Dish Network & LIN Media Making Enemies Quick
In the battle between Dish Network and LIN Media, a lot of stations were cut off from not only Fox but also local news coverage. It appears Dish is not willing to pay LIN Media for a rate increase so LIN Media cut off their service to Dish. This definitely will not help the ratings this weekend and will also serve as an excuse should the ratings be down because of the affected cities. From reading several comments by Dish subscribers, they plan to discontinue service because of this dispute.
Championship Worries
Back in 2003, the big worry was about having a Cup Series champion who didn’t have a win. This same worry is starting to come up now with the Busch Series as a result of the new rules and points restructuring. As it stands right now, and based on the performance of the Buschwackers over the last several years, this problem could be a very real one for Faux King Brian and friends. If it does happen, don’t be a bit surprised if there’s another restructuring of the points system specifically for the Busch Series.
Something to Think About
Old Man Time wins the Busch Series race and gets one headline. The Queen of Hype finishes 4th and gets 11 headlines as of Sunday. Is 4th the new 1st? Or is it that she’s been deemed the new Messiah to save NA$CAR from it’s woes of poor attendance, poor TV ratings, poor souvenir sales, and financial problems caused by their previous Messiah not living to all the hype that was generated by him from the Ivory Towers?
And don't fall for the hype. The Queen of Hype finished 4th, which is the highest finish for a female driver in the Busch Series. Sara Christian finished 5th in the NASCAR Stritctly Stock Series in 1949, which is today's Cup Series. There's a big difference between Cup and Busch. So while she did set a record, she hasn't set THE record. Keep trying.
It’s Official, Firestone is Leaving IndyCar
Firestone announced that they will be leaving the IndyCar Series at the end of the 2011 season. This opens the door for a lot of tire manufacturers to step up and fill the gap. It would be quite a marketing coup if Hoosier got the contract. Hoosier tires on race cars in the Hoosier state. The Dallara “tub” being built in the Hoosier state. Lots of possibilities there on the Hoosier connection if they land the tire contract.
According to Robin Miller of Speed TV, Goodyear, Hoosier, and Cooper are all interested in being the replacement tire company. Miller thinks Goodyear will get the nod.
Twitter Traffic of Interest
I don’t know how many folks heard about Jeremy Mayfield’s interview on Speed TV being stopped by Paul Brooks, but here’s a couple of Tweets regarding that from Mayfield himself:
jeremymayfield
Paul Brooks, "you won't be able to stop my next interview"
jeremymayfield
@beaverlakekid thanks, I'm gonna start telling my side of the story, "everything" they can't control what I say here.
I mentioned Jabber Jaws and his remarks about being a fan.
Darrell Waltrip
hey twitterville, I have absolutely nothing to do with the tv coverage of the Nationwide series, I'm a fan and follow it just like you do !
Just remember what the lamestream whiners said, “if you have media credentials you can’t cheer or applaud”. Not to mention Jabber Jaws own words from the Truck Series days. “You shouldn’t be involved if you’re a fan”. Words to live by there Jabber Jaws. So leave the announcing booth.
Jeff Gluck
Danica was pissed she didn't get the free pass there: "F---- lucky dog!!! Keeps biting my ass!!!" or something like that.
If you believe the hype she should’ve won the race before the green flag dropped. As to the quote by Gluck, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true. Ever so ladylike. Maybe she needs to hang out with Jennifer Jo Cobb and learn how a female driver handles adversity.
ESPN Strikes Again
In what was supposed to be an article titled “Danica Patrick Talks Crashes, NASCAR”. This would lead you to think that it’s about her racing in NA$CAR. But no, the first two paragraphs are about promoting IndyCar races in Texas and mentioning there might be a crash. Is that what IndyCar fans turn out for nowadays? Crashes? Isn’t that what they say NA$CAR fans turn out for? She spends more time talking about IndyCar than she does about NA$CAR and her Busch Series races. Maybe it should’ve been titled “Danica Talks About Her 2011 Racing Season”. It seems like sort of deceptive way to get some web hits on the article.
Another “strike” against BSPN came this past weekend when the Busch Series race was pre-empted by college basketball in a number of cities. If the Disney bunch (Disney/ABC/BSPN) knew this would happen, then why even bother bidding on the TV contract and angering race fans around the country who have no interest in college hoops? Any bets more races get pre-empted as March Madness continues?
Oops!
Leave it to Speed TV expert and alienator of race fans everywhere to pull one like this. This is from Bob Pockrass on Twitter last Thursday:
Kenny Wallace gets black-flagged. He says on radio "They're black-flagging me?" And then he says, "Oh, I never signed in."
You’re not a real race car driver if you can’t remember to sign in at the NA$CAR trailer? I guess that’s a good paraphrase of his famous weekly remark.
Your Bias is Showing Again
During Cup qualifying, the almighty Jabbers Jaws couldn’t give the Fords credit for qualifying well. Any time a Chosen One or his favorite brand of car didn’t qualify well, it was because of the bumps on the track even though the Fords ran over the same exact bumps as everyone else.
Astute Observation
Erin made a very astute observation about the so-called “journalists” covering NA$CAR.
If you cover NASCAR you are an entertainment reporter...and as we've all seen covering entertainment requires no ethics!
And she makes a very good point. As NA$CAR events are held in entertainment venues and by their own admission is sports entertainment, they are entertainment and as such, all the ethical standards of “real journalism” do not apply. That means all of these supposed journalist covering NA$CAR are little more than reporters for shows like Entertainment Tonight or magazines like Entertainment Weekly. This explains why there are so many fluff pieces written or shown on the NA$CAR related TV shows. That’s racer-tainment!
Premature Enunciations
Some of the Kool Aid drinkers are saying that all of NA$CAR’s woes are over now and that everything has turned around and everything is sunshine and lollipops. We’re 3 races into the new season. There is no sports competition to speak of at this point, like play-offs or the start of the new stick and ball seasons. Unlike the Kool Aid Kids, I’m not quite ready to pull the patient off of life support yet just because they’re twitching from autonomous system reactions. Lets see how things go when we’ve got March Madness going on, MLB is playing, and the NBA play-offs are hitting their stride.
Robby Gordon on Double Secret Probation
It seems that after a shouting match between Robby and driver of the Stiffy Mobile Kevin Conway over money matters, Conway filed a report with the LVPD and complained to NA$CAR. NA$CAR in turn placed Robby on Indefinite Probation. I wonder just how long that will be considering Curtis Turner was banned for life and re-instated and some other folks more recently who were booted for drug use with indefinite suspensions have been re-instated. Will he have to pray to the Ivory Towers, wear a camel hair fire suit, and do thousands of mea culpas as penance?
Plus a few unanswered questions. Just what was a Busch Series driver (Conway) doing in the Cup garage? That sounds to me like he was looking for trouble. No answer out of NA$CAR. So why didn't they both receive the same punishment? No answer out of NA$CAR. Based on my past experience, unless you have Cup credentials, you can't go into the Cup garage if the area is segregated from the other series. But then the lamestream media isn't asking the questions either, which is no surprise.
Upcoming Events
5th Annual Legends Helping Legends Fundraiser at the Memory Lane Museum
Date: March 26, 2011
Location: Memory Lane Museum
Street: 769 River Highway (Hwy 150) I mile west of I-77 Exit 36
City/Town: Mooresville, NC
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Phone: 704-662-3673
As of right now, there’s expected to be 40 racing personalities there. That’s on the same weekend as the annual Fontana snooze fest so if you want to stay awake for something a little more interesting, you should come to this fundraiser and meet some of the racing greats who drove when it really was stock cars.
Cool Deal
LVMS and the USAF did something pretty cool with the large enlistment ceremony that was done at LVMS before the race. One of my son’s friend’s had her son swear in as part of the ceremony and she’s a very proud mom. I don’t blame her either. So thanks to LVMS for providing the time and space for the enlistment ceremony of these fine young folks who will be serving our country and keeping us safe. Too bad Focks didn’t have the gumption to show this. It would’ve been more interesting than hearing the English language get repeatedly butchered or the continuous yammering of Jabber Jaws.
I figured you'd pick up on the Robby fiasco, both of us being a champion of that particular underdog.
ReplyDeleteI think if I were Robby, I just pack up my checkers, tell Na$car where to stuff it, and go have more fun running my off road stuff. Or go spend a summer with Schrader on the dirt track circuit. But definitely tell Na$car to kiss my ass.
How is it that Jeff Gordon can get into a fistfight live on national tv on the frontstretch right in front of god and everybody and nothing happens, and Robby has the same thing happen in the gargage that nobody sees, and nobody hears about until AFTER Na$car sticks him on probation, and Robby get the usual roto-rotoring and Jeffy gets the usual nothing?
And Kevin Conway, being involved in the same alleged fight gets nothing? And the little worm calls the cops? Hey Kevin: maybe you should use more of your sponsors products because YOU NEED TO MAN UP!!
Dave in Ohio
Robby has been a thorn in NA$CAR's side whereas Jeffy and Mayor McCheese kiss "la fleur du derriere" of NA$CAR. Since Robby switched car brand decals, he's no longer "protected".
ReplyDeleteMy question is what was Conway doing in the Cup garage in the first place? He was supposed to be driving a Busch Series car. That tells me he's the instigator of this because he went looking for Robby intentionally. If nothing else they both should've received the same punishment or both been reprimanded.
In discussing Danica's 4th place I thought it was nice of you, and a bit unusual, not to mention the role that fuel mileage played.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that the increase in early-season TV ratings has a lot to do with the fact that the 48 has not won a race yet, and hasn't really been a threat to win one yet. Once the season wears on, and Chad's "creative engineering" *wink, wink* goes into high gear and the 48 DOES start winning, TV ratings will start to plummet again.
ReplyDeleteI have more respect for Robby Gordon than I do Big Jim Johnson. Just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI don't know all the particulars of Robbie's and Kevin's deal, BUT...
Unless Robbie put Kevin in a headlock and forced Kevin to insert a 30 day supply of Extenze into his rectum...
This incident makes Kevin Conway sound like a crybaby. To be fair, I've called Robby Gordon a crybaby plenty of times.
Why is this even news???
Last year, Robby made sure I didn't fall asleep during the 600. He kept slapping the wall off of Turn 2 to keep me focused. What a guy.
Shayne, Conway has been described by a fellow driver as a wuss. That says a lot. So far the story has changed 3 times since it first broke. I agree, it shouldn't really be a story but it sort of falls along the lines of the "have at it boys" agenda of NA$CAR.
ReplyDeleteInteresting observation Mike and worth following.
Jayhawk, I don't want to get into the gas mileage thing right now. I'm more interesting to making sure folks don't swallow the hype about her finish. It was a 4th in the Busch Series and not the Cup Series, which is the top level. The gas mileage is for another day.
Dave, the more Conway says the less credibility he has.3 different versions of the story out of him so far. Why they didn't both get the same penalty is beyond me. But then I have a theory on that too which I'll reveal later.