurryin' Hoosiers since 1969-70 when the team went 7-17 under acting head coach Jerry Oliver, the team has to win today. Frankly, I just don't see it.

Don't get me wrong, I will be more than happy to eat those words tonight! But I have to be realistic. Illinois is playing as well as anyone in the conference right now and is playing up to the level most expected before the season started. Indiana has been God awful!

Yesterday a bunch of no names came on to beat a piss poor Ohio State team. Can we count on Mark Johnson et. al. again today?

Regardless of the outcome, Coach Mike Davis has got to go. Rumors of his dismissal have been spotty. I think most want him gone. But there is always the undertone that the school won't pay another coach to not coach. Poor management of the athletic department may well mean we have to endure another year of Whorf.

The Hoosiers are going to have to win the Big Ten tournament to get to the NCAA, and if they don't they may not be able to even make the NIT. This team has suffered from poor coaching and poor play all season. But the one thing that really has given me the red ass is that Davis has continually called out Bracey Wright, then turned around and let him shoot a hundred times a game, called out the other players as dumb, but doesn't yank them, then turns around and says he is to blame. You can't have it both ways coach. You can't call out the players AND take the blame. It's one or the other.

Davis is an incompetent coach and his dismissal is long overdue. Indiana needs to clean house of anything that was ever connected to Bob Knight. I know his reach is far in college basketball, but that cancer has to be cut out. Knight started taking this program down in 1994. Davis is finishing the job. Now it is time to finish Davis .

IU Basketball in shambles

(Tuesday, December 23, 2003)—As I was watching the Iowa-Texas Tech game tonight I had a couple of thoughts. Impossible some you might say! But I really did.

First of all, let me say how glad I am that Steve Alford is not the coach at Indiana. I don't think Mike Davis is the right guy, but I am pretty sure Alford isn't either. He has done nothing since coming to Iowa and it looks like his isn't good enough for the big time. I like Steve and admired him greatly for his accomplishments on the court at IU and his philosophy on life, I just think he is in over his head. On the other hand I am also glad Bob Knight is not still the coach. Well just who the hell DO I want? Good question, because to be perfectly honest I don't know.

Here's the deal folks. Bob Knight was a great coach at IU for 23 years. He was a bad coach for 6 years after that. Knight's feud with the school's management drove him to take the program down. Knight would have completed the job had he been allowed to stay. Not that Myles Brand acted properly, but he had to let Knight go. Knight knew it too. He pushed so hard for that firing it was almost like watching a spoiled little kid and a parent. He has been quoted as saying he should have left in 1994. My question is why didn't he? Why did he continue on and tear the program down? Knight is an idiot now in my book. For the first 23 years I, like most Hoosier fans laughed when he got out of hand with his words and actions. But he was winning and he was happy and that made the fans happy. Starting in 94 he just became surly. You should have left Bob. You were the steward of the program and you let a lot of people down. But I figure you don't care. Your massive ego drove you to it and you never admit mistakes.

Speaking of mistakes, Mike Davis. Davis is a good guy, a guy who cares about the kids, about his kids, about the program, about the school and about the tradition. He seems to be an excellent recruiter, but his bench skills are bad news.

Mike's problem is caring too much. He just can't escape the pressure. He puts it on himself and has no release. This job is killing him. There is no way he will last. He knows the tradition of Indiana basketball and he knows how close he is to turning this team into DePaul or Georgetown. Teams that were once proud and mighty and now are also rans. Indiana is different. There is a tradition. 5 National Titles, countless Big Ten titles, the mystique. Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas and Indiana. Those are the schools who are synonymous with basketball. (Yes I know about Duke, but they have only done it with one coach). Indiana is dangerously close to being out of that group and something has to be done to stop this slide.

A reply to Ms. Madigan

(Tuesday, October 14, 2003)--So there are many who want to see the Colts leave Indianapolis. At least that is what I gather from Beckie Madigan's letter from the Indianapolis Star on October 12, 2003.

I don't know who Ms. Madigan is, nor do I know whom she represents when she says there are "many" who want them to leave. I guess in their minds, if the Colts leave we can build more jails and incarcerate more of our population in what I am sure will be a wildly successful means of stopping crime. Plus, if the Colts leave, we can continue to build great palaces to education and all of our kids will automatically be smart and able to pass their I-Step tests.

For that matter, our air will probably be cleaner, streets will be in better shape and most likely the weather will even improve.

Of course those people who have jobs because of the Colts will just have to suffer, or wait, they can get those high paying jobs that don't exist because we have pro football.

Wake up people. The Colts generate millions of dollars for the local economy. Money that will be gone when they leave. There will be no filling of that void. The money they generate has been going to the CIB and then distributed back to the team and other interests of the CIB. But why bother to look at both sides, when so much is riding on the children.

Face it, money and fancy schools never made one child smarter, only teachers, parents and the children can do that. No amount of prison space will ever be enough. Ever. But since I am sure you never thought about it, take a look at the money the team and its players give to charity and remember, when they leave so does that money.

(Monday, May 26, 2003)—Congrats to Gil and all of Penske for their win at Indy yesterday! But after attending, I felt like the real winner was the fans who were there, in person or spirit because for the first time in a long time, for me at least, it felt like RACE DAY!

From where I sat I could see no “blocks” of empty seats as predicted by the CARToids. The field had the names that were alienated in the split and it was great to have them back. Hopefully Mr. Judd will be able to race next year. But there was something special about race day this year. Sure the previous days of May had rain, no bumping and not a lot of drama. The new rules I feel contributed mostly to that. But for at least one day, the whole thing seemed like the ‘good old days'!

So Tony George, you won. You own the landscape that is open wheel racing in America. Forget about CART. Your aim is to take some of NASCAR's share of fans. But I beg you…It ain't no longer broke, so don't 'fix' it!

Shit for Brains

(Wednesday, March 05, 2003)—I have observed some things in the past few weeks that really have me scratching my head. The Colts, of course, are one of them. “Deserving” championships is another.

I'll take these in order. The Colts so far this off season have resigned a kick returner who can't hold on to the ball, have signed NO big name free agents, have let their best linebacker basically leave without compensation and have not renegotiated the one contract that can insure the financial health of the team for several years to come.

The signing of Troy Walters, or rather the resigning baffles. Why in the hell would you keep a guy like this who has shown his ineffectiveness time and time again? He fumbles all the fucking time. Yet, there he is, getting a new contract with the Colts. I don't know of anyone who wanted to keep this boob, but apparently that dumbass Bill Polian wanted him.

As for Mike Peterson, well we just basically let him go. Word from Colts camp is that he just isn't a Tony Dungy type of player. Okay, I can see that. What I can't see is just letting him get away uncompensated. Where is the sense in that?

Peterson and Walters bring me to my Polian point. This guy is ruining the Colts. He is not a player in free agency. He has made enough questionable calls on draft day to negate the Peyton and Edge picks. Now his latest fiascos. I honestly believe Polian knows exactly what the fans want to see and he does the opposite. His incessant ramblings about the lack of fan support or fan knowledge is nothing more that his own self doubt. This guy had a helluva run at Buffalo and Carolina, but we are talking about pre-cap days. He is clueless in the salary cap era.

Bill, if you're going to carp about fan support it might help if you quit gutting the team every other year to show you're in charge. How the hell do we get behind a player if he is replaced every other year? Moron Polian wrecked one of the best lines in the NFL by letting Steve McKinney get away. But instead of admitting error he blames the fans for not being knowledgeable or supportive. This clown has got to go and go NOW.

And what about this so-called superstar quarterback? Peyton's a good guy by all indication and in the scope of the NFL, probably a top 10 QB. Top 5…no freakin' way. If we keep this guy and let him eat up 20% or more of our cap we are doomed. First of all he's not worth it and second, even if he was the second coming of Joe Montana it is a team game. Again Polian seems to be dropping the ball on this one.

The last thing about the Colts is about the attitude the message boards seem to have. Generally opinion on just about every facet is split. People love Peyton, people hate him. Same with Edge, Dungy, Polian, Peterson etc. What I can't abide by is that the team owner should get a free pass with his problems. Today I read that with his personal problems still up in the air, nothing will be resolved about Peyton or any big name free agents. It went on to say that his problems weren't our business. Well hello pal! I got news for you, I will be the one who decides what is and is not my business. I just cut a check for half my season tickets for next year. I now have more than just a passing interest in the team and if his pill problem still exists then he needs to get help or sell the team and kill himself chemically. If that sounds harsh, sorry, but I find it no harsher than someone telling me what my business is. So you dickless piece of shit, piss off. I'm making it my business and I want to know what is going on to keep the team here. If they are leaving then let me know so I can find another team. And if one more of you message board idiots tells me how great we are and then tell me how it would be worse if we were Bengal fans then please call me so I can take you get some bullets and a gun so you can shoot yourselves.

Speaking of dickless pieces of shit, I had the pleasure of meeting someone who wanted Indiana basketball coach Mike Davis fired. Killed is probably a more accurate word for what he wanted done to Davis. Apparently Mike Davis is not running the program well enough or at least to this individuals liking. Well to be honest, I haven't exactly liked what I have seen this year myself, but I do remember last March!

Upon further discussion I found out that this person was a graduate of Indiana University. I also found out that he went to IU not because of their business school(his degree), but rather because of their basketball team. Seems he liked what happened in 1976 and decided that was his kind of school. Once I heard this, the rest of his smack made sense. In his mind, or whatever he used to put thoughts together with, he deserved a national championship because he graduated from IU. The arguments that ensued would fill another page, but the bottom line is that apparently he is the only college grad in America and since he graduated from IU he deserves that championship.

It takes all kinds to make this world go around and there are some real fucking dandies out there.

Colts at Eagles

(Saturday, November 09, 2002)—Time to make the donuts Colts. Tomorrow you face the Eagles. They're a pretty good team. I don't know if they are in the elite yet, but are close. When this season started I thought the Colts might be too, but the events of the last three weeks have wiped that optimism from my eyes.

Tomorrow is a make or break game. Are the Colts going to scurry away like mice and fold their tents for the year? Will they show they have some fight in them? At this point, winning the game is not the critical issue, rather it is whether or not the Colts are going to compete.

Thankfully our crappy division allows us the luxury of not being out despite being slaughtered in the first half of the last three games. But it is a make or break game for the heart of this team. All week I've thought they were done and we would probably ride this out to a 6-10 record again. I've come around a little. I think the Colts will lose tomorrow, but I think they will come out and play hard, and, oh my God, for the whole 60 minutes. If we get that then the future against lesser opponents will produce results. But it is imperative we start at the same time as the other team.

(Thursday, October 24, 2002)--How ‘bout them Colts!???

Well I can't ignore this subject any longer. But really, what about them Colts. Are they leaving for the coast? Are they ever going to win a playoff game? Will they at least get tough and stop being this so-called finesse team? Do we have the players to get it done in the NFL?

Let's start at the end and work backwards through these questions.

So far this season it has become apparent that the Colts are a relatively soft team. Soft being that they do not come out and control either side of the line of scrimmage. Offensively we are allowing entirely too much pressure on Peyton Manning and giving Edgerrin James little or no room to run. Manning seems to press more and more each game to try to get the job done, but in doing so he seems to commit more errors. How many ill-timed, momentum killing interceptions does this guy have to throw before he stops forcing the ball where it will not be caught by our guys?

I don't, and I don't think anyone else, questions Manning's heart and desire. If we had 50 guys with that much heart we would answer the toughness question right now. Unfortunately talent comes into the equation too. Heart can only take you so far before you simply have to have more talent on your team than the other team. Manning has heart and I believe talent, but he has to use that talent to make plays that middle-of-the-pack QB's. I'm not sure if he is really calling all those audibles at the line of scrimmage, but he needs to get back to the basics and call the play in the huddle or, as has been suggested, go to the no huddle to keep the defense off balance personnel wise.

As for the Edge, well I still think he is tops. Right now I don't think a combination of Jim Brown, Walter Payton and OJ could run behind that line. It is obvious we miss Steve McKinney. I am of the impression that losing Ken Dilger doesn't hurt us as much, but the Wiggins fiasco at the start of the season set us back and the injury to Joe Dean Davenport is making matters worse. I suppose I just took Dilger for granted-always there and you rarely heard his name. That usually meant he wasn't missing his blocks. My solution? Stick a fullback in the mix for blocking purposes and for God's sake Tarik Glenn, quit false starting!

Defensively I really hate how soft we are. I just don't see any real keepers there. We scare no one and that ridiculous middle linebacker has got to go. Rob Morris is reacting, slowly I might add, instead of anticipating the plays, let alone controlling what the offense is able to do. He is horrible. Our president, Bill Polian continues to defend this boob, but it is obvious that Morris simply can not play at this level.

So here we sit, a nice 4-2 record right? Sure the record is good enough, but we could easily be 1-5 and in the cellar looking up. We're not thankfully. A lot of people, the eternal optimists, will tell you we could easily be 6-0. They tell you that without the turnovers and mistakes we would have come back on Miami and Pittsburgh. Well we made the mistakes and we paid the price. We didn't against the Texans, Bengals, Ravens and Jags and we won, but we aren't dominating anyone. That brings me to the final points.

Jim Irsay has made no secret that he needs more money to keep the team competitive. Los Angeles is just waiting for a team and the NFL is salivating over the idea of a team there. I don't see the Colts as a good SoCal fit but hey, who knows. This team has a season ticket base of 36,000 people. That is about 65% of the dome guaranteed each week. That also means the Colts have to beat the bushes to the tune of 20,000 extra fans each home game for the sellout. When teams like the Dolphins and Cowboys, the Bears and Packers come to town it's no problem getting the sellout. But it is because they have so many fans here and many that are willing to travel. The other games we seem to always be up against that Thursday noon deadline for TV.

If this team were to start beating the crap out of teams you would see the fan base grow. We are now and have been mired in mediocrity for 18 years. I guarantee though that fan interest would rise immensely if the fringe fans really believed they could go to that dome and see a win for the Colts. As long as we are mediocre those fans will stay away and watch on TV. The product just isn't good enough RIGHT NOW to bring more fans in. The time is right too. Our two closest teams, the Bears and Bengals both suck and we are in a crappy division. Yet we seem to play to the level of our competition when they are bad and just not show up against the better teams. Reason? We're not that good.

