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Felt the need to share this photo. In a crowded parking lot that was short on openings, the driver of this particular monster truck felt the need to occupy two parking spots. Because that's cool.
Let us disregard that this thing is so big it comes with a sail, a mast as well as an outboard motor.
By the same token, let us disregard as well that this has a V-458 engine, because that is what is now required to ... go see a movie.
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Even though NASCAR's track attendance and TV ratings are down relative to their almost absurd zenith about 10 years ago, that relative lag has not created any type of genuine momentum for open wheel racing to fill in.
The IndyCar series may offer compelling racing, but in terms of mainstream appeal it has not been able to register outside of the Indianapolis 500, which much like the Kentucky Derby remains more of a cultural event than it does a sporting one.
Regardless, the IndyCar series is trying to grow and establish a wider footprint, especially in the great state a' Texas. The Shell Penzoil Grand Prix of Houston is slated to start in October of 2013.
What the IndyCar series is doing by adding this second race in Texas is a dangerous risk, and it could be a beginning of the end of this open wheel race at Texas Motor Speedway.
TMS has had the IndyCar race to itself for the entire region for more than a decade, and despite that fact interest in the event remains just OK. Despite numerous unique attempts to inject some interest in the event, most notably the twin races last year, it has never has gained any real traction. It is no secret track president Eddie Gossage's relationship with the open wheel series has been ... uneasy. Selling IndyCar to the race fans of FW/d is not an easy pitch, and IndyCar's ways of doing things aren't necessarily alligned with Gossage.
By the sounds of this article in the Houston Chronicle, Gossage and IndyCar are not on the same page in regards to market research. IndyCar believes there is enough of a market to support two races. Gossage does not agree. Read between the lines and it sounds like Gossage is saying that there isn't wide interest for this series here, and to add another event will split what is a decimal-point market.
IndyCar could be saying that the Houston event is a road course, which will draw people because it's a different racing experience.
Adding another race, even though it's months apart from the TMS June event, could finally be enough for Gossage to pull out of IndyCar.
Personally, I like the series and open wheel racing. I grew up on it. It's faster. It's exciting. But for about 10,000 reasons the sport has become niche. The rub is that both Gossage is right about potentially splitting a small audience, and IndyCar is right trying to grow it with another event.
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Cole Sear: Some magic's real.
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Donovan McNabb may be the least impartial observor about this subject in the universe, but he is an NFL quarterback who both played in Washington D.C. and for head coach Mike Shanahan.
McNabb appeared on ESPN's First Take this morning, and was asked if Baylor QB Robert Griffin III would be a good fit in the Redskins' offense. "No," was McNabb's response.
RGIII is expected to be selected No. 2 overall by the Redskins in the NFL draft behind the Colts' selection of Andrew Luck. Washington traded the farm to acquire the pick from St. Louis.
McNabb went on a bridge-burning interview when he said, “A lot of times ego gets too involved when it comes to being in Washington."
Click here for the rest of the interview, which features a lot of juicy stuff from McNabb. The former Eagles QB sounds like he researched this subject well before he went on a his rant against the Redskins and Shanahan.
McNabb may be right, but he also sounds like another aging jock firmly in denail about his eroding skills. But as biased as McNabb is about this team and this head coach, primarily because he was run out of town there, he has a point. Several of them.
Shanahan has never done much of anything since John Elway retired. A head coach not having success without a Hall of Fame quarterback is nothing new, but Shanahan's reputation has endured since that title won in 1998.
Consider:
* In the 12 seasons Shanahan has been a head coach post Elway, he has been to the playoffs four times.
* Shanahan is 1-4 in those games.
* Shanahan has won at least 10 games in those 12 years four times.
* The last time he was in the playoffs was 2005.
And the train wreck mess that is the Washington Redskins football franchise under owner Dan Snyder is well documented, lamented and made fun of.
Now comes RGIII wearing his Superman socks to save what had been one of the NFL's greatest franchises.
When the Bengals drafted Andy Dalton out of TCU I feared for his professional football life because this organization has been a hell hole since the death of Paul Brown. They don't care.
The people in Washington do care, but they don't have a clue. Now comes another Texan kid to save a different franchise. For the sake of his new team, and his new head coach, he doesn't need to be Superman, just John Elway.
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I have no idea what this is, but ... who cares? Go with it. Something called MissCollegeFootball.com is down to its Final Four, and among this quartet is a TCU girl.
Ms. Katarina "Kat" Royder of the TCU Showgirls is up against a girl from UCLA, as well as Michigan State and Florida State. Kat is a sophomore, and a psychology and pre-med student. Her mother is a TCU alum.
Rumor has it Kat is not too fond of the picture the website selected for this competition so here is another one.
Right now the returns aren't great for Kat, but it's early. Girlfriend needs some voting love so do the right thing and vote for Kat.
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The Dallas Stars have five games remaining in the season, and they are coming off their last "guarantee" win of the year - 3-1 at Edmonton on Wednesday night. Stars v. Oilers is one of the biggest guarantees in sports.
This from the Edmonton Sun: the Stars are 55-13 in the last 68 games against the Oilers, and won five of six series in the playoffs.
Not that many people around the greater FW/d know this, but Stars' offseason free agent signee Michael Ryder now has 35 goals this season. He is ninth in the league in goals, one behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin.
Every other game they could be the underdog, or at best it's a tossup:
3/30 at Vancouver (47-21-9, 103 pts.). Stars are 2-1 against Canucks this season.
3/31 at San Jose (39-28-10, 88 pts). Back to backs are tough.
4/3 vs. San Jose (39-28-10, 88 pts.). Stars are 1-3 against Sharks this season.
4/5 at Nashville (44-25-8, 96 pts.). Stars are 2-1 in this series.
4/7 vs. St. Louis (48-20-9, 105 pts.). Stars are 1-2 against Fightin' Ken Hitchock's this season.
The Stars are somehow still in first place in the Pacific Division with 89 points. Phoenix sits at ninth in the Western Conference with 87 points.
This thing still very much feels like it could go either way. I'll say they get in.
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The alternate or different uniform design trend that is currently doing a lot of damage to classic color schemes and patterns has now found its way to Austin, Texas.
Keep Austin Weird? Fine. But keep the Longhorn unis the same.
But thanks to our good friends Phil Knight and his Nike design team, the Texas Longhorns are going to look very different this fall. Not in a Baylor men's basketball bad way, but not in a good way.
UPDATE: A few readers wanted me to mention that these unis are for practice only. Don't care. They still suck. Leave well enough alone. And don't be surprised when these pop up on a Saturday game.
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I'm happy for the boys, but this one hurts the pride. Stings the nostrils.
Mac Engel and the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League are down to a best-of-three in their first round playoff series against hated Vancouver.
The Chiefs have rallied from an 0-2 hole to tie the series after a huge OT win last night in Spokane. Game 5 is Friday night in Vancouver.
Here is the rub: Mac Engel was in net for the Chiefs in the first two games of the series, both Chiefs losses. I'm not going to lie - Mac Engel was not sharp in either of those first two games; Vancouver scored seven goals in each of the first two games. The reason? Cough syrup, maybe. Maybe Mac's skate lost their edge. Something had to be wrong with his equipment.
This is what we know: When the series returned to Spokane, Mac Engel was on the bench in favor of the other guy, Eric Williams. Mac Engel has to play games on the road, but the other guy starts at home? Must be nice to be Eric Williams.
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Never thought this would happen because Will Ferrell had repeatedly said the prospects looked bad, but the legend is back.
Anchorman 2 is going to happen.
Ron Burgundy made an appearance on Conan last night to make the announcement.
He said, "As of of 0900 mountain time, Paramount Pictures and myself, Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy, have come to terms on a sequel to Anchorman. It is official. There will be a sequel to Anchorman. There will be a sequel."
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