Another weekend has come and gone and that means it’s time to look over some weekend sports blunders.

1) NBC Hockey
When will these guys get it right! Okay, they’ve figured out how to fix the white balance so you’re no longer blinded by the bright white ice. You can actually see the players and you can also see the lines on the ice. However, for whatever reason, the NBC control room audio guys must all be deaf. Once again I tried watching the Red Wings game, but had to turn it off because the noise of the crowd drowned out the announcers calling the game. Come on guys, it’s the play-offs and now they’re almost done. Hello NBC execs — do you think you can get your sound guys to figure out the play-by-play announcers are more important than the roar of the crowd?

2) Danica Patrick
Okay, so it took her 50 races, but she finally made it to Victory Circle. Danica Patrick won her first IRL race over the weekend in Japan. But, while Tom Hanks declared — “There’s no crying in baseball” — someone should tell Danica — “There’s no crying in racing!”

3) NASCAR Should Have “Parked” Kyle Busch
The new wonder-boy of NASCAR is at it again. For years I’ve said Kyle Busch is not a good driver. Everyone thinks he is, but in reality, he’s nothing more than a pimpled-face kid who knows how to mash the gas, but that’s about it. Why am I picking on him today? It’s because of something he said during the Nationwide race in Mexico. Scott Pruett led most of the race and in the closing laps Kyle Busch was in second. Busch, who doesn’t know how to race clean keyed his radio and told his crew — “I’m getting tired of Pruett. I’m going to spin him out into the wall so I can take the lead and win.” At that point NASCAR officials should have keyed their radio and said — “Okay Kyle Busch, it’s time to park your car.” But, they didn’t. They just let their wonder-boy drive. Come on NASCAR. When a driver says he’s going to use his car as a weapon, it’s time to park him.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

It’s the start of another new week. With that in mind, I’d like to spend a few moments discussing some major sports blunders from the weekend. I have two blunders to look at today.

Blunder Number One
NBC should be ashamed of themselves! I know NHL hockey viewership took a hit a few years ago during the strike. But come one, now everyone seems to be jumping on the NHL bandwagon trying to reclaim the sport. I’ve discovered a great new channel on my lineup, it’s the NHL Network. I love it! I can find all kinds of hockey pretty much every night. So, what happened with NBC yesterday? They decide to carry their big game of the week between the Red Wings and the Blackhawks. I figure this is great! I’m a Blackhawks fan so I plan to watch the hockey game before the race starts. Well, that didn’t last very long. The white balance was so far off on the cameras you couldn’t even see the lines on the ice! Making matters even worse, the Blackhawks were wearing white which meant all you could see was black skates moving across the very bright white of the ice and big red blobs of Red Wings players.

Come on NBC…aren’t you smarter than that? If you’re going to carry a hockey game, make sure you balance the color on your camera before hitting the air. It was more like watching a bunch of Polar Bears playing hockey than players fighting it out for a playoff spot.

Blunder Number Two
This blunder goes to the many NASCAR drivers who keep complaining about the handling of the new race car. Jimmy “Cry-baby” Johnson finished second in Texas but the first thing he says when he emerges from the car is that he now knows what everyone else is talking about because the car handles poorly. He says he, along with others, want NASCAR to do something about the car because he’s tired of having to work so hard when driving the car. Further down the line the new Golden-Brat-Boy of the sport, Kyle Busch, complains that he hasn’t worked so hard in all his driving career as he had to over the weekend. Why did he have to work so hard? Because he says the car needs to be worked on by NASCAR because he has to work to drive the car.

Excuse me for a moment boys, but aren’t you called racecar drivers? Give me a break. You’re complaining because you have too work to hard to drive the car? You’re paid millions of dollars to drive the car so stop your complaining. Oh, and by the way, I for one believe NASCAR has accomplished exactly what they wanted to. They said the driver needs to be more in control of the car while driving instead of just getting in the car and mashing the gas. They’ve done just that. Suddenly the driver has to work and understand how to control the car.

Reality is, what’s happening in NASCAR this year is exactly what I’ve been saying for years. We’re suddenly discovering the so-called stars are no stars at all. Those whom some in racing held up as stars were nothing more than gas-mashers who sat behind a steering wheel, went fast and turned left. Now all of a sudden the true drivers are rising to the top. The ones who understand there’s more to racing than just going fast. Sometimes, as DW always says, you go faster, by going slower.

