The best sports event today, however was hands down the Goody's Cool Orange 500 in Martinsville, Virginia. In a race full of cautions (13 in all) and even a red flag rain delay, you still couldn't have asked for more excitement. Cars were loose all day as everyone is adjusting to the Car of Tomorrow. The fastest car on the track could come into pit road and lose all of it's advantage. Even when Jimmie Johnson took off for the last 100+ laps, it was still anyone's race. The whole thing was an edge of your seat affair, especially after the red flag when the track was slick and the rubber wasn't gripping as well. Every turn was a spin out waiting to happen. And in the end, it came down to teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon running 1 - 2.
After the restart, it was clear that neither of them would be challenged by the rest of the pack. With 18 laps left, they were going green again and Gordon was clearly looking to take the inside. He tried through every turn to get the inside, but Jimmie fought him off every time. It was obvious he was going to have to take Jimmie out of the way. But he wouldn't do it. He was clearly bumping him on every turn, but he never really got into Jimmie's side. He was driving clean and respectable against not just a teammate, but a prodigy he mentored himself. Had Gordon not brought Jimmie up through the Hendricks Racing ranks, he might not have made it to the big time. With every passing turn and every lap ticking closer to the checkered flag, Jeff was clearly tempted. He could have easily spun Jimmie and the race would have been his. Finally on the last turn of the dance he had to do something - and he did. He did the only thing he could have done - he got under Jimmie and bumped him twice. He tried to move him out of the way, but when it didn't work, he backed off before he took either of them out of it. He let his teammate take the flag and in the process showed the sportsmanship and wisdom too often missing from sports. He had respect for the man ahead of him, and he knew bickering within the same ownership would only cause trouble for both of them for the rest of the season. In the end, he chose the smart route, taking the second most points out of Virginia. And even though you could see the frustration on his face as Jimmie was given the Ridgeway clock - you can see he was able to justify this near photo finish.I'm sure that plenty of people just like me were psyched up for the Final Four yesterday - and then were fucking embarrassed by the level of play and the way both games unfolded. GT and OSU was completely underwhelming as Oden got in foul trouble early, and he and Hibbert barely played directly against each other. And Florida sleepwalked through a game that UCLA just plain slept through. The Gators looked like they could care less, and if they play like that tomorrow, they won't repeat. And if that happens, I'll be incredibly happy because the Black Jesus is an avid and completely obnoxious Gator fan. If they win tomorrow, I may just have to kill him, leaving this blog with only one actual contributor. Although that might be good for the readers - especially the ones who appreciate good grammar and intellectually structured sentences.
I didn't watch any of the baseball game, but it looks like the Mets have it all wrapped up in the 9th. Fuck. Oh well. They still have no chance - it's the Phillies year. When their pitching falls apart in two months, they'll have zero fucking chance.
I should be back mid-day tomorrow with a Vegas post but as always I don't promise anything. I may even try a running diary for the game, with of course a break for 24, but don't get your panties in a bunch. I might not be that motivated yet.
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