The ’08 NASCAR Season Just Days Away

As the Daytona 500 approaches, we will finally get our first look at all the changes that have taken place over the past couple of months. A new Series Sponsor, the COT (Car of Tomorrow), Toyota’s second year and numerous driver changes amongst teams make things very interesting this year.

Storylines:

Let’s start right at the top. This year NASCAR welcomes Sprint to the Cup Series. The Nationwide Series replaces the Busch Series and Craftsman will end its run in the truck series at the end of the season.

This year will also mark the first full season for the car of tomorrow. After the first round of testing during preseason thunder, drivers appear to be happy with how things feel in the COT. Bump drafting in the new chassis design should be better and make racing better. We’ll find out soon as the Daytona 500 roles off on February 17th.

The 2008 season will also see Toyota attempting to make more of an impact in its second year. After the 2007 season that saw Michael Waltrip get penalized for a fuel additive at Daytona, and most teams struggle to make races in 2007, 2008 presents new opportunities. Joe Gibbs Racing, along with Hall of Fame racing has made the move to Toyota. With a proven team joining Toyota, with the likes of Michael Waltrip Racing, Team Red Bull and Bill Davis Racing already in the fold, this should be the year Toyota scores its first victory in the Sprint Cup Series.

Finally, the revolving door that was driver changes will close. And boy, some big names made some big noise. Let’s start at the top with the biggest name, Dale Earnhardt Junior. He left his father’s company due to power struggles with his stepmother, and if that wasn’t enough he joined the most successful team in the series, Hendrick Motorsports.

That leads us to the departure of Kyle Busch. To make room for Junior, Busch was the odd man out, but will join Joe Gibbs Racing and round out their trio with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. That moved J.J. Yeley out of the #18 at Gibbs and into the #96 at Hall of Fame Racing, run by Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach.

Michael Waltrip Racing will see a rookie join the team after Dale Jarrett retires after race five. David Reutimann will move from the #00 and replace Jarrett in the #44 and last years ARCA REMAX Series rookie of the year Michael McDowell will jump into the #00.

Mark Martin, Aric Almirola and Regan Smith will see seat time with DEI. Jacques Villeneuve will run the full schedule with Bill Davis Racing.
Also from the open wheel ranks, Dario Franchitti replaces David Stremme at Chip Ganassi and Penske Racing will add a third member to it’s stable with Ohio native and Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Junior.

Travis Kvapil replaces Ricky Rudd at Robert Yates racing and Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs will pilot the two Haas CNC Racing entries.

It should be an interesting 2008 season. I can’t wait for it to get started. Be sure to tune into my show, weekdays from 3 – 6 on the Kool Kat 1380 the week of February 11th when we will preview the upcoming season with interviews all week long, and go over local track schedules.

Dates of interest:
Bud Shooutout: Saturday February 9th
Cup Series Qualifying: February 10th
Gatorade Duel: February 14th
Daytona 500: February 17th

Predictions:
Champion: Jimmie Johnson
Toyota Win’s: Four (Don’t be surprised if they all come from Gibbs)

Give it a rest.

I'm tired of political correctness. I'm tired of the sensitivity police. I'm tired of headline seekers. And I'm tired of minor mistakes being turned into major offenses. I also realize that these are the signs of our times and opinions to the contrary of the common(?) wisdom are often attacked. So understand that it is with at least a bit of timidness that I offer the following:

I was watching the Golf Channel when Kelly Tilghman let go with the "lynch" comment. I winced. I thought, "What was she thinking? Well there goes her career." I know the comment was offered as hyperbole. I know that Tilghman didn't intend for anyone to take the comment literally. It was intended to be a joke. A bad one to be sure, but a joke just the same. And I knew what was coming.

Anyone short of the biggest idiot appreciates all that Tiger has done. He, like other great sports figures (think Michael, Favre, Wilt, Theismann, Kareem, Ripken, Lebron) transcends racial lines. Everybody wears their jerseys. Nobody cares what color their skin is. They belong to all of us.

So does anyone really think that Tilghman meant any harm? Hell, in truth, Tiger probably pays a good bit of her salary simply by being as good as he is. Think she doesn't know that?

Here's another take. She's Tigers friend. Maybe not "Come on down and spend the weekend with the family" friends, but close enough that they talk. Tiger doesn't care. He didn't have to move on, he wasn't stuck in the first place. It's the aforementioned sensitivity police that are making the most noise.

By the way, the magazine cover with the noose... dumb, really dumb. You deserve what you get for the sheer stupidity of that decision.

Tilghman made a bad decision. Suspend her...OK. Fire her...too harsh. So let's all be grown up boys and girls. Let's stop looking for reasons to get pissed off. Let's start realizing that all of us sometimes make mistakes. This is sports for Pete's sake. And it 2008. I can't think of another area where race simply doesn't matter. As a former athlete, I don't remember ever judging someone on their ethnicity. I knew who was good and why they were good, how fast they were, how high they could jump, what number they wore and what I needed to do to be better against them. And I don't remember being judged based on my skin color other than the fact that white men can't jump.

Oh wait...was that racist?

Brady Quinn Is Worth Our 2008 First Round Pick

I decided to write this blog after reading a comment from one of the readers thinking we sold the farm for Brady Quinn, not having a first rounder is gonna cost us, we don't have any money for free agents, etc. And similar conversations have come up with other people I know, and to my surprise, a lot of people thought the same things. So I felt a post was in order to help enlighten the masses that Brady Quinn was the right pick and to answer all the other issues Browns fans are currently feeling.

First, the Browns did not spend a ton of money on Brady Quinn. $7.75 million guaranteed, $20 million reachable by playing incentives, another $10 million (unlikely to get) by performance incentives. In comparison, the 49ers gave Manny Lawson (the 22nd pick the year before) a contract with less incentive bonuses but still $5.9 million guaranteed. Last I checked, QB's cost more in this league.

Second, what happens with a capable QB and your starting quarterback goes down? You can go to the tape in 2002 when Kelly Holcomb started his 4th career game in Pittsburgh in the playoffs and dropped 429 yards and a 107.6 QB rating. If we could have actually ran the ball that day, we would have won. That, however, is why you need a good backup, because you cannot depend on one QB being able to start 16 games + playoffs. Especially if his name is Tim Couch. And before anyone makes the Kelly Holcomb jokes, go ask a Vikings fan who they'd rather start, Holcomb or Tavaris Jackson...go ahead, I'll wait...mmhmm, I thought so.

Third, the Browns have $30.31 million in cap space, plenty to land a big fish (or two), 8th most in the NFL. I know we will pursue a few free agents, and a few on the defensive side of the ball I want us to go after are listed below.

Fourth, we traded up to 22 last year, and that is where our pick would be this year. I don't know if there is a game breaker at 22, that won't be there or a similar player in that mold in the second round. Savage has already said if there is someone in his top 15 that slips to the back end, he'll trade back in.

Fifth, the reader that commented said the Browns would be better if they drafted Troy Smith in the 5th round. I disagree for two reasons. Reason 1, we drafted Brandon McDonald in round 5, and I think he turned out to be a great surprise to many fans out there. Reason 2, Troy Smith is not a good NFL quarterback. I watched Troy Smith play for the Ravens at the end of the year. I love Troy and sentimentally wanted him on the Browns, but he is NOT a quarterback in this league. He's a band-aid, and there is no way I could depend on him down the stretch or to win a game. Sorry. He should give Josh Cribbs a call asap.

And I disagree with the general point of drafting a QB in the later rounds, who is cheaper, to just hold the clipboard if you honestly feel you have a chance at getting someone special. Berea could be a very interesting place when Training Camp opens this year.

Free Agents to Chase:

Defensive Ends

Jared Allen - Kansas City
Justin Smith - Cincinnati
Bobby McCray - Jacksonville

Linebackers

Chaun Thompson - Re-sign
Terrell Suggs - Baltimore
Lance Briggs - Chicago
Na'il Diggs - Carolina
Victor Hobson - NYJ
Demarrio Williams - Atlanta

So hopefully, Browns fans can start worrying a little less and start looking towards the potential in the draft and for next season, because there are a lot of positives going on right now for this ball club.

A Look Back

Happy New Year everyone! With the holidays and winter sports season in Lorain County up and running, the Sports Krew has been a little busy lately so we've been slacking on the blog. We'll make the resolution to try to make a new post at least once a week. For today's post, I thought it would be fun to look back at the year that was.

2007 had to be one of most exciting years in sports we've had in Northeastern Ohio in quite a long time. In case you're still suffering from a hangover, consider what took place over the last 12 months or so:

• The Browns pulled off a draft day coup by getting both Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn, and thanks to a new-look offense won 10 games and narrowly missed the playoffs.

• The Indians won the Central Division title and came within one win of a trip to the World Series.

• The Cavaliers captured the Eastern Conference Championship and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

• Ohio State played for the National Championship in both football and men's basketball (we won't mention what happened the other night in New Orleans!)

• Lorain County had three teams advance into the playoffs in High School Football after a year's absence. We saw teams like Vermilion and Keystone take huge strides, along with some much needed pride returning to Oberlin with the arrival of Dave McFarland.

I had the privilege to announce many exciting games in 2007. There was the 'was his foot on the line or not?' boys basketball tournament game between Wellington and Clearview, the Avon Lake-Avon shootout by the lakefront at Browns Stadium, and Oberlin College's redemption win against Allegheny that came down to a hail mary in the back of the end zone. Speaking of the Yeomen, special congratulations goes to R.V. Carroll for being named the Offensive Player of the Year in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

So what awaits us in the New Year? Will the Indians or Cavaliers make that one deal that will help put them over the top? Will C.C. Sabathia stay an Indian? Who will be the starting quarterback for the Browns when the season returns in September? All questions that will be answered here in 2008.

Locally, I am very much looking forward to this year's high school basketball tournaments. Lorain County has not put a boys team into the 'Sweet 16' since Open Door, Elyria Catholic and Avon all made it in 2003. There are several teams to keep an eye on, including Elyria, Admiral King, and Avon Lake in Division I, Vermilion and Avon in Division II, Wellington, Keystone, and Clearview in Division III, and Oberlin in Division IV. All of those teams could be in position to make a run come late February. On the girls side, Elyria's off to a fast start, as is Oberlin, Keystone, and Admiral King. We'll see how things shape up when the tournament draws for the girls come out a week from Sunday.

In the meantime, keep it tuned to the Lorain County Sports Network all this winter for our coverage of High School Basketball, Hockey, and Lorain County Community College Basketball. You never know when a memorable moment will come your way!