Who and what is a David Spade? I don’t watch any of those demeaning sitcoms so I have no idea if he’s supposed to be funny. His parting remark shows that he recognized he’d fallen flat on his face. The shots of our guys showed disbelief not amusement. I’m not a fan of Kelly Clarkson and if that was typical of her performances I know why. I doubt if I caught ten understandable words in both of her performances with the too loud band.
Tom Brokaw was the highlight of the presentation as he did a respectful, responsible commemoration of Billy France, Benny and Bobby and other departed ones. The shots of King Brian showed someone who looked like they wished to be any where but there. Could it be that he was seeing what a fiasco this had become and, being King Brian, had no way to blame someone else.
Dr. Jerry was a respectful host and did not try to make himself the show. Having said that, I think Alan Bestwick would have been a better choice, even ole DW with his sly sense of humor. I don’t know if it’s me but Dr. Punch seems tired and not all that enthused. I can’t help but wonder if all the bad reports on the E$PN coverage is weighing on him because I know he‘s dedicated to the sport and doing his very best while being saddled with an out of touch production crew.
Frankly, the whole show seemed stiff and forced. Terrible Tony, Kiddy Kyle and Jeff Burton are the only ones that came off natural and unscripted. One of the highlights for me was Barney Hall being awarded the Bill France Award of Excellence. Very much deserved and my only regret is Barney, in his humility, was way too short in his comments. I find many things wrong with the France family’s conduct of most things NA$CAR but their hiring of Barney for MRN was a windfall for all of us old timers. Sadly, I’m stuck with the TV coverage and can’t pick up the MRN coverage which is much more in depth.
One of the things about the Banquet that really stood out to me was the lack of spontaneity when Champ Johnson was introduced. Common courtesy and decency says he gets a standing O. It didn’t happen and I can only believe the majority of the attendees were asleep by that time. I also thought Barney Hall should have been honored with a standing O but, as scripted as NA$CAR has become, maybe the audience was told to keep it down.
The second thing that really bugs me is the banishment of the Championship crew to the balcony. They belong on stage with the Champ. One of the things I strongly dislike about the current state of our races is the crews pit road performance has taken racing off the track to a great extent. The majority of lead changes this past season did not occur on the track but on pit road. Until the rules change and eliminate this travesty then the crews are as deserving of recognition as the driver, maybe even more so. Here’s how I see it. Eliminate the song and dance crapola and comedians. Turn the last half hour over to the Champ, his crew chief and owner and take some time to recognize and talk to the crew members. Let the driver and crew chief interact with them and let us see their humanity
I’ve read a few articles that bemoan the sad state of CA$HCAR and the lack of a driver leader such as ole Ironhead. Would Dale have sat back and quietly accepted the Chase format? I doubt it. Would he have supported the top thirty five nonsense? Again, I doubt it. Since Jeff Gordon seems unwilling to take a leadership stance I had thoughts that Jeff Burton might be the natural leader from the driver ranks. His closing comments at the Banquet say differently since he seems to believe all thing CA$HCAR are fine. Jeff’s biggest concern was safety and the COT seems to have addressed all his concerns in that arena. Who will step forward and assume a leadership position or has the vanilla flavoring settled on all the senior drivers?
And what about King Brian’s comment about decreased attendance and declining TV ratings? Seem like its all Junior’s fault for not winning races or making the Chase. How utterly asinine and, quite frankly, juvenile. In most of the races where Junior blew up or crashed he was running competitively. If Brian’s take is correct then the Junior Nation is truly a bunch of losers. In my humble opinion, King Brian is the Biggest Loser and I’m not talking about that obscene TV show where he‘d be a better fit.
As I cruised the internet via Jayski’s I saw a common theme. Eliminate The Chase. Eliminate the top thirty five rule. Standardize starting times. Shorten some races. Standardize rules enforcement and penalties. E$PN sucks. FOX suddenly looks better but get rid of Chris Myers and the Hollywierd Hotel. Take at least one date from PocoHoHo, New Hampshire and Phoenix and both dates from CA. Labor Day belongs at Darlington seems unanimous. I’m still left wondering where the now too full schedule could have accommodated race dates at the New Yuk and Seattle tracks if I$C had their way?
Many years ago I was admitted to the
Navy Hospital in Kodiak, Alaska. They had
me on the maximum dosage of codeine for
over three months for unendurable pain.
When I finally convinced them I’d get
better if I could go home and eat some
palatable food, they relented and cut me
loose. Regrettably, they sent me home
cold turkey without a tapering off program
from the, by then, codeine addiction. My
first night home, when I laid down to
sleep, I couldn’t sleep and felt like I had
totally detached from my body. Today
makes one week since I quit the Winston’s
and, while not quite as bad, it’s still a bitch getting the ole bod to accept not getting it’s nicotine fix. They still haven’t found any specific problem causing my health problems so my next big test will be Dec 17 to check if I’m suffering from sleep apnea. I’m not looking forward to the potential of having to sleep with a mask but if it makes me feel better I suppose its worth whatever it takes.
Until we meet again, don’t forget those defenseless little ones. The three most powerful words are, “I Love You.” Be sure to let your loved ones know this daily. May a loving God bless you and yours, this great nation, all who serve to protect and defend and all victims of terrorism. May we never forget the significance of the horror of 911.
We are the land of the FREE because of the BRAVE.
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