Off Season

It is break time for those who worship at the Church of Our NASCAR. It will be a long wait until February. I am not sure I can manage. I will have to wait a long time to watch the skill of drivers maneuvering their cars or trucks around the track in traffic at mind boggling speeds. The strategy of the football fields and the players don't hold my interest as well. Of course we hope that Randy Moss does well so that he can continue "making a small fortune" in the trucks. In case you hadn't heard the joke, -How do you make a small fortune in NASCAR? Start with a large one. Randy Moss Motor Sports will certainly suck up lots of money. Ask the former football players who were part of Hall of Fame Racing, or Fitz-Bradshaw Racing a few years ago.

I think the thing I most dislike about football is the showing off by individuals after scoring a touchdown, or making a particularly vicious hit. While the drivers do burnouts, the first words out of their mouths in the after race interview almost always thanks their crew, the owners, the guys back in the shop and their sponsors. Please don't tell me that NASCAR isn't a team sport. You never hear a football player say what good shape the grounds were in, or how good their safety equipment is. But you do hear the drivers say what a great shape the track was in, what a good job Goodyear did on the tires(not so often), or how grateful they are for the safety devices in their car. While there may be some of fairly big egos in NASCAR, they don't show as blatantly. Every one of those drivers is grateful for the opportunity to be there. You hear it repeatedly.

Watching football is a poor substitute for watching the trucks beat and bang. The football pre-game shows, don't come close to what I refer to as my soaps - "NASCAR Performance," "NASCAR Smarts" and "NASCAR in a Hurry." "Monday Night Football" is no substitute for "This Week In NASCAR" which is much smarter and funnier. I especially enjoy watching Michael Waltrip pretending that he is stupid and watching Chad Knaus "talk about himself". For now I have to accept the barren desert of the NFL until almost Valentines Day. The Shootout is on February 6th and the Duels are the 11th It seems like forever.

I have really enjoyed watching NASCAR this season. I have come to admire Kyle Bush as an exceptional driver, who knew and cultivated the talent of wearing "the black hat." He is a really decent man with an intensity that makes him a great driver. I have decided that next year it will be interesting to see Brad Keselowski get his come-uppance when he has to face the Cup drivers. I expect that he will have a difficult time, unless his attitude changes. Don't ask me about Montoya. I have even changed my mind about Jimmie Johnson. My family thinks he is Mr. Vanilla, but tolerated my admiration of Chad Knaus. I think Jimmie is an excellent driver who is smart enough to give Chad good feedback and to listen to Chad's decisions.

I changed my mind about Jimmie because I listened to Chad and Jimmie on the scanner. The welcome and language caution before the start of the race on their channel is very professionally done. I heard Jimmie and Chad in fairly unguarded moments during races and they are not vanilla. They are in fact very funny and Jimmie does have a temper, as does Chad. Now I am mired in the dessert of Football. I miss listening on the scanner to Chad and Jimmie, but especially I miss Big Earl. (Spotters are unsung heroes and good ones are to be treasured) Big Earl has a voice that is easy to listen to. His confidence and encouragement seemed a gift. I must confess that when I was very tired it was nice to hear Big Earl in my ear saying, "Clear, Clear, Clear high, Two back ..." as I drifted off to sleep when the west coast race was just too late for me to stay awake. I am thankful that next year I won't have that problem. So now I am counting the days until my soaps are on again. Forgive my impatience.