Stop your complaining guys, and take a few driving lessons. Then maybe you’ll figure the new car out.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

This just never stops! I addressed this in a blog yesterday, and now she’s at it again. Still complaining about the weight limit. Danica Patrick wants the world to take her as a serious racecar driver.

In a recent article Yahoo Sports article we read…

Indy racer Patrick angry over weight gainMar 27, 6:44 pm EDT Buzz Up PrintMIAMI (AFP) - American racing driver Danica Patrick, one of just two women in the Indy-car championship, has criticised plans which she claims punishes her for being slender.

The 26-year-old, who is still searching for a first victory as her fourth season begins, is upset by a new rule to equalize the weights of each car allowing for differences in driver size.

Some rivals had said Patrick, the slimmest Indy-car racer who is just 5ft 2in tall and weighs in at 100 pounds, had an edge because of her lighter size. Now extra weight will be added to cars for lighter racers and trimmed from tubs for heavier ones.

“If someone is going to take the hit it’s going to be me,” Patrick said. “It’s disappointing the league decided to do that. Just your God-given stature is being penalized.”

Venezuela’s Milka Duno is the second woman in the 29-driver championship which begins a new season here on Sunday.

Danica the bottom line is this. If you want people to view you like this…

Then you really need to stop posing for pictures like this…

And this…

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

IRL officials are considering a weight restriction for all their drivers. No, they’re not concerned about too much weight. Instead, they’re concerned about too little weight. It’s been long argued by some drivers that Patrick has an advantage because at times she weighs in at less than 100 pounds. Some say that gives her an advantage because she can go faster, since she weighs less than most drivers in the series. While that seems plausible, lets stop for a moment and realize she has yet to win a race. Obviously her weight is not an issue making her drive faster. Of course Danica feels this is nothing more than a case of the Indy Racing League making it more difficult for her to compete in the IRL series.

Give me a break Danica. Haven’t you figured out yet that you’re not in the IRL because you know how to drive. You’re in the IRL because they needed a good looking spokesperson to draw attention to what was a struggling series. Now people tune in to the races not so much to watch the race, but simply to catch a glimpse of the IRL cover girl. I know I know, this may sound very sexist, but Danica, you haven’t helped yourself much as far as trying to build an image of a race car driver when you pose for pictures like this…

Tell me Danica… Just what are you trying to sell there?

Stop your crying and complaining Ms. Patrick. You’ve developed an image other than a race car driver. It’s hard to believe you’re really concerned about the weight limit in the IRL because it will effect your racing career. Most people know you’re upset about the weight restriction because you’re more concerned about whether you’ll fit into your swimsuit for the next issue of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Stop posing like that Danica, and then maybe you’ll be taken seriously as a race car driver.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

In baseball news, Barry Bonds is having problems finding a job this year.

San Francisco didn’t bring back the over-priced-steriod-pumping-cheater-ego-maniac and now no one else wants to sign him either. For the first time in a long time I can honestly say baseball might be doing something right in the midst of the steriod scandal years. Apparently no one wants to hire the steriod poster boy. Opening day is right around the corner, and Bonds remains unsigned.

I wish I could say that’s the end of the story, but I can’t.

Instead I turn my attention to the Players Association Chief, Donald Fehr, who should be ashamed of himself. Fehr says he and his staff are looking into possible collusion against Barry Bonds. In a statement released by the Players Association earlier this week Fehr says, “We always look at the free-agent markets every year and make judgments about them, if we come to the conclusion with respect to any player that there’s a matter worth pursuing, we’ll pursue it.”

