| NASCAR’s Best Turn Watkins Glen Fast Laps | | Written by Charlie Turner on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 | I know that in the land of NASCAR , praying for rain on a race weekend is blasphemous. Condemn me all you want. I loved that race in the wet stuff up at Montreal on Saturday.
I’ve been waiting ever since NASCAR announced, years ago its intention to rain race in the Nationwide Series, for the clouds to open. They did in Canada. The results were a blast to watch. It sound like it was fun to drive in too. I hope NASCAR takes what they learned about wiperss and, maybe tail lights, and lets the guys try again someday.
Carl Edwards is on the march in the Sprint Cup Series. Kyle Busch and Team Gibbs are showing that they may be human afterall. And the Race to the Chase is heating up, bigtime.
The Fast Laps will be right in the middle of that heat too. Take a shot at turning left and right this week.
1. Which of The Chase Bubble Boys; Harvick, Kenseth, Bowyer or Ragan, will make the playoffs?
2. Even though it didn’t work out for them, was the no-pit strategy of the #9, before the rain the right call?
3. Carl Edwards’ post race interview included wondering if the car would pass post race inspection. What motivation could he have had for that statement?
4. Of all the road course ringers available for Watkins Glen, why is Kyle Petty back in the #45 car for this one race?
We have big plans to take this Fast Lap discussion to another level. Now that the site has been upgraded, we are getting close to producing our first ever Fast Lap Show, featuring your comments and opinions on selected weekly Fast Lap questions. So sharpen up your arguments and tear your fellow Fast Lappers new ones. It’s all part of the deal here at OnPitRow.com.
If you would like to leave your comments and thoughts, please visit the Fast Lap blog at ON PIT ROW. |
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| What To Do With Brett Favre | | Written by Rich Lerner on Monday, August 04, 2008 | Well, it looks like there is a quarterback controversy in Green Bay. The Packers brass says that returning-from-retirement Brett Favre will battle it out with quarterback-of-the-future Aaron Rodgers during training camp for the starting job.
A competition? Come on. It’s not even close. Rodgers, the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, has one career start. Favre has led the Packers to the highest winning percentage of any NFL team in the time since he arrived at Lambeau Field in 1992. Yes, Favre is 38 and Rodgers is just 24, but last season, Favre led the pack to the NFC Championship Game after one of his best seasons ever. The legend finished with the third-best QB rating of his career at 95.7. He tossed 28 TDs to 15 interceptions (his fewest INT total since 2001), and racked up 4,155 yards through the air (his most since 1998).
In the meantime, Rodgers has handled the situation with the utmost of class. He has a few slight advantages here, including a 9-day edge in practice days over Favre. He’s obviously younger, but that doesn’t seem to matter to Favre. He seems to have the front office behind him, and perhaps some pent-up rage over the whole situation will give him an adrenaline edge, but realistically, there’s no way Rodgers legitimately beats out Favre unless the returnee breaks a hip.
So, what is Green Bay to do? There are some options: 1) Go through with the QB competition as announced. Rodgers already seems rattled, though, as he looked shaky in an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday. The truth is that Favre is the best option for the Green Bay Packers in 2008. In allowing Favre to start, however, the Packers risk alienating Rodgers, a potential future star who has waited patiently in the wings. Meanwhile, Favre says being relegated to a backup role is unacceptable. 2) Release Favre, although this now seems highly unlikely. Minnesota and Chicago, two division rivals, would be poised to strike a deal with the veteran with Green Bay getting nothing but headaches in return. 3) Trade him to whatever team offers the best compensation, regardless of division.
If I’m in charge, I’m taking option #3. Send Favre to Minnesota, if that’s the best option. Here’s why: When Favre leaves, Rodgers once again becomes the team’s starter, which is a good thing. After two seasons of development, the Pack doesn’t want to risk losing him. He is talented and he will be a great player in this league. Even if Green Bay sends Favre to a division rival, he won’t be there long. Let’s say two years at most in Minnesota. OK, so maybe he will haunt the Packers and lead the Vikings to two wins this year and maybe a head-to-head playoff win. That would sting, I’m sure, but it’s a temporary thing. It’s quite possible that the team could land a good draft pick in the trade and snag a player who would contribute at the Frozen Tundra for 10 years. That would be worth it.
The Packers should send Favre out of town. Play him and Rodgers is gone. Bench him and things get ugly. Keeping Favre is a lose/lose situation for this club, even if he leads it deep into the playoffs in ’08.