No one wants to see this team stay more than me. I think they are good for the city; they bring intangibles such as prestige, which in turn brings business here. The team and players contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities. But are those good enough reasons to renovate the dome, again, or build a new stadium? No they are not. Until we get a consistently good product on the field and build a good fan base off we will always be in danger of losing the Colts to LA or wherever.

Soccer Sucks

(Tuesday, June 04, 2002)—A lot of you aren't going to like this. Well I guess a lot of you if I am getting a large contingent of readers from other countries. Soccer sucks! It is boring to watch, there seem to be no rules and last night, while channel surfing I saw what has been one of my biggest complaints since that stupid World Cup came here several years ago-The clock had expired and yet they played on. “Only the official really knows how much time is left”. What the fuck is up with that?

For the record, I think soccer is great for the kids. It teaches them basic exercise and it teaches them teamwork. And I suppose it gives soccer moms a purpose in life.(Didn't they have one?) But for God's sake, once you can play football, baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, tennis…need I go on? Shouldn't you hang up the cleats and play a game that is more than running around in a rectangle. Where's the strategy? Kick the ball in the goal while running all over hells half acre!

Let's face it, we have better sports to play and watch here and frankly, most Americans couldn't care less about what the rest of the world is doing, especially when it comes to sports. We're doing our thing in our time. Piss on a bunch of Asians or Europeans and their soccer. BORING! Hell they have to riot to make it fun!

And you can see how much of an impact the World Cup had here and when's the last time you saw Mia Hamm? Soccer sucks, it's boring and it can just go the fuck away!

Sorry Erik!

Race Time Again!

(Wednesday, May 15, 2002)-Here we are, back to action at the Speedway. 24 are in and by my last count, 19 wanting in. Of course out of that 24 that are in, there are a few that are about as nervous as a whore in church. I have to admit, I thought 226 would have been plenty fast enough to get in the field, but the way things happened last weekend, that number may be a little low. There are still some very fast guys that need to make qualifying attempts. Should make for a pretty good weekend show!

It's been a nice couple of weeks without taxi cab racing and we get yet another whole week of it. Sure those boys have their little Winston down at the Lowes Motor Speedway on Saturday night, but it is a non points paying race and it's okay to miss. Don't get me wrong, I like NASCAR, but give me the real races that mean the difference between winning the Winston Cup and not!

Finally a word about the Euros. The major outcry this week over what happened at the A-1 Ring in Austria should come as no surprise to anyone that has followed F-1 racing at all. F-1 teams always have two drivers and only one of them can be Number One. Since securing the championship (driver first obviously) is the number one goal, then the order to have Rubens let Schummi pass was the right decision. Is it right that there are "team orders"? Well how do you prove that there really is? Ferrari flatly stated that they could have brought Rubens in for a pit stop and avoided the controversy, thereby skirting the issue. My only question is "Why didn't you?". It was embarrassing for motor sports in general and F-1 in particular. Enough people out there don't think auto racing is a sport without some dumbass Italians providing emphasis to their argument. Nothing will come of this as nothing has come from team orders as long as they have been racing. But let's face it, it's just not sporting and that sucks!

Go Hoosiers!

(Tuesday, March 19, 2002)--Congrats to Coach Mike Davis and the Indiana Hurryin' Hoosiers on their advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 last weekend. Unfortunately for their efforts they get to take on Duke Thursday night in Lexington, KY. Let's face it, the odds of the Hoosiers beating Duke are slim. Not that Duke is unbeatable, but the Hoosiers just don't seem to be a strong enough team right now to get the job done.

It's not that the Hoosiers don't play hard. They do! But with injuries nagging several players combined with Dukes speed and quickness, the task seems insurmountable. But this crew will give it all they've got. That much I am sure of!

So keep them good thoughts going and remember a kid named Dan Dakich who somehow, for one night 18 years ago, shut down a player named Michael Jordan against all probability. The Hoosiers prevailed that night only to lose a disappointing effort to Virginia two days later. But this team won't let down if they win the big one at least until they get to the really big one. GO HOOSIERS!!

2001

(Wednesday, December 26, 2001)—What a year it has been, or was if you are reading this after New years Day. There was good, there was bad. There was tragic there was joy.

For most Americans the events of September 11 will go down as the most dramatic and tragic happening of the year and possibly of their lives. As of today the US is continuing its search for those responsible for the atrocity. I have sounded off at length previously on the subject so I will not go into any great detail here. Suffice it to say that September 11 had a profound effect on our patriotism and our spirit of caring and helping. But it also brought out some ugly sides of our country. Scams popped up all over the landscape trying to make a quick, immoral buck by using phony charity names. There was the Red Cross telling us that only about a quarter of the money donated would actually go to the WTC victims' families.

Of course the celebrities raised boatloads of cash on several different television shows most of which were then neatly packaged and sold to raise further cash. All told it was a very generous thing to do. God only knows how many people have been involved in the enormous cleanup at Ground Zero, but their efforts have been above and beyond the call of duty. That is until some dumbass Fireman union chief decided he needed more money for his men in the cleanup effort. Like I said, there was good-very good, and there was bad.

As for the victims and their survivors there is not much I can really say. I knew none of them, but felt sorrow for their losses. Life goes on and I'm sure that many of them are getting on with it, but I can't imagine this was a very Merry Christmas for them.

In the political arena, W was finally inaugurated in January but has basically been tied up with the war in Afghanistan since September 11th. I'm pulling for you W and when this war ends I think you can make some difference and reverse some of the liberal crap left over from that idiot Clinton!

Most of you who know me know that I really enjoy football and auto racing. Sure I love the Pacers and Hoosiers basketball teams, but they are the only basketball I will usually watch. I won't rehash what happened, but suffice it to say the Colts disappointed greatly again in January in the playoffs when they blew a halftime lead and rolled over and died for the Miami Dolphins in the playoffs. Looking back I guess I should be glad we were even in the playoffs seeings how we are not going to make it this year. It has been pitiful this year. Edge hurt, Peyton playing like crap and coaching and management that have been crappy have led us to this point. Before the end of the year we will be 5-10. That is unacceptable and Jim Irsay needs to clean house with Coach Mora and his staff as well as team president Bill Polian who, in 4 years has screwed us royally. He drafted Peyton-no brainer; I could have made that pick. He drafted Edge-good pick with one exception, he practically gave Marshall Faulk who is quite possibly the best player in the NFL away for nothing. He drafted Rob Morris-too small, holdout and usually hurt. And finally he drafted Reggie Wayne-again a nice player, but with the state of our defense how do you justify that. Polian is a jackass who gets defensive every time someone questions the direction the Colts are taking. Get rid of that bum and get some non-retread guy in here that can get this team to the top.

Another very tragic event happened at the end of the Daytona 500 in February. Seven time Winston Cup winner, car owner and most importantly to me anyway, my favorite driver Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash. The crash itself didn't look terribly vicious, but apparently there was head and neck damage great enough to kill him. NASCAR took 6 months investigating and probably really don't know any more today than they did the day of the race. They mandated the use of head restraint devices, but seem to want to slap a band-aid on the problem of restrictor plate racing at Daytona and Talladega. Dale Jr. had a decent season and I will be a big fan of his, but I will miss the 3 car and Dale Earnhardt. I was lucky enough to be at Daytona in 1999 when Dale won the 500 for the first time. For that I will be ever grateful!

The Pacers have been rebuilding since their appearance in the NBA finals in 2000. Good luck to Isaiah and the team as they try to get back on top. I hope they make it. IU basketball was about just that last season. Oh the team wasn't any better and they got knocked out of the NCAA in the first round against Kent St., but the focus was not on Bob Knight, but rather on the team. It was a nice change of pace!

One thing I was really glad to see was the success of the Indy Racing League. After years of struggling to make it, the IRL had bigger fields and bigger audiences. They have a solid television contract and seem poised to run CART out of the business. CART has dug it's own grave. Too many road course races, too many races in other countries and too much bickering amongst its owners and franchise holders. The upcoming season will see Roger Penske bringing his team and his Marlboro sponsorship to the IRL. Expect more to follow and expect a merge of the leagues or the complete demise of CART in the next 3 years.

Finally a little about me. School went fairly well. All A's and B's so I'm pretty happy about that! I switched majors from Business to Computer Tech in the spring and am very happy about it. I guess I'll just have to live with the Purdue degree. I made it to the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400 and the US Grand Prix. You can see pictures of some of these event and more by clicking here.

And finally, I lost my grandmother last week. She was 91. Of course I am sad and I will miss her immensely. But grandma was healthy, lived in her own house and basically died within a day of collapsing. She did it right. I feel for my pop as he is still struggling with the blow of losing her, but he will be all right. Grandma, you were a great lady and I will miss you, but I love you and you will always be in my thoughts!

Have a Happy New year everyone! I'll be at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on New Years eve so it you're there, stop by!!!

Pity poor Colts

(Monday, November 12, 2001)—Here we are. Halfway through the NFL season and with today's news, the second half doesn't look very bright. Losing yesterday's game to the Dolphins was disheartening for a myriad of reasons. First was the complete lack of defense on throws down the field. The Dolphin receivers were ridiculously wide open. We made a star of some guy named Chambers. I mean, who the hell is Chambers? Second was the constant pressure Peyton was under. He was sacked and harassed constantly. But most damaging was the hurting the Dolphins put on us.

In the first quarter, Dominic ‘Rocky' Rhodes had to be taken to the locker room with a separated shoulder. He returned, but who knows if he'll be able to go next week. Mike Peterson suffered a tear of a knee ligament which will almost assuredly keep him out for the season. Peterson is probably the best defensive player we have, and on a team with as many defensive holes as we have we simply cannot afford to lose Mike. Steve McKinney, possibly our best offensive lineman had to leave the game and was diagnosed with a fractured bone in his back. And finally, Peyton had his jaw broken on a play in the fourth quarter. Sure he returned, but he will have surgery today. And even though he is expected to play, how effective can we really expect him to be?

But the most crushing blow is what the Colts are expected to announce at their weekly press conference later today. That Edgerrin James, who I consider the best player in the NFL, will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury that is more severe than they were letting on. Without James we are simply a one-dimensional team that has trouble keeping receivers healthy. On Peyton's arm rest our chances of salvaging anything of this season. Teams are going to know this and will tee off on P and will double team Marvin and whichever other receiver, if either, can make it through the rest of the season healthy.

The reality is that the rest of the season is probably going to be an effort in futility. We'll probably play hard, but with a banged up Peyton, no Edge, a nicked up Rock and no Steve McKinney or Mike Peterson we will struggle to get wins. Let's face it, we were struggling to get wins with those guys, now without them the prospects aren't bright. Hopefully some of the other players will step up and we can see if we have anyone who we can really use in the future. That appears to me to be what the rest of the season will bring!

It's a piece of shit now!

(Friday, October 12, 2001)—Have you ever bought a new car? Not just a new family car, but a really cool car that you know everything about. The engine size, horsepower, size of the tires and rims etc. A car that you feel is the envy of all the other drivers on the road as well as your friends. You keep it spotless, use the best gas, always change the oil on schedule and follow all other maintenance items. A car that makes you smile just to look at. Ever had one of those? I think most of us have. I know I have and then the unthinkable happens and you are involved in an accident. It may be a major collision or just a little fender bender, but either way, you wish it were a total so you replace the car. Invariably it is never a total and no matter how quick you get it fixed and no matter how good it may look the fact remains in your head. It's a PIECE OF SHIT now!

Well today that awful, sinking feeling came over me about our country. The feeling came when another case of anthrax was diagnosed in New York. It is the feeling that things REALLY aren't ever going to be the same. That the panic that is occurring in NYC because of this discovery sets us right back to September 11. The nation wept for the victims of those attacks and then did what Americans do best. Go back to being Americans. Since that day we have been repeatedly been told to expect more terrorist attacks, but did most Americans really feel another attack on our soil would really take place? I didn't. Sure it was in the back of my mind even before September 11. And so far there is no evidence that the 2 cases of anthrax in Florida and one now in New York have any relation to each other or that they were even the acts of terrorist groups. Frankly when I heard that the building where the tabloid The Sun was produced, I figured it could be anyone whose good name was smeared by that particular publication. Hell it could have been one of those space aliens that were hanging with Hillary Clinton. But when a second case was discovered in New York it seems more and more like a terrorist, foreign or domestic, attack.

Today I feel like my shiny, great country has been reduced to a piece of shit. Panic and fear are widespread. It has become risky to even open your mail as it may contain deadly bacteria. When the attacks happened I had a hard time shedding tears. It was probably the shock of it all coupled with the fact that these were not people I knew or could even know through several degrees of separation. But I stated I wept that America may never be the same. And like that new car after it has been wrecked the first time never being the same, so it seems that America is on that same path.

Thank God I didn't have to see it!

(Monday, October 1, 2001)--Normally I would have a comment on the Colts and their performance of the previous day here. But thankfully I was a the track yesterday enjoying some ice cold Fosters, soaking up some rays and generally having a good time at the F1 race. Suffice it to say the racing isn't anything to write home about, but the cars are really cool and we had an excellent vantage point thanks to Neil allegedly losing his ticket before we got to the gate. We sat on the grassy knoll (no, no one was shot but the finger was given to Schummi about 73 times!) at the start of the backstretch.

Colts go to 2-0!

(Monday, September 24, 2001)—How about them Colts?! Another game, another win and lots of points! Yesterday the Colts ran their season record to 2-0 for the first time in years with an entertaining 42-26 victory over the Bills at the Dome. The fact that the Bills and the Jets, who were the Colts victim in week one are not very good teams really doesn't matter when you tack up 45 and 42 points against them.

Yesterday, the Colts, after a couple of early bobbles, played nearly perfect on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively there is still work to do, but the defense did only give up one touchdown and two field goals until a late game Hail Mary touchdown. They may not be world-beaters yet, but they seem to be improved.

As we watched the game unfold, I told my friends that there should be no Jim Mora or Tom Moore bashing after this one. The Colts mixed it up on first down and ran the no huddle exclusively. They never punted and at one point, had scored touchdowns on six consecutive drives. Peyton Manning, who somehow keeps finding ways to get better, was brilliant. He passed for more than 400 yards, threw 4 touchdown passes and even ran for a touchdown. He hit all of his receivers and, with the exception of the early interception, played what was probably the best game of his career. The Edge was simply the Edge! He rested the 100-yard mark for the 5th time in a row and once the Bills were beaten down in the second half he delivered some of his most punishing running. Jerome Pathon had another big day and seems to have a firm grip on the second wideout position. Marvin Harrison caught 3 touchdowns as the Bills, for some reason went at him one on one.