Excuse me!? Ummm, Mr. Fehr it’s called free agency for a reason. You spin the wheel take a chance and if no one wants to hire you, well, I guess you hit the unemployment line. Did Barry Bonds, or do you Mr. Fehr, really expect anyone to hire a man who’s cheated his way through baseball? And lets not forget the fact that Bonds was also indicted in November on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. Those charges come from his 2003 grand jury testimony in which he denied knowingly using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

The bottom line is this. Barry Bonds, the cheater poster boy for steriod use in Major League Baseball is washed up. No one wants to hire him, and he certainly does not deserve a job just because he’s a baseball player. Maybe it’s time for Barry Bonds to realize he needs to trade in his bat and get ready for some baseball possibly behind bars.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Someone needs to tell the NASCAR folks that it never rains in Southern California. They will try yet again today, Monday, to get the weekend races in. For the Nationwide Series, I’m sure they’re hoping the third time is a charm. The only race that took place over the weekend was the Craftsman Truck Series. But even in that race, a Sprint NASCAR Series driver won the race! That of course is another whole story that I won’t go in to here right now. But, suffice it to say, I am not a fan of the Sprint Series drivers, which is the top series on the NASCAR circuit, double-dipping, or sometimes triple-dipping in races through the weekend. If you’re racing in the top circuit, then that’s where you need to stay. I wonder what would happen if suddenly a New York Yankee player said, “Hmmm…I have some time off, I think I’ll go play a game in the minor leagues.” It just wouldn’t happen, nor should it happen.

But once again, I digress…

NASCAR officials will always do their best to get a race in on the scheduled day. But in the case of the race yesterday in California, they really blew it. Not only did they blow the call, but they also cost a number of drivers, top drivers, the race. Rain was falling pretty much all weekend in California, and by the time the green flag dropped for the Sunday race, the track wasn’t even totally dry. Many drivers told NASCAR officials the track was wet on corner three and four with water “weeping” out of cracks on the track! In other words, the track was wet, very wet, with running water on the track. These cars run slicks. So, as you can well imagine, slick tires on water don’t stick. As a result Casey Mears, Sam Hornish Junior, Reed Sorenson and Dale Earnhardt Junior are all in the garage with wrecked cars! Simply because NASCAR ignored the drivers.

Now lets talk about another irresponsible move by NASCAR.

In a time when gas prices are at an all-time high, Sunoco, the official gas of NASCAR, must be loving them! It rained all weekend, and even rained up to the weekend event. In an attempt to keep the track dry, NASCAR kept the jet dryers on the track pretty much the entire time in effort to keep the track warm so it wouldn’t get wet. I’m afraid to even think how many thousands of gallons of gas NASCAR wasted on their attempts to keep the track dry. In the end, this did nothing. All it did was waste gas, and eliminate drivers from the race.

Come on NASCAR, maybe it’s time to re-think some of your policies.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

The bad boys of NASCAR are on the track going fast and turning left. So far this year, and the first points race isn’t until Sunday, there are three key stories taking place.

1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Apparently Junior likes his new digs in the Hendrick camp. He hadn’t been able to win for about two years with DEI and it seemed every time he was doing well in a DEI car, something would go wrong. Not so this year as he’s batting two for two! Junior won the Bud Shootout last weekend and he won the first Duel race on Thursday.

2) Michael Waltrip Racing - Last year Mikey couldn’t catch a break. At Daytona he was accused of putting jet fuel in his brand new Toyota, then it took him all year to dig out of a whole that many times saw one or more of this three car team going home on a weekly basis not making the race. Not so this year, all three cars in the race for Sunday and Mikey is on the outside pole!

3) It’s Time To Send Some Boys Home - During practice last week, and I blogged about this earlier, Tony Stewart decided to wreck Kurt Busch because of a long-standing fued the two have been embroiled in. Not only did Stewart wreck his car, but he wreck Busch, his own teammates and the Johnson and Gordon cars!

Both Stewart and Busch were called into the NASCAR trailer, which is like going to the office when you’ve been bad in school, and scolded. In the end, NASCAR decided to put them on a 6 race probation period. Give me a break. This will accomplish nothing. It’s like a slap on the hand. Don’t do that anymore boys. Now go back out and play nicely.

If NASCAR is serious about making sure such childish actions don’t happen they should have parked both drivers and said — “See you next week boys. You’re not racing in the Daytona 500.” Now that would send a loud and clear message. But, NASCAR is afraid of the drivers, and figure that would hurt ticket sales. After all, what would happen if their stars weren’t racing? Well, maybe it would send a message that says when you put someones life in danger, we won’t put up with it.

If the drivers can’t play nice, send him home for a weekend.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

A new study just came out looking at how Congress is spending taxpayer money. The funny thing is, the study looks at pork spending. While I must admit, sometimes pork spending is crazy, right now however I’m more concerned about what Congress is doing to fill their time while on Capital Hill.

