More drama in NASCAR

The 7th race in the Chase for the Championship was this past Sunday, and if there could be more races like this, NASCAR's ratings would be through the roof.
The race started with 4-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson holding a slim points lead, and ended with Denny Hamlin not only winning, but taking a 33 point lead in the standings, with only 2 races remaining.

But it was in between the green flag & the checkered flag that was the real entertainment.



Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding off of pit road after coming down to repair some damage. He felt this was the wrong call and made and flipped off the official standing by his car, and proceeded to string together some very colorful language about NASCAR over the team radio. He was held for 2 additional laps. (He has since been put on probation until the end of the year and fined $25,000).

Next up, the main attraction. An on-track incident between veterans Jeff Gordon & Jeff Burton caused both cars to wreck. Gordon was understandably upset at the incident. He climbs out of his car, walks to Burton & attempts to fight him. Now I may have only been watching NASCAR since 2005, but I know that A) Fights do not happen in NASCAR and B) Jeff Gordon is generally a calm individual. So when I was was watching the race on Sunday, I literally almost fell out of my chair when that happened. The best part? No penalty on either driver.

Now, I may be a bit biased here as I am a Kyle Busch fan, but is an obscene gesture & some heat of the moment cursing really worse than attempting to beat up on a fellow competitor??

Then, another moment that has people talking. Jimmie Johnson had been having horrible pit stops all day, costing him valuable track position. Since his teammate Jeff Gordon was out of the race, Johnson's crew chief made the call to "bench" his crew and put in Gordon's. Now, while the two are technically the same "team", that is only due to the fact they are owned by the same person and come out of the same shop. If you are going to switch teams with someone, do it during the week, not in the middle of the race. You have to deal with what you have.

With only 2 races left, things are definitely starting to heat up, and this is the most excited I've been about the last few races of a NASCAR season since Tony Stewart was battling for the title in the 2005 season. If Johnson have 2 incredibly solid races, he could pull of a ridiculous 5th straight championship. But if the 48 team continues to have issues, and Denny Hamlin or Kevin Harvick can have strong finishes, someone may finally be able to upset the current top dog of the sport.

All I have to say is, I really don't want to see this picture again:

Fan Attacked at Hockey Game

Earlier this week, the Vancouver Canucks played against the Minnesota Wild in Minnesota. Vancouver ended up losing 6-2. At one point, there was a bit of a scrum on the ice, which resulted in one Canucks player being sent to the locker room. On his way there, the following happened:


Now while hockey is definitely a tough game, and losing by that much is never easy, there is no reason a player shold EVER go after a fan, no matter what the fan may have said. You do not physically go after them, you make them sorry in another way, by going out and scoring, preventing their team from scoring. Something, anything, but never physically attack them. Look at what happens everytime the Penguins play the Flyers in Philadelphia. The entire arena chants "Crosby Sucks". What does Crosby do? Goes out and scores goals. Crosby hasn't gotten off to a good start this season, but the first game in Philly he scored 2 goals.

But back to Rypien. He has been suspended indefintely by the NHL, pending a face-to-face hearing with the league. Rumors are the fan attacked is seeking legal action against him.
It will definitely be interesting to see what comes out of this mess.

Student Rush

Been a little crazy the past week, otherwise this would've been sooner. But last week, on October 13th, I participated in my first Student Rush for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and attended my first game in the new arena.

Now for those of you who don't know what Student Rush is, basically the Pens take whatever tickets they have left unsold for the game and set them aside for college students with a valid ID and sell them for $25.

And so it begins...

 

Well, it's finally here. Hockey season. After a long summer, the Penguins are not only back to playing, but are opening up the brand new Consol Energy Center with a game against their biggest rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers.

 

 

 

No word on the official roster as of yet, which likely will not be announced until this afternoon, but we do know a few things.

 

 

 

• Forward Jordan Staal is still out indefinitely with a lingering foot injury/infection from the playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.
• Forward Arron Asham is day-to-day, but missed the last several preseason games, and may possibly not play the opener.
• Penguins prospect Eric Tangradi was sent to the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL last night, but was recalled to Pittsburgh early this morning, most likely he will be in if Asham can not play tonight.

 

It will definitely be interesting to see what the line up looks like tonight, but nothing will be able to change the anticipation surrounding this game.

 

First game of the season.

 

First regular season game in a long-awaited (and much needed) new arena.

 

A game against the Flyers.

 

 

 

So, not matter what the outcome of tonight's game is, it is guaranteed to be memorable.

 

 

 

It is truly...