Overall the Colts looked great! Next up is New England and we all know how bad things have gone for us up in Foxboro over the years. The Colts will be big favorites going into the game against what is probably the worst team in the division. But that fact has never really mattered. We still seem to struggle against the Pats. However, this year it looks like we simply have too much firepower for the Patriots. So if you're heading out to the race next Sunday at the Speedway, take a radio and tune into the game on Q95 and root the horseshoes on to victory! Following that we get a week off then the season starts to get really tough as the Raiders come to town. And no, I will not be rooting for the Raiders just like I was not rooting for the Raiders last year, even if I was accused of it!

Dale Earnhardt

(Tuesday, July 31, 2001)---Well it's Brickyard week here in Indy and as usual, excitement is running high as the stars of the Winston Cup series make their return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, I just can't really get in to all the pre race hype (hike for my friends and fans of Thomas “Hitman” Hearns) that surrounds the running of the 400.

Yes, I will miss seeing Dale Earnhardt on the track tremendously and I know that this whole season has been somewhat dull to me because he has not been there. I still root for Jr. and have become a Kevin Harvick fan. I still root for Mark Martin and Steve Park. I want to see Ron Hornaday do well for AJ's team. I'd like to see John Andretti do well as he always seemed to be the most gracious of the racing Andretti's-perhaps that is his downfall. And don't think I won't be there giving Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon the finger when they come around and booing when Robby Gordon or Dale Jarrett go by. I will be! But it won't be the same.

Go 8, 1, 6, 43, 14 and even 2! Goodbye 3! I will miss you this weekend, but your memory will not fade!

IRL at the Nashville Speedway

(Tuesday, July 24, 2001)—Saturday night marked the inaugural IRL race at the new Nashville Speedway. Pre race hype was running high as the event was a sellout. Granted the speedway currently has but 75,000 seats, but for the IRL to stage an event in the heart of NASCAR country was quite a feat. But the real story has tot be the re-emergence of Buddy Lazier as possibly the best driver on the IRL circuit.

Let me be the first one to tell you that in May I said that the Indy 500 had been tainted in 1996 when Lazier won. It's not that I felt he did anything to deserve NOT to win, it just happened to be the first year the CART drivers were not at the Speedway. It just seemed opportunistic for a guy who basically had languished in the few CART races he ran and in the 500 up to 1996. When Arie Luyendyk won the race in 1997 it didn't ring as hollow as he had won the race in 1990. But while Lazier hasn't won the race since 1996 he has had some solid runs. More importantly though is the fact that he has become virtually impassable as this season has moved on. His runaway victory at Pikes Peak was a magnificent display of driving. Darting around the other drivers wherever he wanted. Then Saturday night, he gained the lead and was never headed. Lazier is at the top of his game right now. The other IRL drivers best be on the lookout if they are to stop him from winning his second consecutive IRL championship.

It's hard to blame the fans for staying away in droves from the Harrah's 500 at Michigan Sunday. After all, for CART fans in the area, it is a slap in the face to have the best race on the CART circuit pulled. First CART brass blames the loss of the event on International Speedway Corporation and their increasing affiliation with Tony George and the IRL. Then, in what seemed like and effort to tell the fans what they wanted to hear, CART says they may be back at Michigan after next year because ISC only has a one year deal with the IRL. Maybe I'm an idiot, but what does the IRL deal have to do with the CART race? Let's see, NASCAR has two races at the track, CART one. Are they trying to tell us that the track can only support three races a year? You are making a big mistake leaving Michigan CART. Here's hoping your management comes to their senses and stems this tide of nixing oval track races in the US in favor of ovals in Europe, Asia and South America and road course races here. They kinda have it backwards.

Finally, Colts camp opens Thursday in Terre Haute. Like last year, anticipation runs high coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. This year, however, there seems to be a little more sense of urgency from the Colts and especially from the fans. It is time for this team to produce, not only in the regular season, but especially in the post season. Head Coach Jim Mora has never won a playoff game in the NFL. He isn't the right man for this job and should not have been hired, but que sera sera. This team needs to face each opponent as if they were playoff games, get the home field advantage and the week off and win playoff games. It's as simple as that. Let's all forget about the Edge missing the voluntary camp. I thought he should have been there, but that is my opinion of how a team works together and how they improve. What's done is done and now is time to look forward, not back. Good luck Colts, but if you let us down again this year, don't expect smooth sailing on that stadium issue.

(Monday, July 09, 2001)—Way to go Little E! Despite some folks contention that Saturday's Pepsi 400 at Daytona Beach was fixed, Dale Jr. put on a show of domination rarely seen in NASCAR these days, especially on the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega. Dale drove below, above and around the competition seemingly with ease. For those who think the other drivers “let him by” I would only say you haven't been paying attention.

Ask Winston Cup Series points leader Jeff Gordon, who has been highly successful at Daytona, if he didn't want to pad his lead with a victory. After all the points winner collects a cool million at seasons end. I'm sure that Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd, who are both hot on Gordon's heels, would never let anyone go by just for sentimental reasons. Ask any of the Winston No Bull 5 drivers if they would pass up the million dollar bonus to let Dale Jr. win. Ask that arrogant hot head Tony Stewart if he would let anyone pass. There was no fix! Sure, Michael Waltrip made a spirited charge to the front the last couple of laps, and may have actually been faster than Dale. But Michael and Dale are teammates. I was up yelling for Michael to be a team player and thankfully he did!

The victory celebration that started in the grassy area between the track and the pits continued at least until NBC's coverage went off the air a half hour after the race. Lot's of drivers and crewmen were quoted as saying a better script couldn't have been written. Some people immediately took that to assume the race was fixed. They are certainly entitled to their opinion, even if it's wrong. For those of us who are Dale Jr. fans it was a race that was a delight to watch. The restrictor plates, which nearly every driver it seems despise, are meant to keep the cars slowed down making them equal and therefore run in huge packs all race long. Dale didn't ever lead by a lap, but once he got to the front he was simply unbeatable. I loved it!

Tony Stewart, part of my All-Wheezy Windbag team, showed his ass again Saturday night. NBC reported at the top of their broadcast that the drivers were told at the drivers meeting that driving below the yellow line was going to result in a penalty. With a handful of laps remaining, Stewart was attempting to pass Johnny Benson. Stewart obviously had a faster car, but as usual, showed no patience. Stewart went low in the tri oval area and below the yellow line in his attempt to pass Benson. NASCAR black flagged Stewart, who in turn ignored it. Smooth move Scott Goodyear Jr. After the race, Stewart was informed he was being dropped 20 positions in the final race standings and he did his usual meltdown. He had to be physically separated from NASCAR competition director Gary Nelson and later pushed and knocked a taper recorder from a reporter's hand.

Stewart is a menace both on the track and off. Last year he put other drivers in jeopardy driving like an idiot in the Winston. Now I don't like Jeff Gordon at all, but Stewart's actions in the pits after the race at Bristol were reprehensible. That incident earned him probation until August. Now this boob is at it again. He drove below the yellow line. It's just that simple and he knows it. But he thinks he's God's gift to racing. NASCAR needs to set this punk down for a race or two and let him decide if he wants to heed the rules or if he would like to go back to the dirt tracks from which he came. I suppose there is a fine line between being aggressive and being dangerous. This moron has crossed the line too many times to just call it racing and blaming emotions

The IRL ran their first race at the new Kansas Speedway yesterday. Wow! Besides putting on another excellent show, even if Eddie Cheever won, they actually drew a great crowd for the race. The track holds 75,000 and that's how many seats were sold. Now before you think the IRL can sell out in the Kansas City area, keep this in mind. The track sold tickets to the IRL race, the truck race on Saturday and the Winston Cup race in September as a package. IRL officials knew the 75,000 tickets sold were bought because of the Winston Cup show. They were simply hoping that the ticket holders would come out and see their product. Much to the surprise of everyone, they did! I'm sure it helped that the race took place at a time when the Winston Cuppers weren't running, but nevertheless the stands were full. And the Indy boys didn't disappoint. Side-by-side racing was the norm. Hopefully the race will encourage those who were there just out of curiosity to attend other IRL events. If they can start to increase attendance, the IRL may just wipe CART off the map.

The Kansas Speedway proved to be an excellent venue for Indy Car racing. The mile and a half tracks seem especially well suited for the cars and for exciting racing action. IRL has decided not to go back to Atlanta next year, which is a shame, but crowds were just dismal. However they are picking up Michigan and there is even some rumblings of a street race in the future. I welcome the new ideas and tracks. I would like to see Pikes Peak left off the schedule as it just does not seem to inspire good racing. The IRL is off to the new track at Nashville. Let's hope they have a good turnout for that event!

(Monday, July 02, 2001)—Four rallies were held over the weekend in Arizona calling for the recall of Senator John McCain. The recall rallies are the result of Senator McCain's incessant liberal leanings. The people are attempting to bring McCain home and replace him with a person who will represent them. McCain no longer fits that bill

Senator McClain used his bully pulpit as a Senator and former POW to make a run at the Republican nomination for President against George W. Bush. McCain's message of campaign reform was a popular and relevant platform. But his campaign seemed to be focused on the fact that he had been a POW in Vietnam and not his Senate voting record. “W” ran his campaign largely on tax cuts and breaks and bringing the country back to it's more conservative roots after eight years of Bill Clinton's assault on the constitution.

The Republican primary season was ugly. McCain and Bush seemed to be on opposite ends of every issue. Even as it became apparent that “W” would win the nomination, McCain repeatedly took shots at him. For a republican such as myself, it was sickening to watch this proud candidate sink into a pathetic, whining poor loser. To be honest, it's a wonder Bush ever won the election as divided as the Republican's were last August. McCain finally came around to a certain extent, even speaking at the Republican National Convention. He was still stressing his idea of campaign reform.

So now we are eight months past the election and in the seventh month of “W's” presidency. His tax cut measures were passed and signed into law last month, but Senator John McCain did not vote for the measure. In May, McCain sponsored a bill with former Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman making it even more difficult for honest Americans to purchase guns. And finally, along with Ted Kennedy, McCain co-sponsored the patients' bill of rights. A measure strongly opposed by the White House and the rank and file Republican members of congress.

Just where is Senator McCain now? One of two possibilities exists. Either McCain has become a liberal-or more likely a Bush hater-or he has his sights set on the White House in 2004 and sees his anti-conservativism and the outrage it conjures up as a way to keep his name in front of the public. If he has become a liberal he needs to be brought home. His constituents voted for McCain on the basis of his conservative views. If he has changed his own personal views, more power to him. However, he no longer represents his constituency and needs to be recalled. If this blowhard just wants to keep his name in front of the public, he needs to get with the Republican agenda and help mold what are probably overly conservative ideas and reign them in so even those in the Republican camp will be comfortable with the party's platform. Something I can't say I am right now.

To the people of Arizona I wish good luck in your fight. At least it will let you know where this guy really stands.

(Thursday, June 28, 2001)—The Washington Wizards made NBA history last night by selecting a player just out of high school first in the draft. Kwame Brown out of Brunswick, GA was the first of 3 players selected out of the first four with no college basketball experience. Whether Brown becomes a star NBA player or not remains to be seen. He certainly wouldn't be the first number one pick to fail to live up to his billing, but as a player coming directly out of high school, he will be scrutinized every step of the way during his career. By picking Brown first the Wizards upped the ante in the argument whether or not players coming out of high school should be able to declare themselves ready for the NBA draft. It is an argument that has been going for decades, but in the last five years, with the increase in the number of high school seniors foregoing college, the argument has intensified.

I don't personally see any problem with a player coming out of high school and straight into the NBA. I mean a lot of kids come out of high school and go directly to work. Many simply can't afford college, while some just aren't ready for it. I'm a case in point for that one. I went to college right out of high school, but failed miserably because I just wasn't ready for more school. I'd had 12 straight years of it and was ready to work full time and make some money so I could hang out with my friends and be afford to go to concerts, races, movies etc.

However, let me temper the fact that I don't see a problem with these kids skipping college, with the thought that each of these individuals are different. Are all kids coming out of high school ready for the NBA or to go to work? No way. Are some ready? Absolutely. I look at Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant as examples of players who skipped college and are now highly successful NBA players. In fact they are stars in the league. I look at Jermaine O'Neal for our own Indiana Pacers and see a guy who three years into his career is on the verge of becoming a star. Then I look at our other Pacers who were drafted right out of high school, Al Hairrington and Jonathon Bender. Pacer president Donnie Walsh has sung the praises of these two and their talent, but their on court performances tell a different story. Erratic play begetting inconsistent minutes has been the MO for both players. Where Garnett, Bryant and O'Neal have shown the maturity necessary to become successful in the NBA, Hairrington and Bender have not.

And don't get me wrong, a player with four years of college playing experience may not make it in the NBA either, but the odds of him being able to handle the “real world” of an NBA player is much greater than a high schooler. Teams draft these high school players based on potential. After all, a really good high school player can look like a man amongst boys in a varsity game. But he will be playing against men in the NBA and there is no reference by which to base the pick on. College players at least have the advantage of being taught the game for one to five years longer. It gives them the chance to mature mentally. I don't think anyone can deny the fact that physically, some high school players are ready for the pros. The mental aspect will be the largest area of concern.

The NBA will continue to draft high school players as long as one each season can “make” it in the league. There are some who want the league to impose a minimum age of 20. The players union will challenge that and will win. As long as you can get a job at 18, then the NBA will not be able to shut out the under 20's. If they think they can implement such a rule I would ask them to check out the PGA's loss in the Casey Martin case. Sure that was an American With Disabilities Act decision, but the PGA held that as a private organization they weren't to be held to the same laws. The NBA will suffer a similar defeat if they try to pursue a minimum age rule. So I guess it comes down to each teams comfort level and how much “baby-sitting” they are willing to allow their coaching staffs to do. The Pacers have shown they will tolerate a certain measure of youth to help plan for the future. But I, for one, am glad to see they picked up a couple of players last night with at least some college experience. Not because I think they will be better than any of the other players, I just think they will be better than Harrington and Bender.