Of course, there are those who don’t want to see Favre’s legacy in Green Bay tarnished, and a trade out of town would do just that. Something’s gotta give here, and it should be the organization, which has a lot more to gain at this point in trading him, that should step up and make the phone call. |
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| ModernBoxing.com Has Gone LIVE!!! | | Written by Matt Hinzpeter on Monday, August 04, 2008 | You may have noticed that the Boxing/MMA section here at FIO disappeared over the weekend. The reason being – ModernBoxing.com, a spinoff site of FIO, has just gone LIVE! Former FIO writer Jim Cawkwell will be heading up Modern Boxing, bringing fans all of the latest news and commentary concerning the sport. Cawkwell is also joined by a new member of the Fantasy Insider Online, LLC family, Sergio Martinez. Keep a lookout for more things to come from Modern Boxing as the site gets under way, including KO Radio (the site’s podcast) and The Punch Line Blog.
To give you an idea of what Modern Boxing is all about, please take a minute to read MB’s Mission Statement, provided by Jim Cawkwell:
Thank you for visiting Modern Boxing. It is our goal to ensure that this site is one of the most reliable resources available for quality boxing articles and multimedia features that are insightful, provocative, and entertaining.
Boxing is one of the world’s most beloved sports for many good reasons. Its history is full of fantastic events and memorable characters; pioneers whom were responsible for making the sport we enjoy today possible.
But the mainstream media seems unable to see beyond its fascination with the past, sometimes at the expense of today’s fighters whose courage and skill deserves recognition. At Modern Boxing, we pay homage to the legends of the past, but are focused on the greatness surrounding us now.
And of greatness, there is plenty. Far from being a dying sport, boxing is thriving. Its reputation always suffered through accusations of corruption, and has had to survive too many controversies and tragedies. But aside from that which we cannot change, we aim to present to you the boxing world beyond the narrow mainstream viewpoint; to highlight the complex and unique characters whose sacrifices and strengths transcend the harsh and sometimes cruel nature of the business, and become true inspirations.
Thank you for your support.
Jim Cawkwell
Head Writer
Modern Boxing
And there you have it – Modern Boxing is up and running. If you liked the boxing material on FIO before, then you’ll love what’s going on at ModernBoxing.com! |
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| FIO Loves David Price | | Written by Matt Hinzpeter on Monday, August 04, 2008 | It’s time again for another David Price update – in his last start on Saturday (Aug. 2), the former Vanderbilt superstar went 7 innings, allowing 1 ER on 4 hits (no walks) while striking out 10 batters. In his 14 games started in the minors (six with Vero Beach and eight with Montgomery), Price has posted a perfect 10-0 record and currently sits with a 2.08 ERA in Double-A. Could this kid be any better? Probably not. Sure, it’s the minors, but Price has been nearly untouchable so far in 2008.
If you have been keeping track, you know that we here at FIO have been talking Price up for some time now… however, it seems that every other major site (not mentioning any names) out there is beginning to jump on the David Price bandwagon. Why all of a sudden? It comes down to this – FIO is projecting that if Tampa Bay SP Edwin Jackson struggles in his next start on Tuesday against Cleveland, then moves may be made to allow Price to join the Rays starting rotation. Jackson to the pen? Possibly in a long relief role. Jackson optioned to Triple-A? Doubtful. In some way, shape or form, whether or not Price gets brought up in the coming week will greatly hinge on Jackson’s performance against The Tribe.
Either way – be prepared to jump on Price when he becomes available in your fantasy leagues. He is the ideal keeper, especially on a young and successful Rays club, and should carry his dominance over into the big leagues. |
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| The Enigma That Is Carlos Silva | | Written by Matt Hinzpeter on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 | So, tonight I finally sat down behind the trusty ol’ computer at about 9pm after another long day. Automatically, I went to check the scores around the world of Major League Baseball. BAM! Texas was up 7-0 on Seattle at the end of the third inning. WOW! What happened? Did Josh Hamilton put on a homerun display? Did Ian Kinsler keep producing like he has been all season? Or maybe David Murphy was getting into the mix. Nope. I went to the box score to see what the deal was and found out just why the Rangers were pummeling the M’s after three – Carlos Silva was pitching. And wouldn’t you know, he was pulled after giving up 6 ER over 2-1/3 innings
In turn, I felt compelled to write a little blog entry about Mr. Silva because I actually have a lot of strong feelings about this guy. Plain and simple – anytime that I see that any of my fantasy batters or pitchers will be opposite Silva in a contest, they then get an automatic start. I don’t care if it’s the biggest scrub on my fantasy roster… he’s playing if Silva is pitching. Honestly, he may be the only pitcher who I do this against – in my mind, Silva is just really that bad. His season stat line (not including tonight’s abominable performance of showmanship) supports my feelings, as Silva has gone 4-12 on the season with a 5.62 ERA (which jumped up to 5.95 after tonight) over 21 games. The man has won only one game since April 17… ONE GAME!!! He doesn’t strike anyone out (53 K), and in nearly half of his games started this season, Silva has allowed 4+ ER.