Why are they spending so much time talking with athletes about steroids and HGH use? I don’t get this at all. While I am personally appauld at the use of such drugs in baseball, or any other sport, I’m amazed at how much time Congress is spending talking about this. What can they do? Are they a court of law? Will the athletes be brought up on charges because of some silly Congressional hearing? I don’t think so. If there’s an issue here of perjury, send the whole thing to the court system, not the political system. To me this seems like nothing more than political grandstanding as politicians line up on either side of the aisle trying to flex their muscles all in the interest of making sure they garner the all important high ratings in the public opinion polls so they can find themselves re-elected.

I ask you this simply question — Did you elect your politicians to office so they can get autographs of famous sports figures?

Give me a break guys. Do you have nothing better to do with your time? Lets see, we have a shakey economy, terrorists trying to figure out how to bomb us and a wealth of many other more pressing issues than getting caught up in a “he said, no he said” discussion about who’s telling a lie and who’s telling the truth.

Maybe it’s time to put some of our politicians in the hot seat and ask them to explain why they’re wasting our money, and valuable time talking about steroids use.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

The new NASCAR season is underway and it seems some have picked up right where they left off. Bad boy Tony Stewart decided to punt Kurt Busch, whom he’s had a long standing feud with for a number of years, out of the way during practice for the Bud Shootout Friday afternoon. Apparently Stewart still has a score to settle for some bumps along the way from Busch during some races last year. After being punted out of the way, Kurt Busch decided to come alongside Stewart heading into the garage area and body slam him a few times with his car! Come on guys, is this really smart when there are other cars and people around?

Of course Tony’s little stunt not only took out the 2 car of Busch, but along the way the wreck took out Tony’s teammate Denny Hamlin, along with Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson. Way to go Tony! Way to be an adult here and show just how much of a baby you really are.

Now, I’m not sure what’s more disturbing. The fact that drivers are using their cars as weapons, or the fact that NASCAR officials seem to enjoy this type of thing. While NASCAR did call the drivers to what’s known as the penalty box for a stern talking to, some of the comments from NASCAR officials are very disturbing. After the incident NASCAR official Jim Hunter said, “in the past we’ve cracked down on misbehavior of the drivers. But this year, we’re more receptive to drivers showing their emotions.” Hunter went on to say, “this is the NASCAR we fell in love with.”

What!? That just doesn’t make sense. Then, just in case someone didn’t fully understand what NASCAR is looking for this year, Hunter concluded by saying, “We want the drivers to get out and show their emotions. We want them to get mad and get upset with one another and vent their frustation.”

This is crazy. These are professional drivers and they need to grow up and learn how to react. Using their cars as weapons, running onto the track and throwing helmets, and whatever else some half-witted-angry-driver might decide to do, not only puts themselves in harms way, but endangers the lives of other drivers and fans alike. NASCAR might think this is s a good idea now, but what will they do when someone dies because they’ve encouraged the drivers to “show their emotions”?

I can see it now, it’s NASCAR WWF style — In this corner we have Tony “Bad Boy” Stewart who will physically abuse you on the track and then verbally abuse you on his radio show. And in the next corner we have Kurt “Pretty Boy” Busch who always tosses up his hands saying - Who me? I didn’t do anything.

Not only do some of the drivers need to grow up, but it appears NASCAR needs to grow up too.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Okay, so I know the New York Giants are pumped about beating the Patriots in Super Bowl 42. Now I must admit I’m not much of a football fan, but there is one thing that tweaks my interest every year.

Why are the teams who win the Super Bowl referred to as world champions?

I don’t get this at all. When did the National Football League turn into the International Football League? Yes, the New York Giants are the NFL Championship team, but they are by no means the world champions. Are teams from the CFL allowed to play in the Super Bowl? No. Are teams from other football leagues around the world allowed to play in the Super Bowl? No.

So lets stop referring to them as world champions. They’re not world champions. To be a world champion the competition needs to be opened up to, well you guessed it, the world. Such is not the case with the NFL’s Super Bowl. It’s a National Football League Championship game. Let’s call it what it is, and stop thinking the world revolves around the NFL Super Bowl game.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus