|
Michael Schmitmeyer's Junior Season was spectacular
Friday 07-25-2008 8:29am ET
Yesterday St. Marys' Michael Schmitmeyer won the Lima Junior Golf Association's event at Shelby Oaks.
Ho Hum.
Schmitmeyer has had a pretty good summer. First off he won the Dr. Pepper Championship. Then on the McDonalds Junior Series he won six of the eight events he entered while posting a scoring average of 69.5.
I think it's a pretty safe bet he'll be named LJGA Player of the Year at the banquet Monday night.
High fuel prices hitting NASCAR
Friday 07-25-2008 8:48am ET
I've been wondering how NASCAR could not be affected by the high price of fuel. I'm wondering no longer. It has been affected and in a bigger way than is being publicized.
In a recent issue of National Speed Sports News (NSSN) there was a blurb in the "NASCAR Notes" column written by Ron Lemasters, Jr. In the next to last item he writes:
"Published reports say that NASCAR will hold off on a change from the current Nationwide Series car to the new Car of Tomorrow (CoT) chassis for one season, allowing cash-strapped (emphasis mine) NNS teams to race another year with their present equipment."
"Building new cars in the current economy would likely kill the few remaining NNS privateers' chances of making the switch, which the owners conveyed to NASCAR at a recent meeting."
Clearly the Nationwide series is struggling but the Cup Series has its own woes. On the same page of the July 9th issue of NSSN in Lemaster's "Wide Open" column he refers to comparatively low attendance at the recent event at Daytona.
He also talks about fans tiring of the "add-on" costs of attending a Cup event such as hotels, parking and more.
Lemasters then pens:
"Amid news that NASCAR is slashing prices on memorabilia in an effort to spur sales and sponsors finding it difficult to justify upwards of $20 million for a single year of sponsorship, this ought to at least send a chill through the NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. offices that has nothing to do with the air conditioning."
I've been predicting for a couple of years that continued high fuel prices would eventually put chinks in the NASCAR armor. The stuff from NSSN does nothing to change that opinion.
After a decade-plus ascension it looks to me that NASCAR is about to go through a "correction". Sponsors can't continue to fork out the kind of money they are and the cost of operating teams is only going to go up. Look for a change to the business model soon.
Remember Justin O'Neal?
Friday 07-18-2008 11:22am ET
He was a tennis state champion at Shawnee and an All-American at The University of Florida.
Then, we didn't hear much.
Here's an update. Thanks to Ron Dredge for sending me the link.
Check it out:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20080716_He_s_getting_back_that_competitive_edge.html
College football is almost here
Friday 07-18-2008 7:50am ET
I know...not until the end of August but now is the time to get prepared. We in the media have alot of opportunity to check out those pre-season magazines you see on the newsstand (for those of you under 25 years old....that's a place where the sell "hard copies" of publications) or online.
I have read them all over the years and as I have told you before there are two that stand above the rest for college football: Phil Steele and Blue Ribbon Yearbook.
Steele is a handicapper by trade but the references to point spread performances and other gambling factors don't detract from the content. Phil's analysis is very comprehenshive and is derived from alot of "formulas" that he concocts based on talent evaluation. His predicitions have been very accurate over the years (a point he drives home on the cover of the magazine). This magazine is so jam-packed with info that it uses many abbreviations just to fit it all in. I highly recommend checking it out. Go to www.philsteele.com or call 866-918-7711.
The Blue Ribbon Yearbook's style is much different. It breaks down each team position-by-position while also analyzing the coach and the program overall. The write-ups are very thorough and features quotes from Head Coaches and Coordinators. This also is not a "magazine" it is truly a yearbook. It's main value isn't so much as a predictor of performance, rather it's the evaluation of the personnel at each position with coaches' comments to provide context. It also lists the entire coaching staff of every school along with an overview of the latest recruiting class. This is for the fan who wants it all. Go to www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 866-805-2255.
If you read these you'll be ready for the season, I guarantee.
Wake me when it's over
Monday 07-14-2008 8:16am ET
Tonight it's the MLB Home Run Derby. Big Deal.
Let me get this straight...sluggers take their swings against batting practice fastballs and we call it a contest? Great. Count me out.
Much like the Slam Dunk Contest this one has never really had much allure for me. These guys hit home runs against ACTUAL pitching everyday. That's impressive. Wathcing them smack BP into the upper-deck really doesn't excite me at all.
So if you're going to watch it, enjoy. As for me I'll wait for the actual All-Star Game.
|
© 2008