I mean, some of his starts haven’t been entirely awful, but just the idea of Silva being on the mound should send fantasy owners into a frenzy. Is he the worst pitcher in baseball? I’ll let you be the judge of that. Yet, every time that Silva is on the hill for the Mariners, you can bet the bank that I will be starting any batters and/or pitchers going against Seattle that day… and you should too. |
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| Rays Trades Unlikely | | Written by Tim Hays on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 |
The 1st place Tampa Bay Rays have been mulling over the thought of an addition at the trade deadline to keep them in contention through the remainder of the season. The most talked about possible addition was that of Colorado closer Brian Fuentes… however the Rockies have been hot lately and now sit only 6 games out of the division lead, so Fuentes’ price has risen quite a bit. The most likely scenario for Tampa Bay at this point lies in the golden arm of David Price. Price bolsters a 2.03 minor league ERA this season in 13 starts, along with a tremendous 9-0 record. Price has a 75:19 K:BB ratio over his 79.2 innings, and seems very close to being big league ready, despite this being his 1st minor league season. With Price joining the Rays rotation, that would mean that, most likely, Edwin Jackson would be moved to the bullpen, which would help solve the issue of a thin relief group. Andy Sonnanstine could be the other option to be moved to the pen, but I see Jackson thriving more, as his stuff is far nastier in the short term than is Sonnanstine’s.
The only other thing the Rays may consider in the trade market is another outfield bat, as their offense has been dreadful over the past few weeks, but the likelihood of GM Andrew Freidman sacrificing one of his many talented prospects for a temporary fix is unlikely. Eric Hinske will continue to get the bulk of the ABs in right field, even with both the Yankees and Angels upgrading their hitting in the past few days. The pitching is what has made the Rays one of baseball’s best all season, and that should only become more and more evident as the season progresses, without anything but some homegrown help.
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| Do You Ever Get Tired of the Fast Laps? | | Written by Charlie Turner on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 | Nineteen heat races and a ten lap feature. That Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was more like what we’re used to at the Friday and Saturday night short track races around here than one of NASCAR’s biggest extravaganzas.
I’ll bet Jimmie Johnson doesn’t care about that though. Johnson had the best car all day, even if he only got to show it off in ten lap sprints. But with his win, you have to look at Jimmie as one of the guys who may be able to challenge Kyle Busch, once we get to the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Throw Carl Edwards into that mix too.
Goodyear’s tire woes made for a less than satisfying Brickyard race. But this stuff has happened before, and with the continuing development of the New Car, it’s likely to happen again.
There was plenty to talk about after the race. Toss your opinions in on these four Fast Lap questions and place your bets on whether the Pocono tire will be better.
1: Will Tony Stewart be able to successfully juggle his responsibilities as driver of the #20 and as owner of the #14 through the rest of 2008?
2: Would an open test at Indy have been able to head off the tire problems before the race weekend?
3: NASCAR’s attempt to cut Toyota horsepower in the Nationwide Series didn’t slow down Kyle Bush on Saturday. Is engine restriction the best way to regain parity?
4: Did Rusty Wallace lose some of his credibility by saying Ryan Newman was fired by Penske; then have Roger turn around and say he wasn’t?
Limit your answers to 100 words or less, but come back throughout the week to defend your ground and throw some tire debris those not as smart as you. This is the Fast Lap comment blog and we will be taking selected questions and responses to use in an upcoming video feature for OnPitRow.com and Bench Racing TV.
If you would like to leave your comments and thoughts, please visit the Fast Lap blog at ON PIT ROW. |
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| A NASCAR "Race" In Name Only | | Written by Josh Lobdell on Monday, July 28, 2008 | NASCAR officials, Goodyear engineers, and the owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway should be ashamed of themselves. They took what is, without a doubt, the second biggest NASCAR race of the year and turned it into a production that only Vince McMahon would be proud of.
What a total and complete farce. The cars did not turn more than 12 green flag laps in a row, which is fine, if you’re running some late-night Saturday dirt track, but is hardly OK when we are on the second biggest stage in NASCAR and arguably the biggest stage in world motor sports.
Even I, NASCAR die-hard idiot, decided not to watch… I caught up on some reading and did some math homework. For those of you who don’t know, there is nothing in this life I despise more than math homework, so that fact that I choose that over watching this sickening display should tell NASCAR a lot.
For the first time in a long time, I am embarrassed to be a NASCAR fan, embarrassed to be a member of the NASCAR media, and really embarrassed to be your fantasy racing expert here at FIO. For all of those in attendance, and the few who watched this ordeal, I am truly sorry – you could not have gone outside and simply enjoyed the nice weather.
So, who is to blame? Goodyear tops that list. They tested tires here in April and this was the best they could come up with. If tires are the thing you do, then it is not unreasonable to expect you to do tires well. This is the third or fourth really serious tire issue in the last three years. I think it is time for a new tire company to come to NASCAR racing.
Next on the list is the Speedway itself. Its owners’ diamond ground this racetrack to insure Indy cars would drive better. If that is their concern, then why run a stock car race there at all? If they want to stay on the sinking ship that is Indy cars, let them – I would rather watch a stock car race at Iowa Speedway or even Kentucky than watch the garbage we all saw yesterday.
NASCAR actually doesn’t get any blame here – they were forced to manage the race this way, throwing a caution every 12 laps so no one got hurt, drivers and fans alike. But their loyalty to Goodyear must come to an end. Hoosier, Bridgestone, Firestone, or Michelin can all make racing tires, and I would bet that they could do a better job than the fools over at Goodyear. |
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| Samardzija's Footb... errr... Baseball Debut | | Written by Matt Hinzpeter on Friday, July 25, 2008 | | Former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, who chose to pursue a pitching career in baseball rather than head for the NFL, made his major league debut today with the Cubbies. How’d he do? Well, he came in and blew a 2-1 Chicago lead to the Marlins, but overall, Samardzija didn’t do all that bad. He struck out 2 batters and allowed 1 run on 2 hits over 2.0 IP, but from a spectator standpoint, he actually looked pretty comfortable on the mound. It’s tough to say whether or not Samardzija will stay with Chicago once RP Kerry Wood comes off of the DL (blister on throwing hand), but other than Wood and setup man Carlos Marmol, the Cubs have been shaky at times in their bullpen. If Samardzija can continue to show promise, and hold the lead in tight spots, there is no reason to think that he won’t stay up in the bigs. Now, he could be playing on Sundays and tearing things up as the “Great White Hope,” but that’s a whole different story. |
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| Gasoline Alley, Yard of Bricks and Fast Laps | | Written by Charlie Turner on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 | Can anyone stop Kyle Busch from running away with the 2008 Sprint Cup Series championship? That’s the question I read and heard most during the, so-called, week off just passed.
It’s the same question that was on most lips this time last year as the Cupsters cruised into Indy. The difference is that in 2007, the can’t miss winner was – Jeff Gordon. How’d that work out?
The guy who won the ‘07 Cup was the same one who kissed the Bricks at Indianapolis – immie Johnson. In fact, taking the checkered flag at the Brickyard has been a good predicter of that year’s champ. Six of the winners in the fourteen year history of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard have gone on to win the series the same year.
Now six out of fourteen isn’t all of them. But if Kyle Busch wins this week at Indy, my money goes on him in the Chase for sure.
Chase these four, sharp, flat lefties as you wait for the the Greatest Spectacle in… oh… sorry… The Brickyard 4… what, it’s not that either? Here is your weekly Fast Lap assignment.
1. Jeremy Mayfield’s PR guy has been working overtime this week trying to get his boy on owner’s lips for some of the openings for 2009. As a car owner would his good outweigh his bad?
2. Matt Kenseth won the race at his hometown track-Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin on the off weekend. Other drivers spread themselves around the country doing the same thing to relax. As a car owner wouldn’t you be a bit worried?
3. Is this year’s rookie pool disappointing and who is your Rookie of the Year candidate now?
4. Does NASCAR belong at Indy?
Remember, no more than 100 words per answer. We will be using the best stuff ON PIT ROW and in a new, regular video segment on Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.
If you would like to leave your comments and thoughts, please visit the Fast Lap blog at ON PIT ROW. |
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