(Monday, June 25, 2001)—Pity poor CART. Other than their drivers dominating the Indy 500, CART just can't seem to be able to catch a break. Yesterday they held the annual race at the Portland International Speedway. A couple of things strike me as being wrong with this race. First, it's a boring track and looks like, other than the pit straightaway, it provides little viewing area for the fans in attendance. Second, the race always seems to be held on the same day of the Winston Cup race down at Sonoma, CA. Therefore, both races usually start at the same time. The last thing CART, or any other racing series, needs to do is to try to go head to head on television against NASCAR. It's a no win situation.

Apparently CART isn't worried about competing against the Winston Cuppers. I would think they would be! To make matters worse, rain fell during the entire race at Portland. This resulted in 9 full course yellows, numerous excursions off the track and the race distance shortened to a timed event of 2 hours. It was absolutely painful to watch. The CART officials should have stopped the race and waited for the skies to clear. I know, I know, they run on road courses in the rain. Well if that is the case, then let them run. If cars slide off the course, they usually get back on the track. And as long as they are out of the way, keep the track green. I thought that if there were crashes on road courses, the system of flags warns the drivers of impending peril and the whole course doesn't have to be slowed. That didn't happen yesterday.

I bet the F1 guys got a big kick out of watching you fumble your way around the wetlands of Oregon. That is, if they were able to stay awake. Come on CART, tracks like Portland have no place in your schedule. I really want to follow CART but the way things happen over there, especially this year, it isn't easy. That's 2 weeks in a row the pole sitter has won and led throughout. It happens in F1 because one car manufacturer is dominant. But CART cars are all basically the same, or at least when it comes to an oval, that everyone has a chance to win. And if you feel you must run in Portland, don't run it on the same day NASCAR is on the west coast. Their race at Sears Point isn't very exciting either, but yesterday it was like comparing the Daytona 500 to go kart racing over at Great Times!

One thing I did notice about the race yesterday at Portland was the Toyota advertising behind the wheels of the Newman/Haas team cars. It was a bright red or orange and the rims allowed the logo to be seen as they turned. The effect was a flashing-like effect which was very cool indeed.

(Friday, June 22, 2001)—So I'm driving last night and searching for something on the radio when I happen upon those wheezy windbags on WIBC, Kevin Lee, Jack Trudeau and Joe Hillman. The topic was Edgerrin James and their thoughts that he no longer wanted to play for the Colts. Unfortunately I missed the opening of the show because I really would have liked to have heard just how the discussion got started. I mean I haven't read or heard anything that would lead me to believe that Edge intends to do anything but show up for training camp, in shape and ready to help the Colts get to the Super Bowl. So I really wasn't sure what prompted the discussion.

However, as I drove on and listened further I realized how many times I have listened to these three boobs and just shook my head in amazement at the fact that they are allowed to have a radio show. And this from two guys I have cheered for in their athletic careers. Joe Hillman was never the star at IU that I had hoped coming out of high school, but he was a good solid player. Somehow, he has grown to love the sound of his own voice. He gets more pompous sounding and more irritating by the day. On top of that he seems to get more stupid by the day. Trudeau was a good backup for the Colts for a long time. Sure he started some games, but let's face it, he was only in because of injuries or because the Colts management was so bad, the backups were really bad. Couple that with the fact he took a lot of stupid chances on the field. Still, he was a Colt and was cheered. Now he seems bitter and mad. I don't know what Lee's background is, but he seems to be the monitor of this special ed talk show. But the longer he sits with the other two dopes, the more bitter he becomes.

What really gets me is that these weasels aren't unique to the media. It seems that more and more I hear people on so called sports shows, who obviously don't like sports. In addition to the WIBC crew, ESPN seems inundated with talking heads that would rather find the negative aspects of the sporting world than focus on the fun that sports are. On Sunday morning, The Sports Reporters features four morons who fly in to New York to tell us how bad everything in sports are. Mike Lupica, Tony Kornheiser-who does write some fine articles in the Washington Post along with the negative ones, Michael Wilbon, Mitch Albom and the host Dick Schaap who obviously thinks he is more important than anything in sports. Even here in town, The Indianapolis Star has had it's share of crappy columnists. Hell that one over there now, Bob Kravitz finally got me to quit getting my sports info from my hometown newspaper. Thanks Bob. When I was reading him I think he wrote one positive article. Something about Colts placekicker Mike Vanderjaagt a new, and well-deserved contract. Everything else was negative. And when there wasn't anything else to write about, it was dogpile on Bob Knight and IU. And Kravitz wasn't the first. Before he was fired Robin Miller, who I thoroughly enjoyed reading, would tear into Tony George and the Speedway for the CART/IRL split whenever there wasn't anything else, in his view apparently to write about. Mark Patrick, Bill Benner even Mark Boyle, the voice of the Pacers all just seem bitter towards sports.

Maybe I'm a little naïve about things, but these cats have some of the greatest jobs in the world, especially the writers. So why do they all seem so bitter? Are they all jaded by endless free food buffets and comp tickets to any event? Maybe they envy those who play the games because of the money the athletes make. I wish I knew. I do know this though. I would trade places with any of you negative, egotistical, bitter assholes to get my opinion out there in the public. Step aside you grouches, make room for those of us who still love the games!

(Thursday, June 21, 2001)—A funny thing happened to me this morning at work. I had a co-worker really stick his foot in his mouth and actually was left speechless. Here's what happened.

First let me set the scenario up for you. The company I work for occupies 2 different buildings that are about 5 miles apart. Previously we were just a block away from each other and before that, the people who work in the corporate headquarters (where I work) were located upstairs from the operations department. For whatever reason, there has always seemed to be a rivalry between the two. Today, I got first hand a taste of that rivalry. For the record I am a credit manager for a trucking company. The other person involved is a sales coordinator. I won't name names here because all trucking companies are essentially the same and most have the positions involved here.

The sales department often looks at the credit manager as a “sales prevention manager”. And I admit, without exception, I believe that everyone in the sales department could give a shit less if we ever get paid. Just fill them trucks up! To stimulate sales and reduce empty miles for our trucks and drivers, the sales coordinator position was created to look for loads in areas where our trucks delivered, but had little or no freight coming out of. Basically a money-losing situation. However, the sales coordinator was to get the approval of the credit manager before anything was picked up. For a long time, I ran the credit checks, told the sales coordinator if the prospect was credit worthy or not. And for a long time we had no problems. Then a week ago, I got a credit application from a deadbeat customer who had screwed us out of money a few years back. I denied credit, but mysteriously we had already picked up the freight. Not the way the system is supposed to work. I filed it away mentally. Then yesterday, another customer came up bad on their credit report. When I called the coordinator, I found out that once again, we had already picked up the freight. “It was a one time thing” I was told. Well, I already knew this was bullshit, but kept my mouth shut.

Forward to this morning. Once again I had a credit check to do. Instead of spending the $20 for a D&B report I called the coordinator to see is we already had the freight. We did! So I simply replied that he no longer needed to send me the credit applications. As per procedure, I went to the higher ups to see how they wanted to handle credit applications in the future. Basically I was told to speak to the coordinator and try to work something out. That's where the fun began!

When I called the coordinator, I said “this is Mark, how are you doing?”. I was told that the coordinator “wasn't worth a shit”; that he had “people in the ivory tower” keeping him from doing his job. That everyone in the tower was taking “2 hour lunches and playing golf”. At first I thought he was joking. Like I said, there has always been the rivalry or separation between the buildings. About that time, the coordinator realized that he thought he was speaking to another “Mark”. He stammered and after a couple of seconds hung up the phone. Needless to say, there was egg on his face.

A couple of minutes later, I got an email explaining that he was sorry and that he was too embarrassed to even call me back. I answered that it was no big deal, gave him my thoughts on how to improve the process and then took him to task about playing golf. Especially since I haven't picked up a club this year! It was all laughed off by me as a joke. Mostly because I couldn't care what some sales coordinator thinks. I'm here with one purpose-to make sure the customers pay and to week out the ones who will not or don't.

But there is a lesson to be learned here. Technology makes it very simple for us to communicate, especially in an office setting. But be careful what you say on the phone whether you are sure of who is calling or not. And be careful sending those emails. One wrong click and the wrong person can receive a message intended for someone else. That's also happened here! Sometimes I think the people around me at work were put here for my amusement. They are pretty fucking stupid and hilarious at times!

Stupid court judgements, tax cuts and the Vic!

(Thursday, June 07, 2001)—Ramblings-A superior court in Los Angeles yesterday awarded a 56 year old man dying of lung cancer $3 billion yesterday. The man, who doctors give 6 months to a year to live, says he isn't that worried about collecting the money. Rather, he says, he wanted to fire a shot at Phillip Morris because they misled him.

I am 40 years old. As long as I can remember, cigarette smoking has been bad for your health and warnings have been issued about those hazards. If the plaintiff started smoking when he was 16, he has had 40 years to kick the habit. Now I smoke the occasional cigarette, while enjoying some cold beer. And I will be the first to admit that quitting smoking is a very hard thing to do. Hard, but not impossible. I saw my father stop “cold turkey”. My grandmother also kicked the habit.

So why do the courts in this country continue to punish cigarette makers when they are selling a completely legal product? It's simple. If you don't want the health problems associated with smoking, then don't smoke. If you already do smoke-stop. Our litigious society has basically made responsibility for one self a thing of the past. It's time we all exercised some self control and quit blaming everyone and everything else for our shortfalls.

Kudos to the President for getting his tax cut legislation passed and signed into law. I'm sure the administration will take all kinds of shots from the democrats. But the fact that after 10 years of being overtaxed in order to keep the budget “balanced” we finally will get some relief for at least a few years!

(Wednesday, June 06, 2001)—Tonight the NBA Finals begin in Los Angeles as the Lakers take on the Philadelphia 76ers. By all indications, the Lakers should win the series in a walk. Of course, don't tell the Sixers that.

The Sixers are banged up and seemingly worn out after enduring seven game sets against the Bucks and Raptors. Even the Pacers gave them everything they could handle for the most part of a 5 game set.

But can the Alan Iverson led Sixers triumph over Shaq and Kobe? After all the Lakers haven't lost in this post season. Coupled with the fact that they have been resting for a week, there seems little hope for the Sixers.

My prediction is that the Lakers will take their second consecutive NBA crown, but I really don't see a sweep happening. Look for the Sixers to win a couple of games in the series, which by the way is pretty much how last years Finals went.

Rights? You Don't Need No Stinkin' Rights

( Wednesday, July 21, 2004 )—This morning as I sit here writing this I wonder what direction the USA is going to take in the next few months. Do we go down the path of the neo-conservative which seems to have taken control of the Republican Party? Will the radical liberal mentality that seems to pervade the Democrats be the way of the future? What ever happened to “moderates” and what did that really mean? And will any of the above make Americans safer at home and abroad?

Below are my comments on Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. A lot has been written about the film and both sides have weighed the validity of Moore 's statements ad nauseam so I won't really comment on the film itself. Much of what Moore tried to express in the film has been discredited, but honestly I don't think he meant it as a cerebral piece. I think he simply and, for its purpose, effective anti-Bush propaganda film. I do feel that 75% of the people who see the film will either believe all of it or believe none of it. 25% will actually take what was said and do their own research. I have tried to do some, but time constraints make it difficult so I am forced to rely on sources I find credible to help. What bothers me more is the 75% of the people who will readily believe completely or disbelieve completely.

Regardless of what side of the fence anyone sits on, and granted, there are many who simply refuse to see it, the film has become quite a flash point. Maybe not the film itself, but rather the polarizing effect it is having.

There is a story circulating today about Linda Ronstadt and her performances at the Aladdin Casino and Resort. Apparently Ronstadt who has always been a Democratic supporter was praising F9/11 and even dedicating a song to Moore . For her efforts Ronstadt was booed off stage, had cocktails tossed at her and had her engagement cancelled by Aladdin management. So what you say. Here is what. First of all I am neither a big fan, nor a protagonist of Ronstadt. I feel her inclusion of the F9/11 material is probably not what I would want to see if I was to take in one of her shows. That being said, how can any American condone the actions of the Aladdin? After all, Ronstadt is demonstrating one of our greatest assets as a country, the freedom of speech.

The Aladdin claimed they had hired her to entertain, not to espouse her political views. This excuse is so completely lame that I probably would not step foot in the Aladdin again. Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with Ronstadts message, but by God I would defend until death her right to say it. Of course the neo-conservatives will praise the Aladdin and say they are doing the right thing. Of course they are wrong. For one thing, the line between entertainment and politics has become so blurred that it is barely distinguishable at all. A company like the Aladdin should know that. They should also know something about who they are hiring. I haven't seen the contract between the two, but if the Aladdin didn't want that kind of message delivered during her shows then that should have been spelled out on the napkin.

Here we are, less than four months from what will probably be one of the closest elections in our nation's history and both sides are polarizing even more. I find myself basically without a political party that represents ME. The Republicans under W have become the party of Hitler. God forbid you speak out against the President you un-American asshole. God help you if you think the war in Iraq was a complete waste of military resources and of human lives. The conservatives will tell you you don't know shit if you don't believe every word W says.

And on the other side, we have the liberals. All the peace, love and pay the bill crap in the world won't cure what is wrong. But what really galls me is the absolute lack of any decorum these boneheads have. It seems like these goofball celebrities can go see a film like F9/11 and since it came from their milieu then it must be true. Nevermind the fact that Michael Moore has plenty of contempt for Hollywood . Sure Whoopi Goldberg is practicing her right of freedom of speech, but if her contract is up, and the other party doesn't like her message then it is their right to fire her. I really have to question these foreigners who want to weigh in on the issue. Who the fuck cares what you think Bono?

This country is headed in a dangerous direction and the threat is not limited to one side. I will vote for W in the fall, but only because I do not believe the alternative offers any improvement. Maybe Whoopi Goldberg or Linda Ronstadt can afford socialism, but I can't and I don't intend to let it happen. But the thought of W running the country for four more isn't much better. As a person I think he is doing what he feels is the right thing to do, as a President I think he is a buffoon.

Fahrenheit 9/11

I went and saw Fahrenheit 9/11 the other night. As far as films go it was good. As far as documentaries go it was about what one would expect from Michael Moore. This guy is making it his mission to see that George W. Bush is not reelected in November. Frankly I think he is wasting his time, but it is his time.

A lot of people on the right have really pooh-poohed this thing. They are claiming lies and falsehoods, but the footage speaks for itself. Of course the way Moore lays out the footage and his “witty” and timely dialogue steer the picture. I feel I could take the same footage, present it in a way conducive to my arguments and add my comments and it would make Bush look like a great President. Well great might be a tad strong.

What really galls me is the fact that Moore and the rest of the liberals in Hollywood are getting rich off of big business. Yet they are constantly trying to get the Republicans voted out. I guess when you have so much, then sharing your wealth is no biggie. To me though, I want less of my money going to the government, not more. Liberals will tax us to death. Like I said, if I had millions it might be a different story. Of course I have long held that these Hollywood types feel they should give back since they make so much. That's fine. It's called charity people. Give till it hurts, but don't force me to give.

Moore 's movie picks on the oil industry, which is an easy target. He has targeted gun control and GM in other films. All big business that allows us all freedoms to be able to make movies, drive, vote etc. Moore also picks on the military. He pretends to love America and Americans, but spends 2 hours telling us how evil the military is.

W is not the best person for the job, but he has to be better than John Kerry and frankly, anyone who is really best suited for the job isn't going to take the hassle of the job for the pay. Honestly, I feel W has done what he has done, not out of the chance to get rich, but out of what he felt was right for America . Has he made mistakes? Absolutely! I would even agree with Moore that the war in Iraq should not be happening. Read the article on your right. But he felt the threat was there so he proceeded as he felt best.

In the film we are told that basically there is no threat. That W and his cronies manufactured the threat and raise and lower the security levels to keep us scared and buying into what they are selling us. Mr. Moore I have a question. What happens when some militant terrorist strikes at us as a nation again? Will you admit the threat is real? And what happens if no strike occurs? Will you just continue to say there was no threat or will you admit that what the Executive branch of the government is doing is the right thing?

Buhl Retires

( Monday, April 26, 2004 )--Robbie Buhl announced Friday that he was retiring effective immediately from his position as driver of the Dreyer and Reinbold #24 Purex IRL Indy car. Thank you Robbie!

Those of you who know me, know that I have always rooted for Robbie. I always thought he was a pretty good driver, seemed like a good guy, one who always seemed to have time for autographs, yet time to driver the car.

Unfortunately Robbie fell into the trap so many drivers fall in to. One of car ownership. I'm not knocking owners, but I have maintained forever that you simply cannot both drive and own the car. It just puts too much of a strain on a persons time.

As an owner your time is spent with sponsors and trying to attract new sponsors for your program. You are dealing with team personnel issues as well as trying to strike a balance between being competitive and profitable, lest we forget this is a business. Throwing driver responsibilities on top of all that and it is a recipe for failure. One of the major jobs is going to be neglected. Be it driver or owner side, if you are not 100% on all jobs then there will be no success. Something Robbie has to have seen over the past couple of years.

I don't want to sound like I am picking on Buhl, better drivers than he have failed. Dale Earnhardt found much less success at the wheel once he started DEI and especially when DEI was fielding Cup cars. DW never found any success, Eddie Cheever had very limited success (although an Indy win is a big deal, it was still when the IRL had a bunch of hacks), Adrian Fernandez and even A.J Foyt have had limited success since 1980 being both owner and driver. In fact Foyt is the last one to have any sustained success as a driver owner and that was back in the 70's.

I salute Robbie's decision and hope this will help the team attract new sponsors, generate more money and become competitive. I see today that he has signed Mike to drive for the team. I like this a first step to get back to where the team was when they started. Of course they are still saddled with the Chevy engine, but maybe they can concentrate on more testing as well.

How 'Bout them Pacers?

(April 1, 2004)-- Congratulations to YOUR Indiana Pacers! 2003-2004 NBA Central Division Champs! I haven't had too much to say about the team this year. It's not because I don't care, it has just gone so smoothly compared to the last couple of seasons under Zeke.

Right now the Pacers have an opportunity to also win 60 games for the first time in franchise history AND can wrap up home court advantage throughout the playoffs with a few more wins.

While this team has battled a few nagging injuries, most have been minor and have not been a major problem. The team, and I am knocking on wood, has not lost three games in a row all season. They have weathered a point guard rotation, games without superstar JO and primadonna extraordinaire Al Harrington and Jonathon Bender as well as a new coaching regime that extended into the front office.

Once again, Donnie Walsh looks like a genius. Well okay, he looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but that is beside the point. He and Larry Legend have put their stamp on this team and while I doubted coach Rick Carlisle's ability, he has been the captain that has kept this crew focused and winning. Something the previous coach could not do.

How will the Pacers do in the playoffs? Who knows. Most national pundits feel they are the only team in the east that can challenge for the championship. Detroit will be tough, Milwaukee , until last night owned us this season. We have no answer for Baron Davis and New Orleans and the Knicks are much improved despite Isaiah Thomas. But bottom line is this team can do it.

Stay tuned as this one could have us wearing the headphones out at the track this May listening to playoff games!

Sam Hornish Jr. stays with the Company!

(August 28, 2003)--Hoo-fucking -ray! The IRL got some great news this week when Sam Hornish Jr. announced he would be joining Penske Team Marlboro on Penske's IRL team. Finally one that didn't get away! The only unfortunate part of the deal is the retirement of Gil deFerran.

Well good luck on your future endeavors Gil! He is getting out while the getting is good. And no one will have to wish Sam good luck. He moves to the head of the class and now has a ride commensurate with his talent! Fuck you NASCAR! Didn't get this one!

And we bid adieu to Isiah Thomas as coach of the Pacers. I know Jermaine is all pissed off and all but I think when he gets back to town he will see the team is NOW dedicated to getting better. Isiah's coaching moved befuddled me over the past season. Most notably his rotations were so inconsistent. It's good to try new things but regular rotations have been a part of the NBA forever and there is a reason for it. They work! Good luck Isiah, I'm sure you'll end up somewhere in the league, I'm just glad you aren't our head coach any more.

No Bumping at Speedway

(Friday, May 16, 2003)—Well here we are a scant 2 days from Bump Day and the word “bumping” is most likely not going to be uttered around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. Instead we are going to be lucky to have 33 starters at all. Gee thanks Tony! .

The 500 has been reduced to just another race. It no longer carries any distinction with the possible exception of the largest purse. The field will struggle to fill, tickets at this late date are still available. What a mess.

To make matters really bad is the lie that has been perpetrated on the fans. Seven years ago this IRL thing was supposed to bring the best open wheelers into an all oval, all American series. The only thing that is remaining is that the races are all still on ovals, but one wonders how long that will be true.

The fact is this, Tony Georges' massive ego wouldn't allow him to sit idly by while CART toured the world and garnered fans far and wide. He had to be “the Man”. Well I have news for you, he is too stupid to be “the Man” and he has just about killed the greatest race in the world.

Sure the CART drivers are back and I for one am glad. The ones that are here are the best drivers, or close. But it's the hypocrisy that George and Brian Barnhardt spew that this was all they ever wanted. Bullshit! He tried to make it with a bunch of no name wannabes and ended up with Buddy Lazier as a winner of the 500. I don't know Buddy and he may be a hell of a guy but this was a pud driver who usually ran the 500 only. He couldn't cut it as a driver in CART and any bullshit about money is just that. If he were good enough he would have had a ride.

So all of the side-by-side racing the IRL does at all of its other tracks in front of about 20 fans doesn't mean shit to me. It's fun to watch, but it doesn't diminish the fact that George has lied to all of us for 7 years and his civil war with CART has ruined open wheel racing in America.

2002 Colts Post-Mortem (or in their case, Autopsy)

(Wednesday, January 08, 2003)—Well here we are, January 8th and it's already time for the Colts post mortem. Damn, what can I, or anyone else say. A 41-0 blowout loss to the fucking Jets. Guess they were hot! Well I'm not gonna bash the Jets, they simply outplayed the Colts in every phase of the game.

No, this is about the Dolts, er Colts.

The Colts finished the regular season with a respectable, at least from the surface, 10-6 record. It's when you delve a little deeper into it that you realize how disturbing it is and why the 41-0 blowout isn't as surprising as it seems.

Let me start at the end. The 41-0 loss to the Jets was a complete team letdown. Peyton sucked, Marvin looked disinterested, I don't think the defense ever got off the airplane in NJ and special teams sucked. There really isn't any good reason to dissect that game very much further. I'll only say this, unless Irsay is just paying lip service about staying in Indianapolis, then he is going to have to field a team that plays better than that or he will have about 2500 people cheering for the Colts in the dome next year.

The team got off to a decent start in Jacksonville against an enigmatic Jaguar team. Their triple threat of Brunnell, Smith and Taylor had okay days but nothing spectacular. On the other hand Manning, James and Harrison didn't exactly light it up either. The defense bothered though and would continue to do so well into the season.

An ugly loss to the Dolphins brought out the simple fact the defense stunk. Ricky Williams and Edge put on a show though. Both ran hard and well and both caught the ball. Unfortunately a trend that would haunt us all season reared it's ugly head. The Colts let the Phins have a big halftime lead which we simply could not overcome. Games against Pittsburgh, Washington, Tennessee twice, the NY Giants and the Jets all were the same story.

Wins against Houston, Baltimore and Cincinnati brought the Colts to 4-1. However, the team was not impressive in any of the three. In fact the Ravens and Bengal games outcomes could have easily gone the other way.

This is where the wheels of the team truly fell off. A brutal Monday night showing in Pittsburgh wiped the optimism out of my eyes. Couple that with an equally abysmal effort at the Redskins and the Colts were back to 4-3. The next week at home against the Titans we saw in person what will really be remembered about this season: A soft team with little or no heart. They lost to the Titans after spotting them a big lead. 4-4 and heading to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.

The Eagles were riding high ever since their opening day loss to the Titans which spelled trouble for the Colts who seemed to be packing it in. But something strange and wonderful happened that day, the Colts showed heart and skill with a thrashing of the vaunted Eagles. They ran, they threw, they tackled and they gave hope. Hope that all was not lost for the season.

Subsequent wins against the Cowboys, a big Sunday night game at the Broncos and back home against the Texans had the Colts in the proverbial catbird seat in the AFC South at 8-4. That set up the big showdown for what most likely would be for the division title. Needless to say the Colts once again failed to compete and were essentially knocked out of contention for the division crown.

The next week at Cleveland against the Browns the Colts were up to their old tricks of giving up a shitload of points and digging themselves a hole. Amazingly to me they dug out and actually won the game. At a time when Cleveland was garnering notoriety as a team that won in the last minute the Colts held and won the game. The Colts were 9-5 and still clinging to hope of a Titans loss, which would never come, to win the division.

Any thoughts of that were extinguished early in the Giants game at the dome. The Colts had been Jekyll and Hyde all season but this was all bad. An ego bruising, momentum killing, hope spoiling, ass kicking at the hands of the Giants left me numb. Finally, in a game that by kickoff meant absolutely nothing, the Colts got by the Brunnelless Jaguars for an ugly 20-13 win whose outcome was not decided until the last minute. Meanwhile, some 600 miles east of here in the Meadowlands our next opponent as it turned out was pummeling a pretty decent Packer squad.

Well I've been over the outcome of that game so I won't dwell on it anymore. The Colts did manage to go from a 6-10 team to a 10-6 regular season record, but I think it's pretty obvious that we could have lost 3 more games easily.

Were there improvements? Yes! The defense, while disappearing again late in the season, did show signs of life and aggressiveness. They moved all the way from the 29th best D to the 8th best. Are they the 8th best defense in the NFL? No, but they do seem to be improved. Rob Morris played about the way he always had for about the first 6 games then made a miraculous recovery and really finished the season strong. Dwight Freeney made the GM look like a genius when he finally got to start and ended with numbers that should have earned him NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. There are cap issues which will need to be addressed so we will see if this group continues to improve.

The O line never really got it together. We lost Steve McKinney and Ken Dilger in the off season and you would think we lost the two greatest blockers in history. The replacements were not as good and even though we still didn't give up many sacks the running game suffered tremendously.

Marvin Harrison was always there. He caught 143 balls this year, a new NFL record. Typically he was given no consideration for NFL MVP. A travesty in my mind. As for the rest of the receiving crew, Qadry Ismail looked like a keeper early, but faded into the woodwork after a midseason slump. Reggie Wayne played well, when he played. But Harrison, as has been the case in the past, was the go to guy.

Then there's the quarterback. Peyton's a great guy. Seems like a real student of the game. But for all his preparation he had a crappy season. Sure he threw for more than 4000 yards…again, but he simply folds when the going gets tough. His three INT's against the Titans when the game meant so much were a microcosm of his season. The Colts are getting ready to pay Peyton unbelievable amounts of money. Probably the biggest contract in NFL history and after this season I am starting to question that rationale. I'm just not sure we need that high of a priced QB when we have so many glaring needs. Having Peyton may be a luxury we simply can not afford.

In a previous article I talked about the Colts moving. I still think they need to put a better product on the field game in and game out to get more fans on board. If they do not, people will stay away. I get the impression from Polian and Irsay that this is the NFL and we should be blessed just to have it. I am grateful every year that we have the Colts. I never liked how we got them, but what is done is done. 19 years of mediocrity though is wearing thin and from what I read on the forums and message boards I am not alone. We brought in a new coach this year. I wanted Gruden, but when he was not available I was glad to have Tony Dungy. I'm going to reserve comment on coach until after next year. He inherited a 6-10 team with some real issues and went 10-6 and the D is improved.

Ultimately the stamp on this season will be the inconsistency and the rumors of the team bolting for the coast. The first is true, stay tuned about the second.

Little Al....d'oh!

(Wednesday, July 10, 2002)—Way to go Little Al! It's always nice when the stars fuck up and this guy seems to be a never ending series of fuckups. This one may end up costing him his career. Unser has been charged with domestic battery and violence stemming from an incident Tuesday morning. Al, Al, Al! I am not now nor have ever been a fan of Little Al, or any Unser for that matter and the details of this one are just too good to pass up an opinion.

Brought in to the IRL last season by the deep pockets of Tony “Enunciate please” George, Unser was to be one of the foundations in the IRL's attempt to be the top open wheel champ car series in America. Memo to IRL: You didn't need him. The IRL already had CART on the ropes, but the powers that be saw Little AL as the last nail in the CART coffin. Well guess what, he has not dominated the series and since Penske has come to the IRL full time, is simply another driver chasing Who-Lee-Ohh, Gil and Sam (I'd include Scheckter if he could ever finish a race). He's no more of a threat to the IRL championship than Robbie, Sarah or George Mack and is way behind Cheever and Sharp.

And now this latest chapter in the Little Al story. Never mind the messy divorce and the drug rumors, this one is good! First of all him and his GIRLfriend are at the Classy Chassy. Whenever I go out on a date I think of the titty bar first as a destination. Wrong! And for those of you who have been there, it's not exactly the finest establishment of its kind in town. Okay, maybe it was a racing thing! So he gets trashed at the Chassy. Damn I wish I could have been there to see that! Little Al drinking, heavily, at the titty bar, with his woman. I wonder which one had more lap dances. Then upon leaving he is so trashed that he is shifting the car, while she drives on the highway into neutral and reverse. Hey Tom Kelley, checked that transmission in your race car lately? But he doesn't leave it at that. After his woman allegedly slapped him, he hits her…while she's driving. Class act all the way!

The kicker for me though comes when he denies even knowing her. He has been dating her for four years for Gods sake. He finally comes clean and is taken to jail.

What a loser. From the blocking incident in the 1982 500 to this latest fiasco, the lows have certainly outweighed the highs. You know he will have sponsor problems, problems with George and with Kelley Racing. But do any of those entities need the headaches? I say no. Cut your losses with this guy. He's not gonna win anything. The series has passed him by in 18 months. He couldn't cut it in CART. Maybe he should just go snowmobiling with his uncle. I suppose it's bad to kick someone when they're down, but when it's a name like say, Unser, it is just too easy. So long Al, try to stay out of trouble. By the way, I hear Pat Patrick is looking for a replacement for Townsend Bell. With the obviously low expectations of that turd you may fit in well!

2002 Racing Season Predictions

(Tuesday, June 18, 2002)--The appeals have been heard now it is up to Tony George to tell us who won the Indy 500. But more than just telling us who won the race, I hope he has the cajones to show us the evidence to support whichever decision he makes. Those of you who know me know who I want to be declared the winner, but as much as I don't like Paul Tracy, I don't want to see him get screwed out of a race he really won. Show us the evidence Tony!

With that I will just make my predictions for this years champions. The easiest is of course Michael Schumacher in F1. What with allowing him to win when he should be second, he is a lock. Schummi has said since that day in Austria that the team wouldn't do it again. Yeah, not this year when the championship is in the bag. I would have liked to see Juan Pablo make a run at Michael, but reliability has hurt the BMW engine as of late and I fear the cause is lost.

In the taxi cabs we've had two leaders all season and one since the second race. Sterling is solid, he finishes races, he's not hard on equipment and that equipment seems solid. There seems to be a rotating cast in second, but ol' Silverfish just keeps them at bay. Can he do it all season? I predict he can. Jarrett has been showing some of his old form lately and it's just a matter of time before 24 gets a win, but the steady approach by Marlin makes him the favorite.

Two weeks ago I really thought Paul Tracy would take his loss at the Brickyard to heart and go on a tear. Well for a week he did. Then CART hit the road courses and it seems no one can catch Christiano Da Matta. He is on a tear and there seems to be no rival for him on the road courses. He may struggle at the ovals but there aren't enough of those for him to worry about. Of course we should wait to hear the outcome of Tony George's decision and see how it affects Tracy, but Da Matta is the man to beat.

Finally the IRL. Let's make it a sweep and predict that Hulio(sic) will win the title. Everyone knew there was a new dawning when Roger Penske came in. But let's face it, he comes to the track prepared week in and week out with two outstanding drivers. Sam Hornish Jr. lost his points lead for the first time in a year after Indy and he may have a long wait until he sees it again. Gil DeFerran may be able to overtake Castroneves but I doubt it. Here's to all of you who have made it to the halfway (or near) point of the season and made it with the lead in your respective series. Well done and stay focused, the big prize will be yours!

Just a prediction!

500 Predictions

(Saturday, May 25, 2002)-- Indy 500 prediction. Winner-Who-Lee-Oh, Bruno or Michael. Biggest crybaby after the race-Michael if he didn't win, Paul Tracy-when he doesn't win.

Chip Ganassi

(Friday, May 17, 2002) Is Chip Ganassi the best owner in auto racing? Maybe. Maybe not. But one thing is clear; he owns the two hottest race teams in America right now. This weekend, he is sitting pretty with the pole winner at Indianapolis and is in the Winston Cup All-Star race tomorrow! That fuck! How did he get here? Oil as far as I am told… who cares?!! All I know is that this man has employed countless employees such as Juan Montoya., Jimmy ”I wish I still had the best ride” Vasser and Sterding(sic) Marlin. Other than Vasser, well..he's a POC now but Ganassi is hot. Okay?. With Bruno on the Pole at Indy and Silverfish leading the Cup series, FUCK! But what make Chip great is his life philosophy. When he sees it he goes after it! He says he got it from his dad. Don't know. But his balls out philosophy is good for racing, good for me and good for America! I wish HE owned the Colts or at least an F1 team! GO GANASSI RACING…or whatever the fuck it's called!

Get Your Shit Together Mike

(Thursday, March 21, 2002)—With another NASCAR weekend quickly approaching I'd like to make a couple of comments. First, I hope that Tony Stewart is okay. He's going to race, but he took a good whack last week at Darlington due to Buckshit Jones' incompetence. NASCAR is having trouble filling 43 car fields these days so I reckon dopes like Jones are necessary. Maybe the fact that NASCAR is having trouble filling fields should signal that they merely led the way to the boom that is auto racing in the US today. Don't get me wrong, I doubt if CART, IRL, NHRA or World of Outlaws is going to take over any time soon, but the days of NASCAR being the only game in town are quickly running out.

Let's be objective though. IRL etc. haven't exactly brought themselves up to the front. They still lack visibility, promotion and suffer from a lack of new American talent. CART is actually stepping backwards in all of this as they focus on the foreign drivers and circuits in their pursuit to be “F1”. Rather, NASCAR is suffering from its inane rules, which seem to change from minute to minute, its never ending schedule and the overall decline of its “marquee” drivers who are all getting old quickly and are not improving with age (re: Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Burton, Ken Schrader, need I go on?). Hell the only one doing any good at an advanced age is Sterling Marlin.

Sure, there are still the young up and comers, and young already theres: Jeff “I'm gay so my Miss Winston wife is divorcing me" Gordon, Junior, Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Jimmy Johnson, Kurt Busch and Ryan “Hello” Newman among others. But let's face it, only Gordon, Stewart and Junior evoke any passion from the masses and Stewart and Gordon seem to be strictly love or hate and Junior, while a very talented driver, is popular because he is Dale Earnhardt's son.

NASCAR is trying to cut costs to the teams and make the sport more attractive to potential owners and sponsors. But they seem to fall short due to lack of vision or knowledge. It all makes me wonder how many teams will pull the ol' engine switch when the show rolls into Talladega. Let's see, you've been punishing your engine the previous days in practice and qualifying. Hmmm, I think I'll put a new engine in the car, because I know I can come from the back to win the race over 500 miles. Nice job NASCAR! There is an unwritten rule of emailing that one should wait 10 minutes after writing an email before sending it. A buffer zone, if you will, to ensure you really want to send the mail. Maybe NASCAR should put a 1-year buffer on new rules so they can examine the ramifications from all angles and make sure they get it right. Otherwise they will become a joke, and after all the hard work by all of those involved in making NASCAR what it is, that would be a shame.

Those Wonderful Colts!

(Wednesday, January 16, 2002)--How about them Colts? 3-13, 13-3, 10-6, 6-10! What the hell is that all about? I mean I knew it was going to be tough without the Edge, but the Rock filled in quite nicely. Peyton on the other hand had a horrible season. Let's hope that was a one off and we won't have to worry about that again. I tend to beleive it was. But now the team faces some big issues in the offseason

First and foremost is to get a coach. I'd like to think we could get some non-retread guy, but let's face it, with the pressure to win in the NFL sooner than later, not many teams are willing to take a chance on an unproven commodity. I don't think Steve Spurrier will have anywhere near the success at Washington that he did at Florida and in fact will probably fail miserably. I have heard several names bandied about for the Colts head coaching position. Among those who we aren't likely to land are Chucky and the Tuna. More likely candidates are this Cottrell from the Jets, Tony Dungy and Marv Levy, who threw his name in the hat yesterday. Marv seems like a great guy and was a good coach, but my God he's 135 years old. Cottrell (and I hope I am spelling that right) is unproven. But Tony Dungy had some success at Tampa Bay and built them into a very good defensive team. They didn't do much on offense, but we seem to have that side of the ball mapped out pretty well. Dungy could work with Bill Polians draft picks and build a solid, if not great, defensive team. Therefore, my choice for the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts is Tony Dungy.

And finally, speaking of Polian, that boob has got to go. He is a mediocre personnel man at best and after his run in with Jay Mohr on the radio, he is a freakin' embarassment to the team and the city. For those of you who think he is so wonderful think back to his "moves". Peyton was a no-brainer. San Diego was the only team stupid enough to think Ryan Leaf was better. (So did I, but then I'm not the general manager of a professional football team either.) Yes, the Edge is great. Maybe the best player in the league. Yes, Polian made that selection instead of Ricky Williams. However, you may remember a guy named Marshall Faulk who was n our team. He was essentially given away for a couple of 6th round draft choices or some such crap. Marshall is probabaly the second best player in the NFL. Was running back really the position we needed to look for? I suppose Marshall wanted out of Indy to play in another dome in St. Louis. Bullshit Polian, you blew it. Next up was Rob Morris. Holdout, hurt and slow. He has not, nor probably will ever live up to his billing. And finally, Reggie Wayne. Let's see, our defense is awful the past 2 years, so let's pick a wide reciever. Idiot! I like Reggie and I hope he becomes the man behind Marvin, but it simply was not what we needed.

Polian is a moron who obviously has deluded himself into believing his press clippings from Buffalo and Carolina. Get rid of this madman before he drags us further into the abyss!

The issue of the new stadium will most assuredly be a topic of discussion during this offseason. The state, thanks to that idiot O'Bannon and his group of Spendocrats is running a deficit. The city doesn't have the money to build stadiums and the private sector is still rebounding from the economic pounding it took during most of last year. Couple those economic factors with the fact the Colts sucked this past year and the debate will be heated. In the report our opinion was to build a new stadium with the retractable roof. I for one am willing to pay an extra percent on sales tax if it will help get it built and keep the Colts, but I can certainly understand why people who will not go to the new stadium, be it because they just don't or because they don't like the Colts, wouldn't want to pay for it. Stay tuned as this issue is sure to generate a lot of speculation and debate!

Colts and New England

(Monday, October 22, 2001)—New England 38 Indianapolis 17. No heart + no soul = no wins in the past three games including two ass whuppin's at the hands of the New England Patriots. The Colts are a team that has left us fans disappointed time after time. I don't know why I continue to care. I could save myself the frustration by saying to hell with the Colts and just rooting for the Raiders. Unfortunately though, I do care and that's why yesterday's game leaves me just plain pissed off.

The Colts have some decent talent especially on offense. In yesterday's game they posted nice numbers. But if you watched the game you know that they simply couldn't put any sustained drives up. The defense which is suspect as a MF was busy watching Tom Brady put on a show. They never got close to him on the rush, they let his receivers run routes to keep the Colts away from them and allowed the vaunted Pats running game to make crucial yardage whenever it needed.

Ever since the Bills game a month ago, the Colts seem to be just going through the motions. There is no consistent effort from the team, and that is anyone. P. Manning, Edgerrin, Marvin, Marcus and Dilger have made mistakes that have cost this team dearly. Manning's interceptions, Edge's fumbles and the myriad of dropped passes by the receiving crew have been disastrous! These guys are human and will make mistakes, which I understand. But what I cannot accept is the lack of effort the team puts out each week. That is why Jim Mora has to go. This team is not prepared to compete each time it comes on the field. Yesterday the team seemed to just throw in the towel after the first blocked field goal attempt. If that is the case then they were not prepared to play and that blame has to be laid at the head coach's feet. And if this was a one time thing I could overlook it, but we have seen how well this team can play when it is fired up and ready to play. But we have too many of these exceptions where the team looks like they have been at my place drinking beer before the game and would rather just find a couch to lay on and watch the game. I find this unacceptable. I hold Jim Mora accountable and I hold Bill Polian accountable for not taking action and getting a head coach that will take this team where it should be, among the elite of the NFL. Instead, we are looking gain like a team that will back into the playoffs if they even get there. Like lots of Colts fans who are just miserable when the team loses, I want answers. I want to know why the team can't be better than they are. I look to the head coach who seems more like a grandfather who dotes on his grandkids and spoils them rotten. There has to be some harsh talk and criticism directed at the players for their lack of effort, but more so, the head coach has to be changed before this season is lost.

Finally, Marcus Pollard, I have enjoyed watching you play these past few years. I was happy you got the big new contract because I thought you deserved it. But Marcus, do not attempt to tell the media that the fans have no right to boo, especially when wearing Colts apparel. That is total bullshit. We buy the tickets come to the games and scream and yell for the defense to the point of being hoarse. We high five and revel in watching the offense score in whatever of the many ways we can. But if you are taking the booing personally, then you should be on our side looking in and I think you would understand. But that won't happen, because you are insulated by that coach that you are all great and that things will be fine. NO THEY WON'T. Not unless the team get's the message that we will not just sit by idly and let you guys stink up the place.

Ranting about Rights!

(Thursday, October 11, 2001)—One month has passed since the September 11 attacks on America. During the past month we have seen a lot of good and bad out of Americans. That shouldn't really be a surprise since there are many good and bad things about our country.

Americans have always been charitable and the outpouring of support, be it money, blood or time in the last month has been nothing short of astounding. As a friend of mine remarked, display of the American flag is at an all time high, or at least in my life. On the other hand, the backlash of bigoted Americans against other Americans who may look or speak different reared its ugly head and at least four people were killed as a direct of hate crimes. Tons of rhetoric has been tossed around by our elected officials as a knee jerk reaction to the attacks denouncing everything from the attacks to any people of the Islamic faith. Drunken talk in bars has centered on the evil “ragheads” and their deportation or worse. Even your humble author called for the immediate retaliation against the perpetrators, whoever they may be. Basically calling to nuke them all and let God sort ‘em out.

Fortunately cooler heads have prevailed in most corners from myself to the President who showed great restraint in giving the Taliban ample time to produce Osama bin Laden who has been identified as the mastermind behind the attacks.

But a couple of things have happened in the past couple of weeks that really tug at my emotions as an American. First a man in Noblesville, IN was arrested for burning an American flag in protest of US policy. As a patriotic American the burning of the flag is something I just will not consider doing. Having said that though, I would defend anyone's right to commit such an act. Sure the Supreme Court has ruled that flag burning is guaranteed under our first amendment rights. But more importantly to me is that the burning of a flag, no matter how repulsive it may be to me, is a very passive way to display ones aggravation at American policy, domestic or foreign. To be sure there are much worse ways to manifest that aggravation. Timothy McVeigh probably felt himself a patriot, but he was a coward. Killing people who did not create policy because his conservative views didn't mesh with then President Bill Clinton is cowardice period. Like I said, I would not burn an American flag, but I will defend someone's right to do so. I have to admit, this guys timing was about as bad as it could be, but he is still guaranteed that right. Of course some people will say they have the right to beat the crap out of him as well. No, that is called assault and is against the law.

The other thing that is going on is the anti-American policy village some students at Indiana University have created on campus. Here again you have students who are exercising their First Amendment rights to express their dismay at the US military strikes against Afghanistan. I do not agree with their position and would not have anything to do with them, but I certainly recognize their rights. But the last couple of days the right wing whackos have been coming out of the woodwork talking about no more public funding for the school and that they are disgracing the school, their parents and themselves with these “shameful acts of treason”. I guess Limbaugh and Liddy get new converts every day. If these radical right-wingers had paying attention they would realize that most college campuses in this country are bastions of liberal thinking in the name of peace and love. Of course, like the demonstrators, the conservatives who are denouncing the protests have every right to voice their displeasure.

Basically though, it is the ability to burn a flag, protest US policy, protest against the protesters that make life in the US fun, but it is also what makes it great. Do protests turn violent and ugly? Of course, but as long as they are kept to the two examples I have cited we are on the right track. It could be much worse. In Pakistan people are dying nearly on a daily basis in anti-American protests.

(Saturday, September 22, 2001)—For nearly the past two weeks, America has stood united in it's grief and pain over the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC. For two weeks we have given supplies, blood, money and time to assist not only the victims of the attacks, but also those who have the task of sifting through the rubble of two 110 story buildings. Anyone here in Indianapolis who has seen the rubble pile left over from the implosion of Market Square Arena knows how big of a pile that was. And that was one 11-story structure mainly filled with empty space.

For two weeks, everyone in the world it seems has denounced the attacks and called for an end to terrorism worldwide. But at that point seems to be where we start to see divisions in the union.

The US has commenced sending warplanes and ships to locations near Afghanistan and it seems that some military action is forthcoming. Or is it? Personally, I do not feel a war from the air or missiles fires from ships against a largely American hating, yet innocent population will achieve anything other than more terrorist attacks here and abroad. Why? Simply because dropping bombs and firing missiles are not going to achieve the desired goal. In this case, the end of terrorism, or at least that's what the President says and frankly I believe him. To be successful in the fight against terrorism we must tighten our security systems here and wherever Americans are in the world. Then we must, through intelligence gathering and covert operations systematically start to catch those responsible for the terrorism and bring them to justice. It can be done and we have to do it. Killing innocent Afghani people will not endear the US to any other country in the world and it damn sure will not unite Americans. W has shown great patience in my view up to this point. Perhaps he felt that moving the military into position to strike at Afghanistan would persuade them to produce Osama bin Laden. It didn't work. I think we all need to pray for the President as he faces what is probably the biggest decision a President has had to make since Vietnam. We didn't win that war and many brave and heroic men who fought in that war came home pariahs. We have been a country very divided since that time. Haste in this crucial hour will destroy the unity the country has built the last couple of weeks. A unity we may never again see.

Pushing the panic button

(Tuesday, September 18, 2001)—By now you no doubt have received countless emails pertaining to last weeks terrorist attacks. Some are nothing more than a bunch of hooey perpetrated by someone who had too much time on their hands and put out faux Nostradamus predictions of the events. Some are allegedly from Islamic persons living in Afghanistan denouncing the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. While still others are from Americans predicting doom and gloom for the terrorists and Afghanistan. Email is a wonderful thing and a very useful tool of both work and pleasure. But let's not too carried away with messages and articles and what they are saying. I know in this time of grief and suffering it is easy to gravitate to anything positive about America and negative about our enemies, especially foreign.

Let's set some things straight though. First of all the Nostradamus email which seems to have died out over the past couple of days was a complete hoax as the man was dead more than 20 years before he “wrote” his prediction of the attacks. With so many pointing this fact out is probably why that particular email stopped making the rounds. Next is one I received today which was allegedly by a man living in Afghanistan. He pointed out that the Taliban was not the legal government and went on to compare them to the Nazi's. Regardless of who wrote that particular piece, they are correct in certain aspects. First, with the exception of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, no other country currently recognizes the Taliban as the rightful government of Afghanistan. However, when they took power in 1998 it was after 20 years of war, both civil and against the Soviet Union. Gangs and warlords ran Afghanistan, and crime and corruption were the rule. The Taliban restored an order to the country and at the urging of the rest of the world and according to their Islamic tenets, completely eliminated the cultivation of the poppy plant and the production and sale of opium. Upon doing this, they honestly thought they would become the recognized government of Afghanistan. After all, what criminal activity has America been engaged in a war against the past several decades? Drugs. So for this man to claim they Taliban are Nazi's seems more like an American posing as an Afghan. Don't get me wrong. Having the power that the Taliban have in Afghanistan can have devastatingly corrupt ramifications. But if we are to believe them at their word, they are simply trying to create the world's purest Islamic state. As for bin Laden, why in the world would they give him to the US? We know they don't like the US and want us out of the Middle East. If we aren't going to leave, they simply will not turn him over.

Finally there is the article written by a columnist here in America. He talks of waking the sleeping giant and that America will have the stomach to lose many more lives to rid this country of terrorism. He waxes patriotically of winning a war and bringing our way of life to the world. For the love of God I hope he is right. But as I have stated on this page previously, I'm not sure we do. There is a lot of singing and flag-waving going on right now that is both positive and therapeutic. But there are also beatings of Middle Eastern and other foreign born or looking people going on. This lack of tolerance is nothing more than fascism and xenophobia and is enough to make me sick. These terrorist attacks were perpetrated by a complex network of people of which Americans had to be involved.

So read your emails and enjoy them and hopefully they will bring some sort of comfort to you. But please take them with a grain of salt as a real war is probably coming and the strong words from columnists, people of Islamic faith and other assorted but cases may soon be sad memories of a week when as a country we did rally together. Tomorrow, the conspiracy theories regarding bin Laden's stock portfolio and the US government perpetrating these heinous acts because W was spoiling for a fight.

(Sunday, September 16, 2001)—The call has been made and it appears that America stands on the brink of war. The target-Afghanistan in general and Osama bin Laden in particular. Is it he right thing to do? That remains to be seen. The Taliban and bin Laden have maintained bin Laden's innocence of last Tuesday's attacks on New York and Washington DC. AS I had wrote in a previous piece, these people are usually quick to assume responsibility for their actions. As for bin Laden, however, his modus operendi is to declare himself not responsible, but pleased with the actions of others. It looks as though the far-reaching tentacles of his followers may never be completely severed. Therein lies what has the potential for this to be a true test of just how far America is willing to go to eradicate terrorism from our planet.

(Friday, September 14, 2001)—A moment of silence was just observed by the company I work for. Everyone gathered outside at the flagpole as a new flag was unfurled, raised and then lowered to half-mast as we held hands and reflected on the events that shocked America Tuesday. As I looked at my co-workers there were many with tears in their eyes. Sorrow and mourning are natural and healthy in a situation like this. Personally have not been able to shed any tears over what happened. Yes, I am appalled at the terrorist's attacks, which may change life in America forever. I am hopeful that those responsible are captured and held responsible for their actions. And I feel great sorrow for the innocent victims and especially their friends and families who will have to live with their losses.

Things are about to change and as much outcry as there has been this week over the attacks in New York and Washington, there will be even more when the memory has faded and the inconveniences that we all seem to want in the aftermath become intrusive on our daily lives. Suspicion will have a definite effect on America. Instead of being at the airport an hour before your flight it will now take 2 hours. I remember when it was 20 minutes! The threat of being detained is probably going to become more real.

Right now, America is lauding the impending measures to increased safety and security. But how much time will pass before the security achieved becomes a bother? And if it does become a bother, when will standards be relaxed? What will the cost be for letting our guard down again? A change is coming America. It probably will not be for the betterment of the quality of life we now enjoy. Will it increase safety and security? Almost without a doubt it will, but at what costs and how long are we willing to pay those costs? America has changed this week, and for that I do shed tears.

(Tuesday, September 11, 2001)—Tomorrow morning a new day will dawn. It will be a dawn unlike any of us in America have ever experienced. I feeling of despair and apprehension will arise with us. Today, the fears expressed by many for the past several years were realized as terrorists struck at the heart of the US government and economy when the Pentagon and World Trade Centers were attacked in separate, but similar incident just minutes apart from each other. It is clear that these attacks and another involving a downed airliner in Pennsylvania were the calculated attacks of some terrorist group.

What is not clear is who is responsible for the attacks. Most American's have been quick to condemn Osama bin Laden or the Taliban that rules nearly all of Afghanistan. Reports of Palestinians dancing in the streets of Gaza and Iraqis celebrating and claiming the attacks were the wages of America's foreign policy make these groups seem guilty. And make no mistake. Any or all of these groups have the financial wherewithal to make such an attack take place. These attacks were very well thought out and carried out with precision. But let us not, in the heat of the moment dismiss all other possibilities. The last terrorist attack on American soil was perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh. That atrocity was done by an American or group of Americans who had serious philosophical issues with the government of the US. Obviously, today's attacks were much better planned than a truck full of explosives. But the result, despite the magnitude of casualties, was the same. A disruption of the business of America.

Tonight, shopping malls are closed, school functions cancelled and even baseball games postponed. We await word on whether or not there will even be football this weekend. But are these cancellations and postponements done out of respect for the victims and families of today's tragedy? Or are they done for a fear of safety? Either way, the terrorists, whoever they may be have succeeded in one way. Disrupting our lives.

It is incumbent upon the US intelligence community to find the masterminds of these attacks and punish them accordingly. Anything less will not be tolerated by the American people. But I would urge the citizens and government of this country to be sure the responsible agents for these crimes are caught and not to take action merely to appease a nation who will demand retribution. Tonight, I had class on the IUPUI campus. Noticeably absent were the many foreign students who are usually on campus. Perhaps one or some of them come from a country who is harboring the responsible party. Or perhaps, the students who showed up are from a country that is

(Tuesday, September 11, 2001)—This morning, apparent terrorist attacks occurred in New York City, Washington and Pittsburgh. Hundreds if not thousands will have lost their lives and thousands more will have been injured in the attacks. The first attacks occurred just minutes apart from each other as allegedly hijacked commercial airliners collided with both towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Minutes later another commercial airliner was crashed into the Pentagon in Washington. Then, about an hour later there was a report of yet another commercial airliner crashing in a suburban Pittsburgh area. At this point, Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind such terrorist attacks as those at US installations in Italy and Nigeria has claimed he is not responsible. In fact a group with “Palestinian” in it's name has claimed responsibility. Conflicting reports and confusion have ruled the morning.

That's the news, but what does it mean? America is the most powerful country in the world. It's just that simple. But with that power comes responsibility and ultimately the consequences that power brings. Our people have been the victims of foreign terrorists for years, both on foreign soil and here at home. Why? That is a question that seemingly, if answered, could lead to an end of the terrorism or a better understanding of when attacks will occur. But the answers are many and complex.

First of all, we are a nation who is viewed as being very immoral. Our religious freedoms allow us to worship which religion we choose or to choose no religion at all. In many countries around the world, the state is run by religion and there are no choices. Governments of very fundamentalist religious factions run many of these countries. To them, the worship and service of their supreme being is far more honorable than life itself. And their disdain of the “west” leads them to terrorist acts. If that sounds like a contradiction of faith, it is. And it seems that the more we point that out, the more it pushes the fundamentalists into these actions. In the case of the Taliban, sharp contrasts between their beliefs and those of the west bring anger and hostility. When that anger and hostility is funded by billionaires such as Bin Laden, then terrorist acts of enormous magnitude can occur.

Second, despite the economic reports we hear on a daily basis, the US is a very prosperous nation. Our land is blessed with vast amounts of natural resources, fertile land and a climate that is ideal for growing nearly any crop needed. Not every country is blessed in these ways. Of course the Middle East has the huge oil reserves, but the land is arid and not suited to crop cultivation. Much of Europe is mountainous and what is not is crowded with people. Southern Asia and Africa suffer from droughts of enormous and deadly proportions. Through trade and loans, the US has given these countries loans and food for years with little hope of ever recouping any of the money. So the US has entered into agreements such as NAFTA and the World Trade Organization which bring globalization into reach. Globalization can lower tariffs and bring products that we don't have to us for lower prices. These lower prices lead, however, to low wages in other countries and the cycle of the “haves” and the “have nots” continues. As witnessed by the riots that accompany any WTO conference, globalization of the economy is not necessarily desired.

Finally, of course there is simple jealousy of the US for the already mentioned reasons. And let me make the point here that while the death toll from today's actions will be greater than the Oklahoma City bombing, it is, to me, a less heinous crime since that was an act brought about by an American who thought himself to be a “patriot”. Today's act's are clearly un-American, paid for and perpetrated by foreign agents. Surely, if everything the reports are saying about hijacking is true, then there are Americans that had to be involved and those people are far worse than the foreign states or individuals who financed or perpetrated these acts.

So what happens now? If the Palestinians are responsible what are they trying to accomplish? Do they honestly think these acts will cause us to persuade Israel to move off the West Bank and give them a country? What happened today will have the opposite effect. American reaction should be swift and severe and the dream of legitimate, law abiding Palestinians of a homeland should be wiped from their thoughts. If the Taliban or Osama Bin Laden are responsible, then the US should demand his extradition. Once. Then if the same lack of cooperation persists, we use the military to go get him. Acts such as these bring Americans close. What other countries think of us will be of little concern for quite some time. Does this mean we should be kicking out all of the foreigners from the US. Absolutely not. Most are hard working, law abiding citizens. But as happened back in 1990 when the Gulf War brought America together, many foreign born Americans will suffer. That may not be right, but when events such as today's occur, it is to be expected.

IRL & CART. Can't we all just get along?

(Tuesday, June 19, 2001)—ESPN reported last week that CART will change their current engine formula for the 2004 season. Word is that the formula will call for a 3.5 liter (or smaller) normally aspirated engine. Gone will be the turbocharged engines that have been the formula since CART's inception in 1979. But what will this mean for the current engine builders in CART? Is this a sign or an olive branch if you will to Tony George and the IRL? After all, the IRL engine specs call for a normally aspirated 3.5-liter engine with a 10,700-rpm limiter. So where does that leave the possible reunification of Indy Car racing?

The first step seems to have been made last year by CART team owners Chip Gannasi and Derek Walker. Walker fielded a team for driver Sarah Fisher, while Gannasi brought eventual winner Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser to the Speedway for the 500. This year, driver Michael Andretti and car owner and the most prolific winning owner in 500 history Roger Penske joined Gannasi and Walker back at Indy. Penske in fact ran his drivers in the IRL event at Phoenix. So obviously there is interest in being in Indianapolis for the 500. 1999 winner Kenny Brack is hoping to be here next May. But are the CART owners cherry picking their IRL races? No one could blame them at this point. The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest single one day sporting event in the world. IT has the biggest purse of any auto race. Add to that the fact that Montoya dominated the field in 2000 and that CART drivers finished 1-2-3 this year and one might get the idea they are here only because of the money and that they “know” they will win. I hate it, but it seems apparent that the CART drivers are simply better than the IRL drivers.

One major sticking point is the ownership of each league. Tony George who happens to own the track everyone wants to compete at-the Indianapolis Motor Speedway owns the IRL. It's his bread and butter and by looking at the crowds at the other races, his only real source of income for the IRL. CART on the other hand is a publicly traded company. How they resolve this issue is beyond me at this point. People usually gloss over this point, but it will have to be addressed before any reunification. And rest assured, Tony George is not willing to share the money with the public or a bunch of whiny car owners.

Next is the issue of the races themselves. CART stages races on temporary street circuits, permanent road courses and ovals on 5 continents. The IRL runs solely on ovals in the United States. CART has drivers from all over the world, although there does seem to be a disproportionate number of Brazilians in the series. With a couple of exceptions, the IRL drivers are Americans. What does that mean? Well oval track racing is a uniquely American phenomenon. The foreign drivers seem to gravitate more to road course racing. I'm not going to tell you one is better than another from a driver's standpoint. I can imagine they both have plusses and minuses. But the stars of CART are there because of the heavy emphasis on the road courses. CART, I'm sure, is unwilling to run it's brightest stars off just to reunite with IRL and run strictly ovals. For there to be a merge, CART needs to drop races at Cleveland, Vancouver, Toronto, Mid-Ohio, Houston and Road America. IRL needs to embrace tracks like Long Beach and Laguna Seca and an effort should be made to get back to Watkins Glen. As far as the races in other countries, they should only be staged if they are going to be cost effective to run. With the number of drivers from Brazil, it makes sense to work out the differences with the promoter and keep that race afloat. Drop Australia, Mexico and stay out of Europe. Japan with Honda and Toyota building engines seems viable. IRL needs to give up Atlanta and Richmond, VA. Neither race draws a crowd. Both tracks are in the heart of NASCAR country and Indy Car racing has never done well in the south and it never will. This is a big country with a lot of wonderful tracks. It's time to just let NASCAR have the south with the possible exception of Homestead.

Now it's probably naïve to think CART would sacrifice so much, just to merge with the IRL. Especially since all they have to do is buy or lease equipment to run at Indy. One interesting alternative comes from the nutcases at Formula One. King Bernie caused quite a stir a couple of months ago when he sold part ownership of the circuit to a television company. Needless to say, the manufacturers were less than pleased as they felt they had not been given the equal opportunity to buy into the franchise. Eccelstone in his usual lack of tact blamed the manufacturers for not coming to him earlier about buying in. They knew it was never offered and that once again the king had shown them he was all-powerful. This time though the manufacturers starting talking of forming a rival Formula One series. Talk of this rival league persists today, although is has cooled somewhat. The reason I bring this up is that if such a league were to get off the ground, it stands to reason that true road course racers from CART such as Dario Franchitti, Max Papis, Gil DeFerran and even 2001 Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves would be natural choices to run the series. Plus, a series like that would essentially negate any need for CART in it's current configuration.

For now and at least until 2004, it seems things will remain fairly static for CART and the IRL. But Toyota has already decided to go IRL racing starting with the 2003 season. They will join Chevrolet and Infiniti. What they decide to do after that remains to be seen. They could be the glue that gels the warring factions together. The Indy 500 remains rock solid, but both the IRL and CART series championships have had little meaning since the split.

(Monday, June 18, 2001)—The playoff between Texan Mark Brooks and South African Retief Goosen to determine the winner of the 101st US Open Champion is under way. At stake is not only the championship, but the exemption from qualifying and advertising opportunities that come with being the US Open champ. But the big story, the story the USGA should expand on is the humanness displayed by the leaders Sunday. It was the mistakes that were made and the fact that many of the mistakes weren't overcome that showed America and the world that these men are human. It had to give every high handicapper pause to think that golfers at the top of their game in one of the largest tournaments in the world were making the same bad shots that any hack can make.

Maybe I have grown so used to watching Tiger Woods grind the field down, major after major this past year. His focus, steel nerves and mechanical-like play down the stretch at last years open, the British Open, the PGA and the Masters made him seem almost superhuman. Frankly it was getting boring. Don't get me wrong, Woods is an amazing golfer and athlete and a very deserving champion. But watching Phil Mickelson fade in the fourth round of every major under the relentless pressure had been played.

The leaders gave back a little to all of the golfers out there who struggle week after week just to break 90. It was refreshing to watch the pros struggle to make shots, to 3 putt greens and miss fairways at least for one day.

(Friday, June 15, 2001)—As expected, Kirk Haston announced he will forego his senior season at Indiana University and make himself eligible for the NBA Draft next month. I'm sorry Kirk, but I really feel let down by this decision not only because I am selfish and want the Hoosiers to have a great season, but because I just don't feel you are ready for the NBA.

From what I have read, Haston made a good showing of himself at a pre-draft camp last week in Chicago. But this was a camp designed for players looking to become eligible for the draft to decide whether or not they are ready for the NBA or to find out where they stand in the overall picture of the draft. I am not surprised that Kirk did well. He is an excellent college basketball player and should play well against other collegiate players. What I don't see is him being able to play consistently well against NBA talent over the course of 82 games. Will he ever? Absolutely, but the benefit he would have garnered by starting and playing many minutes in 30+ games for IU would have outweighed his sitting on an NBA bench night after night except for cleanup minutes late in games. Unfortunately, that is where I see Kirk spending most of his time during his first NBA season. I really hope I am wrong about that.

Haston says he always wanted to play in the NBA and would only consider it if he had graduated from Indiana, or was close to graduation, was healthy, was coming off a good season and if he felt that “skill wise” he was ready. He is close to graduation, and he is healthy. By many accounts he got screwed by not being named Big 10 Player of the Year. But I don't see that he is polished enough to play in the pros. Not yet.

But Haston has made his decision. I don't have to like it and I don't. I don't think that many Hoosier fans will applaud his choice. I wish him the best in the future. I hope he can land with a team that can utilize his strengths while letting him work on his weaknesses and can allow him minutes. I'm just sorry to see him go as I can now only imagine the season the Hoosiers would have had with everyone, including Kirk, back.

IRL Vice President of Operations Brian Barnhart is not happy with the racing that took place at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night during the Casino Magic 500. Barnhart and veteran driver Eddie Cheever Jr. were critical of the risky, wheel-to-wheel, high speed dicing that took place between Greg Ray and eventual winner Scott Sharp over the last 40 laps of the race. Mr. Barnhart and Mr. Cheever, kindly open your asses and remove your heads. The racing was as exciting as any racing ever. A 215 mph cat and mouse game that unfolded on a track that CART was chicken to run on.

I know why Cheever was upset. He had a very fast race car. Maybe the fastest car on the track. But the track can only support that kind of racing between 2. Three wide into the 3rd turn would have resulted in a crash. Therefore, Cheever was forced to back off a couple of times which cost him the race. But Brian Barnhart, who has never raced, has absolutely no idea of the exhilaration that Ray and Sharp were feeling as they went lap after lap side by side. All I can say is that if Brian Barnhart doesn't want to see the IRL drivers race like that, then he needs to look for another job. For the fans, which I thought this was at least partially about, the last 40 laps at Fort Worth last Saturday night was the best I have seen

(Monday, June 11, 2001)—At 7:14am CST today, the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh was pronounced dead of lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Facility in Terre Haute, IN. McVeigh was found guilty and executed for the killing of 168 people in the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, OK on April 19, 1995. To the end, McVeigh showed no remorse over his deed, nor did he deny his guilt. His execution brings to an end the life of the worst mass murderer in US history. But his demise is hardly the end of the story.

As expected, activists both for and against the death penalty were in Terre Haute as the execution took place. Some on hand even empathized with McVeigh as a patriot who did what needed to be done. But all of their presences made it clear that the issue of capital punishment will continue to be debated for many years to come if not forever.

Let me state that up until a year or so ago, I was a firm believer in the death penalty and state sanctioned executions. I'm not saying that I am no longer in favor of it, but I have started to have second thoughts about my convictions. As a determent to murder (or whatever crime has been committed) the death penalty is a miserable failure. The killing of another human being is generally a crime of passion-a paid assassin would be an exception-and as long as humans are passionate beings, murder will occur. It will occur whether the threat of the death penalty exists or not. Of course it will deter the executed from committing any crime in the future. But is the taking of one life to pay for another the right thing to do?

In the case of Timothy McVeigh, his execution seems woefully lacking as a punishment for the taking of 168 lives. Especially given the fact that over the last few months he has shown no remorse and had dropped his appeals and seemed to be welcoming his end. He saw himself as a defender of the constitution and carried out an innovative mission which was completely void of reason. He had a fear and loathing of the federal government that is not uncommon among Americans. The difference is that most Americans would use the proper channels to make changes in the country. McVeigh killed innocent people in a message that was certainly not going to change anything about the government except how they secure their installations around the country and the world. For that matter, he could have done his deed at night when the least amount of people were in the building, but obviously deranged, he completed his mission in the morning of a weekday.

But McVeigh notwithstanding, the greater issue of the death penalty still rages on. I'm not looking at this from the Christian viewpoint that any killing is wrong, be it by a gangster or by the state. But I really don't see how the states execution of a person for the killing of another is a reasonable means of making amends. If it is not a deterrent why do it? The argument that the jails are overcrowded as it is doesn't hold water simply because the number of people executed isn't a significant number of people that is they were alive, a new prison would have to be built.

One major problem with the system is that not all murderers are given the death penalty. Most are not. Where is that line drawn? If people knew that if you commit a murder and are caught, you were going to be killed for your crime, then maybe capital punishment may become a deterrent. But as long as the judicial system continues to operate in its' current fashion, it is highly unlikely a murderer will spend the remainder of his or her life in prison, let alone be executed for it.

So as I continue to struggle with my opinion of whether or not capital punishment is the right thing to do, I think about the survivors of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Was killing Timothy McVeigh by lethal injection the proper punishment? According to the laws of the United States, yes it was. Did it fit the crime? It isn't even close. The constitution prevents cruel and inhumane punishment, but allowing the survivors to beat the crap out of McVeigh on a daily basis seems more relevant to the crime he perpetrated.

But the argument will rage on. Throughout the country and inside of me. Perhaps I would have a different take on it if I was one of the survivors of the victims. But most of us who argue one point or another are not.


Indy radio

(March 12, 2001)--While trying to find something decent to listen to on the radio this morning, it occurred to me that this city has only one good radio station. I'm not going to promote it, other than to say it is an oldies station. They advertise they are an oldies station and they actually play oldies. It's not always my favorite musical type, but when I do want oldies, I know that I can get them when I go to the oldies station.

For every other kind of music, forget finding a station that will satisfy your needs. At least in this 'burg. For example, we have a station that calls itself, "The Rock and Roll Station". The only problem is that for 6 hours of each day they play no music at all and the remaining hours are filled with mostly oldies by a handful of artists. Another station claims to delve deeper into the albums they play, but fall far short of this when you actually listen. Has anyone heard more than "Cadillac Voodoo" from Southern Culture on the Skids? We have 2 stations who play "Pop" music, but besides the oldies music they throw in, their mix is so diverse, you could never expect anyone to like what they play. Rap is pop music, Brittney Spears and Jennifer Lopez are pop music, even Creed and Matchbox 20 are pop music. But who wants to listen to all of these distinctly different genres of music? We have the Adult Contemporary format, who also don't seem to be able to figure out just what that means. And finally, the R&B format here is just gone. Toni Braxton to rap. What is that all about?

I just wish you could turn the radio on and whatever type of music you were in a mood for at that time, you could find and listen to. I guess this being a medium market, we just can't support that type of variation. Or at least that is what it seems.

CART's missed opportunity

(Monday, June 04, 2001)—The CART/FedEx Series ran their annual race at the Milwaukee Mile yesterday. Kenny Brack who outdueled Michael Andretti won the race. The story was not that Brack had won his second consecutive race; rather it was the resounding click as television sets around the country turned off or to another channel when Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves was involved in a first lap incident with Brack. The incident, which didn't slow Brack, knocked Castroneves from competition.

The incident was so very unfortunate for the CART series which has suffered dismal television ratings for several years. However, the previous weeks Indy 500 had better ratings than in previous years. It was also won by a CART regular, who was followed by 4 more CART drivers and one Winston Cup driver.

But it was Castroneves' enthusiasm and respect for the 500 that was so refreshing. After taking the checkered flag, he stopped his car at the start/finish line, got out and climbed the fence in joy. His thrill was infectious and there was even talk about the Milwaukee race around Indianapolis this past week. That is something that has not been heard since the CART/IRL split.

There was talk of the hated Penske regime. Both pro and con. But there was talk. And there was talk of watching the race. Spurred on by the chance to see a newly famous race driver get a chance to climb the fence again at the Milwaukee Mile. Those hopes were dashed before they came to the second turn.

Obviously CART can't keep drivers out of accidents all of the time. And they certainly had no hand in Sunday's crash. But for a racing league who is trying to avoid losing credibility and add race fans, it was a tough blow to take as the casual fans who were watching Castroneves switched over to the Memorial golf tournament to watch Tiger beat the field again